Fashion Friday: Forever 21 Dresses

This week I picked out some pretty dresses from Forever 21! They always have a great selection of styles. I have always wanted a polka dot dress, so I picked out some of my favorites....


LINKS
1 2 3 4 5 6

How about some great pink dresses?!?!

LINKS
1 2 3 4 5 6


LINKS
1 2 3 4 5 6

Linking up over on Blonde Episodes for Fashion Fridays!
Have a GREAT WEEKEND! :)

My Jewelry // Thrifted Shelves

I wanted to share some photos of my very small yet cute jewelry display in my bedroom. I have two shelves that I had purchased on two different thrifting trips. I had just grabbed them in hope of being able to use them in the future. One day the light bulb went off over my head and I knew what I wanted to do with them! Here's a look....


The shelves also ended up being the perfect place for my "nerd" Vinylmations!
I spray painted both of them with Rust-Oleum Paint: Real Orange & Berry Pink
My tiny jewelry box & glass ring holder

Sadly I do not have a lot of jewelry or accessories. This is something I am trying to work on. I would like to make some jewelry this winter and find some more fun things to wear. I love big rings, especially owls. I can totally see myself ending up with a collection of owl jewelry. Most everything in my jewelry box above is vintage family pieces or things that hold sentimental value to me. You may or may not have noticed I have a rock in there, yes a rock. It's shaped like the state of OHIO and I've had it since I was a child. I found it one day while playing in my backyard.

I really enjoyed photographing my jewelry display and Vinylmations. They are so cute.
Since I can't paint in my stupid rental house, this is how I add color. Toys and spray paint. LOL

Inspiration: Kitchens

I am dreaming of having my own kitchen again someday! (non-rental kitchen) I would love to do another IKEA kitchen remodel. I still love really modern kitchens, but I also do like the mixture of vintage pieces in the kitchen decor. I love turquoise and pink kitchens but hold a special place in my heart for all white kitchens. If I was remodeling a kitchen today it would have to have white subway tile and white cabinets. I also am loving open wall shelves with pretty dishes and canisters sitting out! Here are some kitchens that I found inspiring....

Source
Source

LINKS
1 2 3 4 5
Source

Source

LINKS
1 2 3
What would your dream kitchen look like?

I Want to be a Cyclist When I Grow Up!

I feel good things coming in my future. I love my new hobby, biking. :)

Our friends Kara and Dan are really into cycling/biking. They have been a great influence on us and really taught us a lot about bikes in general. My "Huffy" bike weighs 47 pounds and is "supposed" to be for mountain biking! The bike is way too heavy for me and if I took it out on a rough trail I think it would be a disaster! When I told them this, they told me it had to be why I was having such a hard time peddling and biking for long period of times. I get so tired! We all went to a local bike shop and attempted to find something tiny enough for me! Well it wasn't easy!


The bike shop owner dreaded telling me that if I wanted a bike to fit my petite build, the frame alone would start at $3000. OUCH! I honestly wasn't surprised. Being small has always made having "normal" things hard. Good cycling bikes start around $500 & go UP! Sound crazy? I am sure it does if you aren't into biking or know nothing about it. It's all new to me really. It's exciting though to think about how in shape I will be. So I ended up with a youth sized bike that the shop owner had custom built himself,...for way less money. ;) Not only do Kara and Dan inspire me to bike, but when I watched the Olympics and saw the women cyclists I was so fascinated with it. I thought to myself, "How awesome would that be?"


I painted this after I bought my bike! I'm a dork, yes.
So apparently Cannondale is a really GOOD brand of bike. Kara and Dan said I may turn heads. LOL I think it's funny. It should be fun though to be out there on a somewhat "fancy" bike. Cody and I have plans to workout a lot this winter. I really want to get in great shape, especially before having a baby. Kara and Dan just biked all the way up to the summit at the Rocky Mountains. AMAZING. I can barely do a small hill. So, my goal is to be as good as them.


There was a double rainbow in the sky!

Isn't my bike so cute? Road bikes do not have kick stands, so I leaned it up against my car for a quick photo. I did want a bike that had more white on it or pink. This bike couldn't be ordered or anything, so I just had to buy it the way it was. A bit more boyish then I wanted but I do love it. Great thing is I will be able to change things and add hot pink accessories.



I also found a Sea Shepherd biking jersey! Can you say perfect?
It's expensive though, that jersey will have to wait!
Oh I am so excited!! Too bad that summer is ending. :(
Here is a photo of me with my bike going on my first ride...

Be GREEN at STARBUCKS

I have become more increasing frustrated with the fact that restaurants and stores do not provide recycling bins. I really started to think about how I wanted to make a difference in my local community. We actually stopped going to Starbucks for a few weeks, because I didn't want to have to be given a "to go" cup and not be able to recycle it there after drinking it 10 minutes later. Didn't make much sense to me. This was also influenced by the film BAG IT that I blogged about a few weeks ago. You will probably get sick of hearing about the movie BAG IT, or you'll think that it must be awesome because I talk about it so much. ;)

Our solution was to go buy glass tumblers that we can take with us every time we go out to Starbucks....


We chose these glass tumblers (12oz for Tall coffees) instead of plastic. We are also not using plastic as much either. Again, thanks BAG IT! :)

Cody got on their website before we went to Starbucks and it had all this great information about their recycling and reducing waste procedures in there coffee shops. It cheered me up. I didn't feel as frustrated. It even says that their shops should have bins for recycling, so I probably just didn't see them!


Call me crazy to worry about coffee cups! LOL I think it's awesome that Starbucks let's you do this. BUT, why didn't I know sooner? There should be signs in their shops promoting this. I guess I need to look harder and ask more questions! I encourage you to do the same. The tumblers are really cute anyways....



It's just another simple thing that anyone can do that all adds up to make a huge difference!
Recycling and doing simple little things like buying a travel mug to reuse at Starbucks is so rewarding for me.
It's very similar to the feeling I would get when I adopted out a homeless animal at the animal shelter.
I don't care what anyone says, one person can make a difference!

Text and Information below is taken from the Starbucks website:

How You Can Help?
Use a tumbler

Use a Tumbler at Starbucks
You save 10¢ and a paper cup every time.

Use the Right Can Every Time
The waste receptacles in our stores are all marked with detailed lists of the materials they’re intended for, like paper cups, plastic lids, food waste and more. Scan the tops of the cans before you toss to make sure your putting rubbish in the right place.

Improve Recycling in Your City
Could your city do a better job at recycling? Write to your mayor and ask for more action on this important issue.

Please visit Starbucks Recycling & Reducing Waste page for lots of great information HERE.
This post is part of my MAKE A DIFFERENCE series. View more posts like this one HERE.

MUSIC i LOVE

Violet inspired me to do this post. She shared some of her current "song crushes" a few weeks ago. I enjoyed listening to her playlist and finding a few new songs I enjoyed. I love music. As many long road trips I have taken by myself, music helps me get THERE! I picked some of my current favorite songs and bands to share with you! I try not to listen to "main stream" music, but at the same time if I love something, screw it! I'm going to love every note and sing along!





I discovered so many bands that were "new" to me by listening to the Twilight Saga Soundtracks. Florence & The Machine, The Black Keys and Band of Skulls! Three of my favorite bands for sure. I love "oldies" like Neil Diamond, Buddy Holly and The Rolling Stones. Most the music I listen to is upbeat. Every Black Keys album is amazing. They have such a unique sound and every album is a bit different. Even Cody listens to them now because of me. Foster The People,...LOVE! :)

So what do you love to listen to? Anything you would suggest for me?
Have a WONDERFUL WEEKEND!!!