Falling into Fall

The weather might suggest otherwise but I am still wearing flats and my favorite pink ones at that (last seen here). I paired them with cropped black pants from Jcrew factory to make the perfect fall outfit!

Halloween Inspiration

I really love Halloween. I like thinking of a unique costume to wear but even more than that, I love conceptualizing how to creatively and minimally decorate around me. Sure, the normal pumpkin cutout can be seen hanging from the majority of windows on the street and fake webbing in each of the neighboring trees but I like a more DIY approach with interesting ideas that will have everyone stopping to admire and friends asking "where did you get that?" Here is some great inspiration on how to do Halloween the right way, stylishly and on a budget, of course!

FOR THE HOUSE

     FOR THE OUTSIDE

FOR YOU

Homemade Soft Pretzels

 

After talking about doing this for quite some time, I finally made homemade soft pretzels last night. I didn't believe the hype about how easy they were to make but I followed this easy recipe and it only took 30 minutes to prepare and bake these great snacks. To mix it up, I made mini versions and paired them with a vegetarian curry soup similar to this one as a substitute for naan. They were a huge hit and I will definitely be making them again!

 

warm water, yeast, sugar and salt when mixed together

mixed and kneaded pretzel dough ready for rolling

 one finished roll (should be about 18'' long) about to be dipped in egg and formed into a pretzel shape

 

pretzel dough already formed, sprinkled with sea salt and ready to be cooked

baked soft pretzels right out of the oven

 

paired with a hot bowl of curry soup, perfect for fall, and ready for dipping! 

DIY Boxwood Wreath

I love the look of a boxwood wreath! Whether it's more shaped and proper or rustic and messy looking, they always look chic. Since a preserved or fresh boxwood version can set you back anywhere from $60-$100, I decided to recreate a faux DIY wreath myself using supplies from Hobby Lobby and I only spent $37! Although it might not be the real deal, a fake wreath is more ideal for me since my front door isn't shaded but even more importantly, I won't have to buy another one next year. Here's what you'll need to get the look for less (some items I used were not online so I added a link to similar versions) and a breakdown of what you can expect to pay.

14'' Wreath $4.99/ Faux Boxwood stems $5.99 each/ Burlap Ribbon $4.99/ Floral Wire $2.99

WHAT TO DO

First, get your area ready by putting your wreath down on an old blanket or plastic bag for easy clean up (I used an old blanket at first but the wreath was too messy so I put a bag down underneath it instead) and line your faux boxwood stems up being careful not to get them tangled with each other

  

Next, start threading just the stems of your boxwood into the wreath on each of the four sides aiming for the middle (as much as possible) of the sides of the wreath. You can push the stems as far down as possible but be sure the bottoms aren't sticking out anywhere. If you have a few that are, just keep threading them through

Once each stem is threaded, your wreath should look something like this (above)

        

Next, just use the green floral wire to secure the various boxwood buds around the wreath while working them into the twigs and letting some hang out for that desired "rustic" look. I only really secured the major areas that were the heaviest and a few wispy strands but it all depends on what you want it to look like

This is what my wreath looked like after working the various boxwood strands into the twig form for about 15 minutes. I can't stress enough how EASY it is to make this on your own...all you need is patience!

   

 I couldn't make a decision about the burlap so here my wreath is with and without a bow!

  and finally, the finished product!