Kate Spade Christmas on a Dollar Store Budget

Well... Christmas is around the corner and I'm excited to be decorating for my husbands company Christmas party again. I've gone with a Kate Spade inspired theme. This all began with my choice of white, cream, or black tablecloths. I ended up going with black, and upon googling "Black Christmas Decorations" to figure out how to make it festive... I came across these photos:

Now being the crafty (aka cheap) girl that I am... I set out to recreate these looks!

A few Dollar Store and Michaels stops later:

Lets Party!!!

MOVING DAYS AHEAD!!

We're moving!!! We're moving!!!

1 year ago the big machine pulled up and broke ground on our dream home! What a journey it's been since then! I'm pretty sure I've aged more in the last year than I have in the last 10! I have done work that I didn't think my body could do... dug trenches, moved gravel by hand, spent more time in more mud than I could have ever imagined, breathed in a WHOLE lot of saw dust, removed tonnnnnnes of garbage from the site (I even picked up a live mouse by accident!!) and eaten WAY too many sandwiches. But the day is drawing near that we will no longer be responsible for two homes... no more referring to the two places as "The old house" and "The new house".
What I'm looking forward to most is:
-having two linen closets
-having an en suite
-my gigantic closet!!!

But the challenges in the next two weeks have me feeling just a smidgen overwhelmed... but I'm so excited to decorate... and will post pictures as I go!

Vinylux Nail Polish review... It's a game changer!!

I recently discovered a brand new product by CND that is kinda blowing my mind! Anyone who knows me is familiar with my love of nail polish, and over the years I've accumulated quite a collection! I have to say though, I get so frustrated with nails that are chipped... Especially if its only been a day or two! I did jump on the Gel Polish craze, and though I love the look of it, I found it very difficult to remove, and my nails really took a beating! 

But ALAS... Along comes Vinylux!!! It's an innovative new product that applies just like regular polish, but has the added benefit of a UV sensitive top coat!! That means, no drying under a lamp... But natural sunlight will make it more durable!! The result is nail polish that lasts up to a week, depending on how hard you are in your nails! I must say, I've been VERY hard on my nails this summer as we've been building a house, but this stuff really takes a beating!! Doing a sink full of dishes, or digging in the mud has not beat out this power polish!! Lets just say, I'm in love. 

Anyone want a huge bag of regular old nail polish? 

Weekly Wear

Top/Skirt/Necklace -Target

Shoes -Aldo

Top $5!!! -H&M

Skirt -Winners

Belt -Dynamite

Necklace -Stella and Dot

Hair you go!!!

I have been doing hair for almost 20 years! Yikes! Right from day one... Even back to my JrHigh days, styling has always been my favorite! The proof is in the photos of my university aged sister and her perfectly "poofed" 90's bangs, thanks to me! As time has gone on, and my body has given out, I've dropped first perming, then coloring. But I can NEVER imagine the day I say no to an updo!! 

Looking through my portfolio photos brings back such happy memories of beautiful brides, and excited grads! Thank you all for letting me in to your memories, to be a part of your big days! I've loved every moment of it!! Here are some of my favorites over the years!!

To be continued...

Balancing Act

As the weather warms up,  it feels SO great to shed the layers, to let our toes free of the socks and boots. But a tendency I see way too often is to get to carried away with our enthusiasm to embrace the warm air on our bare skin! Trust me, I do get it... I too LOVE the heat! But there is a way to embrace the warmth, without showing too much skin. It's really all about balance... and fabric.

Forever 21

 If you want to wear shorts... wear a long sleeve LIGHTWEIGHT blouse in linen, cotton or gauze... even an open knit lightweight sweater. The trick is natural fabrics.

Forever 21

If you have a tank you'd like to wear, go for a great pair of capri's. Again, watch the fabric content.

This rule applies with length of your shorts too... if you're wearing longer shorts, you can have a "lesser" top. 

Just a rule of thumb I thought I'd share, that I try to apply.

On those SUPER hot days that I really love, I usually go with a summer dress, where I feel the same rules generally apply.

Gap

Gap

Now go slather on some sunscreen, grab your shades and enjoy the summer ladies!! 

P.S. This is a general rule of thumb if wanting to keep modesty in mind... there are definitely places were strapless tanks and short shorts can be worn... like the beach...ahhhh the beach. Sigh.

Weekly wear....