Refinery 29's Search for the Next Big Style Blogger

Hi Friends! I thought I would share with you that I am taking part in {Refinery 29}'s search for the next big style blogger!  I found out about the contest last week when one of the directors emailed me personally to let me know about it!  That alone is an honor to me :)  Anyway, if you love my blog, I would love your support!  Thank you in advance and as always, thank you so much for stopping by!! :)  

It's super easy to vote:

1. Follow this link - 

{Refinery 29's Next Big Style Blogger}

2. Find my photo 

(hint: it's was an early entry - so it's at the bottom of the page)

3. Click the ♥ to vote

Instagram: Zona & Celebrations

Happy Monday!!! I finally have some instagrams to share with you because this week was a pretty fun week for me! First... {Free People} opened a store on Walnut Street in Philadelphia... I got a sneak peak of the store at the grand opening party on Thursday night and it's such a beautiful store - I am super excited to have one in walking distance now!  Second... Alejandro finished up the 4 months of ibanking recruiting with multiple job offers!  Can't wait to see where he will decide to go... oh, my soon to be 'investment banker boyfriend' - ahh, I love that! ;)  And... third, one of my bff's cames to visit me in Philly... all the way from Wisconsin! Had such a great time with you Zona! :)

Not only did we visit some of the famous historical landmarks in philadelphia, but we ate, ate, drank and ate some more!  I know I instagram food a lot... but I can't help it when it looks this pretty!  Below... is just one of the fabulous brunches we had this weekend:

And... on Saturday night we went out for Spanish tapas at my favorite, favorite restaurant in Philadelphia, {Amada}!  It was restaurant week... and with a group of 4 of us, we were able to try (almost) everything on the menu! Oh, and their sangria = ahhh-mazing!!!!! :)  It's kind of trouble that I live right next door to such a yummy place! 

I hope you had a fabulous weekend too!  Link up below and I will definitely check out your photos!  xxoo.

Feeling Pastel

Hi Friends!  Just in cased you missed my Friday's Fancies swap over at {Coral Cafe} - I thought I would share the post on my blog for you to see!  Well... Elie Saab did it again - completely impressed me with the most amazing and beautiful gowns on the runway!  How inspiring is his Spring 12 Couture Collection?  I love all of the pastels!!

images {via}

But.. not only are pastels fabulous on the runway - check them out in "real life" as well...

images {via}

And, here is my casual outfit inspiration:

polyvore created by {ashley gale}

Friday's Fancies: {Blog Swap}

Hi loves!! Drew from Coral Café here, having the great pleasure to be here sharing on Ashley's inspiring blog. We are doing a little Friday's Fancies blog swap, thanks to Mrs. {av} herself! I have been crushing hard on brights and pastels for quite a while now and I thought I'd give you a glimpse into what makes my fashion heart ache. I've paired peach and yellow with a bright tomato red to provide a vivid contrast that begs to be dressed in! If you can't already tell, the majority of these pieces are from JCrew, where I get most of my own clothing ideas from. They are nothing short of color, nothing short of amazing style!

1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7

Thanks so much Ashley for letting me share my fancies with you and your lovely readers today!

Hope you all have a wonderful weekend!

***

Check out my Friday's Fancies inspiration at {Coral Cafe}!  

xxoo, ashley

Fancy that Collar

I've been seeing fancy collars pop up around pinterest and the blogosphere for almost a year now - but my love for them started recently when I finally saw them in the stores! Embellishment is the perfect way to add interest to any old collar... and here are some of my favorite inspirations: 

images {via}

I just bought my first peter pan collard {shirt} and I am super excited to wear it!  I love that the shape is classic, yet, new... since we haven't seen it in some time! Love all of the collar shapes below:

images {via}

I am also loving shirt collared jewelry - like this {Dannijo Necklace} below!  Actually, scratch that - I am completely obsessed... and need to add to my jewelry collection asap! :)  Wonder if I could pull it off as well as Alexa Chung or MTV Style Executive Producer, {Sophia Rai}?!

Neon Touch

Next weekend I will be in New York (for my birthday) but also shopping for some spring clothes for my trip to the Dominican Republic!  I definitely have my eyes on some neon {yellow/green} pieces - here is my inspiration...from runway to street style!

SO True!

I love this little cartoon I found on facebook!  This couldn't be more true... Even though the fastest way to get a hold of me is by email - I definitely love real mail / cards over email any day!!  Birthday is in 2 weeks - hint, hint! ;)

Instagram: What We're Wearing

Happy Monday Friends! I hope you all had a great weekend!  First, I want to start this post by saying that I did not order the juice cleanse on Rue La La!  I thought I should share this since I received many personal emails from my readers!  Thank you to all of my nutritionist readers for being concerned with my health, but don't worry, I wasn't trying to promote the juice diet or use it as a means to lose a lot of weight! :)  I was just simply posting about a trend I have seen on many different websites... just as I do about fashion, home decor... and yummy accessories (which I am now going to stick to :)  So, that being said, here is a little arm candy inspiration:

It was another low key weekend for me in Philadelphia!  Since it snowed for the first time this winter (which I was not very excited about), I stayed indoors for the majority of the weekend!  I had a few dates with my iPad and Netflix!  Has anyone seen the movie {Sliding Doors}?  It's from 1998 with Gwyneth Paltrow, but this was the first time I've seen it and absolutely loved the parallel stories!  I also helped my man pick out outfits for his big week of interviews!  And by pick out outfits... I mean ties, since the navy and gray suits are  pretty standard!  Investment Banking recruiting is the longest (4 months), craziest/intense/competitive (think sorority rush + bachelor rose ceremony... "man style") process I have ever seen and we will both be thrilled when the last step is over on Friday!  Lots of good wishes and prayers will be appreciated this week!  GOOD LUCK, BABY (even though I know you won't see this since you will only be reading the Wall Street Journal and Market Watch this week)! xxoo.

Thoughts on... Liquid Lunch?!

If you haven't noticed... juice fasting is quickly replacing dieting!  I think everyone I know is thinking about some sort of juice diet - including myself (only because Rue La La is having a major deal on a local 3 day cleanse)!  So... I need your opinions!!  Have you tried a juice cleanse? Do you know someone who has?  Does it taste as miserable as I can only imagine?!  I love fruits and veggies but I'm not sure I could really drink them... unless it's in a smoothie with vanilla yogurt and cinnamon! ;) I have a feeling it is not going to be that yummy...

This is the cleanse I am thinking about:

{The Catalyst Cleanse}

Here are some other popular cleanses I have seen pop up on blogs, twitter and facebook statuses:

{Blue Print Cleanse}

{Can Can Cleanse}

{Cooler Cleanse}

{The Juice Press}

{Living Greens}

{Organic Avenue}

{Red Carpet Cleanses}

And for those craving a DIY method (half the cost).... check out this {DIY Juice Cleanse}!  

Whoa, definitely not that motivated! :)

LA vs. NY {Style}

Before I even started working at {Free People}, I would look forward to receiving their catalog in the mail!  Without being biased, I truly believe FP has one of the most creative and fun catalogs to flip through monthly!  It is exciting to be so close to all of that creativity on a daily basis and to see the creative director's ideas transform into a catalog!  ...with all of that being said, the January catalog that dropped last week is by far my favorite Free People catalog to date!  Half of the catalog is styled towards LA fashion and the other half is styled towards NY fashion!  Having lived on both the West and the East Coasts, I could relate and thought the stylists/photographers did an amazing job showing the different looks!  Of course... I relate more towards the second half of the catalog (NY) since that is more my style, but check out some of my favorite pages from both coasts!

The Cover and We ♥ LA

What is it about LA people and their Tacos!? :)

 The Cool Girl!

 Hollywood Chic

Beach Casual

We ♥ NY... and I heart both of these looks!!

My Favorite Page!  I want to be the girl on the right... I also want her pizza!

 Hot dogs and Pretzels - the way to my ♥

The Photography - LOVE!

 I'll take one of each please!

Which style are you? LA or NY? 

Browse the rest of the catalog {here} and shop Free People {here}!

xxoo.

Guest Post: {The Weekend File}

Hello Lovelies! I'm Hayley and I run a little life and style blog called The Weekend File. I blog about my life, my adorable puppy, outfits and fashion, settling into our new California beach side community and fixing up our new house! I have been blogging for a little over a year now publicly (me and my Livejournal go waaay back!) and I have met so many amazing ladies and had so many fun experiences so far. I have been really loving it. Today Ashley and I decided to swap blogs for the day so I could share some of my favorite links with you guys. Hopefully you will find a new blog or shop to follow! Of course, if you want to connect with me you can find me here:
Blog, Twitter, Pinterest, Bloglovin.

***

Jen wrote this great post about Simplifying your life in the new year. 

A great read for anyone with a blog, big or small. 

A new to me Etsy shop full of gorgeous and tiny little charms.
I think the California necklace is on my list!

Jason Wu is coming to Target and I have to say, the collection looks pretty amazing! 

See all the looks here.

I was asked to be a part of the Handbag Heaven Style Guide where you can take this fun quiz to see which handbags would work for you, and see how some bloggers styled them! Pretty fun!

We were lucky enough to work with the incredibly talented Christina Heaston in a photo shoot last year. Her blog is full of gorgeous photography and ideas. 

I love everything about Danielle's blog. It is full of fitness tips, glimpses into her life, and sharing lots of other bloggers via Tattoo Tuesday or her Slice Of series.

Are you loving Neon as much as I am lately? This shop has it all, and does it perfectly!

A great DIY on how to make a Farmhouse table for under $2!

I absolutely love these city posters! I just cant decide which one I want to get.

Breakfast is the best. A breakfast sandwich full of all my favorite breakfast foods is even better!

I can't wait for warmer weather so I can finally make one of these Vertical Succulent Gardens.

Have you heard of Chictopia? It is a great community and I just joined! 

See my Style blog over there!

Instagram: Birchbox

Happy Monday!  Hope you all had a great weekend!  I had a lazy weekend that was very unproductive until Sunday afternoon when I went into major 'spring cleaning' mode!  My apartment is officially spic and span from top to bottom... all of my laundry is complete... and my life is organized!  Feels wonderful!  But with a low key weekend like that comes very few instagrams... so I thought I would share with you what was inside my January Birchbox.  If you haven't heard yet - {birchbox} is a monthly selection of 4-5 beauty samples based on a profile that you fill out.  It comes all wrapped up in a fun box (see photo below) with a card explaining what each sample is and how to use it.  I signed up for this $10 a month subscription because I thought it would be fun to get a surprise in the mail each month - but, I actually enjoyed a few of the products in my box this month - especially the nail polish! :) You should check it out for yourself... {here}.  Enjoy!

 

Color Crush Mini Series: 3

Another little obsession of mine, {Madewell}, screams color, beautiful brights, for Spring 2012!  I seriously can't wait to go get every single one of the outfits below (ok, I won't be extreme - so, let me rephrase... at least every outfit in the first row ;)! And all of their fun colorful flats... to die for!  Hope this brightens your day... xxoo!

Color Crush Mini Series: 2

I have had a mini obsession with nail polish for a couple of years now... but it seams that lately my collection has doubled in size very quickly!  My go to classic color will always be OPI big apple red, but I am pretty much obsessed with all neons and pastels right now!  This weekend I am getting neon pink on my toes and pale yellow on my fingernails... pumped!  What color do you like to rock on your nails??  Here some ahh-mazing colors for Spring 2012...

OPI Spring 2012 Holland Collection:

Essie Spring 2012 Collection:

Deborah Lippmann:

Color Crush Mini Series: 1

I ♥ colored jeans!  I know this is not the first time I have talked about fun colored pants - I was obsessing over {red jeans} back in February, crazy about {jewel tone denim} in April, and dying over {green jeans} in July.  Well, my color crush continues as I pretty much want every color of the rainbow... specifically coral and aqua colored jeans! :)  Confused on how you can make your colored jeans into an everyday basic?  Check out all of the different ways you can wear them!  Obsessed with each and every one of these looks... especially the fourth look (and the dog)!

Lucky for me, {Free People} sells a lot of colored denim!  But here is a tiny secret - {Target} just came out with colored skinnies and I bought the Royal Blue ones... they actually fit amazingly!  I can't believe I just put that secret out there ;)  So... what colors are you going to wear this Spring?!