Merry Christmas!

Merry Christmas to you and yours! I hope your holiday is filled with happiness, relaxation, loved ones, and overflowing joy. I'll never get over the fact that God sent His only Son to Earth to save us. I've never experienced something so completely humbling as this. The older I get the more aware I am of the true miracle that His birth and this season is. No matter where we are in life, we're all so, so very blessed. :) 

I'll be back next week to wrap up the year and promise that things will return to normal around here in 2015! Cheers to a happy remainder of your holiday season! Merry Christmas! xoxo

-Lanie W.

Christmas Wish-List || The Little Things

I've said it before, I'll say it again: the little presents are, quite often, the best presents. Whether it's a new book you've been dying to read, a yummy candle, a pretty wall calendar, or even a wicker basket for your bike, these adorable (and inexpensive!) goodies are so much fun to give and receive. I would more than happily accept any of these that came my way and I know my girlfriends would as well!

-Lanie W.

Home Sweet Charleston

BIG news to share today y'all! .... *insert drumroll here* .... I finally signed a lease for an apartment in Charleston!! I'm sooo relieved/excited/happy. Having this worry and weight off my shoulders is the best Christmas present I could imagine! Now that everything is in place I can focus on the fun part of this process- moving in! I'm thrilled about getting settled in my new place and making a real home for myself here in The Holy City.

Oh, and the craziest part about this whole thing? The apartment complex I'm moving to is the exact same one my mom lived when she moved to Charleston after graduating from Clemson. How insanely spooky is that? Life really does come full circle sometimes (and if you're wondering, yes it's been majorly updated since she lived there).

A little bit about my new abode: It has a wood burning fireplace (!!), a screened-in porch, and pretty wood floors. Location-wise it's less than 10 minutes from downtown/work, 15 from the beach, and basically across the street from my bae Trader Joes *insert praise hands emoji*. Oh, and I can walk to the gorgeous park pictured below in about three minutes #win #win #win.

If you need me I'll be busy unpacking, organizing, and decorating to my hearts content! I'll be back with regular posts next week once everything calms down. In the meantime, I hope y'all have a great weekend! xoxo

-Lanie W.

All Is Bright || Holiday Style

Hello pretty people! Apologies for my absence yesterday- although I started my job here in Charleston a couple weeks ago (!!), I still haven't found an apartment. I'm staying with my Aunt right now and, to be honest, am in a state of constant disarray. With half my belongings at my parents house and half in my car (completely serious) it's a struggle to feel grounded. I simply want to be settled. However, I honestly think this is the Lord's way to reminding me that this season isn't about decorations, gifts, or pretty Christmas trees- it's about the miracle of His birth. With all the typical fluff of Christmas taken away I've never felt more in-tune and simply thankful for everything Jesus' birth meant. He really does work in mysterious ways and I am so humbled by His love and faithfulness. :)

Okay! Let's get back to the topic of this post, shall we. This festive time of year comes lots of opportunities to dress up, and I have to be honest- I love it. There are few things I enjoy more than getting dolled up and making merry with those I love! My girls over at Rich Girl Rags just released their holiday lookbook and it's safe to say I'm in love as usual. From bright reds to pretty sparkles, they've really outdone themselves. Take a little peek at my favorite shots-

I have a feeling those tassel earrings shall be mine asap. Check out the complete lookbook here! xoxo

-Lanie W.

Christmas Wish-List || My Top Four

It's Friday (!!!) which means it's time for the second installment in my Christmas Wish-List series! Todays post is all about the "big" items on my list (aka items greater than $100). Ever since I can remember my family has had a rule of asking for three main gifts on our list each year. This tradition was inspired by the fact that Jesus got three gifts (gold, frankincense, and myrrh) from the Wise Men on the day of His birth. Clearly there are four items featured below, but hey, a girl has to have options right? ;)

1 || I saw this beautiful tote on Kate's fabulous blog (A Lonestar State of Southern) and immediately fell in love. It's so unique, but would also go with basically everything in my closet. Plusss it can be personalized with your initals. I could totally see myself using this 24/7 as a work/gym/life in general bag. 

2 || I haven't had a real camera (that wasn't on my iPhone) since 2009 - so this grown-up dslr is a much needed technology update. I really want to expand my blog and include more personal outfit posts and this baby will be the perfect tool to help me do so! It will also be amazing to have now that I'm living in Charleston the most photogenic city ever. 

3 || I'll be the first to admit I can be bad about taking care of my skin. I don't wear much makeup, so sometimes it's hard to motivate myself to wash my face every single night. Usually this doesn't make much of a difference, but lately my skin has been less than happy with me. This cleansing brush + product kit is the perfect solution to ending my skincare laziness once and for all.

4 || I've had this watch on my list for the past two years, so perhaps this will be the year that it finally becomes mine! I'm obsessed with its rose gold face, classic leather band, and overall chic vibe. It would be the ideal watch to add to my jewelry line-up, and could give the watch I've worn every day for the past three years a much needed break. :)

Does your family have a similar tradition? How many "big" items do you usually include on your list each year?

-Lanie W.

Favorite Celebs on Social Media

I'm a self-professed addict of the beast that is social media. I've been tweeting, pinning, 'gramming, and posting since I was a teen and have witness the rise and fall of many a site (rip MySpace). One of my favorite aspects of sosh media is getting a more realistic look into the lives of celebs. Instead of being filtered through a publicist they can share anything they choose (generally speaking). I definitely have favorite accounts that I check each day, so I've decided to share a few with y'all today!

|| Instagram - Reese Witherspoon ||

Reese is the OG girl-next-door and seriously gets more awesome with every passing year. She's one of my biggest style icons and the fact that she's a southerner (and proud of it) make me love her even more! Her Insta is a perfectly mixed bag of funny, realistic, silly and glam photos that offer a peek into her adorable life as a mom and actress. Added bonus points for her captions which never fail to make me laugh!

|| Twitter - Anna Kendrick  ||

I know I'm not the only one with may-jor girl crush on Ms. Kendrick. She's pretty much the girl all of us want to be- gorgeous, hilarious, approachable, smart- I could go on and on. It's like, if she wasn't so great we would all hate her for being a perfect human. Her Twitter constantly makes me laugh/wish I was her best friend. I simply cannot wait to see her in Into The Woods and Pitch Perfect 2!!

Who are your favorite celebs to follow on social media? Anyone I need to add to my repertoire?

-Lanie W.

Trendy x Timeless | No. 4

Hola babes - first things first: Happy DECEMBERRRR! (was that too much? I blame the coffee hehe). It's officially the jolliest month of the year, can you even believe it? Now that I'm no longer in school I feel like I'm experiencing the holidays in an entirely new way. It's crazy (and a bit sad) that I won't have a large chunk of time totally dedicated to relaxing and soaking in the Christmas season this year, but my excitement about my new job/apartment/life in general is making that a bit easier to handle. :) #onedayatatime

Todays trendy x timeless is all about metallic tweed. I've seen this all over the place lately (namely: J. Crew's website) and have totally fallen in love! When I generally think about tweed visions of classic British attire pop in my head, but I'm really digging this chic revamp. This would be such a fun trend to try for the holiday season that would definitely set you apart from the sea of people in black/red dresses!

timeless: the classically textured fabric that's been around for hundreds of years || trendy: the metallic/colorful twist and unexpected silhouettes 

What are you opinions on metallic tweed? A fun update, or should they leave well enough alone?

-Lanie W.