It's all about the hair!

Like so many others out there, I watched the Oscars last night. Unlike all you other people, I did not see one movie nominated for an Oscar. Not. One. That's the price of motherhood. Of course, we very well could have hired a babysitter, but there really wasn't a movie out last year that I just had to see. Instead of waiting on the edge of my seat to hear the next winner, I participated in Ellen's epic selfie retweet and admired the amazing fashions of the night.

I especially noted hairstyles of the night. If my hair would only curl like that on it's own. A girl can dream. Well, it's been a year (maybe 2) since I have gotten my hair cut. Not because I don't have the time or the funds, but because I haven't really found a great salon. Does anybody else have this problem? You should trust the professionals, right? I mean, they went to school for this. I know nothing about what haircut looks best with my face shape, so I always walk into a salon and ask for a cut that fits me. Then, I always walk out with the same haircut, but much shorter. Maybe that's the style that fits my face? I doubt it. Forever and a day I have gone through periods of chopping off my hair and spending the next year growing it back out only to shop it off again right before summer.  Well, I have finally made an appointment at a highly recommended salon where I hope they can work their magic. I love the Oscar hairstyles above, but not sure if they're right for me. I know you're all eager to see the new do', so don't forget to follow me on instagram for a first look at what I decide to do with my hair. Maybe I'll just get fed up with it all and cut it real short like Lupita Nyong'o. Then again, I could never pull off that dress, so I probably wouldn't be able to pull off that hair either. Anybody else fall in love with her over that speech? I would love tips on getting a great haircut. And just because I'm so relieved that my 3 year old finally let us cut her hair, I'll leave you with her fresh new do'. She was seriously afraid to cut her hair for months (she thought it would hurt), but she suddenly decided that she wanted to chop it off over the weekend.

Now, I see that she did look just a tad bit scraggly with hair that long + keeping all that hair tangle free was quite a chore. It's crazy how much a simple haircut can change your whole look. Happy Hairday Monday! What was your favorite Oscar hair style?

He's a Keeper, For Sure

My husband can be sneaky sometimes. Normally, he gives away all of his secrets because he's just so excited. Then there are times like this where I suspect nothing and he surprises me out of the blue.
The mailman happened to be abnormally late on Tuesday, so he was home when I went to retrieve our mail. Funny thing happened - there was a package for my husband, but I glanced down to see it was from Fifth & Mae.

Now, Why would my husband be ordering something from a jewelry store? How did he even know about Fifth & Mae? Turns out he was snoop'n around on my blog. Remember when I wrote about my little wish list here. Yeah, he read it too. He ended up purchasing everything on my wish list (except the ring because it's sold out).
Not a belated Christmas gift. Not an early Valentine's Day gift. Just because. Getting all mushy mushy and sweet. :-)
I guess I'll keep him. 

Little Lovelies Around my Neck

Yesterday, I blogged about a fabulous Christmas present I received. Well, this is another fabulous gift! Prepare to be jealous.

My wonderful sister was my secret Santa this year and got me these beautiful necklaces I have been keeping my eye on. Of course, the state necklace represents my home state of North Carolina. It is perfect and I have worn it every day since Christmas.

The two little letters came on two separate chains, but I wear them on just one. Each initial represents the first initials of each of my daughters. I wear them less because the baby is drawn to these two little shiny letters, but I love them just the same.
Where can you get your own, you ask? Well, they're sold at this wonderful little online space called Fifth & Mae. Oh, and they're a steal at $14.95 each! Love.
Just in case any others secret Santas Cupids are reading, here are a few other Fifth & Mae pieces on my wish list:

Pastels Necklace $14.95 . Arrow Knuckle Ring $5.95 . Simple Floral Stud Earrings $5.95 . Endless Necklace $8.95
I was not paid or compensated in any way for this post, I just really like this jewelry and I love the price even more.

Fan Friday | GO BLOCK YOURSELF

I had every intention of posting this on Friday, but things got a little crazy and I ended up dealing with a mini- crisis at work. Oh, yeah, I work now (sorta). I guess you could say I have two jobs (mom totally counts as a job), three if you count blogging. Back to my new job. I am working for a small, but growing, screen printing company in NC. Small = we only have 5 people on staff. Because of the lack of personnel, I am wearing more than one hat in the company. Right now, I am playing the part of Social Media Marketer, Designer, and Sales Representative. Good news is that I can do all this from the comfort of my own home while my kiddos are napping / sleeping.  Now that you have the back story, here's my contribution to #FanFriday. I have been wanting to write something for Sarah's Fan Friday forever, but I haven't ever had anything sporty enough to write about. Yeah, I'm lame-o. Now that I have one thing to write about though, I have about 100 other ideas to write about for #FanFriday. Funny how that happens. Anywho, we have a meeting every Monday at work and one of the guys mentioned something funny that happened in a football game last month. I'll just let you watch what happened below: Hilarious, right? I watched it like 12 times and could not believe that it was real. I mean, I know we all have bad days and all, but how can you not realize that you are trying to block your own teammate?! Craziness! Since I do work at a screen printing company now, I made a little something that you could wear to the next Gator's game (if you're a Georgia Southern fan, that is).

What do you think? #GOBLOCKYOURSELF is totally going to be a thing now. No? Okay, fine. The video is still pretty funny. Happy Fan Saturday, y'all! Linking up with Sarah from Venus Trapped in Mars for #FanFriday!

Just a Quick Note...

A print from my Etsy shop was mentioned on the blog Two Birds Boutique today!   I am beyond thrilled that they found my little shop interesting enough to feature on their blog.  The two lovely ladies who write the blog also featured a few other amazing Etsy sellers who are offering up a portion of their profits to benefit the families affected by the Sandy Hook tragedy.  Go check them out here.

AND if you love fashion, a look through the Two Birds Boutique is not a bad idea.  These two fashonistas are lovers of nice things and great deals - the best of both worlds!  I took a quick look around their blog and I am already in love with their style.  I find it hard to mix vintage & new or even just wear multiple prints, but these ladies are magicians when it comes to pulling an outfit together.  I could definitely learn a thing or two... or ten from reading this blog!

Summer Wardrobe Inspiration 2012

We are taking our 2nd annual beach trip with 2 lovely couples in a few weeks and it has gotten me itching to buy a new vacation wardrobe.  I don't really need anything new (just donated a couple bags full of old clothes), but I love this little excuse to go shopping.  Even if it turns out to be just window shopping.

After searching Pinterest for some inspiration, I came up with some (very) loose guidelines for my window shopping.  Over the years I have found that if I pick a particular item to search for, I lose sight of why I like the item and just look for an exact replica... normally spending way too much money for a trendy dress that just doesn't fit my style or body.  So here are my summer wardrobe guidelines:

1. Mint:  I am loving all of the mint colored clothes and accessories pinned to many inspiration boards on Pinterest these days.  A few of my favorite include this, this, this, and this.

2. Stripes:  Chevron would be lovely, but I will be focusing more on simply getting some stripes in my closet.  How do I not already own something with stripes?  Like this, this, this, and this.

3.  White:  After ruining my favorite jeans and ripping a hole in my favorite white skirt, I am in desperate need of some summer white pieces.  I have decided to try and find nice white shorts and trendy white tops as well as a few simple white tees.  Like this, this, and this.

4. Denim:  Also in desperate need of some new jean shorts!  And I know I am a little late to the party, but I really really want some cute colored jeans for the summer.  Maybe even a denim button up to go over a cute summer dress?  Loving this and this.

5. Color-Blocking:  This one might just be a trendy dream of mine, but I might try to hop on board the color blocking train.  I'll have to see how this trend looks on me...  Could this, this, or this work?

I still have a few other -more specific- ideas that I am playing around with for my summer look.  Like rope belts, flowy / sheer tops, razorback tanks, one-shoulder dresses, and floral prints.  How do you find inspiration for your summer wardrobe?  Do you like to buy new clothes for vacation too  (even if you technically already have everything you need hanging in your closet)?

Happy Shopping!

Thrifty Finds

My amazingly thrifty sister, Carney, is a pro at spotting a good deal at the flea market.  Seriously.  She is the one who spotted these lovely little drapes and convinced me that I needed them for my dining room.  She bought a pair and then after walking around and thinking about it for 20 minutes, I went back to the booth and bought up the remaining pair.  I think they were $15 for the pair?  Incredible deal.

She even went back a while later and snatched up 2 more fabulous finds, a chair and a coffee table.  For $5 and $15, I think.  I don't remember which one cost which, but at either price these were very VERY good finds.

Carney's thrifted chair that is currently living in my dining room corner :)

Lucky for me, Carney has been hiding storing some of her thrifty finds at my house because her roomie told her that she is not aloud to bring any more furniture into their apartment (unless she is willing to get rid of something first).  You see, their apartment is pretty large, but Carney has filled it to the max with thrift finds like these.  Saving Money on Flea Market Treasures = Fantastic.  Bringing home so much stuff that your roommate demands that you stop = you might have an addiction to finding a good deal.  Not all bad.

We have really enjoyed this mid-century modern coffee table... until Ellington discovered that she can climb on top of it to dance and give her mother a heart attack in the process.  So this guy has been living in the rarely used playroom (the living room is our main playroom).  He is occasionally used as a - cover your ears eyes Carney - baby gate of sorts on the back deck.  This is how we discovered the marking on the bottom of the table.

After a little internet searching, I discovered that this coffee table is actually a Dovetail Cocktail Table made by The Lane Company out of Virginia and considered to be the Americanized version of Danish Modern design.  This piece is from their very popular 'Acclaim' Collection designed by Andre Bus and introduced in 1959.  I think a "They just don't make 'em like they use to" is in order here... I cannot think of one piece of my recently purchased furniture that will last 50+ years!  Although this table needs some major refinishing, you can still see the beautiful solid oak and the rich walnut veneer.  Swoon.


Update:  After looking on etsy to see what this table might be worth, people are actually selling this exact (refinished) table for anywhere from $295 - $400!  Not a bad purchase ($15?), Carney.  Now, get out there and find me some more Flea Market Treasures!

Anybody else have a thrifty find that turned out to hold a little bit of history?  Do share.

Is Walmart the new Target?

So, I got an email today from Walmart.com... Normally, I just click delete or send it to SPAM, but the dresses in the email actually looked kinda cute.  Am I crazy?  I am use to Walmart being the land of trailer park fashions and cheap halloween costumes.  Not cute clothes for a great price!

I am trying not to shop a lot this summer, but I was curious and decided to do a little window shopping and compare Walmart to (everyone's favorite big box store) Target.  I was very surprised by the cute stuff that Walmart has this summer and thrilled with the rock bottom prices.  Maybe my summer shopping ban will be lifted after all...

Walmart still has a long way to go to become the next Target, but I might be willing to sift through the fashions at Walmart to save a few bucks.  After all, why spend lots of money on something that will be out of fashion next year!?

Happy Shopping! & Enjoy this great weather before it gets too hot!

Little Luxuries

The day before my sister's wedding, we all went out to get our nails done and I have been staring at my toes ever since.  At first, I would glance down and do a double take because I thought I had stepped in something or there was a bug on my foot.  Nope.  Just beautifully painted toes!

I didn't realize, until now, that it had been almost 2 years since I had gotten my nails done or painted them myself.  When I was preggers, I didn't really want to go into a nail salon for fear of what those fumes would do to my little baby and painting my own toes was not an option since I could barely reach my feet to put on shoes.  And then I had the baby and there was just no time to go to a salon and even less time to let nail polish dry at home.

Needless to say, these 10 little painted toes have made me smile every morning.  So, I think I'll keep the paint on way past it's expiration date and then make a little time to watch nail polish dry at home in the coming weeks. :)

A little side note:  John and I were questioning how other parents got everything done and still had time for themselves the other night while we tried to wrangle a stubborn toddler into her PJs.  When we both came up with the answer at once... They have NANNIES!  Haha.

Fashion Forward?

This is the outfit that Ellington was wearing when I came back from my trip to Asheville.  She was super adorable, but looked a little ridiculous in this outfit.  I wish I had gotten her reaction on video of when I came home.  John was playing with her in the driveway when we pulled up.  She took one look and started running towards the car with her mouth wide open.  She just couldn't believe that I was back!  I sure do love that little lady!

Spring Cleaning...

I don't know when it happened or if I have always been this way, but I think I am a bit of a hoarder.  And I am now way overdue for a major spring cleaning, especially in the wardrobe department!

One of my favorite rules is to get rid of any clothing that you haven't worn in a year.  Well, I haven't worn most of my clothes in a year... or two.  I have a very good reason though, I was pregnant / post pregnant / nursing.  Now I have no excuses!  The weight is off, nursing is almost over, and there is no preggo belly to squeeze into non-maternity clothes.

I have already started to get rid of a few things (maybe there was a dress and a tube top that still had tags??).  That was even hard to do.  Tube tops will come back in style, right?

I have given myself a timeline: get rid of everything that I don't / won't wear by the end of the month!

Halmoni is Home

Halmoni got back from Korea a few weeks ago and Ellington could not be happier.  As she was unloading all of the goodies she brought Elli from Korea, Ellington was keeping herself busy by climbing in and out of the suitcases.

Halmoni did bring one thing back from Korea that distracted Elli long enough to put away the suitcases... a hanbok for her first birthday!

Ugh.  I guess this means that we need to start the planning process for Ellington's party.  And it will be a big process.  The Koreans do first birthdays in a BIG way.  Can someone else please take over so I can go on a vacation to recover from the holidays?

Little Panther's Fan

Ellington got the cutest Panther's outfit in history from her Aunt Karl (my sister, Malone).  A simple onesie and a very adorable Panther's tutu.  I am in love.  Now, I want her to wear a tutu every day of the year.  Isn't she just the cutest?!

She wore her Panther's tutu all day and loved opening gifts. It took her a while to figure out that the gift wasn't that she got to tear up paper.  Eventually, she figured out that there was usually a toy or book underneath all of that paper.

She was not so thrilled that everyone had to leave after gift exchanging.  Ellington and Birdie stood at the door for a good 10 minutes in hopes that someone would return for more fun.  Okay, maybe we made Birdie stand next to Elli for a good picture.  Just maybe.

Hope everyone has a safe New Year's celebration!

Happy Thanksgiving!... A Little Late

We are so very thankful for Ellington this year!  She has brought such joy to our life & it's totally cliche, but I really couldn't imagine my life without her.

We are also thankful for Grandma who made this adorable turkey hat. :)

Caps for Sale!

Okay, they're not really for sale (I just love that book), but they should be!  My mom made these incredibly cute hats for Ellington and I just had to share them with everyone. Maybe this will encourage her to open up an Etsy shop?  Plus, I will make up any excuse to have a photoshoot with Ellington.  She loves the attention & these hats are the cutest on her little head.

The Rasta Beret - This one is my absolute favorite!  I love the colors and the style just fits in perfectly with Ellington's fashionable image (Yes, I pretend that Elli already has a sense of fashion).  10 more just like this, but in different colors.  Yes, please!

The Crazy Ski Hat - This one is actually for one of Ellington's friends (they may have only met once, but they are still friends).  Hope you enjoy it Jude!

The Flower Hat - I can picture Elli wearing this one with a coral colored pea coat, jeggings, and a pair of green ballet flats.  What? Is that too much styling for an 8 month old?  I can't resist... I know that if she gets my stubborness strong opinions, I won't be able to style her much longer.

Have a wonderful (& Fashionable) weekend, y'all!

Happy 4th of July!

We are busy busy busy with family to visit and a full schedule of Ellington related activities, butI just wanted to send out a quick 'Happy 4th of July!' and let everyone see the cute outfit that my mom made for E's first 4th of July.

Happy 4th :)

4th of July Inspiration

We will not be hosting a 4th of July party this year due to lack of deck decor, but I still have dreams of the perfect 4th of July party planned out in my head. I hope to one day get all of these ideas out of my head. Until then, you'll just have to look at other parties that I use as my inspiration:

Patriotic Cheesecake Shots? Yes, please! Perfect for a grown up or kid friendly gathering.

There is not a thing that I dislike about this spread. Simply change the color scheme to red, white, and blue and you are all set for the 4th of July. The cute / simple cupcake toppers are just perfect and I LOVE the hanging mason jars... maybe label them with I-N-D-E-P-E-N-D-E-N-C-E for the 4th?

These starbursts are just a fun little project to make the background pop :)

And who can take their eyes off of this gorgeous paper background? Changing out the greys and yellows for red, white, and blue will make all of those folded circles look just like mini fireworks at your party. Love it!

Happy Party Planning!

Reposted from DeclutterizeYourHome.blogspot.com :)

Dear John, Can We Get Married Again?

I am so excited about my sister's upcoming wedding! I have already pinned dozens of pictures of wedding related stuff and I can already tell that I may have to leave the country when Ellington plans her wedding. There are just so many cute / creative ideas out there for a fresh / unique wedding. My minded is flooded with new ideas for great weddings.

I think that I finally understand why some couples choose to re-new their vows year after year... they just want to throw another party! :) So, check out some of the fun wedding ideas that I have found throughout the interweb on Pinterest.

Spring Wish List

We were fortunate enough to have all of Ellington's clothes given to us as gifts. After hearing that we were having a little girl, an incredibly generous family gave us all of the clothes left over from their 2 girls (plus a fantastic crib and several toys). John is especially thankful that I have no real reason to go shopping for clothes. So instead of buying clothes at the mall on Saturday, we went window shopping to get out of the house for a bit and saw the most adorable little girl clothes that I have ever seen.

Can I divulge a little secret?... I was tempted to ask the saleswoman if they made adult versions of some of the clothes. They were just too cute. If we had to buy Elli a spring wardrobe (or if we had lots of disposable income), this is what I would buy:

Seriously, how sweet are these clothes. They happen to all live at the Baby Gap, but I saw cute clothes in every store we walked through. I especially love the ivory colored dress with the little fabric flowers on the strap. And while I am not a huge fan of babies wearing jeans, I just couldn't resist adding those adorable dark wash skinny jeans. Now where can I find the adult versions of these outfits?

Happy (window) shopping!

My 'FAT' Jeans are Too Tight!

After cleaning out my closet, John walked in and asked if I was moving out already. I literally went from five drawers and two racks full of clothes to 2 drawers and half a rack full of clothes. When did this happen? I have no clothes to wear.

This little bump has turned into a little belly and now I am left with a pair of leggings, some donated maternity jeans, and shirts that are inevitably becoming too tight to wear. I am going to try to hold out on buying maternity clothes for a bit longer because they are WAY too expensive and most maternity clothes look a little frumpy. In my fantasy world I would get a few basics to hold me over...