busygirl

peonies and springtime.

Have you ever been completely and utterly envious of someone's life?  Like the fact that they get to flit around the world seeing amazing and beautiful things?  It's so hard not to love them for it though when they bring such beautiful photographs back to share with you.

Sigh, everytime I look at Sarah's photographs I just want to be whisked away to Switzerland, Germany, Prague or even Panama.  How gorgeous!

  

I'm coveting that print of the peonies from Switzerland, it reminds me of springtime.  I think that one will end up on my birthday list.  And that I should spend some time scouring expedia for flight deals.  I think it's almost vacation time again.  Where to this time?  Switzerland to see our friends?  Spain to reminisce?  Prague for something completely different?

 
Love travel prints?  Stop by at Sarah Tucker Travel Photography :)  Everything is 15% off when you use the code FEBRUARY.

Or head over to Sogni e Sorrisi where Connie is giving away one of Sarah's prints!!

fashion friday: splurging with confidence.

As I've grown older, I've become less of a bargain hunter (although who doesn't love a good sale?) and more of a splurger on those things I just love.  Especially when it comes to my clothing.  I would much rather have a gorgeous skirt I can wear again and again than four ehh-okay skirts that I might toss on in my scramble to get ready in the morning.  But then change my mind and throw on a go-to outfit instead.

This past year I managed to change my shopping mantra and cut down a TON on my clothing budget just by implementing three little rules:

1) If I wouldn't buy it at full price, I shouldn't buy it on sale.

2) If I can't think of three outfits I can make out of the piece (realistic outfits that I would wear to places I actually go to...no red carpet moments here) then I shouldn't buy it.

3) ALWAYS try on something before purchasing.  None of this: Oh I'll just get it and return it later.  Because I just never get around to returning things.

And it actually worked.  Instead of buying an armful of ill-fitting, just-okay shirts because they were on sale for only $14, I've instead bought a few shirts that were in the $40 range that I love, they fit wonderfully and I actually wear them all the time.

 

So, in celebration of my shopping success, I decided to apply this concept to my huge walk-in closet that was bursting at the seams.  I'd love to blame the fullness on my husband's obsession with coats (he has 27!) but I can't really look past the entire row of clothing I have hanging in there that just taunts me.  There's no need for one person to have so many clothes.  Particulary when my outfit of choice is sweatpants.

So on my day off Monday, I took EVERYTHING out of our closet and went through it.  If it had a tear, stain or was pilled, out it went.  If I couldn't think of three outfits to wear it with, out it went.  If it plain just didn't fit right, out it went.  I managed to pare down my closet to half a row, filled with clothes I actually like and will wear.  And although it was hard to see so much money spent on clothes go out the door (to Goodwill), it's so much easier to find everything when you don't have to dig through the filler items in your closet. 

If a piece doesn’t work, look at it this way: You paid for it once in cash, and now you’re paying for it in valuable closet space. If it’s not right for you, bite the bullet and let it go.

I love knowing that everything in my closet looks great on me and...there's room for some new purchases!  Of course, with our new money-saving plan, those purchases might be a bit fewer this year.  But it's nice to know that the new items will have plenty of space to hang.

Another tip?  We actually group our clothes together in the closet: for him: dress shirts, polos, tees.  For me: sweaters, pants, long-sleeves, short-sleeves, tanks.  And then within each category, everything is in rainbow color order.  So we can always find what we're looking for in a hurry.

bold rocks *giveaway*

When Adam proposed about a year and a half ago, my mind went into full wedding planning mode.  I didn't exactly have every detail planned out, but I knew that I wanted my bridesmaids in simple black dresses wearing a three strand pearl bracelet.  Oh and pink shoes.  Cause every wedding needs pink shoes.

Fast forward to two months before the wedding.  I'm curled up on the couch, crouched over my computer, fingers cramping from hours upon hours of scouring the internet for these perfect bracelets [on a budget].  Nothing.  Until I happened upon sweet Lauren's shop on Etsy.

And she practically saved my wedding with that.  Or at least my dream of gifting my bridesmaids with gorgeous three strand pearl bracelets [on a budget]!

Enter, Bold Rocks.  Lauren's pride and joy.  Where she makes the most fabulous jewelry out of cultured freshwater pearls.  Not only did she create these pieces for my wedding:

 
single strand cultured freshwater pearl bracelet for my jr bridesmaid and flower girl, cultured freshwater pearl stud earrings for my bridesmaids and solitary pearl necklaces gifted to my mother and my mother-in-law

BUT she created my dream bracelets  and I loved them SO much that I even wore one too!

[more wedding photos here]

Sigh, enough wedding reminiscing, let's meet Lauren, the inspiring designer of Bold Rocks!

Hi everyone, my name is Lauren, I am 28 years old, recently engaged, and about to complete my J.D. and M.S. in Finance. I started making jewelry when I was a child and have been doing it ever since. Every year around the holidaze I would make jewelry for my family and friends. During my first year of graduate school I decided to open my Etsy store.

I have to know, what's the story behind the store name?

I love big bold jewelry – which is where I got the idea for naming my store Bold Rocks.

What is the inspiration behind Bold Rocks?

I intended the store to be a place where I sold funky chunky stone jewelry. I stumbled into the pearl industry while traveling abroad and decided to add some pearl pieces to my repertoire.  My most recent jewelry creations are made from sterling silver or gold fill components and cultured freshwater pearls.  My pearl pieces were very popular with the bridal community so I decided to switch my focus to affordable pearl jewelry for weddings. I really enjoy working with brides to create timeless jewelry that they and their bridesmaids can wear for years to come.

Thanks Lauren!  Not only does she create gorgeous affordable jewelry for brides and everyday life, but she is offering a 5% discount to bStylish readers through December 25th!  Just enter bStylish in the message box when checking out!

And...YOU can win one of the following:

 
That's right, over at bStylish (the fashion blog I write for), I'm giving away a 3 strand 4 mm purple black peacock twisted elegance necklace AND a One of a Kind - 3 strand golden bronze freshwater rice pearl and teal blue green potato freshwater pearl bracelet...meaning there are TWO winners!! And great odds for you!

How can you enter?  So glad you asked.  Head on over to bStylish to enter - all you have to do is LEAVE A COMMENT, how easy :)

I'm a contributing writer for bStylish - my disclosure for this giveaway can be found on my giveaway post.

fashion friday: headbands galore.

I have a confession: I have an unhealthy obsession with headbands.  I think it stems from having an odd shaped head and not being able to wear them as a child...until I learned to properly tease my hair so they look fantastic.  Now, I can't get enough of them.

So if you're about to go shopping for my Christmas present, look no further than the options below ;)  (all which are under $25!)

 
1. beaded applique headband from forever 21 ($7.80) 2. embellished chiffon headband from urban outfitters ($20) 3. sequined flower headband from topshop ($25) 4. antique leaf headband from urban outfitters ($18) 5. satin ribbon headbands from forever 21 ($2.50) 6.double banded flower headband from express ($22.50) 7. leaf headband from aldo ($12)  8. knit floral headband from anthropologie ($19.95) 9. isn't it pheasant headband from modcloth ($16.99) 10. pearlescent headband from forever 21 ($6.80) 11. rhinestone bow headband from arden b ($19) 12. chocolate and yellow headband from gleeful peacock ($17) 13. ivory sailor knot headband from marcela camargo ($11.20) 14. olive jeweled headband from j crew  ($18.50) 15. bugle bead headband from the limited ($12.50) 16. demure darling headband from modcloth ($9.99) 17. metallic twist headband from forever 21 ($6.80) 18. applique headband from topshop ($16)

Still looking for more?  My friend Ria is giving away this fabulous headband on her blog - GO ENTER!!!

 

Do you have a fashion friday post?  Link up at bStylish!

photo prints!

Check out Snapfish's MEGA print sale going on:  With a $10 purchase you can get 50, 100 or 365 prints for free!

Coupon codes (good till Nov 20th):

50 free prints: 2010MY50

100 free prints: 2010MY100

365 free prints: 2010MY365

 

You're welcome!

fashion friday: easy halloween costumes.

I can't really justify spending $60 at a costume store to wear something for one night, regardless of the fact that Halloween might possibly be my FAVORITE holiday.  So I pretty much go the route of scrounging a costume from my closet with the addition of a few dollar store pieces.  Here are a few that I'm considering for this year using only what's in my closet already!  Chances are you might have some similar pieces you could adapt:

Scary but insanely cute looking witch

 

1) lace backed dress from express 2) argyle tights from new york & company 3) suede foldover booties from charlotte russe

black cat (use the eyeliner to draw on a nose and whiskers!)

 
1) black skinny knit jeans from express 2) shirred black shirt from new york & company 3) suede foldover booties from charlotte russe

school girl a la britney spears (tie shirt up into a midriff)

 
1) white button-down shirt from new york and company 2) plaid skirt with tulle from forever 21 3) white knee highs from forever 21 4) mary janes pumps from charlotte russe

What will Adam be wearing this Halloween?  Check out this easy option to dress up as Dr. Sheldon Cooper from The Big Bang Theory:

 

1) tailored khakis from gap 2) long sleeve shirt from gap 3) official Sheldon shirt from amazon 4) brown mariner shoes from sketchers

shop for a cause!

Did someone say 30% off??  You're welcome ;) 

 (thanks Jax& Chelsea !)

fashion friday: i'm going solid.

As usual our weekend is jam-packed.  Out with friends tonight, graduation party tomorrow, saying goodbye to (sob) my FSIL FOR A WHOLE MONTH (I may die), birthday party on Sunday followed by volleyball.  And since this heat OBVIOUSLY is not going to let up, I'm sporting knit dresses to keep cool.

As much as I love prints, I keep grabbing up solid colors.  I guess they just seem more versitile to me?  Easy to accessorize.  Throw on a belt.  Grab some colorful shoes.  A necklace.  A bracelet.  Anything goes.  Plus these easily go day to night, which is wonderful since we don't tend to stop home for wardrobe changes between plans.  Being a boy, Adam doesn't quite understand that some outfits just don't cut it for certain parties or activities.  He just throws on shorts and a polo and is good to go!  Luckily for me though, Target has a zillion options for all day, everyday day knit dresses that are between $15 and $21!

I picked up these two a few weeks ago - simple, cute and easy to wear.  I was so tempted to get the crossback one in yellow, but played it safe by getting teal, I just couldn't help myself...I look good in teal!

I love the neckline on this dress, although I won't get my hopes up.  Those necklines tend to only work on girls a bit more, um, blessed than I.

I almost bought this dress, but showed some self control.  Come on, me...ruffles...be proud!  But it doesn't stick with my solid theme AND...I think my closet needs a ruffle time out.

So instead I've been eyeing this dress, to fullfill my ruffle and solid color needs.  Plus the spaghetti strap v-neck looks great on anyone!

And you can't go wrong with a standard t-shirt dress.  It's comfy, cozy and can easily be dressed for cooler weather with a jacket and leggings.

Any other knit dresses you've picked up on a dime?  What's your go-to outfit in the heat?

fashion update.

Ah yes, I have found THE dress.  For my night of mayhem that will be going down this Saturday.

It was kind of a fluke, Adam LOVES Express for Men's tshirts, so we popped in there on Saturday to just look around.  And they just so happened to be having a major sale on their dresses. 

Dresses that had RUFFLES.

So off I went to the dressing room with an armful of clothes, ready to put on a fashion show.  It wasn't needed though, because the first on I put on was definitely the winner.

And so, the search is over, and I will be rockin this dress for my bachelorette party this Saturday:

Except that mine is fire-engine red (just can't find a photo).  And yes, that is a halter dress...a style I normally steer away from but it actually looked pretty good, even with my very square shoulders.  Now shoes are all that's left to tackle.

fashion friday: bring on the boat!

Even though it's raining and 58 degrees outside, I'm still daydreaming of the long days of boating that are ahead of us.  Adam's family has a boat out on Lake Erie and it's by far one of my favorite places to be when the sun is shining.  There's nothing like some good boat drinks while floating around in the water.

And so, to prepare, I need to get my summer boating gear in order.

While most of my time is spent floating...with a drink in my hand...I do go tubing occasionally.  Due to, eh, personal experience, I have determined that the bikini is not the most optimal attire when trying to hold onto a tube while you fly over the waves.  If anyone finds some cute purple polka-dot bottoms floating in Lake Erie, well, please return them :)

One-piece bathing suits have always seemed so blah to me though, maybe because they are too reminiscent of my lifeguarding days.  That's why I've been eyeing this retro one-piece from Modcloth.  Not only is it uber-cute, but I could go tubing without the fear of flashing my audience.

And to go with it - a straw fedora.  I don't look particularly great in hats, but I think I might be able to pull one of these off, completely with some messy lake hair.

I'm all about wearing a pair of my cut-off denim shorts (made from a pair of my old jeans) with an oversized light pocket tee (I LOVE THESE, live in them!).  And some colorful flower thong sandals.  And of a boyfriend cardigan in case the wind gets a bit chilly.  Stylish enough if we stop off at the islands but still comfy for lounging around on the boat.

If I know we're going to be going somewhere a bit nicer when we dock at the islands, I throw  a comfy maxi dressin my bag to slip on for when we are heading off to get some dinner.  I love that this one has a racerback for something different.

And of course, a huge, brightly colored bag to tote my boating necessities in: a hairbrush, a good book, my favorite sunglasses and of course, sunscreen!

What's your favorite summer activity?  Is anyone else a boater?