Merry Christmas!

Wishing a very Merry Christmas to you all! I hope it's filled with happiness & laughter and spent with your family and friends. :)

Gift Guide: The Guys

Every year around the holidays I hear the same thing: guys are the hardest ones to shop for! Today I've put together two men's gift guides for you - one with gifts under $100 and one with gifts over $100. I tried to choose items that would appeal to a variety of guys so you can find something for every man on your shopping list. Let me know what you think of my picks in the comments below, and happy shopping!

Gift Guide: A Bit of Whimsy

For the girl who loves all things whimsical, magical, charming, quirky and unique, I've put together a guide filled with gifts that are sure to make her smile. :) Let me know which gift is your favorite in the comments below!

Gift Guide: Cozy Chic

There's nothing I love more than being cozy at home, snuggled up in warm blankets with my favorite candles lit, drinking tea and reading a good book. Any time I have a free night to myself, I spend it like this:

I like to infuse a bit of luxury into my nights at home: silk and satin slips instead of old sweats; faux fur blankets for warmth; super soft tall cashmere socks. Surrounding myself with pretty, soft things always makes me feel content, comfortable and relaxed. That was the inspiration for today's gift guide, which is filled with cozy chic pieces that won't break the bank. Sometimes a little added luxury to our downtime is just what we deserve but don't always treat ourselves to, which is why these gifts are perfect for all the ladies on your shopping list {or for yourself!}

Gift Guide: The Hostess

I hope that today's gift guide can help you out in two ways: 1) to buy hostess gifts for the people whose holiday parties you are attending but may not know that well, and 2) to buy a gift for your friend whose apartment is *the* place to hang out and who loves having people over, no matter what the occasion. All of these gifts are super affordable and perfect for the "hostess with the mostess" who is always entertaining!

Gift Guide: The Animal Lover

Today's gift guide is for the girl who loves animals! Cats, dogs, elephants, owls...I have them {almost} all covered. There are so many cute animal themed gifts out there that I couldn't narrow it down! Let me know which gift ideas you like best in the comments below.

Kate Spade 'Black Cat' iPhone 5 case - $45

Jonathan Adler salt & pepper shakers - $48

Love Stories velvet cat sleep mask - $29

SNURK 'Photorealistic' duvet & pillowcase - $80. {how cool is this duvet with the printed cat sleeping on it?!}

C.Wonder 'Kitty' cheese board - $38

Betsey Johnson cat clutch - $58

Gift Guide: Subscription Boxes

Although they may not immediately come to mind when you're out doing your holiday shopping, subscription services for clothing, jewelry and beauty products are gifts that keep on giving past Hanukkah or Christmas day! Because the lucky recipient gets a new box once a month (and sometimes more frequently depending on the service!) they are surprised each time they open up their newest package. I gifted my mother and sister each a year's subscription to Birchbox last Christmas and they were always excited to see what products would come in the mail for them each month. It's also a great way for them to discover new brands and see what they like. Today I'm sharing 4 of my favorite subscription services that would make great holiday gifts for the ladies in your life - I've personally tried out all of them so I can recommend them with confidence!

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1. Le Tote is essentially Netflix for clothes, carrying tons of products from amazing brands like House of Harlow, French Connection, BCBG, Sanctuary, BB Dakota, Kensie, Karen Zambos, and Splendid. For $49/month, you get a box filled with 3 clothing items and 2 accessories that can be swapped out as often as you like. You also have the opportunity to keep any pieces you fall in love with for a discounted price. I've styled numerous Le Tote pieces in my outfit posts - just type Le Tote in the search bar to the right to see! With the gift card, you can give 2, 3, 6 or 12 month subscriptions to the ladies in your life! {PS: if you're interested in signing up for a subscription for yourself, you can use my coupon code CUPCAKESNCOUTURE30 to save 30% off your first month!}

Gift Guide: The Beauty Junkie

Today's gift guide is for the beauty junkie: the girl who can never have enough products, whose skin always looks fantastic, who never leaves the house without trendiest manicure, and who can't choose just one signature scent because there are way too many good ones out there. We all know someone like this, and luckily for us, she's super easy to shop for! All of these gifts are beauty junkie approved, and some of them even make perfect stocking stuffers! What will you be buying for the beauty junkie in your life?

Gift Idea: Victorinox Chrono Classic 1/100 Watch

Happy Monday! I hope you all had a great weekend. I know it feels early, but with November more than halfway over, it's that time of year to start thinking about your holiday shopping! Guys are always the hardest to shop for, so I'm kicking off my holiday gift ideas with the new Chrono Classic 1/100 watch from Victorinox.

The Chrono Classic 1/100 is modern interpretation of Victorinox's best selling chronograph watch, which was based on the famous Swiss Army knife. The new 1/100 is a "three step" watch: it can read hours, minutes and seconds down to 1/100th of a second. A simple click of the crown transitions the watch from time mode chrono mode, making it simple to use despite its complex inner workings. The video below shows you how it's done!

Lately on Instagram...

I hope you all had a great weekend! I wanted to share some of this past month's Instagram photos and let you all know what I've been up to lately...

I visited Fenway when it was all decorated for the holidays...

went to a fun charity event with my friends Cordy and Ashley...

Shopping List: Post-Christmas

I hope you all had a fantastic Christmas! I didn't make a Christmas wish list this year - to be honest, I didn't think enough about what I wanted and just asked for money or gift cards instead. But now that Christmas has passed and I'm about to get my holiday bonus from work (yay!), I've put together a shopping list of some things I might spend my money on. Will you be doing any post-Christmas shopping?

Design Inspiration: Christmas Trees

Happy Christmas Eve, everyone! I hope you all have a wonderful holiday and enjoy spending time with family and friends. Here are some of my favorite Christmas trees to celebrate the season :) Which is your favorite?

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Design Inspiration: Christmas Fireplaces

'Tis the season for beautifully decorated fireplaces and mantles! These photos are so inspiring and show all of the creative ways you can decorate your for Christmas. Mason jars filled with candy, colorful candles, handmade garlands, gilded accents and rustic lanterns...the possibilities really are endless. How do you decorate your fireplace for Christmas?

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Gift Guide: Cocoanuts Boston

Last week I had the opportunity to attend a holiday blogger event at Cocoanuts in Boston's North End! Cocoanuts is a gourmet sweet treat boutique that features tons of local artisans as well as high quality, unique products from other states in the US. {I attended their Valentine's event last year if you want to check that post out!}

Tara, one of the co-owners, started off the night by showing us how to put together some fun plates and displays for our holiday parties - I never would have thought of creating a plate with french macarons, broken up pieces of toffee and chocolate covered almonds all together, but it was so delicious and visually stunning! She also highlighted a few great gift baskets to bring to the hostesses of the parties we're attending - they are sure to make a good impression!

Chocolate Peppermint Mini Tartelettes

These minty chocolate treats are absolutely perfect for Christmas! I made them last week for my office cookie swap and they were a hit. After I made the raspberry tartelettes for my friend's going away party and loved both the simple prep time and the taste, I decided to switch up the ingredients to turn these into a holiday treat. Try them out and enjoy!! :)

PS: I FINALLY sat down, went through all of my photos from Paris and made an online album last night. Click here to see all of my trip photos!

Gift Guide: WTF Do I Get Her?

There's always that girl you need to buy a Christmas present for and have zero idea what to get. She's the coworker that you got stuck with in the office gift swap but have never actually spoken to before, your sister-in-law who may or may not hate you, your friend's friend who is hosting you at one of her big holiday parties or your cousin who you see only two times a year. You have a vague idea of what she might like, but since you don't know her that well, you're left thinking, "WTF do I get her?!"

I'm hoping to alleviate some of these WTF thoughts with my gift guide below - each idea is under $75 and covers a broad range of interests, so you're sure to find something she will like! {I'm hoping this list helps some of the clueless guys out there too...please do pass it along to them. :) }

Let me know which idea is your favorite in the comments below.

Friday Inspiration: Quotes I Love

Twinkle, twinkle little tree... how I wonder...uh... Anyway, Google+ "auto-awesomed" this photo I uploaded of my Christmas tree earlier in the week to make it twinkle...isn't it so neat?! *mind blown.*

I hope you all have a great weekend - I am off to a friend's bowling birthday party tonight and a charity event on Saturday where I'm bringing a few toys for needy kids this holiday season. What are you all up to?

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Gift Guide: Jouer Cosmetics Holiday Collection

Happy Thursday ladies! You probably know by now that I'm a huge fan of Jouer Cosmetics, so I'm excited that they've launched a fabulous collection for the holidays this year. They were kind enough to send me two different holiday products to share with you so I wanted to highlight them today because I think they make great Christmas gifts!

Here is the entire collection, which you can find on their website and in Nordstrom and Henri Bendel stores.

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Lately on Instagram...

Happy Monday everyone - I hope you all had a great weekend! I wanted to share some of my recent Instagram photos to let you know what I've been up to lately. Hope you enjoy them!

PS - you still have time to enter my Salem Style scarf giveaway!!

I spent Thanksgiving at my mum's house and spent time with my family...

love my cat print dress from LeTote

Lately on Instagram...

Hi everyone! I hope you all had a fabulous New Year! I wanted to share a few of my photos from the past couple of weeks, including Christmas, New Year's Eve and everything in between! :) What have you been up to lately?

sometimes a night in on the couch with your cat and a view

of the Christmas tree is all you really need! :)

Christmas Eve celebrations at my mother's house with my sister Jill!

enjoying a few mimosas on Christmas morning with my sister and mum