Holiday Party Invites from Cocodot

As a Thanksgiving baby - I tend to get annoyed when people jump from Halloween to Christmas and pretend like this holiday doesn't exist. But now that we have sufficiently stuffed ourselves with good eats and said our Thank Yous...its time to focus on the most wonderful time of the year!

I LOVE Christmas! Not because of presents or cookies (although I do love those) but I just love the feeling in the air this time of year. People are nicer, Christmas lights make my heart feel cozy, and for a little while nothing seems more important then spending time with loved ones.

Last Christmas in Chicago

Now that we are in a big ol' house - my roommates and I decided to host a holiday party. Because we are eco-friendly and cheap, we decided to send out evites.

I am a big fan of Cocodot. They have a great selection of cards and invitations for every occasion.

We decided to have a cocktail party because we want an excuse to wear cute dresses. We wanted our invite to reflect the semi-dressy but still fun feel and went with this...

After perusing their website - I suddenly got the urge to throw multiple parties just so I can use their invites. Totally rational. I intend on using this site for upcoming bachelorette parties, bridal/baby showers, dinner parties, etc. etc.

Now that the invites are out - let the decorating begin!

Polyvore - create a room

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Today's workout: 5 miler after work before heading to class.
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Last week, I shared my love of creating outfits on polyvore. Another great tool they have is for interior design.

I discussed in this post how I had fallen in love with removeable wallpaper I had seen on pinterest. I was searching around for ways to incorporate it into my bedroom, but searching multiple sites to see different options for blue curtains, pillows, bedding, mirrors, etc. was overwhelming.

enter polyvore.

Similar to the way you can search for a specific article of clothing, you can search for certain decor options.

1. Find someting that inspires you

2. Create

3. Search for the items you want to complete your design. Type in the item, then narrow it by color and/or price.

4. Complete your design and save it/share it/buy it. Similar to the outfit collages, you can click on each item in the design to find where to buy it and for how much. 



The actual final product.....which is still a work in progress.....

DIY and Friendsgiving Dinner

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Today's Workout: 45 min elliptical

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Oh man am I tired. This weekend was packed with fabulousness and I could have used one extra day to recover before heading back to reality.

Saturday I got the house cleaned up and did a last minute change in decor because we were having a little birthday party for yours truly.

I had used this looking glass spray here and was less than impressed with the finish. I wanted to do something with the remaining spray and decided to dress up some wine bottles we had lying around.

I used vinegar to get the labels off and then got to work.

I plan on adding a little more to them when I come back from Thanksgiving, but these will do for now.

Once the house was looking presentable, I headed out for a long run.

Feeling good and refreshed - I got cleaned up and walked to los cuates with my roommate to meet friends for dinner.

Margaritas, chips and guac, fajitas - all amazing.

We headed back to our house and put our party pants on.

After a longggg night I had to get up bright and early to help out at a rescue dog event. I work with this organization usually once a month. It always breaks my heart to see these love bugs without a home. I already bit off more than I can chew with my monster, so I cannot take on anymore, but it always feels good to help.

When I got home I had a couple hours to relax/power nap before heading to a friend's place for a friendsgiving dinner.

yum yum yum. Good food with even better people. I have a lot to be thankful for.

Polyvore - create an outfit

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Today's workout: Arms - 3 sets of 20 side lateral shoulder raises (12.5 lb dumbbells), 3 sets of 20 dumbbell chest press (20 lb dumbbells), 3 sets of 20 overhead shoulder dumbbell press (10 lb dumbbells), 3 sets of 20 dumbbell bicep curls (12.5 1lb dumbbells), 25 pushups

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All of you pinterest fans out there have without a doubt seen outfits created on polyvore. This little gem is a great way to procrastinate recreate outfits you love in a price range you can get on board with.

It is a pretty simple tool....

1. Find an outfit you love and want to recreate

2. Click on create

3. Search

You can search two ways. You can click on the article of clothing you are looking for, search for a color scheme, and search for a price.

The other way to search is to simply type the exact term you are looking for. You can narrow the results by price.

4. Complete Design and then save it/publish it/buy it - whatever your heart desires! Your completed outfit will give you the price of each item, along with a link of where you can find the item.

This is a great way to shop around for ways to incorporate current trends into your wardrobe, or to create expensive looks for less.

I'll share more of my favorite recreations in posts to come.

DIY - Signage

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In attempt to help hold myself accountable for my training, I am going to try to a better job of posting my daily workouts!

Today's Workout: Morning run with the roommate, 4 miles, 7:32 pace. Was the first really chilly morning in D.C.this fall so it took some time to get loosened up. First three miles were not bad, last mile (mostly uphill - thanks Georgetown) was rough.

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Signage is popping up all over the place in home decorations.

Subway Art is one of my fav versions.

Chicago: Where my family is from

Minneapolis: Where I grew up

I love a good saying. I love pops of color.

I want to find room for them all.

When I was little, I was a big Winnie the Pooh fan. So much so that in a nod to my love of Pooh Bear my parents called me J Bear. It is no surprise I have a soft spot in my heart for Pooh quotes. Childish? Maybe. Am I ashamed? Nope! Life is serious enough as it is and I enjoy a little reminder of a simpler time every now and then.

I found these Pooh quotes on Etsy and thought they were adorable.

While I would love to get one, with shipping be up to $15/$10, there are a lot of other things this grad school girl would rather spend money on.

Time for DIY - I was inspired by the below option, which definitely seemed doable.

But I didn't have time to go to the store. This option seemed to fit with what I had available to me.

I just made a text box on Word, filled it with my favorite color, topped it with my preferred font, and printed.

I used card stock paper that I bought at staples.

I put it in a white frame that I already had and displayed my quote proudly on my nightstand.

You can see my other DIY attempts here and here. (Emphasis on "attempts")

Pinterest-Inspired HILLoween

I left a wonderful, fun and and fabulous weekend in Chapel Hill and was greeted with warnings for Hurricane Sandy, and work and school cancellations back in DC. While I am happy to have a lounging day around the house, I hate goodbyes and want to turn my car back around and spend more time with the boy.

Here were some little blurbs from our weekend. Forgive the brief post - I have to go prepare for storm damage :/

My boyfriend and his roommates threw a Halloween party, and I contributed jello shots with a holiday twist.

I halved some oranges, and emptied out the insides.

Next, I mixed the jello and filled the halved peels.

I let them cool over night, and cut them into quarters right before people arrived.

I also saw this costume on Pinterest and we decided to tailor it to our favorite team. It was a hit :)

DIY - Fall Decor

Are you sick of my sad attempts of pinterest-inspired DIY creations? If so, ignore this post.

Fall is in full swing in DC and it was time to add a little seasonal spice to the home decorations. While perusing Pinterest, I stumbled across this idea.

Classy, sleek, and seasonal. I wanted to get started right away.

Directions called for Krylon Looking Glass Spray, and suggested a white base coat.

My pumpkins did not turn out like the picture.. AT ALL. The spray gave off a silver look that I imagine would be identical to an actual silver spray.

Since I wasn't falling in love, I kept some of them white. The roomies and I are happy with the addition, but knowing the result I was going for, I can't help but be a little disappointed.

Maybe I did it wrong - and if anyone has suggestions I would love to hear them!

You can't win them all in DIY-land.