Style Inspiration: New Year's Eve

Can you believe that New Year's Eve is tomorrow night?! This year has absolutely flown by. For me, the most fun part about NYE has always been dressing up - it's an excuse to get dressy and put on my most fabulous outfit!! I haven't planned out my outfit quite yet, but there are four favorite fashion trends I'm loving to ring in the New Year - what are you going to wear??

1. Tulle Skirts. What better time than NYE to bring out your ballet-inspired tulle skirts?? You can wear them with something as casual as a sweatshirt or as dressy as a lace blouse and they will always look polished and feminine. I'm having one custom made for me right now by mrs_errington's Poshmark store and I can't wait to wear it once it's ready!

my friend Megan of Stylish & Scatterbrained

Pink Peonies

Friday Inspiration: Quotes I Love

Happy Friday everyone! I don't have much planned at all for this weekend...what are you up to? I hope you're enjoying the holidays!

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Shopping List: Post-Christmas

I hope you all had a fantastic Christmas! I didn't make a Christmas wish list this year - to be honest, I didn't think enough about what I wanted and just asked for money or gift cards instead. But now that Christmas has passed and I'm about to get my holiday bonus from work (yay!), I've put together a shopping list of some things I might spend my money on. Will you be doing any post-Christmas shopping?

Design Inspiration: Christmas Trees

Happy Christmas Eve, everyone! I hope you all have a wonderful holiday and enjoy spending time with family and friends. Here are some of my favorite Christmas trees to celebrate the season :) Which is your favorite?

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Design Inspiration: Christmas Fireplaces

'Tis the season for beautifully decorated fireplaces and mantles! These photos are so inspiring and show all of the creative ways you can decorate your for Christmas. Mason jars filled with candy, colorful candles, handmade garlands, gilded accents and rustic lanterns...the possibilities really are endless. How do you decorate your fireplace for Christmas?

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Friday Inspiration: Quotes I Love

Just 5 days until Christmas - can you believe it?! This past month has flown right by. I'm excited to pick my sister up at the airport on Saturday and spend some time with her this weekend...I haven't seen her in a whole year! :) What are you all up to?

PS: Another amazing "auto awesome" photo from Google+...it makes me so happy! :)

Gift Guide: Cocoanuts Boston

Last week I had the opportunity to attend a holiday blogger event at Cocoanuts in Boston's North End! Cocoanuts is a gourmet sweet treat boutique that features tons of local artisans as well as high quality, unique products from other states in the US. {I attended their Valentine's event last year if you want to check that post out!}

Tara, one of the co-owners, started off the night by showing us how to put together some fun plates and displays for our holiday parties - I never would have thought of creating a plate with french macarons, broken up pieces of toffee and chocolate covered almonds all together, but it was so delicious and visually stunning! She also highlighted a few great gift baskets to bring to the hostesses of the parties we're attending - they are sure to make a good impression!

Chocolate Peppermint Mini Tartelettes

These minty chocolate treats are absolutely perfect for Christmas! I made them last week for my office cookie swap and they were a hit. After I made the raspberry tartelettes for my friend's going away party and loved both the simple prep time and the taste, I decided to switch up the ingredients to turn these into a holiday treat. Try them out and enjoy!! :)

PS: I FINALLY sat down, went through all of my photos from Paris and made an online album last night. Click here to see all of my trip photos!

What I Wore: Cotes du Rhone Lace

The shirt I'm wearing in these photos is another purchase from sandro in Paris. I love the color - it reminds me of my favorite French wine, Cotes du Rhone - and the black lace cutouts are feminine and subtly sexy. I also love the pleats down the back of the blouse, which didn't photograph super well because it was so windy when I took these photos and the silk is very light. Even with the exchange rate, sandro is less expensive in Paris so I'm so glad I found this gorgeous shirt that I'll love for years to come!

Linking up for Totally Posted Tuesday with Glossy Blonde & Karly Kim!

Gift Guide: WTF Do I Get Her?

There's always that girl you need to buy a Christmas present for and have zero idea what to get. She's the coworker that you got stuck with in the office gift swap but have never actually spoken to before, your sister-in-law who may or may not hate you, your friend's friend who is hosting you at one of her big holiday parties or your cousin who you see only two times a year. You have a vague idea of what she might like, but since you don't know her that well, you're left thinking, "WTF do I get her?!"

I'm hoping to alleviate some of these WTF thoughts with my gift guide below - each idea is under $75 and covers a broad range of interests, so you're sure to find something she will like! {I'm hoping this list helps some of the clueless guys out there too...please do pass it along to them. :) }

Let me know which idea is your favorite in the comments below.

Friday Inspiration: Quotes I Love

Twinkle, twinkle little tree... how I wonder...uh... Anyway, Google+ "auto-awesomed" this photo I uploaded of my Christmas tree earlier in the week to make it twinkle...isn't it so neat?! *mind blown.*

I hope you all have a great weekend - I am off to a friend's bowling birthday party tonight and a charity event on Saturday where I'm bringing a few toys for needy kids this holiday season. What are you all up to?

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Gift Guide: Jouer Cosmetics Holiday Collection

Happy Thursday ladies! You probably know by now that I'm a huge fan of Jouer Cosmetics, so I'm excited that they've launched a fabulous collection for the holidays this year. They were kind enough to send me two different holiday products to share with you so I wanted to highlight them today because I think they make great Christmas gifts!

Here is the entire collection, which you can find on their website and in Nordstrom and Henri Bendel stores.

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Chocolate Raspberry Mini Tartelettes

Before I get to today's recipe, I wanted to share the winner of the Salem Style scarf giveaway!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Congratulations, Lindsey! Lianna and I will be in touch to get your address. :) Thanks to all who entered!

This past Saturday night, my friend Cordy had a going away party for our friend Ashley who is moving to Colorado. I wanted to bake something sweet using her favorite flavors, chocolate and raspberry, so I created these mini tartelettes! They were easy to make and only require a little bit of baking, so I'll definitely be making them again some time. Try them out and let me know what you think!

What I Wore: Jewel Tones

I love jewel tones, so I was really excited when I got my last LeTote package and it had this pretty teal dress and blue/green statement necklace inside! I paired the dress with a black blazer, black tights and black boots for the office and snapped these photos during my lunch break. It was super sunny out but I forgot my sunglasses, so I'm squinting a bit...just ignore please! :)

I think the color and the lace fabric of this dress make it a great choice for holiday parties, don't you? It's a bit different than the traditional red and green but still feels festive and fun. What color will you be wearing to your holiday parties?

Linking up with with Glossy Blonde & Karly Kim for Totally Posted Tuesday!

Lately on Instagram...

Happy Monday everyone - I hope you all had a great weekend! I wanted to share some of my recent Instagram photos to let you know what I've been up to lately. Hope you enjoy them!

PS - you still have time to enter my Salem Style scarf giveaway!!

I spent Thanksgiving at my mum's house and spent time with my family...

love my cat print dress from LeTote

Friday Inspiration: Quotes I Love

Earlier this week, I sadly lost one of my coworkers who was only 22 years old. He will be greatly missed around my small office, and I have been lost in thought the past few days thinking about what happened. Although I don't and will never understand death, especially when it comes to someone so young, this has reminded me how fragile but important life is and how we should all cherish each moment that we're alive. Don't wait until "someday" comes to take that trip you've been wishing for forever - plan it now. Spend as much time with the people you love as you can. Love as much and as deeply as you are able to, even when it hurts so badly you don't think you'll ever move on, because you will. Treat yourself and those around you well and notice all of the little things that make life beautiful each and every day. This is all I can do to move forward after tragedy, and I hope you'll all take a minute to read this and do the same. Have a great weekend and I'll be back on Monday!

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Shopping List: Roe Boulevard

Happy Thursday everyone! I know we're all holiday shopping right now, so I wanted to share a new online boutique I found with you called Roe Boulevard. They feature a mix of 50 indie designers and are constantly changing their inventory, so every time you visit you'll find something new! Here are my favorite items right now - some I love for myself, and a few I want to give as gifts. Which pick is your favorite?

{CLOSED} What I Wore & a Giveaway: Salem Style

I'm very excited to be sharing today's outfit post and giveaway with you all! This outfit is pretty typical for me to wear on the weekend days when I'm running errands, shopping or walking around the city in the fall and winter months. (On colder days, I add a cute wool jacket on top!) I swear by flat boots, skinny jeans, fitted sweaters or tees, my big tote and a warm, comfy scarf. 

This scarf was handmade by Lianna of SalemStyle, a Massachusettsian (is that a word?) who crochets the cutest accessories for the winter, including hats, mittens, boot cuffs and more! I love how chunky the knit is and the neutral grey color goes with everything in my closet. She also custom made me this pink & white chevron cozy for my Red Sox tea mug - isn't it adorable? 

Lianna was kind enough to make an additional grey scarf to give away to one lucky Cupcakes & Couture reader. You can enter at the bottom of the post using the easy Rafflecopter widget. Make sure to visit Lianna's Etsy shop to see all she has to offer. Good luck - you have one week to enter!

#givingtuesday: Leith Clark x Warby Parker

I'm excited to be partnering with Warby Parker to announce the release of their new Leith Clark Collection, available in stores and online today! {If you're not familiar with Warby Parker, they sell eyeglasses and sunglasses at reasonable prices and donate a pair to someone in need with each pair sold!}

Leith Clark's work has been featured in Harper's Bazaar UK, Italian Vogue and her own Lula Magazine. Her line is 60s vintage inspired with a feminine flair and dedicated to smart-looking and smart-thinking individualists. I love the whimsical shapes of the frames - they are unique and full of charm. :) Each frame will be sold starting today for $145/pair. Best of all, a percentage from each sale will go to Girl Up, a United Nations Foundation campaign mobilizing American girls to raise awareness and funds for UN programs that provide life-changing opportunities to girls around the world. So perfect for #givingtuesday!!

Each of her 5 frames come in both eyeglasses and sunglasses, but I'm highlighting my favorites below!

the Aurora daughter of pearl eyeglass frame

{very vintage - I can see Zooey Deschanel wearing these!}

Tiffany & Co. Holiday Party

"Well...the only thing that does any good is to jump in a cab and go to Tiffany's. Calms me down right away. The quietness and the proud look of it. Nothing very bad could happen to you there!" - Holly Golightly, 'Breakfast at Tiffanys'

Last week I was lucky enough to be invited to Tiffany & Co's holiday party in the Copley Square Mall. This is the second event I've been to at Tiffany's and I have to say that Holly Golightly was right - I can't be unhappy at all when I'm there!!

The store was decorated for Christmas in their signature colors and I had fun playing with all the gifts under the tree.