This Blog’s On Fire Award

In the midst of all the madness I have going on with this book I got the awesome surprise of receiving this award from my girl Michelle of Radiant Brown Beauty!  I want to thank her not only for this award but for regularly stopping by here and chatting with me.  It really means a lot!

With this award I am to share 7 totally random things about me so here it goes:

1.  I love, love, LOVE the Dr. Phil show.  I watch him on OWN every single morning before work.

2.  I am such a Trekkie.  I love when BBC has reruns of Next Generation and I also have all of the original Star Trek movies.  Wrath of Khan was my fav!

3.  Growing up I’ve always been super shy and it took a lot of practice for me to be able to talk to people I don’t know.  It still shows up every know again so it’s still a work in progress

4.  I was 21 the first time I ever went to Disney World and I had a blast!  I love that’s it’s perfectly okay to get excited like a five year old.

5.  Ever since I got married, I get super emotional at other people’s weddings. Mind you, I barely cried at my own but man when I see other people taking those vows, I’m a big pile of mush!

6.  I have an older brother who I absolutely adore serving in our US Army overseas.  I thank God everyday that he’s made it through his recent tour in Afghanistan and praying he doesn’t have to go back there.

7.  I’m not the biggest fan of cooking which is awesome because I have a husband who is like my own Bobby Flay!  When I was younger I always said that I had to marry a man who can cook and thank goodness your girl lucked out!

The second part of this award is nominate 10 people so here we go!

  1. Sprinkle in Springs
  2. Kirstin Marie
  3. Best of Palm Beach Consignment
  4. Socialite Dreams
  5. Stylish Thought
  6. Fashion Tales
  7. Those Graces
  8. Made to Travel
  9. By Anika
  10. The Citizen Rosebud

Make sure you check this ladies out! They are super awesome!

And a quick thank you to you all for bearing with me this past two weeks.  My posting has been a little sporadic.  My fingers are crossed that this book can get edited and published by early next month and I can concentrate on the big things I have planned for the blog. 🙂

 

Friend Friday: Jumping on the Trendy Bandwagon

I know, I know!  I haven’t done a FBFF post in awhile.  Life is dumb crazy for me right now (in a good way though!) so I’m slowly but surely finding my way back to my blogging flow. 🙂

Today’s questions were inspired by the Missoni fiasco and I really like these questions this week.  That whole debacle put a lot of things into perspective.  It reminded me that being true to yourself, your style, and your tastes are paramount not only in blogging but in life.  Fads come and go (and so do bloggers!) so if you’re seeking any type of longevity in this game you have to survive those fads and trends and the only way to do that is to be you (because your personality is timeless!)

"And we were dressed from head to toe in love... the only label that never goes out of style"

                                                                    Source

So on to the questions!

Do you ever see a fad hit the stores and immediately dislike it? Has that fad ever began to grow on you?
Yes I have and that was when gladiator sandals and peep toe boots became the really big thing (and in some ways still is).  When something new comes out I try to give it a chance because one may not look good on the shelf may look great on you when you try it on.  But these two types of shoes no matter who makes them or what variation of them comes out, I just cannot get with it.

As for a fad growing on me, I think jeggings have really grown on me.  I can attribute that to the many wonderful bloggers on my Google Reader who rock them effortlessly in their outfit posts and after a few months I finally bought a pair at Target.  Their perfect for girls like me who what that slim fit, great comfort and without all that low rise business going on (yeah I know my age is starting to show!)

 

Has the popularity of a certain piece of clothing or line ever convinced you to try on something (or purchase something) you dislike?  Since I started blogging, I’ve become very adventurous and want to try everything before I knock it.  I even tried on the gladiator sandals, just to make sure I didn’t like them!  In the end if it doesn’t look good on me there is no sense in buying it.

Colored denim
Have you ever changed your mind about a trend after seeing it around for a while?  Jeggings was something I definitely changed my mind about after seeing it for awhile and finally buying a pair.  Colored pants believe it or not is another one that is starting to grow on me but I’m still not sure if I’ll wear them.  That’s simply because I grew up in the 80’s and 90’s rocking Cross Colored jeans with the matching color Reeboks and yeah…that wasn’t a pretty picture and I’m not sure if I want to relive that!  Color Blocking is another one only because I thought I couldn’t pull it off.  But after putting together this and this I’m much more open to it.

Do you feel a certain pressure to have specific items in your closet because ‘everyone’ else does? In the beginning I did and thought that the only way I could be a top notch blogger was if I had designer everything (which is soo not in my budget)  Now I’m comfortable in my blogging skin and that pressure turned into excitement to try new things with clothes I already own and now my new thing  is thrift and consignment shopping.  That’s where creativity really kicks in and the pressure to be like anyone else is gone because I’m having too much fun creating my own outfits.

Missoni Scarves from Target

Photo courtesy of: glamour.com

Be honest, what do you think of the Missoni line? Did you grab any items? Is it worth the eBay prices?  Okay I’ll tell you what went down with Missoni and me.  I was one of those who got caught in the hype and woke up early in the morning to get on Target’s site to shop.  I’m looking and looking…and looking.  The dresses, tops, and cardigans were cute but I honestly couldn’t see myself paying that much money for such loud, colorful, and trendy pieces.  If I’m going to spend $60 on a dress, it’s going to be a dress I can wear at least until next Fall. I really liked the scarves, the flats, and the hats and I was about to order them but said, “Nah, I don’t want to pay for shipping.  I can just hit up Target before I go into work.”  I got to Target 20 minutes after the store opened and everything was gone.  Everything down to the socks and cups.  The women in there were crazy, stealing from one another’s carts and literally walking around the store with some of the clothes on.  Then I overhear that the two nearby Targets were sold out too.  That’s when I decided that this line (nor any other) was not worth all this chaos.  The eBay thing just made it worse for me.  If you really like the clothes that’s one thing but then to ask for astronomical prices on eBay, that’s just nuts!  Who does that??  To top it off, when I went to Tampa during the fashion show, I saw a whole bunch of people wearing it, including people I felt were a little too old to rocking such bright zig zag clothing.   Now you have people who ordered stuff online and they may never get it? If that was me I would be fuming!

But it’s all good.  I’m perfectly okay with not getting anything from the Missoni for Target collection.

What about you?  Ever get trend happy and regret it?  Have a Missoni story to share?

Blogger Brilliance Recap

Well I am back from what had to be one of the best fun and motivating weekends I’ve ever had!  The Blogger Brilliance Conference gave me the expected and unexpected brilliance that I needed. A big thank you to Kristin from the Bon Bon Rose Girls for organizing this event so close to home. I really  hope to do this again next year!

Here are the highlights of the weekend!

 Photo courtesy of Kirstin Marie

A stellar and super informative panel: I loved that the panel portion of the conference were so intimate in the sense that there was a good size group as opposed to a gazillion people that could’ve made me feel super overwhelmed.  The panel, which included rock stars like Vahni from Grit and Glamour, Christina from Pretty Shiny Sparkly, and Jody from Live FabuLESS were so comfortable and passionate about the topics they discussed.  From creating content that is unique to treating your blog as a business when working with brands, they were incredibly engaging.  For great nuggets of blogging advice, check out Kirstin’s coverage of the conference.

I also loved that we were able to chat with them inbetween panel sessions as well as at the mixer.  Vahni is just as much of a rockstar as she is on her blog and Christina lived up to her Sparkleness with her bubbly personality and amazing Miu Mius!  Getting to know them both in person makes reading their blogs even that much more engaging.  They live what they teach about being authentic and true to yourself in blogging.

Tim Gunn Project Runway

Tim Gunn is just as fabulous in person.  Can I just say how much of a Tim Gunn Groupie I am?? He is one of the main reasons I still continue to watch Project Runway.  When I found out he was hosting a fashion show that afternoon I had a blogger squee moment and he didn’t disappoint!  Not only was a great host, he gave priceless advice on how to dress in the no-nonsense yet extremely practical way that he is known for.  Stay tuned later today for video from the event! 

Another Tim Gunn surprise?  He happened to be having dinner in the same place the conference mixer was being held.  I didn’t even realize he was there until I heard his voice from a table only a few feet away from where I was standing (can I just say I died again that day?!). He took time out from his evening to say hi to each one of  us.  He was so sweet and charming, looking crisp and clean in his suit!

 

MJ, Kara, and Veronica

Photo courtesy of Kirstin Marie

Kirstin , MJ, and Kara

A Girlfriend Bond that is priceless:  Kirstin, Kara, Veronica, and I attended the conference together and after this trip I have truly found a group of girlfriends that I hang it with all the time!  Not only did we attend all the festivities together we had an amazing thrift shopping trip before heading home.  When you can go to someone and say “This piece is totally you”  you know you’ve clicked! It’s amazing to have people around you that not only share the same passion as you but just get it when it comes to blogging and living out your dream through it.  We are all navigating this blogosphere together and it makes the blogging journey that much more fulfilling!

{White Button Down Shirt: JCPenny; Grey Vest: Unknown; Striped Tie: George; Black Capri Pants: JCPenny; Strap Wedges: Soda}


Photo courtesy of Kara

{Black Chandelier Earrings: H&M}

Leaving for the Blogger Brilliance Conference

  

I couldn’t even begin to tell you how uber excited I am to be attending my first blogger conference!  How awesome of the Bon Bon Rose Girls and Tampa Fashion Week are doing a conference in Florida that is only hours away from me and get to share the experience with my blogging besties Kirstin, Kara, and Veronica!  It’s a blogger roadtrip!

So what is the  Blogger Brilliance Conference all about?  It’s a one day event that invites not only fashion bloggers but foodie bloggers as well!  I love mingling with my niche of bloggers just as much as those who blog about other things.  We all share a common passion for writing, creativity, photography, and social media. In the a.m we all get to listen to this incredible line up of panelists:

Carrie Wildes of Carrie Wildes Photography

Holley Sinn, host of Studio 10 & author of Hollisphere

Holly Hamann of BlogFrog

Jodi Furman of Live FabuLESS

Kristina Medhus of Pretty Shiny Sparkly

Marjorie Harper from HSN

Sasha Ezquerra from Everything Fabulous

Vahni Georgoulakos from Grit and Glamour

 

In the afternoon those who are on the Fashion Track of the conference get to a Fashion Show,which will also be my first official fashion show! (doing a happy dance). 

Are any of you ladies going to be there? I would absolutely LOVE to meet you!

Hope you ladies have an awesome weekend and I promise to come back with lots of pictures and videos from the event!

Now, what in the world am I going to wear??? #Bloggerproblems

Friend Friday: We’re Talking Fall Trends

Happy Friday!!

This weekend couldn’t come fast enough!  It has been a really hectic (read frustrating) week for me but enough about that.  It’s Friday and it’s September, which I deemed officially Fall for me.  In FL there isn’t too much season change when it comes to the weather so that in itself is a good reason to start celebrating a little early!  Today, it’s all about Fall trends and here are the top five that I plan on rocking this season.

Fall Fashion 2011 Polka Dot Trend

Photo courtesy of: artik-playground.com

Polka Dots

Who knew that I would be into this trend?  A few years ago, you couldn’t pay me to wear polka dots!  I must admit that this type of print has come a long way.  From shift dresses to sheer blouses, I’m loving the modern twists that designers have put on this classic.  Just yesterday I found this gorgeous polka dot blouse from the Avenue at a local Goodwill store (not bad for a first timer huh?)

Colored Pumps

Photo courtesy of DSW

Color Blocking

It looks like this trend is going to stick around a little bit longer, which is awesome because I have yet rock this kind of look!  I love that bright colors are still in, with richer and thicker fabrics making them Fall ready.  With this trend though, I have to take baby steps, so I see myself getting shift dress that’s already color-blocked for me or taking the trend with my shoes, like these lovely pairs from DSW.  (That leopard one is gorgeous!!)

Maxi Skirt

Photo courtesy of Victoria Secret

Maxi Skirt

The awesome thing about maxi skirts is how super comfortable they are.This was another trend that I wasn’t too crazy about back in the day but now that my fashion eyes are fully open I can style this one a lot better!  To make sure that I don’t look like I’m wearing a tent, I have to make sure that is tailored to fit these hips.  I love how this one is layered with the cardigan, using the belt the define the waist (my “girls” and my belly can appreciate that!)

Tom Ford Women's Tuxedo

Photo courtesy of: fashionising.com

Women’s Tuxedo

I’m really excited about this one, especially because this trend works for an office working girl like me.  I wear trouser pants on the regular and to have them translate into an evening outfit works for me!  All I need to dress it up is afitted tuxedo jacket, using any one of my cami’s or a cute button down shirt.  I’m already sold on rocking a tie so I’m good with this one!  If I get bold enough, I might get an outfit like this red number from Tom Ford. (can we say FIERCE??!)

Plaid Skirt on Runway

Photo courtesy of Elle.com

Plaid

Unlike polka dots, I’ve been on the plaid trend before.  In middle school lumber jack shirts were so cool and I used to borrow them from my grandfather all the time.  Last winter, I bought this plaid tunic and it always stays in my wardrobe rotation.  This season though I may try getting a plaid  skirt like this one.  It’s a definite show stopper!

What about you?  What Fall Trends are you looking forward to?

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    The advice and reviews of this blog are solely the opinions and experiences of the writer, MJ, unless otherwise specified. Products being reviewed have been obtained via free samples from featured companies unless otherwise stated.
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