number 165

hey y’all! as a quick follow-up to yesterday’s post: queen of the tailgate is giving all OLQC readers 10% off!!

10% OFF
at
promo code:
QUEENCITY

so head on over and stock up on your football frocks!! thanks, QT!

number 164

the weather turned a little cool this weekend, and it has me SO excited for football season (let's be honest, tailgating season)! the south takes their tailgating very seriously, and i thank my stars that i went to a school that's so passionate about their team. reflecting on my SEC roots, i've always loved how the girls really get dressed up for the games! they put in a lot more effort than your typical hokie-tee-and-jeans combo. so here ya go - in case you're looking for a few options to spice up your gameday garb.

1  |  2  |  3  |  4  |  5  |  6

if you're not a hokie, but are still looking for some awesome attire, check out these sites that cater to us gameday gals: twelve saturdays, the red dress boutique, vestique, dress u, sideline sweetie, queen of the tailgate, versei, and adabelles.

number 162

never have i ever…. owned ANYTHING leopard print.

…is something i would have said 2 days ago. yeah y’all! seriously! anything. last night i took a fashion risk (coming from the gal who would much rather be in jeans and a t-shirt every day). i bought a leopard print tunic. this is a big deal for me… and i need a little input! since “animal print” is in its trial run for me, i splurged on this $25 beauty from old navy. now, i know there are some fashion savvy gals out there! how do i wear this without it screaming “meeeeow! i love leopard print!!” ?!

here are a couple combos i put together on my own. which of these would you choose?

1  |  2  |  3  |  4  |  5  |  6  |  7

p.s. special thanks to christina and april for letting me take a peek into the "cool blogger gal" club. i met them both for the first time last night, and y'all, these ladies are just too awesome for words! i honestly felt like we'd been friends all along! if you have a blogger community in your area, i highly encourage a meet-up or get together over a glass (or 3 of wine). you can learn so so much and make some great friends in the process! 

number 159

this weekend i stopped by buffalo exchange in plaza midwood and sold some clothes that weren’t loved anymore. y’know, that cutthroat process of going through your closet saying “didn’t wear this at all last season, see ya later!!” i've gotten much better at donating/selling items than i used to be. i'd hang on to stuff forever – y’know…just in case? i've parted ways with that mentality since the discovery of b.e., and why wouldn’t i? you get cash – on the spot! instant gratification! this time, i opted to spend some of said cash on an in-store purchase (that you get for 50% off!):

via j.crew

yeah, notice that $98 price tag on the j.crew jeans. i got these EXACT pants for $10, and i'm really excited to work them into my fall wardrobe. here are some of my favorite styles i've found for boyfriend jeans:

pinned here

thanks for stopping by today! i'm hoping to be hiding out/become a hermit this weekend/next week before the craziness of the democratic national convention hits town. yikes! oh yeah, and i'm linking up today with jamie for what i'm loving wednesdsay!

what’s your favorite fall fashion?

number 154 : guest post!

Hey y'all! My name is Alex from Pink & Prosperous and I am filling in for my dear LauraLeigh while she is basking in the Florida sun :)  Let's take a look into my beach bag essentials( that I will be packing up next week--eeeeek!) 

I CAN'T WAIT TO GET MY TOES IN THE SAND!

  

First things first: Gotta have a stylish, durable, BIG bag. These three requirements are NOT optional ;) 

Now...what the heck goes inside?

 iPod: Gotta have good beach tunes. Extra points for sand-proof portable speakers :) 

Reading Materials: Emily Giffin books always make great beach reads. I also would recommend Andy Cohen's Most Talkative and/or any of the 50 Shades books along with a stack of fashion mags. My beach read rule is it has to be light and fun--who wants to think that much on the beach? 

Hair Ties/Bobby Pins: Just because it's the beach does not mean you can let your hair go wild. Plus....the beach is full of tons of shirtless hotties ;) 

Bumble & Bumble Surf Spray: Helps with the beachy-wavy look...both on the beach and on the boardwalk;) Trust me when I say this little bottle is well worth the price tag. 

Jumbo Beach Towel: Go big or go home. Both Costco and Target have amazing (and cute!) 7 ft. long beach towels. The extra 2 feet are essential when laying out. 

Sun Protection: DO NOT FORGET YOUR SUNSCREEN! I have porcelain skin so lathering up often is necessary. I like Neutrogena's Fresh Cooling Spray in SPF 45 for the body, Coppertone Oil Free SPF 30 for the face, and Burt's Bees Lifeguard Formula for the lips. Also...if you hair is up don't forget to put some sunscreen in your part-trust me when I say it is painful! 

Ample supply of diet cokes & koozies: Do I really need to elaborate? I didn't think so. (extra points for cute koozies-I love the Lilly ones!) 

Sunglasses: Again....this one doesn't need elaboration. Plus....it's always safer to check out the hotties behind a pair of shades ;) 

Well there you have it.....everything I pack in my beach bag. I know it seems like a lot, but my girlfriends can attest to the face that whenever they think they have to go back inside to get something...I usually have it....which makes me feel half as crazy ;)

 Hope y'all are having a WONDERFUL week and please stop by and say hi! 

 xoxo Alex

number 153 : guest post!

Hi all!  I am April and I blog at A. Liz Adventures.  I'm so happy to be guest blogging here for my fellow neighbor in our beautiful Queen City, Laura!

The great thing about Charlotte is that we are a very close road trip to the beach.  Throw a bag in the back of the car and you'll be at your destination in about three or four hours.  Not too shabby.

For the most part, I pack simply when I'm at the beach -- evenings consist of a breezy sundress, an easy updo, and minimal makeup.  Shoes are, for the most part, optional.  That all makes for light luggage.  My beach bag, on the other hand, is stocked!

  My essentials in my beach bag are:

{1} A good lip balm with SPF.  Right now I'm on the eos train.  Honeysuckle honeydew is my jam.

{2} Aviator sunglasses are my go-to shape.  These Banana Republic shades look like the pair that I love.

{3} I am a Kindle lover.  Right now I'm reading this great book.

{4} A cute coozie is absolutely necessary!  I'm also a Woozie fan.  :)

{5} Beach snack of choice = Swedish fish!

{6} I never go anywhere without my Canon camera.

{7} Sunscreen is a must when you want to be able to stay on the beach for hours.

{8} My favorite magazine is Real Simple -- I'm always excited when my subscription comes in before a beach trip.  I put it into my beach bag straight out of the mailbox and don't let myself open it until I'm beachside!

 

One other item that has recently been making its way down to the beach with us is our Bocce Ball set (like this one).  I picked up a brand new set earlier this Spring at an estate sale.  It's the perfect game to play on the beach, especially with a glass of white wine in hand!

 

I'd love to hear what some of your "must haves" are for your beach bag.  What's your #1 essential?

number 150

maybe i'm late to the party on this one, but recently (?) lilly pulitzer announced that they would be releasing custom prints for every state! although i'm not a huge lilly girl, this is SUCH an adorable idea! i'll definitely be including something featuring my favorite states on my birthday list.

today they released the full preview of the north carolina print on facebook, but you have to solve the little puzzle to view it in its entirety. lucky for you, i've done all the hard work already:

i spy…the beach, the mountains, tar heels (boo! go duke!), dogwood blooms (our state flower), a cardinal (nc state bird), the wright brothers’ first flight, crowns (QUEEN CITY, represent!!), grapes for our many vineyards, and something that looks like donuts (anyone know what this is about?)

fun fact: virginia and north carolina share the same state flower and bird. crazy coincidence!

anyway! if you’re on the lookout for your state, be sure to follow lilly on facebook to get all the updates on the newest releases, or view the small state swatches here.

apparently lilly is a little biased towards georgia. at this point, they’re the only state being sold online, but i'm sure local lilly stores will have the murfee state scarves in shortly after they’re released.

nc girls, what you think? does it sum up our great state enough for you? and what about those donuts?

number 147

it’s no secret that alex loves the olympics, so it shouldn’t be too hard to guess today’s friday five theme. the OLYMPICS! today, we’re spotlighting 5 things i'm digging from around the globe to celebrate this huge worldwide event!

1  |  2  |  3  |  4  |  5

1  |  i've seen so many vintage-inspired prints around the interwebs, and i'm especially loving this one!

2  |  butter london has gorgeous metallic polishes in all shades, so get your olympics on with the full monty, diamond geezer, and the old bill – lbh, the USA only knows how to go for the gold!

3  |  i've always loved her state necklaces, but would you sport the USA around your neck? maya brenner has definitely found her niche with these adorable pendants. you can even have the diamond placed on your hometown! …wonder if i could get away with layering 3 states?

4  |  i'm really loving this american flag scarf. wouldn’t you pay $200+ for it? pshhh. it’s too hot for that mess anyway! at least it’s cute!

5  |  how adorable are these ballet flats from j.crew? the elastic is similar to the carolines by tory burch, which are super comfortable. and i would assume these are as well!

so that’s it for me, ladies and gents! i hope everyone has a great weekend and enjoys the opening ceremonies tonight! i'm linking up with my favorite, alex and sweet lauren today for “friday five” and “high five for friday”.

 

USA!! USA!! USA!!

number 146

i wouldn't call myself a "fashionista" by any stretch of the imagination, but i do like fashion, clothes, and the latest trends. and i find that what i like, almost as much, is seeing what other people wear. not the ultra-fashionable, but just everyday outfits that anyone can pull off! - without being a fashionista.

i want to try something today that i may stick with, i may not. for now, i'm calling it "what i'm wearing" or as you can see below, "WIW". since i don't have the patience for a tripod, and i'm not going to make my husband take a posed picture of me this morning, i'll just put together a little board so you can see what i'm wearing and, even better, where i got it! ready? go!


1  |  2  |  3  |  4  |  5 this is one of my favorite outfits to wear. it's easy, low maintenance, and my shirt is linen (from the j.crew outlet), so it's very lightweight. the shoes were a little splurge for me after a bonus at work *yay*, but i've gotten a TON of wear out of them. once they're broken in (about a week), they really are comfortable! if you're on the fence, let me sway you -- GET EM! sadly, they don’t make the dark brown anymore like you see above, but i’ve linked to the black ones which i'm sure are equally as awesome.
so tell me, do you like it? want me to keep it up?
and i mean this is the least-provocative way possible...

what are you wearing?

number 144

hi friends! so a few weeks ago, i posted about the pinterest dress and happened to stumble upon Ver Sei which was one of the few boutiques that had the coveted dress in stock. since that post, i feel like i've been scouring their site almost every day checking out the new arrivals and awesome sales/specials they have going.

i received my dress (pictured above) this weekend and am SO pleased with the design, fit, and quality of their merchandise. not only do they offer excellent customer service (which is always a big deal in my book), their clothes are adorable and affordable! my dress is out of stock right now, but i'm sure based on it's popularity, it'll be back soon!
heather and linsday are the founders/owners of this adorable online boutique. these girls are so unbelievably sweet, and i know they would enjoy your support of their new business! and because they're so nice, they're offering 15% OFF to the readers of "our life in the queen city". simply use the promo code below at the checkout:

15% OFF promo code: QUEENCITY

thanks again, girls, for your excellent service and this promotion! i wish y'all the BEST luck with your new business, and look forward to many purchases in the future!

number 141

i'm really excited about my post today! i feel asleep last night thinking about this upcoming occasion, and figured "take me there tuesday" would be the perfect opportunity to do some additional daydreaming and get even more excited about it!

<a href="http://andrewandlauraleigh.blogspot.com/"><img border="0" src="http://i637.photobucket.com/albums/uu98/lauraleigh925/take-me-there-tuesday.jpg" /></a>

andrew and i have 2 great friends getting married the first week in august in roanoke, virginia, and of course, all i've got on the brain is "what am i going to wear?". i'm sure andrew will be excited to find out that i'm thinking of wearing a dress i already own! here's how i'm thinking of styling it:

1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6

1 | older dress from the j.crew outlet. i believe it's called the bridget dress in the "poppy" print. i love the pretty colors in it and how it looks like the flowers have been painted right on the dress. i wore it to my friend, emily's wedding almost 2 years ago. (happy almost anniversary, girlfriend!)

2 | cute clutch that hasn’t been found yet! send ideas my way, s’il vous plait!

3 | skinny gold belt. i'm wearing more of a mauve color in the pic above, buuut i seemed to have "misplaced" it, so we'll just go with gold for the sake of convenience! no link necessary; you can find these almost anywhere nowadays.

4 | i'm not much of an orange gal, but i really like the style of this bracelet from j.crew. i need a little extra color, so my ensemble isn’t so champagne/gold - not to be confused with ivory/white. don't think the bride would approve!!

5 | since my hair is longer now *yay!*, i think i'll attempt a low-maintenance updo - nothing too fancy! i'll channel my inner pink lou lou, and see if i can pull it off. maybe a trial run beforehand is in order? if that doesn't work out, i'm sure i'll stick with my old standby – big curls and volume!

6 | lastly, ma shoes! i bought these shoes back in october, and have gotten SO much use out of them. they've got a little more spunk than your usual nude pump, and i feel ultra fancy in them! i got them through ebay (big shocker, i know!), and they're pretty uncomfortable after a couple hours. pain is beauty, right? they're higher than they look in the picture, so i'm sure that plays a factor in their [un]comfort. maybe i'll try some of those foot petal pad, things?

so that's where i am, in my mind, today! getting ready for a fun night out with good friends and some dancing with my husband!

where's this tuesday taking you?

you wanna link up? just grab the text in the box above and paste into the html source section of your blog post! got it? leave me a comment below if you linked up, so i'll know if y'all like this whole idea!

number 138

finding the perfect dress is hard. especially when everyone and their mother wants the same one. i saw a dress on a blog post about 2 months ago and HUNTED IT DOWN directly after - only to get the runaround and 3 weeks after paying, told that it's going to be another month. "please cancel my order." bad customer service just doesn't fly with me. i digress. pinterest has created a monster when it comes to shopping for cute clothes. one adorable outfit gets pinned, and 2 weeks later, every sorority girl this side of memphis wants it. i've got a little strategy i want to share, and although it may not be the most efficient process, it ended up working for me...

1 | 2 | 3

above is the dress for the search. aside from hunting down every pin of the dress on pinterest - which inevitably will bring you to the same [sold out] boutique, i turn to google.

option 1: i come up with as many descriptives as possible and google image search them one after another - in this case: coral and teal maxi dress // chevron maxi dress // mint and orange maxi dress // robins egg maxi dress // turquoise and coral maxi dress // chevron mint maxi dress // colorblock mint and apricot maxi dress // colorblock chevron // mint and coral // ...the list goes on and on. if the image is the dress in question --> click it! if you're lucky, it's IN STOCK at a cute boutique that offers free shipping! double score!

option 2: another successful, little known fact, is the drag and drop option for google images. copy a photo of an item and save it to your desktop. open google and click on the image search tab.

click and drag the saved image from your desktop to the search bar. google will then upload your image and search based on a number of factors: the image itself, the filename, and other awesome stuff that google can do…. with any luck, your search results will look like this:

and go on and on with places you can buy/find the dress! THIS IS HOW I GOT LUCKY! i was able to find it in multiple places and get the best deal without breaking the bank. and because i'm so nice, i'm sharing a few places that (as of 10:30 am on wednesday, july, 12) still have the dress IN STOCK:

1  |  2  |  3  |  4

p.s. it's also no secret amongst my friends that i love to shop on eBay as well. some boutiques sell on eBay, and it's NEW clothing, so don't be afraid to try the keyword search route there!

do you have a method to finding those hard-to-find in-high-demand items? let me know your secret!

happy hunting!

number 135

i'm taking a break from my hectic week to send out an SOS...

my perfect shoes are on their last leg (no pun intended), and i'm in dire need of some new brown wedges. not just any shoe, but the perfect brown wedge:

pictured above is the steve madden quinne wedge in brown. i've had these wedges for about 2 or 3 years now, and i WILL cry when the strap finally gives. i can wear these gals days without getting a blister or sore soles. to say that i love them is an understatement. unfortunately SM doesn't make them anymore [[insert frantic sobs]]. since i've been lazy for the past 2+ years and not unbuckling them each time - just slipping them on, along with many late-night outings at my favorite watering hole(s), their condition just isn't appropriate for everyday wear anymore.

so...it's up to y'all to help! PLEASE! if you've seen these shoes, or if you do in the future, size 8 please!

am i the only one who gets THIS
attached to a pair of shoes?

number 132

happy friday! this week has blown by – don’t you love that?! although, with friends coming in today, our weekend is sure to do the same thing. oh well! let’s celebrate! it’s friday!

alex hosts her friday five every week, and this week her theme is sunless tanning. would you believe that i’ve NEVER gotten a spray tan? i'm not a big tanner anyway because my skin doesn't get pasty white if i don't lay out, but i do enjoy the occasional trip to the tanning bed. *gasp* i know. so really, i wouldn't have too much input to give you for friday five: sunless tanning. BUT what i will give you are a few things i'm excited about this weekend:1  |  our good good friends marc and lori beth are coming to play this weekend! we're planning on eating at the cowfish tonight (lb's fave), and i'm realllly looking forward to it! this has been one of mine and andrews favorite restaurants since we moved to charlotte. their menu has a great selection of burgers and sushi and the decor has a fun modern pop-art twist to it. a must try - if you haven't already.

2  |  saturday, while the boys are playing golf, the girls plan on doing a little shopping. i believe some new wedges are in order. shoes, not golf clubs. via piperlime

3  |  weekend breakfast! i stocked up on pancake mix, turkey sausage, fruit, eggs, and juice. i'm definitely a breakfast gal, and on the weekends andrew usually takes it upon himself to go all out - i don't hate it! maybe we’ll try this recipe.

4  |  i get off at 2:30 today; what's not exciting about that?

5  |  and finally, this dress that's en route to me right now. i can't wait to get it on my body! i think i’ll belt it, and then pair it with some of my new wedges, yes?

so that’s it for this week! as always, i'm linking up with my favorite, alex and sweet lauren today for their own “friday five” and “high five for friday”.

happy weekend!

number 131

could your fashion addiction be toxic? a recent study that hit the news stands yesterday says, "YES!" a few well known designer brands were found to have large (and illegal!) amounts of lead in their purses. one shocking fact for you: my favorite of them all, tory burch, is majorly in the spotlight today. according to this article from ABC news, at the top of the list "the lab results showed the tory burch purse contained nearly 200 times more lead than the limit permitted..." see tory's statement here. other brands whose products were found to contain high levels of lead include nine west, house of harlowe, guess, and charlotte russe. 


yikes! maybe tory will give me a brand new, lead-free bag as a consolation prize before this is all said and done! for now, i'll be toting one that's a little less hazardous.

number 124

happy friday! thanks for taking a sec to stop by! it's friday which means i'm doing a quick round-up of some of my favorite things, and today, it's office supplies! i'll get right to it:

1  |  2  |  3  |  4  |  5

1  |  i love these funny post its from knock knock. we have a very laid-back office, and i know these would get a laugh or seven. buy them online or at paper twist in charlotte!

2  |  i have to have a good pen! i have one on my desk right now that always sits out, kinda like it’s tempting you and saying, “take this pen, and laura will beat you down”. the felt tip le pens have always been a favorite of mine. they come in a large selection of colors [more than what’s pictured above] to keep things bright and non-work-ish.

3  |  are you a coffee drinker? i definitely am! having this cute jonathan adler mug would reduce my trips to dunkin' donuts significantly! AND it's microwave safe!

4  |  my little planner from post by graphic image keeps me in check. it's the perfect size, not bulky at all, to keep in my purse all the time. i even got mine monogrammed with my initials on the front! there's still 6 months left in the year, so grab one from that link above for ONLY $4! [that's nuts!]

5  |  lastly, today i'm enjoying the sweet sweet fragrance of the pink citron candle from voluspa. y'know when you walk in anthro and it smells amazing? it's this candle! i realize how lucky i am that my bosses don't mind me playing with fire in the office.

now that i've gotten you all pumped about awesome office supplies, we'll all have a productive friday, right? eh.

as always, i'm linking up with my favorite, alex and sweet lauren today for their own “friday five” and “high five for friday”.

happy weekend!

number 120

hey y’all! my apologies for slacking this week. this whole “going to the gym every day to get a hot body” is taking it’s toll on me. i seriously feel like a zombie right now, slow monstrous walk, talk, and all. but still going strong! i'm on day 6 out of 8 (the holiday weekend / redneck festivities knocked me out on sun/mon), and i'm pretty sure that’s the longest streak i've had in my life. sooo in celebration of my new hobby, i've decided to spotlight my workout wishlist for my friday five:

wait, my friends are laughing at me right now, i can feel it. i'm probably the least athletic/most uncoordinated person there ever was. i am not, by any stretch of the imagination, an athlete. my “working out” is the elliptical and, a few times a week, a group power class (bascially, cardio and weights). i'm not a runner, nor do i play any sport. ok, just had to clear the air so i don’t come off as a phony. now…

1  |  2  |  3  |  4  |  5

1  |  so since this is a wish list, i'll start off with some lululemon. full disclosure, i picked the free to be bra because it was cute. i don’t need a lot of support up top, so fashion wins this battle over function. although based on the reviews. it looks like a winner in all departments.

2  |  i really love the nike tempo track running shorts. again, i am not a runner, but when i am “workin’ it” i'm more of a shorts and loose t-shirt kinda gal. usually an old sorority or tech t-shirt, nothing fancy. i digress, these shorts come in a TON of patterns and colors – i’ve even seen them monogrammed on pinterest.

3  |  although i definitely don’t need it now, a comfy sweatshirt that’s still running-errands-appropriate would be nice to add to my list as well. i really like this alo cowl neck one. except for the fact that it’s product picture looks like the model has monkey arms.

4  |  i just got new shoes (liiiike 2 years ago) but due to my lack of physical activity, after a trip around the washing machine they look and function like brand new! BUT since this is a wish list, i'd like these lightweight running shoes from nike, please.

5  |  lastly, it’s the end of my workout and i'm a little parched. i grab my hokie colored camelbak and it gives me that extra push to finish. no? that’s not how it really works? ok. but i do like it a lot! my gal, alex, turned me on to the camelback and it really is a great water bottle - and bpa free which means you won’t ingest that nasty chemical from some plastics!

that sums it up! i'm all ready to get my gym on, now! join me? i need some workout buddies!

i'm linking up with alex and lauren today for their own “friday five” and “high five for friday”.

happy weekend!

number 119

with summer just around the corner… wait, it’s the end of MAY! as far as i can tell, with a high of 88* today, it’s here! i've got the beach on the brain. andrew and i joined a gym last week, and have been filling our evenings with lots of cardio and sweat. i honestly already feel like it’s making a difference! i'm looking forward to that point where i just jump out of bed in the morning, bursting with energy…that happens, right? i'm really trying to hold myself accountable – even registering with a free online calorie counting / exercise diary program. anyway, if you’ve got some extra motivation hanging around, send it my way! in the meantime, these cute summer pieces are serving as my motivation:

from vs

from j.crew

from pacsun

from pacsun

and for a little extra coverage…

from vs

from vs

from urban outfitters

what’s keeping you motivated for a summer bod?

number 117

for some reason i feel the strong urge to break out in song:


it’s RACE weekend! more importantly, it’s memorial day weekend and we have friends and family coming in to town for the coca-cola 600 nascar race held right here in charlotte. [concord, to be exact] i went to my first nascar race last fall with the men in my life [husband, bro, dad], and in all honesty, had a blast! 1. i love to people watch, and really doesn’t get much better than at a nascar race!  2. i was raised in arkansas and southern virginia, so it’s fun to be able to channel [and embrace] my inner redneck. since i've been slacking this week on the posts, not only do you get a fun song, you get an outfit as well! here’s my attire for sunday at the track:

1  |  i thought i'd keep it simple in a white v-neck since i'm going all out on the shorts. my favorite is this one from old navy. it’s got a soft slub knit that’s comfortable for all day wear, but not too sheer!

2  |  i spent the better half of last weekend diy’ing my shorts! after scooping some $7 jeans from a local consignment/thrift store, i put a paintbrush in my hand and got patriotic. i used this tutorial and some [pin]spiration to help me through it! mine actually turned out pretty well! click here to preview a snippet. might post a better image later!

3  |  i might be the only southern sorority girl who, before a month ago, didn’t own a pair of cowboy boots. but since i don’t wear them too frequently i decided to score some on ebay, which i did – for $30. if you look, you will find them too. i seriously love ebay.

4  |  i won’t be sporting these ray-bans, but i will be wearing my cheap aviators i bought at the beach one year. probably cost me about $11 from alvin’s island, if i had to guess. regardless, there’s no way i would take my nice glasses out there - not with my track record [pun intended. hah!].

5  |  lastly, no redneck woman is complete without her cheap light beer. preferably consumed with some barbecue and baked beans, thank you.

hope everyone has a safe, and happy memorial day! “SHAKE AND BAKE”…sorry.

what are your plans for the holiday weekend?

number 116

happy friday, everyone! here’s a few things i'm excited about today:

1  |  i painted my nails last night using a picture from kate as inspiriation. a fun twist on the french mani! coincidentally, she posted a tutorial for it today! see how you can get your gold dipped nails!

2  |  my brother’s girlfriend, rachael, is coming to play this weekend! she’s got great taste in fashion, and i'm sure there will be some shopping in order!

3  |  these pretty bracelets and this tutorial to make them!…and that blog title.

4  |  this quote. something i need to remember more often. image via

5  |  this recipe. i made these delicious chicken lettuce wraps wednesday night, and the filling tastes JUST like pf chang’s, without the guilt.

i'm linking up with alex and lauren today for their own “friday five” and “high five for friday”.

p.s. we’re back on the house hunt again. if anyone in plaza midwood wants to sell us their house, that’d be great. k-thanks.

happy weekend!