what makes christmas "christmas"

Hey Preppy Diaries readers!

I usually blog over at  {The Life and Times of Belle} but today I'm super excited to be guest posting for Chloe while she's off on her ski trip - the lucky thing! I'd love to go skiing - anyways before I go off point before I've started  - seeing as Christmas is literally just around the corner I thought I blog about what, in my mind, makes it Christmas...

Frosty weather... in the absence of snow I'll take take a heavy frost :P

being by the lake when it's all icy and frosty is just so beautiful...

... as is going to uni on such a gorgeous campus.

Fairy Lights

As much as I love fairy lights indoors I really love them outdoors - I love seeing peoples houses all decorated and lit up, brightening up the dark nights when I'm driving home :)

Christmas themed candy - 

when this stuff hits the shops (usually in November or whatever) I do start to get excited about Christmas!

Seeing the unveiling of the annual Christmas Harrods bear always puts me in a Christmas-y mood :)

I think this one is the cutest one yet! I can't wait to receive my little Chester bear :)

Holiday drinks (and cups) - pretty standard 

My fave is a mint hot chocolate - yum :) What's yours?

Christmas candles

These really help to set the scene for me Christmas-wise - Yankee ones are my brand of choice but I'd love to try some B&BW ones :)

Decorating the house for Christmas

Nothing makes a house feel more Christmas-y than putting up the Christmas decorations - in my opinion anyway :)

Presents!

{via}

I love going out and finding the perfect gifts for my friends/family and then coming home, putting on some Christmas tunes and settling down to wrap them - it really puts me in the Christmas mood.

Side note: I love this idea of putting on photos of you and the recipient on the wrapping paper

Hope you enjoyed reading this post! I'd love if you would go on over to {my blog} and give it a read!

christmas to do list

Hey lovely readers!

It's Caroline from Citrus and Style here today guest posting for the fabulous Chloe. That lucky lady is on a ski trip right now. {so jealous.}

Anywho, Christmas is sneaking up so quickly! With exams, it was so difficult to get into the holiday spirit while still studying. Here are 11 fun and easy ways to Christmas it up!

1. Make a Christmas playlist on Spotify, your iPod or Pandora. You can sing joy to the world while still getting some last minute wrapping done!

2. Watch your favorite Christmas movie. Elf, A Christmas Story and Home Alone are some of my favorites ;)

3. Decorate a gingerbread house. I've found these for super cheap at Michaels and they are actually really fun!

4. Do a Christmas photo shoot. Dress up in your favorite Christmas sweater, sparkly jewelry and reindeer antlers!

5. Do volunteer work. Volunteer at a homeless shelter or soup kitchen for an hour or two. Nothing feels better than helping the less fortunate, especially right before Christmas.

6. Treat yourself with a peppermint hot chocolate from Starbucks. Who can argue with that?

7. Write some new years resolutions. When you are done, record them on a slip of paper and slip them into your stocking. See how you did next year!

8. Take a relaxing bubble bath with a delightful Christmasy scented soap.

9. ELF your friends and family. So fun!

10. Scroll through some Christmas Pinterest boards. There's nothing like Christmas on Pinterest! Here's a link to mine.

11. Sit back and enjoy a good book by the tree. Soak in the beautiful scenery of Christmas!

Happy Holidays to everyone! I hope you have a divine holiday (and break from your hard work)!

xoxo,

cYa

Citrus and Style

freebie friday!

hey y'all! 

i don't have a series on my blog besides cheap chic 

(but that's not weekly so it doesn't count)

i've been brainstorming on a series idea that i though everyone would like! 

currently my most read story is free iphone backgrounds. i still constantly get e-mails asking from people asking me to make one for them, but i just haven't had the time to make individualized monogrammed backgrounds (which i'm super sorry about) 

that being said i've decided to take the freebie route! 

every friday i'm going to have one or two background freebies for you! 

ahh get excited 

sometimes i might switch it up and make computer backgrounds or printables, but it'll be a surprise every week.

today is the first friday of this series and I couldn't be more excited! 

my mom and i have a website together called popcosmo and i made these backgrounds for that website too! 

i'm only going to share two of my backgrounds on here, but if you want to see what else i made definitely go check the others out! 

also, i made this Jack Spade inspired noel little picture

i just think it's so clever, even though i didn't come up with it ;)

i think it would look adorable in a little frame!

if you make any of these backgrounds your background, then tweet/instagram it and tag me and popcosmo (@preppydiaries and popcosmo)

if you have any ideas for next week's backgrounds, then leave a comment below! 

let me know what text, background pattern/color, or anything else

if i really like your idea i just might make it! 

thanks for reading! 

xox

winter nail trends!

nail polish is one of the best accessories

- the fact that you don't have to take it off at night makes it all the better -

when the colder weather starts rolling in, we have to start covering up more and more, which means bracelets and necklaces go into hiding. 

but when the gloves come off we need something to show off so nail polish is the definite solution.

i've compiled a set of six nail polishes that i think are going to be popular this winter 

2012 Winter Nail Trends by popcosmo featuring a grey nail polish

1. essie's beyond cozy : i have this shade on my nails right now, and it is one of my all time favorite colors. i promised myself that i wouldn't buy any more nail polish, but i will definitely be buying this color soon! it's the perfect blend of silver and gold which is super festive and girly. also, i always chip my nails within one or two days of getting a manicure but this has lasted a week without chipping! 

2. Butter London's Gobsmacked : Glitter is obviously always a trend around the holiday season so why not mix it in with black. It's a super subtle way to stay on trend. And the black goes with everything! Love it! 

3. Deborah Lippman's Modern Love : Nude's are always in style, but this winter they are going to be all the rage. I like this shade because it had a kind of pinky/salmony under shade. Super cute! 

4. OPI's Live and Let Die :  Again, this is a glitter color but it's very understated because it's a darker color. I like how it has a blueish green tint to it! It's kind of winter-y mermaid-ish.

5. Essie's She's Pampered : I love this color! Reds are a huge holiday color, and I personally think this is the perfect shade. I like dark reds, but sometimes they can look a little grandma-ish. This brighter shade is very cute and also very sophisticated. Plus, you can wear it during the summer too.

6. Butter London's Dodgy Barnett : I love this color! It's very winter-esque because it's grey with blue undertones which reminds me of snowflakes! It's also apparently "holographic" so if you're into that sort of thing, then go snatch this shade up! 

What's your favorite winter nail polish/color?

Do you have any of the polishes mentioned above?

Thanks for reading! 

xox