christmas duds

Ryan and I spent christmas with his family this year, as a married couple we've taken to switching holidays between our respective families. So this year we spent Thanksgiving in Colorado with my family and Christmas in Kansas with his family. We had a beautiful fun-filled and festive day. I always wonder how it is that sitting around opening gifts, chatting and catching up and eating copious amounts of food can be so darn exhausting??? we were all wiped by the end of the night!


This year we decided to dress up for our christmas dinner. So, I found this vintage dress a few weeks ago while thrifting and although it needed some altering (it was HUGE! and had crazy baggy sleeves), it was just the perfect Christmas red, so I bought it. In the end I wasn't totally happy with its shape but it worked..... and after I threw on my favorite christmas coat and some textured tights I felt super festive! (again, I wish I could wear my coats all day, sometimes they just make an outfit!)


I snapped this picture of a pretty christmas sunset last night while walking my puppy. The sky is always amazingly beautiful out in the Kansas countryside!

outfit details: dress, coat: thrifted, tights: Forever 21, shoes: Dillards

merry christmas

have a happy happy day!



*here's a cute tutorial on how to make these festive pom-poms!*

christmas elf

Several people have called me a christmas elf today! I think it is a combination of my little green dress and that I have been passing out christmas goodies today!!


do you see a little puppy watching from the back door?! so cute!

I made some Christmas goodies for some friends at work! these little boxes were full of cookies and just so cute with their tiny, felt tree ornaments! (and they match my dress!


outfit details: dress: H&M, boots: Broadway shoes, sweater: thrifted, coat: Forever 21

Christmas Cards!

This year I asked my oh-so-talented cousin-in-law (thats a mouth full of hyphens,eh?!) to take some festive photos of me and the Hubby for our Christmas card. She not only took beautiful photos, but she brought us fun props to make them super festive and sweet! Here are a few of my favorites!


It was so hard to choose just one for our card.. but we used this "Merry" one below.


and, did I mention that we got to throw confetti?! cause we did! it was awesome!

flea-market festivities!

I visited one of my favorite flea-markets recently with my pal Alexis. All of the Christmas-y displays were so festive and inspiring!! I am trying to not spend $ on myself... and only on others... as befits the holiday season, but man-oh-man, is it hard to resist sometimes!!

I love looking through all of the piles and piles of vintage treasures! I really could spend all day wandering around a flea-market.

How is all of your holiday shopping going?? I still have lots to do, but at least the house is decorated and the christmas cards have been sent out! That's two things I can cross off my list!

...and I just had to share this funny, creepy doll head light with you all! its just so random and awesome!

peace in the animal kingdom

Today I am working, but not at the theater so I am taking advantage of this rare theater-free day to wear some not-black clothing, and a dress too!


I got this dress for one of my wedding showers (in August) and haven't worn it since.. but it is very pretty and I like the contrast of the big chunky sweaters (and sweater tights) with a chiffony dress.


outfit details: dress: Forever 21, sweater, tights: Target, boots: Walmart

here I am showing off two of my favorite new things! my AAAwesome double turquoise ring (from Urban) and a braided belt (which I thrifted yesterday when I should of been x-mas shopping) how is everyones christmas shopping going? I am getting a bit stressed out about finding everything/ making everything that I need to!


...and here is a special treat from my two little guys(patrick on the left and Simon on the right)... they are truely feeling the christmas spirit (peace on earth and all that) normally they run around biting and swatting at each other, but here they are almost cuddling!

holidaze!

I wore this to a holiday party this week and felt very festive !



The holidays are always so busy and not to complain or anything (cause here I go complaining), but they are especially busy for me, as I work straight thru till the 24th ( by helping to bring the holiday tradition of Nutcracker to Kansas City) .. I feel like I am way behind... I hardly have any gifts and worse than that I am having a hard time thinking of good gift ideas this year! Not to mention that it just doesn't feel like christmas time with out any snow! I mean seriously we haven't had ANY snow!



but on a more positive note I am super excited that I found time to decorate our house, our little tree is up and decorated and we have lights on the front of our house! sooo festive!

Look, Simon snuck into this photo!

outfit details : dress, sweater, boots: Forever 21, tights: Walmart

countdown ka-put!

don't fear I have not abandoned you, just been REALLY REALLY busy,   so since I left so abruptly in the middle of my favorite holiday countdown I have done a lot... 

-I drove to Hutchinson KS in the middle of a rain storm, had a panic attack in the car ( don't worry, I'm OK, my sweet fiance, Ryan, took over the wheel and got us to safety)

-had a lovely Christmas celebration with my fiance and his amazing family

Christmas #1

-got a totally awesome air soft gun from Ryan, his whole family thought we were weirdos, but we had a ton of fun shooting trees and the barn out in the snow! (It was a bit windy)

getting country with my new toy, please don't think I am too hickey, it's really just for fun!

-drove back to Kansas City during a SNOW storm

-went directly to work 

-worked 4 Nutcracker shows in two days

-packed up the entire Nutcracker show! (yay, no more mice and angels)

-flew to Denver and had another Xmas celebration with my family!

my Momma and our skinny, pretty tree

-drove to the mountains, spent two days skiing in Loveland with my man and all of our siblings

we are such snowbunnies!

-drove back down to Denver, saw all of our guests off

-went to a nice dinner with my parents for New Years! (fell asleep on the couch with my mom, watching The Proposal)

my New Years Outfit!  skirt: Forever 21, sweater: borrowed from my mom, tanktop: actually a dress that I thrifted

-got the STOMACH FLU!!

-flew back to Kansas City (Nauseous the whole way)

-I am still recovering... every time I feel that I am getting a bit better my poor stomach revolts, guh,guh,guh.  

So, it has been a very eventful week to say the least and I am going back to work tomorrow, so hopefully my stomach gets in gear and I get back into my normal routine.  I am currently curled up on my couch, tv surfing, avoiding taking down my xmas decorations, and catching up on all of the blogs that I've missed this past week.  I have some new ideas to update and spruce up my blog here in the new year (new name? new layout?), so keep coming back, and hopefully I can get my butt in gear and make this thing a bit more impressive!   

Christmas countdown: t - 3 days!

Whilst I've been Christmas shopping the past few weeks I keep on having this huge problem!  Here it is.... I shop for myself!  I know, Its awful, and soooo not in the christmas spirit, but what can I say, I am a glutton for clothes!  I got this cute leather skirt at SAVERS, my new favorite thrift store (this one happens to be located in Johnson county, the 2nd wealthiest county in the USA, so the clothes are pretty phenomenal!)  not to mention that it is  really well organized for a thrift store!  I have recently been obsessed with the idea of a leather skirt and I now have two ( I got the other one on sale at forever 21).  I feel like a leather skirt can bring the right amount of edginess to an outfit, while still being feminine.  

skirt: thrifted, SAVERS!, tights: F21, boots: gift, top: ATC

So, on a more christmasy note, here are some shots from around my house of xmas decorations.  I call this area of my house "the shrine"  and it changes seasonally, but always includes bones and my polaroids (two of my favorite things)!

I made these snow globes using a tutorial I found in a Martha Stewart book, I then saw it again here on the Free People blog.

My mom always has a bijillion paper whites around her house during the christmas season, and for me the scent of them is synonymous with Christmas!

Today has been super crazy busy!  Ive been wrapping gifts galore and trying to get organized.  I have a two show day tomorrow and then weather permitting Ryan and I are going to Hutchinson to spend xmas with his family....my new in laws to be! 

Christmas countdown: t - 4 days!

So, one of my favorite parts about Christmas is all of the Christmas crafting that goes on!   Last year I made these cute little godseye ornaments for our tree! 

This year I've been working on lots of little birdie ornaments, I debated showing them, as some of my readers will be recieving them, but in the end I couldn't resist sharing them!  Aren't they adorable?!

I don't know why I look so grumpy in this photo, I really had a great day, but go figure!

sweater: H&M, skirt: (really a dress) Urban Outfitters, tights: Target, boots: graduation gift (?)

 

I have more crafts in the works, but I can't post those until AFTER xmas!