Three-Peat

Coat: Ann Taylor; T-Neck: Ann Taylor;

Pants: Ann Taylor; Shoes: Guess via DSW;

Necklace: Talbots; Earrings: DIY;

Sunnies: Marc by Marc Jacobs

It is a three-peat for this Ann Taylor topper! A piece like this is a wardrobe classic. What I love about this look is that it's simply pulled together by pearls and a bun! No fuss! 

And, the coat can truly be a mix of dressy or casual.I haven't paired it with jeans, but I'm thinking skinnies with tall boots will be a must!   

The Topper!

 

Halloween

Above are a few remnants from the "tablescape" from our Halloween party this weekend. It was the our fifth annual bash and I think a good time was had by all. We served up some yummy grub, had a signature cocktail, the Ghostini, which was souped up, melted vanilla ice cream in a glass, as well as some fun desserts to satisfy anyone's sweet tooth. 

This cake was featured on Country Living but I changed the formatting a little. What was a chocolate pumpkin cake with orange cream cheese frosting and chocolate glaze, became a blood drenched cake after a vampire bite! Same cake base, but with plain cream cheese frosting and red glaze. I love how it turned out. It rested on a black cake plate and was the centerpiece for the food table. This photo was the best I could do post party! I seemed to have gotten lost in the party and didn't focus a single bit on photographs!

 

 As a party favor, guests received t-shirts commemorating the event and popcorn hands for munching when that late night craving takes hold. I love to add a personal touch to parties and gifts that I give and I think these two things did just that! 

For the shirts, we found an image online that we loved, printed it out on iron-on sheets of paper and simply ironed them onto the shirt. How cute did they turn out? 

 

And speaking of gift giving, this year I made hurricanes for my friends. Martha Stewart provides amazing templates on her website, and when I saw these, I knew I had to make them. It's simply craft clue, glitter and a hurricane. Trace the design with glue, sprinkle glitter and shake off the excess. So easy and perfect for any Halloween decor!

If you are a crafter, or simply someone who likes to entertain, I hope you've enjoyed some of these little ideas. Happy Halloween!

Pumkpin Cake - A How-To

Isn't this the cutest little cake? We had a chili cook-off at work last week, and as always, I brought dessert! I can't help myself. It's what I do! 

Want to know how to make this darling cake? It is so easy!! Read below for a short how-to!

Gotta bundt pan? Then you are set! Make any cake flavor you want. I made a spice cake because, well, it's fall! 'Tis the season and all.

 

 Tint your icing orange. I just used plain white icing and added Wilton gel color in Orange. A little obvious, I know!

Once you get the desired color, start spreading. I will tell you this. Frosting a bundt cake isn't easy. And, because of the color of the cake, I had to lay it on a little thick. The icing that is! And, swirl the icing as you frost. It gives the pumpkin texture and helps mask the cake color!

Every pumpkin needs a stem. I wasn't sure how I was going to pull this off. Most recipes call for an ice cream cone turned upside down. Let's be honest! I'm not going to buy, nor are you, an entire box of icing cream cones for one pumpkin stem. That's when I remembered I had small Solo cups left over from a party. I cut that in half and voila! I had a pumpkin stem!

One step I didn't photograph was tinting the icing green, but you get the idea! I used Wilton gel color in Leaf Green. This part can get a little messy. Hold the Solo cup from the inside with one hand and ice from the bottom up with the other. Once you have the cup covered, place in center of cake. I saved frosting the top for last.  Just add icing where it looks thin or the red cup is showing.

Next, I filled a piping bag with the icing and used Wilton tip #3. Start from the inside of the cake and work your way out, making curly q's as you go! Those are the veins of the pumpkin.

And that's it! You now have a perfect pumpkin cake. You know what to do next! Slice and eat!

Side Note: If serving this cake at a party, use an orange or black cake stand. Presentation is key! I would have done just that, but it would have been too awkward to transport to work!

Pop

Jacket: Susan Bristol (super old/similar); 

Top: Ann Taylor (similar);

Pants: Loft (similar): Shoes: Ann Taylor (similar);

Necklaces: Lord & Taylor/Ann Taylor;

Sunnies: Prada (gift)

There are certain elements that I love about this look and one specific that I don't! I love the pop of orange against a very muted look. I love the hint of cheetah that peeps out from the hem of my pants. I love the little buttons that run down the side of the top. You don't see it right away, but when I removed my jacket, surprise! 

What I don't love is how baggy my pants are! They aren't terribly loose in the waist, but they are just baggy enough that they ruin the overall look. Ladies, take note, this is where a great seamstress, and a great fit, come into play. This tiny little detail now makes the whole thing look sloppy. I didn't realize it until after the photos were taken. Hitting the tailor this weekend! 

 

 

 

Shop The Look!

Sparkle and Inspiration

Jacket: BD Dakota/Piperlime; Top: Ann Taylor; 

Pants: H&M (similar); Belt: Ann Taylor; 

Shoes: Manolo Blahnik (gift);

Bracelets: DIY/Gift; Earrings: DIY;

 Sunnies: Marc by Marc Jacobs

My inspiration behind this outfit was from the Ann Taylor Fall Look Book. I knew I wanted to wear these hot pink pants into the fall, and with 80 degree temps this week, it was a perfect opportunity. As I pondered over how to pair them, I found the look below! 

Now, I have so many options for these pants and I'm pretty sure I can wear them in the dead of winter! This is just one of many looks I hope to incorporate over the next several months so stay tuned! Oh, and the sparkle portion of this post is brought to you by sequins! Sequins on a Tuesday? Get outta here!

 

 

 

The Pant: Before and After

High and Low

Top: Target: Skirt: Kate Spade (similar):

Belt: Ann Taylor; Shoes: Dolce Vita (various colors);

Rings: Banana Republic (old); Earrings: Gift;

Lip Color: Drama Red by Clinique

This is a true blend of high and low end retailers. That's what I love about fashion! You take a Target blouse and add it to a Kate Spade skirt and you have a chic look. Add a cute bow belt and some lipstick red pumps and voila!

I love everything about this look. Sometimes it all just comes together!

 

Spice of Life

Okay, so this isn't about the spice of life. It's about the spice cupcake I made several weeks ago! With the crisp fall air all around us, I have been in nothing but full on fall mode! Sweaters, boots, Pumpkin Spice Lattes from Starbucks and thinking about all things October! You know, decorating my house for Halloween, putting out all my fall decor after Halloween, lighting my favorite Yankee Harvest candle... If that doesn't get you in the mood for fall, maybe this will.

As you know, I love to watch Cupcake Wars on the Food Network! I'm constantly inspired by the flavors that they come up with week after week. So much so that I've been making a new cupcake flavor about every week. This week is my spice cupcake with apple pie filling and caramel buttercream frosting with a little caramel drizzle to top it off! All I can say is the kitchen spelled amazing!

How pretty are these cupcake papers! Perfect for fall!

Use an apple corer to remove a small piece of the cupcake. 

 

 

Fill each cupcake with the apple pie filling.

 

Replace all previously removed cupcake centers.

Look at that amazing frosting! 

 

The end result with a little caramel drizzle!

 

Happy Fall and Happy Baking!