I added my winter editing presets to my shop recently and only just realized I never announced it on my blog! Between a newsletter, Instagram, Instagram stories, and so on my blog can get the short straw some days. But I don't think I'll ever be able to give up my blog completely. I still prefer the long-form of a blog; the ability to write a lengthy and thoughtful post or include a dozen pictures rather than having to choose just one shot. All that is an aside to the point of today's post: here's my new winter presets: a festive pack! I had a lot of fun making them and they've been getting really lovely feedback as well. I'm routinely demo-ing them in my Instagram stories too, so there's even more examples there and in my highlights if you want to know what effect each preset has on a photograph. The presets are available in Lightroom for desktop, Photoshop/ACR, and Lightroom mobile. Again it's a set of six primary presets, plus I through in two vintage inspired extra presets for fun so you actually get eight in total! I like a set of six because then these presets can work together as a team; not every preset is perfect for every picture but these are designed to work cohesively together so you don't have to use a single filter to still have a consistent editing style. I have been using these presets myself to edit all of my pictures this December. I use them as a launching point and add little adjustments on top to personalize each image, but am demonstrating them here without any edits beyond the presets themselves so you can see the effect they have on a photograph.
Evergreen: This is a very classic preset that brings out lots of detail and keeps greens very true. A lot of presets can kill greens (my autumn ones definitely do!) but winter to me is all about evergreen trees, branches of holly and so on, so it was important to me that my winter presets don't make greens look too gray or yellow. It's also less contrasting and brighter than some of the other presets in this pack.
Frost: Probably my favorite in the winter pack, frost is designed to make every picture look frosty and wintry. It's very blue-toned and works beautifully on cooling down warmer pictures or giving less wintry pictures a cold, snowy feeling. Most of my presets tip towards being warmer toned as I usually prefer warmer-looking pictures, so frost is very unique in my collection and gives the best winter vibes to all your photographs.
Holly: Inspired by the bright red berries on a holly branch, this is a very warm and red preset. It's more dramatic than the others in the festive pack so it isn't as universally flattering as some of the others, but perfect for when you want your photographs to have a unique punch.
Mistletoe: Another great preset for green, this is darker and more contrasted than the Evergreen filter; since winter is such a dark season many of these presets are geared to make your pictures a bit darker and moodier. Presets to me are about adding a mood or feeling to your pictures. Mistletoe is also great for brightening whites (like the white little mistletoe berries) and punching up greens.
Mulled Wine: This is my most popular preset from the winter pack based on feedback from my testers and those that have already purchased the pack. Mulled wine is a smoky filter that mimics the steam rising from a warm mug of mulled wine. It's soft and very universal filter that will give your winter photographs a real "mood."
Sugarplum: If you liked pumpkin patch from my autumn presets, then Sugarplum will probably be your favorite from this set. It's a winterized version of my favorite autumn preset, a bit darker and purplish it works beautifully to add a rich glow to your winter pictures. Named for the sugarplum fairy dance in the Nutcracker and the candied plums themselves.

I'm all for waiting until December to start blasting the Christmas music and putting up all of your twinkle lights, but once it is December I'm so happy to see stores and homes decked out in all the gaudy decorations! As winter settles in and the evenings grow dark far to early, I find the festive flair everywhere truly comforting. A few cheerful bows and flickering lights and the grimmest of corners feels a bit magical. Throw a load of garlands and baubles into an already cute pub (like our local favorite Tomney's) and it's especially jolly. The winter blues have already started to creep up on me, so I'll take comfort in any form I can get it. It does strike me a bit bittersweet that all these sweet decorations will be ripped down in January, but there's no point in focusing on that. If there's any way to get through winter with your spirits high it has to be by appreciating the moment you're in. So right now I'm celebrating the Christmas markets, cute church festivals, and the coziest corners to curl up in with a hot toddy and good book.

I've taken pictures in this dreamy library before, but never in the upstairs section! As you might be able to tell by all the leatherbound books, this isn't your average borrowing library but rather a research one filled with vintage and antique novels. It's open to the public, so we like popping in here for a nosey on a rainy day even if we can't take any of these gorgeous novels home with us. It's always lovely to be surrounded by so much history. The library also made a perfect setting for my new Emmy Design dress from their autumn/winter collection. Emmy Design pieces are vintage inspired so they always look so timeless--this dress wouldn't look out of place in a vintage photograph or film and yet still feels stylish today. (This style also comes in knock-your-socks off red and the perfect plaid is also repeated elsewhere in their a/w collection.) The classic style is making me crave vintage films more than ever--I always want to watch old films around Christmas and right now I can't think of anything more lovely than a Sonja Henie film or perhaps the old classic Christmas in Connecticut with Barbara Stanwyck.

Another heavy repeater in my closet that doesn't get a lot of visibility on the blog is a bodysuit. I love a good bodysuit in winter for layering. Most of mine are scoop-necks that aren't visible underneath my sweaters (bodysuits are great for layering without a lot of bulk), but I also like a simple bodysuit like this one with mock turtleneck. It's great on it's own with a flashier skirt or perfect for layering underneath my many pinafore dresses! Like my plain skirts for patterned tops, a basic bodysuit is great for patterned bottoms. 

It's officially December, so we're allowed to talk about decorating for the holidays, right? Honestly our decorating started awhile ago. We always get our tree pretty early in November because we travel to my parents for Christmas, so if we waited until December for a tree we'd only get to enjoy it for two weeks before we're gone! This year we also had the added pleasure of decorating a Christmas tree for our village in a local "Festival of Trees;" it was really fun choosing a carol to inspire our tree and come up with some unique ideas to make it stand out. So the festive spirit is going pretty full-force in our household with the Christmas tunes blasting and twinkle lights in nearly every room. My wardrobe is also becoming more merry with gingerbread trimmed sweaters and elegant red dresses like this one by Son de Flor. I love their linen dresses in every season, but this cheerful red one with embroidered collar (a new style they just debuted) feels especially fitting for this time of year. The collar reminds me of a pretty wreath or handmade ornament and the dress still has one of the most important details of all: pockets. I can't think of a more lovely or appropriate dress to kick off the start of December and all the lovely festivities of this season!