Sunday Shopping: Rent the Halloween

Looking for an easy & wallet friendly Halloween costume? Check out these 12 ideas using Rent the Runway dresses as the base! (more awesome & hilarious picks here!) 

Romy and Michele // Miley Cyrus // Kate Middleton

Hippie // Catwoman // Wilma and Betty

Sock Hop Girl // Work of Art // Glinda the Good Witch

Sharknado // Candy Crush // Orange is the New Black

Get $20 off your costume rental with code "SPOOKY13"

weekend reading: 10.19.13

1 // 2 // 3

This weekend why don't you :: rock some wine/burgundy/oxblood/maroon/cranberry/sangria/bordeaux/really really dark red pants (is that color having an identity crisis or what!?)

{what you might have missed on Here&Now}

{1.} A fabulous giveaway with Stella&Dot 

{2.} Why wearing a blue wig makes me beam with girl power. Find out more about the Fierce Fund & share your stories of strength here. 

{3.} My first designer purse purchase baby (it's a Minkoff!) 

{4.} 10 leather jackets under $100

{5.} The first post in my new home tour series - starting with the bedroom.

{posts I'm loving around the internets}

{1.} Why one blogger is joining the "slow blogging movement"

{2.} Does blogging stress you out? Repeat after me, it's just a blog... oh & then read this.

{3.} My girl Brighton took the words right outta my mouth - hear her journey toward living in the here & now.

{4.} Have you read Molly's money tips? This girl is hilar, smart & the cutest mama (I find myself talking notes when reading her budgeting posts!) 

{5.}  An outfit I want to recreate on this perfectly Fall weekend!

Stella & Dot Giveaway

 I have had a long standing crush on Stella&Dot jewels. Many of which have become legends - the arrow necklace & spiky bracelet below come to mind. Not only are these pieces pleasing to look at, they are made with the highest quality & from a brand that deserves much respect. (loved their feature on The Everygirl)

And now Stella&Dot is the place that I turn to for great gift ideas too! Jewelry rolls for the girl on the go, chic tech accessories for your friend with the Instagram problem, & purses, scarves & small goodie bags for everyone else on your gift list this holiday season (psst... Christmas is only 67 days away!)

Oh & the price is so right! In fact everything in these collages is under $60!!

And today might just be your lucky day because Stella & Dot stylist Veronica is giving away a $25 gift card!  She has also put together a Facebook party for us! Please attend our online Style Happy Hour party on Friday, October 18th 6-7pm  (Eastern time). The first 25 people to RSVP will be entered to win ANOTHER Stella & Dot prize. We will all learn fashion tips & special offers while sipping our favorite Friday night drink in the comfort of our own home. Our very own styling session!

So hurry & RSVP below!!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

my leather jacket story

Well, to be honest, maybe this should be called my leather jackets story... more on that in a bit!

Original post here, with all your great suggestions/comments

Last month I ended up ordering 2 leather jackets & after polling you smart & opinionated folks on Instagram, I was no closer to sending one home without a rose. 

You see, I have been on the hunt for a perfect leather jacket for 4 years. I wanted it to be soft, fitted, but not too small, badass, but not too casual, versatile & more importantly in my price range. I had been eyeing the selection at Zara for some time, but with most ringing in at $150+ (more like $200 with shipping, let's be honest), & not checking all my boxes, I was frozen, unable to click that darn "add to basket" button!

I was in a leather jacket drought. But as the saying goes, when it rains it pours!

Within the same week I stumbled upon this badass H&M leather jacket & this more subdued number from Chicnova. It was leather jacket nirvana.

Left original post // Right original post

So I did what any rational person would do, I kept them both. Seriously though, as a budget conscious blogger, the fact that I was keeping two very similar jackets made me think long & hard. But I came to the following conclusions:

1. The H&M + Chicnova* jackets combined rang in at under $120, about what I was looking to spend for just 1 jacket

2. While similar in that they are both black & {faux} leather, the jackets are actually quite different. I can see myself wearing one with dressier pieces, while the other one totally speaks to my inner biker chick (after all I have the burn to be legit!)

3. These are quality made pieces that fit me perfectly in their un-altered state... how often is that going to come along?

4. I won't have to purchase a leather jacket for at least twice as long now. The only way I am going to be looking at a new leather jacket is if I decide to make the bump up to real leather.

And because I can't be the only woman in the world searching for her leather jacket soulmate, I rounded up my 10 favorites for your shopping enjoyment!

(Psst.... they are all under $100!)

1 // 2 // 3 // 4 // 5 // 6 // 7 // 8 // 9 // 10

Have you ever purchased multiples of your favorite items?

Any other recent leather jacket success stories out there?

*Chicnova provided me with a gift card with which I purchased this jacket. I would never accept/choose gifted items if they were not my personal taste. This jacket rocks, I would have gladly paid full price for it, out of my pocket.

P.S. Linking up with Laura's TN blogger linky today.

my bedside table story

Part of my journey to live for the "Here&Now" includes learning to "bloom where I am planted".

As I child, that old fashioned saying used to frustrate me to no end. 

Bloom where you are planted!? Why not pick up your roots & run wild, be free!? What good is it just putting up with ok when you could go out & find awesome! (I had a bit of a rebellious streak growing up... it explains a lot!)

So now that I find myself living in a teeny tiny townhouse surrounded by pug hair & a job that I'm not 100% crazy about... I totally get it.

Life isn't about wanting the "good life" that is out there somewhere, it is about making what you have right in front of you your best life.

Thrive where you are. Bloom in the moment.

So while my humble abode isn't going to be gracing the amazingness of Glitter Guide, or the Every Girl any day soon, I want to work on cherishing it, even in its imperfectness. 

Hopefully once or twice a month I will share with you a snapshot of my home, a behind the scenes look at mi casa. I picked up the laundry & blew off the pug hair, but these are not stylized shots, just my house as it was on a rainy Sunday evening... heck, I even left my retainer out for you! Now that's hospitality. 

Welcome to my bedroom:

c/dock iPhone charger & my current reading list 

Going to bed with soft & yummy smelling hands is the best! (Anthro pure & good lotion)

Practicing the cultivation of gratitude with my nightly journal. I light a candle, reflect on my day, jot down a note... & then get on Instagram. haha, keeping it real!

I never before owned "room spray" but this W Hotel's room fragrance is legit! I spritz a little on my pillow before I brush my teeth & get to sink my head into deliciousness every night!

bedside tables, last year's Threshold collection from Target

The other side of the bed, Ty's reading material is a little different than my selections!

We collect corks from meaningful occasions, write a note on them & keep them close by to remember our good fortunes & great times!

A favorite pillow from PB Teen (old)

I swear, she is a Sour Patch kid. One moment she's sweet, the next she's horrid! #grumpypug

Silk peonies that we will be using in our wedding.

my stud muffin, Doug the Pug

I inherited this wall map from school & we use it to document all the places we have travelled together. It is nice waking up & dreaming about vacations!

The Kentucky Derby in Louisville, picking out our pugs in Bowling Green, meeting in Nashville, school retreats at Paris Landing State Park, white water rafting outside Chattanooga, music festival shenanigans in Manchester Tennessee.

my little model. she loves to twerk, don't be fooled!

my jellies watch over me as I sleep!

So there she blows! I never knew I could take so many pictures of such a small room! And I even managed to forget to capture one of my favorite prints (gotta love a good Vonnegut quote!)

How do you bloom where you are planted?