See ya soon!

Last-minute holiday help

Less than a week to go! Which means your holiday parties are probably even sooner than that. If you still need to find the perfect dress for that holiday bash, check out a few of my favorite picks.

6 Degrees ruffle tank dress, available at Target ($24.99). Also comes in green and red if you want to sport some Christmas cheer.

I love the subtle sparkle with the sequins in this one. Available at Forever 21 for $29.80.

Very pretty in a simple, classic way. Find this Apt. 9 ruffle chiffon shift dress at Kohl's for $32.

Simple dresses are a great way to go because you get more wear out of them by accessorizing. Try this one on at Old Navy, $27.99 (or $19.99 for the sandstone color).

If you want to keep it simple, sweater dresses like this one are a good option too. Throw it on with some patterned tights and a belt, add accessories and you're ready to party. Plus, these Target sweater dresses ($21.99) come in a variety of colors, both solids and stripes.

TGIF

Sorry about the lack of blog posts, as Christmas gets closer our schedules get busier. Hopefully this recipe will make up for that though. I love finding new recipes to try out, but I don't know why I decide to try out new recipes and then immediately take them places. Luckily, this one turned out well for me. Really well.


Picture from Louanne's Kitchen


I found this recipe for turtle cheesecake bars on Pinterest a few weeks ago and my mouth watered immediately. This is definitely a "keeper" (as my mom would say), not only because it's delicious but also because it's pretty simple to make. So check out the recipe and the instructions after the jump, and thank you to Louanne's Kitchen for a great recipe!

*This does take a couple days to make because it needs to chill overnight, so be sure to plan ahead.

Check out discoveries

The other day I was in line at Target, my favorite place to pick stuff up, and I saw eos chapstick was on sale. I've always wanted to test this pod-shaped lip balm so I bought it.

It changed my chapstick life! It went on smooth, stayed moist without being sticky or drying out my lips and it is so weird looking.

You should give it a try.

TGIF

I'm really excited about a new online store opening up the first week of January. Our Paper Shop is a collaborative effort by graphic designer and knitter Emma Robertson and graphic and web designer Bre Radermacher. They've given their blog followers a sneak peek at what they can expect when the paper store opens . . .



Both photos from moxee.ws

I can't wait to see what else is in store when Our Paper Shop launches - they said their inventory will include the above calendars as well as stationery, postcards and custom-designed stamps. In the meantime, they have launched another feature of their shop, monthly desktop downloads. You can download them for your computer background as well as for your iPhone and/or iPad. This is what December's looks like (I have it on my iPhone as we speak) . . .


Photo from moxee.ws

 You can download it right here. Have a great weekend!

Friends & Fro Yo

The other night I was in Northridgeville with my friends Kate. We took a trip to Little Hong Kong for some awesome Chinese food. Then we were in desperate pursuit of some frozen yogurt so we head to Westlake where we saw a sign for Spoon Me (I'm a sucker for awkward named businesses). Sadly, Spoon Me was closed. But Kate and I trudge through the rain and found the best surprise EVER! The fro yo chain called Menchies.

So all you do is grab a bowl, fill it with fro yo, toppings and then you pay by the ounce.

So awesome!

Here is Kate enjoying our awesome discovery.

Frozen burritos, take two

I'm all about quick, easy lunches that don't require a lot of early morning prep on my end so I've been trying to track down some Evol burritos ever since Becky posted about them. And after a long afternoon spent driving around looking for the Acme Evol mislabled on their map, I found out the Acme they really meant doesn't have any. However, I may have discovered a couple alternatives you might find helpful.

Since moving to New York City, my friend Michelle has done a lot of her grocery shopping at Trader Joe's and she said she definitely recommends the Trader Joe's frozen burritos. Road trip to Cleveland with me, anyone?

A coworker has been bringing Amy's frozen burritos to work for lunch lately, and every day I wish I had one too. They're vegetarian-friendly and feature a lot of organic ingredients so major plus on the healthy side. Plus, you can get them at Giant Eagle or most grocery stores so they shouldn't be too hard to find.

Here's to quick, easy and delicious lunches . . .

Grab Some Sparkle

Dana Kellin has a new line at Target. All the pieces are super classy and they all start at like $9. Perfect for any holiday occasion.

I love Taylor

I love Taylor Swift, and I have never been afraid to admit that. I could listen to her nonstop every day of the week and not get tired of it. I was pretty excited to find out she released a few new singles on iTunes about a month ago, and she followed that up with a new music video for one of them.

"Ours" debuted last week, and I was pleasantly surprised to see one of my favorite guys Zach Gilford (Matt Saracen from "Friday Night Lights") starring in the music video alongside Taylor. So here's Taylor Swift's latest music video, and make sure to check out those three new singles ("Ours," "Superman" and "If This Was a Movie") on iTunes.

Tags: Ours, Taylor Swift, Taylor Swift Videos

TGIF — A square a day!

Happy Friday! I just discovered this healthy fix to my desperate need for chocolate from TCHO. Each jar has 30 little bars one for everyday of the month.

This would make a great gift.

Send some holiday love

Still searching for Christmas cards to send to your nearest and dearest? I love these cards from Dean Penn.

I love the illustrations (how adorable!), and the cards are clean and simple. Plus, you can get your cards customized with your family's name if you'd like. So head on over to Etsy and spread some holiday cheer.

Jeans in every color?

My new fashion dilemma is whether colored jeans can be worn by anyone ... and also are they business casual? I already get mistaken as a 17-year-old in my night job as a sports reporter and I fear that there is no way to class these up. Do you have any thoughts?

Weekly tune-up

Music I'm loving right now . . . A Very She & Him Christmas by She & Him

Listen to while . . . getting in the holiday mood - baking cookies, putting up a tree, decorating, etc.

Cyber Monday

So, I know that everyone and their brother is checking out the awesome Cyber Monday sales but don't forget to stop and Etsy, they are having a sale too so you can get one of a kind gifts for everyone in the family. And free shipping! I'm so excited!!!

TGIF

My sister and I tried out these Sally Hansen nail polish strips last night, and so far I'm a fan.

They were pretty easy to put on ourselves - you just have to stick them to your nail and file off the excess. They haven't chipped yet, and for me that's amazing - I always lose at least one nail immediately. These are supposed to last 10 days, which is awesome. Plus, check out all the awesome colors and patterns they have available.

I did the "Laced Up" ones and my sister is rocking some silver glitter, I'm in love with both of them. Get yours at Target or check your local drugstore - they sell for under $10, which is yet another bonus.

Sending the Holidays

Just in time for the holidays check out these cards from The Indigo Bunting Shop.

A Pretty Picture

Check out these beautiful pictures by Lena Wolff.

Season of giving

I love entertaining, and there's no better time for that than the holidays. So to go along with our unintentional theme of helping you with your holiday bashes, here's another great idea for you that can work for your party or as a hostess or host gift for someone else's party.

I've seen these for sale online, but they're a little pricey so why not make them yourselves? All it takes is a can of spray-on chalkboard paint (available at WalMart and craft stores), a roll of painter's tape and some inexpensive wine glasses or dishes.

Be sure to clean whatever dish you want to paint before you start and then mark off the area of the plate or glass you don't want to have painted with painter's tape. Apply a coating of the chalkboard paint and let it dry. Once the first coat is dry, apply a second coat and allow to dry for 24 hours. If you're doing glasses, let the first coat dry for about 20 minutes and apply a second coat. Then after the second coat has been drying for 2-3 hours, remove the tape and turn the glasses upside down to dry overnight.

Voila! No one gets their drinks mixed up and they're great pieces that can be used over and over.

TGIF — Get ready!

Winter in the OH is coming. Thankfully, Forever 21 has some new, cheap scarves ready to get you through. Happy Friday :)

Holiday flavors

We're pretty big fans of Jeni's Ice Creams and I was really excited to see their Splendid Holiday Collection flavors that are out now.

Dark chocolate peppermint, boozy eggnog, goat cheese with cognac figs, spiced pepita brittle, sweet potato with torched marshmallows and black currant lambic sorbet. Some of these are definitely on my must-try list, and they would make great additions to dessert menus for holiday parties.

Table Toppers

With the holidays coming up I've been thinking about all those crazy dinners with my family and I was reminded of these really awkward placemats made of knit polyester. Ours was an awful combination of red and green to accent the table. (Of course)

I turns out that they're all the rage now and I've seen them all over the place, they're called Passementerie placemats.

Check them out for your own holiday gathering.

We love coffee

I recently stumbled upon this print, and it reminded me of Becky's and my first blog together. It's absolutely adorable and would make the perfect gift for the coffee lover in your life . . . It would also look super cute on your kitchen or dining room wall. Plus, it only costs $20 when you add in shipping. Sounds like a win-win situation to me.