Target Dollar Section Valentine’s Day Finds

Happy New Year lovelies! I hope you got to bring in 2017 with style and had a nice night on the town! David and I met up with some friends of ours at one of our favorite hang outs in Dallas. We came home before midnight though because Uber surge pricing gets expensive… and David bought us a bottle of champagne to celebrate the New Year!

Right after the holidays are over and the madness dies down, I love to go out to my favorite stores and browse their clearance sections and find little treasures. I also love to check out Target’s Dollar Spot for new seasonal items! With Valentine’s Day coming up, I figured they’d have some pretty adorable things. Target outdid themselves this year though! The dollar section kept me occupied for a good 20 minutes yesterday afternoon. Everything I found was under $5 and totally worth the buy!

Target Dollar Spot Under $5 Finds!

Ok. Seriously. How cute are these scarves? I love the watercolor flowers on the one and the gold polka dots on the other. Better yet, they’re each $3!

I love adorable door hangers and nice table runners to class up the dining room. Both of these are between $3-5!

To be honest, I’m not entirely sure of what these are supposed to be. I thought just regular glasses for drinking but I kind of like them for storing make up brushes or small potted flowers. These pretty glasses are $3 each!

Do I have an obsession with coffee mugs and travel mugs? Yes, I do! When I saw this one I got really excited because I love floral prints! You can find this in the Target dollar spot for under $5.

So for whatever reason, I love pretty or fun dish towels and of course the Valentine’s selection at Target didn’t disappoint. I also love signs that say something motivational like these ones do. Signs and dish towels are each $3!

Last but not least, another great dollar section find were these coffee mugs! I love the cute little sayings on them and you can’t beat the price- $4.99!

Get shopping! This stuff runs out fast! Leave me a comment with any fun dollar spot finds or just to say hi! Thanks!

Goals for the New Year

 

Happy New Year’s! I hope you got to bring in 2016 with the people you love. My New Year’s was spent in San Antonio with my sweet boyfriend and his wonderful family. His parents were generous and surprised me with a trip to come see him for a few weeks and to spend the holiday together! By now I’m pretty sure you’ve figured out that this girl gets spoiled a lot!

Today I really wanted to talk about my hopes and goals for this year. Every year it seems I have the same generic resolutions for myself- lose weight, eat better, exercise, be more positive. Those aren’t goals, they’re lifestyle changes. I’d like to make some real goals for myself that are actually attainable and suitable for my long-term lifestyle.

Let’s start with this blog! I’d love, love, love to make money off of it in 2016. Even if it’s only a hundred dollars, just something to show for all of my work. I realize it takes years to build a blog big enough to make money off of, but a little appreciation here and there keeps you going! On top of that, I’d like to reach 5000 followers and also grow my Instagram account.

Another goal of mine is to become a regular contributor for a fashion and lifestyle website with a much bigger following than mine. Writing for other blogs or websites really gives you exposure to people who might not otherwise know you’re there. Who doesn’t want more exposure?

Finally, I’d like to develop more confidence in my abilities as a professional. Entering into the workforce is scary and takes a lot of work. The amount of rejections I’ve gotten has really worn down my self-esteem over time. However, my motivation has only gotten stronger! Confidence takes a lifetime to build but only a few simple words to destroy. This year, I want to make mine stronger than ever.

Leave me a comment with a few of your goals this year!

New Year’s Eve Excursion

Good morning friends! As I promised in yesterday’s post, I’d tell you about my New Year’s Eve excursion to New York City. I’m going to get this out of the way before I go any further- it was COLD. I’ve never been in pain from the cold but my muscles and face hurt like crazy from trying to stay warm. I’ve never experienced cold quite like this. Besides the temperature, it was a wonderful trip!

Getting to the city was a 5 hour bus trip from Washington, D.C. I left at 7:30am and we were in the city by 11:30am. The early afternoon was spent exploring Times Square and Central Park. At about 1pm people started seriously lining up in Times Square to watch the ball drop at midnight. Police officers told us that at 3pm the people in the blocked off areas near the square would start to be confined by “pens” in that area until midnight. The kicker was that if they got out of their “pen” then they couldn’t get back in and forfeited their spot. We met a few people who said they had stood in their confined area for 12 hours having only a few snacks and drinks. According to them, the family next to them all had diapers on in case they had to go to the bathroom. I guess some people really are crazy.

Central Park was a lovely walk and a much needed break from constant people. There were a few street performers that had me laughing with their jokes and stunts. Squirrels roamed the park and had quite the attitude when it came to food. I strolled through the park with some warm, sugar-roasted almonds that really hit the spot. My fingers were so cold that I had a hard time eating them!

After Central Park it was about 3pm so we went for a pizza at an Italian restaurant. The mozzarella was so fresh! The crust and the pizza sauce were excellent too. It was so nice to just sit there and take everything in while reflecting on events earlier in the day. When we left the restaurant, 5th avenue was conveniently located a short walk away. I headed straight for a legendary New York City store- TIffany’s! After watching Audrey Hepburn’s Breakfast at Tiffany’s I became obsessed with the store. Walking into the big, beautiful building almost scared me. My dreams were standing right in front of me and I wasn’t sure if they would live up to my expectations… but they did! We browsed through the store a bit and then met the elevator operator at the elevators and he took us up to the 2nd floor where engagement rings were located. Did I mention he was wearing a Tiffany blue tie? He looked amazing! Couples everywhere were sitting with consultants trying on rings and drinking champagne. I was in heaven. I also found on the 4th floor my favorite TIffany mug! Too bad it was in a set of 2 and $80.

After shopping up and down 5th avenue, we went to get a drink and cheers to the new year before heading out to the street to freeze with everyone else. While in a quaint bar and grill we met a few couples from South Africa who traveled to NYC for the new year. After sharing casual conversation with them we paid our bill and headed out into the cold where we were greeted by Taylor Swift’s voice coming from just down the street. Yes, I heard Miss Swift singing “Shake it Off”. I also got to hear “Rude” by Magic.

Waiting for the ball to drop seemed like a never ending event. Everyone was cold and tired. However, it was still one, big party for most people. The real magic happened when the countdown began. That unmistakable energy filled the air and gave meaning and purpose to our crazy idea of spending New Year’s Eve in Times Square. The funny part was after the clock struck midnight everyone bolted for the taxi cabs waiting down the street. We caught our bus at 1:30am near the docks. We quickly fell asleep upon leaving the city and slept most of the way home. 

As I write this I can assure you that my feet still hurt from walking and I detest the cold more than ever before. However, spending New Year’s Eve in New York was on my bucket list and the memories were worth every shiver.

Tell me about your New Year’s celebration in a comment below!

New Year’s Eve Style for Every Dress Code

Hello loves! I write to you while rocking out to Fergie’s new song ‘L.A. Love’ and I’m trying not smudge my pretty nails that are drying! A little pampering was long overdue for this tired girl. 2014 was one of those years that had high ‘highs’ and low ‘lows’. It was a roller coaster and frankly, I’m glad it’s almost over. Before it’s over we have to celebrate though! Bring in 2015 with some sparkle! 

As you can probably guess, I love anything that glitters and New Year’s Eve is the perfect opportunity to really shine! No matter how dressy the event is you can still add a little pizazz. I’ve chosen five outfits for different dress codes. Some of these choices are more affordable than others. You can find similar looks at places like TJ Maxx and the price won’t be nearly as high.

The first dress is by Rare London. I would wear a dress like this to an upscale lounge in the city (think Lauren Conrad and her besties at La Deux in LA). Dresses like these are meant for places like that. It’s a mature look without losing the fun factor.

Dress number two is by Elie Saab. A black tie affair is the only time I would consider wearing this beautiful gown. If you find yourself lucky enough to be invited to a ridiculously classy event for New Year’s Eve, then consider finding something like this. The price tag on this dress is over $7000 (Nordstrom Rack is a great place to find dresses).

Dress number three is from Lily Boutique and is pretty affordable. I absolutely love a high-low hem and the sash around the waist really pulls it all together. If you’re attending a party that requires a cocktail dress, then invest in this lovely little thing. Better yet, if the party takes place outdoors the hem of the dress is going to look amazing in the breeze! It’s the little things girls.

The fourth option is dressed-down sparkle for those of us who plan on going somewhere a little more low key with friends. Kind Label on Etsy created this adorable V-neck t shirt. The leggings are by Marlene Berger. Put together, both pieces create a relaxed New Year’s look while still maintaining a little bit of sophistication.

Finally, the fifth look was inspired by the need for a work-party appropriate outfit. Most companies have Christmas parties but some have one for New Year’s. Maintaining a professional appearance is still important at these events. The gold pencil skirt is by Josie Natori and the peplum top is by Alice + Olivia. What could be more work appropriate than a pencil skirt and peplum top?

Enjoy your last few days of 2014!

Christmas Spoils

It’s over. Christmas is over. We can all get our houses back in working order and stop baking pies like we run Marie Calendar’s factory. In fact, we may as well assume we did run it while we choose a gym membership for the new year (that will be used for January only).

Before I move on to New Year’s and all of the resolutions I won’t keep, I thought I’d give you a little look at what cute Christmas gifts I received. I debated doing this because it’s slightly vain but I figured I may as well. My parents decided that since my sister and I are older we would be having low-key Christmases from now on. Honestly, I’m fine with that. I have all the things I need and then some. With that said here are a few little things I got for Christmas!

This lovely decoration can be found at Target for half price!

One of the Bath and Body Works candles my sister gave me!

Pj bottoms from Old Navy and lovely pink OPI nail polish.

This was kind of a joke between my mom and I ! I saw the book on Amazon and said that I should read it and she went ahead and bought it!

I love this little thing! Hallmark had them for only $17.

I absolutely love the gift giving at Christmas and appreciate every gift I get. However, more than anything I appreciate having my family around me and the true meaning of this season. There are so many others with much less than I.

Don’t forget to tell me about your Christmas and what you enjoyed! Comment below!