Wonders from the Weekend

< Beautiful roses on a sunny, beautiful day >

Happy Monday, and Happy Halloween!  This past weekend was filled with so much fun, laughter with good friends, celebrations at a beautiful wedding, and a short road trip with my husband.  Really truly, I loved every second of this weekend!  Completely thankful for all of the awesome friends in my life, I do not know what I would do without each and every one of you!  This week will absolutely be full of happy notes as the celebrations from this weekend are always going to make me smile, and the upcoming celebration for next weekend is also something I cannot stop smiling about.  I hope that all of you wonderful 3P readers have a week that is full of as many smiles and as much happiness, too!

Hope you all have a great time with all of the trick-or-treaters tonight!

< Decorations from an incredible Halloween party hosted by friends that always plan the most amazing parties >

< Candles lining the aisle inside the church that is my alma mater, for my beautiful friends' wedding >

 < An incredibly gorgeous day, and a view that brings back such amazing memories >

< Elegant centerpieces at the wedding reception, and the sign from the table that was the most fun! >

< Bubbles of celebration on the patio >

Obsessed: Fun Halloween

Happy Friday, all you fabulous 3P readers!  Orange and other rich fall colors are on my mind because of all the glorious leaves outside, the appearance of apple cider in our house, and the pumpkins taking up space in stores and on porches.  (Ah, must carve pumpkins soon!)  Orange is also on my mind because it is the color I most associate with Halloween- I am not big on scary Halloween and creepy colors, and I like to keep things cheerful with a welcoming orange.  Today, in honor of the upcoming costume day, I am happy to share with you some of the Halloween ideas I have seen that are causing me to obsess about a super fun Halloween.

Hope you have a safe, fun, and Particularly Pretty Halloween weekend!

PS- You can read more about what is inspiring me this fall here and here.

(Images via: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7)

Weekly Wear: My Lucky 13 - week 4

< My 'Lucky 13' from which I have created 31 different outfits >

Well, here we are again today at another milestone for this blog- well, not totally.  Today's post is kind of a  big deal though, because it describes the final week of outfits I created out of 13 different clothing items from my closet.  That's right, I used only 13 basic items to create a whole month of outfits for my day-to-day dressing routine (see the original post with my 'Lucky 13' here)- and today marks the date I am going to share the final 8 outfits for my month's clothing challenge.  So here you have it- the final outfits I came up with based upon the 13 items I had earmarked in my closet for the '13 to 31' challenge I created for myself this month.  Now, if any of you wonderful 3P readers would like me to help you style different outfits from your closet, just let me know at ParticularlyPracticallyPretty@gmail.com

And speaking of this month... where has October gone?  Time to get to the store for some trick-or-treat treats!

- Above photo -

Occassion: work

Clothing and shoes: reference this post

Belt: TJ Maxx

Bag: Target

Jewelry: Citizen (watch), BR (bangles), Style & Co (charm watch)

- Above photo -

Occasion: reference this post

Belt: Nine West

Jewelry: Kenneth Cole (watch), The Limited, F21 (bangles)

- Above photo -

Occasion: work

Clothing and shoes: reference this post

Belt: Nine West

Jewelry: Kenneth Cole (watch), LOFT, F21 (bracelets)

- Above photo -

Occasion: work

Clothing and shoes: reference this post

Jewelry: The Limited (necklace), unknown (ring)

- Above photo -

Occasion: casual Friday

Clothing and shoes: reference this post

Purse: Liz Claiborne

Jewelry: The Limited, BR (necklaces)

- Above photo -

Occasion: dinner out

Clothing and shoes: reference this post

Bag: Guess

Jewelry: (BR (necklace), Kenneth Cole (ring)

- Above photo -

Occasion: errands

Clothing and shoes: reference this post

Belt and bracelet: H&M

Bag: BR

- Above photo -

Occasion: church

Clothing and shoes: reference this post

Scarf: unknown

Jewelry: F21 (sparkle rings)

Celebration!

Happy Wednesday!  And happy 200th post to this blog!  Thank you so much to all of you fabulous 3P readers out there for all of the love and encouragement you have given me since the start of this blog back in March.  Really truly, every time I receive a compliment, comment, or shout out on Facebook or Twitter, it is such an honor and always makes me smile.  This blog would be nothing without your encouragement and love!  To celebrate this milestone post, here are some of my favorite posts for you to enjoy again!

< My Lucky Number 13, which I am using to create 31 different outfits! >

< Guest bedroom happiness from Paris is always a good idea >

< Ode to nude colored shoes in The ABCs of Nude Shoes >

< Jewelry storage and organization tips from Icing >

< Scrumptious and incredibly simple brownie s'mores- get the recipe from the S'more Please post >

< My very first outfit post! Read it here >

And last but not least...

< Freezer organization, which I loved doing and you loved reading about!! Read about the before and after make-over here, and see more tips on freezing food here >

Muffin, Man!

< Muffin cups always make me happy- need to find some in a fall theme! >

I love baking.  There is something so calming and therapeutic about it.  And while one's cooking is not always a great hit every time (in my experience), most of the time, baked goods are a hit.  While I was hoping to make some pumpkin treats, the bananas sitting in my kitchen were calling out to be used in a baking excursion.  Thus, a very nice morning treat came to mind, and I decided to whip up this recipe.  Mmm, now I am looking forward to warm muffins on these cool fall mornings!

Chocolate Chip Banana Muffins

1 stick butter, softened (or 1/2 c. butter)
1 c. sugar
2 eggs
1 tsp. baking soda
1/2 c. sour cream
2 bananas, mashed well
1 1/2 c. flour
1 tsp. baking powder
1 tsp. vanilla
1 (6 oz.) pkg. Nestle's semi-sweet chocolate morsels
Paper muffin cups

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line muffin pan with paper liners.2. Cream the butter and sugar with a mixer. Add eggs and mix well.
3. Dissolve baking soda in the sour cream. Let it "rise" for a minute, then add it to the butter and egg mixture. Mix well with beater on medium speed. Add bananas and blend in.
4. Add flour and baking powder together. Mix in thoroughly, but no longer than necessary. Add vanilla. Stir in chocolate chips by hand. Fill muffin cups. Bake for 25-30 minutes. Recipe makes approximately 1 1/2 dozen.

 < Butter and sugar >

 < Mix in eggs with butter and sugar >

 < Add chocolate chips as the last step >

< All ready for the oven! >

< Ta-da!  It'll be muffin mornings for a while! >

Wonders from the Weekend

< The beautiful view at a wedding this weekend >

This past weekend flew by!  It was jam-packed with all kinds of fun with friends and family, so every busy second was totally worth it!  My husband and I caught up with our nephews and enjoyed watching on of their soccer games, celebrated with friends at a beautiful country wedding, laughed our way through dinner with friends we haven't seen for quite a while, enjoyed a little feast to celebrate our grandpa's 80th birthday, and spent lots of time enjoying the scenery from the road.  While this was really a fantastic weekend that left me very happy, I am looking forward to a semi-lazy Sunday afternoon sometime in the near future.

Whatever your plans are for this week, I hope you have wonderful days!

< Reading material to peruse while on the road >

< Centerpieces perfect for an outdoor fall wedding >

< Want to see some great thematic decorations?  Head here for a burger or a steak. >

 < Enjoying the sun setting on the horizon >

Obsessed: Fall Capes

< Fall picnic ideas- click here to see where I originally posted this picture, and for the comment that inspired me for today's post >

A few months ago, capes were not my thing.  I didn't think I would ever like their boxy look, the large, gaping arm holes, or the toggles all over the front of many of them.  Enter a few months gone by, lots of fall fashion magazines, and the LOFT's fabulous fall campaign, and ready-or-not, I am now obsessed with capes.  I am hoping to score a great deal on a khaki-colored cape sometime in the future, but I still feel that I have plenty of time before the weather cools down as we are still hitting 80 degrees most days.  I have compiled a few options below, separated by color and defined by price.  To see all of the product and pricing information for each of the capes pictured below, head on over to my Polyvore site.  Tell me, do you plan on wearing a cape this fall?

Have a great weekend, all of you amazing 3P readers!

The ABC's of Capes: earthy tones by particularlypracticallypretty featuring a cape coat

The ABC's of Capes: Black by particularlypracticallypretty featuring a cape coat

The ABC's of Capes: Cloth Cuts by particularlypracticallypretty featuring a wool cape

Centering

Is it just me, or is this week going by rather slowly? This may be due to the fact that the weather is still warm and I am hoping for autumn breezes, the calendar is chock full, and that the to-do list is growing and growing, but really, who knows.  Here we are (finally!) one day before Friday finally arrives.  And in honor of this, I am going to throw a little party- well, a little party on this blog post, that is.  With events in the future such as pumpkin carving and family gathering to feast, I thought a little searching around on the internet for table decoration inspiration might be a great idea.  And yes- it is!  Looking at all of these pictures is just what I need to throw a decorative party time, so enjoy the little 'party' on today's post! (And to see how I have decorated the house for fall so far, even with a few table centerpieces, click here.)

Just so you know, my sweet grandma did a presentation on centerpieces at a ladies' night earlier this week.  I am brokenhearted that I could not make it to see here that evening, but I am looking forward at seeing pictures of what she created to also use as inspiration for the upcoming decorative centerpieces and table displays I will want to put together!

* Above images via MarthaStewart.com and BHG.com