November's Favorite Things

We are a two weeks into November and I am just getting around to posting about my favorite things this month! It amazes me that we are so close to Christmas already!! Some of these favorites are under $20 and be great gift ideas :) Click on the blue words to send you to the website and see more on each item.

Big Knitted Scarf- Thank you SC weather for never being able to plan a week ahead of you. Monday of this week I was wearing a short dress with no leggings, and now today its a whopping 41 degrees outside! These fluffy knitted scarfs add a little something extra to any outfit and also keep you fashionable and warm!!! You can find them in many stores today for under $30, but check out websites online like Zulilly or H&M and score them for under $15 :)

Rodan+Fields Amp Roller & Night Renewing Serum- This interesting little tool has been called "Spanx for your face" by Ellen DeGeneres. The amp roller looks like a mini paint roller and contains tiny needles that open your pores so that your skincare can really sink into your skin! Most people who use the Amp Roller on top of their favorite R+F regimen see results faster. The Night Renewing Serum is applied after you roll and will leave your face feeling like velvet! I used the Amp Roller 6 nights of the week along with the Reverse to get these amazing results! AMP ROLLER

Dark Lipstick- There is something about wearing lipstick that makes me feel better about myself. Maybe just because my teeth appear a little more white or my smile looks a little bigger, but I love it! I often switch between nude colors and bright red, but I have found a love for this dark red recently. I am not brand loyal when it comes to lipstick, but I bought Make Up Forever things for my wedding day and it worked perfect! MakeUp Forever Rouge Lipstick

Zoya Nail Polish- I change my nail color weekly! I don't know what it when I pick a color, but I find one better the following week and then have to paint them over again! This brand is comparable to OPI or Essie in colors and price. I found the color called Madeline a few weeks ago and automatically loved it! It's just enough pink but neutral for me :)

Philosophy Bubble Bath/Shampoo/Showergel- This stuff is so good, I would eat it if I could! Their 3-in-1 shampoo, shower gel & bubble baths offer a head-to-toe cleansing experience that lets you treat yourself without the calories. The irresistible scents are hard to choose a favorite, but I personally love their Eggnog during this time of year. They even include the recipe for each scent on the front of the bottle :) They have so many scents including cinnamon bun, vanilla birthday cake, pink frosted animal cracker & Christmas cookie! Their 16 oz bottle is $17.00, but you can score smaller sizes for as low as $6.

Fun print fleece lined leggings- I used to judge girls that wore leggings as pants. Now I do it every day I can! During the colder months, my favorites outfits are leggings and oversized sweaters with a fun scarf. These fun leggings now come in more colors and prints! And many of them are lined with fleece inside to keep you every warmer in these cold months. You can find most for under $30 in department stores. Altar'd State is one of my favorite store and has them for $29.95 Tribal Print Legging

Floppy Hat- Love Love Love! I kept seeing girls wear these hats, but I didn't think I could pull it off. Finally I came across this one at Altar'd State. I have worn it multiple times a week since I got it and always get complements :)  Altar'd State Floppy Hat for $20.

Tom's Leopard Wedges- Leopard is the new neutral! This fun print goes with most anything. I especially love these because I feel good when I buy from Toms because of their One for One trade which gives a pair of shoes to children in need. Leopard Toms These specific shoes were $99 but they have the same print in a lace up bootie for $89.

Stretchy Bangles- Of course I had to include some of the stretchy bangles I have been making! I make them in all colors and most include three small crosses or a large pearl. I have been stacking them along with all my other bangles and they all look great together :) Check them on Facebook, Instagram or the blog. All are only $12. A Southern Touch Blog

October's Favorite Things

I can not believe that we are already in the second week of October 2014!! Where has this year gone?! I have finally got together my favorite things for this month :)

Kate Spade Bangle- I picked up this fabulous bracelet at the New NordstromRak in Greenville! It's definitely in my everyday stack now!

Two Faced Eyebrow Kit- You all know that I do not wear a lot of makeup, but I have been trying a few new things like contouring and filling in my eyebrows. After using this kit once, I would recommend it to anyone! Another one of my NordstromRak finds :) I picked up this little love box for $11 vs the regular price of $39!! What a steal!

Ally B Boutique Monogrammed Boots- Last month, Stuart and I ventured to Tallahassee to watch Clemson play FSU. We drove down Friday afternoon and stayed the night in Thomasville, GA since its just a short drive out of Tallahassee. We got brunch the next morning a did a little shopping before heading to the game, and I could not believe this fantastic find! Stu bought me this perfect pair of boots for under $70 including the monograms and shipping cost!

Trader Joe's Pumpkin Bread- White girls love their Pumpkin Spice!! This time of year, I get extra excited about lighting candles around the house and making coffee because it's always pumpkin spice flavored :) I love a good pumpkin bread and Trader Joe's has the perfect box mix to make your own! I made this for the tailgate last weekend, and it got eaten up quickly!

OPI Nail Color- Going My Way or Norway? - My nails are currently pink for Breast Caner Awareness, but this gorgeous color is coming next! A light toned sandy brown creme polish that's just about light enough to be a nude but still has some color and richness to it.  A nice, tame color for the season.

Biltmore Malbec- While we were on my bachelorette party, my girls and I went to a wine tasting at The Biltmore. Most Biltmore wines are sold in local grocery stores, but there are a select few that they keep special for Biltmore goers only! This Malbec wine is one of them! I am not usually a fan of red wine, but in this case, I quickly changed my mind :) I have tried other Malbec wines since then, but haven't found any this delicious!

Aztec Sweater- I am all about some Aztec print this season! I picked up a loose open Aztec sweater from TJMaxx for just $20! I love the one I pictured above though because of all the colors :)

Online Shopping Wish List

I often find my self shopping around online while I am blogging and my bank account is now feeling the love too! I used to be so anti online shopping, but once I started ordering items for A Southern Touch, I realized how easy it was to just sit at home and go shopping :) I have a long list of things that I want, none of which I need, but figure I should hold off on all of them for now! Here are some of my awesome finds for under $50.

Just when you thought that croakies couldn't get any preppier, someone adds pearls!

These are only $24 from Corinne McCormack.



Alex & Ani Paw Print Bracelet $28

Alex & Ani ZTA Bracelet $32

 

Wifey loose fitted tshirt off Etsy $29

 

Kate Spade Gold Knot Earrings  $48

 

Love Me Knot Bracelet from Wonder  $38



Jamberry Nail Wraps

I often strike up conversations with people in public during my day to day schedule. But I was a bit surprised to find a new type of manicure at the local Ace Hardware I go to.
Ace has a post office inside that I visit a couple times a week, so I have likely made a couple friends in there. One of the women that I speak to often, had some really cool polish on last week so I struck up a conversation. She explained that it was not polish on her nails but something called Jamberry wraps. Her sister sells this fun new trend, so obviously I had to order some and see what it's all about!
I got mine in the mail today and couldn't wait to put these babies on!! Here is the colorful set I chose...

They were easy to apply and look so awesome when they are on! I looked on pinterest for other ideas and found these :) I will definitely be ordering more for sure!!

Check out some other fun Jamberry wraps and order on the link below :) If you order by Sunday, make sure to put in Angelia so she gets credit towards your order!!

http://www.jessicabolyard.jamberrynails.net/

Braves Baseball

Summer is coming to an end, football season is just starting, but we can't forget that BASEBALL still has a few weeks left! The Atlanta Braves still have a full month left of games, so don't write them off yet! There's even a full weekend of home games you can check out, September 19th - 21st vs. The Mets.

Most girls (me included) worry more about what our outfits look like, than what the score of the game is. I plan my outfits out weeks ahead when I know we have a special game coming up, so below are a few outfits that would be perfect for this end of summer baseball game.

Fanatics.com has everything sports related that you need! Check out other MLB baseball hats in their online collection.

Outfit #1
Jean shorts, Braves tank top, Tennis Shoes, Braves hat, and Bauble Bangles.



Shirt from Fanatics.com for $29.95

Converse shoes from Off Broadway Shoes for $45

 Hat from Fanatics.com for $19.95

Bauble Bracelets from A Southern Touch

I'm such a fan of some cut off daisy dukes shorts in every girls wardrobe! I got mine from Victoria's Secret at their semi annual sale for only $15!

 

Outfit #2
White skinny jeans, Braves shirt, Wedges, Braves hat, Purse, and Bauble Bangles.

I love a good pair of white skinny jeans!! I got my favorite pair from Entourage for $25, but almost every store has them!
Shirt from Fanatics.com
Hat from Fanatics.com
Wedges from Steve Madden
Bracelets from A Southern Touch.
 Purse from Vestique for $40.

As you see, my hat of choice and both shirts are from Fanatics  online store! This site is awesome for any of your teams needs :) You'll definitely see more of my Clemson outfits from them later this season!!

Snakes on Snakes on Snakes

Bailey called yesterday and told us that her cousin was getting married in Greenville, so she wanted to meet up with us after the reception! We hung out and got a few drinks and ended out night hanging out with some snakes. Yup, that's right. I said SNAKES!

 













Now I usually would not just walk up and ask to play with a pet snake, but we had met this family before downtown Greenville, so I wanted to say hello! We ended up takings over 50 pictures with the family and their pet snakes!

 

 

You can check out other 
pictures of these slithery creatures on their facebook page at Betty Page Jake. 

Bachelor In Paradise Premiere

 The Bachelor may have just won my attention back after tonight’s Bachelor in Paradise premiere.  I had lost interest after Juan Pablo’s season and tried to get into Andi’s but just couldn’t decided if it was worth my time. Needless to say though, after tonight’s episode, I’ll be sitting in front of the tv on Monday’s nights with my glass of wine cheering for these crazy people looking for love once again.

Bachelor in Paradise is a spinoff of The Bachelor or The Bachelorette where the biggest stars and most controversial contestants off the show get a second chance at love as they explore new relationships in Mexico.  They all left “The Bachelor” or “The Bachelorette” with broken hearts, but now they are back to find their soul mates. The show began tonight begins with 13 former cast members, seven women and six men, who travel to beautiful Tulum, Mexico hoping to turn a potential summer fling into the real thing. However, in true “Bachelor” fashion, there is always a surprise.

On tonight’s episode looking for love a second time around, the “Bachelor in Paradise” cast arrives in gorgeous Tulum, Mexico ready to mingle. Welcomed by Chris Harrison, they quickly get to know each other at a Bachelor-style arrival party located on the beautiful white sandy beach of their private oasis. One by one, all the women and men showed up and introduced each other. But Ben arrives, no one is happy to see him, and nobody greets him. Finally Lacy Faddoul offers him a drink. Marcus knows that Ben is a “bad boy” and he doubts he is there for the right reasons. Next Michelle Kujawa arrives, and her greeting isn’t exactly warm either. Robert arrives next, followed by Dylan Pettit. Elise Mosca is the next girl to arrive. Elise barely says hello to everyone before she is convinced that she is in love with Dylan. Ashlee Frazier is the last girl to arrive, and is thrilled to see Graham since she joined the show just to meet him. Shortly after the party gets going, Chris Harrison interrupts to explain the rules of paradise, including one shocking detail – at the end of each week, anyone who is not in a romantic relationship will be sent home — this week the men will hand out a rose to someone they’d like to spend more time getting to know. The women who do not receive roses will leave paradise forever. With that, the anxiety amongst the women immediately intensifies as they begin to evaluate the eligible men.

It’s important now that you know the cast before you read the rest of the recap :)

Clare Crawley (Juan Pablo’s season), This “friendly” hairstylist went home on the last episode on JP’s season, but had made a name for herself before the finale by giving her lady flowers to JP in the ocean while other girls were sleeping near by. She is back on this show, but seems less slutty this time. She did make it clear that she didn’t want to leave her “Clareadise” at the first rose ceremony though.

AshLee Frazier ( Sean’s Season) This professional organizer was the very emotion girl who revealed her love for Sean very early on his season. Her crazy fast love affairs seem to follow her onto this show, and so does her crazy personality.

Sarah Herron (Sean Lowe’s season),  She was the girl born with one arm that won over America quickly. She scored the first one on one date with Sean and is ready to be brave on this show and go after what she wants.

Elise Mosca (Juan Pablo’s Season) This sweet teacher was sent home after refusing to pose nude during a charity photo shoot for dogs. We all remember her as the poor girl who had to wear that fire hydrant costume.

 

Dylan Petitt (Andi’s Season) He was sent home just shy of a hometown date with Andi last season, but isn’t being shy this time! He is ready to get his girl!

Ben S. (Desiree’s season) The single dad caught Desiree’s attention and America’s on night one by bringing his adorable son along in the limo. He didn’t get along with the other cast mates and many labeled his on the bad boy that season. According to ABC, “Ben is looking to rehab his image and meet someone who sees the real him.”

Robert Graham (Desiree’s Season) This baby face didn’t find love with Desiree, but he is quickly make friends in Paradise. I doubt he will be going home alone from this show.

 Graham Bunn (DeAnna’s season), The pro basketball player was sent home on DeAnna’s season leaving her in tears because he never opened up to her. He later hit things off with Michelle Money on The Bachelor Pad. He has all the women’s attention on this show from day 1, but he got “wifed” up quickly by a certain crazy one.

Marcus Grodd (Andi’s season), We all know gorgeous Marcus after just seeing him strip twice for Andi on this past season’s show. Unfortunately, he left broken hearted and starts this show with his guard up.

 

Marquel Martin (Andi’s season), He had Andi’s attention for a while on her season, but ended up being sent home. He was definitely a fan favorite though with his gorgeous smile and good looks.

Daniella McBride (Sean’s season), I don’t even remember this girl but she made it to episode 6 of her season. She certainly made a name for herself with the audience tonight with her whitty comments to the camera.

Lacy Faddoul (Juan Pablo’s),  No one knows Lacy because she was sent home night one! That didn’t matter for the guys on this show though, because she immediately caught everyone’s attention.

Michelle K (Jake’s Season) was label the crazy person after she repeatedly demanded attention and kept threatening to leave. Jake finally sent her home after she begged him to kiss her. She was on the bachelor pad, but didn’t find love there either.

So right away, Lacy grabs Robert they head out to the ocean and she wraps her legs around him. All the other girls are shocked by how aggressive she is being. Later everyone sits down for dinner and Marcus heads out swim in the ocean by himself, he still isn’t over Andi Dorfman, and isn’t ready to party with everyone else.

When Lacy sees Marcus in the water, she runs out to join him. Sarah Herron thinks that Lacy is being trashy going in to the ocean with more than two guys in one night. Robert jokes that Marcus is stealing his girl. After Lacy is done swimming with Marcus, Robert steals her back and they sit on the beach together. Meanwhile Clare and Marcus sit on the beach and watch Elise and Dylan make out in the ocean.

Day 2 arrives and AshLee scores some quality time with Graham and they head down to the beach. She confesses to him that the only reason she came was so that she will see him, and he is shocked since they never met before. The first date card arrives and it is for Clare. She runs down to the beach and invites Graham to go to the ruins with her. Graham accepts her invitation and says he is “pumped.” AshLee bursts into tears and runs upstairs crying, devastated that Graham accepted Clare’s invitation. Sarah and Daniella think that AshLee is certifiably crazy because she is so upset over Graham and hasn’t even known him for 24 hours. Clare heads outside when she sees AshLee crying and sits down on some stairs and frantically fusses about drama and fire ants to the raccoon near by.

Clare heads back to the house and sits down with AshLee and asks her why she is so upset. Clare insists that she had no idea AshLee liked Graham and offers to take someone else to the ruins on the date. Clare heads outside and tells Graham that she can’t take him and then invites Rob on the date with her instead.

Clare and Rob head to the Mayan Ruins, and begin trying to scale the wall. Graham walks through a fire ants’ nest and is covered in hundreds of ants. After he strips his shirt off they head up to the top and take pictures of themselves standing on the cliffs. Afterwards they head down to the beach and decide to go for a dip in the ocean.

Later that night Lacy has a meltdown because both of the guys she is interested in have been spending time with other girls. She heads down to the beach with Rob, and he reassures her that while he was on a date with Clare he didn’t even kiss her and he is still interested in Lacy. While they are on the beach the rest of the house is shocked when a new houseguest arrives, Michelle Money. Daniella is automatically upset because she realizes that two women are going to go home instead of one. Michelle announces that she has a date card, and then says that she needs to talk to Graham in private.

Michelle and Graham head down to the beach, to discuss what happened between them on Bachelor Pad. They do their stupid secret handshake and spend some time getting reacquainted with each other. The next morning Michelle contemplates who she will take on a date with her. AshLee heads to the beach to talk to Graham, she knows that if he doesn’t give her a rose, none of the other guys will.

Michelle Money takes her date card down to the beach and asks Marquel to join her. He happily accepts. They head out on their date and are surprised with horseback riding on the beach. Marquel has never ridden on a horse before, and is off to a bumpy start. After a while they take a break and go for a dip in the ocean together.

During the night’s cocktail ceremony, the men all kept it cool since they were handing out the roses, while the women ran around crazy trying to get the men to promise them a rose. Michelle K surprised everyone by leaving during the rose ceremony by choice, and then said maybe she had already found love to the cameras in the car on her way home... 

Marquel's rose went to Michelle Monies, Graham's rose went to AshLee, Dylan's rose went to Elise, Marcus gave his rose to Lacy, Robert's rose went to Clare, and Ben's rose went to Sara sending Daniella home. 

Fixer Upper

Stuart and I have recently found an obsession in HGTV home makeover shows, but one in particular has us tuned in every Thursday night.

Fixer Upper is a home improvement show where Chip and Joanna Gaines help clients find the perfect home for them starting at the house hunting process, then renovation and then revealing the home to it’s newest owners. Joanna’s knack for design inspired her to start a local boutique and a blog that captured the attention of HGTV. Before they knew it, the couple landed themselves a series highlighting the renovation and realty aspect of their business.  You can tune into HGTV’s show, Fixer Upper, to watch Chip and Joanna take clients through the process of finding the right home, renovating the imperfections, and revealing the home as it was always meant to be.After searching for a house of our own since the beginning of May, we are now considering a fixer upper ourselves. Stu had always kept the idea open, but Im so ready to get out of our tiny apartment that I was just looking for those move in ready homes. Since my mom flips houses as a living, she has always encouraged us to go with the fixer upper route. Now after watching the first season of Fixer Upper, I am board! The way that this team takes an old broken down house and turns it into a new, renovated, and classic home is priceless. I love Joanna’s style of decorating which she describes as simple and classic, farm inspired, industrial and unexpected.  I now have so many ideas of things I would like in our own house one day! You can check out their website here: magnoliahomes.net

I soooo want to make our own dining room table now. After seeing a few tables they had refinished and refurbished on the show, I now want one too! This picture is similar to what I am looking for, but this looks like they took a table, antiqued it and then nailed some old wood on top. I’m sure it’s more complicated than that!

After using these doors at our wedding, I would love to turn them into head boards for our bed! But since Stu and I obviously only need one, looks like a guest bedroom may be getting one too! I think I would like to have the wood quote hanging somewhere in our house as well! That wood was from an old fence my dad tore down from his house shortly before out wedding :) Mom actually took down the doors from an old family owned house and refinished them to look the way they do. 

I love looking at peoples DIY ideas with pallets and here are a couple that I’d like to incorporate in our bathroom and kids room!

Lastly, I have become super interested in redoing an old dresser. After searching through pictures on the Southern Revivals Blog, I know I can do it too. I would love to have something like this sitting in our den or hallway! And I love the idea of cutting the legs off and using it as a seat!