Ellie

I love a good workout.  Even more, I love when I don't have to wear my old junior high gymshorts (yes, I still have them) because I can't bring myself to spend a million dollars on activewear.  As I've been slowly acclimated into the "gym culture," I'm noticing that a LOT of women invest in their activewear.  At first, I thought it was kind of silly.  Now?  I think it feels nice to look nice, even when at the gym.  

Even when I'm doing a home workout, I prefer to have on the activewear that I know looks good.  Makes me feel like I've really invested in this whole fitness thing.  It's been a journey for me to accept my body for its shape and tendencies.  I used to think I had to look a certain way to be "in shape," but I'm learning that if I feel good and I'm healthy, that's more than enough.  I want to honor this new stage with some fun clothes!

So, I'm still not ready to pay lululemon prices, but I'm ready to take the next step.  That's why I was so excited to find Ellie!  Ellie mixes fashion and function with their cute, yet hardworking clothes, and for a seriously reasonable price.  They approached me to check out their line and write about them, and I was more than happy to!  I headed over to their website and picked out a few things from their "Little Black Collection."

I decided to go with "The Little Black Capri" and "The Black Widow Tank."  I was excited to see the quality in the fabric was exceptional.  The tank has a built-in bra, and I definitely didn't feel the need to pile on a sportsbra underneath, like some other workout tanks I have.  The pants kept me cool, even in my heated yoga class. 

Head over to Ellie.com and check out all they have!  They also have an amazing subscription program where you can get a complete outfit every month!  How's that for keeping up your will to work out?

RZ Obsession

I have a wee confession.  I'm kind of obsessed with Rachel Zoe.  Here's another thing I love: fashion illustrations.  Put the two together?  BAM!  Cosmic collision of fashion inspiration!  I don't know what it is, but when I watch Rachel's show, I can't help but feel that she is seriously and lovingly devoted to fashion, and all the passion and inspiration that comes with it.  I feel like she and I connect on the baseline, human emotion of love for fashion.  She. Understands. Me.

So, I saw this on Pinterest today and about died:

 

I love how it shows both sides of Rachel, the mother and the fashionista.  Yes, you CAN be both!  Also, I totally respect her for rocking flares no matter how many celebs are sporting skinnies.  That's what fashion is all about!  She finds pieces that truly speak to her and make her feel "Rachel" and proudly (and ridiculously chic-ly) owns the look.

Hope you enjoy this little pic as much as I do!  :) I may just have to get a pair of flares I've had my eye on for over a week now...

Honeymoon: To delay or not to delay?

I think that a big topic that comes up for engaged couples is whether or not to go on a luxe honeymoon right after the wedding.  Sure, if I had my druthers, an hour after the wedding, we'd be jet-setting off to a lush little desert island meant for just the two of us.  Yeah, and I'd also like to have a shoe closet the size of my entire house.  In the depths of wedding planning, it's sometimes difficult to separate fantasy with reality.

Mike and I had originally planned a two-week road trip across the country for our honeymoon.  A year ago, it seemed totally attainable.  However, as we got closer, we realized the reality of our budget.  And my PTO time.  And my breaking away from a job I'm just starting to get in the swing of.  And the fact that Mike doesn't get PTO.  This fun adventure that I'd been looking forward to actually began to become a source of massive stress!  No fun.  No, thanks.

We decided to take a "mini-moon" in Saugatuck, MI for the few days after our wedding.  I'm looking forward to staying in a sweet little B&B, the Wickwood Inn to celebrate the first days of our marriage.  With a daily breakfast and evening cocktail hour sprinkled into our days of exploring little shops, eating at little restaurants, and vegging by Lake Michigan, I know it'll be just right.

Now that that's settled, we've had time to think about the future, and our big honeymoon!  We've been set on Hawaii, but this article has got me thinking outside the box. 

Check out the amazing views!

Igloo Village, Switzerland

Ladera Resort in St. Lucia

Underwater room in Maldives

Jade Mountain, St. Lucia

So, has anyone else out there postponed their honeymoon?  Was it worth the wait?  I think, in the end, we get a sweeter deal!  We're looking forward to our wedding and little getaway, and then we'll have a big trip to look forward to!

Meet your new favorite bag:

Kate Spade just keeps 'em coming!  Just when I thought I couldn't love my bag designer any more, THIS HAPPENED:

The Custom Small Weekender Bag - Kate Spade Saturday (clipped to polyvore.com)

This is no April Fool's Joke.  Kate Spade released a whole new line, called Kate Spade Saturday.  It's a funky, fresh new brand that takes on an even more playful (if that's possible) vibe.  Part of this wonderful launch is the customizable Weekender Bag.

You start with a blank slate.  It looks like this:

From there, you can change it up so that your personality is reflected in all of the details, down to a teeny, tiny monogram. 

Cool features:

A zippered shoe compartment.

A cell phone/accessories compartment.

Mike and I just finalized that we're postponing our bigger, longer honeymoon and taking it in January or February.  And it will be somewhere tropical and warm.  Right after the wedding, we're "mini-mooning" in Saugatuck, MI at a B&B.  We're super excited! 

This would be the perfect travel bag. 

Showered.

This past Sunday was our bridal shower!  My aunts Sue and Jeanne hosted, with the graceful assistance of my uncle Matt and various other volunteers from the family.  I was so excited about it, and I can't believe that it came and went so quickly!  I loved hearing little bits about the planning, like how my family got together one day to solidify decorations, and to taste test some of the dishes they'd make for the event. 

I have a really talented family, and moreover, a caring and loving family.  It felt really special that everyone pitched in in their own way.  My other aunt Sue made the MOST delicious cupcakes (that I, thank god, took home leftovers of!).  My grandpa volunteered to be doorman, escorting guests to the right area of the building.  My lovely maid of honor, Miranda, came armed and ready with a notebook for jotting down gifts.  People came from everywhere, including a group of my friends that I've never seen all together at once.  Seeing them all around a table together warmed my heart and made me even more excited for the wedding!

Mike and I got lots of gifts, too!  I'm so excited about building our life together and using our new dishes, towels, and other great things!  It feels like "our" stuff, rather than "mine" or "his."

Looking forward to reporting on more wedding events! 

Lessons learned!

To say that I had a big week would be the understatement of the year!  There were ups and downs, but mostly, there were lessons learned:

1. Don't mess with a good thing.
2. Love the ones who support and nurture you.
3. Don't eat a whole pulled pork sandwich and fries after having eaten lots of mexican food and cupcakes.

More on 2 and 3 later, but now, all I can think about is #1.

1. My blonde hair.  I decided to try out a new stylist that was referred to me, and to say that the experience was awful is the understatement of the year.  I went in asking for a subtle, natural-looking ombre to help me go longer between touchups. 

Here is what I ended up with:

 

At this point, I was more than half-way to tears.  After reassuring me that it just needed a little blending, we went to round two.  When it came out looking even worse, the tears started to come.  I spent a total of 7 hours in that salon, and ended up with brassy, icky-colored hair.  I left exhausted, and mad that my entire day off was almost over.

It was that day that I realized just how important my hair is to me!  Maybe to all girls.  Anyone else have a total salon disaster?  It reached me to a place where I didn't think a hair disaster could.  It has made me think twice about doing anything drastic.  It's also taught me to really research the person whose hands are in my hair, because if it goes wrong, there's TRAUMA before reconciliation.

The next day, a chic-looking woman walked into my store, and after talking with her a while, she said she was a stylist.  She had the most amazing white-blonde hair that didn't look damaged at ALL.  I trusted her after she said she does the color herself.  She squeezed me in for the same day, and to say I was grateful wouldn't be enough.  She brought the color back to close to where it was, but in an even more natural (and slightly ombre!) style.  

She saved my bridal shower pics!  (Which are to come tomorrow....)

Trying it out: Living proof.

So, the best part about blogging is reaching out and connecting with you. I hope you feel the same way. :) But, another really cool perk to blogging is that I get to try things out! For example, I saw this ad in a few magazines, and I thought it looked pretty cool:

Next thing I know, a sample of the stuff shows up on my doorstep! Cool! I respect all things Jennifer Aniston, so I thought I'd give it a shot.



When I opened up the little packet, the first thing I noticed was the smell. It is heavenly! It has a super fresh, really clean scent to it.... somewhere between floral and citrus. Or like cucumber water, or something along those lines. The directions say to apply it liberally to damp hair, and then style as usual. I'm not sure what "style as usual" means for me, so I decided to go with a blowout. Here's what I ended up with:

 

Yes, I know the picture is kind of blurry. Too bad I didn't see that until writing this post! Can't turn back time, so that's what we've got to work with. Anyhow, my hair was ridiculously soft and smooth. Even with my bleached blonde hair. I couldn't help but run my fingers through it all day long. It was amazing! A main feature of this product is that it's supposed to extend your style. It "repels dirt and oil" leaving you with better hair for longer. I don't ever go a second day without at least dry shampoo, so I thought I'd give it a whirl. Here is my hair a little more than 24 hours later:



Looks practically the same. So does my shirt. Fear not, it is just another black shirt in my repertoire. I didn't feel SUPER clean by the end of the day, so I might blast it with a shot of dry shampoo in the future, but my hair was still really, really soft and it held the style pretty well!

 I think I might pick up some of this stuff and add it into my daily routine!