Constructing Christmas: Mint to Twee

Dessert blocks: Best Choice Products, Macy's

Rainbow Christmas Necklace

Shoes: B.A.I.T., Zulily; Socks: Amazon

Season's readings.

Sunglasses: Wild Fable, Target

Bangles: B Fabulous; Rings: PinkBopp

Tag brag.

Cardigan: Candyland for Dolls Kill

Christmas isn't Christmas without sugary goodness.  Not only to give as gifts and gobble at galas, but to devour after battling crowds and wrapping presents that may or may not be returned.  No doubt about it, cookies and candy take the edge off.  Yet as much as I love eating treats, I love looking at them even more.  So to kick off Christmas, I donned my Candy Land cardi and built a wee wonderland from Charlotte's dessert blocks.  It made me feel not only festive but peaceful, like I could hide from all the holiday hoopla in a fortress of saccharine solitude.

To paraphrase Green Day, wake me up when December ends -- and leave Andes mints on my pillow.

Color Me Happy Halloween

Boots: Simply Vera, Kohl's

Bag: Nine West, Marshalls

Sweater: ModCloth

Sweater: Bar III, Macy's

Bag: Betsey Johnson, Amazon

Scary Skate Necklace

Shoes: Madden Girl, DSW

Headband: Lady Arya, Zulily

Pretty scary in pink and purple.

Bow: Target

The husband's handiwork.

Pumpkin: Marshalls; Cat: LC Lauren Conrad, Kohl's; Ring: PinkBopp, Etsy

Creepy cute cozy.

Tights: Marshalls; Shoes: Circus by Sam Edelman, Kohl's

No one makes a graveyard cake like Mom.

Too cool for school supplies?  Never!

How is it Halloween already?!  I don't even have anything clever to say, just this shock that the year's almost over.  Last Halloween, Char Bar had just learned to roll over, and this year I had to put the pumpkins on the mantel so she wouldn't run off with them. 

So yeah, like every other parent, I'm exhausted.  So much so that I sometimes wish I could trade all my shoes for a nap.  But I'm also -- happy.  Because that's one of the things about being busy.  The little things that used to bother you seem kind of ridiculous.  Mostly because they're replaced by big things, like trying to stop your toddler from racing across the street.  But also because being in charge of a life other than your own has a way of putting things in perspective.  

So happy Halloween.  I'm grateful that I get to spend even a little of mine with you.

And also that the husband snagged me some pumpkin M&Ms.

Wed but Undead: Bride of Frankenstein State of Mind

Cardigan: New York & Company; Skirt: Tinseltown, Macy's

Garland: Michaels

Prismatic Pumpkin Necklace

Bag: Zulily; Ring: PinkBopp, Etsy

Hair clip: Walgreens

Shoes: Madden Girl, Amazon; Socks: Amazon

Michaels

Tee, ModCloth

Sunglasses: Nordstrom Rack

I've never had strong opinions about the Bride of Frankenstein (or, more accurately, the bride of Frankenstein's monster).  Then last Christmas, I found this tee for just a few bucks at ModCloth.  Its bride is far from the frumpy lady love of the lugubrious lug.  Instead, she's a va-va-voom vixen rocking a mini dress and an insouciant expression beside the age-old challenge of trick-or-treat.  So I snapped it up and tucked it away with high hopes for Halloween.

And now it's time to bust it out in a fit of candy-colored chaos.  Styling it with patterns and accessories a-plenty was more fun -- and freeing -- than wearing a costume.  Because it's still me -- only amplified.

It's what Mary Shelley would've wanted.

Well, that and the right to own property. 

Maroon Three and a Starless Tree: Christmas Under Construction

Skirt: Almost Famous, Kohl's

Deer Christmas Necklace

Bow: Target

Bag: Macy's

Top: Madden Girl, Kohl's

Shoes: Mix No. 6, DSW

Bag: LC Lauren Conrad, Kohl's

Dress: Timeless London, Modcloth

Barrettes: Michaels

Joy Soldier Necklace

Tights: Isadora, Zulily

Shoes: Madden Girl, Kohl's

Bag: Macy's; Ring: PinkBopp, Etsy

Sweater: Style & Co., Macy's

Kitsch Kringle Necklace

So here it is, December 10, and I managed to get some decorations up and even decorate myself.  I've said it before, and I'll say it again.  Having a baby makes you use your time wisely.  Well, that and no more sleeping in.  But enough of my mama drama.  I'm here to talk about this trio of maroon Christmas ensembles.  Every year, I challenge myself to come up with new festive fits.  I start with the traditional red and green, then see what I can do with other colors, accessories, and silhouettes to style fun looks.  For these three, I went with hints of Victorian vampire, '50s housewife, and '80s animal print.  In other words, the usual. 

On an unrelated note, last February the husband and I finally tossed our tree.  I still remember that Black Friday sixteen years ago when we bought it at Home Depot.  It was the only one left, a not-very-tall floor sample with a crooked top, but buying it made me feel so grown-up.  This year I ordered a bigger one (also on sale) from Michaels.  I thought that it had only colored lights, but when it arrived I was delighted to discover that it boasts half a dozen settings, including white, blinking white, colors, blinking colors, white and colors, and alternating blinking white and colors.  Needless to say, all those bells (lights?) and whistles made me feel even more grown-up.  And at the same time, also more childlike.  

The older I get, the younger I feel.  Which, Christmas or not, isn't such a bad deal. 😏🎄💖