*Shari's Berries provided the treats featured in this post. All opinions are my own*

A few weeks ago, the folks over at Shari's Berries emailed to ask if I would be interested in hosting a Valentine's Day get together with my friends, aka 'Pal'entine's Day! Obviously, since I love desserts, I said yes. I figured the best time to have this little gathering was on my trip to Orlando with friends Kat, Kristen, Leah, Zack and Eric. Yes, we celebrated a little early, but who doesn't love chocolate any day of the year?! And the great thing about 'Pal'entine's Day is you can celebrate any time you want!

Often times, singles get depressed around Valentine's Day. I'm the opposite. I actually enjoy hanging around by myself watching movies and eating chocolate. BUT, I have to say, doing that with friends was just as good! We took over a little section of the Cabana Bay Beach Resort in Orlando, complete with red chairs (perfect for the occasion) and feasted on the delicious treats.

The love bugs and conversation heart pops were by far the most popular items with the chocolate covered strawberries and sea salt caramels following close behind! We saved our cheesecakes for another night, but those went like wildfire too! The only disappointment was with the shortbread cookies. While they were adorable, the taste didn't measure up to the rest of the treats, which felt like they were painstakingly created. We found them a little hard and bland. Overall the food is amazing and I would love to try all of Shari's Berries offerings!



Here's the best picture of the night, who wouldn't want to be surrounded by such lovely girls ;) (I may be biased.)

Our friend Eric was stuck in his hotel room while we were living it up, so we made sure to save some snacks for him. He really enjoyed the Love Bug Brownie Pop!


Come back tomorrow for the start of my vacation outfits!

A lot of my outfits start with shoes. I pick out a pair of shoes that I think need some more love and plan an outfit around it. With these shoes I decided to pair them with burnt orange for an interesting color combo! Topped off with an oversized cardigan, as is my habit and you have a super comfortable look! The dress and cardigan combo may have worked better with heels since I'm on the shorter side, but I still like the way this came out.

Dress: Marc by Marc Jacobs c/o Marshalls, Cardigan: Lauren by Ralph Lauren (Lord & Taylor), Flats c/o Joie, Necklace: Grandma's

Do you ever have outfits that you aren't sure they look good? Well this is that kind of outfit. I like the top part (minus the wrong color blue tee, I don't have a navy or orange!) but the tights and boots are throwing it off for me. But, as it's Winter, I had to cover my legs somehow and black/brown tights wouldn't have worked and I have misplaced my navy ones! Darn! But, here I am, sharing the outfit. At least I made good on wearing these boots more often!

The neighbors were outside when I was going to take my photos so I decided to just take them inside. Like my Sword in the Stone poster? One of my favorite Disney movies!

Tee: Everlane, Sweater: Tory Burch (TJ Maxx), Skirt: Old Navy, Boots: Chloe (Roundabout Resale)

I'm not usually one for over the top gowns, but how gorgeous are all of these Valentino Pre-Fall 2015 looks?! Some are obviously more wearable than others. For example, the beautiful black dress with leather detailing - to die for! I might have to recreate this look with my light wide leg free people jeans, can definitely get a similar vibe!

UPDATE: stuck in Florida until tomorrow because of the latest storm. At least Mother Nature is being kind after making me miss the first day of my trip. But it also means I'm missing more work, not good! Cross your fingers that my flight goes out tomorrow!

I'm home from my trip to Florida! This outfit is from before I left, but hopefully I'm finishing this week with regular outfit posts, but starting next week it's Florida outfits!

This outfit is full of animals! A (faux) fur vest, snakeskin textured jeans, snakeskin print shirt AND leopard print loafers. I may have gone a bit overboard, but it kind of works, right?!

Top: Altuzarra for Target, Faux Fur Vest: French Connection (Marshalls), Jeans: Jolt (Marshalls), Flats c/o Joie

Happy February!! Today is my last day in Florida, so sad! I must admit it will be nice to go home and back to my routine of watching TV and snacking all by myself. Ha ha.  But it was good to be around people for the past week since I'm usually a hermit.

I've had to limit my wears of these jeans lately. I wore them SO often for a while that they started to stretch out a lot and when I washed them to get their old shape back they faded a little. So I need to be more careful if i want them to last. Might have to find a backup pair on eBay; let the hunt begin!

Sweater: Madewell, Jeans: Mother c/o Marshalls, Flats: Chanel (Roundabout Resale), Necklace: was Mom's, Watch c/o Movado

I'm still on vacation in Florida, but here's my wardrobe update for the month!

I went a little crazy this month with 5 new items. One was my DKNY sweater from Net-a-Porter's End of Season sale (see it in a post here). Then I got a gorgeous suede jacket from TJ Maxx. Finally, Piperlime had 60% off all their sale items so I took the opportunity to buy a few tank tops. Only worn one so far.


THE RULES

1. Just five seven standout pieces per season.
2. Quality over quantity.
3. Basics don’t count.
4. Accessories don’t count, unless you’re spending a lot more than usual.
5. Socks and underwear don’t count.
6. Shoes do count.

MY PROGRESS

Part of my Seven:

1. Altuzarra for Target Embroidered Pleated Georgette Dress ($54.99)
2. J.Crew Embellished Intarsia Llama Sweater ($44, J.Crew Factory)
3. J.Crew Intarsia Reindeer Sweater ($44, J.Crew Factory)
4. Marc by Marc Jacobs 'Pyo' Sweater ($66, Saks Off 5th)
5. *NEW!* DKNY Oversized striped knitted cardigan ($94, Net-a-Porter End of Season Sale)

Basics: 

1. Ella Moss Vest in gray via Marshalls ($79.99, paid with gift card)
2. Altuzarra for Target Python long sleeve shirt ($19.99)
3. August Silk Sweater via Marshalls (birthday gift)
4. Midnight by Carole Hochman pajamas (also available here) via Marshalls (birthday gift)
5. Banana Republic ($19.50 at the Factory Store) 
6. Elie Tahari for Design Nation jacket c/o Kohl's 
7. Everlane Box Cut Tee - Aquamarine ($5 after coupon)
8. Everlane V - Muted Black ($5 after coupon) 
9. Everlane The Cotton Heather U-neck (Christmas Gift)
10. Everlane The Cotton U-neck - Slate (Christmas Gift)
11. Everlane The Fall Seed Stitch Raglan - Cool Gray (Christmas Gift)
12.  Cocogio Cardigan (Christmas Gift)
13. *NEW! Lauren by Ralph Lauren Blue Suede Jacket via TJ Maxx ($80 after gift card)
14. *NEW!*  Tinley Road Indigo Tank via Piperlime ($5.99)
15. *NEW!* Daniel Rainn Velvet Burnout Top via Piperlime ($15.99)

Shoes:

1. Coach 'Nacie' pump via Marshalls ($69, paid with gift card)
2. Cole Haan 'Minetta' Sandal via Amazon ($74, paid with gift card)
3. Vince Camuto Ankle Boot via Marshalls (birthday gift) 
4. Naot 'Yama' Shoe (c/o)

Accessories:

1. Movado Bold Watch c/o Lucky & Movado
2. Kendra Scott Naomi Double Ring (c/o)
3. Marrin Costello Pearl Crescent Necklace [$66 after coupon, not available online yet] 
4. Lo & Sons "O.G. Bag" ($236 after coupon code) 
5. Marc by Marc Jacobs silver ring ($24, TJ Maxx)

Exempt items:  [gifted items from brands or family members that would normally fall under my standout pieces]

• Philosophy Top c/o Marshalls ($19.99)
• For Cynthia Sweater c/o Marshalls ($16.99)  
• Tory Burch Cardigan via TJ Maxx (birthday gift)
• *NEW!* Eight Sixty Florence Double Vee Tank via Piperlime ($11.99, not counting because it's more Summery...I know, cheating!)

A couple weekends ago I took a last minute trip to New York City for brunch with friends.  I wanted to wear this camisole I got during Piperlime's 60% off sale sale (only $12!) but it was going to be quite chilly. So I wore a suede jacket and topped it off with a leopard coat. I took these photos at about 8:30am so I forgot to take a quick shot with the jacket - oops! I also broke a fashion "rule" and wore black and navy together, but it totally worked!

Luckily it wasn't too cold so after brunch a few of us walked through Central Park to head back to our respective locations. Grand Central for me! I was only in the city for 4 hours, and my travel time was 3.5 hours. Sometimes you have to sacrifice time for fun! :)  Right when I got home I headed out to dinner with all my cousins, so it was truly a whirlwind day!

Camisole: Eight Sixty (Piperlime), Jacket: Lauren by Ralph Lauren (Marshalls), Jeans: Current/Elliott (The Outnet), Boots: Vince Camuto (Marshalls), Necklace: House of Harlow c/o South Moon Under, Bag: Gianni Notaro (Marshalls)