The Bold and the Beautiful

Once again, I feel like I am defying the laws of the season - who needs ‘em, anyways. This year, I say anything goes. I mean, technically, the world was supposed to have ended by now, right? ;)

I love, love, love mixing a good gingham or check print with floral. For some reason, I almost feel incomplete if I wear a check print without putting some kind of floral print on it. And then when you throw in a bright colored pant, it just is the icing on the cake. Even when it is something crazy like 30 degrees outside. Oy.

Yikes!

The only problem with this obsession, is that it gets old - real quick. The challenge is being able to mix it up a little bit. I'll keep you posted on how that goes...

In this case, I just threw on a black sweater for functionality, without completely ruining my bright look. And the silver shoes toned it down a little too. So maybe there is something to say about wearing bright colors in the winter. I think as long as it is weather appropriate, then it's fine. Thus, the scarf and sweater. :)

Currently obsessed with these beauties.

Sequins and Chains

Looking back, my 2012 was amazing. Full of hard learned lessons that were completely worthwhile, and tons of great memories to go along with them. Usually, I do something extravagant on New Year’s Eve - whether it be a party, or traveling, or whatever. But this year, I decided it was a holiday better spent with those who mean the most to me. A day of shopping was the theme, then taco night, followed by fireworks with sparkling cider and the freezing cold. What more could a girl ask for?

Talk about "blinded by the light!"

A shot of the view before the fireworks started...

So the question lingers: what in the world is a girl to wear on New Year’s Eve while shopping? Sequins and chains of course!

I feel like just a hint of sequins makes it completely appropriate to catch some sun, rather than staying exclusive to night events. I grabbed this wannabe Chanel cross-body purse years ago at Express, thinking I would probably never use it, but it has come in handy in so many more ways than I ever expected! It is the best shopping bag because it does not hold much more than the necessities so it stays light and comfortable on my shoulder. And, of course, the touch of badass it adds to any outfit just makes it perfect. But you cannot forget about that finishing touch of just a smidge of animal print to complete the look! Okay, so what - I already broke my New Year’s resolution. Whatever. It was chilly outside! ;)

Welcome, 2013! Hope it's a great one!

I Heart the Holidays

Every year on Christmas, my sister and I wake up super early - I am talking 5 or 6am early - and wake up my parents so that we can open our presents. To most, this seems like a pretty outrageous tradition. And I will be honest, the older I am getting, the more I am treasuring my sleep - meaning that we may have to start revising this holiday tradition. But nonetheless, every year, we are allowed to open one gift on Christmas Eve - which is usually pj’s - we wear those to bed that night so that we are up and ready come Christmas morning. Then we open presents, go back to sleep, then wake up and get ready for dinner - which is usually around 1 or 2pm (some “dinner”).

So this year, when I went home to change, I wanted to make sure I was wearing something a little bit nicer, rather than just a tee shirt and jeans. Insert: heart sweater, which seemed very apropos - seeing as how I really do “Heart the Holidays!” To which of course, my sister had some very nice feedback… “You look like a little girl…” Well, duh! Don’t we all want to dress ourselves as homage to our former, much younger, selves? I think most women deserve that at least once every now and then. ;)

And if you follow my instagram (@shaynawithlove), then you know how we go about grabbing our Christmas tree every year, too! After a couple hours of tree hunting in the freezing cold, we end up a little giggly and delirious. Do you blame us…?

What crazy traditions does your family have for the holidays? J