Why dontcha come on over CHAMBRAY!

J. Crew pink gingham shirt, Brahmin Frankie polka dot tote, American Eagle cowboy hat,
J. Crew striped maxi skirt, Madewell chambray shirt, J. Crew sandals

To say I'm excited for Friday is a bit of an understatement. This cold is still kicking my butt, though it's been downgraded to an annoying cough. I'm sure my coworkers and John looove me for it!

Regardless, it's Friday's Fancies and I couldn't wait for this week's theme...chambray! I've blogged about chambray plenty of times before and worn my shirt even more than that! Just this week, I dressed up my shirt and wore it to work with a black pencil skirt and silver glitter Toms.

I also plan on bringing it with me to Nashville this summer. A friend is having her bachelorette party there and I indend on bringing chambray, pink gingham, my maxi dress, and a cowboy hat. Beyond checking out the great country music, is there anything we shouldn't miss?

By the way, did anybody catch the song reference in the title? I love the song "Valerie" as sung by Amy Winehouse and tend to say/sing "chambray" the way she sings "Valerie."

Pin It

2012 Update

Hi there! Since it's May, I figured I would take a quick peek at my 2012 goals and see how things are progressing. Especially since I'm notorious for starting things, but don't always get around to finishing them. The graphic is a great reminder and is inspired by Ecclesiastes 7:8, "To finish is better than to start."

Financial

My two major financial goals are to save more (while spending intentionally) and earn more. The savings goal is well on track with the refinance, but I can be more diligent with investing. Like...the old 401(k) that I still need to rollover to an IRA.

Earning more is also going really well! My Etsy shop continues to surprise me with sales from the first 4.5 months of 2012 being almost equal to the 4 months I was open in 2011 (which included Christmas!) And the blog is starting to make a little more moolah too. There are some new ads on the sidebar, including one for CCAP Enterprises. Only the best place to get promotional products and screened and embroidered apparel. Yes, my Dad runs the show at CCAP. You can contact him now for 10% off your first order! 

Personal

My personal goals are a bit more "in process." I haven't picked up "The Pursuit of Perfect" and I still have clutter around the house. On the plus side, one of my personal goals is to spend more time in prayer. During Lent, I started to listen to Catholic radio in the car. There's a huge billboard along the highway for Relevant Radio, and I was having a rough week, so I thought why not? I now listen to Catholic radio about 95% of the time in the car. It's so refreshing to listen to the current events or business advice through the filter of my faith. And it really sets the tone for my day.

Health + Fitness

Last, but not least, are health and fitness! "Health" is going pretty well as I'm drinking more water, especially after recovering from a massive cold. And I've been eating meatless more often since we went Catholic vegetarian for Lent by giving up meat, but could have fish and seafood. I could afford a more consistent sleep schedule, so we'll see how that goes the second half of the year.

"Fitness" is more "in process" as I've fallen a bit off the work out wagon. Yes, I'm walking a half marathon with my Mom and have a 5K shortly after that, but I haven't been very diligent with my training.

Something tells me if I can balance my time better, I'll be able to workout, sleep, and do the thousands of other things on my list. But will all of that realistically happen? Probably not. Guess I'm more of an optimalist than I thought!

How are your 2012 goals going?
Pin It

Happy Mother's Day!

Happy Mother's Day, Mom!

Can't wait to walk the half marathon with you!

Pin It

Seeing Green

Wedding season is upon us! I don't know about you, but we had our first wedding of the year last weekend.

John's sister is in a wedding in July and she asked for some dress recommendations. She has been on the look out for cute green dresses to wear with wedges as the wedding is on a farm.

With those thoughts in mind, I pulled together 12 different green dresses. The most expensive one is $300 (I couldn't resist including the one from BHLDN), but most are under $200. There are even a few under $100!

Spearmint Dresses

Calvin Klein - spearmint chiffon dress - $138
J. Crew - Juliet silk chiffon dress - on sale $160
J. Crew - Erica cotton taffeta dress - on sale $180

Lace and Eyelet Dresses

BHLDN - lace sheath dress - $300

J. Crew - Ella petal eyelet dress - $158

Zara - lace tulip dress - $99.90

Casual Dresses

Calvin Klein - kelly green chiffon dress - $118

Zara - straight green dress - $79.90

Anthropologie - green jersey dress - $148

Embellished Dresses 

Donna Morgan - belted chiffon dress - $158
Rent the Runway - Anna Sui - dot flutter dress - $75
Jack by BB Dakota dress (with pockets!) - $79

I hope this helps, Caroline!

Hope everyone has a fantastic Friday and happy weekend!

Pin It

Coming Clean

I know Earth Day was last month, but that doesn't keep me from thinking (and saving) green throughout the rest of the year. Know who else is into thinking green blue? 

Volkswagen! The fine folks at VW included me in their April 2012 issue of Das Auto Magazine! Stop by to see how I (and four other drivers) live a greener life with VW.

And while I'm coming clean, I want to share a green tip for doing the laundry.

White vinegar and baking soda never cease to amaze me. I've used them to clean the bathroom and help unclog a drain (pre-Drain Claw). I also use them to tackle stinky towels.

Have you ever washed and washed a towel, but it still smells gross? Yet everything else in the laundry smells clean? It happens to my towels maybe once a year. (I told you I was coming clean.) 

According to this Lifehacker article, the culprit is the build up of detergent, fabric softener, and/or dryer sheets in the fluffy fibers of the towels. Over time, they soak up soap residue and cannot soak up post-shower water. And let's not forget the funk.

Fortunately, the solution is in your pantry with the help of your washer. Give your towels a detox by running them through two hot loads in the washer, skipping the detergent on both loads.

• Load 1: Hot water and one cup of vinegar
• Loan 2: Hot water and a half cup of baking soda

Once the wash is done, throw the towels in the dryer sans-dryer sheets.

And if you're looking for other homemade cleaners, Design*Sponge highlighted a few last week.
Pin It

Fiesta Time

Melie Bianco Bree tote, DV by Dolce Vita Archer sandals, Nanett Lepore Fiesta dress,
Turquoise earrings by Elephantine, Foggy Day ring by dollybirdesign

I told you I would be back for Friday's Fancies! This week's post is all about Cinco de Mayo. Ole!

With a birthday so close to Cinco de May, a few of the celebrations had a Mexican theme. The one that comes to mind first was a surprise birthday scavenger hunt in high school that finished at Chi-Chi's. Is Chi-Chi's still even in existance?

I'm not too worried because I have my dream fiesta planned.

There will definitely be some of my favorite guacamole!

A margarita (or dos).

Plenty of papel picado as decorations.

A few Confetti System pinatas for good measure.

And if that's not enough color, I'll put out a few Mexican blankets.

In blanket or chair form a la Nick Olsen.

Hope you have a festive weekend!

Pin It

Go Shortcake...

Birthday card from Etsy seller HappyDappyBits

...it's my birthday! I hope you don't mind that posting will be on the light side for the next few days. While I enjoy chatting with you on the Internets, I have other fun things going on IRL.

And it seems that Draft Mag got the memo too.

Their May/June 2012 issue has beer and cake pairings! A lemon chiffon cake and wheat beer are sounding pretty good together.

See you back here for Friday's Fancies.
Pin It