Yosi Samra vs. Payless

I came across this ADORABLE pair of Yosi Samra Elastic Patent Cap Toe Flats on Shopbop earlier today!  I fell. . .in. . .love!  These are so versatile!  They can be worn with just about anything from dress pants to skinny jeans to shorts!  I did not however, fall in love with the price. . .$70.00!  Yikes!

With a little bit of budget minded searching, I came across a great pair of look-alikes from Payless Shoes called the Women's Claire Scrunch Flat (in Ivory)!  I already own this same pair of shoes in black and I love them!  I purchased them in a BOGO sale over a year ago.  They have been my go-to ballet flat since!  They are a collaboration with Dexter Shoes so they are EXTRA comfortable!  The best part?  They are on clearance for a mere $15 right now!

What do you think?  DO you ever wear budget friendly look-alikes?

I'm Back. . .Back in the Blogging Groove!

Wow!  It's been quite a long time!  Like. . .a really. . .really. . .LOOOONNNNGGGG time!  It wasn't you, it was me.  I promise!  I needed a break.  Between my husband starting his junior year (full time) at the University of Michigan and us completely gutting and renovating our home. . .BY OURSELVES - WHILE LIVING THERE - WITH THREE CHILDREN. . .over the past year, I was tired.  Dog tired!  I needed to take a break from something. . .and by something, I mean Inked Owl!  But. . .

My break is over and I'm back!  Back with fresh ideas, rockin' second hand fashion finds, DIY projects, new yummy dishes, you name it, I've got it. . .fresh!

I shall start you off with the best "new" designer looking deal that I have stumbled across in a long time.  Ladies may I present to you. . .Tarjay chic:

 

Merona® Womens Long Sleeve Shift Dress in Leopard Print 

 

Can you believe this beauty will only set you back $27.99?  It was totally sold out online so I made a trip over to my local Target store and found one!  Actually, I found 3. . .hiding behind a load of other dresses. . .on the back wall. . .like a wicked stepchild!  I bought the small, but as of last week, there was still 1 size medium and 1 size large.  Send me a message if you would like me to pick one up for you!  It seems to be the "bargain dress of the season" on all of the fashion blogs!!!  The best part about it is that it fits great and is machine washable!  I'm all about avoiding the dry cleaners!!!

 

Moving right along. . .every shift dress, or pair of leggings, or pair of skinny jeans, needs a great pair of shoes.  Let me tell you girls. . .I am in the business of buying shoes!  When I found these wedge booties on clearance at Target for just $24.98 a pair. . .I was smitten!  So smitten in fact, that I bought them in 2 different colors. . .Taupe and Black! 

Women's Merona® Kamoni Wedge Bootie

I wore the black pair out to dinner the other night and then walked around the mall in them and they were totally comfy!  I honestly couldn't tell that I was wearing a budget pair of booties!  They looked ultra chic too!  Double thumbs up!!!

So there you have it!  Fashion on a budget.  And when I say budget, I mean BUDGET!!  With the hubs going to school full time and my job as the only source of income, I have to get really creative to keep up with the trends!  Creative can be fun though. . .and challenging!  I'm always up for a good challenge!

What do you think?  Could you make a budget dress look ultra chic?

A few of my favorite things. . .

Do you have something that you love?  Like something that you totally just can't live without?  Like. . .something that, if you run out, you make an out of the way trip to the store, in freezing cold weather, just to re-stock your supply?  Ok, so I'm glad I'm not alone!!!

Now, besides toilet paper, here are a couple of the other items that I simply MUST have to make my day and life function normally:

Bonne Bell Dr. Pepper Lip Smacker - Please allow me just a moment to bow my head and my lips to this heavenly treasure of greatness. . .OK, thank you! I read an article once that said you can't get addicted to your chap stick, what you do get "somewhat addicted" to is the way that your lips feel with the chap stick on them. WHATEVER the addiction stipulations. . .I am hooked! You must understand that I once lived on Dr. Pepper soda pop. It was my drug. . .my lifeblood! It also contributed to the fact that I was 50 some lbs. overweight.  So, part of my weight loss regimen, was kicking the Dr. to the curb. I mourned for days, weeks, months, a year and a half (currently still working through the mourning process). Then. . .then. . .I found love in a stick! This school girl lip smacker has the perfect yummy flavor and the exact amount of tint for my everyday comings and goings. I have tubes all over the house, van, my purse, the neighbors, my parents, etc. You just never know when the urge will hit!

Coffee-mate Belgian Chocolate Toffee Creamer - "Experience the old world charm in every cup with the rich smooth taste of Belgian-style chocolate paired with the delectable flavor of toffee."  I totally had to steal that quote directly from the Coffee-mate website because I truly couldn't have said it any better myself!  Partly because my mouth always seems to be full of coffee or tea flavored with this delectable treat!  I keep the powdered version in my desk drawer at work, and the liquid version in my fridge at home!  YUM!!! 

Salada Green Tea - I love this herbal drink!  I drink iced green Salada tea with all of my meals!  Now, trust me, I am a total hot tea / coffee lover and I do indulge in the hot beverages usually in the morning and evening, however green iced tea fills my belly in-between!  You can always bet that there will be a pitcher full of this in my fridge at all times!  I'm not much of a plain water drinker and I steer clear of soda pop. . .so my hydrating drink of choice is most always unsweetened iced green tea!

Never in my life. . .

would I ever have believed just how delicious a fresh, hot, right off the belt, Krispy Kreme doughnut really is!

Did I mention we went two days in a row?  Yeah, they are that good!!!!

A few of my Favorite Things - Beauty Edition

When the dog bites. . .and the bee stings. . .when I'm feeling sad. . .OH, sorry, I got a little carried away. . .on to the things that make me so pretty! Hahaha hehehe hohoho!

I am a very picky person. Not picky in the sense that I have constant leg stubble because I don't shave my legs and my armpits every day (because I totally do - TOTALLY - I am really weird about shaving EVERY DAY - I even shave every morning while camping). Sorry, off on a tangent again. . .

Picky, Picky, Picky, ah yes. . .now I'm back on track.

I have kissed many a beauty frog, to find just the right products worthy to grace my linen closet, medicine cabinet, underneath labyrinth of my bathroom cabinet, purse, etc. Below are some of the items that I deem worthy to make out with daily. . .get it. . .make out with. . .you know. . .kissing a beauty frog. . .like the frog enough to make out with it. . .oh, you guys are hopeless!

Anyway. . .make sure you check back here often as I will be updating this section as I find more frog humping worthy products. . .hehehehehe, hahahah! I will even be holding product giveaways now and again! For easy access to this, and other My Favorite Things posts, just click on the link on the left hand sidebar! Now, on to my beauty arsenal. . .



Herbal Essence Totally Twisted Curl Boosting Mousse. I am a totally bouncing babe with this product (thanks Herbal Essence for that little conundrum). I have naturally curly (OK frizzy) hair. There is nothing I hate more than using a product that makes my hair stiff and crunchy. Something about the words crunchy hair make me gag. Anywho, it holds phenomenally, while forming, bouncy, natural looking curls, plus it smells yummy too! Did I mention that when I rinse it out in the shower every morning, it turns silky. . .like a conditioning rinse! Oh yeah baby! PLEASE Herbal Essence. . .you must make this product FOREVER! Afro's are so unbecoming on me!!

Bonne Bell Dr. Pepper Lip Smacker. Please allow me just a moment to bow my head and my lips to this heavenly treasure of greatness. . .OK, thank you! I read an article once that said you can't get addicted to your chap stick, what you do get "somewhat addicted" to is the way that your lips feel with the chap stick on them. WHATEVER the addiction stipulations. . .I am hooked! You must understand that I once lived on Dr. Pepper soda pop. It was my drug. . .my lifeblood! It also contributed to the fact that I was 50 some lbs. overweight. Wanna see? Go here. So, part of my weight loss regimen, was kicking the Dr. to the curb. I mourned for days, weeks, months, a year and a half (currently still working through the mourning process). Then. . .then. . .I found love in a stick! This school girl lip smacker has the perfect yummy flavor and the exact amount of tint for my everyday comings and goings. I have tubes all over the house, van, my purse, the neighbors, my parents, etc. You just never know when the urge will hit! I tried to eat it once, in a desperate diet moment, however I wouldn't recommend it. . .leaves a crazy red film on your teeth. . .plus, you won't poop for a week!!! Dr. Pepper Lip Smacker + my lips = perfection!

Dove Extra Hold Non-Aerosol Hair Spray. Don't you just love what Dove does for the self-esteem of women? Their Campaign for Real Women is awesome! This Dove Hair spray is a perfect mate for the mousse that I use. Different companies, I know, but the results are VERY similar. It conditions and leaves my curls soft and natural, not crunchy (gag - gag - gag). Plus, it brings out the real woman in me! OK, maybe that's a stretch, but it does smell purty!

Aveeno Clear Complexion Daily Moisturizer. Throughout many a year in my life I struggled with two problems (OK, seriously, many more than 2 problems for those of you that know me, but I'm talkin' skin problems here people). One. . .dry face. . .and two. . .breakouts caused from the moisturizers that I would use to combat the dryness. It was a vicious, vicious circle. I had to face the fact (get it. . .face. . .ha ha ha) that I would either be flaky or zitty. . .neither of which seemed appealing! After doing some research, I found that the mineral oil most companies put in their facial moisturizers was the culprit. Apparently, mineral oil is a cheap filler that sounds sophisticated and beautiful. NOT! So, I set out to find a good moisturizer minus the mineral oil. Honestly, how do you people know that I am lying again. . .actually, I told CJ (my adoring husband) about my findings and he set out to find something for me! In my stocking, Christmas Eve, I pulled out the best moisturizer that I have ever used (thanks you hunka, hunka, man). Now, I am no longer dry or zitty! Beauty I tell you. . .beauty!

The 3 reasons why I cherish Mother's Day. . .

Jared Mikel

Connor Charles


Nolan Andrew

"Your eyes saw my unformed substance; in your book all my days were recorded, even those which were purposed before they had come into being"

Psalm 139:16