Happy Halloween

Happy Halloween everyone!  I hope you all have your pumpkins carved, costumes perfected, and a sweet tooth ready to dig into the delicious candy to be had tonight.  I'm looking forward to passing out candy and seeing trick-or-treaters dressed up in costume, but I'm most excited to celebrate my Bagheera's 6th birthday!  And there's no better companion to have on Halloween than a black cat.

Photo by Vogue Paris

Featured Sale: Kate Spade

In case you haven't heard, Kate Spade is offering up to 75% off of their final sale items for 2 days only.  There are incredible deals on bags, wallets, tech accessories, jewelry, shoes, and clothing.  The holidays are coming up so this is a great time to buy a few gifts for friends and family, and of course there's nothing wrong with treating yourself to new arm candy.  Hurry, because items are already selling out!

Grove Court Thea / Gold Coast Small Georgina / Gold Coast Nisha  

Lessons in Layering

Here comes the cold, and with it, the need to pile on heaps of clothing to keep warm.  Of course, with that comes the fear of the dreaded Marshmallow Man look.  However, layering clothes is actually an easy look to master.  Here are a few tips to guide you through creating a layered outfit so that you're ensured to stay warm and look stylish during the colder months.

(1) Choose neutral colors to serve as your base.  Blacks, grays, nudes, and muted blues (ie. denim) are good starting points to craft your layered look.

(2) To avoid overwhelming your body with too many bulky layers, start with something form-fitting as the initial layer.  This makes your job of adding layers to the look much simpler.

(3) Add depth to your look by mixing different fabrics and textures.  A lightweight blouse under a chunky knit adds dimension to this look.  Other fun fabrics to play with are tweed, faux fur, and leather.

(4) Make your layered look more on trend by adding a pop of color or a print.  Pops of color are easily incorporated with accessories such as a statement necklace, bag, or scarf.  Prints are a fun way to really pull this look together.  Animal prints, plaid, and stripes are the easiest and most classic prints to incorporate.

Photos by glamournarcotico.com / thepinkpeonies.com / fashionhippieloves.com / madewell.com

Pumpkin-Chocolate Whoopie Pies

I’m a complete sucker for anything and everything pumpkin. It doesn’t feel like Fall until I’ve had my first pumpkin spice latte or I’ve smelled the sweet and spicy aroma of a pumpkin spice candle in my house. Pumpkin puree is a Fall staple in my kitchen cupboards, so when the craving hit for a delicious dessert I knew exactly what I was going to bake. I’ve had this pumpkin & chocolate whoopie pie recipe saved in my recipe binder for a few years but had never gotten around to baking it, until now. This is the perfect autumnal treat that I know I’ll be baking for years to come. I’d love to know what your favorite pumpkin or Fall recipes are - please share!

PUMPKIN-CHOCOLATE WHOOPIE PIES

Yields: Approximately 8 whoopie pies

Time: 30 minutes, not including wait time for cookies to cool

Ingredients:

2 cups all-purpose flour (spooned & leveled)

2 teaspoons pumpkin pie spice

1½ teaspoons baking powder

¼ teaspoon salt

2 large eggs

¾ cup pumpkin puree

1 cup packed light-brown sugar

⅓ cup unsalted butter, melted; plus ¼ cup, room temperature

¾ cup heavy cream

⅔ cup unsweetened cocoa powder

1¾ cups confectioners’ sugar

Instructions:

1) Position oven racks to the upper and lower thirds, then preheat to 350 degrees F.

2) In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, pumpkin pie spice, baking powder, & salt. In a large bowl, whisk together eggs, pumpkin puree, brown sugar, melted butter, and ¼ cup heavy cream. Add flour mixture to egg mixture and whisk until just combined.

3) Drop dough in 2-tablespoon mounds (I used an ice cream scoop), 1 inch apart, onto two greased baking sheets. Bake until tops of cookies spring back when gently pressed, about 13 minutes, rotating sheets halfway through. Transfer to wire racks and let cool completely.

4) In the bowl of an electric stand mixer, beat room temperature butter, ½ cup cream, cocoa powder, and confectioners’ sugar on medium-high until fluffy, about 2 minutes. Spread filling on flat side of half the cookies; sandwich with remaining cookies.

Recipe courtesy of Food Network Magazine, with a few minor changes of my own.

Eye of the Tiger

Loeffler Randall shoes are always amazing, but this may be my favorite pair of smoking slippers of all time.  

Top 10 Halloween Movies

Each October my fiance and I have an all day scary movie marathon with two of our closest friends, who are big scary movie fanatics like me.  Sadly, this year our conflicting schedules have caused us to postpone the movie marathon, so I spent Sunday evening watching a scary movie on Netflix and eating pumpkin whoopie pies (recipe to come later this week).  Although watching alone wasn’t nearly as fun as our scary movie marathon, it was just the thing I needed to get me in the Halloween spirit.  It also got me thinking about my favorite movies for Halloween, some scary and some fun.  Here’s my Top 10 list, what would be on yours?

Top 10 Halloween Movies

Hocus Pocus

Scream

The Shining

Clue

Friday the 13^th

Seven

The Goonies

Halloween

Sleepy Hollow

The Ring

Photo credit: electricsheepmagazine.co.uk

Featured Sale: Piperlime Birthday Sale

Piperlime.com is one of my top go-to websites when shopping for clothes, accessories, and shoes.  They carry hundreds of brands and are always on trend, making them a one-stop-shop for whenever you need a wardrobe makeover.  They're offering 20% off today in celebration of their 7th birthday and I thought I'd pass the good news on.  Happy shopping!

Blank Denim Coated Skinny Jean / Ark & Co. Sequin Mini Dress / Joie Taluca Pant / Sam & Lavi Dress