“No, I’m going to hyphenate a second time.”

This was my joking response the first time my fiance asked me to marry him. Of course, the way that he asked was “Are you taking my last name when we get married?” I didn’t mean it (I’m totally taking his last name), but he did. After being together for almost three years, we’ve decided that it’s the right time to make ourselves crazy for the next 14 months and get married on Halloween 2015. When it all comes down to it, I really am the luckiest girl in the world and I’m happy that, through whatever happenstance, our lives pushed us back together. (Our “first date” never actually happened and we were briefly split up last year through no one’s fault but ultimately determined that wasn’t going to work.) He and his whole family feels the same way about Halloween that I do and with it falling on a Saturday next year, the date seemed a perfect fit. He works full time and I’m a full time student with a few other things on my part time plate, so we decided that it wasn’t too soon to start planning, and we’ve also got a move on our plate between now and the ringing of wedding bells. If you want to tag along as my journey continues, I’ll leave a link to my currently empty wedding board on Pinterest at the end of the post. But for now…

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Lovable Friday!

1: Chalkboard polish; How on Earth could I not know about Ciate’s chalkboard paint polish??? Sephora states it’s a new item, so maybe I’m not that far behind the trend. I love that the set comes with its own nail pens to help you create your own unique patterns. Although school is over, this would make a great end of year gift for teachers, or just a gift for that special instructor in your life.

2: Colorful napkins; With all those summer parties in your very near future, you are going to need some sunshine-worthy kitchen accessories. In comes these gorgeous Anthropologie napkins in bold and fun colors and patterns. Serving, wiping and folding have never been more fun.

3: Confetti number cake topper; I’m a big fan of DIY cake toppers – it just adds that special something to birthdays, weddings, showers, etc. And this sweet little tutorial looks just perfect and seemingly easy. Definite birthday project!

4: High-waisted chevron swimsuit; Another adorable swimsuit with no original link. What gives, people? But seriously, this high-waisted chevron bikini is so perfect! I can imagine pairing it with a large, floppy hat, an ice cold piña colada and a relaxed state of mind {similar found here}.

5: Heart bowls; Talking about cute kitchen accessories – check this sweet bowl set out! I don’t know about you, but serving a nice healthy breakfast in one of these guys would make me way more apt to eat it. Just an idea, dieters.

Lovable Friday!

1. Colorblock sneakers; Crazy colorful shades for the summer? Yes please! These great colorblock sneakers from American Apparel are sure to brighten up your June wardrobe, especially as a pop to any outfit. Yep, need ‘em.

2. Unicorn iPhone case; I stand behind anything unicorn-related. Especially if it is paired with a very unladylike statement. That’s why this iPhone case is kind of perfection. Have I mentioned I have a summer birthday? Just sayin’.

3. Lady suit; Gone are the days where a one-piece bathing suit was just for moms and body conscious women. I can’t get over how cute they are lately, and this one only proves my point. Unfortunately, I can’t find it online, but I’m pretty sure it is Moschino, which means I can kiss it and its hefty price tag goodbye. Le sigh.

4. Instagram flask; Do you and your friends insta?? If you know exactly what that phrase means, chances you are going to definitely want one of these sweet flasks. Can you say perfect groomsmen gift??

5. Mojito jello shots; I blame my good friend, Chris Fullman, for this find. I’m always looking for the next best party drink, and I think I have met my match. How perfect would these be for the next Melificent pool party? Although it seems to be some work (hello, lime scooping), I am up for the challenge!

 

Birthday Boy Details

October is full of so many festivities – it’s always one of my favorites!

It also is home to my favorite holiday and my favorite person’s birthday, my husband. He said he wanted something very low-key at home with his closest friends. Nothing major, just a night where we could have a few cocktails and catch up. I took the opportunity to make the party special, while not breaking the bank. I used items that were either under $5 or that I found laying around the house. It is totally possible to throw a party at your home without saying goodbye to a quarter of your bank account, I promise.

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Lovable Friday

1. Heart wall decal

I can’t get over this ADORABLE wall decal. I know the hubs will absolutely kill me if I buy it for our home, but I’m severely tempted. Like, I may have the checkout screen staring back at me as we speak. Like, I may have hit the submit button. Oh well, he’ll get over it, right?

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Lovable Friday!

1. Stitch iPhone Case

I had a thing for Stitch for a very long time (OK, I still do). My 21st family birthday cake had his face on it (my friends got me one with Elijah Wood’s face on it – ha), and I basically had every single piece of Stitch-related paraphernalia available. People even state that my dogs are very Stitch-like (they are), so naturally I NEED THIS CASE. Did I make myself clear?

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A Very Magical Bachelorette

Image via; weheartit.com

I come bearing both good and bad news. Bad news? No Lovable Friday today. Good news? I am en route to Orlando, Florida where I will be celebrating a wonderful girl’s bachelorette! I am completely honored to be my friend, Elissa’s, maid of honor and have had such a good time planning what may just be the best bachelorette party idea in the world. Well, at least to those of us that believe in magic. It will be at the Wizarding World of Harry Potter where we will be sure to spike our Butterbeers and run amok alongside fellow witches all while pledging allegiance to the boy who lived.

I’ll be back next week with party details, as well as a related giveaway!
Have a great weekend, muggles!

Hunger Games Themed Party

This past weekend, I threw a Hunger Games themed birthday party for one of my closest friends, Lori. We gathered a group of hardcore fans of the book series and headed to see the film at Cinebistro with matching shirts that the hubs designed before heading over to our house to celebrate. I worked really hard on all the details, with help from the hubs and the bestie, and I was so happy with the way things turned out.

As for the movie, I think they did a good job. But, of course, a movie will never be as wonderful as a book. Never. Unfortunately, I think their biggest downfall was character development. There were a lot of relationships that were not delved into as they should have been and remained pretty superficial, but the acting was absolutely amazing. Jennifer Lawrence is my girl, yo.

For more party details, click below.

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Crafting & Champagne Party

As I mentioned in yesterday’s post, I hosted a fun, girls-only get-together at my place this past weekend. My friends and I really love painting our nails and the majority of us have vast collections, so we thought, why not share? I paired manicures with friendship bracelets, a trend that seems to be spreading with fashion bloggers and a project I thought seemed easy enough. I mean, we all used to do these when we were younger right? Not exactly. They were way more difficult to construct than I remember, and I’m kind of embarrassed to admit that I couldn’t even make one that looked half decent. What a mess! However, I’m not a quitter, so I’m going to try to tackle one again soon – I will conquer the friendship bracelet! We all worked together while sipping on bubbly, and indulging on sweets. All in all, it was a really great afternoon and something we plan on making a monthly ritual.

For party planning details, click below!

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What I Wore: Hostess Duties

This past weekend I hosted a fun afternoon for some of my favorite girls consisting of lots of champagne, crafting (friendship bracelets to be exact) and at-home manicures. It was also doubling as a birthday celebration for one of my best friends, Elissa. We had such a good time, and despite the surprising difficulty level of those silly bracelets, decided we should get together to make crafts together at least once a month! With the holidays coming, I can’t wait to plan little projects for us to do together (with plenty of liquor involved, of course). Look out for the official party post tomorrow, complete with details and fun action shots!

With that said, I decided to dress the part and pulled out the color! When I chose to wear a fun striped shirt, I had to pair it with my favorite bells for that retro vibe. I attempted my best blogger bun (I’m really no good at it) and rocked my sky high wedges to complete the fun and relaxed look.

Tee; gifted
Jeans; Free People via Marshall’s
Wedges; gojane.com
Belt; Etsy
Pink bracelet; Ebay
Gold bracelet; gifted
Gold floral necklace; Off 5th
Fox necklace; Grrfeisty

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