Mad about Plaid

Plaid is bold, yet simple. It's a classic print- in a variety of colors- that to me just screams FALL!

 

 

 

I just LOVE this pairing of causal plaid with a formal skirt!

This look from alittledashofdarling features a plaid boyfriend shirt from Madewell, which of course is sold out...I've looked all over but haven't found one until today..... 

 

I picked up this plaid shirt at Old Navy on sale for less than $20! Although it is not an exact match ( I really like the gold/yellow in the first pic) it's close enough!

 

Aside from pairing with a skirt, I like some of these other looks also:

with a bold colored pencil skirt

 

under a cable knit sweater
 

under a puffy vest

 

alone with jeans

 

 

Easy Tomato and Onion Salad

 

Quick, fresh, healthy, Paleo, delish....and beautiful!

 

This easy tomato salad I threw together using yellow and red local grown tomatoes I picked up from a farm in Carroll County.

 

Basic how to:

 

1. Start with organic spring mix

2. Top with thickly cut tomato slices

3. Add fresh cut red onions

4. Add sea salt and fresh ground pepper

5. Drizzle lightly with balsamic vinegar

 

 

Enjoy!

 

 

Cheap or Chic? Beyonce's striped dress!

 

I love this striped dress on Beyoncé!

The exact dress is still available at Nordstrom and pictured below, although it looks like she may have had the sleeves altered to be shorter in length. I like the look either way!

 

 

 

Topshop, Nordstrom $135

 

 and as promised a cheap version :)

 

Forever 21 $19.80

 

 

 

 

White Skirts!

 

Summer may be officially over, but I just love the look of white skirts! 

 I love that you can dress them up and love them both long and short.

 

Here are some of my favs for all different seasons:

 

 

 

 

 

I found a great French Connection Skirt from Marshalls for a great price! Even though summer is over, I'm thinking of pairing with a black sweater this winter :)

 

 

Makeup Brush Storage

 

How do you store your makeup brushes?

 

I recently just bought a new set from Smashbox during the Nordstrom Anniversary Sale (10 brushes total- with lots of free goodies!)

 

Although it did come in a hard case that doubles as a holder, I'm looking for something that is a little more stylish and goes with my Coastal Décor.

 

  I want a way to store the bushes and  makes them still easily accessible in the morning when I need them and I think covered or in a cabinet maybe the best option to protect from dust.

 

I searched online for some creative ways to store the brushes and here are a few creative ways I found:

 

 

LOVEY!



Maybe I'd use shells or sand to go with my décor

Some sew options- great for on the go!

Different



ADORABLE!!

I really think these wood blocks maybe my fav!

 

Saying Sunday

 

Lately I have noticed how many UNHAPPY and JEALOUS people there are in this world!

 

When I am online and read the comments people post, it's really sad. Most of the time people are bashing people they have never met! Why? I can only guess it's a sad attempt to make themselves feel better. Unfortunately in the end, it's only going to make them feel worse.

 

My word of advice....be YOU and worry about YOU!

 

Your grass isn't going to get any greener worrying about your neighbors lawn!

 

 

LILLY Sale!

Well the sale is over- but I am loving all the items I scored during the recent annual Lilly Pulizer sale! If you have never shopped this sale- it's a must do! Items are DRASTICALLY marked down. Many of the items I got were 75% off original price!

Here's what I got:

Will pair with my Frye Riding Boots this fall.

Loving the button details on the back of this dress!

 

 

Love this simple dress!



Already wore this cute dress in Florida Labor Day Weekend
 

Cute keyhole cutout!

 

 

LOVED THIS PRINT! Also bought the same belt!

 

Labor Day Weekend- Florida!

Labor Day Weekend 2014

This past holiday weekend, my husband, dad, and I decided to take a last minute trip to the beautiful beaches in Florida to visit family. It was a quick getaway, but we had a blast! And yes- take the people out of Mt, but we still eat our steamed crabs :) We stayed in Indian Rocks Beach, which is about 30 minutes from Tampa and a few minutes from Clearwater. The sand is white and the water is crystal clear- it really doesn't get much better!

 

Piyo

 

 

 

 

 

Piyo is the newest home workout series from Beach Body (the ones who sell P90X, Insanity, T25).

A friend of mine is a coach for them and after seeing her advertise it on Facebook, I decided to give it a try. The Piyo set is a total of 4 DVD's with a few workouts on each. Each workout ranges anywhere from 25-50 minutes and is a mix of both Pilates and yoga (hence the name). Most workouts can be done barefoot and with a yoga mat- so it's nice that you don't need a lot of equipment. Unlike other videos I have done, this one is also nice because I do not find the host/trainer to be annoying (like in  Insanity) and there is no jumping around the room like a maniac (like in Insanity)!

 

I was skeptical at first, but in only 6 weeks I have noticed a big improvement in my body definition, strength, and flexibility. I sure couldn't do a backbend or crow before I started!

 

I do not sell this nor am I compensated in anyway to advertise this....I have had a few people ask me about it since I started and I thought I'd pass on the info :)

 

Crow!

Lauren's Baby Shower

 

Recently we welcomed home Lauren and Sean and celebrated with a baby shower

at Pussers in Annapolis!

Lauren has to be one of the cutest Prego girls I've ever seen!

 

 

 

Since the shower was a co-shower the favors were for all guests :)

Essie Nail Polish and File for the gals and Cigars and Minis for dudes

 

I wore a silk dress, without the belt it came with (as pictured below).

Yumi Kim Dress - Jayne Color Block Silk
Bloomingdales, $194, Sold out
Scored this dress online for $40
 

Concert in a cheap dress :)

 

A few weeks ago I was lucky enough to win Lee Brice with Cole Swindell tickets on local country music station 98.7 WMZQ! The concert was last Friday night at a small outdoor venue in St. Leonard Maryland, which is about 90 minutes south of Baltimore. If you ever get a chance to see an artist here, I definitely recommended it- there are NO bad seats!

 

I planned on wearing a silk Yumi Kim sundress, but as I tried it on I got blood on in from a small nick on my leg from shaving! Fortunately the dry cleaners was able to remove the stain, but I was out of an outfit for the night. While running an errand, I found this simple cotton dress, with a beautiful bold pattern and the XS fit like a glove! I ended up wearing this with a pair of Tory Burch sandals.

 

 

J & I enjoying the show!

 

 

 

Lee Brice preforming his new number one song, " I don't dance"

 

 Here's the info on the dress from Target:

 

 

 

Target Printed Dress, $24.99 HERE

DIY decor- Paw Print Frame

The final product

 

Anyone who knows me (or at least follows me on Instagram or Facebook) knows that I just LOVE my dog Sadie. At Christmas last year I made a paw print ornament using an inexpensive kit, but I wanted to have something in my décor from Sadie that was visible year round...so I came up with this simple project.

 

From start to finish this took only about 10 minutes and was able to use materials I already had at my house :)

 

What you need:

• a dog, preferably a calm one
• ink pad
• paper
• scissors
• picture frame
• bowl of water
• paper towels

How to:

1. Lay large piece of paper down on ground.
2. Get your dog to give paw and press it on the ink pad.
3. Press dogs paw on the paper. This make several tries, depending how your dog cooperates (as you can see from the picture it took 4 tries with Sadie).
4. Immediately wash dogs paw by dipping in bowl of water and then drying with paper towel, this will prevent your dog from tracking the ink throughout your house!
5. Cut out desired paw print to frame size. I wrote Sadie's name with a sharpie, but you could do a number of different things :)

The artist herself

 

 

Artwork



Artwork on display :)