Giddy up!

So I have a confession......I sort of hate country music....ok, not sort of....DESPISE country music. Old school Dolly, Willie and Johnny are amazing...but anything newer makes me break out in hives....but for some reason I am OBSESSED with cowgirl boots....not just any boots will do.....they need to be HOT PINK! And preferably with sparkles, glitter, fringe...they have to dazzle! 

Ombre!

In anticipation of my wedding this June, I had been keeping my hair long and natural. But now that the wedding is over....time to spice it up a bit! Time for OMBRE hair!

Excuse the terrible pictures....and the duck face! Ha....but I'm loving the new look. And it was surprisingly simple! 

• Select your ombre pallet. My natural hair color is strawberry blonde, so I decided to keep that as the middle shade and use a lighter shade for the top and a darker shade for the bottom. If you're not in  love with your natural color, choose three shades: dark, medium and light. 
• Section your hair into equal thirds. 
• Lighten the top third. I used a bleach blonde....as bright as I could go! 
• Darken the bottom. I used dark maroon / burgundy shade.

I decided to layer my hair a bit to really accentuate the different shades. This style has so many options. Go for only slightly varying shades for a more subtle and demure look. Or go crazy! Imagine how fun this would be in shades of pink! 

Bun-fun!

I recently added fringe bangs...I may be a bit behind the trend...but I love them anyway! I've been trying out different ways to style an updo with bangs....and came up with this one!

Simple and easy! A great way to change up your look at night! 

• Start with a ponytail high on top of your head. No need to make it perfect. 
• Reserve 1/4 of the hair from the side of the pony tail. 
• Gather the remaining 3/4 of the pony tail hair and create a classic ballerina bun. Use bobby pins to secure. 
• Take the reserved piece of hair and braid. Tie with a clear band at the end. 
• Wrap braid around the outside of bun. Use bobby pins liberally to secure braid.
• Add a flower to add a little dazzle! 

My new go-to updo! I'm loving that with my new ombre hair, the bands are blonde and the braid is purple! 

T-shirt Scarf!

Wee for a t-shirt scarf! My friend Allyson showed me this, and I just loved the idea! Re-purposing is my favie! I quickly turned an ill-fitting t-shirt into a cute, and warm, necklacy-scarf!

Super simple! 

1. Start with any t-shirt in the back of your closet that doesn't quite fit right, has a stain, is 15 years old...use it! 

Remember, this will be close to your face, so make sure you choose a color that's flattering to your skin tone. 

2. Lay the t-shirt out flat. 

3. Cut the shirt into 1" strips. I wasn't sure how a shirt that had a logo on it would work, I thought it might give a neat variant to the texture....it didn't! But there is plenty of fabric, so just cut the strips right over the logo, we'll weed those out in a bit. Keep the very first loop that you cut - the one with the stitching. 

4. Stretch!!! Stretch the loops out as far as you can, so they naturally start to roll, hiding the cut marks. 

5. Cut each loop twice - at the side seams. 

6. Discard pieces with other colors / textures on them. 

7. Now you'll have a bunch of pieces of approx 2 feet long fabric. Tie each of those into loops. 

8. Trim the excess ends from where you tied the knots. 

9. Gather all your loops together, keeping all the knots in the same area. My pieces naturally just ended up being varying lengths, because I was sloppy with tying the knots. This ended up creating a great cascading look. If you are a perfectionist...you might end up needing to cut some of your strips shorter to achieve this. 

10. I used the original loop, the one with the stitching to wrap around the other loops and tie them all together.  I liked the white stitching against the green. But if your shirt doesn't have contrasting stitching, just use one of the other loops. Just keep wrapping and wrapping until you feel it's secure! 

Voila! Fini! Super cute necklace / scarf. And it's actually really cozy and warm! You can place the gathered part behind your neck, or on the side! 

PDQ Perfection

When I'm not dreaming of foreign lands and a dream destination wedding, I keep busy at my shop, Sugar Lips Mini Donuts in Copper Mountain, Colorado...On a recent ski weekend in Monarch Mountain, something magical happened…I was warm! I was sporting a new baselayer set up, and was pleasantly surprised at how warm such a thin layer could keep me. I had recently been introduced to the ISIS brand through a review in Kickstand magazine, and immediately became a fan. I started with the PDQ Longneck top. The piece is sleek, stylish and form fitting, without being constricting. The inner lining is made of velour-fleeced micro-fiber yarn, and is incredibly soft and cozy against bare skin. The thumb loops are cute and practical, and the 10″ zipper makes for easy venting when you’re working up a sweat on deep powder days.

After swooning over the top, I was eager to try out the PDQ Tights. My love affair with ISIS continued. The flat seam construction allows the piece to fit smoothly under outer layers, without bunching up or rubbing between your shins and boots. Both pieces are perfect on the slopes, or off. They’re ideal for cross-country skiing or late night high-country strolls. The reflective stars and stitch detailing make the pieces stylish, modern and feminine without being cutesy.

In the outdoor industry, women’s gear has often been just a shrunken version of our male counterparts. ISIS only makes women’s clothing. Each piece is designed specifically for the shape of a woman’s body. The result is flattering pieces that easily took me from the slopes of Monarch to tapas and wine at The Fritz in style.

“You are a goddess,” reads the inner tag of the PDQ tights. Thanks ISIS, I think you’re pretty swell, too.

Details...

It's all in the details....the location or flowers might be standard wedding fare, but make sure to include pieces of you, your fiance, or your family in the event. Make it special by making it your own. I bought these typewriter key cuff links for my fiance on our 6 month anniversary. He's a writer and had been needing cuff links, and these were just so perfect. I found them on this great Etsy shop, Haute Keys. He'll wear them on our wedding day. They would be great presents for groomsmen or Fathers.