Fashion Friday featuring Cotton On.

As many of you may have noticed a good deal of my wardrobe is from Cotton On. But can you really blame me? Their clothes are always beautiful, they constantly have sales, and not the trickster kind of sales where you actually aren’t saving money but honest to goodness sales, and they are an awesome company that has a true sense of responsibility, you can find out all about the Cotton On Foundation here to learn all about the way they are improving the world and helping others http://www.cottononfoundation.org/ but what I think is really great they make it incredibly easy for customers to make donations right at the checkout! No fussy paperwork to fill out no lifetime commitments have to be made, you can just make a donation then and there.
Headwrap: Its just a ribbon I pulled out of my ribbon box but Top Shop has a cute alternative http://us.topshop.com/en/tsus/product/bags-accessories-1702229/hair-accessories-70519/headbands-70691/polka-dot-wire-headband-136848?refinements=category~%5b210046%7c208709%5d&bi=1&ps=20 and so does claires  http://www.claires.com/store/us/goods/hair/cat1260198/headbands/p54519/polka+dot+knotted+fabric+headband/

Umbrella: Target http://www.target.com/p/totes-clear-bubble-umbrella-silver-trim/-/A-10780081#prodSlot=medium_1_6&term=clear+umbrella

Blouse: Cotton On I bought mine on clearance so I couldn’t find the link to the exact one I am wearing so you can check your local Cotton On’s sales rack or buy this similar blouse http://shop.cottonon.com/shop/product/katja-s/l-shirt-white/

Midi rings: Forever 21 http://www.forever21.com/Product/Product.aspx?Br=F21&Category=ACC&ProductID=1040665778&VariantID=

Swing skirt: Cotton On http://us.cottonon.com/shop/product/jeanie-flippy-skirt-black/ They’re currently having a sale on these and you can get 2 for $20! This is one of my favorite cuts for a skirt, they’re slightly longer in the back which is great for modesty’s sake and the have shape that gives a nod to the 50’s which I adore. I could honestly buy one in every color!

Boots: Atwoods. Now Atwoods is a country supply store so they don’t have a website to order from, so you can either see if one is near you, or buy some similar ones from Sheplers http://www.sheplers.com/Old-West-Jama-Basic-Western-Cowgirl-Boots-Medium-Toe/21879.pro?parentCategoryId=448&categoryId=459&subCategoryId=460 these are one sale for $54.99 which is practically unheard of when talking about cowboy boots. I’ve seen some boots that cost more than an actual horse! So these are quite the bargain 😉

I hope you all enjoyed this post and that you have a happy Friday!

“We’ll Always Have Paris”

WARNING! this post contains a lot of pictures! If you have very little patience for people who feel the need to over-document events in their life this post is not for you!

Hello Guys! Sorry I’ve been MIA for a while, but I have a good excuse…I was helping plan my 20th! Ya I guess that may not be a great excuse…but it’s my party and I’ll slack off if I want to. So normally I never do anything terribly over the top for my birthdays, but for my 20th I wanted to do something with a bit of umph, a fun, slightly glamorous, but still laid back-ish in style party. So I decided I would throw a French (Parisian) inspired dinner party, with some of my closest friends. I had such a blast planning, cooking, and spending time with my great friends! I am sort of a foodie so this party was the perfect excuse for me to cook all of the fussy dishes I wouldn’t normally prepare, like French Macaroons, those are some work! But lucky me I have a loving family so I didn’t have to do a lot of the work on my own. So enough talking I am sure you would much prefer to see what my party looked like so here ya go.

We strung up lights and set the table in the living room, so we had plenty of space.

This is the gorgeous flower arrangement my mother put together, might I add she said she has “never done arrangements before”. So even without training or practice my mother puts Martha Stewart to shame!

These are the awesome posters that we found for 60% off!

We decided to even decorate the front door area!

Our adorable little sandwich board. PS mommy wrote this! How cute is her handwriting?

Now for my favorite part…the food! These are the French Macaroons.

The gorgeous red fondant raspberry cake my mommy made me. Isn’t she just the best?

The delicious cheese tray.

Tapenade in endive leaves.

Our entire cocktail menu. Bloody Mary’s, tapenade in endive, cheese tray, and prosciutto wrapped around cantaloupe and asparagus. It was all incredibly delicious.

Quite possibly the most delish dish I have ever made…Boeuf Bourgingon and mashed potatoes. It was so good my mother who really detests beef, loved this meal like crazy!

Tea and coffee break. I of course had tea yummy 🙂

Then onto dessert cake and Shirley Temple’s.

Gifts! My sweet mommy got me real pearls for my 20th! Cute thing was when she gave me my gift I was wearing my fake pearls 🙂

This necklace was given to me by my very best friend (we’ve been inseparable for the past 11 years). This necklace is either from the late 50’s or early 60’s. And I am not ashamed to say when she gave me this I got pretty choked up.

I also got some other fabulous gifts too, I made out like a bandit, I received some lovely perfume (which I am wearing right now) and some great cards and cash (you can never go wrong with cash is all I am saying).

My great friends and lovely family honestly made this one of the most special birthday’s ever! I love you guys.

So I hope you guys enjoyed my post! And if any of you want the recipe to anything feel free to ask. Have a super happy Monday and a great Valentines. Love you!