2012 A Year in Review!

Here's a quick little recap of this past year's highlights!

It started out with a feature in the Washingtonian, so glad I was able to be a part of it :)

This year was definitely the year of the TOP KNOT, both braided & sock bun [1/2]

Had such a fun time attending my first FNO Georgetown with wonderful friends!

I made these shorts from thrifted jeans & they quickly became my summer staple[1/2]

Had such a fun time co-hosting the Gossip Girl farewell party earlier this month.

I've had a lot of fun experimenting with lipsticks this year & I'm building quite the arsenal!

I've made so many great memories at the LPM Loft & had so many laughs with these ladies <3

Looking forward to many more D.I.Y. projects this year! [1/2/3/4]

One of my favorite features on the blog Tasty Tuesday, where I get my foodie on. [Shrimp & Grits]

One of my biggest life changes this year was that David & I moved into our first Apartment! I can't believe that it's already been a year & that we're already on planning on moving to a different apartment  in February :) My goal for the new apartment is to do a better job of making it feel like a home & keeping it better organized .. we'll see how that goes.

Can't wait to see all the beauty & experiences 2013 has up its' sleeve <3 Party Safely tonight!!

PS: You still have time to enter my giveaway!!

Happy Holidays

Here's some pictures from all of last week's holiday festivities! Including some unique "wrapping paper" & lots of decorations :) We spent 3 days in Ohio with my family & then celebrated Christmas in Maryland with David's family. It was wonderful getting to see all my relatives & celebrating Christmas twice!

David & I at a friend's house before going out. (Their tree was too pretty to pass up!)

I always get my parents gift cards to restaurants for Christmas so they can go on dates throughout the year. I decided to wrap their presents with magazine pages & I love how they turned out :)

I left a LOT of extra space in my suitcase because I always do lots of shopping when I go home.

Carmel Brulee Latte while waiting. Wearing my typical "airport attire" & happy to be back on the ground after a bumpy flight.

My new Christmas goodies :) My "Mr. T" chain necklace as David calls it, which I got on sale at Kohls while doing some Christmas shopping. This cute little Old Navy Sheep sweater was gifted to me from my little sister (worn here).

Dinner in Ohio, Best cookies ever c/o my Grandma, & some decorations around the house.

Enjoying what little of a white Christmas I had, thank goodness there was only a little snow due to my limited footwear.

We finally got our first Christmas tree!! It's only 2 feet tall, but I'm totally in love with it <3 This Vanilla Cookie candle smells absolutely deeeelish & gives me a semi-cookie fix :)

The down part of the week .. 8 hours in the E.R. with David after a gall attack :(

One of my favorite meals of the year, Christmas Eve Gnocchi (Red Meat Sauce, Pesto, & Gorgonzola)! 

Thanks for letting me share my Christmas memories with you & make sure to sign up for my giveaway <3

Tis the season of Giveaway!

Ok, so I know that Christmas has passed & that all of you are so over presents :) Just kidding who could ever get sick of presents?! When I started my blog back in December of 2010 I didn't know the first thing about blogging let alone any other bloggers in the area. Through this blog & these past two years I feel as though my eyes have been opened & I feel so blessed to have made such great friends & readers! I love reading all of your comments & they totally make my day :) As a small thank you for your support & sweet words I wanted to put together a small giveaway as a token of my appreciation! I've picked pieces & products that I wear & love <3 Below are the rules for the giveaway as well as what goodies are included in it!

1) My favorite liquid eyeliner everrr!
2) Smashbox eye shadow in "Enchanted" for a fun smokey eye :)
3) Maybelline Color Show polish "Purple Icon" to pretend it's summer.
4) Gel Makeup Bag perfect for throwing in your purse on the go <3
5) Diamond Bottle Opener for those days when you need a fabulous drink.
6) Mini Notebook to record all the funny things that happen throughout the day :)

** This is not a sponsored giveaway, I purchased these products for you ladies because I <3 ya!
PS: If you win this giveaway & you have an iPhone 4/4s I have a bonus surprise for you.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Sheep VS. Leopard

I hope everyone had a wonderful Christmas or whatever holiday you choose to celebrate! I was in Ohio visiting my family a couple days before Christmas & snapped a couple of pictures of what I wore to my family's Christmas lunch. It was so great getting to see my Dad's side of the family as well as a bunch of old friends who kept me laughing late into the night :) I'm also excited to share with you my Christmas present from my little sister, a sheep sweater!! 

Sweater-OLD NAVY, Necklace-KOHLS, Bracelet-KOHLS, Flats-TARGET

I had to share this picture of my sweet Grandma because she really is quite amazing & at 93 years old she continues to carry herself with such grace & love! So happy that I got to go home for a bit, but I'm glad to be back in my little apartment & look through all my presents again :) 

PS: I had to throw in that picture of my Mom making a pig face in the window to show all of you where I get my silliness from!

Airport Attire

Hey everyone I know it's been a while since I've blogged, but I have legit excuses! The first excuse is that I just got back home late last night from visiting with my family in Ohio :) The second one is that David has been diagnosed with gall stones so we've been in & out of the emergency room for the last week :( We're trying to find a way for him to avoid having surgery & are trying out some natural cleanses. 

Anyways, now that you're all filled in I wanted to share with you some tips & necessities for airport travels. I've been flying since I was 2 weeks old & have definitely made my share of travel mistakes including: wearing 4 inch heels & carrying on a duffel bag that weighed close to my body weight. Needless to say I learned my lesson after both of those unpleasant experiences & now have my airport game plan down!

The first picture is the outfit that I traveled in last night & is the perfect example of my "airport uniform." I'm going to go into more detail into the importance of each of the items. PS: I always wear my glasses when flying because nothing is worse than dry & crunchy contacts while up in the air.

Cardigan: I ALWAYS wear a cardigan when flying because you never know if the plane is going to be freezing or if you're going to be sandwiched in the middle seat & sweating .. so at least you're prepared!

Scarf: This one is a bit more for winter/cold weather travel, but I love scarves because they can double as a pillow & cushion your head if you're lucky enough to get a window seat. Also, on our most recent flight there was a huge draft that kept blowing cold air at us & I was so glad to have my over-sized scarf :)

Big Purse: You NEED a big purse to hold all of your airport entertainment & snacks! This one is actually an early Christmas present from David (it's H&M) & it was a perfect match for carrying all my essentials. For my own sanity I try to carry as few bags/luggage with my because it's less to keep track of & when you're running from one flight to another you will appreciate having just 1 bag :)

Jeggings: Under NO circumstances should you wear uncomfortable pants when traveling! I mean come on you're stuck sitting in a terminal & then stuck sitting on a plane make sure your pants are stretchy. I wore an old pair of worn in jeggings from Garage that are all broken in & almost as comfy as a pair of sweats (but look more put together).

Slouchy Tee: When going through security & having to strip down nothing is worse than having to worry if your crack or stomach is hanging out .. so the solution is a SLOUCHY TEE! This baby will keep you covered & allow you some breathing room if you've done any extra eating on your travels :)

Shoes: Biggest mistake ever (besides 4 inch heels) was wearing converses to the airport & having to untie & retie them while trying to rush through security... NEVER wear shoes with laces! Also a plus to wearing my new Target wedge sneakers is that my bare feet did't have to touch the sketchy airport floor because I had socks on as opposed to when I wear flats.

Other flight necessities: Laptop, Magazine, Snack, & Gum! 

(Not pictured head phones & husband)

I hope this quick little travel round up was helpful & Merry Christmas Eve to all of you! Stay tuned because after Christmas there's going to be a fun little giveaway going on :)

You Know You Love me ... XOXO

This past Monday I had the pleasure of co-hosting my first event! I first off want to say THANK YOU to everyone that came out to dress up, drink up, & be all around Fabulous :) The evening was centered around all the style & chic-ness that is Gossip Girl, as well as bidding farewell to the series. We were all invited to dress up as our favorite character & I immediately thought of the Blair/Breakfast at Tiffany's scene from several seasons ago. It was an easy choice since I've had this beautiful black & pearl embellished dress collecting dust in my closet since I thrifted it back in April. Since I had to rush to get ready after work I turned to my trusty sock bun, neutral makeup, & a serious cat-eye. I had so much fun getting all dressed up for the event & look forward to possibly hosting future events :)

Dress-THRIFTED & Heels-H&M

I have to also thank my dear friend Morgan for snapping these pictures for me! 

Stay tuned for more pictures from the event :)

Tasty Tuesdays: Jamaican Me Hungry!

This time last Tuesday I was finishing up a delicious food tasting at 876 Cafe with some of my favorite bloggers! I had planned to do a post as soon as I got home, but quickly realized that the food coma I was in wouldn't permit for any blogging. I was so excited when Ijeoma contacted me with the opportunity to try some authentic Jamaican cuisine & let me tell you 876 Cafe did not disappoint! This hidden gem is only a minute away from the Van Ness Metro & is the perfect place for a bite to eat after a busy work day. This fairly new restaurant is family owned by the dynamic brother sister duo of Michael & Moreen. We had the pleasure of getting to hear the background of the restaurant & the family's rich culinary history from Moreen as well as have our taste buds spoiled by Michael's creations.

The tasting started off with "Rasti" which is a Caribbean style Long Island Iced Tea. I love tropical flavors & this refreshing drink definitely started the tasting off in the right direction :) Another fun little fact about the Rasti is that a regular sized Rasti is only $2.00 on Tuesdays aka your new favorite spot has arrived!!

Now on to the food .. my mouth is already starting to water just thinking about these amazing spring rolls! These are no ordinary spring rolls & they will redefine what you expect from a spring roll. The spring rolls were filled with curry, chicken, chick peas, carrots, & cabbage. The rolls were paired with a pineapple chutney which complimented the subtle heat of the curry.

Next up is my new favorite thing in the E-N-T-I-R-E-W-O-R-L-D .. yes it's that serious & yes they were THAT good. Alright alright I guess I should let you in on what I'm talking about .. 3 words JERK-CHICKEN-WRAP :) These flavor packed wraps literally blew my mind & just to make sure I wasn't imaging it I ate 3 1/2 of them! These magnificent little things are filled with jerk chicken, jack cheese, pineapple, tomato, lettuce, & some magical crack sauce. They were so fantastic that I bought a wrap (only $6!!) to take home to David so that he could experience it :)

 Last up was a refreshing fruit punch made up of guava, mango, & passion fruit .. it's pretty much like going on a tropical vacation! Morgan & I ended up staying afterwards to try the "adult version" aka the best Rum Punch of my liiiiiiife :)

I really enjoyed the food & ambiance at 876 Cafe & will definitely be visiting again! I also loved that a lot of the other patrons at the restaurant were regulars & that Moreen took time to personally check on each one of them. I see great things for this restaurant in the future & encourage you to stop by for a real taste of Jamaica!

Such a lovely group of ladies to spend the evening with! 

(Thanks for the pic Morgan)

[LtoR] Me, Morgan, Trisha, Lisha, Steph & Jess, & Amanda

Future Plans

With the year coming to an end I'm enjoying looking back on all that has happened in these past 12 months. Now with 2013 inching closer every day I have some new fun things to look forward to! I can't wait to bring all of you along for the ride :)

I'd love to hear what exciting plans you have for New Year as well as how you'll be bringing it in! I still don't know exactly what we're doing, but I do know that I will be wearing something fun & festive <3

PS: Make sure to come out to the Renaissance Hotel tonight to celebrate Gossip Girl & dress like your favorite character!! For more info about tonight's festivities check out the Eventbrite page :)

A WEDGE Filled Weekend

Yes, I've been talking about purchasing a pair of wedge sneakers for some time now case in point-this post. I finally took the plunge & ordered an all black pair from Target on Cyber Monday for $30.00! When I first got to see them in person & try them on I was a bit unsure about if they were really "me", but that worry quickly dissolved :) They seriously are so perfect for the weekend & go with EVERYYYTHING! I wore them twice this weekend once for a birthday party & below for Christmas shopping & late night happy hour with David. When I thrifted this jacket a couple of weeks ago I had no idea just how much use I would get out of it, in other words everyone needs to go out & get a printed coat! 

Jacket-THRIFTED, Scarf-THRIFTED, Cardigan-OLD NAVY, Shoes-TARGET

Also, just a quick reminder to all of you that tomorrow night [[Monday 17]] is the Gossip Girl Viewing Party at the Renaissance Hotel in D.C., hope to see you all there!!