"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

Celebrating the Champagne Season With Farfetch | Blogmas 2015

Hi lovely reader! Only four more days 'til Christmas!! That is both exciting and terrifying for me to say because I still feel like there is so much to be done! My family is hosting the Christmas party this year, so all the preparations are starting to take place. From baking, and cooking, to decorating, and of course deciding what to wear! Getting to dress up for holiday parties is one of my favorite things about this time of year. I love going through all the designer look books and getting inspiration for what type of look I want to go for. So, in the spirit of the holiday party season, I wanted to share a piece with you that features some gorgeous designer pieces in the frilliest and prettiest pinks and blacks, perfect for a holiday soiree. This "Champagne Season" editorial below, was created by a company called farfetch, which if you have never heard of them and are into fashion, designer names, unique pieces, and fantastic sales, you must visit their website! (You will not regret it....well your bank account might, but hey it's the holidays) Even just go have a look at some of their other edits, because as you can see here, they are stunning! Head over to their "About Us" page to learn more!

All the Christmas Songs | Blogmas 2015

Hi lovely reader! Happy Blogmas Day 3! I can officially check of one item from my "10 Things I Want To Do In December", seeing as I have created a Spotify playlist full of all songs Christmassy and festive! "It's the Most Wonderful Time of the Year" You can click the link or click the embedded playlist and listen straight off the post! I also challenge you to listen to this and not sing along to one song, I believe that it is impossible. I listened to Spotify's "Pop Christmas" station this morning while getting ready and had quite the jam sesh. They have loads of holiday playlists and I do plan on listening to the majority of them, from acoustic, to indie, to the good ol' classics.

I would also love to add some of your favorites to the playlist, so feel free to comment or tweet any suggestions! Xx

Flashback to Fall | iPhone Snaps | Blogmas 2015

Hiya lovely reader! Happy Blogmas Day 2! With winter on its way, I thought it would be good to wrap up fall with a final set of iPhone snaps. 

Wedding Cake, crushed Oreos, and strawberries = Orange Leaf go-to

Got adventurous 

Starbucks to accompany studying 

I want all the Christmas decorations from Target! 

Cranberry Bagel with Cranberry Cream Cheese

Collars and Curls 

Sweet treats at Nordstrom 

The BEST slippers ever 

Chocolate covered Oreos for Turkey day! 

How did you end your fall? Xx

10 Things I Want To Do In December... | Blogmas 2015

Hi lovely reader! "It's the most wonderful time of the year",



Happy December! The other day I visited my cousin and her house was in full Christmas mode, with a spruce tree scented candle burning, the tree up and sparkling, holiday decor everywhere you looked, and christmas music playing. It was perfect! I then came back to my apartment this weekend to find an adorable little christmas tree set up, the couch staged with holiday pillows, and the aroma of a holiday candle burning. It truly makes me so happy. This is without a doubt my favorite time of the year and am beyond excited for Christmas. I plan on doing all things festive throughout the month and thought I would make a list of the things I want to do!

1. Make a holiday playlist on Spotify and listen to it while driving home

2. Bake gingerbread cookies

3. Decorate a gingerbread house

4. Decorate my house with my family while a fire burns and Christmas music plays in the background

5. Make paper snowflakes

6. Go ice-skating

7. Drive around and look at Christmas lights

8. Make homemade hot chocolate

9. Watch Christmas movies (most importantly Elf)

10. Spend time with family and friends

Bonus: Participate in Blogmas as much as possible
(I did blogmas last year (Blogmas 2014), and loved it, I especially love going back now and looking at all the posts from it. I also know that I will probably be getting quite busy, so I may not be able to post everyday of December up until the 25 but I am going to try my hardest!)

What do you want to do this December? Xx

Christmas Party OOTD | Blogmas

Hey lovely reader! Yesterday was our annual Christmas party with my Dad's side of the family. It was a great success and filled with laughter, food, and festivities. I wanted to share what I wore with you.

This top is by Topshop, but I got it last year at Nordstrom. It's an off-white cream color and is made from a textured knit fabric. 

I also got these pants last year from TJ Maxx. I love them because they are high waisted and made from a thick, super stretchy material.

I got these classy little smoking flats from H&M. 

I ordered this gorgeous ear cuff from Nasty Gal. I love it and am totally into the ear cuff trend!

What are you wearing to your holiday parties? Xx