Christmas Archives - Page 3 of 3

Feeling the Holiday Spirit

Red Cable Knit Sweater: Gap – similar here / Oxford Blouse: Express / Bow Tie: ASOS – similar with studs / Black Skinnies: ZARA / Black Suede Pumps: Cynthia Rowley / Watch: Coach / Bracelet: Bridesmaid Gift / Ring: Forever 21 / Pearl Earrings: Birthday Gift / Lip: MAC Venomous Villains Cruella de Vil Heartless

Photos by: Zack Notes

With the celebration of Chanukah last week, and Christmas only 8 days away, I am really starting to feel the holiday spirit! (if you couldn’t already tell by the red sweater and the bow) My holiday shopping is almost complete, and this week will be dedicated to wrapping and packing. I am currently trying to decide which Christmas movie favorite I am going to watch while doing so. Some contenders on the list are Love Actually and Elf, but I am open to suggestions, so fire away! Christmas tunes are blasting at the office, and we have our office luncheon scheduled for this Thursday. What are you doing to celebrate the season?

Happy Monday all!

XO,

Gina

{3} Lately…

Lately I’ve been…

reading Just finished Gone Girl, by Gillian Flynn this week. Holy intensity! I would definitely recommend. Also read the December issue of Health magazine. Hoping I actually listen to what I read and start eating a bit healthier and getting back into my work out ways. I’ve been a slacker. Back to the reading…trying to decide the next book to open…I think I am going to go back to the Harry Potter series now that I got the last four books from my sister-in-law. Nothing like a little magic around Christmastime.

writing Still writing my Christmas cards! Luckily, I was able to get most of them out this week. However, I miscounted how many I needed, so those of you at the beginning of the alphabet (I went backwards this year) might be a bit delayed! Oops!

listening Cazzette’s Beam Me Up. Nothing like a little alien take-over causing a city to erupt in dancing. This one’s for you Charles.

thinking About the Christmas shopping that I still have left to do.

smelling Christmas Cookie candle by Yankee Candle. Also loving the Warm Woolen Mittens scent.

wishing That my tummy would stop hurting! Stayed home from work yesterday mehhh.

hoping That the bridesmaid dress I pick up tomorrow for my cousin’s wedding fits me like a glove. Naturally being of my short stature, I needed some alterations. 😉

wearing Lots of layers. Although it hasn’t been incredibly cold so far this winter, I am forever frozen, and layers are a must in this city. Today I’m wearing black leggings with a blue tank. Black and white sweater overtop, with another multicolored sweater wrap over that. Topped off with my bright yellow winter coat and Steve Madden boots.

loving That the sun is shining right now! A lot better than the rain we have had as of late. Also loving that we are having some visitors this weekend. And a maid is coming to clean before they get here, so I don’t have to tear my hair out. Loving loving loving.

wanting World peace. Yes, that would be nice.

needing Constant reapplication of hand cream. The cold weather seems to dry my hands up so quickly! Right now I am using Simply Clean from ULTA.

feeling You ever have one of those moments when you just want to cry and you don’t really know why? Well that was me yesterday. Maybe it was a combo of being sick, stressed, hormones, who knows. But just broke down. Sad panda! For no obvious reason. I think it was just one of those days. Luckily, today I am in much better spirits, and looking forward to seeing friends this weekend.

clicking Through all the advertising trades this morning for news in the ad world.

What have you been up to lately?

Happy Friday!

Love,

Gina

***I was inspired by Tina of Like Ordinary Life to create this post, and she was inspired by Lauren of siddathornton, who started The Sunday Currently.

‘Tis The Season for Giving

‘Tis the season for giving! Since I already shared my holiday wish list, I thought I would provide some helpful ideas to think about when shopping for loved ones this year. I assume most of us have started at least perusing, but for those of you who haven’t quite gotten into the holiday spirit, maybe this inspiration board will give you a little jump start. Whether you are shopping for your mom, dad, husband, wife, best friend, or boss, I hope you can find something on this list your family and friends will enjoy.

For…

1. The Sister or Best Friend: Floral necklace from Baublebar

2. The Hipster: Nerd Glasses from boohoo.com

3. The Make-Up Hoarder: Urban Decay Naked 2 Eyeshadow Palette from Sephora

4. The Party Girl/Boy: Corkcicle from Uncommon Goods

5. Hostest with the Mostest: Darkest Night Red Wine Balloon Glass from Mikasa®

6. The Ski Bunny: Coal Creme Pom Pom Beanie Hat from Zumiez.com

7. The Sassy Girl: Essie Nail Polish from Target

8. The Bicyclist: RED Trace Audio Classic Helmet from Zumiez.com (Also works for skating, skiing, and snowboarding)

9. The Future Photographer: Vintage Toy Camera Onsie from Etsy

10. The Glamour Girl: MAC Russian Red Lipstick from Nordstom

11. The Dad, Hubby, or the Music Junkie: Big Blue Studio Wireless Bluetooth Speaker from Brookstone

12. For Sister or The Organizer: Kate Spade Wallet from Piperlime

13. The Mom, Grandma, or Someone Sweet: Amazing Grace Set from Philosophy

14. The Athlete: Pure Balance Water Bottle from Lululemon (made of glass covered in silicone, so no BPA!)

15. The Boss: Steve Jobs Biography from Barnes and Noble

16. The Tea Drinker: Breville Ikon Electric Tea Kettle from Gracious Home

17. The Cold Weather City Dweller: Volcom Earmuffs from Swell

18. The Coffee Addict or The Comedian: Mustache Mug from Customized Girl

Happy Shopping!

XO,

Gina

O Christmas Tree

Ta da!!!

We finally got our Christmas tree up! We had to get a smaller one this year due to living room space. Last year, our couch had not yet been delivered, and we got the biggest most beautiful tree. While this one may not measure up in terms of looks, this year’s tree is definitely quirky and unique. Dressed up in all the colorful lights and special ornaments, we have made this tree our own for 2012. Take a peek and spread the holiday cheer!

Before:

After:

Next on the list: writing my Christmas cards! Can you tell I kinda like Christmas? Just a little? The Christmas cards will have to wait ’til after the weekend though, because this girl is headed to Atlantic City. Girls weekend here I come!

Hope you all have a fabulous weekend as well!

XO,

Gina

{2} Lately…

Lately I’ve been…

reading Just finished the November issue of Marie Claire. Started Gone Girl, by Gillian Flynn this morning on the Subway. I have heard so many amazing things about this book, and I cannot wait to get intoxicated by it!

writing I wrote my to-do list at the beginning of the week with tons of chores and errands to be completed since returning from the Thanksgiving holiday. So far, I have been very good at checking things off the list. Hope to check a few more things off tonight before my trip this weekend.

listening Anything and everything on XM’s Channel 51 BPM station. I can’t seem to want to turn the station…ever. Makes me want to dance. Yes, even in the car.

thinking About some different collaborations and blog posts that I may want to do in the future.

smelling My morning coffee…although it is now afternoon.

wishing That I wasn’t going to miss seeing my mother-in-law this weekend when she comes to town. Yes, I actually like my mother-in-law, and we get along wonderfully. Had a blast with her and the rest of the Notes clan over Thanksgiving, and wish I wasn’t going to miss out on her visit to town.

hoping That the Mayans were incorrect and that the world is not actually going to end in three weeks. I still have a lot of bucket list adventures to complete!

wearing Today I’m wearing black skinny jeans, long sleeved black tee with purple/fuchsia sweater dress, combat boots, and a pink skinny headband. On nights out I can’t seem to get enough of my navy peplum top from ASOS that you saw here.

loving The fact that my Christmas tree is finally up! To my utter delight, the deli on Courtelyou got trees this week. We quickly snatched one up and drove it home (wow feels nice to say we didn’t need to cab it home). We then proceeded to trim the tree and decorate the house all while blasting holiday tunes. Keep your eyes peeled for a post complete with photos soon. ‘Tis the season!

wanting A Hippopotamus for Christmas. Only a hippopotamus will do. Okay, so maybe not really. But while most may find this Christmas song obnoxious, I sure do love it! It makes me think of my cousins on Christmas Eve, and obviously I cannot get it out of my head at the moment. Probably because I keep playing it on repeat.

needing Lunch. My tummy is a grumbling. Hmm…I’m getting tired of the same old Murray Hill lunch options. Any one have any favorites in town?

feeling Excited for tomorrow! After work, I will be driving down to Atlantic City to celebrate my cousin, Alex’s, bachelorette! Looking forward to a much need girl’s weekend including my other cousin, Marisa, and my sister, Angela. The Fab Four reunite. Woot woot!

clicking Through a few different animation studios’ websites. Doing some research for potential new clients and new talent.

What have you been up to lately?

Happy Thursday!

Love,

Gina

***I was inspired by Tina of Like Ordinary Life to create this post, and she was inspired by Lauren of siddathornton, who started The Sunday Currently.

Meet Finley

Meet Finley…my new nephew pup! My sister and her boyfriend went to Deep Creek Lake for the weekend to celebrate Thanksgiving with his family, so Mom, Dad, Zack, and I got to meet and spend lots of quality time with this little guy over the weekend. Isn’t he precious? Besides, being ridiculously handsome, I found that Finley was actually quite smart! At only 9 weeks, he was sitting, shaking paw and other paw. By the end of the weekend, Zack had taught him to play fetch, and I had taught him to go up and down the stairs. I was very impressed. I am missing this little snuggle bug already.

Long Sleeved Tee: J. Crew / Knit Sweater: ZARA / Jeans: Seven for All Mankind / Boots: Kohls / Necklace: H&M / Watch: Coach / Skull Chain Bracelet: Oia Jules / Ring & Earrings: Passed down from Grandmother / Lip: Lancome All Done Up

Photos by: Zack Notes

We had a wonderful Thanksgiving holiday weekend with our friends and family in Maryland complete with a potluck dinner with friends, two family Thanksgivings, a lunch date with a friend, a trip to DC to celebrate my cousin’s 21st birthday, a jam session with the Notes fam, and of course playing endlessly with little Finley.

We returned to Brooklyn last night and ate the famous DiFara Pizza for dinner which definitely hit the spot. Not that we really needed pizza after all the feasting, but we didn’t have any food in the fridge, so it is what it is. We also tried to honor our tradition of picking up the Christmas tree when we got back to NY, but unfortunately, our local spots did not have any trees yet. I’m hoping the trees will arrive by at least mid week so I can get started on my decorating!

Hope you all have a fantastic week!

XO,

Gina

Lately…

I was inspired by Tina of Like Ordinary Life to create this post, and she was inspired by Lauren of siddathornton, who started The Sunday Currently.

Well, today is Friday, and this is called Lately…but it’s pretty much along the same lines. Thanks for the inspiration ladies!

Lately I’ve been…

reading “Little Princes” by Connor Grennan – one man’s promise to bring home the lost children of Nepal. So far it’s really good!

writing Christmas lists galore! My holiday wish list, list of ideas for others, list for my Christmas cards, etc.

listening Yes, I am already listening to Christmas music. So sue me. I can’t help it if the first song that came on Pandora was ‘NSync’s “I Never Knew the Meaning of Christmas.” And I don’t hate it.

thinking That I am super tired today because of a long busy week, and looking forward to relaxing tonight. And that I feel bad about missing a birthday celebration tonight, but I’m just that run down.

smelling The Juicy Couture perfume I put on this morning.

wishing That I had more time for personal projects.

hoping To take a photography class this winter and work on some household DIY projects since we won’t have to travel as much this season.

wearing Gray denim skinny jeans with yellow and white striped 3/4 sleeved tee, Steve Madden boots, and a navy, yellow, and white striped cardigan. Casual Friday.

loving My hubby! We just celebrated 8 years of being together yesterday, and it’s been a year and a half that we have been married. Our weekend is jam packed, but planning a date night for Monday. Love him 🙂

wanting The annual Pollard Potluck to get here already! For those that don’t know what this is, it’s a potluck dinner followed by a crazy night with all my besties from high school in Maryland that we have been doing for 5 years on the night before Thanksgiving. Because clearly one Thanksgiving is not enough.

needing A nap. After a crazy week with no sleep including a Madonna concert that didn’t go on until 10:50pm (totally worth it) and a late soccer game last night, I am dead tired.

feeling That I’m happy it’s Friday! Looking forward to the weekend. Relaxing tonight to catch up on much needed sleep, a birthday brunch and bar crawl celebration on Saturday, catching up housework since my house has been neglected this past week, and coaching the kiddies at b-ball on Sunday.

clicking Through all my favorite fashion blogs for style inspiration!

What have you been up to lately?

Happy Weekend Everyone! 🙂

Love,

Gina