Easier Way to Create a Monogrammed iPhone Background

Okay, so previously I posted a link to a website that lets you create monograms on your computer. That website is still perfect for making monogram printables such as binder labels, gift tags, and things of that nature, but I found it to be somewhat tedious to make a digital copy for your phone background. My orginial reasoning for finding something online was because I was shocked to find a monogram wallpaper app didn't exist. More recently, it seems that someone heard my cry and created one (several actually). Here is my favorite: Monogram (Lite). It is free, unless you want to pay for the expanded pack which comes with extra patterns, fonts, and colors. The free option comes with plenty of choices, so I was happy with it. Check mine out and make your own today!

Thrift Store Scores

Alright... secrets out. I love thrift shopping and have for many years before Macklemore made it cool. For this post, I just wanted to share about a few mega-scores I have picked up over the years! First is my all time favorite find... I got this one about 4 years ago. It's originally from J Crew (one of my fave's) and had a $400 price tag still attached! How much did I pay? $4, seriously, that's it! That's a 99% savings y'all! It even has pockets :)

The second one was a score that I picked up just today. You could say it was my inspiration for writing this post. These Nine West nude patent leather pumps were $7 at the thrift. You can order them from Nine West's website for $79. That's a savings of over 91%.

Other finds include Big Star (and various other Buckle brand) jeans, Vera Bradley bags, and a beautiful French Connection silk dress! Happy Thrifting!

Dorm Decor

Hey! So my first semester of college is just one month away! What's a fashionista to do? Do DIY dorm décor of course!! I got inspiration for this project from... yet again... Pinterest. Shame on me for not being clever enough to think of it on my own. I am, however, clever enough to make a copy of it for myself. I did mine in orange and blue for my school! You can do it however you like, that's what I love about this project. It cost about $2.50 for the letter, I used yarn I already had, and the flowers came from a dollar store bouquet. The project is basically self explanatory. Begin by hot-gluing the end of your yarn to your wooden letter. Begin wrapping the yarn until you get to the end. You will want to stop every 10-20 rows to glue it in place and glue it once again at the end. Next, hot glue the flowers on and... Viola!... you have décor! XOXO, Ciara

Quiet Workout for Toning

Pinterest has saved me once again. I found the best simple workout a week ago. I have done it everyday for 7 days now. It is very lightweight so it would be great for a beginner or someone who is really out of shape (like me lol). I also love this workout because I don't need to lose any weight, but my goal is toning and this workout tones just about every part of my body. I tweaked it a little by rasing the repitions by 5 and added weights for the russian twists, lunges, and uppercuts. At first I didn't understand what a lot of the moves were, so I took the time to Google them and add the pictures here :) Another bonus to this workout is that it's a quiet workout. You won't disturb anyone if you want to do it late at night or early in the morning. Happy exercising!

Monogrammed Iphone Wallpaper

For those of you who love monogrammed everything, here is a super cute and FREE monogram tool for your phone! I orginally found this on Pinterest. When I clicked on the link it took me to a blog called Whitspeaks (which I love now) and she linked it to a site called ForChicSake (which is also awesome). ForChicSake will guide you through the process. Have fun! Here is what mine looks like:

Link for Whitspeaks: whitspeaks.blogspot.com Link for ForChicSake: forchicsake.com

Beauty Review: Sephora

Hey bloggers, I recently went to Sephora and spent $50 on just two items 0_0 but now that I have had the time to really test out my new products and I love them and highly recommend them. I bought Benefit Cosmetic's Erase Paste and Bumble and Bumble's Surf Spray. Each items are around $25. The Erase Paste was definately worth it and I don't think I could EVER go back to a regular concealer again. It covers even the worst of my blemishes. More good news is that you only use about a drop-size of it each day. It spreads a longgg way. Blueish undereyes is hereditary in my family so I love that Erase Paste completely covers that all up. As for the Surf Spray, I love the beachy waves it gives me, but they my waves are still a little wild so I probably wouldn't use it for dressier occasions. It's great for casual days and rainy weather. :)

Buy Them Here: http://www.sephora.com/product/productDetail.jsp?keyword=erase%20paste&skuId=1073691&productId=P208603&_requestid=123057 http://www.sephora.com/surf-spray-P280513?skuId=1270776