Farewell 2011!!!

Good Morning World. Good Morning Fashion Bloggers. It is officially 8.48 AM here in Albania - the country of the Eagles. Which means we are about 13 hours away from saying Farewell to 2011 and welcoming a brand new year - 2012. Are you guys excited, nervous, hopeful, happy for the New Year? Who believes December 31st 2012 will be the end of the world, the story of destruction? I sure don't believe it and neither do I ever think about this. But if that is the case let make 2012 OUR BEST YEAR YET!!

I don't know about you guys but almost every year the last 2-3 days of the year are always sooooo darn busy for me. It seems like I always have a million things to do and a million and one things I still need to do and/or forget to do and it is so crazy and definitely not relaxing!!? Murphy, you are not my friend at all. =D Happy New Year to Me! With that said, I have so much I MUST DO today, so many errands still to do, a lot of house-work and trying on my entire outfit before I put it on tonight. So, I can't waste any more time in today's post therefore let's move on to Fashion LOL. This outfit is what I wore on December 9th the day I put up the Christmas Tree. I was a little late this year with my decorating, but I think that's mostly due to coming into a new country and starting a new life. I had to buy everything from the beggining, tree, ornaments, decorations, etc.

Skinny Blue Jeans: White House Black Market.

Lemon-Mustard Long Cardigan + Matching Tee (underneath): Martin & Osa.

Black & Mustard, Printed, Silk Scarf: The Limited.
Skinny, Braided Mustard Belt: The Limited.

Python, Gold, Skinny Headband: NY & Co (New York & Company).

Flat, Short, Slouchy, Brown Boots: Diba.

And I am leaving you with these festive photos from my home, from December 2011. This is my last post for this year and I am hoping there will be A TON MORE to come in 2012. Wishing You All A Great, Fabulous, Healthy, Beautiful and Super Happy New Year!! I hope all you truly want, comes true in 2012!! Beautiful Ladies Have a Ton of Fun tonight and Dress to Impress!! (I know I will.)

Christmas Day 2011.

So girls are you getting ready for New Year's Eve - THE BIGGEST NIGHT OF THE YEAR? Do you have your dress or outfit, shoes, jewelry, makeup and hair all planned out? I think I know what I am wearing but I have to put it all together at home, first. I also have a plan for a fun and youthful hairdo. While today I am doing some last-minute shopping getting a gift for my husband and one for my father-in-law. We exchange Christmas/New Year Gifts on New Year's Eve at his family and with his family. But man it is so hard buying for a man (pun intended). LOL

Below I am bringing you my Christmas Day outfit. As you may know by now this is the very first Christmas I spend 15 years later in my home country of Albania and the very first one ever I spend in Tirana (the capital) where my husband and I as well as his family, lives. And let me tell you it has been a beautiful, festive Holiday Season overall. I have never seen Tirana look prettier or more decorative like this. I will talk and write more about this during a different post.
So, Christmas Day we went over my in-laws home for lunch. My mother-in-law, father-in-law and sister-in-law all had their part in preparing lunch which consisted of yummy lamb meat, baked potatoes, a variety of salads including a potato salad and Russian salad and cheese pies (an Albanian dish which is a tradition). We provided the wine (red, of course) and one of the desserts, a yummy flaky cake filled with plum & fig marmalade. We had other desserts and fruit as well as juices and other refreshments. It was truly a delicious lunch which didn't leave me hungry until the next day.

Later that evening I Skyped with my entire family in USA (Michigan) where this year they had gathered over my Aunt's Home (My Mom's Sister) about 30 of them, for our family's annual Christmas Day Dinner and Party. It was great seeing them all and it felt like I was there a little. This year besides my husband and I who were MIA at the Party, one of my first cousins was also far, celebrating the Holiday with her Fiance and his family in Greece. I made sure I talked with her too and wished her well, in Greece (we are next door, neighboring countries).

This year I wore a short Red & Black Dress that I purchased only a day before on the 24th on a whim and decided to immediately wear on Christmas Day. Last year I wore a lavish burgundy/wine colored ensemble, the year prior to that in 2009 I wore soft, mellow but bright green on top with some brownish pants and in 2008 I had on a gorgeous Emerald Green Dress. Before 2008 I don't remember what I have worn on Christmas, to tell you the truth. But I can tell you that I like to dress up, look rather nice and festive for such a holiday. In my family we all dress up for Christmas in one of our Annual Dinner Parties. So, with no further ado here is my outfit and I must say I loved how I looked.

 Red & Black, Ponte Mini Dress w/ Bow in the Front: Purchased in Tirana on Christmas Eve (a day before).

Crystal Pinkish Red & Silver Rhinestone Earrings: Fred's Jewelry.

Silver Bracelets & Chains (on Left Hand): A Variety of Stores such as Lord & Taylor, The Limited & JC Penney.

Silver Bracelet w/ Different Geometric, Silver Rhinestones (on Right Hand): White House Black Market.

Charcoal Gray, Thick, Herringbone Tights: The Limited.

Maroon, Suede Leather Ankle Boots: Aldo's.

Red & Green Feather Hair Pin: Aldo's.

Last but not least I am leaving you with 3 photos from My Husband and I. We took several photos that day at our living room, especially but these 3 are my favorites from the entire day. As you can see we matched with red tops and black bottoms. LOL We like to do that every now and then for special ocassions, etc. I must say all the photos from this day came out beautifully. My makeup and hair looked nice too and overall I got a lot of compliments, especially from my husband's mom.

Christmas Eve 2011.

HAPPY HOLIDAYS GUYS. What did you do for Christmas Eve and Christmas Day?! What gifts did you get, what did you gift yourself? Were you happy overall with what you got? What did you eat and most importantly WHAT, WHO DID YOU WEAR? LOL
I had a Great Holiday overall, my first one in Tirana, Albania. It was a chilly yet dry and sunny December 24th and 25th around here, but I still stayed stylish. =P Since today I am posting my Christmas Eve outfit I will talk about what I did this day and "reveal" my Christmas Day outfit either later tonight or early morning, tomorrow. So, everything is opened regular hours here on Christmas Eve and most people celebrate the 25th rather than the 24th (it is an European things I guess). Local bars, pubs and restaurants were not as busy as usual, even-though it was Saturday, but overall it was still pretty busy. People seemed to be happier and more generous than usual.

The highlight of Christmas Eve for me was having lunch out with my husband, and later having dessert. We tried on a new restaurant which bakes pizza in an open fire and I ordered a pizza called "Four Seasons" - a very popular dish for pizza in Europe, I think originated from Italy. My husband had a yummy pasta dish and most of my pizza since I got full, due to the fact that I started with a creamy mushroom soup and salad. And the highlight of the day continued when after lunch we met a very good female friend of ours for dessert at one of the most famous dessert bakeries in all of Tirana, they have the best cakes, pastries, tortes, you name it. Since I had left a lot of room for dessert I allowed myself a yummy piece of a fruit torte as well as a small pastry filled with a fig and plum custard. I also, handed my beautiful friend my Christmas gift. It was a small pearl bracelet and matching pearl earrings. That's where we took all the photos from that day, as well. The rest of the evening was pretty basic and boring but lunch and dessert, as well as the company, were excellent and great for Christmas Eve. =)

 Here are our yummy desserts from "Delikatese" Tirana, Albania. The middle plate is mine.

 My Friend and I on Christmas Eve 2011 and later on she is opening My Gift. =)

So, here are the Pearl Earrings and Bracelet I picked up for her for Christmas. On January 11th is her Birthday so I have to come up with another gift. LOL

Off-Black Wash, Skinny Jeans with Metallic Studs in the back pockets: White House Black Market.

Off-White/Gray Soft Cotton Turtleneck: Purchased Recently in Tirana for $5.

Emerald Green Cardigan with Silver Beaded Flower Embroidery: Old Navy.

Gold Bird Brooch with Silver, Green & Blue Rhinestones (Pinned to the Turtleneck): Forever 21.

Gray Headband with Sparkly Rhinestone Bow: Purchased on Christmas Eve as a Gift to Myself. 

Multi-Colored, Sparkly Stud Earrings in Colors such as Bright Cobalt, Emerald, Fuchsia, Yellow and Black: Purchased on Christmas Eve as a Gift to Myself.

Baby Blue, Soft Leather Handbag (I am in love with, it is NEW): Tod's.

Dark Green, Plastic Sunglasses: Ray Ban.

Skinny, Twisted, Woven, Mustard Belt: The Limited.

Double-Breasted, 3/4 Length, Mustard Coat: My New Coat I purchased last week (that I blogged about). It only costed $35, how could I resist?

Here is a last photo of the 3 of us (my husband and our good, close friend who invited us for desserts). It was cold that day so I didn't feel like getting too dolled up. LOL

MERRY CHRISTMAS 2011!!

I am keeping this post short and sweet today being in the Christmas Spirit and all. First of all MERRY CHRISTMAS BEAUTIFUL, STYLISH LADIES!! It is technically Christmas here in Lovely Tirana, Albania, since it is 23 minutes past midnight. =)

Secondly, you must know I love love this time of the year. The Holidays in December are my favorite time during the year with the exception of the month of May (when it is both my birthday and my husband's and when it is the prettiest time in the Spring, welcoming Summer.) Every year I go nuts decorating not only the tree but the house around me, when it comes to Christmas. And every year I did something different, especially since I had collected so many kinds, shapes and colors of ornaments as well as other celebratory, festive XMas items, through the years. Unfortunately I had to leave behind entire boxes of decorations when I moved from Michigan to Albania. We now live in a small one bedroom apartment. We have a lot less space and I still don't have a lot of decorations, but I wanted to do my part as well this year and I could't let my First Christmas in Albania (15 years later) go unnoticed. Below I will be posting some photos from My Christmas Spirit this year (meaning I will be posting photos for you to see how I decorated for the first time ever at our new "home" here in Tirana.) I am pretty certain by this time next year we will settle at a nicer, bigger apartment so this is is probably our first and last Christmas here, so enjoy these!!

Last, I wanted to quote to you my current status I have on Facebook. Thought it was nice and interesting for you girls to read and I hope you like it. "Tirana today looked more beautiful than I have ever seen it before. I have never seen it look prettier or more decorative than today. People seemed nicer than usual too, especially in stores and bars. Everyone around was wishing you Happy Holidays and being more generous than regularly with a real smile on their faces. It is the holiday of Miracles, after all! With that said I will miss spending Christmas in Michigan with about 30 loved ones of my family - no one throws a party as big & fun as they do on Dec 25th!! Merry Christmas all Around to both of my families, in US & in Tirana!!"

And here are My  Festive Photos, guys!

 Here are the fruits of My Labor!!

A Lovely, Velvety, Christmasy LBD.

So I am sorry I haven't posted as regularly as I'd like to or as regularly as I promised. It is due to having some internet difficulties which I hope are fixed for good, especially since these days I am free, without a job just yet and have a lot of time in my hands.

So what's new, on my end? On Wednesday I colored and trimmed my hair, added a few layers and went a tiny bit lighter, perhaps a shade lighter or so. It's amazing how the day you get your hair done, you look and feel like a brand-new person, because it is so shiny, smooth, pretty and overall makes you look shinier, smoother, prettier. Overall I am very happy. It looks sooooo healthy AND brand-new. That makes me smile especially since it is Winter. I have also gone on a little shopping spree. I know it's the Holiday Season and all and we are all supposed to spend for others, buy gifts for others, etc. But I can't help it if I find cute, nice, affordable things for myself. After all I have always been the type to treat myself for Christmas/New Year's. Yes, I have gotten my share of gifts (in Albania it is tradition to give them on New Year's Eve), but also I like purchasing at least a couple of new things I can and would wear for the holidays or special occasions at the end of the year. I normally give myself a 250$ limit for my own gifts to myself, for the end of the year holidays. I am almost close to reaching my limit and have put some things on hold as well. So far I have gotten 3 dresses (one I plan on wearing for Christmas), a pair of gym shoes, a pair of stilettos (I am wearing these for New Year's Eve), 2 scarves, 2 purses, 2 turtleneck sweaters, 2 sweater vests, 3 pairs of wintery tights, a pair of wintery leggings & a blouse. Yep, all of these for under 250$. Now how could I resist all of these? LOL Plus everything is so pretty, fits me wonderfully and I plan on wearing them for a while. I am especially in love with my dresses & purses.

I also purchased 2 new winter jackets/coats but I am not considering them as Christmas Gifts to myself since they were two items I needed and basically had to have despite being the Holidays or not. I got one that's like a pinkish red, and the other one that's a mustardy yellow. I know what you are thinking Ketchup & Mustard but that was not my intention. LOL They are both very similar, were from the same designer. The red one is short/cropped, the other one is like a 3/4 length (covers my butt basically). I purchased them both for (drum-roll please) 64$. I will be taking some photos of all of my new items and show you guys. =)

For now I am leaving you with an outfit I had to blog about, even if it is about 5 weeks old. This lovely outfit is what I wore to the Fabulous Goodbye Dinner Party, My Parents held at their House in Michigan, just 3 days before I left, on Sunday November 13th 2011. Gosh I miss my family so much this Christmas. As tradition one of the homes (there are 5 families in all, between my parents, uncles & aunts) would host Christmas Dinner on the 25th where there would be plenty of awesome food, all kinds of drinks, lots of dancing, gift exchanging and a ton of fun overall (*cries inside*), but this year I will be spending Christmas with My Husband's Family instead, in a brand new city, in a different continent, in Tirana, Albania, EUROPE. Before I leave you on to my outfit for today, I want to wish to each and every one of you Fashionable Ladies:

Happy HolidayS!! Have a Beautiful, Happy, Healthy & Blessed Christmas!! May you get lots of nice gifts!!

 Black, Velvet, Ruched, Dress: White House Black Market.

Pearl & Silver Rhinestone Necklace: White House Black Market.
 Stretchy Pearl, Bobble Bracelet (on Right Wrist): White House Black Market.

Flower Pearl, Post Earrings: NY& Co (New York & Company).

Brown, Corduroy Military Jacket: Forever 21.

Black Stripped Tights: Old Navy.

Soft Leather Gold Loafers: J.C. Penney.

These last pictures, I am "Showing Off" My Amazing Cake which tasted great, just as it looked awesome!

Ahhh this was a great, fantastic, unforgettable, day which is etched in my memory and heart forever! =) So many wonderful people I will for sure MISS!! I love My Parents, My Brother and my Extended Family sooooo very muuuuuuuch!!

What I Wore this Sunday: the Blue Sweater Dress.

Well this is the second outfit of the day post. I am on a roll, girls. LOL All kidding aside this is the outfit I wore yesterday, during a lovely, chill Sunday I spent with my Husband. We started the day by having a Cappuccino and a Machiatto, then we had a lovely lunch at a lovely restaurant. Then we strolled in the city for a walk and did some window shopping and some real shopping (I purchased 2 headbands; my husband got a new winter jacket). Afterwards we went to visit my In-Laws which took us out for a tea at their local cafe and we ended the night watching TV & Movies. As I said, a great day! =)

The weather was a little chilly actually and I think boots would have worked better with this outfit, than flats. But I wanted to dress up a little bit. Sundays mean a special time for my husband and I since it's the only day of the week we have to spend entirely together. Plus it's usually the most relaxed day of the week, therefore there is "no dress code". This is what I wore:

 Royal Blue, Ruched Sweater Dress: Express.

 Long, Gold Chain Necklace w/ Rhinestones: Ann Taylor LOFT.

Gold, Silk, Braided Headband: Pacific Sunwear.

Black Stripped Tights: Old Navy.

Leopard Suede, Pointy Flats: Nine West.

Taupe & Purple Cashmere Wrap-Scarf: Banana Republic.

Heather Gray, Double-Breasted,Wool Coat: Bebe.

Wrist Details

Left Hand: Multi-Colored Beaded Bracelet: Pandora.

Other Multiple Silver Bracelets & Chains (from a variety of stores such as): JC Penney, Express, Macy's & Gifted.

Gold & Diamond Wedding Ring, Engagement Ring & Wedding Band: by My Husband.

Right Hand: Stretchy Silver Linked Bracelet: The Limited.

Silver Ring w/ Large Oval Iridescent Stone: Lord & Taylor.

Silver Ring w/ Small Circle Stone: Cubic Zirconia.