The Small Things Blog

Patterned Dress

2012-03-02T08:48:00.001-05:00

I was driving home from work the other day and saw this wooded area with a gravel path.

I happened to have my camera, tripod and a newly purchased wireless shutter release remote (my other one must have grown legs and walked away. Or the cats decided to use it as a hockey puck. . .) so I pulled over to snap a few outfit shots.

I had to swallow my pride and smile at my tripod while cars only 40 feet away drove past, craning their necks to see what that crazy blonde girl was doing.

Dress: Target (by the way, upon looking up the link to share here on the blog, I just realized that this is a maternity dress. And I'm not pregnant. So that's awkward.)

Sweater: The Loft, 2011

Belt: J.Crew outlet

Scarf: Banana Republic

Jewelry: Elisabeth Ashlie, unavailable

Tights: Target

Shoes: Target

Breaking News:

One of my lovely readers changed my day today. . .

There's a Duke student in my bed.

2012-03-01T07:29:00.000-05:00

I was going to share an outfit I wore recently today but. . .

SOMETHING ELSE HUGE HAPPENED!

My husband got accepted to DUKE for Graduate School!

We have been anxiously awaiting this notification for weeks. It's been torture. Not really as much for me. . .more for him.

He happens to be a huge Duke fan, and has been since he and his friend Ed pretended to be Duke basketball players while shooting hoops in Ed's driveway when they were 10 years old.

So what happened was this:

He imposed this "rule" on himself that he wouldn't purchase any official Duke clothes until he found out whether or not he'd been accepted. But he shopped. Oh, he shopped. He found the perfect black polo shirt with a classic Duke logo on it. It was going to be the shirt that he would purchase as soon as he got the acceptance letter.

But, they sold out. Like, completely. They aren't making it anymore.

So the search for the perfect Duke shirt began again.

And he found two others that he really liked.

But they sold out. For good.

So he'd had it. He ordered the shirt (pictured above) online as soon as he found it, so as to not be disappointed by another "shirt loss". So the plan changed and he wasn't going to open the package until he found out whether or not he had been accepted.

So it sat on the table. I returned from Blissdom, and immediately was drawn to the unopened package waiting for us on the table.

"What surprise is waiting for us behind that plastic wrapping?"

I grabbed the scissors and approached the package.

"You know those are his Duke shirts right? You better not open that." My sister warned me from the couch. She was at our house watching, of all things, a Duke game.

Phew. Close one.

Last night, I was finishing up at the salon with his mom being my final client of the night. All the sudden my door swings open, and there he stands, my man in shining Duke glory, glowing Blue Devil blue, and making it very, very prominent that he was wearing his Duke shirt. He may have puffed out his chest a bit too.

And so I knew immediately what that meant. He had been accepted. And he finally got to wear his shirt.

I'm so proud of him.

So we celebrated with a Bloomin' Onion.

And chatted about how cool he was now that he"goes to Duke".

He may or may not have referenced the Duke Basketball Team as his team.

Blissdom

2012-02-29T08:48:00.001-05:00

Whew. Where do I begin?

First, if you have not heard: I went to Blissdom this weekend. A 2-day long blog convention in Nashville, TN. Read more about it here.

The first moment I knew that this could be a pretty great weekend was when we arrived at the Nashville airport. I got off the plane, and was walking toward baggage claim when I noticed my surroundings.
I had been here before.
I saw a Starbucks and then it came to me.

That Starbucks was the one I sat in when I created this blog.

I had a 3 hour layover upon returning from a trip to Denver over the summer. So I sat in Starbucks, logged into Blogspot, and started thinking of new domain names.

And The Small Things Blog began.
(while I've been blogging for over a year, I've only been here on blogger w/ this blog name since June 2011)

And here I was, attending a conference in the same city for this little blog that I created while killing time during a layover. Wow.

Blissdom was a great experience for me. I've been blogging for over a year but I still feel like I have so much to learn. Actually, it's not a feeling--it's a fact. The most common question I asked this whole weekend was "What is that?" or "Who is that?". But now I have a starting point and can only gain knowledge and information from here.

The funniest thing about a blog conference is this: Bloggers have the ability to whip out their phones and check twitter or instagram in the middle of a session, or even a conversation, and not be offensive. We're all in the same boat, and either connecting with our readers with an instagram photo, or tweeting at our friends to meet up after a session.

I used twitter so much that my roommates and I started using the word "hashtag" in actual conversation.

Nerd-alert.

Another thing is that there seemed to be a general sense of kindness at this conference. Either that, or I just met and hung with some exceptionally great people. My group discussions were helpful and motivating. And it doesn't matter how long you have been blogging, the mere fact that you blog connects you with so many other people.

Finally, the majority of the speakers, in various sessions, were fantastic. They really knew their topic and explained it well. I attended a photography session, a few business sessions, and a few writing sessions. And each was helpful in their own way. Even the least helpful session of the weekend turned into a great joke with my roommates. #awkward.

As for the entertainment, Joe Jonas, Rascal Flatts, and Chris Mann performed.
Here we are with Rascal Flatts:

and now for the rest of the conference. . . told in Instagram photos:

(crooked smile?) Thats me and CarolineG.

biz card collection

Can't wait for next year.

Caroline G. Giveaway

2012-02-28T07:58:00.000-05:00

Once of the best parts of Blissdom(which I'll blog about tomorrow) was getting to know my roommates. And one of those lovely people was Caroline, of Caroline G.

She makes absolutely beautiful bows that can be clipped into hair, or as an accent on other accessories.

Hi, I'm Carrie from Caroline G. I started my shop while teaching preschool two years ago and it quickly took off. I left teaching at the end of 2nd year to run my accessory shop. I am drawn to bright colors which can be found in many of the pieces I design. Since I started my business while teaching little ones, my products were originally made for all the sweet little ones in your life. I have since expanded out to include products for teens, woman, and weddings.

Blog I Twitter I Facebook I Shop

Carrie is offering a $30.00 store credit to her online shop!
Make sure to check back here on Friday March 2, 2012 to see if you won!
{enter using the new giveaway management tool below, just follow the steps}
*comments left in the standard comment window will not qualify for this giveaway. You must enter by using the giveaway tool below.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

The Double Bun

2012-02-27T09:23:00.001-05:00

I'm back from Blissdom, my first blog conference. It was incredibly inspiring and motivating, and I met a lot of great people.

The first day we arrived, my hair was pretty much a disaster. After the airplane, a ride in a taxi with the windows down, and walking through the humid jungle that resides in the lobby of the hotel, I knew I had to do something about it before I actually met people. I mean, it's kind of my best advertisement.

So my roommate and I dropped our stuff in our room and I threw my hair up in this double bun style. It took all of 5 minutes.

I love messy, but stylish, pulled up hair. This is a technique for styling hair that encourages a nice, full messy bun in the back with soft and pretty sides. You can center it, or move it to either side of your head for something different.

Refer to this post to see what's in my hair.

Refer to this post to see how my hair is curled.

Polka dot top: TJ Maxx

Blazer: Gap

Earrings: c/o Stella & Dot

Gussy Sews Winner

2012-02-24T17:57:00.000-05:00

The winner of the $50.00 Gussy Sews Giveaway is. . .

(we are pointing at YOU Liz!)
(that's me and Maggie! I'm SO excited that I got to meet her at Blissdom!)

LizFeb 20, 2012 07:44 AM

My favorite item is the TANGERINE TWIRL NESTING TRIO :)

Congrats Liz! You will be contacted via e-mail!

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So Blissdom? Awesome. I'm so inspired. I have so enjoyed meeting so many other bloggers that I look forward to connecting with beyond Blissdom.

Oh and my roommates? Awesome.

Check 'em out:

KatyLoves

TheTinyTwig

CarolineGBlog

Flat out Blissdom.

2012-02-23T07:30:00.000-05:00

Today I'm heading off to my first blog conference.

What is a blogging conference you ask?

I'll get to that.

First, these shoes need to be introduced.

I picked these up at Old Navy recently. Very recently in fact. I needed some cute and non-round toe-d flats.

I tried some on at Gap:

But the toe part was just sooooo looooong. I mean look at it?! Elf shoes.

Anyway, the Old Navy pair was half the price of the Gap shoes and much more what I was looking for.

Thats all about shoes for now.

This blog conference is in Nashville, Tennessee and called Blissdom. This will be my first visit to Nashville! I'm looking really forward to networking, meeting other bloggers I'm familiar with AND new-to-me bloggers, and learning. There will be different sessions on various subjects all having to do with blogging. Some on the sessions are on photography, writing, business and life development.

Since I'm only a year into this blogging gig, I thought now was as good as a time as ever to try out a blog conference and see what I learn.

Wish me luck!

February Birchbox

2012-02-22T07:30:00.000-05:00

My February Birchbox is here! And has been here awhile. I'm just late in posting about it.

This month had 2 wonderful products, and some medium-ly nice products, and one product that is simply not my style. But it was interesting nonetheless!

I love love love the Dermalogica Daily Microfoliant. I didn't think I would like the powder + water= paste texture. . .but I do. And I adore the smell of Dermalogica products. I've been familiar with this line for over 8 years. They make good products.

I still have a good amount of my Philosophy microdelivery exfoliating wash, but I may consider this new Daily Microfoliant next. It's gentle, but gets the job done.

I also looooove my Beauty Blender (the pink sponge). You can read more about that here.

The Jouer tint is great for accenting cheekbones, or highlighting areas, in case you don't want to use it all over your face.

The Eye Rock sticker liners--not a favorite of mine. I don't typically wear any kind of dramatic eye makeup, even if I were to be going out, so I simply would use them.

The heart shaped nail file was cute! And is perfect for your purse since it won't be as likely to snap in half. And finally, they included a little card to check out some new tunes!

So there you have it! That was my february box. While overall it may have been luke warm, I was thrilled to discover the beauty blender and the exfoliating product!

Are you getting Birchbox's? If not, click here if you want more info!

Beauty Blender

2012-02-21T09:52:00.001-05:00

I received that pink teardrop shaped sponge pictured above in my February Birchbox. It's called a Beauty Blender. It is used for applying liquid foundation.

It's been years since I've used any kind of sponge to apply my liquid foundation. I remember hearing that it can absorb the product and therefore "waste" some of it, and I'm sure I stopped using it shortly thereafter. I have no idea if it actually absorbs enough to waste the product, but nonetheless, I switched to brushes.

I really like brushes. I also really like to use my fingers.

but now. . .

I really like the Beauty Blender. I read somewhere that it makes your foundation "look like it's airbrushed". I think thats actually true. The foundation goes on smoothly and evenly. And I don't have use a lot!

I was using the beauty blender dry until I actually read the directions and saw that you should wet it (but then squeeze it out really good), and then use it. I tap about a quarter size amount of foundation on the top of my left hand, then dot the beauty blender on it and apply it to my face.

I've been using it for about a week and only really used one section of it. I'm hoping to slowly work my way around so I use a "fresh" section each day. I'm curious to see how long it lasts!

So if you were looking for a new application method, or also received the beauty blender in your February Birchbox (lucky you), I'd highly recommend it.

Gussy Sews Giveaway//closed

2012-02-20T09:17:00.000-05:00

I'm excited about this giveaway for 2 reasons.
1. I LOVE Gussy Sews products. You may remember this tutorial featuring her headbands.
2. I'm about to meet her in person at the blog conference I'm attending this weekend! We may even come up with a creative way to announce the winner. :)

Gussy Sews makes and sells pouches, headbands, totes, wristlets, etc. Be sure to check out her shop to see everything.

Hi there {waves!}, I'm Maggie Whitley, owner & designer of Gussy Sews. I spend my days working on my blog and my shop which are my dream jobs! On my blog you'll find tips on how I left my day job to focus on my business and different prompts/projects that help build a handmade community of inspiration & adventuring. Interested in what fills the "shelves" of my shop? All sorts of sassy, girly, colorful accessories: *new* camera strap slipcovers, tote bags, zipped pouches, eReader cases, headbands -- all sporting my signature ruffle ;)

click here to see her shop

click here to follow on twitter

click here to see the Facebook fan page

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Maggie is giving away a $50.00 gift card to Gussy Sews!

Here is how to enter:

1. Leave a comment here telling me your favorite item from Gussy Sews.

2. For a second chance to win, subscribe to the newsletter and leave an additional comment telling me that you did.

Please include your e-mail address in each comment so I can contact you if you win!

The winner will be chosen randomly on Friday, February 24th and announced here on the blog!

Good luck!

The Fishtail

2012-02-20T07:27:00.000-05:00

Braids are very in right now, and so are fishtails! A fishtail is just a different kind of braid only using two strands instead of three. The final result resembles an actual fish tail. . .which is where it got it's name.

You'll notice that I'm wearing my clip in extensions in this video. I will try to research and find the name of the brand, but it's been so long since I've bought them that I have forgotten the brand! I never wear these unless I'm trying a new hairstyle in my bathroom for these Monday tutorials. I like them, as far as extensions go, but I don't like the added weight to my head.
My hair is straightened in this video prior to adding the extensions, and I have a tutorial for that here!
Click here to see the products I use on a daily basis.

*pardon the mess. You can see why I added extensions. My natural hair length is not quite long enough to create a smooth fishtail. :)

Scarf: Target, Sunglasses: The Loft, Earrings: Elisabeth Ashlie, unavailable.

Sonia Kashuk Perfectly Neutral

2012-02-17T07:51:00.000-05:00

I picked up this palette several days ago in order to show you a similar look to my daily makeup routine for less!

The price of this Sonia Kashuk Palette is about the same as 1 eyeshadow from Mac.

There, I said it.

Frankly, I've found that if you use a good quality primer, even less expensive shadows last nearly as long as the pricey ones.

For any questions about the brushes that I'm using, see this post!

Home Updates

2012-02-16T08:14:00.000-05:00

I was feeling the urge to spruce up the house a bit. . .call it spring fever/cleaning. So thanks to T.J. Maxx, Target & some Christmas gifts I have yet to share. . . .sprucing accomplished!

I added this little wire basket, from T.J Maxx ( or Home Goods. . .) in an empty corner.

This rug, from Target, was perfect for adding some spice to my kitchen.

It's a repetative pattern that I buy and decorate in repetitive patterns. See what I mean?

This lovely mixer decal was a gift from my mom Christmas. Isn't it lovely? I love it. It went on like a breeze and hasn't budged. Click here if you would like one for yourself!

My mom also bought me this extra large cookie jar for, well, cookies. But I try to keep those out of my house. So I turned it around (it said "cookies" on the front) and I filled it with my Kcups. If you don't know, Kcups are the prepackaged coffee grinds made for your Keurig. I seriously love my Keurig. And my new Kcup container.

So, while these are just minor changes and updates, it feels good to change things up every once in awhile. :)

Pink Polka

2012-02-15T07:15:00.002-05:00

Have you noticed that polka dots are everywhere?

I have.

And I noticed this polka dot top at T.J. Maxx the other day for $16.99.

Yes.

So I picked one up for my sister and me.

Will you incorporate polka dots into your spring wardrobe?

DIY Heart Nail

2012-02-14T12:48:00.002-05:00

Well, it's valentines day. And I'm sick at home with a cold.

So I thought I would paint a heart on my nail.

My nails are Shellac-ed with Romanitque by CND.

*pardon my dry hands. It's winter.

Grab a pink polish, like Flirt (how appropriate) by Essie, and a few toothpicks.

Dip a toothpick in the polish and begin outlining the heart. "Pull" the polish toward the center of the heart by dragging your toothpick inward. Don't worry if it's uneven--you can add a drop of fresh polish right on top of the center to smooth it out at the end.

(I'm showing this on a tissue but you do this on your actual nail)

*less is more here. You can always add more color, but its hard to work with big globs of color.

Use a clean toothpick to push in any color that seeps out. Less is more!

Once the heart is absolutely completely dry, coat with a layer of top coat.

Happy Valentines Day!

Embraceable Lace Giveaway//closed

2012-02-14T09:38:00.000-05:00

Today's giveaway is from Elisa at Embraceable Lace!

Embraceable Lace is my in between job, job. I am a business suit during the day, and a bar tender at night. I am a dog-mamma to Bazuka Jo, and Goose, a big sister and a baby sister, a double auntie and a volunteer for an Ethiopia based group called Artists for Charity. Im a shabby chic queen, veggie gardening, DIYer. I have a busy, full life that is jam packed with inspiration and positive energy, and I take that and twirl it into little rosettes for Embraceable Lace!

I created Embraceable Lace about a year after becoming an Aunt for the first time. I would create things for my niece and people I worked with started asking me to design little things for their daughters, and then a baby shower, and finally I was asked to do a collection for a wedding. Working 2 jobs gets crazy, so making these items became my sort of "safe haven" from being stressed out and over worked. Embraceable Lace has grown so much over the past year and a half and it has truly been a blast. Its always there at the end of the day for me to sit down and craft my little heart out, so when I see the items sell and see others loving them as much as I love making them it puts a smile on my face. I've worked hard to make my product a little different, and to hone in on making it to last. Everything is one of a kind, and all of the backs are finished by hand, which I'm really proud of (Have you ever flipped a cheap headband over and seen that the backs are secured by a dot of hot glue? They fall apart super fast!) . I buy from Etsy all the time, and started to notice that my purchases would sometimes fall apart quickly, which introduced me to the idea of making sure that mine wouldn't do that. My now 3 year old niece and her 8 month old sister get a care package every few months full of new headbands and clips, so they can test them out for me and make sure my designs can last!

Elisa is giving away a $20.00 gift certificate to her shop on Etsy!

Here is how to enter:

1. "like" Embraceable Lace's Facebook fan page and leave a comment here telling me you did ALONG WITH YOUR E-MAIL ADDRESS!

The winner will be chosen on Friday February 17th at 7:00a EST randomly and notified via e-mail.

** use the coupon code "smallthings15" to receive 15% off your purchase starting today! **

Good Luck!

______________________________________

The winner is. . .

CandaceFeb 14, 2012 07:16 AM

Liked her page....Love her stuff!

Congrats Crystal!

Revlon Lip Butter

2012-02-14T09:22:00.000-05:00

My new love.

This is quite possibly the best lipstick/tint I've ever used.

It's so soft and makes your lips feel like you have slathered them in Softlips, in a good way.

And they have just enough color.

And it only took weeks before I could finally get my hands on the colors I wanted! It seems that every other woman in my area wanted these too.

The Peach Parfait, in my opinion, looks absolutely NOTHING like the ad with Emma Stone. I was expecting more peach, but I'm actually happier with the results on my lips. I'm aware everyone's lips take on color differently, but wasn't nearly as intense at the ad showed. So don't be afraid of Peach Parfait!

And Strawberry Shortcake? The perfect girly pink. But not Barbie pink.

I may be done with lipstick forever.

Fancy Side Pony

2012-02-13T07:50:00.000-05:00

This is a sleek and somewhat simple way to pull your hair into a side ponytail. Perfect for a night out! You can add a small flower, or decorative bobby pin, near the "ponytail" to make it even prettier. I did this style on straight hair, but you can absolutely try it on curly hair too!

To see what products are in my hair, click here!

To see how my hair was styled before I started this tutorial, click here!

Any other questions? Check my FAQ page!

*If you can't secure your hair by simply wrapping a piece around the ponytail like I do, just secure it with a clear ponytail holder and wrap hair around afterwards!

**this style will look even better if you hide your bobby pins better than I do. :)

High Five for Friday + Guest Post

2012-02-10T08:09:00.000-05:00

**VOTE for my Nail Polish Inspiration Board! Click HERE!**

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Link up with Lauren (my beaut' of a sis) at From My Grey Desk every friday and share YOUR top 5 awesome things of the week.

Here are mine:

1. Duke beat Carolina , a very large basketball rivalry in our area, this week.

2. Duke won.

3. Duke played a great game against Carolina and ended up winning!

4. Austin Rivers, a Duke player, scored the game winning 3-pointer in the last second of the game.

5. Duke won.

Nothing else really happened.

::who knew I was such a fan? when did this happen?::

Also, today I'm guest posting over my friend Lindsey's blog, Southern Lovely! Come see what every girl should have in her basic hairstyling arsenal. :)

Facial Product Favorites

2012-02-09T07:57:00.001-05:00

**VOTE for my Nail Polish Inspiration Board! Click HERE! It's takes 1 second.**

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I'm a sucker for trying new products. Whether for hair, skin or nails--I always like to try new things. Along the way I've discovered some all-time favorites that work wonderfully for my skin.

My skin is a combination of dry and oily. Most of the dryness is around my nose and on my forehead. And the oily areas are mainly my chin and center of the forehead.

So I aim for products for dry skin, and for acne-prone/oily skin.

Here are a few of my favorites:

Do you like my tray? I got it at Target. And one side was slightly bent so they gave me 5% off. I know. . .MAJOR discount. But I took it.

Olay Regenerist Serum. I sort of forgot about how great this product is. I stopped using it for a few weeks and replaced it with my Hope In a Jar Moisturizer during the day. However, I discovered that the Regenerist serum is great for daytime and I like Hope in a Jar for nighttime.

This revolutionary product changed the way my under eye concealer goes on. And stays on. I can't say enough great things about it.

Hope in a Jar (for dry skin) is a great, deep moisturizer. It's slightly heavy, but not too thick. Definitely great for dry skin. I also like the regular Hope in a Jar.

This is a semi-new product for me as I have been trying to battle breakouts on my chin. It's worked really well to fight off blemishes!

Truly a non-greasy eye cream. And I love that it has SPF since the skin around the eye is so delicate!

If I had to choose only 1 of these products to take with me to a deserted island, it would be the Sephora Wrinkle Filler. I mean, I can't get over how great the product is. It could also, maybe, be used as a concentrated "primer" around your nose--where makeup may settle into creases.

Krispy Kreme Challenge

2012-02-08T08:23:00.000-05:00

**VOTE for my Nail Polish Inspiration Board! Click HERE! It's takes 1 second.**

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Imagine running 2.5 miles, eating 12 Krispy Kreme Donuts, and running 2.5 miles back in less than 1 hour.

That is called the Krispy Kreme Challenge.

Sounds terrible, right?

Well, my husband signed right up. And got a few of his friends to do it with him. And 3 of them wore spandex on bottom. Your welcome for cropping the following photo. . .

The proud competitors. We've got Rusty, Chris, My MAN Justin, and Matt. They all finished the race, but Justin was the only one who completed it in 53:57! You needed to complete the challenge in under an hour to qualify.

Race day was actually beautiful. They were calling for rain, but it held off until later that afternoon.

Jessica, Rusty's wife, and my sister were there supporting the runners!

How cute are her kids?

We were cheering from the donut eating location. There were tables and tables of donuts stacked several high!

The runners came flooding in. . .

And then I spotted my man!

He picked up some rubber gloves to wear during the donut eating so as to not dirty his hands with sugar paste and have to run back with sugar hands. I can't really blame him, it was pretty nasty. And it turns out, he wasn't the only one with that idea.

Matt chose the "donut hole" method of squishing them into a ball. Not the most strategic. . .but hey. He tried.

Justin's method was the classic Flatten a Stack.

Rusty arrived a little bit after Justin and Matt had begun eating. He dug right in and, frankly, seemed to enjoy each donut. But if you knew Rusty, you would know that man can each sugar like nobody's business.

Justin finished up, and left Matt and Rusty in the dust.

Another one of Justin's friends, and study buddy, Anthony (who we affectionally call "Tones-McGones"), showed up and got right to work on the donuts.

He needed gloves.

By the time the boys left, Jessica and I thought we should probably take some pictures as if we were competing. Thats the closest we'll ever get to the Challenge.

And Jessica's youngest cheered us on with a sign that said "You Have Never Been Cooler!"

Overall, it was a really fun morning and it was great to be able to see the boys eat all the donuts. They all did really well, and they managed to keep most of the donuts down even after the race. (and that's all I'm going to say about that.)

If you live in the area, The Krispy Kreme Challenge is worth an attempt, or just something to go watch. But be warned: You'll never look at Krispy Kreme's the same again.

Good thing I'm a Dunkin Donuts girl.

Modern Fabric Studio Giveaway

2012-02-08T08:19:00.003-05:00

Today's giveaway is from Amanda at Modern Fabric Studio!

Check out these fab fabrics.

From Amanda:

I have always been into crafting but I started sewing only a few years ago. One day I came home from work..it was snowing and I knew I wouldn’t be going to work the next day. I went and bought a sewing machine that night and locked myself up in my apartment and taught myself how to sew! I have been LOVING it ever since! I fell in love with the designer fabrics I sewed with and I have always wanted to own my own company…so that is how Modern Fabric Studio started!

My favorite designer is Anna Maria Horner…she was the first designer I started sewing with so I’m in love with all her fabrics! And of course I always love Amy Butler’s lines!

How to win a $25.00 credit to Modern Fabric Studio!

"Like" the Modern Fabric Studio page on Facebook and comment here (with your e-mail address included) letting me know you did.

There will only be 1 winner, and that person will be chosen on Friday February 10th at 8:00a EST randomly. The winner will be contacted via e-mail so don't forget to include it in your comment!

Good luck!

*meanwhile, please use the promo code "smallthings" to receive 10% off your order from Modern Fabric Studio now through the end of February!

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The winner is. . . .

BrandiOFeb 8, 2012 08:42 AM

Their fabrics are soooooooooooo stinkin cute!!!!I liked them on facebook!!!

Congrats BrandiO! Check your e-mail!

Help me win!

2012-02-07T07:25:00.002-05:00

You all know how much I love Birchbox, right? Well I love them even more now because they invited me to be a part of the coolest contest.
They teamed up with Zoya Nail Polish and chose 12 beauty bloggers to come up with their own mood/inspiration board for a hot shade of polish this spring. Then, there is a week of voting and at the end of it they will choose 3 winners!

Here is my board:

SophistiKated

If I win, they will use my mood/inspiration board to inspire a new shade of polish!

how cool is that?

So here is where you come in. I need you to vote. Everyday. Because I really want to win. :)

You must "like" Birchbox on Facebook and then you will be able to vote!

Click here to Vote!

Thank you SO much!

Stella and Dot Giveaway

2012-02-06T07:09:00.000-05:00

Aren't these earrings beautiful?

Would you like to win a pair?

"Stella & Dot, an Inc 500 Fastest-Growing Company, is a social selling company that creates flexible opportunities for women to be work from home entrepreneurs. We've been featured in magazines such as Lucky, O, Vogue and Real Simple and have been worn by countless television personalities. As a mom of four boys, this has been the perfect opportunity to allow independence and flexibility while still staying home with my boys!"

-Nicole Hazen, Stella & Dot Senior Stylist

Nicole Hazen, S&D Stylist in Boston, will be giving away a pair of the gorgeous Serenity Stone Drop Earrings!

Here is how to enter:

1. Leave a comment here telling me the color you are MOST looking forward to wearing this spring.

2. For a second chance to win, become a fan of her Facebook page and leave a separate comment here telling me that you did!

PLEASE leave your e-mail address in your comments so I can contact you if you win!

The winner will be chosen on Wednesday February 8th via Random.org at 8:00a EST and notified via e-mail!
Only available for US Residents.

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The winner is. . .

SusanFeb 6, 2012 10:38 AM

I'm most looking forward to wearing coral and jade with gold accents! I always love a good ruffle and bow, too! Congrats Susan!

And thanks to all who entered! :)

Flipped Half Up

2012-02-06T07:06:00.000-05:00

I almost called this "The Piggy Flip". . .but that doesn't sound pretty, does it?

But if you grew up knowing the style "piggy flip", thats exactly what we are doing here.

But I strategically leave a center section separate so as to not show the part.

You'll understand when you watch the video. . .

Refer to this post to see what products are in my hair.

Refer to this post to see how to curl your hair like mine is curled.

Refer to this post to see my makeup routine.

Earrings: Target, Summer 2011; Striped top: T. J Maxx, Spring 2012

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Spring is here! Time for new jewelry!

-Stella & Dot Senior Stylist Nicole Hazen