2 turtledoves...

and a

partridge in a pear tree

holiday party need a holiday drink?

i found this recipe for a

'partridge in a pear tree'

from a fab house wife.

lots of holiday drinks, including my white russian with cinnamon, seem a little too heavy and creamy to have more than one. or even one. sometimes a weighty cocktail just won't do.

this one seems like it would be light and refreshing yet still get you feeling festive.

1.5 oz pear vodka

.5 oz lemon juice

.5 oz simple syrup

champagne to top it off

rosemary for garnish

i'm tempted to throw some rosemary into my simple syrup to get a little of that flavor into the drink, i love herbs in cocktails. and i love rosemary.

and i love you.

there you have it.

JILL

wrapped up.

after talking about it twice... (sorry)

here it is. (finally)

cute gifts for under $25!!

1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8. 9.

1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8.

for most of the ladies on your list :)

there's another one scheduled for tomorrow with a little more bling.

merry christmas.

JILL

various things

this is a series of random various things that i'm unloading from my brain.

first, my sewing machine was indeed broken.

you never realize all the sewing projects you had in the wings until you can't do anything about it. looks like my tree garland will be made right in time for christmas day. wah wah. and not only does this sewing machine repair place take like 2+ weeks, they cost half of what my machine actually cost!

i'm no sewer. i use the manual settings. i get my machine out, use it how it came, and put it back, occasionally changing the thread color... somewhere in there it broke.

but on a happier note,

i don't know what about this time of year brings out the tartan in all of us

but it does and i'm hooked all over again.

so is j.crew.

and speaking of j.crew, have you seen their sparkly etta pumps?

those would some happy holiday parties make, my friends.

i love the fat heel on them, and they come in a million colors.

unfortunately they are more than i spend on shoes.

maybe i'll ask santa.

har har.

santa husband prob wouldn't go for that.

we still get each other things we need/want for our house.

unless we kept these on the mantel...................

next week i have a few budget holiday gift guides to share with you!

i've been out shopping for my list and realized there

are some really great little gifts to give this year.

happy friday.

JILL

a festive white russian with a twist.

hey jill. what's your favorite cocktail for this holiday season?

so glad you asked.

that would be a white russian, of course.

with cinnamon!!

usually you make em with vodka, cream (or milk in my case, and lots of other people's cases), and kahlua.

but i recently made one with kahlua's cinnamon spice flavor and

holy moly.

so damn good.

it's my official 2012 holiday cocktail.

don't you always have an official holiday cocktail?

me neither. but this year i do.

and it's this:

i do equal parts of all 3.

but there are lots of differing recipes. i know when i was a bartender

i did equal parts for ease and they always tasted delish.

make your own.

spice em up.

drink em up.

{responsibly of course.}

they're like dessert.

or the perfect night cap.

i bet if you just had plain kahlua, you could just sprinkle a little cinnamon on top.

and then go watch the big lebowski.

he prefers them, as well.

JILL

party sequins

it always happens this time of year.

i get crazy about glitter and sparkles and gold and sequins.

it's really easy to dress up the festive party sparkles, but what to do with them when the parties are over at the end of the season?

usually the things sit in my closet until next holiday season rolls back around.

but i've found lots of people who show us how they can be dressed down and worn more often. (long after all the eggnog and champagne have been downed.)

t-shirts and jeans.

sounds good to me.

i have been playing around on polyvore. another good place to waste good time.

and i came up with these:

casual sequin 2 by thebluehouse featuring ballet shoes

Free People baseball t shirt, $198
Short top, $178
American Eagle Outfitters slim leg jeans, $30
Steve Madden ballet shoes, $90

casual sequins 1 by thebluehouse featuring miu miu shoes

Cable knit cardigan, £129
T shirt, $75
7 For All Mankind low rise skinny jeans, $126
Miu miu shoes, $495
Gathering Eye stone necklace, $20

those sparkling miu miu tennies... i die.

those could certainly become my everyday sequins.

and of course, my lipstick made it. i am quite possibly obsessed.

go buy some more sparkle!!

JILL

{images via: tumblr, fashion salade, saucy glossy, lookbook, j.crew, the beauty file, note to sarah, middle child complex, and polyvore}



get festive...add plaid

via nibs blog

nothing says december like a classic tartan plaid. i love the feel of it...and even if you don't have the time, space or energy to go over the top with holiday decorations adding a plaid pillow, ribbon or throw is a great way to bring a hint of festive cheer into your home.

via tartan ribbon

via crate and barrel

pendleton and mills via fabulous and splendid

via lonny

via country living

via horchow

via fric and frac

country living

country living

barrie benson

pendleton wool mills

i think we are off to get our tree this evening. my husband and i love the tradition of getting the tree in nyc from a vendor on the sidewalk and throwing it over our shoulder to bring it home...however, about ten minutes into putting the lights on the frustration begins :) ohh the holidays. we have different ideas of how many lights need to be on the tree and the best process to get them up. i also lose him about half way through the ornaments. but at least the finished product looks just how i want!!!

go be festive this weekend.

xoxo

elle.