Blue Nile Necklace Giveaway!

Disclosure: I received a necklace for purposes of review. All opinions are my own.

Recently, Blue Nile contacted me to do a review and giveaway for one of their pieces of jewelry as part of their "Get One, Give One" campaign, and I jumped on it.  I mean I remember when I purchased my wedding band from them over 9 years ago(!).  Their quality is top notch.  I had a choice of a few pieces but decided that the Branch Necklace in sterling silver was perfect!

I love how delicate and pretty it is.  It's perfect for everyday wear!  I have really been moving away from bold "statement" necklaces and more towards smaller, simpler, more understated pieces and this fits the bill.

Make sure you check out Blue Nile's other jewelry goodies, there's really something for everyone!

Like I said before, they gave me one of these beautiful necklaces to give away to my readers!  Just enter with the rafflecopter below.  Open to USA and Canada only. Good luck!


a Rafflecopter giveaway

2K CELEBRATORY $100 PAYPAL CASH GIVEAWAY

Hi!  Just popping in to let you all know that I'm participating in Lena B Actually's 2000 follower $100 Paypal cash giveaway!  Lena is one of the sweetest bloggers out there and I love her style!    Hop on over and enter!

Monochromatic Monday - Indigo

1. Gap Jeans - $69.95

2.  J.Crew jeweled sweatshirt - $98

3.  Nine West wedges - $89

Head over to the super sweet Lena B. Actually, I'm giving away a Starbucks gift card!  See you there!

Linking up with BonBon Rose Girls today for the Monday Mingle and with Lena B and Rachel for Passion for Fashion!

Disclosure:  This post contains affiliate links.

Monochromatic Monday - Blue

1.  Merona pants - $28

2.  Old Navy top - $16.50

3.  House of Harlow 1960 necklace - $75

4.  Gap leopard slip-on sneakers - $59.95

5.  Pim + Larkin beaded bracelet - $22.99

6.  ASOS top - $15.19

7.  J.Crew Minnie pants - $49.99

8.  Gap shoes - $44.95

Make sure you head over to Lena B. Actually where I'm co-hosting a giveaway for a $30 gift card to ModCloth!

Linking up with MomTrends today for the Monday Mingle!

Disclosure:  This post contains affiliate links

I'm Back!

Is it already 2013?  Good grief, I feel like I've been on a treadmill for the past month with the holidays and a big work project.  Maybe things will calm down so don't feel like I'm treading water all the time.  Hopefully.  First of all I want to let you know that Laugh with Ash is having a really fab giveaway with lots of great prizes (including a $10 Starbucks gift card from yours truly), make sure you head over and check it out!

So while I'm trying to get back in the swing of things, here are a few things that happened while I was on my bloggy break.  First of all I won some awesome giveaways:

Top - I won a giveaway hosted by Peacoats and Plaid for the cutest/most awesome cape from Neverland Nook for my girl.  Sabrina at Neverland Nook was so sweet and she got the cape to me super fast.  If you are in need of a super cool, totally custom gift for the kiddo in your life then run to Neverland Nook and get a cape (she has even done capes for some famous kids)!  My girl was over the moon when she tried it on!

 

Bottom - I won a group giveaway over at Delightful Deets with some fab prizes.  One of which was a custom burlap banner from Tausha  at Oopsie Daisy Décor.  Look how cute it is.  I got my girl's name on it and she totally customized it with sparkly pink polka dots.  Love it!

We headed to Nashville for the Music City Bowl (our NCSU Wolfpack lost to Vanderbilt, but we still had fun)!

We spent New Year's Eve there and it was crazy!  On an unrelated note, does anyone watch the show "Nashville"?  I love it!

 

I also did some reading and have updated the "Books I've Read" tab.  Head over and check it out (the book I'm reading now is pretty intense)...

Happy Weekend and a Thank You!

Sorry I've been M.I.A most of the week, I've been holed up in manufacturing facilities handling a project.  As a follow up to last Friday's post, I did end up checking out the Target + Neiman Marcus collaboration, well let me say I was disappointed.  The price points didn't match what I saw at all.  Just too much money for the quality, I was expecting a bit more polish for the price and it just wasn't there for me, so I walked out empty handed.  I mean the Oscar de la Renta tote that I wanted was $60, which in reality was a basic natural canvas tote with a print on it - NOT worth $60.  So thanks, but no thanks.  I'll wait for the clearance prices.  And I don't know about your Target, but nothing has sold at my Target - the shelves are overflowing with this stuff.  Enough of my rant, on to better shopping news...

A couple of weeks ago I won a sweet $200 gift card giveaway for MaxStudio over at Sandy a la Mode!  I mean, wow, right?!?  I wasted no time picking out some goodies, check 'em out:

 

Here they are in full (except the green/black check top - which I couldn't find online anymore)

 Scarf Print Tunic

Ballet Flat 

 

I love everything I picked out, just perfect!  So, a HUGE thank you to Sandy for hosting such an amazing giveaway!  She has a great blog so make sure you stop by and check it out!

 

I hope you all have a fabulous weekend!

A Few Thank You's

I must take a minute to say a few thank you's for some awesome recent giveaway wins and to all my new followers!  So exciting!

First of all thanks again to Jessica over at Bedknobs & Baubles for the $100 Shopbop giveaway from a few weeks ago - so awesome!  (she's got another one going on right now so hop on over and enter)!

I won Oh To Be A Muse's first prize in the Falling for Goodies giveaway and wow, did I get a ton of amazing items.  check 'em out:

Awesome, right?

I also won the fabulous October Sponsors giveaway over at Glossy Blonde and boy I got a bunch of goodies!  And the best part was I discovered some pretty cool blogs (and super nice bloggers) along the way!  Feel free to check them out!
Jessica Who?
The Wright Stuff
Art By Jacy
LIZstyling
Love, Laughter and Lipstick
Of Thoughts and Things
Hi!  It's Jilly
Life Unsweetened
Boys will be Boys
Life as Mrs

And last, but not least, I won a $100 Mimi Boutique credit and a shawl from Shawl Dawls from ModlyChic!  I haven't gotten them yet, but you can be sure I'll share what I get when I get it!

Also thank you so much to all of my new followers, I'm so happy to have you.  I'm so dangerously close to 100 followers I don't know what to do with myself.  Thanks again!

What I'm Loving!

Here are a few things that I'm loving right now:

 

First up is Glade's Cashmere Woods scent.  Oh man, this is such a perfect fragrance for this time of year (as a matter of fact, about a year ago I posted a "What I'm Loving" list that included this too).  It's not sweet or spicy, it's more of a smoky/warm scent that is positively amazing.  I mean it takes me to the perfect, crisp Fall day (even when it's 80 degrees out)!  I invested in the Sense and Spray version this year, perfect!

 

Next up are my new Minnetonka Kiltie Moccasins in wine - purchased via a Shopbop giftcard giveaway win from the lovely Jessica over at Bedknobs & Baubles - a great blog check it out!

They are so comfy and go great with everything! They do run large so if you decide to get some then order a 1/2 size down.

 

Just a couple of things I'm into right now.

 

I also noticed that I'm painfully close to 100 followers!  That's a big thing, so thanks to all the new followers!  And if you aren't already following, what are you waiting for?  Ha!  I remember when I first started blogging I sat on 14 followers for months and months.  I'm slow to grow that's for sure.  Have a great Tuesday!

 

Images via Glade and Shopbop.com

 

Happy Weekend!

Can I just tell you all how freaking happy I am today is Friday?  This week stunk up the place.  I mean the weather has been gloomy, I've been feeling low and I'm having tech issues - fun.  Here's hoping for a relaxing, fun (we may be going strawberry picking - weather permitting), recharging weekend!  The one bright part of this week was that I won a $100 Shopbop gift card from the lovely Maria Fe over at Layers of Meaning!  Totally awesome!  After much deliberation I decided on the following items:

Bop Basics Thick Knit Cable Infinity Scarf

American Vintage Noil Silk Knit Top

As usual, the items arrived super quick (I swear Shopbop is so great at shipping) and I LOVED each one.  The top is a bit more boxy than it appears, but it's a great look and will be perfect to throw on over a tank.  The scarf is so soft and chunky, I can't wait to wear it this fall with my new blue coat.

Thanks Maria Fe for hosting such a great giveaway!

Hope you have a fabulous weekend!

A Thank You!

I was lucky enough to win some calling cards from the super talented Caroline over at Push The Envelope!  Check out the goodies!

Let me tell you that I'm in love with these cards, they are beautiful!

(sorry for the crappy iPad picture, didn't realize there was a shadow until I uploaded the photo - duh)

Caroline always does such beautiful work and she's such a joy to work with (this isn't the first time I've gotten some goodies from her).  I highly recommend Push The Envelope if you find yourself in need of fun paper products!

New Look and a Thank You!

If you haven't popped over to the ol' blog lately then take a minute to do so.  The blog has a brand new look and I'm thrilled!

A few weeks ago I won a giveaway over at Makeunder My Life for a credit towards design services from Lisa at Elembee Creative.  I knew immediately that I would love to have a new blog header and some social media buttons.  I gave Lisa some information about what I was looking for, and she came back with the awesome new header and buttons.  Needless to say I think she did a fantastic job!  She was so nice and worked so quickly.  So if you are looking for any graphic and/or web design services then keep Lisa in mind.  She's awesome! 

I've also added a new page listing the books I've read along with what I thought of them.  So if  you are looking for some books to read check it out.  Also don't forget that I feature a new-to-me recipe of the week over at my Facebook page so check that out too.  Have a great Thursday!

A Little Friday DIY and Thank You's!

Is it Friday yet?  It is?  Oh, thank goodness, because it's been one heck of a long week playing catch up and miserable chilly rain with some thunder mixed in for good measure.  I'm ready for some sun and warmer temperatures - was it really just a week ago that I was sweating it out in shorts?  Welcome to Spring in the South.  Anyway, between my kiddo's barf sessions last weekend I tackled a short and sweet DIY.  I found these two remnants at Joann recently and snapped them up.

I had seen the nailhead corkboard DIY on Bryn Alexandra's blog amost a year ago and wanted to tackle it in my own home.  Since our house is on the market, I wanted to "neutralize" the inspiration board in my office area and make it seem more like art than a jumble of images that people don't really want to see that don't know me.  Here is the before:

 And here is the after (I decided not to put the nailheads on it because I'm not sure if I'm going to keep this fabric on the board when we move).

Now for the other fabric - I have a hand-me-down white wicker chair that have some pillows that just don't work.  So I just draped (for now) the fabric over the pillows to make it look prettier and blend with the room better - no one ever sits in the chair so it will stay nice and fluffy and in place.  It made all the difference in the world.  When we move I'll actually commit to a recover of the pillows ;o)

All in all, it took me probably about 45 minutes from start to finish.  Easy peasy!

Also, I've neglected a couple of thank you's for some recent giveaways.  Back in January I won a $25 gift certificate to ShoeClips.biz from the lovely (and super chic) Jessica over at Style Obsession.  Let me tell you I had F-U-N picking out my winnings - here's what I picked:

Lovely black chiffon flower shoe clips and some sparkly gold shoe clips.  I love them so much!  Shipping was fast and ordering was so easy.  Thank you Jessica!

Earlier this month, I won a $45 CSN gift certificate from the stylish Shea over at Bon Chic Bon Gastronomique.  I haven't spent it yet, but soon, very soon.  Thanks Shea!!!

Hope everyone has a wonderful weekend!!!

Happy Weekend and Outfit Posts!

It's that time of week again. 

It's what everyone looks forward too all week long. 

My outfit posts! 

Ha!  You guys totally thought I was going to say "it's Friday" or "the weekend's here" or some nonsense like that, didn't you?  Just kidding.  We all know the weekend is more important than my outfit posts, sort of.  I crack me up.  I'm in a fabulous mood because my two finals are taken, it's going to be in the 60's here this weekend, and I have a sort of "Spring break" tomorrow - no class!  Yipee!  On to the outfits and the debut of the new 'do!

Picture is a little dark so you can't tell but the cargos are green and the top is black.

Cardigan - Barneys CO OP

Top - Target

Cargos - Old Navy

Shoes - Toms

Necklace - Charlotte Russe

Now with my hair 4 inches shorter and back to it's dyed natural red.  Let me just say that my curl has gone.  I swear this is as straight as my hair has ever been that I can remember.  I used to have tons of curl and now I don't even know what to do, it's like I'm in another dimension.  But I'm kind of digging it, I just have to figure out what products work now.

Cardigan - Vince

Top - Target

Leggings - Forever 21

Necklace - House of Harlow

Wellies - Hunter

(this is totally the "uniform" I addressed in this Uniform Dressing post)

Likey the Hunter Wellies?  Well I totally scored them with a Shopbop gift card I won from Connie over at   her beautiful blog Sogni et Sorrisi!  I was so happy I won!  If you don't already read her blog, then head over and check it out, you will not be disappointed.  It's jam packed with inspiration and goodies.  And as a bonus, Connie is one of the nicest bloggers out there my friends!

 Oh and I totally signed up to do Kendi's 30 for 30 challenge - eek!  Fingers crossed I totally don't end up wearing the same outfit for 30 days straight because of a potential "deer in headlights" situation.  :o)

Happy Weekend a Thank You and My Five - Versace Spring 2011

Hope everyone has a fantastic weekend!  Thanks for all the really fab birthday wishes yesterday, I appreciated them more than you can know!  We found out that my girl has (yet another) ear infection, so that's what was causing her high fever and restlessness.  Now it's time for the antibiotics to do their work. 

I recently won a giveaway over at Dressing Mommy for some beautiful Jess LC earrings and I want to say thanks to Kelly!  Aren't they perfection (how cute is the packaging)?  I now want the white version :o)  There are so many Jess LC items on my Christmas list this year...

I've been scoring some amazing giveaways lately and for that I feel really blessed!  I have one more to share next week.

And now to my five picks from Versace's Spring 2011 collection.  You may not notice it from these five pieces, but there was a very distinct Greek Key theme.  Again, fashion and interiors mirror each other.  Enjoy!

Top image via moi and runway images via Vogue.com

A Bunch of Thank You's!

I've been really slack in giving a shout out to some giveaways that I've won over the past few months.  First off, way back in April (gah!) I won a 5x7 FLOR rug from La Dolce Vita.  I chose Martha Stewart's Faux Bois pattern, it is gorgeous and perfect in my daughter's room:

I love it and want to thank Paloma for hosting such an amazing giveaway!  Thanks!

Back in June, I won a $25 Push the Envelope Studio gift certificate from the very talented Kirsten over at 6th Street Design School.  I selected the chevron stripe cards with my name on them and some stickers with my daughter's name on them.  They are beautiful!  The super sweet and super talented Caroline at Push the Envelope was so easy to communicate with and got my stuff to me so quickly, check it out (ignore my crappy photography skills):

I will certainly be a repeat customer!

Earlier this month, I won a $25 gift certificate to Bellabini Boutique via the lovely ladies over at BonBon Rose Girls.  I'm not sure what I'm going to choose yet, but I'll let you know. 

Also, earlier this month, I won a fab prize pack featuring at insulated tote and fleece picnic blanket over at A Townhouselady's Life, which are awesome.  No picture (I'm having issue uploading pictures lately since Blogger changed the pop up and I can't figure it out), but trust me they are awesome and I'm in love with the insulated tote!

I've been very lucky for sure and I'm super grateful for all the fab giveaways!!!  Thanks again everybody!!

Win a $1000 gift card at Shop It To Me

Shop It To Me is celebrating it's redesign by giving away a $1000 gift card (to the store of your choice).  Click here to find out more info and to enter!  Hurry it ends Friday 6/11/10!

Love This! - the new Vera Bradley Starry Night and Giveaway Winner!

Vera Bradley has a new canvas collection perfect for days at the beach.  I love the print (called Starry Night), it's graphic in a very organic way.  Here are my picks from the collection:

Rope Handle Tote - $88

Beach Towel - $30

Flip Flops - $24

Images via Vera Bradley

I also have a winner for my first giveaway (Liberty of London for Target note cards) is - Convertible Girl!  I'll be contacting you shortly!  Congratulations!  Thanks to everyone for entering and reading, I appreciate it so much!

True Random Number Generator

Result:

4

Powered by RANDOM.ORG

(Why the little button picture wouldn't copy I have no clue - I could only get the text - but trust me these are the results and I need some tech training - LOL!)

Fab wardrobe consult giveaway over at the good life for less!

The amazing and extraordinary Jill over at one of my favorite blogs - the good life for less - is hosting an amazing giveaway to celebrate the first anniversary of her good look for less series.  Here's what she's giving away:

one NEW YOU package valued at $50... here's the details:
The "New You" wardrobe consultation includes:

- Shopping budget in the range of $301 - $500 (set by client)
- Up to 25 suggested wardrobe pieces
- Up to 12 coordinated outfits
- Clients are able to include up to 3 items from their current wardrobe to be incorporated with the new looks
- Shopping Lists and completed outfits will be emailed to clients when complete

Awesome, right?!?!  So head over and enter!

It's Monday and my first Giveaway!

I started this blog on 2/26/09 with nothing more than a desire to sort of keep track of things I find interesting.  It was a little all over the place (sort of like me in real life) and still kind of is.  To all my followers, thank you for sticking with me, I'm still trying to find my way in the blogosphere.  Anyway, since I missed my first anniversary, I'm doing a little belated celebration by giving away a box of adorable Liberty of London for Target note cards (three different patterns inside).  Who doesn't love getting a handwritten note?

To enter you must be a follower and also leave a comment.  For an extra entry you can follow me on Twitter and/or Tweet about the giveaway (make sure you come back and leave a comment that you did so along with your Twitter name)!  The giveaway is open now through Sunday May 16, 2010 at midnight.  The winner will be picked via Random.org.  Good luck!!!

Happy Mother's Day!

Hope everyone is having a great weekend!  And I hope all the Mommies out there have a wonderful day - you've earned it!  Stay tuned, I'm (finally) going to do my first giveaway on Monday - it's a little something to say "thanks" for reading.  See you then...

Image of my little one via me (taken last July in Chicago)