WORLD MARKET: WHO WOULD'VE THOUGHT?!

So this post doesn't have a whole lot of content besides that fact that I want you to know that World Market has pretty awesome jewelry! :) I mean, really... who would've thought!? Everyone knows that World Market has awesome home goods and furniture, but jewelry??? I have gotten a couple pieces there and they are good quality and I do not think the prices are bad at all! If your vibe is slightly bohemian, World Market is the place for you! they also have some great scarves and hats!

Here are a few of my favorites:

GET THE LOOK: 3 OUTFITS

I am so excited to be guest posting over at 5th and Vine today! Amy asked me to pull together style post while she is away having some fun with the fam! Here it is:

Let's start this post off by talking about pinterest. I.am.completely.addicted. I use it for inspiration for everything - projects at work, freelance design, DIY/sewing projects and style ideas!! I am not one of those girls who has a unbelievable knack for putting outfits together, so to pinterest I go! I always find these amazing style ideas, but when I click into the pin, the image came from tunblr (no links) or the blogger's wardrobe budget seems to be a bit waayyyyy more than mine. ;)

I have taken three looks I am loving right now and found some affordable items to put them together!

(inspiration picture: midwestern darling tumblr)

ONE $30.03  |  TWO $18  |  THREE $11.99  |  FOUR $64  |  FIVE (sold out - another option)  |  SIX $39.99

(inspiration pic: the day book blog)

ONE $42  |  TWO $50 (it says 'journey' on the inside. swoon)  |  THREE $33

FOUR $22.97  |  FIVE $24.10  |  SIX $12.95  |  SEVEN $7.80  |  EIGHT $99.95

(inspiration pic: mekenna bleu)

ONE $17.99  |  TWO $53.99  |  THREE $89.50  |  FOUR $74.99  |  FIVE $22.80  |  SIX $8.80  |  SEVEN $28.69

LATEST LOVES

I am switchin' it up a bit. This time, instead of "latest lusts" I am posting about "latest loves" - things I actually own and love, hence the post title. ;)  These are tried & true, test driven, can't live without items.

Lace Sleeve Sweatshirt // The Limited //  $49.95

The limited is ALWAYS having a sale. I only got this 25% off b/c it is a new item, but I love it! 

L'Oreal Magic Liquid BB Cream // Target // $7.59

Between me and my two best friends, I think we have tried just about every BB cream out there. This one is my favorite. It might scare you at first b/c it goes on white, but it magically changes color to match your skin tone. 

Rose Gold Boyfriend Link Watch // The Limited // $42.90

I have had my eye on this one for a long time, but wasn't about to shell out the moola for it. Good thing this one found me. :) I got it 40% off. Also, the rose golds looks so much better in person than in the picture.

NYC Color 8 Hr Lip Gloss // Walmart // $3.27

I have tried many times to wear lipstick. I have large lips and semi resemble a Disney character when applied. (yes, scary!) This one works for me! Perpetually pink, you have changed my life. 

Calf Hair Venetian Flats // Lands' End  // $60

Confession. I do not own these YET. I plan on ordering them this week, but I have tried them on and I was shocked how extremely comfortable they were. I have been looking for the perfect leopard flats for a while now and I love the venetian style of these. I have SO MANY ballet flats. It is time to switch it up.

LC Crystal Bow Earrings // Kohls // $9 - The ones I own are a tab bit different that these, but very similar. I pretty much love all LC Lauren Conrad Jewelry from Kohls. Check it out!

Aaaand just for fun... me sporting my new watch... and making a weird face. Why not?!

KITCHEN GADGET ROUNDUP

I am a sucker for a good kitchen gadget and I am loving these!

food pod - Save time when boiling, blanching or steaming by conveniently containing, removing and draining foods in this odd looking little silicone wonder.

flour/sugar containers - Because I might be the messiest baker alive. Ask Logan, he will tell you. It is like a flour tornado went through the kitchen when I bake. I have a feelings these might help.

mini crock - For those of you who fear the microwave. I am not going to lie, I kind of wonder about it...

silpoura - Because I'm always afraid the cover is going to slip and our entire meal will go into the sink. Here is to stress free cooking! 

sippy cup tether - Because children throw things, especially their sippy cups. You don't even know how many times I've cleaned smoothie splatter off our floor.

cover blubber - Move over plastic wrap, here comes the eco-friendly and much cooler way to cover your food.

herb scissors - makes chopping sh!t up just a little bit faster

non-paper towels - We waste a ton of money each year on paper towels b/c Logan is OCD about cleaning and I have germaphobe tendencies. Maaaaybe I we handle these. At least this Esty shop sells them in cool patterns unlike most of the others.

cake slicer -  Because I love to bake cakes and this could be a very handy tool for adding yummy frosting between multiple layers. If I tried to freehand this, it wouldn't be pretty.

AUGUST WISH LIST

Life on a budget. I know I have hit on this subject many times before. Budgeting is all about knowing where your money goes so you can put it where you want -- like spending less on clothes and golf so you can put money in your daughter's college fund. :) I guess that what budgeting means in our family at least.

Logan and I decided to both give ourselves a monthly budget to spend on whatever we want that is not considered a necessity. This way I can buy as many pairs of shoes as I want and he can order as many iphone/ipad gadgets as he wants and there is no arguing as long as we stay within the budget. Simple, right? So far, so good. I know our little personal budget system isn't rocket science, but it is new for us. Anyways, it has been kind of fun to plan out what I want to spend my budget on.  I know it is half way through the month, but here is my August wish list. Now, trust me, there is no way I could buy all of these items. Heck, I couldn't even buy the watch on my budget, but a girl can dream, right?! I could always find one similar for half the price. I have pretty decent competitive on-line shopping skills. ;)

I started with Pinterest and then found similar items online.  It kind of gets out my itch to shop for all these things, without actually buying all of them. Is that weird? maybe. :)

PINTEREST INSPIRATION:

MY WISH LIST: Super pumped that two of the items are from local (for me) companies! Gotta love shopping local!

ONE ($50)  |  TWO ($149.99)  |  THREE ($100)  |  FOUR ($145)

FIVE ($21.99)  |  SIX ($6.95)  |  SEVEN ($225)  |  EIGHT ($19.90)

NINE ($31.48)  |  TEN ($49.95)  |  ELEVEN ($24.95)  |  TWELVE ($44)  |  THIRTEEN ($15)

CHAMBRAY AND PLEATS

So maybe I like chambray. yup, I think I do. A simple chambray button up is the perfect staple to pair with print shorts, colored denim, white denim, or is this case, a bright pleated midi skirt. And at this point, who doesn't own a chambray shirt?!!

ONE  |  TWO  | THREE

FOUR  |  FIVE  |  SIX

CHAMBRAY & STRIPES

I always think it is semi funny that I post about fashion b/c, like I said before, the last thing I claim to be be is fashion forward. I may not know a ton about fashion, but what I do know is that we have our family pictures scheduled in two weeks and I need to figure out how I am going to dress our family of three.  Naturally, I start with myself. :) I was looking online at Old Navy the this past weekend and I saw this adorable chambray dress and it reminded me of two pins I recently made. One reason I love Pinterest so much is that it shows you how to put your clothes together into cute outfits. These pins were not linked to any source, so I had no idea where to find the items in the picture. Even if it did link to source, my guess is the pieces are probably rather pricey. I love the look of this cute chambray dress over stripes with fun colored flats. Here is where you can find the look for (what I am guessing) is less. :)

ok, ok,  I know the clutch isn't exactly cheap, but isn't it so darn cute?! I love that you can monogram it! :)

Dress  |  Top  |  Flats  |  Clutch

NUDE WEDGES FOR OUTDOOR WEDDINGS

For Nora and Pat's wedding she asked us to wear nude shoes. Nora suggested we wear wedges b/c the ceremony was taking place outside on the grass. Seems simple, right?! Well, I do not know why, but I felt like it took me FOREVER to find a pair I loved. They sell about a million nude wedges with an espadrille (rope), cork or wooden bottom, but I felt all of those were too casual and didn't work well with my little strappy dress. I looked everywhere and came up with these. I thought I would give my research to all of you in case there is someone out there who needs a nude pair of wedges for a wedding, just likes shoes, or maybe just wants a few new ideas for shoe websites. :)

ONE  |  TWO  |  THREE  |  FOUR  |  FIVE  |  SIX

ONE  |  TWO  |  THREE  |  FOUR  |  FIVE  |  SIX

I went with these (#5 from the first set above) and they were actually super comfortable.

SMART SHOPPING - DRESSES UNDER $20

Yup, this is seriously how I shop. Glamorous, no. Necessary, yes.

Since Miss Ellis was born, we have found ourselves living on a budget. They weren't lyin' when they said KIDS AIN'T CHEAP! :) Besides having to tighten the belt on my clothing budget, I have no longer have any time to shop in stores. Besides not having time, I don't really like shopping in the stores anymore. Well...maybe... if I a am with one of my friends and we aren't on any kind of schedule. But let's be real, I am always on a schedule.

Now here is the thing. My husband thinks clothes are a waste of money and you know what, he is right. They are completely material objects that, in the end, do not matter at all.

butttttt...... I guess don't really care what he says b/c I am a girl and I like to have something new to wear to a wedding or out on a date night and that is that. There isn't any changing it. Really, there isn't. It is one of those things were we just agree to disagree on. Plus, I could say golf is a waste of money. Oh that is a whole other conversation..... ;)

So this is how I shop. I am an extreme sale shopper. I shop the clearance (usually juniors) section at department stores because:
1 - PRICE - They have the same kind of dresses that you will find at little boutiques like Francesca's, Page 6, and Red Dress Boutique, etc., but they are about 1/3 of the price when they are on sale and, unlike many of the little boutique stores, the dresses actually go on sale.
2 - FREE IN-STORE RETURNS - You can return in store for free. On-line shopping is in no way prefect. I end of returning half the things I buy b/c they do not fit right, but I just swing by the store and return them for free instead of having to pay to ship them back.
3 - CONVENIENCE - I like shopping at home on my computer in my PJs.

Note: Obviously these are not super high-quaity pieces. They might not be staple items in your closet that stand the test of time, but they WILL satisfy the need of, every now and again, having something fun and new to wear. :)

I shop the clearance section on-line at Old Navy, Macy's and JC Penny. My most recent purchase was from Macy's. I bought the three top dresses shown below. They should be here today! :)

Note: I found a 20% off coupon code on-line. That is why the prices are not matching up exactly.

FROM TOP TO BOTTOM | LEFT TO RIGHT

DRESS 1 | DRESS 2 | DRESS 3

DRESS 4 | DRESS 4 | DRESS 5

Other great website to shop for more high end fashion at discounted prices are:
HAUTELOOK | Rue La La | GILT

They run different sales that usually start while I am at work, so by the time I get to look at them, half the stuff is sold out. They do have some SUPER great deals though!
Darn work! Gets in the way of my bargain hunting! ;)