I don't fancy myself a particularly funky person, though I have my moments like on Thanksgiving when I matched a tiered brown dress, grey patterned tights and tan/grey boots, but I just love this funky, sassy Sequin Embellished Shoulder dress from Forever21. Things I love: navy, gold, embellishment (no jewelry necessary!) and well done asymmetrical necklines. Things this dress has: navy, gold, embellishments, and a well done asymmetrical neckline. Oh yes. Wear this dress to Christmas, Hanukkah and New Years Parties-- match it with black pumps or booties. Take a risk with this dress, and I promise you it will return the favor, you'll be stylish and adventurous for under $25. And to sweeten this offer, let me remind you all that Forever21 is offering free shipping all day long (November 30th) if you enter the code CYBERMONDAY during check out. Stand out in this number on the cheap and splurge on dinner and champagne! What a perfect holiday plan!


For more pictures, information and to buy the Sequin Embellished Shoulder dress, click here!

Lovely is having some major Cyber Monday sales because we love our readers! If you order any of these Cyber Monday deals by December 6th, you'll receive a free gift with your purchase!

White Vintage Bags from Lovely's Store:
1. Vintage White Faux-Leather Envelope Clutch
2. Vintage White Evening Bag with Glamorous Clasp
3. White Vintage Faux-Leather Evening Bag

Hey beauts, I have generously been given the opportunity to invite some lovelies to sign up for the preview of Google Wave. I have three invites to offer to you sweethearts--if you're interested in joining the wave, please let me know!

What are you thankful for today, my lovelies?

The Modern Bobbi Dress seems strangely apropos after a longer than it should have been conversation about bobby pins last night. My friend theorized that bobby pins were named for their relation to bobbed hair cuts. Bobby Pins are so called because of their inventor Robert Pinney, I love that. This dress however, I've decided is most probably named after Bobby Soxers, you know the girls--love Old Blue Eyes (Frank Sinatra), poodle skirts and rolling socks to their ankles; hate when the sock hop is over. And since its modern it has replaced a y with an i. Either way, whatever the dress was named for, it is certainly adorable. To quote the ModCloth website: "...enjoy its scoop neck, princess seams, discreet cummerbund, and exquisite cap sleeves." It's a perfect Thanksgiving dress, not only will you be giving thanks for finding this dress, but there are pockets for hiding turkey legs, or handfuls of stuffing, or you know, more normal things like your cell phone. But whatever, to each her own [pocketful of sweet potatoes].





For more information, pictures and to buy the Modern Bobbi Dress, click here!

I love hearing about new endeavours, especially when they are a friend or acquaintance. Today's Etsy Find of the Day comes from a brand new jewelry store out there, the store of Pilar Duarte Tudor. Pilar, a "Graduate Gemologist Degree from the prestigious Gemological Institute of America in New York" designs and manufactures all her own jewelry in Manhattan, and as she states, "I love incorporating unusual and exotic gemstones such as Amazonite, Peruvian Opal and other gorgeous undiscovered treasures."

This holiday season, splurge a little and buy your sister, mother, best friend, new bride, or yourself this beyond gorgeous "Marie Necklace." The necklace is, "Sky blue Amazonite round beads on 8 magenta hand dyed silk cords. The Cords make it possible to wear this piece at whatever length you feel most comfortable. The beaded portion of this necklace is 13.5 inches long, the silk ribbons on each side are about 18 inches." I love the colors, the chunkiness of the stones, and the elegance that it ties around the neck! What a great necklace to wear to a holiday party, on your honeymoon, or to celebrate your next lovely milestone in life. I love supporting local and independent artists, and these necklaces are definitely a piece of art!

We here at Lovely At Your Side are fully invested in our readers-- we want to bring you the loveliest blog reading experience possible day in and day out. We love writing here every day, but we want you to hear from all sorts of lovelies, and so for the Holiday season we've invited some lovely folk to come share their ideas with us. Some will present us with present picks, some will honor us with cooking tips and tricks and some will surprise us all, I'm sure. Olivia and I are very excited to bring these lovelies into the mix-- everyone who contributes is someone we consider truly, truly fantastic! So enjoy the month of gift ideas and guest writers, beauties! I'm looking forward to it and I hope you are too!

Happy Monday, Lovelies! Today we have a very special Etsy find and Lovely Present Pick! Check out these beautiful crocheted hats made by Lovely's very own Jenny. These are warm, adorable, and one-of-a-kind stylish winter hats which would perk up your winter wardrobe. What a great gift idea for your mother, sister, best friend, or like I'm doing, they are a great little gift for your significant others' siblings. These crocheted hats are ideal for men, women, children...and we even tried them on the dog, but she wasn't too happy about it. Plus, Jenny is more than happy to custom design a hat for you or your loved ones this holiday! These hats are a steal; you won't find handmade hats like these at any department store for under twenty dollars! I've already bought five from Jenny for this year's holiday! And heads up, Lovelies, we'll be adding tons and tons of hats to the store in the next few days (along with aprons and scarves!), so keep checking back!

1. White, Blue, Brown Crocheted Hat; 2. Lovely Sunset Crocheted Hat; 3. Flapper Crocheted Hat

Growing up I had this dream, it involved my mother taking me to the city in a limo to see the Nutcracker on a chilly day in December. It involved me wearing a pretty little skirt set, a fancy coat, a beret and a muff. And it involved my mother wearing a matching outfit. This never happened. If you know my mother you know that she has little interest in any populated area in Manhattan, no interest in the Nutcracker, and zero interest in investing in matching outfits for Mother and Daughter, no matter how much I begged. And I begged.

I finally made it to the Nutcracker last year, Olivia and I decided it was time to start full filling some of our own child hood dreams. We enjoyed the ballet, followed by drinks and appetizers at The Stone Rose Lounge in Columbus Circle.

I wore a black leotard, a black pencil skirt, a leopard print silk scarf as a belt, and brown boots. And while in some ways it was close to my childhood dream, the Nutcracker Suite Dress from Modcloth would have been the adult answer to my childhood ideal. It's the sort of dramatic dress that only works for the Christmas season. There's something retro about it, sweet and modern while still calling on the '60s. You could wear this adorable dress with little white gloves and look just as timelessly chic and fashionable as Jackie O.


For more information, pictures and to buy the Nutcracker Suite Dress, click here!

Happy Friday, Lovelies! I'm so, so looking forward to today: lunch, a walk, and tonight another Living Room recording session with Dobro Dick Dillof, Eric Howell and a handful of other local musicians. What are you lovelies looking forward to this weekend? I'd love to know! While you think about your answer, enjoy my weekly round up!

• I just love, love Martha Stewart's printable lists, she has everything from the six things you should do daily to a Thanksgiving planner, from a list to prepare for house guests to a list of how to stock your pantry, medical kit, baking pantry and home bar!

• Don't forget tomorrow (Saturday the 21st) is "The Game." As it's gotten closer and closer I've tried to finagle my plans to get to New Haven this weekend, but I can't seem to figure out my way there in a way that makes sense-- oh well, go enjoy it for me CT Lovelies.

• Amazon.com is offering some great deals on magazine subscriptions, enjoy some for yourself or order one for a great, creative gift for the deserving person in your life. Seriously, lovelies, Marie Claire is a 2 year subscription from $84 down to $10, that's .42 cents an issue!
  

My mother is notorious for carrying around bags of books wherever she goes; she has a great fear of being stranded in a waiting room, on a train, or waiting in the car for someone without something to read. This is why when I came across these gorgeous book plates and tote bags from Sweet Water Crafts, I knew that they would be a Lovely Present Pick for not only my mother, but for all your mothers! I simply adore the art deco style look of the Botanical Arch Custom Book Plate; there's just so many reasons I love these bookplates as presents. For one, they are customizable, and we all know how I feel about customizable presents; and two, this set of eighteen beautiful bookplates is only $9.50! What a perfectly priced present! As a lovely accompaniment to the bookplate, I have fallen in love with this linen tote bag featuring a vintage woman; the bag measures 6x5.75, a perfect size for a book or two! This bag would helpful at the library, supermarket, or even used at a picnic. I know my mother would love these two gifts, especially paired with a new book on art, cookbook, or an odd used book from the early 1900's. These are truly lovely gifts for such a lovely price! (I may have to get some for myself...what a lovely idea!). These are a great Holiday Gift Idea for not just your mother, but grandmother, best friend, S.O.'s mom/grandma, or any book lover in your life!

Made up story which I wish was a true story: if we weren't going to name Lovely At Your Side "Lovely At Your Side," we would have (should have, gosh darnit!) named it "Pink Chiffon Tiered Dress." The Chiffon Tiered Dress from Charlotte Russe is sort of the motto of my company, it fits in with "tea party appropriate" and (my new term) "Daisy Buchanan casual." The dress is truly lovely in every sense of the word, the sweet baby pink color, the angling of the tiers, the fluffy light chiffon and the gold embellished neckline--lovely, lovely and lovely! I love that you can take the dress from black tights and a cashmere cardigan for Holiday parties all the way to gold sandals and fireflies in the summer. Know what else is lovely about this dress? The price--for $24.99 how can you not buy this wonderful piece?!



For more information, pictures and to buy The Chiffon Tiered Dress, click here!

We here at Lovely At Your Side satellite headquarters are enjoying an impromptu living room concert with Eric Howell of the Crickstones and Dobro Dick Dillof (a fantastic dobro, guitar, mandolin, banjo etc etc etc player with no website!). We're all loving the performance (there's even someone teleconferencing in to listen!) -- stay tuned for videos in the near future!

The other night a long days journey landed me on the Bridgeport- Port Jefferson Ferry exhausted and feeling nauseous. I was not looking forward to the hour long trip on the sometimes choppy Long Island Sound which awaited me. But I was pleasantly surprised when my companion introduced me to 2 lovely girls, Josie and Anastasia, current seniors at my alma mater. Not only did the girls provide Advil, of which I am still thankful, but they happily chatted with me for the entire hour, they made me forget my tired eyes and my general malaise.

And beyond that, who could ask for more?! they provided inspiration--one of the girls, Anastasia, was wearing a fantastic travel outfit: black leggings, a black long sleeved shirt, boots and a truly beautiful cape style jacket. The look was effortless, chic and totally comfortable. And now I want a cape. Badly.

Masked Cape-r, Countess of Pembroke Caplet, Cape Plaid-eras.


Black Cashmere blended Wool Hoodie Cape, Green Red Christmas Plaid Wool Tartan Hooded Long Cloak Cape, Cashmere Blended Wool Scarlet Red Hoodie Cape.

Hey Lovelies, did you know that the Holiday season is fast approaching? Well, if you didn't, now you do. And this Regency Ballroom Dress from ModCloth, seems like the perfect piece to wear to fabulous Holiday parties (I've been obsessed with the idea of Holiday parties forever, but can't remember the last time I went to a Holiday party, I wish Lovely At Your Side had the time to throw a fantastic Holiday party for all of our lovely readers!). I love the winter cream and gold brocade, I love that the dress is highly reminiscent of the dresses Jane Austen's Bennet or Dashwood sisters might wear. Especially to a modern day Holiday party. Picture Jane Bennet in this dress with black tights and some shiny patent black pumps. Picture Marianne Dashwood in this dress with bare legs, and some dramatic heels (booties, or pumps; gold, red or emerald green!) and a fantastic fascinator. This dress is not only beautiful, but versatile enough to outfit a Marianne to a Lizzie, a Jane to an Elinor-- that's saying quite a bit, isn't it Lovelies?



For more information, pictures and to buy the Regency Ballroom Dress, click here!

As many of you know, our brother is adjourning abroad for four years in Scotland. He'll be coming home for the holidays, however, and I wanted to make sure that whatever present we gave him would be something useful, and something he can bring back to college and show off to his friends. Today's Lovely Etsy Find of the Day and Holiday Present Pick is for the proverbial younger brother in your life; whether it be a cousin, significant other's sibling, or your own younger brother, I thought that this Leather Pocket Flask by Hardwick Housewares would be the perfect holiday gift pick.

Not only is this flask a handsome accoutrement for any man, but the price is lovely, as well! I love the clean lines, the classy sturdiness, and traditional aspect of this gift. This is a very unique and useful gift! These flasks, although made from leather, are ready to be used, whether for juice, alcohol, or water. Also, I know that Collin would love the fact that these vessels have a history to them, "Each vessel is hardened using an ancient process known as Cuir Bouilli and finished to the highest standard. [...] While this specific design is unique, vessels of this type were common in medieval England. The simple, compact design makes them just as practical today."

They come in five different color options (we love, love, love customizable gifts here at Lovely!), brown, red, black, green and natural (undyed, golden brown); what a perfect gift to get for the traveling man in your life. Collin, if you're reading this, act surprised in about a month.

Hey beauts, I wanted to remind you all that "The Game"* is coming up this weekend! Get your flannel ready to spend all day Saturday (November 21st) outside at the Yale Bowl. I will not be in attendance, sadly-- plans just didn't quite work out. But I know some of my lovely readers are planning on going, and I demand photos! Show us who you support, Game Going Lovelies!




*Jenny: What game? Friend: Um, the only game which doesn't need any qualifiers, "The Game," the Harvard-Yale game.)

Happy Monday! Welcome to the week! I spent most of the weekend in bed with "The Duchess of Duke Street," a BBC show from 1976 produced by the same brilliant minds as "Upstairs, Downstairs" about a strong minded woman who works her way from servant girl to best cook in London, enchanting a king, ditching a husband and saving a hotel along the way. The show is slow, but steady and there is something incredibly addicting about it.

I was pleasantly pleased to find out that the fictional heroine Louisa Trotter was based loosely upon the very real, very strong and very beautiful Rosa Lewis, the "Queen of Cooks" and owner of the Cavendish Hotel.
As the first freelance Chef, she prepared meals for who ever could afford her service, the owner of a Hotel, and a woman who accomplished her greatest goals despite difficulties, Rosa Lewis has become a major inspiration to me. Who inspire you, lovelies?

When you're on the mend from being sick you start to realize how much energy you usually have that has been zapped due to the cold, flu whatever. I'm currently on the mend, and am realizing I almost have the energy to bake pies, cookies and cup cakes again. Almost (I did sleep like 11 hours last night). When the energy is all back I want to rock ModCloth's The Hours Dress, get out my stand mixer, throw on an apron and bake, bake, bake.
The pattern will hide a resulting flour mess, the cotton will clean nicely, the smocked waist band will allow for comfortable, easy movement (reaching up for flour, bending down to retrieve biscuits from the oven) and keep your cellphone in the pocket so you know when your friends are stopping buy to chat and take some of those treats off your hands (counters!).

For more information, pictures and to buy The Hours Dress, click here!

Before you rush off to your exciting lives this weekend (I'm off to Vermont, will let you know all about it next week!) just wanted to do a roundup of these last weeks' Holiday Present Picks. Let us know, over here at Lovely, if any of these strike your fancy and diminish your wallet this holiday season. What are you getting for your favorite little girls, parent's friend, sister's S.O., grandma, and sister this holiday season? Do tell!

Grandmothers' love framing pictures of their grandchildren, so don't forget to get your grandma this beautiful and lovely Off White Rose Picture Frame from Cranberry Creek Hollow and put a printed picture of you and your siblings in it for your grandmother this year!

And for your beautiful sister, get her this Modern Feminine Evil Eye Cocktail Ring from MerCurios. This unique and original ring is a great way to say "I Love You!" during the holiday season to your favorite sidekick.

...and for your sister's S.O., I am loving this Walnut Duck Call Key Ring!

I loved finding the Holiday Present Picks for the little girls in my life, and I know that any little girl in your life will just flip for the Knitted Doll from Granny Knits, the Tea Party Set from Itty Bitty Bakery, The Veggie Play Set from Pickle Things, and the Sugar Plum Tutu Dress from Issy Missy!

Remember, for that extra person in your life, this adorable Gingerbread Candle from Beelightful Creations is the way to go! And for your best friend far away, this DIY Cheese Kit from Urban Cheese is the ultimate gift!

Stay tuned next week for Lovely Present Picks for brothers, mothers, grandfathers, and your office buddy! Let us know if you have any great suggestions for these, too! Happy Weekend ox!

This morning I made a lovely concoction and wanted to share it with you all in time for the holidays! I call this winter drink "The Chocolate Candy Cane" and it would be perfect either for cold winter mornings, or dolled up with some alcohol, marshmallows, and holiday paraphernalia for your next holiday party. It's the easiest drink in the world to make, I promise.

The basic recipe is this (and I'm doing this for a single serving, but feel free to expand this to as many servings as you need!): brew a cup of peppermint tea (don't leave the teabag in for too, too long so that your water base isn't too strong of peppermint); add to the cup of tea, a dash of milk, and your favorite hot chocolate mix--mix up and drink! If you'd like to dress up the drink, add a peppermint stick, or candy cane and marshmallows; if you want to add that little kick to the drink, add some Peppermint Schnapps and a dash of Kahlua! What a sweet way to add some minty-love to your next holiday get together! And, as a delicious side to this treat, check out these scrumptious looking Candy Cane Bark from Sweetest Sin Bakeshop. Can't you just picture your favorite mug all decked out with the Chocolate Candy Cane drink, a peppermint stick, three marshmallows, and a side of Candy Cane Bark?! Invite your favorite girls over for holiday movie night and serve up this wintery treat!

ModCloth's Chain of Jewels Dress reminds me of Hermes. I love Hermes, but cannot afford it. I can afford this dress. And I love the idea of this dress with very understated accessories--I mean the dress comes with gold chains all over it, who needs much more? Dark colored tights, boots and a well fitting, slim cut coat which comes right to your knee would make this dress an instant knock out.


For more information, pictures and to buy the Chain of Jewels Dress, click here!

Add this to the list of things I find hysterical-- James Franco is in New York studying at NYU -BOBCATS!- and Columbia, and to maintain his acting chops he's guest starring on General Hospital. He's doing a cameo.. and speaking of cameos--the Cameo Appearance Dress from ModCloth desperately deserves regular starring credits in your wardrobe.


Things I love about this dress: the deep, deep v neckline, the fantastically flouncy sleeves, the sweet subtle floral print on the silk and most of all the bead surrounded cameo.

I keep meaning to post about this, but am clearly a slacker, I love, love, love cameos. I have cameo earrings, cameo pendants, and cameo brooches. I want more, I crave more. I need more.


Caroline Brooch, Ruby Rouge Jewellry; Mermaids Cameo, Beads by Evelyn; Lorena Civil War Cameo, Ebon Swan.

The great thing about these cameos, besides being so incredibly beautiful, is that they're all under $20! A lot of cameos on Etsy, pendants, brooches and earrings alike, are under $20, and a lot are under $10! What a great gift idea, beautiful, elegant and affordable!

For more information, pictures and to buy the Cameo Appearance Dress, click here!

When I was fourteen years old, I heard the loveliest sound I could ever dream of: the opening bars to "Coming Around Again" by Carly Simon. It was the most beautiful song I had ever heard (I mean, how can lyrics get any better than, "I know nothing stays the same/But if you're willing to play the game/It's coming around again/So don't mind if I fall apart,there's more room in a broken heart"?!) and started me on a lifelong love and admiration for Ms. Simon. Recently Carly just released a CD which is full of remakes of her old songs; old Simon standards of hers from the '70s and '80s have been remade with the help of her son, Ben Taylor (another amazing musician in his own right) and of course, Carly's soulful and powerful voice. Carly isn't just an amazing musician and lyricist, but a breast cancer survivor, grandmother, designer, and a classically beautiful (I've seen her in concert, and she is strikingly gorgeous!) and strong woman whom any young Lovely would aspire to be when they grow up.

Just a few months ago I got my first guitar and, with the help of my very patient guitar teacher, have been learning to play. The first woman I thought of, with my new guitar in hand, was Carly Simon. She's a musician who does use her music to better the world; her music is a powerful weapon which she uses for good instead of evil. While traveling on the train this weekend, I put on the new CD, Never Been Gone (another amazing song) and closed my eyes. Carly's music moves souls, opens hearts, and makes eyes water in ways they never thought they could. While this new CD is full of old favorites, they are remastered in such an outstanding way that you feel like you're getting a whole new song from a song you know and love. I highly recommend Never Been Gone as a gift to yourself, or for the favorite women in your life this holiday season. It would make a great stocking stuffer!

PS. Enter here to win an autographed Carly Simon guitar (or, if you really love me, enter for me! ha!)

I am a huge fan of Do It Yourself Kits. I especially love creative kits. When I came upon this awesome gift idea from Urban Cheese Craft, I knew it would make a perfect holiday present pick for your friend that lives far away from you. Like we discussed with the delicious cupcakes from The Cupcake Mint, in which you can decorate your own cupcakes, I love giving gifts with an action to them. Picture this: your friend lives far away, you can't celebrate the holidays with her/him, you send them this awesome DIY Mozzarella and Ricotta Cheese Kit and they can make their own cheese to celebrate the holidays! What a sweet gift which comes with such a fun (and scrumptious) project!

Did you ever think you could make cheese right from your own kitchen, in your pajamas, on New Years Eve (or, anytime? If it were me, I'd be making it every night!)? Now you can, and with Urban Cheese Craft's help, it is super easy! The kit comes with an instruction booklet, fine cheesecloth, dairy thermometer, vegetable rennet tablets, citric acid, and cheese salt. And, as they describe, even the kitchen-fool can figure this out; all it takes is, "Just add a gallon of milk and in one hour you will be eating and sharing your very own fresh mozzarella or ricotta!" And furthermore, the kit makes 10 batches of cheese...so you can experiment with all sorts of flavors and spices all holiday season! I am totally in love with this lovely idea. It seems so old-fashioned, traditional, yet...urban!

That post almost made me cry--but there was one detail I wanted to share with you babies. My new favorite purchase! It was on my Christmas list, but yesterday at the mall I saw it and couldn't leave with out it.

A Leopard print iPhone case-- I love, love, love my purple case (my original, my baby, my dear)-- but I am ashamed to admit how much I love an object, this object, this beautiful leopard print case.


* Jenny is sick with a cold and cannot be held accountable for anything she blogs or says or quips when on DayQuil.

As you all heard from Lovely's Jenny, our favorite fashion stop, Modcloth, is having a great Thanksgiving contest. The rules are simple,

• Beginning on Monday, November 9, you can comment on this post with a link to your submission through Monday, November 23
• Your blog post must include a mention and link to this Thanksgiving Thank-a-Thon Blog Contest post
• Submissions can only be made by commenting to this post with the link to your blog post. Stories submitted as comments will not be accepted.
• The winner will be announced on Thanksgiving (just in time for Black Friday shopping!)

Lovely Monday, Lovelies! Just, for your information, some things I love-- skim Chai lattes, no foam (yes, I am that girl), the part of "Blister in the Sun" where the song gets really quiet and then really loud again, and stripes. I love stripes so much my mother sometimes tells me I'm giving her headaches from the optical illusions my striped shirts cause. I have 5 stripped shirts, that I wear cyclically- stripped tunic, stripped short sleeved t-shirt, stripped cashmere sweater and so on. So it's really no surprise that I love this "Here's the Scoop Neck Dress" from Modcloth. It also shouldn't strike any of you as a surprise that "Blister in the Sun" is the song my alarm plays, and that I desperately want a skin no foam Chai Latte right now.

For more information, pictures and to buy the Here's the Scoop Neck Dress, click here!

We here at Lovely At Your Side are experiencing some technical difficulties, we'll be back up and running Monday! Enjoy the weekend lovelies!

First off, my love affair with dresses which sport a jersey bodice and a full skirt (usually attached by a thick elastic waist cinching band) has been well, well documented on Lovely. They're comfortable, versatile, look awesome, and did I mention comfortable?


Beyond the beauty of all the previously blogged dresses, Modcloth's Saturday Scrimmage Dress also has that pretty plaid skirt and that chunky zipper in the back which I absolutely adore. (I really don't know what this is about, but I love me a chunky zipper! On a boot. On a skirt. On a dress. On a top. On a bag.)

But this dress makes me want to pair it with chunky cable knit tights, soul boots (or your right now boots), an over sized cashmere sweater and a team scarf. It makes me want to go to the Harvard-Yale football game. Admittedly, I did not go to Harvard or Yale. I went to NYU- Go Violets!- but we don't have a football team. And, really, if they did I don't think it would inspire any outfits. This dress makes me want to take a train to New Haven or Cambridge on a cold, sunny, fall day and watch old plaid meet new tweed. Makes me want to rub leather elbow patches with the old school tradition of the game. I, myself, have always been a Harvard girl- my daddy is a Harvard man. But I'm up for being swayed, show me what Yale can do, and maybe I'll be convinced. The great part about the Saturday Scrimmage Dress is that it has crimson and navy blue running through it! You don't have to decide who you support until you arrive, or until half time, or until the games over---or, until you decide who had the better after party.



For more information, pictures and to buy the Saturday Scrimmage Dress, click here!

Modcloth started following Lovely At Your Side on twitter yesterday, and I thought that was about the coolest thing ever. That was until I found this dress. I believe in soul mates, but I'm not talking men here. I'm talking soul boots, and soul bags, and soul dresses. I am of the buy what you need camp: don't spend just to spend, donate what you no longer want, if you need it make sure it fits and get it, and if it doesn't fit don't get it.



I've recently found my soul boots, Jessica Simpson via Marshalls. And today I think I found my soul dress, in the Cut to the Lace Dress, from Modcloth. I am always on the prowl for dresses with sleeves for the colder months. I love the slight bell effect on this dress. I love the simple pretty neckline, and the deep dip in the back. I love the beautiful lace pattern. I think what I love most about this dress is the apparent versatility. I honestly feel like this dress can take me from a cocktail party to chores around town. From a winter wedding to an interview with a hip young store owner. I love that this dress can handle huge bauble-y necklaces, or over sized brooches-- it can handle a lot. Alternatively, it can go stark and simple into any event, wear it with bare legs and nude heels and let the dress do all the speaking.



Cameo Victorian Brooch of Three Graces Classical Wedgwood, Lady in Silver- Vintage Fabric Brooch, Adorable West Highland Terrier Brooch Diamond Style Earring Red Bow, Bee Wings Brooch Silver Plated Pin.


Ivory Garden-Aqua Vintage Facets and Roses Necklace, Turquoise Bauble Necklace, Baubles Necklace, Fun Hip Chunky Vintage Bauble Necklace.

For more information, pictures and to buy the Cut to the Lace Dress, click here!

One of the downsides of growing up and becoming an adult is getting presents for those cursory people in your life; no longer are you a child who can just fly under the radar as an accomplice to your parent, but you become the one who has to not only purchase, but the one who has to pick out the purchases for these somewhat random people in your life. For example, my parents have some very friendly, sweet, and helpful friends; they definitely deserve a little holiday-lovin', but it's hard to figure out something that's inexpensive, yet lovely to get for them.

I adore this Lovely little Gingerbread Man Candle from Beelightful Creations (love that title!)! Gingerbread Men and Women are a perfect holiday treat and gift because they are non-denominational. Food doesn't belong in one religion or another, for everyone loves food! Everyone also needs light; I love the idea that this shape, typically used for cookies or ornaments also can multifunction as a candle. What a perfect candle to use for a holiday party, keep on the mantle, or use all year round. It is a natural beeswax candle with a natural cotton wick and no scent, which makes it safe for use in the kitchen, too! This candle is 3 inches tall and comes in a giftbox, making it a perfect and lovely little present for the holidays!

Sometimes when you're a big sister you have certain responsibilities, teach your baby brother how to be a good boyfriend (always call a girl back, no excuses!), help him with his homework (before he totally by passes you with smarts), and go to pre-prom. Okay, so admittedly, going to pre-prom may have been something we begged Collin to let us go to and less of an obligation. But someone had to be there to take pictures. And eat the free food. And when said little brother rolls into pre-prom an hour late, older sisters are obliged to make friends, and look at the various dresses and wish we could go to prom again looking that good. One dress Olivia loved was this one shouldered number from Intermix. She adored the dress and was very, very pleased to find it, but was significantly less pleased to find out it was close to $500. Which is a significant fraction of a teacher's salary. Luckily, I've located this great single shouldered, ruffle-y number from Forever21 for a small fraction of the originals cost, $24.95.


I just love this number, the only frustrating part about it is the very limited colors they offer it in. I love the black, I'm iffy on the red. I wish there was a teal, a cream, and a lilac. But, no one and nothing is perfect-- build your own happiness, and build it upon this very affordable dress.

For more information, pictures and to buy the H81 Ruffle Shoulder Woven Dress from Forever21, click here!

In a sea of very uncomfortable looking girls in tiny polyester dresses, and spike heels looking towards nothing but a night of standing and walking and chilly fall weather, I could not have been happier in my costume. Not only was Max, from Where the Wild Things Are, topical (the movie just came out!) but it was warm, comfortable and still lovely! Upon all of that, it cost me close to nothing! I made the ears from gray fur my grandmother had from her puppet making days, I quickly sewed two triangles, stuffed them and sewed them up. Then I sewed them to my hoodie, from Old Navy on sale for $8! I wore Olivia's gray sparkly leggings from JCrew last Christmas, and my boots. And in a last minute panic for a tail I crocheted one! It was the exact shape and length I wanted, and took under 20 minutes. The costume was perfect, especially on such a drizzly New York evening-- I had a hood to protect me!