happy happy.

(photo cred)

it's the most wonderful time of the year.

christmas is so close i can hardly stand it. i'm looking forward to eating cinnamon sticks, drinking mimosa, snuggling with my sweet niece in pajamas, and watching my family open the gifts i've been contemplating for the last month.

what are you looking forward to christmas morning?

here are a few things that are making me smile today:

matt and i were in nyc last weekend and we picked up a couple polka dot bowls with matching dishtowels at fishs eddy... i used the bowl today and just looking at the cheery dots made me happy.

i picked up my wedding invitations today... they look great and the kind people at on paper are so sweet and complimentary, they make the whole experience so enjoyable. along with the great customer service, they have a nice selection of gifts... i found a couple unique christmas presents when i ordered the invitations last month.

i found another perfect color from essie: au natural. it's a sheer sandy beige that looks perfectly polished with 2 coats.

christmas spirit.

typically i think holiday-inspired dishes are a little tacky, but when i spotted these dishes for half-price at gilt earlier this week, i had to order them:

ps if you're not a gilt member, join already!

let them eat cake.

i don't know if it's my sweet tooth or my affinity for cake plates, but i think these prints are so... sweet.

i'm baaaaaaaaaaaack.

i had a busy november but i'm back in time for lots of holiday-inspired posts!

a few highlights from november:

• a wonderful trip to chicago including a delicious brunch at hot chocolate and the best celebrity-sighting of my life

• a fun day spent sipping tea, christmas shopping, and ordering my wedding invitations with my dear mother
• a tasty thanksgiving dinner with my family (including my favorite classic side dish)
• celebrating the 2nd birthday of the cutest little girl in the whole world

the pleased peony is officially off hiatus!

fifi lapin.

i've been eyeing a fifi print for some time... in case you're not familiar with miss lapin, she's a very fashionable little rabbit. she's always clad in designer clothes hot off the runway. you can read her blog here. which print do you prefer?

damn you, jenna lyons.

i don't want to like j. crew... i've tried to find another store with an unfailing ability to pull me in, but i've yet to find a brand that compares.

no surprise, i'm loving these pretty little blouses with lace detail.

done.

i ran a half-marathon today so i'm running on fumes... i'm ready to curl up on the couch and work my way through 2 new magazines: martha stewart destinations weddings and vanity fair.

but, aren't these shoe clips sweet? i think they could transform an ordinary pair of shoes into something special.

so clutch.

i found the perfect bag to carry on my wedding day:

isn't this lanvin number a beauty? unfortunately, with the lanvin label comes the lanvin cost.

fortunately, there are some lovely, moderately-priced alternatives...

available at emersonmade

available at nordstrom

available on etsy

available at j. crew

i'm partial to the style from nordstrom. which one is your favorite?

fall feast.

i hosted a fall-inspired dinner tonight... i tried a couple new recipes and based on the responses from my family, i think they were hits.

here's the menu:

mixed greens with fresh figs, candied pecans, crumbled goat cheese, and champagne pear vinaigrette

roasted asparagus

butternut squash lasagna*

panko-encrusted tilapia

pumpkin tiramisu

*i made one modification to this recipe- i subsitituted 2% milk for the whole milk

xoxo.

i was watching gossip girl this week when i spotted a little something that proved to be rather distracting.... not eva's sweet little free people skirt or joie blouse (although they were nice) but the little black bow adorning blair's wrist. so taken, i immediately started scouring the internet on my iphone (before the episode was over).

my search lead me to instyle, where i learned the little treasure was swarovski. after scouring the swarovski website, i decided the item is either:

a. old and no longer available

b. super new and not available

so, today i called my local swarovski shop and asked for the scoop- the sales associate told me the bracelet is so new it hasn't landed in the united states yet (score). it will be available in-stores october 15th. unfortunately, it's considered a high-fashion so it won't be available in all their retail locations AND since it was featured on gg, it could sell out before it hits the floor. this left me with one alternative- i had to scoop up the little jewel then and there. if you're swooning over this little bangle, call you nearest swarovski store asap.

ticket, please.

i'm loving this vintage inspired bus scroll. just reading the destinations makes me giddy with anticipation of my ny trip.

tasty.

have you tried coconut water? i'm not sure if i believe the hype, but i must admit it hit the spot after my 11-mile run, yesterday.

glorious.

about 3/4 of the way through my 10-mile run, my stomach started to rumble. i always spend the last portion of long-runs planning my breakfast. today, i knew exactly what i wanted to eat: overnight oats. i find a lot of recipes on this blog, but i often tweak them just a bit. for my version of overnight oats, i simply cook a serving of oats as instructed on the canister (these are my favorite).

after they're cooked, i add a 1/2 cup of cold almond milk to the hot oats, stir, and stick them in the refrigerator overnight. in the morning, the oats have absorbed all the milk and you're left with a large bowl of creamy, cold oats.

now you're ready to add anything your heart desires... this morning, i added pureed pumpkin (ever since i read this book i've tried to increase my pumpkin consumption... it's a great source of carotenoids). i also added some vanilla, lots of cinnamon, chia seeds, and some truvia (but honey or maple syrup would be great, too). some other nice add-ins are bananas, blueberries, greek yogurt, roasted almonds, and granola.

p.s.

how great are these milly dresses? i've always had a soft-spot for milly... the line often looks as if it was plucked from the closet of blair waldorf or charlotte york goldenblatt. i'm particularly fond of the ecru number.

hooray!

it's finally the weekend! i'm going to spend the next 2 days:

*running 10 miles (so i don't embarrass myself in a few weeks)

*getting a manicure and pedicure (you don't know jacques)

*opening birthday gifts

*eating a belated birthday dinner with my family at g. michael's

*working on my save the dates so i can take them to the post office next weekend

*walking my pup with the dr.

*providing snacks and encouragement to the dr. as he studies

what are your plans?

p.s.

thanks to miss lillian & betty i'm currently coveting this lucite vanity... isn't it pretty?

checking in.

i'll be back when this hellish week is over. until then, planning my weekend is getting me through the muck.

onto more important matters- should my saturday afternoon manicure be mink muffs:

or you don't know jacques:

i really didn't think i could get behind this trend, but i admired a coworker's jacques mani today, and i think i'm ready to give the grey/brown hue a shot.

iomoi

i love these new bags from iomoi. the colors are so rich and pretty and the custom gold letters are an added bonus. which one do you want?

fall must haves

1. sequins... i love the versatility of this madewell shirt. i would wear it to work or on a date.

2. stripes. i've been living in this shirt- so i think a cashmere iteration will be perfect when the temperature starts to dip. this shopbop sweater is perfect.

and the only thing better than stripes or sequins is stripes AND sequins... i think this shirt would look great paired with a blazer.

3. monogrammed jewelry. i'm a sucker for anything personalized. i wear a nashelle id necklace every. single. day. but i think i would like to add this to my daily arsenal.

4. cashmere hoodie. what could be cozier?

5. rose gold, oversized watch. i've been eyeing this vintage-inspired watch for a while... the price is right, but i'm not completely loving it... the search continues.

6. a simple silk blouse, preferably long enough to pair with my pixie pants.

7. dark purple polish. opi's lincoln park after dark is my go-to dark polish of choice- but this new essie shade (velvet voyeur) looks nice.

emerson update

i'm the newest member of the emerson made fan club... their clothing line looks pretty great- take a look:

available here.