What Are You Doing New Year's Eve?

New Year's Eve, one of my favorite nights. Mainly because it is THE perfect excuse to dress up and wear something sparkly. But I love all the hype. Some might say it's the most overrated holiday and those people don't know how to have fun. Taken, single, or in limbo, it can always be a fun night! I haven't had a bad one yet and I can't wait for this year!

For the outfit, try to think outside the box. Maybe don't go for the traditional sparkly dress. What about a fun short? (Sparkly, of course. Or leather?) Or a plain dress with great tights, like these, paired with a festive earring. I'm wearing a simple black dress but jazzing it up with tights, jewelry, and amazing shoes. I can always find an excuse to buy a new dress. I found one for $20... My tights were actually more than my dress! Or even throw a fun fur vest over a basic dress. Have fun with it! Here are some suggestions:

H&M cutout dress/ BCBG Max Azria / J.Crew sequin blouse / Madewell / Mango sequin jacket / LOFT ankle pants / Sequin shorts / DKNY / Alexis Bittar / Forever 21 antique jewelry / Kendra Scott teardrop earrings / Capulet Leather Short | Piperlime

This has been such an amazing year and I can't wait to see what 2013 has to offer!
Happy New Year!


Cheers!

Boho Chic

The weather is finally feeling winterish again. I thought it was appropriate to bring out one of my favorite things from an end of season purchase last year. I call it my blanket (ha). But some might call it a wrap or a poncho. Whatever you want to call it, I love it. I feel so "boho" in it. 

Blanket/wrap/poncho: Dillards (old); Jeans: 7 for All Mankind ; Shirt: Gap (old); Bangles: Random 

This brings up a great point of shopping at the end of season. Believe it or not, the "winter" season is coming to a close in fashion. I know we still have a few months of cold weather but after Christmas everything will go on sale and you're going to see the swimsuits. For frustrated Texans, like myself, it can make you mad because you're thinking, "I haven't even worn my winter coat yet and they have swimsuits in the store?!" I got this blanket/poncho thing for about $15 regularly $60. So keep an eye out for those "After Christmas" sales.

P.S.- The BEST time to buy tall boots is after the first of the year. Never pay full price.

Hello Brooklyn, How ya Doin?

First NYC post takes place in Brooklyn (like my Jay-Z lyric for my title?) and it's a blogger's dream for backdrops. 

Sweater: Gap (old but similar here); scarf and hat: H&M (old); Pants: Uniqlo; Boots: Madewell

I'm obsessed with these pants from Uniqlo. They are a cross between a legging and jean. Oh a jegging?  Not exactly. These are a nice stretch twill with an elastic drawstring waistband, all while being tight and not loosing their shape. No wonder they call them the "Perfect Pant." I might have bought a few colors in these. And they are only $19.90! Have I sold you yet? You can now order online. 

I love Uniqlo. It's nothing crazy special, it's a Japanese cross between a Gap and H&M. They have great basics with some special pieces mixed in. And their prices are great. I also find the quality to be pretty good. The store is extremely organized and their flagship store on 5th Avenue is amazing. Currently they only have stores in NYC and LA. But they recently opened an online store. (I swear this post is not sponsored by them, I just really like the store.)

Jingle Bell Frock

I can't wait to share some great pics and adventures from my NYC trip this weekend, but there's a lot going on with work and the busy festive season! I do want to share this fun event that is taking place tomorrow night at the Neiman Marcus Last Call Studio in Inwood Village.

 In order to attend, RSVP here: 

http://www.gotidbits.com/dallas/dallas-tidbits-holiday-party-last-call-studio

The first 50 guests will get a swag bag with goodies. And we all know you're still running around looking for a great outfit for some sort of Holiday party. Last Call Studio is the perfect place to find fashion's top designers at great prices. Even better? The first 100 guests will get a coupon for $20 promo cards. (We all know how I love my extra discounts.) 

See ya there!

Getting Back into the New York Groove...

Today I'm heading back to my old stompin' grounds: New York City! I'm super excited to see friends, shop, eat, and (finally) get in the Christmas spirit! Packing for NYC is always stressful, especially in the winter time. Winter clothes are bulky and I tend to over pack. So this time I stuck to a black palette (so NY) and a few pops of color. And black is great for traveling because it's versatile and goes with just about everything.  It should pretty chilly this weekend and I can't wait!
I'm also going in the midst of Sample Sale craziness. I'll be missing the DVF sample sale by ONE day!. Let's just not even go there....

Vest: Kohls (sold out online); Shirt: H&M; Jeans: James Jeans; Booties: Lucky Brand; Necklace: Forever 21

On another note, Pantone announced the 2013 Color of the Year: EMERALD GREEN. You can read about it here. So don't be surprised to see shades of Emerald all over the place this upcoming year.

Have a great weekend! And I'll be sure to have a fun NYC post for y'all when I get back!

Gifts for Her- Under $200

Rebecca Minkoff mini shoulder bag / Coach cross body handbag / Green Jeweled Necklace / J.Crew bangle bracelet / Nixon Watch  / Lauren Ralph Lauren fingerless glove / MICHAEL Michael Kors Sunglasses  /Missoni Head Wraps  / Kate Spade New York 'gramercy Grand' Bracelet Watch / Tocca beauty product /Deborah Lippmann Nailpolish / Capri Blue Jar Candle, Turquoise / Vogue Cover Book


Whether it be for a friend, GF, or any girl near and dear to your heart- buying gifts for ladies can stress a guy out! Here are some fun suggestions. After a few guys inquiring about gifts for their lady friend, I thought I'd put some fun things together. Now if it's someone really special, when in doubt, something sparkly, in a nice box, with the 4 c's... Diamonds. You can never really go wrong.

Gentleman, a few things to maybe not do this Holiday season:

-Wait till Christmas Eve. After working many Holiday seasons, I witnessed many men scrambling around trying to find sizes, colors, and other specifics. Well guess what? They are out of it and now you have to settle on something.

-Buying anything that plugs into the wall. Meaning anything from the electronic family. I know you'd really like that 100" LED TV for the media room but don't put a big red bow on it and give it to your wife. Unless of course, you were directly told of a specific item, I would steer clear. They just aren't very personal. So if you're mindlessly walking around the mall on Christmas Eve, whatever you do, don't walk into the Apple store.

-And when in doubt, ask her friend or anyone else that knows her well. There's nothing wrong with that!

Happy Shopping!

The Helmut Lang skirt's (cheaper) Twin Sister

About a month ago I posted a picture wearing a Helmut Lang asymmetrical skirt and a ton of people asked about it. Well, they don't sell it anymore. I got it on deep discount. But guess what? There is a copy version! As in identical. Thank you Urban Outfitters! It's only $50 and comes in all the same colors that Helmut Lang did. I will be buying one of these. Check it out:

Skirt: Urban Outfitters

Don't forget tomorrow...

I wore my Missoni for Target dress today in honor of the big launch tomorrow. They are anticipating this to be their biggest collaboration launch yet! So get there early people! I have my eyes on the Oscar de la Renta dog accessories. (duh.)

What is on your list?

Have a great weekend!

Getting in the Festive Spirit

Jacket: Kohl's; Shirt: Gap; Belt: Rolf's; Necklace: J. Crew Outlet (same here); Jeans: AG (old); Booties: Piperlime (old, similar here)

The Starbucks' Holiday cups have been out for a few weeks (thanks for all the Instagram uploads) and the retail stores are in full swing- It must be time to get in the festive mood! I put up my Christmas tree, started buying some gifts, and even going to my first "Holiday" shin-dig tonight... maybe I should start dressing more festive! No, not silly Christmas sweaters. I like the more traditional, "Ralph Lauren," Tartan plaid look- hence my outfit. 

I'm semi-obsessed with my faux eco-friendly green jacket. I love the peplum detail. I scored this on Black Friday (one of two things I bought that day) for about $25, after discounts and coupons. This looks identical to some jackets I've been eyeing that are in the $300 range. Yes, it's not leather but it's a good enough pleather. 

What is your favorite Holiday look?

Skull-tastic

Sweater: Kohl's; Jeans: James Jeans; Booties: Lucky Brand (similar here)

I know, skulls were so five years ago. When everyone was wearing THE Alexander McQueen

scarf. I still like to rock them occasionally. And for less than $20, this sweater was a no brainer. Pink with black studs. Done.



Catch ya later! XO

D.I.Y. Chevron Print Curtains

I finally got around to finishing my never ending curtain project. It all started with these boring curtains, as seen below. Cocoa tries to help out as much as she can...

My original plan was to dip dye them with an ombre effect, tape them off with a chevron pattern, and lastly spray paint. Wrong... keep reading.

I tied them up to divide the sections for the ombre effect. I had looked up online on how to do this. Confession: I'm very impatient with my D.I.Y projects and sometimes it works out and other times it doesn't. I thought the sink would be good enough place to dye the panels. Wrong, again. This is a very thick canvas fabric (meaning, it doesn't want to absorb a lot of color) and with little space in my tiny sink it makes it even harder for the fabric to get fully saturated. 

I started with the first section and let it absorb for about an hour, then I would put the next section in.... At the end, the entire curtain was submerged in the dye. I just went off the directions on the amount of time to let it sit in the dye.

Did I mention to wear gloves? I had smurf hands for a few days....

After all the panels were done, I ran them through a rinse cycle. No detergent because I didn't want to risk the color fading. (Side note: to ensure that the dye is completely gone from your washer, run another rinse cycle before actually washing anything. You don't want to ruin anything!)

As you can see below, it did not come out ombre. It turned out more tie dyed than anything. But I wasn't too worried since I still had the chevron step to go.

After ironing the panels, I started measuring and taping off. I really thought I could just tape it off and it would be super easy. Wrong, again. This one, uneven, row took an hour. "Ain't nobody got time for that." (If you haven't seen that YouTube video, I suggest you do.) So the taping and spray painting was out of the question... Moving onto the next.

I bought this handy stencil from Royal Design Studio. Took a trip to Michael's (again) for some gold paint, Martha Stewart Stencil Roller, and paint sponges. 

Row by row, section by section... it was coming together. The hardest part was getting the print to line up and the paint not to bleed. 

Cocoa loves to help... again. Stella is planted in the corner. You can tell who is the boss out of the two.

After 5 hours and an aching back... I was done! I'm overall very pleased with the way they turned out, even with a few imperfections. Will I ever do this again? ABSOLUTELY not. These curtains will be making it's way into many future rooms. They took way too long to not last several years. 

The used supplies. Sorry, I forgot to get a shot of the before.

Ta-Da!

What project shall I come up with next? Stay tuned...

An Element of Surprise

I was once told, you should look just as good leaving a room as you do when you enter a room. That's one thing I liked about this shirt- a little element of surprise! Well that, and the mixture of animal and baroque print. 

Breakdown of the outfit:
Shirt: JcPenney;  Nicole by Nicole Miller. It is not available online but I purchased it this last weekend for $25. And that is the regular price. I'm kind of loving their new strategy. They have everyday low prices and their clothes have been looking great! 

Jeans: James Jeans

Shoes: Vince Camuto (last year, similar here)

Necklace: J. Crew. This is the infamous Crystal Venus Flytrap Necklace. I've loved this necklace for a while and just about every girl owns it. I just have a hard time paying a pretty penny for costume jewelry. And $85 is a bit much in my opinion. This past weekend I ventured out to the Allen Outlet and at the J. Crew Factory store, I found the EXACT necklace for a fraction of the price. It was marked $54.50 with 40% off. The grand total was $32.70. That is 62% cheaper than the one from the store! There's nothing like a good bargain to start the weekend off right!

Here's to a short week! Cheers!