Home Tour Week 2: Bedroom

Happy Memorial Day!  Originally I called this "apartment tour", but since I've added a link-up for all you lovely ladies (&gents), I changed the series name to "home tour".  

I would love for all of you to play, so link-up at the bottom and show us "where the magic happens". 

Solid Brown Comforter & Bed Skirt - Target
Green & Brown Bedding - Daisy Fuentas Collection from Kohls
Bed Frame - Ikea
2 paintings above bed - Painted by me
Green Curtains - TJ Maxx
Brown Curtains - Target
Side Table & Dressers - Ikea

Won my TV in raffle at company Christmas party.

I put the jewelry I wear every day in the pink antique bowl.  Gifted from my grandma.
Glass jewelry box gifted as well.

First seen here.

First seen here.

Can't wait to see where y'all sleep!

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My River Essentials

Sayanora y'all!  By the time you're reading this post, I'll probably be in the car w/ my IRL BFF Liz and her hubs driving 4 hours south of Dallas to New Braunfels to float the Comal River for Memorial Day weekend.

I used to HATE the river because I had a traumatic experience as a youngster when I thought I was drowning.  I wasn't actually drowning, but I panicked and it was truly horrifying.  Not to mention the river really is kind of a grimy body of water.

As an adult, I've been forced to get over my fear and have floated the river at least once a year since.  This weekend marks first my trip of the season, so I thought I would share my "river essentials" for having a successful float. 

1. SUNSCREEN.  The only safe tan is a fake tan, and I'm a huge proponent for safe sun.  A few years ago a co-worker legitimately asked me one day when I was wearing a dress if I had white panty hose on.  You guessed it, I wasn't wearing hose.  I'm not sure if I should be more offended that she asked that question or the fact that she thought I would even own white hose in the first place.  FML.

So, as you can I imagine, I literally cannot be in the sun for more than a few minutes without starting to burn.  And I'd much rather be a sunscreen natzi then end up wrinkly or dead.  My sunscreen picks:

Face

Very lightweight and non-greasy feel for your face.  [BUY]

Body:

Equate Sport Continuous Spray Sun Screen - found at Wal-Mart

2. A HAT.  Necessary to shield your face and head from the sun.  A few days ago I picked up this floppy hat from Target for $12.99.  Love!

3.   AN OLD OR CHEAP SWIMSUIT.  River water, as I already mentioned, is grimy.  It could stain your suit so I always wear an old or cheap swimsuit I wouldn't mind getting ruined. 

I suggest no light color suits unless you want to risk getting brown stains all over it.  The last thing I need is to get out of the river and have it look like I pooped myself.  And yes, their bodies are so gross, I don't know who these skanks think they are wearing bikinis.

4. OLD TENNIS SHOES.  Unfortunately, you can't wear flip-flops on the river because your feet need protection from the rocky and slippery river bottom.  I feel like a complete frump wearing tennis shoes and a bikini (trust me, not a good look), but I refuse to wear "water shoes" or even worse, those DISGUSTING toe shoes. 

If you have ever even thought about wearing these hideous things, we are no longer friends.  I was embarrassed even Googling this image:

UNACCEPTABLE!

5. A COVER-UP.  I'll be wearing this Merona Cover-up in black from Target.  I got it a few summers ago, so if I happen to lose it, it will just give me an excuse to go shopping for a new one.

6. CHEAP SUNGLASSES.  My favorite places to buy cheap sunglasses is from the sunglasses table in the B.P. section at Nordstrom (y'all know the one I'm talking about? They're all like $10?) or at Charming Charlies.

7.  Last but not least, BEER. The whole point of floating the river is to lay back, relax in your tube and enjoy a few ice cold brewskis.  My beer of choice is Miller Lite in case any of you want to overnight me a Memorial Day present.

 I hope every one has a great and safe Memorial Day weekend!  I'll catch ya on the flip side.

p.s. Don't forget Monday I'm continuing my "Home Tour".  If you want to link-up, you get to show off your bedroom!

DIY Skin Salt Scrub!

A few days ago I was perusing Lauren Conrad's new beauty Web site that covers all kinds of "hair+makeup how-to’s, nail trends, skin issues, tools, current obsessions & inspirations, as well as countless quick tips" and I came across an easy, homemade salt scrub that claimed to bring your dull skin back to life.

What really got my attention was that the scrub ingredients were common items you probably already have in your kitchen.  Easy + cheap = you got me Lauren.  I had to give it a try & I am LOVING how soft and exfoliated my skin feels.   Obviously, I had to share with you girls immediately.  The whole scrub cost me only about $1.25, so you better believe this is going to become a weekly or monthly ritual.

All you need are these 3 ingredients:

• 5 tbsps sea salt

• 1 tbsp olive oil

• one lemon

Time to "mix and mash":

Measure 5 tbsp of sea salt and pour into a cereal sized bowl.

Add 1 tbsp oil to the salt.  Once the salt gets coated by the oil, the lemon won’t dissolve it.

Mix together.

Squeeze the juice of one lemon.  Remove any seeds that get in the scrub mix.

Ta-Da!  Here's how it looks when you're done.

Scrub away (except not your face)!

Seriously, I'm really impressed.  Now I want to find homemade face masks and hair treatments.  I'll keep you posted if I find any other cheap DIY beauty treatments worth sharing.

Enjoy your silky summer ready skin!

Guest Blogging @ Stephanie and Such!

Guess who is guest blogging today?  Me!  If you love me, you'll hop on over to the GORGEOUS Stephanie and Such to read my Wardrobe Wednesday post. 

I'm over there dishing about what I'm wearing today (bargain outfit, of course), my favorite trends, summer plans (or lack there of) and a little tid bit about myself you probably didn't know (or care to know).

What are you waiting for???  Meet you over there.

♥
Linds

Bachelorette Par-tay Recap

Why does the universe like to play evil games with me? Like for instance, when I’m shopping for something in particular at the last minute, I NEVER EVER can find what I need. I don’t know why I even bother.

Instead of learning my lesson, I spent a solid 2 to 3 hours on Saturday frantically scouring the mall for a dress for the Bachelorette Party that night. Literally everything I tried on looked atrocious on me. There weren’t even any “maybes” or “ok, this will do if it has to” options.

Eventually I gave up my pursuit and went home defeated. I was forced to wear an old black dress that has already made its Facebook rounds more than once. How dreadful!

The classiest thing about this dress is that my bra hangs out of the back of it like a 2 dollar hooker. At least the young lad ringing me up at Walgreens told me (as he stared at my chest), “you look very nice tonight.” If by “nice” you mean I look like a huge slore, then thank you sir. I figured it was a bachelorette party after all, so whatever.

It didn’t help matters when after dinner the console of my heel snapped practically in half and I had to mend it with tape I bummed off the bartender. Yep, this happened:

The events of the evening were as follows – all the girls met at a hotel to board the party bus for the evening. Our first stop was dinner, followed by the lingerie shower, a drag show (yes!) and then wherever the wind blew us.

Below are the photos from our night out celebrating Kristi’s “final fling before the ring”.  All these ladies and I met Freshman year in college and have remained friends ever since!  Enjoy the photos and try not to judge. 

Ashley had a airbrushed fake tan gone bad on Thursday.  You should have seen the picture of her that she sent me right after it happened.  She would kill me if I posted it to the blog, but it was straight Anne Hathaway from the movie Bride Wars, but less orange & more brown.

Dinner was at this amazing new restaurant in Dallas called Park.  If you live here, you must check it out.  Our jalapeno mac & cheese and flat bread pizza was scrumdiddlyumptious.

After dinner it was time for a little lingerie shower in the back room of the restaurant.   

A group shot before we headed out to the main event. My big ole head is barely peeking in this picture.

And lastly, a few more pics from inside the party bus on the way to the drag show.  Sorry, but none of the pictures from the show turned out, it was too dark in there. BOO!

We're going to Vegas in November for Courtney's Bach Party! Can't wait!

It was a great night and I think Kristi had so much fun! Success.

New Series: Apartment Tour. Up first: Powder Room.

Last week I was brainstorming blog post ideas and I had a stroke of genius: I should tour my apartment room by room then break down each room to show y'all where I bought each item. Then I thought this would be a great opportunity for me to start a series and feature a new room on Mondays.  Whadayathink?

My ultimate hope is that I can provide y'all with information about how to decorate on a dime that you can use in your own lives.  I guess I'm a creep because I love to see into other people's homes to see how they live.  I don't know why, but it intrigues me.  I really hope I'm not the only one.

My "Apartment Tour" series will last 6 weeks and I'll break down the following rooms:

Week 1: Powder Room

Week 2: Bedroom

Week 3: Living Room

Week 4: Guest Room/Office

Week 5: Dining Room & Kitchen

Week 6: Closets, Cabinets & Laundry Room

My "Powder Room"

1. Vintage Vanity Tray - 

I blogged about this a while back.  To see more photos and read about it, go here. 

2. Decorative Mantel Clock - 

$16.99 from Target.  I needed a clock to keep me on schedule in the mornings while I was getting ready, and I loved the vintage look of this clock from Target. 

3. "Live, Laugh, Love" picture frame -

From Bed, Bath and Beyond.  You'll see I decorate A LOT around my apartment with photos of me and my friends and family.  I love photos.

4. Decorative candle stand -

Candle and stand from Ross.  I also use it as a jewelry holder.  

5. Mirror -

From Bed, Bath & Beyond on clearance

Floral Picture - $39.99 half off from Garden Ridge

Shower Curtain - Bed, Bath & Beyond on clearance. 
I picked out my shower curtain first then built my color scheme based on it.

Floor Mats from Kohls.  Trash can - Bed, Bath & Beyond.

Live, Laugh, Love wall art - Kohls
Candle Holder - Garden Ridge $6.99
Candles - Bath & Body Works

Towel holder from Target. 
Candles - $16 total, Read all about them here.

2 purple vases on far right - $14 total from HomeGoods.  Read all about them here.

There you have it.  My "Powder Room" in it's entirety.  Exciting stuff, huh?  Please let me know if you have any questions about anything I didn't cover.

Up next week: my bedroom!  

***UPDATE***


Do you want to link up and give us a tour of your Powder Room too? Just link up below and show off your space!

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Friday's Fancies: Bachelorette Party Outfit!

I'm pumped for the weekend because tomorrow is one of my girlfriends from college Bachelorette Party and I of course, "have nothing to wear".  I mean, an entire side of my closet is strictly dresses, but of course, those won't do because they've all been worn before.

You see, like my my homie Beth said in her post today, once I've been photographed in something and it's made it's Facebook debut, I can't possibly be photographed in it again. The horror! My mom totally doesn't get this phenomenon, but I'm sure all of you ladies understand. Right?

Anyway, last night I went shopping after work, but came up empty handed (boo!). I am going to try one more time tonight, but in the meantime I thought it would be fun to put together an outfit I would buy if I actually had that sugar daddy I've been looking for.  

I love this idea that Av over at Long Distance Loving has to create outfits that satisfy your shopping needs without spending a penny!  Never in my wildest dreams would I throw down this kinda cash for one evening on the town.  I don't care if it was even for my own Bachelorette Party.  But, since the point of this link-up is to dream big, this is how big I would dream:

[click the thumbnail photos for details on each]

1. Dress - $546 - Herve Leger
2. Shoes - $995 - Christian Louboutin
3. Clutch - $1,350 Bottega Vaneta
4. Bracelet - $463 - Isaac Mizrahi
5. Vintage Earrings - $275

What would you wear to your besties' Bachelorette Party if you had a sugar daddy?