My Beat Boutique

Blog Break : I'm off...

2013-05-20T01:09:00.000-04:00

We are off to the Bahamas , I really wanted to enjoy this much needed time with my husband so posts will be on hold till next week. I hope you have a great week and enjoy your Memorial Day weekend.

Vacation essentials

2013-05-17T23:10:00.000-04:00

We are off to the Bahamas on Monday to celebrate our ten year wedding anniversary. We have been counting down the days since we booked this vacation and it can't come soon enough. We normally don't exchange gifts for our anniversary we are firm believers in getaways. Whether it's a weekend trip or a full on vacation we would rather have an experience then some gift. Don't get me wrong gifts are ok ;) but vacations are much better. I plan on sun bathing , finishing a couple of unread books, and simply just enjoying our time away together. My suitcase will consist of comfortable dresses, popover's , denim shorts, colorful sandals, and of course swimwear.

1. Straw hat Sole Society -$34.95
2. Sunglasses Forever 21 $5.80
3. Straw bag Simply Soles $149 , Old Navy $19.94
4. Swimwear J.Crew $135 , Old Navy $25
5. Nail polish Essie [Lovie Dovie] $8
6. Sandals (run a little big) Zara $39.90
7. Dress J.Crew $595 , Zara $89.90 ,Gap $64.95
8. Jean shorts Gap $49.95 ,Old Navy $22.50
9. Chambray button up Forever 21 $24.90
10. Popover J.Crew $59.99

Our story ...

2013-05-16T07:32:00.000-04:00

Since today is a very special day I decided to share our "how we met " story with you. Eleven years ago after a night out on the town with some girlfriends I ended the night at a local bar named The Mix. My older brother Richard and his girlfriend (at the time) were there with a bunch of their friends. As I went around and said my hello's I took the chair right next to a slender boy wearing a Radiohead t-shirt , worn out jeans and flip flops. I had never met this boy before however we chit chatted over some beers about music, boxing and what we wanted to be when we grew up. Since it had been a very long night for me I was hungry and in walked the pizza guy who normally ventured into bars around midnight, this boy who I kept forgetting his name asked me if I wanted to share a pizza and I said "oh my gosh yes please!" We shared a medium pizza and parted ways. I left not remembering that boys name. A couple of weekends later we met up with my brother at the same bar and in the middle of my beer in walks "that boy" he took the seat next to me and we chatted for a bit before he left to meet his other friends. We exchanged names and numbers and made plans to get together that Saturday - his name was Carlos ♥

Saturday rolled around and we decided to go see a movie and to have a late dinner. He picked me up at my parents house , normally my Mom even in my early 20's needed to meet whom ever I was going to go out with. So in walked Carlos wearing a light blue button up , navy slacks and brown J.Crew loafers. He introduced himself talked to my Mom for a quick minute then we went on our first date to go see The Others and ended the night at a more quiet bar. After dropping me off , my Mom who normally would wait up for me and we would eat cereal together and chat about my night (I miss those nights). It was that night (our first date) that my Mom said to me " Myrna I know you're not gonna believe me but that's the boy you are going to marry!" Yep she knew even before I did. I knew that Carlos was a sweet guy that I had great conversations with but little did that 23 year old know that she had just had dinner with her future husband.

Today I celebrate ten years of the best decision I ever made. Thank you Carlos for choosing me to spend the rest of your life with. It's been an amazing ride and I can't wait to see what the next ten years will be like.

My Sweetlife recap

2013-05-15T00:02:00.001-04:00

Saturday we had our first Sweetlife Music Festival experience - rain or shine. It was suppose to rain all day Saturday , luckily we made it to the Merriweather Post Pavilion without it raining. The park is gorgeous and they did a great job with food booths, beer booths and they even had a famer's market. Sweetlife isn't a large music festival but definitely worth going to. This year they brought out many great bands including Yeah Yeah Yeah's, Phoenix, Kendrick Lamar among others. We were lucky enough to get General Admission which was inside the pavilion because at about 5pm it was a monsoon outside. We had a wonderful time danced our butts off & will definitely be back next year.

Until next year Sweetlife !

My pretty in pink pouch

2013-05-13T23:27:00.000-04:00

Shop my look > shorts & jacket- F21 [similar shorts] [jacket] / top- J.Crew (old) / heels : Ralph Lauren
Clutch- Gap / sunnies : H&M similar

A couple of weeks ago I snatched up this pink clutch from the Gap on major sale($14.99) ! I don't know about you but I am always on the hunt for a new favorite clutch or bag. So say hello to my new favorite clutch , she will bring color to any outfit whether casual or dressy. Friday night we went to grab some dinner and wasn't sure what to wear [go figure!] and so on this rare occasion I threw something on and it worked- Yippie!!! That rarely happens to me, especially when it comes to the top bun. Right before bed I pick my hair up to brush my teeth and wash my face and I can make the cutest messy bun in seconds. Now when I'm needing this messy bun to happen for work or going out - it NEVER happens. Oh well sometimes you "bun -it " and sometimes you "bunt it." On this Friday night I took my messy bun , pink clutch and I had a great outfit and a great night.

2013-05-12T23:34:00.000-04:00

1. Polka dot - similar top /Similar bottom 2. J.Crew - Vivid Fuchsia top / bottom

3. J.Crew - Punk floral suit

With our Bahamas trip around the corner I have been re-vamping my swimsuit collection. Since we are going for 6 days I have purchased swimsuit's that I will be able to interchange, I'll be packing 3 /2 piece suits and a one piece. When choosing swimsuits it's always important to pick colors / patterns that are neutral such as polka dots, stripes and floral. For your colored swimsuits go for colors that will add that pop of color to any print bottom or top. For example this fuchsia will add that pop of color to your polka dot bottoms or your floral bottoms.

Music Festival Time

2013-05-09T23:09:00.000-04:00

This weekend we will be attending our first music festival in the DC area: Sweetlife Music Festival . I'm excited for this line up it's small with big names like Yeah Yeah Yeahs , Kendrick Lamar, Phoenix , Passion Pit just to name a few. The older I get the more comfortable my festival gear gets before it was dress to impress with slight comfort, now in my mid 30's I'm all about COMFORT! Comfort doesn't mean you have to dress like Jerry Seinfeld, you can still be comfortable but on trend. Sneakers are currently the new craze so that's good for this gal. Saturday I plan on wearing jean shorts, sandals {with tennis shoes in my bag}, sunnies , and considering splurging on THIS Gap jacket I've been lusting over. Whatever I decide to wear you better believe my Instagram will be blowing up your feed.

Sasquatch - Gorge, WA. May 24-27
Houston Free Press - Houston , TX June 1-2
Governors Ball - New York City June 6-9
Bonnaroo - Manchester,TN June 13-16
Pitchfork - Chicago, IL. July 19-21
Lollapalooza - Chicago, IL. August 2-4
Austin City Limits - Austin,TX October 4-6 & October 11-13

New Music Wednesday : Foxygen

2013-05-08T10:32:00.000-04:00

I stumbled across these guys a couple of weeks ago on Sirius-XMU my go to for new music. I wrote down the name on my handy notepad and that night I downloaded their album We Are the 21st Centure Ambassadors of Peace & Magic and it's been on repeat ever since. They caught my eye with their new single Shuggie [watch here]. Foxygen has a laid back California vibe with a large 60's influence. If you like MGMT, Neutral Milk Hotel and Tame Impala than you'll definitely like these guys.

Feeling hot hot hot - pink !

2013-05-06T23:48:00.000-04:00

Shop my look : top - J.Crew / pants - Banana Republic [similar] / shoes : Dolce Vita /
bag : Forever 21 / hat : H&M [similar] / sunnies : Target / bracelets : Madewell

Here's proof that a V-neck tee can give so much to an outfit. Every season J.Crew has these t's on sale and I stock up every time. I have every color and I even have double of some colors . They are perfect for the summer they can be paired with pants, shorts, skirts and even cozy enough to sleep in. This won't be the first or the last V-neck you'll see on the blog. Now lets talk about this bag many of you have asked where I got this and well believe it or not I got this online from Forever 21 for $3.50 gasp! Yup, and I love it it's the perfect size, especially when it seems that I am constantly at the grocery store and I can stuff it with my make-up and produce . Win Win .

This weekend I ...

2013-05-06T00:57:00.000-04:00

This weekend the weather was amazing and we had a special birthday to celebrate . We spent the day in Dupont Circle for our first Shake Shack experience , walking around downtown DC stopping for some cupcakes and went to our first museum here - Spy Museum (birthday boy request). I enjoy this city so much we've been numerous times and every single time we always stumble upon something new. Should I also mention I finally broke in my J.Crew flats. How was your weekend?

Friday {Links} I love ...

2013-05-03T10:56:00.000-04:00

1. Wallet [similar] 2. Magazine Subscription [here] 3. Scarf [similar] 4. Jewelry [necklace] [bracelet] 5. Butter London [here] 6. Pajamas [here]

Mother's Day is just around the corner {Sunday, May 12} and I don't know about you but I never know what to get my Mama. Every year I struggle with what to get and every year it's either a gift card or flowers. Mom's are very special and they deserve a special gift so this year will be different. Since my Mom {hi Mom!} is probably reading this I will not say what I've decided to get her but let's just say it's something from this post.

Birthday Boy !

2013-05-02T00:31:00.000-04:00

Happy Birthday to my guy! He is the most amazing man I've ever met and I am so lucky to call him my husband. He normally doesn't make an appearance on here but he is the man behind the camera who takes all outfit pictures with a smile. I met him 11 years ago at a local bar , he bought me a medium pizza and I had the conversation of my life. Not a day goes by that I don't thank my lucky stars for getting to spend all my days with him .

Chic Chick : Kylie from The Flybird

2013-04-30T21:43:00.000-04:00

all images c/o The Flybird

Say hello to May's Chic Chick Kylie Turley from the wonderful blog The Flybird . When I came across The Flybird I fell in love with Kylie's photography skills along with her easy breezy California style. Whether she's wearing a simple t-shirt and skinnies or bundled up for a night of camping Kylie rocks any outfit. She has an incredible eye through her lens - Kinfolk if you're out there Kylie is the girl for your next camping edition. Kylie who's a triplet, takes us through her travels camping , surfing or just enjoying life with her Ryan Gosling look a like husband Spencer. A Chic Chick is someone who inspires me and Kylie inspires me with her photography and carefree life.
[You can follow Kylie's travels through Instagram or her blog The Flybird .]

Where are you from?

Caldwell, Idaho

Where do you currently reside?
Los Angeles, California

What made you decided to start a blog? What is your blog about?

I started a blog in 2008 when I got married and moved to China. It was a great way to stay in touch with family and friends and also document my life in Asia. Over time my blogging style has evolved, but I remain true to what inspires me and share my adventures in travel, photography, videography and getting outdoors with my sweet hubby Spencer.

What inspires you?

Genuinely loving relationships, nature, ocean, adventures, travel, and exploring.

What are you currently listening to?

The Shins - Port of Morrow

You are always traveling to the coolest places, how do you choose your next destination?

A lot of time the destination chooses me. If I do however, choose it myself - I try to pick a new continent that I haven't seen yet or feel I haven't thoroughly explored. I typically am attracted to places because of the culture, people and landscapes. Depending on the mood I'm going for (adventure? volunteer? art?) I will choose based on that interest!

What are your essentials for camping?

I've blogged about my camping essentials here, here and here to name a few. In short, I wear a lot of hats. I can't go anywhere without one!

Last but not least , what advice would you give someone (like myself) who has never been camping?

First of all, anyone who hasn't been camping really hasn't experienced nature to its fullest! It's the best way to connect with the world around us in a real and natural way. There's something about sleeping, cooking and eating outside that brings us back to our innate nature as human beings. We didn't used to have all these fancy gizmos and gadgets that make life so easy today. I love to return to the simplicity of life when I go camping. When in doubt, simplify. You just need to give it a try. Even if you're not an outdoorsy person and hate bugs or not sleeping in your own bed, everyone ought to give it a chance and approach camping with an open mind.

Grey on grey

2013-04-30T11:23:00.000-04:00

These pants continue to be popular in my closet whether I'm wearing them with tennis or heels they are one of my go to pieces. Pattern pants can be scary however nowadays polka dots and strips are the new khaki (neutral). I can't seem to have enough of them from blouses, shorts and pants they are just so fun to wear.

This Look > pants.shoes : Forever 21 (old) [similar] / top : J.Crew (old) [similar] / belt : thrifted / clutch : Zara (old) / bracelets : Madewell / glasses : Warby Parker (Miles)

This weekend I ...

2013-04-29T00:46:00.000-04:00

Apple sweater

This weekend I was a quite the shopper, J.Crew Factory Store was having a 50% off entire store and if you know me I'm a sucker for a sale especially when it comes to J.Crew. Other than these items I scored our weekend was pretty relaxed. Saturday the weather was nice enough to enjoy fajita night on our new patio furniture and some good boxing matches on HBO. My kind of weekend.

Loving H&M's beauty products.

Great statement necklaces [ here , here ] from Forever 21

Cute post it notes and planner from Target {You can never have enough binders/post it notes }

Friday [Links] I love...

2013-04-26T01:52:00.002-04:00

image via

Hi lovelies! It's Friday Friday Friday - my favorite day of the week. This weekend we'll be enjoying some fajitas along with a great boxing match and some much needed down time. I hope your weekend is filled with great food and some snuggles on the couch along with a great flick.

I found THIS wonderful website on A House in the Hills if you love travel pictures this website is the place to find inspiration.

For those of you who didn't attend Coachella THIS video needs to be watched.

Being thankful taken to the next level - I plan to one day do THIS

Who wants to buy me THIS for my upcoming trip ?

If I ever throw a baby shower it will hopefully look like THIS

Becoming obsessed with kitchen towels especially THIS one

Making some of these 250 calories recipes - found on THIS site

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What time is it ? { Maxi Time }

2013-04-25T00:12:00.000-04:00

It's that time of the year again the sun is out , heat is on and coats are stored away till October. So whip out them maxi skirts and enjoy the breeze. You can never have too many skirts especially maxi skirts. They can be worn to work and easily transition to dinner/ drinks. If you're "ballin' on a budget" you can always head to your local thrift store and snatch one up for less than $5. I picked up this polka dot skirt last year at the Goodwill for $5, after a quick wash you have yourself an on trend item for less than $10. Sometimes I prefer to buy my clothes at the thrift store simply because they are one of a kind pieces. You won't have to worry about some other girl wearing the same pattern dress/skirt as you. Believe it or not this has happen to me , I was out to dinner with my husband a few years ago I was wearing a dress from the Gap and low and behold in walks a girl wearing the same dress. I understand I'm not the only person who shops however when this happen all I wanted to do was rip the dress off and burn it. After dinner we went home and I never wore this dress again, now it sits in someone else's closet.

top : Old Navy[ here ]

skirt/belt : thrifted [ i also like ]

shoes : Nine West (old)

sunnies : Forever 21

clutch : Fossil

bracelets : Madewell

hair clip : Old Navy

My nook

2013-04-24T08:35:00.000-04:00

If you follow me on Instagram you would have seen this fabulous chair I snatched up at my local Goodwill for $10. I've been looking for a chair for our bedroom and this one has definitely filled that void. After watching Sex and the City I knew I wanted a small nook in my bedroom similar to the one Carrie created with Aidan's chair. This chair is cozy enough to curl up with a good magazine or to sip some tea. Sunday's are pretty casual in our house while my husband catches up on his sports on the iPad I will sit here and look through magazines or have my breakfast. We've tried to make our bedroom a place for us to relax so we have chosen not to plug in our TV and that's the best decision we have ever made. So our bedroom is a place where we talk , read or day dream together about life. So far so good.

Crazy Cat Lady

2013-04-23T01:19:00.000-04:00

Sweatshirts can be tricky sometimes the bulkiness along with the length can either be flattering or a big ol' mess. A sweatshirt can easily transformed if done right. I love a good challenge so I chose to dress it up with some vibrant heels, a leopard belt and my new favorite jeans. I bought these jeans over the weekend while shopping with my Mom and they have easily become my go to jeans. The length is perfect for the summer these boyfriend jeans will be on some serious rotation.

sweatshirt : c/o Fab.com [ Skip N' Whistle ]
jeans : The Loft [ here ]
shoes : H&M [ similar ]
sunnies : Target [ similar ]
bracelets : Madewell [ here ]

The weekend that was

2013-04-21T22:42:00.002-04:00

This weekend was so great my Mom was in town so we did some shopping , eating and she even went to the gym with me. Having her here is bittersweet because I know it's only for a quick minute before she's on her way back home but we made the most of her visit. Here are a few highlights from my weekend : fresh tulips brightening up my home, sequence gem I picked up at a consignment store , and if you're ever in DC craving tacos District Taco downtown DC is a must. I wish I would've snapped a pic of my delicious tacos however my stomach took over my body and my memory was left at home along with my SD card.

Finding this gem [sequence pencil skirt] at a consignment store in Columbia, MD

All that was left after devouring the most delicious tacos at District Taco (dowtown DC)

What I'm wearing { this weekend }

2013-04-18T23:58:00.001-04:00

1. Gap sweater 2. J.Crew tee 3. Madewell leopard flats 4. Madewell tote 5.Forever 21 cigarette pants
6. Forever 21 scarf 7. similar sunglasses

Hello Friday !!! I'm finally feeling much better and my Mom's in town and I am one happy gal. This weekend is going to be filled with some shopping, sight seeing and much needed Mommy time. Since the weather is suppose to be a little colder than it has been I'll be toting a sweater with me. I guess I packed them away too early, in my defense April is almost over. I'm hoping this is only temporary Maryland.

This weekend I hope to :
Make my balcony look like this .
Saturday morning making these pancakes for my Mom.
Replaying this song a zillion times because I just love it that much. (this week's fave song)

Hope you have a great weekend.

Chic Chick : Grizzly Bear Galore's Lauren Rearick

2013-04-16T23:59:00.000-04:00

Last year when I was searching for some information on Grizzly Bear's upcoming tour I stumbled upon Grizzly Bear Galore a fan page on Tumblr written by Lauren and Kerry. I lost myself in this website I saw articles , videos , interviews and pictures I had never seen from Grizzly Bear . I of course began to follow them on Twitter so I would be up to date on everything Grizzly Bear. After a few retweets and conversations via Twitter Lauren and I became social media friends. We not only shared a love for music but we also share the same birthday- instant BFF's. For the past year Lauren and I would have conversations about bands, fashion and of course Grizzly Bear. We even collaborated together on a playlist for her blog seen here. So it was a no brainer who I would meet up with when we bought our tickets to go see Grizzly Bear in Pittsburgh.

Lauren and I began to make plans to meet up before the show since we both were obviously going. We decided to meet up at the famous Primanti Brother's sandwich shop. We walked up the stairs and I spotted this petite frame gal wearing polka dot shorts, black and white peter pan top, black tights with black leather booties and leather bomber jacket - that was Lauren alright. Lauren and I chatted about music, shows, fashion, blog world, her writing among other things. After eating one of the most yummiest sandwiches we all walked down the street to Carnegie Hall chatting away like old friends. After the show Lauren and her brother Cory were gracious enough to give us a ride back to our hotel and on the ride over there we all just chatted up like we have known each other for years.

Lauren is a very quick gal her humor is on point which is one of the things I loved about her. I instantly knew I wanted to make her my Chic Chick for April. A Chic Chick is someone who inspires me whether it's through fashion, music and in Lauren - her writing. Lauren is an amazing writer you can see her work on her music blog The Grey Estates or her "leftover blog" Lauren's Notebook where she shares her thoughts on fashion, entertainment or anything that she's craving at that moment. Like I said this girl is not afraid of putting herself out there. One minute we are talking about blogs and finding your niche the next day boom she starts her music blog. Where I am more reserved and cautious this gal just goes for it. Here's my quick Q&A with Lauren.

How did you and Kerry start Grizzly Bear Galore? What is GBG about ?

Lauren : At the time tumblr was really just getting popular and we both had started using it as a means for personal blogging. There was a lot of those FYeah blogs and we both had noticed there wasn't one for Grizzly Bear. We also kinda hated using FYEAHGrizzlyBEAR! Lame. We decided that combining Kerry's intense Grizzly Bear knowledge with my middle school award winning google skills would make a pretty unstoppable team. So, we started Grizzly Bear Galore, a blog about the Brooklyn band, Grizzly Bear.

What was it like to receive recognition from the band ?

Lauren: I think it's everyone's like secret Almost Famous fantasy for their favorite band to know and want to party backstage with them or whatever. Thom Yorke still hasn't called me back, so I've moved on. It has been and is still super surreal. When we started there was like 30 followers and we just had fun making stupid blingees and posting old photographs, so to go from that to a much wider audience has been so weird, but cool. For us it's awesome knowing we're doing a service and in our really small way helping them.

What inspires you?

Lauren : Spencer Krug. Really great writers who are funny, but still the best, like Chuck Klosterman and David Sedaris. Female writers in general also inspire me because I feel like at times it's really hard to prove yourself as a female, especially in this field. My family and friends who are really determined and proactive.

What are you currently listening to?

Lauren : Young Man, Gap Dream, Bleached, Cat Power and Somethings.

How do you split up your time from GBG and your personal blog along with your new music blog?

Lauren : I have way too much free time. Grizzly Bear Galore is nice and has gotten easier because Kerry and I operate on different schedules. She's a night owl and I'm a morning person, so our posting is really easy and doesn't conflict. We've also changed what we post and sort of focus solely on the band and not on Jimmy's watercolor drawing of Ed's nose. Seeing other bloggers and writers, yourself included Myrna, who are really good about posting and creating original content it was my goal this year to do that. Mainly it's just the free time life of freelancing.

If you could give someone a piece of advice about starting a music blog what would it be?

Lauren : You don't have to be an expert or a degreed professional to start a blog. Just be passionate about what you're writing and be prepared to work to get an audience. Things aren’t going to happen overnight, but if you're having fun and you enjoy it then it shouldn't matter how many hits or followers you get.

Denim + black

2013-04-15T23:25:00.000-04:00

Say hello to my favorite jeans. The perfect jean for me sits above my hip , roomy and flattering. I was ~~blessed~~ with bootay & thighs so it's quite hard to find a pair that I feel comfortable in and I found that in these. This is not a sponsored post just a gal that loves her black jeans. I've been feeling under the weather all day so this gal is taking some Theraflu and going to bed. Have a great Tuesday and enjoy this mini outfit post.

jeans : The Loft

top : Forever 21

belt : thrifted

shoes : Steve Madden

bracelets : Madewell

flower pin : J.Crew

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Coachella Style 2013

2013-04-15T01:58:00.003-04:00

all images via

This weekend was the first weekend of Coachella Music Festival in Indio, CA. The grounds were flooded with intense outfits and great music. I was lucky enough to watch some of the festivities on Coachella You Tube channel. Music festival style is a tricky thing to pull off however this year there was some great style walking around Coachella. From cut offs to maxi skirts some gals brought their A- game to the festival. Here are some of my favorite looks.

Round it up ...

2013-04-12T10:55:00.000-04:00

It's COACHELLA time...

via

The weekend has finally arrived it's Coachella time. You know me I'm a sucker for music and music festivals. Over the past couple of years some music festivals have been streamed. Who ever started this is a genius because a festival for me is 90% music and 10% ambiance. So being able to catch my favorite bands from my couch is a perfect situation for me. I've set up my Coachella calendar so I will be catching bands like Tame Impala, Vampire Weekend, New Order, Postal Service , Violent Femmes just to name a few. If you would like to join in on the fun grab a coldie and your computer/iPad and enjoy the show at Coachella You Tube Channel .

Besides Coachella, Saturday morning we will be attending our first Cherry Blossom Festival. I have my camera charged up and ready. Maryland you look crappy in the winter but come spring you have the most beautiful trees I've ever seen. If you follow me on Instagram (which you should ;) ) your feed is going to be full of cherry blossoms on Saturday. Sorry.

I hope everyone has a great weekend.

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