Trend Watch Wednesday: Polish Til It Shines

First of all, yes, I changed my look again : ) I just wasn't digging the pumpkiny background so much...I mean, it totally clashed with my cute, new pink button. Ya'll are women, so ya'll understand.

We all know that I have a slight obsession with small dogs and clothes, but I'm ever so quickly starting to get really into something else. Something cheaper than a pair of shoes or a cute bag....something that comes in a small bottle with a brush.

Yup, I'm really into nail polish right now. And boy, if you've been sticking to the same old reds and pinks like I have, you've been missing out! In the summertime, it seems like you have 20 varieties of hot pink for the toes, and pale pink or clear for the tips. Can we say boring? Yawn.....

Fall, however, gives us much more creative freedom to paint our fingers and tootsies just about every color of the rainbow. If you've always had that inner punk rocker just waiting to bust out, now is the time ladies. With dark plums, bordeaux reds and chocolate browns dominating the Chanel and Marc Jacobs fall runways, it's time to cross over to the dark side.

Remember, should you choose to try a really dark nail color, be sure to top it with a clear coat to avoid chipping and give it some shine. Otherwise it will look a little dirty : ) Here are some of my favorite nail colors for fall, at many different price points:

(left to right) OPI for Sephora in In the Shadows- $9, OPI for Sephora in Beauty Junkie- $9

(left to right) Rimmel London in Pulsating- $2.94, Givenchy in Purple by Night- $15(left to right) OPI for Sephora in I'm with Brad- $9, OPI for Sephora in Brunette on the Internet- $9

MAC Nail Laquer in Seriously Hip- $12

Have Style, Will Relocate

This past weekend I caught a couple episodes of The Rachel Zoe project and LOVED it. I've seen Rachel in various magazines and blogs and always had a deep appreciation for her forward-thinking style.

Not to mention, her clientele (Liv Tyler, Demi Moore, Anne Hathaway, Mischa Barton, Nicole Ritchie, etc.) is slammin'.

Last night I tuned in to another one of her episodes and it didn't disappoint. She recently held a fundraiser for Ovarian Cancer research in which she sold over 200 of her key pieces of jewelry, right from her very own closet. All the proceeds went to the charity, which was really cool. Also last night, she was preparing for Paris fashion week, which I'd give my front teeth to attend, (so jealous!) So I'm really thinking maybe I'm in the wrong line of work : ) Heck, I'd even move to Los Angeles where Camp Zoe is located. Maybe Mrs. Zoe could use another team member??

Rachel, call me.

Here are a couple trends of the moment that Rachel highlights on her website:

Wide Leg Pants- The days of skinny jeans may just be on their way out. It's all about a wide, straight leg in the land of jeans and trousers. A couple of Zoes faves:

7 for All Mankind ($155)

Gap Slender Hip-Slung jeans ($60)

The Tunic Dress- I'm beginning to think this whole bohemian-chic trend may just stick around for awhile : ) Just a hunch, lol. One of Rachel's favorite boho-chic looks of the moment:

Anna Sui for Target Empire Floral Stripe dress ($45)

Want some style of your own? Register to win the October giveaway here!

Food, Family and Football...Life is Good

Yesterday was absolutely gorgeous in central Arkansas...sunny and mid-seventies with a cool breeze. Ahhh...nothing like perfect weather to make a great Saturday even better!

I spent the weekend in Heber Springs with my parents and little bro. My brother turned 17 this past Wednesday, but we wanted to wait to have his party until today, so all our family and friends could attend.

The Razorbacks played Alabama at 2:30 yesterday afternoon, so of course we all had to watch. Max even wore his special Razorback collar and hat! Yes...we realize we are slightly obsessed with our dog...it is a problem and we should probably get help : ) Ha!

This past week and a half has been full of changes and challenges, both physically and emotionally, but it's days like yesterday that I realize just how fortunate I truly am. I have such amazing friends, a loving family, great job, fantastic apartment, nice car, closet full of cute clothes and fridge full of food. Not to mention a fantastic group of new blogger friends : )

I hope you have a very blessed weekend! I know I have.

P.S.- Shameless self-promotion: Don't forget to enter for the October giveaway and grab my cute new blog button : )

P.P.S- I'm getting a new Halloween background for the month of October, so stay tuned for that this week!

October Giveaway - Enter Now!

So I know I said I wasn't going to announce the October giveaway until September 30, but I was so excited that I just couldn't wait!

This month, in honor of cooler weather, I'm giving away one of my personal favorite accessories...a scarf! To me, a cute, versatile scarf can be worn with jeans or a sexy lil dress, thus making it the perfect accessory.

Those who enter this month's giveaway will have a chance to win the beautiful Blake Scarf from ShopSueyBoutique.com. Best of all, you will have the chance to choose the color of your scarf: warm tan or glam gray!

"Leslie, this scarf is fabulous, how do I enter?!"

So glad you asked.

1. Leave a comment on this post and let me know which color scarf you like best. (1 entry)

2. Include a link to A Blonde Ambition in a post on your blog and let me know. (2 entries)

3. Tweet this giveaway or include a link to this blog in a Facebook status update and let me know. (2 entries)

4. Add my button to your blog and let me know. (3 entries)

Rules:

1. All entries must be received by 9:59 am CST on October 15, 2009.

2. There is a limit of 8 entries per person (gotta give every girl a fair chance!)

3. I will draw a winner at 10:00 am CST on October 15, 2009 and announce it here on the blog and by email (to the winner.)

4. I will include a link to the winner's blog in the announcement post on September 15, (if the winner has one.)

Upon announcement, the winner will email their shipping address and final choice of scarf color to askblondeambition@gmail.com Rest assured, all shipping addresses remain strictly confidential.

Happy entering!

P.S.- Don't forget to add my super cute new blog button!

I Have A Button!

Finally, my little blog won't feel left out or "un-cool"...she has a button!

It only took me 3 hours to do : ) Um, yeah, I'm definitely not a designer, hence the reason it took me the better part of an afternoon to make.

So if you're feeling like you could use a little blonde on your blog, grab my super cute new button! And if you do, let me know! I love to hear from ya'll!

Show Us Your Life - Desserts

This week on Show Us Your Life at Kelly's Korner, bloggers are featuring their favorite quick and easy dessert recipes. If you are looking for a warm, comforting, fall recipe, you've come to the right blog.

Aunt Bertha's Fresh Apple Cake

Ingredients:

Cake:

• Butter, for greasing pan
• 2 cups sugar
• 3 eggs
• 1 1/2 cups vegetable oil
• 1/4 cup orange juice
• 3 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1 tablespoon ground cinnamon
• 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
• 3 cups peeled and finely chopped apples
• 1 cup shredded coconut
• 1 cup chopped pecans
  

Sauce:

• 1/2 cup (1 stick) butter
• 1 cup sugar
• 1/2 cup buttermilk
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda

Directions:

Preheat the oven to 325 degrees F. Generously grease a tube pan.
For the cake: in a large bowl, combine the sugar, eggs, oil, orange juice, flour, baking soda, salt, cinnamon and vanilla extract; and mix well. Fold apples, coconut, and pecans into batter.
Pour the batter into the prepared pan and bake until a tester comes out clean, about 1 1/2 hours.

Shortly before the cake is done, make the sauce: Melt the butter in a large saucepan, stir in the sugar, buttermilk, and baking soda, and bring to a good rolling boil, stirring constantly. Boil for 1 minute. Pour the sauce over the hot cake in the pan as soon as you remove it from the oven. Let stand 1 hour, then turn out onto a rack to cool completely.

Cook Time: 1 hr 30 min

Yield: 16 to 20 servings

Want more yummy fall dessert ideas? Hop on over to Kelly's Korner and see what others had to say!

Kreativ Blogger Award (Thanks Tatiana!)

My sweet blogger friend Tatiana over at "Living Life and Loving It" gave me this Kreative Blogger award! I feel really humbled and happy that you guys like my blog, seeing as how I didn't know if anyone would ever actually read this thing : ) In the words of Sally Field, "You like me...you really like me" Ha!

The rules of this award state that I need to tell you 7 things about myself that you may not know. Let me first say, I'm really bad at random lists like this, so please don't hesitate to skim right over this list and down to the other blog links below!

1. I changed my major 4 times in college. They were Radio/TV, International Business, Theatre and English, respectively. The fourth time was the charm. I graduated in 2007 with my B.A. in English and Literature.

2. I once met Ben Stein of "Win Ben Stein's Money" and the Clear Eyes commercials in the Sporting Goods section of Wal-Mart in Heber Springs, AR. He was incredibly warm and genuine and we had a good 10 minute long talk about politics and criminal psychology (random!!)

3. I can play classical piano.

4. I toured with a performing dance group, The Red River Cloggers, to places like Sea World and Six Flags when I was in high school.

5. I helped pay the bills in college by working as a commerical actress and model for a talent agency in Memphis, TN.

6. (Per #5) I was featured on the Travel Channel during the 2007 World Poker Tour as the girl who brought out the winnings to the guy who won : ) I wore a black, short dress and did my best Vanna White. No kidding.

7. My biggest fear is not being in control. I'm a bit of a control freak/perfectionist and it scares me to leave things up to chance. I always have to remind myself that God is the driver and we're just riding shot-gun. : )

Now, I get to give this award to 7 other bloggers! Here are the rules for passing the torch below:

1-Thank the person who nominated you for this award.
2-Copy the logo and place it on your blog.
3-Link to the person who nominated you for this award.
4-Name 7 things about yourself that people may not know.
5-Nominate 7 Kreativ Bloggers.
6-Post links to the 7 blogs you nominate.
7-Leave a comment on each of the blogs letting them know they've been nominated.

Now here are 7 fantabulous blogs that you can enjoy! There are so many more out there that I love and read daily. Give these ladies some love, as well as the ladies I featured in this post!

Christa
Katie
Sarah
Miss Amber Lane
Yonca
L
Crystal

In honor of this post, leave a comment with your blog link! I'm always up for discovering new blogs and I know you guys are too!

P.S.- Who's ready for an October giveaway?? Stay tuned, because I'll announce it on September 30!

P.P.S.- It's gonna be a good one!

Trend Watch Wednesday: Color Me Autumn

This is the first official Trend Watch Wednesday of the 2009 fall season...let us rejoice! Time for cardigans, cute boots and luxurious scarves in the richest, warmest colors of the year.

So shall we get right to it? I think we shall.

First trend alert of the day is red-orange lips for fall. Now as ghastly and garish as this color sounds, (especially on lips and combined with pale, autumn skin), it is actually quite striking if worn correctly. See Exhibit A, Miss Scarlett Johansson below.

Our friends at MAC never fail to come up with the perfect shades of every color for women of every skin tone. My favorite red-orange colors are Chaud (for warm skin tones) and Morange (for cool skin tones). Priced at a very reasonable $12 a pop, you can afford to try as many red-orange shades as your pretty little heart desires.


Next, let's cruise on over to Francesca's where this week, they're featuring what could be the cutest cardigan of the year (or at least one of the top 10 : )


It's floral, fun and feminine. And doesn't it just look so Audrey Hepburn with the rest of the outfit they put together?

And speaking of brilliant colors and fun things....Sephora's newest line of OPI designed nail polishes are all the rage this season. I can personally vouch for their quality. I got this polish 2 weeks ago in Stormy Pink (pictured below) and Brownie...and I LOVE them.

At $8 per bottle, you can afford to play around with as many colors as you wish.

This gray satchel featured in the latest issue of Elle Magazine has been selling out all over Europe and the U.S. Designed by Vanessa Bruno, this satchel's neutral color and chic, yet functional design make it a win/win for both busy socialites and stylish moms on the go!

Since we can't all afford Vanessa Bruno, (though she is fabulous), I took the liberty of finding us a cheaper bag. Francesca's features this tote , the Tessa, in gray for only $48.


So today's question: What are you most excited to wear from your fall wardrobe? Tights, leggings, boots, jackets....lemme hear ya girls!

Oh, and happy birthday to my little bro! He is 17 today and I FEEL OLD!!

The Girls Are Back In Town!

Can you hear the Jimmy Choo stilettos clacking down the pavement?! The girls are back in town!

The lovely ladies of Sex and the City have officially returned to the set of the sequel, due to drop into theaters in Summer 2010! Spoiler Alert:Production is well underway and I hear the new movie will feature tons of 80's flashbacks and, ahem, a surprise wedding!

I can't wait to see the styles that emerge this time around. Costume extraordinare Patricia Fields is hard at work making sure the girls look nothing less than spectacular for their return to the big screen.

I'm such a fan of Fields work. She also did the costume design for last year's Confessions of a Shopaholic, one of the cutest movies of the year.

But amazing clothes aside, the SATC girls have such great chemistry onscreen and always manage to make every situation relatable to all women.

So which SATC character is your favorite? Are you a Carrie, Samantha, Miranda or Charlotte? And whose closet would you most like to raid?

Emmy Fashion Report

Can you believe we're less than 24 hours away from the start of autumn? It's my favorite season, so you can imagine how excited I am for cooler weather and pretty fall colors. It also puts me in the mood to run out and buy anything pumpkin flavored/scented I can get my hands on, ha!

A little off topic, but hey, it's a blog and we can do that...did anyone watch the Emmy broadcast last night? I missed it, but I did manage to get the fashion scoop this morning. As usual, there were some hits and misses, but for the most part, everyone was beautifully dressed.

Here are a few of my personal picks and pans:

Heidi Klum turned heads as usual in this stunning Marchesa number. Does this woman ever look bad? And I'm digging her new brown hair!

Kristen Wiig lost style points in this Darth Vader-inspired dress. Such a beautiful girl, such an awful mess : )

Holly Hunter literally shined in this silver Georges Hobeika gown.

Oh Kyra Sedgwick, why did you wear mauve? And these shoes are FAR too heavy for this dress.

Jennifer Love Hewitt displayed a sunny disposition on the red carpet in this yellow Max Azria head-turner.

Not a total bomb, but I didn't love this dress worn by Mary Louise-Parker. But hey, the girl's got great legs so I don't blame her for going short!

Ginnifer Goodwin, star of "Big Love" looked positively radient in this purple gown by Yves St. Laurent. I also love her necklace choice, which was designed by Ivanka Trump. A definite style win for Miss Goodwin!

Did you get to tune in to the awards? If so, who were your picks for best and worst dressed of the evening? Let's talk girls!

Detours

Hello beautiful people! I hope you have all had a great weekend and experienced much better weather than we have in Arkansas. It has rained everyday for the last 2 weeks. You could practically set your watch by it.

I laughed hard today when a friend said, "I'm thinking of moving somewhere it doesn't rain so much. Maybe Seattle." That pretty much sums up the weather situation lately.

So why is this post called Detours? Oh gracious, where to start....

I'm a very guarded person, (ironic for a blogger, huh?), and tend to keep mum about my personal life, which is typically pretty unexciting. As much as I wish I could share with everyone the cruddiness of the week I've had, I just can't give details. It wasn't just one event, it was several really un-fun things.

Let's just say my life has taken some pretty sudden detours within the past few days. I'm still processing everything that has happened, and trust me, it's daunting. But who of us hasn't gone through things where you just don't know what to do next? I'm there. But I'm still standing and have so much to be grateful for. So I'll get through this little detour and maybe, just maybe, find a better route along the way.

Whew. Ok, enough of this sappy mess : )

Let's talk about something I'm really excited about. Let's talk about Where the Wild Things Are?, the new movie based on the best-selling book by Maurice Sendak.

It drops on October 16 and I'm such a book nerd, I'll probably buy my tickets in advance. I think the most intriguing player in this film has got to be director Spike Jonze, since this movie is such a departure from his usual efforts. This book was one of my hands-down favorites when I was younger and I usually give it as a gift to any of my friends who have children.

So do you think you'll see Where the Wild Things Are? on October 16? What was your favorite book as a child or what do you enjoy reading to your own children now?

P.S.- Go HOGS!

Cravings Corner: Frivolous, Feminine Fun

I invented Cravings Corner to post things each week that I'm, well, craving : ) It can be anything; food items, cute accessories, home decor finds, art, music, movies, you name it. I thought the best way to begin this week's Cravings Corner would be to post a sweet treat recipe. This comes from Susan Holifield.

(Photo courtesy of Lollipop Events & Design)

Date Nut Krispies

2 sticks of butter
1 cup sugar
1 egg (slightly beaten)
1 Box (8 oz) Chopped Dates
1 Cup Pecan (Cookie Pieces)
1 tsp. Vanilla
5 cups Rice Krispy's cereal

Melt butter, add sugar and stir until sugar begins to dissolve, then add the egg while mixture is still only warm (this is important). Add dates, stirring constantly and as mixture begins to bubble, add nuts. It will re-heat back to bubble stage quickly. Cook for approximately five minutes (stirring constantly). Add vanilla, stir well, then add rice krispies and mix well. Spread mixture onto a 9 x 13 inch pan. Cool, cut and enjoy!

I think these wall graphics from Etsy are very dainty and feminine. I really want to get some for my bedroom. Since I live in an apartment and can't paint the walls, it's the perfect solution for jazzing up my surroundings!

I discovered Lollipop Events & Design last night and can't stop looking at it. You HAVE to check out their blog. It's frivolity at its finest! They feature great ideas for events and parties. And how fun is the photo below?! I love the destroyed cake and massive 60's-era hair. Yeah...Lollipop....you gotta check em' out.

And some more photos from Lollipop for your viewing pleasure...

What are you craving this week? How about a couple days of relaxation? : )