The Dallas Flea

Last spring I found these vintage boots from Cowgirl Cuties at the The Dallas Flea. I'm looking forward to some more fun finds on Saturday.

Between the Etsy Dallas Jingle Bash, The Dallas Flea, and the Pretty Indies Holiday Market, I will have definitely done my part in shopping local this holiday season!

There's No Place Like Home

Our second bedroom has always been nothing other than a great storage room. We recently decided that it wouldn't hurt to put some effort into the extra room so that now our friends and family who visit us have a comfortable place to stay!

The room is still a work in progress. Naturally, I'm more concerned with the little details. One of the first things I found to hang in the room was this inexpensive shadow print of Kansas upcycled on an antique dictionary page on Etsy.

It's a simple reminder to our guests that there's no place like home!

Weekend Roundup + Sweet Links

Scalloped Glitter Garland 

I hope you had a cozy Thanksgiving weekend. Highlights from mine include:
- Enjoying a lovely Thanksgiving dinner with good friends
- A quick trip to Tyler, Texas
- Date night at the movies to see The Descendants
- Forgoing Black Friday and opting for lots of online Christmas shopping
- Planning our summer vacation
- Decorating the tree to some new tunes

Here are some links to get your week started off on a sweet note:

Create a holiday terrarium  at Terrain

Minted + J. Crew partner to support Teach for America

Mittens with the fur from TopShop featured on Design Darling

Sweet Giveaway for brides-to-be! La Gartier Custom Garters at Southern Aisle

Be sure to follow the Twelve Days of Holiday Gift Guides on Modern Eve featuring yours truly on Day Seven!

Have a great week! How many days until Christmas? 

Playlist :: Christmas Decorating

It's probably a little strange that my tree trimming mix includes absolutely no Christmas music, but I guarantee that I'll hear plenty of music throughout the season to make up for it. 

via Apartment Therapy 

1. "Midnight City" - M83
2. "Rumor Has It" - Adele
3. "Hello" - Martin Solveig
4. "Shake It Out" - Florence + The Machine
5. "Real Hero" - College
6. "Now That I'm Real (How Does It Feel)" - Chad Valley
7. "Take Care" - Drake (feat. Rhianna)
8. "I Got" - Young the Giant
9. "Second Chance"- Peter Bjorn and John

Little Miss NBA

Much to the happiness of my household, the NBA lockout is officially over and the season set to start on Christmas Day! I'm thrilled because my Dallas Mavericks are hot on the heels of winning the NBA Championship last June. Since I didn't pick up a championship t-shirt, I just ordered this Little Miss Dallas shirt (for only $16, including shipping) from Junk Food Clothing.

Now through November 27, everything online at Junk Food Clothing is 35% Off Site Wide With Code JFBFE35. If you're a Cyber Monday shopper, you can get 20% off Site Wide With Code JFCYBER20 and Free Shipping Site Wide With Code CMSHIPFREE.

There is a great selection of NFL and NBA team shirts available so you'll definitely be able to find a cute shirt representing your favorite team! 

Oh-So-Thankful

I'm thankful for a countless number of things that life has blessed me with. You've probably eaten too much turkey at this point to stay awake to read them all.  I do want you to know that I'm extremely thankful for you, readers of Cirque du Sweet, who support my little blog. 

via Oh Happy Day

Cirque du Sweet is my creative endeavor that focuses on the sweet things in life. I'm beyond grateful that I can be concerned with such things. 

Happy Thanksgiving! 

Easy Thanksgiving Eats

 After five years of living in Texas, this is the first Thanksgiving that we haven't spent traveling home to Kansas. We are so thankful to have loving friends here in Dallas who invited us to join them for their Thanksgiving meal.

I'm keeping it super easy (almost too easy) with my contributions. 

Rolo Pretzel Bites by Glorious Treats. I used Hershey's Kisses filled with caramel instead of Rolos. 

What's Thanksgiving without French's Green Bean Casserole?

Are you making any easy recipes for Thanksgiving? Do share!

Essie Spring 2012: light pastels + poppy neons

If it's too early for Christmas, then it's definitely too early for spring. However, when it comes to nail polish, I get a little excited. 

Although these spring Essie colors won't be released until February, you can still pull out similar shades from your polish cache if you need to beat the winter blues! 

 Colors (left to right): Navigate Her (similar to Essie's Mint Candy Apple), A Crewed Interest, To Buy or Not to Buy, Tour de Finance, Ole Caliente, and It’s Obvious. 

Right now I'm wearing China Glaze Recycle with Sally Hansen Set the Stage (gold glitter) on top. 

What's your favorite spring color from Essie? What color are you currently wearing? 

Etsy Jingle Bash Finds

Here are some of my favorite handmade goodies from the Etsy Jingle Bash: 

- Mustache Birthday Card by The Ruffly Owl

- Almond Lotion Bar by Soap Addict

- Embroidered notebook from Blue Eye Brown Eye

I also purchased a few gifts but I can't give them away here. :)

Are you buying anything from Etsy this holiday season? 

Holiday Hair Candy

It's never too early for a little holiday hair candy! Some of the sweetest hair accessories come from LA shop ban.do. 

I love all of these headbands, especially the gift bow barrette. Which one is your favorite? 

Weekend Roundup + Sweet Links

via Pinterest

This weekend we hosted our friends Paul and Shannon who were in the Big D visiting from Houston. We went handmade treasure shopping at the Etsy Jingle Bash, indulged in chocolate from Dude, Sweet, nom nomed on brisket tacos at Mia's, and enjoyed some wild Texas rockabilly live music - not to mention much, much more. Whew! I'm exhausted. Thank goodness for the two day work week ahead.

Here are some sweet links:

Pretty Pretty Princess! Beautiful paper crowns from If The Crown Fits featured at Stamped Paper Co.

Who cares what your wedding looks like when your rehearsal dinner is this fabulous? - Style Me Pretty

There will be The Hunger Games nail polish by China Glaze - via Fashionista

Happy Feet: a sparkly flats roundup by Fabulous K

Stunning Tacori ring giveaway from M loves M

Little Sisters: Dakota and Elle Fanning

My beautiful big sister Amy celebrated her 40th birthday today. Her milestone made me reflect on how fast time seems to fly by! 

Speaking of sisters who grew up fast, here's some stunning pictures of Dakota Fanning and her little sister Elle from a pictorial in W magazine. Can you say grown up? 

Weekend Roundup + Sweet Links

via Pinterest

B and I have been straight chillin' this weekend getting all rested up for the hustle and bustle of the holidays. We spent yesterday doing a much needed deep clean of our home and then rewarded ourselves with cupcakes from Sugarbox. I spent some quality time today at Paper Source and Michaels concepting ideas for a few holiday crafts that I hope to share with you soon. This evening we made healthy and delicious Chicken and Black Bean-Stuffed Burritos with Mrs. Renfro's Mango Habanero salsa. Talk about yum. Now, I'm looking forward to hanging out on the couch and catching up on all of my shows. I hope you had a fantastic weekend.

Here are a few of my favorite links from the week:

I'm craving Oven Baked Calamari made by Rachel of Reckless Abandon

Sweet Puppy Love at Tory Burch 

Pretty pies: Thanksgiving Alphabet Pie Topper DIY from Oh Happy Day

Gorgeous laser-cut wedding invitations featured on Design*Sponge

If only I could afford a second home in NYC: Jenna Lyons' home is for sale

This wedding send-off brunch menu looks absolutely scrumptious 

Jingle Bash

If you're in the market for unique and handmade gifts to give this holiday season, look no further than doing your shopping online on Etsy, or if you're in Dallas, make sure to stop by the Etsy Dallas Jingle Bash next weekend. 

Do you give any handmade gifts for the holidays? 

Sunny Side Up

Here's a trifecta of easy ways to pretty up your fried eggs. 

Waffle Croque-Madame via Craft    /   Heart shaped egg on toast via A Cup of Jo   /   Fluffy Eggs

Happy Veteran's Day!

Hugs and kisses to all of the past and present service men and women who have bravely defended our country. There is no way to possibly thank you enough for the sacrifices you have made to protect our freedoms. 

A special recognition to my stepbrother, Dan Ruth, who is currently serving in the Marines in Afghanistan. You are in our thoughts and prayers! 

via Ban.Do 

Sugar Lips: Girl Scout Cookie Lip Smackers

I was a late bloomer when it came to experiencing the smooth and sweet-scented goodness of Bonne Belle Lip Smackers. It wasn't until high school when I met my friend Hannah who introduced me to the amazing goodness of Dr. Pepper Lip Smackers, which has since remained my all-time favorite. 

That could all change once I get my lips on one these Girl Scout Cookie Lip Smackers. 

Mmm. I'd love to have a tube of the Thin Mint! 

There's lots of buzz about the Girl Scouts lately as the organization celebrates it's 100th anniversary. They recently released updated badges to include financial literacy and website design. Oh, and according to a Forbes interview with the CEO of Girl Scouts, 100% of female astronauts are former girl scouts. 

Girl Power.

Quake Cake

As I was cuddled up on the couch watching movies last Saturday night, my husband and I started to feel our couch shake slightly, then the mirror on the wall wiggled a bit, and finally we heard the clinking glassware in our kitchen cabinets. 

In Dallas, we were experiencing the remnants of the 5.6 magnitude earthquake that rattled Oklahoma. A few of my friends and family in Kansas and Missouri also felt it. Tornado Alley no more? 

How delicious does this perfectly cracked Quake Cake by Sprinkle Bakes look? When it quakes, eat cake! 

Update: As I was publishing this post, I just felt another earthquake! 

Lipstick Mix

I'm a bit of a makeup product junkie, but rather low-maintenance when it comes to actually applying it. 

I like to keep it real with my makeup, mixing it up between classic and trendy shades, drugstore and high-end indulgences. 

With each season, I usually pick up a few shades, some new and some old favorites. Here's the trio of the lipsticks currently in my makeup bag - a poppy red, a neutral pink, and a rich berry! 

Love That Red by Revlon   /   Pago Pago by NARS   /   Plumful by MAC 

What lipstick shades are you wearing this fall? 

Name that Pattern!

Amy Atlas' Pattern Board for Design & Styling is an amazing resource if you're interested in knowing the name of your favorite patterns. A few of my favorite patterns are quatrefoil, candy stripe, chevron, diamond on diamond, chainlink, and rising suns. Which ones are you most fond of? 

I'm sorry, I could not make this image any larger. Check out Amy Atlas' blog for a bigger image. Thanks for letting me share, Amy! 

Sweet Sugar Skulls

Estoy en amor con (I'm in love with)... elaborate and funny skeletons on Dia de los Muertos. 

via Kitchy Kitchen 

Rich in sugar, the people of Mexico learned how to make sugar art for their festivals by Italian missionaries in the 17th century. The skulls represent a departed soul and is placed on the home ofrenda (altar).

I learned at La Mariposa that while sugar skulls look delectably sweet, they aren't fit to eat unless you buy them from a confectioner or you make sugar skulls at home using a skull mold.

Live Colorfully

My MacBook is now officially geeked out with a retro Apple decal. The rainbow apple was the official logo of the company until 1998.

  

It's such a happy feeling whenever I see old logos from my favorite things in the past. 

This quote sums it up: "The nature of nostalgia is that it seems to infuse life with a kind of added richness and charge because it's being processed through memory. And often we sort of wish present day had that charge." Jennifer Egan, NPR On Point

What logos trigger special memories for you?