Outfit Of The Day (All Dressed Up, Nowhere To Go...)

Top: Forever 21 Cami, Express White Blazer
Skirt: J Crew Gold Mica Mini (aren't you getting sick of it? I'M NOT! Hee.)
Shoes: Bebe knockoffs of the Stella McCartney Mesh Basket Sandals
Necklaces: Forever 21, Target
Purse: Chanel Small Classic Flap ?

I am playing around here, mostly. I am freaking loving the the lariat style necklaces a la the Tracy Reese's Spring 2009 collection- I have a lot more, and you'll be seeing them a plenty on me this Fall with cardigans, blazers, and jackets. Booties have also been growing on me more and more- I typically only admire from afar and stay away (the last thing I need is something cutting my short legs up even more!) but I fell in love with the Stella McCartney's after seeing them on the ever-so-lovely Goldenmeans. Of course, I fell in love a few months late and the Stella's were no where to be found in my size, so I settled on the nearly-identical Bebe version (found off of Ebay) instead.

Honestly, I'm not quite sure how much I like them on me with skirts (again, short leg syndrome uggggh) but I will undoubtedly be pairing them with skinnies and leggings (yes TEH NEW SEXY) this Fall before the snow falls. ?

So okay, lovely readers- spill it! What's one fashion trend you were initially "iffy" on but have finally given into?

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Weekend Shtuff.

1. Rebecca Taylor, Tracy Reese, Catherine Malandrino. ALL ON GILT.COM AT THIS 12pm MORNING, BIATCHES, OHMYGOD. Oh wait. I mean uh, 12am. Yeah, yeah. That's the ticket. Gilt.com is starting this weird thing where they have night sales. Midnight sales. So don't log on to the site before 12am. The emails they sent out saying 12pm were typos. Heh, heh, heh. BACK OFF IT'S ALL MINE.

2. Husband and I started watching a very interesting documentary last night about Frank Lloyd Wright called, quite appropriately, Frank Lloyd Wright. Quite the scoundrel, he was. I've always been way into architecture (I can build a bomb ass LEGO house!) and I had always thought that if I were the career-sort-of-girl I would have been an architect. But I'm not a career-sort-of-girl. I'm more of a sit-on-my-butt-and-get-really-excited-about-something but then-completely-lose-interest-two-seconds-later sort of girl. I set high and lofty goals of myself to be this way. It takes a lot of work to do this amount of nothing. Anyway, we just finished Part 1 and will hopefully watch Part 2 later this weekend. It's a very well put together PBS Documentary, if you like those sorts of things (dorkily, I do) and I can't wait to get the on Mark Twain next! Netflix, I luv u. It's not even love, it's luv.

3. So I took Husband to the local sporting goods store on Thursday night, hoping to figure out exactly what I needed to regain my motivation for my workouts. I've been a big gym rat for the past six years or so, hitting the gym at least five times a week. But the past five months? Well, ever since The Great Bug of 2008 hit over Christmas, I've fallen off that wagon with a thud. What took people a mere day or two to get over took me about a week, and that's all it took to derail me from my consistent gym going habit. I fell off the wagon with a sissy shove and a jiggly thud, because I'm getting jiggly from not working out. And cranky. Ohhh so cranky.

You see, I workout for a lot more reasons than just staying trim and svelte. It actually helps with my sanity and my energy and when I don't workout I do weird things like eat grammatically incorrect boxes of oreos in one sitting and clench my teeth all day long and yell at Husband a lot. I'm pretty sure they have medication for people like me, BUT EXERCISE IS MY MEDICATION. I neeeeeeeed it I need it I need it. And lately, I haven't been doing it. At all. And I can tell. *unclenches teeth*

"Okay now, what is it you need from here exactly?" Husband asked, eyeing me as we walked into the store.

"Heavier weights! I need heavier weights, because the weights I have at home are too light and my motto has always been lift heavy or don't lift at all." I answered him matter-of-factly.

"Oh really. Since when has this been your motto, exactly?" Husband had his Sarcastic Face on. I don't like his Sarcastic Face. I once told him that I didn't like his Sarcastic Face, way back when we first started dating and those things could be considered insulting to say, and he said, "Pssh! I don't have a Sarcastic Face! What's my Sarcastic Face?" and I said, "Thatface. Go look in the mirror!" and he went and looked in the mirror and came back out and said, "Oh."

"Since always! I've always lifted heavy! I'm not messing around here! I like to get after it. Say, can you do me a favor and carry these 10 lb'ers to the checkout? They're too heavy, I um...it doesn't appear that I...um...I can't lift them..." I said, my voice getting squeaky as I struggled under the weight, "yet."

So while Husband was hoisting my very heavy weights to the checkout I managed to throw in a pair of these, too:

Pink Harbringer weight lifting gloves. Because if the boys in the weight room at the gym didn't take me seriously before, they'll definitely take me seriously now. They match my pink Polar heart rate monitor, and that's all that matters.

Have a great weekend, everyone!

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Inspired Beaders: Nancy and John Chlpka

Beads and nature always go together. The world’s first beads were inspired by nature, and by early humanity’s need to make use of everything at hand. Leftover shells, animal feathers, quills, bones and interesting stones were all used to make primitive and wonderful beads. Today, not all beads are natural, but even man-made ones can be used to channel our affection for Mother Earth.

One style of bead art that captures nature’s charm is the beaded gourd. Made from dried and hollowed vegetables, these charming works of art can remind us of how beautiful nature is. We often keep the natural world at arm’s reach, but artists like Nancy and John Chlpka give us the opportunity to embrace it again. The beautiful gourd bowls, birdhouses and jewelry from their shop, Wet Dog Studios, can inspire the Earth-lover in us all.

Inspirational Beading: How did you become interested in working with gourds?

Nancy: John gave me one as a gift. I got to wondering "Could I?" and for the last ten years the answer has been YES! Initially John hung around for the heavy lifting but about three years ago the gourd bug bit him, too. He has primarily stuck to pyrography and carving, but just last month added selections to my bead order!

Inspirational Beading: What kinds of beads do you usually use to embellish your work?

Nancy: On a gourd, bone beads are my absolute favorite. I'll often color them with a natural dye such as coffee or beets. Also, combining them with glass or shell beads can really make a design pop.

Inspirational Beading: Do you have a favorite color or finish to use?

Nancy: I've used every color in one project or another but usually find myself in the brown family. My designs use mostly a matte bead accented by intricately carved or flashy glass beads.

Inspirational Beading: If you could master any new technique, what would it be?

Nancy: I've finished a lot of gourds with rims of woven natural materials, and I'm experimenting with stringing beads to give gourd bowls a "necklace" finish.

Inspirational Beading: Who do you hope to inspire with your work?

Nancy: Anyone with an interest. I think people become so busy they ignore their own creativity. John and I spend hours at Art Festivals answering questions for up and coming artists - it's wonderful!

Nancy and John Chlpka live in rural Western Pennsylvania with their two dogs. The dogs play an important role in the business. Spike is Director of Human Resources, and Vegas is Director of Special Events. Both helped coin the motto for the business: "There's Nothing Friendlier Than A Wet Dog!" All are big supporters of the Animal Rescue group.

Nancy and John are frequent speakers at Art Guilds and Garden Clubs in their area, spreading the word about gourds. Both have won awards for their artwork and in addition to their Etsy site they are featured at The Blue Heron Art Gallery in Volant, Pennsylvania. Nancy and John are members of both the American and Kentucky Gourd Societies. They source their art-quality gourds from nearby suppliers, such as Front Porch Crafts of Kentucky.

To see even more of their designs and wares, including wood carvings and antique glass, visit Wet Dog Studios on Etsy.com.

Copyright 2010 Inspirational Beading and Wet Dog Studios

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For More Info or to Buy Now: http://www.hsn.com/redirect.aspx?id=il&url=http%3A//www.hsn.com/cnt/prod/default.aspx%3Fpfid%3D381512&afsrc=1&sourceid=youtube&cm_mmc=advsvc*youtube*na*381512 Terry Hoodie with Native American-Inspired Beading by DG2 Soft chocolate brown terry cloth. Native American-inspired beading at hood and pockets. Round neck. Hoodie. Long... Prices shown on the previously recorded video may not represent the current price. View hsn.com to view the current selling price. HSN Item #381512

Title: How to Make a Sunset Inspired Necklace - Jewelry-making Tutorial

This tutorial shows you how to make a single strand necklace that features bugle beads, glass chip beads, as well as 8mm round beads. But the colors are what really make this necklace fun. Red, orange, and yellow - the colors of a summer sunset! Finished length: 16" Materials list: - Forty 1/4" bugle beads, yellow - Eighteen glass chip beads, orange - Three 8mm round beads, red - A barrel clasp - Two 2mm crimps - Two 3mm crimp covers - Beading wire, 20" - Wire nippers - Crimping pliers - Optional: beading board, long-nose pliers Material sources: Bugle beads were given to me for my birthday. All other materials were purchased from Fire Mountain Gems - http://www.firemountain.com Music: Shining Silver, http://www.danosongs.com Art of Gardens, http://www.danosongs.com This video was in response to Michelle Phan's Summer Sunset Eyes tutorial: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0eYqO2S03oE Disclaimer: All products used in this video were purchased by me. This video was not sponsored.

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Dear Neighbors To The North:

Dear Kickity Ass Kick Ass Canadians,

I realize a few of you were upset over my post a few days ago, where I had posted a Canadian fashion designer (a gorgeous Canadian fashion designer) and then poked a bit of fun at your people.

I did not mean to be...well, mean. I often post with a bit of self-deprecation and tongue-in-cheek, but beating up on myself gets old sometimes and I occasionally have to move on to other targets. It is only fair, I feel, to unleash of my innocent rankling on to other groups of people.

For the record, I would like to state- I meant absolutely no harm by my post. I simply wanted to showcase an awesome designer that I had found. I love Canadians! I met my first Canadian last year, a real live Canadian that said house like "hoose" and out like "oot". He was a nice guy, old in his years and a retired professor. He thought I was funny. Hence, all the rest of the Canadians should think I'm funny, too. Duh.

If you took offense to my post, then I'm not quite sure what to say except consider the source. I'm a freakishly pale, scrawny white girl that can't climb up a set of stairs normally and is going bald. I grew up in South Dakota, for pete's sake. I feel slightly flattered that a few people were so irritated by my innocent ribbing, but I meant absolutely no harm. Absolutely none.

In all honesty- if you ever take offense to what I have to say, then perhaps this isn't the blog for you. I post only in good humor and nothing more. One of the great things about living in the United States (or Canada) is that our web browsers have a little "x" in the upper right hand corner that you can click and voila! Just like that, I'm gone. I don't want you to click that little "x", but if you're being insulted by my incessant babbling, then perhaps it's only for the best.

If you want me to stop poking fun, if you want me to start being PC- I sure can. But it's going to make for one heckuva boring blog.

Love and Lots of Maple Do(ugh)nuts,
Chloe




PS- And to the poster that seemed quite upset that the recession hasn't left me homeless in a shanty, I would like to say this. Husband's business has picked back up again over the recent months, hallelujah. Husband puts in long hours at his business, oftentimes working 12, 13 hour days 5 to 6 to 7 days a week. As the saying goes- you don't own a business. The business owns you.

I also have parents that have, in the past, put in 12 hour days, 5 days a week of hard work to keep food on the table and a roof over our heads. I also understand that just because you're a good, hard, dedicated worker doesn't mean you always come out on top in this world. Morally, perhaps- my parents are great people. Perhaps even the best people you could ever know. But they have worked hard their entire lives and will continue to work hard while not always reaping the financial benefits due of their hard work. I realize how fortunate Darling Husband and I are for our situation in life and everything we have and I think about it almost daily.

This recent upturn with Husband's business has allowed us to hire 40 people back. Forty people that we had laid off earlier this year! So if you want the recession to really impact me, if you want my husband to close up his small business (that gives FREE HEALTHCARE TO ALL OF THEIR EMPLOYEES- find another small business that does that!) and lay those 40 people off again, we sure can. If you want me to stop spending money (again, stimulating the economy in the most simplest of ways), I sure can. If you want me and Husband to stop donating to charities (again, spreading the little wealth we have), we sure can.

But I'm pretty sure that isn't going to help the recession, I'm pretty sure that wouldn't make you very happy either, and I'm pretty sure that's what they call cutting off one's nose to spite one's face. Not sure if you've ever heard of that little phrase in London, Ontario- but think about it.

So. Please go spite your own face, you big baby. I don't often resort to childish name-calling or addressing snarky commenters, but I have never read a more asinine or poorly thought-out post in my comments in my life. Did you really think about what you were saying there? Really?? Obviously not?

But thanks for taking the time to type it all out anyway. It gave me a bit of a good chuckle and really made my day. I mean it. ?

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A plea to the neighbors.

Title: Dear Neighbors...

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Tip Share :: 5 Steps to a More Mindful Life

I've touched on the idea that abundance is a matter of perspective before, but what comes next? Luckily, today's post, courtesy of Dannielle Cresp, shares concrete tips to answer that question.

If you don't know her, Dannielle hails from Australia, where she designs fabric based gifts and strives to create a handmade-friendly world through handmade gifts. Beyond that, she blogs on her website, DannielleCresp.com, and has written an e-book called Living Within Your Means. I'm over the moon that Dannielle's taken time out to share tips on how to live a more mindful life with us today.

Have you thought about "living within your means" and what it means to you? To me, it's about thinking before spending, and making sure I buy something that I will really love. By thinking about what I spend my hard-earned dollars on, I can enjoy the purchase much more. It also means no credit cards and only having debt that can't be avoided, like student loans and mortgages. That has let me put on the handbrake of overspending and ending up with purchases I'm luke-warm about.

So, how do we do that? Here are five steps to a more mindful life that you can start today:

1. Budget for 'fun money' - If you like to buy yourself treats and new things, mindful living doesn't mean that you have to give them up; you just need to work out what you really have to spend and what you can buy within that budget.


2. Save a little every payday - If you saved just 10% of your take home pay and put it in a savings account you'd be amazed how quickly it can grow into something significant.


3. Take note how much you spend on the tiny purchases - It's the three coffees at the cafe everyday and the bought lunches that really catch up with you. Do yourself a favor and count up what you spend in a week on impulse purchases, it can really open your eyes.


4. Think before you buy - If you're out shopping and you're not sure if you really need or want what you are considering buying, leave the shop. Go have a coffee or cold drink, sit and think about it, and only go back if it is something you really want.


5. Dream big - Think about one of your ultimate financial goals, be it a nicely furnished house, a grand family holiday or a big trip overseas. If you make your dreams a priority and aim towards them you can focus your spending on giving you the life you really want.

Don't be too hard on yourself if it isn't easy to follow these steps right away or if you fall off the wagon. Dust yourself off, remember your goals for a happy, mindful life and just keep going. Life is too short to be angry at ourselves and to be stuck in a debt of things we never really wanted in the first place.

~Dannielle

.....

If you enjoyed this, don't miss Dannielle's new e-book, Living Within Your Means. For more information, visit her on her blog at www.danniellecresp.com. Many thanks to Dannielle for stopping by!

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You Spin My Head Right Round, Right Round.

A quick break in my "Summer Must Haves" list- I will have another tomorrow (summer handbags, yay!) so stay tuned.

I wanted to post a few quick things. First! I found a new seller on Etsy that I love, love, love. Actually, I didn't quite find her...but when Karla over at Karla's Closet posted about Bonzie yesterday, I was immediately blown away. And I mean- blown away:

I will admit that sometimes I am a bad blogger and I keep little treasures to myself. Especially Etsy treasures- why would I show the thousands of readers I get each day (most stumbling on to my page by complete mistake, by the way, from what I can tell from my Google analysis and the fact that someone found my page one day using the keywords "patches of skin on butt flaking off disease") (shining moment of my short blogging career, by the way) what I want to soon buy off Etsy? What if they buy it and I can't?! Right? Right. And someone googling "patches of skin on butt flaking off disease" probably shouldn't be buying stuff off of Etsy, if that's what they're looking for. I probably shouldn't be distracting them and sidetracking them with that, because they should be going to a doctor and not shopping online for floral boleros. LIKERIGHTNOW.

But I will be nice and show you Bonzie because I've already bought what I wanted to buy from the shop- the purple wrap on the right. I bought it last night, as soon as I clicked through the site from Karla's Closet. Wow, it is so pretty! Isn't it pretty? I can't wait to get it. I really, really, reeeeally can't wait to get it. And I can't wait to see what else Bonzie creates here soon. Some people have so much talent that it just blows me away. And when people have that much talent, I'm willing to pay a pretty penny for it because I do not have talent. Pretty pennies yes, talent no. And that makes the world go round.

Second! Nanette Lepore blogs. Really! Not a lot, but she does occasionally write over at the Huffington Post. I never knew this until yesterday. I just adore Ms. Lepore, and her article on having to lay people off is heartbreaking. But, it's the reality of the current state of the economy and something we're experiencing ourselves with Husband's company. It sucks knowing you're going to have to let good people go, people who have made your business what it is. It sucks knowing that you're going to have to say, "We have no work right now, and we don't know when we'll have work again, and I don't know anybody else who has work for you to do." It sucks because you know their families, you've met their wives, they've worked for you for years...and you have to let them go. I keep waiting for the sun to peek out from the clouds in all of this.

I worry about Husband sometimes. He is a winner, he only plays to win. He only knows winning. He does not know failing, he's unfamiliar with handling what is happening right now. He's not familiar with feelings of disappointment and uncertainty. He did not play on a failed YMCA 4th grade girls basketball team that didn't win a single game like I did- he's not okay with saying, "Oh well, you win some and you lose some; at least my hot pink Barbie fake fingernails are still intact and better luck next time."

When he plays football, he wins. When he plays basketball, he wins. When he runs a business, he wins. I think this (temporary!) setback has been harder on him than he lets on.

I don't blog a lot about this because it's hard. We're young and we'll soon be moving forward again, I have no doubt. The past few years have been awesome to us, with the company and work booming. Husband has worked so hard and because of it we have so many great things. It's been a bit of a splash of icy cold water down the back of my shirt to suddenly see this, and I know it's the same for Husband. But it's also a slap back into reality, that we are young and we still have the rest of our lives to get to where we want to be. Husband's dreams of retiring at the age of 40 and traveling the world might be temporarily thwarted for now, but that's okay. And since I always tend to look on the bright side- it's really helped strengthen our marriage to have to deal with this stress. Reality is, we're still in a better place than many Americans right now (we have jobs, a roof over our heads, and money still in the bank since Husband hoards money like the Mint is going to stop printing it) and for that, I am ever so thankful.

Also hey, after nearly three years of marriage now, Husband still makes me laugh like nobody else (we were being so inappropriate out in public with our humor tonight, I can't even post it here because you guys would not get it and hate me, and there's nothing worse than telling a joke, having that person not get it, and then having that person hate you because they don't get it). I never have to worry about that with Husband, nope. He always gets the joke. He will always be my favorite person, even if it means that I'm lying to Petunia when I tell her she's my favorite person. I'm also lying to Peets when I tell her she's a person and not a dog (and the prettiest person EVER, by the way), so what's one more lie going to hurt?

Third! I'm srsly over this Swine Flu thing. It hasn't even hit in Colorado yet and I'm so sick of it. Shut up, you stupid media. I'm not scared of the dying or sprouting a third eyeball or whatever the newspress is trying to scaremonger us with. I'm scared of the barfing. I'm still having nightmares over what happened during Christmas. Baaaad nightmares, you guys. It's been too short a time since then and now, and if I so happen to catch this Swine Flu (which is likely since I have a suppressed immune system and get everything) I think I will just curl up into a ball and die. I will die because the sort of puking that goes with the flu is something I can only endure once every few years; I can't do it again. I just can't. Ohmygosh. I am dreading this.

Okay, time to wrap this up. We went to the Nuggets game tonight, which was awesome. One of the perks of being married to the wonderful (handsome, smart, sexy, Best French Toast Maker In The World) person that I am married to is that we often get tickets to local sporting events. And we often get really good tickets to really awesome sporting events. The Nuggets have advanced to second round of the playoffs for the first time in 15 years tonight and we were there and it was so exciting! I wish I had brought my camera, as we were sitting mid-court in the 13th row tonight. We had a pretty good view of all the action. We've been closer before, but for free playoffs tickets I'm definitely not complaining. I could see the detail of all of Chris "Birdman" Anderson's crazy tattoos, so that's pretty darn close.

I wish I had brought my camera! I wish, I wish, I wish. I didn't. :(

I seriously thought I'd never be as big of a sports nut as I have become- I can't hardly stand to watch basketball on TV, but I love being in the middle of things at a game. Something about the energy of the crowd (especially for the playoffs, HOLY MOLY!) and all of the people and noise and action all together is really something. I typically avoid large crowds at all costs (and loud noises and crowds and loud noises together OHMYGOSH) but give me tickets to a Nuggets game and I am so there. I love it.

(Also, Husband buys me cotton candy at the games. Cotton candy! Yay!)

But my head is thumping with the beginning of a headache and I need to get some sleep. So much for posting just a "quick" few things, eh? Goodnight, my lovelies!

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Title: You spin my head right round (Smeggy Remix)

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