How were your weekends, friends? Aaron and I flew to Austin yesterday morning where we will be spending the next week and have been soaking up the holiday cheer ever since. Last night was our family's annual Christmas party-- complete with a house full of extended family, way too much decadent food, and the same santa whose lap I have been sitting on since I was 7! This year has been a really exciting one for The Effortless Chic. There was a major site redesign, some really exciting collaborations and projects, and we were able to connect with so many new contributors who have been helping us bring you beautiful and fun content for the last 12 months. Naturally, there had to be a party to celebrate! Here are some of the photos from last week's soirée... (courtesy of the wonderful, Melissa Valladares!)
On Friday, I shared my cranberry margarita cocktail recipe that I made that evening for everyone. Anytime I serve a specialty cocktail, I always premix it just before party time in a large, chilled pitcher. It keeps anyone from having to play bartender and I know that the ratio of ingredients is just right. This time around, Blair and Melissa had to be my trusty cocktail taste testers. Are you familiar with Simon Pearce? They provided all of the beautiful glassware and dishes. All of their products are made here in the United States. They are an incredible heritage glass company and every piece is an absolute work of art!
To complement our cocktail du jour, we stuck with a Mexicali Christmas theme-- chicken tacos, guacamole with pomegranate seeds, and a myriad of salsas with my favorite tortilla chips from a nearby restaurant. We picked up sweet treats from my favorite neighborhood bakery, Big Sugar Bakeshop and there was nothing left of them but a few crumbs by the end of the night!
And then, of course, I had to start my own santa tradition...
Our youngest member of The Effortless Chic team! Matt, our music supervisor and playlist contributor extraordinaire, just had his first son, Nash, in October.
The winner of our Nespresso "A Tasteful Holiday" giveaway is Kim Hendrichs! Congratulations, Kim! Look out for an email from us with instructions on how to claim your prize!
Photography by Melissa Valladares
All glassware and dishes by Simon Pearce, Table Runner by Mark and Graham
Valerie | Lily on Fillmore says
looks like such a sweet affair! that cranberry margarita looks extra amazing, and love that santa got to join in on the festivities.
hope you have a happy new year!
xo, valerie @ lily on fillmore
Kathy says
Can I ask what paint color that room is ? Just found your blog recently and I am enjoying it very much !
Jen Pinkston says
Hi Kathy, I will have to check when we get back home from the holidays... stay tuned!
Lu says
Where's your dress from? You look adorable! Happy holidays!
Jen Pinkston says
Thank you so much! It's from Target, actually:)
rachel says
Happy Christmas and a well deserved rest x
Jen Pinkston says
Merry Christmas to you, Rachel! xx
Michelle D... says
Definitely looks like a festive affair! I particularly like the candles in the fireplace, great idea. Are they the flame-less ones? The drinks look beautiful too. I plan on checking out that glassware company, thanks for the info. A tad jealous you got Santa all to yourselves, but wait, I didn't see him with a margarita. 😉
Jen Pinkston says
Thank you so much, Michelle! Yes, they are flameless wax candles from Restoration Hardware. You can put them on a timer so they come on every evening at 5pm and go off on their own at 10 🙂
PS. We tried everything to get santa to enjoy a taco and a margarita, but he insisted that Mrs. Clause doesn't like him to eat in the suit 😉