It's Time To Party, What Will You Be Wearing?

From left to right: here (my personal favorite) | here | here

  From left to right : here (under $100) | here | here (on sale)

From left to right: here | here ( I can totally see myself wearing this on Christmas day with a huge statement necklace and a gorgeous pair of oxblood pumps) | here

From cookie exchanges, to corporate holiday parties, I think I've got a dress or two for any of your holiday parties covered here.  I'd love to see some of your picks.  Please share a link to the holiday dress on your wishlist in comments below! 

Favorite Friday v. 7

Happy Friday.  Can I just say how glorious it is to be at home and still in my pajamas at 11:30.  I hope you all had an amazing Thanksgiving and that you're fortunate enough to be enjoying the long holiday weekend.

Now onto my favorite for this week.  Since October I've been looking for a suitable replacement for the Maggy London dress that disappeared off the racks instantly (here).  When I first say the ML dress I knew I wanted it.  I had that same feeling again on Wednesday when I say this gorgeous BB Dakota number. It's stunning and the price point is amazing!  If you're on the hunt for a holiday dress at a great price point I'd snatch this one up asap, I know I am.  

Now back to being lazy.  I think it's time for some leftovers.  How are you guys spending your day?  Any crazy Black Friday shoppers out there?

Life is Full Of Give and Take.

I'd like to say that I never, ever take a single things in my life for granted, but that's just not true.  I get caught up in the day to day and I lose sight of what really matters from time to time.  In my heart of hearts I know that if I have nothing more than my good health, the amazing family I've created with D, and a roof over my head, I have more than I could ever need or want for. 

I think that's why so many of us love Thanksgiving as much as we do.  As the year starts to come to an end, Thanksgiving is our reality check.  It's our chance to reflect and prepare for the year that lies ahead.  This special day made just for us to stop and give thanks for the things that really matter, the important things.

Tomorrow I'll be at home, in our quite little house with my love and our girls and there will be no place else I'll rather be.  I'm wishing you all the same.  No matter what that looks like for you, I hope you have it.

Happy Thanksgiving.

What A Girl Wants, For Christmas

I've never had any trouble shelling out a Christmas list.  Let's just say I'm a girl who know what she wants.  This year is no exception.  I can only hope I've been more nice than naughty because I need want each and every one of these items in my life!

From top to bottom, left to right.
Honey gift set | Spoon Me pillow | J.Crew fringe necklace
Lenovo Yoga laptop | J.Crew clutch | Clarisonic Mia 2
Kate Spade sunnies | Dogeared infinite love necklace | Jeffery Campbell sandal

What's on your Christmas list?

Thanksgiving Recipes From The Queen Of Take-Out

As a woman, I don't know how I feel about what I'm about to disclose, but here goes anyway.  I'm the queen of take-out.  On a good week I cook once, maybe twice and by cook I mean heat something up.  D and I actually use the term "I made dinner last night" to refer to who picked up take-out.  Last week I was in our neighborhood taco shop two nights in a row picking up dinner.  That's not an anomaly folks, it's par for the course in this house.  In my twenties I really tried to learn to cook and to enjoy the art of making a beautiful meal, it just didn't stick.  In my thirties, I've learned to accept certain things about myself, and luckily D has too.  

There are however a few times a year where we get our acts together and either host a dinner or make a big meal for ourselves, Thanksgiving is one of those times.  Over the year's I've found that making a few REALLY simple homemade dishes, leaves me feeling perfectly fine with buying the rest.  Today I'm happy to share my super simple Thanksgiving day recipes as well as a few of my favorite store bought items.

Image and recipe via www.motherthyme.com

First up, cranberry sauce.  It amazes me how many people still buy canned cranberries.  Cranberries are by far the easiest of all the Thanksgiving side dishes, and bonus, they makes your home smell amazing.  I've been using this recipe for years now and I've never been disappointed.

Image and recipe via Today's Parent

Next up, the potatoes!!!  Undoubtedly my favorite part about Thanksgiving dinner (after the pumpkin pie of course).  I've been making cheddar mashed for the last few years and love the added flavor the cheese gives the potatoes.  I divert slightly from this recipe and boil my potatoes in chicken broth.  I also use salted butter instead of unsalted.  It's Thanksgiving after all, live a little. 

And what goes better with potatoes than gravy.  My mother-in-law makes the best, but hey, we live on the other side of the country so getting together at Thanksgiving isn't always in the cards.  I've searched high and low and have found the next best thing.   Goodbye canned and powdered gravy, hello William Sonoma Turkey Gravy Base!  It's amazing

Image and recipe via The Endless Meal

Now onto the veg.  Sadly I went 33 years without trying brussels sprouts.  Now that I have, they're my favorite veggie.  Like most people, I prefer them roasted, and like most people, I think adding bacon to just about any dish takes it to a whole new level.  Unfortunately or fortunately, however you chose to look at it, D won't eat em.  Instead he'll be enjoying Birds Eye Steamfresh frozen corn.  One year I tried buying corn on the cob and then taking the kernels off so he could have a fresh veggie too, no such luck.  Let's just say that corn is not in it's prime in November. 

Image via William Sonoma

As for the pies, no way, no how will you ever find me in the kitchen with flour and a rolling pin.  My advice, find a great bakery and order your pies early (like now if you haven't already)!  This year we'll be having traditional pumpkin and pecan pies from the Julian Pie Company.  

Rolls, store bought, along with the Stove Top stuffing.  Stuffing is one area we could definitely improve upon.  We've tried stuffing the bird, but it always comes out soggy.  If you have an easy, fail proof stuffing recipe, please share!

And lastly the piece de resistance, the turkey.  The fate of the bird lies in D's hands (how nice of me, ha).  He actually really loves it and has always done a pre-Thanksgiving "stunt turkeys" so that he can try new recipes and methods.  One year he opted for a cajun turkey, hot damn that thing was packed with flavor (not in a good way).  Over time injecting the turkey has won out and he's learned to keep it simple with just butter, fresh lemon juice, salt and pepper.  If you haven't tried injecting a turkey, give it a go.  We've had this injector for about 5 years now and it works great.

Whatever you do, don't let cooking a big Thanksgiving dinner stress you out.  Know your limits, make a few great homemade dishes and relay on the experts to help with the rest!  

It Wasn't Just A Dream, The Kendra Scott LUXE Launch Party

Hi guys, it's me again!  Now don't go getting use to me posting twice a day, ok?  The chances of this happening again are slim to none.  It's just been such a great week for me personally.  The work weeks come to an end, I'm home chugging sipping my first glass of red wine and all is right with the world.  As if that wasn't enough, to my absolute delight, the pictures I've been waiting for from the LUXE launch party have arrived.  I couldn't be happier to share them and my experience with you.

 So, first things first, you should know that this was my first visit to a Kendra Scott store.  For the last two years, I've purchased all of my KS pieces from either my local Nordstrom or the KS website.  The Newport Beach location opened earlier this year, but it's an hour from San Diego and I just hadn't made the trip.  Now that know how fabulous an experience it is, I'll be back.  

I arrived just before 6:00 to a red carpet, velvet ropes and a very warm welcome.  I have to say I was a bit intimidated walking into an event where I knew absolutely no one, but any apprehension I had went right out the door.  The KS team was amazing and so down to earth and every one of the guests I met were incredibly friendly and just as excited to be there as I was.

The store itself was stunning and bonus, one of the KS team were lovely enough to help me navigate the Color Bar.  If you don't know what the Color Bar is and you've ever wanted to design your own jewelry, take a look.  It's unreal.  

There were little bites passed throughout the evening and of course cupcakes (because what's an event full of girls without cupcakes!)

Kendra gifted us with the necklace I featured in my first ever blog post (here), along with a little bag of pastel colored M&M's, perfect for the drive home.

 Servers passed champagne and the bartender mixed martini's all night.

 And look at me trying on the bracelet I featured in today's Favorite Friday!

 Each piece from the LUXE collection was absolutely to die for.  

And then there was Kendra.  I've been thinking a lot about my brief time with her over the last few days.  This may sound lame, but there really are no words to express how much meeting her meant to me.  I first fell in love with KS jewelry, but over the year's I've really grown to admire and look up to Kendra as an entrepreneur, a woman and a person.  Her words "Don't ever give up" keep running through my head.  I've always felt like that was such generic advice, but when she looked me in the eyes and muttered those words I felt for the first time like they actually meant something.  As hard as this first few months of blogging have been and as many times as I've thought about quitting, I'm so glad I haven't.  These tough times are meant to weed out those who don't want it as much.  I will not let fear and self doubt defeat me. 

 

Dreams really do come true.  Have a great weekend!

All images via Kendra Scott Jewelry Facebook

Favorite Friday v. 6

I know, I know, there’s been a lot of Kendra Scott talk on the blog this week (she should be paying me, ha!).  I really can’t help myself though, after meeting Kendra and seeing her new line LUXE, I’m obsessed (not in a scary stalker way, I promise).  I’ve had this feeling once before, right after D and I got married I was completely enamored with weddings.  I was active on wedding forums, I scoured bridal magazines (this was pre-Pinterest) and I watched TLC’s A Wedding Story pretty much around the clock.  I even toyed with the idea of becoming a wedding planner.  I was on cloud 9, which as I’m sure you know is an amazing feeling.  Over time the feeling fleeted, but while it lasted, it was amazing.  

Those amazing feelings are back, only this time they’re because of Kendra.  With that said, it was only natural that this week’s favorite was from her new line LUXE.  Believe me when I say it was a struggle to pick my favorite piece, but the night of the launch I couldn’t take my eyes off this gorgeous bracelet, and I haven’t stopped thinking about it since.  Trust me when I say pictures do not do this beauty justice.  I’ll be saving my money for this one and will hopefully be adding it to my collection in early 2014!  Be sure to take a look at Kendra’s LUXE line, it officially launched today!

Have a great weekend all.  Next week I’ll be sharing my picks from the Nordstrom November catalog, a gift guide for your mother-in-law and easy Thanksgiving recopies for us take-out queens.  Hope to see you then.

My First Guest Blogger

Happy Thursday!  This sure has been an exciting week of firsts for me and today is no exception.  I'm beyond happy to be introducing you guys to Brass Honey's first ever guest blogger, Mollie, who blogs over at Molliepop.  Mollie and I have quickly become blog buddies (actually, she's pretty much my blogging bff).  In a lot of ways she's everything I wish I could be.  She's quirky, whimsical, lighthearted and she's incredibly creative (definitely be sure you check out some of her DIY's).  She's a beautiful person inside and out and like a great find, she's just too good not to share. 

Yesterday Mollie was brave enough to let a newbie blogger like myself take over her space (here) and today she's been sweet enough to help me (and you too of course because I know I'm not alone) to better understand DSLR cameras.  There are a lot of tutorials and videos out there, but it takes a special person to make things like Aperture and ISO not make me want to go running for the hills.  Seriously, Mollies post on white balance (here) was the first photography tutorial I've EVER read that didn't make me feel like I was back in high school trying to make my way through another torturous day of Algebra II.  So, without further ado, here's the darling Mollie...she's pretty darn cute right.

Hi, guys! The name's Mollie and I blog over at Molliepop. Shannon asked me to come onto her blog today and help her with number 17 on her 101 in 1001 list (learn how to use a DSLR camera manually). Now I'm super excited (not to mention pretty flattered) that Shannon thought of me because I'm a big fan of Brass Honey and like poking around here often. I've never done a guest post before so getting to write one for a blog that I can really relate to and that almost always makes me laugh is a dream come true! We bloggers can be pretty protective of our babies...err...blogs so I'm very grateful that Shannon is sharing hers with me today. Isn't she a sweetie? 

Okay, but enough about blogs. Let's talk DSLRs!

I know DSLRs can pretty intimidating but they’re not hard, I promise!...

For starters, I thought I’d explain a little bit about the Exposure Triangle, (cue “oohs” and “awes”). While that might sound like some sort of RPG item your gamer nephew talks about it’s actually just a really simple way of thinking about photography basics. Um, isn’t photography just looking through a lens and clicking a button? Not really, no. One of the very first (and most frustrating) things you'll learn when you whip out a DSLR is that a camera sees the world around us TOTALLY differently than our own eyes do.

For instance, let’s say you come upon some gorgeous fall scene with brilliantly colored leaves, a warm sky, and a tranquil brown eyed doe eating acorns off to the side. (Hey, it’s my example, I can say whatever I want!) Of course you whip out your camera and fire away while dreaming about all the money you’ll be making from nature calendars begging for your photos. Or so you think, until you plug your SD card into a computer and get a better look at those images. Suddenly all the colors are washed out, the sky is a giant white blob, and your beautiful doe looks dark and shadowy. Ugh, everything looked so perfect before…what happened? You, my friend, just got your first sound whipping from the Exposure Triangle. 

Huh? Okay, basically the Exposure Triangle is composed of your aperture, shutter speed, and ISO. Ack! I don’t know what any of those mean! It’s okay, nobody does at first. When someone talks about exposure they’re referring to how much light is let into the camera. The aperture, shutter speed, and ISO all work together to allow light in. Try thinking of them as three flavors that can be combined and mixed in different amounts to make yummy eye candy. 

Here I used an open aperture to keep the dog's face in focus but blur everything else.

  

Aperture 

This refers to the hole in the front of the lens. You can make it wider or smaller, a lot like the pupil of an eye. Obviously, wider lets in more light, smaller lets in less light. I don’t want to complicate aperture too much but for now I’ll just say that the size of the hole also changes how much or how little of the scene is in focus. If your aperture is wide open then only a small amount of the photo will be in focus and the rest will be blurry. On the other hand if you have a very small aperture then most or all of the photo is going to be in focus. Aperture is measured in integers often with the phrase “f-Stop” attached. (1.4, 3.5, 22)

In this photo my shutter speed was too slow to completely “freeze” the water and so it is blurry while the rest of the image is in focus.

Shutter Speed

This is what’s working when you hear that *click* as you snap a picture. Your shutter acts as a gate that lets in a little or a lot of light depending on how you set it. The faster your shutter speed, the crisper photos will be of moving objects. Such as at a sports game or of a running animal. The faster your shutter though, the less light your camera will receive and the darker your photos will look. Shutter speed in measured in seconds or fractions of a second. (1/50, 1/2000, 1”)

The ISO was definitely set too high when I took this image. If you look around the nose and in between the leaves you can see the speckles and dots.

ISO

Okay, so this is the boring one of the bunch. In non digital cameras ISO refers to how sensitive the film is to light but in a digital camera it refers to how sensitive the sensor (behind the aperture and shutter) is to light. To be honest, I don’t play with ISO a lot because I’ve found the other two points of the Exposure Triangle to be more than generous with their results. The only thing you really need to know about ISO is that if you set it too high (1600 on my camera) it will make your pictures look grainy (or noisy as some people call it). ISO is measured in the hundreds and thousands. (200, 800, 1600)

There you have it! The Exposure Triangle. Don’t get too mad at yourself if you still can’t take perfect pictures after reading this. Just because you know about three flavors doesn’t mean you’ll instantly be able to arrange them in good tasting combinations…that takes practice. Other than simply taking your own pictures to practice I’d suggest digging around on other photography sites where photographers list their photo settings next to their photographs, that’s always a really big help to me! If you’re still lost there are tons of great Youtube tutorials that can shine light on the subject (pun:D) and your local library might have some great resources as well. 

I hope reading this tutorial has helped you understand that camera in your hand just a little better and as always, happy shooting! 

Sneak Peak, Kendra Scott's Luxe Line

Happy Wednesday!  Yesterday was a pretty big day for this little ole blog.  It seems like all of the sudden I'm reaching lots of little blogging milestones.  It's so great to have you guys to share them with!  You know what they say, "Nothings Worth Having Unless You Have Someone To Share It With."  Sappy I know, but it's so true.  Anyways, you guys may remember that last week I announced that I got my first ever blogger opportunity (here).  Well yesterday after work I headed down to Newport Beach for the launch of Kendra Scott new jewelry line, Luxe.  The evening was more than I could have hoped for.  I'll have a full report real soon, but in the meantime, here's a sneak peak!  Have a great day.  

 What I Wore
Dress:  Vince Camuto | Shoes: Michael Kors (similar) | Glasses: Kate Spade  | Bracelets: Kendra Scott (here and similar here) Earrings: Kendra Scott

And now for a few of my favorite pieces!

I know this is such a tease, but I'll be back real soon.  This girls got to get to her day job :)

For The Host And Hostess

Happy Sunday friends.  I hope you've all having a beautiful weekend!  

With Thanksgiving just around the corner I thought I'd kick off my holiday gift guides with a few of my favorites for the host and hostess.   There's really no sweeter gift than opening up your home to friends and family during the holidays, so it's always nice to bring a little something to say thank you.  Bonus, each of these gifts is under $30.

William Sonoma Peppermint Gift Set

Festive and perfect for the kitchen or guest bath!

Monogram Guest Towels

I'm a sucker for all things monogrammed (my family likes to remind me that I've been writing "Property of Shannon" on my belongings from an early age), that aside, the best part about a personalized gift is that it let's your hosts know that a thank you wasn't an afterthought. 

 

Mumm Napa Rose 

Nothing screams celebration like champagne.  This is my favorite and for under $20 buy 2!
  

Baies Scented Candle  

I've yet to meet anyone who wouldn't want one of these.

Hickory Farms Gift Box

This is more than a beef stick and cheese for so many of us.  Hickory Farms is that warm holiday family feeling, it's nostalgic.  My grandparent's would send us a huge box every Christmas and I can't go a holiday without it.

Dashing Deer Nutcracker

It's always nice to give a little something to symbolize the season.  I'd be sure to buy a bag of fresh walnuts to go along with this adorable reindeer.

Porcelain Typography Trays

These are amazing and would look great on a couples dresser.  I chose the D, K and $ above  (our monogram) but the skies the limit.

Favorite Friday v. 5

 

Happy Friday friends!  This weeks favorite is this amazing Presley Skye dress I picked up at my local Nordstrom last Sunday.  I wore it yesterday with these booties and literally got dozens of compliments.  No joke, people were stopping me in the halls at work  Who doesn't love that.  You can check out the OOTD shot I posted on Instagram if the spirit moves you, I hope it does.  Anyways, if you're in the market for a sweater dress, I totally recommend this one.  The quality is great quality is great, it's incredibly flattering and at $128 the price is right.  Side note, the booties are amazing too, I've been wearing them all week.

Have a great weekend you guys.  I'll be kicking off the week Sunday with my first ever holiday gift guide.  I hope to see you then :)  

Inspiration, Entrepreneurs And Ohter Deep Thoughts

I hear a lot of people talking about inspiration these days.  If you ask a blogger why they started blogging, 9 times out of 10 they'll make some reference towards inspiration.  I know I did.  I just didn't quite know what that meant for me at the time.  People blog and read blogs for lots of reasons.  Some for outfit inspiration, i.e. let's see how many ways I can style a chambray shirt.  Others treat it like a personal Pinterest board with lots of wish lists and pretty images.  Then there are those, who like me dabble in both of the above, but really truly find the fulfilling, life changing type of inspiration in the bloggers themselves. 

The people doing what they love.  The one's who took a risk, worked really hard and changed their lives.  The ENTREPRENEURS.  Since I was a kid I've been an entrepreneur of sorts selling mistle toe at Christmas to buy my family presents, putting together car washes to raise money for trips.  I even started and sold subscriptions to my own newspaper when I was in the sixth grade.  I'm not sure why but as an adult I've managed to bury that part of me.

 I feel ashamed for what I'm about to write because I have a lovely life and I know there are people in this world who would give anything for what I have.  I don't want to sound ungrateful or unappreciative, because I'm not, that said though there's this undying feeling that my life is not what it's suppose to be.  There's something nagging at me, telling me that there's more out there for the taking.   The truth is for the first time in my life, I'm really scared.  Everyday I spend trying to figure what "this" is I feel a little more unsatisfied.  If this little ole blog with it's 63 readers doesn't open up some doors for me, or at least lead me in the right direction, I'm afraid that this is what my life will be like, forever.  Me always feeling like I should be doing something more.  

 For the last year these feelings have been mounting.  I was content climbing the ladder professionally and moving around the country.  It was exciting and it kept me occupied.  It's only in this current state of stability that I feel unstable. 

    

Lately, I've found myself in some pretty eye opening situations.  I spent this afternoon in Los Angeles with a few guys from Westin Mitchell Design Group.  Young, like minded guys working together to build something for themselves.  Their business is unique, their designs are one of a kind, and there's no doubt that their hearts are into this business they're building.  I wanted to cry when I left their warehouse.  I felt so proud of what they've started. 

Earlier in the week I visited a co-workers friends food truck, Bunz Up.  Same story, young guys with college degrees who started out in Corporate America and felt like there was more.  When they couldn't take status quo anymore they called it quits and moved to San Diego to start their own business.  They're making sacrifices (4 people in one apartment) and working long hours, but they're doing it.  

I'm sure I've met dozens of people with similar stories throughout my adult life, I just didn't notice them.  This is my wake up call.

Is There Anybody Out There Part 3

I want to start this post with some exciting news, but I think it's important to back track first.

November 5, 2013

Picture girl, exhausted, sitting in bed ready to collapse into the covers.  Just before she does she confesses her inner most thoughts to boy.

"I don't know why I'm blogging.  This is so much work.  Maybe I should just give up".

To put it frankly, I was feeling what I'm now referring to as the 3 month blogger blues.  As much as I'd like to pretend that it's not, blogging is a lot of work, especially for someone who's been claiming it's just a "hobby".  I'm sorry, but nobody in their right mind spends this much time on a "hobby".  Between the networking, the gathering of images, the editing, and the e-mailing, blogging can be a full time job, and it is for some. 

Oh how I wish I had pursued blogging while I was unemployed and moving around the country, but you know what they say about hindsight :)  

Anyways, I was feeling discouraged and the self doubt was kicking in.  The voices in my head were taunting me, "You're not special.  You don't have anything to give anyone.  You'll never make it as a blogger.  Just quite now."  Being mean and lying to yourself is not cool at all.

Once I finally admitted that I was in it to win it, the stakes were suddenly raised.  It's a whole new ballgame.  Since coming clean I've been thinking a lot about what being a successful blogger means to me.  What do I want to accomplish.  What are my goals.  Right here, right now, in this moment being a successful blogger means:

Building a community of peers to learn from and grow with.

Finding a loyal group of readers/friends.

Being offered opportunities I wouldn't otherwise have because of my blog.  

Getting free stuff (if we're being honest, which we will always be here) and of course making a little extra spending money.  

These things are hard to come by though, especially as a newbie.  The number one thing I've learned on this journey so far is that building takes time.  You've got to knock and knock and then knock some more and eventually, maybe, someone might open a door for you. 

November 6, 2013

Picture girl making her way through a typical Wednesday in cube land.  Just before lunch she sneaks out her iphone to check her e-mail.  Scanning, scanning all the way to the bottom and low and behold, girls first door opens.

Invitation: Private launch party for Kendra Scott's new LUXE collection

I'm beyond happy to announce that I've been invited to attend the private launch of Kendra Scott's newest line LUXE.  As if that wasn't enough, I'll be meeting and interviewing the beautiful, talented, and self made Kendra for this little ole blog of mine.  If you've followed me for any amount of time you've probably noticed me wearing or featuring Kendra's pieces (here, here, here, here).   My darling sister in law purchased these and this for me two year's ago and I've been hooked ever since.  I seriously feel like I've just hit the blogging lottery you guys! 

Now, if I were you I'd probably be wondering how a girl like me got a gig like this.  I've seen bloggers all around me get amazing opportunities and I've wondered the same.  Let me start by saying that these things don't just happen to us little guys.  So here you have it, full disclosure.  I took the time to reach out.  Every time I featured a Kendra Scott piece on Brass Honey, I'd e-mail Kendra's social media division (every single time).  Eventually I guess they got tired of hearing from me and decided to throw me a bone :)  I'm not sure outside of that how I made the cut, but whatever it was has me over the moon.    

So what else is new this month?  Good god it's been a roller coaster ride.  How about I fully submerge myself into the blogging world and leave you with a brain dump.  You know just a few random thoughts I've had running through my mind this last month:

First and foremost, a huge thank you to my 61 readers!!!  You guys mean everything to me and I truly couldn't imaging going on without you :)

Commenting on other blogs is crucial to getting the word out about your blog.  Just be mindful of how you're spending your time.  As much as I LOVE checking in on Rachael at Pink Peonies, Jacey at Damsel and Dior and Wendy at Wendy's Lookbook, their readers are not my readers.  I'm not a fashionista posting amazing new looks everyday.  In fact, this blog is lucky if it sees one or two outfit posts a month.

Lovely blogger friends, if I e-mail you and you take a week to respond, that's ok.  You have a life, we all do.  I appreciate your time, whenever you can give it.  There's no need to apologize :)

After a boat load of research I've worked through the process and am proud to say that I will soon being using  Nordstrom (a natural fit since I do most of my shopping there) affiliate links.  I want to start small with one retailer and see how it goes, but I sure am happy I took the first step in monetizing Brass Honey.

I keep hearing about this amazing blogger community, but to be honest, until this last month I haven't been feeling the love.  I'm not sure what's changed, but lately I've received a few super sweet and helpful e-mails from fellow bloggers and I have to say it's been absolutely great.  A huge thank you to Rebecca at Caravan Sonnet for letting me know my profile was set to no-reply.  If you don't know what it means to be a no-reply blogger (I didn't) be sure you read this and if you use a Google+ profile like I do, you'll want to read this.  I feel so lucky to have a few good people looking out for me :).  I hope to grow and foster these relationships.

Despite my best efforts to keep a blogging schedule, time seems to get away from me.  I have a Decorating For Fall post sitting in my drafts that will have to make it's debut in 2014.

Still dying to know about sponsoring other blogs and whether or not the investment is worth it.

Also can somebody please help me figure out how to get involved in a group giveaway, please :)  I ain't too proud to beg.  Participating in a giveaway is my goal for this month!

I really do love blogging. 

 Thanks for reading.  If your a newbie like me and you want to read more check out Part 1 and 2. 

Favorite Friday v. 4

 Favorite Friday's are turning out to be so much fun for me.  I hope you're enjoying them as much as I am!  

This week's favorite came via My Style Pill.  Christine was wearing this amazing tee and I couldn't help but follow the link to Hazel and Florange.  The message printed on the tee is everything, "Bigger Than You Ever Dreamed".  I know I say this a lot, but I really can't wait for this special piece to arrive. 

On a side note.  I'm a pretty darn loyal shopper, and it's really rare that I purchase something from a store previously unknown to me.  With that said, so far I've been pleasantly surprised.  Andi at Hazel and Florange is about as sweet as they come.  She actually sent me a personal e-mail thanking me for my order.  Now that's customer service I can get behind. 

Have a great weekend all.

Holiday Cards

I'm not sure why, but I'm always late to the game, ALWAYS.  I think you must already know that though.  I mean unless you're living under a rock, you're not coming here to get the latest and greatest trends. 

Anyways, for year's now I've stood around on my soap box shouting loud and proud about how much better I was than everyone else because I still sent out "real" Christmas cards.  You know the ones with a generic message and picture on the front that you open up and then write a personal note inside.  Meanwhile I've also been shouting about how lazy the people who send out family photo Christmas cards are.  I mean most of them come with nothing more than the families name printed on the bottom.  

Seriously though, who do I think I am.

Well, what I've realized is that while a personal note at Christmas time is nice, so is seeing someone's family.  This year, for the first year ever, the Kerns family will be sending out photo Christmas cards with a handwritten note on the back  It's the best of both worlds no?  

Below are a few of my favorite options, and boy oh boy are there a lot of options out there. 

   I love this one from Tiny Prints because while the message is Chrimstmasy (Feel The Cheer) it's not so Christmasy that you couldn't leave it up on your fridge year round if you wanted to.

I love the simplicity of this one is.  

Oh god, and this one.  Now, D and I don't have children so this card probably isn't the card for us (although I could always use a picture of D and I playing Rock Band) but how fricken cute is this.  Creative as all get out.

It's A Wonderful Life!  Only the best Christmas movie ever (after Griswold's Christmas Vacation of course).  You definitely can't go wrong with this card.

And last but not least this gorgeous classic.  You've gotta love Etsy.  

I'd love to hear from you :)  Which type of Christmas cards do you send out?