well seasoned.

I guess it kind of goes without being said, but I've taken a few months off from regular blogging. I've taken some much needed time to think, reflect, and grow personally & professionally, but Fall just puts me in the spirit to get back to social network socializing. Pumpkins, spice & everything nice are poppin' up all over Pinterest and Tumblr, and I'm in tweed & Bean Boot heaven. These are some of my favorite pictures that have me longing for a cozy fireplace & a cable knit anything. Consider this Part I of many Fall related posts. My thumbs are numb from repinning and reblogging all things autumn. 

Time to stop and smell the cinnamon.

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The leaves are falling, the air is crisper, and everything feels new – renewed. I hope y'all are feeling this Fall leaf turning over, too. It feels pretty good.

All post via my Pinterest & Tumblr.

Take a Seat.

Few things are quite as quintessentially southern than a perfectly set table. Beautiful linens, china, crystal, and silver cover and line a table, complete with well thought out, handwritten place cards. Some of my favorite pictures that I find are of tablescapes. Right now, I'm loving the unexpected use of gold plated utensils. They create such a warm environment. I can't think of any easier way to express yourself than setting a unique table for a group of family & friends. Take a seat, y'all.

Favorite.

Kate Moss' Great Gatsby inspired reception. Obviously this is my favorite. 

Photos via Pinterest.

freshly squeezed.

This is one year where the no-white-after-Labor Day rule has been thrown away. I love cold weather more than most, so this season has been slightly depressing for me, considering the fact that it's been hot for the majority of it. Come September, I think in nothing but tweed, tartan, sweaters, and changing leaves. However, like a light switch, the day after Christmas I'm geared up and ready to go for spring and summer. Usually brought about by the new Lilly catalog in the mail, I dream of punchy colors, shifts, sandals, and Essie. This season is no exception, as you can see from my new blog design. A few Christmas additions, including Essie "clambake," my amazing Lilly wristlet, and my new straw tote, have really put me in the mood for color & warmer climes (though, I'm typing this in 70 degree weather, so I'm pretty ok with it staying this temperature). Thanks to the cheery thoughts of pinks, oranges, cocktails, and the beach, I'm coming out of my lack-of-winter funk. Here are some of the bright and beautiful things that have been inspiring me of late.

via Unabashedly Prep.

via Unabashedly Prep.

via Unabashedly Prep.

So, Buddy the Elf stopped by last night..

Leave it to me to find a recipe for cookie bars while perusing one of my favorite sources for  style, Refinery 29. Yesterday's newsreel led me to NomNomBlingBling (and Publix), where I found this sinful recipe for Peppermint Bar Cookies. This is taking me way back to that Christmas season in high school that I spent chopping up Peppermint Bark at Williams-Sonoma for samples.. I may have snuck a bite or two.

This recipe is very simple-- store bought cookie dough, baked in a pan, then topped with marshmallows and white chocolate chips, and then a glorious sprinkle of peppermint candy. That definitely deserves a nom nom.

This is the recipe from her blog, but be sure to click over and read it from the horse's mouth. She's hilarious.

Via NomNomBlingBling.

Recipe (adapted from Sandra Lee Christmas 2010 magazine)

1 (16.5-ounce) package refrigerated ready-to-bake sugar cookie dough (I used Pillsbury)
1 cup miniature marshmallows
1/3 cup white chocolate morsels (I used Nestle)
1/3 cup crushed hard peppermint candies

Procedure
1. Preheat oven to 350. Line a 9x9-inch baking pan with aluminum foil, allowing foil to extend over sides of pan. Spray with nonstick cooking spray.
2. Using your hands, press dough evenly into the bottom of prepared pan.
3. Bake for 18-20 minutes. Remove from oven, and immediately sprinkle with marshmallows and morsels. Bake for 3 to 4 minutes longer, or until marshmallows are puffed. Sprinkle with crushed candy. Cool completely in pan (about 1 hour).
4. To serve, lift foil to remove uncut bars from pan. Place on a cutting board. Fill a pitcher with hot water. Place a long, sharp knife in pitcher. Using warm knife, cut into 9 large squares. (Mine yielded 14 squares).

Get ready, Santa; you're getting the leftovers. Buddy approves. :)

pen it.

I've always been that girl who loves stationery. My love affair started at the Paper Store in Montgomery, in which walls were lined with Crane in every color and style imaginable. It should have been called Paper Heaven. Growing up, the top drawer of the chest in our living room was devoted to writing materials, mostly from my favorite shop, along with special items like wax sticks, stamps, and embossers. It was like a grown up art drawer, and in my younger days, my goal was to be a grown up; naturally my affinity for writing letters spun from this.

Parisian thank-you notes are my
 new favorite stationery and were a gift. 

Tell me, what is more exciting than opening your mail, especially in the age of email, to find a card or note that someone has hand written, stamped, addressed, and sent just to you? Equally as exciting to me is being the person to send a note. Picking out the paper your letter will be on, deciding what your message will be, and sending the note out into the great unknown are all what make this lost art so special. If you haven't written a note in a while, try it. Do you typically print out Christmas cards? Try a hand written message instead. It's so much more special. 

What could be lovelier?