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Good morning, fashionable friends!

I love this tiered maxi dress! The color is decadent and the shape is flattering. The fabric is very light and perfect for those summer date nights. The added value of the neckline detail means that jewelry can be kept to a minimum and hair would look fab up or down.

I’m hoping this will be in my closet by the time I get home. A girl can dream, right???

Emerald Green Tiered Maxi Dress ($99)

I AM LOVING THIS SO MUCH! If you don’t know about Gilt Group, you’ve been missing out. Think designer everything on a regular gal’s budget (most of the time).

If you’re not a member of the awesome flash deal site, click this link and use me as your reference so that I can earn some credits to aid in my ongoing love affair with shopping: Gilt Group Invitation

Gold & Tortoise Bib Necklace ($59)

Good morning again, fashionable friends!

I love these adorable jeweled bobby pins from Nordstroms. They may seem a tad pricey for bobby pins, but they’re durable and timeless. They’re the perfect hint of sparkle for short hair or long hair and they can make a dull day bun seem like a work of art.

Go. Buy. Look fabulous!

Berry Bobby Pins ($10)

Bonus Deal: Super Cute Lolo Sunglasses Pouch

Good morning, fashionable friends!

Day 5 of the sixty day challenge was probably close to one of the best things I’ve tested on Pinterest…ever. To be fair, my mom did mention something about this to me a few months ago, but I saw it on Pinterest and only then did I officially try it for the first time.

Winter air in Texas can be harsh. What suffers most from the turbulent wind and icy breeze is not so much my body temperature, but my skin. Everything just feels dry and sort of aged; however, this brilliant Pin has changed all of that.

#1. Shower/bathe in warm water (not hot)

#2. Towel dry skin very gently

#3. Apply a moisturizing oil. I included a link to my favorite body oil below, but the original Pinner recommended Johnson’s.

#4. Get dry (do your makeup, hair, etc.)

#5. Apply regular moisturizer

#6. GLORIOUSLY GLOW!

Pin-spiration:

My Body Oil Favorites:

Lemon & Vitamin E Bath and Body Oil ($8)

Mama Bee Nourishing Body Oil ($6)

Thanks, dear #petrel41, for this generous gesture!

The rules of this award are:

1. Thank the person who nominated you and add a link to their blog.

2. Display the award on your post.

3. List the award rules so your nominees will know what to do.

4. State 7 things about yourself.

• I secretly wish I had an Australian accent.
• I almost love shopping for my toddler son more than I like shopping for myself – which is saying something.
• I read a minimum of 5 books at a time. (Obviously in sequences, but I switch from chapter to chapter.)
• I used to want to be a human rights attorney.
• I giggle in my sleep…a lot.
• My son also giggles in his sleep…a lot.
• I hope to someday own an Aston Martin Vanquish…in gunmetal grey.

5. Nominate 15 other bloggers for the award. (In progress…)

6. Contact your nominees to let them know you have nominated them. Provide a link to your post.

7. Proudly display the award logo (or buttons) on your blog, whether on your side bar, ABOUT page, or a special page for awards.

This dress is a MUST HAVE! If you’re looking for something great for just about any occasion, go with the black. If you want something flirty and spring time fresh, go with the aqua. Either way, this dress is adorable and is an absolute steal at $29. Thank you, Nordstrom!

Wayf Long Sleeve Crepe Shift Dress ($29)

Hello, fashionable friends!

Well, time to get caught up on the 60 day Pinterest challenge. For Monday, I decided to include a project I actually did prior to the start of the challenge. I made my own headboard! Yes, I know, it’s amazing. In all seriousness though, making my own headboard was both totally affordable and really pretty easy. I have a California king size bed, so my project is pretty much as expensive as it gets. I’ll post pictures later, but here’s the process just in case you’re considering your own DIY headboard.

DIY Headboard Pin-spiration

What you need

1/4″ to 3/4″ thick plywood

Scissors

Durable Fabric

Foam

Batting

Staple Gun

Mounting Brackets

Spray Adhesive

Electric Screwdriver and screws

Button Kit (For Tufted Headboard)

Helpful Websites:

http://www.sheknows.com/home-and-gardening/articles/813266/how-to-make-your-own-headboard\

http://thriftydecorchick.blogspot.com/2013/07/diy-tufted-headboard-tutorial.html

http://www.houzz.com/diy-upholstered-headboard

My Story:

First of all, I wanted the cut of the headboard from the Pin-spiration pic, but I had a hard time finding a local handyman that could come out to my house to cut the wood perfectly for the right price. Instead, I went for a more modern look and kept the headboard the standard rectangle shape. I chose a great silvery velvet on clearance from a local fabric warehouse (thank goodness my mom is an interior designer that helps me out with the fabric biz), grabbed some buttons and the rest of the stuff and went to work. A few words of caution…don’t do this outside on a windy day, DEFINITELY recruit some help, and make sure you’ve given yourself tons of extra fabric. I also recommend picking up some basic muslin to finish up the back of the headboard. The muslin gives it a nicely finished touch without leaving plywood exposed. I should also state that for those of you wanting that nailhead finish – just go with the strips. I tried the individual nailheads because I thought they looked better and, let me tell you, it is SO not worth it! For complete instructions, just follow any one of the three sites listed above and you’ll be just fine. The project is cheap, looks great, and is actually a lot of fun to do. Monday’s pin-strocity challenge = conquered! **Pics are coming!**

TUESDAY PIN-STROCITY CHALLENGE

Contouring 101: Pin-spiration

Let me just tell you, ladies, that this is amazing! I know contouring seems sort of simple, but this guide sort of changed my life. I’ve always sort of known what to do, but seeing the blush, bronzer, and concealer in their exact place and the right order for application was perfect for my routine. Not only are each of these approaches the great perk up to your daily make up routine, they make it easy to walk out of the house without too much eye make up on and still feel fabulous. When you want to dress it up for night, throw on some fancy schmancy eyeliner and a smokey eyeshadow and you’re good to go! I do recommend playing around with your blush/bronzer combo a bit though. I’ve found that I love Lorac’s matte bronzer with Benefit’s Rodeo blush, but I have to mix a bit of blush with a tiny bit of bronzer to get the perfect color combo. For a simple highlighter on the cheap, use a shimmery eye shadow.

Happy shopping, fashionable friends!!!

Hello, fashionable friends!

Due to some connectivity issues over the weekend, I’m uploading the Pin-strocity projects from the last two days via a single post.

On Saturday, I decided to go for the DIY facials I am always seeing on Pinterest. After all, how awesome can these practically free skin miracles be? Well, I found that some of them can be just as note worthy as some salon treatments. I also found that a few of the DIY facial treatments are, well, nothing but a good way to get sticky!

For those of you with dull skin or dry skin, I very highly recommend the two recipes below for those items. For those of you with acne scars, I’d recommend investing in some La Mer and avoiding this lemony fiasco of a mask. I did not see great results here and, although I smelled wonderful, I think I wasted some pricey yogurt for a disappointing facial flop. I did not try the mask for the oily skin, but I hear it works some serious miracles. I’ll try it this next weeked and follow up with some comments. Here’s the original Pin:

My Sunday Pin test involved the so-called Victoria’s Secret workout. I looked at it thinking, “Anyone who’s walked more than two miles in the last month and done at least one push up can certainly do this.” By the time I had finished the routine, I had some serious burn in some odd places. I’m grading this Pin experiment pretty highly considering it did the trick in making me feel as though I had accomplished a Victoria’s Secret model worthy burn. Do my abs look instantly flatter….well, no. Would they in three or four weeks? Absolutely. Just click the pic for the workout link.

Victoria’s Secret Workout: Jet Set