My New Favorite Dress

I bought this great little jersey dress the other day and I luurrrv it. It goes from work, to a night out with a fun little nautical twist!

I don't think there is anything more classic then black and white with pops of red and gold accents. The nautical elements- neckalce, clutch, even the rope detailing on the handbag, earrings and cuff- makes it feel oh-so-summery!

Isn't it fun? You can consider all these things packed for my birthday weekend in LBI!

Here is the shopping list: jersey dress $19.50, sand dollar necklace $14.99, white handbag $32.40, red flats $38.95, twisted gold hoops $3.80, faux leather anchor clutch $32.00, cuff bracelet $24.99, red platform pumps $29.99

Always and Forever,

Me!

P.S... planning on taking a vacation this summer? Check out Kasey's thrift packing tips here and here!

I Need A Haircut.

The length of my hair has gotten out of control...

Look at that! That ish is down by my shoulder blades!! My hair is very VERY thin, so it's just hanging there, and it's very unattractive. It's also incredibly damaged because I don't keep up with it and I blow dry it every day (and curl or straighten it too). Hey, I am upfront with my flaws.

The picture you see in my profile is probably my favorite look-

Short, sassy, curled. I think it's fun, and still age appropriate. However, that is two months' growth on when I did this in February '09:

I don't think I'll be going that short again. JEGs might divorce me.

I can. not. wait. till this wedding is over, just so I can cut my hair.

How about my other brides and/or married ladies out there. Where you, or are you counting down the days till you could cut your hair? Or was there every a time when you were growing out your hair for another reason?

I'm at 37 more days till I can hack it all off. Not that I'm counting or anything...

Always & Forever,

MEEEE

Spicing Things Up in the Bedroom

So what do you think this post is about??
.....
If you thought 'decor' you are right?
...
You didn't? What were you thinking?
.....................
Dirty mind!


Anyway- I'm so over the decor in our bedroom. Like really over it. I would like new curtains and perhaps some new throw pillows as well. The first thing I really want to tackle, however, is the art over our bed.

Last year I created the above masterpiece before we moved in. I need something to fill the space, and I didn't want to spend a lot of money. They did their job for a year.

But now my taste has changed I see how dull they are ( I am a Lizzie in Progress, after all). Here are some of my inspirations.

First and foremost, I love love love the idea of having our initials over our headboard, ala John and Sherry from Young House Love

Ours would have to be on a much bigger scale because we have nearly 7 feet from the top of our headboard to the ceiling.

The Youngsters also have this great collage in their living room that I thought JEGs and I could incorporate over the bed instead..

I also found this great Beatles lyric from Rockett St. George

I think this could be an easy DIY project with some scrap wood, paint and a little polyurethane. We wouldn't have to use the same lyrics either- we could personalize a little more for ourselves!

I also really love Dusty's "I-Don't-Get-It" Guest Room:

She collected a bunch of mismatched frames, spray painted them, and hung them above the bed. This would be great, as I will be yard-sale scouting this weekend. Hm....

I'm also a fan of FC's sunburst

I'm sure a good trip to Home Goods would score me something very similar- but I'm not sure if it would be in my price range.

Finally, I really love this idea of painting swirls on the back wall that I found on HGTV

However, that's probably going to be a crapton of work, and this is only an apartment. I don't plan on being here next year.

So.. thoughts? Anything pop out at you as the perfect solution? Any ideas of your own?

Always & Forever (changing things up),

ME

six. seven. fourty-seven

Today is Mommacita's birthday.

Thank you for everything you do- for your support and love, for being there when I just need someone to vent to, for packing my lunch, helping me plan this wedding, paying for this wedding (he he), and for just being the best mother a girl could possibly have.

Happy birthday to my shopping buddy, my confidant, and most of all, my friend. I love you so much Momma.

Always & Forever,
Your LizzieBean

Fashion: WF ISO LBD

My friend Justin and his loooovely fiance Shannon, are getting married in July at Mulberry Art Studio on July 4th of this year. Adding that wedding in with the 758 other wedding we have to attend in the up coming year, I've decided to upgrade my Little Black Dress.

The first one I found was at David's Bridal (of all places):


I love how sleek, and modern it is, but it still has a little personality with the one shoulder neckline and bow detail. I thought it would look great with some simple diamond earrings and these fabulous shoes I found at Kohl's:

With both the shoes and the dress on sale, the entire outfit would come in just over $100.
The only problem is, the only size they have left is a 26. I wear a 6, that math is not going to add up.

So my search continued.

I started to scour ebay and found a couple good looks:


This dress is verrrry similar to the original dress and is only another $5 more. According to the website it is black, but it appears more of a gunmetal grey to me. Either way, I think I might be in lust.
The next dress is a little different

Still has the one shoulder look, but it's a little softer with the chiffon and the ruffles. I don't know if I could pull of hot pink shoes with this though-- those ruffles are kind of intense. I think this is a black pump and a statement bracelet kind of dress.

Finally, this little number is definitely gun metal grey
I love the fact that it isn't black and I really love the modified sweetheart neckline. I think the ruching is very interesting, but I wonder: can it stand the test of time like the first two dresses- or is this just a one trick pony?

What do we think? Dead ringer dress? Ruffle Explosion? Or Sassy Greek Goddess?
If you are feeling crazy, feel free to throw some other ideas my way!
Always & Forever,
ME

You Know You've Wedding Planning Too Long When...

...you have a 20 minute conversation with your mother about escort cards.
(right now the unmarried are going "what's an escort card?")

45 more days, folks!

Always & Forever,
ME

Resolutions: June Update

Can you believe it's time for the June 1st already? We are almost half way through the year!!

Anyway, it's time to update you all on my resolutions from the beginning of the year. In March I gave myself a C, so let's see how I did this month:

1. Get Married- still looking good. In fact, we picked up our marriage license last Friday!

2. Be On Time- I am actually really proud of myself because I have gotten a lot better. I had set the clock on my cell phone 15 minutes ahead to help keeps myself on time. Recently, I had to change it back because I was starting to arrive nearly 20 minutes early to everything! Don't get me wrong, I still have my slip ups now and then, but I have become much more responsible about my time management, and not leaving things till the last minute.

3. Weight Loss- For a while, I couldn't get past 123 pounds- no matter how much I tried! Finally, this past week, I broke through and hit 119! I feel really good, I'm eating better and I'm drinking A LOT more water. Now I just want to start toning up on my problem areas, namely the jiggly bits under my arms!

4. Make Money, Get PAYYYED- JEGs and I started our joint account in April. We had a little rough period- some bills were paid from the wrong account- but I think everything is on track. We have started a little savings, and (hopefully) when my car is paid off in August, we can add more to that savings!

5. My Pursuit of Happiness- I think what it really comes down to is that I haven't had any hobbies for a while. In the past I've had dance lessons, or cheerleading, or multiple jobs-- basically I'm someone that needs to be kept busy at all times. I think after the madness wedding is over, I am going to start taking a class of some sort.

I'm feeling pretty confident about giving myself a solid B in my progress report. I've still got a little room for improvement, but I'm doing much better since March.

So, how about you? Have you kept your resolutions? Or have they fallen by the wayside?

Always & Forever,
Moi.