I’ve been thinking about what I’m going to wear to all of the cocktail parties this holiday season.

Because I’ve got one long list of parties to attend.

(In my mind.)

As one does.

Like the Boy Scouts say, “Always be prepared.”

I already wore this ensemble but I like it so much and it so comfortable I figured it would be a good fit for a holiday party as well.

How do you know what you’ve got a winning outfit?

When you match your home decor.

Of course.

Blazer – Top Shop (sim) Skirt – thrifted (sim & very nice!) Top – H&M (sim) Shoes – Nine West (sim)

The trick to a really good martini IMHO is to shake the vodka with lots of ice. For as long as you can stand it. Build up a sweat so that the first sip tastes extra cold and refreshing. My husband is the martini magician in our house. But he has been away for a few weeks now so I’ve had to fulfill the task on my own.

Yes it has been stressful but I managed to pull through.

I know they say you should never drink alone.

Thank heavens for Isabella. You can see her peeking out from behind me. She has a bit of a flat personality, but once she knocks back a few martinis she becomes very animated and really quite hilarious. At least that is what I vaguely remember.

What makes a good cocktail party outfit you ask?

You need to feel like a million bucks when you’re wearing it. That’s about it.

For fun I put together another couple of outfits I would love to wear that didn’t come from my closet that I am seriously lusting over right now.

This first one would be for a fancy party, maybe your rich boss has invited you over to his house for some uppity cocktails…

Dress Shoes Bag Scarf Earrings (sim)

Or this would work too. I fell hard for this jumpsuit as soon as I saw it on the Anthro website. The colour, the cut…GAH! Me likey! I’m just waiting for it to go on sale. And silently praying they will still have my size.

Jumpsuit Shoes Earrings (sim) Clutch

This is a more casual outfit that I’d wear to a friends cocktail party. So when you invite me…you’ll know what to expect. Hint hint.

Coat Dress Shoes Bag Earrings

And finally this last look is for the blogger holiday cocktail party. This one *may* actually happen! Well three bloggers getting together for lunch is basically the same thing as a fancy cocktail party. In a bizarro world. Actually it’ll probably be better. But just for you guys…to give it some authenticity, I promise I’ll have a cocktail at lunch. Cause I’m generous like that.

Shoes Bag Coat Skirt Glasses (sim) Sweater

Which outfit did you like the best? Will you be going to any cocktail parties? Do you have your outfit picked out yet? Do share!

Remember…(just between us) meeting with friends for lunch counts as a cocktail party.

Linking up with Share in Style

I made a Polyvore set a while back that had this lovely sweater in it…

Dorothy Perkins sweater

This was the set I'd made…

Anyhoo… I decided to DIY a zebra sweater myself.

I started off by making a pattern I drew by hand onto some craft paper.

I inserted some cardboard behind my sweater to make it flatter and also to protect it from paint bleeding through.

Then I cut out the pattern and trimmed it to fit on the sweater.

I decided to cut around some of the pencil on the pattern so that I would be able to trace the image onto the sweater better. This can be a bit fussy. I didn't do it everywhere…just enough to trace some of the image details onto the sweater. Then I pinned the cut pattern onto the sweater and traced the image with a paint pen. I just sort of slid my paint pen inbetween the slits I had cut in the pattern.

After I painted in the black with acrylic paint and a brush.

I went back in and filled in some areas and added a bit more detail free hand.

The one thing about painting on a sweater is that because it is a knit it was a bit harder to control the edges of the image. I would recommend just going slowly and using a paint pen for the finer details rather than a brush. I found it easier to work with.