deck the halls // christmas song chalkboard sign

This project is so easy. Just find a piece of wood that works, spray that sucker, and write your favorite Christmas song lyric!

1. Find a piece of cheap wood in the Ikea As Is section | 2. Buy Krylon Chalkboard Spray Paint from your local craft store | 3. Find some Chalk Ink (I got mine from the local Japanese 99 Cent store!)

Gimme! Music

1. Modern Vampires of the City - Vampire Weekend | 2. M.I.A.- Matangi | 3. Beyoncé - Fancypants new drop it secretly like it's hot album

beauty roundup

1. Clinique Naturally Glossy mascara | 2. Neutrogena Sensitive Skin Sunblock | 3. Maybelline Gel Eyeliner

I thought I'd share my staple beauty/skin products! Are you excited? I know you are. Stop being so excited! OMG!

The first is Clinique's Naturally Glossy mascara. I've used this bad boy since high school and have never looked back. It's my every day mascara; it gives a little lift, doesn't irritate my eyes, and can build up to be more dramatic. I definitely have other mascaras I use for nights out, but this is a staple, every day choice.

My second pick is the Neutorgena Sensitive Skin SPF lotion. For those of you who know me, you know I gots the cray-cray skin. Seriously. I'm allergic to most everything that is supposed to be soothing in skin care (oats, tomatoes, eucalyptus) and I went through several tries before finding a facial sunscreen that works and is non-irritating. This is a physical, not a chemical, sunscreen. If you have reactions to SPF, you should use physical. Google that shit.

Last but not least is my magical Maybelline Gel Eyeliner. I mean, godDAMN, this eyeliner is awesome. It takes a few tries to get the swing of it but once you do, the payoff is incredible. It's super long lasting and has such a great pigment. I would highly recommend playing around with it, even if you're scared of gel eyeliners. It's around $7! Common, people. 

apps & desserts // december

I decided I'd share my favorite mobile apps and delicious desserts every month with you all! This month it's Evernote, which I've been using nonstop to organize my work and personal life (I have a "Christmas" notebook which contains several notes including gift list and decoration ideas) and a Martha Steward lemon pound cake I made last week. 

The features I love about Evernote are: syncing across all devices (for me thats my iPhone, iPad mini, Macbook Pro, and iMac), amazingly beautiful and clear design, and really neat features. Even if you don't use it for work, I'd encourage you to take a look at it for your personal lists (it has a feature where you can put check boxes next to each item...my list-makers, you feel me, right?).

I have not baked in a long time, and it was awesome to get my feet wet again with this delicious lemon pound cake by Martha Stewart. It was very easy to make and requires so few ingredients  Oh, and the actual bake time is fairly fast, so once you get it in the over you don't have to wait super long to enjoy it with chai, hot chocolate, or a hot toddy (as we did this past weekend). 

What apps and/or desserts are you enjoying? Leave in comments!

deck the halls // decorating music

deck the halls // christmas quotes

This year I really wanted to make an effort to spend as little money as possible on holiday decorations. The primary reason was obviously to save money, but I also wanted to see what I could come up with if I was forced to be creative. In the era of Pinterest, I feel that there's really little room for excuse...there are so many ideas!

My first project took less than ten minutes and I busted it out while watching News Room. I call it Christmas Quotes. 

What you need:

1. Ink pad with your favorite holiday colors 2. Festive alphabet rubber stamps 3. Adorable quote from a beloved holiday movie 4. Neutral frame 5. Quote from a beloved Christmas song

Have fun, and please comment and share if you made one, too!