Fancy Finds

I had some stellar finds over the past 2 weeks!

The first was from Groupon Goods. A pair of Betsey Johnson sunglasses for $11. Joking? No. I was beyond excited about this because a) I LOVE Betsey and b) I LOVE leopard print. So, I naturally picked the ones with a little pink leopard:)

Since I started Insanity in July and became a Team Beachbody coach, I have lost 30 pounds and about 30 inches. Therefore, most of my clothes, especially my pants, are embarrassingly big. So, I finally broke down and went to Gap Outlet in search of a cheap pair of jeans. Well, that I did find, as well as a pair of workout capris and shorts. Total for all three? $26. WHAT?!?! Yeah, you read that right! The jeans were $18, then 40% off. Wowza! BONUS? The jeans were 2 SIZES smaller than what I was wearing before Insanity!!! I nearly had a happy tears breakdown in the dressing room:)

Since I was so excited about my new size, I decided to buy myself a little something to celebrate! Vera Bradley outlet was having 40% off the entire store. Oh boy... an hour later in the store and this is what I walked out with! The Frannie, a small adorable cross-body bag that I have been wanting. Total of $14!! Whoop!!!!

I would say this was a successful shopping week:)

Fall into Fashion

It is my favorite time of year again... FALL!! It is my favorite for a few reasons: 1) Beautiful East Coast foliage, seriously amazing 2) The weather is much less daunting than the 90+ degree humid nastiness 3) I get to break out my scarves, sweaters and boots!

There is almost nothing I love more (fashion wise) than an adorable dress with a pair of tights and high cognac boots with a cardi and scarf all wrapped up into a delightful Fall treat of an outfit! Cozy and cute is key. Get a cute knee length (3/4) coat so you are still looking fashionable. I will admit, I once sported the North Face waist length jacket over an adorable outfit with my boyfriend cardi hanging out the bottom of the jacket. Not okay. Invest in a 3/4 length coat, you will thank me:) I got one last year on super sale at Target for $35! It can be done my friends!

Wrap that neck up with a neutral scarf (if you are wearing an overly colorful outfit) or an awesomely detailed or colorful scarf (if you are wearing a delightfully cute and practical neutral outfit). Remember that accessories can make or break your outfit, so rock that scarf!!

Fall is such a great transition fashion period. Enjoy it and experiment with your fashion!! 

Friday Favorites!!

Can't believe it's Friday, again! I know I really should not be surprised everytime it comes around, but I am, haha. On to my favorites!

I am on a mission for bargains. My sister, Kim, is an AMAZING thrifter. I mean, amazing. She also dominates at being crafty! She has found the most ridiculously awesome items are her local thrift stores in Alaska and now I want to thrift. So, that is what I will try.

Kim made me that scarf I am wearing above for my birthday last month. I am obsessed with tribal print right now, so of course it is an infinity tribal print scarf! Love!! I think I may be going a little overload with the tribal... is that possible? I have shoes, scarves, bags and sweaters all tribal print. This is a trend, but I do not want this trend to disappear quite yet! Stay tribal!

My best find this week was this foot stool/cushion from Target (as seen above). Originally $30, I got it on super sale and $7.50. Yowza!!! I would call that a steal! Now to just get a cute chair that matches... Here is where thrifting will come in handy...

I am headed out of town for the weekend! Enojoy !

Friday Fravorites!

Wouldn't you just LOVE to be in this VW Bug right now!?! I kow I would. I mean, can you get any cuter? Nope. This is pretty much what my week felt like, beautiful sunny days, feeling carefree...

This week included zero shopping (that is a first!) and lots of running, cooking and staying home organizing. I feel like I am constantly trying to get organized. I think my problem is I just need more space in my little apartment. More space to store stuff besides under my bed in tubs that are not so cute and organized. I am sure I can figure out a way to make this work, I just need a plan. Time to re-vamp! It is Fall!

Fashion... I have a major addiction for workout clothes lately, as I am working out like a banchy and loving every minute of it! There is nothing like buying a new workout outfit (or even a new sports bra, haha) to motivate you to continue to dominate and reach your fitness goals! I also just bought some wrist sweaat bands. Yep, you read that right! Got to be prepared:) I also bought some awesome compression capris from Old navy that are the BEST for running! I seriously love them and they are only $22! Score.

Where did this week go? I mean, really, it just flew right by, not that I am complaining. I guess that's what happens when you are busy enjoying life and pushing though:) Happy Weekend!

To Boat or Not to Boat?

Boat shoes. I think I love you? I mean really, how cute can a pair of navy boat shoes be? Too cute to handle with any outfit, that is for sure. I bought a pair a year ago and then took them back a week later because I just was not sure about them. Well, now I want them back. I understand that they may seem not so feminine  andThe Hamptons looking, but I like them. They have them at Target on sale super cheap. Who am I kidding, I just need to buy them already. Cute with a dress and especially cropped pants or shorts! I also am really into the loafer look right now... more on that later. Look at those shoes!

Friday Favorites!

Who doesn't love Fridays?! Come on. So, for my first installment of Friday Favorites, I would like to talk about what and/or who are my favorites right now and a wrap up of my week. And if you are lucky, some pictures!

My week has been great. Working out everyday hardcore, eating right, trying to enjoy the sun, and attempting to get my apartment organized. Nothing too outlandish to report, but some fun tidbits in some departments...



Fashion:

I just bought this awesome off-white lace dress at Target ($20...steal!). I did not own a single white dress before this purchase for 2 reasons: 1) White can sometimes be really unflattering. 2) Hello! It's white, I will get it sooo dirty! But, it was an impulse try-on and an impulse buy. My main motivation for buying this dress was my vision of wearing it with a leopard print belt, brown tights and my brown boots in the winter with a cute little blazer (or not). I mean really, doesn't that sound adorbs?! Happy with my purchase.

We all know I love a great flat. But, I also love a great sandal (which is guess technically is a flat as well...). I found a wonderful sandal at Target recently ($10). Brown woven T-strap. I have been looking everywhere for pretty much this exact sandal! I have also been on a mission to find a new pair of black flats. I have a pair that are too big and sloppy and a weird shade of black and they are just dowdy. I don't need that. So, I popped into Target (BIG surprise, I know) and found a great pair ($14) with a scrunched heal back (for easy on and off access and not too tight on your heal action) and a tad bit little shiny pleather. Search over. Target, once again you have come to my rescue:)


Life:
So happy to have my new roomie moving in tomorrow, but so sad to see my old one leave. We have become great friends and thankfully she is continuing to live in Nyack, so I know I will see her often, especially to watch the Good Wife:). I am also so motivated in life right now. I am getting healthy, happy and organized! Being motivated by some wonderful, amazing people and just pushing through to be the best person I can be. Does it get much better than that? Nope.



CelebPop:
I am still in enjoying the Olympics afterglow. LOVE Misty and Kerry! Beach Volleyball Goddesses! Don't forget about the Spice Girls reunion show at the closing ceremonies. Amazing!! Pretty excited for Fall tv to come back on!

You must not be lucky this week... no pictures to post:( Sorry. There is always next week!

Whew!

Well, here I am, back blogging at you! I have been seriously distracted with life lately and things just got away from me. Now that I finally have a new roommate moving in next week, I can start to relax and not panic that I am going to have to find a new place. Whew! Glad that is over, stressful business! I have been inspired by so many things lately and have so much fashion/home to fill you in on! For instance, my amazing recent finds at Target and H&M and the newest addition to my kitchen, a new stainless steel frying pan! Oh, the little things in life that make my world go round:)

Now on to more pressing matters... The Olympics!!! Wow, talk about inspiration. I LOVE the Olympics so much! Hearing people talk about them in the grocery store, so much pride in the great U.S.A.! Pretty sad they are over, but happy that I can get back to going to be at a decent hour!

Feeling so inspired by so many things lately, ready to jump back into life full force and soak it all in! I just turned 29 on Aug. 11 and needless to say, I am heading into my 30s at warp speed! Bring it on!!

Noodle Boots

Boot noodles!

Who would have thought of using cut-up pool noodles as boot shapers? Some genius pinner on Pinterest, that's who! In an effort to feel crafty and and productive, I went to the Dollar Tree and bought pool noodles and sliced each up in fourths and walla! It's easy on your wallet as opposed to the classic boot shapers at the Container Store for at least $10. My closet is now much more organized and my leather boots are not getting creased and slumped all over the floor taking up all kinds of ridiculous space in my little closet! Try it, you will be pleased.

Nailpolish: I love/hate you.

Same day manicure...

I was never really a girl who wore nail polish on her fingernails, but I always did on my toenails. Pedi:yes, mani:no. Well, since I have moved out of Alaska (where a pedi is $35!) I have been getting mani/pedi's like crazy! The main reasons I get them are 1)$20 for a both, cannot beat that! 2) I learned I need to treat myself, I deserve it! 3) The ladies at my salon massage my back as well and I am in love with that little bonus. But, I have a problem with my manicures. Without fail, 2 days (at the  most) after my manicure, my nail polish is chipping like mad and making me frustrated! I understand this is really just a not a major issue, but it is a fashion issue, haha. People have told me that maybe my nails just don't keep polish well. I guess not... If anyone has some magic way of my nails keeping polish, I am open to suggestions! Regardless, I love getting mani-pedis!

3 days after manicure...

Weekend Roundup...on Wednesday.

Hugh Jackman:)

Well, I accomplished everything on my list of hopefuls for the weekend! Got into Tropfest and took about a million pictures of Hugh Jackman about 10 feet away from me:) That pretty much made my day. Bonus that we got to see great short films from around the world, while sitting in Bryant Park on a perfect day! Thankfully it was not a bajillion degrees out on Saturday, but due to the fact that the event was picnic style on the lawn, I opted for a brown maxi dress to keep cool, a bright red necklace for pop of color and mustard cardigan for when the sun went down.

Sunday I went to the Governors Ball Music Festival and got my mind blown by Fiona Apple and Beck and sever other amazing bands! Again, such a beautiful, warm day with great friends! Another maxi dress with a fedora was in store for the warm weather. I was not in the mood to get my face super burned! I wrote a more detailed post over at My Latte Life soon:)

Summer is such a fun time for fashion! No big coats to cover up cute outfits, so much color and sandals!! Go get some pastels or neon and liven up your summer wardrobe!

Amped on Friday!

Whoop! It is finally Friday! This very long week is being brought to a hot close! It has been in the HIGH 90s (feels like 105) and 60%+ humidity the last 2 days and today thunderstorms are supposed to cause the end of that madness! Here's hoping! I have a couple adventures planned for this weekend and I do not want to be a pile of sweat all weekend. You have to remember, I am from Alaska, where it is very dry, no humidity,  nearly impossible to reach 90 degrees and sometimes the sun is not around for days at a time. Here I have been dominated by sunshine (LOVE!), heat (high 80s is perf.) and humidity (my worst enemy). We all love to hate that nasty lady called humidity. Honestly, I get so flustered with what to wear when it is so hot out! Pants are def. out! I am not a shorts person, so dresses and skirts it is!

My weekend adventures are planned to include 2 trips to the city (NYC). I will be heading down to Astoria with my friend Christina and then we will venture to Bryant Park in Manhattan to meet up with my friend John to (hopefully, if we can get a spot!) see Hugh Jackman host Tropfest NY, the world's largest short film festival. We both adore Hugh and this will be the perfect day if we can just get in there! And, bonus, it's FREE! I am trying not to get too excited for fear that we will not make it in, but this will just be glorious if it happens!! There is so much constantly going on in the city that it can be overwhelming at times to keep up with it all. I want to do everything, but most of the time find out after, or it is way out of my price range haha. But some things, you just have to do. Worth the adventure, the story and a wonderful experience to remember!

Sunday I will be heading back to the city to Randall Island to meet up with my friend Amy for Governors Ball Music Festival! Our favorite, Fiona Apple, will be performing as well as Beck (!!!!),  Modest Mouse, Explosions in the Sky and more! I am beyond excited to start this summer off right this weekend. I hope you all can get out and enjoy the weekend and start to dominate your summer!!!

Hopefully Monday I will have glorious pictures of my weekend adventures! Stay cool out there!

Pinterest life and a Polyvore Closet...

When I first created a Pinterest account I was terrified. Mostly because I was beyond confused and also because I knew I would be highly addicted in about 2.5 seconds. Well, the addition is still running rampant and I am totes okay with that! Talk about inspiration! Pinterest is filled with so many ideas, fashion wants, quotes, art, fitness, everything you could ever possibly be inspired by and possibly create a DIY project with can most likely be found there. It is basically a place, pin board if you will:), to store all of those bookmarked pages that you never go back and look at. Here they are all categorized and I think you are more apt to go back and view the bookmarked (pinned) items when you have a picture to look and remind you why you pinned it in the first place. I pretty much live vicariously through my Pinterest lifestyle:) But, it has inspired me to be more crafty, or at least want to be more crafty. I want to take a sewing class, garden more, embrace my style. It pushed me to finally do this blog! So... here, take a look at my   Pinterest boards and get inspired!

Polyvore is a whole other inspiration animal. It is a basically a fashion canvas. You can follow me on here on Polyvore. This site basically is a dream closet. You can create outfits, including accessories, and then link to each piece of the outfit and buy it right then if you so desire. Of course, most of the pieces I LOVE are way out of my price range, but it gives me inspiration to be more adventurous in my own closet.I think everyone needs to be a little adventurous with their fashion choices every once and awhile and express themselves on a whole new level!! Get on it!

Follow me on Pinterest and Polyvore and watch my inspirations expand! If you are not members on either site, I think you should at least try Pinterest, it is glorious! Go on, get inspired!

Put a Belt on It

Colorful belts!

Put a belt on it! My style phrase derived from the "Put a Bird on it" Portlandia episode. If you have not seen that show, go to YouTube and watch that episode.  When ever I am unsure of an outfit, just put a belt on it and walla, perf. outfit!  I feel many outfits can really benefit from an adorable belt, if placed in the right spot on your torso... Not too low, not too high and not at your low/natural waist, especially if you are wearing a dress, put that belt up there! But, don't let the ladies look gigantor by hiking the belt up directly under them:) Put a pop of color on that boring black dress! So, go ahead, put a belt on it! Don't be scared.

A Perfect Flat

I love a great shoe, but I love a great bargain even more! I wear alot of flats, I wear them right out! You can spend alot of money on shoes, but I choose not to and Target is one of my answers! I bought three pairs of flats about 3 years ago at Target, leopard print, purple, and sparkly zebra (kind of  out of my comfort zone with the sparkles). They were about $15 a pair and worth every cheap penny. You can find the leopard/cheetah print here. I still have them in my closet because I just cannot bring myself to throw shoes away, but they are dominated! Holes on the bottom and sides, a hot mess. But really, leopard flats can pretty much go with any staple/neutral outfit! I try not to overdue it on the animal print, like do not wear a leopard belt AND leopard shoes. One or the other people! I will get to my love of belts in a later post. Needless to say, I had to buy a new pair of leopard flats. Target was not carrying them for sometime, but they brought them back and I should have bought more than one pair to have on hand, oh well. Aren't they cute?! They can spice up any outfit!

Start of an Inspiration Journey

A little about me...
I am an Alaska girl born and raised, then three years ago I up and moved to Nyack, New York, a beautiful town on the Hudson river 15 miles north of New York City! I have always loved fashion and home decor and strive to find the perfect bargain while still looking fab. I am inspired by so many things and hope that I can inspire others. You can also visit me at my first blog, My Latte Life. I love having fun with my wardrobe and especially my accessories! Who doesn't love a little neon or a great pair of leopard print shoes?! I am embarking on this fun journey to showcase my style and inspirations and to continue my love of everything fashion, home and anything that strikes my fancy!  Enjoy!