Fall Fashion Swap

Saturday I held my second clothing swap with a handful of friends. Everyone brought at least five fall/winter items, either clothes or accessories which were then hung up and put on display. Each of us had 5 tags to label our favorite pieces. If there was more than one tag on an item we stuck the names in a hat and pulled for the person who "won" the item.

Serena brought some Jamberry samples with her and showed everyone how to apply them to their nails. The accent nail of choice was definitely the ring finger. Seeing all the different designs on a nail and not just on the sheet made a difference. I ordered this black floral Sweet Nothing Nail Wrap. It looks perfect for fall and I can't wait to get them in! There are so many different Jamberry prints available, Jamberry even has a Pumpkin Spice Nail Wrap- hah!

Kelsey, Ashley of Sailor's Omen and Serena getting their Jamicures on.

We tried to keep all the food in theme with fall. Baked brie and apples, sangria, red pepper cheese dip, and pumpkin spice chai cookies filled the table. 

In the first swap this past spring we were accompanied by Serena's adorable son Milo, this time new mommy Lauren brought little Melody for our girls day. She was a happy little lady and not phased at all by the dogs.

Lauren  with baby Melody.searching for some new pieces.

Kelsey and baby Mel.

I have a Jamberry party open if you want to join. Serena says they can last up to two weeks, I have a set on now and I'll update you with the outcome soon. If my new set comes in before that I may be changing them sooner though. ;)

Have you been part of a clothing swap before? Would you hold one yourself?

Fall Favorites

When I was younger summer was my favorite time of year. No school, weekend trips to the beach, sun tans, summer reads, all around nothing to worry about other then to reapply my SPF 4 oil. (No, I am not using SPF 4 anymore, I use 30 at all times and no longer spend endless hours baking at the beach.)

This year I'm loving apple and pumpkin flavored everything, cinnamon brooms, boots (booties this year), new scarves, cute sweaters, adorable cape jackets, and the sudden urge to rock a hat. It's a little too warm for half of the items in that list in Florida still, but hey a girl can dream!



Last year I didn't get my Halloween decorations up until October 31st, so this year I already have everything up. The only thing I can't seem to find is this adorable white chevron pumpkin I made last year.

What are you loving about fall this year? Are your decorations up yet?

Linking up with Style Elixir
Because Shanna Said So

P.S. For anyone attending the sold out Nordstrom Grand Opening Gala in Jacksonville tonight tweet or email me. I"ll be there and I'd love to meet you!

I'll be posting my look on Instagram before the event so be sure you're following @justmeaghan. ;)

In the Kitchen: Clafouti aux Pommes (Apple Flan)

Since it's finally fall (even though it doesn't feel like it in Florida) my first thought was apples. Especially since I'm on my way to Atlanta tomorrow with hopes of seeing some falling leaves! This recipe for Clafouti Aux Pommes or Apple Flan, is from Julia Child's Mastering the Art of French Cooking.

Don't worry it's not that hard to make and actually doesn't even require a mixer, you can use the same blender that normally prepares your frozen margaritas. ;)

Royal Gala Apples

Clafouti aux Pommes (Apple Flan) Recipe

Preheat your oven to 350 degrees.

Peel and core 1 ¼ pound of apples, this was about 4 ½ large
royal gala apples for me. Cut them lengthwise into slices ¼ inch thick, there will be
about 3 cups of sliced apples.

I love cinnamon!

In ¼ cup or butter, sauté the slices and then let them sit in the skillet for 30 minutes with ¼ cup of dark rum or cognac, 1/8 teaspoon cinnamon and 1/3 cup sugar. Be sure to flip the slices gently as they tend to fall apart. I added a few extra shakes of cinnamon—it's my favorite spice!

Put the following ingredients into a blender:

Juices from apple sauté above, it should be about ¼ cup.
1 cup milk
1/3 cup granulated sugar
3 eggs
1  tablespoon vanilla extract
1/8   tsp salt
½ cup   flour

Cover and blend on high for 1 minute.

No mixer necessary!

Pour a ¼ inch layer of batter into a lightly buttered baking
dish or pie pan. Set over medium heat for a minute until a film of batter sets
at the bottom of your pan.

Remove from the heat and spoon the apples over the thin
layer of batter.

Pour the rest of the batter over the apples.

Ready for the oven.

Place on the middle rack in your preheated oven and bake for 45-60 minutes. It is finished when a toothpick stuck in the center comes out clean.

Before adding the powdered sugar. Check out the original post to see the finished dessert!
Allow to cool, the flan will deflate and not be so tall. Just before serving a big warm piece to your lovely guests (or yourself) sprinkle with powdered sugar.

You will be impressed with yourself if you make the Clafouti aux Pommes—the name alone sounds impressive! If you are looking for another apple dessert try this Apple Cider Pound Cake next. Oh fall, I love you so. ;)

DIY for Fall

Today I thought I’d share with you some of my recent DIY projects. I saw a tutorial on Pinterest for a burlap wreath and realized my 2 year old fall wreath was ready for retirement this year. It was pretty easy to complete, really just weaving the fabric in and out of the wire frame and fluffing it out to fill the wreath.

With a new last name (yay newlyweds!), I of course had to put an "A" on the wreath. The cute glittery pumpkins were just enough to give my wreath the classy simplicity it needed.

I also picked up a foam white pumpkin from Michael's, unsure of what exactly I was going to do with it when I bought it. Again I consulted Pinterest, and saw chevron pumpkins! With some gold paint I had and a bit of painters tape, here's what I came up with.

It will be a good decoration through November 30th, not too "Halloweeny" to keep out for Thanksgiving.

I found my major fall/winter learning project yesterday at a yard sale. Knitting. Any tips for the newbie? I'm thinking of starting off with a scarf, good or bad idea?

Have you started any DIY projects yet for the fall season?

Fall Necessities

Only 1 more day until Friday! Hope you are having a productive week so far. I'm on a total shopping hold right now, but here are a couple of items that need to be mine for fall.

Forever 21 open knit cardigan / TOMS hemp shoes / Fringe shawl / Bare Minerals Pressed Foundation / Cargo Skinnies / Shrine earrings raw citrine turquoise jade by SailorsOmen / essie Nail Color #884 Carry On

1. I am head over heels for burgundy right now and cardigans are great to keep on hand to make a summer outfit cold weather friendly.
2. Burgundy Toms, I love that the soles are colored too and not a contrasting white. I wear Toms to work 95% of the time and I need to add this vegan pair to my weekly shoe circulation.
3. Green cargo skinnies, no explanation needed. So many pairing options I can think of for date nights and work attire.
4. Essie nail polish in Carry On, yes burgundy again. :)
5. A light, tan scarf that will match almost any outfit from fall and into winter.
6. The raw/roughness of these earrings feels transitional and perfect for the changing seasons. Of course you could wear these throughout the year.
7. If you've been using a tinted moisturizer and are looking for a change I fully recommend the pressed foundations from Bare Minerals. I've been using it for about a year now and it really is moisturizing(somehow). If you've tried the loose powder version of Bare Minerals in the past and shied away from it due to the powder cloud when you open the top, try this! It's build-able and lasts all day, especially if you remember to apply their primer first.

Diamond Candles Pumpkin Chai Candle

A pumpkin or other fall scented candle is on my Fall Necessities list too. Have you entered my giveaway to win a Diamond Candle yet? You have 5 more days, and don't forget you can tweet everyday about the giveaway to gain more entries.

Is there anything else you feel is a necessity for fall 2013?