Family Dinner Holiday Look

I am sooo ready for my Christmas vacation!! Work is getting a bit old, and I just need a break from it before our busy season begins. I probably won't be blogging much over Christmas, so I would like to wish my readers a very Merry Christmas!! This time of year makes me so grateful for all that I have and also makes me excited for all of the thrilling life changes to come in 2015! 

My second holiday look is perfect for a Christmas Eve family dinner! This plaid skirt that I'm wearing was originally my Grandma's skirt that she had passed down to my mom. My mom had the hem real long, cause that was the style back in the day. She hemmed the skirt up for me to make it a bit more current. I just love the plaid paired with a chambray shirt and bright red sweater! So fun and festive! Scroll down to get my look! 

Skirt: A Family Heirloom, but find a similar one here 

Chambray Shirt: Francescas

Red Sweater: Old Navy

Shoes: DSW Shoes

Now about the photography... I am still figuring out how to take good pictures indoors. It is tricky cause your lighting is really everything... So, I tried posing by a big bright window, and I think they turned out okay, but I'm still not thrilled. With winter coming, and it being quite cold outside, I'll have to keep working on my indoor photography skills, especially when I am working with my tri-pod. I'll just have to make a point to visit Nate a lot so that he can take the pictures for me! Do you guys have any tips for taking good indoor pictures??

Herringbone Holiday Look

What a gloomy last few days we have had here in Minnesota! I sit on the ninth floor at work, and all day long it has been like we are floating in a cloud!
Anyway, this past weekend was the perfect weekend to stay in and have a Netflix marathon! I watched everything from House of Cards to Adventures in Babysitting (Yes! it's on Netflix!!! I was so happy when I found this out)!! After a few hectic weekends, a little R&R was needed to prepare for the Christmas Holiday coming up!
I am spending the week of Christmas in Ohio with my extended family. We go there for Christmas every year and have a themed gift exchange. This year's theme is "Let the Games Begin!" Some fun themes we have done in the past have been "What Not to Wear," "Supersize Me," and "In Your Dreams." Other than the gift exchange, it will be a pretty relaxing week playing cards and hanging out.
For my posts this week, I thought I would put together some Holiday looks to give you inspiration of what to wear over the next few weeks to different parties and gatherings you may be going to! If you read my Christmas Wish List Blog Post a few weeks ago, you know that I am obsessed with the herringbone vest fashion trend lately. Normally they have been from $70 - $200 depending on the store/site you get it from. Well on Black Friday, I found one for $48 and decided to snatch it up! 

I am in love and think it just adds a certain spice to my winter wardrobe! Paired with a cozy black turtleneck, you have the perfect outfit for a get-together with friends!

     

           Vest: FOI Clothing | Turtleneck Sweater: Old Navy | Jeans: American Eagle | Boots: Style Discontinued, but find even cooler ones here | Necklace: Kay Jewelers | Watch: Fossil | Earrings: Claire's

What are some of your favorite holiday traditions? Does your family do a themed gift exchange? What sort of themes have you done in the past? Stay tuned for a plaid holiday look, and a crafty post coming to King's Corner real soon!

Floor Lamp Makeover

This has been a very hectic week at work! For those of you who do not know, I am a Certified Public Accountant and I work at a Public Accounting Firm full-time. I work in the tax department, so our busy season is just around the corner and year-end planning has already begun. I really do like my job... it's just daunting knowing that 60-70 hour work weeks will be my reality in just a few short weeks... At least those weeks are busy as can be and usually go by pretty fast! Hopefully I can find time to blog :)

Anyways, on a more crafty note, I found a floor lamp at an estate sale for $15 and decided it would be my next project! I wanted to to spruce it up and give it a new life! It was not in bad shape to begin with, but I knew I wanted to paint it a fun plum color, so I went to Home Depot and chose this awesome shade of purple. 

Below is a before picture (left) and a picture after some light sanding (right). The shade came with the lamp, and my mom and Nate think that I should replace/paint the shade... but I like it! So, I'm keeping it how it is for now.

After some light sanding, I put about 3 coats of paint on the base. What I learned from this project was that the more you sand, the better! I did not sand the lamp poles and legs enough, so the paint was not adhering to the surface very easily. 

See the finished product below! I think it looks awesome next to my mom's chair (which was also from an estate sale)! It just goes to show that you can make anything seem new again! Brand new floor lamps can be expensive, and they will never have as much character as this one!

What do you guys think about the shade? Should I try to find a replacement? Or, should I try to paint/recover this one? Tell me your suggestions and maybe I'll consider re-vamping the shade :)

~Em

Brown Sugar Cookies with Brown Sugar Frosting

Now that Thanksgiving has come and gone, we can start celebrating Christmas Time! For me, Christmas Time means Christmas cookies! I always looked forward to my mom's delicious Christmas themed sugar cookies with the best butter cream frosting! She only made the cookies once a year, and I would always look forward to the day each year where I got to taste those bad boys!

Those cookies still rank on my top list of favorite treats, but they were replaced by the cookie below as my favorite cookie a few years ago. One of my college roommates was quite the baker, and she made these cookies just before we left for Christmas break one year. And lets just say, my obsession started there...

Oh my goodness! I don't know about you, but these pictures of my FAVORITE COOKIE are making my mouth water!! These Brown Sugar Cookies with Brown Sugar Frosting are to die for! Scroll down for the recipe!

Chewy Brown Sugar Cookies with Brown Sugar Frosting Recipe

(Printable Recipe)

Ingredients

Cookies:

14 tbsp Salted Butter (1 3/4 Sticks)

1 and 3/4 Cups Packed Light Brown Sugar

2 1/4 Cups Flour

1/2 tsp Baking Soda

1/2 tsp Baking Powder

1/2 tsp Salt

1 Egg plus 1 Egg Yolk

1 and 1/2 tbsp Vanilla

1/4 Cup Granulated Sugar

1/4 Cup Light Brown Sugar

Frosting:

1/2 Cup Packed Light Brown Sugar

3 tbsp Butter

1/4 Cup Milk

2 Cups Powdered Sugar

Directions

Cookies:

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.

2. Melt the butter in a medium-size skillet over medium heat. When the butter is melted, swirl the pan and continue to cook the butter until it turns a caramel-brown color. Then let butter cool for 15 minutes.

3. Whisk the flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt in a small bowl and set aside.

4. Once butter is cooled, mix the 1 and 3/4 cup of light brown sugar and the browned butter with a mixer for about 30 seconds or until the mixture is smooth.

5. Add the egg, egg yolk and vanilla to the mixture, and mix until smooth.

6. Add in the flour mixture (set aside earlier) slowly until all is incorporated.

7. Mix together the remaining light brown sugar and granulated sugar in a small bowl.

8. Roll cookie dough into small balls and then roll in the sugar mixture.

9. Place on a non-stick cookie sheet about 2 inches apart.

10. Bake cookies for about 10-12 minutes or until the edges begin to turn golden brown.

11. Let cool before frosting.

Frosting:

1. In a small saucepan over medium heat, combine the brown sugar and the butter.

2. Bring this mixture to a boil and cook for one additional minute.

3. Remove mixture from heat and let it cool for about 10 minutes. This gives it time to thicken slightly.

4. Combine the milk with a hand mixer, until smooth, and then slowly add in enough powdered sugar to make a spreadable consistency (I ended up using 1 and 1/2 cups of powdered sugar).

5. Spread desired amount onto cookies.

6. Add sprinkles for a fun holiday look!

If you do anything this holiday season, it should be to make these cookies! Do you guys have any yummy treats that you make every holiday season?? I'd love to try them!

~Em

Christmas Wish List

With Christmas just around the corner I thought I'd take the time to share with you my Christmas Wish List! Maybe this will give you some inspiration of gift ideas for your (mainly female) relatives and friends!

1. Birchbox Subscription: I have been tempted to order a Birchbox for some time now. I think it is a really fun idea and a great gift to give! The premise of the Birchbox is that each month you will receive a personalized box of 4 or 5 different beauty products that were specifically chosen for you based on your profile that you create on the site. I think it would be really fun to try it for 3 to 6 months and do a feature each month on the blog.

2. Thymes: Kimono Rose Cologne: I found this scent at a store called Patina in the Twin Cities area, and, boy, does it smell great. If you are looking for a new scent, consider this!

3. Patchwork Hooded Vest or Herringbone Pattern Puffer Vest: I love the Herringbone Pattern Vests that are so in style this fall! I am absolutely OBSESSED! So, obviously, I would love to get one for Christmas, and, I'm sure any of your friends would too! Here is a link to a cheaper version.

4. Statement Necklaces: I can't get enough.

5. Patterned Tights: Love, love, love!!! Patterned tights just add a certain something to any outfit. This is a perfect gift for any girl who loves wearing skirts.

6. Gift Cards: In my opinion, you can never go wrong with a gift card. If I got to choose, I would love a gift card from the following stores/movie theaters: 

Target

JoAnn Fabrics

Michael's

Athleta

AMC Theatres

Christmas is my favorite time of year, not just because of the whole present giving/getting thing, but also because of the twinkling lights everywhere, the cookies, and the fact that it is a time to be with family. Enjoy your holiday season!

~Em

Winter Wonderland Wardrobe

I took advantage of this Wednesday snow storm we had here in the great state of Minnesota to take some photos of my Winter Wonderland Wardrobe!! Well, Nate took the photos... and he did a great job!! When I think of a winter wardrobe, puffy vests are where it's at! Pair your vest with a chambray shirt and stripes underneath, and you've got yourself a trendy, comfy, winter look! 

Scroll down to get my look!

GET MY LOOK

Vest: From Aeropostale - Style Discontinued, but find a similar one here | Chambray Shirt: The Loft | Striped Shirt: Gap | Pants: COSTCO (Can you believe that?!?) | Boots: From Target - Style Discontinued, but find some similar ones here | Mittens: JCPenney

What is your Winter Wardrobe staple item of clothing???

~Em

Toffee Pretzel Bark Recipe

I am spending this week of Thanksgiving in my hometown with my family! Nate arrives on Tuesday, and we have lots of wedding things planned, such as our first pre-marital counseling class, and our food-tasting! I'm also hoping to call some cake places to get some samples of cakes to try. I thought, what time would be more perfect than a holiday to do some cake tasting! We also might do the whole Black Friday/Thursday shopping thing... which I'm not too sure I want to, but we will see... Anyway, I have spent this past weekend at home crafting, baking, and shopping with my mom! Together, we made this easy Toffee Pretzel Bark recipe that you all should try over your Thanksgiving Holiday!

You start by taking mini pretzels and crushing them into little pieces. After we were done, I realized we used way too many pretzels. They should have been spread much more thinly on our cookie sheet. Oh well! The bark was still good... but just didn't look the prettiest.

Next you make your toffee mixture. The original recipe called for butter, but my mom had sticks of vegetable oil that we used instead. So I convinced myself that they are healthier. Once the mixture is complete, you pour it evenly over the pretzels. 

Next, you bake your toffee/pretzel spread in the oven. This allows the toffee to melt further and fuse to the pretzels. After baking for 5 minutes, you take your cookie sheet out of the oven, and pour your chocolate chips on top.

The recipe called for a whole bag of chocolate chips, but seeing our finished product, I would have used more!

After giving the chocolate chips some time to melt, we attempted to spread them over the mixture. This did not go as well as we thought it would. When we spread out the chocolate, the pretzels came up with the chocolate, and, as you can see it just didn't spread very well. This is why I would have used more chocolate chips, so that you maybe wouldn't have to spread the chocolate. Plus, who would object to more chocolate?!?

Toffee Pretzel Bark Recipe:

Ingredients:

8 oz. Mini Pretzels (Or, enough to cover a large cookie sheet)

1 cup of vegetable oil (or butter)

1 cup packed brown sugar

2 cups semi-sweet chocolate chips

Directions:

Preheat your oven to 375 degrees. Grab a large cookie sheet, and spray the cookie sheet with non-stick cooking spray before lining it with tin foil. This will prevent the tin foil from sticking to the cookie sheet. Spread pretzels over the foil and break into small pieces. In a medium-size pan, mix the vegetable oil and brown sugar. Stir occasionally and bring to a boil over medium heat. Once boiling, stop stirring and keep on medium heat for 3 minutes. After 3 minutes, pour the mixture evenly over the pretzels. Place the cookie sheet in the oven for 5 minutes. After baking for 5 minutes, take the sheet out of the oven and pour the chocolate chips evenly over the pretzels. Let the chocolate melt for about 5 minutes and then spread. over the top of the bark. Allow bark to cool and cut into squares for serving!

Recipe modified from Jamie Cooks It Up!

I was informed by my mother that commenting was confusing and difficult without a Google ID. I believe I have fixed the issue by installing a different commenting platform. So feel free to try to comment on the blog, if you wish! I would love to hear from you!

~Em

Mom's Cozy Sweater

I can't believe Thanksgiving is less than a week away! If you're looking for a cozy outfit to wear on the holiday, try a wool sweater and your favorite pair of distressed jeans. Spice it up with a statement necklace, and you've got yourself the perfect outfit for a day of cooking, eating, and watching football!

This sweater was given to me by my mom. Her dad (my grandpa) bought it for her when she was around my age. It's a thick and itchy wool sweater, but it is so warm. As long as I wear a long-sleeved layer underneath to combat the itchiness, I could live in this sweater!

Get my look

Sweater: Hand-me-down from my mom, find a similar one here | Jeans: American Eagle Outfitters | Necklace: Style discontinued, find a similar one here | Shoes: Payless Shoes

I'm off work for most of next week, so I'm hoping to build up my blog posts and post a bit more often in December! Stay tuned for a Floor-Lamp Makeover, my Christmas Wishlist, and my Favorite Cookie Recipe!!

Thanks, for reading!

~Em

Hearts & Crafts: DIY Heart Patterned Pants

This week has been one of those incredibly lazy weeks... I just haven't been motivated to workout, cook, or blog. Have you ever had one of those days/weeks? I blame the cold, polar vortex weather. 

Anyway, last night I was finally inspired to finish my latest craft! Do-It-Yourself Heart Patterned Pants! And, by the way, this is the easiest craft ever!
I found a tutorial through Pinterest via The Pretty Life Girls and went from there.

I started my project by making a stencil. I used a small piece of cardstock and evenly spaced five small dots on it using a ruler. The placement of the dots is where I eventually cut out my hearts. The next step was to cut the hearts. I didn't have a heart shaped hole-punch tool, so I decided to do it by hand. I used the trick of folding the paper in half along each of my dots and I drew out half of the heart and cut. I figured my hearts would at least be symmetrical cutting them this way. All five of my hearts turned out slightly different, so if you are an ultra perfectionist, you may want to consider another method.

Once your stencil is complete, you can begin painting your pants using your stencil, fabric paint, and a sponge brush. I chose to just take my stencil and free-hand where I wanted my hearts to be painted. This is where the 5 evenly spaced hearts on my stencil came in handy. I didn't really have to measure out on my jeans where each heart should go. If you couldn't tell already, I'm not one who really cares for measuring and getting everything exact. I try to do the best I can with just "eye-balling" it!

As far as painting the paints go, don't overload your sponge brush with paint. Make sure after you dip your brush, that you wipe it off several times. This will ensure a nice faded-heart look. If you use too much paint, it will bleed through the leg and your pants will stick together. Once finished painting, let your paints dry over-night. Scroll to the bottom for a printable tutorial!

DIY Heart Patterned Pants (Printable Tutorial)

Supplies: 

Old Pair of Jeans (or, some colorful pants would look super cute too!) 

Fabric Paint

Sponge Brush

Scissors

Cardstock/Cardboard

Ruler

Instructions:

1. Create a stencil by evenly spacing out 5 (3 dots on top, 2 dots on bottom) dots on a piece of cardstock about 1/2 to 1 inch apart. 

2. Fold the cardstock along each dot and draw out half of a heart making your dot in the center.

3. Cut out your half heart drawing and unfold the cardstock to reveal your first symmetrical heart.

4. Repeat steps 2 and 3 for the remaining 4 dots.

5. Begin using your stencil, fabric paint, and sponge brush to paint hearts onto your pants.

6. Let each side dry before washing and wearing!

Is there anything else that you would like to talk about? What did you think about the movie Interstellar? Are you hoping to score a great deal on Black Friday? Did you try a new recipe that would be great for the Holidays? I'd love to chat, so post your comments and questions!

Have a great day!

~Em

Healthy Eating: Turkey Burgers

I have spent my Saturday, thus far, at estate says and consignment shops with my mom. I found a great project that I will be blogging about in a few weeks! I'm pretty excited about it, so, stay tuned! Anyway, on to today's post...

In my quest to not eat out as much, I have been searching for easy recipes that are really good... This turkey burger recipe is no exception.

Nate and I went shopping at Target for the ingredients and then came home and starting chopping the onions and the spinach. I am super sensitive to onions, so, I gave that job to Nate. Before he started chopping, he disappeared into the other room and came out wearing his scientist goggles... At first, I thought, "why?" And, then I realized he was trying to combat the powerful force that onions have that make your eyes water by wearing the goggles.

 

I told him I didn't think that would work. I thought just breathing in the onion smell would still make his eyes water. Turns out, the goggles did work, and Nate did not shed a tear. Once we were both done chopping, we put all of our burger ingredients in a large bowl and starting mixing. Of course, we had to pause so I could take a few pictures to document the process.

Then we got are hands dirty, and formed 6 patties to cook on Nate's George Foreman Grill. We ended up making the burger patties a few hours before we wanted to eat dinner, so we wrapped them in some saran wrap, froze 3 patties, and put the other 3 in the fridge to cook a few hours later. 

Healthy Turkey Burger Recipe

Printable Recipe

Sauce Ingredients:

6 oz. plain greek yogurt 

1 fresh lemon

¼ tsp minced garlic

¼ tsp dried dill

Burger Ingredients:

1.00 lb. ground turkey

1 can diced tomatoes (drained)

1 red onion

2 oz. fresh or frozen spinach (I used fresh)

¼ cup crumbled feta

1 tsp dried oregano

½ tsp minced garlic

1 egg

salt and pepper to taste

6 hamburger buns

Instructions:

Yogurt Sauce: Combine the yogurt, ¼ tsp minced garlic, dry dill, juice of half the lemon and a pinch of salt. Stir and then refrigerate while making the burgers.

Burgers: Roughly chop the spinach to prevent stringy pieces. Also chop ¼ of the red onion. In a bowl mix together the ground turkey with the spinach, diced tomatoes, red onion, feta, ½ tsp minced garlic, dried oregano, egg, and salt pepper. Stir everything until it is evenly mixed together. Form the mixture into six burger patties. Cook the burgers on a counter top grill (I used a George Foreman Grill). Serve on thin, whole wheat bun, and spread desired amount of yogurt sauce on warm turkey burger patty.

Recipe modified from Go Be Lovely

The yogurt sauce was my favorite part of this meal. It added a sweet and tangy taste to the sandwich that was both unexpected and absolutely delightful. I hope you find time in your busy fall schedule to make this yummy treat. Please, let me know what you think and let me know if you have any questions! A crafty post is on the docket for the blog next!

~Em

Patterns Galore

Have you ever watched the show "What Not to Wear"? I don't believe the show is on much anymore, but during its popular days on TLC, I used to watch it all the time! I swear, Stacy and Clinton taught me how to dress! One piece of advice I learned from S and C that seemed to stick (in addition to Carmindy's tip that you should NEVER match your makeup to your outfit... NEVER!) was that it was okay to mix patterns, as long as one pattern was more subtle than the other. Although flannel may not always be considered... subtle... it is the calmer pattern of the two shirts I am pairing together in the following photos. The two complement each other nicely for a fun fall look that your friends are sure to take notice of. Pair with some stylish boots and a comfy pair of skinny jeans, and your good to go out on a crisp fall day!

Happy November, by the way! I can't believe Halloween has come and gone. Nate and I dressed up as Dr. Sheldon Cooper and Amy Farrah Fowler from The Big Bang Theory. We went to a costume party hosted by one of his friends from medical school, ate lots of candy, and watched a scary movie! Now that the Holiday Season is upon us, I can start decorating my home for Christmas and start holiday shopping!! Stay tuned for a Christmas Wish-List Post in the near future!

Anyway, scroll down to get my look!

(Photo Credit: Nathan)

~GET MY LOOK~

Flannel Shirt: Target | Sweater: Target (In Store Only) | Jeans: American Eagle | Boots: Payless (Style Discontinued. Find similar ones here. | Necklace: Claire's

Now I'm looking for some fun, craft ideas to try for the blog... Do you have any suggestions for me?

~ Em