flip flops

I soooo badly want it to be flip flop weather. I want to retire my chuck T's and uggs for a few months, and just let my feet breath. I was brave the other day and wore flip flops to the store. It wasn't a horrible experience, however it wasn't the warmest experience either. With dreams of flip flops and sunshine I did a little "window" web shopping and found theses beauties.

If you haven't worn a pair of Havaianas before you are missing out. They are hands down the best rubber flip flops around. I suggest you run along and purchase a pair so you are ready for those warm sun rays. 

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Are you as ready for summer as I am?

just a few jewels

Love! I am secretly wishing they'd magically appear in my jewelry box. 

A girl can dream right?!?

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which one is your favorite?

obsessing over...

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here's to change

Amen!

Here is some honesty for you:

I am good at starting diets and hitting the gym 5 days a week, but I soon go back to my old ways. Last year was a doozy for me, coming out of a 3 1/2 year relationship and moving back to Idaho. I decided that I needed to get my "A" game back and make myself the best version of me I can. So once again I am hitting the gym and making a change to clean eating. Juicing is going to become a daily ritual, and I am going to try so hard to cut the carbs and booze out of my diet. I kind of like them both. However, I want results so I guess it will be worth it in the end. 

I'm not following a crazy diet and will not spend hours on a treadmill. I plan on working out 5 days a week doing crossfit, kettlebell classes and yoga. Believe it or not my friend crossfit does wonders for your body in under an hour. Who knew?!?

 I know I will slip up every now and then, but I want to make sure I stay on track. That is why I am sharing this on my blog for the world to see. Maybe I can bring some inspiration to you. Trust me weight has always been my biggest battle in life. I swear if I even look at food and I will gain a pound. So today I start my journey to shed the L.B's. 

Page 1 for my food journal

{images via pinterest}

not just any football Sunday

It's Super Bowl Sunday.

{images via Junk food clothing, Abercrombie & Fitch, pinterest,and google images}

I wanted the San Francisco 49ers to make it to Super Bowl this years, and sadly they lost to the team I dislike the most...So with that said, this year I could care less about the teams, so I am watching for the commercials. This girl loves a good commercial.

interesting facts about Super Bowl:

 - In 1967 during the first Super Bowl, a 30-second television commercial cost $42,000. The same length commercial during the 2011 Super Bowl will cost up to $3 million.

- Tickets to Super Bowl 1 cost between $6 to $12 and this year the cheapest individual ticket was through one popular online broker for $2300.

-  8 million pounds of guacamole is consumed on Super Bowl Sunday.

- 14,500 tons of chips are eaten along with the guacamole.

- Super Bowl Sunday ranks among the biggest drinking nights of the year along with New Year's Eve, St. Patrick's Day, and Thanksgiving Eve.

- In past years up to 1.5 million people have called in sick and an additional 4.4 million could be late to work the day after the Super Bowl. 

- The Vince Lombardi trophy stands 20-and-three-quarter inches tall, weighs 6.7 pounds and is valued at more than $25,000.

Who are you rooting for? Or are you like me and are strictly watching for the commercials?

color me happy

Spring 2012 

 must have nail polish shades

and I'm sort of obsessed.

{Images via pinterest}

drink up

Bar carts seem to be all the rage these days. I don't have one in my house for a few reasons: I don't entertain enough, I don't drink enough, and if I had one, I would feel the need to do more of what I just mentioned I hardly do. There is no liquor in my house and my collection of wine bottles are on top of the fridge. Yes I am that classy. 

I pinned these on pinterest because in my dream world I will one day throw fabulous cocktail parties, where I strut around in my little black dress and Louboutin heels. A girl has to be prepared, and just in case you are already living in my dream world, you may need to know this... 

and...

Flashback Friday

is lil ol' me :)

TOMS ballet flats

I've always thought Toms were cute on other people, but they weren't really for me. However, these ballet flats are so stinkin' cute and I want them all. Of course I instantly chose neutral shades like usual, but the cobalt blue ones are amazing! 

In case you don't know, Toms is a company that matches every pair of shoes purchased with a pair of new shoes given to a child in need. One for one. Even more reason to run out and add a pair to your closet. 

kindle vs books

Do you own a kindle? Do you like it? Do you prefer a Kindle or books? 

The kindle craze has been going on for a while now and I still don't know if I like them. Maybe it's because I am not a die hard reader, so purchasing a kindle doesn't make sense for me. A huge reason is because I love books. I buy them because the covers catch my interest. I buy them because I dream of being a reader. I buy them because.... really there is no other reason. My excuses are pretty lame, but hey, what can I say.

I prefer to hold a book in my hands. I actually get excited when I see that the pages read are becoming thicker than the pages I have left to read. Does that make sense? Keep in mind I start many books a year and maybe read 2 front to back, so holding a finished book in my hands is kind of exciting for me. To top it all off I of course add the book to my shelf, and proudly see my collection start to grow. Cheesy I am sure. 

Reasons not to buy a kindle...

1. I hardly read 

2. A kindle doesn't look good on my shelf

3. I can't turn the pages, have cool bookmarks, or bend the page corners

4. They don't have that book smell. Believe it or not I love that old book smell

Reasons to buy a kindle...

1. less bulky 

2. no books lying around collecting dust

3. Supposedly they lead you to read more

4. It is 2012 and we are more technological

5. books are cheaper for kindles

6. I can buy my school books on them for cheaper, and will no longer have to break my back carrying around multiple books.

#6 alone makes me want to run out and purchase one now that I think about it. 

fashion deals

I stumbled upon this cool website called Gilt Groupe. It's a members only website that provides instant insider access to designer labels, at up to 60% off retail. Everyday they feature new designers that are on sale for a limited time. Cool thing is that they not only sale designer clothing, but they also have home decor items, a taste section that sells wines, jetsetter with killer deals on travel, and a high class version of living social, called Gilt City. Granted some items are still on the spendy side, but for what you are getting it's a great deal.

Its super easy to become a member. Just sign in your email address and create a password. Voila!

style inspiration

J.Crew

I feel that my style is to thank for the 8 years I had to wear a uniform to school. You know the pleated plaid skirts and dresses, navy blue shorts and pants, and fabulous white polos. I know you probably feel bad for me now. Most people would think after 8 years of that I would run towards the opposite fashion. Sadly no. I am VERY conservative. Don't get me wrong I love neons, pastels, and black. I am just not the flashy, show skin, wear a million pieces of jewelry at once, and live in heels kinda girl. I love J.Crew and am loving these pieces.... 

                                                               

{all images via j.crew}

Juicing

Have you ever juiced before?

I bought a juicer this summer after watching Fat, Sick and Nearly Dead.

I must say we have a love hate relationship. Mostly love, but a little hate sneaks in at times. 

It's amazing how great I feel after I have been juicing for a while. You learn to accept the taste and just swallow it down for the benefits. 

I am going to juice this week to detox my body, and hopefully get me on the right track for eating clean again after the Holidays. 

My juicer is a Breville Juice Fountain Plus. 

MMMMM... doesn't it look delish?

This is an all greens juice. 

I used:

3 stalks celery, 1 green apple, 1 large bunch of kale, 1/2 cucumber, and handfuls upon handfuls of spinach.

It really wasn't that bad tasting. The smell was probably worse than the taste. What's nice is I get an energy boost after I juice, which is always welcome. 

Honestly the reason I don't juice more often is simply because it takes so long to assemble everything, make the juice, and clean it. I am more of a grab something and go kinda girl. 

thankful

What are you thankful for today?

{image via pinterest}

black ballet flats

Can you tell which ballet flat is the bargain buy?

Try and take a guess before looking at what I wrote below.

No cheating ;)

Do you have your guess? 

Number 1 is the bargain buy at only $59 from Piperlime. Number 2 may or may not break your bank at $178. Of course number 2 is a Tory Burch flat, and of course I am still dreaming of the day when a pair will grace my feet. However, that day isn't today, so I am still looking for deals on shoes that look similar to Tory Burch. This may be my calling in life. Ok that may be a little over the deep end. 

1. Lucky Brand emmie  

          2. Tory Burch eddie ballet flat

candle makeover

I got glitter fever this week and attacked an innocent candle, and a few other items that will be shown later ;) Oh yeah don't mind the empty frame. Still working on that. 

           

           

The after picture doesn't do it justice. It is soooooo pretty and fits perfectly with my decor. It was super easy and fun to make.

If you want to make one all you need is:

A candle 

Spray adhesive 

glitter

paper plate

I can't find a picture of the glitter I used anywhere. It was by Nicole and was extra fine white gold.

All you do is spray the candle with spray adhesive and dump that glitter all over. Don't be shy about it. Of course your doing this over the plate, so you are able to save the excess glitter. Once it's all covered lightly shake off the glitter and voila. A chic glitterfied candle. 

One side note: you will have sticky fingers, so careful what you touch :)

Flashback Friday

I love, love, LOVE looking through photos from the past. It's a nice walk down memory lane. I decided that I am going to showcase a flashback photo every friday. It will be a mix of just about everyone that I have a photo of. If anything we can all have a nice laugh at how ridiculous the fashion was and how crazy the hair styles were.

This is my adorable little sister @ age unknown. I am bad about the ages so I apologize. 

all about the hair

In case you didn't know I went to beauty school and have a cosmetology license. Even though I am currently not doing hair, and switched to being a full time student, I still am a product hoarder. Over the years I have tried it all, from the cheap product to the expensive stuff. It is sad at times to see full bottles of product in drawers collecting dust. However, from all the collecting I have finally found my saving graces. You know, those products that no matter what the day or style you can count on them to give you rockin' hair. 

So today I am sharing with you my go to's for a basic blowout and curl. Most days if I am in a rush I will just do a blow out for volume, but if I have a few extra minutes I will throw in some curls for fun. 

I have a few favorites other then these that I will save for another day.

{images via google images}

1 & 2 are shampoo and conditioner for thinning hair. Love them! 

3 is a leave in conditioning treatment that I spray in my hair after I comb it out. Works great for tangles as well as conditioning. 

4 is my FAVORITE styling product ever. It makes my hair feel thicker and gives it great volume. It can be oily if applied to the roots or bangs, so only rub it in the ends. 

5 is a must have everyday. Root lifter is your best friend, so embrace her ladies. 

6 I have every size of ceramic round brush known to man in my drawer. Every girl should own one.

7 is a basic hot tools curling iron. Once again I have just about every size. 

Last, but not least is hairspray. Love this stuff!

Just a key tip... When blow drying your hair always blow dry it in the opposite direction for added volume. I blow dry forwards, backwards, and do a mad comb over and dry. If you just dry it straight down you know what that means? Flat, lifeless hair. 

I hope this helped. 

Do you have any favorites that I should test out?

repeat to yourself...

   Have you seen The Help yet? If not I suggest you run out this second and buy yourself the movie, because another second without seeing it could be bad for your health. Ok maybe I am being a little dramatic, but it is a good movie. 

This is my favorite saying in the movie. It's a must share. 

                                           

{image via pinterest}

boudoir part 2

Yes I am at it again. One secret about me you all probably don't know is that I change my mind about every 5 seconds. One minute an idea seems amazing, and the next it's horrible and I have moved on to bigger and better ideas. Yes I am that obnoxious girl who can never make up her mind. 

So with that said decorating my room has become a serious pain in my bum.

I bought this duvet and pillows from Anthropolgie this summer, and I am basically designing my room around it. 

I posted about my room on a previous blog.

Here are some decor items I think would work well. 

What do you think?

However, I found a silver pouf I love so much more than the pink one. I will start posting pics of my project as I complete it.

Images via...

1. Serena and Lily

2. Anthropologie

3. jcpenney

4. zgallerie

5. Pinterest

6. zgallerie

7. zgallerie

8. zgallerie

9. zgallerie

10. Apothica

11. madebygirl