Très Random

After seeing this Pinterest pic, I suddenly want gold sequined shorts....

Yesterday was crazy times at work , so unfortch, blogging took a backseat. We are so busy right now, but I think I speak for all of my co-workers when I say we are blessed to have job security!


Today, being Thursday and all, is a great day to talk randomness, wouldn’t you say?

1. So I have a burn on my neck right now from a Chi ironing accident that looks like a hickey. It is SO embarrassing, because I’m pretty sure the entire room was staring at it during a meeting on Tuesday at work. This one guy kept zoning in on it and I could literally feel myself turning red. Anywho, scarves have been my saving grace this week.


2. Have any of you tried the new cake pops at Starbucks lately? I had the Birthday Cake Pop Tuesday afternoon and it was divine. The most perfect size for when you just need a bite of something sweet, ya know? Next, I want to sample the Rocky Road pop….yum!

3. I meant to write about this eons ago, but, as my prologue implied, life has been flying by at eleventy thousand miles per hour lately. My sweet bloggy friend Lindsay (who most of you know, because her blog is AWESOME- Lee La La) made me this super cute word painting for my fiancé’s (and soon to be my) house!

We can’t wait to hang it on the wall when we move in together in September! If you want one for yourself, go visit Lindsay’s store on Etsy and order one! She did mine in custom dark brown and off-white to match our décor!

4. I got my ring sized shortly after our engagement in January, but it’s still quite a bit too big. I’m worried if I get it sized again that it will warp the ring. Do y’all know if sizing a ring more than one time will distress it? It’s a gorgeous ring and I want to maintain the integrity of it, but I also don’t want to lose it because it is too large! Advice appreciated.

5. One of the things that amazes me about being newly engaged is the kinds of questions people have the nerve to ask. They aren’t mean spirited at all, just a wee bit nosey : ) That’s due largely in part because we live in the South- a region where everybody NEEDS to know everybody else’s business. I had not one, but TWO people ask me last week if we were going to have babies within the year.

Dang Gina, let us get down the aisle first, will ya?!

Yes, some day we will probably have kiddos (probably…some of the children I’ve been around lately make me think we might be better off with dogs- ha!), but we want a couple years to ourselves to just being a married couple. We want to travel and dine out in peace and quiet and sleep a solid 8 hours through the night and be able to pack up and go at a moment’s notice for an impromptu weekend trip or get-together : )

I digress…but I know y’all know what I’m talking about. Plus we’ll have our niece Ava. We can spoil her rotten and send her home to Sarah and Zach haha : )


Alrighty, I’m off to work now! Come on back tomorrow for some pre-weekend, blogging fun!

Be blessed, lovelies-

Crush on Crew

I have a crush. A crush on J.Crew and their fabulous spring line, full of oranges and blushy pinks and corals. I want it all and I want it now!

But alas, as a fashionista on a budget, all I can do for now is to swoon...and buy a few items here and there until I own every piece of J-goodness for myself : ) Bwahahahahahahahaha!(cue evil laugh)

Are you crushing on Crew, too?

Be blessed, lovelies-

Wedding-tastic Weekend + A Dance

via Style Me Pretty

Hola! Hope y'all had a muy fantastico weekend! (Just so you know, 4 semesters of college Spanish and that's the extent of my Espanol-speaking skills...)

Well, Saturday we got some pretty major wedding stuff knocked out...we ordered our cake, bought the tuxes, got our cute little ringbearer pillow and I found my bridesmaid dresses! I still have to get sizes from all the girls, but the hard part (finding a style that suited everyone) is done.

I have to admit, our original color scheme has changed a bit. The steel grey and off-white is still going to be used, but I think we want to integrate pops of blush, dark pink and coral. It really needed some brighter hues to liven things up a little bit!

Main Colors

Accent Colors

Inspiration photo via Style Me Pretty

The rest of the weekend consisted of catching up on about 7 hours of re-runs of The Office. We stumbled across this jewel of a dance (below) and decided to try to learn it in the living room last night. I think the dog thought we were nuts : )

That episode of The Office was seriously hilarious.

...and speaking of our favorite television show in a workplace setting, did any of y'all see the episode Thursday where Michael Scott finally proposes to Holly? Oh my Lord, SOOOOO sweet!

I have to admit though, I really don't want them to move to Colorado. I'll be crushed if Steve Carrell is leaving the show!

Confessional: Part Deux

via Rue Magazine

It's Friday, girls and boys! Let's do some truth telling!

1. I'm quite possibly addicted to The Real Housewives of Orange County. I'm a little ashamed to admit that because other than The Bachelor (which I also love), it might be the most shallow show on TV. My favorite cast member this season is still Gretchen. She has the best hair and I kind of love that she called Tamera out in the season's first episode. However, I gotta say, my fiance is WAY hotter than stinky, slimy Slade ; ) I seriously do NOT get the hooplah surrounding that guy....

2. My gym going has not improved or increased this week and honestly, I don't feel that bad. I had a doctor's appointment this week and actually LOST a pound since a couple weeks ago when I last checked the scale. This in itself is a small miracle, but oh my gracious...I've been eating enough Mexican food to satisfy a small army lately.

3. I have had the biggest urge to buy a bright yellow dress lately. Seeing the lemon striped beauty from the Lilly Pulitzer post yesterday did not help my case any. A little pricey, but I think it might have to come on the honeymoon with us : )

4. You might want to sit down for this one, ladies...I may have found a maxi dress that I like! It's from Maude and it's so pretty! Perfect for summer days when you just need something easy and breezy. Again, totally a honeymoon-worthy dress!

5. As much as I like fall, winter and spring, I think I'd be ok with skipping summer. Is it weird that I'm already dreading the miserable heat and humidity that southern summers are known for?

6. There is a bucket of Einstein Brothers bagels in our advertising office here at work and I'm about to go eat one.

7. ...or two

Have a great weekend, y'all!

Be blessed, lovelies-

Oooh La Lilly

To say I'm obsessed with this season's Lilly P. collection is an understatement. I've been stalking their website for the past two weeks nightly, oogling the gorgeous frocks and fabrics and deciding how much extra closet space (and income) I'd need in order to buy the entire line.

If spring is your thing- Lilly Pulitzer is your girl.

I mean, hello! How can you not be happy- nay, giddy- while looking at this stuff? The fabrics alone are enough to change your outlook on life!

Candy, flowers, beaches, tulips, streamers, sea shells, pink lemonade...these things all come to mind when I look at Lilly. What does Lilly Pulitzer remind you of?

A favorite childhood vacation to the beach? The first flowers of spring?

Be blessed, lovelies-

Meet Smashion

Today, I want to introduce y'all to the newest sponsor of A Blonde Ambition. Meet Smashion! If you aren't yet acquainted with the awesomeness that is Smashion, allow me to introduce you.

Their website defines Smashion as "a social fashion site that features a free marketplace connecting people with a passion for fashion. Express your style, connect with others, and have fun buying and selling without paying a fee!"

Interested yet? Allow me to elaborate...

Smashion enables its members to express their unique style, connect with others to discuss fashion trends, and save money buying - or make money selling - lightly worn or NWT (new with tags) clothing, accessories, footwear, and more with no transaction or listing fees.

On Smashion, it's easy to find items that are perfect for you at budget-friendly prices. Follow deal discussions in the visually driven forums or search across the site for items appealing specifically to you. Love this season's wide leg jeans or floral dresses? On Smashion, you can connect with others who love that look, too. Use the forums to join conversations on trends, favorite boutiques or shopping districts, new designers, and more. Or start your own discussions around the topics that interest you.

Want to learn more about selling on Smashion? Forget Ebay or consignment shops, (that's soooo 2010), it's much easier and profitable to sell here! With no transaction fees, you'll pocket more selling on Smashion than on other sites.
I seriously could go on and on about how much I LOVE this site. It's so much better than Amazon or Ebay for finding good quality clothing and accessories that are cutting-edge-trendy.

Pop on over to Smashion right now and give 'em some blog love, alrighty?

Be blessed, lovelies-

Honeymoon Clothes (and some other stuff)

Hey y'all! I'm getting a super late start on blogging today, but better late than never, right? Haha!

Anywho, I've been scouring the internet lately in search of cute outfits to take on our honeymoon. We'll be going to Charleston the day after our wedding for a week on the gorgeous SC coast. Since it will be late September, it will probably still be pretty warm, so cute, breathable dresses are in order!

I found several online from Piperlime last night that I love!

Tinley Road Pleated Sash Dress, Nanette Lepore Latin Lover Dress

Tibi Strapless Dress, Lilly Pulitzer Eve Stripe Dress

Marc by Marc Jacobs Schooner Dress

I'll keep you posted if I buy any of the above (or anything else!)

So question, have any of you used Moroccan Oil? I have thick hair and it's getting really long, so I'm needing some kind of smoothing serum to help me tame my wild strands : )

Lastly, I got a couple of emails regarding items from yesterday's post. The pink cardigan came from Ann Taylor Loft and it was $20 on sale! The hat I was wearing was purchased from Lids and it is a Chicago Cubs cap in distressed navy.

Hope you all have a great Tuesday!

Be blessed, lovelies-

Fun with Hats

Hey lovelies! Well, we had a fun-filled weekend of nothingness. It was grand. Both S and I were so ready for a couple of days of being lazy and being lazy is just what we did.

Saturday, we did some tux shopping for the wedding and then had a lunch date at P.F. Chang's. We also picked up some sweet new lids from the hat store for the boat this summer.

A photoshoot then ensued...

Bathroom photo shoot...don't make fun, we needed a mirror : )

Like our hats?



Take two...



Ari loves to make out...

Such a cute, furry guy...

...like I said, he loves to make out...

Be still my heart : )

Yesterday we took the little man (Ari) for a nice long walk, saw a matinee of The Adjustment Bureau and cooked a fabulous dinner of steak, baked potato, asparagus and mac-n-cheese.

Good weekend, y'all. Good weekend.

What did you do during the past two days?

Be blessed lovelies-

Leopard and Louis

Happy weekend!

I'm obsessed with the Charlotte Olympia shoes above...just thought I'd throw that in. If anyone would like to purchase them for me, my address is 1560 Hill Cre.....kidding, kidding.

Ok, so:

1. Picked up le wedding dress yesterday and it fit like a glove! No alterations needed. Hooray and Bellisimo!

2. Ohmygoshya'll....ordered my very first Louis V! Thanks to the brilliant style advice of a certain friend in blog world, the Speedy 30 is on its way to Casa de Leslie. If you aren't familiar with the Speedy 30, check it out below.

3. A few of you emailed me asking about the spray tan I get. I get mine at Calypso Tans in Rogers , but you can probably find one in your area, too. It is the Mystic system and takes about 2 minutes, start to finish! I bought the 3 tans for $59 package. One spray tan will last almost 2 weeks and it is MUCH safer than frying yourself in a tanning bed (which I've done for years, but recently quit!)

4. I love my boy. And my newly acquired dog. They make my heart happy. That is all.

So yeah, this post is pretty brief, but work this morning is kuh-razy times. Anywho, enjoy your respective weekends and I'll see you all back here bright and early Monday. But minus the bright and early part.

Be blessed, lovelies-

Confessional

via

Did any of y'all ever watch The Real World on MTV? They had this room in the Real World house called "The Confessional" where the house mates would go to purge their deepest thoughts, like "How many beers can one drink without blacking out?" and "If I bleach my hair twice in one week, will it fall out?"

Anywho, I usually do a random post on Thursdays and I thought it would be fun to do a confession-type post.

Get ready, I'm about to hit you with some truth!

1. I feel like a big, ole failure due to lack of gym going in the past two weeks. I just haven't been motivated. Important things like The Bachelor season finale and 2-for-1 ice cream specials at Sonic have kept me from hitting the elliptical lately. Here's hoping I'll get a much-needed kick in the gym shorts this coming weekend.

2. I may or may not have been eating a chocolate chip cookie while I typed the above sentence.

3. I think I may be looking forward to the honeymoon a teensy bit more than our actual wedding. Don't get me wrong, I am over the moon to be marrying the love of my life, but after all of wedding craziness, a week on the SC coast is just what we'll need.

4.  I wear jeans at least 2-3 times between each wash. I swear, I'm not a gross person, but jeans (or mine anyway) just don't get that dirty. Do y'all think that's nasty or do you do it, too?

5. For that matter, I only wash my hair every other day. It's very thick and quite long and it really does look better the second day. Please don't think I'm disgusting.

6. You'll be happy to know that I DO shower daily.

7. I'm now addicted to spray tanning. Got one the day before I went to try on wedding dresses and loved it so much I got one last night. Perhaps Jersey Shore needs a southern castmember?

8. I'm going to Fort Smith with my soon-to-be SIL and my maid of honor tonight to pick up my wedding dress and eat some good food! This may or may not have been the driving force behind my getting out of bed every day this week.

9. I went sans eye-makeup to work yesterday and one of my co-workers said I looked like I was ready for a Top Model photoshoot. She was not being sarcastic and said that she actually really liked the natural look. It totally made my day! I am shallow and compliments like this just please me to death.

10. During Presidential speeches and important breaking news announcements, I usually change the channel. Like, to Real Housewives of OC or Bethenny Getting Married or something. Does this make me vapid?

Wait, don't answer that.

Be blessed, lovelies-

Trend Watch Wednesday: {All Dressed in White}

photo via Style Me Pretty- text by A Blonde Ambition

Happy Wednesday, Blonde Ambitioners! My intern Lindy and I co-authored a two part TWW post on....drumroll please....wedding dress collections for 2011! (Her part is today and mine will be next week.)

We are both romantics at heart and this was a fun collaboration. Without further adieu, give a warm welcome to Lindy!!

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When I was younger (and yes, I realize I am still young), I was never the little girl you see in movies that pulls out all her Barbie’s and lines them up in fun-sized taffeta dresses to fantasize about her dream wedding. Movies like Father of The Bride, My Best Friends Wedding, Bride Wars, and the fact that I was getting older slowly transformed me into a typical “Gasp-Oh-My-Gosh-I-Want-To-Get-Married” young lady.

While going wedding dress shopping with my older sister, I would gaze at gown after gown imagining my big day and what I would be wearing as I walked down the aisle. So when Leslie asked me to peruse through online wedding collections and write a blog post about it, I was very excited! I get to look at wedding dresses while daydreaming about my big day AND have it posted on A Blonde Ambition? Bring it on!

So now, drum roll please, I get to share with ya’ll four absolutely AMAZING bridal collections….



Monique Lhuillier

Many women dream about their wedding day from the first time they watch a couple say “I do.” One of the things that I dream about (as I’m sure many of you will too after this post) is wearing a Monique Lhuillier dress when I tie the knot. These gowns are not only glamorous, but the simple silhouettes help the dresses accomplish an elegance that isn’t too over the top. The combination of sleek necklines and off the shoulder straps pulls together dresses that could be worn on the red carpet at the Oscars. Feathers, beading, tulle and ruching are few of the many details that turn what would be minimal pieces into an extravagant buy for your big day!

Robert Bullock Bride

Audrey Hepburn has been a constant source of fashion inspiration for women around the world. The signature little black dress and pearls that Miss Hepburn wore popped into my head when I was scrolling through the Robert Bullock bridal collection. The graceful lines and lace covered bodices seem to be a perfect fit for any Audrey wanna-be’s wedding. Every dress has classic charm that looks girly with retro flare. The silhouettes accentuate a woman’s curves while still looking appropriate for a chapel. If you walk down the aisle in a Robert Bullock gown on your big day, you can be certain there will be no Funny Faces in your congregation!

Marchesa

Now I know for a fact many of you southern girls and straight-by-the-rule-book wedding connoisseurs are going to flip when you see what I’m about to say…. short wedding dresses are IN this season. Yep. You read correctly! Many bridal collections, such as Marchesa, have been showing an abundance of short dresses for brides in spring 2011. The Marchesa collection has an elaborate appeal that reminded me of a wedding party along a beach. The way the fabric is layered over understated strapless dresses with tulle and chiffon seems ideal for nuptials with sand at your feet. And not only are the short dresses chic and adorable, but if you DID get married on the beach, the bottom of your dress wouldn’t drag in the sand! How ideal is that?

BHLDN

From the start, the BHLDN bridal collection transported me into the movie Pride and Prejudice. The romantic silhouettes and feminine accessories that grace the models of this Anthropolgie spin off seem to be inspired by Elizabeth Bennett herself. BHLDN’s bridal collection has managed to combine a variety of styles (including the unique long sleeve 70’s inspired gown, one of my personal favorites) that will look ravishing on any bride to be! The chic accessories BHLDN provides for one’s big day are classic with a funky twist. Colors such as black, green and sparkly gold pop against the sold cream or white background of a wedding dress. The floral accents of the hair pieces and the golden yellow color splashed into their line of shoes is perfectly prissy enough to keep you looking you’re best as you walk down the aisle!

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Thanks so much for this awesome post, Lindy!

Y'all stay tuned for next week's second half....sure to be wedding-tastic : )

Be blessed, lovelies-