WIWW: Cardigan Casual

Cardigan: American Eagle | T-shirt: Target | Jeans: XXI 

Gold Chevron necklace c/o Lisa Leonard Designs | Boots: Target

Ya'll don't know this but my boyfriend's parents own a greenhouse.
This time of year is absolutely gorgeous with the overwhelming colors of red and pink.
I love looking at all the different varieties, not just the plain ol' red ones.
With poinsettias nearly everywhere, I couldn't resist taking some photos this past weekend.

Another thing I've really been loving lately is Lisa Leonard Designs.
I'm the owner of four Lisa Leonard jewelry pieces and they are all so so pretty.
If you're looking for the perfect gift for your sister, mom, or friend, look no further!
She recently launched the gold line and brought back her famous ornaments for the holidays.
Be sure to sign up for the Lisa Leonard newsletter and get 15% OFF your purchase!

Also today you have the chance to win a gold chevron necklace for yourself! 

This giveaway is open to US and Canada residents only.

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{This month's advertisement}

Crosswords and Chocolate

I love magazines. I'm subscribed to anything fashion, food, celeb, or beauty related. Between my roommate and I we are currently subscribed to 8 magazines. {All of which were free via RecycleBank.}  However, out of all of those subscriptions, PEOPLE magazine is by far my favorite. I'm a complete sucker for celebrity gossip. Who's engaged, who just had a baby, who's broken up, etc.

As you know from last week's post, PEOPLE launched their Sexiest Man Alive issue for 2012. {Congratulations Stephanie who won the $20 CVS gift card!} I had my fingers crossed that Alexander Skarsgard from True Blood would take the gold home.

However, I wasn't disappointed when I saw this eye candy on the front page. I immediately grabbed some of my favorite chocolate, a can of vanilla coke, and lit my favorite Bath & Body Works candle.

Yep, Channing Tatum was named this year's Sexiest Man Alive. If ya'll have seen The Vow or Magic Mike then you know exactly why. Channing has quite the body. Oh and apparently he can order a beer in spanish, cook tacos, and give a good massage. Sign me up!

Oh wait, he's married. Do ya'll remember the gal he co-starred with in Step Up? I had no idea, but apparently they're married. I'll give you a moment to shed a few tears like I did.

Although Channing Tatum made the cover, the entire issue was certainly not about him. There was adorable photos of Reese Witherspoon's new baby...

...and James van der Beek's on a horse naked. If you watch Don't Trust the B-- in Apt 23 then you'll find this hilarious. {If you didn't watch that episode, I suggest you watch it on Hulu.}

Speaking of good TV shows, do any of you watch Matthew Perry's show, Go On? I watch it every week and it's pretty darn funny. Not as funny as Friends, but still a great show.

One last thing that I love about PEOPLE magazines are the crosswords in the back of each issue. They are the only crosswords I can ever come close to completing. Anyone else with me on this?

Did you all read PEOPLE's #SexiestManAlive issue? 

Which parts were your favorite?

Disclosure: This shop is part of a social shopper marketing insight campaign with Pollinate Media Group™, but all my opinions are completely my own.

{This month's advertisement}

DIY Gallery Wall

{UPDATE: Since this post, I've added a few more frames and prints to my DIY gallery wall. I'd love for you to check it out here!}

Do you remember when I posted about my 5 Things To DIY? Yeah, neither do I. As soon as I made that list and published it, life got insanely busy and none of those things got done. No pretty coasters, no coral entry table, no canvases hanging on my bedroom walls, and certainly no gallery wall present.

However, last Tuesday I had an afternoon of free time before heading home for Thanksgiving break. This was the perfect time to work on my gallery wall and hopefully knock it all out in one afternoon! I already had all of my supplies so it shouldn't take too long, right? Wrong.

I thought the actual hanging process would be quick and painless, which it was for the most part. However, I totally forgot to account for the time it would take to put photos in their frames, cut templates for each picture frame, apply hanging strips, and figure out the "perfect" arrangement.

 
Step One: gather materials
{I used Command hooks and strips because our apartment complex doesn't allow nails.}
 

Step Two: cut out templates for each frame

{I used some kraft paper I had laying around from a package I had received.}

Step Three: figure out the "perfect" arrangement on the frames
{This was essential because those Command hooks don't move much after they're stuck.}

Step Four: lightly tape up your templates
{Then, once they're up there feel free to move things around until you like how it looks.}

Step Five: hang your picture frames using those templates as guides
{After I had two of my frames hung, I ended up changing the arrangement a little bit.}

anchor print c/o Kitty Meow Boutique // I Love You print c/o After Nine to Five // Feather print via Yellow Heart Art // Blogging print via Parada Creations // Teddy Bear custom print c/o Diesel & Juice // Enjoy the Little Things via my shop // Q & I custom print c/o Art by Jacy

Isn't she a beauty? I seriously can't stop staring and admiring my hard work. I am so impressed with the way it turned out! I plan on purchasing some more frames in the upcoming months so I can add this print and this print, oh and this one.

{UPDATE: Since this post, I've added a few more frames and prints to my DIY gallery wall. I'd love for you to check it out here!}

Do you have a gallery wall in your home?

If not, does this make you want to start your own?

Today I'm linking up here.

{This month's advertisement}

The Beginning of the End

Today is the first day of my Thanksgiving break and I'm so excited to spend the next couple of days enjoying some good food, spending time with family and friends, and doing a little pre-christmas shopping. Today is also bittersweet because it's the beginning of an end.

I announced last week that as of December 1st, I will no longer be offering sidebar ads. This also means that November is the LAST month for a group giveaway. {So sad, right?} No need to worry though because my November sponsors have donated some pretty sweet prizes this month. Let's make sure that this last group giveaway goes out with a BIG BANG!

Here's what ONE lucky winner will get this month...

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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{This month's advertisement}

The One Who...

Today's post is simply words.
No pictures of me wearing cute outfits.
No rainbows, unicorns, or sugar-coating.
Instead, it's just me sharing my feelings with all of you.

Last week was rough for me.
I had to make a few difficult decisions.
And I asked myself questions about the future.
So many questions which I don't think I have the answers to...

What do I do now?
Is this really what I want?
What will people think of me?
Am I sure I made the right choice?
What if this choice just screwed everything up?
What if I realize this isn't really what I want to do?
While asking myself all of these questions, I realized something.

I want to be one of those people.
One who knows what they want and how to get it.
One who is confident with the decisions they've made.
One who always has the right answers and gives advice.
One who never has to worry about not being good enough.

I want to be one of those people.
One who has their life planned out.
One who always knows what they're doing.
One who has time to do everything they want to.
One who seems to always have everything together.
One who doesn't worry about things until they've happened.

I want to be one of those people.
One who is happy.
One who is carefree.
One who is confident.
One who is successful.

I want to be one of those people.
One who is all of those things plus more.
But the thing is...I'm NOT one of those people.
I'm simply me.

{This month's advertisement}

Building Relationships

A few weeks ago, I talked about how it's okay to say no in order to say yes to other things. Well in the upcoming weeks and months, I'll be preparing for finals, enrolling in a new semester, and really cracking down on my poor study habits.

In order for me to say "yes" to studying and doing well in school, I have to say "no" to other things. As of December 1st, I will no longer be offering sidebar ads on my blog. This was a difficult decision to make but I honestly believe this will be for the best. My schedule is getting busier every day and I just don't have the time it takes to dedicate myself to promoting 10+ sponsors each month.

To me, sponsorships should be about more than paying someone to promote your blog or shop. It's about building a relationship with that person. In fact, one of my very first sponsors, Tookies and I built a wonderful relationship that still exists today as she continues to come back month after month to advertise with me.

So although my right sidebar will be empty, there will be TWO ad spaces available each month. I'm limiting the number per month in hopes of really building relationships and doing everything I can to promote you. To make sure your money and my time are both well spent!

I've answered a few questions below, but just e-mail me if you have any other questions! I'll update them here as more are answered.

What ad spaces will be available?
1. Ultimate ad space ($50/month) - located at the bottom of every blog post for 30 days.
2. Special Sponsor spotlight ($30/month) - located in the LEFT sidebar for 30 days.

Do these ad spaces come with "perks"?
Both of these ad spaces will have the option to host a solo giveaway and/or write a guest post. They'll also get unlimited social media mentions and have the option to participate in a collaboration.

What is a collaboration?
A collaboration is something that the sponsor and I will work on to promote their blog or shop. Anything unique that we can work on together to bring new people to you! Here are a just a few ideas of what you can do...

• Host a Twitter party with a unique hash tag to talk about your brand.
• Create Your Own Marsh contest or something similar for my readers to weigh in on.
• Host a Pinterest contest in which my readers must pin a certain number of items, etc.
• Special Facebook sale on my page to sell a few of your shop items at a discount
• Hosting a special link up party for my readers, centered around a certain topic

Will there still be group giveaways?
Unfortunately, group giveaways will be no longer. Instead, each of the two sponsors will have the option to do a solo giveaway.

When can I purchase one of these new ad spaces?
You can purchased an ad anytime you'd like! Just head on over to my Sponsor page.


{This month's advertisement}

Some Tuesday Eye Candy

Are ya'll obsessed with magazines like I am? Seriously, I think I have about 5 magazine subscriptions right now. Thanks to Recyclebank I've received all of them for free. Yep, you heard that right. Cosmopolitan, Lucky, InStyle, PEOPLE Style Watch, and Martha Stewart Living. All for free.

Although I love all my magazines dearly, PEOPLE is definitely one of my favorites. I have a weakness for celebrity gossip, especially when it comes to Bachelorette couples. But I must confess...My favorite time of the year is when PEOPLE magazine comes out with their annual Sexiest Man Alive issue. Bradley Cooper, Hugh Jackman, Ryan Reynolds...need I say more?

Who do you think will win this year? I'm crossing my fingers for Alexander Skarsgard (True Blood fans anyone?) to take home the gold this year. I also think he would make the most amazing Christian Grey in the 50 Shades of Grey movie. But that's beside the point here.

The point is that you need to get your buns out to pick up the newest PEOPLE Annual Sexiest Man Alive issue. It comes out November 15th and will only be available for two weeks.

Lucky for you -- you can enter below to win a $20 CVS Pharmacy gift card. Pick yourself up the newest issue, some chocolate, and relax while admiring all the sexy men.

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Disclosure: This shop is part of a social shopper marketing insight campaign with Pollinate Media Group™, but all my opinions are completely my own.

{This month's advertisement}

DIY 21st Birthday Basket

I've always been pretty good at giving unique gifts to my friends and family. Most people say that I know what they need before they know for themselves. Well, Q is no different. I've always been pretty good at buying presents for his birthday, but this one was his 21st.

He's finally able to drink alcohol and I knew I wanted to do something special. I decided to put together a gift basket with a few of his favorite snacks along with some alcohol-themed items.

1. The Basket: I purchased a gift basket kit at World Market for $4.99 which included the basket, straw to fill the basket, cellophane bag, raffia, and gift tag!

2. Buncha Crunch: One of Q's favorite snacks. The only place we've ever seen these sold is in the movie theatre, so when I saw them at Target I snatched him a bag!

3. Pretzel Crisps: Another one of his favorite snacks. Plus, they're amazing when topped with Brie cheese!

4. Wine Book: This Good, Better, Best wine book has wines for each price category which are categorized based on variety and each one comes with a summary of it's tasting notes. I thought this would be a good way for him to try a few wines and remember which ones he likes and doesn't.

5. Gummy Bears: I got the idea from Pinterest to soak gummy bears in vodka so I thought I'd include these in case him and his roommates decided to give it a try!

6. Corkscrew: You can't really open a bottle of wine without one of these babies.

7. Godiva Chocolates: This is one of Q and I's favorite places to buy chocolate from. I handpicked 12 of his favorite truffles and had them wrapped up in a gift box.

8. Shotglass: I purchased the Canada maple leaf shot glass when I visited my family last summer. I thought it would be cute to include something in his basket that would remind him of me.

9. DIY Cocktail Book: I went through my cocktail recipes and picked out my favorites to create a cocktail recipe book out of.

I made these fabulous cocktail recipe cards on my computer, printed them out, and laminated them. I then punched a hole in each one, and hung them on a binder ring. Now if Q wants a fancy drink, he'll have the recipes for over 50 cocktails!

You can have your own cocktail recipe book too!

 Click the button below to exchange a tweet for 16 recipe cards.

There you have it...

A simple way to wish someone a "Happy 21st Birthday!"

Today I'm linking up here.

{This month's advertisement}

Taking Care of Your Skin

Today I'm going to let you all in on a little secret...I've never had a pimple or zit anywhere on my face or body. {Let me give you a minute to let that sink in.} When most girls (and some guys) find this out about me, they immediately say "No way! That's impossible!" Some even curse me.

But the real truth is that I have never had a pimple because I take good care of my skin. I believe in splurging on my skincare items and using products that are allergy-free and don't contain parabens.

I can't stress to you how important it is to take good care of your skin, both on your face and the rest of your body. I've washed my face every other day with Clinique products ever since I turned 13 and I strongly believe this has kept me from developing pimples or acne problems. I've said no to clogging my pores with chemicals, parabens, and all those other nasty ingredients that some companies sneak into their products.

So you can just imagine how thrilled I was when one of my blogging friends, Ashley, decided she wanted to open an all-vegan shop, named The Gnarly Whale. They specialize in bath and beauty products that are...

• 100% Vegan
• Not tested on animals
• Free of harsh preservatives  

Oh and did I mention that through Nov. 11th, 50% of profits will be donated to Sandy relief...what's not to love?!

I was given the opportunity to test out a few products from The Gnary Whale Shop and I was so so pleased with all of them!

1. The peach lip balm has become one of my new favorites. It's like slathering yummy peaches & cream goodness all over. I keep it next to my nightstand and apply it every morning and night. I'm already planning on purchasing the cotton candy lip balm next!

2. Next up, is the orange exfoliating scrub. This product has literally changed the way I view exfoliators, which usually make my skin red and itchy. However, this one was completely different! The smell is amazing and makes my whole shower smells like the Orange Crush soda. {The lavender exfoliating scrub is also amazing if you're looking for a more relaxing scent!

3. The last product I had tried was the Thai Coconut Beach Waves spray. I've only used this spray a few times and I'm still getting used to it. It gives my hair great texture but I haven't mastered the "sexy beach waves" hair quite yet, but I'm not giving up!

I had such an amazing experience with all the Gnarly Whale products and really love that they're vegan and totally good for both you and your body.  No harsh preservatives and cruelty-free too!

 ONE winner will receive 3 lip balms, one 6 oz. sugar scrub, and one 4 oz. beach waves spray...all in your choice of scents! 

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{This month's advertisement}

The Gifting Season

The month of October totally flew by and hey what do you know, it's officially November. This also means the holiday season is quickly approaching! It's time to bust out your decorations, start your Christmas shopping, and spend some quality time with family and friends.

Today I'm teaming up with some really amazing ladies to give away these prizes. All of these ladies are either bloggers or shop owners, and some of them do both! They are all so unique and when I approached each of them about a holiday giveaway, they jumped right on board.

This holiday giveaway is absolutely nothing like you've ever seen before, guaranteed. This holiday giveaway is being called "Gift Your Gift" for a very special reason....

With they way our economy has been lately, I know that not everyone has a budget to buy Christmas gifts for their loved ones. Or by the time they do, they don't any have any money left to buy something for themselves. I'm hoping by hosting this "Gift Your Gift" holiday giveaway that people can find gifts for their friends & family members and something to pamper themselves with too!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

** Giveaway Details **

There will be 14 winners. Each one will receive TWO prizes. One MUST be gifted to a friend or family member. The other is for YOU to pamper and reward yourself! How cool is that?!

You MUST leave TWO blog comments, one stating which gift you'd like for yourself and the other prize that you'd like to gift. I'll try best to award you these, but it's NOT guaranteed.

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{This month's advertisement}