Favorite Halloween Candy (+ a Recipe!)

I have many fond memories of trick or treating as a child (okay, into my late college years…sorry neighbors, just could not give up the dream). My two best friends from elementary school and I were so excited to fill up our pillow cases in various neighborhoods (but made note to skip the house on my block that gave out tooth brushes…really?) 

I always looked most forward to Reese's PB Cups (in the pumpkin shape, please), Whoppers and Nestle Crunch Bars. Give me an Almond Joy or a Mounds and it was time for a trade! 

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Now that I’m a (semi) adult with my own house, I look forward to being the candy giver instead of receiver. Like most, I am typically left with much more candy than can be (or SHOULD be) consumer by my husband and I so here is a great recipe from Lauren Conrad for putting that extra candy to good use and sharing with my co-workers.

Tricks & Treats Bars

Ingredients

·         2 ¼ cups all-purpose flour

·         1 teaspoon baking soda

·         ½ teaspoon of sea salt (plus more for sprinkling on top)

·         2 sticks (1 cup) unsalted butter

·         1 ¼ cup packed dark brown sugar

·         ¼ cup granulated sugar

·         1 large egg plus 1 egg yolk

·         2 teaspoons vanilla extract

·         1 ½ cup roughly chopped leftover Halloween candy of your choice

Instructions

1.   Whisk dry ingredients together in a medium sized bowl.

2.   Then, melt butter in a saucepan over medium heat. Whisk butter and remove from heat as soon as the butter begins to brown. Transfer the butter to a bowl to prevent burning. Set aside to cool for a few minutes.

3.   Beat the butter and sugars until thoroughly blended, for about 2 minutes. Beat in the egg, yolk, and vanilla until combined. Add the dry ingredients slowly and beat on low-speed just until combined.

4.   Press your dough into a greased and parchment lined 9’ x 13’ pan. Add the chopped candy on top and bake until lightly golden on top, about 20 minutes.

5.   Let cool and cut into bars.

What was your favorite treat to get as a kid?

Rocked it & Swapped it (4x!)

As far as we are concerned, leopard print is the ultimate neutral. It can be worn with so many different colors and mixed flawlessly with various prints and textures (I mean leopard and lace? LOVE!)

We rocked and swapped Kaitlyn's leopard blazer from Piperlime last year and are at it again. Last month Lisa rocked this number on the streets of Chicago and Kaitlyn has paired it with both a cream peplum and a white lace dress so far. 

A leopard print blazer really is a closet staple that can be worn year in and year out. 

What do you think of our styling choices? 

Add some leopard to your wardrobe:

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Blog of the Month: Little Nostalgia

Our October blogger of the month is Paige of Little Nostalgia...

"The blog began as a way for me to stave off boredom at my former day job, but when I went back to school for interior design in 2011, the blog changed with me. These days the blog is about making yourself at home through DIY projects, decor inspiration, and personal style. Where you live is an extension of who you are, so don’t be afraid to make it your own. We bought our first home in 2012, a split-level from the early ’70s that was partially updated over the years. We’re slowly painting over all of the ’90s oak and making it our style. You can check out some of our biggest projects right here."

See some of Paige's inspirational home decor posts:

On top of the blog, Paige also has her own home decor business called The Room Kit where she can help you design any space. Her mood boards are a great choice whether you’re starting from scratch, or just need a little boost bringing everything together. These boards are full of ideas and instructions to help you transform your room. 

The idea is to give you the help of a designer but the freedom to work at your own pace, at your convenience. You can implement exactly what she sends you, or use it as a jumping off point for your own awesome ideas. Your design will be totally customized based on your personal style and budget. Each mood board is only $150 and will tell you everything you need to give your space a fresh look.

Will you try out the Room Kit? Where do you get your home decor inspiration?

Love at First Sequin

I can not even begin to tell you how much I love this white sequin romper. It is perfect for everything from a date night, to a night out dancing with the girls, or even for NYE. (Yes, it is never to early to start planning your NYE looks people!)

The styling options are endless as you can add a blazer for a more dressed down look or even add fun colors in your shoes and bag to mix it up. What's not to love about a perfect cold weather sequin romper?

I decided to style this beauty a bit boho by adding this amazing head chain, statement necklace, and nude heels. Other then that, I let the sequins speak for themselves...

Sequin Romper: c/o ShopBop // Shoes: Just Fab // Head Chain: c/o House of Gemmes // Necklace: T+J Designs (swap w/ Kaitlyn) // Watch: Fossil 

This outfit just made me want to dance! I love how the bottom is almost like a skirt and makes you wan to twirl and the key hole detail in the back is just beautiful. I can't wait to wear it again and see where the styling takes me!

Are you a fan of winter white? Do you like how I styled this romper?

The Mad Plaidder

I'm lucky plaid is everywhere this fall because it's always been one of my favorite prints - from the Britney to the Serena (not so Catholic) school girl days, I love how preppy and classic it feels. 

Still to this day, I swoon for knee-high socks, a plaid skirt and loafers but these days, plaid has become much more versatile, showing up in scarves, shoes (my favorite pair!) and of course, jackets. When I spotted this coat, I figured it would be ultimate addition to my fall wardrobe and it's a great layering piece!

Jacket: c/o Sheinside (similar)  // Sweater: H&M (similar) // Jeans: LOFT (similar) // Boots: Just Fab

Bag: Just Fab (Swap w/Lisa) // Beanie: Forever 21

P.S. In case you're questioning my drink of choice, let me be clear: I am an iced coffee girl year round and this particular concoction (the Honey Bee) is from the Coffee Mill in Wisconsin, where I would spend all day if I could. There's something about small town coffee shops that can't compete with Starbucks or Dunkin Donuts...Maybe it's the charm, maybe it's the generosity, but either way, it always makes for a special visit.

How are you wearing plaid this fall?

Outtakes: Lisa

 Last month I showed you some of my outtakes. Well I'm at it again, as I take so many frames per outfit posts and you guys see less then half of them. I decided to show you some of the good, the bad, and the down right awkward.

So without further ado, I give you my outtakes:

These first two pictures are proof of what happens when I shoot with Kaitlyn. We laugh, I clearly talk while she is shooting, and it makes for some very unusable, yet very fun shots.

The next one is a great example of what some call "resting bitch face". Yep, can't use this one! ;)

I don't always have someone to take photos of myself and although I do have a remote, I generally use the timer. Yes, I walk the the camera, set the timer, run to my mark, pose for 8 frames, and repeat. This is one of my unusable timer pictures. 

The last two are me fixing my hair. I find I do this quite a bit when I go back though my film and look for the top 6-8 that will make the post.  When you shoot outdoors the wind plays a factor and so does the lack of wind. After years of outdoor photos I think I almost have it down! lol

I'm pretty sure my favorite is the down right silliness and awkwardness of the first photo. It's between that one and my "resting bitch face" one for sure. 

What do you think? Do you like seeing outtakes?

Rocked it & Swapped it

One of things we look forward to most when the seasons change is adding our favorite sweaters back to the closet rotation. Out with the tanks and in with the knits - chunky and copped, long and tailored, marled and draped...whatever the combination, we aim to stay comfy, cozy and chic. 

Lisa recently listed this Forever 21 sweater in her closet because she has a few similar items and this worked out great for me. I called dibs on it right away, knowing it would be perfect for chilly days at the office where even my space heater just won't do. I love how she paired it with an oversized green hat -- I just kept the hair simple and added distressed denim with a nude bootie.

Shop cozy (and affordable!) sweaters on BISTM:

1 // 2 // 3

4 // 5 // 6

Peaked My Pinterest: Top 10 Pumpkin Picks

When you eat a pumpkin bagel (WITH pumpkin cream cheese) for breakfast and pumpkin pasta for lunch, you really start to question that declaration you made that you are anything but basic. Rewind to Thanksgiving a few years back when I couldn’t even stand the smell of pumpkin pie and now? Now my house looks like the famous fall vegetable hosted a party and forgot to clean up after its guests. 

For me though, I think it’s more about feeling like you’re experiencing every bit of the season rather than actually LOVING every single pumpkin flavor you try. Example, I tested pumpkin nut butter on toast the other day and opted for cereal minutes later so even I have my limits. But for the most part, it warms me up, literally and figuratively and isn't that the best fall feeling?

Here are my top 10 pumpkin Pinterest recipes:

1. Pumpkin Pie Greek Yogurt via A New Bloom 

2. Pumpkin Beer Chili via Lake House Lyn

4. Pumpkin Pasta via Lakeshore Lady 

5. Pumpkin Chocolate-Chip Protein Cookies via Girl Loves Glam

6. Skinny Pumpkin Spice Latte via Dashing Dish

7. Pumpkin S'mores via Something Swanky

8. Tuscan kale and Pumpkin seed risotto via Cupcakes & Cashmere

9. Two-ingredient Chocolate Pumpkin cupcakes via Picky Palate

10. Pumpkin ice-cream sandwiches with Ginger Snaps via Our One Acre Farm

What is your favorite fall recipe? We love to try new things!

Animal Instincts

I recently wore this dress of Kaitlyn's and it was love at first site. Here's the thing though, the dress comes with this great gold cinched belt and when Kaitlyn wore it last, that's how she styled it.
I wanted to take the dress out of it's box and style it in a way that would make it look different. There is a beautiful drape detail on the top so I carried it over into the rest of the look.
I added a drape front cardigan, drape front faux leather jacket, and lots of silver jewelry that felt like it was in the "animal instincts" type category. In the end I wanted to add a pop of color so I did so in my shoes and in my clutch.

Dress: H&M (swap w/ Kaitlyn) // Cardigan: M. Rena via TSF Box Service // Jacket: c/o Just Fab // Shoes: Zara // Clutch: Shoedazzle // Necklace: Baublebar // Sunnies: Express // Earrings: Castellammare Jewelry // Full Finger Ring: T+J Designs // Stackable Rings: Shop Jules 

Do you ever style your dresses to look not like themselves? I think you get more bang for your buck when you do that, don't you?