Winner!

Erica Sorocco, you have a lot of luck with my giveaways.
Congratulations, you won the Anjolee.com gemstone necklace giveaway! I'll be emailing you to get your mailing address after I publish this post.

Sorry again for the lack of posts, I'm still trying to get a hold of this whole school thing and I'm going out of town this weekend.

Classes Begin Tomorrow!

I really can't decide if I like my text centered or to the left. Let me know your opinions por favor.

Classes start tomorrow! I'm taking 3 classes (2 if you don't count my required computer class). And hopefully 4 starting in October. Textbooks are obnoxiously expensive, luckily I have one of John's old textbooks to use and his brother and I are sharing a math textbook (he might not know that yet, but we will).

I don't know if you can tell in the picture, but Samson has gotten huge! He's still not even a year old yet. He is a living alarm clock, every morning at 7:30 am he comes in and whines and jumps on the bed until we wake up. He doesn't sleep with us every night so we do get to sleep in sometimes at least.



































I finished reading Gone Girl by Gillian Flynn and I'm currently reading The Hitchhiker's Guide To The Galaxy by Douglas Adams. I enjoyed Gone Girl a lot, I'm going to try to write a review on it later this week. Has anyone read either of those? I've heard good things about Hitchhiker's Guide. 

John has never watch American Horror Story so we started watching Murder House last night. It's on Netflix, thank god. Murder House was my favorite, but I haven't seen Freakshow yet.

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There isn't much more to update, other than my posts might be sparse. Wish me luck on my first day of classes!

What's new with you all? And let me know what you think about the text alignment, I can't decide!

Remember Vera Bradley?

Was Vera Bradley just popular in the south? I remember in middle and high school everyone had a Vera Bradley something. Those $34 lunch bags were pretty damn popular. 

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I'm sure you all remember these pricey paisley print cotton quilted bags. It was like everyone at the same time lost interest in Vera Bradley. I'm not a huge fan of the designs, but I have a large Vera Bradley tote bag that I use as an overnight bag, and that thing has lasted at least 6 or 7 years. 

Today I saw an ad in Seventeen and it sparked my curiosity a little bit (effective advertising). 

I don't understand the "I am" part, but it caught my attention for some reason. Anyway, I checked out the site out of curiosity. The printed quilted cotton bags are still available, the brand has branched out and has some solid color leather bags available as well. They are expensive, but it might be time to revisit Vera Bradley. Here are some Vera Bradley items available right now that I wouldn't mind owning. 

1. Amy Quilted Leather Backpack in Blush

2. Soft Fringe Scarf in Emerald Geometric - the scarves are definitely worth checking out. 

3. Quilted Emma Mini Crossbody in Magenta

4. Teardrop Earrings in Marrakesh - I don't think I'd like this pattern on a bag but I adore it on these earrings. 

5. XL Throw Blanket in Sierra Tribal

6. Kelsey Polarized Sunglasses in Blue Bayou

7. Bubble Umbrella in Pixie Bloom

8. Harper Clutch in Red Tango

9. Pearl Tassel Necklace

 So there you have it, Vera Bradley might become relevant again, we'll see! 

Were you ever a Vera Bradley fan? What do you think of the new and improved brand? 

My Anjolee.com necklace giveaway ends on the 25th, so make sure you enter! 

Fashion Fades, Style Is Eternal

I think we can all agree that Yves Saint Laurent is still one of the most influential designers in fashion history. He gave us a solid definition of what style is - "Fashion fades, style is eternal". You see those words come to life when looking at his designs. It takes class and talent to design a piece of clothing that will become a timeless wardrobe staple for many years to come. 

The online retailer Farfetch is celebrating the opening of the Yves Saint Laurent: Style is Eternal exhibit that's on display until October 25th at The Bowes Museum. They contacted me and several other fashion bloggers to see if we'd like to enter their competition. The goal is to create an ensemble using only YSL items centering around the iconic Le Smoking Tuxedo jacket, so obviously I said yes!

"I have often said that I wish I had invented blue jeans; the most spectacular, the most relaxed and nonchalant. They have expression, modesty, sex appeal, simplicity - all I hope for in my clothes" - Yves Saint Laurent

1. Classic Skinny Jeans -  You heard the man, jeans are sexy, modest, and simple. Pairing the smoking jacket with a pair of simple skinny jeans creates a whole spectrum of seasons and occasions you can wear your skinnies to. They balance each other out - the jacket dresses up the jeans, and the jeans relax the jacket. 

2. Sequin Net Top - A little risqué, but pairing it with a lacy bralet or just a simple black tank top will have you set of the day or night. It will be covered by the jacket, so you won't be showing too much skin but it adds some serious sex appeal. 

3. Small "Sac De Jour" Tote - I've been in love with this bag for a long time now. The rose pink color stands out against the muted outfit, yet still remains structured and classy. 

4. Knee High Cat Boots - My favorite trend for the coming season. While I love booties and mid-calf boots, knee high or over-the-knee boots are simple but sexy. 

5. "Punk" Bracelet - Keeping accessories minimal, this edgy cuff is a perfect touch for this classic ensemble. 

6. Crucifix Pendant Necklace - Again, accessories are minimal. This necklace just adds a little extra something without going overboard since you already have a lot going on up top. 

7. "Classic 51" Sunglasses - Since this outfit is good for day or night, we have to make sure our eyes are protected during the day! 

8. Eyeliner Baby Doll - And for your finishing touch, give yourself a dramatic cat eye that looks classy whether you're fetching coffee and running errands, or getting ready for a night on the town! 

I had a lot of fun picking out this outfit, although it did make me sad that I don't have that bag or those boots. Oh well, a girl can dream. 

How would you style the smoking jacket? 

International Delight Coffee Creamer Review

Weird post, I know. And I know ya'll are probably tired of hearing about my Keurig but I just love it so much. I'm eager to try tons of different coffee flavors and coffee creamer combos. 

I think we can all agree that powdered coffee creamer is terrible. I prefer half-and-half for my coffee, but I've been using almond milk lately (in my tea too, don't judge me). Recently John has discovered that he likes International Delight Coffee Creamers, which are all flavored. 

The first one we tried was French Vanilla, which is way to sweet for me if I want to drink a whole cup. For a few sips, ok fine it's tasty. But for a whole cup, nope. If you put boat loads of sugar and creamer in your coffee, you might like this. 

We just got the Sweet Cream and I do like this one. Since they are all flavored, Sweet Cream seemed like the closest thing possible to regular coffee creamer. It smells very similar to the French Vanilla so I'm not sure why I like this one more. 

I've also tried the Caramel Macchiato flavor, and I like that one as well. You can definitely taste the caramel flavor and it doesn't taste like you just dumped a whole bag of sugar in it (like French Vanilla).

The thing I do love about these - you don't have to add sugar (unless you really want to, and if you do, you might want to reevaluate your daily sugar intake). Somehow I always manage to spill a little bit of sugar on the counter and on the floor, and no matter how much I try to clean it I will be stepping in sugar for the next couple of days.

I went on the website just to all of the flavors, and I'm kind of shocked at how many there are. The Harris Teeter by my house doesn't carry all of them, but I really want to try the Cinnabon flavor because I freaking love cinnamon.

Overall thoughts: Very sweet, so add a tiny bit and then add more if needed. If you don't like your coffee too sweet, stay away. You don't have to add any additional sugar, which I like. They're good if you want to switch up your coffee one day/morning, but I don't think I could use them every single day. That being said, I would recommend trying almond milk in your coffee, it's pretty tasty. 

Have you tried any of these? I'm curious now but I don't want to commit to buying a whole bottle of something if I'm not going to like it. Let me know! 

Etsy Wishlist

Happy Friday peeps!
I like to browse Etsy even when I'm not planning on buying anything. There are just so many unique things! I have some things saved, and I thought I'd share them with you. 

Most Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas look similar, so I like how different this one is. I think the dark colors drew me in. 

I have one of EmmaKisstina's prints, but I have yet to get one of her silk scarves. 2 of the scarves that are on my wish list only have only one available, so I hope the don't sell out before I get one! 

I need some unique coffee mugs since I have a Keurig now. These are customizable, so I'd probably get one that says "Gracey's Tea".

Ahhh I love Art Deco inspired anything. And in case you haven't noticed, I'm all about clutches right now. 

Since I actually have a suitable bathtub now, I'm dying to get some bath bombs, bath melts, bubble bars...whatever bath products are out there really. A Raspberry Tea scented bath bomb sounds pretty great to me! 

Small, delicate necklaces have been catching my eye lately. Lucky for me, Etsy has infinite amounts of sellers that make such dainty beauties. 

What's on your wishlist at the moment? Please tell me I'm not the only one who browses Etsy in her spare time! 

Designer Crush: Charlotte Olympia

Ever since I wrote my post on clutches, I've been thinking about those gorgeous clutches designed by Charlotte Olympia. I seriously cannot get her designs out of my head - both shoes and bags. She definitely knows how to have fun with designs while still making them luxurious and wearable. 

Anyway, I'm supposed to be studying but instead I'm going to share with you 10 of my favorite Charlotte Olympia shoe designs. God knows it's so hard to choose. 

Images from Farfetch and Charlotte Olympia's website. 

She draws her inspiration for her brand from the 1940's and up. I love the inspiration she took from Lucky Strike cigarettes for the "lucky girl" clutch. 

Who is your designer crush right now?