Bada Bling, Bada Boom

Dex Polka Dot Sweater //  Oasis Aran Sweater // Shop Bijous Georgia Statement Necklace 

Loren Hope Gwyneth Necklace // Madewell Sade Marled Striped Pullover //  H&M Necklace

One of my favorite ways to feel a little more glamorous as the cold weather approaches is to pair some of my coziest sweaters with my flashiest jewelry. You can mix and match until your heart so desires!

BaubleBar Friends and Family

Did you know that in my spare time I am a jewelry judge who specializes in pastel pieces? Yeah, no that's a lie. But today I'm making myself one, and this is no easy task, friends. Here are my top three picks. 

 

Peri Quad Strand // Mint Tab Strand // Rose Triad Strand

These beauties will be your best friends come winter when it's cold and dark outside, and you need a little somethin' somethin' to put a smile on your face. 

The extra great news? BaubleBar is having their Friends and Family sale! Enter BBFAMILY at checkout for 25% off your order.  They're making their budget-friendly pieces even friendlier.

So kind.

These Are a Few of my Favorite Things

 Nordstrom Necklace {similar} // Poshlocket Bracelets c/o // Anthropologie Watch
 

 Aveda Agave Nector Lip Glaze // Epicuren Lip Balm // CoverGirl Liquiline

+ This lip glaze is the perfect nude and glides on so smoothly.
+ The lip balm was used at the end of a facial and was instantly purchased.  It's the most moisturizing balm I have ever used.
+ I've never used an eyeliner that glides on so easily; it was a breath of fresh air.
 

mink muffs // no place like chrome // chinchilly 

Some of my favorite shades for fall especially 'no place like chrome'-such a gorgeous metallic!

Have a wonderful weekend! We're off to visit my brother in Minnesota, which also means I get my favorite pie in the whole wide world in northern Wisconsin. Nothing like delicious pie and family time.

Weekend Snapshots

Apparently, I took the quote from Friday quite literally, as I did make something this weekend, several things to be exact.

I finally got around to testing out some jewelry pieces.  I made two different bracelets and a necklace.  I also made the white bracelet in pink. I prefer the chain + suede one, but I couldn't resist making the fun white and pink ones for spring and summer.

You can see a pop of the pink one in how I wore the bracelets this weekend. It was fabulous getting to walk around in sandals this weekend.  I had missed that feeling.  Bring on the summer.

 

Then, I got really sick of the canvases that were above our couch, so I painted over them.  I look forward to using these pieces in a gallery wall, and I prefer them black and white because they will be easy to transition into a new apartment.

I have one more canvas I'm not crazy about {that is what happens when you buy in a hurry to fill up the white space in your apartment} so I'm thinking of painting it white and creating a pattern with small, filled in, black dots. We shall see.

It is officially my sister and my birthday week! I was so wonderfully greeted with emails for free Coldstone Creamery and Flat Top yesterday morning.  The perfect way to start a Sunday, if you will.  Needless to say, I will be indulging this week up until next Sunday, our actual birthday.

How were all of your weekends?

Egg Crate Jewelry Holder

I somehow wandered into Anthropologie yesterday and picked up this egg crate.  It is the perfect piece to keep my dainty jewelry organized.  Previously, these pieces were in little bags in my dresser, but it is so important to be able to see all of these smaller pieces otherwise they go forgotten.

What are some of your favorite ways to display jewelry? 

 

Happy organizing! xo

guest post::beauty and the beard

I am so happy to be hosting my very first guest post today from none other than Laura at Beauty and the Beard.

I had the pleasure of spending a wonderful semester with Laura during our Spanish class at the University of Wisconsin-Madison.  She is now a midwest implant in the beautiful state of Virginia, and blogging has brought us back in touch, which I could not be more thrilled about.  I am in awe of her DIY projects and as you will see in this post, she continues to out-do herself with each project.  Not to mention she whips up a mean meal in the kitchen.  I hope you'll enjoy her blog as much as I have.

************

Hello fellow lovers of A Simple Affair!

As Carly mentioned, I'm Laura from Beauty and the Beard- a blog I started when my boyfriend and I moved 1000+ miles away from home on a whim to start anew in the South. My blog is dedicated to the things I love most: simple delicious recipes, easy DIY crafts, and projects to improve our amazing apartment.

I'm thrilled to be able to do a guest post today, and I know if you loved Carly's post on statement necklaces that you'll love my most recent project! I definitely share her love of big necklaces -and I felt I needed to display the sparkling gems somewhere to show off their beauty. Since I live with my boyfriend I wanted to find somewhere to showcase them without making him have to stare at them all day every day- and the wall that serves as a headboard for our bed was the perfect nook to start out:

After checking out Pinterest I decided rakes, towel racks, and shower bars were not right fit for me - but when I saw some tree murals painted I knew that a necklace tree coming out of the corner of the wall was the way to go. First I penciled out the tree: 

(Go ahead, make fun of it. I know it looks like a 4 year old drew it- but have faith!)

Next I mixed up a charcoal grey color- which  I figured would be neutral enough to highlight all the necklace colors and bold enough to stand out on the wall:

(Yes, I had to wear my highest heels to paint the top of the tree- being 5'2" + no step stool = fashionable painting)

See? Much better than the pencil sketch:

After the paint dried I began hammering paneling nails along the branches for the necklaces to hang from:

(Make sure you leave at least 6 inches between your main branches so all your necklaces can show!)

The final step was to hang the necklaces ... 

the ones I could find at least - 2 months living here 

and I still haven't unpacked all the boxes! 

Leaves are lovely and all, but wouldn't you rather have a tree dripping with jewels? 

                           

After I hung all the necklaces,
I added some dangling earrings to the little, lower branches.  
Doesn't it perfectly fill in the wall and the tree?

So there you have it- a great way to take a bare wall and turn it into a showcase for all your favorite statement pieces. I hope each of you can find some inspiration here to make your own perfect display!

Thanks to Carly for letting me crash A Simple Affair- and all of you for taking the time to check out  Beauty and the Beard !

http://beautyandbeard.blogspot.com/