Black Friday Sale Alert

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I am making a list of my favorite Black Friday sales that are a must this year. I love to take advantage of Black Friday sales to get ahead on  Christmas shopping for friends and family. This year I will be working a nine hour shift at J. Crew (my feet already hurt from thinking about it!) and will miss most of these sales. But I will be in my bed on Monday with dirty hair and wearing pajamas for Cyber Monday!! Let me know if I am missing a sale that I cannot miss!

Happy shopping!

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J. Crew – The whole store is 40% with the code HOLIDAY

J. Crew Factory- The whole store and website is 60% off, free shipping if you spend $5o.

Madewell- 25% everything

Bath & Body Works – To Be Announced…

Kate Spade – Be sure to check out the surprise sale for 75% off

Gap – 40% off everything with the code GIFTTIME

Loft – 50% off everything

Express- 50% off everything

Jack Rogers- Up to 50% off everything

Target- shop for a good cause

Sephora-  beauty kits are on sale for $10, $15 and $25. If you were ever interested in trying a product, now is the time to get it

H&M- 60% off select items

Nordstrom- A lot of Tory Burch and Kate Spade on sale!

Old Navy- Everything is 50% off!

UPDATE:  11/25/16 I just finished eating some pumpkin pie and already went online to check what sales Nordstrom has going on going. I just purchased THIS watch because it is 52% off.  because I neeeeeded it and couldn’t let this deal go by. I bought the gold one last year and I am still obsessed with it.

UPDATE: 11/26/16 Alarm went off at 7am on Black Friday and after breakfast my mom and I headed to the mall. I had limited time to do shopping since I had to be at work at noon, so we went with a game plan.img_3023

MACY’S Tis the season to look glamorous and party ready even if you are on a budget. One of the hardest parts of buying new makeup every year is picking out items that go together to make a complete look. The Lancome limited edition holiday kit is the perfect makeup collection for the year. Every Black Friday we go to Macy’s and get their holiday beauty kit, a years worth of makeup for only $60 with any purchase. I have had my eye on the La Vie Est Belle perfume for over a year and finally swiped my credit card and got it. Cvzi6CNWgAAVc87.jpg112016_LANCOME_BRAND_SHOP_Featbnr3_1267590.png3915750_fpx.jpegWith my purchase I got this amazing beauty kit and I cannot wait to try this! This is technically my birthday present so I’m waiting until Christmas to take it out of it’s pretty box. 

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Nordstrom: I took advantage of the free shipping and the low prices on designer items after Thanksgiving dinner. I already bought the Kate Spade watch that was on sale for $100 that I have had my eye on for a while. There are also some Tory Burch and Kate Spade bags on major sale right now. The best part is you can do all of your shopping online while in bed!

Old Navy: I love the pajamas this year and I had to stop in for some holiday pajamas! The whole store was 50% off and it’s a good time to stock up on basic tees and leggings. I’ve been drooling over a scarf for months and found it at Old Navy for $10! Sold!! It looks just like the one I almost bought at Nordstrom the other day. 

J. Crew Factory: Flannels are a must for fall and with the whole store at 60% off I bought myself a new flannel. It is so hard just to buy a few things when I want everything! If you buy one thing at J. Crew Factory, it should definitely be a vest.

Last Minute Halloween Costume

This year for Halloween I am stuck in bed after surgery, so I thought I would share last years last minute Halloween costume on the blog. Last year, it was freezing outside and I did not want to be one of those girls who showed up with very little clothing on at a bar on Halloween.

With clothing I had in my closet and a printed out Starbucks logo taped to my stomach, I went as a cup of Starbucks coffee. I used a white tee shirt, white skirt, brown leggings and a brown infinity scarf wrapped around my stomach. My “purse” for the evening was a bag from Starbucks and a drank beer out of a Starbucks that evening.  I was really committed to the theme! Super easy, super affordable and even warmer!

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I hope everyone is having a fun Halloween this year! I will be in my bed eating a Costco sized bag of candy by myself binge watching Friends on Netflix !

Office Makeover Reveal

This post has been a long time coming, and I decided it is time to finally reveal a room I have been working on for a few months now. This little space on my floor has always been an awkward space that gets filled with clutter and was a room with little purpose. I always called my office, but I never actually spent any time in there. With the upcoming move, we are all looking at the rooms in our house to see how we can update them. This project is not 100% finished at the moment, but I am really happy how it turned out so far. I still need some of the trim to be painted, a few books need to go away and a good vacuum, but this space has completely changed!

The last time I touched this space was back in middle school when we first moved into the house. I chose baby blue and brown as my colors and I promise they were the “in” colors at the time!! The dark brown made the space look smaller and things got lost in the space. The artwork on the walls was mix matched and the space was just so blah.

Everyone knows my obsession with the TV show Fixer Upper, and after a few episodes one day I saw the magic of a fresh coat of paint. In the basement I found some paint from a left over project and started to prime over the brown color. Of course I started to paint at 8pm and was up all night covered in paint on a Friday night.

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I started by removing all of the furniture from this room to start fresh.With everything out of the space, it was easier to envision what I wanted the space to look like. At first I wanted to paint the space white, a complete opposite of the dark brown that was there before. The space gets very little natural lighting so I needed to stay away from dark colors. I then decided on a Behr Ultra Eggshell color that wasn’t completely white but still had a bit of color. img_1746

The cabinet is something my parents have had since before I was born! It was painted pink for my baby room and last year I painted it grey to match my guest room. I decided the guest room was overwhelmed with furniture and decided to bring it out here. I am not sold on its current color and will probably paint it again. Just haven’t decided what to paint it yet.
The mirror was a last minute purchase at the town rummage sale. I walked past it and I needed it. I knew it was what the space was missing. The mirror opens up the space and allows the natural light to bounce off the walls. Did I mention this mirror was only $5?? I spent days in HomeGoods trying to find a good mirror or statement piece that fit my budget. Just another reason why you should always shop in thrift stores, GoodWill or antique stores to find a piece no one else has for a reasonable price. img_1747

This became my new favorite wall! I knew I wanted to create a gallery wall above my desk. I took every piece of artwork I had and put them in a pile on my floor. I decided to go with a black theme with my artwork with bits of color. I framed the post card you get with Kate Spade purchases and put up my artwork that matched. Again, I wanted this space to be simply so I tried to add a gallery, but not have too much crowding the wall.
The desk is my Great Aunt B’s that has been in my family for a long time. The desk is not practical at all and no one wants it- but how can you get rid of a family heirloom??The desk is in amazing shape even though of its age. My mom suggested we paint it white but I love the small details, even the water marks and fading over the years. img_1758img_1751

Desk Accessories
One of the hardest parts of not being in school anymore is not going out an buying new school supplies every fall. Not being a student did not stop me from going to Target to pick up a few supplies though. I love the chic office supplies Target always has and purchased the Oops eraser for some desk art. The clip board is from the dollar bin at Target from earlier in the summer and the planner is also from Target.

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This planner is from Target and only $12! I was going to get my usual Lilly planner, but I needed a planner ASAP one day and this one ended up in my shopping cart one day. It reminds me of a Kate Spade one but only a fraction of the costs. It has each day separately with times, to do lists, and some cute quotes. Since I am no longer a student, this is all I need to keep track of doctor appointments and lunch plans with friends. img_1759

Like all adults, I now pay bills. I try to pay everything online and set up automatic payments to avoid fees or headaches. I got this little organizer for a few dollars from Target and I like to put all of my monthly bills in it so I know what I still need to pay. Even though I am new to adulting, I still have a handful of bills that need to get paid every month. If I don’t stay organized, they would never get paid!img_1753img_1749

When I first came home from college I had boxes of books from college. In this space I wanted to have them on display. I worked really hard in college and wanted to put a small fortune of books on display and not hidden. My mom helped me one day to put the books away in the bookcase and she now understands why I was so tired in college. I was always reading a book and then writing a paper on it!img_1755

This little side table is for added storage since my desk doesn’t really offer it. To prevent over crowding on my desk, I have my pens, markers, and a small filing system for my paperwork on here.

One of my biggest priorities before I started this project was downsizing. I got rid of everything I could, I donated office supplies to my job and tried to have very little on my desk. It is amazing how much more room I have when I no longer have 10 of the same thing or a desk drawer stuffed with extra post it notes!img_1750img_1754img_1756

I will continue to make changes to this space, fix the trim and add my personality to the space more, but I love the results so far!

Malvern Buttery

Everyone knows I love brunch. Very few things will get me out of bed on a Sunday morning, but say the word brunch and I will be ready to head out the door in minutes! I slept over at a friends house on Saturday after my adventures in Philly and we decided to try a new place we have never been to for brunch. My friend and I are trying this new thing where we only eat at places we have never been before and it is the greatest thing !

Malvern Buttery is this adorable restaurant in Malvern, Pennsylvania. It reminds me of a Chip & JoJo from Fixer Upper inspired restaurant with the shiplap and use of antiques for decorating.

The food is also delicious! It is a buffet style restaurant… you put on a tray the foods you want but pay per item. My friend had to stop me from licking my bowl because the food was that good!

I can’t wait to see what other places to eat we find next!

Philly, You Have My Heart

If you have talked to me at all the last few months, you have heard me complain about having to work on Saturday mornings. At first, it doesn’t seem like a big deal… it is just a few hours Saturday morning and then I am off in the afternoon. One of the biggest things on my summer to do list was to go to Center City Philadelphia more this summer. Working on Saturdays and having to be back in the office Monday morning made my weekends short leaving little time for city adventures. This past Saturday was my first Saturday off since May and I was thrilled! But I didn’t want to spend my first Saturday off sleeping until noon or cleaning my house (my favorite thing to do on my days off). I called up a friend from college and told him I wanted to get lost in Philadelphia. Okay… so you can’t actually get lost in Philadelphia because it is a grid but you get the idea.

Scroll all the way to the end of the post to get the outfit details.

I think I found my future home!

I love that you can see the Liberty Bell, walk around Rittenhouse Square and then drool over brownstones in Society Hill all in a day.

We parked on the rooftop of the parking garage and I fell in love with this view at nighttime. 

SHOP MY LOOK

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 FYI My purse is on sale at Target for only $8! It is a good fake for the Chloe purse and the saddle style bags are very big this fall. I bought the light pink one and an olive green one because I couldn’t decide! Even though it is small it fits a lot of stuff! While in Philly I had my giant wallet, phone, keys, and an extra phone charger with (some) room to spare. Run don’t walk to Target to get these bags before they sell  out!
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Last week there was a break from summer weather and the mornings were very chilly. It is that awkward time of season every year when no one knows how to dress. Yes, my fall scarves are out of storage, but it is still too warm to wear them. The sweaters are folded in my closet, but I will die of heat exhaustion if I wear them. Living on the beach, the weather is always 10 degrees colder than inland. So trying to find an outfit for a day in Philly was rather difficult. When I texted some friends who lived there for a weather report they were very little help! Going through my closet I got sad because all of my Lilly and fun summer dresses are packed away in storage and now my closet is shades of black and grey. I had just given myself a spray tan so I knew I was not going to wear pants but trying to find a dress for fall is difficult.

I was delighted when I found my long sleeve denim J Crew dress hidden in my closet. It was long sleeve but still comfortable to walk around Philadelphia in with the heat and chilly weather at night. During one of my trips to Target to buy some fall decor (a post will be up soon to share my treasures!), I found this handbag in the clearance section for only $8!! I bought an olive green one as well because I couldn’t decide! I saw a few other bloggers post photos with this bag and I didn’t have the money to afford a designer saddle bag, but this one is amazing quality and it fits so much stuff! RUN to Target now because you need this bag this season!

summertime blues

Even though my family and I live in a beach town, we always find an excuse to go another beach town for vacation. This Labor Day was my parents anniversary, so they rented a house with some friends for the week in Avalon. Unfortunately, I was not able to take the week off, but I did get to spend a night with them in Avalon. 

Continue reading “summertime blues”