2011 in Pictures

January

February

March

April

May

June

July

August

September

October

November

December

From graduation to moving to my new job and new friends, 2011 has been one for the books.

Bring it, 2012!

Friday's Fancies: New Years Eve!

Happy Friday!

I have been waiting and waiting for today to come (and go) so that 1) I can participate in this fun Friday's Fancies theme from {av}'s awesome blog; 2) I leave work early today; 3) Andrew returns tomorrow; and 4) I am pumped to sport some sequins whilst poppin' champagne cheering on 2012.

Here's an outfit I would LOVE to own and show off tomorrow night.

Friday's Fancies: New Years Eve! by mkrulia featuring amrita singh jewelry

I love the classy look of this outfit accompanied by the impressive bling that I will never afford in this lifetime.

Here are some pins that are inspiring my outfit for tomorrow's party. As you can probably tell I'm going with a sequin skirt and a blouse:

Source: Uploaded by user via Mary on Pinterest

Source: theglitterguide.tumblr.com via Mary on Pinterest

Source: google.com via Mary on Pinterest

I'm not exactly sure how I'll style the skirt yet, so please do me a favor and give me some tips keeping in mind that I'm short and packed on holiday weight! Go over to {av}'s blog to see other glittery creations!

DIY Christmas!

Happy Thursday! This post is three-fold: sassy, glassy, and crafty!

First, here's a sassy picture for your Thursday as all of us sassy gals dream up NYE outfits:

Source: whentiffanysmetcasablanca.tumblr.com via Mary on Pinterest

Second, I got new glasses! I went with the ones on the right:

Third, before December comes to a close, I had to dedicate a post to all of the projects I put together this season. I didn't have (read: make) time for Christmas cards this year, but what I lacked in doing unto others I made up for by doing unto...making my apartment pretty. And for gifts. I'm not a total brat.

If you remember, my Christmas spirit was through the roof after Andrew and my spontaneous evening to the Christkindl Market and show. Then my book club had a festive cookie party, where, among the many treats, I made the below Santa hat brownies inspired by a pin on Pinterest, and another lady made the cute cookies below:

Then I received the garb for my Ugly Christmas Sweater party. I love that I bought this vest from an Etsy store devoted to tacky sweaters!

Then came the glitter:
And, finally, the DIY projects.

Our tree, bought on the day of the party, decked in the same ornaments from the DC tree my roommate and I decorated together every year:

Ornaments and ribbon in a shadow box, another Pinterest-inspired project:

Ornaments in our coffee table decoration, placed there mainly because I didn't have anywhere else to put them and they were from the Target $1 bin so I had to use them:

Potpourri pine cones and ribbon in an unused flower vase:

Another Pinterest idea, putting ornaments on a curtain rod. It was Andrew's amazing idea to put it above the mantel!

Our complete mantel:

And last but not least, the coasters I made for Andrew's parents, my parents, my sister and brother-in-law, and my brother and his fiance. I got the idea from this post on The Shine Project:

They were a huge success! Sure I bought the tile from Home Depot, and sure they weighed down my suitcase, and OK fine when I sprayed the gloss finish the fumes seriously stunk up my entire building, but hey: it was totally worth it, and (in my mind) completely justified not sending Christmas cards.

Wishful Wednesday

Happy Wednesday! I'm counting down to 2012, but before the ball drops I have a few posts to round out '11. I'm not wishing for anything this Wednesday. Instead, I am thankful for a very blessed Christmas. The highlight? My brilliant and fabulous 15-month old niece said my name! Right before the picture below, everyone around her was saying "Mary" or "Aunt Mary" and she copied it by saying "Mawy":

I kind of shed a small tear when I heard her say my name. And then I yelled at everyone to brag that she said my name. And yes I have a bow on my head. Jealous?

Sure Santa was glorious to me. Remember this Wishful Wednesday post when I drooled over this watch? Well, Santa listened!

I am incredibly thankful for the beautiful things under the tree of course, but being home to capture moments like this? Priceless.

In case you're wondering as you look at the above picture, the answer to your question is "yes." Yes, you can be blissfully entertained by a toddler going around to everyone in the room showing them where their noses are.

There are perks to living in a city and having family to visit across the country, but let me tell you: it never gets easier to say goodbye.

What are you wishing for (or thankful for?) this Wednesday? Share in the comments! :)

Little Bit of Class Tuesday and Christmas Train!!!

Hi there, loves!

Sorry it's been a while. I read how a bunch of you are taking a blog holiday hiatus, so I figured that not posting for a week is permissible. I have a bunch of catch-up to do on this classy Tuesday, but I will distribute all of my content over the next few days. First, of course, here's your weekly dose of class via my Pinterest "Classy" board.

Source: polyvore.com via Mary on Pinterest

Source: weheartit.com via Mary on Pinterest

Source: thehighheeledhostess.com via Mary on Pinterest

The outfit, the hair, the Audrey...I'm inspired. I hope you are, too.

Now on to my first in a series of holiday posts. This is dedicated to the Chicago Christmas Train!!!

Every year the CTA transforms an average train into a completely decked-out holiday sleigh! It ran on certain days during the Christmas season, each day on a different train line. Andrew knew how much I wanted to see it so he followed the online schedule for me since I am lazy and he is sweet. It worked out one day that the train would go through a stop on my way home from work. I waited for about 20 minutes for a few trains to pass, probably making people around me think I'm weird for hanging out at the train stop. I kept tweeting about it and as it got closer to arrival I noticed that the platform got more crowded.

When, what to my wondering eyes should appear, a sparkly train with people grinning ear to ear!

I had it in my head that if it was too crowded I would let it pass, but once I heard the carols I simply couldn't pass it up!

The train was covered from floor to ceiling in decorations. The seats had new festive upholstery and all of the advertisements were transformed into Christmas jokes and warm wishes from the CTA crew.

Everyone on the train was smiling, even though it was packed tighter than trains post-Cubs games. I loved to listen to the music as we passed through each station.

Eventually the train became less and less crowded, and the people on the platforms at every station kept snapping pictures. Maureen even saw the train at the Fullterton stop, saw my Instagram pics, and texted me! Great timing!

When the train pulled into my stop I was sad to leave, but excited to see Santa! Plus, all of the lights on the train look really cool from the outside stations!

In place of the center car was Santa himself, ho-ho-ho-ing all the way down the Red Line!

This train sure put me in the Christmas spirit. I spoke with a few passengers who said they have lived in Chicago for years and years and have never seen the train. I feel so lucky to not only have seen the train, but also RODE in it in my first year here! I called Andrew and my parents on my walk home from the station, bouncing with excitement! It was amazing!!!