All that's green is rose gold

This is the beautiful double wrap leather watch from Michael Kors in rose gold, and an early birthday gift from my mom. I LOVE it. The strap is a mix of super soft pink and flesh tone, so I think it's going to match a lot of things. Because I have the wrists of a child, a lot of chunky watches look just that - chunky - and don't suit my arm. Because this watch's strap wraps around twice and creates a thicker looking strap, it helps to balance the large face.

Lately, I find myself really excited to travel and experience new things. After I got back from NYC in early Feb, I started itching to get away again. I ate at some delicious restaurants like the Atlantic Grill and Red Bamboo, saw some amazing sights, and am realizing more and more how much there is to explore out there. I'm sooooo deep I figured that I'd start sharing my travel plans with you, mostly to keep me sane and organized and to give myself something to really look forward to, so here they are in rough:

• Various Montreal and Toronto trips between now and fall (Simons and JCrew are on my hit list)
• Driving up to my Nana and Papa's cottage on the lake in June and hopefully again in August
• Chicago?! My parents go regularly so I'd love to tag along
• NYC for Spring/Summer 2013 NYFW in September

 Do you have any travel plans drawn up already for when winter is finally past us?

the skinnyprairieblondegirl blog [forever 21 haul]

Top:  Forever 21
  Skirt: Forever 21
  Socks: Forever 21
Earrings: Aldo Accessories
Rings: People's Jewellers and Aldo Accessories (Cross ring)

If you watch 90210 on the CW and are anything like me, you have been dying to create some copy cat outfits including high waist skirts and crop tops, and are totally thrilled that these items are well positioned throughout Spring/Summer 2012 collections worldwide. YAY. I recently ran out to Forever 21 to check out what they had in store. Cut to me in the changing room, husband waiting patiently outside (this particular store doesn't have a Men's section), and me leaving with the above high waist skirt and belt, above shredded crop top, a cropped chunky knit black sweater, over the knee socks, and ivory stockings - all for $80. Not too shabby, right?

I know that Forever 21 is usually a hit-or-miss type store, but I really have been impressed with its offerings this year. Hopefully the company keeps it up and stops manufacturing bodycon pieces and gives the navaho trend a break...

Have you checked out Forever lately? Have you watched 90210 lately? Do you want to raid Annie's closet and steal everything inside of it? Okay, let's do it!

Sunday & StyleMint

Top:  StyleMint*
Jeans: GAP
Earrings: Aldo Accessories
  Rings: People's Jewellers and Aldo Accessories (Cross Ring) 
Bag: Balenciaga

I usually dislike Sundays on account of the fact I know I have to return to the grind the next morning. However, I didn't feel nearly as anxious as normal yesterday and even feel - GASP - well rested?! Too bad that didn't last and my throat became seriously sore and my nose refuses to stop running contagion. I wanted to take advantage of the good mid-day light for this post so although I took the pictures yesterday, the post is coming your way today.

In this post, I really wanted to share with you my new Barley Colorblock T-shirt from StyleMint. As I explained in a previous post, StyleMint is brought to the world by the same company that brought us JewelMint, and is an awesome monthly subscription shopping website. For $29.95 a month (you always have the opportunity to skip a month within the first 5 days), you get one credit. One credit is all you need to select one T from the majority of a collection. $29.95 is clearly a good price for a nice, versatile T.... but the Barley Colorblock goes so much further than nice and versatile.

First off, StyleMint T-shirts are designed by Mary-Kate and Ashley Olsen. For me, the sales pitch could stop there. MK has been my style icon for as long as I can remember, and I honestly think I've seen all shows and/or movies that the sisters have ever been in yes, it probably verges on creepy but they are amazing. Secondly, this shirt is the softest freaking thing I have encountered in the T-shirt category for a while now. It's 50% cotton and 50% modale - and machine washable. The colour I have is called Grey Stripe & Heather Grey and it's a V-neck obviously.  There are a ton of ways you can wear it, but I wanted to showcase the ultimate in casual in this post. When I dress "casual" I tend to keep things pretty neutral, and then add chunky jewellery or slightly heavier makeup. I don't wear bold colours regularly (I'm working on it, okay?) and my preference for muted tones more or less takes over when I'm dressing down.

You can check out a styling video from the StyleMint website HERE that shows you three more ways to wear this particular T. One of my favourite things about StyleMint is how they give you at least 2 "ways to wear" with every single piece. I love being introduced to new ways to wear something as basic as a T-shirt, because I often find myself choosing an outfit first and then buying the pieces I'd need to recreate that outfit - which can cut back on versatility if you're not careful. I’m realizing more and more that you’re much better off investing in a solid piece of clothing and then styling it as many ways as possible.

I've asked before, but I'd love to hear from more of you... what do you think of monthly sub websites?

February through Instagram

Fun February Events:

• Went to NYC for the Leanne Marshall NYFW show and met a bunch of awesome people (and was harassed on the subway by a lady drinking mouth wash)
• Got an iPhone 4S
• OFW fashion shows, loved Serendipity by Kelsey McIntyre and Ella Peru
• Got my hair dyed and it turned out way too dark, is finally fading back to blonde
• Had an adorable Valentine's Day and husband bought my favourite K-Cups, made delicious dinner, gave me roses xo
• Got a new living room rug
• Cleaned out my dressers and donated the clothes to St Vincent de Paul second hand store... and found a few articles of clothing I thought I had lost

Jewelry haul

Snake Double Ring  Aldo Accessories
  Rose Gold Cross Ring: Aldo Accessories
  Oversized Shell Earrings: Aldo Accessories

Typically, I steer clear of Aldo for jewelry as a necklace can easily run you $50+. I was at the mall the other day and decided to pop into the store to take a look at the new collection and was pleasantly surprised. The above earrings cost me $8. The snake ring was the most expensive at $15 and the rose gold cross ring was only $10. Is this change I sense in the air??

I love metals that can be mismatched, and I think these pieces are going to be perfect for that. I don't like silvery silvers and gold golds most of the time, simply because they look really weird when you mix them with one another and it looks even weirder when you keep all of your jewelry silver or all of your jewelry gold in an outfit (not always, but it's a little matchy matchy when you have earrings, bracelet, necklace, rings all in the same colour of metal). 

Of course, I still swear by Etsy as it's the greatest thing since sliced bread Ebay - in my mind - but am a little over the moon about finding such cute items for such small prices at Aldo. Prepare to see them in all of my OOTD pictures going forward.... half joking.

PS How do you feel about the extra large pics? I changed the layout slightly so I can give you more detailed and clearer photos.... let me know if you like it!

My Lulus.com skirt & the vow

Top:  Winners
Skirt: Lulus.com*
Tights: American Apparel
  Necklace: Tiffany
Earrings: Swarovski
Rings: People's Jewellers

So, it turns out that the "powerful winter storm" wasn't a joke and we actually did get hit with a ton of snow... so much that my drive home from work last night took almost an hour and a half. Needless to say, my plan to venture outdoors to get some "real" outfit shots won't be carried out today. Tomorrow's another day! I still wanted to share a picture of my new On the Wire Bird Print Skirt with you, though!

I'm just about to go out for some brunch and to see the movie The Vow with my guy. I'm a huge fan of everything Rachel McAdams, and also not-so secretly enjoy the Step Up movies so I have high hopes for this film. Have any of you seen it? Let me know!

This weekend, I want to spend a little bit of time making a semi-concrete spring wardrobe plan so I spend my money wisely and don't go too overboard. I'm dying for a few midi skirts, high waist pants, maxi skirts, loose fit sweaters, and 70s inspired wedge sandals. Of course, I wish that all of these things would magically appear in my closet leaving my wallet in-tact - but I realize that's not completely realistic. lol.

I'll let you know how the movie goes, and hope everyone is enjoying their weekend!

Lusting after some Dolce Vita

Jamison Ankle Boot - $119

Girtie Wedge - $189

Julie Wedge Sandal - $179

Lisa Top - $165

Jacelyn Blouse - $154

Bayley Dress - $220

If you follow my Tweets (of course you do... @theskinnyblonde) then you know that I've been slowly compiling a Spring wish list. Obviously, I'm not going to drop thousands and actually buy every single item that I share - but I wish I could. I'm counting on a pretty good tax return and will be mildly depressed if it's not totally awesome.

Above are some of my top picks from the New Arrivals at Dolce Vita. I'm very happy to see that vintage is going to be a HUGE influence in 2012's available fashions, since I wish that I grew up in the 50s or 60s or 70s. Now, if only this 15cm of snow and -10 weather would go away so I could actually wear the adorable spring clothes that are coming into each and every store... life would be good!

This weekend, I plan on having a cute little brunch with my husband... and then getting him to take some outfit shots of me in exchange for the brunch bill. I am also hoping to get a review of KMS California's Hair Play Makeover Spray up and possibly even my everyday makeup products. I got a small sample of the KMS spray at the OFW event I attended last weekend and have really been enjoying using it this week!

What are you getting up to this weekend? Anything exciting? Hope it's not deathly cold where you are!

A little place called Lulus.com

Top:  Lulus.com*
Skirt: Lulus.com*
Tights: Secret *
  Bracelet: H&M
Earrings: Swarovski
Rings: People's Jewellers

For some reason, I couldn't take a good outfit shot to save my life yesterday. So, I tried again this morning and think these are MUCH better. (for one, you can actually see the clothes because the sun came out!) Anyways, these are two of the pieces I received from Lulus.com.... and I think I'm in love with the store. It has unique clothing for a price that won't have you feeling immediately anxious after clicking "Check Out".

The top is called the "Smooth-ie Move Coral Red Top" and is available for $31, and the skirt is called the "Love Triangles Print Mini Skirt" but is now sold out! If you're looking for a similar style, check out this one here. I received one other top (Stud-y Session Black Button-Up Top) and one other skirt (On The Wire Bird Print Skirt) as well. They're equally adorable and I will hopefully share an outfit post with them in it sometime next week. 

Oh, and I should probably mention another bit of fantastic news.... my readers get 15% off from Feb 24th-March 2nd site-wide by using the code THESKINNYBLONDEGIRL (it's case-sensitive, btw). Considering most items are on there for under $50 in the first place, I'd recommend you check it out and start building your spring wardrobe before all of the best pieces become sold out!

In other news, I am starting to get pretty good at the whole iPhone thing - even though I accidentally turned off my alarm and was almost late for work this week. I suppose I do like it better than my old BlackBerry (RIP) but there's just something about being able to type and not having to look at the screen that is much more convenient. And, NO, I do not text while driving... I just like to text while remaining engaged in a conversation (multi-tasker, alert!). No one should text while driving, did you not see Glee this week? On an entirely different topic, that was an insane episode.

I've got to run as work begins in half an hour, but leave me a comment and let me know how you like this outfit! It's much more boho-hippie than some of my previous ones, but isn't that what spring and summer are all about? Bye!

 PS - For those of you asking what sort of makeup I wear on a daily basis, I may do a post about that in the upcoming weeks, so check back for that.

Huston Heritage Bracelet - JewelMint

If you haven't heard of monthly subscription shopping sites, you've clearly been living under a rock for the past two years. They're popping up absolutely everywhere, and are getting better and better with every new site. I've been following JewelMint, in particular, since its launch back in 2010. Essentially, you sign up and create a "Showroom" based on your personal style. This is done through a quick questionnaire, in which you click on the photos that best represent your personal style. At the end, you're given a collection of jewelry that best matches you. It's free to browse through the stylists' suggestions, and when you're ready to subscribe you pay $29.99 a month. The monthly fee gets you one "credit", and since almost everything on the site only costs a credit, you're pretty much guaranteed a sweet new piece of jewelry each and every month. Unlike some other subscription websites, however, you're allowed to "skip" a month just as long as you click the "skip" button within the first 5 days of the month. You won't be charged the $29.99 for that month, and there isn't any sort of penalty.

This is how JewelMint describes it:

When I was given the opportunity to choose a piece of jewelry from JewelMint, I jumped at the chance to grab the Huston Heritage Bracelet - as it was the top pick in my personal showroom. It arrived this afternoon and I couldn't wait to hop onto my computer and tell you all about it. You know I'm all about affordable and versatile purchases... and this is something that fits into both categories. Plus, JewelMint pieces are designed by Kate Bosworth and her celeb stylist, Cher Coulter. Who doesn't love Kate Bosworth and everything that she's ever worn?? PS - this particular bracelet is now back is stock after being briefly sold out (for obvious reasons).

Have any of you tried a monthly subscription shopping site? How about JewelMint? I'd love to hear about it and feed my growing addiction for a guaranteed monthly addition to my wardrobe.