Out With The Old (See Jane In With The New)

It has been a fantastic year.  From exciting new ventures (marriage and a new job) to more of the same (still blogging and living in Chicago), I can sigh a breath of relief and say that 2011 was good to me.  I'm excited for the year ahead and want to thank you all from the bottom of my heart for your support in this past year...cheers!

Happy New Year!

So This Is Christmas.. (See Jane Sign Off)

Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays to you and yours!  I'll be signing off for the next week while I enjoy some much needed time with family and friends.  I just want to thank you all from the depths of my heart for supporting me and my blog in 2011; it's been an incredible year!

I'll see you all in the new year!  Have a safe and happy holiday.

Christmas Cookie Traditions (See Jane Plan to Make)

toffee + chocolate saltines

The sad truth is that I haven't made any Christmas cookies yet this year.  Blasphemous, I know, but I honestly don't know where the month has gone.  I'm heading back to my parents' house on Thursday and know my mom will be wanting to do a little baking.  Since I haven't made anything yet, I scoured Pinterest for a roundup of treats familiar to me.  Here's just a few of the old standbys that my family has been making every year since I was a wee one.

crescent-shaped sandies

frosted sugar cookies in festive shapes

*all images via Pinterest


Do you have any holiday cookie/baking traditions?

Party Pleats (See Jane Wear)

Robert Rodriguez dress (super old), H&M belt, vintage clutch (via eBay), Express tights, UO shoes, Spike the Punch necklace (c/o), Elizabeth and James sunglasses

I had a holiday cocktail party to attend and I was in the mood for a dress (I wore this last year).  I found this pleated, shift dress while looking for another dress in the depths of my closet (don't you love finding things you forgot you had?).  I definitely don't belt a lot of things, but felt like it was the right thing to do in this case.  I added this necklace, that I can't stop wearing (seriously, I wear it at least once a week), and a red clutch.  I also wore dark plum tights to break up the black; they're dark enough that it's subtle but a nice change from my basic black tights.

On another note, can you believe Christmas is less than a week away?!

Festive (See Jane Wear)

Pitaya jeans, H&M shirt, UO cardigan (via TJ Maxx), J Crew belt, F21 faux fur stole, LV neverfull bag, Express wedges

Nothing like a little holiday party to get you into the Christmas spirit.  We had a "girls only" work party so I felt it only appropriate to go to work with a little red and a little glitz.  It's nothing too crazy; I'll save the dresses for a party I have with friends this weekend.

Have a great weekend!

Dear Santa... (See Jane Plead With Santa)

My mom called me yesterday to read a letter she found that I wrote to Santa as a kid.  We both laughed so hard that we cried as she read it out loud to me over the phone.  As an adult, it's easy to lose sight of the excitement of Christmas and the holiday season; I know I'm guilty of sighing to others, 'ugh, I'm so busy right now and this time of year is so crazy" but sometimes you need to take a step back, soak it in and maybe even revert back to childhood (I think this was 2nd grade) for a minute.

A couple things about this letter:

• Clearly, I was pulling the guilty/admission stunt so that Santa would have some pity on my naughty self.
• I'm still waiting on that Nintendo.
• Santa always wrote me back (and his handwriting was awfully similar to my Dad's...)
• Mom, why don't you still hang my 'paper-shavings' wreath up in your house?

Do you have any funny holiday memories from your childhood?

American Living - Made for Giving Part III (See Jane Give)

12 days until Christmas--can you even believe it?  The time has come for all you last minute shoppers (myself included) to get out and purchase some gifts, no matter what holiday you celebrate.  I'll be on the hunt this weekend to find some cute shirts and sweaters to go along with this vest for Eric--time to get cracking!

For more great ideas, check out what my fellow bloggers are gifting to their loved ones this season.

Something Old (See Jane Wear)

H&M shirt, thrifted Dior skirt (Goodwill), J Crew belt, Express tights, Enzo Angiolini boots, Elizabeth & James sunglasses, Spike the Punch necklace (c/o), Marc Jacobs bag,  CoverGirl 'spellbound' lipstick

I love peruse secondhand shops and thrift stores, but mostly for household items and decor (my sister recently got china similar to my Kate Spade set for $14).  Nothing beats sifting through racks for hidden treasures; unfortunately, I usually come up short on the clothing end.  I'm probably not the best at treasure hunting because I usually have a set item in mind; more recently, I was determined to get a leather pencil skirt.  Well, I didn't find one, but I did find a cream-colored, wool Christian Dior skirt that fit like a glove...for $5.  Seems like an okay trade-off, no?

sfg

Style Me Pretty (See Jane's Wedding)

Imagine my excitement when my wedding photographer (and cousin) told me that he submitted our wedding to Style Me Pretty and they had plans to publish it!  As an avid reader of SMP both long before and still long after Eric and my's engagement, it is an honor to be selected.  I browsed the pages endlessly and was continually inspired by all the brides, grooms and vendors.  I never considered myself a crafty person but was so inspired by the weddings that I was determined to give some projects a go.  Thankfully, I did and it made the end product that much more dear to my heart.

Just some of my favorite pictures from that very memorable day...

First Bundle (See Jane Wear)

Reiss dress (old), Express tights, Kenna-T leather jacket, BB Dakota faux fur vest, H&M leopard belt, Enzo Angiolini boots, Theory scarf (old), F21 bracelet, Karen Walker sunglasses

Yesterday was easily one of the coldest days of the season so far.  Sure, I know it's going to get much chillier than what it is now, but those first few days are the hardest.  They're the sort of days that you wonder why you aren't wearing gloves or why you didn't wear long johns under your pants.  Funnily enough, I chose to wear a lightweight leather jacket and dress with tights on this frigid day; luckily, I wore my warmest, plaid scarf and an extra layer of fur (it helps, I swear--it's not fashion but more so function at this point) to stave off the cold.

Any cold-weather layering tips that you might care to share?

The Edit (See Jane Shop Local)

so dangly, so pretty

As much as I love shopping and perusing online, nothing beats browsing through stores with a unique point of view.  One of the bests aspects of living in Chicago is the abundance of newly sprouted boutiques, restaurants and other fun shops; it's nearly impossible to be bored!  I was recently introduced to The Edit by Alex (she designed the store--it's nothing short of beautiful) and paid a visit there last week.  The selection is carefully curated--many unique pieces to be found.  If you're in the Bucktown area, I'd suggest you pay the gals of The Edit a visit (and check out their Facebook page here)!

simple, suede clutches that I had my eye on...

accessories in an array of metals

a dress that should be in my closet

lovely shelves + vignettes 

To Market, To Market (See Jane Wear)

Banana Republic chambray shirt + vest, UO striped top, Gap cords (actually a dark burgundy color), Dolce Vita boots, necklace c/o Spike the Punch, bracelets from Bali

Typical Sunday outfit here.  I wore lots of layers on this surprisingly mild December day--mostly so I could shed some while indoors.  The highlight of my day was visiting the Dose Market and catching up with some old friends.  I bought some festive decor to spruce up the ol' apartment and started to bust out the Christmas decorations.  I'm keeping it simple this season as it seems our place is busting at the seams; I feel a big clean-out happening after the new year...

Do anything festive this weekend?

American Living 12 Days of Giving - Part II (See Jane Give)

As I mentioned earlier this week, I'm participating in the American Living 12 Days of Giving.  I was able to pick out a gift to give to a special person in my life.

I decided to give something to my better half, Eric.  He's a huge supporter of my blog, takes many of my pictures (bless his heart) and encourages me to follow my dreams. Frankly, I wouldn't be able to continue this blog without him; he's so selfless in so many ways.  I definitely wouldn't be where I am today without him and he's deserving of the world.   In the meantime, I want to give him this puffer vest--mostly because I know he's going to look so cute in it (you'll see).

Butter (See Jane Wear)

Forever 21 sweater + necklace, Madewell skirt, Topshop heels, Express tights, Jewelmint necklace (c/o), Acanthus ring (c/o)

I'm really not much of an impulse shopper, but when I saw this skirt on sale for Black Friday, I quickly made a game time decision.  I suppose it's not much of an impulse purchase though, because I've been scouring sales and eBay for a similar skirt for the past six months.  The leather is so buttery and soft; it will definitely be a piece that gets better with time.  This is one of those items that I think to myself, 'I am totally passing this skirt down to my daughter.'  And then I realize by the time this future daughter would be able to wear it, we'll probably all be wearing metallic spacesuits and have flying cars.

PS.  Thanks to my co-worker/friend Teresa for kindly taking these pictures.