New Year's Resolutions

I don't like to get too carried away with these, so I have just two...

What are your New Year's Resolutions?

Unplug

melting snowman cookies we recently made - how cute!

Hi lovelies! Just popping in to say hello. You may have noticed that I'm taking a bit of a break from this space. I absolutely love blogging but I've been feeling the urge lately to "unplug." Put down the phone. Ignore Facebook. Let the blog go for a week or two. Focus on more "real" things for awhile.

I've been enjoying lots of quality time with my family, trying new recipes and burying my nose in a very hefty book of Jane Austen novels. Dusty and I have been trying to spend more real time together too. Not just being in the same house, doing our own thing, but actually hanging out. We've been playing cards, doing puzzles, going for drinks and to the actual movie theater. That may sound super lame but it's heaven to me. This little "unplugging" has been wonderful. I highly recommend it!

Thanks for sticking with me! I'll be back soon.

Lily

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I don't consider myself an especially crafty person, but this weekend I have a few DIY and food projects to share with you. First of all, I have been on a serious hot chocolate kick lately. This recipe for homemade hot chocolate has turned me (someone who normally doesn't even like the stuff) into an addict. Here's the recipe:

32 oz Powdered Milk

6 oz Original Coffee Mate (powdered)

1 lb Nestle Quick

1 lb Powdered Sugar

Mix all the ingredients in a big bowl. Store in a plastic container or zip top bag. Scoop 1/3 cup into your mug, fill with water, stir and microwave until it's as hot as you want it. It makes quite a big batch so it will last awhile. It is also great for gift giving.

This recipe is wonderful on it's own. It is far and away the best hot chocolate I've ever had. But when you add homemade marshmallows to the party, it is over the top. The recipe we used for them is from Smitten Kitchen, and it is a little tricky but definitely doable. Once you have tried these, a regular jet-puffed marshmallow just won't cut it for you anymore. Dusty and I have been drinking a mug of this delicious hot chocolate with marshmallows every night. So good.

The second project I'll share with you is how I made my tulle skirt (worn here and here, and I'm not done!) I wasn't thinking of making a DIY post about this when we did it, so I don't have step by step photos. But so many people have asked how I made it so I wanted to fill you in.

So this was me at the tender age of 17 with my friend Nick at our junior prom. I wore a strapless ivory tulle dress with gold embroidery that I was absolutely in love with. Fast forward eight or nine years. (omg.) I saw an amazing tulle tutu skirt at Anthropologie and instantly coveted it and started styling it in my head. But I couldn't bring myself to pay so much for it. Then I flashed back to this dress, and I thought it might work. I have to give props to the amazing sewing skills of my mom, who I admit did most of the work on this. She also recently tailored this dress to fit me like a glove. Thanks Mom :)

So basically we cut the top of the dress off, leaving a few inches of the bodice for a waist band. It zips up the back and there was no way to work around that, so the zipper is still in it - we just cut right around it and I tuck it down into the skirt when I wear it. Then we cut off enough fabric from the bottom of the dress to hit below the knee, and hemmed the lining. We sewed a wide satin ribbon around the waistband to give it a finished look. It makes a cute bow in the back as an added bonus.

And that's about it. It obviously wasn't made completely from scratch so it won't be very easy to replicate, but if you ever had a dress with a tulle skirt that you don't mind cutting up, you could probably make your own the same way. I've heard there are also similar ones on Ebay and Etsy.

This weekend's blog love is all about Stephanie Lam of Lam in Louboutins. Her's was one of the first blogs I discovered when I started my own blog, and I've loved each post since. 

Stephanie has a completely envy-inducing wardrobe filled with gorgeous high end items like her incredible hand bag collection mixed with lots of J.Crew and Zara. Her look is feminine, sophisticated, and often includes a healthy dose of glam. She's also super sweet and adorable. Click here to visit her blog, I know you'll love her too!

Thanks for reading! I'm going to take a few days off for Christmas. Enjoy your holidays, whatever you're celebrating!  

Christmas Colors

Jacket: J.Crew (old, love this one), Sweater: J.Crew, Dress (worn as skirt): c/o Stitched and Adorned, Belt: J.Crew(similar), Tights: Forever21, Boots: Frye, Locket: J.Crew, Bracelet: c/o InPink

Staying warm in fair isle, cable knits and wool. I almost always keep my jewelry pretty simple, and I'm loving this bracelet from InPink. The perfect addition to any arm party, or let it stand alone like I did here. 

P.S. Be sure to check back here on Saturday for my weekend edition, where I'll be giving you the info on the homemade hot chocolate and marshmallows that I've been obsessing over, and telling you how I made my tulle skirt, since so many of you asked! 

Lavender

Dress: BB Dakota c/o Lily and Violet, Tights: Lalamagic, Shoes: Chinese Laundry, Clutch: gifted, Necklace: Forever21, Earrings: Stella & Dot, Lips: Revlon Cherries in the Snow

Can I tell you that I just adore this dress? When the wonderful (and local!) company Lily and Violet invited me to take a look at their gorgeous Holiday Look Book and choose a dress to style, my eyes were immediately drawn to this shimmery lavender confection. I felt like it had my name all over it (and in a way it does... Lily and Violet... you get it.) The silhouette is so classic and just invites you to take a twirl. It's hard to capture in the photos but the fabric is so beautiful - the colors have such a sheen to them. The dress speaks for itself so I kept my styling pretty simple with a sparkly collar necklace, sheer dotted tights and simple pumps. A bright berry lip is all the extra punch I needed. Hello New Year's Eve look!

Lily and Violet offers a well curated selection of gorgeous dresses, unique tops, skirts and jackets (crazy about the leopard one!) and some great handbags that are already on my wish list. Here are a few of my picks:

For these and more adorable pieces, plus great styling inspiration in the Look Book, check out the Lily and Violet website! Cheers!

Merry and Bright

Shirt: Gap (similar), Skirt: DIY, Heels: Target, Necklaces: Stella & Dot, Vintage, Bracelet: Forever21, Sheer dotted tights: J.Crew(similar), Lips: Poppy King for J.Crew

I'm here to brighten your Monday with the most festive, Christmas-y outfit I could come up with. The old-timey, vintage neighborhood I live in is decked out to the nines with holiday decor, we have a Christmas party and baking day planned for this week, I've had my White Christmas DVD basically on an endless loop throughout December, we've been downing cup after cup of homemade hot chocolate, and there is more shopping to be done. (First time Auntie here, baby's first Christmas, you get the idea.) It all has me feeling pretty festive. So throwing practicality to the wind, I'm back in my tutu. This thing just makes me happy. If only I had waited another day or two to take the photos, there would be piles of snow around me to add to this Holiday tableau. 

I wish you holiday cheer, whatever it is you're celebrating!

...

First, I just want to send my love and prayers to the families affected by the unthinkable events in Connecticut yesterday. This tragedy breaks my heart. We can only love and be there for each other, and ask God for guidance and healing.

.....

As the weather gets colder, the days get shorter and the snow piles up around me, I've been trying to figure out the best schedule for blog posts. One thing I've been kicking around in my head is having a weekly post theme. I've done similar "Weekender" posts before, and I like the freedom to throw in a little mishmash of whatever's been floating around my head all week. So with that, I give you my new Saturday series, Weekender.

Weekender posts may include recipes, inspiration photos, Instagram shots, thoughts or anecdotes from the week, etc. I definitely love putting outfit posts together but I also enjoy using my blog as a more broad creative outlet. Weekender will be a place to corral some of my random writing, journaling and creative impulses and to round up the things that have been inspiring, interesting and motivating me all week. Things that are making me happy. Or unhappy, I suppose. Whatever the case may be.

I plan to keep Weekender posts pretty free-form, but one of the features I want to include each Saturday is a blog love shoutout. For the longest time, I would try to compile a list of my favorite blogs to have in a separate page here on Lily Says Go. But every time I sat down to do it I would get frustrated and worry I was leaving someone out. It just wasn't happening. But there are so many great blogs I love and want to share with you, so each week I'm going to spotlight one of them.

Bethany of B Soup instantly came to mind for my first blog shoutout. She's a daily read for me. Her style is so fun and glam, and she's not afraid of a statement look. The girl can pull off anything she wants. Each post is styled to perfection and her funny writing makes you want to be BFF's and go gossip over drinks with her. If you haven't already, you must check her out.

Lastly, I had the honor this week of being Tartan and Sequin's Girl Crush of the Week. I adore this blog and am a fan of pretty much all of their past girl crushes, so I was so thrilled when they asked to feature me! Thanks so much girls! Read the interview here.

I hope you enjoy this new weekly feature! Thanks for reading!
Source

Gingham Style

Shirt: Gap, Jeans: Gap, Earrings: c/o InPink, Shoes: Seychelles

My love for gingham shirts may be a little out of hand. Every time I see one lately I have the urge to buy it and complete my ROY G BIV assortment. I feel like the shirt sums up my style in a nutshell: preppy, classic, easy, feminine but not overly frilly. (Says the girl who wears a tutu.) A perfect wardrobe staple that I truly don't mind having multiples of.

Since I was going for a rather boyfriend-y look here, I added a statement earring to keep it in girlfriend territory. I normally wear small stud earrings and feel a little outlandish or overdone in big earrings. But something about this pair felt really wearable to me, and I think they will be great to transition into spring and summer too. This pretty pair is from InPink, a great company with a huge assortment of accessories at a perfect price point. You could browse the site for hours - they really have something for everyone. 

Holiday Gift Guide

1. West Elm snow globe 25.00

2. Diptyque candle 28.00

3. Anthropologie pie dish 36.00

4. Target The Onion Book of Known Knowledge 29.99

5. Oster wine opener with chiller 25.59

6. Kate Spade note pads 12.00

7.  DKNY throw 49.99

8. C.Wonder monogram coasters 10.00

9. C.Wonder cheese board 38.00

10. Jonathan Adler salt and pepper shakers 48.00

11. Target Catch Phrase 26.89

12. Anthropologie monogram mugs 6.00

Two in Tulle

Seeing double? My blogger pal Jacy (the lovely voice behind the blog Lenore Lamé) and I have teamed up to show you how we style a tulle skirt for the holidays. We had fun putting this together, so we hope you enjoy!

Interestingly, Jacy and I both drew inspiration for our looks from our years growing up as dancers. She found hers on the sale rack at Target a few years back and was happy the style has become current again for this season. (Yes, #targetdoesitagain.) To make it even more festive for the holidays, she paired hers with a fun sparkly collared top and completed the look with delicate accessories and classic pumps. Be sure to jump over to Jacy's blog to see the rest of her post!

I also drew on my love for old Hollywood movies. This kind of reminds me of an outfit Vera-Ellen wears in White Christmas (one of my all time favorites), or something Doris Day or Grace Kelly might have worn. I've always pored over the beautiful clothes in those old movies (and of course the dancing!)

Sweater: J.Crew (similar), Shirt: American Eagle, Skirt: DIY (Similar),  Shoes: Kenzie

With a little help from my mom (ok she basically did everything) we cut my skirt from my junior prom dress. I had seen a very similar one at Anthropologie but didn't want to spend so much on such a fanciful item. I love how it turned out and I'll definitely be styling it a few more ways this season.

"The best things happen while you're dancing."
-White Christmas

Holiday Gift Guide

1. Gap knit tie $29.95

2. J.Crew  socks $28.50

3. Topman cuff links and tie bar set $20.00

4. Billykirk key fob $46.00

5. L'Occitane gift set $38.00

6. Gap tablet case $24.95

7. Jack Black shaving cream $32.00

8. River Island watch $45.73

9. J.Crew boxers $25.00

10. Minnetonka moccasins $45.00

11. Urban Outfitters camera lens mug $28.00