Fun Manicures

Manicures seem to be the theme of the blog this week, and such a hot trend right now! Although I do love doing my own nails and see it as a form of therapy, I wish I was talented enough to do the elaborate designs I see on other’s nails. Unfortunately, my hands can be pretty shaky – especially using the left hand, so I don’t think I will ever be that successful. However, that doesn’t mean I can’t collect some of my favorite creative and fun manicures to day dream about.

*All images found on Pinterest

What are your favorite unique manicures?
Share them in the comments!

Happy Hump Day: Jason Momoa

Jason Momoa is all sorts of ridiculously good looking. I mean, his hotness is almost revolting. Almost. Although I’ve admired those revolting looks since the Stargate days, his role as Khal Drogo in HBO’s Game of Thrones really solidified my love. Although that role was short-lived (oh, Dany…why did you listen to that witch?), it looks like it is only the beginning for Mr. Momoa. Something tells me he is going to be a big star after Conan: The Barbarian‘s awesome opening weekend. I don’t think anyone with ovaries will be complaining. ;)

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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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Lovable Friday!

1. Champagne & Grapes

I thought the 12 grapes signifying luck for each of the months to come was just a Cuban NYE tradition (maybe that’s just the throwing buckets of water out your door bit). I had no idea that others did the same, but (as always) Martha Stewart clarifies by posting this lovely party detail and adding that it originated in Spain. Definitely makes the grapes look more refined than what my Mom makes me take in my purse to every New Years festivity I have attended since I was old enough to not celebrate at home (looks eerily similar to this). It would also help me avoid hearing, “No te olvides de las uvas!” over and over again for a good solid week.

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IKEA favorites

PS Cabinet – $99

Some girls get excited when they receive a Victoria’s Secret catalog. I do when I see the magnificent thickness that is an IKEA catalog. I like to refer to it as Meli porn. I make time to sit and look through it, patiently dog-earing all my favorite items and picturing where I could squeeze them into our current setup. And these were just a few of those (some weren’t available online to share with you all just yet – bummer). This PS Cabinet is just so wonderful in so many ways. Our house is a perfect combination of modern and warm. We pair classy pieces with the fun to make our house seem more like a home (I can’t stand those cold, surgically modern homes), so that’s why I was drawn to this cabinet as the perfect “table” to place behind our couch (more about the couch later). It fits our style and budget. How did I ever live without you, IKEA?

Karlstad Sofa - $499

So our couch. When we bought our first home, we were determined to buy a “big kid” couch. You know, one that had a hefty price tag that would last us a long time and be a statement piece in our home. So we chucked out our sweet little leather IKEA couch for a grown up West Elm one. I’m starting to think that was a bad decision. Our pricey sectional is such a headache. Sure, it is very easy to clean, but it’s supposed sturdy weighted cushions are constantly falling…as we are leaning on them. I can’t tell you how embarrassing it is when guests are over watching a movie or just hanging out and they almost tumble back first onto our floor. The moral of this story is that expensive is not always better. And this is why I would ditch our sectional for this itty bitty cute hot pink pretty. OK, so maybe I wouldn’t, but isn’t it tempting? Maybe one day when I live in a flat in London. You know…one day ;)

Lack Wall Shelf - $49

Our house is not small, but we are minimalists. We don’t like a lot of clutter or furniture taking up precious personal space, so this Lack Wall Shelf really appeals to our design aesthetic. I can place all my useless garbage (aka; cutesy/kitschy decor) on the shelves without feeling like I am making our home more and more claustrophobic as the days pass (can you tell I grew up in a home with “stuff” popping out of every corner?). Plus it’s unassuming and just goes perfectly with any decor style. Oh yeah, and it’s cheap, so feel free to not limit yourself to just one. Pop one of these suckers in every room, or combine them together for more cargo room!

IKEA is also offering a lot of black and white throws and pillow covers this year, which is just so so fun. I love stripes, and think they really add a pop of modern fun to any room. Unfortunately, these were the items that were not yet on the website. Guess that just means a shopping trip is in order! ;)

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Happy Hump Day: Michael Pitt

Michael Pitt is the perfect balance of pretty boy and grunge rocker: sweet, boyish features paired with a fuck you attitude and a wardrobe that screams, “I may smell a little.” And that seems to have gotten him pretty far: he is doing great on HBO’s hit show, Boardwalk Empire, and stereotypically enough, he’s also the singer and guitarist in a band, Pagoda. He personally reminds me of the late, great Kurt Cobain, so it was no surprise that he played the 90’s grunge prince in Gus Van Sant’s Last Days – a movie that has been on my must-see list for far too long. He also has quite the collection of amazing photographs that I was lucky enough to stumble upon while scouring Tumblr. Make sure to check out the sampling under the cut!

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Anika Burke Secret Sale!


Photo via WeHeartIt.com

I’m pretty sure it’s safe to say that everyone loves a good sale. However, in the real world, we don’t always have the time to shop them. Well, I’m making it easy for you! The lovely ladies at Anika Burke decided to team up with me and offer all my readers a special secret sale – that’s all of you! I selected my 15 favorite items (from tops to shoes and everything in between) in the store that I wanted the store to markdown to a recession-friendly $15, and you can find them all here! This sale will only be active until 5pm EST Friday, so make sure you don’t let the opportunity pass you by – visit the sale page today! And don’t be shy – feel free to share the sale with your friends and family!

Note; items are only available in the sizes listed & in order to get the sale price, you will need to check out using the button at the top of the page.

& for those of you that need to be enticed, here are some of my favorite items in the sale:

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Lovable Friday!

1. Mischief Managed Tee

This fandom shirt is just…brilliant. It’s perfectly understated, yet reads loud and clear: the owner is definitely a Potter fan – with taste. Which is why I must have it. Unfortunately, the tiny online store, Revolution 9, was overwhelmed by all the orders for their unique and surprisingly trendy Harry Potter merchandise in preparation for the final movie and they are still trying to recover. But I can be patient. I think this one will be worth the wait. ;)

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