"Not the Gumdrop Buttons!" | Gingerbread Cookie Recipe

Hi lovely readers! Tomorrow is Christmas Eve! Are you ready? I know I am. I love all the personal traditions that these next few days will bring and look forward to them every year. One of those traditions is to bake gingerbread cookies! I started at about 10 and have been mixing, baking, and icing since then. 

The recipe is simple and the cookies delicious. They are great to set out for Santa, put at guest's places at the table at your holiday party or put them in a cute little tin and give them as a gift!

You will need:
2/3 cup shortening
1-1/4 cups sugar
2 eggs
2 tablespoons buttermilk
2 tablespoons molasses
3-1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon ground ginger
1/2 teaspoon ground cloves
Icing (of your choice)
Candy to decorate (M&M's, chocolate chips)
(This recipe makes about 24 cookies)

In a mixing bowl, cream shortening and sugar. Then add the eggs, one at a time, and beat well after each addition. Beat in the buttermilk and molasses.

Now in a separate bowl, combine the dry ingredients and mix them.

Gradually add the dry mixture to the creamed mixture.

Mix well. Then set the dough aside in the fridge to chill for several hours. I would suggest using wax paper and putting some flour on it before transferring your dough to chill, to prevent the dough from sticking. 

After the dough has chilled you are ready to start cutting out shapes and baking! Pre-heat the oven to 375 degrees. For rolling out the dough, I usually make mine about 1/8 of an inch. This again is really up to you, just be sure not to make them to thin because it make them harder to transfer to the pan. Another tip is to dip the cookie cutters in flour before cutting out the shapes, again, prevents sticking. Bake the cookies on cookies sheets for 8-10 minutes or until the edges start to brown.

Place the cookies on wire racks and allow them to cool completely before decorating. Then decorate!

Perfect little gift or keep them all for yourself! Do you have other favorite holiday cookie recipes? Xx

Cheeky Quote Tuesday

Christmastime Goals | Happy December

Hi lovely readers! The holiday season is officially here and I hope your first few days of December have been good. I have been quite busy lately as I'm sure many of you University students can relate to as well, with the semester wrapping up! Winter break cannot come soon enough as I am ready to relax and enjoy this lovely season. I am definitely one of those people who gets a great deal of satisfaction from making lists and then crossing things off, so when this time of year comes around and there are tons of things that I want to do, I sit down and write them all out. I love reading and hearing what other people are planning on doing to be festive and it usually inspires me to add to my own list. I thought it would be fun to share my "Christmastime Goals" with you all and I would love to hear what yours are too! I also plan to have some posts centered around these "events", so stay tuned!

Do we have any of the same goals? Any suggestions of other fun and festive things I should do?

Cheeky Quote Tuesday

Caleres Fashion Entrepreneur Competition

Hi lovely readers! As some of you may have seen on my Instagram, the other week I attended the Caleres Fashion Entrepreneur Competition in St. Louis. I was so excited to be asked to be an influencer for the event and was grateful for the opportunity. The competition was held at the Majorette which seemed like the perfect setup with a grand staircase where each designer would give their presentation to the judges. It was inspiring to see the passion that these designers each had for their craft and their businesses. They were all so unique but shared the commonality which was truly loving what they do. I am going to leave links to each of the featured designers at the end of this post, so please go check them out and see how talented they are!

These wall cutouts were absolutely amazing and detailed. I wished so badly that I could have taken one home! 

This was definitely an added bonus! As someone who loves art and fashion sketching I was thrilled to hear that Michelle of Creature Type was going to be at the event. And not only was she there, she was there drawing personalized fashion sketches for everyone. 

So cute!

"And the winner is...Fauxgerty!" This made me so happy, Chrissy Fogarty and her company have a brand that is making a difference in the fashion industry through "cruelty-free threads with an emphasis on recycled elements and local, ethical production in STL, LA and NY". I connected with her presentation the most because she talked a lot about the issues of sustainability in the fashion industry. She educated the audience about real issues as well as what the company has done and plans to do.  

Second place went to Qristyl Frasierof QFD who is all about designing for "Plus Sexy" women.

Overall, I had a fantastic night and hope that this post shows that to you, maybe even exposed you to your next favorite designer!

Designers
-Chrissy Fogarty | Fauxgerty
-Qristyl Frazier | QFD
-Claire Flowers | Claire Flowers
-Theresa Wangia | Beltshazzar Jewels
-Rafael Adon | RA Rafael Adon

Cheeky Quote Tuesday

All Things October | iPhone Snaps

Hi lovely reader! Here is a quick round-up of some of the things I got up to in the month of October!

Breakfast in bed. Tried the omelette in a mug "hack" and I must say I was quite impressed.

As seen on Instagram. Originally asked my Mom what she would caption this pic, her response, "I'm nuts about these boots"....clever lady she is.

Gameday. This was about 1/3 of the tailgating spread. Amazing.

Pumpkin carving is no joke. This guy gave me a workout!

Other little pumpkin friend. This one was my favorite. 

Prepping for all the trick-or-treaters! And saving some for later...

Ended October by celebrating my friends birthday on a rooftop. The weather was perfect and so were the cupcakes.

What did you do last month? Any impressive pumpkins or costumes??

Cheeky Quote Tuesday

Caleres Fashion Entrepreneur Competition | Saint Louis Fashion Week

Hey lovely readers! Happy November! Today's post is one that I am really excited to share with you all. This year I have been given the opportunity to be a Caleres FEC Infleuncer for the "Caleres Fashion Entrepreneur Competition" that is taking place on November 10th. This event is taking place in St. Louis and will showcase five St. Louis based designers who are competing in a Shark-Tank style competition to win $10,000! As someone who is studying fashion, I can't wait to see the designers presentations and their creations.

There is something to be said for the creativity and talent that is created in the Midwest and it is definitely overlooked. When people here fashion they think New York or Los Angeles but there are many other cities across the country and across the world that are full of successful businesses and designers! I think it is equally as important to know what is happening in the big cities as well as locally in your own region or city. As I said earlier, the event is taking place on November 10th and is being held at the Majorette, which I have been looking at pictures of online and it looks so cool! This event is the perfect excuse for a little weekend getaway to explore a new area if you have never been to St. Louis or if you are from there support your city!

I know I am looking forward to it and can't wait to see the designers. Another reason to check it out, tickets are just $10 beforehand and $15 the day of. You can purchase tickets online here.

Cheeky Quote Tuesday

Cheeky Quote Tuesday

Last week after I posted "Vienna Waits For You | Stressing About the Future" , I went to check my mail and found that I had received this card. It was a another great reminder of how everyone has their own specific journey in life and a personal path to get to where they are meant to be. As hard as it is at times, we truly mustn't compare our path to someone else's but do what we feel is right for us.

Favorite Fall Beauty Trends | Adore Me

Hi lovely reader! One thing I love about fall are the beauty trends. The lips shapes get darker, the eyeshadows get warmer, and berry toned everything fills the shelves. In celebration of all things fall beauty, Adore Me has launched a project themed around the oh so festive autumnal palettes of this year and their new October Showroom!

As I've said before, if what you've got on under your clothes coordinates with what you've got going on on the outside, you instantly feel like you've for something together for the day. For today's post I wanted to share my top 3 favorite makeup for fall in looks that I have seen lately on instagram, as well as various pieces from Adore Me that coordinate beautifully with each of the looks!

This year I am all about the satin finish bronze and copper colored eyeshadows. They can be layered and mixed, paired with a darker brown and smoked out for a more dramatic look or simply worn on their own for a daytime look. These warm shades have been my go to this month! I would say that these tones are pretty classic for fall so to go along with that, I think that the is "Matilda" pajama set from their sleepwear collection evokes just that. They are classic, simple, and oh so cozy!

Another eyeshadow and lipstick combo that I have seen a lot that I like is a simple barely there eyeshadow with maybe a touch of glitter and a strong lip. To me having a strong lip always gives me a boost of confidence and when I saw the Damariss bra and panty I immediately got that same vibe. I love the wine color as well as the flower embroidery details on the cups.

Speaking of lips, without a doubt, my favorite beauty trend for fall is a berry or burgundy lip! Again with a bold lip! Whenever I put on a good berry tone I instantly feel so autumnal. This Noreh Contour bra is the perfect shade for fall and I love the cut of this bra with the lace detail that carries down the sides!!

What are your favorite fall beauty trends this year?? Anyone you think particularly rocks a good autumnal look?

A Sleeping Sloth, a Statement Jacket, & a Sweet Care Package | iPhone Snaps

Hi lovely reader! I haven't shared some candid iPhone pics in a while, so I thought it was about time I change that! I love looking at these types of posts on other people's blogs because they're so casual and let's be honest, I'm also a little nosey, but hey you probably are too, otherwise you wouldn't be reading this! 

The cutest little sleeping sloth at the zoo. Slothes were definitely my favorite animal for some time when I was younger, not to the Kristen Bell extent though! (Just google "Kristen Bell sloth"...)

Agreed.

Would love a picture like this in my home in the future. 

I had seen commercials for these little squares and thought they looked intriguing! I went and bought the "Cranberry almond dark chocolate" flavor and it was very good! Only downfall I would say is that they are fairly high in sugar as far as it being a "healthy snack".

I have been wanting a "patched" jacket for the last two months after scrolling through all the Fashion Week street style pics filled with every themed and embellished type of jacket imaginable. So, when I saw this one I snatched it up. Look out for some OOTD's coming up featuring this jacket and most likely some adidas originals.

So Apple Pie filling, topped with crumbles, topped with caramel, topped with vanilla ice cream. No more needs to be said.....

New little cross body bag.

The sweetest care package from my church back home. Nothing like receiving an unexpected package!