Quite a Collection

Happy Friday, friends! I'm so glad the weekend is finally upon us. Maybe we'll all get a chance to catch up on some much-needed sleep.

My social media presentation at the University of Arkansas yesterday could not have gone better. It was so much fun to spend the morning talking about blogging, Facebook and Twitter with the students and getting to play "teacher" for the day, haha. I felt nervous at first, but as soon as I started speaking, the nerves went away and it was smooth sailing. I hope to have more opportunities like this in the future! Big thanks to Mr. Lawless and the Walton College of Business for being great hosts!

Today, I'm participating in "Show Us Your Life" over at Kelly's Korner and the topic is collections. Kelly has asked participants to talk about things they collect, which I think is such a fun topic. (Note: Kelly has decided to postpone this edition until next week, but I'm going to go ahead and keep this up, since she'll be talking about it soon anyway!)

I'm not a hardcore collector of any one thing really, mostly because my space is very limited in my apartment and I don't want to end up on that show Hoarders, haha. But there are a few things of which I own a WHOLE LOT:

Scarves

Anyone who reads this blog knows about my love of scarves. They are fashion's most perfect accessory and have the ability to change the entire look of an outfit. Plus, they are usually pretty inexpensive, which is always appreciated by a fashionista on a budget! I probably have somewhere in the neighborhood of 30+ scarves and my collection is ever-growing.

Cocktail Jewelry

I'm a sucker for a big, baubbly cocktail ring or chunky bracelet. I have a great-aunt who has the most amazing collection of costume/cocktail jewelry and I think I've inherited her love for it. Costume jewelry is also usually pretty cheap and can be found at most vintage stores, if you love to shop second-hand, like moi.

Throw pillows

My couch and bed are overrun with toss pillows. In fact, I'd say I'm on the verge of having too many. Throw pillows are definitely a quick way to update a room or the look of a piece of furniture though, so this is usually the first item I buy when I'm trying to freshen up a space. My stores of choice for fabulous throw pillows: Pottery Barn, Urban Outfitters, Kirkland's and Hobby Lobby.

Fun sunglasses

This is probably one of the most random things I collect, but I love fun sunglasses. In the summer, I can't wait to bust out my Elton John-inspired shades to wear to the pool. I also like the fact that the huge 60's style sunglasses are in style again, as well. Channel your inner Bridget Bardot and sport some huge specs this spring!

Shoes

Call me Carrie Bradshaw. I've never met a pair of stillettos or sleek pair of ballet flats I didn't love. I think a good pair of shoes is one of the wiser wardrobe investments, so I try to always purchase classic styles and colors that will be wearable for many seasons. If I'm buying a super-trendy shoe, I look for sales or less-expensive brands. Zappos and Baker's are two of my favorite stores for of-the-moment shoes that don't break the bank. I don't own crazy amounts of shoes, but I am pretty proud of my tight little collection!

So what do you collect? I'd love to hear about the things that you can't seem to get enough of!

Have a fantastic weekend and hopefully I'll get a chance to visit some of your lovely blogs over the next two days! Blowing air kisses your way--

Photo credits: {this is glamorous}, {a glamorous little side project}, Coco + Kelley

Show Us Your Life: Beauty Edition

Happy Friday, Blonde Ambitioners! It's snowing here in Northwest Arkansas, but my office is toasty warm. One of my co-workers and I are celebrating our last day in our current office, (we're moving to another part of the building), and our entire department has been partying hard, gorging ourselves on chips, queso, hot tortillas, guacomole, brownies and more ALL MORNING LONG. So good...

Today I'm taking part in Show Us Your Life over at Kelly's Korner and the topic is beauty!

I wanted to share with you guys about some of my personal favorite products for stayin' pretty : ) I'll be the first to admit, I'm a product junkie. In my opinion, a girl can never have too many beauty products in her arsenal.

Let's start with skin:

I love Cindy Crawford's entire Meaningful Beauty line. You've probably seen infomercials for this product line on TV and wondered if it really worked. Let me tell you...from the cleanser and moisterizer, to the anti-aging eye cream and clay mask, everything is miraculous.

I'm also a fan of Sephora's Face 30 line of eye make-up remover disques for washing away hard-to-remove waterproof mascara or eyeliner. It's gentle and totally safe for sensitive skin.

Next, a few of my make-up staples:

NARS makes the best blush on the planet, as I'm sure many of you know. My favorite colors are Amour (peachy pink) and Sin (berry with gold shimmer).

When it comes to lashes, I'm obsessed with Fiberwig mascara, a top-selling mascara in Japan that is now available in the States through Sephora. So what's so great about it? Fiberwig contains real microfibers that help to build your lashes to perfection with every swipe. It's totally smudge-proof and great for contact lense wearers like myself!

We all need a little pick-me-up in the mornings and sometimes, caffeine alone just won't cut it. Enter Smashbox High Definition Concealer. This soft, liquid formula masks dark circles and imperfections, like redness and blemishes. Best of all, it contains soft focus "pearls" that deflect light to minimize the appearance of fine lines. Not that we have those or anything, but...

Some of my favorite products for the body are:

Yves Saint Laurent's new Parisienne fragrance is positively heavenly. It's not too heavy, but the notes of blackberry, damask rose and sandalwood will linger on your skin all day.

For the shower, I like Sexy Little Things Noir Shower Cream from Victoria's Secret. It's a super rich, luxurious formula that won't dry out your skin and the smell is simply divine. You'll definitely feel a bit more sexy after using this product ; )

On my hair, I'm all about Aveda.

I'm not even gonna play, I wreak havoc on my hair. Between the highlights, flat-ironing, blow-drying and teasing, my hair takes a beating on a weekly basis. Aveda to the rescue! I use a combination of the Color Conserve shampoo, which keeps my color fresh between trips to the salon, and the Damage Remedy conditioner, which makes my hair oh-so-soft and shiny.

Finally, for nails I prefer the natural look.

I love Essie polishes, mainly because they don't chip easily and it only takes 1 or 2 coats to cover the nail completely.

My favorite colors, (or non-colors, I guess), are Limo-Scene and Allure.

As far as actual beauty routine goes, I keep it simple. I try to wash my face and moisterize every single night before I go to bed. There's nothing worse than the feeling of day-old mascara caked on your eyes in the morning.

Also, and this is super important, I make sure to go through my make-up bag every month and throw out old products. Make-up and skincare products age and expire just like anything else, so be sure to keep a mental list of what needs to be tossed.

Lastly, I always use a foundation brush versus a sponge or cosmetic wedge. Sponges soak up tons of icky bacteria, which can result in breakouts (yikes!) Be sure to wash your foundation brush at least once a week with a mild shampoo or soap to squelch any residing germs.

Got any winning beauty tips or make-up advice? Hop on over to Kelly's and play along!

Alright, I guess that about wraps it up. Have a great weekend and I'll be seeing you guys Monday!

Show Us Your Life: Traditions

I hope everyone had a great Turkey Day and were able to spend some quality time with your friends and families. I'll be posting some pics later today of my own family's special Thanksgiving day : )

This Friday's edition of Show Us Your Life, hosted by Kelly's Korner, is all about sharing your holiday traditions!

Every year, my mom and I put up the Christmas tree at my parents' house on my birthday, December 3. (Yes, that's next week, if you'd like to send my birthday gifts in advance : ) We've been doing this for years, and I so look forward to it.

We also hang our stockings, of course! Since I was a "Christmas baby", (born in December), they sent a stocking home with me from the hospital when I was born. I still have the same one today!

We usually have a certain theme for the tree...for instance, one year we may do a gold/red theme and the next year we might do a tree in all silver ornaments. It's so fun to think of new ideas!

I've had my own place for a couple of years now, so I've kind of formed new traditions for myself. I usually make a cup of hot cocoa or mulled wine, watch "Elf" (my fave holiday movie) and bust out the boxes of Christmas decor! I know someday when I have my own family, I'll look back on these days of decorating my little apartment and smile : )

I had mulled wine for the first time in Austria 2 years ago and loved it. It's so delicious and such a festive holiday treat....

I'm actually thinking of starting a new tradition this year and doing something like this on my bedroom wall. For all you guys with apartments or small houses, check out Apartment Therapy. They give tips on decorating for small spaces!

On Christmas day, my Memaw and Papaw (my dad's parents), come over and watch my mom, dad, brother and I open presents. Then my Memaw cooks her traditional, famous Chocolate Gravy and Biscuits!

Chocolate Gravy is a traditional food from the deep-south that my Memaw has perfected over the years. It is our "official" Christmas morning breakfast!

So what are your holiday traditions? Join in the fun on Kelly's Korner today and share yours!

P.S.- I received some reader emails inquiring about the recipe for chocolate gravy, which I'd be more than happy to share! Here goes:

1/2-3/4 cup granulated sugar (to taste)

1/3 cup Hershey's cocoa

7 Tablespoons of white, all-purpose flour

1 cup milk (whole or 2% works best)

1-12 oz. can evaporated milk

1 egg

1 tsp. vanilla

Mix flour, sugar, cocoa, egg and a bit of the milk in a separate bowl. Set aside.
In a pan sprayed with Pam, heat the milk until warm. Turn on medium heat. Transfer the flour and egg mixture to the saucepan.

Keep stirring as it thickens, so it won't stick or burn; reduce heat as necessary.
When it reaches a pudding-like consistency, remove from heat.
Stir in vanilla.

Gravy thickens slightly when removed from heat.
This is best prepared using an electric mixer or hand blender to help avoid any lumps.

Show Us Your Life: Southern Cornbread Stuffing

This week's "Show Us Your Life" from Kelly's Korner is all about Thanksgiving recipes and traditions. My all time favorite Thanksgiving treat is Southern Cornbread Stuffing! Yummm!

Southern Cornbread Stuffing

Ingredients:

Cornbread, (recipe follows)

7 slices oven-dried white bread

1 sleeve crackers, (recommended: Saltine)

8 Tbsp. butter

2 cups chopped celery

1 large onion, chopped

7 cups chicken stock

1 teaspoon salt

Freshly ground black pepper

1 tsp. sage, (optional)

1 Tbsp. poultry seasoning, (optional)

5 eggs, beaten

Cornbread:

1 cup self-rising cornmeal

1/2 cup self-rising flour

3/4 cup buttermilk

2 eggs

2 Tbsp. vegetable oil

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

In a large bowl, combine crumbled cornbread, dried white bread slices, and saltines; set aside.
Melt the butter in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the celery and onion and cook until transparent, approximately 5 to 10 minutes. Pour the vegetable mixture over cornbread mixture. Add the stock, mix well, taste, and add salt, pepper to taste, sage, and poultry seasoning. Add beaten eggs and mix well. Pour mixture into a greased pan and bake until dressing is cooked through, about 45 to 60 minutes.

Cornbread:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

Combine all ingredients and mix well. Pour batter into a greased shallow baking dish. Bake for approximately 20 to 25 minutes. Remove from oven and let cool.

Happy Friday ladies (and guys)!

P.S.- Dog Name Update: You guys all had such good suggestions! My favorites were Lucy, Chloe and Annie and I would have been happy with any of those. However, my little brother back home really wanted to name her Lola and since he will actually be the one living with her and my parents...well, Lola it is : )

And doesn't this collar just look like something a Lola would wear? Ha!

But since all of you guys were such sports to play along...I'll give everyone who commented yesterday 5 extra entries!

Show Us Your Life- Fall Decorations

This week's edition of "Show Us Your Life" (brought to you by Kelly's Korner) is all about fall decorations! I'm so excited to hop around to all the blogs that participated and check out everyone's fabulous decor!

I've already shown off some of these in former posts, but it never hurts to recap!

This straw pumpkin was bought at Target. Since this photo, I've woven some clear lights in it and will plug it in on my balcony the week before Halloween (assuming it doesn't rain : )

I'm kind of proud for putting together this whole tablescape for less than $20! The plates were a gift, the wooden bowl and straw balls came from Wal-Mart, and the amber colored goblets were $3 a pop! Good deal? I think so!

This wreath came from Target for $29.99. I love it because I can keep it up after Halloween is over, so I'll get tons of use out of it.

I purchased 3 of these lanterns from Pottery Barn and they arrived day before yesterday! This photo obviously comes from PB's site, but I'll take some pics this weekend and show ya'll next week!

And finally, the 2-tiered copper server from Target. It was about $30 and I've already used it to take some cookies to work. Everyone kept commenting that the cookies looked really fancy displayed on the server, so mission accomplished!

If you've never participated in a blog hop, here's your chance. Run on over to Kelly's Korner and show off your fall decorations!

Show Us Your Life: Go Hogs!

First of all, let me just say THANK YOU to all you wonderful followers for being so loyal! Last night, A Blonde Ambition received its 100th follower, which for a girl that never thought anyone would read her blog, is really exciting : ) I actually had 102 followers this morning, so even better!

Don't forget, next Thursday, October 15 is the day of the October giveaway drawing, so don't forget to enter yourself for a super cute prize!

I'm sure most of you read and love Kelly's Korner and I am definitely a fan. Although I can't participate in all of the "Show Us Your Life" posts, (I don't have a husband or a baby, which makes it really hard to comment on weddings, baby showers and baby products, LOL), I love participating when I can. This week, readers will submit their favorite football teams and favorite football traditions.

Obviously, my fave team is the Arkansas Razorbacks! GO HOGS GO!

As far as traditions go, a good tailgate is always a yummy way to start a game day. I love any kind of tailgate that involves barbeque and sweet tea, yummmmm.....

An Arkansas football tradition for the girls is to dress up for games. I'm pretty sure this tradition exists in many of the southern states...we love our pearls and heels, yall : ) You'll hardly ever see a southern gal in jeans and a T-shirt for a game unless it's really cold. She'll likely be wearing her best team color dress, cute boots or ballet flats and a poofy ponytail (my 'do of choice!) I really like these dresses and am thinking about ordering the first one (black with red/black checkered bottom) for the Razorback Homecoming game...

So let me hear you! What is your favorite team (college or NFL) and what traditions do you have?

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!

Show Us Your Life - Awkward School Photos

Kelly's Korner is featuring awkward school photos in the blog hop today, which I think is pretty darn funny. Unfortunately (or maybe fortunately) all my school photos are at my parents house, so I don't have any of my own to post.

But trust me, there was hardly a year that went by when my photos were not awkward. I'm going to visit my parents this weekend though, so I'll try to bring some back for Monday : )


So check out these links from AwkwardFamilyPhoto.com to get your awkward photo fix:

• Some hairstyles should be forbidden. See Exhibit A - The Power Mullet



• Can you tell who the teacher is in this picture? Yeah, it took me a moment, too. Also, I feel bad saying this, but I can't fully tell if that is a boy or a girl in the front row on the right end.

• So what do girls in Prom dresses and a bunch of hens have in common? Well, they're both in this photo for starters...

• Awww....don't ya hate being third wheel?? Yeah, so did this girl.

Stay tuned for embarrassing pics of me on Monday!

Why am I willingly embarrassing myself, you ask? All in the name of being a good blogger, my friends...it's all about the blog! : )

Show Us Your Life- Fave Vacation Spot Edition

Kelly's Korner is hosting their weekly Show Us Your Life blog hop, which this week will feature readers' Favorite Vacation Spots. This is my first time participating in SUYL, and I'm excited!

Basically, all of Europe qualifies as my favorite get-away spot. I was blessed to be able to go visit Drew in Austria while he was studying abroad in college. So at Thanksgiving break, I took an 11 day adventure across Europe with him as my college graduation present from my parents. So enjoy some pics below! I loved every moment of traveling around by plane and train and enjoying some of the most magnificent sights in the world.

Rome, Italy

Florence, Italy

St. Mark's in Venice, Italy

Tasting real Italian gelato in Venice

Vienna, Austria: Cold, icy and absolutely beautiful. This was the day I arrived and wanted to look cute for Drew, since I hadn't seen him in about 3 months. So I wore really dainty flats with my dark jeans and fitted black shirt with matching pea coat and coordinating scarf. Ever the slave to fashion, I'd rather risk freezing to death than look frumpy.

Little did I know that it had snowed the night before and I had to trudge around the whole day in little slippers, Ha! I think it took me a whole night to warm my feet up : )

But a beautiful place it was...and I was with a great guy, so the frost-bitten feet were worth it.

My fave places included Florence, Rome, Venice and Vienna, but I'd love to see yours too. Visit Kelly's Korner and participate in the hop or just check out other reader's blog postings!