Calm After the Storm

I love the holidays as much as the next person, but my favorite feeling is the day after Christmas. When everything is said and done and I'm able to sit at home with my shiny new gifts and relive the two days before. It is an amazing sense of relief that all the gifts have been given, treats have been eaten, and the hustle and bustle of the season is over.

I'm very thankful for the time I got to spend with family this year and I am beyond ecstatic about the presents I received  I have been coveting an anthropology bedding set for over a year and I finally got it for Christmas. The first thing I did last night was set it up!

Thanks to all my family and friends for celebrating the season! Looking forward to the calm now and focusing on being happy and healthy!

My Favorite Christmas Cookies!

Christmas cookies are one of my favorite foods. In my mind, they have their own food group. So tasty and delicious, it is probably a good  thing they only come around once a year. One of my favorite cookies around the Holiday's is green and red M&M cookies. I don't know what it is about these, but they taste so much better than the multi-colored M&M cookies. Below, I have the recipe my mom uses to make these. I made them for my office a few days ago and I think they turned out wonderful!

My lovely red mixer. Someday I will own the red Kitchenaid.. Someday... :)

Mixing flour in a Pyrex dish.

Mixing in the M&Ms (Only half the bag though).

Spoon full of dough and press 3 M&M's on top 

Pile on a festive tray and bring into work--they will love it!

M&M Cookie Recipe

Ingredients

1 cup butter

1/2 cup sugar

1/2 cup brown sugar

1 egg

1 tsp vanilla

2 cups flour

1/2 tsp baking soda

1/8 tsp salt

1 12 oz pkg M&Ms (Holiday version!)

Preheat oven to 375.

Cream butter and sugars until light and fluffy. Beat in egg and vanilla.

In medium bowl, combine flour, baking soda, and salt. Blend into creamed mixture. Stir in M&Ms (1/2).

Drop by heaping teaspoonfuls about 2 inches apart onto cookie sheet.

Use other 1/2 of M&Ms  to place on top of cookies.

Bake 10 to 13 minutes. Do not overbake. Cool 1 minute. Store in tightly covered container.

I hope you enjoyed this recipe and check out my other craft project I did below!

 

What cookies are you making for the Holidays? What crafts are you doing?

Its beginning to look a lot like Christmas...

We finally had our first big snow fall here in Minnesota this weekend! I love snow and we got well over a foot of it. The weekend was filled with holiday festivities and the snow just added to the season.

Friday I told you all about the 12 Bars of Christmas that I attended. Of course, my name was "Sparkles" on my t-shirt. We unfortunately did not make it to all 12 (16) bars, but it was super fun and I got to see a lot of fabulous ladies from my sorority!

Tawny and I got matching sequin hats (quite a steal from Walgreens at $2.99!) and they were totally perfect for the night on the town!

Also, my kitty Max has found a new favorite place to hang out while I get ready in the morning...

Overall, the weekend was quite enjoyable. I got to see my family, friends, and cuddle with my handsome kitty!

This week look for my new video on Holiday Makeup tutorial and my family Christmas card picture! 

What did you do over the weekend? What are you looking forward to this week?

12 Bars of Christmas

I'm super excited for tonight because I am attending the 12 bars of Christmas downtown Minneapolis! It should be a really good time. I'm getting together with some girls from my sorority and we are hitting the town together.

We had to purchase these t-shirts... not my favorite design, but still fun to go out in casual attire.

All the money raised during this event goes to the Minneapolis and St. Paul Children's Hospitals. So its like having fun for a cause. I really like that I not only get to have a good time, but I am helping provide toys and games and bring joy to someone else.

What are your weekend plans? Anything fun for the holidays?

Pre-Holiday Shopping Haul!

This past week I did a little shopping at Ulta and Target. I went to Ulta to look for the holiday gift sets and see if there were any good deals on them. And I ended up getting a few spa products too! At Target I bought a mix of beauty products!

Watch the video to see what I bought:

Here are the two holiday beauty gift sets I bought.

Urban Decay "Smoked" Eyeliner set

Stila "All Is Bright" Lip glaze set

What types of holiday sets have you found this season? What good deals have you got on beauty products?

Matte About You!

I love a good manicure. Who doesn't? I knew as soon as I heard of Essie's "Matte About You" that I would need to try it. I like that it has a unique finish that leaves room for imperfection. This manicure can be done quickly and there is no worry of "smudging" the look.

I applied 2 coats of OPI nail polish in Lincoln Park After Dark. I let that dry for about 5 minutes and applied 1 layer of Essie's "Matte About You". It dried instantly and my nails feel really hard/strong. The finish is amazing! So smooth!

Here is a picture of my finished look.

As you can see, the polish dries well and looks very chic. I like that the polish does not budge when you touch things, even after a few minutes. This is great for when you are in a hurry!

I found some other pictures of inspiration on Pinterest that I thought were cute for matte nails. Perhaps I'll give one of these a try in the near future! 

Jewel tone polish

Matte Velvet polish with gold accents

French Tip with Matte polish (My Favorite!!)

Also, found some more inspiration for nails that includes a little glitter!

How cute are these "marble" nails. Apply a coat of glitter between color coats. 

And last, a tried and true favorite. Light pink with gold glitter.

What do you think about Matte polish? Have you tried it? What other trends are you trying on your nails?

DIY Holiday Gifts

Each year, I try to think of something creative to make to give away for Christmas presents. I love shopping, but there is something about giving a present that I crafted that means more to me. I enjoy making things and especially at Christmas, I like to hone in on my creativity and make gifts for friends and family.

Coming up with the idea is the hardest part for me. Once I know what I want to do, its just a quick trip to the craft store or grocery store and I'm on my way to a fun crafternoon.

Here are some of the ideas that I have for this year!

Cookies in a Jar

I have actually made this before and was thinking of doing it again. Its very easy to make--just remember to use a funnel to get everything in the jar. I think it is super cute to decorate it for Christmas and use pretty ribbon! This is the perfect gift for Aunts and Uncles or for boyfriends mom.

Image from here.
Recipe from here.

Hand Poured Candles

I love candles. There is something soothing about the scent and warmth provided from a candle. I think this is a great gift for someone you want to give extra warmth and show that you care. The process is kind of tricky, but I want to attempt this for my candle loving friends. Also, I think the little mason jars are the cutest things! My grandmother has boxes full of them, so I would use her old fashioned ones from canning jam.

Image and directions from here.

Chalkboard Wine Glasses

This idea is so cute! And seems like it will be super easy. This is perfect for the wine connoisseur or anyone who loves a nice glass of vino! I plan to buy wine glasses at either Home Goods or ikea. The chalkboard paint can be purchased at Home Depot. You can dip the base of the glass into the paint and set to dry. Wait at least a week to hand wash. Add some chalk and a bottle of wine, and the present is complete!

Image from here.

Knitted Floor Pouf

This one is actually something I want to make for myself. I have always wanted to learn to knit and I think these floor poufs are adorable! This pattern seems simple enough and might be the perfect challenge for boring winter nights.

Photo and pattern from here.

If you have any other ideas or projects that you are going to give away as gifts this holiday season, leave a comment below!