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