Friday's Fancies::Sparkle and Shine

I have been following {long distance loving} for quite some time and have yet to make my own Friday's Fancies board.  I thought it was about time I join the fun!  Not to mention this was a perfect week for me since it's sparkle and shine.  Hello, I love.

1. This patent leather clutch can always be a great accessory.  I loved the shine of the patent leather, but it wasn't too much to pair with the rest of the sparkle in this outfit.
2. I am loving sparkle nail polish for the holiday season.  With this outfit, I wouldn't necessarily use it on every finger, bur rather just on the ring finger.  Pair it with my favorite nude: Essie Brooch The Subject.  I'm wearing it right now and love it as much as I did the first day I put it on.
3.  Over-sized blouse: please and thank you.  I can't get enough of these lately.  I especially love that this Haute Hippie blouse is two-toned.
4. Sequined shorts.  Since these Halston Heritage shorts are a tad out of my comfort zone, I chose black for the first pair I would wear to get me used to wearing these show stopping shorts.
5.  These Kate Spade earrings add even more sparkle to this look.  These are sure to add the wow factor you're looking for to any outfit. 
6.  Oh, BCBG, you never disappoint.  These booties complete the outfit.  Love the added detail and these can later be paired with skinny jeans or wide leg pants.

Happy Friday, friends! Time to get to my wrapping started.  Happy early birthday to my brother K-he'll be 18 tomorrow.  Scary. 

Check our more Friday's Fancies here.

Winter Wardrobe

 Living in Wisconsin during the winter months can be a tad on the brutal side so I thought I would take the time to share with you some of my winter essentials for the upcoming cold bone chilling months.  And no, you cannot go wrong with simply wearing the biggest pair of sweatpants, sweatshirts, and slippers you can find, but here are my other favorites.

nail polish / boots / vest / hat / scarf

1.  Besides my long Northface and 180 earmuffs, the Hunter boots were by far my best investment throughout my college career.  I bought mine from Overstock for only $80.  I even waited patiently to be notified when my size and color were back in stock.  Well worth the wait. 

2. I have been on the hunt for a fur vest the past couple of weeks.  Thanks K for doing some searching for me as well and dealing with me sending you links to more and more vests.  This image is from Ann Taylor and of course it's sold out.  It was just what I wanted.  A brown I could wear with black or white.  And I didn't want one that was in your face/over the top because I wanted to be able to wear it more than once a year.  After I had given up on the vest, K and I headed over to Anthropologie early last week (it's dangerous having one walking distance from your apartment), and what did I find on the sale rack?! You guessed it! The fur vest I had been looking for all along.  

3.  I don't think I would mind having an infinite amount infinity scarves in my life.  How do you like that play on words?  While I love the one pictured above, one of my favorites in my closet is from LOFT.  And yes I look just like this when I wear it. 

via

5. As far as the nail polish goes, I just really don't think you can go wrong with Essie.  I fully intend to wear this over winter break to add some pop to my outfits.  No, it's not a bright pink, but it's still brighter than the normal grey and taupe I keep using.  And it's called cocktail bling, so what's not to love?!

What are your favorite items for the winter months?

Necklaces That Make a Statement

Necklaces can make or break an outfit.  My favorite part about them is that you can re-wear them with all different types of outfits.  Here are some of my favorites (after finding these pictures it appears that I typically wear statement necklaces only when I'm with Boyfriend B...who knew?)

 One of my more recent purchases from Fred.  Such a fun pop of color.

 One of my all-time faves (the necklace and friend) from BCBG...sorry you can't buy my friend B there though.

 Another necklace from Fred.  Debated between this one and another one at the store for far too long, but I am very happy that I walked away with this one (not literally, I totally  paid for it).

 Same necklace...different dress.  See what I mean...different outfit but just as fun?

 

Definitely one of my larger statement necklaces from Express.  Perfect with a little black dress.

 Same necklace, different outfit, different climate (hello winter in Wisconsin).

Do you have a go-to necklace that you love?  Are you looking to add to your collection? Have anything you think I would love?

Happy shopping :)

ABC, Easy as 1, 2, 3

If you're like me and need closure from that song after reading the title, check it out here :) Do a little dance while you're getting ready this morning.

When decorating, pillows are some of my favorite pieces to add to a room.  I love the endless options of colors, textures and sizes.  We're still talking about pillows here so get your minds out of the gutter folks. 

Have you seen the Scrabble pillows yet?? I would love to have these somewhere around my apartment or even in my future classroom!  How fun could it be for the little nuggets to move the tiles pillows around on the carpet in the room to spell out new words.  I think these would be a great hands-on activity for them.  Heck I'd probably want them in my apartment and in my classroom.  Here are some different ways to incorporate these pillows in your home:

Each of these brings a new element into the room, and you could even make these as a DIY project.  I hope to get around that one day.

Until then, maybe if I get these pillows I can improve my Words with Friends games where I am seriously taking a beating from everyone I play except for my younger brother (thanks for the confidence booster K!)

What words would you want to spell with these pillows??


(Images via one, two, three)