The Year 2010

Trends I loved

Mint green nail polish
Black Swan/ballet inspired fashion
Geek chic eyewear
Mad Men vintage dressing
Velvet

Blogs that inspired

Cafe Fashionista

vvb32Reads
Gala Darling
Piewacket
yes and yes
PinkBow
Hyperbole and a Half

Beauty products I discovered

MAC Mineralize Foundation SPF15

Smashbox Photo Finish Correcting Primer
Tarte The Jewelry Box

Sites I shopped

Shabby Apple

Amazon.com
Spotted Moth
Sephora
delias
J. Crew
Beauty.com

Movies I saw

Inception
Scott Pilgrim vs The World
Alice in Wonderland
Tron Legacy

Books I read

Her Fearful Symmetry by Audrey Niffenegger

Snow Flower and the Secret Fan: A Novel by Lisa See

The Wonderful Wizard of Oz (Marvel Classics) by Shanower, Baum, and Young

Arcadia Falls by Carol Goodman

Murder at Mansfield Park: A Novel by Lynn Shepherd

The Forgotten Garden by Kate Morton

Eat, Pray, Love by Elizabeth Gilbert

Songs that rocked my year

"Teenage Dream" by Katy Perry

"Just the Way You Are" by Bruno Mars
"Secrets" by One Republic
"Cooler Than Me" by Mike Posner
"Raise Your Glass" by Pink
"Love The Way You Lie" by Eminem ft. Rihanna
"Firework" by Katy Perry
"Your Love is My Drug" by Ke$ha
"You've Got the Love" by Florence + The Machine
"Only Girl (In The World)" by Rihanna

Have a Happy New Year!

Things i LOVE Thursday

Opening presents

Eating numerous holiday cookies

Loving these Star Wars posters

Reading Blameless by Gail Carriger

Listening to Sharleen Spiteri's "I wonder"

Enjoying a white Christmas

Hearting this fortune cookie necklace

Wearing cute, winter themed socks

Making Star Wars pancakes

Looking forward to the new year!

Jane's Fame

If you want to learn about the rise in popularity of Jane Austen's novels, pick up a copy of Jane's Fame: How Jane Austen Conquered the World by Claire Harman. Harman examines Jane's life as a struggling writer with a small amount of success to her global renown today. The book is full of interesting information about the Austen family's reaction to her writing as well as fascinating quotes by other authors and contemporaries. I loved this line from Richard Whately, archbishop of Dublin: "Her heroines are what one knows women must be, though one can never get them to acknowledge it." This was my last book for the Everything Austen II challenge. Can't wait for Everything Austen III!

Think Honeysuckle

A Color for All Seasons

Courageous. Confident. Vital. A brave new color, for a brave new world. Let the bold spirit of Honeysuckle infuse you, lift you and carry you through the year. It’s a color for every day – with nothing “everyday” about it.

-Pantone 18-2120, Honeysuckle

Honeysuckle 2011 by Icedivastar featuring lace gowns

Hope everyone had a wonderful Christmas! The new year is only a handful of days away, and I am already itching to makeover myself for 2011. The people at Pantone have decreed that Honeysuckle, a "dynamic reddish pink", is the color for the upcoming year.

Will you be embracing Honeysuckle in 2011?

Things i LOVE Thursday

Making spritz cookies

Listening to Straight No Chaser

Hearting the Nixon Vega Watch

Reading Dracula, My Love by Syrie James

Watching All I Want for Christmas

Loving the 25 Most Romantic Movie Quotes

Wanting a Yantra kit for holiday de-stressing

Wrapping presents

Listening to Free holiday music from Amazon

Wishing everyone a Very, Merry Christmas!

Christmas Traditions

After watching EllesGlitterGossip's holiday tag videos, I thought it would be fun to post about my Christmas favorites.

What's your favorite holiday drink? Hot chocolate with marshmallows and whipped cream

Candy cane or Gingerbread men? Gingerbread men because they are so cute and tasty

What's your favorite holiday/Christmas song? Can't pick just one! Trans-Siberian Orchestra's "Christmas Eve in Sarajevo", Mariah Carey's "All I Want For Christmas Is You", Judy Garland's "Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas"...

What's the weirdest gift you've ever received? XL underwear

Have you ever made a snowman? Yes, and snow forts, too!

What is your favorite Christmas smell? Cookies baking in the oven

What is at the top of your list this Christmas? Anna Sui by Andrew Bolton

What is most important to you about the holidays? Spending time with my family

What's Your Favorite Holiday Movie(s)? All I Want for Christmas, Home Alone 2, Elf

What's Your Favorite Christmas Color? Blue and Silver

Do You Like To Stay in Your PJs Or Dress Up For Christmas? Stay in my PJs!

Do You Open Your Present Christmas Eve Or Christmas morning? I open one present Christmas Eve and the rest Christmas morning.

Have You Ever Built a Ginger Bread House? This year I decided to build a gingerbread house from scratch...

What Do You Like To Do On Your Christmas Break? Break? What break?

Any Christmas Wishes? To survive the holidays!

Favorite Christmas Meal Or Treat? Grandma's fudge

What are your Christmas traditions?

Reading Child of the Northern Spring

I hate to admit that I have not done any holiday reading. I'll get the urge to read Christmas fiction in July, but by the time December comes around, I'm on to other things. A few days ago I finished reading Persia Woolley's Child of the Northern Spring, the first in her Guinevere Trilogy. I have only an elementary understanding of the Arthurian Legend, but since I loved the movie The Mists of Avalon, I thought it would be nice to read a book from Guinevere's perspective. The novel follows Guinevere's wedding journey to meet Arthur, the new high king of Britain. On the way, Guinevere reminisces about growing up during a time of social upheaval with the collapse of the Roman Empire and the threats of Saxon invasions. While a little slow moving, the story is beautifully written and relaxing to read. I am interested to see how the characters introduced in Child of the Northern Spring evolve throughout the rest of the series.

Go to Laura's Reviews for a wonderful interview with Persia Woolley.