Sarah and The Stink Thieves

blouse: c/o Romwe (buy it here)   skirt: c/o PB&J Boutique (buy it here)  shoes: Restricted   tights: Kohls

We've been partying it up with family in Cali for the past week and now we're back in Utah to get some good 'ol Morales family time in. Can we talk about how miserable drives are with dogs, by hour two the car fills up with puppy breath, you realize that you are starting to look like a warewolf because white dog hairs are hanging from your chin, clothes and yes, you may have found one in your eye! And then of course, there are the times that you make a sudden turn and your dog digs its claws into your thigh and then somehow manages to climb up your torso to stay safe. It's just not fun, and I would love any recommendations of how to travel with pups better. I mean guys, the best part of my drive was when we stopped in this town called Primm (Oh sweet Prim!(m) two m's?) and I found graffiti carved into a toilet seat that said, "Stink Thieves". I giggled to myself like a little school girl. I commend the gang that had the guts to name themselves something as dumb as the Stink Thieves,  and also I thank them for giving me a chuckle come hour 5 of the drive. You guys, stink thieves! HA!

Pin-Test: The Perfect Holiday Fudge

Fudge has always been a hit or miss for me. Either I make it and it never sets and just kind of oozes out of the pan, or it sets and is brick hard THE DAY after making it, or then of course there's the soft fudge that just tastes like a blob of monotone lard, SO YUMMY, and so in the trash! So this Christmas I was determined to find the perfect holiday fudge, that had layers of interesting flavors that all worked together to make if I do say so myself, a masterpiece of salty and sweet and crunchy and smooth. You guys, MAKE THIS, I know Christmas is over, but make. this. now. and then name your firstborn child after me.

Maple Peanut Butter Pretzel Fudge (adapted from Sprinkle Bakes)

Crust:

2 cups finely ground pretzels

1 cup (3 oz.) semisweet chocolate chips

8 tbsp unsalted butter

4 tbsp sugar

2 egg, beaten

1. Line a 9x9-inch baking dish with parchment paper, allowing the paper to overhang on all sides.
2. Heat a saucepan filled 1/3 full with water and bring to a simmer.  Put chocolate and butter in a medium heat-proof bowl and place on top of the pan of simmering water. Stir occasionally until the chocolate and butter melts. Add the sugar and egg.  Cook mixture until it is very hot and has thickened slightly. 
3. Remove from simmering pot and stir in pretzel crumbs.  You will use the pan of simmering water again for the ganache, so be sure to keep it handy. Press the mixture into the prepared pan with buttered hands.  Set aside while you prepare the fudge.

Maple-peanut butter fudge:

2  14 oz. cans of sweetened condensed milk

2 10 oz. bags of peanut butter chips (such as Reese's)

1 1/2 tsp. pure maple extract

1. Combine the condensed milk and peanut butter chips in a large microwaveable bowl. Heat at 100% power until melted and smooth, 3-5 minutes.  Stir in maple extract.  Pour mixture over crust and refrigerate for 15 minutes. While you wait for the fudge to chill, make the topping.

Chocolate ganache/ pretzel topping:

2 cups (6 oz) semisweet chocolate chips

6 tbsp heavy cream

50 thick cut pretzels

1. Combine chocolate and cream in a heatproof bowl and set over the simmering water. Stir until melted, smooth and shiny about 3 minutes. Using and offset spatula spread over the fudge and top with 14-15 whole pretzels.  
2. Crush the remaining pretzels and sprinkle over the ganache.  Refrigerate until firm, about 2 hours or overnight.  Cut into squares.  Enjoy!

We Just Wanted To Tell You

The Spread: How a Heart Beats

Styling: Sarah McCammon

Photography: Landon Drean Photography

Hair and Makeup: Hair and Makeup By Steph

Lighting and Set Management: Chase Hilton

This is the last photo shoot with the dream team (at least until Steph, Chase and I decide to move to New York, guys what do you think, New York?! Ehh??). Landon is off to to go be a big famous fashion photographer in New York and I could not be happier for him. It's definitely bitter sweet,  he's going out and making his dreams happen! But not being able to do work with this amazing team will definitely be missed. Good luck Landon, I'm so excited for all of the adventures coming your way!

Revival Files: Underneath The Mistletoe

jacket c/o OASAP (buy it here)
Can I have a double high five for this before picture. You guys, this picture is one of my better accomplishments. Go on, you know you want to keep looking at it. The face, the freakishly small looking head. SO GOOD.

So I found this dress almost a year ago, and decided that there was no way I would even start working on it until November, and I can't tell you how hard it was to resist, especially when October rolled around and I started to want to listen to Christmas music. Okay so maybe I started working on it October 31st. Whew that confession felt good. This lovely holiday party is on sale for $35! You can get it here in the shop!

On The Fifth Date of Christmas We...

...made our own homemade photo booth, put on our favorite cozy sweaters and said CHEESE!!

The dates for this week are:
7. Make and decorate sugar cookies and deliver them to your friends.
8. Record a Christmas music video and send it to at least one friend (I promise it will make their day).
9. Try a new place to go out to dinner and listen to Christmas music the whole way there!

I Need Your Help!!!

A local photographer and I are working on a very special project where we will be recreating classic vintage family photos and then printing them in a book!  I am SO excited to be a part of this project, you all know that I have a serious love and addiction for all things vintage, but I can't do this without your help! Here's where you come in, I want this book to be personal, something that isn't just staged but tells real stories of people, of their history, so all of the photos in the book will be based off of original vintage photo's submitted by all of you! So please please while your home for Christmas this next week take some time to rummage through your grandparents old pictures and then come back and submit them here! You can submit them through the form at the bottom of this post, or you can of course also email them if that is easier, if you'd like to email them you can send them to [email protected] , and please feel free to email with any questions or comments! As a little thank you to all of you, all of those that have their photo chosen to be a part of the book will receive a print of their recreated photo and a special little something from me to you! Thank you all for all of your help and support, I really can't do this without you!

Oh The Woes of Target

sweater: H&M    blouse: Target    pants: Target   boots: thrifted   watch: thrifted

So the other day. I was at Target, per usual, I mean when am I not at Target? And I was perusing through the sale racks, there were a few promising finds, and of course the ultimate painful question was to try them on or to not try them on. Because the thing is, that if a girl can avoid the fitting room, SHE WILL. Nobody wants to stand in front of mirrors that make your hips explode, and nobody wants to clean up after their total monstrosity of clothes that will sure to be left afterwards, and EVERYONE hates those stupid plastic clothing hanger bands that flop out of every blouse when you try them on. So, today, I couldn't avoid the fitting room. So I go to the fitting room and I say "29??? Ooops is that too many??" and the lady says, "Oh no worries Sarah, I know you'll bring them all back!"

....K what?

I'm such a Target regular that the fitting room lady knows my name??

And cerebral high five because she thinks I'm not a thief! That's a plus!

You guys this is my first time in Target regular territory. I mean should I stop by with a plate of Christmas goodies next time?

Do I invite her to my Christmas party? And what would she want for Christmas? Are we now the kind of friends that get each other hand lotion, or are we close enough for clothes shopping territory? And would it be super weird if I bought her present at Target? Also, what's her name?

Back To The Basics

coat: Anthropologie    shirt: Apricot Lane Boutique   leggings: Apricot Lane Boutique     Boot Socks: DIY      Boots: thrifted       bag: thrifted

I bet you never thought you'd see the day that my big fashion statement for the day would be a pair of black leggings and a white t-shirt. I know, you guys, it's getting crazy up in here! But here's the thing, I spent all of 2000-2012 watching girls wear see through leggings over shirts and as I guessed what color their skivies were I would think to my high and mighty self, "That will never be me! Nay, this body will never wear leggings as pants! NEVER!" And enter the thickest, most wonderful leggings to ever meet my limbs. GUYS.  I just. These leggings, they are fur lined, sorry do you want me to repeat that? THEY ARE FUR LINED! And of course when I tried them on I did various stretches, ballet plies, bend and snaps, downward dog THE WORKS. And I am proud and also very ashamed to say that my biggest accomplishment of the week was finding these stretchy pieces of glory. Proud because hello, I can now safely wear leggings as pants, and ashamed because they have not come off of my body for quite a few days. Don't judge until you've sported the fur guys. Don't judge.

Come Join Me At The Renegade Brigade This Friday!

Hey guys! I had to invite you to the Renegade Brigade handmade pop up shop tomorrow night! My good friends Brittany from No Two Fish are Alike and Claire from Belle and Whistle are friends from BYU and they both have creativity and style oozing out of them. I tell you what! This Friday from 7-9, they are having a handmade pop up shop. I'll be there, and I will most definitely be buying this little beauty, its pretty much the comfiest, softest thing, and my neck longs for it daily. I mean I  practically tried to steal it from Brittany last time I saw her so I better buy one for myself eh?

Claire & Britt are also offering an additional 15% off one item* to anyone who blogs about the event!  All you have to do is write a blog post (include the above image, if you'd like, hosted HERE), make sure you include a link to either Claire'sor Britt's post, and then simply leave a comment on either Claire's or Britt's post telling them you did so!  They'll gather the list of bloggers who helped spread the love, all you have to do is come to the party and claim your 15%!

*must be used on the night of the pop up shop, December 14th, 2012

see Claire's shop here & blog here

see Britt's shop here & blog here

DIY Cat Eye

Gentri and I are back with another beauty post for you! Here's how to create a simple and subtle cat eye. I always love learning the different techniques people use, I actually do my cat eye completely different (would you like a tutorial on how I do mine??) so I'll have to give this way a try too! Thanks for the tips Gentri!

It's Beginning To Look A Lot Like Christmas

sweatshirt: Asos    blouse: thrifted    Jeans: Urban Outfitters   bag: Thrifted    boots: Target

Tonight I walked into the house and saw two little rears sticking out from underneath the Christmas tree, one Matt rear rand one Indie rear of course. I walked in as sly-sleuth-spy like as I could and heard a little whisper from underneath the tree

"Here's some water little guy, drink up, you've got to stay healthy, you're part of the family now!"

Guys this moment of two little bums sky high and whispered sweet tree nothings was just too great for me to interrupt, so I jiggled the keys in the door just a bit to announce my arrival and scurried into the room with a giant grin on my face as Indie poked at me with her wet nose, and wiggled her way under my arm. A little later I got a text from Matt

"I love our Christmas tree!" 

I don't know about you guys, but around the McCammon digs it's really beginning to look and feel like Christmas!

Shop Update!

This has been WAY overdue, but my old shop is now retired and I have a brand new updated way for you to shop. Hooray for catching up with the times! There's a ton of added clothing to the shop and I've also added bit of a twist too! I'll now be selling custom water color portraits, custom silhouette portraits, handmade crafts, jewerly and vintage clothes. You can as always use the "shop" button on the toolbar above, or you can go directly to it here. Happy shopping everyone!

On The First Date of Christmas

We found the perfect tree. Tied the perfect tree to the car roof. Realized that when we tied the perfect tree to the car roof that we also tied all of the car doors closed. Climbed through our car windows like ninjas and took the perfect tree home. Realized we had absolutely no lights for the perfect tree. Got lights for the perfect tree. Realized we had no stand for the perfect tree. Got a stand for the perfect tree, and then decorated the crap out of it.We of course took part in the Morales family tradition, every year after decorating our Christmas tree my mom would make homemade banana bread and hot chocolate and we'd sit around the tree sipping our hot cocoa and hoarding as much banana bread as possible. This was our first year doing the tradition with just our little family, and it has officially been adopted as a McCammon Christmas tradition! Hooray for traditions and for miraculously getting that tree home in one piece!

For those of you following along with us here are the next three dates for this week!
Date 4: Make a homemade Christmas ornament
Date 5: Rent a Christmas movie and make a treat together!
Date 6:  Make a homemade photo booth and wear your coziest winter sweaters in the pictures.

O Tanenbaum!

We found our Christmas tree! It's beautiful, and fluffy, and smells like a dream...and also gives me the irrational fear that a squirrel may come jumping out of it at any moment. Nevertheless! It's perfect!

Top Knot Tutorial

Can You Dig It

jeans: Ebay (7 for all Mankind)   bag: thrifted     shirt: c/o Romwe (buy it here)   necklace: c/o Blue Bird Bride (buy it here)  shoes: Target

The other day at work I was ranting with a coworker of mine about magazines lately, " I mean what's with all of these 70's trends, nobody wears them!" And silence, awkward silence, because I then realized I was wearing high waisted corduroys and a plaid shirt. Oh hello, nice to meet you, my name is hypocrisy I'll just be over here with a dunce cap on my head and throwing peace signs. Okay but at least I haven't given in to the 70's hairstyles right, like I should get tons of credit for not giving into the page boy because its a real battle to fight that urge daily. DAILY.

Apricot Lane Winter Lookbook

 I had a chance to do the styling and hair and makeup for Apricot Lane's winter look book. It was so fun, I got to work with some amazing girls. Lauren and Madison from The Awkward Girls were the models and of course I was literally in tears laughing while trying to do their makeup. I'm serious, it was a real issue, I. COULD. NOT. STOP LAUGHING. Those girls. My soul sisters I tell you.
All of the amazing girls involved in the making of the Lookbook.

Photography/Styling: Kate Lovell Photography

Hair & Makeup/Styling: Sarah McCammon (that's me, in case you don't know what my name is)

Styling/Creative Director: Aubry Lybbert

Models: 

Madison & Lauren of The Awkward Girls

Jami Pond

Camille Pond

Candice Newell

The Twelve Dates of Christmas

 

I have to say that one of my favorite things of all time is getting a surprise in the mail. I was having a particularly poo filled day last week and then this little gem came in the mail from my sis and it was just what I needed. It's a deck of cards that gives you a Christmas activity to do each day. So fun! So this year in an effort to make Christmas less about the presents and more about the memories, we're going to be doing the twelve dates of Christmas. And we were thinking with our thinkers and thought, "Wouldn't it be so fun if you all did the twelve dates of Christmas with us?!" So here's the deal. I'm going to post three dates a week and show you what we did and then we'd love for you guys to do them along with us and of course you don't need to be married to do it, you can do it with your roommates, you boyfriend, you bowling team for all I care! And take as many pictures as your heart desires. Then at the end of the month send your date pictures in and I'll share of all the fun date pictures with all of you. What do you think?? Are you in?!

Here are the three dates for this week:

1. Find the perfect Christmas tree and decorate it.

2. Do a good deed. 

3. Light a fire (and snuggle up)

I'll be posting the what the activities are for the week each Monday and then share pics with you of our dates later in the week!

Ready. Set. Be jolly!