{valentine's day red}

Red and Pink Dress // Pearl Sandals // Pearl Initial Necklace // Straw Purse

Happy Valentine's Day, babes! I'm rocking my new pink and red dress today because I love any excuse to celebrate love ;) hope everyone has some fun plans tonight... whether it's with your SO or some of your best friends!!

Love Always,

{guilt-free lime basil margarita}

I've found a secret cocktail mixer and I can't keep it to myself anymore. I've been holding on to this little gem for a couple of months now and figured it was time to share... it has ZERO sugar, guilt, calories, or preservatives!

When I first heard about Be Mixed I didn't believe the hype. "It has to taste horrible" I thought, "there's no way a mixer can have no calories and have a lot of flavor." Y'all I was so wrong! I've been creating different concoctions and haven't felt like I'm taking steps backward in my diet (you can make mocktails too). It's as simple as adding 1 shot to a 4 oz bottle - that's it - instant cocktail! However, I wanted to take it a step further, and I happened to have a pretty impressive basil plant growing in my kitchen (that is no longer doing so hot since I used all the leaves for this shoot ha). Keep reading to grab the recipe below!

We all know Margaritas to be one of two things: high in sugar and calories or watered down and tasting like tequila. My goal was to start with your simple Be Mixed Margarita (a Margarita cocktail mixer + tequila) and jazz it up to be loaded with flavor. The best part about this mixer is that you can't screw it up... add raspberries, strawberries, jalapenos, mango, apple, agave, cinnamon, orange, etc... and you've made your own custom Margarita. Their website has tons of recipes and Margarita ideas, but I didn't see any with basil! So I was determined to create something with this fragrant, delicious herb.

Obviously, it was easy to come up with. Limes are a no-brainer in Margs and I wanted to amp up the citrus with lemon. When I added the basil it created a totally new flavor - perfect for any season! The only thing missing from my life when I mixed this up was a big bowl of white queso... YUM!

LIME BASIL MARGARITA RECIPE //

You'll need:

1 shot Tequila

1/2 shot Triple Sec

4-5 leaves of Basil, chopped

1/2 Lime, juiced

1/2 Lemon, juiced

1 Be Mixed Margarita (4 oz.)

Instructions:

1. Muddle basil, lime juice, and lemon juice.

2. Add in Tequila, Triple Sec, and Be Mixed.

3. Shake well and pour over ice.

4. Garnish with a basil leaf and lime or lemon wedges.

5. Serve and enjoy!

If you're wondering where you can find some Be Mixed Cocktail mixers for yourself, you can purchase them from their online store (I recommend getting the variety pack to start) or use their location finder to shop in person!

Gold Stemless Glasses // Living Threads Co. Napkins c/o // Blue & White Tray, old from Target // Marble Cutting Board c/o Wayfair, similar // Coffee Table // Rug // Sofa // J.Crew Coasters, old //

Paper Straws, similar // Be Mixed 4 oz Mixers c/o

Love Always,

{valentine's day | wish list}

Happy Valentine's day my lovelies! I have been internet "window shopping" for awhile now and noticed that I started having a trend of red, pink and white... think the day of love has been on my mind? I've been wearing my red sweaters since Christmas and gradually adding in softer pinks because I'm ready for spring! The weather here has been so hot and cold (literally) and I'm ready to transition into another season. I get tired of my cold weather clothes after a while. Anyone else?

Psst - this board is shoppable! Just click on the item you want to shop!

While I know some people think of Valentine's Day as a "hallmark holiday" I personally love it :) Any excuse to share a little extra love with the people I care about the most! I made handmade cards for everyone this year (big crafter here!) and sent them out early last week. My mom and grandma couldn't wait and already opened theirs haha.

Kyle and I are choosing to stay in together again this year. Last year we agreed that the day is simply about being together so he cooked for me at his house and we had a romantic night sitting on the floor, eating Italian food, and laughing together. It was so cute because he had the coffee table set with candles, a table cloth, placemats, flowers, and wine glasses! I am a total sucker for anything romantic so I melted when I walked through the front door. Who doesn't love to be surprised like that?!

I also love this holiday because it's a time to talk about self love too! When I'm home alone there's nothing I love more than trying a new face mask, taking a long bath, or watching a reality tv show (cough cough Siesta Key). The past month I've made sure to fill my time with things that make ME happy. At the start of every new year I create a list of things that bring me happiness: red wine, fresh flowers, manicures, dancing, girl talk, etc. When I've had a bad day or need a pick me up this is the list I refer to! So if you don't have a "Valentine" then give yourself the love you deserve - pick at least one thing that makes you happy and treat yourself to it. You deserve it! Oh, and calories don't count on the 14th... everyone knows that!!

Love Always,

{pink + rose gold}

Nordstrom PinkT-Shirt // Old Navy Jeans // Old Navy White Sweater // Coach Crossbody c/o //
Rose Gold Bar Bracelet // Rose Gold Daniel Wellington Cuff // Kendra Scott Necklace // Nordstrom Trolley Booties // Bite Lipstick in “Pastille”

Happy Valentine's Day, friends! I couldn’t help but pull together a very typical “month of love” look with pink and rose gold. This combo is pretty much what I wish I would wear every single day. It just feels so girly! A comfy cotton tee paired with jeans and the coziest sweater will put anyone in a good mood. Toss on booties and a stunning crossbody bag and you’re ready to go out with friends for brunch or head home for the weekend. Bonus points if you can wear this to work… casual Friday anyone?

Love Always,

{valentine's day | bar cart}

I have loved my bar cart since the day I finally purchased it. Before I moved into my studio apartment I constantly thought about buying one but never had the perfect spot for it. Now I’m constantly changing it up, rearranging, and decorating it for any season Target can supply $1 items for ;)

This Valentine’s Day I knew I wanted to deck it with everything pink! I live alone so why not make my little space as girly as I possibly can?! First up was the pink garland – it was a silly purchase but I already have an idea on how I can reuse it (birthdays, bachelorettes, etc).

I then bought some adorable pink glasses, new paper straws, cocktail napkins, and reused the “cheer” stirrers from my Christmas décor! I found almost everything in the holiday section at the front of Target - it's my favorite place to stop by first because everything is $1-$5!

I found a bottle of “Love Noir” wine and mixed it in with my Winc wine purchases.  A cute cliché nod to the holiday don’t ya think?

I always have wine stoppers on hand and this new one from Hudson & Crane reminded me of Cupid’s bow and arrows. I stash all of my wine stoppers (and airplane bottles) in the mercury jar on the top - I kept this one out to act as a weight for the cocktail napkins.

To add the finishing touch I bought Hershy’s Hugs! I always have chocolate around my house… it just adds a festive touch and I like being able to grab a sweet bite on my way out the door. Plus, Valentine’s Day is all about the chocolate! I added more roses and chocolates on my coffee table too.

Bar Cart // Pink Glasses, $3 in stores // “Cheers” Wine Stopper, in stores // Paper Straws // Paper Garland // Love NoirWine // Cocktail Napkins // Drink Stirrers, in stores // Acrylic Tray // Mercury Vase // Mercury Container // Glass Hurricane // Champagne Glasses // Wine Glasses // Sangria 101 RecipeBook // Lime Vase Fillers // Glass Bowls

Coffee Table // Gold Tray // Pineapple Candle // Matches // Volcano Candle // Glass Bud Vase

How do you decorate for the holiday? Do you like seeing home décor posts like this? Let me know in the comments below!

Love Always,