what they wore :: the best kind of sweater

Guys, what is a sweater if it is not decorated in reindeer and something garish? Today I bring you celebrities wearing ugly Christmas sweaters courtesy of WTW!

I especially love Snoop's and Cee Lo's. While Cee Lo's may not look like a particularly ugly sweater to some people, let me remind you of what he usually wears:

The Christmas sweater is a stretch for him, you guys.

And here is a sample of something I would absolutely wear:

It's to the point. What can I say.

Finally, let me leave you with this gem:

[all images via google image]

Justin the Gingerbread. Never gets old.

the talk :: snow day round two!

image via weheartit

First things first! Head over to Bubby and Bean to read a post about my favorite part of the holidays. Thanks for having me, Melissa!

As you can probably tell from my last post, I'm really excited about the snow this year! It snowed Sunday and I went into work late yesterday... and now it's snowing again :) My roommate and I are cuddled up on our couches with our work laptops, ready for another round of movies and cookies and not having to get dressed up and go into an office. (And doing work, of course.) It's the best feeling. Sometimes I just need to take a break from life and be L A Z Y. Which is what I've been doing the past couple of weeks... I tend to overload myself with things to do and people to see, and never get proper rest. I have to say, I've enjoyed staying at home more. There's something to be said for relaxation. 

In other news, my brother came home from Colorado last night! I picked him up from his delayed flight around 10:30 PM. I am so excited to have him home... this will be one of the only times I'll see him for a while. My favorite snow memories are with this kid... building snowmen, forts, bundling up and throwing snowballs at each other's heads :) 

If it's snowing where you are, enjoy it! If not, dream of a white Christmas!

music monday :: snow day!

Happy snow day to Maryland! Even though I had to chip 1/2 inch thick ice off my windshield this morning and come to work, I am still happy for snow. It was so nice to have a lazy Sunday with my roommate, watch the snow fall, bake chocolate peppermint chip cookies, and do NOTHING. Hallelujah.

Here are a few tunes to get your week started right!

1. Lord Huron - Ends of the Earth

2. Penny and Sparrow - Brothers

3. James Blake - A Case of You (Joni Mitchell cover)

friday favorites :: ornaments!

I am a Christmas tree ornament lover. This probably stems from growing up when my grandmother would mail our family a new ornament every year. The best ones were my pink glittery ice cream cone, a musical one where two mice danced, my baby ones, and my childhood dog ones. Oh, and one year I did horseback riding, so that Christmas I got a tin of ornaments related to horse things. You know... a bale of hay and such. Ironically, there was no horse in that collection.

Anyway! I wanted to share my lovely findings with you... some to buy, some to make. Be inspired!

1. A crafty way to make a cute diamond ornament. These turned out gorgeous, as pictured!

2. This symbolizes everything I stand for:

3. Glitter, glitter everywhere. Any kind will do!

[images via google and weheartit]

4. Katie's handcrafted ornaments are so beautiful and special.

5. An easy but pretty ornament DIY you can do by yourself or with kiddos.

6. Do any of you guys do the Christmas pickle? I'm German but we never did it... I wish we had! I think it's fun to hide it in the tree and see who can find it first.

Happy Friday & have a good weekend! 

throwback thursday :: christmas memories

image via weheartit

It's time for some Christmas reminiscing, my friends! I've had some pretty fun moments over the years. Here are my top 5!

1. Dressing my pup up for Christmas. 

Poor Misty (may she rest in peace) always had to deal with us throwing her in sweaters and such when the holidays rolled around. On one hand, she kept warm in the snow. On the other, she probably didn't appreciate the reindeer antlers we forced her to wear and endless bows stuck to her head when we unwrapped presents...

2. Having my Christmas tree fall over. I was taking a nap on my family room couch after school one year, and that thing came crashing down way too close and scared the bejeezus out of me. We always had a really big tree, so it was terrifying. The worst part was that it broke my favorite childhood ornament: my pink, glittery ice cream cone. I'm still sad about that to this day.

3. Opening a present on Christmas Eve. My family had a tradition where we would each open one present on Christmas Eve after we got home from our neighbor's annual Christmas Eve party. My siblings and I came to expect that we would get PJ's from my mom every year without fail.

4. Christmas music. Every Christmas morning, my dad would turn up our big old stereo equipment and we would listen to Christmas music on the radio and records. We would make fun of the dumb holiday songs and sing along to the good ones. Pretty sure that's on a home video somewhere...

5. Christmas Eve bedtime. When my brother and sister and I would go to bed on Christmas Eve, we were often so excited that we would talk to each other for hours before falling asleep. Never mind that it would have been easier to just gather in one room and whisper... we were in our own beds in separate rooms talking loudly through the walls. Annoying for my parents I'm sure, waiting for us to shut up and go to sleep so they could put the presents out!

I'd love to hear your holiday memories and traditions! Share in the comments :)

what they wore :: ellie goulding

I wanted to feature Ellie for WTW today because she is one of the more popular artists that I actually enjoy. I fell in love with her first album when I got it for $5 off Amazon. This is one of my favorite songs of her's:

But that's besides the point :) We're here to talk about S T Y L E !

[all images via weheartit]

The word that comes to mind when I look at these photos is CLEAN. Girl's got style. Those sparkly dresses! The comfy sweaters and hats and lightweight shirts! And best of all, no overdone makeup. I just want to dip into her closet. :) 

And for good measure:

Ellie knows what's up. ;)

the talk :: mash-ups

Guys, it's December already. How did this happen? To ease the pain of life moving way too fast, I've decided to feature something holiday-related in each post of this month. Today is this gem:

Mash-ups are my favorite for so many reasons. First of all, they really aren't that hard to do. Most pop songs have the exact same melody if you listen. Secondly, they're fun to figure out! And third, they give a sweet element of surprise to people who don't expect it. I'm a fan!

What are some of your favorite mash-ups? I'd love to hear!