2010: A Look Back

I was originally planning on having one of my guest blogger posts today, but I felt compelled to go a different route instead. Don't fret, Sarah and S will be here on Monday/Tuesday with their excellent posts for you all to enjoy!

Today, I wanted to take a look back at 2010 and all of the wonderful things that encompassed it.

For me, this year has been one of finding my true self again, strengthening my relationship with God, making new friends, having amazing experiences and, for the first time in my life, learning to live in the present instead of dwelling on the past or worrying about the future.

2008 was the year where I started my first "big girl job" and learned to be an independent woman. I learned important lessons like how to renew car tags, fix leaky toilets, decorate a 6' x 12' cubicle and shop on a (gasp!) budget. I also learned the ropes of cutting coupons and how to distinguish between "I really want it" v.s. "I really need it".

2009 was a year of change. I learned that my plans don't always match God's. I learned to fly free as a single lady. I realized the value of my friendships. I realized that being happy with myself had to come before being happy in a relationship; essentially, I got reacquainted with Leslie. 



Impromptu photo shoot during my first week as a single lady in '09 : )

 
2010 was the year that, for the first time in my entire life, I let go and let God steer the ship. I learned that stressing about tomorrow, next week or next year is useless and that the present can be pretty incredible if we learn to live in it. I reconnected with old friends, grew this little blog, made new friends through said little blog, took a long-awaited road trip with Miss Dee, travelled to some cool places and...

 somewhere in the midst of all that, met a pretty amazing guy : )

A few especially memorable things:

The Celebrate Arkansas magazine article in July about A Blonde Ambition. It's nerdy, but this was so exciting for someone that started her blog on a whim and never expected for anyone other than her momma to read it.

For a couple of days, I felt like a celebrity. Then I remembered that I'm just a girl who works at an office and watches Ghost Whisperer re-runs and bakes cookies on Saturday nights and then I felt utterly un-cool again ; )

I went to California with my family and saw places like San Francisco, Napa, Cambria, San Luis Obispo and Los Angeles.

I redesigned my blog.

I got involved in a great church.

I re-newed my love of working out.

I met S.

Saw one of my favorite bands, NeedToBreathe at the Ryman.

Paid a visit to Mr. Cash and Mrs. Carter-Cash.

Went to the hollowed ground known as Sun Studios in Memphis.

Survived my first blizzard.

Started my personal styling business.

Drank more Starbucks lattes than any one girl should.

...and lots more.

Sometimes when I get anxious about what tomorrow will bring, I just take a look back at this past year and remember just how blessed I have been. I remind myself to sit back, Pumpkin Spice Latte in hand, and enjoy whatever today brings.

Here's wishing all of you girls a fabulous 2011. Above all, may you find comfort and true happiness in yourselves!

Be blessed, lovelies-

Something Blue

 

Naomi Watts via Ellen von Unwerth


I don't know what it is about winter that makes me want to wear blue, but it seems every time the weather gets colder, I go in search of cerulean, teal, navy and cobalt. I've even been known to sport a blue, smoky eye from time to time.

Things to love about blue:

-It's a universally flattering shade. You can have red, blonde, brown or pink hair and still be able to rock this hue.

-Blue is the color of serenity and luck. No wonder brides often wear it on their wedding day!

-Blue conveys importance and confidence without being somber or sinister, hence the reason corporate execs and politicians choose it as their go-to "power" color.

-It's less expected than black, but more slimming than white : )

-It's Leslie's birthstone.  Two of the loveliest birthstones are blue, sapphire and blue topaz (December babies, holla.)

1) N.Y.L.A. Kama boot; 2) Premium Pale Blue Snow Jewel Dress from Topshop; 3) Premium Sequin Wrap Skirt from Topshop; 4) Eyes in Uniform shadow from Topshop; 5) Faux Lizzard Skin Box Bag

I'm desperately seeking the perfect blue military jacket to wear with skinnies and riding boots this winter, sewwwww....if you girls have suggestions, please send links my way!

We've got a couple of pretty solid (yes, I just said solid) guest bloggers coming our way tomorrow and next Monday, one of whom may or may not be the elusive "S". The other? The not-so-elusive Sarah from The Strength of Faith talking about her Wear a Dress Tuesday movement. In summary- get excited.

Be blessed, lovelies-

Trend Watch Wednesday: {Just Add Shine}

via Kate Spade FB page

In anticipation of this Friday, I’ve been scouring the web and thumbing through fashion mags for outfit inspiration.

Of course I’m loving that the sequin trend is still going strong, since anything ridiculously sparkly or glitzy is pretty much de riguer when it comes to NYE attire.

Delicious dresses and eye-catching accessories abound this year in metallics of every color. Some of my favs are sheath style dresses and long or bell sleeved frocks with a vintage twist.

When it comes to completing your look, you’ll obviously need to accessorize. Enter chunky bracelets, door knocker earrings and golf ball-sized cocktail rings. This NYE, when it comes to accessorizing your outfit, bigger and shinier is definitely better.

1) MZ Wallace Hamish Pouch 2) Gold ring from Old Navy 3) Swag Chain Bracelet 4) Two Tone Bracelet by Kenneth Cole

So now, what are we missing? Ah yes, footwear. One word ladies- heels. The higher the heel, the closer to God, right? : )

1) Sam Edelman Lorissa 2) Kelsi Dagger Linzy 3) Badgley Mischka Humbee II  4) Rock and Republic 5) Elizabeth and James Lilly

Pumps, wedges and booties are all the rage this season for a reason…they look ah-mazing with little dresses. Whether you opt for a shiny shoe or something a bit more demure, make sure they are comfortable enough to withstand the dancefloor.

Also, please say hello to our newest sponsor, The Trend Boutique! This Los Angeles-based retailer has just about anything a fashion lover could desire...everything you never knew you always wanted for your closet. With brands like Halston Heritage, Pencey and House of Harlow 1960, you're sure to find something you'll love. Check 'em out now, girls!

On a non-fashion related note, can I just say how BLESSED I am with this little blog? Every day I log on here, I'm immediately in a good mood just looking at the sweet comments you guys leave. Anywho, y'all have definitely made my 2010 one of the best years to date. From the bottom of my heart- thank you!

Be blessed, lovelies-

Surviving the Holidays: {NYE Haute-ness}

via the Kate Spade FB page



 Greetings on this lurvely Tuesday sweet readers...hope everyone that went back to work yesterday was able to survive Monday relatively unscathed : )

I was lucky enough to have yesterday off, but you better believe I'm back to the office this morning after having 6 days off work. Let me tell you, after having a fabtabulous extended vacay, never has working from home sounded more appealing, ha!

Anywho, despite returning to the daily grind, I'm SO pumped for NYE! The boy and I are going to a semi-fancy schmancy eatery in Fayetteville for a nice dinner, then maybe to a late showing of Little Fockers....we are wild and crazy, can you tell? : )

No matter what I do on New Year's Eve, I always like to look cute. Besides, it's the perfect excuse to wear obsene amounts of sequins and metallics. My absolute favorite dress of the season I've seen online, has to be this silvery, glitzy number from Aryn K. via Piperlime. Eh?? Thoughts??


via Piperlime


I also quite enjoy this black tiered frock from Forever 21, which is positively adorable AND affordable. It's a win-win, folks.

Sequin Tiered Dress from Forever 21 in black

...not to be outdone by the tiered dress though, this metallic sheath style dress is perfect for anyone with edgier style.

Striped Sequin Dress from Forever 21

Also love the Grecian inspired number from Tinley Road below! And can we just give the perfectly positioned little belt some cred? Presh to the max.

Tinley Road One Shoulder Dress via Piperlime

Do you have your NYE look put together yet? Will you go sparkly, short, metallic, or opt for PJ's at home? (Hey, nothing wrong with that either!)

Tomorrow we'll look at accessories and shoes that are perfecto for NYE...get pumped, y'all!

Be blessed, lovelies-

Whad'ya get?

via CoCo Kelley

Helloooo y'all...

Happy post-Christmas! I hope all of you beauties enjoyed the holiday weekend with your loved ones and friends as much as I did.

Although I'm always a little bummed when Christmas is over, I'm SOOO excited for the New Year!

So today, for lack of a better post-yuletide topic, I thought we'd all tell what Santa brought us. This year, I racked up on:

-A Kindle (my fav present this year!!)
-Gift certificates to Maude from my momma (yayyyyyy!!)
-A brand new Curly Girl painting
-LOTS of Christmas decor for next year
-Yummy smelling candles, bath salts, etc. (for pampering myself, tehehe)
-Some various cute little aprons from the Martha Stewart collection
-A Starbucks gift card from S's sweet Sis (Sarah, girl you did GOOD!)

..and much, much more!

So pray tell, what did you girls get from Mr. Claus this year?

Be blessed, lovelies-

Merry Christmas, lovelies!

via Snipper and Ink

Merry Christmas Eve, Blonde Ambitioners! Hope all of you have a blessed holiday weekend with your friends and family. I'll be back Monday with lots of New Year's Eve-inspired posts, so get excited.

On that note, I'm off to eat something sweet and calorie laden ; )

Be blessed, lovelies-

Co-Co-Co!

via Hostess with the Mostess

Happy Christmas Eve-Eve, guys and dolls! I'm finally almost done with my Christmas shopping and preparations for the weekend. Now I can finally sit back, relax and sip some delicious holiday beverages with my honey tonight! We are heading to his parents' house for Christmas Eve, then to my parents' house for Christmas day, so I'm sure I'll be indulging in LOTS of this festive drink this weekend...

Hot Cocoa...my fav!

I'm not big on egg nog, but I do lurve some hot chocolate. My favorite go-to recipe is this one, from Hershey's. It's practically fool-proof and you can add extra awesomeness, like peppermint sticks, marshmallows and sprinkles to your liking.

Ingredients

1/2 cup sugar

1/4 cup HERSHEY'S Cocoa

Dash salt

1/3 cup hot water

4 cups (1 qt.) milk

3/4 teaspoon vanilla extract

Miniature marshmallows or sweetened whipped cream (optional)

Directions

Stir together sugar, cocoa and salt in medium saucepan; stir in water. Cook over medium heat, stirring constantly, until mixture comes to a boil. Boil and stir 2 minutes. Add milk; stirring constantly, heat to serving temperature. Do not boil.

Beat with rotary beater or whisk until foamy. Serve topped with marshmallows or whipped cream, if desired. Five 8-oz. servings.

Be blessed, lovelies-

Window Wonderland

Window display at Barney's New York

Greetings, gals! I haven't blogged yet this week due to the craziness of trying to get all of my holiday shopping done...yes, I am a Christmas shopping procrastinator (I say this with a shameful look on my face.)

Instead of our usual Trend Watch Wednesday, (which will return next week with some FABULOUS New Year's Eve dresses from Maude), today I wanted to show you some of the most gorgeous holiday window displays from our favorite retailers.

If this doesn't get you in the Christmas spirit...well, drink some more egg nog.

Display at Henri Bendel

The above display from Henri Bendel is probably one of my favs this year. HB partnered with the NYC Ballet to create this literal vision of sugar plums. The result? Oh-so-dreamy.

Window art from Lord & Taylor

Our friends at Lord & Taylor asked customers to help with this year's display by submitting their favorite holiday memories. Designers created this and 11 other amazing animated displays for this holiday season.

Tory Burch's Lite-Brite window display

All children of the 80's will appreciate this display by Burch and artist Timothy Paul-Myers made completely from Lite-Brite pegs. It took more than 2 million pegs to create more than 46 windows!

Display at Gump's

A music box in the shape of a 1960s television set provided the inspiration for Gump’s holiday windows, including this one,  this year.

Neiman Marcus holiday window display

Kiddos in downtown Dallas, TX are in for a real sweet treat this year with the first ever interactive window displays at Neiman Marcus. Kids ages four to ten can enter a crawlspace and explore the store’s holiday displays.

Are you as enamored with these beauteous window creations as I am?

Ok, well I'm off to do more (late) shopping!

Be blessed, lovelies-

5 Things

photo via Tumblr



Happy Friday, gals! Looks like our beloved Friday has arrived...let us rejoice.

Winter weather has definitely swept Arkansas this week, (in addition to the rest of the U.S., it seems) but that doesn't mean style has to hibernate during the coming months. In fact, some of the edgiest trends take hold during this season of the year, making it the perfect time to experiment with looks you've seen in your fav magazines and fashion blogs ; )

My top 5 that I'm currently obsessed with:

Tights

From rips and tears, to hardcore lace and hearts, tights come in darn near every color and style imaginable right now. I just bought a pair of bright teal beauties from Forever 21 and cannot wait to wear 'em.

photos via Tumblr

Bows

Teetering on the verge of kitschy? Of course. And that's the beauty of it. I love the girliness of the bow trend. Why take fashion so seriously, after all?

via The Girl and the Gorilla

Winter shorts

I can't get enough of this look lately. Who says summer is the only time to show some leg?

via J.Crew

Velvet dresses

Luxe, sexy and warm. Enough said.

photos via Fashion Toast and Style.com

Clever hair accessories

Like the one below from New Zealand Fashion Week via Fashion Toast...I'm not sure you could get away with this at the office, but regardless, it's hot. Or haute.

via Fashion Toast

Have a great weekend.

Be blessed, lovelies-

iPhone Picture Purge

Oh, Thursday….the day of heightened anticipation for the weekend…Friday Eve…how doth I love thee.

Today’s post will ensure you receive your recommended daily allowance of randomness, for sure. I mean, I feel like I haven’t gotten to do a post where I just talk to y’all in a long time; no fashion stuff, no decor baloney or holiday survival tips...just plain talk.

So here goes:

• Mine and S’s weekend in Chicago wasn’t all blizzards and traffic jams…we actually had a big ole time in the Windy City prior to Sunday’s Ice Road Truckers re-enactment. We went to the lounge at the top of the Hancock Tower on Friday night and luckily got a table right by the window. This was our view as we sipped wine:

• Oh yes, and I decorated le Christmas tree. Behold:

• I thought this was pretty stinking cute. This is Max on Thanksgiving morning, which I randomly found on my iPhone last night. He was O-V-E-R it by 10:00 a.m.

...and later that day, we found him like this again. My little man loves to sleep...it's his fav hobby : )

• A few more of you have emailed me about the bag in this photo from last month, my faux Miu Miu...I actually got it 2 years ago (yes, I carry purses FOREVER) as a Christmas gift from a website called Shop Suey Boutique. Although this one isn't on there anymore, they have TONS of other cute faux designer bags for great prices, including other Miu Miu-inspired bags. (And know, this wasn't clever advertisement placement..I really do love the site and they didn't pay me to say that : )

Good excuse to put up pics of my cutie, no? : )

• Rihanna’s new CD is smashtastic. Seriously good stuff. If you don’t feel like shelling out the $9.99 for the whole album (which I would suggest doing, since two awesome bonus songs are included if you get the entire thing), at least purchase Raining Men feat. Nicki Minaj, S&M, Love the Way You Lie- Pt. II, Fading and Man Down. Actually, just buy the whole shabang.

On a serious note, a good friend of mine from high school was recently diagnosed with breast cancer. She is only 26 and underwent another surgery yesterday. She begins chemotherapy soon and will likely lose her hair, (she already cut it very short in preparation, but seriously, it looks really cute!). Could you guys please say an extra prayer for her tonight?

Ok, that’s all I’ve got until tomorrow. Be happy, be healthy and most of all…

Be blessed, lovelies-

Trend Watch Wednesday: {Top Tier}

photo via OnSugar

Hey y'all! Thanks for stopping by for some mid-week trend watching...this blonde appreciates it ; )

Thank you again for all of your kind words and comments regarding yesterday's post and the craziness that S and I encountered on Sunday. God is good and we feel very blessed to be safely back in Arkansas!

Last week, one of my favorite actresses, Michelle Williams stepped out in a gorgeous Azzaro number for the premiere of her new flick Blue Valentine. Along with co-star Ryan Gosling, Williams positively shined on the red carpet in front of a slew of paparazzi. Just seeing these shots made me want to bust out my tiered skirts and dresses for winter…


photo via


How dreamy and craveworthy is her ensemble? Not to mention, the volume and length of the dress totally compliment her petite frame. So flippin' gorge, I mean, really….

Ready to tier up? Some pointers, my dears:

• You can create a look just like Michelle’s with a tiered skirt/tank/belt combo. The key is to balance the volume of the skirt out with a form fitting top.

• If your tiers are in the form of a dress, you’ll want to avoid getting lost in the fabric by making sure that your frock has a defined waist, created with either a belt or ruffles that start below the waistline, (again, note Williams' pic above.)

• This look becomes even more chic when paired with clunky-as-a-brick heels and black tights for cold nights out.

• If you’re curvy, avoid straight rows of ruffles which tend to add a lot of extra bulk. Instead, opt for tiered dresses and skirts that are asymmetrical and slant downward at an angle. This will give you an instantly longer and leaner appearance.

(Clockwise, from left to right) Chiffon Curve Skirt by Rare Opulence; Crinkle Satin Layered Tier Skirt from Topshop; Sara Lanzi Tiered Accordion Skirt; L’Agence Tiered Skirt from Barneys NY

Tomorrow...get ready for pics, randomness and lots of useless information to get you through your Thursday : ) Cheers, beauties!

Be blessed, lovelies-