Lustworthy: Spring's "It" Bag for Less

I don't know about you, but I have seen Celine's Oversized Zip Pouch appearing EVERYWHERE from Tumblr to my favorite style bloggers to FW street style photos.  Check some of my favorites below in case you  haven't seen it yet...

{featured on Dreams + Jeans}

{love the red version on Sugar & Spice}

{also featured on Dreams + Jeans}

{quite possibly my favorite... from Tumblr!}

With this being noted, I feel I must also point out that anytime a price is not listed/cannot be found... it usually means it's not within my budget (yet).  Therefore, I've found some great alternative options that are an inexpensive (save for the Balenciaga one... I couldn't resist!) way to get this trend for less.

I'm really loving the Rebecca Minkoff & Marc by Marc Jacobs versions of the Celine Pouch.  Which one is your favorite?  Here's how I'd outfit mine:

Forever 21 Dress, J Crew Necklace, Sam Edelman Sandals, Marc by Marc Jacobs Pouch

Now I want to stop at the mall on the way home and get this pouch for my Spring Break trip!!  Wouldn't it be just the perfect carry on bag size?

Lustworthy: Spring Break Edition

I don't know about you, but this dreary weather affecting much of the US has been getting me down recently.  However, I realized today that 3 weeks from this very moment, I'll be in warm and sunny Florida for my Spring Break Adventure.  That has my OCD self thinking about what to pack...

{Polyvore created by Meghan}

I'm loving this whole floaty, romantic direction Spring 2011 has been going in... Chiffons and other lightweight fabrics are perfect for warm locales. Until then, I'll be daydreaming whilst pondering over photos from last year's trip.

{one day, I will catch a Seagull}

{it was so hot, I put my chair right in the water}

{colorful beach umbrellas always dot the beach}

{colorful chairs from Publix complete the vacay}

What are you dreaming about this grey day?

Breakfast Bar Makeover

{bright blue worked at our old place... but we wanted something richer!}

One of the easiest ways for me to update my kitchen is to switch out what's on my breakfast bar.  My sister and I share a condo where we let wine inspire our decor.  Our entire kitchen area is dedicated to it and we are always looking for ways to complete the look.

{lush purple placemats & green cloth napkins from Crate & Barrel}

{cute gold grape napkin rings from World Market}

{flower tealights & holder from Nest & Shine - a vintage concept}

What do you think of the Wine Country update?  I'm definitely a fan... plus, it feels more grown up for my new(ish) place!

Now on... Bloglovin!

Created with Polyvore

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I Dare You: Follow Up

Due to being out of town this weekend for a wedding/much needed retail therapy... this week's follow up to my dare is a bit different!  I felt inspired by my own challenge to think about what I'm looking forward to in the coming month or two...

{the last snow... for real}

{popsicles - once Lent is over, of course!}

{waiting for the Monarchs!}

{a clothing swap hosted by Sarai}

{a much-needed Spring Break beach vacation}

I Dare You: Think Spring!

Well, the weather man has once again dashed my dreams of spring by forecasting ACTUAL snow.  Not just flurries, but full-force, stick to the ground and make me hate winter even more SNOW.  Instead of giving into this, I'm going to be dreaming warm dreams all weekend.  Here's my inspiration of the moment:

{D&G Spring Marketing Campaign}

{Blanco Spring Marketing Campaign}

 

{Wonderland Magazine March Editorial}

Perhaps I'll sit around in my spring dresses and sip wine this weekend while watching beach-themed movies to get me in the spring mood... what will you do?

Winter's Comeback

I mentioned earlier this week that they were forecasting snow for the week... it seems I underestimated how not ready to go back to this I was.  There's an old adage that claims there will be three snows after the forsythia blooms.  Let's keep track together:  1 down, 2 to go.

Instead of submitting to this cruel joke from Mother Nature, I decided to wear a fun floral tank & lt weight sweater; however, I did forgo the sandals I wore yesterday... even so, I'm regretting this decision immensely & wish I had listened.  Here's what I'm craving now:

 

Photo Credits (1), (2), (3), (4), (5)

In any case, I'd rather be on a beach, but I digress... 

DIY - Suede Bangle

In honor of my first week in "Art Club", here's a DIY I did earlier in the week:

You can find multitudes of suede lace colors at craft stores like JoAnn's or Michael's.. Pick a few colors you like and get to DIY-ing!

Easy enough!

Rainy Day Blues...

Well, it's still raining over here... and they're predicting... ick, snow, for later this week in much of the Midwest. Hopefully, it's sunny & warm where you are.  Until then, I'll be dreaming about fun rainy day outfits with happy color to keep me out of a funk.

At least spring showers bring May flowers...

I Dare You: Follow Up

While I was cleaning out my closet for spring, I realized that while I have a ton of solid color garments, I tend to buy the same colors (green, navy, fuschia, coral) season after season.  I was confident in my abilities to create fun, spring appropriate outfits while color blocking (how hard can it be?  I do it every day on one level or another...)  So despite my multitude of color combo's available in my closet, as promised, here's how my color-blocking turned out this weekend:

Outfit 1 - Jewel Tones:  Amethyst & Emerald paired with Jeggings & a woven belt

Outfit 2 -Adjacent Colors:  Yellow & Green matched with Navy Shorts & a colorful scarf

Outfit 3 - Opposites Attract:  Navy & Orange mixed with brown leather details

I had fun with this challenge because I did manage to pair colors that I wouldn't normally put together... Outfit 3 is by far my favorite look!  I can't wait for the rain to stop so I can wear this fun look!

How did you do?

The Week Ahead...

It's the little things that make me happy.  Here's a few things currently making me smile to get start the first week of Spring off right!

The first bloom in our garden!

Cat Naps

A Full Wine Rack

Setting up our Vegetable Garden - can't wait for fresh salsa!

My Cousin's wedding gift for Saturday... she's the first of us!

Tomorrow is the first official day of Spring and I'm craving floaty pieces in spring colors.  What are you craving?

I Dare You: Block those Frocks

Photo Credit

You can't say that bold color blocking is a new trend by any means, but it is becoming more accepted in Middle America to do this.  In order to appropriately match your colors, I bring you the guidance of the Color Wheel... remember this from elementary art class?  Well, it's really handy here.

Good for more than just clothes, try it with interior decorating too

I have three major tips for you when it comes to pairing bold colors.

 

Elie Tahari Sabria Sweater, $198

Linea Pelle Wide Waist Belt, $119

Gilly Hicks Renee Tank, $17.50

Forever 21 Fab Skinny Jeans, $9.50

Your color choices should either be directly across from or adjacent to each other.  For example, in the palette above, blue & orange are directly across from one another on the color wheel.  You could add in additional shades of the two or layer in teals & yellows.

Forever 21 Handkerchief Scarf, $9.80

Frenchie Open Cardigan, $39

Abercrombie & Fitch Shea Shorts, $40

Abercrombie & Fitch Leather Flip Flops, $48

To keep from looking too crazy when starting out, make sure you have enough neutrals to balance out the brights!

Forever 21 Striped Cardigan, $17.80

Express Ruffle Front Top, $49.90

J Brand Jeggings, $158

Bakers Villa Pumps, $60

Lastly, make sure you have fun with your color matching!  Don't be afraid to venture into pattern mixing at the same time!

I'm excited for this challenge since I'm a huge fan of bold colors... I'm hoping that I'll double my wardrobe by just coming up with new ways to mix & match!  Check in Monday for the full report!