Winter LBD 3 Ways

This post is sponsored by Synergy Organic Clothing.

I'm sure you have heard the acronym L.B.D. by now, but in case you haven't it stands for "little black dress." That's what every woman should have in their closet because it's a wardrobe staple that is incredibly versatile. When you find a great fitting black dress you can dress it up for a party, down for the weekend or make it sophisticated for the office. It's truly a woman's best friend.

So, I'm sharing with you today my long-sleeve winter "LBD" from Synergy Organic Clothing that I wear at least once a week if not more (shhhh!), and I'm showing you how I style it three different ways.

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1| The Weekend LBD - I simply add my Moon Cats scarf and I am set for the day. I really love the tassels and the blue and red color combination. It makes me feel so French.

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2| Work LBD - When I go to style for a shoot I have got to feel comfortable and move easily. This dress allows me to do that with a double slit. I paired my fuzzy vest to dress it up. Plus, having my hair pulled back makes everything look more sophisticated.

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3| Party LBD - I don't like being cold, and I'm always freezing at winter cocktail parties because I pick a cute little dress. I finally get fed up about feeling cold and wear a jacket, but then my dress is covered up the whole time. This outfit is perfect for braving the temps and you don't need to worry about covering it up. I paired a white tuxedo jacket with my black dress and a black and white houndstooth clutch made by Sincerely Jenn to pull it together.

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Photos by Amy Frances Photography

Easy Holiday Bark

This post is sponsored by Coca-Cola Licensing.

The holidays are the biggest baking season of all. Each year, my husband's family makes an assortment of cookies and bars to enjoy the night of Christmas. Instead of having pie, we have these sweet treats that are made days leading up to Christmas. When you're entertaining it's always nice not to have to cook the day of the party. Relieve stress and busyness where you can, and try this recipe out.

My sister-in-law, Nicky Vender, is a genius baker and she created this salty, sweet treat made of white chocolate, pretzels, cranberries, almonds and pistachios. The green of the pistachios and the red of the cranberries makes it very festive. It only takes 5 minutes to prepare, there's no baking involved and you can enjoy the treat 15 minutes later.

Ingredients:

2 bags white chocolate chips

3 cups pretzel sticks

1 cup dried cranberries

½ cup shelled pistachios

1 cup slivered almonds Directions:

1. In a large bowl, melt chocolate chips in microwave per instructions on the bag (about 2 minutes). Carefully, stir in pretzels, cranberries, pistachios and almonds until everything is well coated.

2. Place large sheets of parchment paper on countertop.

3. Pour out onto paper and spread the mixture out to desired thickness.

4. Allow bark to cool completely (this is very important).

5. Break into pieces for serving. We think ice cold Coca-Cola is a great pairing.

6. Store in an airtight container.

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Recipe by Nicky Vender, Photos by Melissa Jill.

Exercises to Try Coming Back from a Break

This post is sponsored by Mountainside Fitness.

If you missed a week or two from the gym it can be a bit challenging to get back into the swing of things. I always feel a bit emotionally and physically discouraged, so I try to tackle exercises that will give me a good workout, but also aren't huge mountains to climb. I also will start my week back at the gym by working out my legs mostly because that's the strongest area of my body, and the area I feel most confident with.

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WARM UP - Walk at a steep incline for 10 minutes on a treadmill. I usually set my speed to 4.0 and I set the incline to 8%. After five minutes you'll start feeling it. 10 minutes on a rowing machine is also a great way to get your heart pumping.

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PLANKING - Every single time I go to the gym I spend time doing planks (center and left and right side planks). Try it. Spend 60 seconds in a center plank position, and then switch to your right side (hold for 30 seconds) and then your left side (hold for 30 seconds).

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PUSH-UPS - Every workout I do push-ups. It's something that I have been committed to because they are the hardest exercise for me, and I never want to get back to a place where I can barely do 10 push ups. When I first started working out (this past May), 10 push-ups was my goal. Now 30 push-ups balanced on Bosu Ball is my goal. It works your core while working out your arms.

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WALKING LUNGES - Lunges are one of my favorite exercises because I don't always feel the burn right away. The first set (20 walking lunges (10 for each leg)) always feels empowering and great. The second set is where the burn starts to kick in for me, but you're already committed.  Make sure to rest in between sets for up to 30 seconds, and if you have it in you, go for three sets. You can also add weight with your lunges. I like to use sandbags, but dumbbells get the job done too.

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ELEVATED HIP RAISES - I don't have much a of a butt, but I'm really trying to get one - or at least make what I have not jiggle. These elevated hip raises are awesome. You can even use a chair or a couch to do them. I do 3 sets of 15 hip raises.

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ONE-LEGGED RESISTANCE BAND KICK-BACKS - I save these babies until the end because they are HAAARD. Three sets of ten on each side and you'll be burnin'.

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After all of that I'll usually go back and do some more cardio, but I always make sure to get strength training in every workout.

Photos by Sarah Gray Portraits.

DIY Winter Terrarium

This post is sponsored by Coca-Cola Licensing.

Terrariums have become quite popular over the past two years. More an more people want to learn how to grow things in their home and breathe life into the stale air of the indoors. Usually, you will find succulents and cacti in terrariums, and even those will hold up well in the cooler months, we thought it would be fun to create winter terrariums. (This is a great craft to do with your kids too).

Instead of sand we used fake snow, and instead of succulents we use mini pine trees. See how below:

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1| Choose your terrarium. You can use a variety of things, and even a glass dome on a plate. We chose these West Elm faceted terrariums.

2| Fill the bottom of your terrarium with fake snow that you can purchase at any craft store. Then add some moss, and then sprinkle some more snow.

3| Place your winter objects inside. We used miniature trees that can be found at Hobby Lobby. You could also put a tiny deer or even build a mini snowmen with pom-poms and cotton balls.

4| You're finished! Now you just have to choose where you want to put it in your home.

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Photography by Melissa Jill, Floral design by Hoot and Holler, Art Direction by Alex Evjen.

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.

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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