Black Boots // Cream Boots

Jumping on the bandwagon and obsessing over these perfectly studded ankle boots. You know I love anything studded! The Chloe ‘Susan’ boots that came out in 2008 and have been so popular that they’ve recently been re-released (now called the ‘Susanna’ boots). At around $1300 they’re still not cheap, but I found this pair that might do.

Urban Outfitters blazer, Stylemint ‘Starburst’ tee, Guess pants (similar color), Jessica Simpson oxfords (similar), Coach bag, House of Harlow cuff via Gilt, DIY necklace

I was up in the Tampa area on the weekend for a 2 year old’s birthday party and this is what I wore. This shirt from Stylemint is so lightweight and comfortable, not to mention cute and colorful! I love that it’s a subtle blue tie dye. And I don’t know if you can see real well in the photos, but I did pink polka dots on turquoise nails for an added touch of whimsy. The best thing about this location I found on the way to the party was this friendly cat who wanted to be in all my photos.

I’m a fan of wearing anything off-beat or strange, and this necklace fits the bill. I recently bought it at the Clothes Hound event Kirstin Marie and I hosted in March and as soon as I realized there was an insect (bee/wasp?) on it, it had to come home with me. It’s a perfectly respectable gold chain necklace with pendant… until upon closer inspection you realize it can sting!

Here are some more deadly jewelry picks…. Kate Spade $78  |  ASOS $86  |  Alex Monroe $230

If you follow Grace’s blog, Stripes and Sequins, then you’ll know that she is an amazing DIY’er. One of her more recent projects was this gold bracelet made out of mini door hinges. Genius! I loved it so much after I made it that I had to share it with you. And for my own personal touch, what else than added sparkle? To make the bracelet, follow Grace’s easy tutorial here and then follow along to see how to add some glitter.

Thank you, Grace for this fabulous and fun DIY!

1. Rebecca Minkoff $125 // 2. Steve Madden $60 // 3. Jerome C. Rousseau $695 // 4. Twelfth St. by Cynthia Vincent $198 // 5. Target $15 // 6. Ancient Greek Sandals $225 // 7. Diane Von Furstenberg $200 // 8. Emilio Pucci $980

Living in Florida, it’s pretty much sandal season all year round, but summer calls for some extra fun footwear. I love that each of these pairs has something special about them— be it a pop of neon, color blocking, hardware, glitter or embroidery— you’re sure to stand out!

I was inspired to try my hand at a nail design resembling turquoise stone today and after searching online for a tutorial on how to make them, I decided to come up with my own method. There are ways of marbling or hand painting the design, but I wanted to try to get a realistic crackle effect. (Hopefully I succeeded!) So I scrunched up some plastic wrap and experimented. Here’s how I did it:

Colors used were Essie Turquoise and Caicos and OPI Black Onyx.

As with every J Crew catalog that gets dropped in my mailbox, I’ve fallen in love with this new batch of summer staples. The carefree windswept hair and effortless style make a very chic warm-weather statement. And I love that each of these pieces are timeless (and reasonably priced). Bright pieces are a must, as are a striped shirt, straw clutch and great sunglasses.

One piece of jewelry in particular that caught my eye a while ago showed up in this catalog as well— a beautiful jade stone and gold link bracelet ($68). I’d want two to wear one on each wrist!

*Illustrations by Kara

It was a dreary, rainy weekend so I injected lots of color to my casual outfit to liven things up. I spent the afternoon at the mall and promptly realized I looked just like the summer J Crew mannequins with all the bright color blocking going on. How fun! I added a bunch of DIY jewelry to finish off the look.

Express blouse, Blank NYC jeans, Havaianas sandals, Coach bag, DIY bull necklace

I recently came across this great quote and decided to turn it into a wallpaper. It says “this is the year to be who you know you are” and that’s a great thing to remind yourself of everyday. I made it in a few different sizes so you can download it and stay inspired!

2560×1440  /  1920×1200  /  1600×1200  /  1280×1024  /  1024×768  /  iPad  /  iPhone

*Let me know if there’s a popular size that I missed and I’ll add it.

Loving this leaf print from Ilana Kohn. Isn’t that shade of green killer too? Way fun :)