A Blonde Ambition

10.16.2011

Double Date Nights and Decorating!

This weekend was SO much fun for us! I tend to not do very many "what we did today" posts, just because our life is really not that thrilling, haha. But, this one entailed a couple of superb date nights and some FABULOUS fall decorating! I decorated my little blonde heart out this weekend and Stephen, bless his soul, supervised like a pro : ) He's very supportive of my obsessive seasonal decorating tendencies.

Friday, we met our friends Kyle and Amanda at Carraba's for some vino and calorie laden goodness. No pics from that night, but as we were getting into bed on Friday night, I remember turning to Stephen and saying, "Is it possible for your stomach to literally burst?"

A couple of Pepcids and a glass of water and all was right with the world again though.

Saturday morning, I went on an hour long home decor buying bender at Hobby Lobby. I gotta say, I'm a pretty lucky lady. When I tell S I'm going to Hob Lob, he smiles, nods and says "Buy whatever you want." He knows that decorating our home within an inch of its life is good for our marriage, haha!

I attempted my very first silk flower arrangement after spying a couple at a local store up here for....$300! Woah, Nelly! Yeah, this chica wasn't paying three Benjamins for a silk arrangement, so I bought some supplies at Hob Lob and did my own version. I think it turned out pretty good!

Saturday night we met some of our other friends Jason and Shannon at Bonefish for drinks and dinner. A quick pic beforehand was necessary : )

Yesterday, I put up all the Halloween decorations! Here are pics!

Fall napkins!

New fall rug for the front door!

New fleur de lis lamps from our friends for a wedding gift...love the fall brick red color!

Pretty bowl of apples...a fall must!

Finally, if y'all needed more evidence that I'm a completely spoiled girl, the hubs made his famous spaghetti and gravy for dinner. (For those of you non-Italians like moi, I learned that 'gravy' is really just their version of a thick marinara or pomodoro sauce, usually with sausage or beef added in for flavor.) Stephen comes from a big Italian family and the recipe has been in their family since forever! Can't give it out, but lemme tell ya, it takes the boy 5+ hours to make it and it's worth every single calorie...YUM.

So tell, Blonde Ambitioners, what did y'all do this weekend?

P.S. - Our one month anniversary of being married is today! To the love of my life, Stephen - Thank you so much for an amazing month! I love you to the moon!

Be blessed, lovelies-

10.14.2011

Rusty

"Tin roof!....Rusted!" - The B 52's

It's Friday, thus a nod to one of the greatest one hit wonders is in order, no?

M'kay, so let's talk about this orangey, brownish, reddish color that's taking the world by storm currently. I mean seriously y'all, rust is dominating shelves and racks this fall, (in addition to a large part of my closet), and the good news is, peeps of all skin tones and hair/eye colors can wear it well...a bonus? Me'thinks so.

Arcadian Terrace Lightweight Cardigan, , Orchard Hill Waist Tie Jacket , Ellis Nautica Striped Cardigan

Naughty Monkey Tightrope shoe


via Pinterest

Arlington Pleated Chiffon Top and Suomi Sweets Skirt in Rust

Belmont Faux Suede Shorts and Namoli Structured Satchel

Sometimes, ladies, it's good to be a little rusty : )

On a warm and furry note (literally) we have a new baby! He's a bouncing 65 lb. German Sheppard with hazel eyes and big paws. Mom, Dad and puppy are all doing well : )

Meet Cash

Seriously though, someone dropped him in our neighborhood on Monday morning (we think). He was scared to death and soaked from being out in the rain. Since we only have one dog, who coincidentally is also a German Sheppard, we figured, "What the hey?" His first vet appointment is tomorrow morning and he seems to be adjusting pretty well to The S Household. We named him Cash, after Arkansas's own son, Mr. Johnny Cash, aka the Man in Black.

And finally-finally, who says marriage kills the romance in a relationship? Look what my hottie husband sent to me at work this week...mmmmhmmm. (Thanks hun - you are the best!)

Be blessed (and have a great weekend), lovelies-

10.13.2011

Personal Styling: {You Asked, I Answered}

via Pinterest...duh.

Fifty percent of the emails I get on a daily basis are in regards to personal styling. I do personal styling as a side job and LOVE it! I’ve styled my friends and family for years, but never did it for others (or for money, haha) until last year when a photographer asked me to help style a shoot for a store ad. For starters, let me say, I'm not delusional in thinking that I'm the best dressed person in the room all the time. I'm on a working girl budget and don't have access to couture clothes (shortage of those in AR - ha!) I’m no Rachel Zoe by any stretch of the imagination, BUT I will say that I love to shop and have styled girls with every budget, body type and personal taste under the sun.

A few months ago, I got emails asking if I could “virtually” assist a girl with styling her outfits for a new job. Thus, the e.Style session was born. This session is done entirely online and is PERFECT for my clients outside of the Northwest Arkansas region.

I don’t want to sound like Miss America, but I really do think that every single woman, no matter if she’s a size 2 or size 28 DESERVES to look and feel her best. I also don’t believe that she needs a million dollar salary to afford to look her best. Most of the clients I take on have excellent taste, but just need some help defining their personal style. I also get lots of new moms that are looking to get their groove back – my fav!! Other women have gone through major life changes and want to revamp their look to match their new lifestyle. Whatever the case, I don’t turn anyone down, no matter the budget, size, or reason for seeking some assistance with styling their clothes.

Here are a few of the most common questions that I receive about personal styling:

1. When will you be starting the e.Style sessions back up again? A few of y’all have emailed about e.Style consultations and when I’m going to be starting back up with those. Welp, I’m officially back open for business! It was nice to take a couple of weeks off, but I’m ready to get to styling again : ) So, if you’re interested in an e.Style OR an in-person styling session, shoot an email to: askblondeambition{at}gmail{dot}com and include the words “Style Me” in the subject line. The e.Styles especially tend to book up really fast, so I’d recommend emailing pretty soon if you think you might be interested.

2. Do you have gift cards? Oui, mademoiselles! I have gift certificates, so if you’re reading this and think this would be a great birthday present for your man to get for you (haha!) send him here : )

3. Could you do a group styling session, like maybe style a bunch of my friends and I? Yep, again! I’ve gotten emails inquiring about if I do group style sessions and YES, I do! They’re super fun for bachelorette parties or girls nights out. Email me for pricing and more info : )

4. Do you do hair and make-up styling? I'm by no means a hair or make-up pro. I think the extent of that sort of styling will be done in the rare how-to video blog on here, haha. Per request of a few of y'all, I'll be doing a "how I do my make-up" picture tutorial soon, hopefully : )

If y'all have more questions, don't hesitate to shoot me an email! askblondeambition{at}gmail{dot}com

Be blessed, lovelies-

10.12.2011

Confessional: {Mid-week Confessions}

It's time for another Confessional post...yeehaw! In the words of our friend Usher...these are my confessions...

1. I enjoy accessorizing my dogs, as evidenced below from the AR vs. Auburn game this past weekend.

Ari

Max

2. I may or may not have done a little happy dance that looked something like The Carlton when I received my Judith March Gameday Houndstooth Bowback dress yesterday. (If you aren't a Fresh Prince fan, you probably don't know what The Carlton is...and that is sad.)

Sorry for the awful quality!

3. I pigged out with my youngest SIL (Stephanie) and Stephen last night at La Huerta, a local Mexican spot in The 'Ville. We took her shopping for her b-day and then we all ate to our hearts' content. I was actually sore this morning....no. lie.

Stephen's sister, Stephanie

Stephen and Me

4. I may or may not have purchased a gift for myself at Maude yesterday whilst shopping with Steph...oops.

5. Ok, I'll probably get excommunicated as a fashion blogger, but bear with me when I say...

Y'all.

I just can't get into the Missoni for Target clothing. (Everyone gasp loudly now!)

I looked around at our local target and everything just seemed really...I dunno...loud. I'm all about patterns in clothing, but yowza. Because I know lots of peeps are very, um, passionate about their Missoni, (and because I really don't wanna get hate mail), I will say that I've seen a few items on other people and they look really adorable. So adorable in fact, that it prompted me to get my rear to Target to look for some Missoni myself. But after trying on a few things, I came to the conclusion that I, Leslie, was not meant to wear Missoni. I felt like I was wearing a costume, all Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dream Coat and whatnot. So yeah, Missoni is a no go for this chica. And that, as they say, is that.

6. One of our security guards at work yesterday said he thought I was just out of college. (I'm on the verge of turning 27.) This made me quite happy. I guess it could mean one of two things: 1) He really did think I had just graduated college. 2) My maturity level leads one to believe that I'm a recent college grad. Still, I was pleased as punch. I can probably put off my Botox plans for a couple of years (joking), but no way in Hells Angels am I gonna quit using my Lancome Generist serum. No ma'am.

7. Sometimes, even as a married, self-sufficient adult, I miss my momma. Le sigh...

8. I may or may not get teary eyed thinking about how much I love both of the boys in this picture. Especially the one wearing the T-shirt : )

Finally, not a confession, but I'd like to give a shout out to all the ladies of Pomfret Hall at the University of Arkansas! It's my understanding that a few Blonde Ambition readers reside there, including my youngest SIL Steph and her fabulous roomie Ryann (holla!!) Thanks for all your support, ladies!

P.S. Check out my review yesterday for Girlactik Beauty's Sparkle Eyeliner Sets and Get 10% Off the Sparkle Eyeliner Set at girlactik Beauty! Use code: beauty

Be blessed, lovelies-

10.11.2011

Wedding Candids: Part 1 of 2,349

As I promised yesterday, today I'll show y'all a few candid shots from the wedding reception. There were WAY too many to put into one post, so I'll have to divide them up amongst several posts. At the rate it's going, I'll be posting wedding pics 'til kingdom come...

Keep in mind, THESE ARE NOT OUR PROFESSIONAL PHOTOS. My Aunt Dorothy was kind enough to snap lots of pics for us though and she did a great job!