What I Got For My Birthday

Hello lovely reader! The other day I was trying to get my little space on the internet organized, sorting photos, deleting old notes, etc. and  discovered deep in the depths of my drafts a "What I Got For My Birthday" post from two years ago! I went through what I had and pretty much all of the items are still available and are products that I still use/like and if not I shared alternatives that are similar! I thought I would share it with you today as a "Draft Find". Enjoy!

This exact birthday set is no longer available but they do have a 2018 version!

dw HOME "Birthday Cake" Candle This is one of my favorite candles ever, it smells amazing!

Marc Jacobs "Highliner Gel Eye Crayon"
Marc Jacobs "Le Marc Lip Cream" - Creamy Nude Rose

Benefit "Roller Lash" Mascara

Soap & Glory "Hand Food" Hand Cream This is my absolute go to for the winter months!

Fashion Lives: Fashion Icons with Fern Mallis  Gorgeous book, perfect for a coffee table or bookshelf piece.

Ellie Goulding - Delirium

"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

Cheeky Quote Tuesday

Cheeky Quote Tuesday

Cheeky Quote Tuesday

Cheeky Quote Tuesday

Collars Required | OOTD

Hello lovely reader! Today's the day for the Olympics Opening Ceremony! I personally love watching to see the theatrics and the thought that goes behind these displays, it's just incredible. I also keep a keen eye out to see all the teams uniforms! The Rio Olympics represents the fifth time that Polo Ralph Lauren will be dressing Team USA. Other notable names will be taking part in dressing the top athletes in the world, with Stella McCartney and Adidas collaborating for Great Britain, Sweden being outfitted by H&M, and Lacoste working with France. So for today's OOTD, it's a little nod to Mr. Lauren, decked out "H to T" in Polo. While for the most part Polo Ralph Lauren can have a fairly "preppy" reputation, which isn't my particular style, I do think that some of the staple pieces can be taken and made to fit your own individual style.

Dress: Similar (Polo Ralph Lauren), (Fred Perry)
Shoes: These shoes were older so I couldn't find any exacts, Similar (Lauren Ralph Lauren)

Or you can always throw on some Adidas!

What are you looking forward to with the Opening Ceremony? Xx

Cheeky Quote Tuesday

Style the Icon | Farfetch and Apple Music

Hello lovely reader! Happy Monday! I have some exciting news! As you may know I am a fan of Farfetch and a few days ago I was invited to participate in a competition in celebration of Farfetch's new Apple Music partnership and six current style icons in the music industry. They are the very first brand to blend Apple Music with their website and app and there are two playlists, Songs from the Shoot and Tune Tuesdays. 

The style icon I chose for these inspiration boards was Harry Styles but I wanted to take his style and transfer it into women's wear. I know a lot of people have labeled him the heartthrob and yes he is very good looking but he also has shown that he has a very keen eye when it comes to fashion. His style is one that has evolved over the past six years. He is quite fashion forward and a risk taker, with skinny jeans and printed tops being a staple, and you can't forget the chelsea boots! His high fashion picks are ones to watch.

(Starting on the left clockwise) Blouse, Blazer, Blouse, Jeans, Boots

(Starting on the left, clockwise) Sweatshirt, Coat, Sweatshirt, Boots, Jeans

Jacket, Jeans, Boots

Which pieces are your favorite? Who of these six style icons fashion choices would you take inspiration from? Xx

Cheeky Quote Tuesday

Little bit different today, a video rather than a photo. I loved this song on the album and after seeing the video, I love it even more. Such a beautiful message within these lyrics. Xx

Cheeky Quote Tuesday

Reflecting on Life & Relaxing in Central Park | New York Photo Diary

Hey lovely reader! I can officially say that this is part 3 out of 4 for my "New York Photo Diary" posts. If you haven't seen the first two, "Chelsea, Cupcakes, and Challis" and "Gossip Girl, Gyros, & Great Food" go check them out after having a scroll through today's post! These pictures are from some of the last few days of the trip and include visiting the 9/11 Memorial, the Flatiron District, and Central Park. 

On this day, we visited the 9/11 Memorial which was a very surreal experience. It definitely made me take a moment and reflect on how fortunate I am. While there and seeing all the names I couldn't help but think about how there were so many other people there visiting and how to me, I don't know any of the people listed but how someone who is standing right next to me may know that name that lies in front of them. My thoughts and prayers are forever with everyone who was affected on that day. We had also planned on going inside and seeing the museum but unfortunately they stop entrance to the museum at 6pm. So fair warning, even if you have bought your tickets in advance, they will not let anyone in past six. It was a shame that we didn't get to go in, but the memorial in itself was definitely a moment I will never forget. 

Flatiron Building

The last day, we dedicated to Central Park which is huge! It is far more spread out than I imagined. This was one of my favorite days because the weather was gorgeous and we were able to just relax and explore the park, have some lunch, and really take it all in. 

We had lunch at this adorably chic restaurant just off the Great Lawn called "Le Pain Quotidien". The food was delicious and so photogenic. 

Felt so Americana eating my Bombpop in the middle of Central Park

Shout out to the dog walkers who were everywhere

Gorgeous rooftop view.

Have you been to Central Park? Have a favorite spot? Xx