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Archives for August 2014

5 Ways to Style a Sweatshirt

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Who says that sweatshirts can’t be cute and comfortable? Sweatshirts can actually be styled to look dressy and fun, you just have to do it the right way. For instance…Skinnies, chunky heels, and a sweatshirt…tres magnifique! Mastering this look is great for when it gets cold, then you can do a night out in a cozy sweatshirt and not be judged for it.

The added detail in a sweatshirt is where lounging sweatshirts are transformed into a styled put together outfit. Incorporating lace, eyelet, embellishment, or any extra design element can change the whole feel and look while maintaining the comfort!

The three sweatshirts pictured above make it acceptable to live in all fall long! Hallelujah!

5 Ways to Style the Sweatshirt!

Sweatshirt with…

Skinnies and chunky heels. This is very celebrity-inspired and looks laid back and relaxed with an added edge.

Jean cut offs and wedges. This is a great combo for me in summer/early fall when it’s still warm enough out for shorts but has the hint of a little nip in the air.

Black jeans and statement jewelry. Black jeans are useful for dressing something up slightly, but not too much. Black jeans with a bold jewelry item really makes a sweatshirt fun.

Flouncy skirt and slip ons. Dream outfit of comfort and cute. This is great for a day racing around while appearing put together.

Jeans and hat. You can’t think sweatshirt without roughed up blue jeans. The classic combo of a embellished sweatshirt and blue jeans with a hat.

How do you style your sweatshirt?

Wine on A Cheap Girl Budget

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Research shows that one glass of wine, or two, has beneficial health benefits. Drinking wine can decrease risk of heart disease, stroke, diabetes, Alzheimers, and even some forms of cancer. So naturally, you must buy wines for health reasons.

There ladies, I said it, so refer to above sentence when/if ever questioned for enjoying wine.

It’s important to know what you like in a wine to help you choose the best cheap bottle. Some days, I really want to try a new wine but then get anxious and stick with a more trusty wine that I know I will like because sometimes you may find an incredible discovery and other times you may just find cheap wine… no one likes to test those odds.  However, I do test out new ones when I’m feeling especially crazy, so thought I’d share the knowledge!

I have combined my trusty cheap wines that I like into a list for you to refer to when wanting to try new wines but feeling a little nervous to steer from your usual. Let me know which ones you like best! Trust me, I put a lot of effort and time into this research just for you.

Cheers!

Trusty Cheap Wine List for Under $20

Red Blends

  •  Red Velvet Cupcake

Merlot

  • Turning Leaf

Cabernet Sauvignon

  • Robert Mondavi

Chardonnay

  • William Hill

Pinot Grigio

  • Pighin

Pinot Noir

  • Mark West

Any other cheap wines deserving of a shout out?

Flattering Bangs for your Face Shape

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Short bangs, side bangs, wispy bangs, full bangs, thick bangs, blunt bangs… there are an alarming amount of options when it comes to bangs. I’ll even go as far to say that deciding which type of bangs you want can be crazy overwhelming!

Remembering my first stunt as a hairstylist… I took some shiny scissors to my doll’s bangs…it didn’t turn out well and I was seriously upset. My next move was literally taping her hair back onto her head. It was atrocious. Needless to say, you can’t do that to your own hair…so get a stylist to do the trimming!

And as we all know, it’s difficult to hide bad bangs. Therefore, it’s important that you find the most flattering bangs based on your face shape before chopping. You can’t hide out in your house like you did as a child after you chopped your locks and were properly scolded. You have to go save the world, not hide a bad bang trim.

Most people typically look better with some sort of bang. Bangs can bring more attention to your eyes, which are beautiful! They also can cover foreheads, which can be nice if you have breakouts. Bangs also highlight cheek bones. Basically, bangs are a good thing but it’s important to get the right ones.

Oval Face Shape with Blunt Bang

Researched the best kind for my oval face and made the drastic, but fun change! Luckily, oval face shapes are the easiest to get a good bang. Other face shapes can be a little more tricky…

Quick guide for best bangs for your face shape:

Heart shaped faces look great with side swept bangs. Swept bangs can bring some attention away from a more prominent pointy chin. Square faces look more feminine with some longer pieces. Wispy piecey bangs look good on round faces to give some definition and angles. Adding layers to hit around the cheekbones will actually thin out the face.

Things to Ponder Before Cutting your Bangs:

  • Do you have any weird cowlicks?
  • Will you actually style these bangs each day? (poofy bang look is not in unfortunately)
  • Can you handle them being down when you hit the gym?
  • Does your hair look greasy quickly?
  • Can you handle being…bangin’?

Be crazy and try out some bangs for yourself!

Personalize your Relationships

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This weekend flew by, as most of them do, in a whirl. But something especially fun happened, I finally got to see James Taylor perform! Let me tell you, happy feelings fluttered all around me. When I was a little girl, my dad would always play some James Taylor around the house, so I can’t help but get those good feelings when I hear his voice. Comforting, you know?

Summer concerts are also always a fun opportunity to dress up! Simply adored these new blue and white striped shorts. Topped them off with a fun bright yellow and nude wedge. This outfit definitely owns that summer concert feel and look.  I panicked the other day when I realized how many coordinated summer outfits I had yet to wear! Get all that good wear out of your summer clothes before you are packing them away for next year. Fall is almost here, y’all!



Now, back to James Taylor. His stage presence was simply incredible. He somehow created this atmosphere where it felt personalized for me. During the concert, I felt like he was speaking and performing solely for me. His demeanor was so laid back and honest. Quite impressive in a room of thousands!

It made me begin to think about how important it is to personalize your own relationships. You know those people that you just love to be around? It’s probably because they are attentive to you and listen to you and speak to you, and you specifically.
Relationships are much more meaningful when you’re actually listening and speaking to that particular individual. If you can place anyone into a conversation you’ve shared within the past days, then you probably should begin to look into those relationship deeper.

I hate whenever I feel like I have had an amazing talk with one of my friends or family members to later ask, was it you I was talking to about this? We are all guilty of this and it’s understandable because we typically surround ourselves with similar people, but it does make you think.

This week, let’s all really put some extra effort into our relationships and see how they can evolve and improve. Trust me, it is worth it! You are placed in someone’s life for a reason, don’t just sail through every personal relationship like they’re the same, personalize the relationship.

So let’s end with some James Taylor!

 Shower the people you love with love, show them the way that you feel. 

You’ll feel better right away.
Don’t take much to do, sell you pride. 

They say in every life, they say the rain must fall, just like pouring rain, make it rain. 

Make it rain, love, love, love is sunshine, oh yes,
Make it rain, love, love, love is sunshine. Everybody, everybody.

What kind of music gives you those feel-good feelings?

Ooey Gooey Smores Dessert

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Smores are such a guilty pleasure of mine! I mean what’s not to love about marshmallows, chocolate, and graham crackers coming together in perfect harmony?

And what better excuse to make my favorite Smores dessert than National Smores Day?!

These treats are a great way to get the Smores campfire taste sans campfire. This delightful chocolatey, marshmallowy, graham crackery dessert is perfect  to bring to outdoor gatherings or football game tailgates. Trust me, they’ll be sure to be a hit and gone quickly.

I originally used this recipe from Rachel Schulz post on Baked Smores Bars and have since then made a couple adjustments based on my own personal preferences.

How could you not make these delightful treats after looking at these pictures?!


Ingredients:

Crust


1 egg
1/2 cup butter
1/2 cup brown sugar
1/4 cup sugar
1 1/2 teaspoon vanilla
1 1/3 cups flour
3/4 cup graham cracker crumbs
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt

Insides


2 Delight Baking dark chocolate bars
1 1/2 cups Ricemellow creme

Directions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Cream the butter, sugar, vanilla and egg together.

Mix the flour, graham cracker, salt, and baking powder.

Combine the two mixes.

Then split the crust into two. Put a layer of the crust down, then the marshmallow cream on top. Place the the 2 Delight baking bars on top. Then, use the remaining crust and smooth on top.

Bake for 30 minutes, or until there is a golden brown.

The hard part is waiting for them to cool before cutting into this mouthwatering smores dessert. The aroma from the oven makes you want to take it out immediately and get it into your mouth. However, try to control yourself so that it cools properly before cutting into, or marshmallows will be everywhere (yes, I’m speaking from experience.) If it’s just staying in your kitchen, it won’t be as much of a problem but if you are bringing separate bars to an event, make sure it cools long enough!

Now, get to baking! You’ll immediately want smores of these treats! <- See what I did there?

How do you celebrate National Smores Day?