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7/27/12

Splurge vs Steal: Orange Statement Necklaces:

Ok so I usually do a Faves and FOFFs post on Friday but since I just released my newest Lace Necklace color yesterday...this SVS post takes precedence!

Over the weekend, I dyed up a batch of super cute bright orange lace per the requests of quite a few potential buyers through my Etsy store and CWAK blog readers.

Cute, right?

Literally, as I was dyeing, I was also flipping through the J. Crew catalog (I am a pro multi-tasker) and saw this little beauty...



My first thought?? OMG Twinsies!


Ok, so more like fraternal twins but very similar. The best part is this...the PRICE DIFFERENCE! Ok, you can buy the J. Crew version for $150 (for string and gold chain) or you can buy my pretty little lace version for $20 (gold chain is now available, BTW). Hmm...tough decision right? I think not!

If you end up making the RIGHT decision and buy the lace version, you can save even more with free shipping using this code: TWINSIES. 

Hope you all have a great weekend! Oh and I'm in NY next week so blogging will be spotty. I apologize in advance!

Happy weekend! Buy a necklace! :)

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7/26/12

Shopping Cart-aholic

someecards.com - If I had a nickel for every time I went online shoe shopping, I still wouldn't be able to buy all the pairs that are sitting in  

 Have you ever gotten an email with one of these subject lines...

"Your shopping cart is waiting..."
"The items in your shopping cart are lonely..."
"Hurry, you items will be deleted from your cart..."

I do. ALL. OF. THE. TIME.

I am completely guilty of obsessive shopping cart shopping - today's version of window shopping. When I get a sale email, read a new catalog (J. Crew - you kill me every time!) or see a cute piece of clothing on a blog, I instantly go the website and start loading up my cart with just about everything I want. It's completely unrealistic as my carts end up containing hundreds of dollars of merchandise. And I even choose things, I will probably never wear - some not even in my size!

Even though I probably only buy about 1% of the things I put in shopping carts, I find the process fulfilling. It's like shopping with pretend money. I do sometimes forget that I never actually ordered an particular item while I am waiting for it to show in the up in the mail...but that is not a frequent occurrence.

Take today's J. Crew cart for instance. I got the catalog over the weekend and a couple emails this week so this is what I have selected so far.

(so many stripes and dots - I need to venture out more, don't you think?)

Cute, right? However, the total cart is $700 worth of merchandise...so this is NOT going to happen.

I didn't even bother to put this skirt in even though I am DYING to get it. It is the perfect example of "classy with a kick" - a pencil skirt with sequins! Love!!

Anyway, I will most likely end up buying 1-2 of the items in this cart or I will forget and move onto the next online store/shopping cart. That's just how I roll!

Speaking of other shops...I'm not even going to show you the other carts I filled up today. I did actually buy something, though. Candles from Bath and Body Works - the 2 for $20 deal gets me every time! :) If you have not tried the American Boardwalk collection, you are missing out!



Do you have a shopping cart addiction? If so, I want to hear all about it! :) 

**Please excuse the fuzzy pictures...my photoshop was not working so I had to improvise! 


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7/24/12

My First Award!




Hey everyone,


I am excited to share that I was nominated by blogger Natalia Gutierrez from natalia-etlamode.blogspot.com for the Liebster Blog Award. I know there are hundreds of these kind of awards and I have no idea what most of them mean, but this one is cool because it is for up and coming bloggers to gain new followers. In fact...here is what was listed on Natalia's blog...


"... The Liebster Blog Award Given to upcoming bloggers is Who Have less than 200 followers. The Meaning; Liebster is German and Means sweetest, kindest, nicest, dearest, beloved, lovely, kind, pleasant, valued, cute, endearing and welcome. "


The way this works is as follows: 
  1. Someone nominates you for the award by listing your blog on their site and creating questions for their nominees to answer. 
  2. You share the nomination on your blog, link back to your nominator and then answer the questions asked of you 
  3. You select 5 blogs who have under 200 followers and create questions for them.
  4. You contact the bloggers and let them know they have been nominate and the cycle goes on... 
So here are Natalia's questions and my answers.


1. How do you relate to fashion?
I think fashion is the ultimate form of self-expression. My outfits vary depending on my mood, my plans for the day, etc. They reflect my inner feelings and show the world who I am that particular day. That is probably why my style changes so much... 

2. What has changed in blogging from the moment you started to now?
Well, I just started in April but this entire blogging world is so big. There are so many inspirations out there from social media outlets to blogger forums to Pinterest. There are also so many ways to monetize your blog. I now see how blogging can be a full-time gig instead of just a pastime for many people!

3. Share your own concept of style.
Style is what you make of it. I think as long as you feel confident in what you are wearing, you are creating your own style. While it is great to take ideas and be influenced by others, it is important to define your own style and stay true to what you love. If you love it and it shows, you are stylish! 

4. Why do you like fashion?
I like fashion because there are really no wrongs or rights and so many options. You can mix and match colors, fabrics, textures, etc. There are no limits! 

5. According to you, what does the fashion world need?
A way for young/new designers to reach mass audiences easier. There are so many great up and coming designers that should get more exposure as their creations are pretty amazing! 

6. What is the difference That You want to share with your readers?
I don't want my readers to like or agree with every outfit or style suggestion I post. I just want them to understand that we are all unique and that is what makes the world go round. I also want to encourage them to share their thoughts with me and my readers. I love when people get into conversations and exchange ideas. It is so inspiring! 

7. What is your favorite fashion place?
This is a difficult question...but as I mentioned before, my loyalty is with Nordstrom so if I were stuck on a desert island with just ONE store...it would be my Nordies!

8. How do you define elegance?
Elegance is confidence. You don't have to have the most expensive dress/accessories to be elegant. If you are confident in what you are wearing - you will look elegant in anything! 



9. Define your styling process for a shoot.
I don't really do shoots right now. I do love personal style photos, however, I find that sometimes the people in them are distracting - meaning, it's hard to imagine myself in certain outfits if I already have a clear picture of what they look like. I like taking suggestions and making them my own. 

10. What Experiences Have Taught You The MOST About managing a fashion blog?
I think being a part of a blogger network is pretty cool. It's a great way to make friends and learn some tips of the trade. Fellow bloggers have the best suggestions and ideas...they are the ones to learn from! 

11. Which social media do you prefer to interact with your readers?
For interaction, I like twitter and Facebook as you can talk to big audiences directly. I do love Pinterest though...it is a great way to gain followers/readers visually. 

Now the fun part...I get to choose 5 bloggers to nominate. This is tough as there are so many bloggers that deserve this but here goes. My nominees are: 
Here are the "official" rules for the nominees: 

  1. Answer the questions the tagger has for you. Then create your own 11 of questions for the people you will tag.
  2. Choose 5 people to nominate for the award and notify them (via comment, message, etc.)
  3. Link the tagger and the people you tagged in your post.
  4. Remember, no tag backs!

Lastly, here are my questions for the nominees...


1. Why did you start your blog?
2. What are your favorite type of posts?
3. Why do you choose to follow a blog?
4. What does "fashion" mean to you?
5. What is the #1 way you gain followers?
6. Can you name 3 clothing items you could not live without?
7. Which blogger do you consider your biggest inspiration?
8. If you could only shop in one store for the rest of your life, what would it be?
9. Heels or flats?
10. What is your biggest blogging challenge?
11. What is your favorite social media channel and why?


Have fun and I hope you all check out some of these bloggers! :)


Oh, and I am doing a blog hop today...check it out! 




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7/23/12

Red, White, Blue and Gold

Happy Monday everyone!

I hope you all had a great weekend. Mine was full of family and food...all great things. My sister came in to do a Dad/Daughter(s) weekend and we had a blast - despite the ridiculous amounts of food we consumed. Our family tends to plan the day around meals; it's actually pretty funny. But I have to say, we went to some great places and got to show my sister some new parts of SD.

As mentioned on Friday, I finally got to wear my white lace shorts. I think I am still on a red, white and blue kick as that is what ultimately came together for our Friday night dinner. I added some fun gold accessories to add some gold and sparkle - and to make it look less 4th of Julyish.

Zara Lace Shorts // Pink Zone (local) Blue Tank - only $15! // Louis Vuitton EPI purse (old) // 
Stacked Bangles & Gold Necklace (local SD store, So Good Jewelry)

Saturday we hit up this awesome restaurant in Kensington to celebrate my Dad's belated birthday. Here is a pic of my sister and I at dinner. Don't we look alike?? I mean, it's almost like we are identical! Ha, ha!

It's the Anchor Tank again!! Are you guys sick of it yet?? 

Sunday we spent some time oceanside at Georges in La Jolla. We went into Lululemon (of course) and I got these interesting pants - the Free Fall Crop. Not sure why I loved the dropped crotch, but I do. And they are super soft and comfy...love them!

I got mine in black!

My new job starts today and I head to New York next week for an all company meeting and training. Super excited. All you NY readers...anything I HAVE to do while there? All comments/suggestions appreciated! 

Oh and if you have not noticed...I finally added Google Friend Connect to my blog so if you are a reader, please follow me! :) The link is up on the right hand side panel...I would LOVE more followers and I always follow back!

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7/20/12

Friday Faves & FOFFs - Shorts, Sales & Shibas



TGIF!

Considering everything that happened this week; it actually flew by! Next week is the first week of my new job so I will try to be as consistent as possible with posting but if I skip a day or two, please forgive me.

This week definitely had some amazing events (new puppy, new business opportunities, my dad's birthday, etc) and some frustrating parts (new puppy - yup it's both, lots of paperwork for our condo sale and new job, etc) Because it was so eventful, I had a million faves and FOFFs for you but I kept it to 5 to not bore you to death and let you get on with your weekend!

Here they are:

Faves

Shorts - It is so hard to believe that I used to hate shorts! I can't stop wearing them. I think I am on day 5 of short wearing. Not sure if it's because my legs are finally tan (not spray tanned - actually tan) or if it's because its been super hot here in SD. Either way, I am back in love with them and I hope it lasts a while! Hopefully it will because I have recently bought quite a few of them...


I finally got my Zara lace shorts in the mail and you can bet I will be wearing this weekend with my new electric blue swing tank. 



Nordstrom Sale!!

I am a huge fan of Nordstrom so of course I am going to get excited for a sale! I did not do the presale this year (even though it was the first time you could shop online) because I really love the whole Nordies experience. I have my eye on a few things that are online (ie, this amazing leather shift dress, this Rachel Zoe top, this House of Harlow necklace and these Steve Madden boots) but I am sure when we go this weekend, I will find a whole lot more. Trouble with a capital "T"!!

Shibas - Just look at my babies. How cute are they together? I swear Shibas are the best looking dogs. I might be biased, but look at those little faces!! These two are probably the most kissed dogs ever. :)

Kona (puppy) & Kirin (white)

FOFFs

Bikini Color Bleeding - So I still love my Pakaloha Bikinis because they fit amazingly well, but my newest neon pink suit decided to bleed all over my other suits staining EVERYTHING. They told me to be careful in hot tubs as the heat & cholrine can fade the color but there was no mention of bleeding. The darker suits survived but my yellow polka dot suit and my lime green suit now have a tie-dyed look to them. Sad.


China Glaze Flip Flop Fantasy (check out this blog post on all the other CG neon colors) - 




So the color is amazing. It is pretty much the perfect neon pink-coral nail polish I could find out there. It makes even the palest skin look tan! I was so excited when I bought this but when I put it on, I was totally disappointed. First, the color is awesome but it's actually matte which is weird. I used a top coat that seemed to help but I find it strange that it's not mentioned anywhere on the bottle or in-store display. Second, because of the matte finish, the polish is extra dry and chips like no tomorrow. I brought it to Hawaii and had to re-paint almost every night. It was annoying to say the least. If I could just find the same color elsewhere, I would be happy! 


So there you have it my week of Faves and FOFFs. 

What were some of your Faves and FOFFs this week? Share them in the comments below. Talking about a FOFF is a great way to vent! :) 

Happy weekend, everyone. See you on Monday!

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7/19/12

Maui Babe

I always have vacation withdrawals when I come back from somewhere nice but this time, it's serious!

Last week, I was sleeping in, working out in the mornings with the ocean as my backdrop, lounging at the beach/pool and straight up relaxing. This week I am up at 6 am taking two separate dogs on walks then repeating this every 3 hours (the joys of a puppy), filling out piles and piles of paperwork for my new job, running to condo viewing appts and trying to find times to shower in between. All I want to do is go back to Hawaii!

Every time we go to Hawaii, we buy this browning and after sun lotion called Maui Babe. The browning lotion gives you a GREAT tan, but it smells like coffee which totally grosses me out. Hot, sweaty coffee...yuck! The after-sun lotion, however, has the most amazing floral/tropical smell to it and whenever I smell it, I am instantly transported back to Hawaii. I put it on today (to preserve my tan, of course) and the scent really helped me get in a better mood - despite all of the craziness. It even inspired me to get a little brighter with my drab running errands/dog walking outfit and add some sunny accents - like my new yellow Steve Madden wedges (sale) and one of my Hawaiian purchases; a starfish cuff (LOVE).

H&M Tank & Shorts // Kate Spade Neckace // Steve Madden Wedges (on sale!!) // 
Starfish Cuff (from Hawaii but this one is FAB! // Gucci Sunnies // Maui Babe Lotions


Now all I need is lounger & a pina colada - oh and maybe a plane ticket back to the Aloha state. :)

Do you have vacation withdrawals? What do you do to help get back into real life?

See you tomorrow for some Faves & FOFFs!

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7/18/12

Preppy Neon & Condo Hunting

I definitely believe in luck. I don't think people are "lucky" but I do think people have streaks of good luck. Just like they have streaks of bad luck...it happens to all of us and in the end, everything seems to balance out.

A couple weeks ago, I was on a lucky streak. I got an amazing new job. We sold our condo and I received some great news about my lace necklaces (more to come later). The condo sale was really exciting as the market is not great, but we ended up selling much higher than we expected which was awesome!

But now the search for a new place to live is upon us. Yesterday we saw what we hoped would be "it" but turned out the place had weird bathrooms (no counter space - yeah, like that would work!) and get this...NO CLOSETS! Who makes a living space with NO CLOSETS. It's like a nightmare! There was a second bedroom that we could have turned into a closet but that's still not enough for me! Especially for the person who just bought 5 new pairs of shoes last week (sorry, the Steve Madden mid-day madness sales always get me - wedges for $29.99?? It's like they are paying me to wear them!).

Needless to say the hunt goes on... The good thing is, after seeing that place, tiny closets might actually impress me. At least they were

I had to throw something together super fast since I was at home with the new puppy all day so this is what I came up with.

J Crew Sweater, Shorts, & Necklace // Louis Vuitton Speedy // Gucci Sunglasses // 
Steve Madden Wedges (on sale, I also got the yellow and black pairs!) // Chunky Chain Bracelet Hair Ties

I had to go with the neon shorts since I finally have a decent tan - and then kept it simple with a navy J Crew v-neck sweater. I actually wanted to wear my white sweater to keep it a little brighter/lighter but white shirts and new puppies do NOT go together! Trust me!

Of course, I sported my new Chain Bracelets Hair Ties around my wrist. They are so fun to stack! I highly recommend you try making them or buy one or two for yourself from my Etsy store (15% off if you use CHICCHAIN15 at checkout! Just be careful, once you wear them, you will get addicted!

Oh and be sure to check out Pop of Style's OOTD today! Missy is wearing the neon yellow lace necklace today and she looks AMAZING as usual!

Neon statement necklace



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7/17/12

DIY: Chic Chain Bracelet Hair Ties

Hey everyone! I promised a DIY and here it is...

elastic hair ties chunky chain

Chain Bracelet Hair Ties!

A little background info...

I have always have to have an elastic on my wrist. I barely ever use it but it's my security blanket. If my hair gets frizzy, it's there. When I lived in Vegas, a girl once asked if she could pay me $20 for my rubber band because she was in dire need of it (we were at a pool party on a hot Vegas night). As crazy as it sounds, I almost denied her because I felt so weird without it. But I took the $20 and survived! (I know, I should have just given it to her, but she offered!!) As much as I need an elastic on my wrist at all times, I also hate them. They never go with my outfits and they sort of have a juvenile look (says the lady who shops in the kids department). 


Anyway, while I was creating my first few versions of my lace necklaces, I had some small pieces of chain leftover. I was thinking about what to do with it when I thought - hey, make a bracelet - since I love stacking bracelets. However, the pieces were too short to go all the way around my wrist. I thought about adding a ribbon to tie it together but having to tie the ribbon each time to put it on would be a pain. But then, I had the genius idea to use an elastic and voila - chain bracelet hair ties were invented!

And they are so simple to make...all you need is:

How to make chain bracelet hair ties

  • Chain - You want a somewhat substantial chain - like a 10+ mm. You can find this at many fabric stores or you can order them online. 
  • Foldover Elastic - You can find this at ANY fabric store. It's the same stuff that Anthorpologie uses in their hair ties!
  • Measuring tape - Use this to measure the elastic. I use about 14 inches per tie/chain. It gives you room to tie and cut the ends evenly.
  • Scissors - you can figure it out...to cut the elastic! Make sure they are sharp b/c the elastic can snag and fray!
That's it. Measure your chain, tie your elastic and sport your arm candy / chic hair tie!



No more wearing random rubber bands for me...you would almost never know these were hair ties! Right??



The best part, you can stack them or wear them individually. They look great with other bangles or on their own. I think they look awesome with an oversized watch and some enamel or crystal bangles.

I have been wearing them around and getting so many compliments, I decided to add them to my Etsy Store! So if you don't feel like ordering supplies and making them yourself, you can buy one for 15% off by using this special code - CHICCHAIN15. (PS the code works for 15% off Lace Necklaces too...just cause I love you guys!)

Until tomorrow...

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7/16/12

Back to Reality...

Hey everyone!

I hope you all had a fab week last week and had fun getting to know some of my favorite bloggers from Seattle and San Diego! A HUGE thanks to Alyson, Elise, Lauren and Jess for taking the time to guest post! You guys ROCK! Oh and another thanks to Missy from Pop of Style for doing a Lace Necklace feature! How amazing does she look??


I am still in fantasy land and adjusting to getting back to real life so I am just going to leave you with some pics from the vacay. I will be back tomorrow with the DIY post I promised a couple weeks ago.

 Beach on Maui - Heaven!

Kimos in Lahaina (I got three NEW pakaloha bikinis that day!!) 

Hyatt Maui Pool - Where we spent most of our time! 


Whalers Village, Maui 

First night in Kauai  

Drinking at the Library in Kauai (the wildest bar in town - no joke!) 

 The Lagoon Pool in Kauai - Amazing!

Our morning breakfast view - every day! It does not get better than this! 

See you tomorrow!

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