Thank goodness.

{All from Old Navy, All cheap (can't remember specific prices... sorry!)}

Working at home has obviously changed things for me as far as getting dressed goes. I, of course, have no desire to do much with myself and so I choose to dress real simply. Simply meaning as few pieces as possible, and as comfortably as possible, while still looking decent. This is one of those outfits. A button up shirt and jeans. Doesn't get much simpler.

This is where I say thank goodness for this little blog, because without it, there would be lots of sweats-wearing, much less hair-brushing, and much less of me feeling good about myself. And I've got some major conviction that a girl's gotta feel good about herself day in and day out. Isn't that right? So that's that. Thank you blog world for the extra motivation. xoxoxo.

And now... the winner of the Urban Legend giveaway is.....

Congratulations Annie! Email us at prettylifeanonymous@gmail.com and we will work out the details. 

As for the rest of you, have a great day!

XO-S

Neat Nauticals.

We got ourselves a good dumping of snow on this Tuesday, just in time to pour a hefty dose of salt on my spring-fever wounds. And since there won't be any busting out of wedges or flowery skirts around here for awhile, I find myself turning to anything nautical since it can make you feel springy while still allowing you to dress for the weather. 

So, for your your viewing/shopping pleasure, we have compiled a few nautical gems all at $15 or under, perfect for nursing that spring fever without breaking the bank. Easter candy helps too. I recommend Cadbury Mini-Eggs by the fist-full. Just sayin. 

Necklace, Nails, Scarf, Flats, Top, Earrings, Belt, Skirt

Happy Tuesday!

ox/W. 

PS. TODAY is the last day to enter to win the Urban Legend Giveaway! 

And, don't forget to take our survey to be entered to win a $30 gift card to Hobby Lobby!

Five Things Friday.

FRIDAY. YES. 

That's really all. On to this week's Five Things. 

1. Do you guys all love that new Target commercial with all the brightly dressed people who come from a hot air balloon, and then start dancing around, making things colorful, and singing that French song you learned in 4th grade? Well, I do. It pleases me. And it shows what a puppet I become when there is advertising on TV that catches my fancy, because those colorful people make me want to buy colorful things. From Target. Like these PERF little dresses for just under $25:

2. On last week's Five Things we started calling for submissions for things our readers (YOU) would like to contribute to the list. And it paid off. BIG TIME. Just look at these cupcakes freaking cute Kylee sent us the recipe for. CHURRO CUPCAKES to be exact: 

You'll find the recipe and her fabulous blog here. And thank you Kylee for bringing these cupcakes into my life. It is now more fulfilled then I ever could have imagined. 

3. Guys. This might be my favorite nail tutorial ever. I love giraffe. I want to do this. Look how CUTE:

4. LOVE this list of 33 ways to be creative I came across on Pinterest this week:

And we wanna know, what do you do to stay creative? It can be hard in a Pinterest/Blog/Twitter world where we are overloaded with ideas and can get away with relying on the ideas of others. So, will you take a second to fill out this short survey on creativity/blogging/etc for us? By filling it out, you are entered to win a $30 gift card to Hobby Lobby! Just leave us a comment that you filled it out in our comments and you will be entered. Winner will be announced at next week's Five Things! We can't wait to pick your brains!!


5. And speaking of creativity, have you seen Josh Ritter's latest video? Just plain genius. The animation is made entirely BY HAND from over 12,000 pieces of construction paper. MIND BLOWN. Watch the video, and then go here to see more about how this crazy thing was made.

Happy Friday! 

Have a GREAT weekend. You deserve it. 

ox/W. 

PS. If you have something you would like to contribute to a Five Things post, contact us here.
And don't forget to enter to win a FAB handmade necklace from Urban Legend! Click here!

The "business casual" dilemma.

A little while ago one of you asked us for some new and fresh ideas for clothes to wear in a business casual work environment. Now listen, when I hear the words "business casual," I automatically think of drab neutral tones, absolutely zero shape, and heaven forbid a pattern lets itself be seen. Pretty much a major bore alert.

So, because we know it can get old wearing a button up shirt and slacks everyday, and because you deserve to feel like a babe even when you have to follow a business causal dress code, we have compiled a little collection of must-have items you can use to mix up your work-wear wardrobe and to give you that extra oomph we all need every now and then. Or every day. Whichever. Here we go.

{tights, necklace, blazer, pants, dress, skirt, belt}. 

Here are the keys to wearing these items:

• Give yourself easy and basic options, like a simple black dress, that won't go out of style too soon and can be dressed up or dressed down
• Wear outfits that have some kind of visual interest, whether it be with a pop of color in bold tights, making a statement with a funky necklace, or wearing a patterned skirt
• Accentuate your shape by wearing a structured blazer or belting your waist 
• Do not lose your personal style even though you have to follow a dress code (i.e. if you usually wear skinny jeans, find some skinny trousers to wear to work) 

Here is how I did it recently, using the colored blazer, statement necklace, and skinny trousers:

Have a great day!
XO-S


PS- Don't forget to enter the Urban Legend necklace giveaway!

Giveaway: Win a handmade necklace from Urban Legend! {Closed}

Well, happy Tuesday, friends! 

I know that right now some of you may be searching desperately for something to relieve the sting of coming back to real life after a 3-day weekend, and at PLA you know we are always here for you, so I think we have just the remedy. Have you ever heard of this fantastic shop?: 

Are you drooling? You can admit it. This is a safe place. We understand. You see, Urban Legend is an amazing jewelry shop created by the fabulously talented Kateri, where each piece is handmade using vintage Lucite beads, sterling silver and brass chain to create playful designs that retain a sense of urban sophistication. Each piece is just gorgeous and would make any outfit better. WAY better. 

AND Urban Legend has offered to giveaway a necklace of your choosing to one lucky PLA reader! Oh...so pretty. However, how you will choose just one is beyond me, so enter at your own risk. Here's how: 

To enter, you must be a follower of our blog and leave us a comment that you are. You must also visit the Urban Legend shop, and let us know which necklace you would choose if you won. 

AND for BONUS entries:

-Click the Facebook "Like" button on the Urban Legend shop page to like on Facebook. 

-Become a follower of Kateri's blog, Leaves of Glass

-Like us on Facebook

-Follow us on Twitter

-Tweet about this giveaway

-Add our blog to your blog roll

-Blog about this giveaway 

-Post a link to this giveaway on your facebook wall

Make sure to leave a comment about EACH entry you make! 

Also, get 10% off any order from Urban Legend with the code PRETTYLIFE now through the 28th! Giveaway will remain open until Tuesday, February 28th. 

GOOD LUCK!!!

....

AND the winner of the Sprightly So giveaway is...

Kimberly WoodheadCollapse

I would totally get the coral vintage scraf!! Darling!

Congratulations Kimberly! Email us at prettylifeanonymous@gmail.com to claim your prize! 

Thanks, Presidents.

Oh, how I love the president's on the 3rd Monday of February. I am currently celebrating the men who led our country by eating a brownie in my robe, which, I'm pretty sure, is how they would've wanted to be honored. 

I also tried to dress like first lady Michelle Obama yesterday in honor of today, because although the politics of those in office may divide us, good clothes will always bring us back together. And Michelle Obama wears gooooood clothes. Yep, that lady loves her stripes, flats, fun dresses/skirts, and sassy belts. God Bless America. 

And, here is my Michelle Obama inspired outfit for this, the day of the president's: 

Dress: ROSS 7.99, Cardi: Old Navy 8.99, Belt: F21 3.99, Tights: F21 2.50, 

Flats: ROSS 8.99 Necklace: Kohls 8.00

Have a great President's Day! 

ox/W. 

Five Things Friday

1. The blog "Better After" that shows endless (almost) before and afters of DIY projects. And really really cool ones. If you are having a slow day at work, pop this baby open and you will be entertained all day. Promise.

2. The new Shabby Apple Madhatter Collection. It might be above our usual budget, but I would be willing to do some major saving so I could own some of this stuff. A girl can dream, right?

3. These chocolate peanut butter squares that look like one of the most divine things I have ever seen. I would really like to make and eat these very soon. Very very soon.

4. The Forever 21 President's Day sale! Up to 75% off? Yes please.

{1, 2, 3}

5. Bruno Mars' performance at the Grammy Awards on Sunday. We love him.

If you would like to submit your blog, recipe, DIY project, or favorite thing to possibly 

be featured on Five Things Friday, email us at prettylifeanonymous@gmail.com.

Have a great weekend!

XO-S

Whitney, Downton, and Valentines

Hey guys. It's me, S. 

There are just a few (three) things I am aching to discuss with you today. And when I say discuss, I mean will you all please open up and talk about these with me? I am at home alone all day, and I need some kind of social interaction. Please indulge me. 

1. Whitney Houston. Cannot believe we haven't even mentioned this yet. Have you recovered from the news? Because I haven't. My Spotify is permanently on Whitney's Greatest Hits and I really don't know if that will ever change.

2. Downton Abbey. Are any of you watching this? Please. We need to get some commentary going about this topic. Especially about the most recent episode. I can't stop thinking about it.

3. Valentines Day. It's over. I know. But how was it for all of you? We want to hear what your lovers did for you and what you did for your lovers. But you know, keep it clean.

And in case you were wondering, this is an outfit I wore to be Valentine-themed. I love dressing for the holidays. So super festive:

{Dress: Kmart, Sweater: Maurices, Tights: TJ Maxx, Shoes: TJ Maxx, Belt, Forever21}

Before I release you to comment up a storm, I wanted to tell you to feel free to also discuss the Grammys, Smash, The Voice, breakfast, or anything that is taking over your life. We support you.

Have a great day.
XO-S

Valentines Day Giveaway! {Closed}

Happy Valentines Day, lovers!

We hope you are having a lovely love day so far, and to show you just 

how much we love you, we have a treat of a giveaway to share with you!

You see, this gorgeous girl here is Ms. Abbey. You're gonna want to know her: 

Allow her to introduce herself: 

"Hello, Pretty Life readers! Nice to meet you! I am Abbey from Along Abbey Road and owner/designer at Sprightly So. My little space in blogland is all about my life with my two loves, mixed with personal style and some funny things at times. My store is a place for me to express my ideas, by turning them into beautiful things and also showcases my savvy vintage finds. And then I get to share them the world -- that's you! Let's be friends, shall we?""

She's just fantastic, don't you think? And she is giving away $10 of shop credit to her fantastic shop, 

and a Secret Garden Felt Belt to one lucky reader! Just look how cute: 

Yep, pretty adorable right? I knew you'd think so. 

Wanna win? Here's how!

Mandatory: You must be a follower of our blog and leave us a comment that you are. You must also visit the  Sprightly So shop and leave us a comment letting us know what you would use your shop credit for if you won! 

And for BONUS entries: 

-Follow the Along Abbey Road blog (You SHOULD be doing this already anyway :))

-Like Sprightly So on Facebook

-Leave a message on the Sprightly So Facebook page about this giveaway

-Follow Abbey on Twitter

-Like us on Facebook

-Follow us on Twitter

-Tweet about this giveaway

-Add our blog to your blog roll

-Blog about this giveaway 

-Post a link to this giveaway on your facebook wall

Make sure to leave a comment for each entry you make! 

Giveaway will remain open until Tuesday, Feb. 21.  

GOOD LUCK! And happy Valentines Day! 

ox/S & W

........

AND the winner of the Pretty Birdie Giveaway is....

Jen C.Collapse

Already like (er, love) PLA on FB!

Congratulations Jen C! Email us at prettylifeanonymous@gmail.com to claim your prize!

Pink and Leopard.

Yep, that is today's theme, pink and leopard. 

It is Valentines Day tomorrow, after all, and I like pink and leopard a lot, and they are quite Valentines-y. 

However, if you are wearing leopard in any other fashion tomorrow besides a dress, blouse, or other modest clothing item that you wouldn't be ashamed to show your Mother, then just keep it to yourself. I know it's love day, but I am with child now, and we gotta keep things clean around here. For the children. 

Cardi: Dillards 6.00, Dress: DownEast (Gift), Belt: Target 8.99, Tights: Kohls: 4.99, Shoes: ROSS 9.99

On the other hand, if your love day plans involve wearing an oversized pink and/or leopard robe or jammies that keep you more than fully clothed, the watching of "You've Got Mail" or "While You Were Sleeping," and being surrounded by a couple of different heart-shaped boxes of assorted chocolates, that I'd surely like hear about. And be invited. You know how to get a hold of me. 

OX/W. 

Five Things Friday. {V-day Edition}

1. Obvi you're gonna need a little heart something to wear to celebrate love day, 

so here are a few affordable and super cute little ideas: 

Earrings, Bangles, Flats, Nail Strips

2. Or, if you don't want to have to buy anything new, you could do this darling heart patch DIY from Honestly WTF, 

and give an old sweater a sweet little Valentines makeover. Love that.  

3. I love these cool, unconventional letterpress Valentines from Steel Petal Press. 

Fun, original, and don't make you want to gag. I'm into it. 

4. You won't even need a Valentine if you make these Red Velvet Cheesecake brownies. 

They can be your new boyfriend. You will be verrrry happy together. YUM.

5. And of course you're gonna need a good solid love song for V-day, and "More Than Anyone" by Gavin DeGraw is one of my favorites of alllllllll time. And although I think his version is perfection, this Johnny Keyser, who is on American Idol this season, is suuuuuuper legit, and just happens to have recently put out a cover of that very song. Enjoy.

You're set!

Go get your love on!
 ♥

Have a great weekend!

oxox/W. 

Does this shirt make me look pregnant?

You know how sometimes you buy that top online that looks soooo perf on that gorgeous 5' 11" and 90 lb. model and you think, "Yes, that is exactly how it will look on me, too. I'm sure of it." Then, a few short days later a package comes to your door and you hastily rip it open and throw on said top and suddenly you look 6 months pregnant? And you ask your husband, "Does this shirt make me look pregnant?" and he says no, but he kinda shifts in his chair a little, so that sucker ends up in the deep, dark, back of the closet? (The shirt, not the husband.) 

Ya. I do. Bummer. 

Well guess what ladiessss? I have found the PERFECT solution to this age old problem. 

Ready? Pen and paper handy? Here it is. The steps are three-fold: 

1. Get pregnant. (If you don't know how to do this, Google. Or call your Mom. This is just not that kind of blog.)

2. While pregnant, let 6+ months go by. 

3. Try on the shirt again. 

That's right! Using these 3 simple steps I have increased my wardrobe by at least 1/3 by incorporating all of those clothes that I coulda swore made me look pregnant when I wasn't. And, now that I am neck deep in 6+ months of actual pregnancy, if I bumped into my old, non-pregnant and paranoid self in a dark alley, I would probably flash her so she could get a good idea of what being this pregnant REALLY looks like, and then I would slap her. Serious.  

Also, here is one of the aforementioned "Does this shirt make me look pregnant?" shirts. Enjoy: 

Top: F21 12.99, Sweater: Target 9.99, Jeans: Old Navy: 8.99, 

Boots: F21 21.99, Belt: Gift, Scarf: TJMaxx 6.00

So no, honey. You DON'T look pregnant in that shirt. 

Unless of course, you are. Which, in that case, call me. We'll go get some pie. 

ox/W. 

THE dress.

Have you guys ever owned an item of clothing that is your fall back on days that you want to look pretty without having to try to look pretty? One that feels a lot like PJ's, but is really a pretty-colored, easily accessorized, non-wrinkling, body-lengthening, waist-accentuating piece of clothing? Well, I found one of those items back in December and I made my husband buy it for me for Christmas and I wear that sucker so much. If I'm being honest with myself, I would truly wear it every day if I could. Wearing it and feeling so good makes me feel passionately that everyone deserves something like this in their closet.

This is what mine looks like. There's just not much to it, and that's how I like it:

 {dress: gift from husband purchased at Old Navy, belt: Violet Hill Boutique}

I mean, come on. I throw this bad boy on and I feel like a million bucks, even though it essentially is just a jersey floor length mu-mu with a belt around it. Genius. It's starting to make me think it has some kind of has magical power, but I'm just not going to question it. Is there anything better? Do you have a go-to piece like my dress? Please share.

Have a great Tuesday!
XO-S.

Monday Giveaway! {Closed}

I am going to introduce you to someone now. You're gonna want to be on your best behavior, because this lady is MAJOR and you're gonna want her to be her BFF. Her name is Stephanie Teague, and she is the insanely talented designer behind Pretty Birdie by Stephanie Teague, a shop with the most gorgeous handmade clothes you have ever seen. Here's a little about her:

"I have been designing, sewing and selling my clothing on Etsy for the past 3 years. I started sewing at a young age and basically taught myself how to sew by altering clothing from the thrift store. I have had my label (Pretty Birdie) for about 7 years now and I use to just work at it part time and was only recycling antique and vintage fabrics then. In time I started using organic and sustainable fabrics so I could easily reproduce them to keep up with demand. Now selling full time on Etsy, I primarily use high-end sustainable fabrics and will incorperate vintage when possible. I have recently moved operations from the upstairs of my house to a storefront space in downtown Greensboro. I am gearing up to go to NY fashion week next week and I'm so excited to be showing there. All pieces at Pretty Birdie are handmade with love to each clients measurements."

See, I told you she was major. Take a look at some of the stunning pieces you can find in her shop: 

Are you dying? 

Yep, her clothes are just sublime. AND you won't even believe what I"m about to tell you...

That's right! You can win one of the fabulous pieces from Pretty Birdie, specifically, the absolutely adorable Soy High-Waist Pencil Skirt. If you win, Stephanie will make one just for you in a color of your choosing. This baby runs for $90 in her shop and is just plain perfect  Do you need any more convincing? Didn't think so. 

Here's how to enter: 

MANDATORY: To enter, you must be a follower of this blog and leave us a comment that you are. You must also visit the Pretty Birdie Shop and tell us what else you are swooning over in a separate comment. 

And, for BONUS entries:

-Like Pretty Birdie by Stephanie Teague on Facebook

-Leave a comment about this giveaway on the Pretty Birdie Facebook page

-Like us on Facebook

-Follow Pretty Birdie on Twitter

-Follow us on Twitter

-Tweet about this giveaway

-Add our blog to your blog roll

-Blog about this giveaway 

-Post a link to this giveaway on your facebook wall

Make sure you leave a comment for EACH entry to boost your chances of winning!

Giveaway will remain open until Monday, February 13th. 

GOOD LUCK!

oxox/W&S