Featured Sponsor: Miranda of Shop and Twirl

I've decided to do a featured sponsor at the end of every month and I'm excited to have Miranda of Shop and Twirl as my first feature!  We've been following each others blogs for what seems like forever and I love her classic style.  Not only is she stylish, but she happens to be one of the sweetest bloggers I've come into contact with.  Get to know Miranda a little better in this interview below :)

1. When did you start blogging and what inspired you to start a personal style blog?
I started blogging in June 2012 (my one year blog-iversary is coming up soon!). I first found out about blogs a few years ago when I saw Keiko Lynn in Glamour magazine. I began to read her blog on a daily basis (and all her friend's blogs), and my obsession grew from there! I would tell more and more of my real-life friends about my favorite blogs...and when I finally decided that "Hey, I can do that too!", they were totally supportive! If it weren't for their confidence in me, I might never have taken that leap!

2. You always have the cutest work inspired outfits. What are your tips on maintaining a fashionable yet functional work wardrobe?
Thank you! I work in a hospital where I spend about half my time at a desk and half my time seeing patients. I need to dress professional and conservative, but I never want to sacrifice my own personal style. So I choose to go with lots of color! I have pencil skirts and slacks in all the basic colors and then I wear fun and bright tops. I always try to mix and match my pieces so that my wardrobe doesn't get boring. Also, I almost always have my nails painted a bright and fun color. And I love mid-height heels (for comfort) with fun embellishments - bows, spikes, ruffles, sparkles, the list goes on!


3. Where does your style inspiration stem from?
I read a ton of blogs and every single issue of Glamour magazine. I love trying out new trends, but I also am a sucker for 1950's silhouettes. I try to find a happy medium of the classics and the trends. My style is a bit like if Audrey Hepburn and Lauren Conrad had a baby that was BBFs with Katy Perry. I like to be wacky sometimes, but I try to tone down the crazy with classic staples.

4. This is always my favorite question! Who are your favorite blog reads?
As I mentioned before, Keiko Lynn was my first blog I ever read and I still follow her to this day! I think it's really neat to see your favorite bloggers evolve over the years. I also love Kendi Everyday, Brooklyn Blonde, A Lacey Perspective, Crazy Style Love, and To Vogue or Bust. I read a crazy amount of blogs, but those are my ultimate faves!

5. If you could pick just one accessory for an outfit, what would it be?
I always have on earrings! I feel naked without them. I just love the look of big, blingin' earrings with hair pulled back. So simple and elegant.


6. Who are you reading/what are you watching right now?
I just recently went back and watched every single episode of How I Met Your Mother. The season finale last week was so ridiculously exciting! I can't wait until the last season starts this fall. I really hope they wrap it up as eloquently as The Office ended (such a tear-jerker!).

I also recently finished reading the first two books in the Girls Wearing Black series. I know, young adult vampire novels...I'm one of those girls. But I love that they're different from other main stream vampire stories. Plus, they're a great summer read for when you're lounging at the pool :) 

Make sure to check out Miranda's blog HERE and like her Facebook page HERE :)

xoxo

Ashley

Guest Post: Marlen of Bear and Twine

Hi guys!  Today I'm letting Marlen of Bear and Twine take over my blog today.  Not only does she have a wonderful blog, but she also has an online store filled with vintage and thrifted gems.  She's also a fellow Flock Together member.  Seriously, she is one busy/talented lady!  Okay, I've done enough gushing already, I'll just let Marlen take it from here :)

Hi guys! My name is Marlen and I'm the mastermind behind Bear and Twine.

For me, clothing isn't just the stuff you sleepily pick out in the morning and shrug into. Instead, it's a story, it's a feeling, it's a soundtrack and a hope you want to live out for the day. Which is why I opened up my little shop. 

With Bear and Twine, I'm not just selling clothes. I'm giving you carefully curated moments: Wednesday date nights, afternoon trips to delis to read your newspaper, walks in the park just as spring turns into summer, and balcony lunches with your friends and leftover pizza.

There's a feeling, a vibe to each piece. Each sweater will help you live out the adventure of that day and each dress will help make a moment wonderfully memorable. And that's why each grandpa sweater and pleated dress is special. That and that they're the best ones you'll find this side of the Mississippi ;) 

I hope you pop on over to my store and check it out!

And make sure to follow Bear and Twine on Facebook and Twitter for special coupon codes ;)

A Pleasant Pause

To those living in the states, I hope you're having a wonderful long weekend.  This weekend has already been crazy!  With a bridal shower and a baby shower it was busy enough.  But Kevin and I have been packing and slowly moving our belongings into our new home.  Who knew so much stuff could be packed into a two bedroom apartment?     Anyway, I'm kind of sad that I have to say this but I'll be taking a little break from blogging for awhile.  While I will still have posts going up (I like to plan far ahead), I won't have the time to interact with you like I normally do.  Sometimes life gets in the way and you have to take a little time off to get everything straight.  I will still have fun guest posts and outfit posts so make sure to check out what I have planned while I'm gone.  

A Happy Chance

This dress.  Can I just tell you how much I love it?  It's pink, has polka dots and ladybugs on it.  When I first got it from Bonne Chance Collections it was actually a wonderful surprise.  I love surprises, mostly because I'm a really hard person to catch off guard.  I feel like I should have been a detective or something because I notice everything.  It's a really annoying and at times an exhausting habit, but it's just one of those things I can't turn off.  So if I ever get the opportunity to divulge into the unknown (ummm Modcloth Stylish Surprises anyone?) I'm always one to participate.

Flock Together: Sweet as Pie

It's that time again!  I'm blogging over at Flock Together today so make sure to check out how I style this gorgeous pie dress.  Who doesn't want to wear a dress with pies all over it?  Unless you think it will make you too hungry (and it probably will entice your appetite a little).

Make sure to check out the full post HERE!
xoxo
Ashley

Review: Special Effects Hair Dye

I get a lot of emails on my hair.  Most of them are compliments (thank you!) but some of them are about what brand and color I use.  I have a lot of experience dying my hair but let me tell you right here that I'm not a professional.  I'm just very meticulous and patient enough to handle this task on my own.  With that being said, my brand of choice is Special Effects.

Special Effects is a wonderful line.  They have every color in the rainbow (and then some) and the color lasts much longer than any other brand I've ever used.  It's relatively inexpensive and really easy to use.  Can there be too much of a good thing?  Maybe.  These colors are so concentrated that they tend too last longer than you'd think.

When I first dyed my hair with Special Effects this year, I decided to go with their Atomic Pink hue.  It was wonderful.  My hair was already processed to a light brown so I didn't even need to bleach it beforehand.  Little did I know that it would take forever to fade!  Now this is actually a positive, but when you're trying to change your color it can be a little tricky.  After a few vitamin C masques it faded enough to continue with my next adventure: purple.

This time I was a little smarter.  I used their Deep Purple hue, but heavily diluted it with conditioner and the Special Effects toner/mixer.  Since I had to bleach my roots (it was getting nasty) I made sure to get the perfect lighter color so I wouldn't end up with really dark hair.  It came out perfect!  The pink is still in full effect but only on my ends.  I actually love the ombre effect I created.

Here is my hair three weeks later, the purple has faded but pink is here to stay!  I'll be touching it up with the Deep Purple very soon.

If you're going to dye your hair with the Special Effects line, here are a few tips:

- Make sure you are ready to live with the color for awhile.  It will hang around!

- It's best to have bleached or processed hair beforehand.  If your hair is naturally dark, don't expect to get any results from the dye alone.

- The more time you leave the dye in, the longer it will last.  When I apply the color I'll usually leave it in for at least 4 hours.  Yes it's time consuming, but it's worth having a vibrant color that lasts.

- Your new color may stain your clothes/pillow case/towels etc.  This usually only happens when I change colors, but I still sleep on black pillows and use only black towels.  Somewhat of a lifestyle change but totally worth it!

- Have fun!  I like to mix colors to create my own.  Last time I freshened up I mixed Deep Purple with Cupcake Pink.  It's my new favorite!

If you have any other questions, feel free to leave a comment below or send me an email.  I'm pretty partial to my pinky purple hair so I don't think I'll be changing it anytime soon.  You never know though, I tend to be an impulsive person!

xoxo

Ashley

Fancy Free

Summer is coming faster than I'd like to believe.  I'm used to always being cold (seriously, I wear a cardigan everywhere) so having bare arms out in the open makes me feel a little self conscious.  It's been months since I've indulged in my yoga workouts and the lack of sun salutations has gotten the best of me.  Although I did get back on the yoga train a few days ago and it was quite embarrassing.  Thankfully, I was doing yoga from home so the only ones snickering at my awful flexibility was my two dogs.

A Little Different

The hound sleuth dress has made its return!  I actually wear this dress a lot in real life but know I can't actually feature it on a weekly basis.  If you read my first post when I featured it, you'll know that it has a very special place in my closet.  I'm excited to show you how I now style it for the warmer months (and boy are they coming!).

Mike and Alayna's Save the Dates

I'm so very excited to share with you a few shots from my brother Michael and his fiance Alayna's save the date photo shoot.  We chose Fryman Canyon as our location because they often hike here on weekends.  Sometimes we go as a group, but getting Kevin up before 9am on a Sunday is kind of impossible!  Anyway, the shoot was short and sweet and I feel like we got a bunch of great shots.  I even have some amazing embarrassing ones, but I wouldn't dare post them on here :).  I hope you enjoy!

Special thanks to Jessica of Midwest Muse for helping me edit some of these photos.  While I still have tons more to edit (I'm kinda slow) I think these are my favorite ones!
xoxo
Ashley

Let's Slowly Fade Away

I have this tiny obsession with making my fancy dresses "okay" for everyday wear.  While I have it under control now, I used to buy dresses just because they were cute (and especially if they were at a great price).  I never had buyer's remorse but I did end up with a couple closets filled with dresses that collected dust.  I don't get to go to that many fancy outings these days so now I've just figured a way to make them more functional.

Minty Fresh

 I hate to complain on here, but exhaustion has completely taken over my life.  Any time spent away from work has been on the couch.  When you have two cuddly chihuahuas and a DVR full of shows that need catching up on, it's really hard to do anything else.  I wish I had some vacation on the horizon, but our new home will be our vacation for a long long time.  I've said this so many times but being an adult is pretty hard sometimes!   Okay, enough with the whining, I'm here to show you my new favorite outfit!

What's on my radar: Current Loves

I really enjoy these posts.  Every month I love to "window" online shop and show off the cutest finds on the internet.  Here's a look at the items I wish I could fit in my closet:

Urban Outfitters Lolli one piece swimsuit

I've been dying for a one piece swimsuit for quite some time.  I love how this particular one is striped and has a great big bow in the front.  What more could you want?     Bonne Chance Collections Belle of the Ball dress

How darling is the print of this dress?  The minute I saw it I completely fell in love.  Another wonderful thing about Bonne Chance?  Their customer service is hands down the best I've ever seen.  Such amazing girls!

Caitlin Shearer Bunny Angel skirt

I've featured Caitlin's store on my blog before and it's because I can't get enough of her handmade dresses and skirts.  This bunny angel skirt is the perfect print.  I would seriously buy everything she makes if I had the cash!

Park Blvd Emporium vintage ring

I looooove vintage cocktail rings.  I also love yellow stones so this is the perfect piece of jewelry for me.  I just wish it wasn't a size 9.5!


Stimulight Gold Urchin chandelier

This piece is just gorgeous.  Our new home has all these amazing vintage light fixtures but this one would look amazing in our front room.  Plus it would mesh with all the mod-like pieces we already own.

What's on the top of your wish list?
xoxo
Ashley

Flock Together: Pink Marshmallow

It's time for another Flock Together swap!  This time I had the opportunity to style a pink tulle dress from Jessica of Midwest Muse.  I've had my eye on this piece since she first posted it on her blog, so you can imagine how excited I was to wear it.  Make sure to check out the post on Flock Together right now!

Click HERE for the full post.   xoxo
Ashley

Makeup Review: Eyeko Skinny Eyeliner Pen

I'm going to let you in on a secret: I suck at doing my eyeliner!  I can never get a nice thin line with a pencil and liquid liner is way too messy and takes forever to dry.  I've always wanted to master a great lined lid but after fourteen years of wearing makeup I had pretty much given up hope.  That is, until now...

While shopping in Sephora for a new lip gloss (you can see that post here) I stumbled on a display for eyeliner pens.  It looks very much like a really thin sharpie.  I was definitely intrigued and decided on the cheapest one they displayed: the Eyeko Skinny Liquid Eyeliner.
Let me just tell you, I love this pen!  Unlike regular liquid liners, this pen glides on with no mess.  No clumps and no waiting for the liner to dry.  I'm pretty sure this is the best sixteen dollars I've ever spent.  I was able to get the prefect thin line and I can accomplish this in less than a few minutes.  I don't think I could ask for more!
What's your favorite liner?  Do you prefer liquid or pencil?  Let me know in the comments below!
xoxo
Ashley   P.S. Make sure to enter the Flock Together $75 Modcloth giftcard giveaway HERE!

Through the Looking Glass

  Who else is psyched that it's Friday?  Even though I'm on call Sunday, I'm really excited to spend some time with Kevin and my brother.  My amazing little bro got a great job and we are going out to celebrate tonight!  Tomorrow I'm going on a movie date with Kevin to see Iron Man 3.  Can you guess who picked the movie?  I also get the chance to make a little extra "house fund" money at work on Sunday.  But honestly, I hope nobody needs emergency surgery.  I'd rather be making money from home!

Three's a Charm

Today is the three year "dating" anniversary for my husband and me.  While we may not be celebrating like we did last year, we are taking the time to acknowledge how special that is.  We actually met in 2002.  We had many mutual friends and hung out in the same group but never really connected.  In 2006 we started talking to each other (as friends) and we didn't have our first date until early 2007.  On our second date he received a call that he was getting a new job that would have him all over the world.  We had a good four months to establish a great relationship... Let's just say, it wasn't enough time!  We tried the whole long distance thing but we were young and just not ready.  So by the end of the year we called it off.  I really think this was a blessing in disguise because it was my last year of school and it really gave me the chance to concentrate on me.

While we were off and on between 2008 and 2010, I just couldn't commit to a relationship with him.  Maybe it was our past or my past with others, but I had some major trust issues.  Finally in May of 2010, we went on a date and had a chance to catch up.  The dinner was really nice and we had a wonderful time, I seriously remember it like yesterday!  At the end of the night he had the guts to ask if I was ready to work on our relationship again.  He just didn't want to keep his heart out in the open if I wasn't ready to try.  It was weird because for the first time in years I really felt like it was time.  And the rest really is history!

I'm always nostalgic when I think about how our lives turned out.  We had the chance to be together, be apart and grow up, and come back to each other as better people.  I love our story and I think it says a lot when you can acknowledge your downfalls and work on them until it's just right.  That's why May 1st is so special to me.  It was the day I realized I was ready for true love :).

Here's to many many more years!
xoxo
Ashley