The Look I Love

I was thumbing through the latest JCrew catalog and feel in love with this outfit. I am drawn to how well put together and professional the model looks. I normally don't put my purchase dollar into hats, but feel this one completes the look.

I also would like to own a classic trench like this one. The JCrew one is $325... a little out of my budget, but I found this one at H&M for only $34.95. What a steal!

Happy bargain shopping!

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My next planned purchase...

I have been eyeing this Michael Kors Hamilton tote bag for the past year. I almost purchased a pale pink one last May when I was on the search for a new black handbag, but thought I should put my money into what I needed, not what I wanted.

This fall, they have come out with some great colors which may still work as staples to a wardrobe because they are general enough to go with many outfits. I can't decide which non-traditional color I like the best.

Navy, Purple, and Orange

Which one is your favorite?

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Deal of the Day

When people come to my house to visit, I can't help but tell them about my steal of a deal from Goodwill. Like I said in an earlier post, I never wanted to go into Goodwill when I was younger. One day when we were out looking for furniture for my house, my mom begged me to go into Goodwill.

Low and behold, there was this beautiful brand new Target chair sitting at the front of the store! I thought it was too good to be true because I had just looked at these same exact chairs on Target.com. The employee said it was new and they just took it out of the box to put it together that morning. Who knew Goodwill did Target buyouts.

This chair is still on Target.com for full price and I ended up getting it half price. What a deal!!!

Here is the chair:

Here is the chair in my bedroom:

Nothing like a good deal to make your day!

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DYI

I hung these shelves myself and am so proud of my DYI project.

My original plan was to purchase the white shelves for my guest bedroom/office from IKEA for $10 each, but I knew if I went to IKEA I would end up finding so many good "deals" and spend a lot more.

Instead, I came across these shelves for $6.99 each at the Christmas Tree Shop. If you have not been there yet, you should check it out. They have great home decor for very affordable prices. I like the shelves so much I think I'm going to go back to purchase them in a wood stain to hang in my living room.

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It's fair season!

I have been an enthusiastic fair-goer my entire life. This past Saturday, my mom and I attended the Kentucky State Fair in Louisville. Here are a few pictures from our trip:

Cows, cows, and more cows

My funnel cake

Loved this mule

The painted pony

The countdown to the Alexandria Fair (aka "the World's Fair") has now begun. Our fair takes place on Labor Day weekend which happens to my favorite weekend of the entire year because of all the fun festivities that take place.

While checking out the fair website, I notice my goddaughter is featured on the left of the home page!

I also couldn't resist sharing this photo of my mom as runner up in the Miss Alexandria Fair pageant:

Only 8 more days to go!

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Meet My Friend Mark

My friend Mark bought a home in the historical district of Newport. Mark is an architect and was actually the one who painted much of my condo. I am so amazed by his talent and vision.

We stopped by his house on Saturday to see how his home renovation is going. The house is over a century old and has so much charm.

Here are a few pictures of completed areas in his house:

This piece came with the house and Mark repainted it to match his front porch decor.

I love the character of this green chair because of its antique flair. Mark said it was a steal from a flea market. Oh, this makes me want to go to flea markets and estate sales so bad so I too find great finds like this!

Mark's upstairs bathroom features pictures from the Cincinnati Museum Terminal where he worked this summer on historical preservation projects. Notice the beautiful bathtub which actually came with the house.

I like how every item on this book case is strategically placed to create an overall balanced look. Notice on the top right shelf, he features several books - most of which look straight out of the 18th century. I asked where I could find those these days because I would love to feature them in my home.

I only captured shots of the parts of his home which are currently decorated. It is still a work in progress, but I cannot wait to see the finished product. This is truly going to be a masterpiece.

You too can tour his home.
Mark plans on participating in the Newport Christmas Tour this December.

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Style Scout

I have always been the one to love guys with good style. Without a doubt, I am attracted to the pretty boys instead of the manly men. My friends give me a hard time for this.

As a I look back on pictures of my dad, I see that he had such the metro style himself. I wonder if that is why I seek these pretty boys.

Today is my dad's birthday and here is a look back on him and his style:

(Mom & Dad pictured on the right. Notice the three piece suit. Love that he is sporting the vest!)

What's that saying... "Real men wear pink."

Oh, the style of the early 90's.

Happy Birthday Dad!

~ Love your girls

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My Entry Way

A month ago, my friend Becky talked me into purchasing this beautiful Pottery Barn table we came across at the outlet. After thinking about it all day, the table ended up coming home with us barely fitting in a SUV full of shopping bags and girls. It was cramped to say the least, but it was worth it.

This was definitely an "investment" purchase as we like to call it. Here is its new home in my foyer:

I purchased the "Good Company Always Welcome" vinyl decal from Etsy.com. I used an old poster frame from our house in college to feature the welcome saying. My old fashion suit case which I use to store ribbons and wrapping materials is from Hobby Lobby. Lastly, the other accents - the flower pot and the horn of plenty - are from local thrift stores.

The glass top of the table opens to display collectibles inside.

Other pictures of my foyer:

An IKEA canvas print

Mirror from Wal-Mart, Suit Case and Clock featuring Kensington Station of London from Hobby Lobby, Table from Target, Picture from my trip to Paris, France.

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Boots under $100

My friend asked me if I could help her find reasonably priced boots for fall. She would like tan boots. I am personally always attracted to riding-style boots and booties as you will see. I am also a believer in flat boots because you can wear them all day long without worrying about comfort. Boots are one wardrobe staple I feel it is okay to spend a little bit more, but here are some suggestions within the search criteria.

BOOTS

Steve Madden Candence Boots - $99.95

Report FLORA boots (Solestruck) - $99.95

Urban Outfitters BDG Canvas Riding Boot - $98.00

Gabriella Rocha (Zappos.com) - $69.95

Mossimo Supply Company (Target) - $29.99

Mossimo Supply Company (Target) - $29.99

BOOTIES

Nine West Gesture (Zappos.com) - $98.95

These are similar to ones featured in my Shoe Envy post.

SM Luxe Duke Peep Toe Western Bootie (DSW) - $39.94

Being from Kentucky and growning up with horses makes me partial to these boots.

Forever 21 Booties - $35.80

I would pair these with rolled up boyfriend jeans for a spunky fall look.

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Purple Passion

Several years ago I received this picture in an iVillage "Stuff We Love" email. Since then I have kept it in an folder as inspiration.

I am attracted to many features in this photo - the headboard, the chandelier, and the beautiful velvet purple comforter (by brocade Home). These pieces make me think of a luxurious castle I would love to stay in.

One day I will create a look like this in my home.

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Biscuits & Gravy

Here is part 2 of Lady Antebellum's spin off of songs. This one is based off of Lee Brice's "Love like Crazy." The lyrics where they talk about the Stage and leaving Broadway actually remind me of a recent trip to Nashville to see my best friend Megan.

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A Little More Preppy Than That

Lady Antebelleum is one of my favorite bands. Here is a spin off they did on Easton Corbin's "I'm a little more country than that."

This makes me think of UK's campus.

Enjoy!

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Gorgeous Gifts

Last spring these personalized checkbook covers from Monkey See Boutique on Etsy.com were my go-to items for birthday gifts. I love that you get to select the print of the fabric and the color and design of the font.

While shopping the boutique online, I noticed that the personalized checkbooks I ordered are now the sample pictures on the website. What a delight! I guess Shawna and my Aunt Connie's gifts turned out so good they became the models.

Now go write checks in style!

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The Great Smokey Mountains

This past weekend, I took a trip to the Smokey Mountains, one of my favorite places! As a child, my dad's side of the family always vacationed there and visiting brings back so many good memories.

On Saturday afternoon, we decided we would hike 2.7 miles through the national park to Rainbow Falls. Surprisingly, this hike ended up being up hill the entire time and included encounters with two different bears - one who we saw from the car and one who walked right across our trail breaking up our group. This was an interesting experience to say the least!

Here is our bear friend:

Although this hike was rough, the waterfall at the top was beautiful and worth the venture.

Group shot at the top:

We definitely needed to rest before we started the journey back down the mountain. Ben only had Sperrys to wear and I wore Coach gym shoes. Lesson learned: these are NOT made for hiking. Never again will I wear these uphill! Next time we will come prepared.

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Closet Space

I have always loved organizing. As a child, I would organize the items in the shopping cart and on the shelves at the grocery store. I love organizing so much I thought of becoming a Professional Organizer and having people hire me to organize their closets, offices, pantries, events, and even their lives.

Another love of my mine... jewelry!

Here is my latest project: the jewelry corner of my closet.

The white wire necklace rack was already installed in my closet when I bought the condo. I purchased the piece to hang my bracelets on from Goodwill for $1.00. It was originally maroon so I painted it metallic green to match my master bathroom decor. I purchased the fleur-de-lis hook from Michael's for just $1.49 to hang my long necklaces on. The shadowbox with the glass door was a piece I have been eyeing forever. I purchased it from Home Goods for $24.99. By displaying my big chunky rings in here, I can find them easily eliminating the wasted time it would take to sort through the drawer they were originally in.

As you can see - I have a lot of jewelry and this isn't even all of it. I also have a filled jewelry box sitting on one of the shelves in my closet. I would like to purchase another piece to hang the rest of my bracelets on so the white wire wrack is not overflowing. One step at a time though!

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Gearing up for fall...

On the drive home from Gatlinburg yesterday, we were talking about all the reasons why love fall. My boyfriend and his sister agreed "football" was one of the major factors why fall is so fun.

Me on the other hand, I'm thinking fall clothes!

I previously posted some fall weather pieces that I loved. Here are some lovely combinations from Ann Taylor Loft to get you thinking fall too:

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Surprising Finds

As a child and teenager, I would always cringe when my mother wanted to go to Goodwill. Of course, I would have rather been at the mall shopping and visiting all the "cool" stores. Now as a homeowner, I am realizing how many cheap and unique finds you can find at thrift stores. Here is one my latest buys...

I came across these glass canisters at Goodwill and thought they would make a beautiful storage solution for my bathroom necessities. I think it turned out well.

Only $6 for the canisters (Goodwill) and $2 for the bars of soap (Kroger). Everything else I already had at home.

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