Louboutin Love

I wish this post was about my own Christian Louboutin heels, however that would require the kind of Christmas miracle that could only be achieved through illegal activities, or maybe Oprah. However, it sounds as though Blake Lively can certainly share the love. Not only does she have a pair named after her, but she recently visited an invitation-only VIP Louboutin sample sale and bought not one, not two... but 40 pairs of shoes. Naturally some were gifts for her friends and family, because what says love and Merry Christmas better than a $1000 pair of shoes?? Nothing.

Lots of love,

Jenna

Newest Obsession

As Kacy mentioned, I am back home in northern California for the winter break and loving every minute of it! Yesterday I went along with my mom to do some Christmas shopping and discovered possibly one of the best stores in existence. The best part is, it isn't some unaffordable ritzy boutique with clothes I only dream about, but an adorable craft and paper store! Paper Source offers adorable cards and crafting ideas, as well as knick knacks and things you simply cannot live without, such as Jonathan Adler pens and pencils. Although the stores are not very popular, their website (http://www.paper-source.com/) offers all their adorable merchandise! I plan on taking a class at the store in January to teach me how to use assorted crafting tools, as I dabble in card making when I have the time. Ill let you know how it goes! Enjoy my adorable collage comprised of my favorite Paper Source items!

xoxo

Jenna

And the baking continues...

I am excited to announce that for once I have had a successful baking experience! Since Jenna left me a few days ago for California, I have just been sitting around the house, watching Christmas movies, and enjoying our much needed break from school. With so many amazing recipes out there I decided I ought to try a new one. From one of my favorite baking blogs, www.doughmesstic.net, I found a recipe for nutella & seal salt caramel fudge. I know, sounds like heaven! Well it tastes like it too. While I modified the recipe a bit due to the ingredients in my pantry, the fudge still turned out deliciously!

So heres to enjoying the few precious days left of the holiday season and 2010!
With love,
Kacy

The French macaron debacle

I apologize for my absence these past few weeks. With the flurry of the holiday season brought my family's vacation to Cancun, Mexico. While I fully enjoyed my week of white sand beaches and lime mojitos, it was equally sad to miss all the holiday festivities happening in the states. Not only did I miss the most sacred of days (Black Friday) but I also missed making my annual holiday goodies. In lue of the normal pies I make this time of year, yesterday I decided to attempt one of the most delicious and complex desserts known to man- the French macaron. While apprehensive knowing how delicate these delectable cookies are to create, I presumed Martha Stewart could not fail me. I finally decided upon a gingerbread variation with lemon cream filling. Here is a picture of what they are supposed to look like:

And so began my french macaron adventure. While the preparation went easy enough, I realized I did not have one important component- the parchment paper to cook them on. I decided to look up if aluminum foil would work as a viable alternative. In the end a few bloggers had had success using foil so I decided to try it out. After the lemon cream filling turned out less thick than I would have liked, I become even more nervous about my macarons. However when I took them out of the oven they looked beautiful- that was until I tryed to take them off the foil. While I would have loved to post a beautiful picture of my own macrons, my results were less than blog worthy. All in all, the experience proved to be less than enjoyable. I think in the future I will stick to christmas cookies and leave the macarons to the professionals. Happy baking everyone!

Kacy

Filoli Adventures

Once again, there is a serious case of neglect going on here. Deepest apologies. Less than two weeks until winter break though! For now, I want to share some divine pictures from my time at home over Thanksgiving. Every year my mom and I, along with some family friends, visit Filoli. A mansion built in the early 1900s, Filoli is now a historical landmark. The vast property, beautiful architecture and sheer size of the estate is amazing. During Christmas time each year the house is decorated with hundreds of trinkets, ornaments and gifts and people may wander through the house and purchase just about anything on display. Its a perfect way to get into the Christmas spirit! Enjoy! And Happy Holidays!

Jenna

Glamourous Gift Guides

I apologize for the neglect over the weekend. With the semester wrapping up and the holidays approaching there is always so much to do! Kacy will be out of town for the week so I will do my best to update the blog with tons of inspirational ideas and covet-worthy items.

Christmas celebration begins immediately after Thanksgiving for my family, which includes putting up decorations, buying the tree and christmas gift shopping. To make this process a little easier I present my favorite online gift guides. Some are outright indulgent, while others are helpful and entertaining to explore. I hope they are useful as you purchase gifts for others and create your own wish list. I know I have found some seriously fabulous items that are on my list. Enjoy!

Jenna

Top five Christmas gift guides:

J. Crew presents a fun, easy to navigate picture gift guide. The scrolling scene offers the cutest sweaters, shoes and accessories for women, alongside helpful gift suggestions. Categories separated by him/her, as well as by price and type of gift makes finding something perfect a snap.

While I am positive I cannot afford anything from Neiman Marcus, I love looking at the indulgent gifts they suggest. They cover all the bases, with home gifts, gifts separated by recipient and even by occasion. I wish I could have it all, or even just one!

Urban Outfitters offers a unique and playful gift guide, true to their kitschy and unexpected style. I personally love gift guides separated by the personality of the recipient, and Urban offers class clown, party girl, and romantic, among many others. Check out the stocking stuffer section for pointless, but necessary toys and accessories.

Although Anthropologie's gift guide is not expansive, the short descriptions for each gift capture the humor and love in human relationships. The gift are not too expensive (relative to some Anthro items) and they are very sweet and colorful. I especially love the China Cabinet Bracelets and the Slopes Scarf.

Last, but not least, H&M offers the most amazing gift guide presentation I've seen yet! The combination of video, pictures, large gift boxes and maze-like progression is beyond. Plus the relationships documented in each photo are appropriate and sentimental. Of course we all know their clothes are amazing as well, so it's basically perfect.

Happy Thanksgiving! And Happy Black Friday Shopping!

xoxo

Sequin Obesession

So my inspiration for this post all began when I spotted this amazing sequin top by Vince.

When I saw it, I knew I had to have it! (That was, until I saw the $295 price tag) I began to wonder if my dream of acquiring something fabulous and sparkly would also require tapping into my savings account. However, being the bargain shopper that I am, I managed to find a few other lovely sequin pieces that will not break the bank. While some of them do not have the same awe factor of the Vince crepe t-shirt, the $80 Drapey Sequin tee from JCrew does have a striking resemblance! I encourage all of you to go pick up something shiny yourself. After all, 'tis the season for a little glamour!
Love always,
Kacy

Jonathan Adler + Starbucks

Like most girls, and the majority of the US population, I love Starbucks. I mean who can resist pumpkin spice lattes and assorted muffins? So imagine my delight when I entered Starbucks bright and early this morning, only to find they are now selling their holiday mugs. So precious! Oh, and it gets better! This season they are featuring a ceramic mug by the wonderful designer, Johnathan Adler. I truly hope you have all heard of him because he is brilliant and playful and optimistic and fun. He does a great job of mixing timeless decor silhouettes and staples with pops of color and interesting details, such as animal images and geometric patterns. He certainly did not disappoint in his design for the Starbucks mug. Plus, a dollar of each mug purchase goes to the Global Fund, an organization that donates money to HIV/AIDS programs in Africa. Love it. At only $10.95, I don't think I'll be able to wait for this item until Christmas. I give myself a week.

xoxo,

Jenna

Lanvin Hearts Collection

For fashion connoisseurs like Jenna and I, the week of November 20th is significant for much more than the approaching holiday festivities. While seeing our loved ones and baking pies has us excited for the impending day of gluttony (also known as Thanksgiving), it is Lanvin's release of their collection for H&M that truly has our hearts a flutter. With so many amazing pieces under $200, it will be hard to resist not picking up a "gift" or two for ourselves. While some have looked down on high end designers for debuting more budget friendly lines I must commend them. Why shouldn't high fashion be accessible to everyone? I am personally very excited about the collection's faux fur items. It is the one trend this season I have become obsessed with! (even though living in Arizona I rarely get to wear them) Here are a few of my favorite looks from the collection.

P.S. only the H&M at Scottsdale Fashion Square will be carrying the collection..go figure.

LANVIN FOR H&M. SEE THE FULL COLLECTION AT HM.COM

LANVIN FOR H&M. SEE THE FULL COLLECTION AT HM.COM

LANVIN FOR H&M. SEE THE FULL COLLECTION AT HM.COM

"Old Timer"

Days like today make me remember why I chose to attend ASU, with 70 degree sunny skies in the middle of November. On a rare day off, Kacy and I decided to head over to our favorite retreat, La Grande Orange. A hidden gem in the Arcadia area of Phoenix, it offers a delicious array of goodies. While all the food is amazing, we always come back for the atmosphere, scrumptious desserts, and iced tea. Each time we visit we vow to try a new dessert, and today we chose the "Old Timer", a more sophisticated take on the classic Hostess Cupcake. The chocolate ganache was to die for, and the whip cream in the middle was light and fluffy; it was basically perfect.