Oh, Deer

This post has been a long time coming, but I held off until I could give you the most bang for your buck (pun intended), so to speak. I noticed that Taylor Sterling was styling her home office/nursery with one of these precious ceramic deers (seen here and here), and didn't think much else of it. Until Christmas. 

My wonderful aunt, Mary Jane, had been paying attention to how much I loved Glitter Guide and Taylor, and she did her homework for a perfect Christmas gift: the coveted deer head. 

Now, the story goes that she "accidentally clicked the 'order' button twice" but either way, we all got deer heads for the holidays -- guys included. This seemed like it might be tricky, since not everyone was quite sure how to use theirs, but it turned out to be a lesson in creativity. A "beauty is in the eye of the beholder" type thing. 

If you follow me on instagram, you might have noticed that my Aunt used hers as part of her Christmas decor, complete with Peabody the Elf perched atop its antlers for optimal "watching" capabilities.

I use mine to hold and display my jewelry, instead of leaving it in a giant mess on my counter. It's proven to be very handy and quite cute, in my opinion. 

JT has his standing guard atop his china cabinet to add a bit of modern/fun manliness to an otherwise semi-girly piece of furniture (in that it holds fine china, but one look at the bar cart full of whiskey and you know, without a doubt, it's a man's dining room). And Emily plans to use hers in a book shelf for Bebe T's nursery incorporating hues of blue, cream and white. Adorable!

I love these little things so much, I'm contemplating reasons/places I could put these fun friends (click here, here, here, here or here for the fun friends I'm talking about). And bonus, these cuties are on sale currently. So pick up one (or three) of these stellar stags and unleash your creativity of where and how you can use yours.

Happy First Friday!

{leave it to GG to say it perfectly}

Happy Friday! Starting off the first Friday of 2014 a little braver, and a little more resolved to fulfilling my resolutions:

-To be more consistent with reading my Bible, the gym, and keeping a clean house.

-Be kind. Show unconditional love to others so that my faith is seen in my actions.

-Learn to make clean eating/healthy recipes. (I newly crave veggies, as a result of my cleanse, I'm sure.)

-Stay up to date on changes and developments within industries I'm passionate about. 



  

folks dressed up like eskimos

In preparation for the festivities this past weekend, I allowed myself to swing by Old Navy to see if I could find any seasonal steals (I must admit, all of the posts from A Piece of Toast and Glitter Guide about Old Navy sales tipped me off). To my delight, I found 2 pairs of jeans, and 3 tops and only spent a little over $100 total. How fabulous is that?!

One of my finds was this Kelly green monogram sweater. I'm in love. It's comfy cozy, soft, and oh so cute. I was a bigger fan of the color scheme for the "S" sweater ( a camel sweater with red letter), but was happy they carried my initial at all (they only have about 5 to choose from... so I'm sorry in advance if your name or last name isn't on of those chosen letters [M, J, S, A, or  L]). Even the cashier noted, "Lucky you-- we had your letter!"

But in the chance they don't, don't fret. I promise your trip won't be in vain. From sparkly flats and wool winter coats to dressy flannel (I paired this flannel shirt with my white columbia vest, jeans, and Minnetonka moccasins to run errands Saturday morning) and holiday blouses (I wore this one to the Peabody and Majestic this weekend), I'm sure you'll walk away with something. I highly recommend a trip if you're looking for a little last minute stocking stuffer for yourself or a loved one. 

On the first day of..

Glitzmas, I gave to myself....

one. golden. manicure.

{sung in First Day of Christmas tune}

I seriously cannot believe there are only 12 days 'til Christmas (or Glitzmas, whichever you prefer). Technically, I think there are only 11 days since I count Christmas Eve as Christmas proper, but nevertheless... it's quickly approaching. 

As a reward for getting all of my Christmas shopping done (and nearly everything wrapped) I allowed myself to go all out for a festive Christmas mani. 

How are you prepping for the holidays?

Transformation Tuesday

For the most part, these transformations are reserved for awkward family photos or hilarious moments in the past compared to what you are now. In that regard, the title fits. 

No, I'm not including any awkward photos of myself (though Lord knows they exist), but rather I am addressing something that was not-so-subtly pointed out to me today: I'm willingly turning into Taylor Sterling.

Granted, I don't see this as a bad thing, nor does the glamorous individual who said it to me, but there's something to be said for the fact that I literally found out who she was a week ago and now stalk her every instagram post.

For those who don't know, Taylor Sterling is the founder and creative director of The Glitter Guide. She has a successful website, an adorable family, and a love for metallic polka dots (for this reason it was only a matter of time before our paths crossed).

She has a bebe (Elodie--yes, as in The Hills... as Mere would say, clearly she was team Heidi) on the way, a nursery that rivals royalty in cuteness, and somehow looks more glamorous at 9 months pregnant than I did going to a college formal. Added bonus, she's friends with my gal Julie of Gal Meets Glam.

 

{the coveted gold sheets}

I recognized the transformation was happening almost instantly. Yes, i share a love of gold, stripes and polka dots, but the fact that I found where her bedsheets are from (PB Teen) should have been my first clue. Next came the auto-correct of her name when I type in "Instagram" on my computer. Finally, please avoid Pinterest unless you want to see bookoos of annoying pins from me.

 

{yes, this is Taylor. The image everyone repins... it's actually her}

Again, I reiterate that I don't think having mentors is a bad thing, but there is a line of finding yourself instead of plugging yourself into a mold someone else created. Case and point, I am in love in Inslee Haynes. Truly, madly, deeply. Her illustrations make me smile, even when I have no relation to the image. Part of me (okay, a lot of me) views her blog and thinks "Wow, if only I could do _____."

I've since turned this obsession toward Taylor. When does designating a mentor cross a line into wanting to follow their footsteps instead of forging your own path/success? This is something I really gotta work on. Any advice is appreciated.

I can't help but think of when my friends and I used to mock a stereotypical sorority girl (which we are- minus Eddie, who would ask the questions to us) by saying, "Q: What's your favorite band? A: Trotline!, Q: What's your favorite color? A: Glitter!"

Although I do find it a bit ironic that one of my favorite colors really is gold (glitter) now.

Design Love Fest

To finish up a previous series (see here or here for a refresher), I was going to write about the winner of Bachelor, Catherine Giudici, since she too has an enviable job as a graphic designer. But, since I already devoted a post to Catherine's fabulous ombre hair, I decided a mere shout out would suffice.

Moving right along, I found another utterly amaze blogger to follow: Bri Emery. She's got not just one, but two, successful blogs that are both equally presh in their own right; so clearly she's enviable. Side note: I also think she could be a stunt double for the oh-so-glamorous Rachel Zoe, amiright?
 

 {Bri Emery, above}

 {Rachel Zoe}

The first, Design Love Fest was created out of sheer boredom and Bri's love of type and images. It has since spawned a complete graphic design and branding studio (similar to Catherine). Click here for her portfolio.

The second, Blogshop, is "where she enjoys sharing her knowledge and cultivating a strong skillset with her eager students" (aka workshops for bloggers). 

Her office makeover (click here for full post of the transition) was also featured on The Glitter Guide, another favorite of mine.

Needless to say, Bri has escaped from the monotonous 9 to 5 with pizazz and sparkle keeping her creativity in tact and becoming a successful entrepreneur in her own right.

Follow her on instagram, twitter, facebook, and pinterest to see more of her fabulicious life.