ShoeDazzle Memorial Day Sale

May 24, 2013 · By Rachel · 8 Comments

Well after posting about how much I love ShoeDazzle yesterday, I now feel obligated to share the amazing sale they have going on for Memorial Day weekend! AN EXTRA 30% off sale styles. I just bought these gorgeous cognac wedges (top middle), which I am going to be wearing non-stop this summer! (And going onto June’s budget since I’m already WAY OVER May’s budget. I know I’m so bad

just wait until I justify my purchases to you). Anyway, I rounded up my favorite styles from what’s on sale and wanted to share with you! Hurry and take the quiz and sign up with ShoeDazzle today, you won’t want to miss out on these styles. Some are in low stock already! I also forgot to mention yesterday that the shoes fit true to size!

Here are the final sale prices of these items (from left to right):

Flats – $21.25, $16.98, $18.87

Wedges – $22.37, $27.06 (I got mine for $17 with VIP credits), $27.69

Pumps – $32.76, $25.17, $25.17

Handbags – $23.91, $31.47, $27.06

Yes, all of these are under $40, most are under $30! So like I said, get going and shop now!

Thank you ShoeDazzle for this sponsored post. As always, all opinions expressed are my own.

Filed Under: Accessories, Shopping ·

In the City

May 24, 2013 · By Rachel · 13 Comments

Haha, I tricked you right?! Well these were actually taken in Minneapolis, but at the Sculpture Garden at the Walker Art Center (you know where the famous Minneapolis cherry & spoon are). For the photo shoot with Xquisite, we were planning on getting some shots in the city as well, but found some interesting spots to take photos right at the Walker where we parked! This was the last shoot we did on Saturday and let me tell you it was getting STEAMY hot outside when we were taking these. I realized that planning an outfit with a jacket was a bad idea for 80 degree weather. On the upside, I really like the combination of the army green jacket I found at Plato’s Closet with this blue striped blouse I got for a steal at Marshall’s. Just from looking at these pictures, you might think I’m in the middle of a forest, rather than a 5 minute walk from tall buildings.

Once again, if you live in the area, make sure to check out Xquisite for your photography needs!

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Jacket, Thrifted via Plato’s Closet (Similar) :: Blouse, Marshalls (Similar) :: Skirt, Asos (Similar) :: Sandals, Shoe Carnival (Similar) :: Lipstick, YSL Rouge Volupte #17 – Red Muse (Exact)

***All the above photos belong to and are copyrighted by Xquisite Photography.

Filed Under: Outfits · Tagged: army green jacket, green jacket, military green jacket, military jacket, strappy brown sandals, strappy sandals, striped blouse, white skater skirt, white skirt

Summer Sandal Styles

May 23, 2013 · By Rachel · 18 Comments

Wedges

I am seriously obsessed with ShoeDazzle and have already purchased a pair of the Whitney floral heels and a pair of the Emmalina cap-toe flats in white. Their recent selection of cute strappy flat sandals and adorable wedges are making me want to up my monthly budget. Can’t I just have them all?! The last thing I need is more shoes, but who can resist these adorable styles for under $50? Do you own any shoes from ShoeDazzle?

These heels were super fun to wear for a night out with some of my friends back in Iowa!

I’ve been wearing these flats NON-STOP since I got them last week. They are comfy, cute and go with basically everything. I just might have to order the same pair in red!

A big thank you to ShoeDazzle for sponsoring today’s post. All opinions expressed are my own.

Filed Under: Shopping · Tagged: adorable wedges, cap-toe flats, cap-toe shoes, cute cheap sandals, cute cheap wedges, cute strappy sandals, cute wedges, flats, floral heels, quality sandals under $50, red wedges, review on ShoeDazzle, sandals, ShoeDazzle, ShoeDazzle review, shoes, strappy flat sandals, strappy sandals, tribal wedges, updating your shoes, wedges under $50

Fun & Free

May 22, 2013 · By Rachel · 30 Comments

This past weekend, I had the amazing opportunity to work with my boyfriend’s best friend, who is the owner and photographer at Xquisite Photography. He asked if I would like to do a shoot with him at some point to update his portfolio and of course agreed to help (and hello the opportunity to have some awesome photos for the blog, yes please)! It was such a fun shoot, his fiance and my boyfriend were around to help and we all just had a great time. He is am amazing photographer and great director. He helped me feel relaxed and at ease during the shoot, even though I was nervous as heck when we first started. We were lucky to make it without any problems with the weather, even though it rained all morning on Saturday. For the first shoot, he wanted to take some pictures out in nature, so we explored the area and found a local park area and I decided to wear a flowy ivory dress, my buckled booties and belt. It seemed to work for the shoot and the muddy conditions

Anyway, if you are looking for a photographer and live in Minneapolis area, definitely check out Xquistie Photography ! He does weddings, family portraits, fashion photography, self portraits, engagements and baby photography. I will be sharing more photos from the shoot this week, stay tuned!

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Dress, Mexico (Similar) :: Booties, Kenzie (Similar) :: Belt, Kohl’s (Similar) :: Earrings, Gifted from Friend (Similar)

***All the above photos belong to and are copyrighted by Xquisite Photography.

Linking up with Friday Five over at Coffee Beans and Bobby Pins and Face It Catalog!

Filed Under: Outfits · Tagged: belt, booties, dress, fashion photography, flowy dress, ivory flowy dress, minneapolis photography, minnesota photography, nature, photography, pictures, simple looks

Patio Weather

May 20, 2013 · By Rachel · 26 Comments

Oh yes, I am loving every second I’ve been outside since the weather finally started to cooperate in Minnesota. Even though I usually complain about the weather being above 90 degrees, this year I could care less. As long as I can wear my spring/summer clothes and the sun is out, I don’t care how hot it is (Okay I might start to complain at 100 degrees or above)

Anyway, last year I really wanted to update our patio decor, and stopped by HomeGoods to find these adorable lobster and crab throw pillows and this outdoor rug.

Patio

Lobster Pillow – $16.99, Crab Pillow – $16.99, Outdoor Mat – $39.99 Check your local HomeGoods store for these options

I am hoping to add a couple more beach-themed items, but this decor makes me want to sit outside on our patio even more (like these below):

Anchor Wall Decor

Antique White Shells

Chalkboard Destination Sign

Filed Under: Interior Design, Lifestyle · Tagged: beach patio decor, beach-themed decor, crab pillows, crab throw pillows, cute ideas for patio decor, design, lobster patio decor, lobster pillows, lobster throw pillows, navy outdoor rugs, outdoor decor, outdoor mat, outdoor patio decor, outdoor rugs, patio decor, patio design

Leopard & Red

May 17, 2013 · By Rachel · 28 Comments

Started off the week right with a little leopard and red. Nothing better than being able to wear this pairing at the office! I hope you all had a wonderful week and hope you enjoy the weekend! Happy Friday!

leopard and red 3

Blouse, Wal-Mart (Similar) :: Blazer, Thrifted (Similar) :: Skirt, Thrifted – NY&C via Goodwill (Similar):: Leopard Pumps, BCBG via Nordstrom Rack (Similar) :: Bracelets, Lia Sophia (Exact) :: Lipstick, YSL Rouge Volupte #17 – Red Muse (Exact)

Linking up to Friday’s Five!

Filed Under: Outfits · Tagged: how to wear animal prints at work, how to wear leopard at work, how to wear red at work, leopard, office wear, pencil skirt, red, red pencil skirt, what to wear to work

Blazer and Jeans: Dressed Up

May 16, 2013 · By Rachel · 30 Comments

When it was cold on Mother’s Day, instead of opting for my sleeveless, knee-length dress, I decided to throw on my orange blouse from 10DollarMall.com and once again paired it with my white blazer and skinny jeans. On Monday, I shared my blazer and jeans casual style, and today I’m sharing how I dress them up. I added a teal necklace for some interest and was ready to celebrate Mother’s Day! There are tons of other ways to dress up jeans and blazer, but adding a statement necklace, some fancy bracelets and a pair of heels is the simplest way to do it! Thank you to my little sister for snapping these photos of me on her camera!

White Blazer, Charlotte Russe (Similar) :: Blouse, c/o 10DollarMall.com (Exact) :: Skinny Jeans, Kohl’s (Exact) :: Sandals, Target (Similar) :: Necklace, Lia Sophia (Similar) :: Bracelets, Lia Sophia & Gifted (Exact here and here)

Filed Under: Outfits · Tagged: 10dollarmall.com, accessories, aqua, aqua statement necklace, blouse, bracelets, chunky heels, how to dress up a blazer and jeans, kohl's skinny jeans, Kohls, lia sophia, sandals, skinny jeans, statement necklace, Target, teal, white blazer

A Day in the Life

May 15, 2013 · By Rachel · 15 Comments

For today’s Blog Every Day in May, it is time to describe a day in the life. Thought I would spice things up with some gifs. Perhaps I have been on BuzzFeed too much lately. Hope you enjoy

7:30 a.m. – After a few snoozes, I’m up and taking the pup out after multiple attempts for her to get my attention. Some are a bit extreme.

7:40 a.m. – This is what I do when I see myself in the mirror…. Thank you makeup and COFFEE!

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8:10 a.m. – All ready (with lunch or whatever else I need that day)! … time to go to the office. I put on my shades and head out the door.

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8:30 a.m. – Make it to the office, on a good day.

9:00 a.m. – Dear traffic, I hate you.

8:31 or 9:01 a.m. – More caffeine please.

9:15 a.m. After opening my work e-mail, I try to figure out my day and make a list of what I need to do.

9:30 a.m. – Is it 5 o’clock yet?

9:31 a.m. – Look at some fashion blogs, news, marketing resources … feeling inspired fashion-wise and career-wise.

12:00 p.m. – Lunch at my desk. Usually pretty hungry at this point.

12:30 p.m. – 5:00 p.m. Power through the rest of the day and get stuffs done!

5:00 p.m. – 5:30 p.m. In traffic again.

5:30 p.m. HEY BABE I missed you. Aren’t you excited to see me?!

5:31 p.m. His response.

5:33 p.m. – Okay fine, blog photos. If I’m in the mood to take pictures after work that day.

6:00 p.m. – Make dinner, cause I’m an awesome chef you know.

6:30 – Blog. Blog and more blogging.

8:30 – I Work Out

9:30 p.m. – Boyfriend and puppy time.

10:30 p.m. – Bedtime!

And that’s a day in my life! But really, no two days are the same. I try to reserve a night for grocery shopping, a night or two to hang out with friends and on nights that I’m not working out or blogging, just spending some quality time with my man and my puppy! The time frames might also be off, I don’t tend to stick to closely to a schedule, but I do usually get these things done.

Filed Under: Lifestyle ·

Men’s Summer Style 2013: $150 Wardrobe

May 15, 2013 · By Rachel · 6 Comments

Today I’m featuring a guest post talking about men’s style for this summer. Great styles for your boyfriend, husband, friend or a few of my readers who are guys! Check it out:

It’s easy to blow the budget when refreshing your wardrobe for summer. If you want to save your cash for afternoons in beer gardens and summer holidays abroad, there are ways to get a whole new summer wardrobe without breaking the bank.

Supermarkets are a great place to find the latest fashions at bargain prices, with the George clothing collections available either in store or online at George at ASDA. Low supermarket prices mean that you can pick up all you need to see you through summer in style, for under $150. Make sure that you pick up these capsule wardrobe essentials.

Chino Shorts

As the big fashion story of the summer, chino shorts are everywhere. Pick up your pair of chino shorts in a choice of colors from George for just $15. Muted shades are replacing last year’s brights, so choose from greens, blues, grays and browns, for your finger on the fashion pulse.

Graphic Tees

Graphic tees are fantastically versatile, as they’ll take you from day to night with ease. As good for the bar as they are for the beach, graphic print tees are ideal for refreshing a summer wardrobe, and will take up next to no room in your suitcase if you’re heading off on your jollies.

You’ll find a wide selection of graphic tees at ASDA George for just $8 each, including the latest photo print styles.

Boat Shoes

The boat shoe is the style of the season for men, and this classic shoe looks great with chino shorts and a tee or a shirt. Pick up a pair of leather boat shoes at ASDA George for just $40, to see you all the way through to next winter with your best fashion foot forward.

The boat shoe is also as good for casual wear as it is for eveningwear – choose from navy and brown pairs for the ultimate versatile footwear buy.

Grandad Shirts

Forget the polo shirt this summer, it’s all about the grandad shirt. Another versatile day to night classic, a few grandad tops in your summer capsule wardrobe will add smart/casual style to every occasion.

Grandad shirts are available in a variety of muted colours at ASDA George for just $12 each.

Colored Chinos

Is anyone still wearing jeans? The arrival of the chino on the fashion scene has been a welcome relief for those sick of feeling hot and sweating in jeans during the summer months.

Chinos are a cool, comfortable option for everything from workwear to eveningwear. Simply add a shirt or a grandad tee for a perfect summer 2013 smart/casual look.

100 percent cotton chinos are light and airy, perfect for summer, and can be found for just $20 a pair at ASDA George.

So for a grand total of $95, you can have a whole new summer capsule wardrobe full of the latest trends at George at ASDA. With plenty of change left from a $150 new wardrobe budget, you’ll be able to treat yourself to a day out at the seaside or an afternoon in the beer garden to show off your new togs!

Filed Under: Fashion ·

iPhone Snapshots

May 14, 2013 · By Rachel · 21 Comments

Dress and belt, thrifted via Goodwill similar and gifted from my Grandma similar

Just sharing some outfits I’ve snapped photos of and didn’t make it on Instgram (except the last outfit). My poor little sister was trying to e-mail me pictures last night that she took on Mother’s Day (I forgot my camera at home) but the Internet was being very slow. Oh the things my family does for me to help out. Thank you sister!