Inspiration: Pearls

Images Credit: Vogue UK

My very musical Christmas

It seems like all of my Christmas gifts this year had a musical theme. Santa definitely satisfied my Broadway wishlist for the year. I have so many musicals to watch that my house is going to be full of singing and dancing for months to come.

The thing that is funny about all these musicals is that when people asked what I wanted for Christmas I actually said other things besides all of these musicals. I guess people knew that my theatre DVD movie collection was far too small.

I'm so happy I got all of these and I can't wait till I have enough time to have a huge movie marathon, because it going to be musically filled awesomeness!

xoxo,
Amanda

My cape love continues

I really can't stop my obsession with capes. They are just so fun to wear and are a great alternative to typical coats. One of my favorite qualities is the retro vibe capes have and because I'm in boring business casual wear during the week, I love livening up my wardrobe with this fun retro kick.

In the past couple of weeks I got two new capes that I just love.

I picked up this cape from Macy's and the cute plaid totally caught my eye. The dramatic print is fun to wear and it looks super cute with jeans.  Even though I can't wear this cape as often as I would like because of the short sleeves, I really like the shape the sleeves give it. It's flirty and screams retro to me and I just love it.

After much searching I was able to order this cape from Nordstrom and it's so gorgeous. I was actually able to get it half off and it was such an awesome score. This is my first cape with arm slits so I'm still getting used to them. It's kind of restrictive so this cape really isn't conducive to anything buy walking around and looking cute.

The gray wool has this really small pattern which is cute but isn't too loud. I think I like this cape more with dressier outfits like skirts and dresses though. It's very classic and feminine and it's just really gorgeous.

My new cape collection is seriously so fabulous that it's quickly becoming one of my favorite parts of my wardrobe.

xoxo,
Amanda

Christmas nailpolish!

This year I decided to go with a traditional Christmas glittery red for the holidays and I love this shade.

When I was going through my stash looking for a cute Christmas shade, I realized I didn't have any cute reds that would work. Last week while I was finishing up some shopping I spotted this color and it was exactly the festive color I was looking for. It was once I read the name I really knew it was meant to be. The color is called "Broadway Burgundy" and I knew it was made for me when I found it. I'm wearing two coats of it and it has a perfect holly color that seriously just screams Christmas to me.

This is just such a cute color- I love it!

xoxo,
Amanda

Merry Christmas-part deux

I know most of you are probably having fun with all of the goodies Santa left for you and also probably recovering from the general fun but chaotic family festivities of Christmas but my fun isn't over quite yet.

Today I'm celebrating Christmas with my boyfriend's family so I get to celebrate the day all over again. I really love celebrating two Christmases so I'll just leave some photos of yesterday's fun for you.

My Mickey Mouse Christmas pajamas!

My new Diana Mini camera that I am absolutely in love with!

Because of the Christmas festivites, Nailpolish Monday will be pushed back. Don't be sad though because the color I have to show you guys is gorgeous! You're gonna love it!

xoxo,
Amanda

Merry Christmas everyone!!!

Image credit: Womansday.com

Before I head off to start celebrating Christmas festivities with my family I just wanted to wish everyone a very very happy holidays.

In the past year so much has changed for me and seeing my blog grow and develop has made me so happy and I owe all of you readers and followers a huge thank you!

Go enjoy lots of cookies and I'll see you guys next week!

xoxo,
Amanda

What I've Read: Wicked

I feel way late to the party on my latest read.

Wicked has been on the best seller list for years garnering rave reviews and a huge following of fans. I've heard from friends and so many other people what an amazing book it was and for some unknown reason I just now got around to reading it. Sad I know... That said though, I have loved the musical version for so long. I listen to the songs all the time and I just love it. So, I honestly have no idea why it's taken me this long to read it, I really don't.

This is one of those books where you get completely sucked in. From start to finish I could not put the book down, I seriously devoured this book in no time. Maguire has created these amazingly complex and deep characters that were so captivating and were really a joy to read. Unlike so many contemporary books I read, these characters were complete and full of depth which allowed me to immerse my self completely in the story. I felt like I was able to learn the characters' intricate personalities and see them develop through the story so effortlessly that it was almost unbelievable.

I can't say enough about how much I absolutely loved this book. It was smart and beautiful and just an amazing read, that I would recommend to anyone and everyone.

Go read it!

xoxo,
Amanda

I just really love berets

Last week I got it into my head that I didn't have nearly enough berets in my possession so I decided to head over to Forever 21 after work and look around. I hit the cute beret jackpot and ended up coming home with a bunch of new berets, that I'm so in love with.

First I grabbed this royal blue wool beret. I have a ton of wool berets just like this but strangely enough I didn't have a blue one so this fit perfectly into my collection. Last week I also bought a new red beret in this same style, so I seriously must have plenty of these classic wool berets now. This isn't definite though because if I see another cute one I can't promise I won't find a way to justify buying a new one, lol.

Then I found this super cute hot pink beret, that is way different from kinds I usually buy. I don't have any knit hats but this is super cute and I like the way it looks on me. It's a little more hipster than stuff I usually wear but still cute otherwise.

I saw this beret on the internet before I went shopping and I really liked it. When I tried it on, the over sized bow was so cute and fun that I loved it. The color is also really great, I don't have anything like it so it's a great addition to my hat collection.

I found this beret by sheer luck. I was just looking through a pile of hats in a corner of the store and spotted this just waiting for me there. As soon as I caught sight of the cute bow, and I realized it was the beret I was searching for, I snatched this up so fast and I wouldn't let it go.

I wanted this hat so much because Rachel was spotted wearing it in Glee's Christmas episode and also because it's just too darn cute.

It has been sold out online and I didn't have much hope for it being in store, but luckily for me there was this one left there waiting for me. It made me so excited.

I ended up leaving Forever 21 with four new super cute berets that I can't wait to wear. Now I have a bunch of new berets to wear for all my holiday get togethers and it gets me even more excited for them since I have cute new accessories to wear.

If it's going to be cold, at least I'll be cute in my new berets!

xoxo,
Amanda

DIY Ribbon bow hair ties- inspired by Glee

Last week while watch Glee I saw Rachel wearing these super cute bows in her pigtails and I couldn't get over how cute they were and also so very DIY-able too!

This weekend I grabbed some supplies and made myself my own adorable set of hair bows.

Supplies-
Ribbon- I used satin ribbon in  5/8'' and 1/4'' sizes 
Thin hair ties
Needle, thread and a lighter

First slip the ribbon through one of the hair ties.

Then fold the ribbon over the hair tie to make a loop. Hold the hair tie against the back of the loop so that the bow is made around the hair tie.

Take the end of the ribbon in the back and fold it over to the left. The hair tie should now be in between the loop and the end of the ribbon on the left.

Then take the end you just folded and flip it over the front of the loop.

In the next set of pictures I'm going to flip the bow over. I don't want to confuse anyone, so heads up.

With the end I flipped over the front I made another loop. Then take that loop and put it through the middle-where my left thumb is.

Once you pull the second loop through the middle you'll see the bow take shape.  I know the directions are sort of confusing but I honestly tried to make it as simple as possible. If you have any questions please let me know, and I'll try and explain it better.

Now that the bow is done, I worked it a little bit to make it perfect.

Once I had the bow how I wanted it, I put a few stitches in the back to make sure the bow didn't come undone.

I used black thread here to make sure you guys could see what I was referring to but otherwise I would use a matching thread.

After the bow is secured, I snipped the tails and sealed them with the lighter.

I also made another set with the thinner ribbon. I love both sets and I already have different color ribbon to make more with.

These are so cute and I'm so happy with how they turned out. This DIY was so easy and it was so quick that I just want to keep making a bunch of these. I think the next ones I make are going to be with the 5/8" ribbon but I'm gonna make the center's smaller, I think they'll be really cute too. A tip though-it's a lot easier to put your hair in pigtails first and then put the bows in. It's easier to make the bows look nice when your hair is already styled.

If you're looking for a quick stocking stuffer idea for any girls on your list this would be a perfect and quick DIY idea.You could easily make a bunch of these for girlfriends, sisters, daughters, or even your hair accessory loving secret Santa!

Enjoy your cute new bow hair ties!

xoxo,
Amanda

New Nailpolish Monday

This is actually the nail polish I wore on my birthday and it is by far one of my favorite polishes ever!

Last year Glee came out with a line of polishes for Sephora and this is the polish inspired by Rachel Berry. It's called Miss Bossy Pants and as you can see in the photos it's a gorgeous fuschia shade that is a little metallic. I love the color and it was the perfect fun shade for my birthday.

I need to start finding cool nail designs to try because I have just about gone through my whole polish stash and I obviously can't buy a new bottle every week, so I need to find cool new ways to use what I have. Time to start google-ing!!! 

xoxo,
Amanda

What I've read: The Age of Innocence

A few weeks ago I finished reading Edith Wharton's The Age of Innocence and I just have to recommend it.

This classic is not only interesting but it still has relevance in today's societies. Many of the comments Wharton makes upon society in the twenties in some ways still hold true to social norms today. One of the most interesting aspects for the book is recognizing the similaries between then and now and realizing how some norms and "rules" haven't changed much at all.

My favorite part of the book was how Wharton was able to convey so many emotions through so little words. It was really amazing how her specific use of words was able to create this intimate world where the emotions of the characters were so vivid.

The ending really blew me away and left me speechless. Easily one of the best endings in a book ever. It was just so emotional and captivating.

If you're in the mood to read a classic, this is one of the one's I would suggest.

xoxo,
Amanda

Glee-wind: Extraordinary Merry Christmas

Getting a Glee episode on my birthday was such a great gift, that I didn't even have to ask for! With my Christmas tree sparkling, I snuggled up with a blanket on the couch to enjoy the last Glee of 2011.  The episode was fun and it was such a great episode to end 2011 with. I wasn't expecting huge story development because all TV Christmas episodes seem to step back from the story before the holiday hiatus, so I was just looking forward to a fun episode.

Glee didn't disappoint, it was a fun episode that put me even more in the holiday spirit. Because there were so many songs, I'm only going to hit upon my favorites because if not, this post would be more like a graduate thesis than a Glee-wind.


At the top of the episode we got All I want for Christmas is you and it was such a fun upbeat song. By far the best part was the Finchel kiss under the mistletoe which I can easily say that all Finchel fans have been dying for. It was adorable and cute and such a gift to all of us Finchel fans. Right after that we got the first taste of crazy-Rachel in the episode. Here's Rachel again lost in her own wants, not realizing the true meaning of Christmas. While I think she was really wrong in the way she was acting towards Finn, I did think it was hilarious because she was seriously acting insane. Did anyone else catch her Charlie Brown Christmas reference? When she was telling Finn she just wanted her fair share-Sally says it in the Peanuts special. I loved that the writers slid that in! I thought it was wonderful too that Finn let Rachel learn the spirit of Christmas on her own instead of coming down on her about it. It really speaks to how much he loves her, and even when she's acting ridiculous, he still loves and accepts every part of her. It also speaks to how mature their relationship is and it's wonderful to see mature and stable Finchel.


Oh my goodness, when Tina was talking about how sad last Christmas was, I couldn't help but scream "PREACH" at my television. Last Christmas was terrible and sad and this year was the total opposite and I was so happy about it. If only because we had insanely cute and happy Finchel this year was substantially better.


Even though it was a more soulful song, I loved River.  Lea Michele sounded wonderful and I loved having a solo from her. Also I loved Sam's smile when he looked at Rachel then over to Finn. Everyone can see how much they love one another and it's so great when you can catch one of the other Glee club members catching a glimpse of their love.


I thought the Christmas special was absolutely ridiculous but in the most awesome and hilarious way. I did think it was a little long though, the over acting was funny but after a while I felt like it kind of went overboard.


Finally on to Finn's gift. First I need to say that people really don't realize just how much of an amazing boyfriend he is. Not only did Finn put up with all of Rachel's craziness, but then he went on to get her two of the most thoughtful gifts ever. First he bought her a star, a star to ensure that Rachel never feels lost or scared or lonely. It was amazing and incredibly heart-felt. Even though she was kind of being a brat this episode Finn still got her the jewelry she was heavily and not so subtly hinting that she wanted. He went as far as to pawn his letterman jacket, which means a lot to him as we saw in Brittany/Britney, to get Rachel the earrings. He loves her so much that he was willing to give up something he loves in order to make Rachel happy, no one can say Finn doesn't love Rachel immensely.

Ultimately we saw Rachel learn what Christmas was really about, and remember all the wonderful things she has in her life already.  Along with Rachel, the rest of Glee club also realized the real meaning of Christmas and in the end we got to see a happy Glee club together and giving back.


It was really a wonderful episode to end the year with and also a great way to spend my birthday!


xoxo,
Amanda

Birthday Break

I'll be back tomorrow.

I need a break after my birthday!


xoxo,
Amanda

Happy Birthday to me!

Genuinecakes.co.uk

 

 

 

Idreamofcake.com

Today I'm celebrating my 24th Birthday!

Happy Birthday to me!!!

I'll be back tomorrow as usual.

xoxo,
Amanda

No Nailpolish Monday

Image via: Midwest salon.com

 
I'm giving my nails a rest today. With the constant changing of my nail polish I can see that my nails are getting a little week right now.

So today they rest BUT tomorrow they are getting a brand new coat of a super pretty nail polish perfect for my Birthday! I'll show you guys later.

Just a heads up that this week might be a little slow over here at Carry on...Carry on... As I said my birthday is Tuesday and with this new job I am still getting used to working and keeping up my blog. I know it may be a bit slow but let me assure you I have awesome DIY's coming up that you guys are gonna love!!!!

xoxo,
Amanda

Oh so many capes!

If there is one Fall trend that I have absolutely fallen for it's capes. I think it's a wonderful alternative to a regular coat and since I wear coats so often living in the Northeast this is a trend I can really get behind. I'm already amassing a small collection of super cute capes and I can't wait to get more.

The first cape I got was from Forever 21 and it's a perfect lighter a-line cape.

I love the camel shade with the black detail piping. The rounded collar and bold buttons are the perfect details on this cute cape.

Although I don't have it yet, I ordered this cape from Forever 21 a few days and I can't wait to get it.

I tried it on when I bought my other cape at Forever 21 and I loved it, but I passed on it for some reason. A few days I ago I saw that it went on sale so I figured I should get it since I really liked it before.

It's heavier than my other cape but it's shorter and I think it's going to be super cute with a really girly dress or skirt. Also, it's kind of little red riding hood-ish and I love it!

I have my eye on another cape from Macy's so after some Christmas shopping this Saturday we'll see if I come back with it. I'm not sure I can resist another cute cape to add to my collection.

Happy Friday All!!!

xoxo,
Amanda