One Bracelet, Two Ways

jeans: gap; tank: target; scarf: old navy; shoes: aldo; "for keeps"bracelet c/o jewelmint; other jewelry: mixed.

Let me just start by saying these jeans were a godsend. No really. I had spent the better half of at least two different weekends attempting to bleach an old pair of jeans to a nice crisp white when I made a trip to the mall to stock-up on some Victoria's Secret undies (I've been using their coupons mailers to my advantage). Almost instinctively I stopped in Gap where I happened across these babies marked down to $29.99 in the clearance section. With the promise of an extra 30% off denim I decided to buy them because well I really wanted them and my aforementioned DIY was tanking. I got them up to the register fully prepared to pay $22 when they rang up as $13.99! SCORE!

The moral of this story: good things come to those that wait... for the end of season sale.

Now on to the bracelet. This was my pick of the two items that Lynzy and I were asked to style. Unlike the bolo necklace I knew from the beginning how I was going to style this piece.. layered with lots of other bracelets. I love how the blues. oranges, and grays go with anything and add just the right amount of color. The only problem with all these bracelets is that they are very loud when typing rapidly. It could be worse I guess.

How was everyones weekend? East Coast folks, did you survive the Earthquake/Hurricane week safely?
Don't forget to check out how Lynzy styled her "For Keeps" bracelet. Here's a sneak peak:

One Necklace, Two Ways

shirt:j.crew; shorts: diyed from an old pair of jeans; flippies:old navy; deco bolo necklace c/o jewelmint.

I've had the pleasure of working with Jewelmint in the past so when they approached me recently for another project I was not about to decline. The original idea was for me to style some Jewelmint pieces for both day and night. It sounded like so much fun, but with my hectic schedule these days there was no way I was going to pull that off in any kind of timely manner. So I called in reinforcements. The lovely Lynzy of Sparkling Footsteps.

We each got to pick one item to style, this is the deco-bolo necklace, Lynzy's pick. To be honest I was intimidated by this thing. I rattled my brain for days trying to decide what to wear it with. Then on Saturday, I was wearing these shorts and a black tank and decided to randomly throw on this plaid shirt and the necklace as I headed out to lunch with my family. (There is a life lesson in here somewhere...be patient?...don't try to force things?...good things come to those who wait?)

But you know what, I think it works. It's actually kind of silly how versatile this thing really is. Don't  you think? Now that I've worn it once I can see so many more possibilities. How would you style this necklace?

Here's a sneak peak how Lynzy did it. I must admit, I'm kind of coveting her pink pants. (I'm a pink convert thanks to all the cerise out there. ) Don't forget to head over to her blog to see her full post.


Finally, if you haven't tried Jewelmint yet, now is the time, from now until next Tuesday they are offering my readers 50% off your first Jewelmint purchase, just enter MoneySmartFashion50 at checkout.

*Jewelmint is a members only jewelry club that provides members with exclusive jewelry from Kate Bosworth and Cher Colture. The membership fee is $29.99 per month which translates to one piece of jewelry. There is never an obligation to buy, memebers can opt out within the first 5 days of the month to avoid being charged a membership fee. I was not paid to provide my opinions or promote jewelmint. You can see my full disclosure policy here.

5 Years and Counting

It's been a week since my last post, I know. Balancing work, school, SSF, and blogging can be a bear sometimes and unfortunately since at this point I have no money really riding on it, the blog is the ball that gets dropped at times. I'm sure you understand.

I did want to take a moment though and share something special with you all. Today is my 5 year anniversary with SSF. I know, I know, anniversaries don't count until your married but I'd be a liar if I told you I haven't been counting the days we've been together since the beginning. Maybe it's cliche but I've always that I was going to marry SSF, even before we were "official".







SSF, you've completely changed my life for the better. I've said it before, but if it wasn't for you, I'd be living in a box on the corner with only my clothes to keep me company. I can't imagine my life any other way, with any other person. Thank you for staying with me, through good times and bad. And for taking my pictures even when you don't want to. xoxo.

ps. return to semi-regularly schedule posting this week. I have a collaboration with a fellow blogger and I took a stab at that roman shade diy!

Comfort Clothes are my Comfort Food

tank: target, jeans: martin & osa, hoodie: under armour; shoes: old navy.

This weekend I was stressed out. Luckily, these pictures were taken on Friday so you can hardly tell. I was feeling the pressure of getting a paper done for my final. Well, my portion of the paper for our final. Got to love group work. I can't believe my summer class is almost over. Do you know what that means? Summer is almost over! Already! Sheesh.

I don't know if I have much about this outfit, besides the fact that I wore it a majority of the weekend. There is just something comforting about a hoodie and jeans. Oh and that side pony was permanently affixed to my head Friday through Sunday.

Sometimes you just got to do what's right.

Did you have a good weekend?

Same Blazer, Different Day

jacket(as if you don't know by now): express, tank: j.crew, pants: old navy, shoes: aldo

If you were thinking "Hey hasn't she worn that blazer a lot lately?" The answer is yes, my friend. Three our of the last four outfit posts to be exact. I bought this jacket back in 2007 when I was a fresh-faced [almost] college graduate looking to land my first job. Then is sat in my closet. A lot. I mean who wants to wear a great jacket like this when they are vacuuming the interior of a rental car [not I.]. I recently, as in May, started wearing it again and I am obsessed. I realize I say that often, about may things, but seriously. I'm a fantasical. Remember? I get obsessed with things until something else breaks my laser focus. (Sidenote: I'm really learning a lot about myself now that I have my productivity personality down. It';s really quite telling.)

Anyway, in my Marketing class the other night my professor and I kind of debated the staying power of the "skinny jean". Long story how we even got there (a current event about Levi's) but I said that they were a staple, she called them a "fad" but then in the same breath argued that low rise jeans were indeed a staple.  My rebuttal was going to be that in the same way low rise jeans are a staple because their fit is more flattering, skinny jeans/pants create a flattering silhouette for many types of women and therefore if not already, will soon be a staple. I didn't say this rebuttal out loud because no one in the class appears to enjoy retail/fashion as much as I an the discussion had kind of derailed into a sidebar between me and my professor.

So with all that said, what are your deep philosophical thoughts on skinny jeans/pants? Fad or Staple?

I am a Fantasical

Source: collegehumor.com via K on Pinterest

According to this Copyblogger post by Kristen Simmons, there are four productivity personalities: Fantastical, Structural , Analytical, Environmental.

I am a Fantastical.

"The Fantastical personality type is energized by wrestling with problems and coming up with creative solutions.They learn best by doing, and they have a tendency to lose track of time when they’re caught up in an interesting project.The most distinctive mark of a Fantastical, though, is that they need to have all the pieces of a project in front of them, otherwise they’ll forget it exists."

That is me to a "T". I can't even begin to tell you how many times I've started working on a project at work only to look-up and realize that I haven't gone to the bathroom all day, or that maybe I should have eaten lunch at one instead of three.

The downfall of this personality type is that I don't have an attention span for long-term projects (ahem, debt repayment). I like to start and finish my project in the same day and can often lose sight of my goals or just flat out forget about them over long periods of time.

So what does this mean for you?

If you are a fantastical like me, you need to keep your goals visible. Last October I made these handy goal cards that I keep on the bulletin board next to my desk. (I even added one for my student loans). Every day they remind what I am currently working for, financial freedom.




Oh and another thing, budgets don't always work for us Fantasticals. We are not fans of repetition (which explains why I hate cleaning the house every Sunday while SSF revels in it-- he is structural). To make your budget system a little more novel or easier to manage consider using an online program like Mint to automatically track and categorize your spending.

Not a fantastical? Find out what your productivity personality is here. Then you can use that information to figure out the most productive way to keep your financial goals in check. If you are stuctural like SSF, consider yourself lucky, according to the post you were built for most productivity systems.

Wedding Updates!

Oh man, has this week flown by. This always happens once I'm back in school again. Weeks fly by as if they were days. Sorry in advnce for my completely sporadic posting schedule from now until December (when I finally graduate!) But I digress. I realized the other day, after catching up on blogs and seeing the many girls that have gotten engaged, that I haven't blogged about my own wedding in awhile!

Source: blog.duetevents.com via Grace on Pinterest

So where do I even start? Well as you may remember we settled on this amazing event home in the Outer Banks for our venue. There is enough rooms for a majority of our guests to stay the entire week.

I've also booked my DJ for a cool $200/hour (ouch).

A photographer for around $1800.

Source: iloveswmag.com via Grace on Pinterest

A taco bar for dinner with sangria, margaritas (my favorite), wine, or beer for my guests (my own) drinking pleasure. A trip to the Outer banks in Ocotber will help finalize the caterer.

And SSF picked out suspenders for his groomsmen.

It's not much, but we are getting there.

It hard to think about all the little details when we're still 14 months out from the actual day. It will probably be a lot easier to think about though when all the bills start rolling in.

Source: stylemepretty.com via Grace on Pinterest

A Letter to SSF

shirt: SSF's, jacket: express; skirt: boutique in obx; bag: A&F (about 10 years ago)

SSF,

Thank you for your unwavering support and for wearing a size meduim. I wouldn't be who I am today without you, or access to your closet. I love you. Never change (your size).
xoxo, Grace


On another note. I had an epiphany at work last week. I finally realized the difference between wanting new clothes and actually needing them. To some, this is probably not much of an "aha", but some of you might know where I am coming from. I've never really taken the time to differentiate the want from the need. If I saw something in a magazine it was always "I need that." But one morning last week, sitting at my desk at work I just randomly said, I don't need new clothes. As soon as I said it I was like whoa. It was liberating. Just like it was freeing to tell you all about my student loan debt. I feel like I'm at a point in my life where all of a sudden my priorities are shifting and I am having these moments of like pure "ohhhhhh".


How was your weekend? SSF and I drove to Philly to help my parents clean out their house by taking a few items "off their hands". Including a beautiful cedar chest that needs some love. I sense a DIY in the near future....