Thank you and Hello!

First I'd like to thank Leah for doing such a great job this week. We're going shopping together on Saturday so a joint post might follow!

Second, I'm back! Mexico was great and very relaxing. We stayed at the Viva Wyndham Maya. It was perfect, especially the 24 hour snack bar which we took advantage of quite a bit.

We wandered in town but to be honest there is not much to see in Playa Del Carmen so we mostly hung out on the beach at our hotel and read lots and lots of romance novels. I have so many ideas and I can't wait to keep writing.

Its good to be back in Chicago, if only for a little bit. On Sunday my dad took us to The Purple Pig which I would definitely recommend. The noise level was a bit intense but the food more than made up for it. My family is big on sharing so it's always good to go to find restaurants that encourage that in their menus. Everything was delicious, but my favorite was the dessert. We had a Sicilian Iris, which is a ricotta and chocolate chip filled brioche. Yummy.

I'm back to regular posting, so see you later!

Thanks for a great week!

Hey Everyone,
just wanted to say thanks for sticking with me this week. Bea comes home from vacation today and will be back to posting regularly next week. I have had a great time this week. I started the week with one of my favorite cartoons and will end it will one of my favorite jokes. See you all next time Bea goes on vacation!

Awesome Rings

I told you at the beginning of the week about my metalsmithing class and the beautiful ring that E. made. She agreed to let me share it with you. She got her inspiration from a ring from Sowat Paris. I am having trouble accessing their website but if you are interested in trying to find the ring it is called the Angel Dust ring.

This is the Sowat Paris ring


And this is E's version




I think she did an amazing job on the ring and I love the way it turned out.
I asked other friends of mine to share their interesting or unique rings with me as well. I love how my friends all have such different styles and you can see it in their jewelry too.

This ring belongs to E's twin W. I have always loved it and notice every time she wears it. She got it at a street stall in Italy.


For a much different style, check out this ring belonging to S.


It is way cool. I love jewelry with everyday objects on it.


This is a present I gave to my previously mentioned best friend L. I got it in Morocco. It is actually three rings in one. Each one says I love you on it, one in English, one in French and one in Arabic.

Gives Me Hope

I will do a proper post later but I had to share this website that I am now obsessed with. E showed me the website Gives Me Hope whose tagline is "like FML, but for optimists." If you are having a bad day, go and visit GMH, you will instantly feel better.
http://www.givesmehope.com

Dressing as a young professional

When my sister was home for winter break, we gave my closet a makeover. I am getting ready to start working my first real job and wanted to give my wardrobe a bit more grown up and professional look. However, I didn't want to start dressing like I was older then I am. I wanted to still keep a young sense of style while looking more put together.
So Bea and my very best friend Laura and I hit the shops!
Below, you will see some of the pieces I got from Gap, Banana Republic, Anthropologie and Forever 21. They are all stores that I like but I strayed more towards the work type clothes then the casual clothes I normally buy. I am really happy with the direction my style is going in. I have gotten a lot of compliments on my new look. I don't feel like I am losing my style but I do feel that I am presenting myself in a more polished and put together way.

This is one of my favorite things I found. I thought I would never have an occasion to wear it, but I've already worn it several times. It's a great little black dress.

dress from Banana Republic

I love this shirt because it is just a tad more exciting than a classic white button down. The sleeves and belt give it a bit more pizazz. The jeans are dark wash skinny jeans from Gap. I think they are polished enough to wear to a casual event.

Shirt from Banana Republic and jeans from Gap

These are my favorite style of shirt from Gap. They are super comfortable and I like the rolled up sleeves. I think it shows you are ready to get down to business and work!

Shirts from Gap

Lastly, I have three different styles of jackets. First is a sweatshirt blazer which has a great youthful look. Second is a really unique jacket which I got at Forever 21. And last is a classic blazer which you will never find because I got it at some shop in Copenhagen, paired with a really pretty and delicate shirt from Anthropolgie.

Blazer from Gap

Jacket from Forever 21

Blazer from Boutique in Copenhagen, Shirt from Anthropolgie

I definitely think that you can dress polished and professionally while still maintaining your style no matter what age you are. You just have to buy the right pieces and now what you are looking for.

Brighten Your Day with Zooey Deschanel

Bea is a big fan of Zooey Deschanel and so am I, so here to brighten your day is her newest music video. Zooey is part of a band called She and Him along with M. Ward. Their second album is coming out soon and this is the first single off of it. The song is called In the Sun and the video is too cute! There are hoola hoops and cute clothes and adorable dance moves. Enjoy!

Major Problem Solved!

So here is my major problem:

I can't wear high heels.

They make my feet hurt, I can't walk and I have to sit down after about five minutes.

But this problem is on it's way to being solved with help from a fabulous brand of shoes called Naked Feet.

Naked Feet has a very limited collection of flats and heels but they are great. I got my pair at DSW, they are grey leather heels. I still would not chose to run a marathon in them, but they can get me through a dinner party standing.

Naked Feet does not sell from their website but they do have lists of retailers and several online distributers.

Here are a couple of their shoes:

These are the heels I have except in grey.

This is the link for the Naked Feet website. I hope your feet enjoy them!

http://www.nakedfeetshoes.com/nf/