Pure and Good

Anthropologie has activewear? Who knew?

I wouldn't have known (it's only available online) unless I had been doing my daily twice-daily stalk of one of my all-time-favorite blogs, A Piece of Toast. When they posted about sports gear a few weeks ago I clicked through a couple of links and was surprised when one directed me to the Anthropologie website. I had no idea that Anthro had released a full-line of my favorite type of clothes to wear and I couldn't be happier about it. Since I prefer to live most of my life in spandex pants and comfy tops this line if perfect and I can't help but swoon over every item. It is such a good thing that one of my jobs requires me to have an abundance of workout gear and it is an even better thing that Christmas is just around the corner. 

{Top Row}

Moto Leggings // Yoga Tank // Running Shorts // Ruffled Jacket

{Bottom Row}

Headband Set // Sports Bra // Striped Leggings // Cutout Tee

Running shorts so cute, they might inspire me to actually go for a run.

Tips and Tricks

When I came across a pin on Pinterest with a link to the 101 Fashion Tips and Tricks, I figured I would pin it and then never read it. So many of my pins have been pinned with great intentions and then lost in the oblivion that is my Pinterest boards. For some reason, this particular pin was different and only moments after pinning it I found myself returning to read all 101 Tips and Tricks for Fashion, Beauty, and all that happens in between. For all those who didn't read or don't want to read all 101 points, I high-lighted my favorites and those that I found most relevant. 

For those that want to read all of them, follow this link for the 101 Fashion Tips and Tricks that Every Girl Should Know. 

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100. Use white wine to remove red wine stains.

96. “Remove white deodorant marks from a garment by gently rubbing the protective foam used on hangers against the fabric.” — Jonathan Simkhai, designer

88. Cut down your closet by 25% by asking yourself this one question: “If I were shopping right this second, would I buy this?” If the answer’s no, out it goes. — Melanie Charlton Fascitelli, Founder, Clos-ette and Clos-ette Too.

87. “Never put your swimwear in the washing machine, and always hand dry. The machine will damage the suit and it will lose its elasticity. The only exception: At the end of the summer or vacation, wash your swimwear in lingerie washing bags on the gentle cycle with a bit if Drift or Woolite. But only after many wears.” —Shoshanna Gruss, Designer

86. To drop bloat five days before a big event, stay away from dairy and whole grains, which can do a number on the digestive system.

83. “Never put a garment on immediately after ironing, as this can actually cause new wrinkles to form. Instead, let it sit for five minutes to set the press.” — Althea Harper, Designer and Rowenta Brand Ambassador

77. To clean dirt off suede, remove the crust from a piece of bread and allow it to become stale. Gently rub dirt and stains with the edge of the stale bread, and they’ll disappear. To de-scuff suede, use an eraser or nail file.

47. Everyday bras should be replaced every three to six months, as that’s when they start to lose elasticity and support.

45. Pants a bit too tight? Let them air dry and stretch the waistband by hand (or with a hairdryer) while they’re still damp.

42. The power of a silk pillowcase isn’t a myth: Not only do they prevent “sleep crease,” they’re much, much gentler on your skin and hair.

20. “For guaranteed weight loss, I advise people to follow my A, B, C’s – no Alcohol, Bread or processed Carbs.”—David Kirsch, celebrity trainer and fitness guru.

Beauty is pain- but these might make it less painful and less stressful!

Let's Save Some Money

There is a note, written on my office dry-erase board, that my sweet "office roommate" wrote to help herself with the little thing we all know as a shopping addiction. It reads something along the lines that she will not buy anything in the month of July...unless it is at least 60% off. 

That is really a great rule, because if something is that discounted then it is just begging to be purchased. 

Although the items above are not all 60%, they are all on sale and a great deal. A girl like me can never resist a sale. I swear to this day that I was running towards a "great sale" when I cracked my head open and needed stitches as a very young child. I might embellish the story a bit, but I did hit my head on a clothing rack in a Ross, and their were stitches involved.  

Kate Spade Wallet $228 $114

Isa Tapia Heeled Sandal $395 $158

Shoshana Beaded Dress $418 $167.20

Madewell Striped Dress (Ties in the back!) $138 $99.50

Loft Tassel Sandals (Unfortunately no longer on sale, sorry! But still a great deal!) $89.50

Whit Embroidered Floral Tee $228 $185

And don't miss J. Crew's 7 Surprise Sales everyday this week!

Don't get so excited that you hit your head on the computer screen.

Pencil Skirts and Sling-Backs

I know that my blogging tendencies have been scarce lately, but I honestly feel like I have an excuse. As some of you might know, I started my first big-girl, full-time, pencil skirt and sling-back wearing job (that was a lot of hyphens!) last week. I have been at this job for a week now and already love it so much. I loved it the second I walked in to the office. It is a completely different atmosphere than I am used to but I love going to work each morning, even if it is at 7 a.m. 

So my excuse for the single blog post from the last seven days is because I have been adapting to this new schedule of working each day from seven until five and then being so worn out that all I want to do is go home and go to bed. I actually went to bed on Tuesday night when light was still streaming through my window! I have no regret about that early bed time, especially when my alarm went off at five. The early mornings and long days are worth it though when I get to spend my days with a team who have already taught me so much (seeing as that I knew nothing about the industry before starting) and constantly make me laugh. Not to mention that all the building lobbies are stocked with apples and every kitchen has my favorite peanut butter (do the math and you have my daily afternoon snack).

The other great part about a new job, is getting to splurge a little on a new wardrobe. I don't mind wearing pencil skirts and heels each day because for as long as I have been reading blogs I have been reading 9 to 5 Chic and wishing that I had a place to wear all her corporate work outfits. Well guess what? Now I do and I have been looking to her blog for inspiration for the last week. 

Here are some of my favorites!

Working 9 to 5!

Well more like 7 to 5...

Things I Love

It's Things I Love Thursday and goodness, I love so much. It is one of those times when I love everything that I see in stores, online, and on blogs. This always happens when a new season comes along because the colors and styles are new and different. I am officially ready to swap out all my jeans for shorts and my leggings for dresses. I am ready to retire my dark bags for bright and cheery totes and all of my red and purple nail polishes have been replaced with pastels and neon hues. Summer is here and I am loving it all! 

1. Reebok Yoga Tank
2. Kate Spade Bourbon Street Bag
3. Joie Perfume
4. Rosarita Maxi Dress
5. C Wonder Tortoise Aviators
6. Kenneth Jay Lane Turquoise & Crystal Necklace
7. Essie "Lights"
8. J Crew Neon V-Neck Sweater

This is the beginning of my birthday wish list. 

Let's Go to the Beach

I know that I am counting down the days until my beach vacation. Sea Side, Florida is just a few weeks away and not just is it the beach but a beach wedding! To prepare, I ordered some bathing suits (20% off on Shopbop today, swooning over this one), I have been slowly working on my tan, and now am in search of the perfect beach tote. The thing about beach bags is that they should be waterproof and big enough to carry all the essentials. iPod, book, sunglasses, water bottle, lots of SPF, towel, and snacks. Snacks are optional if you happen to have a personal waiter who brings umbrella drinks and fruit kabobs at your beck and call. 

1//2//3//4//5//6//7//8

Now hiring: a personal beach snack waiter. 

Jewelry Round- Up

It is a new month and that means it is time to refresh our jewelry boxes. It is time to bust out those neons, big, colorful earrings, and other statement pieces. I know that all of my sundresses need necklaces to add some flair and new bracelets to accompany my everyday pieces. I love the update that C. Wonder has given the friendship bracelet and gold never goes out of style as seen by Gorjana's exquisite collections. ASOS offers trends at great prices (both pieces are under $20!) and Shopbop always delivers greatness.

ASOS

Spike Drop Earring

Beaded Collar Necklace

Gorjana

Ring Set

Rectangular Hoops

Shopbop

Turquoise Stick Necklace

Sparkling Sea Cuff

C. Wonder

Pyramid Stud Friendship Bracelet

Hearts Aflutter Cuff

Frost yourselves. 

Friday Fails and Finds

Let's start off with some fails.

1. The amount that I blogged this week is a big, fat fail. I thought about it. I had some ideas. I even sat down and worked on a collage for a "Things I Love" post. Then it just didn't happen. Fail.

2. My plans to stick to my pre-best-friends-wedding diet ended up being a fail this week. I ate a whole bag of chef-mix for lunch yesterday, ate my weight in chips and queso TWO nights in a row, and had fried chicken with red beans and rice for dinner on Tuesday at the Oklahoma City Festival of the Arts. Diet fail.

3. My attempt to cook a "simple" dinner last night was a huge fail! I was cooking at my boyfriends house which happens to have a stove that was installed in the 1760's. Maybe that is an exaggeration, but it was definitely installed in the 1960's and we don't have a very good relationship. After crisping the roasted potatoes to crunchy chips (fail), I set the smoke alarm off while making salad dressing. Yes, you read that right. Salad dressing! Fail. I actually salvaged the meal and I really liked the chicken salad  and will definitely make it again, but there was lots of smoke and a few tears during the process. Not to mention a stray cat that snuck in while the doors were open in an attempt to air out the whole house. FAIL.

source

Let's turn all these fails around and just make cupcakes, because somehow cupcakes make everything better.

Let's talk about some finds.

1. A new favorite DIY blog that I found one night when I couldn't sleep. I looked at every single DIY she had posted and their were 60+ pages of posts. Some seem a little over my head (any project that involves a sewing machine is over my head and beyond my skill level) but others looked pretty simple.

2. Happy Chic by Jonathan Adler at JC Penney! I am so excited about this find where it is possible for me to buy JA at a lower price point. 

3. The Spring 2013 To and From Gift Guide came out a couple of weeks ago. Check it out for ideas for Mother's Day, Father's Day, and Graduation gifts!

4. Fashion find, a fun bag for the warm weather months. 

5. My favorite nail color for summer, Essie's lilacism.

6. And lastly, one of my favorite weekly features from The Glitter Guide, 5 Things to Try This Weekend

source

It's the weekend, eat whatever you want!

Zinke Summer

I could have made today's blogpost quick and easy by just simply giving you the link to the Zinke website. I knew that I wanted to blog about the delicate and colorful designs of this brand, and when I went to the site to pick my favorite images I found myself wanting to use them all. Zinke has a way of combining the new with the old; mixing their retro structures with fresh patterns and happy colors. 

Even though Spring is hiding today and winter has decided to show it's ugly face again, I can't help but swoon over all the swimsuits, coverups, and lounge wear. This girl will take one of each of the flirty designs, a beach chair in the Caymans, and Pina Colada. Is that too much to ask?

Swoon.

Still swooning. 

If someone forced me to choose, I would want this, this, and this. So maybe that wasn't choosing, but it is way too hard when everything is so wonderful.

Rain, rain, go away. 

Denim Daze

When I was in elementary school, you wouldn't have been able to tear me away from my jean jacket. It was a staple in my Gap Kid's-dominant wardrobe and I wore it until I lost it, or my mom secretly threw it away. I wore it with dresses, skorts (shorts in a skirt was genius and prime for looking sassy yet athletic at recess), and jeans, because one can never be wearing enough denim. Sadly there were years that my favorite jacket was out of style, but I could not be more excited that it is socially and fashionably acceptable again to wear this "goes-with-everything" jacket. I searched all last year for a denim jacket, with no success, and thought that I was fighting a losing battle to find a replacement for my elementary school jacket. And then a few weeks ago I found the perfect jean jacket (similar Sanctuary jacket here)! It was a great shape, great color, and GREAT price (thank you T. J. Maxx).

Now that I have my perfect jacket, I hope to find other alternatives to carry me through Spring and Summer, like a dark wash and maybe even a fun patterned one like the Marc Jacobs below.  

Dark - Light - Pattern

So, no matter what jacket you choose for this Spring, I hope it brings back memories of your younger fashion statements. 

Searching for skorts. 

If It Isn't Neon (It Shouldn't Be On)

So much neon popping up all over the fashion world and I am loving it. Nothing says warm weather and Spring like dashes of these hot colors. Now if only the weather would cooperate....

Neon Love by tuck9073 featuring j crew


Until next time.
That romper- swoon!

"My Vibe, My Life"

My favorite thing about the Kelly Wearstler website is that I can browse exquisite jewelry, apparel, and interiors all in one place. After an hour of browsing (but no buying!) last night my wish list is quite long. Above are just some of the items I was swooning over.

Maybe I'll start with the book.

Oscar Night

I don't think that anyone can disagree with the best dressed women from last night's Academy Awards. All of Hollywood's finest came out and impressed not only me but some of the toughest critics. No one came wearing a swan dress, or a dress just asking for an outfit malfunction, but rather beautiful colors, stunning jewelry, and sensational hair.

via. Glamour

Charlize Theron, Naomi Watts, and Jessica Chastain were my absolute favorites from the night, with Naomi Watts as my top winner. She had a lot of say in the making of her Armani Prive dress and I don't think it could be more perfect for her or the Oscars.

I also love these dresses that you might not have seen on the red carpet last night. Lily Collins, Nina Dobrev, Natalie Portman, and Miranda Kerr showed off their beautiful dresses at the many parties that come with the Oscars.

via. People

Until next award's season. 

Golden Globes 2013

Oh how I love award season!

I love sitting on the couch, listening to awards, laughing at the good jokes and cringing at the awkward speeches. But like most, I love the fashion statements that walk down the red carpet.

Here is a short list of my favorites from Sunday night--

Guiliana Rancic - I don't care what anyone else says, I love this 

Jessica Alba - her hair... and that dress...

Kate Hudson

Kerry Washington

Michelle Dockery

Jennifer Garner

My absolute favorite? Kate Hudson. Wowza! She looks so beautiful, I love that her hair is down, and her dress is wonderful.

Red carpet wonders.

Like (For) Ever

I hope that everyone had a wonderful Thanksgiving holiday!

I know that I am not alone in my wish that this holiday break would never end. 

The relaxation mixed with family and friends mixed with the best food of the year is always hard to leave behind. Luckily we have another special holiday to look forward to now!

My Thanksgiving was perfect, like usual, except this year I had a slight case of laryngitis that kept me quiet for a couple of days (torture!). This ailment didn't damper my spirit though and I loved getting to spend the day with the people that I love the most.

Now that Thanksgiving has passed us, that means that winter is fast approaching (if someone would just tell that to the Oklahoma weather)! Christmas lights are going up, hot chocolate is being sipped, and scarves and gloves are creeping out of our closets. I love winter fashion and being able to bundle up in wonderful winter wear and this undoubtably includes an infinity scarf.

1. Similar style 2. 50% off today! 3. Splurge worthy

4. On sale! 5. Under $10 6. Coziest

Because infinity goes on like forever 

All Day Thanksgiving Wardrobe

{8:00} Pajamas

{11:30} Sweater // Pants // Flats // Oven Mitt

{2:00} Dress // Tights // Earrings // Lip Pencil

Thanksgiving at my house is full of traditions, food, and outfit changes.

Every Thanksgiving begins the same for me; on the couch, in my pajamas, and watching the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade. I have never missed the parade, and I can safety say that I never will.

One of my favorite Thanksgiving morning traditions is drinking orange juice with raspberries out of a wine glass. This morning drink started when I was little and the excitement of drinking from a wine glass was high- 

23 years old and I still get excited.

After the parade, it is officially cooking time and I am summoned to the kitchen to get started on the dressing. Making the dressing has always been a team effort by my dad and me, but I think he finally trusts me enough to give me complete control this year. The pressure!

For all the cooking it is important to be comfortable and that means an oversized sweater, my Pixie pants, and my favorite flats. Don't forget the oven mitt!

After all the food is prepared (which takes about 3 days total), this very anticipated Thanksgiving meal is ready to eat. With all the work and time that has gone in, I think it is important to make this meal a little more formal than an every day dinner, and that shows in my next wardrobe change.

Out of my comfortable outfit and into an (almost) equally comfortable outfit of tights and a dress. The key in this outfit is a loose fitting combo that allows plenty of room for the food baby that will most likely form. Let's be honest, if you don't stuff yourself than you aren't celebrating Thanksgiving in the correct way. 

My last and undocumented outfit change is back in to my comfy outfit for the remainder of the day, which includes pie, football, wine, games, and laughs with my family. 

Enjoy your day of food, family, and fashion.

Sparkling Fall Fashion

The mixture of sparkles and tweed in this heel by J. Crew caught my eye while shopping online this week. Not only are they on sale but so is the electric tweed skirt and I think it would fit perfectly into my fall wardrobe. If only my bank account agreed.

And the glittered make-up travel bag? Well it is for little girls but I don't care. Too many stores have cuter items in their children's section (J. Crew, Gap, Target) these days anyway, so I won't judge if you try to shop there if you don't judge me. 

And how is it fair that J. Crew didn't include us big girls when they were creating this entire glitter collection for kids?

Big girls like glitter too.

Coffee Break

Enjoying a much needed coffee (or tea) break right now? I know I am, and I am completely swooning over this Alice+Olivia sweater.

Pardon me while I put this on and never take it off. 

This is going on my Christmas list.