Styling Session: Beach Attire

Happy February 29th!
It's just another Wednesday, but not really.

March is, quite literally, just on the horizon, which means bathing suit season is near for us down on the coast. Weekends will mean packing up the picnic basket, cooler, beach chairs, and sunscreen and heading down to our beaches for some R&R. One thing that is pretty essential for any coastal dweller is  a cute cover-up strategy, since living in your bathing suit is not just acceptable, but expected. Whether I'm coming off the beach for a sunset cocktail, dipping into a local restaurant for lunch, or running an errand or two, it's important to avoid the awkward "has she or hasn't she been at the beach?" question by donning a cute cover-up and ensuring your beach look isn't too unkept. A few essentials for your beach-ready look:
1. A cute cover-up: For March, the wind off the ocean can make it a bit chilly late in the day, so I opt for one with sleeves until the temps rise a bit higher.

{1, 2, 3}

2. Hair Control: Whether your donning a hat, a headband, or sporting a preppy braid, make sure you've tamed those waves accordingly.

(I'm  100% positive this hat will be a summer staple)

{4, 5, 6}

3. Easy-to-sport sandals: My pet peeve is a sandal I can't just slip out of for a walk on the sand or rinse off if needed, but interesting details or vibrant colors make a regular flip flop a little less boring.

  {7, 8, 9}

The last essential item is, obviously, sunglasses, seeing as I never leave the house without them. But that's another post for another day—too many to choose from!

Yay for a Leap Year!

Health Bits: Pure Barre

This past Saturday morning, I woke up bright and early, threw on some yoga pants, and sent myself down the street to our local Pure Barre studio.

My sister-from-another-family, Ashley Singleton, happens to be the owner of said studio (yes, she's 25, gorgeous, and a small business owner—line up, fellas). Because I have a long past in ballet and other types of dance, Ashley has been telling me this workout is for me since, well, the first day I met her. Created by dancer and choreographer Carrie Rezabek Dorr, Pure Barre is super effective in changing your body—it's a total body workout which utilizes the ballet barre to perform small isometric movements. Read: this workout is intense. It lifts your seat, tones your thighs, flattens your abs and burns fat in record breaking time to strengthen and lengthen your muscles versus creating bulky mass. Who doesn't want the body of a dancer? That's what I thought.

Ash originally lured me there under the notion that the classes are small, she would have ample opportunity to personally work with me, and I'd get a mega-toning workout. And let me tell you: I. Am. Hooked. It's the type of workout that will beat you up the first time you go, but make you want to master the technique. And the music is awesome—the type of music that makes you want to start a serious dance party.
So, to see all the benefits of a Pure Barre regime, I'll be attending two to three times a week for ten sessions, which is the program's promise that you'll see results. I'll of course be writing about the experience for VIE, so promise me you'll read the May/June issue to see how it turns out! You can scope out a studio near you here.

Monday Mantra + A Thought

Ah, Monday. I'm slightly sad to see this day return, because my weekend was just fab.u.lous. No grande events, nothing so special that took place—but nonetheless, oh so good, filled with sweet reunions, lots of movie watching, catching up on a little reading, and intimate time spent with friends. My dear Kristie was in town, wedding planning and such—what a humbling experience to watch as this precious friend plans her life with her future hubs, while memories of sharing endless boxes of jelly beans with her in our freshman dorm and making up dance moves to the most ridiculous of songs flit around as I watch the wife-to-be simply glow.
God is so good.
My appreciation for this simple kind of weekend got me thinking about memories: aren't those the best memories, the ones that happen unexpectedly without assumption? The last-minute road trip, the impromptu dance party, laughing so hard your stomach hurts or that one really deep conversation that connects you with a friend. They are for me. So in that fashion, this week's mantra:

Enjoy the little things, and make the most of this week!
xoxo

Finally Friday: Weekend In

The weekend is here. I love Fridays (along with the rest of humanity). I adore free time, and this weekend I've decided to have exactly that. Free. Time.

That's right. This girl, the girl that is constantly making plans and can't sit still alone for more than half an hour, is letting out her inner homebody, not making a single plan in the world, curling up with a few good books and only venturing out for a Pure Barre class (shout out to Ashley) or perhaps the occasional movie/coffee shop. Actually, here's precisely what I'm looking forward to:

1. Pure Barre with Ashley- kicking my butt into bikini shape one day at a time.

(Ash and Ains: she looks sweet but I'm slightly terrified of her with a Pure Barre headset. Just kidding Ash... sorta.)

2. Getting out  my calligraphy pen. I know it sounds dorky, but my goal is eventually this:

3. The Vow—I'm not sure if it is going to give me hope or make me hate myself, but we shall see.

4. Getting out the 'ole camera around town. This is such a pretty, pretty place.

5. A Sunday night dinner in with the girlfriends.

Happy Weekend! xx

Reversing Thursday

It's a dreary day here on the coast. Overcast skies have turned our turquoise water down a notch or two, and gray skies over gray water make for a very blah sort of feeling. So let's incorporate some color into this morning to reverse a gloomy Thursday, shall we?

Feeling better? I am. Happy Thursday, it's almost the weekend!

{images via my Pinterest}

Styling Session: Hi-Lo Basics

During some Internet perusing, I stumbled across a super cute hi-low dress on one of my favorite sites, Piperlime. Now, this dress was seemingly ordinary, but I've mentioned that the hi-lo trend taking over makes me weak in the knees, so I paused to consider. And my mind instantly started reeling with the many different ways to style this dress...
For brunch or an afternoon out:

{Hi-Low Day Set}

For a girl's night/date night:

{Hi-Lo Date Set}

For running errands:

{Hi-Lo Running Errands}

For a beach/pool party:

{Hi-Lo Swim}

And for a romantic evening with the beau:

{Hi-Lo With Beau}

I don't think I have to point out again that the dress is ver.sa.tile. And at $59, it's basically a steal. Happy shopping!
{ps: for those not familiar with Pinterest, if you click on the hyper-linked outfit titles you can scope out any items you like featured here}

Tuesday Treats: Must-Have Maxis

I've always loved a comfy maxi. I threw on a maxi sundress the second they made a comeback years ago and never looked back. All 5'8 of me loves the easy, breezy chic that effortlessly happens when you throw one on.
I wasn't one to think, however, that maxis were sexy, or even looked very "put together". They were my go-to ponytail and fresh-face sort of look in the summertime. And I've continued in this thinking, until I began warming up to the fitted-and-slitted maxi skirt trend for Fall 2011. And now, after seeing some flat-out show stoppers ready for Spring 2012, I've got a proclamation to make.
Maxi dresses are hot.
The new maxi isn't about covering up, its about showing off just enough.

Also dying to add a high-low dress to the spring wardrobe, but that's another post for another day:

{Corset Top}{Subtle Cut-Outs }{Plunge}{Waist Tie}{High-Low}{Sexy Slit}

Monday Mantra + Some

Last week was a quick hiatus. I was pushing myself a little too hard, going a little too much, and now that I finally feel somewhat caught up with life and such, let's do this thing:

I'm constantly struggling to rest in His peace, when things go awry, worry sets in, or life spins slightly out of control. In His peace is rest for the weary, the calm during the storm- no matter how small or large that storm may be. This week I'm practicing the gentle reminder of fixing my eyes upon him and trusting that everything. will. be. ok. if we involve Him.

In other news, in order to get my hectic schedule slightly more under control, I stumbled across this idea (on Pinterest, duh) and thought it was a great way to reign in those to-do's that don't necessarily have a deadline attached-- I'm guilty of letting those pile up as I wrap up things with immediacy. 

Simple enough, yes? I love Ah Ha moments.

Happy Monday! xxx

Inspired by: Kate's Spring Campaign

The Spring 2012 Kate Spade campaign kills it with color. Rocker chic meets preppy chic, the new line pairs bright hues with an edgy rockstar appeal to their traditional classy, ladylike pieces.

My favorite pieces:
New Bond Street Ettie:

Robin:

Heavens, I just love Kate.