Accessories Picks :: All Under $50!

  I came across these beauties at Shoedazzle. All under $50! Loved these classic chic pieces. They were some of my favorites. Those black strappy heels are way gorgeous! I'd love to see them with cuffed denim or a brightly colored dress. Have you guys visited Shoedazzle before? You just take this quiz and get a personalized showroom of shoes, bags, and jewelry that are just your taste. You should totally check it out. I'd love to hear your thoughts on it!
*this is a sponsored post, but all opinions are 100% my own.

Verdant Vibrance

This green lace dress is one of those perfect-for-any-occasion types. Especially in summer. Hello. Bridal/baby showers, picnics, day dates... I don't do a whole lot of neutrals and love playing around with colors and textures so having this pretty little thing hanging in my closet will make for a lot of fun looks. This time I splashed in the bold coral and worked with the blue that was already accenting the dress.

Dress: c/o August Wrinkle

nude heels: steve madden via nordstrom rack || shop similar here ---> save

pink cross-body satchel: forever 21 || shop similar here ---> mega splurge, splurge, steal

statement necklace: c/o cheerfully charmed

You've heard me talk about Lily & Violet before (I've styled their tulle skirt & cropped jacket). It's an online ladies fashion boutique, that just opened a shop in Minneapolis. Well last week, I attended the Grand Opening preview event. I got to meet the Lily & Violet ladies, some lovelies from Style-Architects, as well as my friend Chelsea & new friend Katie.

The Go-For-It Print

I think I have this innate urge to pop yellow into every possible outfit. Grammy would be proud. I've become aware of it so I now have to quell it for the sake of variety. Do you think favorite colors could be genetic? Cause Grammy certainly passed hers onto me. Now onto the print of this shirtdress... I am a very picky print person, but when I see something I like, I go for it! This dress was even easier to "go for" since it's from a thrift store. No joke! And the brand is Charter Club. A little unexpected, right? Which leads me to a fun shopping tip. So you know those sections in department stores that you walk past because you think they clothing styles are too mature? Venture in. You may just find a Jones New York shirt or Charter Club pants that totally reflect your style. And it's doubly fun because no one else your age shops those sections, so your pieces end up being super unique. 

dress :: charter club via savers || shop similar---> splurge, save, steal

clutch :: savers || shop similar---> splurge, save

wedges :: charlotte russe || shop similar---> splurge, save

hat :: wet seal || shop similar---> steal

Summer Wedding Style Guide

As soon as the temp hits 65 in Minnesota, the wedding bells start ringing off the hook. I love it! Weddings are the best. A whole day devoted to celebrating a couple and their love. I'm a total sap when it comes to that. Always a great time to catch up with friends and family, as well as bust a few new dorky moves on the dance floor. I'm really quite good at that part. But there's always the challenge of dressing for a wedding. So I came up with a little inspiration for you as you're thinking about the weddings you'll be attending this summer! Let's start with the lady of the day, the...

 

wedding dress :: vera wang for david's bridal

clutch :: etsy

earrings :: etsy

pearl necklace :: etsy

yellow heels :: macys

And every bride has her troupe of lovely ladies, who hopefully get to wear dresses they try to not tailor so they can return them afterwards. Unfortunately, I was not in the business of appeasing this for my girls. I had mine in light blue taffeta. But in my defense, there were two separate times that people wore them or that they were borrowed for other formal occasions. Score! In this day and age of endless supplies of dress stores online, and such fun styles and colors accessible to us, brides have this new opportunity to actually get dresses that can be worn again! And why not play up the accessories, with big statements of color and fashion-forwardness.

lace dress :: anthropologie

bracelets :: 1, 2, 3

necklace :: modcloth

clutch :: aldo

mint heels :: dsw

And the guest gets the most fun and freedom of dress of all. With only one color out of the runnings, there are loads of bright and bold hues to choose from. And that is usually the direction I tend to go. This nautical dress has one of my favorite color combos. One rule I always abide by... comfortable shoes! Wedges are always a good comfy-cute compromise.

striped dress :: tailor & stylist

bangles :: 1, 2, 3

tan espadrilles :: bon ton

jade purse :: melie bianco on amazon

Happy wedding hopping & shopping!

Dance Here

I love this little back alleyway. It reminds me of Europe. And I just put it together that this is actually the place that Patrick and I got ballroom dance lessons for our wedding! Can't believe that was already like 4 years ago. We learned a lot of stuff but all we can reconstruct, and only when we really focus is the simple box move haha.

 

jean jacket :: old navy (old, shop similar here)

dress :: sugarlips

flats :: target (old, shop similar here)

bracelet :: go fish

So... funny story. My friend and I stepped out of dinner with our friends at Cafe Lurcat to move her car cause of a parking time limit. We spied a spot right outside the restaurant so I of course stood there to save the spot. Moments later, I looked up to see that a car was literally feet from me at a dead stop, car running. driver staring me down. No joke! Our little face-off lasted a good couple minutes. Don't worry though. I stood my ground. And my friend got her front row spot. Cha-ching. 

Hands in the Air Like we don't Care

Some of my friends and I are doing a Beth Moore Bible Study, called Living Beyond Yourself. Can I call her Bethie? I mean, she calls us Beloved, I figure, Bethie just might need to get a little nickname too! Since we're pals and all. So in this study, Bethie makes this bifurcation of faith. I'm sorry I just had to use the word bifurcation. I even used the thesaurus to try to find a different, less weird-sounding word, but sometimes this girl embraces weirdness. Back to the bifurcation. Which I think can make a huge difference in how we approach our lives. 
On one hand, we can be on a lifelong roller coaster, fluctuating between freaking out about the steep freefalls and having our hands in the air like we don't care when we're ridin smooth, (repeat x 12013520). On the other hand, we can transcend the up's and down's and have an unbelievable joy & peace non-stop. It all depends. Do we put our faith in who God is or what He does? 
Couple of facts that will help us really grasp this. This world is wrought with trouble. God knows that. It's a world waiting for full redemption and freedom in God. Thus, crap happens. If our faith is in what God does and doesn't do, we'll throw ourselves in a whirlwind of wondering what in the heck God is doing sometimes. Because His thoughts and ways are not the same as ours (and thank heavens for that! Isaiah 55:8-9). God never changes (Hebrews 13:8) and He always loves (1 John 4:16). Loves more than anyone ever could in their lifetime. And thus, He is more trustworthy than anyone or anything ever. If we put our faith in Him. Just the essence of who He is. Then we can embrace our circumstances, whatever they might be, knowing there is something going on that is beyond our understanding. Something good. For the good of us or for the good of others or the good of this wonderful, mysterious, plan for the redemption of the world. And how cool to be part of that.
photo via here & here

Neon in the Rain

Sandy and I took these photos after we got our new cameras. I still hadn't had a chance to play around with the settings, so unfortunately some of them turned out a tad blurry, and they're quite small. No worries, I'll figure it all out by the next time around! Actually considering pulling out the manual. So uncharacteristic. But I'm super serious about this cam. It's got potential to replace my rinkydink DSLR. We shall see.

Did I mention it was raining when we took these? Like blogger warriors we toughed out the precipitation and chill together. Boom.

neon skirt: topshop

nude pumps: nordstrom rack || shop similar---> here

coral shirt: express || shop similar---> splurge, save necklace: ebay || shop similar---> save bracelet: siramara bag: vintage || shop similar ---> splurge, save, steal