12 Days of Christmas - Day 4

I love being home in the cold. I can complain about the weather as much as the next person, but secretly I love it. The cold makes it feel like Christmas time and gives you a reason to come inside and have some hot cider, red wine, or a pumpkin spice latte. Plus the cold gives you the perfect excuse to wear adorable sweaters!

This is a 70s reindeer sweater that I just got at a vintage pop-up shop in LA. The owner of the shop had at least a half dozen more amazing reindeer sweaters. I wanted to buy them all. She has an online shop. There is not too much on it yet, but I am hoping it might get updated over the holidays. I'm considering splurging on one of the 1980s Abercrombie & Fitch sweaters from back when Abercrombie was a hunting goods store.

A red beauty on Keiko Lynn.

A matching cap and sweater on Alix.

And for those of us who don't mind spending loads of money on our Christmas sweaters, Net-a-Porter has some nice options. (Clockwise from top left: 1, 2, 3, 4.) If I had a few hundred extra dollars sitting around, I would definitely snap up the sweaters on the left. They are both so ski-lodge-chic!

12 Days of Christmas - Day 3

Today is all about the trees!

Beautiful trees in the wilderness from A Day That is Dessert.

My family's Christmas tree! I think it looks so mysterious with all the lights out. I'll be sure to post pictures of some of our best ornaments close up later.

Adorable little decorations on a window sill make me think of a cold day spent in bed, reading a good book, and gazing out the window every now and then. Courtesy of BrydieBrown.

A Christmas tree centerpiece with some chestnuts? walnuts? from Home Biba.

The magnificent tree in the new wing of Longwood Gardens. It must have been almost 50 feet tall!

12 Days of Christmas - Day 2

I went to the Biltmore's tree lighting ceremony this year, which was well done. Lots of free eggnog, hot cider, and hand decorated gingerbread cookies. It was also my first time in the hotel, which is lovely. It's a great way to kick off the season. I'll definitely go back next year.

The classiness of the Biltmore puts me in the mood to dress up for cocktail parties and nights on the town in sparkly outfits. This one that Alix from Cherry Blossom Girl makes me swoon.

Also the Biltmore's decorations inspired me to try harder with mine next year. The wreaths from Terrain are lovely. Maybe I will invest in one!

12 Days of Christmas - Day 1

I love the holidays. All the wonderful decorations, food, parties, and the natural beauty of winter create so many images I want to share.

Downtown Los Angeles. The corner at 4th and Main is so well decorated.


Amsterdam. Via Pia Jane Bijerk.

The Thanksgiving centerpiece at my parent's house surrounded by wine and homemade eggnog (whipped up by my brother and I).

A bike with great Christmas spirit! From Whiskey Soaked Cherries, via Wit & Delight. (I am always so inspired by Wit & Delight.)

The Christmas train set at the Brandywine River Museum. I caught one of the trains as it wizzed by the miniture tree farm!

Zanzibar in San Diego

A great recommendation from a friendly bartender led my boyfriend and I to check out this restaurant on our first night in San Diego. The place is wonderful. It has an eclectic menu. You can order slightly fancier/more substantive meals, like steak or lamb. You can order simpler meals, like fish and chips or fish tacos (my choice). Then, there is a solid list of sandwiches and burgers.


The execution of the food was good, but left a little to be desired. As I said, I got the fish tacos. The fish was cooked pretty well, and the toppings it came with are great. In particular, there was a hot pepper on the side that was very well done. I think it was pickled and roasted? It put my boyfriend's taste buds to the test! If there was a failing in the tacos, it was that it did not come with any pico de gallo or similar salsa. It did have some great guacamole, but I missed the freshness that salsa adds to a dish. My boyfriend got the pastrami rueben, since that is a combination of two of his favorite foods. The filing of the sandwich was fantastic, but the bread was too crunchy so that it scratched the top of your mouth.

One thing that Zanzibar did absolutely perfectly was its drink flights. Jeremy got the flight of beers. Although, to be honest, it's hard to mess up pouring 3 small glasses of beer. I got the flight of mimosas. They had about 6 or 7 flavors you could choose from. I chose the pomegranate, peach, and strawberry. Each one was more delicious than the last. I would definitely go back just for the champagne cocktails.


Outside of what we ordered for dinner, Zanzibar seems to have a lot going for it. The service was great. Our waitress had the unique quality of instantly making us feel like we were old friends. The decor is relaxed and warm, but not overdone. There is a market area attached to the restaurant, which serves up cheese, sweets, and pre-made foods. I was particularly interested in the sweets. There was an old-school lollipop stand. I haven't seen a stand like that outside of the local orchard near my parents house, and the stand was filled with lollipop flavors that I don't think I have ever seen. I didn't end up getting any of those lollipops on this trip, but I'm determined to make it back in the near future so that I can try more mimosa flavors and a lollipop.

Ebay Find

In addition to finding that awesome beard hat on Etsy, I have also found two pairs of shoes on Ebay that I am lusting after. Whenever I cruise Ebay, I always have certain shoes in mind that I know I will buy if they are my size and a good deal. Right now there happen to be 2 pairs of shoes that I have been scouting for, but alas! I cannot buy them. One is my size but has already surpassed my budget. The other has been up for auction twice, has not sold, and is now discounted to $180. It is a great deal! But it is 3 sizes too big for me. Since neither of these shoes are destined to belong to me, I feel a desire to share them with you.

1) Marni Chrome Wedges, Size 9, $179 + $15 in shipping.

Here is a picture of Jane Aldridge from Sea of Shoes wearing the same shoes.



2. Miu Miu Cork and Leather Wedges, Size 6, $350 (current bid as of time of posting)

Here is a picture from Net-a-Porter, where these beauties have been sold out since before summer started!

Etsy Treasure

I know I've been a delinquent blogger. My internship ends next week. I've been trying to line up interviews. I had to make a ton of travel plans back on the east coast. Friends who I hadn't seen in years came to visit. There's just been a lot going on. So I probably won't get to write a meaningful post until this weekend. In the mean time, enjoy this fantastic winter "hat" I found on Etsy. Some people are so creative. Perhaps, you can take this chance to stock up on a Christmas gift for the man in your life.