A new year is around the corner, literally tomorrow, and I find myself wanting to reflect on what this past year has brought. While these posts may be very cliche, I enjoy looking back on what has been and what can be. It's like a refresh button on life and a time when you can dream about what you want to do for the next 365 days. I don't aim to start a new diet, eat healthier or stop drinking soda (though I really should) but to just live happy. Overall, the biggest goal I have for 2016 is to travel and travel well. Before that happens though, here are some positive things that have happened during this year!

• SimplyBe featured me on their Instagram, in one of my favorite outfits this year! 
• The Valentino Spring/Summer 2015 Couture collection was made of absolute dreams, and was a consistent part of my favorite fashion moments. 
• Target announced a new plus-size collection in January, and it was so inspiring to see three of my favorite bloggers in the featured video.
• Jeremy Jordan did a cover of "It's All Coming Back To Me Now" for Broadway Loves Celine Dion. I've more than likely listened to it about 20 times.
• Zendaya at the 2015 Oscars. Everything.
• Elie Saab Spring 2015 Couture, in motion! 
• One of my more popular Instagram posts, mostly because Lauren Conrad liked it. 
• Paper Fashion x Cinderella illustrations were a beautiful combination.
• Jetted off to Austin, Texas for a short weekend. I finally got to see the Alamo! 
• If you've never watched Agent Carter, I highly suggest you do. It's a fantastic woman-led show on ABC, and Hayley Atwell brings such charisma to a dynamic character. 
• April brought me a new car! The very first car I could call my own, and it's been mine ever since. 
• The first image of Lily James as Elizabeth Bennet in "Pride & Prejudice & Zombies" was released. Cue the freakout! 
• This song by twenty-one pilots pretty much ruled my April.
• "Age of Adaline" came out, and I literally had to step back and process every feeling I had after seeing it. It's such a beautiful movie. 
• THIS FASHION MOMENT WITH CHANEL IMAN!
• "Jurassic World" came out, and obviously it was epic. 
• I turned 26, and nothing special happened. Haha.
• There was a huge trend this year of doing history videos on YT, based on fashion, beauty, trends, etc. I personally really enjoyed it, but this has to be one of my favorites! 
• I got to meet Lennon & Maisy during one of their stops in Minnesota. They are the absolute sweetest and so talented. 
• The Dubsmash Wars of 2015 began in July, and it was the best part of the summer for me.
• Felt particularly great in this photo. 
• An introduction to Haley Reinhart and her spine-tingling voice with a cover of "Creep" with Postmodern Jukebox. The start of a beautiful relationship. 
• A good friend of mine from college got married, and it was like a fairytale. 
• I met BB-8 for the first time in August! BB-88888888!
• Wrote my first blog post for Mall of America, and it was pretty satisfying to see my name for such a big brand.
• This guy posted a 15-second video on Instagram, and it was so funny that it exploded into Insta-fame. So much so that he created a full-length video to satisfy the laughter. Just watch.
• I finally got to see Taylor Swift live, and it was with my sister!
• No big deal, but Blake Lively liked this photo and it was the most successful IG post I've EVER had. 
• We got the full-length trailer for "Star Wars: The Force Awakens" and it was so amazing. 
• This was a magical sunset.
• Attended a fall wedding with my BFF. 
• "Hello" by Adele dropped, and the world freaked. Probably the most important part of the year for me, and then she came out with "When We Were Young" and everything definitely changed. I am extremely distraught that I will not be able to see her when she stops in St. Paul.
• Finally succeeded in being Ms. Frizzle for Halloween. 
• The third annual Mostly Lisa Gift Guide series went live in November. So proud.
• Daisy Ridley + John Boyega on the cover of ASOS Magazine. 'Nough said.
• The "Captain America: Civil War" trailer came out! Next year, hurry up!
• An entire collection that is quintessentially an ode to being an ice princess! Sign me up. 
• "Star Wars: The Force Awakens" finally came out in theaters. What a spectacular experience.
• Mostly Lisa turned five years old!
• Finally, a lovely way to end the year. A BFF date night at such a beautiful restaurant.

With four days away from New Year's Eve, it's now time to grab the perfect dress to celebrate in! Don't have one picked out yet, or still deciding? No need to stress, I've got your back. I sincerely enjoy scouring the internet for things that I would wear, or just dream of wearing. There are some really gorgeous dresses/outfits out there that would make Thursday extra special for you. Enjoy a round-up of some of my favorites I've found online. FYI, these are all plus-size dresses since I am a plus-size girl myself.

It's officially the very last Monday of 2015, and I'm extremely weirded out by this fact. What better way to get prepared for the upcoming new year, than with one more round up of links I've found interesting throughout the last week or so. Enjoy, and here's to even more of these next year!

• A new year obviously calls for a new calendar! I'm so torn between this one from Rifle Paper Co. or this one from Anthropologie. Which one would you choose?
• Adele on the cover of Time Magazine? Bow down to the queen!
• While I may not be doing anything for NYE, party wise, these festive cocktails from The Glitter Guide definitely have me wanting to stay home and make fun drinks!
• That one time where I actually felt like a model... I had to capture it.
• Reem Acra's Pre-Fall 2016 collection was moody and romantic, just the way I like it. 
• This dress though! 
• What an interesting read from Levo League, on how to unplug for 24 hours. I have no idea if I would be able to do that, but it's definitely something to try next year. 
• Free People has their downloadable calendar up for next month! So pretty, and still so crazy to me that we'll be in another year. 
• Can't. Get. This. Song. Out. Of. My. Head. 
• This print by the FoxandWild shop on Etsy is beyond gorgeous. Need it in my life.
• Sweater Weather Braids is a real thing, and they're pretty great. Enjoy this tutorial by blogger Kassinka.

It's time to go reflect and celebrate!

Today is pretty special, well this whole month is pretty special, because Mostly Lisa has officially turned FIVE years old! Not only does this actually make me feel old, but it also makes me pretty emotional to think of all the things that this blog has done for me. It's opened me up to being a more outgoing person, it's made me more confident in my writing abilities and it has unlocked the potential for better things to come. So many things that I never would have thought possible five years ago, especially when I was just starting college and learning more about who I am as a person.

To believe that I began blogging when I was 21 years old, just boggles my mind. That I had just come off of Livejournal, into this brave new world of the unknown. Blogging wasn't that big yet back then, and it was a true guessing game of how long I would end up keeping doing this. It makes me reflect on what some of my favorite posts are, so I figured I'd share a few that really stand out to me.

1. A Dress For My Body Type: The point where I really began to understand how to craft a post into something that would be worthy to read. This was also a time where I really understood that it was okay to be plus size, and still be able to feel sexy.
2. Fashion Friday - Feeling Tropical: One of my favorite FF posts I've done. The setting, the dress and hanging with my BFF. It all came together to become a lovely mix of the perfect post.
3. Mostly Lisa's Holiday Gift Guide - For The BFF (2013 Edition): The very first ML Gift Guide set in the series. It's an annual tradition now, and one of all time FAVORITE things to share and talk about with my readers.

Thinking about how five years have gone by, and how much of my life I've dedicated to this. There have been highs and there have been lows, but each have taught me things about myself and how to improve on this creative outlet. How cool is this though? To have an outlet to be yourself and to engage and tap into you abilities. That is probably the best part of Mostly Lisa for me, and being able to share my passions (and obsessions) with other people. You may not respond to any of my posts, but I do see you viewing them! Thank you for that, because it does mean a lot.

Here's to another five years, more inspiration and more friends to meet!

Happy December! The last month of the year is upon us, and that means it's now time to celebrate the holidays. It can be any holiday, as long as it means something to you. I personally celebrate Christmas, and am a big believer of wanting to share the spirit of the season with people. I may not always feel that way for myself, but I really enjoy making someone else's day (or month) a little brighter. That is why I wanted to share on here, that I'm game to send out some snail mail in honor of the festive season that is surrounding us. I L-O-V-E getting mail, it's like a tiny present every time you write a letter or just a hello. It's a time honored tradition for me to send out cards to people, I've been doing it since my Livejournal days, and I wanted to bring it to Mostly Lisa.

So if you'd like, feel free to fill out this form that I made! Simply enter all your information, along with one of your favorite Christmas songs, and send it on its way. I'm the only one who will see your information, so don't fret! I hope that any, or all, of you can participate in this. I look forward to seeing your responses on your favorite song. xoxo

P.S. The Mostly Lisa Gift Guide giveaway IS STILL LIVE! There are two days left of this, and not many entries. You have to re-gram the image on Instagram in order to enter the contest, so make sure to do so. GOOD LUCK!

There's definitely more than one thing to smile about today! Not only are a day away from Thanksgiving, but TODAY is the #mostlylisagiftguide giveaway launch! I thought it'd be so perfectly fitting to have it be on the day where the gifts I found are for an extra special person. The BFF, the person you can confide in and the person who almost knows you more than your own family does. I feel super special on saying that I can count five people as my best friends, and they all mean the world to me. Keeping those beautiful people in mind, the gifts I came across were generally for women and so much fun to look for. These are people you'd definitely want to spoil this year, so the budget is casually thrown out the window.
So let's get down to it! The second Mostly Lisa Holiday Gift Guide giveaway is now live, and ready for YOU to join. I've been counting down to this for the last week with the gift guides, sneak peeks at the gifts I'm giving away and other promos for you to enjoy. Want to know the deets on the giveway? Let me fill you in then! There are five gifts (plus a surprise extra gift) that ONE person is going to win, and it's just in time for the holiday season. It's going on until Nov. 28th, and the winner will be contacted in 48 hours after they are chosen! The contest is entirely through Instagram, but I wanted to give you other chances to win in the form below! It will also be easier for me to choose a random winner when the times comes to it. Good luck everyone!

Today's gift guide is about the tiny little people in our lives that are by far the EASIEST to shop for. There were so many cute + unique ideas that I found for baby, toddler and pre-teen that I literally wanted to do two different guides to include all of them. I'm pretty happy with what I came up with though, and I hope you are too! By far the best place to look for kids gifts is at J.Crew or GapKids, since they are always on trend with the latest in kids fashion and accessories. The gift that stands out the most to me in this guide is the Glitter Pizza Slice Bag from J.Crew! I, myself, would use and wear this in a HEARTBEAT if I had the chance. I also really love the Bunny Ballerina Doll from Pottery Barn Kids, it's so adorable and perfect for any age that still enjoys playing with stuffed animals. So make sure to shop all the links above, and let me know what you'd get your kids this year!

THE GALS // THE GUYS

 As it always happens during my gift guide series, finding ideas for guys seems to be the hardest thing to do. You either find just what you're looking for, or you don't find anything that is remotely interesting. This gift guide was supposed to go up yesterday, but I had some difficulties finding items that would be different from what I've previously done. I'm pretty proud though of what I found, and each gift idea is something I would give to any guy in my life. This time around, it doesn't have to be last minute for him because there are some pretty unique gifts out there this year. The absolutely favorite of mine in this guide is the Gentleman's Writing Set from Anthropologie! An online exclusive from the British brand, Chase & Wonder, this gorgeous hand-printed box comes with hand-pressed writing sheets and fifteen matching envelopes. How amazing is that?

Let me know what you'd get your special guy this year! I'd love any recommendations that I might not have come across while looking over and over. Also, if you saw yesterday on my Instagram, I gave a little preview of one of the gifts that will be apart of the #mostlylisagiftguide giveaway! There will be special previews until the giveaway goes live next week, make sure to keep a lookout!

THE GALS