Friday Fancies

This morning when I took Brady (the dog) outside, I couldn't believe how cold it was. I checked the forecast, and the high for tomorrow is 46 degrees. With the colder weather, and the fact that tomorrow is the first day of October, I am officially in the holiday mood. As I'm sure I've said before, Halloween and Christmas are my favorite holidays...I have developed a serious obsession with both. This is likely the first of many posts related to those two holidays. That being said, here are some cold weather/holiday related fancies:

{Giant Christmas tree at Easton, a lovely outdoor shopping mall in Columbus, Ohio}

{My warm and snuggly pup, Brady, seen here with Cory}

{a terrible snowstorm in downtown Cleveland last winter. My 20-minute commute home took 2.5 hours}

{My excessive candle collection, most of which are either autumn or Christmas-related scents}

{Here, Brady in his ill-fitting banana costume and some pumpkins Cory and I carved a few years ago.}

Happy weekend, friends!

xoxo

Katy

Forever Young

I love bows. Once thought to be something that could only be worn by those under the age of 10, bows are popping up everywhere. They are the perfect way to add a touch of girly sophistication to any outfit. Also amazing? Polyvore, where I made the above collage. Check it out if you haven't already!

Vintage Jewelry Finds

Over the past couple of weeks I have been collecting vintage jewelry from a variety of places. I've found that vintage jewels tend to look more expensive than some of the cheap stuff you find at the mall nowadays (although I still love my collection of Forever 21 bling). Even better, if you do a little searching and have a tiny bit of luck, you can walk away with an entire new jewelry "wardrobe" without spending a lot of money. One bit of advice- if you find some lovely vintage piece of anything that is priced so low you almost can't believe it...DO NOT walk away. I am currently shooting myself in the foot for not buying a lovely pair of vintage Dior cufflinks that I found for $5. They came with the authenticity card. I walked away because I wasn't sure that Cory would even wear cufflinks, but for $5, who cares?  Below are the lastest additions to my jewelry collection:

{Although these are clip-ons, they look really great with a simple black sweater. Price: $0.25}

{Also clip-ons, I'm a little concerned that these will look a bit too 1980s to ever wear, but red is my favorite color, so I had to buy them. Price: $0.25}

{Really neat coral choker/necklace with a sparkly gold brooch for the clasp. I'm thinking about pairing this with a French-inspired navy blue and white-striped boatneck top come summer. Price: $2.00}

{Brand new earrings with purple, blue, and green jewels, perfect for adding a little flair to an LBD. Price: $0.50}

{This one is my favorite. It's a vintage, gold, chain-link bracelet that adds some edge to any outfit. Price: $4.00}

If my calculations are correct, that is one bracelet, three pairs of earrings and a necklace for a grand total of $7.00. Now if only I can get back to the store for those Dior cufflinks before somebody else finds them....

Microwave Potato Chips

A few weeks ago, I came across a "recipe" for microwave potato chips. Below are my step-by-step instructions with pictures, or you can find the original recipe here. Such a great idea for a healthier alternative to greasy, fried potato chips!

Start with some potatoes and salt, or any other seasoning you like.

Wash the potatoes, then slice them as thinly as possible. If you are using a mandoline, try 1/8 of an inch.

Arrange the slices in a single layer on a microwave safe plate. Sprinkle with salt. Put in the microwave for 3 minutes on high power. Remove plate from microwave, flip the potato slices, and place in the microwave for 3 minutes on power level 7. Remove plate from microwave, flip the potato slices, and place back in the microwave for 3 minutes on power level 5. If they still aren't crisp enough, try putting them back in the microwave on power level 5 for 1 minute intervals. 

Season to taste, and enjoy!

Sample Sale Extravaganza

I spend a significant amount of time trolling sample sale websites, and, let me tell you, they consistently have some amazing deals. Below, I've outlined my favorites, the ones that I check out every single day. I highly recommend that you check them out, too! They offer clothing, food, travel, home decor, and all sorts of other treasures for significantly discounted prices. Alot of the merchandise is designer, but without the designer price. Most of them require an invitation to join, but I've got you covered. Below each one I've included my personal invitation link. They're all free to join, and I promise you'll love them!

1. RueLala:

 This is my favorite of the sample sale websites to which I belong. They offer a few sales at any given time, but the brands are usually very well-known, and the discounts are deep. My favorite is the Sunday Night Style-athon. Every Sunday night, they have one giant sale that encompasses a whole bunch of designers and brands. To join, click here.

2. Gilt:

Gilt, in my opinion, is the high-end sample sale site. The brands that they offer are typically quite luxurious, and extremely high quality. Gilt offers substantial discounts, and they have affiliate sites for menswear, children, gifts, travel, home decor, food and city experiences. Even if you don't buy anything, I always find it quite enjoyable to peruse their offerings. To join Gilt, click here.

3. Haute Look:

Haute Look offers lots of up and coming designers and brands. I've found the prices here to be a bit more affordable, but the product offerings are still really great. They have a lot of sales on hair styling tools and other beauty products. This is also my favorite sample sale site to find travel deals. To join Haute Look, click here.

4. Beyond the Rack

Beyond the Rack offers a mix of high end luxury pieces with more affordable pieces. Currently, they have Jimmy Choo handbags and Diane von Furstenburg sunglasses, along with a big sale on summer dresses from various brands. I've found that they have Gucci and Burberry sales fairly regularly, but I've also found some awesome shoes for less than $40. To join Beyond the Rack, click here.

5. Ideeli

Ideeli is a really great site to find fun jewelry at huge discounts. This is my favorite sample sale website for accessories. Closer to Christmas, you can find cashmere scarves and sweaters here for really good prices. Right now, they have Missoni scarves on sale. To join Ideeli, click here.

6. Editor's Closet

Editor's Closet usually only runs 2 or 3 sales at a time, but when they have "The Walk In," you really don't want to miss out. This sale is HUGE, with items from luxury designers, as well has up and coming designers, and all the items are subject to deep discounts. To join Editor's Closet, click here.

I'd love to hear what great deals you find. Leave me a comment or post on the Sugar and Chiffon facebook page about the treasures you find from these websites (or others!). Happy shopping!

Gray and Gold

This weekend, I tried a fresh and modern take on the classic French manicure. To start, I applied two thin coats of Nail Magic. My Grandmother introduced me to this stuff about a year ago. I have very brittle fingernails, and peeling is big issue. However, Nail Magic has made a huge difference. I apply two thin coats twice a week, making sure to coat the ends of my fingernails where the peeling occurs. It works like a charm! Next, I applied two coats of OPI nail lacquer in French Quarter for Your Thoughts. Let dry for at least 10 minutes. Next, apply those French manicure guide stickers to your nails. These work like painters' tape to help you paint only the part of the nail that you want. Scotch tape works, too. I applied Revlon in Gold Coin to the tips of my nails. Then, I apply Essie Instant Dry Oil and try to hold still for as long as possible. I've found that I am far too impatient to wait any length of time for my nails to dry, so the fact that they aren't totally smudged this morning is a miracle in itself!

To buy Nail Magic, click here.

All other products used can be purchased here, one of my favorite stores!

Friday Fancies

It's almost midterm time at school, so this weeked I'll be hitting the books pretty hard. I also have lots of laundry and cleaning than needs to be done, so this weekend won't be particularly exciting for me. However, I'm sure to get lots of much-needed rest, so that's nearly enough to make up for my lackluster weekend plans. Happy weekend!

{A-mazing. Love the orange on orange, and I'm a sucker for anything with pleats}

{YSL lipstick}

{Pretty place settings with yellow bows}

{A cottage in the fall}

{Pink balloons in Paris}

{Frozen Smore's Parfait. I need to find the recipe for this asap.}

*All photos from Pinterest

My Lastest Purchase

Last weekend was community-wide garage/yard sale week in my fiance's home town. While I'm not typically a garage-sale shopper, I did walk through one of the neighborhoods with Cory's grandma. At one of the houses, I hit the jackpot: There was a beautiful vintage trunk that people used to carry on the train. The woman told me she thought it was from the very early 1900s. I have been looking for a vintage trunk just like this one to use as a coffee table in our new house (although, technically, the house isn't "ours" until we get the keys in December). It was beautiful, but it was also priced a bit higher than I intended to spend. I told the woman I would think about it and come back in an hour or so. BIG mistake! If you ever see somthing vintage-y that may be one of a kind, DO NOT walk away without offering the seller $5 or $10 to hold it for you. When I went back to buy the trunk, it had already sold. Lucky for me, I found one 24 hours later that I liked even better. While it needs a good cleaning and some new leather handles, I am confident that this will make a lovely coffee table once I move into the house.

{Can't to see how it looks in the living room!}

{Casey, Cory's parents' dog, inspecting the trunk, which is stamped Cleveland, O. Love it!}

Designer Spotlight: Coach

Today, I headed over to Coach to check out their latest handbag styles. I am a firm believer that every lady needs two nice, structured handbags in a rich, buttery leather: one in a neutral color and one with a pop of color. However, Coach's latest styles have me craving seven, yes seven, beautifully constructed bags. Seriously, these handbags are stunning. Simple, classic silhouettes in rich jewel tones are going to have you looking like a million bucks. Without further ado, here are my favorites from their website, each of which I need to add to my wardrobe asap:

{Flagship Leather Dowel Flap}

{Kristin Spectator Leather Zip Tote}

{Kristin Elevated Pebble Grain Leather Large Flap Satchel}

{Chelsea Leather Jayden Carryall}

{Kristin Spectator Leather Crossbody}

{Classic Leather Madison Satchel}

{Kristin Embossed Python Crossbody}

Hurry to your local Coach store or Coach.com to get yours before it's too late, as I can't imagine these chic pieces will last very long on the shelves!

Apple Crisp-Stuffed Apples

Now that the weather is cooler, I am officially in autumn mode. I have decided that, this year, I am going to do my best to cook more often and to use in-season produce as much as possible. Not only will in-season produce taste better, it will also likely save me some money on my grocery bill. This past week, I made apple crisp (and, in the process, realized how terrible I am at peeling apples). To fancy up the recipe up a bit, I sliced the tops off of a few apples and hollowed them out using a regular old spoon, then filled the apples with the apple crisp. The result was unique and made it so much more fun to eat. For the apple crisp, I used an old family recipe, but I also really like this one.

{Lots of apples, and a few peaches}

{Finished product: Apple Crisp-Stuffed Apple}

I'm Falling for Ankle Booties

I've never really liked ankle booties. I always thought that they looked clunky and severe....that is, until I started reading Cupcakes and Cashmere. Emily (of Cupcakes and Cashmere) pulls off the chunkiest of ankle booties with great poise, and now I'm starting to see this funky footwear in an entirely new light. After perusing the internet for some of the new fall styles of ankle booties, I have decided that I quite like them (especially the wedge booties!). However, I am very short, so any type of footwear that hits my ankle runs the risk of causing me to look even shorter, and extra stumpy. Nevertheless, I'm feeling up to the challenge, and, as the fabulous Tim Gunn would say, "Make it work!" Here are some of my favorite styles that I've found so far:

{Bandalino Varnissa Bootie, DSW}

{Jeffrey Campbell Harrison Wedge Bootie, Polyvore}

{Loeffler Randall Janae Pump, Nordstrom}

{Mrkt Sophie bootie, DSW}

*Because of the flesh-colored material and the low-cut opening, these booties will help elongate my legs and keep me from looking too stumpy. These are a great option if you are petite like me. Even better? They're on sale now!

{Chinese Laundry Awaken wedge bootie, DSW}

Do you wear ankle boots? How do you style them? Send your favorite ankle bootie look to sugarandchiffon@gmail.com and you could be featured on the blog!

Have a great Monday!

xoxo Katy

Friday Fancies

Here are some pretty things I've stumbled across this week to help lead you into the weekend:

{Red top, tan shorts. Match made in heaven.}

{Pretty white flowers in rustic planters}

{London in the rain}

{Vintage bow ring}

{Patchwork hot air balloon}

{Pretty flower headbands}

*all photos from Pinterest

Have a nice weekend!