Brilliant Earth: Personality Style Challenge

Happy Friday, loves! Usually I do a 5 on Friday post, but not today because I was recently contacted by Brilliant Earth to participate in their Personality Style Challenge and couldn't wait until next week to talk about it! So do forgive me for changing things up a bit...I guess you could say I get excited when it comes to clothes and pretty things such as jewelry, but what girl doesn't?!

Glam Day and Night by mscheek featuring glass drinkware

Sooo first things first. Brilliant Earth is a company that specializes in ethically sourced fine jewelry, with diamonds and engagement rings as their forte. But there is more to this company then just the pretty items that they sell. Brilliant Earth has a mission and values that I truly respect and believe in such as fighting to stop the trade in blood diamonds. They also donate 5% of the profits they make back to the communities that have suffered from unethical practices in the jewelry industry. They've already won me over, which made participating easy and fun...which leads me to the next thing...the Personality Style Challenge!

For the challenge, a group of bloggers were selected and given information on six different "personality styles", along with corresponding accessories that went with each. The personality styles included: 1) blue jeans & tee shirt kind of girl, 2) floral, feminine styles & patterns, 3) glamorous like stilettos and glitter, 4) minimalist, no-nonsense elegant style, 5) vintage dresses & thrift store shopping, and 6) cutting edge. We were then told to pick our favorite category of the six and to create a fashion style board incorporating our personality style and the accessories that went along with that category. Picking my favorite of the bunch was a bit tricky and was a close tie between 3) and 5), but I had to go with my gut and choose the third!!

For my board, I wanted to showcase an outfit that could be worn both day or night and for multiple occasions. I decided to pair a pink tulle skirt with a cream colored sweater that gives off a more laid back feel, but when worn with heels, the outfit is still appropriate for a night out on the town and still appears glamorous. The perfume, sunnies, lipstick, and clutch are some of my favorite items on my board by far (besides the jewelry). EVERY girl needs that ONE perfume that is "their scent", or that lipstick that is their go to shade day in and day out. And for me, it's important to have statement pieces that can be paired with a number of things, like the jewelry shown on my board. It's all about working with what you currently own, and transforming your look into something magical...something one-of-a-kind! Something creative and something totally YOU.

Y'all, I had a blast creating my fashion style board (using Polyvore) and I'm so curious to see what the other bloggers came up with for the challenge! Later next week, Brilliant Earth will be picking their three favorites which will then be featured on Brilliant Earth’s Pinterest board with a link back to the selected participant’s blog post! Cross your fingers for me that I will be one of the top three!


Note- I was not compensated for this post in any way. My style board may be pinned to Brilliant Earth's Pinterest page, but I participated in the challenge for fun. All opinions in this post are my own.

The Liebster Award (Round Two)

photo from Sydney over at So...Why Morocco?

What is the Liebster award and what does Liebster mean? Well, for starters, this award is a pretty popular one (in the blogging community) that is given to bloggers who are up and coming. Liebster is German and has a slew of meanings, some being: sweetest, kindest, nicest, dearest, beloved, lovely, kind, pleasant, valued, endearing and welcome. And there you have it, the Liebster award! 

Back in 2013, I was nominated for this award (which you can read about here) and again recently by two of my favorite bloggers The Gold-Hatted Lover and Bows and Depos. Y'all, I couldn't be more honored that these two amazing gals thought of little ole' me when making their nominations! And that's just one of the many reasons why I not only love blogging, but like participating in awards as well. Blogging is all about building community, making new friends and connecting with others that have the same passions as you. And participating in awards is such a fantastic way to help spread the word about newer bloggers and blogs!

So as a way to make sure that I took part in both Mary-Katherine and Emily's questions (which they came up with and is part of the award) I decided to combine their questions into a shorter list that I will answer below! I really hope you enjoy learning a little bit more about muwah through my responses and want to give one last shout out to MK and Emily for nominating me :) Thanks ladies!  

1. How long have you been blogging?
I started blogging back in June of 2013...which means I'm only short FIVE months until my one year blogoversary!! Yayyyyy!

2. How would you describe your style?
That's a hard question...I had to ask my friend and she said my style was "classic with girly elements". I wear a dress or skirt about 3-4 times a week and wear pretty natural looking makeup for most occasions. I always have to have earrings or a bracelet on no matter what though!

3. What are the top three places you would like to travel to?
As of right now I would say 1. Cinque Terre, Italy 2. Paris, France and 3. NYC...in that order.

4. What is your favorite realistic brand and your favorite lust-after brand?
My realistic brand(s) would have to be (for dresses and tops) Anthropologie and H&M. For my favorite lust-after brand(s), they would have to be Nicole Miller and Alice + Olivia.

5. What is something weird about yourself?
I have never in my life gotten a pedicure. It's not because I don't think they look pretty! I just hate feet and do not want anyone messing with mine!

6. If you could make one dream purchase, what would it be?
One day, when I am married and have a family, I would loveeee to own a lake house. When I was little, my parents had one at Smith Mountain Lake and I always remember loving the boat rides and time spent away from all the chaos back in the city. There's something about being on the water that makes me feel at peace and relaxed.  

7. What was the best concert you have ever been to? 
Hands down, Needtobreath with Drew Holcomb and The Neighbors was the BEST concert I have ever been to (and an added bonus was the fact it took place outside on a day that had perfect weather)! The concert was in Charlotte at the Uptown Amphitheater in the Music Factory and was one of the best date nights Will and I have ever had. We had amazing seats, purchased fun souvenirs, and sang along to some of our favorite songs. There is something about acoustic tunes, and anything accompanied by a banjo, mandolin or harmonica that pull on my heart strings.

 

8. What is your favorite season?

If you asked me what my favorite season was before I graduated college, I would say it was summer (for obvious reasons). But now that I am a working "adult", I would have to say I enjoy the beginning of fall the most because it's not too cold yet and you can still wear short sleeve tops and shorts. There also seems to be all sorts of fall festivals, concerts, and events going on that I always catch myself venturing to.

9. What is your one beauty must-have?
Benefit's Erase Paste! It's the first thing I put on my face in the morning and I swear that it is the best concealer to cover dark circles, and any blemish you might have. It might be embarrassing to say that I have gone through more then five things of this and haven't found anything else that works quite as good.

10. What is your favorite type of flower?
It's hard to say I have just one favorite flower so i'll have to say that my favorites in a bouquet are Peonies, Ranunculus and Tulips!

Weekend Shenanigans

Happy Monday, everyone! I hope you all had a great weekend, are well rested and ready for yet another week :) This weekend I really tried to practice "simplifying" my life and doing what matters most, which for me is spending quality time with those I love, making sure I set aside quite time with God daily and keeping my priorities in order.

Overtime, I have started to realize that I don't always have to be on-the-go. I used to hate not being busy or having my plans laid out for the whole day but have recently learned and have really enjoyed living in the moment, appreciating the quiet afternoons and going with the flow of things. And that's pretty much how my weekend was. To say I loved it would be an understatement!

Friday was a pretty low key night. Will and I got dinner with some friends at a restaurant in Uptown (which was pretty last minute...so you can see I am trying to get better at doing spontaneous things!) and then went back home for an early to bed type of night...however, we did fit in an episode or two of Game of Thrones because we are slightly addicted to it!

Saturday was another pretty low-key day. We woke up, got breakfast at Panera Break and then Will had to go into work for a few hours so I went back home, took a nap, did some laundry and had my quite time with God. Later on in the day, Will and I headed to Statesville to celebrate our friends Ally and Chandler at their wedding shower! It was so nice getting to see friends from college (Will got to catch up with some of the guys from the soccer team he played on at NC State) and I was very happy that Will and I were able to be a part of such an awesome night. And the wedding shower games that they played were hilarious and made the night so much fun.

Sunday morning, Will and I woke up bright and early and got a quick breakfast before Will had to leave for the airport and head to Houston for work. I decided that since he was gone, I should put my priorities in order and really use my time wisely, which can sometimes be hard to do when all you want to do is stay at home in your pajamas! I ran a few errands, went grocery shopping and even got to watch the Panthers game! Towards the end of the day, I did another load of laundry, cleaned around the condo and then did some blogging and watched the Golden Globes.

All in all, it was an ideal weekend and one that I am thankful that I got to have. Be sure to check back tomorrow for my round two post on The Liebster Award!

5 on Friday

It's FINALLLLLY Friday sweetums! I don't know why, but this week felt like it was dragging on and on and on. Maybe it was the off and on cold and rainy weather. Maybe it was the fact that Will was traveling for work and I had the condo to myself. Or maybe it's because I had an insane week of Doctor appointments and a to-do list that felt never-ending. Around Wednesday, I started to really question if the week was ever going to end! Thankfully, it did :) And 5:00 pm couldn't come quick enough! To jump start the weekend, let's dive into my 5 on Friday! I hope you that each of you has a fab weekend and can't wait to chat again come Monday morning! 

ONE

All you bloggers in the Charlotte and surrounding area make sure you mark your calendar for the first Charlotte Social Meet-Up of 2014 which is going to take place on the 30th from 6:30-8:00 pm! Pamela from Yes it is, Kevin will be hosting this month's event at Luciano's Ristorante on South Boulevard. Appetizers will also be provided, so come ready to eat and socialize with all the other bloggers! 

TWO

Last night, Alyssa, Caitlin and I had a girls wine night at The Wine Loft. If you are a wine fanatic, then this place is for you! With a menu that offers over 40 wines by the glass and over 100 by the bottle, you can't help but sit back, relax and unwind in this upscale atmosphere. Think of a wine bar that is filled with leather cozy couches, dimmed lights, candles lit at every table and jazz-like music playing in the background.That's exactly what The Wine Loft entails. And did I mention the dessert? Caitlin and I split the Raspberry Creme Brulee Cheesecake that was so delicious! I highly recommend this place for a girls night or even a date if your significant other is up for it!    

THREE

The Liebster Award! Y'all this is probably one of my favorite awards floating around the blog community. Back in October of last year, I was nominated for the award by my sweet blog friend Becky and I wrote a blog post about it here. Just recently, I was nominated AGAIN by two of my favorite fashion bloggers Mary-Katherine and Emily and couldn't have been more excited and giddy!! Check back next Tuesday for a combined post answering the questions that MK and Emily had for me. And seriously, how gorgeous are these girls?  

FOUR

The Bachelor and The Carrie Diaries are just two shows that I have been watching lately. I haven't had much time to watch TV, but these two shows I don't want to miss, especially since they both are on their new seasons! As for movies, I really want to go see Saving Mr Banks and About Time. What TV shows and movies are you excited to watch/see? Any recommendations for things I should check out? 

FIVE

One of my resolutions was to start a bible reading plan that I would do the whole year of 2014. I told myself that starting January I would read the bible in it's entirety starting with Genesis and working my way through Revelations. I have never done this before, and know it will be a challenge and will require me reading the Bible almost every night. But I found this reading plan that I think will be a great resource for me to use and can't wait to update you all on my progress through the year! 

And just a random throw in are these two pictures I remember taking!   

The Hard Truth

Happy Hump Day, y'all! I'm so sorry I've been a bad blogger these past few days, but there's a reason for why I haven't been around. Recently, I went to the Doctor (for my neck) and got confirmation on results that came back from an MRI that I had done in 2012, and because of the confirmation, I have been pretty bummed/frustrated/stressed by what I was told. The facts. The 100% diagnosis. I've been waiting YEARS for some Doctor to tell me what was wrong. You'd think I'd be more relieved to know now what I have so that I can be treated correctly. But you know what? I'd be lying if I didn't say that sometimes finding out the truth is HARDER then playing the guessing game.

But I am thankful. And I know that God is in control. I pray and would love if you would pray that I stay encouraged throughout all of this, especially in the next few weeks before I go back from my checkup. I guess I can say that in the past (and currently) I've had a hard time with "waiting". Waiting to get better. Waiting to find out what the next steps are. I need to continue to remind myself that it could be WORSE. I don't need surgery now (PRAISE). Medicine and more physical therapy might help. And later down the road, when I have come to terms with this issue and feel more comfortable, I will share my story of what I've learned I have (it's not life threatening so please don't worry).

image via

Sure, some might think I am over sharing, but this issue has interfered with my daily life and I've hardly ever shared what I've been going through except to my family and closest friends. And typing my thoughts out has surprisingly been a huge help, so why not do what makes me feel good, especially if it's on my own blog? Whew! Sorry friends, that was a lot of information...ha :)

So what does one do when they need a "pick-me-up" or reminder of how good God is even through the hardest times? Well for me, I turn to my best friends, LifeGroup gals, the boyfriend and family. Let me just show you two ways of how awesome God's timing is when it come's to giving you what you need.

1. Is it a coincidence that my LifeGroup leader Holly sent out an article to our group titled 'Waiting on God is Hard, and That's OK'? I don't think so. I read it at just the right time...when myheart was heavy and I was frustrated with WAITING. I really liked how Aaron Coalson said "the longer we wait the more the wait itself becomes a type of suffering that can hammer away at our sanity without the right perspective". This is a MUST read, and you can find the article here.

2. Another friend of mine posted on her Facebook page a link that took me to a site that has 16 FREE eBooks from Beth Moore! Talk about an awesome surprise! I immediately downloaded a handful of them onto my iPhone and iPad and have already started reading 'A Heart Like His'. If you are a Beth Moore fan, or interested in some free eBooks, you have until this Friday to download them. here is the link...enjoy!   

 

image via    

I hope each and every one of you knows how appreciative I am of you and how thankful I am for having such dedicated blog followers/readers <3 Until next time!