Twirl Around the World

 



 

Just popping in to let you know that if you show off your twirling capabilities with the ModCloth ‘Twirl Around the World Contest', you could win a $350 gift card!  Snap a photo of yourself twirling in your favorite spring ensemble and upload to the Style Gallery or post on your Instagram account with the hashtag #modtwirl. Videos will also be considered on Instagram. Contest ends 3/31 at 10am PT.  One Instagram winner and one Style Gallery winner will be chosen on 3/31 by EOD. 

 Happy twirling!

Plane & Simple

jeans: exact

top: c/o chicwish

booties: c/o chicwish

purse: francesca's option 1, 2

necklace: c/o chicwish

sunnies: similar 1, 2

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Just like the title says, I'm keeping it plain and simple.  This is the easy outfit I wore for my flight (see what I did there with the title?)  

(Excessive amount of luggage not pictured.)

Please note - this is a pre-scheduled post.  I'll respond to comments when I return.  See you soon!
Linking here today.

Going Somewhere...

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Pardon my absence for the next couple of weeks.  I'm down in Ft. Lauderdale learning to snorkel, soaking up some sunshine, and teaching myself how to dress for
warm weather again.

I hope you're enjoying spring wherever you are.

See you soon!
♥

Happy First Day of Spring

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Bring on the sunshine, skirts, and smiles.

Photo Shoot Tips

Fact: Many people who read fashion blogs are fashion bloggers themselves, so I know this next paragraph will most likely pertain to 98% of everyone reading this.  Have you ever thought about taking the gorgeous photos from your blog and compiling them into a book that you can pull out 20 years from now and say,  Oh, man, did I dress well.  Or maybe you want to make a book to sell; perhaps something along the lines of How to Dress Well (written by A Well-Dressed Blogger).  Whatever your level of vanity, there is a Blurb book just waiting for you to publish it.  And the friendly Blurbians (that's people who work at Blurb, if you didn't know) have put together this helpful little list of tips for a perfect fashion photo shoot.

1. It’s all about lighting. To make your fashion really pop, choose natural light or studio light with a soft box (you can even make one from a lamp and last season’s white t-shirt). If you’re using a flash, you’ll probably want to bounce it or stick a diffusion filter on it.

2. Make a shot list. This is a critical step, and even more important if you are photographing models. Even if your model is just your best friend who owes you a favor, they’ll appreciate it if you know exactly what you want to shoot. Think about the poses you want to capture, the outfits you want them to wear, and the details that you want to highlight in every shot. 

3. White balance (WB). Accurate color and skin tones come from making sure the WB function on your camera is set to your lighting situation. 

4. Choose the right lens/zoom setting. If you’re using a wide angle, you’re going to lose your beautiful lines. If you have a camera with different zoom levels, zoom out to minimize lens barrel distortion. 

5. Keep it stylish. It’s a fashion shoot, after all. Play music, keep things moving, try new angles. Attitude, attitude, attitude. 

6. Dress it up. Make your book as fashionable as the clothing featured in it. Choose a simple design that doesn’t upstage the clothing, but still looks chic. Pick a size and paper type that showcases the work brilliantly.

Start your Blurb book now and Save 25% on print book orders of $75+ at Blurb.

SXSW

{Click here to enter the Craftsy giveaway}

vest: delias

 skirt: Vero Moda

sandals: Dr. Martens
bustier: Antonio Marras

bracelets: bluefly, neiman marcus

hat: Hippie Chick

sunnies: Toms

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Update on my super glamorous life: we still don't have any hot water in the apartment, which means I've only gone out to shower four times in the last 2 weeks, which means there certainly does not need to be photographic evidence of me in this state, which means it's time for a collage.  Since SXSW just happened, I thought it would be fun to pretend I was fresh and clean and attending what is probably one of the coolest festivals known to man.  So, I give to you, a SXSW inspired outfit perfect for a day of kicking back, listening to some tunes, feeling the sunshine on your face, and maybe topping it off with a nice, hot shower before bed (oh, that sounds awesome.  Especially that shower part).

LBD

A few weeks ago, I showed you my Little White Dress, and last year I found myself a solid shirt dress, but in the types of dresses every girl must own department, I'm still a little lacking.  This may probably come as a surprise, but I don't own a Little Black Dress (shock! gasp! horror!).  I've been meaning to buy one for a while; in fact I can pinpoint the exact moment I realized how much I needed one.  I was in Las Vegas and wanted to go to a club.  I had lots of cute items with me - black skinny jeans, chambray button up, the requisite sparkly sequined tank top - but nothing really appropriate for a club.  After that trip I found myself in more situations that certainly could have justified owning an LBD, but for some reason never took the time to actually shop for one.  So when my sponsor, JJsHouse asked me to write a post introducing their site, I knew this would be the perfect time to start searching.  JJs House has such a big selection - prom dresses, wedding dresses, cocktail dresses, Kate Middleton inspired dresses (!) - that at first I felt overwhelmed: until I found the super helpful Little Black Dress category.  It's like they read my mind (or, more likely, just know that every girl really should have an LBD in her closet).

I found so many on the site that speak to me.  The only hard part now is choosing which one to buy!

Which LBD speaks to you?

This post was created in partnership with Mom Buzz Media. Opinions are 100% my own because I'd totally rock these dresses.

Recipe: S'mores Croissants

Click here to enter the Craftsy class giveaway!!

I readily admit that the kitchen is not my domain.  I love to eat baked goods, but I don't really enjoy the process of baking baked goods.  Therefore I have become something of a 3-ingredient-or-less-recipe aficionado (other favorites include Beer Bread & Cream Soda Cupcakes - stay tuned for those). 

In the spirit of what I affectionately call lazy baking, I thought I'd share a really quick and easy recipe with you; S'mores Croissants.  Yeah, really.

gather your supplies:

• chocolate chips, preferably of the mini variety*  
• ditto for the size of the marshmallows
• crescent rolls (the really fancy kind that come in a tube)
• baking sheet

*it's a scientific fact that mini sized are more fun

1. pop open the package of croissants & roll them out onto the baking sheet

2. add chocolate chips & marshmallows

3. roll croissants up with the chocolate chips & marshmallows inside

4. bake according to package instructions

...and try not to over bake them like I did, otherwise your marshmallow will liquefy and leak out onto the baking sheet.  And you don't want to share all that delicious, tasty gooey-ness with an inanimate object, now do you?

Voila!  The laziest form of baking.  Enjoy!

Linking here today.

Wham! Bang! Pow!

 

When I was younger (college age counts as young, right?), I had a brief stint writing comics.  Never mind the fact that I wasn't, and probably never will be, a reader of comics besides the occasional Bazooka Joe (my sense of humor is strictly sophisticated and highbrow).  I drew comics because I liked to portray exaggerated versions of the shenanigans my friends and I would get into.  If only I'd kept some of them for myself instead of tearing the finished stories out of my sketchbook to leave as gifts slipped under dorm room doors or hidden in friends' notebooks.  If only there had been some way for me to keep those comics so I could enjoy them for years to come, instead of lamenting about how they're all now just a distant memory.  If only I'd had Blurb!

With Blurb you can create your very own comic book  They've even paired up with one of the all time comic book greats, Paul Rivoche, known for his illustrations of Batman and Ironman, just to name a few. Take a look at this video.  I dare you not to get inspired to write your own comic book right now!

• Save 25% on print book orders of $75+ at Blurb (until March 27)
• Save 30% on orders of $150+ at Blurb (until March 17)

This post contains affiliate links which means if you make a purchase after clicking, I may earn a small commission.

Stella & Dot New Spring Arrivals

RORY NECKLACE    //    AVIVA CHANDELIERS    //    SARDINIA BRACELET

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As much as I've been complaining about winter, I have to admit spring is in the air.  The days are getting longer (thank you, daylight savings time!), the birds are singing louder, and the air just a smidge warmer.  Emphasis on smidge.  To help you celebrate all things warm, fresh, and blossoming, Stella & Dot has released their new spring arrivals! The Stella & Dot Rory Necklace is the same delicate blue as a robin's egg and looks so perfect with a scoop neck tee.  The matching Stella & Sardinia Bracelet and the Stella & Dot Aviva Chandelier Earrings bring to mind a lively mix of sweet spring blossoms. Check out all of the Stella & Dot new spring arrivals and get ready to bloom! 

This post contains affiliate links which means I may earn a small commission if you make a purchase after clicking them. 

Shoes. Oh My God. Shoes.

{Enter the Craftsy giveaway here!}

Whenever I open up my browser to go virtual shoe shopping, there are two things always happen.  First, I can't help but picture (and hear) Kelly.  She will forever be my imaginary shoe shopping buddy because she is completely awesome, even if she does have questionable taste in footwear.  And second, I then flit around from website to website, browsing the selections and filling my cart so that even if I navigate away from the shop, my cookies will remember what I wanted to buy.  Recently I've found myself visiting DressVenus over and over again, adding more pairs to my cart to patiently await my purchase.  Here what's currently in there waiting for me as we speak.

(I think Kelly would agree, these shoes rule)

I'm really feeling this new style of heel with the super flattering right-angle vamp.

Even though it's hard to imagine it ever actually being warm again, I'm eyeing these for summer.

...and these ones are just so fun (when worn with a neutral or understated outfit, of course)

Mind-spiration

{Click here to enter the Craftsy giveaway}

That title, by the way, is supposed to read mind like Mindy, not mind like Do you mind?. So when I tell you that my outfit was inspired by an episode of The Mindy Project, it make a little more sense.
Anyway.
Thanks to getting rid of cable and being a slacker watching shows on Hulu, I didn't even realize how long ago this episode aired until I saw that my buddy, Sharon, recreated this outfit, too.  (Funnily enough, I came across her post while Googling this photo of Mindy). But I just watched it, so it's new to me.

{source}

As soon as I saw this, I fell in love.  And as I filed the idea away (literally - I keep an excel file of outfit ideas because I'm super cool like that), I began to realize that I actually have all of the pieces I need to recreate this look.  So I grabbed an old black & blue striped shirt that I came thisclose to getting rid of when cleaning out my closet last week (see?  Hoarding is a good thing), then grabbed an even older grey hoodie and topped it with a vest.   I wanted to add my one and only sparkly statement necklace as seen here, but just could not find it anywhere.  Incidentally, my favorite lipstick - a 69¢ tube of Wet n Wild - has also gone missing.  I searched for both for a good half hour, and came up empty handed, then had to find acceptable substitutes.  And this is why I am perpetually late showing up to my friends' houses. (Sorry Mike & Tunde!)

Mine:

denim vest: DIY from old jacket | similar 1, 2
hoodie: similar
jeans: exact
shoes: c/o Chicwish | similar (on sale)
necklace: c/o Sheinside | similar 1, 2

Mindy's:
jacket: exact | similar
top: exact (via ebay) | similar

Linking here today.

Craftsy Class Giveaway

Have you guys heard about Craftsy.com yet?  No?  Well, settle in for a sweet surprise. Craftsy is a virtual school, specializing in all things crafty.  They offer classes to teach you the nuances of just about any craft you can imagine, from knitting to cake decorating to fine art to photography (and lots of others in between).  I've had the pleasure of taking a sewing class with Craftsy, and after the first 15 minutes, I had learned a new technique that the last 10 years with my sewing machine alone couldn't teach me.

Here are my Top 3 Reasons why you should take a Craftsy class:

1. You can take classes on your own schedule, whenever it's convenient.  You can even attend class on your tablet or smartphone.
2. Interact with the instructor and other students in the classroom forum.  Ask as many questions as you need.  The instructor always responds super fast.
3. They offer over 30 free classes, like knife skills.  I just signed up because I don't even know how to properly dice an onion.  But in a couple hours, I'll be an expert.

And now for the best part, Craftsy is giving away a free class to one winner!  All you have to do is click here and register, and you'll be entered to win.  It's that simple.  While you're there, be sure to sign up for some of those free mini classes , too!

These are some of my favorites.  Given the opportunity, I'd be all over these classes.

Which class will you take if you win??

Giveaway ends Monday, March 24 at 11:59pm EST and is open to everyone, everywhere, so don't hesitate to enter.
Good luck!

{DressVenus}

{Click here to enter the Craftsy giveaway}

Even though it's about 25°F outside, and we haven't had hot water in our apartment since Sunday (seriously.), I'm still in a spring-y kind of mood.  Maybe it's the fact that we had a tiny taste of warmer weather a couple weekends back, or maybe it's because I keep gazing at photos of myself from that weekend wearing fun, bright florals and showing some leg,* but I've been doing a little online window shopping in preparation for the warmer weather.  Winter has to end at some point, right??

When my newest sponsor, DressVenus, asked me to do a feature about maxi dresses, I was all too happy to oblige.  Little did they know I had already scoped out all of the maxis on the site, and had my favorites nestled snugly in my virtual wishlist, just begging to be bought.

(*it's that one.)

Breezy, flowy, prettily printed v-neck maxis are my favorite.  If I could get away with wearing one of these every single day, I would.

There's something bohemian, yet chic going on here, and I want to be a part of it.

Not-so-little black dress or not-so-little white dress.  But oh-so flattering and elegant.

Disclosure: Compensation was provided for this post. Opinions are 100% mine, cos that's how I roll.

Bare Legs & 3/4 Sleeves

flannel: option
skirt: francesca's | option

booties: target | similar 1, 2

necklace: c/o onecklace
watch: exact

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I know bare legs and rolled up sleeves look a little cray right now, especially if you've been in NJ pretty much anytime at all during this ridiculously freezing cold winter. Except for two weekends ago when we got a heat wave - 50° and sunny!  Normally I wouldn't bust out a skirt (without tights) in such weather, but you know, I just had to grab a little slice of sunshine while I could.

And what better way to tell winter to kindly f#*k off than with some brightly colored florals and plaid?  If this sweet little combo doesn't chase away the chill, I don't know what will.

Linking here today.