Styling the Southern Belle

I fell in love with these shirts after seeing them on Bluegrass Bred. I LOVE all things southern chic. Although, I just saw a map of the southern region on Pinterest to find Kentucky was not included. Hmmm... Well, I still feel southern. I live in the bluegrass, home of fast horses and wild women. We still enjoy all those southern values. Plus, UK is in the SEC. I say, we fit the bill.

Anyway, how cute are the following shirts? I want them all!

Boots & Class * Available at Southernly Stated

Grace & Gossip * Available at Southernly Stated

We Sweat Glitter * Available at Southernly Stated

Southern Sass * Available at Kiss My Southern Sass

Raisin' Hell * Available at Kiss My Southern Sass

Merica * Available at Kiss My Southern Sass

Anyone love these shirts as much as I do?

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My first Birchbox!

What's a Birchbox? Birchbox is a $10 a month box that includes a handful of new beauty and lifestyle products that are shipped directly to your house. While I love all things style, I'm really not into picking out makeup and other beauty products, nor am I good at it. I don't even like putting my money into these products. I seriously wash my hair with Suave hair care products and use cheap, drug store body wash. Shocker, I know. I'm cheap when it comes to beauty care, but on the flip side, somehow I don't blink when dropping a wad of cash on a designer handbag. To each their own, I guess.

I have read about Birchbox on numerous blogs and thought this would be the perfect way for me to explore new beauty products without a huge financial commitment. You have to agree there is nothing worse than buying new makeup and not liking it. In my eyes, that is money wasted.

To join, you submit your email online and then are put on a waiting list. It took a couple weeks for me to receive the email stating that I am eligible to start Birchbox. Birchbox is shipping out each month on a magazine schedule. You can sign up for a monthly subscription and can cancel any time. You can also purchase three and six month gift subscriptions for a friend.

Well, my first Birchbox just arrived last week!

I received six items in the box:

Juliette Has a Gun Perfume by Miss Charming

Neon Earbuds

Roasted Nut Roll by Uber

Stay All Day 10-in-1 Beauty Balm by Stila

Blue Ming Nail Polish by Color Club

2-in-1 Lip and Cheek Stain by the Balm

So far, I love the nail polish and lip stain. I am typically a pink girl when it comes to pedicures. I thought I would spice things up and paint my toes with this mint color. I look down and don't even know who I am. It is a nice surprise!

I also love the lip stain, because it gives you color without being too much. Plus, it doesn't clump or crack up.

Interested in getting on the list to receive Birchbox? Click here. Enjoy!

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Silver Lining Decor Giveaway Winner

Congratulations to Ashley from According to Ashley! She won the tangerine dangle earrings from Silver Lining Decor. A special thanks to everyone who entered the giveaway and Silver Lining Decor for hosting. 

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Blogger Awards!

Sweet Mckenzie, a fellow Kentucky blogger, from Bluegrass Bred nominated me for the Leibester Award. The Liebster Award is given to upcoming bloggers who have less than 200 followers. The meaning: Liebster is German and means sweetest, kindest, nicest, dearest, beloved, lovely, kind, pleasant, valued, cute, endearing and welcome.

Here are the rules...

• Each person must post 11 things about themselves.
• Answer the questions the tagger has set for you. Plus, create 11 questions for the people you've tagged to answer.
• Choose people and link them in your post.
• Go to their page and tell them.
• Remember, no tag backs!

So without further ado... 11 Facts About Me and Questions via Bluegrass Bred.

11 Facts About Me

1. I'm getting married on Friday, April 5, 2013! 
2. The Bachelorette/Bachelor/Bachelor Pad series is my favorite when it comes to reality TV.
3. Lately, I have been watching Little House on the Prairie as I get ready for work each morning and am loving it! 
4. Habatchi grills are my favorite.
5. I dislike the following: chocolate ice cream, milk and the feel of finger nail files.
6. Like Mckenzie from Bluegrass Bred, I love, love, love Pinterest!
7. I love planning pretty parties.
8. My iPad is my favorite gadget. 
9. I would love to start an online boutique one day. It would be filled with all thing southern chic.
10. I am Luke Bryan's biggest fan.
11. I'm a pretty awesome bargain shopper.

Questions from Bluegrass Bred

What's your go-to makeup item that you cannot live without?

Mascara

What's your favorite memory of the past year?

When Ben proposed

If you could bring back a former President (dead or alive) for another term, who would it be?

Ab Lincoln. I think he was a pretty cool guy.

Who is your celebrity crush?

Luke Bryan

What's your biggest pet peeve?

When people do not follow through (i.e. call you back, return your email, do what they say they are going to do)

If you could marry a professional athlete, chef or CEO, which would you choose?

Jef (with one f) from Emily's season of the Bachelorette. He is the CEO of a bottled water company. He makes my heart smile. Although, now he is marrying Emily (I love them as a couple though). 

via

What's your biggest accomplishment?

My education

What is your bedroom color scheme?

Sage green, gold and brown

What is your favorite television show?

Reality TV: the Bachelorette/Bachelor/Bachelor Pad series 

Regular show: Hart of Dixie

What's your favorite sports team?

The Kentucky Wildcats

Favorite drink?

Sangria

Enough about me... Now it's your turn.

1. Aside from your current job, what is your dream career?
2. What's your favorite summertime activity?
3. You get to go on a shopping spree on someone else's dime. Where do you go first?
4. Sweet or salty?
5. Who would play you in the movie of your life?
6. What is your go-to accessory?
7. What is the TV show you don't miss each week?
8. Where is your best place for a bargain?
9. What do you think is currently the hottest color?
10. Stripes or ruffles?
11. Do you still write hand-written notes?

And the awards go to...

Daily Dose of Ramblings

Dainty and Decadent

Social Sara
This Crazy Blessed Life
Love Joice

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Silver Lining Decor Office Tour

You guys know how much I love Silver Lining Decor's jewelry pieces! Rachel, the designer behind Silver Lining Decor and former interior designer, just revealed her office space and showcased it on her blog. I was in love! If I had an office space that was as beautiful as this, I would never want to leave!

I love the gorgeous, intricate frames. You could spray paint them any color and they would bring high impact to a room. Plus, they can serve as the perfect organization tool.

Beautiful, right? I especially love the dress forms. I must put them on my "to-get" list. I have a lot of necklaces that would be perfectly at home on one of these dress forms. Want to see the other rooms in Rachel's home? Be sure to head over to her blog. A special thanks to Rachel for allowing me to share her office/studio space!

Don't forget about the 

Silver Lining Decor Earring Giveaway

Click here to enter.

Thursday, July 26 is the last day to enter.

Good luck!

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Enhancing your Mud Room with a trip to the Dollar Store

Have you seen these pebble-filled mud trays all over Pinterest and the blog world? 

via Mini Manor Blog

via Martha Stewart

via Design Sponge

It just occurred to me that I could replicate this for my entry way with one quick trip to Dollar Tree. I purchased five bags of big rocks. I really could have used one or two more, but I figured $5 was enough to put into this project. 

I filled a mud tray I already had in my closet. My mom had bought me this mud tray at the Christmas Tree Shop. I think it was only $3.95. When I first received the tray, I wanted to add a little something to it, so I spray painted it copper. 

I like the little extra detail it added to my foyer... enough to bring some natural elements to my entrance.

Supplies:

• Mud tray (already owned - free)
• Spray paint (already owned - free)
• 5 bags of rocks ($5)

A great, cheap touch!

I linked up to:

Once Upon A Weekend Link Party
Classy Clutter Spotlight Saturday

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21 + 7 years experience

On Thursday, I had a wonderful birthday celebration with my friends and family. It started off with 28 birthday cupcakes made by my cousin, Betsy. (Betsy works at the agency with me.) My birthday was conjoined with an "America" celebration, since we are sending five of our team members to London to work the Olympics for a client. We all sported red, white and blue and enjoyed America's best foods, like apple pie.

My coworker, Kelli, gave me the biggest card I have ever received. It was a nice hologram of Justin Beiber. It was fun and unusual, and I loved it. 

Another coworker, Carrie, was so sweet and gave me a pack of Sharpie pens. She knows me well. There is nothing like an ultra fine point, colorful Sharpie for taking notes. She also personalized the card with "Simply Sarah Style."

I continued my celebration after work with family and friends at Dewey's Pizza. I ate so much pizza that night, but it was definitely work the splurge. Their pizza is hands-down THE BEST.

To wrap things up, we had a cake made by my Aunt Connie. You can see that she featured an engagement theme this year. The best thing about this cake - There is money in it!  Yes, you heard me right. There is money (wrapped in wax paper) in every single piece. Money cakes are a tradition on my dad's side of the family. As you can imagine, all my friends LOVED coming to my parties as kids, because they knew they would leave with money. I am looking forward to partaking in the money cake tradition with my future children.

Overall, I had a wonderful birthday with family, friends and great food. I hope you had a great week too!

Happy Sunday!

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"Can't Miss" Deals Around Town

Nothing excites me more than a great bargain! Many of my friends have said, "You get the best deals!" I believe this happens because I shop... a lot. Wouldn't be nice if someone notified you whenever there was a "steal" to be had?  Well, here it goes. The below items are the latest and greatest deals I picked up this week...

5x7 Decorative Notebooks

Staples * $1 each

These are perfect for the girl who loves stationary. 

They come in several bight colors as well as black.

Plus, there are three different layouts to choose from. 

Decorative Tabletop Mirror 

Kirklands * $7.18

I walked past this and couldn't pass it. Seven dollars... really?

Plus, I had a $20 gift card, so this was {technically} FREE.

144 Striped Party Straws

Kirklands * $2.18 for each box

Shocking cheap! 

I bet they were left over from Fourth of July inventory.

Last year, I have purchased a pack of 25 striped paper straws from Etsy 

for $6.50 ($3.50 +$3 shipping). This is a great deal! 

For me, these were also free because of my gift card.

{Important Sale Information}

I was able to get these deals, because Kirklands is offering 40% off 

marked-down, green tagged merchandise this weekend. 

I hope you're able to pick up some fabulous deals too!

PS-If you know of a great, can't miss sale, please leave a comment below. 

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Celebrating My Big Day with a Giveaway

Today is the big day. I am officially 28 years. Wow! I can't believe I am even saying that. I feel like I turned 21 just yesterday. Browsing Facebook, I found this picture from 7 years ago on this day. This is my 21st birthday party in our Mexican-themed kitchen of our college house.

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I can't believe how quickly the years have gone by.

I thought I would recap the last couple years via Facebook photos.

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Celebrated with family.

(My sister and I)

23

Celebrated my birthday abroad.

24

Finished my Master's.

25

Enjoyed a low key Birthday celebration with Ben and friends.

26

Celebrated as a home owner.

27

Celebrated with my grad school friends.

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This year, I am celebrating at my favorite place in town, Dewey's Pizza. 

They have the best ranch dressing I have ever had in my life and I absolutely love their up-scale pizza.

In addition, I am hosting a giveaway for you! I have teamed up with Rachel from Silver Lining Decor to give away this lovely pair of tangerine earrings. (Did you know tangerine is the color of the year?) I actually just ordered this very same pair as a gift and Rachel told me these are one of her best selling items. See the details below on the three ways to enter.

Please leave a separate comment below for each addition entry. Thank you! 

4 Chances to Win:

1. MANDATORY FIRST ENTRY -  Be a follower of Simply Sarah Style. (If you aren't already a follower, you can click on the "Join this site with Google Friend Connect" button on the right side bar of this blog.) After following Simply Sarah Style, visit Silver Lining Decor's Etsy Shop and leave a comment on this post listing your favorite item. 
2. OPTIONAL ADDITIONAL ENTRY - "Like" the Silver Lining Decor on Facebook by clicking here. 
3. OPTIONAL ADDITIONAL ENTRY - "Like" Simply Sarah Style on Facebook by clicking here. 

This giveaway ends on Thursday, July 26 at midnight. A winner will be selected at random and notified via email. 


Good luck!

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