Go Bold or Go Home

What do you like better, Christmas or Wedding Season?
[raises his hand] Mr. Grey? Yes. The answer would be, um, Wedding Season?

Bingo! It’s almost wedding season baby!

I am preparing to go to multiple weddings this summer and I couldn’t be happier for my friends getting married. (Congrats Kasey and Shan!!) I won’t lie, I’m also excited to get dressed up and dance a little too! Of course, traveling and gifts add up. So I’ve decided to wear a beautiful yellow dress I already have and treat myself to new jewelry to save a little money.

For my yellow dress which I am going to wear to a Florida wedding close to the ocean, I am going to wear 2 yellow bracelets that I made and a crystal flower pin in my hair. This was super easy and inexpensive – I got the beads at Michael’s for $5 and the stretchy string for $2.50.



I also fell in LOVE with this necklace. That is, until I saw the price! ($228 dollars? That's just a few utility bills for the next 2 months!) But, I’m so in love with this necklace, I’ve decided to make my own version. I’ll string the beads, connect each string to a circular connector and then braid the strings of beads around each other.

 
My inspiration and the beads I've chosen to make my own necklace!

Don’t like these colors? Michael’s has an endless supply of beads. I mean, I spent hours in there looking at beads. Their collection is incredible. If you go- don’t forget to print a coupon off online too. Click here for their latest coupons!

My goal is to complete this necklace this weekend so check back for the finalized product! Hopefully I will be able to wear it to multiple weddings this summer, saving a little bit of money that I can pass along to the newlyweds :)

I have a very serious obsession with bows. Anyone who knows me knows I love bows –on EVERYTHING. Shoes, purses, headbands, necklaces, earrings, they are the ultimate feminine accessory.

Playing soccer as a little girl, I always had a bow in my hair. And if you think that changed as I got older, it didn't. I wore a bow in my hair playing soccer all throughout college. Once, I had a black eye and a bow for a game and yes … I thought I was bad!

While I've accepted that I must retire my famous and sizeable collection of bows, (that is, until God gives me a little girl to spoil with bows!) I have moved on to a little designer known as Kate Spade. If money grew on trees, I would own her entire collection. Every season.

My current favorites? This adorable black and white Barrow Street Bon Shopper purse, this pearl necklace which would be great for work and a Saturday date night (and perhaps a friend's wedding!) and her Florina Sandals!

Okay … so money doesn't grow on trees. My solution? Consignment shopping! I recently found Kate Spade black patent leather flats (with bows!) at a consignment store.

Original Price: $225
Consignment Store Price:  $59.00

Final Price after holding out and waiting for the 50% discount day: $29.50
Currently on Ebay for: $80

These shoes are fabulous. I can wear them to the office, with jeans on the weekend, and most importantly, they have rubber soles so I won't trip and fall on the metro. (Which may or may not have happened before!) But really, every girl needs a good pair of black flats and I'm hoping these will last me a long time.

I'm still searching for great consignment stores in the city. I've found one- Current Boutique in Arlington & Alexandria. This store has upscale designer brands such as JCrew, Coach, Burberry, and more. I will blog about more stores as I find them!

Update on the kitchen table? Still searching for the perfect table top! I'm mostly looking on craigslist for a table I can remove the legs from and add to the legs below. I want to paint the top black and then find chairs I can paint black and reupholster the seats white (or a damask fabric!)



My apologies for not blogging more recently … I'm thinking of expanding my blog to include great recipes, links to coupons, and more. Until next time, I'll leave you with this thought:

The best accessory is not a sparkly necklace, perfect hair, or great shoes. The best accessory is the person sitting next to you, loving you & supporting you, no matter what. Everything else is just icing on the cake!