IMO, the best part of most holidays is the food. When FriendBoy asked me what I wanted for Valentine’s Day, of course chocolate was a part of that conversation.

As far as getting in the mood…

Love(ly) inspiration: Pink vanilla button lollipops, 5 Sisterz; Coeur a la creme,  fromme-toyou.tumblr.com; The Red Peacock by Vicky Newman; Marni bow-neck top, Brown’s Fashion; Pink crystal mohawk earrings by Elizabeth Cole; colorful macarons photographed by Daffydil; Blue chocolate-covered Oreos by Skipping Skones

What’s getting you in the mood this year?

You'll also like:

I’ve never been good at New Year’s Resolutions. I have a serious sweet tooth, so for a long time I made the standard “Eat healthier” resolution. It always failed because I just crossed my fingers and hoped that I would wake up on January 1st WANTING to eat only raw broccoli with lemon zest for the rest of my life. That cookie/cake/pint of Haagen Dazs Dulce de Leche calling my name in the freezer wouldn’t seem appetizing at all! Unsurprisingly, that bit of post-holiday magic never happened.

So, this year, I’m trying something more realistic that makes sense for me:

I’m not saying it won’t be difficult, but this one? This one I think I can tough out for one measly year. Do you have any realistic resolutions for 2011?

Also, earlier this week I posted that I’m pulling a Carine and Style Sample magazine is shutting its doors. It’s been an amazing ride and I’ve learned more than I could’ve imagined–which is one of the reasons I started it in the first place. I’m still drawn to the idea of publishing a magazine, so who knows what the future holds?

You'll also like:

I tend to procrastinate wait for inspiration to strike, so there have been times when I’ve been forced–FORCED!–to put together an outfit with stuff that’s already in my closet. That’s where Instant Outfit comes in, with ideas to work with pieces you likely already have. Use what you got to look the way you want.*

Cardigan, Anthropologie; belt, Urban Outfitters; jeans, Old Navy; earrings, Noir; shoes, Aldo

My NYE plans are pretty sedate, but I will definitely indulge in some champers at midnight. Have a safe and happy New Year!

See you in 2011!

*Yes, that was a bastardized version of the infamous quote from The Player’s Club. Yaee YAEE!

You'll also like:

I hope you had a merry Christmas! Mine was fantastic (as usual) since I got to spend time engaging in kooky hijinks with my family. Plus, there were gifts and such! A few highlights:

I asked my dad for a purse and somehow he knew to get me this gorgeous Marc Jacobs bag I’ve had my eye on. Have I mentioned that he’s awesome? No? Well, he’s awesome.

I used to draw in high school and college, but it’s been years since I sketched anything other than rudimentary page layouts and logo concepts. I’ve been lamenting the fact that I rarely create things that don’t require using a computer, so FriendBoy got me a charcoal set to make a mess with!

With the help of a new hi-res scanner from my mom, you, dear reader, should fully expect to be subjected to any halfway decent drawings of random body parts and unnatural still lifes. Ha, GOTCHA!

How was your holiday? Any good loot?

You'll also like:

After trying to decide on a Halloween costume for the better part of a month, Saturday morning came and went and I was no closer to making a decision. I’d spent a good part of the morning brushing and trimming my hair while humming a completely off-key version of “Voodoo Child (Slight Return)” when the idea hit me:

Jimi.

I dug through my closet and found I already had everything I needed for the costume: those bell-bottom jeans, that scarf I always wear, a forgotten vest, and a thrifted blouse and boots. The rest was easy–just hair (mine) and eyeliner pencil (also mine).

I even added a little chest hair for good measure. It’s all in the details, folks.

FriendBoy and I headed to a Halloween party Saturday night, where I encountered Old Spice Guy (aka The Man Your Man Could Smell Like), El dia de los muertos, several enviably large-bosomed wenches, and a dude dedicated enough to make his own medieval-style chain mail (take that, Luxirare)! Unfortunately, I left my camera battery at home, so you’ll just have to use your imagination.

Now that I think about it, this is, like, the 5th year in a row I’ve dressed up as a famous dude. I like to step as far out of my zone as possible on Halloween–I’m a woman every day (obvs), so dressing up as a female isn’t much of a change. I dress like a hoe whenever the mood strikes me, so there’s no pent-up desire to dress as a sexy witch/squirrel/cost accountant. Plus, being a well-known rocker guy with big hair is just more fun!

How was your Halloween weekend? Did you dress up?

You'll also like:

Between hanging out with my family, acting as an all-you-can-eat buffet for mosquitoes, and perfecting my smoothie-making technique (I’m up to two per day. Seriously, it’s a problem), I spent most of the holiday weekend working on the new issue of Style Sample magazine. You can read the online version here, and order a copy of the print edition–which includes a pretty awesome bonus feature on personal styling–here.

I didn’t even get to see fireworks, and I love fireworks.  Ah, well. Maybe Labor Day…

How was your weekend?

You'll also like:

Hope everyone had a great holiday! I had fun spending time with the fam and giving and receiving gifts, including this lovely new Nikon D3000 that I have no idea how to operate (but thanks for the surprise, Dad!), a new TV and a TV cabinet from IKEA (thanks Mom!), which FriendBoy and I put together in record time. I’m telling you, trying to make 378 pieces of compressed wood and a smattering of screws into something resembling furniture is the true test of a relationship.

Setting up the new stuff made me want to clean out the old, and in the process of clearing out (some of) the darn near ceiling-high stacks of magazines I’ve accumulated over the years, I came across my prize publication: The September 1993 issue of American Vogue. Can you believe I still have this? A testament to my pack-rat tendencies.

There are some…”interesting” early 9o’s throwbacks in the issue, including Drew Barrymore’s Guess ad, an article about the revival of punk (I guess some things never change), and page after page of “New Romantic” looks–think Linda, Kate, and Christy sporting layers of velvet and paisley and Seinfeld-esque puffy shirts! It’s just too good not to share, so once I get my scanner situation figured out, I’ll post some images.

How was your holiday? Did you do anything exciting?

You'll also like: