December Activity Ideas

As much as I can't stand the cold, I love the warm-fuzzy feeling of the Holiday season. There's nothing better than coming in from the cold to a cup of hot cocoa and soft glowing lights. Though honestly I'd be more than happy to skip over the majority of the Winter months, December is one of the few that I actually look forward to. Here are some ideas for ways you can enjoy your December to the fullest!

♥ Decorate for the Holidays. It doesn't matter what you celebrate, adding lights and a few decorations makes your place feel cozy.
♥ Bake cookies, pastries or other kinds of sweets. Share them with friends!
♥ Make sure your closet is prepared for winter (coats, hats, boots, etc.) Go buy anything you're missing right away, before you get caught without it.
♥ Paint your nails something sparkly. Last year I used some blue and silver nailpolish that reminded me of snow for my Winter manicure!
♥ On that note, store anything that is strictly out of season like breezy summer dresses and sandals. Basically anything you know you won't need for a while, it'll free up space in your closet and you'll know exactly what you have to work with when getting dressed in the morning.
♥ Get a cute welcome mat for your front door to save your carpet from slush.
♥ If you don't know already, December 21st is allegedly the Mayan Apocalypse  The only correct way to handle this is to plan an End of the World party, of course. My friends and I already have one in the works.
♥ But just in case the world doesn't end, start planning your gift list...
♥ ...and wish list!
♥ Send greeting cards to anyone you can't afford to buy presents for, but who you want to show your appreciation toward.
♥ Do some hunting for cold Winter night reading material. If you have a fireplace, you are required to read in front of it. No excuses.
♥ Volunteer your time or donate to a cause you believe in.
♥ Once there's snow on the ground, get your friends together and build a snowman or go sledding.
♥ Afterwards, watch cheesy Christmas/Holiday movies. Olive the Other Reindeer is one of my favorites.
♥ Check out your local light displays. In Milwaukee, there's a neighborhood called Candy Cane Lane that collectively goes all-out on their displays to raise money for the MACC Fund. I visit with my family every year!

What's your favorite way to have fun in December? Tell me in the comments! 

Feeling Less Like Fall

I know Winter technically doesn't start for almost another month, but December starts tomorrow and I have a hard time associating it with anything other than Winter. I had to bust out my thick coat, and I'm not sure how much longer I can get away with prancing toward campus in flats instead of thick furry boots.

I also seem to have lost my black tights. I'm not quite sure how that happened, or how I only have (had...) one pair of such a major staple. Though I think it may be time to switch to sweater tights, anyway.

Anyway, I haven't done any outfit shots for a while. Partially because my closet was just starting to overwhelm me and I didn't feel like I had any outfits worth sharing. I managed to perform a successful purge yesterday after being absolutely exasperated.

Secondly, as much as I hate to admit it I am way too embarrassed to go outside with a tripod and take a billion pictures of myself. It's taken me forever to figure out a way to get decent quality lighting in my bedroom (which does not even have a light fixture built in, mind you) but after some clever maneuvering and futzing with my camera I think I've finally managed.

Outfit Details

Shirt: Express

Skirt: Charlotte Russe

Shoes: Aldo

Belt: Forever 21

Necklace: Express 

Earrings: White House Black Market

Black Friday Buys

I didn't really go crazy with Black Friday shopping or anything -- to be honest, I think the majority of the reason I go is just because I love the excitement of it. I went later in the day too, when the door busters were all over and the crowds had mostly died down. Regardless, I did manage to snag a couple of deals. I got the pink and black shirt and black skirt for only $25 (total!!) at Charlotte Russe, and the heart cardigan was $25 at Forever 21. It wasn't on sale, but it was too cute to resist. 

Aldo had 50% off sale items. I originally had gone to the physical store, but it was packed and decided I'd just order what I liked online instead since I already know how their shoes fit me. I need flats -- as much as I love heels, I realized I wear flats so much that the few pairs that I do own get worn out too quickly and I have to replace them every couple months. I snagged four pairs at Aldo for only about $80! I'm still waiting on the second two pairs to come in the mail though. 

I was so excited that this lavender blazer from H&M was on sale. I scoped it out a few weeks ago, but passed it over at $30 even though it was originally $49.99. On Black Friday I was excited to see they had dropped the price even more down to $20. I'm a sucker for pastels. 

Honestly nothing that I picked up at Sephora was on sale, it just wasn't terribly crowded and I decided I could use some new makeup. I got Dr. Jart+ BB cream, as I've been dying to try some beauty balms for a while. I'm really liking it so far, I think I'll post a review soon! I love the Too Faced lipliner I got, it makes my lipstick stay on so much longer. I'm still on the fence about my Stila eyeliner, it's good for very fine lines but thicker lines don't go on as smoothly as I'd like. The Clinique moisturizer was a reward from my amassed Beauty Points. I've never actually tried any Clinique products, and I'm loving it so far, I may actually end up purchasing it! 

Did you end up going shopping on Black Friday? What did you get? Tell me in the comments!

Liebster Award

I'm honored to have been nominated for the Liebster Award by Ditthania Suryani of A Silly Little Diary! This was a lot of fun to write, and I love how easy cute awards like this make it to share and find new blogs to read. 

Rules

♥ Post a link to your nominator's blog

♥ Share 11 facts about yourself

♥ Answer the 11 questions asked by your nominator. 

♥ Write 11 questions for your nominees 

♥ Nominate 11 blogs with less than 200 followers and link to their blogs

♥ Notify your nominees by commenting on their blogs

♥ No tag backs

♥ Add a Liebster Award picture to your site

11 Facts About Myself
1. When I was in middle and a little bit of high school, I went through a goth phase. I wore those huge chain pants from Hot Topic and baggy band T-shirts every day.
2. My favorite animal has been the cuttlefish since I was a toddler.
3. I have a crippling Chapstick addiction. At any given time, there are at least five tubes of Chapstick within my reach.
4. My favorite band is Nine Inch Nails.
5. I love video games! I have an XBOX360, PS3, Wii and a 3DS.
6. My favorite TV shows are Game of Thrones, True Blood, Adventure Time, Arrested Development and Breaking Bad.
7. I've lost 35 pounds in the last year!
8. My favorite designer is Chanel.
9. Back at my parent's place, I have two dogs and a rabbit. The dogs are a golden retriever and a golden doodle named Ruby and Ty, and my rabbit is a jersey wooly named Lola.
10. I'm on my fifth semester of Japanese, and recently declared it as one of my minors.

Questions from my nominator: 
1. Describe your style.
A little retro and vintage inspired, classic and feminine with quirky details.
2. What is your favorite clothing shop?
I love White House Black Market.
3. What is the best place for tourists to visit in your country? Why?
Well, the United States is huge and there are tons of great places to visit, but New York City is probably my favorite place that I've traveled. "Mom and pop" shops and high-brand stores are everywhere, along with museums and historical landmarks. There's something for everyone.
4. Do you buy clothes online or offline? Why?
Buying clothes online provides more options and variety, but trying clothes on is something that is imperative to me so I usually shop brick and mortar stores.
5. When did you start blogging?
I started a Lolita blog a few years ago, but I never went far with it because as I discussed in a previous post Lolita never really felt like "me." I still enjoyed blogging though, so last year I began work on Rhinestone Religion and published it in December.
6. Who are your favorite fashion bloggers? 
I love Atlantic-Pacific, Scathingly Brilliant and Wish Wish Wish.
7. Choose one: playing at the beach or climbing a mountain?
Probably playing at the beach!
8. Dresses or jeans? Why?
If I could, I would wear dresses every day. Unfortunately, the majority of the year in Wisconsin calls for either wearing pants or staying inside.
9. What's your nationality? 
I'm American, but my ethnic background includes Serbian, Polish, Russian and Austrian.
10. Choose one: shoes or accessories? 
I have to choose? Probably accessories.
11. Have you graduated from High School? 
Yup! Class of 2010.

Questions for my nominees:
1. What inspired you to begin blogging?
2. How would you describe your personal style?
3. What is the meaning behind your blog's title?
4. What is your nationality/ethnic background?
5. If you could only go on one website again for the rest of your life, which website would it be?
6. What do you do for fun besides blog?
7. Do you have a celebrity crush, and if so who is it and why?
8. What's your favorite quote?
9. Do you prefer cities or the countryside?
10. Do you have any quirky or interesting talents?
11. Who would win in a fight: a T-Rex with machine gun arms, or a shark with laser eyes and a jet pack?

My Nominees: 

♥ Polished Plus

♥ Girl By the Lake

♥ Comic Chic
♥ Only Hime
♥ Dear Manhattan
♥ Peach is Cool
♥ Shoes and Gloss
♥ Rach Willy
♥ AbimpyMoschino
♥ Swank and Dapper
♥ Fashionably Meg

This Year I'm Thankful For...

The amazing friends I've made -- the new one's I've acquired since moving away to college and the old one's I've held onto since High School. I couldn't ask for a better group of people.

My family, who will always be there for me no matter what I'm going through. I'm grateful to have a supportive and genuine family that loves me for who I am.