SweetestNest

Custom Silhoutte Giveaway Winner!

2012-01-08T10:37:00.004-06:00

And the winner of a customizable silhouette is...Lydia!

Lydia recently gave birth to little Tatum and said that she would love her silhouette to be of the babe.

Thanks to everyone who entered this giveaway!

Please remember to visit my Etsy to order the print of your dreams!

Girl Crush: Kimbra

2012-01-04T18:38:00.003-06:00

I hope you're ready to die of cuteness.

And I hope you can resist the urge to cut your hair short...

January Giveaway: Customized Modern Silhouette

2012-01-03T09:44:00.005-06:00

Happy 2012!

Doren has decided to ring in the New Year with a new creative project!

On my Etsy, you can send him a photo and choose a cute font and color to create the perfect silhouette! These are perfect for gifts, kiddo's room decor, or wedding details!

Here are the options that he is offering:

The Giveaway:

I'm excited to offer something so personal as my first giveaway of the year!

One winner will receive one custom silhouette print with their choice of photo, text, color and font!

To enter: 

Leave a comment that describes the print that you would love to receive (whose photo you would use, what it would say, and the perfect fonts and colors). Please include your name and email!

One winner will be chosen at random in the morning on Sunday, the 8th!

Good luck to everyone, and Happy New Year!

Shabby Apple Dress Winner!

2011-12-04T19:27:00.005-06:00

Congratulations to The King of Carrot Flowers!

You were the 25th commenter, which makes you the winner of the Spanish Steps dress from Shabby Apple.
You I will contact you with the information needed to receive your prize!

Thanks to everyone for entering and sharing such great styling ideas!

Remember, you can still use the code "sweetestnest10off" until the end of the month at your Shabby Apple checkout. Here are a few other dresses that I love!

Side Saddle

Joy Ride
Block Party
Malt Shop

Shabby Apple Dress Giveaway!

2011-12-01T12:40:00.004-06:00

I'm so excited to kick off December with a giveaway from Shabby Apple!

I've fallen in love with this shop,and how soft and feminine their women's dresses are.

All Sweetest Nest readers will receive 10% off at Shabby Apple in the month of December!

So whether you are Christmas shopping  for others or looking for the perfect party dress for the holiday  season, the code to enter at checkout is:

sweetestnest10off

One lucky winner will receive this beautiful little number called Spanish Steps!

This dress comes from the collection Roamin Holiday and is a gorgeous combination of effortless jersey and dressy sateen!

Entry requirements:

1. You must "Like" the Shabby Apple Facebook page

2. You must comment on this post and let me know:
That you "Liked" the Shabby Apple page
How you would wear the Spanish Steps dress this holiday season
Your email or Twitter name to notify you as the winner!

The deadline for entry will be this Sunday at noon (Central Standard Time).
I will choose a winner at random and announce the results later that day!

*no exchanges for the winning dress

What I Wore: On My Wedding Day!

2011-11-30T01:29:00.008-06:00

I've discovered that one of the very first questions that people ask when inquiring about your wedding is "What was your wedding dress like?" In the planning stages people always shot out the question "But have you found your wedding dress?" Someone even told me that finding your perfect wedding dress was the hardest part of planning a wedding.

Something must be wrong with me because I only tried on this one dress, and it was one of the very first things that I checked off my wedding agenda.

My ideal wedding dress was off-white, short in length, and long-sleeved. I told this information to Emma and Elsie and they scouted out the best of the best in their shop. When I browsed through my options I immediately knew that this was my dress! Polka-dot lace, a ruffled v-neck, shear sleeves that belled at the wrist? Amen.

This dress was originally floor-length, like super floor-length. I'm tall and this gal was sweeping the floor. Elsie enlisted the very talented Missy to alter the dress for me. I showed her the length that I imagined, but then I got nervous. I have, what you might call, a booty. Missy came up with the great idea of swooping the length toward the back, like a mini-train, to accommodate my behind. I LOVE what she did and her alteration made my dress even more special!

My friend Coral did my hair and carefully pinned baby's breath in to look like a headband.

My mom helped me get dressed.

The sleeves were my favorite!

Where did I get it all:
Dress: Red Velvet
Tights: Merona from Target
Shoes: Urban Outfitters
Belt: Mine

All photos by Janae Hardy

Gnome Christmas Cards

2011-11-29T09:05:00.006-06:00

Good morning, everyone!

I just wanted to pop in quickly to let you know that Doren designed a set of Christmas cards this year!

He's studying Graphic Design at Missouri State and wanted to make something fun. Penny has been pretty obsessed with Gnomeo and Juliet, so it seemed like the right thing to do.

If you think they're cute, we've listed them on Etsy for a pretty reasonable price!

SHOP, if you please! 

The set includes:
12 folded cards
12 brown, earthy envelopes
12 round sealing stickers
6 "To & From" stickers

Price: $16.50 + $3.50 shipping

Front of card

Inside of Card

Stickers to seal envelopes

Gift Stickers

Introducing: Sarah Chapman!

2011-10-29T00:03:00.004-05:00

Where have I been?

Well, we moved, got married & honeymooned! No big deal.

So in my last post I was Sarah Lockhart. I can now call myself as Sarah Chapman!

I'm so excited to share our wedding details, tips, and strategies with you all!

photo by: Janae Hardy

Budget Ideas: Buying DVDs!

2011-08-29T09:51:00.006-05:00

Is owning DVDS already "old school"? I'm starting to think that having a DVD collection is one of those things that shows your age.

I mean, we don't have any device that plays Blu-Rays.And what good is a digital download when the babe wants to watch How to Train your Dragon on the Mac and you need it for business purposes? Ok, Pinterest purposes. So DVDs are still an acceptable medium, right?

Netflix makes owning a lot of movies & TV series unnecessary. And Redbox helps to sample things that you were too weary to pay to see in theatres. So when it comes to owning hard copies, where do you turn?

For Brand New Releases:

I NEVER buy movies at the store as soon as they're released!

$20+, seriously?! I know that same movie is going to be half of that price in about 6 months. Unless it's a Pixar/Disney movie, those prices barely ever fall.

For Not-So-New DVDs:

* Half.com

So many NEW/USED deals! The biggest downfall is not knowing wether the seller is fibbing about the condition of the disks.

* Entertainment Resale Shops

These kinds of businesses tend to have some silly-high prices for used goods, but they often have sales to try to unload inventory! Like "4 for $20" and such!

* Store Closings

I hate to take advantage of such a sad situation but video stores, like Blockbuster, are closing everywhere. And when they do close, they close FAST. So their prices are insanely affordable. I went to a closing sale a few months ago and walked out with 7 DVDs for $30! I was able to take home movies that were very hard to find at a low price (Pixar, Wes Andersons, and very new releases!). You can even look at the discs to check their condition before you buy!

Stores that are still open and functioning sell excess DVDs after the initial release rush has ended. Newish releases for like $8.00? Yes, please!

If you take these measures, the entertainment area at Target doesn't even register in your memory. You're way to busy shopping the Clothing SALE racks anyway.

These are the DVDs that I'm currently on the prowl for:

Saturdays are for Sales!

2011-08-27T14:23:00.005-05:00

Saturdays are for Sales!

These are Sale items that I love and wouldn’t mind parting with my money to own!

If there is one online store that you shop this week, it has to be J. Crew!

Their whole Spring/Summer inventory is about 1/2 price, so prepare yourself for pages and pages of "Ohh's & Ahh's". There are so many special things that are definitely worth buying and that could still fit into your Fall wardrobe!

This J. Crew swimsuit that I posted at the beginning of Summer is now $39.99, was $80.00!

Good things come to those you wait, right? It's also available in melon!

This cardigan is now $40, was $128.00! Also at J. Crew and can totally for for the Fall!

$19.99, was $48.00, for little girls at J. Crew.

About $20, was about $42 at TopShop

These Dear Creatures shorts come in 4 colors

and are now $39.99, was $121!

For me, shorts and pants are the hardest to shop for and I would definitely take advantage of this discount & variety.

$14.99, was $19.99 at Down East Basics

This week's "Budget Breaker" item definitely has to be from the J.Crew sale!

This dress is perfect for Fall or Spring and is priced at $99.00. The original price was $350.00, so you're only saving $251.00!

Guest Post: Aimee the "Coupon Lady"

2011-08-17T16:51:00.009-05:00

I'm so excited to have Aimee of Videogamegal on the blog today!

----------

Hello there thrifty shoppers!

I am Aimee, one of Sarah’s friends, and I am a coupon lady. Yes, I admit it. You don’t have to be old to coupon these days. It’s a super simple way to say a lot of money every time you take a trip to the grocery store. If you have never clipped a coupon in your life I will give you a few ways that will take you from being a beginner to a coupon pro. I save anywhere from $20 to $30 on the average and sometime I get things for free.

Here are just a few simple tips and tricks that I use:

1. Always get the insert in the Sunday paper. If you don’t want to pay for a subscription, check to see if any friends or family members get one and will save them for you. My mom saves them for me. You can also check recycling centers.

2. Check coupon sites weekly. There are quite a few I frequent, such as: redplum, mambo sprouts (great for organic products), smart source, and coupon network. All of these sites are great and are really easy to print from. Just print the coupon and go!

3. Sign up for home mailer coupon books. Some companies have mailer books that are filled with coupons and it’s free. I know that Proctor and Gamble has one.

4. Try just plain googling coupons for items you are needing/wanting, that is how I find some of mine.

5. Get mobile apps for any coupons that you can so that you can just pull them up at the store. I have the mobile app for Hobby Lobby and it really helps, because I never know when I’m taking a spur of the moment crafting trip.

6. Know what stores double coupons and have their own in store coupons. Target will take one store coupon and one manufacturer coupon for a single item! Most grocery store double coupons under 75 cents. So a 50 cent coupon becomes a $1!

7. ORGANIZATION is key. No one wants to fiddle with papers and coupon boxes while shopping, especially if you have little ones. I use the binder method and I think that it’s the easiest. You get 9 pocket card sleeves, the ones you would use for baseball cards and keep your coupons separated and in a binder.

8. Always check for discount codes when shopping online. Most stores have a coupon code that you can enter at check out and you could save a ton! (I always do this when I shop F21 online.)

Saturdays are for Sales!

2011-08-12T16:52:00.018-05:00

Saturdays are

for Sales!

Welcome to the 1^st week of sales sharing!

These are items that I LOVE and wouldn’t mind parting ways with my money to own.

This collar is a must.

$25.86, now $12.93 at ASOS

$48.27, now $25.86 at ASOS

GoJane is having a monster of a Heel Sale! Heels from $5 to $20 that fit any style. Floral, velvet, studded, glitter, etc... It's definitely worth checking out if you need to stock up!

Mustard or Plum? The ultimate question in life.

$26.40, now $18.95 at GoJane

$29.40, now $17.95 at GoJane

The #1 Thing I would splurge on this week:

This color and design make for the prettiest dress that I've seen for this upcoming Fall season. If I have a Fall wedding to attend I will probably have to buy this dress!

$74.99, now $49.99 at Modcloth

The Red Hair

2011-08-09T09:27:00.017-05:00

I've been living in this super red hair for 8 months now, and it is time for a change. Don't get me wrong, it's pretty cool.

It's just a little:

* messy, pink stains in the shower and on some of my clothes.

* time consuming to color so much hair so often

* hard to wear red, pink, or orange outfits

* socially demanding to look like a cartoon character

Am I right?

The change will occur tomorrow, and I'll keep the new color a surprise. Here are the highlights of the last few years!

Then I cut it all off...

and grew it all back!

Went red...

and then really red!

The NEW Sweetestnest!

2011-08-07T10:19:00.005-05:00

Welcome to the new and improved Sweetestnest!

This new blog was a gift from my wonderful future sisters-in-law, Emma & Elsie!

It was created by the talented My Girl Thursday!

I hope that you're prepared for my new budget-blog experience featuring:

* Budget Style (Outfit Posts!)

* Family on a Budget

* Wedding on a Budget (2 months to go...EKK!)

* Notifications on Internet Sales & Deals

* Guest Posts

* DIYs

See you all tomorrow!

Follow my blog with Bloglovin

2011-08-04T19:29:00.001-05:00

The blog is about to get a make-over!

This is just one step of many to come in the next few weeks.

No Skirt is Too Short.

2011-07-12T11:06:00.006-05:00

When I wore this outfit on Friday I thought, " Is this skirt too short?"

The answer is...Maybe. Without tights, it looks scandalous.

With tights, it looks downright cute.

Shirt: Liberty of London for Target

Skirt: Forever 21

Tights: We Love Colors (light pink)

Flats: Wal-Mart

Belt: Thrifted

Purse: Flea Marketed ($10!)

Earrings: Too old to remember...

And then I managed to sucker Doren into posing.

Shirt: Target

Jeans: Levi's

Hat: Urban Outfitters

Like Mother, Like Daughter

2011-06-08T20:00:00.008-05:00

As Penelope gets older she looks more and more like me...

What I Wore: To Work

2011-06-02T21:02:00.004-05:00

Alright, so this outfit is from over a week ago. I apologize, I'm not very good at this.

Doren and I worked all day and then I asked him to take my photo once we got home. I think he would have rather been lounging, but he's a good sport. And he actually took more than like 3 shots this time!

Doren has been having a hard time editing photos of me, due to my degree of paleness...my skin reflects light like a white sheet. I used to be tan, until I became pregnant with Penelope. Since then I've pretty much avoided the sun. So lately I've started tanning a little bit to boost my self-esteem. Mostly I just like having freckles again

shirt- thrifted

belt- Red Velvet

skirt- Target

shoes- Payless

In other news, we finally got iphones this week! Doren and I have been living with what might have been the cheapest phones available. (His was a flip-phone without a camera!) So we've been playing with them a lot these last few days. I mostly just take photos & videos of Penelope.

And this is the case that I ordered from Etsy. I can't wait for it to come in!

Swimsuit Season (Top 5)

2011-05-25T17:02:00.011-05:00

-The Perfect Cut!-

J. Crew

Jooleedoh posted it's coral-colored cousin earlier this week.

Marc by Marc Jacobs

Splendid

DKNY

I would totally be on the badneau-train, if I didn't think that Penelope would pull it down.

What I Wore: Floral Stripes

2011-05-23T22:22:00.004-05:00

So...I'm finally breaking into this outfit post world.

I was resistant because:

1. I have to wear black & white most days of the week. Kind of boring.

2. It's too much pressure to impress you guys.

3. I think I repeat outfits a little too much.

I've decided to start doing outfit posts because:

1. I think it will make me diversify my outfits.

2. It'll make me blog more.

3. It'll give Doren a reason to play in photoshop. In this set, he learned just how pale I am.

Dress: Charlotte Russe

Blouse: Modcloth (borrowed from Elsie)

Belt: Red Velvet

Shoes: Target (Sale!)

I wore this outfit yesterday: Emma and I had a girl date full of outfit photos, coffee, and thrifting. I've had this dress for like 5 years, and just can't let go of it! Every time I clean out my closet I think, "Has this relationship gone on too long?". Answer: Nope.

A Zooey D. Show!

2011-05-18T17:21:00.000-05:00

Be still, my heart!

Clothing Exchange?

2011-05-16T14:36:00.003-05:00

So, if you're like me you have a full closet but you always feel like you have nothing to wear.

I've just had the same clothes for so long (some since High School) and I'm just over wearing most of them. If only we could all have constantly cycling wardrobes, right? Right!

So what if you had a wardrobe exchange buddy?

Your buddy would be someone with your same taste and size that you could mail articles of clothing (in good condition) to in exchange for the same number of pieces. Wouldn't it would be fun and exciting to recieve your cute little packages of new outfits? I think this recycling project would be great for our budgets too! I don't want to use the word green, but...green.

If this sounds like something that you would be interested in, please comment. If enough people are interested, I'll further develope this idea.

If not enough people are interested, I'll be looking for an exchange buddy myself!

Mr & Mrs.

2011-05-16T00:24:00.001-05:00

Today was Elsie & Jeremy's wedding day. It was beeea-utiful! But you probably could have guessed that. I felt so lucky to be a part of their special day! <3

Penelope's Bedhead

2011-05-11T00:40:00.002-05:00

Every morning when she wakes up I think...

"Who do you think you are? The lead singer of MGMT?"

VS.

Happy Mother's Day!

2011-05-09T00:34:00.002-05:00

This is a photo of my mom with newborn, little me. I know, I had huge ears. Still do.

I was a little upset that Penelope forgot that today was Mother's Day. She didn't even mention it once...

But Doren, on the other hand, got me, my mom, and his mom tickets to see Michael Buble in June! He's pretty good to us.

He also had me choose our activities today. So...thrifting, ice cream, park, mall, Target!

Penelope enjoyed the ice cream. She didn't eat the whole thing: I helped.

And don't worry, her eyebrows are not attacking her face.

Are there social rules on toddler facial waxing? I'm just kidding...

W.W.E.P.W.?

2011-05-05T21:03:00.006-05:00

Emma is, without a doubt, the best dressed character on television. Not even Kurt can compete with all of her beautiful cardigans...oh, the cardigans.

I've been wanting to do a post about her wardrobe for awhile, and then I found this genius site called What Would Emma Pillsbury Wear? It just selects pieces from her outfits and finds comparable (and sometimes the exact same!) pieces on online shops, no big deal.

My Fellow Collections!

2011-05-02T13:39:00.025-05:00

Yes, there were other collection aside from my own. Travis got some beautiful shots of the other groups and I would love to share the highlights with you!

"Candyland"

So cute and bright!

"Release Your Inner Animal"

They were pretty hot.

These next 2 models were my favorite animals!

"Oskar"

Black & White became pure color!

"Toxic"

Intense Structures and Bright Colors!

This gal here won "Best Model/Design".

"Neon Electric"

Super Bright or Super Dark!

This model was my favorite!

"Distopia"

The world has ended and only tough girls exist.

This is Gina, and she's a student. She looked a lot like the girl in our show's poster, so the school directors made her be in her own collection and start the show! Isn't she cute?

Out of all of the other collections, my favorite was titled "Tattered". They modernized Disney princesses and other fairy-tale characters in this high-energy collection. A legit break-dancer played the part of The Prince in this story of relationship struggles. They won the title of "Best Collection" and they definitely deserved it!

The Alice in Wonderland model was my absolute favorite!

Little Red Riding Hood
Rumpelstiltskin
Snow White
Esmerelda
Aladdin
Sleeping Beauty
Swan Princess
Rapunzel
Ariel
Cinderella

And Prince Charming

Headshots by Travis Howard

2011-05-02T12:46:00.014-05:00

Doren and I met with Travis Howard yesterday to discuss him photographing our wedding! While we were there Travis gave me a disc full of photos from our hair show. I'll be posting behind the scenes shots and photos from the other collection next!

You should visit Travis here:

His Blog

His Site

Developing individual themes, hairpieces, and wardrobes for 11 models was a little stressful, but I'm so proud of how every model ended up!

HP: Deathly Hallows II (Full Trailer!)

2011-04-27T20:11:00.000-05:00

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hcf6cwr9TnY

Another Earth

2011-04-27T16:04:00.000-05:00

TokiDoki

2011-04-25T12:36:00.008-05:00

I'm currently obsessed with these TokiDoki make-up things, you can find them at Sephora or Amazon! I HAVE to have these brushes.

tokidoki Robbery Palette Robbery Palette

tokidoki Cromatico Eyeshadow Palette - Bastardino

tokidoki Fantastico Lip Stain Cactus Friends

tokidoki Pittura Brush Set

tokidoki Siberia Blush Brush

More Woven Photos

2011-04-24T23:38:00.005-05:00

Local photographer, Whitney Mosher, hung out with us behind the scenes to take some "action" shots. She also took some photos on the runway too. You can find the other photos on her Flickr. Thanks, Whitney!

I was introduced to our ballerina model, Aubrey Cooke, through one of my teammates. In the model call, I wrote on her info sheet "PERFECT". At the end of the show night, she told me that she might be signing with Ford Modeling Agency soon. So this just might be the 1st of many times that you'll see her face.

My personal model for the show was my friend Aimee. Poor Aimee was the most neglected model in our collection because I needed to direct and approve the other 10 models/stylist duos.

I chose the bubble theme for Aimee because:

1. She was our tallest model and I thought she could pull off a giant head full of bubbles.

2. I imagined that the bubbles model would be the only model representing the 50's decade, and it's kind of my favorite!

3. The bubbles model would be our final model to appear, so it needed to be a big deal.

This last one is my favorite image from the whole day. It feels pretty 50's to me (bubbles, velvet curtain, the glasses: Lawrence Welk Show, anyone?), and I couldn't be happier with how the look turned out as a whole.

The Woven Collection

2011-04-22T22:00:00.007-05:00

Our hair show was yesterday, and it was pretty amazing! Everyone on my team perfectly created what I've had in my head for months. They were definitely the most committed out of any other collection, and it made my life so much easier. One of our members even volunteered to model at the last minute because one of our planned models just didn't show up.

Here I am with some of the other collection directors:

A lot of other collections were dominated by dance or/and sexual undertones. We didn't have either: I actually code-named our collection "Young Grandmas". But in the end we were widely respected for vision! I had a lot of adults thank me for creating something respectful. And I had a few salon owners come to me to ask where I plan on working now that I've finished with school. So that's pretty cool!

These are the only photos that I've seen so far.

I'll post headshots and such once they've been released!

These are the first photos that I've seen from our hair show last night!

I like the song...

2011-04-14T01:05:00.000-05:00

but not the video.

Death Cab for Cutie was my favorite band for a very long time. I'm looking forward to their new album, but this video worries me a little.

Triangles, showgirls, and LED suits? Come on, guys. You're better than all of this extra junk.

Kawaii K*tsch!

2011-04-13T00:59:00.008-05:00

Last night, Doren and I got to spend some time with our friends Aimee and Justin.

Aimee is my model for the hair show, so I spent some time playing with her hair.

Justin and Doren worked on web comic things and...I don't really know. I wasn't actually paying attention to what they were doing.

It was also a double-feature movie night! You can probably guess what 2 movies we watched.

Oh. That's not what you guessed?

So needless to say, we laughed a lot, but for 2 very different reasons.

And you should know that Aimee just added a bunch of things to her Etsy, Kawaii K*tsch! It's a great mix of vintage and crafty cute geekery.

Woven, Ray-Bans, and Winslow

2011-04-05T23:10:00.005-05:00

My life has seriously been school and the Hair & Fashion Show. But I graduate in about 2 weeks, around the same time as the show. So I'll be a committed blogger once again, in about 2 weeks.

If you live near Springfield, MO, you should definitely come to the Refresh show! It's on April 21st, at the Ramada Oasis Convention Center, at 7:00 P.M.. There will be a silent auction, 8 collections presented in the show, and an after-party with the band Black Bird Cathedral. All of the proceeds go to the Children's Miracle Network. (Tickets will be sold at the door.)

I haven't shared too much about our collection, until now. I developed this collection called "Woven", and pitched it to the educators at our school. It's all about items that a little girl might find interesting and dream about. We have a 10-year-old girl onstage with a basket and blanket and she'll pull a single, cute item out of the basket. Models will come out with those items in their hair and represent what the little girl is imagining. We're talking balloons, ballerina, bubbles, bird's nest...It's pretty dreamy. I've been directing 10 other students, and working with our models for the last 2 months to make this all happen.

Our wardrobe sponsor is Red Velvet, and picking out outfits was soooo much fun!

These photos were some of our hair inspiration.

Our song is "Mirador" by Efterklang.

There are 7 other collections, and a panel of salon owners will be selecting a "Best Model" and "Best Collection". So...we'll see.

In other news...

Yesterday, Doren and I got new glasses!

I got my last pair like 5 years ago so I haven't worn them in a very long time. I almost backed out, but now I'm very glad that I took a chance and got the new cat-eye Ray-Bans! They had to order my lenses (Bummer!), but I should have them in a few weeks.

Doren went with these super cute and traditional frames! Once I get mine we'll totally look like a legit 1950's couple.

And Doren shared a teaser for his Winslow story yesterday! If you haven't seen it yet, you should go look. He's working on his next image as I type!

How To: Save Money on Mascara

2011-03-24T22:43:00.005-05:00

This is the mascara I like, I'm just too cheap to keep buying it.

I was pretty sure that the Colossal's wand, not the product, was what had me hooked.

So the next time I needed mascara, I bought the regular Great Lash.

Guess what, girls? The Colossal and Great lash wands are exchangeable!

I now have a Great Lash bottle with a Colossal wand that screws on perfectly.

I thought about not sharing this, because it seems kind of ghetto, but I figure there has to be someone else out there that's as budget-concious as myself.

YEEAAAHHH!!!

2011-03-21T10:57:00.000-05:00

Yes. He IS putting glasses on over his glasses...

Color Schemes

2011-03-21T00:53:00.004-05:00

I do get a lot of compliments on my current hair, but you know how it is. I'm ready to move on to something new.

I'll probably keep what I have for a few more months: I'm just planning my next color scheme in advance. As of now, I'm really feeling the natural to golden ombre looks...We'll see.

Wedding Inspiration

2011-03-18T22:14:00.012-05:00

So Doren and I have decided that we will be getting married this year, late September to be exact! We're trying not to make planning a stressful time, so we're still in inspiration-mode.

We have a lot of great detail-oriented ideas!

Most of our inspiration is coming straight from Big Fish.

And I imagine our color scheme will be a little like this...

Night Owl Paper Goods has so many cute options for wedding stationary.

Right now, you can order a sample pack of their wedding goods for only $0 + shipping!

They do have lots of great not-wedding things too.

We actually don't plan on having a cake, but if we did...

How. Awesome. Is. This?

There are some weddings that I love bits and pieces of...

This dress might be my favorite that I've seen. The pop of yellow is the best.

There are some weddings that I love every single element of...

Yosemite Wedding

Perfect Barn Wedding!

Best Dressed Wedding!

What a Week!

2011-03-13T23:33:00.010-05:00

This week was so, so, so busy. Good busy!

I shot some photos for a local shop's Fall catalogue with local photographer Travis Howard and videographer David Newton. They both do amazing work, and hopefully we'll work together again sometime with some independent ideas.

Mallory visited me at school and we invented a new look for her! It was so much fun to hang out with her, AND get hours. I'm sad that she'll be leaving soon, and I haven't really gotten to spend much time with her. But I'm excited that she'll be coming back so soon!

We had a Choreography practice for our Hair Show collection yesterday. I am not one for choreography, so I'm glad that I have so many friends to help iron out things that I never would have noticed. "Which foot crosses over which?" "Which foot do you pivot on?" I don't know: I pose for photos, not runways. But thank goodness someone knows!

My model for our collection is the fabulous Aimee Durham. I hate to give away too many details about our individual theme, so...

That's all you get.

I got to see Aimee again today, when we met for a double-date brunch with our boys. Doren and I have come to the decision that that Aimee and Justin are our double-date soulmates.

Doren finally started a blog this week! He has decided to do a weekly comic about his character Winslow the Ghost. He has a lot of great ideas for this little guy, and I really hope that you decide to follow him as he starts the story in April! Isn't he cute?

And Jeremy had his album release show last night. You should have been there. Seriously. I couldn't describe it to you, even if I tried. His new songs are so insanely well though out, and you pretty much have to invest in the album and DVD.

Shoes!

2011-03-06T23:11:00.012-06:00

I've been searching online for the perfect shoes to wear to Elsie & Jeremy's wedding: It's made me realize just how boring my own shoe collection is. What I'm lacking in colors and patterns is being made up for in 5 pairs of all black shoes. Save me.

I've decided that as soon as I have the extra money for shopping, I'll be investing in some much more special shoes. These are the styles that brought me to this decision!

Shop

Red Velvet Dress Collection

2011-03-01T18:41:00.002-06:00

The Spring Dress Collection just launched over on the Red Velvet site! The girls have been working so hard to make it happen, and I can only imagine how happy they are to see this day finally arrive.

I hope that you've been inspired by the new dresses, picked a favorite, and thought about making it your own. I just checked the online store myself and saw that the Lemon Pie and Kite Day dresses have already sold out!

Which one is my personal favorite? The Piano Lesson Dress. I've had a hard time choosing a favorite, but I think this one is so special, yet versatile at the same time.

Have you chosen a favorite?

Long time, no see. (Vegas Recap)

2011-02-24T17:47:00.016-06:00

Hi, strangers. I think that I might just be ending my longest no blogging streak ever. I blame it on the school trip to Vegas and the upcoming hair show. This hair show seems to be sucking all of my brainpower, every single day.

The Vegas trip was so great! There were so many inspiring artists and the energy was just what I needed to propel me through the last few months of school (I only have 2 months left!). We got to take photos with the big-wigs of the company, but those haven't been released yet. I didn't really take any photos; instead, I've relied on the ones that my friends took. I took video rather than photos. So my mom was pretty excited to the footage of Donnie & Marie Osmond. Yep, they we there, and it was awesome.

The school elements of the trip were so great! The Vegas elements of the trip were just not really my cup of tea. We stayed 4 nights at Caesar's Palace, and I had 3 great roommates (found in the last photo). As you can tell, I was, by far, the palest in our room. We had dinner at Jimmy Buffett's Margaritaville the first night in town. I know...I know, the Mid-Western girls went to the only country spot in town.

The last night, we went to Serendipity 3, which was uhh-mazing. Some girls found the selling point of this spot to be, the Kardashians eat there. I found the selling points to be their desserts and insanely cute decor.

But all of our other meals were very budget-oriented, since the city is so expensive in comparison to the Mid-West.

Shopping-wise, I spent a lot of time at this 3-story H&M. I only bought one thing for myself, a $7 sale dress!, and most of my shopping money went to the children's department. So Penelope now has the perfect fringe booties!

But I was very glad to come back home, even though there was still 2 feet of snow and a sick baby waiting.

Springfield: Model Call

2011-02-16T00:30:00.001-06:00

Our school is holding it's annual Hair/Fashion show in April! I'm developing my own collection titled "Woven" with a selected team, and I can't think of a better way to finish off my time at school.

Our open model call is this Saturday, from 10 to 3. If you're in the Springfield area, and would like to be a part of this exciting project, then I guess I'll see you there!

Lunatic Fringe

2011-02-13T00:05:00.003-06:00

So this is my 1st blog post since I've returned home from Las Vegas! The event itself was so much fun and such a great learning experience. As far as Las Vegas goes...it's not really my kind of town. I plan on making an in-depth post this weekend about the trip!

But for the time being, I hope this video will suffice. One of my biggest inspirations from this trip came from the Lunatic Fringe Salon out of Salt Lake City, Utah. Their sea-life-themed hair show was a complete dream.My learning leader, Suzanne, worked at this exact salon and I am now very, crazy jealous.

BRB.

2011-02-07T10:01:00.000-06:00

Off to Vegas!

See you later!

Red Velvet Video!

2011-02-06T15:30:00.005-06:00

Last night we filmed Red Velvet's 1st ever LookBook video! Morgan and I got to play dress up for hours, and the RVA girls had such a great time styling us. To say that it was fun would be an understatement.

Mallory and Elsie have been working so hard on this Spring collection, and it's definitely going to be a very huge hit! Take my word for it, when these dresses hit the store, they will go insanely fast. I still can't decide which dress is my favorite!

I even got to execute my first beehive hair-do on Morgan! I was nervous, because her hair is so beautifully straight and skinny, but it was such a success! And if any living person was ever meant to wear this style, it's her.

Our videographer, Brandon Goodwin, is pretty much the best. He brings so much energy to each project, and has such a vision for each second he films. He and Elsie will be editing the video over the next few weeks, and I cannot wait to see what they make!

I'm a major fan of these other Goodwin projects!

And please remember,

tomorrow is the launch of the new Red Velvet site!

Year of the Rabbit

2011-02-03T23:01:00.009-06:00

Prepare yourself for the next big animal trend!

Adopt a bunny:

Bunny-up a photo shoot:

And bunny shop!:

Shop Fabric

Shop Blythe Sweater

Shop Necklace

This whole shop is beautiful!

Baby Mullet

2011-02-03T22:50:00.001-06:00

She won't let me cut her hair.

I'm too afraid to try cutting it while she's sleeping.

I guess we'll just wear hats in public for the next few months, and see how it grows out...

Penelope the Person

2011-02-02T21:44:00.003-06:00

Penelope just isn't a baby anymore.

In the last week, she has been...

saying:

"Meow"

"Buh-Bye"

"Night-Night"

"Mur" a.k.a "More"

and:

Showing your her belly when you ask to see it.

Pointing to her foot when you ask where it is.

She's just growing up too fast!

Snowmageddon 2011

2011-02-02T21:24:00.004-06:00

When the snow's at your knees,

thank goodness for knee-high boots.

It's officially the Southwest Missouri Blizzard of 2011, and we've been snowed in for 2 days now. Tonight we found out that school is still cancelled tomorrow, and I'm going a little crazy inside the house. I did manage to wrap up enough to go outside today to take these photos. Doren spent time outside shoveling the driveway so that escape might be possible tomorrow.

Here's Doren being a boss.

18" ruler in the snow wall outside of the garage.

About 12" assaulting the back door.

I know that people from the North/Northeast might be thinking "get over it!" But we're really not used to this much snow. I thought about scooping a little hollow nest, and putting Penelope in it, for the perfect photo. But it's just too cold and I don't want to give her a snow-phobia since it's about as tall as she is.

Top 10: Movies

2011-02-02T13:51:00.014-06:00

In no particular order: