Tis the season!

"For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, which is Christ the Lord." Luke 2:11

The best season is upon us! CHRISTMAS! Time for a break from work and school, family, yummy food, shopping, presents...and most importantly celebrating the birth of  Jesus Christ, who changed this world forever.

One of my absolutely favorite things about Christmas is the decorations. Love! Every year, I have the responsibility of decorating our family tree. For the past 3 years, I've decorated it with a "peacock theme" It has lots of bright colors in it, like hot pink, turquoise, purple, etc. It's not your traditional Christmas theme, but I love it! There are few ornaments on there that are really special to me. My sister bought me a few peacock ornaments a few years ago and I just love them. I always put them right in the front of the tree where everyone can see!

I wanted to do a little something different for my room this year.  I was inspired by a BEAUTIFUL home I saw on the Christmas tour of homes. If you know me, you know I love owls. In this house, every tree was owl themed. It was great! It was also very vintage and rustic...so perfect! So, I decided this was what I wanted to do for my room. I have a mini tree that I set up in my room that I usually do in hot pink and zebra, but not this year!

I bought all of the decorations at Hobby Lobby except for the cute little owl at the top. He was a gift from William :) He also inspired the color theme for the tree! Reds, browns, and teals!

Another Christmas favorite this year is burlap and DYI projects :) I've had about 2 yards of red burlap around the house that I'd never used. I thought it was the perfect season to finally use it. I cut two long strips and used it as garland on my tree.

I also used it to make a wreath. I used a foam wreath for the basic shape. I covered the foam in burlap first. Then, I cut 5 in. squares out of the burlap and folded them in half twice. I cut the bottom off so it was kind of flat and hot glued it to the wreath. It was a long process, but the end product is so pretty! I used the same brown ribbon I used on my tree to make a bow and hang the wreath.

After all this, I still had some burlap left over. I decided to make some garland to hang on my dresser. I used a threading needle, a thick ribbon, and 3 long strips of burlap. This project was so simple! I just threaded the ribbon through the burlap and scrunched it as I went. It took a lot of burlap, but the more you use the fluffier it looks! The next part is my favorite. I wanted to add a banner of some sort. I have a ton of scrap booking paper, so I looked through my collection and found a sheet that had tiny woodland creatures all over it (OWLS!!). It matched my tree perfectly! I cut three little triangles, glued the triangles to poster board for support, and used a gold marker to color the word "JOY" onto my banner :) I think the final results are so cute!

Lastly, Christmas wouldn't be Christmas without all the wonderful fragrances. I've got a new candle that I'm absolutely addicted to. It's called Frasier Fir by Woodwick...love it!

So, that's my most recent update on Christmas decor...hope yall enjoyed! Who knows, maybe you can whip up a few creative decorations with some things you have just lying around the house. You never know!

Merry Christmas!

Carolina Football

Hi! I know it's been awhile, buttttttttt...I have returned just in time! The best time of year is among us :) Fall, college football, my birthday.... :)

So, college football is a big deal in the south, especially on game day. It's a must to look your best, even more so if you are a Carolina fan. Gamecock fans know what to do!

I love going to the games and seeing what everyone wears. The typical outfit is a little black dress and cowboy boots, but I usually like to try something different.

Here's what I wore yesterday:

garnet skinny jeans: Cato $21

black cut-out tank: TJ Maxx $7

polka dot tank: Old Navy $6

silver sandals: Walmart $7

black dangle earrings: Body Shop $4.00

(My aviators came from Wal-Mart...$5!! OMG!)

Okay, so yesterday was a beautiful day, but it was hot. Whew! I barely made it, haha. Jeans may not have been the best choice because of the weather, but hey, we all make sacrifices for fashion right? 

My hair is getting longer by the second. I love it and I hate it. Our relationship is definitely love/hate right now haha! I knew that it was going to drive me crazy yesterday, so I put it into a side braid. Even with all my layers, it stayed put all day for the most part. My ombre looked pretty cool all braided :)

So, what do you wear on game day? I say go all out, no matter what team you are cheering for. I love Carolina colors because it is (usually) easy to shop for. Black is always a good choice. Just a add a pop of garnet and you are set. Colored jeans are still in, so don't be afraid to rock the garnet or black skinnies!

I love custom made items. I met a wonderful lady in Mrytle Beach that has made me several dresses and a shirt. She makes super cute collegiate items :)

I made a few pictures of some accessories I think would be super cute on game day. These pieces would be sure to spice any outfit up!

Carolina

Clemson

Georgia

Florida

Alabama

That's all I got, folks! Hope you enjoyed! With that said...goooo cocks! :)

#twoshoetuesday

Hi all! Hope everyone is having a fabulous week. So, I've decided that Tuesdays are definitely worse than Mondays. They just drag on by. I was thinking of a way to spice of my Tuesdays and I thought...why not share my shoes! My friend Mariah, from the Yellow Ribbon Blog, does something similar called wardrobe Wednesday. I look forward to it every week!

If you know me, I have tons of shoes. Tons. In fact, I think I have a shoe obsession. Starting today, I'm going to share the shoes I wear every Tuesday and tell you all about them :)

multi-colored gladiator sandal

I bought this pair of shoes a few weeks ago at the Rainbow in North Augusta. I saw all the colors and instantly fell in love! I was unsure about the gladiator style, but then I thought...why not. I'll at least try it. Then, I ended up loving the style and now I own two pairs of gladiators. I like to call them my "Jesus sandals" haha!

I wore these with boyfriend fit jeans and a blank tank top.  But, of course, you can wear them with anything because they have every color in the rainbow in them. They are pretty comfy too.

my newest love <3

This finally came in today! I felt like I've waited forever. I saw a similar bracelet on Pinterest and had to have it. I searched and searched and never found the right price...until I laid my eyes on this beauty! I plan on wearing it everyday.

On a final note...

Do you ever just have those days where you don't feel like looking "cute"? You just want to bum it? Oh yes. Me too. I have those often.

BUT, I have discovered that there are simple ways to make yourself look and feel cute without even really trying.

I bummed it on Monday.

I love to pull my hair back and wear earrings. For some reason, that instantly makes me feel better. Strange? Probably. I'm wearing rhinestone studs from Rue 21 ($4) and my hair is pulled back in the elastic headband updo. I talked about it in my headband post a couple weeks ago.

Secondly, I love a good tank top. Comfy and cute. I bought this one at Rue 21 for $3. Yes, I have pretty much every color. I got the grey tank from Old Navy several years ago. I don't remember the price, but it wasn't very expensive...you know me!

Foundation and Bronzer can be your best friend. On the days you don't feel like doing your makeup, just moisturize, put on foundation, and a little bronzer and you're set. Sometimes I'll add mascara if I feel daring, haha

Lastly, sunglasses are instant glam. I got this pair at Walmart a couple years ago from $5. I love these things. They have been so faithful! They are kinda falling apart, but I refuse to get rid of them. Cheap sunglasses make me happy. But, expensive pairs are always nice, too. I own a pair of Ray Ban Wayfarers and I will always love those things. They are just a classic. 

So, I hope you guys have enjoyed #twoshoetuesday! Take it easy the rest of the week...maybe even take a bum day? I know I will.

Red

Happy Friday!! (technically) The weekend is near! Yeah!


So, I'd like to dedicate this post to the color red. I think I have a new found love, maybe even obsession, with this color. Who can have too much RED? :)


It all started when I found the perfect pair of red skinnies at Rue 21.

black tank top: TJ Maxx, $7

polka dot scarf: Kroger (weird, right?) $10-but I used a gift card!

red skinnies: Rue 21, $12

black sandals: Target, $5

I wore this outfit on a Wednesday night to church, which seemed perfect because our youth group is called CodeRED! They were a hit :) They are the destroyed skinnies, so they are ripped all over, but I love them.

Then, this past weekend, I saw The Dark Knight Rises. Absolutely amazing. Not to mention I fell in love with Catwoman's lipstick...which was red! I literally leaned over to my friend Mariah and said I have got to do a blog on her lipstick, haha!

Anne Hathaway did an amazing job! Best Catwoman ever! And if you haven't seen TDKR, go see it pronto. 

So, what's the deal with red lipstick? Who can wear it and who cant? Well, you'll never know until you give it a try. I never in a million years thought I would like it, but I bought a shade that I absolutely loved and I was sold. 

This shade is Cherry Tart by Revlon's LipButter. Love love love. They also had a shade called Candy Apple and I LOVED it, but I already had three tubes in my hand so I had to fight the urge!

MAC also has wonderful shades of red lipstick. My close friend Jennifer Druelle, who is the wonderful photographer of Jennifer Druelle Photographics (JDP), go figure, uses this on her clients and it looks amazing. Check out her pictures to catch it in action ;)

So, don't be scared to wear bold color on your lips. Just make sure to wear something simple when you do. When I wear red lips, I love to wear black. Pair red lips with a sparkly top, boyfriend blazer, and some dark skinnies...you'll be set to go!

polka dot shirt: Rue 21, $3 (OMG!)

white skirt: Old Navy $7

red rosette: Hobby Lobby $4

Silver sandals: Old Navy $13 

This Wednesday night, I discovered that red also looks good as an accessory! I pinned a red rosette to my shirt and loved it. It gave my outfit the perfect pop of color. I also discovered the beauty of the sock bun. I, now, truly believe that socks were created for buns, not for feet. It was so simple and cute! I'll definitely be doing it again.

On a final note, I made a change to my hair this week. I wanted to try out the "ombre" look that the Kardashian's have. So, I went to Emily this evening and she gave me the hook up. I LOVE IT. We were both screaming in excitement the whole time. Who knows, I may go even more lighter next time...

I love it :)

I'll leave you with a line that I cannot stop listening too. Jesus at the Center by Israel Houghton. Check it out! You won't regret it!

"From beginning to the end, it will always be, it's always been you, Jesus. Nothing else matters. Nothing in this world will do. Jesus, you're the center. Everything revolves around you."




:) Have a great weekend! I've got weddings, shopping trips, and fun fun fun planned for mine!

My Style

I love when you tell me that I'm pretty, when I just wake up

& I love how you tease me when I'm moody, but it's never too much.

I'm falling fast, but the truth is, I'm not scared at all.

-Lady Antebellum-

Another cutesy song! I just might start sharing all the songs that get stuck in my head from time to time. I couldn't stop humming the melody to this today, so I had to look it up! Lady Antebellum is one of my favorite groups. I love them! I saw them live this summer and it was AMAZING!

Now, today's topic is a little different. Each post, I try to talk about items that I have found to be very useful, interesting, or popular.  In my last post, I mentioned that I have been getting hair inspiration from Katy Perry. Well, just where do I get my clothes inspiration? That's just what I'm going to share  :)

My style is a combination of a little bit of everything. Funky, preppy, girly-girl, contemporary, sophisticated. Yep..that sums it up, haha! Just like for my hair, I gather a lot of inspiration from celebrities. I love reading magazines. My favorite is a cheap one called Know Style. I love this magazine because it shows tons of outfits that celebrities wear, where they got the clothes, and where you can purchase them. I just think it's fun to read!

So, just who inspires me...

Okay, so if you know me, you know that I am obviously obsessed with Kari Jobe. It isn't just because people think we look similiar, I just love her spunkiness! I love her hair, her accessories, and pretty much every single thing I've ever seen her wear. A lot of the stuff she wears is expensive (Nordstrom, Anthropology), but I still think she is adorable. She dresses modern, but with style. For example, she wears lots of leggings, boots (even in the summer), headbands, tons of jewelry and oxfords.  I love her originality with her clothes, too. She is an amazing artist. I recently saw her in concert in Savannah at The Sanctuary and it was the best thing ever. Hands down. First note that was played brought tears to my eyes--the presence of God was that strong! She is an amazing worship leader with such a calling on her life. I can only pray to have that kind of anointing!

I also love Hillary Scott from Lady Antebellum. When I saw them live, I couldn't get over how pretty she is! I loved every outfit she wore on stage. She wore lots of sparkle shirts and blazers, which are two of my favorite things ;) She recently dyed her hair dark and that is right up my alley, too! 

 Okay, Kim Kardashian is absolutely gorgeous, so I couldn't just not mention her! She has great hair, great style, and beautiful make-up. Beautiful!

And lastly, TV shows. I do gather a lot from my favorite TV personalities. One of my favorite all time shows is One Tree Hill. I have loved this show since high school, which seems like back in the day. Bethany Joy, Sophia Bush, and Hilary Burton all dress great in this show. Romance+fashion? What could be better.

So, as you can see, I get my inspiration a little bit from everywhere! I also love to read blogs, like Kendi's Everyday and The Small Things blog. These ladies have some excellent advice, so give them a read! 

Hope everyone has a very blessed and thankful Sunday :)

Texturizing Powder

Happy Friday!  Didn't this week feel like it lasted forever? I am so happy to see you mister weekend, where have you been?!

My topic today is something I discovered recently through my hair stylist, Emily. She is a lifesaver. It is called texturizing and volume hair powder. It.will.change.your.life.

I use the BigSexy Hair brand, but there are plenty of other brands out there that work just as good. The little tube is $14, but it lasts forever.  All you do is sprinkle (do not pour haha) the powder onto your hair on the sections you want to have volume. For me, I pour it on the crown (where I would normally tease) and on the very top of my head. Try your best to not get the powder on your scalp because it will be noticeable.

Once you've "sprinkled" the desired amount, just rub it in...and be amazed! I can't even describe the look on my face the first time Emily used this product on my hair. The texture and volume it creates is unbelievable. I barely have to tease or use any hairspray.

Don't get this project confused with dry shampoo (which is also amazing). It does not work the same. Actually, it works the best on clean hair.

Advertising the product, you know.

So, maybe the texturizing powder just isn't for you. Another way to get volume and texture is by a good 'ol fashion teased hairdo. Us Pentecostal girls have no shame in this. We know what to do! We love some big hair.

My favorite teasing brush is a brush that I, of course, bought through Emily. You can also use a bristle brush to tease and a wide tooth comb to lightly brush it out. The comb I use is basically like a bristle brush and a wide tooth comb all in one.

My weapons of choice :)

So, everyone has a celebrity that they draw inspiration from. Mine, here recently, believe it or not, is Katy Perry. I don't like her music all that much, but there is no denying that she is a beautiful girl. I love her dark hair. Role model? Not so much. Hair inspiration? Maybe a little :)

And of course, there is my all time favorite role model AND inspiration...the beautiful Kari Jobe.

So, I will leave you guys with an outfit that I wore this week. Thought it was too cute not to share ;)

Flower tank: Rue 21 $5

Dark wash skinny jean: Forever 21 $10

Silver sandals: Walmart $7

Cluster bracelets: Rue 21 $3

Pom pom earrings: Forever 21 $1.50 (OMG!)

:)

Have a fabulous weekend! I foresee shopping in my future!

Outlet Finds

"You know, I'd fall apart without you.

I don't know how you do what you do

'Cause everything that don't make sense about me,

makes sense when I'm with you."

What a sweet little song :) This song has been stuck in my head! It's so cutesy.

 It's by Hunter Hayes and it will absolutely get stuck in your head too.

Hope everyone had a great 4th! I spent this past week at the beach with my family. Good, good times. Spiderman, pirate putt putt, and yummy food! I love my little family, as crazy as they are. I'm a very blessed girl, even when I feel like pulling my hair out.

So, of course, vacation means shopping. I bought a few good things here and there. Hilton Head has this really cool place called Coligny Plaza and there are some very cool stores down there. A lot of them are expensive, but you can usually find some pretty cool deals.

When I'm shopping out of town, I love to find things that are unique. For example, about a month ago, my family went to Savannah for the day and we went to the market. Such a cool place! I bought a crossbody purse and wallet that were handmade from Naples. It's part of that "bags around the world" thing. Pretty cool! I also found this sidewalk artist that was AMAZING. I got two of her paintings, but I had to control myself because her work was beautiful. I got her name and number, so I'll definitely be buying stuff from her in the future. I think her work would brighten up my future little classroom :)

Anyways, so I love unique items. Coligny Plaza also had a bags around the world booth. So, I bought another crossbody. Love this thing. So comfortable and cute.

That's just a little snippet of the pattern. I also found a cute wallet in a surf shop. I'm not really into stores like Pacsun and Quiet Storm. They are usually too expensive for me, but I did find cute wallets in  the Quiet Storm surf shop. I'm a sucker for anything owl, so...

Aren't they sweet?! 

I found a few cute things here and there at the outlet mall. There was a shoe store that had a buy one, get one 50% off sale, so I bought two pairs of Madden Girls.

I wore the wedges to church this morning and they are TALL, TALL, TALL. I can usually handle 4" or higher, but today was tough, haha! I don't have a picture of my outfit, but I wore a coral pencil skirt (NY&C $10), cream colored shirt (old navy $7) and a nude statement necklace (rue 21 $8).

I bought the nude statement necklace at the outlet. 

Pictures don't do this necklace justice! It's so pretty and it matches everything. Love :)

I wore the strappy sandals to church tonight. I don't have a picture of that outfit either (slacking, I know) but I wore a mustard yellow wrap (Goodwill $3), navy blue flowy tank (rue 21 $5), boyfriend fit jeans (rue 21 $7).

Did I mention that I love high low skirts? They are so cute. I bought two of those this weekend. I found them hidden away in the clearance rack at Rue 21 for $10 a piece.

You can't really see the colors in the picture, but it is a chiffon-like fabric. Loose fitting. Purple and orange, Clemson colors, I know...the horror. The other one I bought is purple and beige. I really love these skirts. I think they are perfect for summer, but I'm even thinking they can be worn in the fall with a flat boot. We will see! :)

Things I bought that I don't have pictures of:

• high-waisted flowered patterned shorts- American Eagle: $7
• 2 pairs of Under Armor shorts- $9 a piece. These shorts are just comfortable, not for style, haha!

So, those are my finds on my little beach trip. Not too shabby, if I do say so myself! :) 

Hats

As we all know, summer has officially arrived and it is scorching hot! In my last post, I mentioned some ways to wear headbands to dress-up your summer look.

It can be hard to feel cute in this heat! Hats are, honestly, something I like to wear when I don't feel like doing my hair. In this humidity, it is almost pointless to spend time on my hair. I recently bought two hats that I absolutely love.

I bought both of these hats at Ross. The first hat was $5 and the second was $6. I loved the bows :) They are so girly and cute. I wear the first hat all.the.time. It is so easy to match because it's a light khaki. When I wear it, I usually wear my hair to the side, in a curly side ponytail or a side braid. The second hat, the fedora, is such a fun summer hat :) It could be worn casually or even at the beach. I've only worn this hat once so far, but when I did wear it, I wore my hair in a side bun.

Beach hats are wonderful wonderful wonderful :) I don't know about you, but my hair is CRAZY at the beach. Ocean water is like an instant frizz potion for my hair-haha! Beach hats work so great because they hide your hair AND you look cute in the meantime ;) My face usually gets very sunburned too, so the hat really does help a lot! I just bought a monogrammed beach hat and I'm in love :) I can't wait to wear it!

A lot of people say they can't wear hats...buttt....YES, you can! It doesn't have to be a crazy, funky, church hat! Buy something simple. Hats are usually pretty cheap, too. I just bought a cheap baseball hat from Walmart for $7. 

So, when you think the heat is starting to get the best of you and your hair...think either headband or hat. You won't regret it! Your hair will thank you :)

Lastly, I wanted to share an outfit I wore recently. I haven't done this in awhile and I miss it!

Pink lacy shirt: Ross $7

White pants: Ross $7

Teal beaded necklace: Charlotte Russe $5

shoes: my shoes aren't pictured, but I wore a pair of 

Rampage sandals that I got at Good Two Shoes for $20.

Have a great weekend! (:

Headbands

Summer is here and it is HOT. Sometimes styling hair can become a little tedious with the heat and the humidity. But..never fear! I have a few suggestions :) My first, and most favorite, hair "fixer-uper" is headbands. They come in all sorts of styles and you can buy them almost anywhere. They are usually very cheap.

Recently, I've gotten into making my own headbands. Here is one that I have made:

This was extremely easy to make! The flowers are simple fabric rosettes. There are tons of tutorials out there on the internet on how to make them, especially Pinterest. I hot glued them on an elastic headband and there you have it :) If you simply do not have time or interest, I would be more than happy to make you one! They are $5 and I can make whatever your heart desires.

Here is a close-up of the flowers:

I like how they become unraveled and a little undone. It gives it more of an "earthy" or vintage look. If you are EVER in need of hair supplies...Dollar Tree is the place to go! I went there in hopes of finding just headbands and I found so much more. I bought a pair of the elastic headbands (8 in a pack), bobby pins, regular headbands (4 in a pack), and rubber hair ties. These rubber hair ties are extremely useful on braids and updos because they are small and lightweight. Kate from The Small Things blog uses them all the time and I got the idea from her! They are great. I got a pack of 500. I'll probably use them for the rest of my life-haha! They come in different colors, but I got black to match my hair. In all,  I probably spent about $4 for everything and I got a ton of stuff.

So how to wear headbands. There are TONS of ways. Recently, I found a cute style with the elastic bands. You put on the headbands normally and tuck the excess hair into the headband. The end product is an up-do that requires very few bobby pins..amazing! I LOVE this style. It is perfect for beach or lake days when your hair is crazy. My hair is pretty long hair and this style still worked for me!

Headbands also look pretty with simple ponytails, side or regular. I also like headbands with side-braids or messy up-dos. They add a finished look!

One of my favorite artists, Kari Jobe, likes to wear her headbands in an very interesting way. It is cute on her, but I'm not quite sure I can pull it off! What do you guys think?

It's a very bohemian or hippie look! Maybe just not for me :) SO, go out and buy or make yourself a headband! It's a fun way to add a cute little something to your hair!