Santa Baby - FMM Holiday Wish List

Every year I have so much fun compiling a list of things that I'd love to see under my tree... While I don't expect them all.. or any for that matter, it's still really fun to pretend shop online!  This year, my list is a proper mix of beauty and accessories.  I'm sensing a trend with all the faux fur, but I just couldn't help myself! So here are all the details!

 

I fell madly in LOVE with these STUNNING Lena Faux Fur Cashmere Mittens from Club Monoco!  Like seriously need them in my life stat!  Perfect accessory for accentuating a hot mani! 

 

 Anthropologie is perhaps one of my favorite stores in the world!  When I spotted this sweet little pink Reveler Clutch that doubles as a cross body bag I just knew I'd found another wish list item!  It's so feminine, delicate and fun!

 

OK, I'll admit...I have a slight obsession with Tory Burch!  Everything she does exudes luxury!  As a beauty lover, her beauty line certainly peeked my interest.  I've sampled her perfume and I'd say it was love at first sniff.... I need this pretty baby in my life!  Oh and the stunning lipstick... I can't get over how GORGEOUS the packaging is! Can't wait to try it!

 

I've been wanting a new wallet for a while now and this Tory Burch beauty is the one for me!  I love that it doubles as an iphone case making it super convenient to take it out for quick errands!  Oh and the tassel sold me... it's the perfect little detail!

 

Last but certainly not least... this Anthropologie Faux Fur Alesund Cowl is perfection.  This deep wine beauty will add luxury to any outfit... the color is stunning!  Pair it with a berry lip and you're good to go! 

 

Well, I've mailed my list to Santa... so now I ask you!  What's on your holiday wish list this year?  Thank you all so much for reading.  I hope you're enjoying the joys and chaos of the holiday season! xo Carla - FMM

 

 

Ode To My Fellow Capricorns!

If you're a Capricorn like meee.... HAPPY BIRTHDAY!!! It's funny but a majority of my best friends are either Capricorns or earth signs in general!  The truth is, Capricorns ROCK in my book!  During the holidays, i picked up this little beauty at Anthropologie for one of my Capricorn friends.  However, when it went on sale after Christmas, i had to pick it up for myself as well!  The 'tracing stars' pouch is not only chic but super spacious!  Perfect for all my makeup necessities when on the go!  Best of all, it's a wonderful shout out to my awesome astrological sign!  I will use it and love it for a long time!  Sadly, it's no longer available on Anthropologie's website, but i did see a few on eBay and i bet there are still a few in store... you never know!

Thank you SO MUCH for reading! XOXO Carla

Santa Baby!

Soooo Santa was real good to me this year!  Thought I'd share some of my favorite things with you!

The first thing was this STUNNING Anthropologie boho top.  It was on my wish list but was so expensive that i honestly didn't think I'd get it.  I screamed when i saw it!  I'm obsessed with it! 

The hubby got me the gorgeous chunky JCrew bracelet that I'd been drooling over for a while now!  He also gave me the Derek Lam slippers... they're so fun!  My parents, whom also gifted me with the gorgeous top, paired it with this super cute Anthropologie wristlet!  I'm so in love with it! 

I also received gift cards to Sephora, Target, Dunkin Donuts and Starbucks... my friends know me so well!~  It was a wonderful Christmas!  The gifts were gorgeous, yes... but the memories made are priceless! 

Merry Christmas to all... and to all a good night!

I just wanted to take a few moments from this hectic yet wonderful and memory filled day to wish all of you who celebrate a very Merry Christmas!  I hope you all enjoyed this beautiful day with those you love most.  Our house was so filled with love today... we even booked our vacation to Europe!  Woohoo Oh and i'm pretty sure we are the only house where santa visits TWICE in one day!  Can we say spoiled?  I was beyond excited when i opened my gifts... there were some amazing unexpected goodies that i will soon share with you all!  Hint.... from my favorites store Anthropologie and JCrew!  I will leave you with these silly pictures from our Christmas card photo shoot!  The first was the winner... but i wanted to share with you the close runners up!  Merry Christmas everyone... now where's my coquito? Cheers!

FMM Holiday Gift Guide Part 2 - Wish List

It's hard to believe that Christmas will be here in ONE week!  So have you completed your holiday shopping?  I'm almost done but still have a few items on my list.  This time of year is so busy for me since my little girls' birthday is also in December!  It's hard to believe they're already FIVE!  Between party planning, holiday decorating, shopping, baking, working, blogging... it's what Rachael Zoe might call BANANAS!  But regardless of the craziness, I'm trying to enjoy and savor this special time with my family.  Today in particular, I'm grateful that i have my beautiful baby girls to hug and kiss.  Sadly, many families in CT can't say the same as their babies were so violently taken from them.  So rather then complain about the madness of the season, I'm going to simply say... I'm grateful that i have my beautiful family to share this special time with and make yet another Christmas filled with wonderful memories. 

 

So with no further ado... here are a few of my favorite things!

 

1.  TOMS 'Classic' Canvas Slip-On
2.  Tory Burch Haircalf Printed Priscilla Bootie
3.  UGG® Australia 'Ansley' Slipper in Light Grey
4.  TOMS 'Classic - Metallic Dot' Slip-On
5.  Lula glitter ballet flats
6.  Tory Burch Chelsea Ballet Flat in Flame Red

1.  Anthropologie Spangled Bobby Pin Set (I rock mine all the time!)
2.  J.Crew Classic Chunky Link Bracelet (I may have slipped a hint to my hubby on this one!)
3.  Tory Burch 'Cole' Logo Double Wrap Bracelet
4.  J.Crew Classic pavé link bracelet
5.  Kate spade new york 'spade' thin hinged bangle
6.  Tory Burch Cole Enamel Stud Earrings

1.  Anthropologie Eileen Buttondown (I need this! Like really need it!)
2.  Tory Burch Satchel - Robinson Dome Large
3.  Anthropologie Stone-Dotted Wristlet (Totally asked Santa for this)!
4.  Anthropologie Tracing Stars Pouch (I purchased this for a friend but i wanna keep it!  Bad Carla!)
5.  Baggu for J.Crew
6.  Michael Kors Faux Fur Trim Poncho Sweater (I. WANT. THIS. NOW.)

1.  Kate Spade NY 'Ring' USB Drive (Because it's GENIUS!)
2.  Juicy Couture Faux Fur Headphone Ear Muffs ( I totally treated myself to these last year! So fun!
3.  J.Crew Printed Backup Battery for IPhone (O M G why didn't i know of this before?!)
4.  Rebecca Minkoff Pop Phone Handset
5.  Case-Mate® Monogram iPhone 5 Case (Nordstrom Exclusive) (Love Chevron!)

There you have it!  Some of my favorite things!  Hope you enjoyed!  Thank you SO MUCH for reading!  XOXO Carla

DIY Knotted Hair Ties & Headbands

 

I've noticed these cute, colorful knotted hair ties everywhere lately.  I've come across them in magazines, people's Birch Boxes, etc.  This past weekend, i visited one of my favorite stores Anthropologie, and fell completely in love with their knotted hair tie/headband selection! The color combinations where dreamy and some of them even sparkled!  I purchased a pack of neutral toned hair ties and drooled over the gorgeous selection of embellished hair ties.  They were essentially the same hair ties as i was purchasing in a pack of 5 for $12, however, these were sold individually for $10 simply because they had a pretty sparkly bead.  That's when i light bulb went off in my head (don't you just love it when that happens?), i makes these myself!  In fact, the next day, while strolling the isles of Target, i found a pack of 3 for $2.50!!!  Score!  I quickly purchased a few packs in a variety of colors.  Right next to these hair ties were knotted headbands (there went the light bulb again!)... i mean, why embellish solely the hair ties when i could embellish the headbands as well!  YES, perfect!  Ok so i purchased a few headbands as well.  After that, i visited my local Michael's and AC Moore stores (making sure to take advantage of their coupon offers) for a selection of the prettiest beads i could find and i quickly went to work!  I am so so SO pleased with they way they turned out!  In fact, i ordered these hair ties in bulk and may consider a tiny little side business on ETSY??  What do you think???  I took a lot of pictures so enjoy!  Oh and here's some food for thought for all you pony tail wearers, you know how you often carry around your pony tail holder on your wrist?  Well, how cute would these embellished hair ties look instead?  You can actually wear them as a bracelet!!!  I took a picture with my phone to illustrate that look.

These are the inspiration hair ties...

These were some of the colors available to purchase of the non-embellished hair ties. 

 

These were the neutral pack i bought.

Here are the headbands, also non-embellished.



So first, here are a few pictures of my bead selection... aren't they pretty?

Below are the hair bands i used for this DIY as well as the neutral one shown in one of the pictures above.  The ones below were purchased from Target 2 for $5.  The neutral pack was purchased at Anthrolopogie for $12.



OK so start with one knotted hair tie.



 

Undo the knot...

 



Insert bead/beads of choice.  Make sure the bead has a wide hole or it will make this entire process much more difficult!



Tie the knot and VOILA!

 

 

Here are a few of my other creations!

Here are the embellished headbands... 

These next three pictures are of me wearing one of the hair ties, headband and finally the headband as a bracelet.  Sorry for the poor quality but i took them myself using my iPhone and i think the 'hair' shots were taken too closely but hopefully you'll get an idea of what it looks like on.

 

 

 Well, that's it!  I hope you enjoyed my little DIY!  Don't forget to become an official follower of Fashion Maven Mommy!  Also, follow me on Bloglovin, Twitter @fashionmavenmom and "like" my Facebook page!  xoxo Carla

Accessories are EVERYTHING!

You've heard me say it before... accessories are EVERYTHING!  You can take a plain Jane outfit and turn it into a vavavoom outfit simply by adding the right accessories.  Jewelry is a great way to do just that!  JCrew is one of my favorite stores because i feel they really capture what i feel is my style... classic with a twist.  One of my favorite necklaces of all times is the turquoise JCrew bubble necklace which i've shown you here.  I don't know but there's just something about turquoise bold statement jewelry that makes me happy!  Well, the other day, while strolling through the store, i came across this necklace (i picked it up in mineral green btw) which i completely fell in love with.  It's simple, the perfect color and yet has a bit of a sparkle embedded between the turquoise/seafoam beads making it even more special.... you know, classic with a twist!  So i couldn't resist... I knew exactly what i wanted to pair it up with!  Remember a few posts back when i did the side swept bun tutorial?  I wore one of my current favorite white boho tops from Anthropology which you can see here.  Don't you think this would pair well with that top along with a great pair of jeans?  I'm showing it here with that top as well as a classic boat neck stripped nautical top to show how it instantly dresses it up without overdoing it.  What do you think?

I've paired it here with the polishes i used in my most recent manicure post.  I think they compliment each other don't you?

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