Twenty Eleven

Goodbye 2011 and cheers to a new year!   It's always interesting to see how things evolve over a 12 month span.  It's been a year of ups and downs and twists and turns for me...losing three grandparents, buying a house, leaving my job, moving away from family and making new friends. So I just wanted to say thanks to everyone and all the dear friends I have made along the way here on my little corner of the web.  Thanks for reading, and inspiring me, for encouraging, and for just being you.  New things are on the horizon for Shades of Monet...but I'll save that for another time.  I'm excited for every little thing that lies ahead.   Wishing your New Year's will be bright and joyful as ever!!

Much love and New Year's wishes,

It's a Marshmallow World

Outfit Details: Dress: Asos via eBay//Hat: UO//Brooch & Bag: Antique Marketplace//Shoes: Dolce Vita

Hello darlings,
Hoping you are enjoying the holidays and getting much needed r&r and feasting on plenty of holiday goodies.  I know I surely am.  Christmas Eve was our big family dinner at my grandparent's house, and it was awesome to honor them by carrying this tradition on, even though they are no longer with us. Being that my grandmother was German, the traditional dishes such as rouladen, spaetzels, cabbage, and Christmas soup were present at the dinner table.  The night concluded with plenty of pfefferkuchen and a bat getting into the house and swooping down at our heads.  Pretty funny and kinda of frightening.  Luckily my cousin was able to catch it with the a small trashcan and release it back outside.  Never a dull moment.

This was my Christmas Eve outfit...with some recycled accessories from the last post.  You know how packing goes.  I try to pack only the necessary otherwise I would get carried away and bring my whole closet:)

Wishing you a Merry Holiday and Bright New Year!!
Love bunches,

I'll Be Home for Christmas

Outfit Details: Sweater, blouse, shoes: Thrifted//Hat: UO//Brooch: Antique Marketplace//Bag: Vintage//Shorts: Topshop

That's right darlings, I along with many of you will be heading home for the holidays...first central Pennsylvania, then Philadelphia.  Christmas just wouldn't be complete without the company of family.  So with that, I am off.  Wishing you safe and merry travels and many hours of love and laughter as Christmas draws near and the celebrations begin.

Peace and Happiness, 

Sugar and Spice

I'm cooking up something sweet over at Chantilly Songs today.  Come on over celebrate the holidays with us at her holiday blog party...

Love bunches, 

Leave a Peppermint Stick for Old St. Nick

Outfit Details: Sweater, cardi, skirt: Thrifted//Hat, belt: UO//Shoes: Seychelles//Bag: Vintage from Grandmother

It's the final countdown to Christmas darlings and today I am spending the afternoon down at my parent's house baking cookies with my mom.  As a little tribute to both of my grandmothers who passed away this year, my mom and I decided to bake a couple of their specialty Christmas cookies...my Nana's raisin filled and my Oma's pfefferkuchen.  It will be a sweet little reminder of them this holiday season.  That's about all for now as I am up to my elbows in sugar and chocolate.  


Best wishes with all your baking, wrapping, and decking the halls!

Love & Christmas Cookies,

White Christmas

Outfit Details: Dress: Swap with The Modest Muse//Hat & Blouse: Target//Cardi & Shoes: Thrifted//Brooch: DIY//Belt: Grandfather's

Happy weekend darlings!

Hoping your holiday season is as bright as ever this year as we inch our way towards Christmas.  These photos were from a few weekends back when we attended our town's Christmas tree lighting with some dear friends.  The weather is pretty darn cold up here so as you can tell, a hat with a blouse under a dress under a cardi seems to be my uniform to get me through these chilly months.  Anyhow, I was so happy to experience some small town charm that night for the very first time.  The tree was small, but the Christmas spirit that was in the air that night was as big as ever.

Wishing you plenty of Christmas spirit and lots of cheer.  This weekend is another busy one for me...open mic night, parties, baking...how about yours?

Love bunches, 

The Chocolate and the Pumpkin Pie

Outfit Details: Dress & Head Scarf: Thrifted//Tights: We Love Colors//Shoes: Modcloth

Hello there darlings!

Hope you all the most splendid week full of plenty of sugar and spice and everything nice.  This week has been so busy for me so far with an impromptu trip to Philly to pick up a Rhodes piano we had in storage at my inlaws.  All this excitement, moving, and busyness has me far behind in my planning for Christmas.  Can you believe I don't have a single decoration up in my house yet besides a vase full of my grandmother's vintage Christmas balls?  Can you believe I am going to post photos from two months ago...hehe.  Anyhow, these photos are from a while as you probably can tell...hope you don't mind:)   Autumn has come and gone all too fast and the colorful leaves that once laced the trees have been replaced by glistening white snow.

As for today, I'm really in the mood for something scrumptious, so I'm thinking of whipping up something sweet and spicy...and my grandmother's recipe for pfefferkuchen seems like the perfect thing to tackle.  Christmas Eves for my family were always spent at my grandmother's celebrating with a traditional German meal and the night always concluded with German goodies such as stollen, marzipan chocolates, and good old pfefferucken.

Now that I have awakened my sweet tooth, I leave you with one more thing before I go.  The lovely Jul of Life is a Romantic Poem tagged me in her Christmas wishlist so here I go:

Clockwise from top left:

1. Orange Wall Clock

2.  Vintage Record Player

3. Modcloth Good Ol Daisy Dress

4. Poetic License Yellow Backlash Bootie

5.  Owl Cookie Jar

That's all for now.  I'm off to concoct some sugary baked goodness:)

Sweet dreams!

Love, 

Currier and Ives

Outfit Details: Dress & Socks: UO (sale)//Floral Crown: DIY//Tights: Hue//Boots: Michael Kors via Marshalls

Welcome to my neighborhood darlings!
Here's a little peek at the lakeside community where I live, which is set right on the base of a mountain.  Pretty loverly, eh?  I never considered myself a country gal.  I grew up my whole life in your picture perfect suburbia, which I wouldn't change for the world, but I am really enjoying soaking up the beauty of my new surroundings.  It all kind of reminds me of a scene from a Currier and Ives print which is the best this time of year.

Monday is here and I can hardly believe how close Christmas actually is.  It's been so busy getting situated in the new home and meeting so many beautiful new friends.  I don't think I've had a weekend free yet so I really need to get on the ball with baking and presents and decorating and all that wonderful stuff.  Anyone else out there in the same boat??  Do share:)

Much love & holiday cheer,

Let is Snow Baby, Let it Reindeer

Outfit Details: Sweater & Blouse: Thrifted//Culottes: Topshop//Necklace: Etsy//Shoes: Jeffrey Campbell

First snow of the season darlings on our cozy little mountainside in PA.  It was the perfect little sprinkle of delight on my day and though I am quite the warm weather gal, I couldn't have been more pleased to see our home get a little bit of that yummy white frosting.  

Days like this call for the ultimate winter sweater.  This cooler weather  has me on a bit of a sweater kick, Bill Cosbying it up all over the place, because let's face it...comfy cozy is where it's at this time of year.

Alright, it's the weekend and I am off to hunt for a Christmas tree and attend a friend's art showing.
See ya later darlings!

Love bunches,