I’m going to a couple of parties this year and was told I needed to ‘slut it up’ a bit more than usual. Well, slutty nurse, slutty kitten, slutty bumble bee, etc. aren’t really my thing (in years past, I’ve been a zombie, jellyfish, elf, and part of a haunted forest), so I tried to think of other costumes that would make my friends happy (ie at least show my legs) without looking like a ho. And so I’m going as a flower, inspired by the Christian Dior Fall 2010 Couture collection and frilly pink peonies (my faves). I’ll be layering pink tutus, wearing leafy Valentino sandals that I’ve had for over 10 years but only worn 5 or 6 times, and plan on having too much fun with my hair (def incorporating cellophane) and wild makeup with falsies too! What will you be dressing up as?

I love love the holidays–especially Halloween and Christmas–and always go a bit overboard with my decorating. Right now, we have a screaming ghost that flies across the living room ceiling, a hanging skeleton, lots of cobwebs, spiders, crisp fall leaves, and glittery bones all around my house. And candles. Lot of candles (even more than usual). We also have gauzy ghosts drying, which we sculpted using cheese cloth and liquid starch last night. And I also just ordered D.L. & C.‘s large black skull candle and gold skull candle snuffer today (on gilt of course) after admiring them for years.

My son is going to be a vampire train conductor this Halloween. And I still have no idea what I want to be. I usually start working on my costume at least a month in advance, but… not this year. I want to be something a little scary, but I’ll be going trick or treating with my son and his friends, which means I can’t be too scary. So what to be? A pretty witch? Boring. A brain-hungry zombie?  Maybe. A vampire victim? Definitely not creative enough.

So maybe I should go girly and pretty instead. After doing a quick Runway-Inspired Halloween Costume piece on StyledOn, now I’m considering going as a big flower, inspired by John Galliano’s beyond gorgeous collection for Christian Dior, Fall 2010 Couture. I could probably pull it off fairly easily and wouldn’t have to worry about freaking out the kids – but then again, I love freaking out the kids (just a little bit). What are you going to be? Scary or pretty for you?

Aside from going to a fall harvest festival, watching The Social Network (which was good, but I didn’t see it as “the movie that defines a generation” or “the best movie of the year”), eating terrible ribs at The Wing Bar on Smith Street, and pulling out my winter leggings because yes, I was actually that cold, I began decorating the house for Halloween. Easily one of my favorite holidays, Halloween is one I go all out for. Glittery bones for $30? Gotta have ‘em. Special, extra-stretchy, extra-white spiderwebs that cost $8 more than the other webs available? Must haves. The ability to enter my bathroom? Not if it interferes in my haunted house design.

And speaking of Halloween (which I will be doing a lot, just FYI), why not…

Halloween parties can be really fun and aren’t as much work as you probably think. Check out our guide to hosting both haunted cocktail parties and spooky dinner soirees on StyledOn here.

Are you dressing up this year?
I don’t know what I’m going as yet, but I thinking about being a little more scary/yucky than usual…

I always think that maybe I should just buy a costume and forego the pain, costs and drama of the DIY, but nooo. I’ll probably never buy a pre-made costume. Anyway. Hope you had a fabulous Halloween. My Oliver was a gorilla and his father was a big banana. Xx

No matter how you plan on celebrating (whether wearing a typical and terrible holiday sweater, a Juicy Couture sweat suit, or a sexy little Santa suit and new Louboutins), spread the cheer to everyone around you. Here’s hoping you got everything you wished for and more! Xx

What do I really want? I want my son to always be happy, healthy, and love me unconditionally forever – when I told him that he said, “No Mommy. What do YOU want for Christmas?!” as if I didn’t understand the question at all. Then he tells me that perhaps I should think about it and tell him in the morning.

Now I thought about telling him that I wanted a new pair of shoes, but then I realized that if a beautiful new pair of Louboutins, Pradas, or Viviers don’t magically show up on Christmas morning, he’ll realize that I’ve been a bit naughty this year and I’ll probably never, ever hear the end of it.

Because the bottle shown next to the headline of “Holiday Gifts Under $100″ is really a $1,500 limited edition bottle of 50 hand painted by artist Sophie Matisse for Killian Hennessy – and I would know as I personally went to Matisse’s studio several weeks back to take a closer look at those exact bottles. WTF? I though this was a story about Holiday Gifts Under $100? Anyway, stay tuned for an intimate interview and look inside her studio that I’ve been meaning to post here for a while now…

• If you don’t know Kirna Zabete, it is time you get acquainted with the ultra chic boutique. – and today is the last day to snag 50% off of great designers like Giambattista Valli, Rick Owens, Nina Ricci, and many more (psst – if you are shopping for me, go here!)
• Today only, take 40% off (and an extra 10% off if you shop online) practically all full-priced merchandise (sweaters, jewelry, etc) at Banana Republic – you know, great sweaters for dads, jewelry for your sister
  
• Barneys is having yet another designer sale – definitely worth scrolling through (marni tights for $19 instead of near $100), plus take advantage of free shipping
• You’re probably going to stop reading my blog after you read this, but here’s hoping you don’t: Now through December 3rd, save 50% on the entire Lauren Conrad collection (yes, I’m talking about the collection by Lauren or LC from The Hills/Laguna Beach), which makes it all quite affordable. Ok, so the designs are all ripped off from Ella Moss, Vince, James, etc., but the fabric is super soft, the styles are all really easy to wear, and yes, I am placing an order. Makes for pretty good giving whether they know Lauren’s history with Brody or not
• Net-a-porter‘s super sale is still going on and going strong…
• and of course, BCBG is on sale, on sale, on sale – this time with free shipping on everything purchased today

Growing up, we had the same Advent calendar each each year – a cute fabric one that looked homemade but probably isn’t. My mom would fill every little pocket with Hershey Kisses for both my sister and I to eat each night leading up to Christmas.

The opening up of an Advent calendar is definitely one of the holiday traditions I plan to always uphold, but (as usual) I’ve been looking to find one just like my mother’s for years now and have never been able to find just the right one.

Advent calendars have been around since the beginning of the the 19th century and now come in a wide variety of styles from very basic to super elaborate and life-sized; In Gengenbach, a town in Germany’s Black Forest, the Rathaus (town hall)—which luckily has 24 main windows—is turned into a giant Advent calendar each year. Each window features a scene or painting by an artist, often an illustrator of children’s books.

Last year we bought our advent calendar from Starbucks (which we refilled with stickers and small toys for my son), but this year we discovered the greatest Advent calendar – the Lego one (we have quite a collection growing). See below for my Top 5 Advent Calendars for the 2008 Holiday season:

Lego City Advent Calendar | $29.99 at Lego.com

Starbucks Advent Calendar | $19.95

Pottery Barn Kids Advent House | $129

Barbie Advent Calendar | $36.50

DIY Advent Calendar for the Beer Lover

It is safe to say that I’m filled with the holiday spirit. I’ve been shopping for gifts for a while now and have decided to share some of my favorite finds and ideas with you via my Ultimate Holiday Gift Guide.

See that cute little Kidrobot reindeer off to the left? He’ll be here all season and whenever you click on him you’ll go directly to the page with all of my gift ideas. Some are naughty, some are nice, all of them are great! I hope you enjoy and check back often as I’ll be adding to it often…Happy Holidays!