Fall

Girls Night Ideas + GIVEAWAY!

~ styledmuse ~ 5 Comments

Sometimes you just really need a girls night. Am I right? But, what is there to do? Coffee? Drinks? Girl, I gotchu. I’m giving you a few ideas that are perfect for girls nights, plus a giveaway to have your very own girls night!

  1. Movies in: I know it may sound lame, but this is the time you can watch all those chick flicks you haven’t been able to see because your boyfriend just isn’t about that life. Grab a few of your favorite snacks, bubbly (it can’t be a girls night without that), and your PJs.
  2. Paint night: Whether you are painting at home or at a painting party, it’s a fun way to catch up, drink wine, and get a little crafty. My local coffee shop hosts these every few months, and I have it on my to do list to sign up!
  3. Spa night: Manis, Pedis, Facials, you name it. Take this time to pamper yourselves and have a glass of wine… or 5 ;).
  4. Shopping: This is an obvious one, right? But be adventurous and try on something you normally wouldn’t!
  5. Comedy club: What’s better than having a few drinks with your girls, while laughing until your stomach hurts?
  6. Coffee: Some of my best girls nights are sitting on the couch at a coffee shop, drinking a latte, while catching up.
  7. Out for drinks: One of my favorite places to go and have drinks and appetizers is Elephant Bar. They invited me to try some of their new signature cocktails and appetizers and they are SO good! My favorite cocktail was the Jungle Colada, it literally tastes like ice cream! For appetizers you have to try their Parmesan Crusted Green Beans!
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    I partnered with Elephant Bar to give TWO Styled Muse readers the chance to each win a $25 gift card to have your own girls night! Head on over to Instagram to enter!

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    What are some of your favorite things to do at your girls nights? Let me know in the comments!

    Valerie
                  In partnership with Elephant Bar. All opinions are my own.

Fall Cocktail

~ styledmuse ~ 18 Comments

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I love trying new cocktails. Especially if it’s for a good cause! West Elm and Whole foods asked for me to try one of their cocktails from their blog to share with you all! If you post your own photo of a cocktail or appetizer on Instagram and use the tag #westelmxwfm they will donate $1 to the Whole Planet Foundation that helps alleviate poverty worldwide.

Now onto the cocktail! This one is called Apple Pomegranate Fizz. The original recipe is found on the West Elm and Whole Foods blog here.

Apple Pomegranate Fizz
Serves 6

This festive drink is easy to prepare for a crowd. Consider making one batch with nonalcoholic sparkling cider and the other with hard cider to satisfy everyone.

      ¼ cup sugar
      1 (4-inch) piece fresh ginger, thinly sliced
      2 cups chilled unsweetened pomegranate or açai juice
               1 quart chilled sparkling cider or hard apple cider

Combine 1/2 cup water, sugar and ginger in a small saucepan and bring to a boil. Lower heat and simmer 3 minutes. Remove from heat and let cool. Strain out ginger; you should have about 1/3 cup syrup.

Have 6 cocktail glasses ready. Pour about 2 teaspoons ginger syrup and 1/3 cup pomegranate juice into each glass and top with sparkling cider. Reserve remaining syrup for another use (or more cocktails!).

I absolutely love this cocktail, and it’s perfect for Thanksgiving! If you are in a rush (like I was the other day) you can create this cocktail with 1 part Ocean Spray Cranberry Pomegranate Juice and 1 part Johnny Appleseed hard cider. Just add a few apple slices to top it off. SO good and super simple!

Do you have a favorite cocktail for fall? Let me know in the comments!

Valerie

Fall Inspiration

~ styledmuse ~ 31 Comments

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Shop The Look

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Happy Wednesday! Does anyone else have a hard time getting into the fall spirit when it’s 90 degrees outside? In the morning we have to turn the heat on, but in the afternoon we switch the AC back on. When can I just leave the windows open and enjoy the fall breeze?

My favorite way to get in the fall spirit is by buying pumpkin coffee, fall candles (hello, Bath and Body Works!), and shopping for fall outfits. To help you get in the spirit with me, I decided to do a roundup of some of my favorite items for fall! Of course, boots will always be in style during the fall and winter months. My favorite boots to wear are the ankle booties. The open toe ones are perfect for transitioning into fall, while the over the knee boots are perfect for chilly days that you can always wear during the winter months. I pair the OTK boots with a bell sleeve dress. Bell sleeve dresses and tops are huge this fall.

One trend that won’t be going away anytime soon (and I’m so happy about!) is off the shoulder tops. This off the shoulder sweater is perfect for fall and winter. Just pair it with leather leggings or white skinnies. Blanket scarves are also back again this year! They are so warm and cozy, and are perfect to wear with any fall outfit.

A few colors that will be on trend this fall are olive and burgundy. I’ve also noticed a lot of dark nail polishes, like this dark purple “Kimono-onover” polish from Essie, and dark lip colors like this YSL lipstick in “Dark Pink”.

What are some of your favorite fall trends? Let me know in the comments! As always, thanks for reading!

Valerie

Fall Accessories + Giveaway!

~ styledmuse ~ 8 Comments

Happy Monday, babes! I hope you all had a relaxing three day weekend. I seriously cannot believe how close to fall it is. This means pumpkin spice EVERYTHING. #AmIRight? Sadly it has been SO warm here, that it doesn’t even feel like fall is near. To get in the spirit, I have been doing a lot of fall shopping. I found the perfect booties, nail polish, and watch. My absolute favorite fall piece is my watch from Jord. It is high quality, and will pair perfectly with my other fall accessories. I love that it is made out of wood, it makes it so unique.

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My favorite thing about them? They are from STL! I love supporting local brands. Their customer service team is also amazing. Unfortunately, when my watch showed up, it was somewhat damaged. I sent an e-mail over to them, and they responded immediately with a solution. Afraid that a watch might not fit your wrist? Well they have wrist sizing! Just print out their sizing tape measure, and they will size the watch for you!

Now, can we talk about the box it comes in? Not only is the watch high quality, but the box is as well. It is made of wood, and contains a “pillow” for your watch to rest on while you aren’t wearing it.

Want to give Jord watches a try for yourself? They are giving Styled Muse readers the chance to win a $75 gift card! ENTER HERE! ALSO! Just for entering, you get a $20 gift card (excluding the winner, of course)! How awesome is that? The giveaway ends on 9/25/2016.

Here are a few of their watches that are on my wish list:

  1. Frankie Zebrawood & Champagne
  2. Frankie Purpleheart & Plum
  3. Fieldcrest Maple

Their watches also make perfect gifts. I plan on buying one for my boyfriend for his birthday in January (Shhh 🙂 ). Here are few I was thinking about getting him:

  1. Frankie Dark Sandalwood & Smoke
  2. Frankie Ebony & Gold
  3. Frankie Koa & Ash

Which one should I get for him? Let me know in the comments!

Now, on to some other things. I know I have been super MIA lately. But, life happens I guess. My boyfriend and I have been having major car issues, and have had to work A LOT of overtime the past couple weeks. By the time I get home and cook dinner, it’s time to go to bed! But things are finally starting to come together, and I will have more time to post! Thank you all for understanding!

I hope you all have a great week! Don’t forget to enter the Jord watch giveaway HERE!

Valerie

This post was sponsored by Jord Wood Watches. All opinions are my own.


Mens Wooden Watches