Stella & Dot Giveaway - Custom Engraved Necklace - CLOSED

One of my favorite pieces of jewelry is my monogram necklace. It was a gift from {msL} years ago. Now you can win your very own custom engraved necklace!! To celebrate my new Stella and Dot business I'm giving away your choice of a custom engraved round or bar pendant in your choice of gold or silver. There are so many ways to customize these necklaces that I couldn't possibly include them all. All you need to do to win is to leave a comment below telling me how you'd personalize your necklace. I have my eye on one with our wedding date.

The winner will chose the circle or bar style necklace, in silver or gold, and add their personal design. You can see all of the font and design options by clicking the Personalize link on the page for each piece. Enter your comment below and good luck!!!

The giveaway will end at 11:59pm on Wednesday, December 17th.

THIS GIVEAWAY HAS CLOSED

Stella & Dot (Your Choice) Giveaway (just leave a comment) - CLOSED

To celebrate the launch of my new Stella and Dot venture, instead of Frugal Fashion Friday, I'm hosting a giveaway! The custom engravable necklaces we have are a great addition to the Stella and Dot line. You can create beautiful pieces of engraved jewelry that is uniquely yours. Your custom options are limited only by the number of characters your can fit on the charm or necklace. To enter, all you need to do is leave a comment below!

Gold Engravable Circle Necklace

Silver Engravable Bar Necklace

Winning is easy, just enter a comment below telling me how you'd personalize your necklace. I'd love to have one with my wedding date!

The winner will chose the circle or bar style necklace, in silver or gold, and add their personal design. You can see all of the font options by clicking the Personalize link on the page for each piece.

The giveaway will end at 11:59pm on Wednesday, December 17th.
This Giveaway has CLOSED

 

Happy Friday Real Girls!!

Next week I will be sharing some great new items I've tried out (beauty and fashion).

I'm Obsessed Thank You Very Much - Rose Gold

I've found myself reaching for my few rose gold pieces often. I'm loving that they mix so well with silver or gold. The pretty pink color is so warm and summery and you know how I love metallics. I have found myself wanting a few more rose gold items to add to my collection.

Click on the items above for buying information.

I saw these fantastic Ray-Ban aviators on some fellow bloggers. Then I lucked out and found them on amazon. They were a great price and I love them. It's hard to tell but they have the most amazing rose gold mirror lenses (even though they are called Copper Flash). The rose gold Stella and Dot Renegade bracelet has been on my must list for a while. I'd love to get a rose gold monogram necklace. This Rebecca Minkoff cross body bag would be a fun addition to my summer wardrobe. Essie polish in Penny Talk is a fun metallic to add to your collection. Just be sure to use a ridge filling base coat because the metallic finish shows every ridge and flaw. I love the geometric shapes of these rings. This belt would look so pretty on a white dress. You know my obsession with oxfords. These by Cole Haan would be a perfect addition to my collection. The Manolos are a pipe dream but I love them. The flat sandals are a pretty and more realistic option.

Do you love rose gold as much as I do?

Work Day to Date Night the Easy Way

Long commutes and a long work day, usually mean that if I have plans after work, I won't have time to go home and change. I like to create outfits that are work appropriate but also easy to transition to an evening out. I've managed to score us tickets to a movie screening of the upcoming release, Hit & Run with Kristen Bell and Bradley Cooper. It will be a fun date night and I want to look great. So too my closet I went. Most of the time all you need to transition from day to night is an evening bag, some amped up make-up and a little shift in your outfit.

I'm fortunate to work in a relaxed office where many styles of dress are accepted. I love my trouser jeans because the dark wash gives them a dress pants look. In many offices, jeans aren't acceptable on any day but Friday. If jeans don't fit at your office, you could go for a pair of trousers or ankle pants. I like the idea of pairing them with a sequin tank. I'll cover it with a draped, cropped, blazer for the office and take it off after work. I grabbed some of my favorite jewelry that works day or night and my new favorite leopard heels. A studded top handle bag is perfect for day but I'll switch to a smaller clutch for evening. The studs will toughen up the pretty sequin tank. I'll change my lipstick from a subtle nude for day to a deep fuchsia for night and I'll add a bit more dark eyeliner for a smokey look. Those simple changes will take me from office to evening. So easy!

Weekend Casual

This weekend I was thrilled to attend my first plus size clothing swap. Thanks to my blogging buddy, Curvy CEO for hosting such a wonderful day. As you know I love going to clothing swaps.  Unfortunately, many times, my choices are limited.  I think most curvy girls stay away because they think they may be the only girl bringing plus size clothing. It was a treat to have so much to choose from.  I'll be posting my great finds later and I'm sure I'll be wearing items in future posts. When I picked out my outfit, I wanted something chic, comfortable but easy to shed if I needed to try on something. I picked one of my favorite weekend casual outfits, a tweed blazer, cargo pants, a gray t-shirt, flats, and my trusty Coach Willis (cross body bag).  I added my tiniest cubic zirconia studs, a chunky chain necklace and my silver monogram necklace.  I also threw on a couple of rings for good measure. I took a few photos with my camera phone but as you can see the quality (due to lighting) isn't the best.

Jacket - Kasper, T-Shirt - Target, Cargo Pants - Avenue, Shoes - Marc Jacobs via Saks off 5th, Bag - Coach, Earrings - ??, Necklaces - gifts

I wanted to add pictures of some of my blogger friends from the swap but I only took three photos. They went like this.  First one Bisi looks great, I look drunk.  Second photo, I look pretty good and Vivi has her eyes closed. Third photo, Vivi looks great and I have my eyes closed.  It's an unwritten fashion girl rule that you don't post "not so great photos" of your girls.  But you can see photos of the beautiful Bisi and Vivi in the Curvy CEO post. Bisi blog is Fatshion and Fattitude.  Vivi's blog is Heart, Print & Style. She won the Goodwill giveaway I ran a while back.


Many of the items I'm wearing are no longer available but you can wear similar items. I pulled together this little collage on Polyvore for your viewing pleasure.

J Crew crew shirt, $39
Tweed jacket, $59
Jessica London cropped tweed jacket, $31
Cargo Pants, $69
Flats, $70
Coach Willis bag, $298 (I paid $40 at Goodwill)
Monogrammed jewelry, $210
Cubic Zirconia earrings, $12
Chain necklace, $5.80

If $298 is out of your price range for a Coach Willis bag, never fear.  I found mine at a Goodwill store in NYC.  I've found several Coach bags at Goodwill stores in the DC area.  You can also search on ebay.  There are lots available in every price and quality. It's a great investment bag. I use mine often on the weekends and love that it has a shoulder strap and a top handle. The monogram necklace is also a pricey piece but I found it in lots of sizes and price points. Mine is sterling silver but I've seen them in other metals.

I love this outfit combo because it's easy and chic.  The tweed jacket and jewelry elevate the casual cargo pants and t-shirt.  The flats make shopping and errands comfortable and the bag keeps your hands free.

What's your favorite weekend casual outfit?