9.29.2014

Fall Wedding Fashion

Happy Monday readers!

Good weekend?

Mine was great...I had a healthy mix of time by myself, time with family, time with Bryce, and finally, time with friends.  It's rare to pack that all into one weekend, but it sure was nice!

Today I am excited to be posting a reader request.  Kristin, of The Dixie Daisy blog, reached out to me last month asking for inspiration for a Fall Barn Wedding. Being that wedding season can be rather expensive, she asked that I give her some budget friendly options and I had so much fun putting these looks together!

I'll start off by saying that last fall, I was lucky enough to attend a barn wedding (where boots were encouraged) and it was one of my favorite wedding looks thus far.  You may remember it from Instagram:


When thinking of Kristin, I thought back to this look, and also channeled my inner bargainista.

I have found 4 dresses, all under $100 that I think could be dressed up or down for events ranging from a barn wedding to a more formal affair!

1.
$79

I would pair it with these fabulous boots for a barn wedding:

(these and these are also great options)

And with these two fun necklaces, layered:



2.
$68

I think these boots would be a perfect match for the above dress at a barn wedding:


And I would top the look off with statement earrings, like these:


Have a more formal affair?  No problem!  Each of these looks is completely transformed when paired with a pair of nude heels like these:





PS: The nude color gives you legs for days!

And of course, one can never go wrong with an LBD, for any occasion.  Here are two I really like, under $100!

On sale for $69.50!
(runs slightly large: I wears 2s and 4s and am a 2 in this!)

$48
This reminds me a lot of this Alice & Olivia dress:


Which, in fact, I am planning to wear to a black tie wedding this weekend paired with nude pumps and this necklace!

Finally, all bargainistas, should sign up for and use Rent the Runway!  You can "splurge" on your top designers for a weekend without buyer's remorse!  I used it for the first time last winter and felt like a million bucks in this Shoshanna pretty!

Retail, $385, Rent the Runway, $40!

How do you manage to not break the bank during wedding season?

What are your go-to places for inexpensive wedding fashion?

Have a great day!

9.24.2014

Bunco Night

Happy Hump Day!

This week is flying by and my class finally seems to be settling in and adjusting to the routines. I think beginning of year craziness, just might be coming to an end...thank goodness!

About a month ago, my friend Anna added me to a Bunco group that she is a part of.  It's a neat group, because it has evolved over time and has girls that are connected in all different ways. I had never played bunco before (see rules here), but quickly caught on and had a great time meeting lots of new faces and having some girl time!

I had such a good time when Anna hosted, that I decided to host this month and had so much fun welcoming the group into my home.  I'm excited to share last night's fun with you today and also provide some tips I found helpful in case you want to host a bunco night in the future!

First things first, I'm a huge proponent of entertaining every few months.  It is a great motivator to get the house in tip top shape. For last night, I added fresh fall flowers from the farmer's market to our living room and also the cutest honeycomb garland I found at Target.  It is the Spritz brand, however, I cannot find it online!



And now onto BUNCO...

Bunco is played at 4 tables with 2 teams of 2 at each table.  We had 14 girls last night, so we only played 3 tables, and girls took turns swapping in and out for play.

Table 1 or the "Head Table" always begins and ends play, so as you can see I brought home my teacher bell for that table to signal the beginning and end of each round!

Bunco Printable Table Numbers and Score Cards available here.
You also will need 3 dice for each table!

Because the group was comprised of girls from so many different connections and backgrounds, 
I found it helpful to put out labels for name tags!

I also made sure to lay a placemat on this table, 
so the dice would have a soft place to roll, opposed to the glass top!

Finally, you probably noticed I made sure that 
coasters, pens, and notepads for scoring were handy at each table!

Of course, no girls' night would be complete without drinks aplenty and munchies!

I made the same champagne punch that I made at my Valentine's party (post here) and it was a huge hit! I also had a galvanized tub full of ice for white wine and drinks that needed chilling!


I am in love with these "Wine Flu" napkins that I found at World Market. I could not find them on the site, but tracked them down for you here!

I kept it simple in terms of food:  store bought pimiento cheese and guacamole, Erin's mini chicken & waffles, and my white chocolate covered popcorn (recipe here). I also found really cute plates and napkins at the Dollar Tree!

The spread turned out to be even more impressive because of all the other goodies the ladies brought: pumpkin: dip, pretzels, and muffins; cilantro hummus; chocolate chip cookies; pasta salad; and more! Not to mention, my fridge is now stocked with wine!

Girls drank, munched, and rolled the dice!




And last, but certainly not least, at the end of the night prizes were awarded for: 1) player with the most points, 2) player with the least points, and 3) player with the most buncos!

As a prize, I gave each girl a  mini champagne bottle with a paper straw attached and Essie "Go Ginza."


Have you ever played bunco before?

What activities do you like to do for girls' night?

Have a great day!

9.22.2014

Snail Mail

Happy Monday readers!

Good weekend?

Ours was a good mix of work and play, however, as always, it went by too fast!

Those of you who follow along on Instagram, saw on Friday that I bought some cards to send some snail mail!


I was at Target, and couldn't resist the urge to check out the card section.  I ended up picking cards for three special people.  It was so fun to find just the right card and made me realize I really need to make it a goal to do a better job of sending snail mail.  It's so exciting to receive a sweet card in the mail, so I'd love to spread some joy to friends through the mail!

I've done some searching online and have found some great sources for fun cards!

The first is no newbie on the blog, Hattan Home!  I love just about everything on this site, and Lindsay's selection of cards is just as cute as the rest of the goodies she sells!




I discovered the next two sites through Erin's blog when she shared her sources for Valentine's way back in February!

The first site is Sugar Paper!



And these two from Sugar Paper are perfect note sets to have on hand:



 Paperless Post is next on the list.  Did you realize they have tons of cards that can be both digital and printed?




And last, but certainly, not least: It is always important to have monogrammed stationery on hand for any and every kind of note you might ever need to send!

I have this fun set from Nico & Lala and love it:


I also have this classic embossed set from The Stationery Studio:


Do you send snail mail?

What are you favorite places to find cute cards?

Have a great day!

9.17.2014

Fall Favorites

Happy Hump Day readers!

Did you see Monday's WEAR: NOW AND LATER post?  Turns out it was experiencing some technical difficulties, and only showing my collages with no text or photographs.  After lots of playing around last night, I was able to resolve the issue.  This was a really fun post to put together so be sure to check it out now, in its entirety!

With the start of fall just one week away, I thought it was the perfect time to share some current fall faves!  The weather is starting to cool down here and I am ready!

1. BOOTS
If you've been reading a while, you know boots are a fashion staple of mine.  I just ordered this over-the-knee pair and am giddy for their arrival tomorrow!


Broke out my Fryes for the first time yesterday and it felt so good!


2. FOLIAGE

I'd venture to say that fall leaves are even prettier than spring blooms.


And for teacher friends, my favorite leaf activity is reader's theater with the following poem: 

"Dancing Leaves"
Red leaves and yellow leaves,
Orange leaves and brown,
Leaves are dancing everywhere,
Happily dancing down!

We make leaf puppets in each color and the students record themselves acting out the poem on iPads!

3. PUMPKIN EVERYTHING
Pumpkins on the mantle.
Last year I spray painted pumpkins gold for the mantle, might have to try polka dots this year!

Pumpkins in my belly.
I love pumpkin lasagna and can't wait to try this recipe!

And pumpkins at a party!
Read about the pumpkin carving party I hosted last year here.

4. FALL HOLIDAYS
Halloween

Sorry, y'all, I just couldn't resist!

I really want to order a bunch of these and throw a Halloween bash!

Thanksgiving

I am thankful for eCards!

Gobble, gobble!

My Birthday
('cause that's a holiday, right!?)
The big 2-6 is right around the corner!

Are you excited about fall?

What are your fall favorites?

Have a great day!