Glitter Challenge

About a month ago, I had the idea of challenging my Instagram community to create art using glitter. I said I would commit to sharing the projects of those that participated in the glitter challenge by blogging about them and pinning images from the creators' sites.

Here is the first submission from Amy Hanen of Amy Frances Photography and Malori Maeva of Hoot and Holler. They collaborated and included some of their friends, Taylor and Kristina. I LOOOOVE what they created.

Go check out their blog post for the full shoot, click here. What do you think the next creative challenge should be?

Photos by Amy Frances Photography

How to Style Your Bar for the Holidays

This post is sponsored by Coca-Cola Licensing.

Holiday cookie exchanges, open houses, parties and intimate gatherings...Chances are you will either host or attend a holiday party this season. If you are hosting, you will most likely have to put together a spread of goodies on a table, island or bar top. Today I'm going to share with you how to make your spread look special for your event.

1| Set your food and drinks out first. You'll want to make sure you have enough room for everything. Keep the sweets with sweets and savory with savory.

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2| Place any utensils you may need next to the food. Don't forget the bottle openers! I always forget those, but how can I forget this cute one by Coca-Cola? You can even have some drinks already poured into glasses with straws just like we did with the Coca-Cola Heritage Glasses.

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3| Go back through and add design elements that very in height and size. You may want to add different sized vases, candles or maybe even create a fun winter scene with figurines, fake snow and an old crate like this one from Coca-Cola. We also created winter terrariums to add dimension and spirit to the space.

View More: http://melissajill.pass.us/cocacola

4| Add some sparkle - Place ornaments, glitter or tinsel around the area. We hung ornaments above our bar to draw the eyes upward to our chalkboard wall. Think about what you can add above or below too.

5| Add some live greens or flowers - Fresh flowers or even fresh pine is a nice way to liven things up. If you don't feel confident arranging bouquets, simply add branches of pine in vases.

Photos by Melissa Jill, Art Direction by Alex Evjen, Florals by Hoot and Holler, Chalk writing by Katie Sterbenz

Mint & Florals

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I mentioned in a past post that I don't own very pieces of clothing with floral patterns. I generally stick to simple stripes, plaid or solid colors. This minty floral skirt by Shop and Apparel really caught my eye, and I couldn't pass up the chance for it to be mine.

Mint has been a popular color for awhile now, and it has really grown on me. One of the things I love most about the color is that it often makes people look tan. I haven't seen a skin tone that looks bad in this color. Also, you would think that a tight pencil skirt wouldn't be too comfortable, but this one will prove you wrong. It's machine washable and let's me move freely so I can chase after my two-year-old.

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Because the skirt is so bright I paired it with a simple, fitted chambray shirt also from Shop and Apparel. It's incredibly comfortable as well. Chambray shirts have become one of those closet staples that can take you through every season of fashion. This one in particular is fitted and perfect for tucking into pants and skirts.

To add a bit of glam, I accessorized my outfit with a gold glitter belt, navy suede shoes with gold studs and gold spike earrings. I think a denim jacket, leather jacket, a white blazer and many other closet favorites would work well with this skirt. It's definitely my new favorite piece in my wardrobe.

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Photos by Michelle Herrick

Clothing That Shines

When I was a little girl, I remember shopping with my mom and always running toward the shiny satin fabrics and sequined dresses. And every year, when my dance costumes arrived for my approaching recital I would always choose the outfit with the most sequins as my favorite. Back then and even now, I would jump to wear these Top Shop sparkles below.

Spring and summer clothes are always so bright and happy, but one thing you rarely see is sparkle and shine. The fall and winter fashion seasons are always sprinkled with glitter and sequins, and, in my opinion, makes the cooler months superior. haha!

Yes, metallic fabrics, head-to-toe sequins and giant gems can be gaudy at times, but I think every gal needs something sparkly in her wardrobe even if it's a giant jeweled collar or sparkly shoes likes these Kate Spade ones.

Check out some shiny, affordable options below and add some sparkle to your closet!

Nail Trends

Do you remember the days when nail polish only came in pinks and reds? Sometimes you would see things tilt toward purple or orange, but you never saw lime green, royal blue and definitely not black except for Halloween.

I think my first time seeing blue nail polish was in the Delia's catalog or in Hard Candy's makeup line. Remember those days?

Now we have a rainbow of choices including sparkles and metallics.

For the past couple of years deep navy, black, plumb and white have all enjoyed their time in the spotlight as "THE nail color of the season" thanks to iconic fashion house Chanel.

So, what's the trend now? Well, shades of pale greens, pale blues, lavender,coral and all things glitter are everywhere. But to be honest, I feel like nail color trends have kind of died and now it's just a free for all. Do you agree or disagree?