What Are You Doing New Year's Eve?

Happy New Year's Eve!!
I hope you've all got amazingly fancy plans for tonight.
Tim & I are headed to a party at our friends' home.
It should be pretty amazing!

I couldn't help but make a bunch of glittery star hair clips for tonight.
Just some glittery cardstock, hot glue, and hair clips.
Simple, fun, and adorable!
Oh, and my first ever "animated gif"!
I might become a bit obsessed with these in 2012. Just a fair warning ;)


Well, I've got some New Year's Eve things to attend to now.
But I hope you all have a beautiful night filled with laughter & kisses & fireworks.

I'll see you all in 2012!
It's been a beautiful year.
xo,
Christen

Live Your Dream

I hope you all a wonderful Christmas! I sure did.
There's really nothing better than a house full of family you love.
And not to mention thoughtful presents & delicious food & sweet treats!

As 2012 comes up quickly, I've been thinking about resolutions.
I'm not huge on making an "official" resolution. I never end up sticking to them.
But this year I've decided to commit to something broader.
I plan to live my dream...
One joyful moment at a time.
I want to see everyday as something beautiful. With endless creative possibilities awaiting.
I want to make every single day a little better than the one before.

What about you? Any new year's resolutions/dreams/goals?

The Eve of Christmas Eve!

Well, well, well. It's the eve of Christmas Eve already!
I really can't believe how much December has flown by.
We've yet to get a decent amount of snow in Indiana.
I'm kind of crossing my fingers for some decent snowfall for Christmas!
Because white Christmases are so wonderfully magical ;)

I felt a little extra fancy today...
probably due to all the Christmas excitement!
This sequined slip from Free People is one of my favorites.
It just adds a pop of greatness to my day.









Shoes & headband: Urban Outfitters, Sequin slip: Free People, Crotched blouse: Deliahs, red sweater: thrifted

Tim & I have gotten all of our Christmas wrapping done,
so we're settling in for a cozy night watching movies and eating ice cream.

Merry eve of Christmas Eve!

xo,
Christen

Wicker Park

We spent the afternoon in one of our favorite Chicago 'hoods, Wicker Park.
There are lots of great shops & cafes there. Not to mention lots of memories we've made there!
So, we made some more sweet memories yesterday!

We walked down this side street to snap some photos.
And yes, I even caught a photo of Tim dancing ;)









It was a pretty great day to celebrate my husband's birthday.
Now I've got to wrap all his CHRISTMAS presents!!
Goodness gracious, this boy is getting lots of presents this week ;)

Can you believe it's only 5 days til Christmas?!
I've definitely still got some shopping to do. Mostly stocking stuffers, which is super fun for me.
I love buying thoughtful little gifts that fit perfectly in a stocking.

I hope you're all having an amazing holiday season!
This year has been especially wonderful for me.
I've been savoring every little Christmas song & saying "Merry Christmas" as much as possible.

Have a beautiful night!
How about eating some Christmastime treats?
I think I'll break into some delightful cranberry bliss bars. YUMS!

Happy Birthday, Darling!

Wohoo!! Today is my husband's birthday!
We just got a fresh batch of snowfall yesterday, so he's thrilled!
Back in New Zealand, he's used to going to the beach and being outdoors on his birthday.
But here in Indiana, we don't have that luxury ;)
So I'm taking him to some really nice (warm, indoor!) places.
We're heading out to Chicago to the Field Museum.
They have Sue, the T-REX! Tim's been wanting to see if for ages. Boys and their dinosaurs, right?!
Then we'll hit up a nice Mediterranean place for dinner.
And maybe I can sneak in a little last-minute Christmas shopping!

I hope you all have a beautiful day!

Xo,
Christen

I've Got My Love.

Hello, friends!
Just popping in for a quick second to share an outfit with you.
I found this skirt the other day, and it's SO perfect for winter.
Although, I mostly stayed inside and hid away from the cold!

Oh, and take a look at that pretty Christmas tree peeking in there ;)
I absolutely love it.
We just need to get some presents under it!





Oh, and I think this has become one of my favorite holiday songs!
So cute :)

Take care & have a splendidly warm, cozy night.

Raised By Wolves

Last night I had a dream that about 1,000 wolves were running around a house I lived in.
My brother & I were in a pick-up truck, hiding away while they ran around and played.
It was a pretty great dream!
I mean, slightly scary..seeing as we had to run for safety in the truck because we heard the wolves howling
as they ran down a hill towards us.
Buuuut, it's my dream. And my dreams don't get very scary ;)

So, today's outfit was inspired by that dream!
And I think part of it had to do with the latest episode of Once Upon A Time. Which was about wolves.
Anybody else watch that show?
My husband and I have become quite the fans of it!

Ok. On to the look-of-the-day!










Call me a bit wolf-crazy today, but I'm ok with that!
It's been a fun day..prancing around in my wild outfit.
I hope you all have a beautiful evening!

Happy "walk on the wild side" Tuesday!

I Love

It's been fr-fr-freezing here today!
I decided to take some photos inside, to avoid the frigid air.
Our apartment is super cozy right now, seeing as we just put up our Christmas tree!
Our living room has a magical glow. Hooray for everything about Christmas!

Anyway, I found this amazing sweater at Salvation Army yesterday.
Looking at these photos, I realize it's sort of Carlie Brown-esque? Right?!
Haha...such a great realization.
So here I am, hiding inside, enjoying our home & our pup in my new cozy sweater.






I've gotta keep this post short because we're heading to my parents' house right now.
We're having a Christmas party tonight.
I'm making oatmeal-cranberry cookies with white chocolate drizzle on top.
YUMS!
Alrighty, I'm outta here!
Enjoy your evening <3 xo, CJ

Oh, Christmas Tree

A couple days ago, my family & I embarked on our yearly tradition of getting a Christmas tree.
Ever since I can remember, my family has gone to a cut-it-yourself Christmas tree farm.
It's one of my all-time favorite Christmas traditions.
A few years ago, we found this farm. It's about 45 minutes from our home, and it's amazing!
They have an adorable gift shop, hot apple cider, hot chocolate, horse-drawn sleighs, and (of course) Santa!

We found the perfect Christmas trees for our homes!
Near the end of our visit,
my sister & I snuck around the back of the gift shop for some quick outfit shots.
Look at all those amazing wreaths!! How perfectly Christmasey are they?!








Dress, sweater, neck scarf: H&M, head scarf: thrifted, boots: early present from my Mom!, camera bag: Jo Totes

We had such a perfect afternoon.
I love spending time with my family...yet another reason why I love the holiday season!
We took a quick family portrait (We were only missing my bro, who stayed home. We missed you Mike!)




Do you have your Christmas tree up yet?
It seems like everyone has theirs up already!!
Timothy & I are decorating our tree this afternoon.
Hip hip hooray!! I can't wait for our living room to have that perfect Christmas-tree-light glow.

The Huntsman

Ok, so here's the deal.
I was watching TV the other night, and this fine gentleman (about the age of 75) had this incredible ensemble on.
A flannel shirt, fancy vest, and an amazing velvet blazer on top.
So, I dug through my closet (and my husband's drawers!), and put this together.
As I walked out to take outfit shots, I thought I had to share the inspiration behind this look.
So remember...never underestimate who you'll be inspired from!
I've named this look "The Huntsman". Suiting, I think.
















Anybody else have silly inspiration sources?
I feel like there's probably a world of possibilities out there.
I think as long as you're looking for inspiration, you'll find it...
no matter how strange or silly or random or offbeat it may seem.

xo,
Christen