New Years Eve Signature Cocktail

So we all know the cocktail of choice on New Years eve is bubbly in every form. While I do love this sparkly beverage on it's own, I also love creating recipes with it to make it a bit more festive and holiday themed. I originally was thinking of just adding a rock candy stick in the flute and calling it a day but then that would hardly be called a "recipe" or something worthy of a blog post. I also recently purchased the adorable pitcher below so I knew I wanted to create a punch like cocktail that was easy breezy & perfect for ringing in the new year - hope you enjoy it as much as John and I did...Cheers!!!

garnish image // pitcher // stirrer // seeds image // gold rimmed glass

Ingredients

• 1 cup pomegranate juice
• 1 cup pear nectar
• 1/4 cup orange-flavored liqueur {I used Grand Marnier}
• 1 bottle Prosecco
• 1 cup of fresh Pomegranate seeds
• 2 twigs of rosemary {for garnish}
• 1 cup of fresh raspberries {for garnish}
• 
  
• Directions
• In an ice filled pitcher, combine prosecco, pomegranate juice, pear
•  nectar, orange-flavored liqueur & pom seeds.
  
  
  Stir, serve & enjoy!
  
  

  

  
  

  

  
  
  
  

  
  

  
  

  
  

Have Yourself A Sparkly New Years Eve!!!

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After two years of spending New Years Eve out with friends we decided this year to stay in and spend a quiet night at home just the two of us. We will be cooking ourselves a fabulous dinner and indulging on some very expensive champagne gifted to us that we have been saving for a special occasion. While we are staying in and likely not seeing anyone but each-other I have a feeling some sparkle will make it into my wardrobe. If we were going out...below is likely what I would wear...what are you wearing this New Years Eve???

clutch // pants // tank // pumps // earrings // jacket {DNS favorite - worlds best denim jacket} // brooch

Winter Getaway

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Now that Christmas is over and the prettiness of the holidays will be removed from the city, I often find myself dreaming up of warmer climates When my husband and I often talk about our past travels we always agree that St. Barth's was our favorite destination. This petite enchanted island not only has amazing beaches and hotels but incredible dining and shopping too without losing it's caribbean appeal. We loved renting a small convertible and driving to the islands peaks for it's stunning views or sitting on St. Jean's beach to watch the coming and going of the planes. The attire on the island is always chic yet relaxed and from what I shared here, you can get a sense of the the island style. However, if I were packing for a trip to my favorite place on earth, the below would most certainly be in my bag!

bikini - {what I would actually wear} // cover up // sandals // lotion // spritz // sunnies // book // tote

also on my must get list is this stunning coffee table book chock full of beautiful images of our favorite island

Wishful Thinking

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Many symbols and shapes are used for inspiration for trends in fashion, jewelry, art, home decor and so on. Most recently the one I keep seeing over and over again and totally enamored with is the wish bone. While I have already featured some of these items before on the blog, I thought it was worth a revisit to showcase the super stylish ways you can use this item from adorning your body with beautiful jewelry, decorating your home with gilded objects and prints to entertaining with a darling table setting. Looks like my love affair with this forked figure will continue on...how about you???

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 napkin rings // earrings // chair // invitation //  necklace // ring // decorative wishbone // bracelet // jewelry holder // clutch

The Reinvented Fireplace

My husband and I often discuss our must have's for a future home that we will one day own. Whether it be in the city or the burbs one thing that is always mentioned is the importance of a fireplace. We both have a big time love affair with them and hope to have a home filled with them down the road. Something about a crackling fireplace is so cozy, romantic and soothing. I find myself drawn to fireplaces over and over. I even suggested this portable one in my gadget gift guide. So you can imagine my excitement when I stumbled upon this egg shaped beauty designed by Fredrik Hylten-Cavallius. I knew instantly I had to share this gilded gem with you all. Piet is a chimney free indoor fireplace that uses ethanol to burn. Those golden tiles not only look modern and chic but are brass reflectors that will provide light and warmth to the room the Piet is in. The best part is that outter egg like shell never gets hot so it's safe too! It is the perfect marriage of style and function. Only problem is it's not available yet - booooo. I however think when it does, it will be a huge success thanks to its modern design, metallic finish, and portability. Would you have this in your home???

Hope you all had a wonderful Christmas with your loved ones!!!

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Merry Christmas!!!

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Wishing you all a very Merry Christmas with your loved ones!!! 

Here's hoping you all made the nice list too!!!

Christmas Sprouts

Bacon may be the best friend of the Brussels sprout and while I agree they are a wonderful pair...I decided to test drive a new recipe for my beloved sprout and it just so happened to work brilliantly with the colors of the Christmas. I judged my say success with this recipe based on the fact that there weren't any leftovers.

Ingredients

Stalk of Brussels Sprouts

1/2 Cup Dried Cranberries

1/2 Cup Chopped Walnuts

1/4 Cup Blue Cheese Crumbles

3 Tablespoons Olive Oil

1 Teaspoon Salt

1 Teaspoon Fresh Ground Pepper

Instructions

trim the sprouts from the stalk

rinse the sprouts of any dirt and towel dry

set aside your toppings for easy mixing after roasting

slice the sprouts in halves so they brown evenly while roasting

drizzle the sprouts with olive oil, salt & pepper and place in oven at 400 degrees for 35 - 40 minutes

toast the walnuts in a non stick pan for about a minute

remove sprouts from the oven and toss with cranberries, walnuts & blue cheese

voila!

the perfect bite

See you all after the Christmas Holiday!!!

Bubbly Bar to Outfit

100 Layer Cake was one of my daily go to's while planning our wedding. I loved their daily wedding features, entertaining ideas & of course all the inspiration they shared was a daily dose of all things pretty. I revisited the site numerous times after our wedding to sell decor items in their adorable marketplace. The decor was gently used, discounted and could help another bride have their dream day like I did. It turned out to be an amazing resource since almost everything I had in our wedding has since been sold! During one of my last visits to the beautiful site I was blown away by this inspiration for holiday entertaining. I love the bold black & gold colors and festive yet simple design elements. I knew instantly this bubbly bar would be a great image for replicating the look into a stylish outfit for the holidays & maybe even again on new years eve!

sweater // lipstick // polish // ring // pants // earrings // clutch // shoes 

want more sparkly & leather inspiration??? check out my pinterest

And I am Off...

My husband was a clever man staying in NY after our wonderful 48 hours of celebrating Christmas in the city. Packing up the car with all our presets {and all my luggage} was no easy task. I however couldn't be more excited to have finished my half day of work and be off to NY once again to join the lovely man I get to be married to along with my fab family for the holiday celebrations. Even having just spent some time back where we are from, all the news lately has me feeling more home sick and anxious to be around loved ones 24/7. My car is literally filled to the roof with gifts and I can't wait to have a wrapping party with my mom tomorrow {I'll likely lose my gusto after 2 packages}. Hope you all get a jump start on your holiday time with your families too.

Merry Christmas!!!!

Don't you love this image??? I do! Its an adorable Christmas card you can buy here!!!

blog crush - oh joy

Id say I check in daily on 10-15 blogs each morning. Since I have joined the blogging community I find it so interesting what other woman are doing for work, for their blog or just what inspires them. One of my new to me favorites is the blog of Joy Deangdeelert Cho {seriously how adorable is she???}. Her entire blog is filled with charming posts and creative ideas but nothing beats her "How I'D Wear A" posts where she illustrates an entire ensemble based on available garments in the market. I am seriously smitten with her drawings  not only do they give great transpiration for daily attire but they are art in it themselves. The best part is that she provides all the links to the actual items so you can buy the look that tickles your fancy for yourself. Take a look at some of my favorite looks she has styled - I cannot get enough of them! 

This blogger has some seriously incredible talent don't ya think???

Christmas Morning

Anyone who knows me would likely laugh hysterically if asked how I behave in AM. I am a pretty unpleasant person to be around before 10 AM and it's pretty safe to say that I am not quite human till that time. Thankfully Santa knows this and delivers all the presents to our house on Christmas Eve allowing us to sleep in on Christmas Day. However this year we are celebrating Christmas in Connecticut, so Santa if you are reading, I will NOT be in my usual location, please forward all gifts to New Canaan, thank you and love you long time!!!

Since my sister is hosting this years festivities I thought I would work on my morning tude with some daily exercises of being cheery in the AM {ya know, mimosas before work, watching GMA to see Josh Elliot and so on.... so far it's not going as well as I hoped so I had to return to my go-to tool for when I am in the worst of moods and that is shopping...new pajamas to wear on Christmas morning are most definitely the answer! I mean a new ensemble can motivate me to go to the gym so why not motivate me to wake up and actually be a normal person for just this one day :) I imagine the day to look a little something like this...

Waking up to this...
{with hopes that a puppy is one of those presents}

Snuggling with these furry faces...

Khloe, Murray & Mabel

Wearing this...

sleepwear {look for less here & here} // christmas morning products // slippers // robe // banner

And finally...eating this & drinking a tea mimosa out this 
{mugs hold more then champagne glasses so yes this makes perfect sense}

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What are your holiday plans???

Adult Chocolate Milk

Over the weekend I was cleaning out the house for our holiday travels and found lots of remaining crushed candy canes from the twinkie post. Not wanting them to go to waste I went out to the corner liquor store and purchased some tasty cordials to make a holiday cocktail {totally made sense in my brain to buy all these extra ingredients to just finish off the candy cane crumbles}. The inspiration for this cocktail came to me super easy since my husband is a chocolate milk addict. I seriously should invest in Organic Valley's choco milk division with the amounts that are consumed in our house. So without further adieu....I bring you what I appropriately named Adult Chocolate Milk with an added holiday flair...my taste tester drank it in about five seconds so I know that it was tasty...hope you enjoy it too!

ingredients

{makes two drinks}

1 1/2 Cup Low Fat Milk

1/4 cup Baileys

1/4 cup Kahlua

Whipped Cream & Crushed Candy Cane for Garnish
paper straws {because they make every drink that much cuter}

Mix over ice in a drink shaker, pour, cover in whip cream and add crunchy candy cane.

Enjoy!