Lazy Days

On Monday my boyfriend, Justin, and I decided to go to the park to play a little basketball and frisbee. It was super hot outside so after getting my butt kicked at sports (as usual) I abandoned that dream and made friends with the swing set...something a bit more breezy and less exhausting. I love Florida weather, but it is best paired with a beach or pool scene than a park. I will definitely choose the beach next time!

This is, as Justin puts it, me with my imaginary friend :)

After being tuckered out from the park we went to the thrift store...no influence from me what-so-ever! Okay maybe just a tad. I managed to score a framed lion picture for my sister and this really cute painting of palm trees!

I also managed to get a few new pieces for my wardrobe even though I am on a strict budget at the moment, but I couldn't help myself! I thought the crop top would look cute with some high-waisted jean shorts. I also love the beaded design on the red racer-back tank! Amazingly I got all these pretty things for a steal--only $25! How can you not love that!?

Loose Curls

I rarely ever do my hair, mostly because it takes forever and there is just so much of it! My hair is naturally straight-ish but I can still get the effect of loose, beachy curls in a few different ways, one of which I will share with you!

1. Start with towel-dried day-old hair so the curls stay in longer.

 2. Lightly spray hair with Pantene's Pro-Shaping Hairspray and scrunch it for volume.

3. Section off layers of hair and curl bottom layer first using 1" curler.

4. Continue to spray curls with hairspray and try not to brush your hair too much, the messier the better! 

This may take some time, especially if you have long/thick hair. I generally spend one minute per curl, but I am really impatient :p

4. You can always keep this really curly look, but I like to rake my fingers through the curls to loosen them up. One more spray and you are good to go with your new look!

Like I said this is the most time-consuming method for getting this look, but it all depends on your hair type. My sister's straight hair won't even hold a perm! I will post other hair tutorials in the future if you all are interested.

Fireworks

Good afternoon!

As promised I have some pictures of the outfit I wore on July 4th rocking the American flag shirt I made in this diy. Overall I had an amazing time at the barbeque and lit off tons of fireworks, and did I mention there was food!?! Ahh I love holidays--come for the food, stay for the people!

This is me with my sister and our roommate Dan, not to be confused with my brother Dan ;)

 Outfit Details

Shirt: made it myself here

Leather Vest: thrifted, try a black denim vest or this one

Pants: Papaya

Belt/ Peace Necklace: thrifted

Bracelets: JCPenney

Shoes: Lulu's (giveaway win)

I hope everyone have a fantastic and safe holiday!

The Bookcase

Trying to organize your life can be taxing, especially if it requires reorganizing the next day! I try to set one day aside per week to clean the house and get everything in order once again. Apart from small cleaning jobs there are always those large task that many people try to avoid getting around to. I understand, repainting the hallway or filing all your important papers is only fun if you can sit there and watch someone else do it. But this week I set my mind to the bookcase--the dusty, messy, book-holding piece of furniture from hell.

My sister, Ashley, is a creative writer and is constantly buying more books for inspiration in her stories. We even had to get a second smaller bookcase to accommodate her obsession. I like our black bookcases because they bring a modern feel to the room (although the wooden ones are very classy). I like them even more when they are neat and organized so I set to the task.

I emptied and cleaned both bookcases...

 ...and put all the books back in alphabetical order.

I think the plant and globe really add some character as well as the Tardis bookends that my sister prizes so very much!

 Amazingly our second shelf is almost full and we will need to get a third one to place on the left side soon!
Do any of you have bookcases, and if so how do you decorate them, any tips?

Red, White, and Blue

I decided to add to my festive American flag shirt post by doing a Fourth of July nails post as well.

I used Revlon's Quick Dry Base Coat 955 and painted essie's Trophy Wife on my ring finger nail. For the other nails I used Rimmel London's 320 Rapid Ruby. I put two coats of Pure Ice over top the Rapid ruby and hand painted a white star on my ring finger nail.

I decided to go for a deeper red and blue, but I am sure a vibrant red and blue would also look great!