Monday, February 2, 2015

Valentine's Day Gift Guide {For Her}


Can you believe it's already February?  That means that Valentine's Day is sneaking up on us.  Everyone that knows me knows that I'm typically the anti-Valentine's Day, cupid bashing soul.  Overrated is how I feel.  Making reservations at fancy restaurants months in advance, mushy cards, and overpriced roses have never been my thing.  I feel like many couples use Valentine's Day to express how much they love someone then are off the hook for the rest of the year.  Don't fall in that trap.  If you love someone, little things should show on a regular basis.

Okay, I promise, I'll stop nay-saying Valentine's Day now.
Hearts are my favorite shape, cutesy lip things are fun, sparkles and pink are pretty, and I can eat enough conversation hearts to cause a self-inflicted stomach ache.  These past few years, I've been my own Valentine and usually treat myself.  So, Valentine's Day isn't so terrible.

Ladies, if your guy is a little clueless about what to get, just refer him to this post.
Remember, it's the thought that counts so splurging on Valentine's Day isn't necessary (clearly I've shown that I'm the type that would appreciate a box of Walgreen's chocolates and a bottle of booze).  Guys, if you want to do a little something more for your sweetheart on the day of love, here are some gift ideas that she'll adore.



Valentine's Day






Valentine's Gift Guide




peace, love, sparkles and flamingos,
allison

Friday, January 23, 2015

Donuts and Whiskey


Happy Friday!  Finally another weekend is upon us and I still have the mini-bash I hosted last weekend on my mind.  Ever since one of my favorite bloggers, Cupcakes and Cashmere, threw a Donut and Whiskey Girls Night event, I have been obsessed with the idea.  Entertaining can get stressful with cleaning, food prep, and so on.  So, the stress-free way to go about it?  Buy donuts and whiskey.

Last weekend, I was finally able to get all the girls together.  I headed to a little independent Donut Shop called Donut Drive-In and picked out a dozen drool-worthy sugar bagels.  After slicing each in to 4 bite-size pieces each and displaying them on a tiered cake tray, I mixed up a batch of my whiskey kick punch {recipe below}.  The girls arrived, we talked, ate, drank, and played Cards Against Humanity.  Which, if you're a CAH virgin, I highly recommend playing, but I will warn you that it's not very "family friendly."




Allison's Whiskey Kick Punch

2 cups whiskey
1 bottle of Riesling
1 liter of ginger soda
Juice of 1 lemon
Sliced oranges

Mix it all together in a punch bowl.  Add the oranges.  Pour over ice.



Now on to the outfit:
Being at home, I wanted to be comfortable.  But who am I kidding, I always like to be comfortable.  I took the barefoot approach and went with a cropped 'LOVE' sweatshirt paired with a cream sequin skirt that I paid a whopping $3 at the Forever 21 discount store in Chicago.




Top:  Forever 21
Skirt:  Forever 21
Bracelet:  Stella & Dot

Happy Weekend!
peace, love, sparkles and flamingos,
Allison

Wednesday, January 21, 2015

Wednesday, January 14, 2015

Wild Side Walk


Punk and prep collide with an outfit inspired from a Pinterest pin that a dear friend sent me by blogger Cara Loren.  I love combining prints in unexpected ways and my mind immediately started racing of what items I had at home to re-create a similar look.  The sweater, being one that I haven't worn in a few years but can't bear to part with, I pulled from the back of my closet.  The scarf I was given as a Christmas gift (also a few years ago) and paired the items with my coated black skinny jeans to give it an even edgier feel.





Sweater: Parfait
Scarf:  Gifted
Coated Skinny Jeans:  Jolt
Tassel Cross-Body Bag:  Thrifted
Booties:  Target
Ring:  Charles Albert

{whatever wednesday}


{Travel Necessity: Important Sh*t Duffel Bag}




{oh.em.gee.  Serious Cuteness:  Ducklings.  Just Ducklings}