I love Halloween {costumes}

HAPPY HALLOWEEN everyone! 

It's clearly no secret I'm obsessed with all things Halloween, and one thing I love doing is dressing up every year. I thought it would be fun to look back at costumes I've worn in the past -- and included at the end is my costume from this year. Enjoy : )

Back in 2008 I went as the Fashion Police. I took a regular "sexy cop" costume, and had post-it notes and a pen and wrote out citations of fashion violations. (long before Joan Rivers made it cool!)

Wardrobe change. That same year I went as a red crayon. In "risque red" to be exact. It was a big hit

That Halloween my roommates and I threw a Halloween party and I made this awesomely fabulous cupcakes....

And carved pumpkins....

And I love my little Halloween tree that my mom got me a few years ago. It's like the Charlie Brown Christmas tree -- but for Halloween. Every year my mom will get me a cute little ornament too! : )

 My brother also dressed as toad from Super Mario. Yes, he is only wearing a diaper and a weird vest. Surprisingly enough, two of my friends came as Mario and Luigi (totally unplanned) so clearly they had to take a picture together!

At my 2009 Halloween party I went as a deer hunter (because I'm from Pennsylvania, and everyone I met in Jersey assumed we all hunt and eat deer!) haha, by the way -- I don't.

 2010 was my first Halloween with D and I LOVED our costumes -- Popeye and Olive Oil!

 Kisses for my sweet sailor.

 That year, my brother showed up in a costume you might remember from a popular SNL skit.

I'll leave that up to you whether you catch the reference or not!

 Halloween 2011 D and I went as Mario and Luigi from Super Mario brothers. This was the year we had that weird blizzard in October -- and yet we still managed to call a cab, and head to the bar for our party like a bunch of crazy people! We went out with D's cousin and her boyfriend (who went as Publisher's Clearing House winners -- complete with giant check) and could you believe it -- they actually won the costume contest and won $500!

 This year, D and I went as us in 50 years. Basically a grumpy old couple. It was a hit at the bar and I have to say -- I was the most comfortable Halloween costume I ever wore. A mumu and slippers from Sears was clearly the way to go. D got his whole costume from out local Goodwill.

Our friends went as Double Dare -- and they really went all out. They even had fake slide to put in their helmets! Unfortunately they weren't even nominated for best costume like they were last year so that was a bummer -- boo.

 Old people getting down! Look at D -- what a silver fox he is! ; )

Did you all dress up for Halloween?
Hope everyone has a great night no matter what you're doing!

-Pretty Little Things

All Hallow's Eve

All hallow's eve. The original name of Halloween. I always thought of it as Halloween Eve -- or what we used to call Mischief Night where kids go out and create mischief like toilet papering houses and other silly things like that. For me, these night's are all about pumpkin carving, enjoying some yummy seasonal treats, and enjoying in a good scare. Here are some photos getting into the Halloween fun.

Last weekend D and I went with his cousins and their friends to the scariest haunted house ever. The place was called Corner of Chaos found here -- and it was totally worth the money for the amount of scare we experienced. And the cool thing about this place was that it had 4 haunted attractions -- a haunted hayride, a haunted corn maze, and haunted barn, and haunted forrest. Along with all the scares, they had bonfires to warm up at, and food stands that sold hot apple cider, hot chocolate, hot dogs and funnel cakes. When we first walked in, they had circus like people twirling fire, and even had a tent with a fortune teller. Basically, this place went all out to set the scene. The haunted corn maze was probably the scariest -- so much so that D kept cracking jokes during it in his attempt to keep things light. I'm on to him!

And the other night I made some funfetti Halloween cupcakes to get myself in the festive mood. What is it about cupcakes that tastes so much better than cake?

Then the pumpkin carving. 

We've never used any of those fancy pumpkin carving kits with all those little special tools. Nope, that's not us. So what do we use? A plain old kitchen knife and hack away at our pumpkin hoping we don't incur any injuries or lose a finger. All in all, I think they came out rather well (D has certainly improved throughout the years). Our final product was my Jack Skellington from A Nightmare Before Christmas and D made an emoticon.

Hope you all have a spooky Halloween eve...

-Pretty Little Things

halloween favorites

Every October I get excited about so many things! So much so that I need to make time in my busy schedule to get my fill of all things October/spooky/Halloween. I decided to share with you some of my Halloween favorites -- aka things I love to do, watch, eat, decorate...well you get the idea : )

1. haunted houses are a must. 

This year we went to the scariest one to date (more on this in another post) and it involved a haunted hayride and corn maze too!

2. Decorating with candy corn. 

I don't care to eat them, but they make the cutest decorations. I enjoy filling hurricane glasses with them, sticking a candle in, and letting your home smell like sweet, sweet candy.

3. Essie's Wicked -- my go-to nail color for fall.

4. Pumpkin Spice teas and coffes. Enough said.

5. Pumpkin Spice lip gloss. yummy.

6. Leaves candle by Stakin and Co. The best candle ever.

7. It's the Great Pumpkin Charlie Brown, Halloween & The Nightmare Before Christmas

are on my must watch list every October.

8. Halloween funfetti cupcakes. I made these the other day, and they are the bomb. : )

***

So there you have it. My must have Halloween favorites courtesy of Pretty Little Things.

What's on your must have list?

-Pretty Little Things

Grilled Cheese and Tomato Soup Party

Is there anything better than the grilled cheese and tomato soup combo? In my opinion, nope! Especially as the weather gets colder, we all seem to crave comfort foods to warm our tummies and our hearts. So I thought to myself, what would be better than throwing a grilled cheese and soup party. Perfect for having friends over on a casual Sunday afternoon to watch football and savor the truly good things in life -- friends, football, fun, and cheese! xo

Here is what I would include in my lazy day grilled cheese get together--

First off, it would be fun to offer a variety of different cheeses and add-on so people can really customize their sandwich. Have everything set up on a buffet table and have people make their own on a sandwich press or panini maker. Here are some varieties (other than the classic shown above) that could be cool to try:

 Caprese grilled cheese sandwich -- mozzarella cheese, fresh slices tomatoes, and a little bit of pesto.

Grilled cheese and spinach -- any kind of cheese (maybe some swiss?) with fresh spinach leaves

Grilled cheese with avocado and pesto

And of course, have a big pot of creamy tomato bisque for dipping your sandwich in-- because in my opinion, that's the best part of the whole grilled cheese experience. Have small soup bowls out where guests can serve themselves and include soup toppings such a croutons, crackers or freshly shaved parmesan for the ultimate cheese overload. Also include all the accouterments (how fun is that word) for dipping in the soup and as a side to the grilled cheese. A few of my favorite include:

Kettle cooked potato chips. Has to be kettle cooked for that extra crunch. Lightly salted.

Pickles!! I also love pickles on the side of a grilled cheese sandwich. I suggest buying a few different jars from the store (dill, bread and butter, some speciality kinds) and peel and soak off the labels to they look all rustic in the jars (see above) and have guests help themselves. Remember: this party is casual, so the jars will add a nice laid bag touch! Bonus if you make your own pickles and serve those! 

And last but not least the drinks. Since it's fall and our focus is comfort foods -- I think the perfect drink to pair our yummy grilled cheese sandwiches would be a nice hard cider (keeping things seasonal and casual of course!) My favorite choices are Woodchuck hard cider and Magner's Irish cider (seen below).

And for those who love the sweet and savory combo a Caramel apple grilled cheese sandwich for a sweet treat at the end. Perfect way to use up all those extra apples who have left over from apple picking!!

Anyone else a huge fan of the grilled cheese sandwich like I am?

-Pretty Little things

Rainy Day

We've had a couple rainy, yucky days here in Jersey this past week and to me, nothing is harder than trying to get dressed for work when it's raining. I'd love to wear my rain boots in the office all day but clearly that wouldn't look the most professional (jealous of anyone who works at a place that can get away with this!) But really, what do you wear on a rainy day when you're trying to look polished and put together. For me, a rainy day makes me want to cozy up under a blanket and snuggle with a hot cup of tea. Since that wasn't in the cards -- I needed today's outfit to be a comfy and cozy and possible. Here are the results of my rainy day wear:

Outfit Details:

Tunic: H&M -- Scarf: H&M (last year) -- Leggings: LC Lauren Conrad

Boots: Steve Madden -- Tortoise Watch: Michael Kors -- Leather Wrap Bracelet: Tory Burch

Nail Polish: On the Film by Essie

How do you all dress for a rainy day? Anyone else crave comfy clothes?

-Pretty Little Things

Fall Bucket List #2: Go Apple Picking

Yay! Another thing checked off the Fall Bucket List! A few weekends ago D and I went apple picking with my parents. It was a gorgeous fall day, and I love any day that I get to spend with my parents -- because seriously, they are awesome. Apple picking is just one of those seasonal activities I love doing every year -- and then I have fun trying to come up with all kinds of recipes and things we can do with our surplus of apples. One thing we love doing with our apples is making D's famous apple pancakes. 

me and D <3

My parents -- Love them! : )

Outfit Details:

Sweater: Target -- Scarf: Target -- Jeans: LC Lauren Conrad -- Sunnies: Loft

Riding Boots: J.Crew -- Purse: Michael Kors

 Oh uh! Someone got caught eating too many apples!

And with all these extra apples, I thought it would be so cool to make our own cider.

And have a cider bar for entertaining. Here's some ideas that I have in mind:

 How awesome is this set-up? I love the rustic sheafs of wheat that add a rustic touch, and the apples as added decor.

 I also love carving apples to hold little tea light candles. With the warmth of the flame, I bet it heats up the apples and smells so fresh and delicious!

 And with the cider bar -- how about these awesome cups carved out of apples to serve the cider in? Garnish with some orange slices and cinnamon sticks, and you have yourself a warm little treat! xo

What do you do with all your leftover apples?

-Pretty Little Things

Autumn Rainbow

"Is that shirt new? It looks like an autumn rainbow" -- ahhh another wonderful fashion analogy from the infamous D. But again, it think he's on to something here -- because the shirt does remind me of, well, an autumn rainbow. I was really excited when I saw this at J.Crew on sale in my size (it's so rare to find something you were looking for already, on sale, and still in your size -- it's like the shopping stars aligned!) so clearly, a purchase was in order.

Striped top: J.Crew (in stores now) -- Necklace: Express (old) -- Black Pants: Madewell

Gold Watch: Fossil -- Leopard Flats: Payless

Does anyone else ever feel like the shopping stars aligned for you? Or do you think it's just an excuse to make that purchase? ; )

-Pretty Little Things