Target + TOMS

The perfect collaboration for the holidays . . .  Target and TOMS.  Tis the season for gift giving and giving back.  This collaboration is the perfect holiday match!  You can snag great gift items for friends and family, and give back at the same time.  Not only is the TOMS for Target collection stylish, but it's also providing shoes, food, and blankets for those in need with EVERY purchase made. Here's preview of some of my favorite TOMS items you can find at Target stores nationwide starting November, 16th.

Women:

This hat, scarf, or sweatshirt gives one blanket to those in need, and the bracelet set gives 1 week of meals to those in need.

This sweater gives 1 blanket to those in need.

This jacket gives 1 week of free meals to those in need.

This poncho gives 1 blanket to those in need.

Winter Accessories:

These beanies and scarves give 1 free blanket to those in need.

Men:

This shirt or tee gives 1 week of free meals to those in need.

This hoodie gives 1 blanket to those in need, and this t-shirt gives 1 week of free meals to those in need.

Kids:

Buy one pair of shoes and one pair is given to those in need.

These hat or mittens gives 1 blanket to those in need.

Home:

Purchase a throw and TOMS will give 1 free blanket to those in need.

This frame gives 1 week of free meals to those in need. 

If you are looking to purchase from companies who give back you may also want to check out: 

Noonday Collection: This company provides dignified jobs at living wages to people in impoverished countries.  A portion of their sales from adoption trunk shows goes to help place orphans in forever families. Noonday Collection offers a variety of artisan products such as jewelry, scarves, bags, and home accessories.

Warby Parker: Their company objective is very similar to TOMS: "Buy a pair. Give a pair."  For every pair of optical or sunwear glasses you purchase they donate a pair to people in need. 

If you know of other companies giving back I would love to hear about them. I know there are a lot out there.  What are some of your favorites?

Yours Truly,

Party "Animal"

A few weeks ago we celebrated my husband's Birthday by going out to dinner for a date night.  We usually like to try new places, but we ended up going to Bonefish in a spur of the moment decision.  My husband loves seafood, and Wednesdays at Bonefish mean $6 Bang Bang Shrimp (my hubby's favorite!).  My husband was coming straight from work so I threw together a dressier outfit to celebrate.

I'm always in black, but this time I added a print and bold color.

This leopard blazer from Loft is one of my favorite finds from last Fall.

Classic handbag with gold accents from Ann Taylor.

Black wedge lace-up booties from Target

Look: Turtleneck: Target (old, similar here), Skirt: H&M (similar style here ) Leopard Blazer: Loft (old, similar here), Wedge Booties: Target (old , similar here ), Watch: Michael Kors ( here ), Purses: Ann Taylor ( here ), Fleece-Lined Tights: (old, similar here ), Necklace: Collections (bridesmaid gift), Earrings: Aldo (old, similar here).

My husband and I celebrate birth weeks instead of just the day.  This night was a date night, but we also celebrated with family at Hammerheads, one of Ryan's favorite local restaurants.  I'm a vegetarian, but Ryan LOVES their ribs.  His Dad and brother-in-law ordered them as well, and all were impressed.  Lucky for me, they do have a couple of vegetarian items on their menu.  I went with the Garcia Mushroom Burger, and we shared the Smoked Cheddar Grit Cake for our appetizer. If you haven't been I would suggest getting there as soon as they open to try to beat the crowds.  The restaurant is not very big.  It's essentially in the basement of an older home.  

For birth week we also tried Blaze Pizza one day for lunch.  I loved the concept of creating your own pizza, and having it fast-fired and ready in 90 seconds.  I was worried the concept seemed to good to be true, but alas we were both pleasantly surprised with the quality.

We ended birth week by heading to Lexington, KY for the UK vs. Mississippi St. game.  We met up with friends to tailgate before the game.  The Wildcats may have lost, but it was a great game against the #1 team in the country.

I think I had just as much fun celebrating "Birth Week" as Ryan did!  It's always fun getting together with friends and family.  What are your favorite Birthday traditions?  

Yours Truly,

Happy Birthday Ryan!!! XOXO

I love how Bonefish customizes the menus if you are celebrating something special.

Stacking Jewelry: Arm Candy Edition

Stacking Jewelry: Arm Candy Edition by amyhfaust

I put together an inspiration board for stacking jewelry after receiving a request from a viewer asking for tips. In the viewers words, they needed help figuring out how to wear multiple pieces of necklaces and bracelets "without looking like Mr. T" and without breaking the bank. I decided to do two articles: one with arm candy ideas, inspirations, and suggestions and one for the necklaces.

First, I'm always willing to invest money in a good watch.  A watch is typically the main attraction in my arm candy collection.  The watches I wear most often are the boyfriend style so that's usually my widest piece.  I compliment it with skinnier pieces. If I'm not wearing a watch I usually pair one wider bracelet with thinner, daintier pieces.

Second: The accompanying bracelets.  I tend to spend less money on bracelets. If you are looking for inexpensive places to buy jewelry I would suggest Versona, Target, or check out the junior department at Von Maur (they have surprisingly cute, on trend jewelry, at very reasonable prices).  I tend to steer away from buying jewelry at H&M or Forever 21 because in my opinion the cheap prices also come with a cheap product, and you may end up with jewelry that changes color, or leaves you green.

If you're looking for more versatility, for $19 a month you can sign-up for RocksBox.They'll have you fill out a survey to better understand your style and then they will loan you a box of jewelry to keep as long as you'd like.  When you're ready for new pieces you mail it back, and they send you a new set.

Brands such as Bourbon & Boweties and Alex and Ani also sell great stack-able jewelry (see images below).

 Image Source: Alex and Ani

 Image Source: Bourbon & Boweties

Here's some of the arm candy I've been rocking:

Tip for Mixing Metals: This Brighton bangle also works well with my gold watch. Since the ends are gold it pulls everything together nicely.

Look 1 (left to right): Bracelet 1: Brighton (here), Bracelet 2: Gift from my husband, Watch: Fossil (similar here). 

Look 2 (left to right): Bracelet 1: Cindy Borders (view website here), Bracelet 2: Target (old), Watch: Fossil (old). 

 Look 3 (left to right): Bracelet 1: Von Maur (old), Watch: Michael Kors (here), Bracelet 2: Kate Spade (old).

 
 Look 2 (left to right): Bracelet 1: Cindy Borders (view website here), Bracelet 2: Dandelion (gift- view their website here), Watch: Anne Klein (their current tortoise shell watch here). 
 
Here's some more of my favorite jewelry designers:

-Loren Hope
-Kendra Scott
-David Yurman
-Wrenn Jewelry

Where do you love to shop for jewelry? I'm always interested to hear about new designers and shops.

Stay tuned for my next article on stacking necklaces.

Yours Truly,

End of the Season Clearance Finds

I love going to the beach in September.  Number one, there's less crowds since school is back in session. Number two, the temperatures are perfect; warm but not too hot. And number three, I can snag great deals on new clothes before I leave because everyone has summer clothes on clearance to prepare for their new Fall lineups.

I always find myself running to Target for last minute toiletries, sunscreen, and other essentials before packing.  Whenever, I'm in Target there's no running in and out with simply the items on my list.  I go through the entire store, and somehow always end up with a cart full of items I didn't even know I needed (I often refer to this as a Target blackout).  The outfit below was a result of my latest Target blackout.  I found the maxi dress and tassel necklace on clearance, and the deals were too good to pass up.

 

 

 

Look: Maxi Dress: Target (similar here), Necklaces: Target (here and here), Wedges: Target (old), Sunglasses: Ray-Bans (here).

To snag more great deals check out the clearance items you can find now at some of my favorite retailers: 

-Loft 

-J Crew 

-Banana Republic 

-Zara 

Below are more photos from my recent trip to Hilton Head, SC.

I love this picture I took as I was walking to the beach. After snapping the photo I looked at it, and thought where did those parasailers come from, but as I looked up from my camera I noticed they were not parasailers they were butterflies. It was very fitting to see because I recently lost two family members who always loved coming to Hilton Head with us. I'm not saying it was them, but it was a sweet reminder.

The trees covered in Spanish Moss and Resurrection Fern. Check out my post, "Loving the Lowcountry" for more pics from my trip.


Yours Truly,

St. Patrick's Day Work & Play

My Office Look of the Day: 

My Parade Look:

 

Pictured below: My niece 

 

Some of the festive parade fashion I spotted:

Work Look: Jacket: Express Jacket (old, similar here), Top: J. Crew Polka Dot Blouse (old, similar here), Skirt: J. Crew Pencil Skirt (old, similar here), Pumps: Ralph Lauren (old, similar here),Watch: Michael Kors Round Watch, Golden, Necklace: Versona.

Parade Look: Blazer: Loft Sweater Blazer, Blouse: New York & Company (old, similar here), Jeans: Joe's Jeans (similar here), Leopard Scarf: Target (old, similar here) Shoes: Banana Republic Tassel Flats (old, similar here), Purse: Banana Republic Quilted Satchel (old, similar here), Watch: Michael Kors Round Watch, Golden, Sunglasses: Kenneth Cole Reaction (old, similar here). 

Happy St. Patrick's Day!  Today's post shows how you can wear green for work and play.  For work I paired a green pencil skirt with a black polka dot top, and then I finished it off with a white jacket.  The look is professional, and doesn't scream St. Patty's Day.  I like to be festive, but I didn't want to be too obvious about it.

This weekend I went to the local St. Patrick's Day parade on Bardstown Rd.  It's always one of my favorites events because they shut down the street to celebrate, and the people watching is AMAZING!  You see people in kilts, green tutus, suspenders, leprechaun hats, etc.  The floats all have different themes, and they toss candy and beads into the crowd as they pass.  Since I'm from a city that's filled with die hard college basketball fans (UL or UK) this year there was also a lot of red and blue in the crowds of people since both teams were playing.  Thankfully both local teams won so everyone was happy and celebrating. 

For the parade I wore a kelly green blazer with a white blouse and jeans.  I kept it casual and added a leopard scarf to compliment the look.  Most importantly I wore flats to keep comfortable.  Parking is always a challenge on Bardstown Rd., and when you have 50,000+ people in attendance it only makes it worse.  Knowing I'd have to walk a lot I opted for a comfortable (and cute) pair of flats.

What did you do to celebrate?  Do you have any fun St. Patrick's Day traditions? 

Yours Truly,