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Friday, March 30, 2012

Friday's Fancies: April Showers


{trench}{shorts}{top}{umbrella}{boots}
It's raining in Milwaukee today so this is fitting! I would give ANYTHING to get my hands on a pair of monogrammed wellies-- how adorable are they?! 

Happy Friday!!
xx

Wednesday, March 28, 2012

A Hell of a Heel

A few weeks ago I was hard core crushing on these flats

{source}

Now, they come in heels. 
My willpower is slowly decreasing. 
The only thing that is holding me back from purchasing both the heels and the flats is the price tag.
AMAZING!

{source}


Tuesday, March 27, 2012

Party Time!

I love a good party! I also love pinterest. Pinterest gives me lots of party ideas and makes me want to throw a party... instead of write a research paper for my Spanish class. I'm already counting down to Easter break {one week girlfran, one week}... anyhow, here are my top three party wants at this current moment in time. How fab are ALL of the below photos?!

{pictures source}
1. Corona-ritas. Coming soon to a girls' night out near me and my friends.... They just SCREAM summertime. We had a teaser of summertime last Thursday, which we spent having cocktails on our friends' perfect porch {complete with a couch that I have actually slept on before... true story ladies and gents}... but we are now back to winter.

2. Is this not the cutest birthday idea ever?! Each balloon has a photo and memory or story attached to it. I just love this! 

3. Peeps S'mores. Enough said. 

Is it Friday yet?!

Monday, March 26, 2012

Area Happenings

While I live in Milwaukee, Chicago is only an hour away, and I have many friends who live in the area. I love going downtown and there are always great things to do {aside from getting Portillos and Lou Malnatis... my mind isn't always on food!!!}. A few lovely happenings?

1. The Randolph Street Flea Market opened this weekend! {Like the Antiques Garage in Chelsea or Brimfield in Mass... which I'm DYING to go to} Tickets are $10 each (or $8 in advanced)... but that's a small price to pay for the treasures you can find!

{source}
2. Ladies in the area... looking to model? The Everygirl {brainchild of bloggers Danielle Moss and Alaina Kaczmarski} is in pursuit of a plethora of eager and willing fabulous young ladies to model for the site! If this fulfills your every wish, then check out the details {here}! Even if you don't want to model {or you won't be in the Chicago area}, you should still check out the site because it is fabulous!

{my early experiences vogue-ing}

It's the little things that get a girl through a Monday!

Friday, March 23, 2012

Friday's Fancies: March Madness!

After last night's devastating loss, it's nearly painful to write this post, (don't even get me started on my bracket...) but I love my outfit for this Friday's Fancies... and I LOVE Marquette basketball, no matter the outcome. We are the Golden Eagles and our colors are navy and gold. Marquette plays with the shade range though, so we have white jersies, baby blue jersies, navy jersies, and yellow (gold) jersies- so many shades to choose from! Here's what I would wear for a night out with the girls in Miltown or wherever we find ourselves... the only question comes into play with the accessories: gold or bold? (yellow, that is!) 
{top}{pants}{necklace1}{necklace2}{bracelet1}{bracelet2}{bracelet3}{bracelet4}
{gold clutch}{yellow clutch}{flats}{wedges}

Happy Friday!!

xx
C

Thursday, March 22, 2012

Sunshine Chic

With the bipolar shift in the weather patterns (NOT that I am complaining), Milwaukee is now experiencing bright and sunny skies, complete with high-seventies weather. The quads are filled with kids laying out in the sunshine, the desire to skip classes in favor of running down to the beach and looking out on Lake Michigan for the afternoon is ever-increasing, AND it's-best of all- time for a change in the wardrobe. As I unpacked all of my spring attire, I delighted in the plethora of options I had for outfits to wear to class. Bye bye yoga pants and parka coat! {I even left my decrepid Uggs at home when I visited Connecticut last week...} Despite the fact that I knew walking uphill in the beating sun for the five blocks from campus to where my apartment is located was not ideal conditions for wearing Jack Rodgers, I wore them anyways and endured the blisters I received on my feet because I was sooo happy to wear sandals again. I also now know that I seriously need a pedicure. Yay spring!

Here are some of my essentials~

{jellies}{sunnies}{tanks}{skirt}{wedges}{fedora}

Enjoy the sunshine!!

xx
C

Wednesday, March 21, 2012

The Gentle Art of Domesticity

Over break I went over to hang out with some family friends- the mom, Elizabeth of B~Inspired, gave me sewing lessons for years and is an all-around creative person. While we were all talking about school and our latest projects, blogging, etc, Miss Elizabeth brought over a book, The Gentle Art of Domesticity, which is authored by British creative tour du force and blogger Jane Brocket of Yarnstorm.


How deliciously welcoming is the cover?!

Just as I was taking pictures with my phone so that I could remember what to look for when I went to purchase the book myself, I was presented with this:


An early birthday present! My own copy! I was so excited and grateful to add it to my growing coffee table book collection. The pages are bright, cheery, and delicious with fun ideas and beautifully photographed projects, flowers, knitting and craftsmanship. 



{all photos by colleen for splash of color}
If you haven't already heard of this delightful find, you must check it out!
{available here and here}



What books are must haves for your coffee table? 

xx
C

Tuesday, March 20, 2012

Faithful Jewelry

I found this beautiful rosary bracelet on-where else- Pinterest and absolutely fell in love with it. While I'm not overly religious, I do like having something that is representative of my faith, and this does that while also being very chic and different. There are a few different options, and all of the proceeds go to a nonprofit organization, The McKenzie Noelle Wilson foundation, an organization that aids youth in need.

{source}

The beautiful bracelets reminded me on {these bracelets} that my friend, Ellen's, mom makes. This all brought me back to a post I had written on my old blog, which I decided to share here.

My friend Rachel and I always come back to this story in conversations, and she shared it with our mothers during our annual winter break mother-daughter lunch over break.

{I know this is a break from the normal blogging I do, but I'm sick and this story is one of those that you always draw upon when you're home and sick in bed...}

*********************************************************************************


moms are always right.




(before i share the story, know that i’m not an intensely religious person in any means.) My friend, ellen, recently got hooked on pinterest. (yay!) i repinned this super-cool rosary bracelet that she had pinned, unknowing of the significant meaning to ellen. in the past couple of years i have become increasingly more interested in rosaries. they are beautiful, and i believe they all tell a story of the owner who purchased them. they remind me of family, they remind me of something that is always constant. i bought my first rosary when i was in the vatican city this summer, a gold-and-pearl one, and picked one up for my sister, Tara, who I thought could use the power of prayer.

Anyways, I had never seen a rosary bracelet before, but it made complete sense. you just repeated ten times, and you could always have it on you. not to mention they were beautiful! well, ellen’s mom makes them. I especially liked this one above. Maybe it was the mom aspect, or the fact that it was a rosary, but it reminded me of a story that frequently plays over in my head.

On the way to dance class one day, two fresh and sassy junior girls in high school were talking about what junior girls freak out about: college. they were telling the wise mother driving them that they were going to stick it to the man when they got to college and use their new-found freedom to not wake up early every sunday morning to go to church. Both girls had been raised fairly religious catholics, but as kids do when they are sixteen and think they know everything, had recently been debating their faith. the wise one said to them, “you know girls, if you get to college and you don’t want to go to church, then that is fine. however, i hope you do, and i know that mrs. c hopes you do. furthermore, you can talk a big game now, but when everything seems new and different and strange, you may find that church will be a comfortable place, because it is the one constant in your ever-changing lives.”
young wise assess ones, summer 2007 

“THE wise one” was my friend’s mom, jane, and the daughter was rachel. i was the fresh and sassy friend.
we took what she said to heart, but didn’t think much of it. About a year later, during my senior year of high school, my grandmother passed away. then my grandfather in june, right before my graduation. and in a shocking turn of events, during my final exams of my first semester of college, my uncle was diagnosed with and passed away from cancer all in about a month’s time. i flew home early. rachel experienced similar situations. we both found ourselves with new boyfriends and friends, and we then both found ourselves broken hearted.

Rachel goes to school in california. i go to school in milwaukee. it’s hard when the people you need in times of trouble the most (your family and friends who have known you forever) are thousands of miles away in opposite directions. For being so far, we talk a lot. facebook. snail mail. phone calls. texts. blog shout outs. skype.

we laugh. we cry. we bitch. we console. we help each other process and move on. we try to support each other, however many miles away we may be, regardless of time zones.

After one such life event, i was on the phone with rach, who said, “you know what i have been doing? going to church.”
i could only laugh, and reply, “well you know jane always said we would…” The rest of the conversation probably included some part where we lament about how our mothers, it turned out, were right and probably a “don’t you hate it when that happens” comment from one of us…. it always happens, and we always hate that we were wrong when it was my turn to be in the broken hearts club, it coincided with the “welcome back to campus” mass, and i felt a sense of calm come over me as i attended. every time i’m at school and i’m in church (which isn’t as often as i should go) and i get the sense of “this is a good thing” i think of jane, in the car, on the way to dance.
sometimes, if i really have the gall, i admit this fact to my mom, who usually responds with, “mhmm see? jane and i told you two”
she’s right.

don’t you hate it when that happens?
older yet equally stubborn, fresh, and sassy friends.

(***we’re not depressing people. we actually spend an equal amount of time gossiping, laughing, telling inappropriate stories and jokes, eating too much unhealthy food, watching movies, listening to music, and driving aimlessly around town contemplating possible badass adventures… that almost always fall through- impromptu hamptons drive, last minute attempt at meeting friends to go clubbing in nyc, impromptu piercings…. to name a few- but those are stories for another day!)

*********************************************************************************
Happy Tuesday!
xx

Monday, March 19, 2012

Interior Desire Crush: Rachel Roy

I'm a little late on the InStyle, as I swore myself to an oath that I wouldn't pick up/purchase a magazine until Spring Break rolled around. However, I made it through quite the stockpile while on break, and one of those publications was the March of InStyle. Be still my interior design loving heart, Rachel Roy's apartment was to die for. I couldn't decide which aspect of the apartment I loved the most, though I have to say I probably identified the most with the National Geographic collection in Roy's dining room. 


The entire place is just simply perfection!




{sources for all three photos here}

Sunday, March 18, 2012

Color Crush: Rose Gold

I'm not a major gold fan, but to me, Rose Gold is delicious. It's an off-beat color, and underutilized in my opinion. Sometimes, with my Irish skin, I find gold to be too loud (coming from a Leopard Print Lover, I know that sounds ridiculous) but Rose Gold, to me, is perfect-- and everywhere this upcoming spring!!


I'm loving the watch! {And in my opinion, a girl can never have enough shades of Jack Rodgers Sandals!}

Enjoy the rest of the weekend! 
xx

Saturday, March 17, 2012

Current State of Affairs

Ever have days {or in my case, weeks} where you have too much on your mind or going on around you and you can't seem for the life of you to complete all of the projects you want/need to get done? This is how I feel about blogging. For the past week, I have had so so SO many sources of inspiration constantly flooding my brain that it's hard to wrap my head around all of it! Though, as I was saying to my friend over at B~Inspired, I would rather be abundantly and overly inspired than under-inspired any day of the week!

It's just that, sometimes, I end up feeling like this:

{source}

and this:

{source}

I have so many yummy things to share with you this next week, but right now it's all about the bracket!

Classic Combo: Black & Camel

As many people know, my true blue east coaster comes through when it pertains to my wardrobe. While I love color, prints, and big chunky fabulous jewelry, I always tend to purchase neutrals and classic pieces since I know that they will always serve me well! {disclaimer: this excludes leopard print. I will always make an exception for leopard print.} It's almost like it's second nature to me. My sister and I were given a 45 minute notice that we needed to be on a train headed to the city to meet up with my dad for the Marquette game followed by an evening event in the city. Why, after having three daughters and a wife- all of whom he constantly laments take way too much time getting ready- my dad thought 45 minutes would be sufficient warning I am unsure... yet we rallied and were on the train 45 minutes later, hors d'oeuvres for the evening event in tow, en route to the city. Molly, lamenting how she brought "like no clothing" home for break borrowed a bright purple J. Crew shirt {which I wore here} and giant chunky statement necklace {see?! I own these pieces, I just don't wear them...} while I ended up in my go-to combo: black skinny jeans, a tan shirt {embellished with purple satin flowers- go color!}, a black cardigan, and camel cashmere and wool trench, all topped off with black-and-camel colorblocked {or should we call it neutral-blocked? I'm unsure if it counts as colorblocking...} pumps and my favorite new black satchel. Seriously?!

{coat}{pump}{bag}{pant}

What are your staple pieces and wardrobe must-haves?!

Happy Saint Patrick's Day!
ox

Friday, March 16, 2012

Friday's Fancies: Luck of the Irish!

A Happy {early} Saint Patrick's Day to all! This week, Friday's Fancies is {obviously} drawing inspiration from the impending holiday! As a 99% irish girl, I love this day of the year, and though I'm still debating my plans, my outfit will remain the same: full of green and some Irish Pride!

{sperry's}{shirt}{necklace}{scarf}{tattoo}{belt}

A Happy Saint Patty's to you all as well! 

AND 

Make sure you head {here} to check out the rest of the Friday's Fancies!
ox

Thursday, March 15, 2012

The Ever-Approaching Swimsuit Season

Despite growing up on the shore and my love for all things revolving around water, the beach, the sun, and summertime, ever since high school I have absolutely despised shopping for bathing suits. Every season it is for different reasons, and every season I dread entering the store to look for a new suit. Freshman and sophomore year of high school I ordered my suits online from J. Crew and just wore them despite the fact that I hated the way my body looked. Then came the summer going into Junior year, and while I had lost beau coup pounds and was slightly more appreciative of my figure, I still hated the swimsuit shopping ordeal. This pattern continued senior year, freshman year of college, and sophomore year of college. Last year I was finally comfortable with myself- not pleased with how I looked, but comfortable with my appearance. 

I'm 5'4"with short legs, curves, and yet I also have the waist of a thirteen year old boy. 
{And extremely picky about fit}

I literally have been everywhere and tried everything when it comes to bathing suits:

1. In middle school, all of my friends swore by Old Navy swimsuits- they were such a steal and you could have a bevy of suits to constantly change up your look throughout the summer. I hated the fit. I have always hated the fit. Sometimes I would get cocky, like junior year when I needed cheap suits for a service trip I was attending and picked one up from Old Navy only to muck up a nice J. Crew one instead while on the trip since I hated the fit of the Old Navy one. The spring I returned home from my freshman year in college I immediately dropped ten pounds (after already having lost not gained the freshman 15.... my mother swears it was the severe lacking of beer in my summer diet) and decided to go swimsuit shopping. Of course I opted for the quick fix and ran up to Old Navy. I bought two suits. String Bikinis. They were never my thing. I bought a size too big in the bottoms and haven't worn either suit in two years. 

2. I love J. Crew suits, but their basic bikini brief fit has never flattered me. Regardless, I would buy suits from there every summer (usually in the basic bikini brief fit that I deplored since I was against string bottoms). 

3. I then decided that the problem lay in where I was buying the suits from, and that more expensive swimsuits would be more flattering. My mother was all for it if it meant I would cease the insanity that was my temperament whilst trying on swimsuits. That was an epic fail. Lesson learned: the more expensive the suit, the tinier it is... aka this chesty girl does not fit any top. 

4. Enter Victoria's Secret. VS completely calmed my qualms about swimsuit buying. Usually I cannot purchase a thing without trying it on since I'm so insanely picky about the fit, but since their returns are so easy, and being a bra/underwear company they are true to size, it is a cinch to purchase suits. Bonus: they're all so cute, and go on an insane sale right around May/June. You can restock halfway through summer! 

So, naturally, where would I find two super fab suits for this upcoming summer? 

Old Navy


I'm not kidding. I have always hated their fit, and yet I found not one, but two .... wait for it.... bandeau (girlfriend, you have zero idea how hard it is for me to find a bandeau that fits) and string bikinis. This is probably due to the new devotion to working out that I have developed. At $20 a piece, they were such a steal! 

{source}


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{source}

What are your fave swimsuits pieces? 

Happy Thursday! 
ox

Wednesday, March 14, 2012

spring break stylings

I applaud those who are ballsy enough to take outfit of the day photos. However, there is a reason that I love photography~ I'm more of a "behind the lens" girl. That being said, I do love the sharing of outfit ideas, so I've shared my spring break as of yet through what else? outfits!

Lucky me, this week has been so warm that I've hardly needed a coat. When I wore my trench on Tuesday into the city, I ended up having to take it off it was so warm!

SATURDAY

{top}{jeans}{flats}{sunnies}{scarf}

My grandmother and my aunt are both artists (we're a creative & chaotic family...) and they had their art on display in a show a few towns over. My dad and I went out to see the show and then hit up downtown New Haven to begin "Operation: Apple Immersion" 
{Dad has all-Apple products, minus his work laptop, yet he has difficulty working and syncing the iPad, iPhone, iMac, etc... we're working on it, though!}


SUNDAY
{trench}{jeans}{top}{flats}{necklace}{bag}{sunnies}

Sunday the day started off with a bang when I rolled my ankle running out of the house to pick up birthday gifts for one of my cousins. My older cousins laughed at me later on when they found out I did that while wearing sneakers. I'm definitely the klutz of the family! Every March my high school puts on a super-fab fashion show featuring local vendors. While we didn't attend this year, my mom and I did go early to set up since she was involved in the planning. Instead of the fashion show, we saw my dad's side of the family at a 50th birthday party for my aunt and uncle, where I got to hold my adorable baby cousin and gab with my newly-engaged cousin Jenn {as well as the rest of the girl cousins} about wedding plans and wanting to all go to Kleinfeld's to try on dresses!


MONDAY

{necklace}{top}{jeans}{boots}{bag}{sunnies}
Monday was a relatively low-key day. A favorite thing to do on break is to get lunch with my mom. Since she usually works until just about lunchtime, she'll swing back by the house and pick us up to go downtown to the deli to get a bite to eat. It was such a gorgeous day that we ate outside. I'm loving this warm weather!


TUESDAY
{trench}{jeans}{top}{necklace}{bag}{sweater}{sunnies}
My dad's company has a box at MSG, so whenever there is the opportunity, I love to pop into the city to attend an event- concert, Knicks game, Rangers game, etc. Born-and-raised major Boston fans in a New York market is difficult, and though the indoctrination of Celtics/Bruins/Patriots/REDSOX fandom begins at a young age in our family, the NBA and NHL have been major points of contention over the years. {As was the the era we refer to as the "lost period" where I was Yankees fan due to my love of Derek Jeter... anyways...}Example A: My dad was fully a member of the "Lin-sanity" and due in part to that as well as the fact that Steve Novak is a Marquette Alum (MU Rah Rah), had apparently been rooting for the Knicks for a while (when not playing the Celtics). Brian Leetch's sister was one of my teachers in elementary school, so I have always loved the Rangers. (My dad, however, begs to differ.. partially due in part to the fact that Leetch grew up playing for the rival high school hockey team of my father's)  Last night was a Rangers game, and we had a blast! Plus, the food is always delicious... and I'll take any excuse to get into the city! 

Hope you all are enjoying your week as well! 

Tuesday, March 13, 2012

Currently Loving: BaubleBar

I was scanning Pinterest (honestly, what I would do without Pinterest I have no idea...) when I came across a pair of tortoise shell studs that caught my eye. I clicked through to find out who their maker was because they were gorgeous and I stumbled across BaubleBar. 
{teardrop necklace}{initial pendant}{cuff}{link necklace}{monogram necklace}{initial earrings}

It was so hard to pick which items to show! I legit love them all. Check out the site and all their fabulous baubles {here}.

Monday, March 12, 2012

Big Girl Wardrobe!

Remember when I was bummed I wasn't going on Spring Break? Well I still am- I mean, if you were missing out on a week of debauchery and beach time with your friends, you probably would too- but this was waiting for me on my bed when I came home:

{source}

It was so beautiful and professional-looking that, at first, I thought that my mom had purchased it and hid it in my room from my dad! When I asked her about it, she nonchalantly said, "oh, no, that's for you!" The satchel, from Banana Republic, reminded her of the "classic Prada silhouette" and was for beginning my "working wardrobe"! I love it, and I think the lines are just so classically perfect. MB reminded me that this wasn't a "bar bag" .... not like she needed to, I already knew that!

Sunday, March 11, 2012

LONNY is BACK!

For those of you who are Matchbook Girls and LONNY lovers, you probably know that LONNY has been noticeably absent for the past few months as they revamped their look. Well (drumroll please....)

Welcome back LONNY!

{source}
What a perfect way to spend a Sunday! I'll be getting back to you later this week with my fave features once I have a chance to sit down and read it! Today is jam-packed with prep/set up for the high school fashion show my mom chairs followed by a family birthday party. Not your typical spring break activities, but fun and busy nonetheless!

Check out LONNY {here}... and can we just gush over Anna Burke's outfit for a second? I'm not sure what I love the most, but I think I'm going to have to go with the shoes... or the jacket... love it all!


Happy Sunday!
xx

Color Crush: Leopard Print!

It's no secret to anyone who knows me that I absolutely adore, obsess over, cannot get enough of... Leopard Print. My iPhone cover is Leopard print. My fave pair of flats are these old black Nine West Loafers with leopard print tops (that I bought six or seven years ago back when people thought leopard print was outrageous...) A couple of months ago, I had Sally Hansen leopard print nails on and hadn't noticed that I had my mom's leopard print J.Crew cardigan and the coat check guy at the Met asked me if I had purposely matched my phone, nails, and sweater.... awkward? Whatever! What can I say? I love it! 

{coat}{bag}{tote}{skirt}{belt}{hat}{scarf}{cardcase}{nails}{loafers}{flats}{dress}

P.S. ~ How fab is that coat?! I had it pinned to my style board on Pinterest, so I didn't have the original source. However, I absolutely die over that entire outfit. Love, love, love!

Happy Sunday!
xx

Friday, March 9, 2012

Anatomy of Flying

As I said on Tuesday, when it comes to travel, I am a realist. Conveniently, winter coincides with my high traffic of travel time, which is always fun when you need to take off multiple layers due to TSA policies. When I went to Spain and automatically starting my routine "jewelry off, shoes off, bags, liquids, etc. process" some random Spanish ladies started asking me a million questions as to WHAT I was doing... because the rest of the world is not that strict in security, but since I'm so conditioned to flying back and forth, I went into airport autopilot!

That being said, I've now pared down flying to a science. Patience isn't my best virtue, and for that I've got the outfit down to a science to get through the airport security lines as swiftly as possible.

Here's my "Dress for Success: Flying Edition"

{shirt}{scarf}{leggings}{boots}{watch}{necklace}{suitcase}

Usually I include a thin cotton J.Crew wrap sweater in my bag, but I never wear it until I'm through security due to the fact that I'll only have to take it off anyways. Since there's nothing I love more than leggings--and because I don't like sitting for a long period of time in jeans-- these Hue equestrian leggings are perfect, and simply the most comfortable leggings ever. My go-to outfit always includes leggings or jeans and a J.Crew t (since they're simply the best). I pair almost all leggings or jeans with my Frye boots that I received for Christmas seven years ago. I couldn't find a picture of the boots (obviously) now for sale, but the ones above are fairly close. I barely wear jewelry when I'm flying, but the one thing I always keep on is my Saint Christopher's necklace that my parents gave me for "safe travel" (st. chris is the patron saint of that) and it's in an aqua-blue enamel. Aside from an obligatory watch and suitcase, my favorite accessory is my blue pashmina. I can roll it up and wear it as a scarf, or completely unfold it and use it as a blanket on the plane. 

Happy Travels!

Friday's Fancies: Spring Break

{dress} {sunnies} {jacks} {swimsuit} {nail polish} {shorts} {wedges}
Oh, how I wish I could say that by the time you read this I'll be in the middle of Indiana en route to Fort Lauderdale round 2! Alas, my parents decided that since I was (a) at the time of planning spring break unemployed for the summer and (b) living in Milwaukee this summer, I should fly back to Connecticut to visit family and doing the whole "grown up" interview process in the city. I have to admit I am happy to be going home for many reasons. I get to see my baby cousin, talk to my newly engaged cousin about wedding plans, celebrate birthdays, and see my family. Plus, I'm {fingers crossed} going to D.C. for Saint Patrick's Day to cheer on my friend Mallory in her half-marathon and then celebrate St. Patty's day! 24 hour road trip, here we come!

Happy Spring Break!

Thursday, March 8, 2012

The Seven Dollar Steal





 2011 was the year I accidentally stumbled upon a few trends purely out of the attraction to things that interest me.

Example A: During “Rebajas” (Sales) Month in Spain (you have to love when your study abroad session just happens to line up perfectly with the month in which the entire country of Spain puts everything in their stores on sale!!!), I was out shopping one afternoon with friends. Zara never disappoints, and it certainly didn’t disappoint that day. Strewn in the corner was a pile of leopard print stiletto booties. Of course, I was stuck with my two guy friends who strongly urged me against the purchase, especially due to the fact that I couldn’t try on the left shoe due to the fact that I had sprained my ankle. This was one of those moments where my impulsive nature came in handy because at 25 euros (down from 90 euros) HOW COULD I SAY NO!?!?! I skyped my parents later in the week and while my mom thought they were adorable; my dad thought they were ridiculous. Two weeks later when I returned home to the states, the J. Crew magazine was sitting on the coffee table and what else was featured? Leopard Print Shoes. My dad recanted.

Example B: (And the point of this post) Pseudo-Girls’ Weekend 2011

Every October we have a four-day break the weekend before Halloween to relax after midterms. With airline prices high and two daughters in college, my parents asked if I minded staying in Milwaukee since I had an apartment. I didn’t mind, especially since my friend Hannah was staying in Milwaukee as well, due to the fact that she’s from New York and had a similar predicament. Not to mention, being unable to come home garnered many sympathy points from our parents, which allowed us to treat ourselves to a fancy seafood dinner one of the nights we were in Miltown. We transformed October Break into a total Girls’ Weekend—haircuts and blowouts, dinners, playing wing woman to the other girl as we hit the bars, lots of Food Network and TLC Wedding Shows, wine, and most importantly… shopping.

Han and I popped into Charlotte Russe because Hannah wanted to check out some piece she had seen in the window. I’m not usually a fan of Charlotte Russe (they’re not exactly the epitome of quality), but Hannah wanted to check out the major sale on jewelry and obviously I obliged. Having not purchased much that day (due to our goal of a non-neutral wardrobe), I decided to impulsively buy a few pieces including feather earrings, a couple of necklaces that I have yet to wear, and a gold link necklace. The gold link necklace cost seven dollars, and I grabbed the last one. 

{source}


Now, this isn't the necklace, since I could not find a picture of the original, but this is more or less exactly the same thing... minus the Michael Kors name and $140 (sale) price tag. 


I wore the necklace to Thanksgiving dinner, and this caused a major frenzy in the Claflin extended family. My cousin Jennifer loved it so much that my aunt, my mom, and Jenny's fiance spent the entire Christmas Season trying to find her the necklace. My aunt actually found one for my grandmother, who also really wanted one, but Jenny never found her link necklace. Of course, ever since I encountered my miracle find, I've been completely head over heels for link jewelry, a fact that can be seen on my Pinterest boards quite clearly. Here are some of my favorites below~





{1}{2}{3}{4}


xo

Wednesday, March 7, 2012

48 Hours

48 hours, my friends, is all that stands between me and the picture below. 

Well, that and four classes, two papers (which I'm currently procrastinating), and two readings. 

And, if I'm lucky, Karaoke Night. (but I'm doubtful that will happen tomorrow due to the fact that I'm procrastinating my papers by blogging and watching SVU...) 

My friends and I joke sometimes that I carry the print industry on my sales alone since I am addicted to magazines. I used to make them for fun all the time as a kid, an activity I think stemmed from going to work with my dad. Anyways, I cut down on the habit since it's extremely expensive (ELLE Decor is $5.99!), but magazine binges are my favorite part of flying. I picked only a few (ha!) for the flight home since I'll need some for the flight back... but I'm so excited. 


I bought these as a motivation today to do my papers. They look so pretty sitting on my suitcase. 

Time for Bruce Springsteen and paper writing. 

{It's times like these I ask myself why I'm an English major}