Happy Halloween Everyone!!

I have never really been into Halloween, definitely not when I first moved to USA 13+ years ago. I have really gotten more into it the last 5-6 years, especially since I have gotten married. Whoever said Halloween is for children, was definitely mistaken. Yes, Halloween is one of children's most popular, most favorite holidays but it has become so for adults, as well. There are more Halloween parties year after year, especially from Mid-October until October 31st. The pricey costumes, the super-fun Halloween accessories, the high sales revenues at stores like Hallow Town, Party USA or Lover's Lane and such show us all that Halloween is probably the most celebrated holiday in the nation, second only to Christmas. And going all the way out, making sure you have a fun, new and interesting costume, makeup, wigs or whatever else necessary, year after year can make things expensive, however fun.

I didn't grow up with Halloween in Albania. It is after all an American tradition/holiday but it has started to become a celebrated fiesta elsewhere in the world, including Canada, Europe and even my small but fun country of origin - Albania. ;-) 3 years ago during Halloween season in October 2007, I was in Toronto, Canada visiting friends. I was surprised & impressed to see how much Canadians love & celebrate Halloween. There were Halloween parties everywhere, clubs and bars offering prizes for the best costume, as well as a ton of super-skimpy outfits, especially for the girls (in Canada skimpier clothing is more allowed, including exposed breasts and nipples - which I would never do in public, but anyhow to each their own.)

The last couple of years my husband and I have gotten into the Halloween spirit together, because it is DEFINITELY BETTER to celebrate and dress up as a couple, rather than alone. It is fun to come up with costumes to mix & match both of us. The costumes you will see in this post are definitely not the most original ones, probably a little cliche but we loved them anyway. What better than being my husband's personal sexy nurse to his handsome doctor? ;-) Enjoy the photos and Happy Halloween Everyone!! Be safe today and I hope you all had a great & fun Halloween 2010. Now don't eat all that candy & chocolates right away?

P.S. I can't believe October is over and there are only two months left in 2010. How do you feel about that?

Saved the best picture, for last. ;-) Ain't I a real Sexy Nurse or what?! =D

Sexy Nurse Halloween Costume (skirt, bustier, bolero, cap & stockings): Halloween USA.

Red Leather Suede Peep-Toe Mary Janes + Red Leather Suede Purse: Nine West.

It all started with a Pretty Purple Cardigan.

I am such a cardigan girl. To me they present effortless elegance, chic comfort, and show off a beautiful blouse or top underneath yet still manage to be the main attraction. ;-) I own A TON of cardigans. I have long-sleeve ones, 3/4-sleeve ones, elbow-length ones, short-sleeved, cap-sleeved, V-Neck, scoop-neck, crew-neck, fitted and loose ones, trendy and more classic ones, grandpa style, long, cropped, waist-length, with simple buttons, with bejeweled buttons, lots of solid colors, lots of stripes, as well as some fun patterned cardis and of course some floral ones. As a matter of fact I went shopping yesterday and purchased two of them: a fitted, girly, baby pink cardigan with glass mini-buttons; and a longer one grandpa-style, in navy with horizontal ivory stripes and a V-Neck. I am actually wearing this last cardigan (the navy one) today, with a fun ruffled shell underneath and some jeggings. ;-) The weather is just warm enough to wear this with no coat over. I actually have flip-flops on. It's about 60 degrees out. It has been a warm, beautiful weekend for Michigan, definitely not common for mid-late October but I'll take it. ;-)

So yeah, I will actually take pictures of some of my cardigans and continue into a later post. But the outfit below features a cardigan actually. Cardigans truly are so versatile as this outfit took me from a casual Sunday lunch at "Olive Garden" with my two closest cousins (they are both my female first cousins who are also 2 best friends to me, 2 very dear confindantes, 2 sisters really, and overall fun, awesome girls whom I love veryyyyyyyy much) to bar-hopping down-town Birmingham, with 2 other cousins and their fiancees. ;-)

That's me in the Purple Cardigan with the matching sequined shell underneath, sitting in my cousin (I call her my little sister) Gloria's lap. And the girl in the stylish and pretty Graige (Gray & Beige) Blazer is my other cousin, Mariela. =)

I normally don't wear the same color head to toe, it's simply not me nor my style (with an exception to black as often when I wear black - especially when I want to look elegant, understated yet sexy - I wear black head to toe). But there are 3 shades of purple here and I thought they worked together and made for a cool but casual outfit. ;-) And by the way, the shoes are actually not purple, but a metallic bronze. LOL

This is my most favorite picture from that night. ;-) I must say it was chilly for being just early Autumn.

Long, Purple Cardigan + Violet Matching Sequined Tank-top: Express.

Mauve Skinny Jeans: Martin & Osa.

Patent Leather Hobo Bag: XOXO.

Coral Daisy Stud Earrings: H&M.

Bronze Sequined Thong Flats: A Boutique in Toronto, ON, Canada.

Fun Fall Shoot.

One of the things I like to do the most during this gorgeous Autumnal Season is taking photos. There is so much beauty in the nature, so many leaves that captivate a story, as well as my mind - I can't help it. I am told that I am a photogenic girl and God knows I love having my photo taken. But at the same time, I am pretty good behind the camera too and I love taking/shooting photos myself, just as much as being in them. =] We had a little fun photo-shoot in the  among the falling leaves (my husband and I). These photos are just *some* of the results. Enjoy them!!

The Photo-shoot started spontaneously, inside (in the bathroom LOL) as I was getting ready, and we then went outside, to experience the Gorgeousness that is Fall in Michigan.

I had to take some photos of my hubby, too, of course. So photographers and models switched parts. ;-)

He is quite A LOOKER isn't he? Ahhh, I am a LUCKY Girl.<3

Ending this album with a couple of pics snapped by my husband's hand, of both of us, of course.

Navy Corduroy Blazer: INC (from Macy's.)

Shimmery Seafoam Tank-top: Guess.

Olive Green, Cargo Pants w/ Fun Buckles & Hardware Detail: TJ Maxx.

Long, Silvery Plastic Bobble Necklace: The Limited.

Gold Chain, Gold & Silver Rhinestone "Skull" Pendant Necklace: Incognito Boutique (in Royal Oak, Michigan).

"Newspaper-Print" Pointy Booties: A Boutique in Albania. 

FALL-ing into His Arms...

Have I told you that Fall or Autumn (however you like to call it!!) is My Most Favorite Season EVER?? Especially here in Michigan where you can find leaves in every color possible: blue, purple, orange, yellow, rusty, green, lime, pink, fuchsia, magenta, red, maroon, coffee, indigo - you name it. This season is truly inspiring in Michigan. It inspires me to write, to take a walk and enjoy the semi-cold, semi-warm yet fresh air, to take my dog for a walk, to mix a martini or create a new cocktail drink inspired by the gorgeous colors of this season, etc. Of course it inspires me to dress comfortably-chic, super elegant, stylish & colorful yet understated, too.

Below you will see an outfit with lots of mixing and matching mostly from 2-3 stores. The main colors here are plum, purple, maroon, dark orange and blue - just like the colors of the lawns filled with the ever-changing, color-transforming leaves and just like the colors of the rainbow autumnish trees. I wore this outfit recently down-town Milford for an evening of dinner and drinks as a double date with my husband, as well as my sister Gloria and her Boyfriend. We had a lot of fun as usual, plus many laughters, good food and an even better conversation. =) I love the homey & cozy feeling of the little down-town that the city of Milford, MI has to offer.

This is My Husband and I in our of our usual poses. We always pose together in our dinner dates. I love being under his hold, in his his arms. ;-)

Isn't my sister Gorgeous? We are 9 years apart (she is younger.) Can you guess our ages? LOL I love this photo of us. =)

2 Very Close & Dear People to Me: Piro & Gloria. ♥ them A TON!

One of MY MOST FAVORITE Photos from that day. I Love it.

"Worn" Blue Jeans: Charlotte Russe.
 Burgundy Leg Warmers: Charlotte Russe.

Plum Button-Down Shirt: The Limited.

Purple/Magenta/Orange/Rust Argyle Vest: The Limited.
Silk Flower, Purple Headband: The Limited.

Dusty Purple, Faux Suede, Peep-Toe Wedges: Fioni.
Gray & Navy, Logo-Printed Handbag: XOXO. 
 Black Leather Jacket: Express.

Dressed Up for a Movie Night with a Girlfriend.

I know I have been MIA but I have had a very busy week and an extremely busy weekend. I actually work every day this week, with 3 doubles in a row this weekend. Working two jobs certainly keeps one busy but I like it this way. Plus, I sure have a lot of bills and I am a huge shopaholic. How could I afford my huge closet otherwise? Ohh and it doesn't help that I have expensive taste. I am a taurus after all and two of our best and worst (at the same time) traits are that we are very stubborn and we have excellent taste. But great taste comes at a great price. However, as much as I like quality in clothes, shoes, purses and such I wouldn't spend an insane amount on money on one item only. I do go after deals and steals, sales and coupons, like all of us (especially necessary in today's world and global financial crisis.)

However, I did manage to go to the movies 3 times just these last few weeks. One of these movie dates was with my dear, good friend Denise. When it comes to style we are as simple as can be despite the fact that we are very close, best friends and also pretty much the same age (she is a year younger.) I prefer colors whether she is more black, white and a little light blue or red every now and then. I prefer dressing up while she prefers dressing down. If I do wear hats, they are more girly like floppy hats, berets or French caps, while she dons Baseball caps all the time. I prefer cute shoes like slingbacks, heels and ballet flats, or even loafers, while she prefers tennis shoes and simple flat boots that are comfy though not always so pretty. But she is such a naturally pretty girl with such warmth and beauty inside that radiates through her tennis shoes, jeans & sport caps. =)
These photos are taken from a movie night out with Denise at Emagine Movie Theatre. The best part about Emagine Theatres is that they offer alcoholic beverages. I don't know about you, but especially if you're in the right mood watching the right movie, a cocktail or wine, plus some popcorn goes great while watching a film. =)

As you can tell from these photos, stores, super-markets, as well as movie theaters have already started their celebration and decoration for Halloween, and are about to decorate for the End of the Year Holiday Season. They have started to advertise their Christmas Movies and such. =) Since XMas time is My Favorite Time and Holiday of the year, I look forward and pay attention to Christmas Movies since I love them so much. Actually "The Holiday" is one of my most favorite Holiday Movies. Also, a lot of the movies that come out at the end of the year, are MUST-SEE(s) and movies to really pay attention to, because they sure save the best for last as a lot of these movies are Oscar contenders. ;-)

Red, Scoopneck Tee: Forever 21.

Black Denim Jacket: Old Navy.

Black & Red Long Necklace w/ Wooden Bobbles: The Limited.

Red, Bow, Velvet Headband: The Limited.

Black Pinstripe Trousers: Mervyn's California.

Cognac Stiletto Sandals: Nine West.

Cognac, Leather Handbag: Marshalls (don't remember the brand.)