It's the best time of the year! Well I don't know if there'll be snow (but all bets are on YES considering we are in Boston), but have a cup of cheer! Merry Christmas, darlings!

Hey there, darlings! With Christmas fast approaching, some of you might be suffering from a panic attack due to 'lastminuteshoppingitus.' So I figured I would repost the free printable playlist I made for one of the  holiday gift guides this year. Just print this off on some nice cardstock, buy an iTunes giftcard, and you are all set. Now I may not have the hottest, coolest, and newest tunes on the list, but they are still 'spinning' on my iPod and that's good enough for me. What are some of you fave holiday tunes? I think mine just might be "Baby It's Cold Outside"....loves it.


Now, scrounging up some super cool and inexpensive wrapping paper has never been so easy. Just raid your local grocery store's brown bag stash and decorate it with colored ribbon, yarn, ornaments, etc. I am also loving the map-as-wrap idea!

I finally did it. I took the plunge, and chopped off a healthy dose of rather unhealthy and stringy strands. It's funny how hair can act like a grown woman's security blanket. I am so glad I made this change, and am having a fun time whipping my new 'do around.

Wrapped some Christmas gifties in Scandinavian-esque paper from Ikea. Of course, having stated my current adoration of pom poms, I topped the gifts with handmade fluffy yarn poms in red, navy and white hues.

I am sadly not a huge writer of the written word...you know, the kind that involves a pen, paper, and a stamp??? It's really upsetting. Regardless of that fact, I had to snap up these awesome cards during my trip to San Francisco. 

Getting ready to head back to this on Thursday. Blizzardy, blustery and grey-ish blue Boston. That is actually one of my fave photos I snapped when we were living in the South End. The lighting was perfect, and it was such a beautiful day. We emerged from our 'bat cave' apartment under the stairs of our cute brownstone building, and went on a loooong walk to the North End.  I remember my bum was literally frozen numb by the time we got home, haha. I digress. Anyways, I'm super excited to see the family...especially my two sis-in-law's who are super duper preggers mcgreggors!!! Wish that stork would hurry up and make the delivery already. Anxious to meet the little ones. :) Off to pack now. Wishing you all safe travels for the holidays!

Sweater // Top // Necklace // Lip Balm // Pants (Similar) // Slippers  // Book

Blazer // Dress // Eyeshadow // Earrings // Tights // Shoes // Purse

Everything you see in the Wolf & Moon shop is lovingly handmade or handpicked by designer Hannah Davis.  Everything you see in the shop was also put on my wishlist upon first sight...especially those stunning geode pendants and lucite necklaces. They're glooooorious!

This stunning font from the very talented and generous Rositsa Gorolova has me swooing over its ribbon-like romantic shapes and graceful curves.  Can you believe this beautiful font is free?! FREE, I tell you! You can download the Lemniscate font here. As a bonafide hoarder of fonts, this is certainly going into my 'favorites' category. I can't wait to use this font. My head is spinning with all the possibilities.

If you are like me, you are wayyyyy behind with your holiday planning, decorating, shopping and schmoozing. Last-minute lasses and lads, fret not...I made a free printable party set inspired by needle-point folk art. I don't mean to brag, but they are super cute, no?! I personally love that red and blue combo. Something about red and green just sets me off....I just am not a fan of that color scheme. Ick. Anyways, I hope you enjoy the printables and please do let me know if you end up using them for a holiday party. I'd be thrilled to see photos of it in action. :) Happy holidays, loves!

Well, lovelies, today I am enjoying day 1 of my weekend trip to San Francisco to visit one of my most special friends. We've been good pals since high school, and it's such a special treat every time I get to see her because, sadly, it isn't that often. Not wanting to leave you hanging while I'm flitting about the Bay area, I've arranged for some of my most fave bloggers to guest post here at Triple Max Tons. Woohoo! Trust, they went above and beyond on the 'awesome' scale, and gosh you are all in for a special treat. First up on the roster is the super talented and always lovely Erika from small shop...

Hello fellow Kirsten fans! It's Erika from small shop bringing you a few fun picks for your gift giving this year. They're bright, they're hip and sure to please.

{Recipe adapted from Bakerella // Image by Triple Max Tons}

So you might remember that I I baked up this rich chocolate cake for John's birthday. After I leveled off the two cakes, I had all this leftover cake and a belly that was already full of cake batter and frosting (I have NO self control when it comes to sweets). I figured I could make a trifle, but those didn't have the holiday flair I was looking for. I then remembered that my old roomie Kristin made a trillion cake pops for her granddad's birthday a year or two ago....and case closed, that was what I was going to do with these cake scraps. I didn't bother to look up a recipe because I watched Kris make them and they seemed easy enough to 'freestyle' - you basically take cake crumbs, mix them with frosting, roll them, dip them, chill them and eat them. But, just for the heck of it, here is a recipe that you can use if you are more by-the-book in the kitchen.

1 box cake mix (I used the scraps from leveling the cakes and cutting out the mini rounds)
1 16 oz. can frosting (I made a simple softened butter,  powdered sugar and cocoa frosting)
1 package chocolate chips
1 package shredded coconut
wax paper
1. After cake is cooked and cooled completely, crumble into large bowl. You can do this by hand or in your food processor.
2. Mix thoroughly with 1 can of frosting. Depending on if you are using scraps, just use enough until it comes together.
3. Roll mixture into quarter size balls and lay on cookie sheet.
4. Chill for several hours. You can speed this up by putting in the freezer.
5. Melt chocolate in microwave per directions on package.
6. Roll balls in chocolate. Use a spoon to dip and roll in chocolate and then tap off extra.)
7. Roll balls in coconut or desired topping - chopped nuts, crushed peppermint, sprinkles, etc.
8. Lay on wax paper until firm. Refrigerate until ready to eat.

{Photo by Triple Max Tons}

Well I just about jumped out of my chair in excitement over this, y'all. I've just discovered Instagram-inspired Photoshop Actions by Daniel Box...and just in time to apply to all those holiday snapshots. Ever since ditching my iPhone for an Android, I've been missing Instagram like woah. So, if you love the look of those ubiquitous Instagram photos and don't have an iPhone, hop to it and download these Photoshop actions pronto!  I snapped that photo above at Lady Bird Lake here in Austin, and applied the actions to the photo so you could see what each style in the action set looks like.

Now, some of you might be murmuring to yourselves, "what the heck is an action?". Well, friends, let me tell you. It's a magical and fast way to post-edit your photos in one fell swoop without having to repeat your steps over and over and over. Here's a tutorial on how to install actions.

Today's post is dedicated to the mighty Christmas tree because *sniffle* the husband and I won't be having one this year. With all the traveling we are doing, it just doesn't really make sense to put one up...which is slightly devastating. Decorating the Christmas tree was one of my favorite traditions as a kid, pulling out all the ornaments from years past and carefully placing them on each branch. It's funny too, because my tastes have totally changed when it comes to styling the tree. As a kid, I was all about colored lights, the brightest and biggest ornaments, and zillions of presents under the tree. Nowadays, I have gotten a little more monochromatic when it comes to decorating....lots of white, silver, and metallic ornaments and decor. What's your holiday decor style?

Michael Kors Runway Time Teller Watch* - Keep track of all those flight times and international time zones with this rose gold-plated watch. It's also available in an equally cool rose gold and white combo!

1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
2 cups granulated sugar
3/4 cup Extra Dark Dutched Cocoa (I used the Hershey's 'Extra Dark' kind found at HEB)
2 teaspoons baking soda
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
2 eggs
1 cup strong black coffee (can be hot, but I used warm because I didn't want the hot coffee to affect the eggs)
1 cup buttermilk, room temperature
1/2 cup vegetable oil
1 tablespoon pure vanilla extract


1. Preheat oven to 350 F. Prepare 2 x 9″ (or 3 x 8″ for slightly shorter layers) cake pans with butter and flour or parchment paper. In bowl of electric mixer, sift all dry ingredients. Add all remaning ingredients to bowl with the dry ingredients and with paddle attachment on mixer, mix for 2 minutes on medium speed (you may need the plastic splashguard that comes with mixer) and pour into prepared pans. Batter will be liquidy.

2. Bake for 20 minutes and rotate pans in oven. Cakes are done when toothpick or skewer comes clean–approximately 35 minutes. Try not to overbake. Cool on wire racks for 20 minutes then gently invert onto racks until completely cool. 



5 large egg whites (30g each–total 150g)
1 cup plus 2 tablespoons superfine granulated sugar (swish granulated sugar in a food processor for a few mins)
1 pound (4 sticks) unsalted butter, softened, cut into cubes
2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
Pinch of salt