May Budget

Every month I post about my clothing budget. My budget per month is $300, which to some may seem like a lot and to others a little, but feels just right for me. You can read my thoughts on my 2014 budget here. 

This month I thought the whole time that I was going to go over budget but somehow I came way under. I'm actually weirdly worried right now that I don't have enough summer clothing in my closet (maybe because I haven't done laundry in a while) so I was actively looking for things, but just didn't find many I liked.

There were a couple of things I returned this month. I was actually really excited about this dress, it's beautiful in person, but sadly the top has no stretch and it just looked odd on my larger bust. I also really wanted these heels (and wore them around the house for a long while trying to make myself love them) but the metal band at the top was way too restrictive and uncomfortable.

So here's the damage for this month:

BaubleBar Tassel Necklace - originally $44, on sale $29.80. I haven't actually gotten this yet (it was backordered) but I have a feeling I'm going to love it.
Loft Navy Sweater - originally $59.50, on sale $35.70. Got a compliment from my 19 year old cousin on this, which made me feel pretty hip and cool so it will probably be in heavy rotation all summer. Looks great with the white shorts I picked up last month.
Old Navy Pink Dress - originally $29.94, on sale and used rewards $5. I was looking to add another dress that could be easily dressed up or down, and this one fit the bill. I wore it to my cousin's shower a couple weeks ago and got a ton of compliments, so it was definitely worth the $5 I spent. Of course, I then felt overly confident and kept it on while cooking and somehow got oil splattered all over it, so we'll have to see if it survived the laundry.
BaubleBar Tassel Bracelet - originally $34, on sale $22.80. I bought this at the same time as the necklace, except that it actually came and I've been wearing it basically nonstop/annoying my sister with it.
Old Navy Coverup - originally $26.94, on sale and used rewards $7. So it turns out I've never owned a "real" coverup before (I always just wore old dresses) and I'm super loving this one! The cut is surprisingly flattering. Can't wait to wear it to the beach (and on our honeymoon!) this summer.
JCrew Factory Shift Dress - originally $108, on sale $45.90. Shift dresses aren't the most flattering on me, but I just couldn't resist this print. Both of my grandmas have 90th birthday parties coming up in the next month, and I'm excited to pull this out for one of them.
Topshop Romper - $50. I didn't really expect this to work on me. Since I'm tall they usually don't fit right, and a wrap top like this, while in theory is supposed to be flattering on curves, usually ends up showing way more cleavage than I prefer these days. Somehow this worked! I wore it to my friend's bachelorette party last weekend (you can see a picture here) and it felt so fun.

Total Spent: $196.20
Total Saved: $156.18

I can't tell for sure how I'll do for June, I'm either going to go nuts buying summer clothing for our honeymoon, or I won't have any time for anything and will spend zero dollars. Either way, I'll schedule a budget post to go up while we're off in Italy to let you know how I did and share a recap of the first half of the year.

Did you budget in May? How did it go?

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The '90s are Back?

Dress - SheInside / Chambray (similar) - Loft / Shoes - Sperry / Bag - Michael Kors / Necklace (similar) - JCrew Factory / Watch - Wristology

Yep, I tied a shirt around my waist last weekend. Whaaaaaat? Turns out the '90s are back. I actually got a weird number of compliments around town while wearing this, so it appears the people are very pro '90s style. If you're thinking about tying some outerwear around your waist, try choosing something lightweight like this chambray shirt that doesn't add a ton of bulk, and double knot the sleeves so it stays where you want it.

Have you been rocking any '90s trends?

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This Weekend...

This weekend I...

...Went to the bachelorette party & wedding for my college (& life) roomie! The bachelorette party was out in the suburbs on Friday night and included a cute farm to table dinner and hitting some townie bars. The wedding was on Sunday out in the country and was so beautiful. It had been pouring earlier that afternoon but the rain stopped just in time for their ceremony. It was fun seeing a bunch of people I hadn't seen since college, celebrating with the college roommates, and of course taking over the dance floor with Jeff ;)
...Had some relatives in town, and got to play the tourist around Chicago with them. We went to lunch at Heaven on Seven (and got some pretty mighty cocktails), went down to take photos with the Bean, and went on an architecture boat tour.
...Went to see Pitch Perfect 2! Jeff and I loved the first one, and while the sequel wasn't quite as good, it was still a lot of fun.
...Had a spontaneous date night with Jeff that started because my feet hurt and I didn't feel like walking all the way home - I made Jeff come meet me for drinks and snacks at Square One and then additional drinks and snacks at Kurah - I can never say no to a good bacon wrapped date!
...Caught up on VEEP - do you watch that show? Because you probably should. Julia Louis-Dreyfus is hysterical, but my current favorite of this season is Robert, the inept assistant.

I hope you had a great long weekend!

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5 Cookie Recipe

So tell me if you ever have this problem: you bake a whole batch of cookies, and then realize that you now have so many cookies that you could never possibly eat? No? Well then, this post may not be for you. I personally love a good cookie warm out of the oven, but Jeff and I can somehow never finish a batch, so it always feels kind of wasteful to bake them. That's why I freaking love this recipe - it makes just five cookies and is super easy and fast to whip up, plus it doesn't make a huge mess. And, you know, cookies. It's hard to go wrong with those.

This recipe is also gluten free (say whaaaaa, I know!) and this super gluten eating girl still likes them (which can be hard for a gluten free baked good), so, go and make them all of you non gluten eaters!

Gluten Free Peanut Butter Cookies (from Plated)
Makes just 5 cookies! 

1 egg (you're only going to use half though!)
1/4 cup granulated sugar
1/4 cup peanut butter
1/4 tsp baking soda
2 TB peanut butter chips (or semi-sweet chocolate, I used those once and they were really good)

Preheat oven to 350. Grease a baking sheet (preferably with butter, but I know some of you are going to use cooking spray and that's a-okay too.

In a small bowl, whisk egg. Reserve half for eggs in the morning.

In a medium bowl, stir together half of egg, sugar, peanut butter, and baking soda until well combined. Stir in peanut butter chips.

Roll cookie dough into 5 evenly sized balls and evenly space on cookie sheet. Bake 10-12 minutes, until edges are golden brown. Let cool 3-5 minutes and serve warm (preferably with a glass of milk!)

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7 Ways to Wear Stripes

Good morning! Today I'm guest posting over at Cassidy Lou while Maddy is away on vacation, hop on over to learn about my obsession with horizontal stripes and to see 7 different ways to wear them.

  

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This Weekend...

This weekend I...

...Hit up Wine Riot on Saturday afternoon with a bunch of ladies (most of whom's significant others were down in NOLA with Jeff for his bachelor party) and had a great time trying a bunch of new wines (and then falling back on some old standby's). One of my friends thought I had brought a date when she saw me next to this cardboard cutout - and that was at the beginning of the afternoon!
...Saw the trailer for the Entourage movie, got excited, and proceeded to watch about 400 episodes of the show.
...Went to my first backyard barbecue of the summer, it was great to enjoy some warmer weather and do some good patio sitting.
...Had my last wedding dress fitting! Good news - it fits!! I'm not going to go pick it up though until a couple days before the wedding, you know, reduce the chance that Jeff accidentally sees it ;)
...Went to a bridal shower for my cousin's fiancee, which meant I spent the afternoon giggling with my sister and eating some freaking amazing cupcakes.
...Picked up Jeff from the airport late on Sunday - I really missed that guy! Just five weeks til the big day :)

Hope you had a good one!

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Current Beauty Favs

Happy Friday! This week has been dragggggging thanks to a cold that carried over from last weekend and Jeff traveling first for work and then pleasure. His bachelor party is this weekend down in New Orleans and it sounds like it might be a bit crazier than my party was - there are 20 guys going and I've heard talk of some pretty funny plans, like hiring a band to parade Jeff through the French Quarter. In any case, I'm glad to see the weekend again.

Anyway, today I'm talking beauty again. I tried a few new things recently (thanks to a couple gifts and a little Sephora shopping spree) that I've been loving and wanted to share with you.

NARS Lipstick Pencil - This came for free as a birthday gift from Sephora and I've really been loving the sheer, buildable color it gives. I'm kind of a lipstick-phobe after a few experiences where my lip color wore off unevenly, so this sheer color is my cup of tea. It's also nice and moisturizing, which is always a plus in my book. The rikugien color was my favorite.

bareMinerals COMPLEXION RESCUE Tinted Hydrating Gel Creme - Every other tinted moisturizer or BB/CC cream I've used has left me wanting more, but not this one! It manages to cover any redness or imperfections without hiding my freckles, provides enough hydration to completely replace my moisturizer, and blends perfectly. Win win win. 

Fresh Sugar Lip Treatment - A friend gave this to me as part of a little bachelorette present, and while I initially thought it was a scrub (it says sugar treatment!) I love that it's a fancy, SPF filled lip balm. I basically can't live without chapstick, and this one is super hydrating (which seems to be the theme of this post) and smells great. I put it on every night before bed. 

CARGO Water-Resistant Blush - For years I've switched between bronzer during the warmer months and blush the rest of the year, but this summer I'm not sure I'll put away my blush because I've really been loving this CARGO blush (I wear Los Cabos). It's a really natural looking shade and provides the perfect flush. I can't really speak for the water-resistant part though, I haven't noticed that it's particularly long lasting (although this summer will be the true test).

Shu Uemura Eyelash Curler - So this beauty favorite isn't all that new. I actually owned one of these back in middle school (my aunt claims to have won it during a taping of Oprah) but never really loved it because I thought it made my eyelashes look unnatural. Um, turns out I was just really bad at using it - I'm pretty sure I just held it really hard at the roots so they ended up with one 90 degree bend in them. I recently picked a new one up with a leftover birthday giftcard and it turns out grownup me is much better and eyelash curling, and I have a new step in my daily beauty routine. 

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Bridal Shower the Second

Dress (similar) - Loft / Sandals (similar) - Sole Society / Bag (similar) - Ann Taylor / Necklace and Bracelet (similar) - Stella & Dot

As I mentioned on Monday, I had my second wedding shower over the weekend. My mother-in-law hosted, so it gave me a chance to hang out with Jeff's family as well as meet some of their family friends who will be coming to the wedding. I didn't realize it beforehand, but I actually ended up wearing one of my wedding colors to each shower - guess I have them on the brain!

For this shower, I didn't plan in advance quite as well as last time and had to try on a few things in my closet before deciding on this pink and white striped dress I thought about last week. Usually I have a few dresses ready to go for special occasions, but my dress section feels surprisingly empty right now. I've mentioned this before, but I like to buy dresses for special occasions when I find them rather than shopping for specific events since I can never find quite what I want when I'm on the clock. That being said, I might need to add another dress or two to the wardrobe for other showers, weddings, and events this summer (both of my grandma's are having 90th birthday parties!) so I'm trying to keep my eyes open. Here are a few dresses that have caught my eye:

Do you have a lot of events this summer? How do you shop for them?

And here's my favorite summer bag two more ways - dressed up and dressed down:

 

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This Weekend...

This weekend I...

...Went out with Jeff and his family to celebrate his birthday, someone just hit the big 3-0! We went out to New Rebozo in Oak Park and sampled some of their famous mole sauces - so freaking good. Couldn't say no to a strawberry marg either ;)
...Had my second bridal shower with Jeff's family and friends, which was once again so fun. And we now have an entire room full of presents to find places to put away. Our registry is basically down to nil so I guess we have to register for some more stuff - is there anything unusual that you got or would want?
...Finally saw Whiplash and really enjoyed it, beautifully shot and fantastic acting. Usually we try to hit all of the Oscar contenders by February, but this year we dropped the ball so we've been slowly catching up.
...Spent an hour and a half in Target, so, you know, whoops. If you happen to be a plus size gal in Chicago, check out the Target on Roosevelt, I found a bunch of Lily for Target plus size stuff hiding in the gardening section.
...Maybe discovered that The Parent Trap was on tv twice, and maybe had to watch it both times.
...Drove up to my sister's house for a little Mother's Day dinner and got to see all of my sister's baby stuff - I can't believe there's going to be a little grandbaby in the family in two months!!

I hope you had a good one!

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Current Wishlist

Happy Friday everyone!! I haven't shared a wishlist in a while but I keep pinning things to my secret Pinterest board, so I figured it was time to create a new one. Clearly I'm ready for this summer thing, as I've been really into color lately. I actually haven't bought anything yet in May (just buying lots of Mother's Day/birthday/wedding/shower presents instead) but maybe todays' the day ;) 

Cutout Dress / Cuff Bracelet / Fringed Sandals / Shift Dress / Blue Tank / Tassel Bracelet / Gold Dot Phone Case / Tassel Scarf / Spotted Laptop Case

What's on your current wishlist?

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Bridal Shower the First

Dress - Loft / Heels (similar) - Sole Society / Bag (similar) - Kate Spade / Bracelet (similar) - Stella & Dot

I know, I know, I keep talking about wanting to wear white to all wedding related activities, and yet for my own shower I chose color instead! It's just, this dress has been in my closet just begging to be worn, and I bought and returned a lot of little white dresses without ever finding something I loved.

I had one shower last weekend hosted by a family friend for all of my family and friends, and next weekend we're doing it again for Jeff's side. I haven't quite decided what to wear for that one yet, but I'm thinking this little number make another appearance.

Two more shower outfit ideas:

 

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This Weekend...

This weekend I...

...Had my first bridal shower! As you can see from the above, we had an amusing time ;) A family friend hosted, and it was beautiful. I honestly never *got* having a shower before, but I am all in now - this may be cheesy, but it made me feel very loved and thankful for all of my friends and family.
...Went to a bowling party for work and epic failed at bowling. Seriously, I think I got a 48 at one game. Maybe next time I should use the bumpers...
...Went out with Jeff and a bunch of our friends to celebrate his birthday, first to the Cubs game on Saturday, and then we literally ran to Joe's on Weed to watch the Derby and stayed through for the Mayweather/Pacquiao fight. And when I say "stayed" I mean waited until the fight was juuuuuust about to start (we waited a couple of hours) before I decided I had to go home and dragged Jeff with me. Whoops, sorry baby! He claims not to care, which I think is the mark of a good fiance ;)
...Grabbed dinner at Burger Bar because, you know, burgers are my jam. Especially when topped with prosciutto, pesto, and a fried egg.

I hope you had a good one!

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April Budget

I can't believe it's time for another budget post! Mostly because it means another month has passed, which means it's another month closer to my wedding - eeek! We went and walked through our venue last week and it somehow made me even more excited for the big day.

But anyway, back to the budget. I went way over a couple of times with some online orders, but I kept getting stuff that didn't work on me so instead I came in under budget and have a huge pile of things to return. I was most disappointed that this dress didn't work on me, I ordered a tall to get some extra length (it looks so short on the model) but that just ended up making the flare of the skirt hit me way too low.

I apparently was on a neutral kick this month - this gray sweater is so cute in person and perfect for work, and both pairs of shorts will help to balance out my crazy patterned shorts collection. And of course I couldn't say no to another navy striped top (I may have a problem) so I had to snag it when JCrew Factory was offering free shipping on all orders.

My favorite purchase this month has to be this bag from Target (the little clutch goes inside the front pocket, showing just a hint of pink), I have gotten compliments on it everywhere I go! People cannot believe it's from Target. So far the quality seems to be pretty good, but I guess I'll have to wait and see.

My weirdest purchase this month was definitely these black flats that are actually Crocs! I have to work tradeshows for work, which means standing for about 12 hours straight, and I decided last week that I absolutely could not work another one in my old black flats - so uncomfortable. So I ran out to DSW the night before a show, and ended up finding these in what my mom calls "the old lady section" haha. They were an excellent idea - until you get pretty close to them you can't tell they're Crocs, and my feet didn't complain, even when I decided to hit up an after party. Win win win.

Oh and this didn't make the cut for this collage, but I won a pair of Lilly Pulitzer for Target shorts on eBay this week. They were the one thing I really wanted, and I had been willing to pay tax and full shipping on them if I had managed to snag them during the sale, so I decided paying a little more on eBay (with free shipping/no tax) was worth it. They're supposed to come this weekend so I'm hoping I like them. I guess if not I'll just resell them ;)

So anyway, here's the damage for April:

JCrew Factory Black Shorts - originally $59.50, on sale $29.50
JCrew Factory White Shorts - originally $59.50, on sale $29.50
Target Bag - $39.99
Sole Society Sandals - $59.95
Loft Sweater - originally $54.50, on sale $27.25
JCrew Factory Shirt - originally $44.50, on sale $29.50
Croc Flats - originally $45, on sale $34.95
Lilly Pulitzer for Target Shorts - originally $24, purchased for $38.50

Total Spent: $228.74
Total Saved: $158.20

For next month, I'm looking for another pair of skinny jeans (I mentioned this before, but a zipper on one of my boots shredded up a couple of pairs) and some fun things to wear on my honeymoon in Italy!

How did you do spending-wise this month?

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