The Cake by Hannah

A small town girl spreading kindness like buttercream frosting

Our Christmas Photo Outfits

Hey, girl, heyyyy! Well, with November here and in full swing, it’s likely you are about to have your family Christmas photos *eeeep!* Our Christmas photos are for sure one of my favorite things we do every year that gets me in full on holiday mode. Last year we did a formal look and the year before that was a very casual plaid and flannel type of year (here). The year before that I was like… DUE pregnant hehe, and we did our photos at The Nest Wedding Venue, here.  And just for kicks you can see our really old shoots from our second and third Christmases together as wittle babies here and here. Our first Christmas is somewhere in my archives on my computer?… but who the heck knows. I will have to try to find those for kicks.

This year I went for nice, but not quite formal. Paul said it’s his favorite overall look yet in our 6 years of shoots. My girl Sydney Grace Beauty did my make-up and I am so pumped about it. I hardly wear make-up in my day to day, so I wanted something soft and sweet but still glammed up. Every step of the way she would stop and ask if it was going the right direction for me and made sure it wasn’t “too much.” Seriously, she is SO TALENTED. She is in the McKinney area, and I can’t suggest her enough. Ask her to sing for you, too. 😉

For my dress, I went with a long dusty rose satin gown *only $51!* and put all my boys in blacks and creams. I guess the bonus of being outnumbered by boys in this household is I can be in any color I want for photos to pop. 😉 I am obsessed with this dress and have it paired with my Marc Fisher booties I bought during the Nordstrom Anni Sale, but could go great with heels and sneakers just as well.

My Bootie: 

Because I figure you might be frantically running around trying to nail down your holiday looks before pictures, I wanted to go ahead and share links to our full outfits this year so that I could help you nail down your family photo looks! I will share our full shoot with @cottonwoodroadphotography soon, but until then, here’s links below to grab the look ahead of time! See our BTS video here. 

Knox’s outfit is from Zara and can’t be linked! Here and Here

Weekend Finds at Red Dress

Hey Hey, babes! I have a few go-to boutiques I love shopping at. Red Dress is one of them! They are affordable *but also carry LoveShackFancy!!* and everything I have ever bought from them is a favorite in my closet. This fall, I am ALL FOR peasant style. I love the peasant maxi dresses with knee high boots. I love the oversized peasant blouse with high-waisted denim and booties. I am also loving the 90’s-inspired looks with tweed skirts and block heel boots! Basically… I love it all. The trends are so good this season! I have a round-up their newest arrivals that I have in my own cart – tops, dresses, skirts, shoes… everything!

ALSO: Be ready TOMORROW NIGHT!!! We are announcing our HUGE NEWS Paul and I have been working on for the last year. We cannot wait to share with you our hearts and what we are thrilled to be doing together as we step into all that God has for us.

Oversized Blazer + My Current Devo

Man, I have said it before and I will say it again. Fall makes me thrive. It is my best self brought to life. The flavors, the smells, the fashion, the holidays. It’s my favorite. To me, fall is the most tangible season. One that illuminates every sense within, from head to toe to the very core of our souls. With it’s long awaited arrival comes the brisk air of hope – A change you can literally feel blow through as present as the pumpkins on the front porch and the coffee warming your hands as you stand in silence soaking it all in. An air of change that reminds you the best is truly yet to come. I think my purest joy comes from that first morning of fall when I step outside and can SMELL the change. You know what I mean? It’s the scent of a cold front on the dewy grass.

I wanted to share this cute fall look with one of my favorite recent purchases from Zara, along with my current devotional I am doing. If you’ve been around The Cake a bit, you probably have caught on I love all things Lysa Terkeurst. She is an amazing writer and teacher. I have read her books *she has a new one coming out that I pre-ordered already!* and I am knocking out her 40 day devotional right now. It’s as beautiful as it is enlightening. I am all about the history of the Bible and learning how the stories piece together, start to finish. If you haven’t ever done a study or learned this specific aspect of the Bible before, I am going to SUPER urge you more than anybody else to get this! But, everybody should get it. 😉 It’s a 40 day study through the entire Bible with a focus on longings of the heart. Ultimately, of course, leading back to the truth that we were created with a longing for ONE thing and that’s found only in our God. Our hopes, our purpose, our dreams, our desires… it can all be found in who God created us to be. And that comes through a relationship with him. I have found it best to read the First5 App that is also doing the study along with the book. I go there to read the scriptures and then dive deeper and journal with the book.

The Answers to Your Deepest Longings, here. 

The Look

Oversize Blazer: The exact one, here & Cheaper version BY Zara, here.

Denim Skirt: Here

Boots: Here *Black is backordered, but there are also other colors!*

White Tee: Here *I own in white and black for layering staple!*

Sam Edelman Davis Knee High Boots 3 Ways

It’s THE BEST TIME OF YEAR… Happy first day of fall, y’all! I am my best self for the next 3 months hehe. I live for fall and Christmas. *Yes, Christmas… not winter* I am SO excited, if you can’t tell, and I kicked off today with GF Pumpkin Pancakes from Trader Joe’s! I will be sharing my favorite pumpkin finds soon from there 😉 But for starters, I will say their Maple Coffee is SO good. GO GET IT.

Today on the blog, I wanted to show you my favorite purchase from the N Sale styled 3 ways to show you knee high and OTK boots don’t have to be intimidating! I love this brown shade, but black is just as versatile, and the square heel detail is a funky little addition. Aside from a dress, it can feel a little scary to wear a boot. But, have no fear! I am here to show you they are versatile. I didn’t even share pics of these with denim and a tee shirt or a flouncy dress (always my personal go-to when I want to feel good!) In my personal opinion, there are only a few things to always spend more money on. A good pair of boots is one of them. Really, shoes in general are items to spend more money on, along with great denim that make you feel amazing no matter what they’re paired with.

Look 1: Oversized tee shirt dress, Knotted Headband, and THE Boots

*I own this tee shirt dress in multiple colors- it’s only $29!*

Look 2: Jogger Jumpsuit, Pearl Barrette, and THE Boots

*I totally re-created this ENTIRE look from Cara Loren, here is the inspo! This exact jumpsuit is Albion Fit, but I linked similar ones and my barrette was a gift so I found ones that look close to it.*

Look 3: Tweed Skirt, White Top, and THE Boots

*This square kneck tee is technically a maternity top I bought… but it doesn’t fit like one. I linked my body suit I own as well that I pair with this skirt!

Other: My Bathroom Stuff and Make-Up

Getting Ready for FALL

Happy September, from The Cake Team! In our book, there is no shame in the fall game starting today *even though we started a couple weeks ago.* Enjoy a post rounding up some of Carleigh’s fall favorites! If you’re new around here, Carleigh is my amazing Media Manager/Assistant/Sanity. (But really.) Give her a follow on IG (here) and give some love! You can also read all of her posts on the blog with the filter “From Carleigh” to the right. xoxo, Han

Every week that goes by, it gets a little harder to believe we are still in quarantine. I truly didn’t think we’d still be here going into September, and it’s an almost daily battle to choose joy as we head into the sixth month of navigating this pandemic. That being said, we have to keep fighting and finding ways to enjoy life! I find joy in all things fall. I mean, seriously… does it get better than a crisp morning, a pumpkin candle burning, a hot cup of something in hand, and a sweatshirt (especially if it’s from The Cake Shop). I think not! So I am choosing joy and getting ready for fall in my house, my wardrobe, and my soul 🙂 I’m sharing and linking all of my favorite things to get cozy and ready for that cool fall weather, even if it is still 95 degrees outside right now… Texas probs, y’all.

xoxo, Carleigh

Fall Home Decor

The new fall line from Hearth & Hand with Magnolia is at Target, and it’s amazing as always! I love adding some warmer pieces to my home to help transition into fall, like throw pillows, wreaths, candles, etc.

 

Pumpkin Bread

I’m getting ready to bust out my favorite pumpkin bread recipe! A slice of pumpkin bread and a cup of hot cider (or coffee for all you normal people who love it hehe) with a candle burning, a cozy sweatshirt, and a good book = the perfect fall morning. You can check out my pumpkin bread recipe that I shared last fall on the blog here!

 

Cozy Fall Wardrobe

Even before the temperatures drop, I bust out all my sweaters, sweatshirts, joggers, etc. so I can feel cozy! Especially with being home so much more right now, I’m living in my comfies pretty much 24/7. Here’s a roundup of some of my favorite new cozy pieces for fall!

 

Fall at Bath and Body Works

Fall is here and I am R E A D Y. I stocked up on new soaps, candles, and all the things with the new fall scents and it brings me joy every time I smell them. Some of my favorite new scents are:

  • Cozy Cashmere
  • Honeycrisp Apple
  • Vanilla Sage
  • Linen & Lavender
  • Welcome Home
  • And anything pumpkin scented!

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