GIFT WRAPPING // HOT FUDGE

Secret Santa is probably one of the funnest things about Christmas, and I love to go all out with stuff like this. This year was easy because I knew exactly what my person wanted. I didn't have a lot of room for creativity, so I decided to add those little details in the wrapping and with another little home-made treat. 

To make a gift a bit more personal or just to make it cute, the easiest thing to do is to wrap it with craft paper and do some decorating! I just used some puff paint, polka-dotted ribbon, and twine. Be creative, and decorate however you choose!

 

Lastly, the hot fudge. My grandmother has passed down the recipe to my mom, and I can truly say it's the best I've tasted. 

1 can Hershey's syrup

1 stick butter

1 tsp. vanilla

1/4 tsp. salt

1 can Eagle-brand milk

Melt the syrup and butter first, and wait until it comes to a rolling boil. Then add the salt and vanilla. Add the milk last, and stir while you pour it in. Turn the temperature down to low and let it simmer. Taste it periodically; you'll know when it's ready.

This stuff is best served warm over ice cream, especially peppermint. One of my personal favorite combinations is a brownie topped with peppermint yogurt and hot fudge.

Merry Christmas!

Sincerely, Mary Claire

WINTER FAVORITES

1. pure peppermint tea / Twinings / a gift

2. high-waisted jeans / BDG / Urban Outfitters

3. girls' wingtips / Deena & Ozzy / Urban Outfitters

4. floral lace thong / Urban Outfitters

5. gift card / Starbucks / love the peppermint mocha and Tazo chai tea

6. gift card / Regal Cinemas / have recently seen Lincoln, really interesting movie

7. chapstick / eos / Target (for my purse)

8. lip care formula / Clinique / Macy's (for nightly use)

9. Hide & Go Sequins / Ulta 

10. Fashionably Late / Ulta

11. purple shimmer eyeliner / Ulta

12. black felt-tip eyeliner / Physician's Formula / a gift

13. sheer collared polka dot button-up / Forever 21

14. lace-up wedges / Mossimo / Target

15. floral tights / Urban Outfitters

16. shea cashmere hand cream / Twilight Woods / Bath & Body Works

17. body spray / Twilight Woods / Bath & Body Works

18. triangle necklace / a gift

Sincerely, Mary Claire

DIY FRILLY SOCKS

Ever since seeing some frilly lace socks paired with boots via Pinterest, I have been dying to make a pair for myself. This is really simple, and they will be great for fall and winter. Here's everything you'll need: a pair of socks, a needle and thread, and some frilly trim.

So this is about as DIY as you can get. You could use a sewing machine for this, and it would be a lot quicker, but I just used things from around my room when I made these. Now, don't start sewing the frill on without making sure that the socks are flexible enough to stretch over your foot. To stretch them out while sewing, just use a roll of masking tape (or anything else that works). Position it so that the top of the socks are barely above the edge of the tape. Then sew away!

And here is the finished product:

Sincerely, Mary Claire

FALL FAVORITES

1. thigh-high wool socks / Xhiliration / Target

2. sleeveless, button-up denim shirt / Cherokee / thrifted

3. faux leather ankle boots / H81 / Forever 21

4. Keep Up The Flame / Maybelline ColorShow / Target

5. Impeccable Greys / Maybelline ColorShow / Target

6. nail polish remover pads / Equate / Target

7. Jane Austen collection / Christmas gift, 2011

8. Brownie Super 27 camera / Kodak / thrifted

9. comfort on-call cream / Clinique / Macy's

10. Fire & Ice / Revlon / Target

11. ribbed footless tights / had them for years

12. #3 conditioner / L'Oreal / Target

(I ombre-ed my hair and used L'Oreal Preference LB01. I have lots of this conditioner left, and it's awesome!)

13. frappuccino / Starbucks

14. paisley scarf / thrifted

15. DIY studded flats / Soda / had them for years, just recently added the studs

Sincerely, Mary Claire

FLEA MARKET

This past Saturday, I took a trip to the local flea market with my good friend Chloe and her mom. We didn't even make it to half of the booths, but I came home with some really good finds. I think I've found a new way to shop - can't wait to go back!

Rings! I love rings, and I got three really unique rings for $15.

My favorite purchase - a 1963 Kodak "Brownie Super 27" plastic camera for standard 127 film. It's in great condition and all that I have to do is buy some film and start shooting.

In addition, I found an original 1961 pressing of the "West Side Story" soundtrack on vinyl (for only $5). This was the perfect birthday gift for a new friend who is part of the cast of this play at school. Doubting that she owned a turntable, I thought, "maybe she can frame it..." Amazingly, I lucked out and found that she did, in fact, have a turntable in her room. We listened to the record, and the sound quality was great. I definitely consider this first trip to the flea market a success.

Sincerely, Mary Claire

A WEDDING (AND MORE)

On Saturday, September 8, my cousin Emily Smith married Sam Hancock. It was a three day event, starting with a classy sushi dinner/bachelorette party on Thursday, then a lovely backyard rehearsal dinner on Friday, and finally the real wedding event on Saturday. It really was a great weekend, and spending time with the family was so fulfilling and fun! The wedding was Pinterest-worthy, from the ceremony's willow tree backdrop, the sweet potato bar at dinner, and the Cajun band. Here are a few [poor quality] iPhone pictures from the weekend's events:

And were the festivities over after Saturday night? Not by a long shot. Sunday afternoon saw my family taking an adventure to the big outlet mall north of Nashville to have lunch with some old friends at a restaurant none other than the infamous Rainforest Cafe. This "cafe" is designed for kids, complete with mechanical animals, fake storms, and a gift shop. Thus, it was an experience. We sat right by a fish tank, and I made a new best friend - a seven year old girl.

So finally, to end the weekend, I relaxed at a red carpet movie premiere. No big deal, right? My cousins, Ryan and Tyler Smith, wrote/directed and composed the music for a full-blown Hollywood (or should I say Nashville?) movie. Which, obviously, is really cool. They premiered this movie, "After", at a local cinema. From a totally unbiased standpoint, the movie was truly great. If you're into sci-fi/thrillers/apocalypse movies, definitely make a point to see this. 

Watch the trailer for "After" here:

Well, there's a recap of last weekend for you. 

Sincerely, Mary Claire

RE-PURPOSING OLD CLOTHES

As of last night, all my cousins are all grown up and married! I have five cousins on my mom's side (none on my dad's) - three girls and two boys. The oldest just recently turned 29 and the youngest, 20, is the newly-wed. Well, last week my aunt brought over three trash bags full of hand-me-downs. Of course, most of these clothes had been stashed away for years and years, but I was able to pull out a few things. I found two dresses which I envisioned re-purposing into some better pieces.

First project: creating a bralette from an old dress.

Second project: creating a high-low skirt from an old dress.

Try this with any old dresses/skirts/shirts!

Sincerely, Mary Claire

HUMP DAY #2

Wednesday, September 5. It's one of those days when I keep forgetting which day of the week it is and what I have to do later and so on. Thus, I feel a bit lazy and tired about everything I've done today. Nashville's ninety-five degree heat does not help this fact, and neither does the immense amount of work I must do for school tomorrow. 

 

The blazing sun and heat continues in Nashville. The inconsistent and freezing climate of my school continues also. Today is grungy and uncomfortable. Tonight, though, I will go to church and continue in the study that I am enjoying so much. All ends well.

Sincerely, Mary Claire

RECORD HAUL

My records are some of my most loved possessions. I have a small, but growing, collection of some of my favorites. I bought the first one on May 25, 2011, and my newest one was bought on August 2. Today I did a little  photo shoot with them, so enjoy the pictures and check out the bands if you want!

In alphabetical order: Aim and Ignite - Fun. / Chasing Hamburg - Polar Bear Club / I.V. - Loma Prieta / I Wish I Could Stay Here - Basement / The Redder The Better - Polar Bear Club / Parting the Sea Between Brightness and Me - Touche Amore / Separation - Balance and Composure / Shed - Title Fight / Sometimes Things Just Disappear - Polar Bear Club / Winter Forever - Seahaven / Zoo - Ceremony

My new set up. :)

 Sincerely, Mary Claire

HUMP DAY #1

Alright. I'm getting a bit lazy about posting on this blog. Thus, I've devised a formula to make sure I post at least once a week. It will go like this: each Wednesday I'll make a "Hump Day" post, which will include a view out my bedroom window on that particular day, usually what I'm wearing (if it's worthy of the internet), and a variety of things. I hope these posts will force me to update more and maybe they'll give me a little mid-week inspiration to get me to Friday without losing my mind. 

 

Today is sunny and unbearably hot (at least in my poor little sans-AC car) for the most part.  I'm wearing a dress from Forever 21 and my mom's old Calvin Klein black leather boots. The wooden, floral-print heart necklace was a bridesmaid gift from my cousin, Anna, and the rings I have collected over the years.  My hair is in an interesting state today. Overall, today was good - or maybe I should just say I've made it through alright so far. Head up.

Sincerely, Mary Claire

NAIL POLISH

I'm a little bit obsessive about nail polish. I love painting my nails, and I have a massive collection of colors and brands. Nail polish can become ridiculously expensive, so I'm a big fan of buying cheap nail polish. Here are some inexpensive brands of nail polish that are also of good quality.

1. Sinful Colors. These are $1.99 at Target, and come in just about any color. It usually takes two coats to look really good, but they dry pretty fast and last for a while.

2. NYC. I just recently discovered this brand at Target! It's awesome. The shiny top coat runs at about $1, and the colors on the right are about $2. They also make colors in a bottle like this top coat that run at its same price.

 3. Revlon. The standard Revlon nail polish (on the left and the right) runs at $3.99. Unfortunately, it takes a really long time to dry and becomes really sticky after too many coats. The Top Speed polish (in the middle) is $4.54, and it is so much better!

Sincerely, Mary Claire

DAILY MAKEUP

After eight days of attending a new school in which I am (1) not restricted by a uniform and (2) feeling like I should look more than "presentable" every day, I have found a daily makeup routine that works for me. This takes me less than ten minutes each morning.

After years of trying different pencil eyeliners, I have found that this Maybelinne Unstoppable Pencil is the best. This is in Onyx.

Once again, Maybelline makes a great eyeliner product. This is a liquid Line Stiletto in Black. 

 e.l.f. is definitely my favorite inexpensive makeup brand. This primer isn't the absolute greatest, but it works for the time being.

Another e.l.f. product. I use the top left shade to highlight. The other colors I sometimes use if I'm doing a smokey eye. 

This is a L'Oreal product in Black.

This is a liquid Covergirl concealer in Medium Light.

This is a clear lip moisturizer by Clinique. I use it each night before bed and every morning, and it keeps my lips soft! 

I hope these steps and product tips can help you a little!

Sincerely, Mary Claire