A Weekend in Rochester for Galentine's Day + Win Free Dresses for a Year from Lulu*s!

Today, Jen of JenLoves Kev and I are partnering with Lulu*s for a very special and very exciting giveaway. Read on to find out how you and a friend could win free dresses for a year!

When Jen and I met six years ago, it was kinda meant to be. I mean, I was an admissions counselor working at an art college, and she was a high school art teacher molding the minds of future art students. We were both living in Massachusetts. We also both happened to be fledgling personal style bloggers (she far more established than I). The stars, they were aligned.

 

I can't exactly remember how I initially discovered her blog, but I instantly connected with her style and personal way of writing. We got to talking (commenting), and eventually met up while I was traveling for work in upstate New York. While it seems so normal now to make fast friends with people on Instagram or through blogging, in 2009 it felt so strange to already know so much about someone I'd never actually met in person. But, that feeling faded quickly and we immediately launched into talking about everything, all while thrift shopping, obviously.

Six years later, I jump at any opportunity to see Jen (and Kev, and the girls). So, when Lulu*s asked us to participate in Galentine's, we got to planning. Turns out, Rochester, NY is smack dab in the middle of Albany and Pittsburgh, about four hours in each direction. (Long distance tip: meet in the middle)

We each chose a dress from Lulu*s for the occasion, and celebrated Galentine's a little early with Chris, Kev, the girls, and Jen's sister Amy at Java's, the most amazing cafe, possibly ever. This is the kind of place I would happily live inside: walls covered in art, almond milk as an option (the fastest way to my heart these days), and late-night hours, which we also took advantage of. We went to Java's no less than three times over the course of our stay.

I'll be sharing more pics of our weekend in Rochester on Monday, but for now, you're probably wondering about winning those free dresses, right? I thought so...

 Lulu's Great Galentine's Giveaway!

Valentine’s day may be coming up quick but at LuLu*s, Galentine’s day reigns supreme!! Forget the flowers and treat yourself to a year of fresh frocks! LuLu*s is giving away one free dress a month to one lucky gal (and her best pal) for all of 2014! Follow the link below to enter and be sure to refer your best gal pal with your custom generated link for a chance to WIN: http://bit.ly/dressesforayear Good Luck!

What I'm wearing: dress, sweater, boots, & midi ring c/o Lulu's // Hat, scarf, purple necklace, & bracelet: vintage // Teardrop ring c/o Dixi // 'Wife' ring: Shop Bueno // Tights: AA Super Opaque

Love Jen's look? Check out her half of the story over on her blog.

On My Bod: Time for Texas

Tomorrow I jet off once again, my destination? Austin, Texas, one of my all time favorite cities. I'm very excited to be speaking this weekend at the Texas Style Council Conference, my subject will be one I'm quite familiar with: balancing your blog and a full-time job, while staying as sane as possible. Lulu's was kind enough to outfit me for my trip, so today I'm giving you a little sneak peek of what's in my suitcase, and the outfits I've planned, because I just can't resist a good lay-down shoot.

Since I'll be trading 100+ degree temperatures for 60 degree temps when I fly from Austin to San Francisco on Monday, I'm packing lots of pieces that can be easily transitioned from summer swelter, to what feels more like fall.

Pittsburgh to Austin:

Roxy striped top, sandals c/o Lulu's -- Shorts: Vintage Levi's/Thrifted -- Sunglasses: Ray Ban

A Little Vintage Shopping:

Fringed top, heels, bracelets, sunglasses c/o Lulu's -- Shorts: Vintage Levi's/Thrifted -- Tee: Vintage -- Necklaces: various

My Panel Discussion:

Dress, Billabong jacket, heels c/o Lulu's -- Necklace: Vintage -- Sunglasses: vintage

 

Austin to San Francisco:

Obey top & shorts c/o Lulu's -- Shoes: Zara -- Necklaces: Various -- Jacket: Vintage

I'll be sharing my presentation, along with a full recap of the conference when I return. In the meantime, if you're attending the conference or following along from home and there's anything specific you'd like me to address on the subject of blog/life/work balance (or life in general), please let me know!

Overgrown

What I wore:

Top, Kelsi Dagger heels, and gold bracelet c/o Lulu's

'Kate' Tropical Legging Jeans c/o Guess

Purple bracelet: swapped
Bra: American Apparel cross-back bra

I wore this to: try something new

Well, one trip down, two more to go. I can honestly say that, with each trip I take to the Pacific Northwest, I fall a little more in love. This was my fourth time visiting Seattle (always for work, funnily enough), and I just want to turn around and go right back. I'll be sharing a few photos from my trip to Timber Fest next week, but this week I'm keeping it short and simple because life is crazy. My brother leaves this week for Oregon, and I can't wait to have him here in Pittsburgh on Wednesday night, he'll be the first of my family to visit us. Then, I'm off to Texas, and then on to San Francisco after that. And between now and then I have a presentation to make! Phew.

About this outfit though, I've been skeptical about the floral jeans trend, but this pair from Guess surprised me. The material is nice and stretchy and they keep their shape, which for me can be a denim deal breaker, I hate when jeans get knees. I love the pairing of purple and dark grey, perfect with a drapy top and minimal accessories.

LuLu*s x BB Dakota: Sunny Days Giveaway!

In this outfit:
Sweater: c/o Free People (2012)
Lace top: UO ($7 sale)
Pants: BB Dakota c/o Lulu's
Wedges: Matiko c/o Lulu's
Sun necklace c/o Sisters of the Moon
Skull necklace: gift & flea market
Ring: ModCloth (2011)
Bracelet c/o Lulu's

I wore this to: An early morning coffee date

There's a chance that, somewhere, my younger self is rolling over in her grave when I say this but, you know what? Palazzo pants are pretty great. These are palazzo pants, right? Whatever they are, they're awesome. I mean, I'm basically wearing pajamas. Which is perfect when it's early and you don't want to be dressed, but you need to be dressed.

Lulu's was kind enough to send over these comfy pants courtesy of BB Dakota, and I love them in all their tropical glory. And guess what? I have something exciting for you today too... and no, it's not palazzo pants...unless you want it to be? I've teamed up with Lulu's and BB Dakota for a special giveaway! Lulu's and BB Dakota are each giving away a $100 gift card! That's right, $100 to Lulu's and $100 to BB Dakota for one lucky winner!

To Enter: visit Lulu*s and leave a comment here with a link to your favorite BB Dakota item on the site! Want an extra entry? Tweet this: “I hope I’m the lucky winner of the @lulusdotcom and @bbdakotainc contest! #LULUSxBBDAKOTA” and be sure to leave an extra comment saying you tweeted. Contest is open to US/Canadian residents only, giveaway ends next Wednesday, June 5th. Good luck!

Tiny print: Giveaway ends on Wednesday June 5th at 10pm. One entry per person, two if you follow tweeting directions. Winner will be chosen using a random number generator. Winner will have a 48 hour grace period to respond to email notification before a replacement winner will be chosen.  Be sure to leave an email address in your comment if you do not have a blog where I can EASILY reach you. The winner will be chosen in a timely manner, and notified, but I reserve the right as proprietor of this blog to announce the winner when I see fit. This giveaway is open to US/Canada only. The winner of the Jo Totes giveaway was Meanz, congrats! Winner has previously been notified.

Blog Better Boston with Lulu's: Conference Recap

Images 1- 2- 4- &6 taken by me / All others ©David Brooks Photography

One thing I've learned, after attending a few blog conferences over the years, is that the effects typically don't sink in for a few days. At least for me. I won't think much of it until I'm home, and then boom, I get super excited to blog again. It's nice to feel refreshed, connected, and inspired again, and that's exactly how I feel after attending- and participating in- Blog Better Boston.

Tieka and I arrived at the hotel on Friday night with Stephanie from Lulu's, and woke up early Saturday to head over to the Boston Globe offices to help set up and get ready. There were representatives on hand from MiniLuxe, Roster, City Sports- among others- and I was finally able to get my hands on a Red Sox tee (why it took me until now to acquire one, I don't know, I really don't). There was mixing and mingling and coffee and bagels, and then it was time for the panels!

My panel (third images from the bottom) was focused on managing your work, blog, and life, and how utilizing a content calendar can make your life so much easier. I was nervous, mostly because I hadn't used Power Point since my days as an admissions counselor (!), but really there was nothing to be worried about. Each panel went perfectly, and along with discussing the in's and out's of a busy schedule, each talk devolved into a conversation of blogging as a whole. It was wonderful! I loved hearing about everyone's separate experiences and what worked for them. I'll be sharing my presentation on this blog with you next week, after some tweaking of that Power Point, so if you've ever had questions about managing a job/blog/and life, let me know and I'll address them in the post! My only wish is that I got to hear the other speakers, but I did get to completely nerd-out over Katie of Paper Fashion and listen to her talk about building a successful DIY/How-to post. 

Between panels, attendees were encouraged to participate in a Lulu's style scavenger hunt. They were given a card with trends listed on it, and were instructed to mix and mingle and find other attendees that were wearing the trend. When they completed the scavenger hunt card, not only had they made conversation with a bunch of new people, but they were able to spin the Lulu's prize wheel and choose an item to take home! A pretty genius way of networking, right?

Thank you to Amy and Alana of Blog Better Boston for inviting me to speak and to Lulu's for choosing me as a representative of their brand.

Blog Better Boston With Lulu's: What I Wore

 Photos taken by Tieka

What I wore:

Tee / Cape / Jeans / Heels / Bracelets / Midi ring c/o Lulu's

Daisy ring: shop in Beverly ($11)

Vintage ring: antique store ($6)

Talon necklace: gift

Crystal & bird skull necklace: pieced together from other necklaces

I wore this to: Feel like myself again at Blog Better Boston

Sometimes, the thought of putting on a dress is exhausting, this wasn't always the case but I feel as though I've found a new appreciation for jeans over the past couple of years. This past Saturday, after a week of sickness, the Blog Better Boston event was my first chance to actually get dressed, and I chose jeans for the occasion. Granted, fancier jeans, but jeans nonetheless. And I felt fantastic.

After attending a handful of blog-centric conferences over the past few years, I've realized that it's incredibly important for me to feel comfortable and like myself at these events. It's already intimidating enough walking into a room full of incredibly stylish women, but coupled with the fact that many of them would be hearing my voice and witnessing me (and each other) in public- rather than online- for the first time, well the thought of that is enough to make me want to run for the hills. But I didn't, instead I chose an outfit that didn't take much fussing- the most comfortable heels, a loose tee, interesting jeans, and the coolest cape ever- so I could at least feel physically relaxed, if not exactly mentally.

And you know what? Nine-point-nine times out of ten, everyone is lovely, and welcoming, and interesting to talk to, and it's not until a few days later that I realize how truly wonderful it is to make connections with new people. 

A huge, never ending 'Thank You' to Lulu's for sending me to BBBos. Stay tuned for a full recap of the conference tomorrow!

Sneak Peek: Boston with Lulu's

After a whirlwind trip to Boston this weekend for Blog Better Boston, I returned home late last night to a very happy cat and a very happy husband. I'll be sharing all the details starting tomorrow (which include, but aren't limited to, communing with some very friendly chickadees), but I couldn't help sharing a sneak peek of my outfit, courtesy of Lulu's, which made me feel like a powerful high priestess (floor-length capes tend to have that effect).

I think at this point, I've made you all pretty aware of how much New England means to me, and how much I miss my family (a family that includes a lot of people who actually aren't related to me at all), so I just want to take a moment to thank Lulu's for choosing me (and Tieka too!) to represent their amazing brand, and for Amy and Alana of BBBos for believing in my capabilities and asking me to be a speaker. This time in Boston and Beverly was what my soul needed, I'm feeling so excited about blogging right now, and excited for the season ahead.

Ok I'm off, there's a fat striped cat vying for my attention (by knocking things off my desk), and it's time to get ready for work. I hope you had a beautiful weekend too!

Six Degrees

What I wore: 
Sweater: J.Crew
Dress: Vintage/ Beacon's Closet ($18)
Lace top c/o Lulu's
Tights: American Apparel Super Opaque ($25)
Boots c/o Lulu's
Bracelet: Thrifted ($2)
Bag: Vintage Coach/ Thrifted ($7-ish)

Where I wore it: to the office

Let me start by saying: this outfit is not practical. at. all. I know that. Tuesday was one of those hurried mornings that resulted in me throwing on an outfit that I had stored away in my brain, with no thought given to the fact that it was six degrees out. Whoops. Needless to say, my hair didn't exactly make it "in" to the outfit, which is fine because it spent the rest of the day buried beneath a hat (I had a puffy coat and moccasins close by too, for the drive to and from work). January has finally shown it's true colors, and those colors are cold. Sometimes it's nice to be able to escape the cold to my warm office, but I've spent this whole week daydreaming about hibernation.