{Deck The Cards}

Top Row: Happy Eight Nights // Naughty or Nice // Deck the Halls

Middle Row: The Best is Yet to Come // Countdown New Year // Oy to the World

Bottom Row: Confetti Cheers // Pop, Fizz, Clink! // Don We Now Our Ugly Sweaters

I am a sucker for snail mail, especially this time of year around the holidays. Spread the holiday cheer to all your loved ones by sending them a sweet holiday greeting the old pony express way. Check out some of my favorite seasonal greeting cards brought to you by the best sources - Sugar Paper LA, Kate Spade, Shop Terrain, and Paper Source. Which one fits your holiday flare?

{His and Her Gift Guide 2013}

Need a last minute gift idea for that special someone in your life? Check out my His and Her Holiday Gift Guides below for a fun assortment of gifts at every price point. I can think of a few things I am eyeing from this list, can you?

Pool Table IPhone 5 Case // Herschel Duffle Bag // Chukkah Boot // Stripe Bowtie // Anchor Embossed Wallet // Timex Watch // Shawl Cardigan // Bacon Flavored Dental Floss // Whiskey Stones // Mini Turntable  

Plaid Infinity Scarf // All That Glitters Clutch // Arrow Bracelet // PJ Set // Sunburst Earrings // Dripping Chanel Sweatshirt // Sequin Skirt // PS I Love You Cards // Shady Lady Mittens // Leopard Pumps // Lips Clutch

{Yellow Ostrich}

Being home for the holidays was fantastic, the weather was beautiful every day and I was able to see family and friends and most importantly relax from the hustle and bustle of city life. I watched entirely way too much Parenthood, my recent television obsession. 

On the season finale of season 3, I rediscovered an awesome song from the band Yellow Ostrich off of their album The Mistress. Their local folks, from Brooklyn. Once a bedroom project from lead singer Alex Schaaf has transformed into a full fledged indie rock band. Their bonus track Bread is my absolute favorite and I wanted to share it all with you. What do you think?

Yellow Ostrich - Bread

{Blogging My Blessings}

It has been a couple years, since I've been to California for turkey day, and I am so excited to share the holidays with my parents and close family friends. There are a lot of things to be thankful for this Thanksgiving season and I thought I would share them with all of you by blogging my blessings. In the spirit of Hanukkah, below are my 8 blessings. What are you thankful for this season?

1. FAMILY

Mom, Dad, Renee, and new addition Mark, you are all my most prized possession. I am so fortunate to have you in my life, especially as family. It seemed like every other week I had a visit from one of you, or all of you in the city. You are all special in different ways and I love you all for that. The saying goes, you can pick your nose, and you can pick your friends, but you can't pick your family. To be honest, I'm the luckiest girl in the world and I wouldn't have it any other way.

2. FRIENDS

To all of my friends out there, you rock! This year was a whirlwind of emotions and you were all there by my side continuing to make me laugh, smile, and inspire me every day. Thank you for always being my backbone when times get tough and of course the ultimate dance partners to get the party started. Love you all and can't wait for fun times ahead in 2014.

3. TRAVEL

This year I was fortunate enough to take some amazing trips outside of the city (thanks Macy's for that nice paycheck each month and vacation days). Two of my favorite spots included Martha's Vineyard and Turks and Caicos. I know I have always said that I am not a beach bum;  however if weekend getaways consisted of these two places for the rest of my life, I will def be signing up to be a permanent beach enthusiast. 

4. HOSTESS WITH THE MOSTESS

I have a secret, I love to host parties. It has been an absolute treat this year playing this role for both my housewarming and birthday party. Thanks to everyone who came out to the events so I could showcase my new found love. I was able to test my new found cooking/mixology chops in the kitchen and made some awesome new recipes and cocktails. Watch out Martha Stewart, I'm coming for you.

5. PEWTER and PUDDLES

First and foremost, I want to thank you, my readers. Thank you for tuning in every week and continuing to encourage me with this fun creative outlet. I reached a big milestone this year when Pewter & Puddles turned one and it was because of your kind words and motivation that it was all possible. Thanks a million.

6. HALF MARATHONS

I was very privileged this year to participate in two half marathons in New York. I'm not ruling out doing a full just yet, but for the moment, I will continue to push myself with a half. Thanks NYC and Brooklyn Halves for providing such great races and really testing my endurance. I set a personal record for NYC at a 9:26 pace and will continue to test my limits. Here's to hoping for an even better time in 2014!

7. MY NEW NEIGHBORHOOD

Well, well well, Upper West Side, I am officially in love with you. You are truly the best neighborhood in all of Manhattan. I can't believe it has taken me so long to discover your awesomeness, but thanks to 2013, it has finally brought us together. Not only do you have fantastic restaurants, adorable wine bars, historical museums, awesome retail shops, but you are also home to best friend Mel and new friendship additions this year. Thanks for continuing to make me smile as I walk around the hood and of course as I turn the key into my apartment every night.

8. 92Y - FASHION TALKS

I wanted to give a shout out and big thank you to my favorite fashionista this year, Fern Mallis. I was delighted to attend some fantastic lectures in which she hosted at the 92Y for a series called Fashion Talks. Thank you Fern, your lectures are both intriguing and fun, and I always leave them feeling inspired. Marc Jacobs, Vera Wang, and Andre Leon Talley were just some of the high profile guests this season. I am not sure what special appearances are in store for 2014, but I am sure they will all be nothing short of amazing.

{Ivan & Alyosha}

There is something about the nostalgia of going home that always gets me in the spirit to listen to folk rock jams. Maybe it's the excitement of driving again and being able to roll down the windows and listen to really heartfelt good tunes. Or maybe it's just the tunes I want to hear when we are all gathered around the Thanksgiving table talking about what we are thankful for.

Upon first listen to the band Ivan & Alyosha, I was immediately hooked and couldn't wait to get a car and drive down PCH and smell the campfires burning. Hailing from Seattle, Washington, these two brothers' songs are perfectly plucked with folk-rock guitars and bright blend of voices. Making their timeless pop ideal and pleasing to the ear. Take a listen below, grab your coat and hope in my car. We are headed down the coast.

Ivan & Alyosha - Running for Cover

{Mel's Dirty Thirty}

For the next five days, 7 girls and I are headed to Turks and Caicos to soak up the rays and celebrate the fabulous birth of Melanie Beth Heyman as she turns the dirty thirty. Work has been bananas these last few months and I can't think of a no better way than to relax, laugh, and make some great memories with all of these girls, including my best friend. You are my rock, my soul sister, the best neighbor, amazing listener, and always give the best advice. Happy Birthday, love you!!!

In honor of celebrating 30 years, check out the best article ever to embrace the new decade. It looks likes being 30 isn't so bad after all, right?

Olivia Wilde Tells Us Her Dos and Don'ts of Turning 30

DON'T freak out about all the brilliant people who accomplished more than you by 30.
Yes, Einstein had discovered the theory of relativity by your age, and Emily Brontë had written Wutheringfu*#ing Heights, but honestly, what you achieve is far less important than what kind of human being you are. What do you want people to say at your funeral: "Olivia may have cured HIV, but she ran over my cat and drove away laughing"? No, thanks! I'd rather be a good person who makes people happy than a dick who wins a Nobel by 32.

DO enjoy your sexual prime.
Hey oh! According to horny Professor Alfred Kinsey's 1953 page-turner Sexual Behavior in the Human Female, women really start heating up in their thirties, so let's just say it's finally your turn to act like an 18-year-old boy—except you'll be 1,000 times better at...everything.

DON'T cut your face.
I am so saddened and grossed out by young women who look like creepy, old aliens because of their new Barbie noses and lips. Is that a smile or a grimace? Did you melt hot wax on your face, or is that your skin? A better approach: Take care of yourself now that you're old enough to know how. Drink water, sleep eight hours (I wish), and don't go within 400 feet of a tanning booth or I'll slap you. Hard.

DO travel.
This is possibly the last time until retirement that you won't be considered a bad person for booking a last-minute ticket to Morocco with friends just because you damn well feel like it. You're old enough to know where not to go (Cancún) but young enough to feel guilt-free being entirely unreachable.

DON'T propose to the next guy you meet just because you worry he'll be your last chance at lifelong companionship.
Sure, you've attended more bridal showers than yoga classes in the past year, but that doesn't mean you're destined to be a craggy spinster, searching for roommates on Craigslist at 50. The danger with "husband hunting" is you start to see every date as a job interview ("He does seem to be homosexual, but that might be good for fatherhood!"); it clouds your ability to get to know someone.

DON'T feel pressured to pop out kids.
I love kids with a passion I usually reserve for hot cheese, miniature chairs, and Prince concerts, but I feel no stress to reproduce simply because of a fear of withering eggs. Wait for the right partner, and make sure you're where you want to be in life before picking neighborhoods based on school districts. This is not to suggest you should live irresponsibly for the next 10 years, then expect to get knocked up when your chosen dude finally sneezes inside you. But you'll never find the right baby-maker or enjoy baby-making if you're doing it out of anxiety. Relax, be good to your body, and when the time is right, get busy.

DO reap the benefits of your accumulated wisdom.
You're 30: You know stuff now. Your twenties were for "ducking up," as my auto-correct would say, and learning from those mistakes. (For instance, never again will I convince myself that sleep is for sissies and go straight from a party to the airport. You will not "sleep on the plane"; you'll vomit in the security line. Go to bed.) Now you get to live with that knowledge under your belt. Also, make it a nice belt. You're 30. Stop dressing like a hobo.

DO learn a new skill.
You've already lived longer than most women in the thirteenth century, so why not look at your thirtieth as a rebirth? I started stand-up paddleboarding at 29 and consider it my baby step toward becoming a badass 30-something semipro surf goddess (as long as the sharks go vegan).

And DON'T be bogged down by your past.
Saturn has now orbited the sun once since you've been alive; make this next go-round whatever you want it to be. Consider your baggage (bad boyfriends, job setbacks, body issues) lost by the airline of life, leaving you empty-handed at your new destination with only one choice: Go shopping.

That's it. Now go—be awesome.