Recap of 2013: part 1

What a year we've had. Like one of the best yet. And it has definitely ended with one of the best trips yet: two weeks at home with friends and family!

And since I have this sweet little blog, I thought it was necessary to document this wonderful whirlwind of a year, full of trips & travels.

January: Dublin + Galway, Ireland

February: Paris, France

March: Edinburgh, Scotland

April: Barcelona, Spain + Berlin, Germany

In May, we took our first trip home to the San Francisco Bay Area.

I will post part 2 on Wednesday... and I have to say, our trips in the second half of the year were our favorite!

Exclaimer: Please know, this isn't how my life has always looked. The bird and I were presented with a wonderful opportunity to move to Ireland for (the bird's) work. And since we live in California, one of the furthest places from Europe you can get, traveling for us was a must!

If you are traveling to any of these places and would like any tips or recommendations, my email is all yours! I would love to help!

Thank you for all the love in 2013!

Here's to 2014!

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Update from Home!

Sorry for the silence over here lately! The bird and I came home last Tuesday and its been an amazing whirlwind of family and friends. So good to be home!

When we flew in Tuesday from Dublin, I immediately flew out to Idaho to surprise one of my best friends!

Love her!

When I got back into San Francisco, we organized a dinner with the bird's friends: bow ties & babes.

We've also been to local performances from two of my brothers, celebrated another best friend's birthday and went to Cirque du Solei: Amaluna at AT&T Park.

Busy bees birds! We are gearing up for Christmas now. Finishing up last minute Christmas shopping, wrapping presents and currently working on a Christmas puzzle (a yearly tradition for my family)! I absolutely love this time of year!

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Weekend Recap

What a fun weekend we had over here!

The bird and I went to dinner and Wicked on Friday! It was amazing.

On Saturday, I went out with a group of girls for a Christmas dinner! It was so much fun and it's so nice having girlfriends even when I'm so far from home.

On Sunday, the bird and I had a lazy day in and actually rented The Wizard of Oz. We were motivated to see it after Wicked. That evening we headed to the Dublin Christmas Market and started our packing. So excited to head home for the holidays this week! YAY!

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Sequin Skirt 1/2 Glam

Hellllo Friday!

We are gearing up for our trip home next week! I don't think it will officially feel like Christmas until I am sitting at home with my family in front of their tree. Sounds heavenly.

Today I'm bringing a little outfit inspiration to the blog for all the festive parties & outings coming up:

chambray top // crystal necklace // gold polish // beige polish // sequin skirt // tan booties

You could easily switch out the boots for heels or top it with a sweater or more dressy tank. But I love these boots and the look of chambray and sequins together.

Tonight the bird planned a Christmas date night for us at Wicked! I am so excited to finally see it! And tomorrow I have a girls night out which will consist of a Christmas dinner, gift exchange and way too much fun.

Hope you have a lovely weekend!

Linked with Long Distance Loving

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Copenhagen trip recap

Last weekend the bird and I took our last trip of the year to Copenhagen! It was such a lovely city.

The canals running through the city reminded me a lot of Amsterdam. And the colored buildings were so gorgeous!

One of the many attractions in the city is The Little Mermaid. It was a gift given by Carl Jacobson (son of the founder of Carlsberg beer). He was so inspired by the ballet performance, he had the sculpture commissioned for the city of Copenhagen.

One of my favorite things about Europe in the wintertime is all the Christmas markets! We ran into several in Copenhagen.

The highlight of our trip was definitely walking along the famous Nyhavn Canal area.

We loved Copenhagen and I would definitely recommend a trip there! The city is beautiful and so progressive. They have amazing restaurants, including 13 Michelin star restaurants. In addition to the gourmet foodie scene, there were so many popular healthy restaurant options too. The one downside of Copenhagen, and any Scandinavian city, was that everything was so expensive. That just made it a perfect weekend trip!

Here are some places I highly recommended from our trip:

Details:

• Hotel
Copenhagen Marriott Hotel
All of the hotels in city center were pricey, but this one had decent rates and was in a great location, right on the water. It was close to restaurants, site seeing and shopping. It was also only a short walk to the main train/metro station.

• Restaurants
BioMio: Great spot for lunch or dinner. Very popular among the locals!
Mikkeller Bar: Great spot for an after dinner drink.
42 Raw: Don't let the name of this place scare you... it was the best lunch I have had in awhile!
Torvehallerne: A very nice enclosed food market. Great spot to eat, buy gifts and walk around.

• Site-Seeing
Tivoli Gardens: The 2nd oldest amusement park in the world. But it is so much more than that. Highly recommend!
The Little Mermaid: Read and see above.
Christiania: A freetown in the middle of the city. Interesting place for a stroll. Read about it before you go.
Strøget: The longest pedestrian street and shopping area in Europe. Lots of shops, restaurants, cafes, etc.
Kastellet: A military fortress dated back to the 1600s. Gorgeous grounds to walk through on your way to The Little Mermaid.

If you are planning a trip to Copenhagen, send me an email and I can give you more detailed information.

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Weekend recap & Christmas movies

Happy Monday to you! I hope you had a great weekend!

Ours consisted of lots of online Christmas shopping, a fun night out with friends and a Home Alone movie marathon.

Little Green Cars at Victor Street in Dublin

Loved this intimate venue!

I also purchased a new pair of glasses! I wear contacts daily, but love being able to give my eyes a break.

I've been loving our Christmas movie weekends lately. We didn't get a tree in Dublin, since we are headed home next week (yay!), so I've been counting on the Elf and Home Alone to get me in the festive spirit until then.

What are your favorite Christmas movies?? We may need to add a couple more to the list!

And lastly, I finally got our Copenhagen photos gathered up and will have a recap for you on Wednesday!

Linked with Sami's Shenanigans and Join the Gossip 

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Holiday Party decor

I so meant to post a recap of Copenhagen this week... and I completely failed. It was a wonderful city and great mini trip! I will definitely get some pictures up next week.

Today I am putting together a little post for holiday party decor. Christmas time is without a doubt my favorite time of year. The festive feel in the air gets me everytime. And what better way to kick off the festivities than a holiday party!

gold charger // polka dot plate // striped straws // christmas crackers

wine set // holiday invitation // wine decanter

napkin ring // mercury candles // gold candlesticks

I have never done Christmas crackers... and in Dublin they are everywhere! I think I want to bring some home this year for the family and I to pop open on Christmas morning. I also love the idea of using them as favors at a holiday party! And how gorgeous are these invites!?

I hope you have a fabulous weekend full of holiday party goodness!

Linked with Long Distance Loving

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Stocking Stuffer ideas

I'm fairly certain that stockings are one of my favorite gifts on Christmas. I love all the little goodies I get to stuff for the bird's (and my mom's) stocking. And they always do such an amazing job with mine.

So I was thrilled when Jaime from La Vie J'amie reached out to me for a guest post on Stocking Stuffers!

Here are some of my favorite gifts ideas that you can add to your stocking stuffer wishlist!

Head over to La Vie J'amie for all the links!

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Off to Copenhagen!

The bird and I are off to Copenhagen, Denmark for a weekend getaway!

via

If you have any last minute recommendations... send them my way. I'd love to have them!

And here is a great list of Black Friday promo codes!

Have a great weekend and Happy Black Friday shopping!

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Happy Thanksgiving!

photo via

We are missing our family back home today. But I am so thankful for the bird... he is the best husband a girl could ask for. And I am thankful for the amazing year we've had in Europe together.

I hope you have a lovely Thanksgiving! Xo

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Weekend Recap: Christmas decor, a concert & trip planning

This weekend was a fun and busy one!

On Thursday, the bird and I went to The Lumineers concert. They were absolutely amazing live!

Dublin was the largest venue they have played in Europe, and still it wasn't that big at all.

Here's a short clip from my iphone:

And here's what the rest of our weekend looked like:

 A day trip to the seaside // Starbucks Christmas cups in Dublin

Lots of Christmas decor around the city // Fedora props & a fun night out

Stocking up on my own Christmas goodies

We also saw the Hunger Games: Catching Fire which was fantastic. I love how close the movie stuck to the book!

 

Lastly, this coming weekend we are headed to Copenhagen! So excited!!! Let me know if you've been and if you have any tips or recommendations for us!

Linked with Sami's Shenanigans and Join the Gossip 

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Holiday Stripes and Sparkle

Yay for Friday!

I recently spotted this dress and immediately added to my Christmas wishlist. Although now I wish I had it to wear for Thanksgiving or some upcoming holiday parties!

glitter belt // statement necklace // striped fit and flare dress // glitter heels // shimmer clutch

It might just turn into a Black Friday/Cyber Monday purchase instead!

And speaking of sales...

Tieks is currently offering a Holiday promotion for 20% off their fabulous flats!

Do any of you have a pair of these? If so, which color/pattern do you have? There are way too many to choose from!

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Thanksgiving tablscape ideas

It is seriously hard to believe that Thanksgiving is next week. Where did this year go?!

It's a bummer we are so far from family this year. But the bird and I are working on putting together a friendsgiving to celebrate anyway. So not-to-worry, festivities are still in order, even in Dublin! :)

After scouring the web for creative ideas, I rounded up 5 easy diy crafts to spruce up any Thanksgiving tablescape.

1 // These mini rosemary wreaths can be used to wrap napkins, as a garland and as place cards.

2 // Use cranberry filled bags (or vases, bowls, etc...) for centerpieces.

3 // I love these pine scraps, cinnamon sticks and twine wrapped napkin rings.

4 // Gold mini pumpkins can be used as place cards, or centerpieces by filling tall vases with them.

5 // These Thanksgiving placemats have been seen everywhere, but I love the idea and look of them!

I also found this Thanksgiving Playlist for both food & tablescape prep and background dinner music.

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Outfit Inspiration in Selfies

While most don't make it to social media links, I've been known to document my outfits with my iPhone.

For me, its a nice reminder of things I've put together in my closet that work.

So when I'm staring into my closet at a total loss on what to wear, I can look back at prior outfits for some inspiration.

I've pulled together products that are still available or linked to items similar to what I am wearing:

Faux Fur vest // Chambray top (similar here) // Fur-trim Puffer vest // Gray jersey top //

 Ankle booties (similar here) // Polka dot blouse (similar here)

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Cozy fall weekend outfit

Happy Friday!

In case you needed more outfit inspiration for some cozy fall wear this weekend...you're in luck!

sweater // pants // socks // spray // hat // loafers

The loafers and the sweater are both on sale too!

I hope you have a lovely weekend in these socks and a warm Starbucks chai in hand!

And here is an early look at some Black Friday sales for this year, if you're interested. :)

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Mixing patterns and layers

I am all over the mixed pattern and print inspiration on Pinterest lately.

And it's not getting any warmer over here in Dublin... so I need to start getting creative with my layers.

vest // scarf // loafers // denim // long-sleeve

I love these vests because they are warm, but also not too bulky to throw a coat over top. And I am certainly all about stripes. Cue this post. And its official, I am obsessed with T by Alexander Wang products.

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Weekend recaps & a fabulous sale!

We had a fairly mellow weekend over here.

On Saturday, I was lucky enough to meet up with another fellow American living in Dublin, Briana. Sometimes, it's just so nice to chat with someone going through the same type of thing you are.

Of course I forgot to take pictures. But if you are ever in Dublin, definitely go to the Cake Cafe. Delicious breakfast, lunch and freshly baked treats!

The bird and I also went to see Gravity. It was the first 3D movie I have seen... besides the one they have at Disneyland.

We found a new hotspot in town called P. Macs.

They have a great bar, free snacks and sweets... and games!

We opted for Guess Who? A childhood favorite of mine. Did you know they have an animal version now too?!

Oh, and between all the delicious grub we had over the weekend, the bird and I managed to get through a couple of these and a few miles:

Still, it would be impossible for your weekend to be as productive as ours was! ;)

Lastly, Piperlime is having a sale for 25% off dresses (& 40% off sale dresses) through tomorrow!

I love these 3!

one // two // three

Perfect for all of the upcoming holiday parties!

Linked with Sami's Shenanigans

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Hello sweater weather!

And Hello Friday!

It is getting very chilly out. And it's definitely time for sweaters, scarves and cozy hats.

Exactly what today's outfit inspiration is all about!

 cozy sweater // grid scarf // jersey tank // eyeglasses // butter polish // cap loafers // knit hat

I am loving the whites and soft grays this winter. I would definitely pair this look with these leggings, which are currently on my Christmas wishlist!

This weekend the bird and I headed to see Gravity. Dublin is a little a lot behind when it comes to movie premieres because it just came out here today! But I hear it's fantastic... can't wait!

And lastly, I wanted to leave you with this awesome post: 55 Things Only 90s Teenage Girls Can Understand.

Happy Weekend!

Linked with Long Distance Loving

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Pinterest lately

I haven't done a Pinterest recap in some time. So I thought I would share what's been trending around my Pinterest page.

one // two (unknown) // three // four (unknown) // five

Apparently, I am loving all things stripes and anything cozy. Which makes sense in Dublin. It's already so chilly, windy and rainy out.

It also seems I need to add a bit more color into my world.

So I will leave you some festive pink mixed with bubbles and tulle.

six // seven

Now I am definitely in the holiday spirit!

And lastly, I wanted to share one of the gifts I got for the bird for our one-year wedding anniversary!

I had our vows written in calligraphy by the oh-so-talented Lauren from A Fabulous Fete. It was shipped to my parent's house... and I can't wait to see it in person when we go home in December!

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