Last-Minute Halloween Costume: French Girl Two Ways

I've got no big Halloween plans this year, but I rummaged through my closet to see if I could come up with a costume anyway and decided I could be a French girl twice over. No one will be impressed, but hey, I could always add face paint and be a French zombie.

Version 1: Beret, striped top, pleated skirt, ballet flats.

Version 2: Sunglasses, tousled but chic bun, t-shirt, blazer or leather jacket, grey jeans, ballet flats.

The first look is a little more baguette under arm, and the second calls for a glass of red wine in hand. Red lipstick is required for both. Voilà! Are you dressing up this year? Hopefully your costume is more impressive than mine. Have a Happy Halloween!

October Photo Project: Outdoors

I love all the gorgeous fall leaves and beautiful views you captured in October. I snapped this pic of my friend Nora and her cute shoes in Austin earlier this month. Of course, it looks like a summer day, but I just couldn't resist that green grass. Here's what you shared:

Hollie of n'est-ce pas? captured this path lined by fall leaves.

Erika of 17 Perth sent over a photo taken in the North Georgia mountains


Wendy of Young Heart snapped an early morning photo of the St. Johns River.

Katelyn took this photo at a local winery in southern Illinois.

Allison of Reasons to Smile shared this view from Shenandoah National Park.

My friend Annie took this photo of fall in upstate New York.

I love seeing Manhattan peeking through the grass from Daina of New York State of Mind.

Jaime of La vie...J'aime sent over this photo of a stunning Cape Cod sunset.

If you want to share one of your outdoor photos, just leave a link below! I'll announce November's theme on Friday. Thanks so much for sending me your pictures!

Four Fall Frocktails

I've had so much fun teaming up with Ruche this month to create frocktails for four of their lovely dresses. It is "Frocktober" after all. If you follow me on Instagram or Facebook, you may have seen them already, but I couldn't resist sharing them here. I came up with an elderflower gin fizz, fall sangria, a hard cider float and a sage and pear sipper. You can find the recipes and see the adorable dresses that inspired each drink on Ruche's blog. I'd say they're all safe bets for your fall entertaining.

Weekend in Photos

It was a treat-filled weekend. Jonah brought home a box full of truffles, and I put a nice dent in a bakery gift card from my in-laws. On Saturday night, we had a yummy dinner with friends at Diner in Brooklyn and wandered around in the sunshine on Sunday stopping for egg sandwiches and hot drinks.

Thoughts of the Week

These Frida Kahlo cookies crack me up.

I love this non-kitchen rug in the kitchen.

Stick around for a while, fall.

Fun with bobby pins, or as Nick Miller would say, Bobby's pins.

Fall-appropriate popsicles.

Gold spray paint is like magic.

Wishing my apartment housed the majority of items from this charming Etsy shop.

My friend's band released their EP! Give it a listen, would ya.

And please send me your outdoor photos before Wednesday. I wanna see some foliage!

Happy Friday, friends! Thanks again for the birthday messages this week. Y'all are the sweetest!

Per-Sueded

I've been on the hunt for a pair of suede heels to carry me from fall through the holidays. Now it's just a matter of picking the perfect color.

[found here: blue; red; pink; teal; purple; yellow; orange; burgundy]

Celebratory Coconut Cake

I came home yesterday afternoon and decided to bake myself a birthday cake. Coconut cake is one of my favorites and a rare treat, so this coconut-buttermilk pound cake did the trick. I went with a more decadent cream cheese frosting and topped it with toasted coconut because that's the sort of thing birthdays call for. Thanks for all the sweet wishes yesterday!

Hello There, 30

Today's my 30th birthday, and I'm feeling pretty good about it. I'm thankful to have such wonderful people in my life, I'm more comfortable in my own skin than I've ever been, and I'm excited for what's in store in the next decade. So thirties, let's do this.

Austin Revisted

We got back from our trip to Austin last night, and it was such a fun vacation! There was a day trip to San Antonio, lots of time with our Texan friends, good music and good food. Jonah and I treated ourselves to a stay at the Hotel Saint Cecilia, which felt trendy and cool but still homey. We saw our friend's band play and met his dog, Tex. We had tasty doughnuts from Red Rabbit Bakery, perfect brisket at Franklin Barbecue and the best tacos ever at Torchy's. And the weather in Texas was even a little chilly. It couldn't have been a better trip.

Frocktails: Black Magic

I couldn't resist coming up with a black cocktail for October in honor of Halloween. This black currant cosmopolitan is a deep purplish red that looks spookily dark when the light isn't hitting it. It's tart and flavorful, and you can fancy it up with black rimming sugar, which you can buy or make yourself with a little sugar and food coloring.

I thought the Taisia dress from Anthropologie was the perfect gothic, glam look to go along with my drink. It's feminine and flirty but still manages to look sophisticated and chic, and I'm never one to turn down a little black dress.

Black Currant Cosmopolitan

2 oz. vodka
2 oz. black currant juice
1 oz. orange liqueur
1/2 oz. lime juice
1 oz. simple syrup

Combine the vodka, black currant juice, orange liqueur, lime juice and simple syrup in a cocktail shaker and fill it halfway with ice. Shake vigorously until the outside of the shaker is frosted. Strain into a glass, coated with rimming sugar.

Dress found here. Frocktails is a monthly feature for fashion and libation inspiration. See past pairings.

Door Decor

I never think about buying wreaths since I live in an apartment, but there sure are some beautiful fall options out there. They're so welcoming and cheery, it seems like just the right time of year to hang one ... just as long as trick-or-treaters don't steal it because if there's one thing kids can't resist, it's a seasonal wreath.

[found here: wheat; red berries; quince; lavender and roses; hydrangea; boxwood; orange berries]