a look back at 2014

2014 ... what a year. if i'm being honest, it definitely had its fair share of difficult moments. some of which came from all the change - we bought a new house and i started a full time internship [while balancing multiple part time jobs]. then there were the growing pains that simply came with being immersed in the real world. i tell ya, that place is not always very nice ;). but despite the hardships, there were also some really wonderful times and sweet memories made. i've compiled a little list of them below, highlighting my favorite memories and blog posts.

1. we started off the year with a big snow storm...in south carolina! this isn't something we get to see much, so we had so much fun going on walks, drinking coffee by the fire, and snuggling up on the couch.

2. we hosted a little valentine's day dessert party with a few of our close friends.

3. i put together a spring tablescape featuring bright florals and vintage plates. it was featured on curbly, here.

4. we visited nashville to celebrate our 2 year wedding anniversary. you can see those posts here, here, and here. i also shared a little wedding video i put together.

5. i started a new series, 'around town', where i started featuring my favorite local spots. some of my favorite posts include due south coffee shop (above)..

6. gigi's cupcakes...

7.  tandem creperie and coffeehouse...

8. and the ice cream station in simpsonville.

9. a few of my favorite food posts include these chocolate chip donuts with blueberry glaze,

10. and this grilled croissant pimento cheese sandwich.

11. i attended the brand market workshop in atlanta and learned so much. i highly recommend it!

12. we took a little trip to litchfield beach to get away for a weekend over the summer.

13. and i can't forget that we bought our first house!!! we've been renovating and slowly decorating ever since.

14. i partnered with jessi nichols photography and put together this fall tablescape. you can find it featured on the sweetest occasion, here.

15. i partnered with katherine dalton photography and took some of my favorite pictures during this apple orchard shoot.

16. we went to fripp island for the weekend to celebrate my 24th birthday.

17. and finally, i started sharing some fashion, like these two looks above.

i love looking back at the year and reminiscing on how much i've grown and changed. i really love having this little blog to document my years and all that they bring.

now, here's to 2015! bring it on....

eggnog cheesecake cookies

i've never been one to love drinking eggnog, but i find it very tasteful in baked goods. a little strange, i know. so this year i thought i would do a little experimenting in the kitchen with some eggnog flavored cookies. if you're looking for something to make last minute this christmas, you can find the recipe below.

eggnog cheesecake cookies

ingredients:

• 2 1/4 cups all purpose flour
• 1 tsp. baking powder
• 1 tsp. baking soda
• 1/2 tsp. salt
• 1/2 tsp. ground nutmeg
• 1/2 tsp. ground cinnamon, plus more for garnish
• 1/2 cup butter, soft at room temperature
• 1/4 cup cream cheese
• 1/2 cup sugar
• 1/2 cup brown sugar
• 1 large egg
• 2 tsp. vanilla extract
• 1/2 cup eggnog

preheat oven to 350 F. in a mixing bowl, mix together the flour, baking soda, baking powder, salt, nutmeg, and cinnamon. in a separate bowl, combine the butter, cream cheese, and sugar with a mixer. next, mix in the egg, vanilla extract, and eggnog. slowly add dry ingredients into wet ingredients with the mixer on low speed. be careful not to over mix. 

prepare a baking sheet by covering it with parchment paper. using a cookie scoop, drop dough onto the cookie sheet about 2 inches apart. bake at 350 for 11 minutes.

hope you're having a wonderful christmas eve!

party ready

top ruche, skirt ruche, boots sam eldeman, purse target 

this week you'll find me wearing this outfit to holiday parties. i love a good mini skirt with over the knee boots. the boots can take any outfit to the next level and make it "party ready." and these boots are surprisingly comfortable. when i first got them, i swore i was never taking them off ;). and by the end of a night, my feet aren't sore one bit. my kinda shoe!

some favorite christmas pins

image source: 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5

pinterest is so full of pretty things...but when christmas rolls around, i feel like pinterest enters a whole new level. the snow capped trees, houses, colorful ornaments, and decorated houses. it's a sight to see. since we just moved into our house and haven't fully settled in, we didn't do much christmas decorating this year. in the meantime, i'm already storing ideas and inspiration away for next year.

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follow along on pinterest, here!

makeup essentials

i love makeup and trying new products. but at christmas time, i especially love to get dolled up. make up really adds to an outfit, and can provide that extra spark you're looking for. i've highlighted a few of my favorite everyday makeup products, that i'll be sure to take from 'everyday' to 'glam' over the holidays.

i'd love to know, what are your favorite makeup products!? 

bare escentuals perfecting face brush | bare minerals bare skin foundation | opi nail polish | rimmel london lasting finish matte lipstick by kate, 111 kiss of life | milani baked blush in corallina

a little christmas tree video

we put together this little video of going to get our christmas tree this year. like i said, it's become one of my favorite traditions. well, only tradition...ha! we only had artificial trees growing up, so cutting down a real one has been a fun change of pace!

at the end of the video you can see how we, in all of our brilliance, strapped the trees to the top of the car and locked ourselves inside. we did the same thing last year, and apparently didn't learn our lesson. anywho, enjoy the video .... starring scofield! i didn't realize it until i put the video together that i pretty much only took video of him. ha. whoops ;)



merry christmas!

bits of life lately

a few snapshots from life lately... i fall more and more in love with greenville everyday. the first few pictures of downtown greenville are my favorite. it really is such a beautiful little city. we also spent some time in charlotte over the thanksgiving holiday and enjoyed exploring the city a bit post thanksgiving, before heading home. we checked out amelie's bakery, which is amazing on so many levels. the decor and atmosphere, the desserts, and they are open 24 hours a day! waiting for one to pop up here in greenville!

it's beginning to look a lot like christmas

in partnership with zappos i styled my new paige jeans and freebird boots for the holiday season...

i'm so excited to collaborate with zappos once more to share my holiday look for this christmas season! i was honored when invited to be part of this campaign, as zappos is one of my go-to shopping sites. they always have fast and free shipping and offer a 365 day return policy. i mean, that can't be beat!

one of my favorite parts of the holidays is dressing up and gettin' all fancy! i cannot say enough about these paige jeans and freebird boots, and what i especially love about them is that they can be dressed up or down. not to mention the quality is impeccable. each pair of freebird boots starts with carefully selected materials and is finished with extreme attention to detail, going through 5 or 6 final steps to ensure each pair is one of a kind. i love wearing jeans that are so comfortable you could sleep in them, and are such high quality that they can stand a lot of wear [because you better believe they get them!] i love that they have such a story behind them - at paige, they believe that every choice we've ever made - the big ones, small ones, right or wrong - have led us to this moment. they believe that the best story you can make and share is the one of your own life .... and i couldn't agree more.

if you've shared any holiday outfit inspiration on your blog, leave a link below. i'd love to see! happy holidays! :)

I was selected for this opportunity as a member of Clever Girls and the content and opinions expressed here are all my own.

getting our christmas tree

last weekend we headed up to the mountains with our friends, courtney and turner, to get our christmas tree! we all went together last year and continued the tradition this year. we heard about a little christmas tree farm nestled up in the north carolina mountains where you can cut down your own. we grabbed lunch and headed up there, and before we knew it we were on a tiny mountain road for what seemed like forever. we were convinced we had gotten lost or gone the wrong way, but eventually we landed at the farm.

this has become one of my favorite christmas traditions. i love mountain drives. throw in some christmas music and hot chocolate or cider and i am a happy girl. it's a great way to kick off the christmas season and really get in the holiday spirit. plus, there's not much better than a day with great friends!!

you can see last year's christmas tree adventure, here.