One Year Blogiversary $25 Target Giftcard Giveaway! [CLOSED]

Wow, I seriously can't believe I've been blogging for a full year now! It's incredible! At first, I wasn't sure I was going to continue with it, but I've come to really love blogging, putting my thoughts out there, coming up with fun ideas, meeting new bloggers from all over the world, and the sense of community the blogger world has.

 

But mostly I want to thank YOU for reading my blog, for commenting, and for making me feel welcome in the blogiverse! So to do that I'm giving away a $25 giftcard to Target!

 

Here's a few things that I've been loving lately from Target...

{Click above for item info}

 

a Rafflecopter giveaway

P.S. -- The winner will also receive two coupons for $2.00 off a CoverGirl Blast Flipstick that expire April 30th, 2013.

Giveaway open from November 30th to December 9th. Winner will be announced December 10th.

Sorry but this giveaway is open to U.S. readers only.

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Inspired By: November Best Selling Book Covers

Tomorrow is the last day of November! And it will definitely be a good one; I would recommend stopping by this little 'ol blog tomorrow. *Wink wink nudge nudge*

 

Anyway, back to book covers. I'm really liking making these monthly posts inspired by bestselling books. I will definitely be continuing it, so I hope you've been liking them, too! What books have you been reading lately?

The Racketeer

{Click above for item info}

In John Grisham's latest novel, federal judge Raymond Fawcett has just been murdered. The only person who knows who killed the judge is Malcolm Bannister, a former attorney who is currently in federal prison. The FBI wants to know who and why the judge was killed, and Malcolm will tell them...for a price. Not only do these outfits reflect the colors on the cover, but they're more busines-like; perfect for a conman lawyer.

 

Buy the Book: B&N | Amazon

 

Flight Behavior

Barbara Kingsolver's new novel follows Dellarobia Turnbow, a restless farm wife who gave up her dreams when she got pregnant ten years ago at seventeen. One day as she's walking up the mountainside, she sees that the lake appears to be on fire. Scientists, religious leaders, and the media all try to understand what this miracle means. The cover, of course, has shades of blue, so I drew off of that -- a sheer royal blue top, navy skirt, sexy teal dress, and blue jewelry.

 

Buy the Book: B&N | Amazon

 

Back to Blood

This book by Tom Wolfe is a melting pot collection set in Miami about life in the modern era. It follows many different people -- a cop, mayor, psychiatrist, billionaire, professor, etc. For this anthology of stories, I chose fun, eclectic looks to mirror the bright, colorful cover: a striped dress with Converse and a striped sweater over a chamray top with boots.

 

Buy the Book: B&N | Amazon

 

The Light Between Oceans

 

M. L. Stedman's debut novel is about Tom Sherbourne, a man who takes a job as a lighthouse keeper in Australia on an isolated island with his young wife, Isabel. After several years, two miscarriages, and one stillbirth, Isabel hears a baby crying outside. The couple finds a boat washed ashore with a dead man and a baby. Tom wants to report what they found, but Isabel decides to keep the baby and the decision changes everything. For this novel, I created one outfit that's more feminine (lace dress and bow flats) and one more masculine (pea coat, corduroy pants, and loafers) based on the two main characters.

 

Buy the Book: B&N | Amazon

P.S. -- See October's Bestselling Book Covers.

 

What do you think? Which book(s) interest you the most?



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My Writing: The Written Word Poem

So I'm taking a class this semester that has forced me to branch out into poetry and non-fiction. Initially, I was a bit nervous because prose is my forte; it's what I'm used to. But I have to admit that I'm starting to like writing poetry. Non-fiction on the hand is not my style at all ("What do you mean I can't make shit up?").

 

I used to dislike poetry because I didn't understand it and I always thought it was too artsy. As in, "What does that phrase mean?" and "Why does that sentence stop right in the middle?" But I've come to like the experimental-ness of it and how it's such a great outlet for emotion and thought. I guess I can see why angsty teenagers like to use it as their medium! Ha!

 

I'm registering for classes next week and hopefully I'll be taking a class called Poetry for Craft in the spring. Never thought I'd be taking a poetry class, but here we are. I'll let you know if I start to hate it and want to gouge my eyes out with a pencil.

 

Anyway, the theme a few weeks ago was the written word. I hope you like it!

In aisles of dusty volumes she meandered,

Her fingers lingering on the old spines,

Looking for something to enchant her

So she could break it out of its confines.

These dog-eared pages were her family

And knew her better than the living

For they made her mind drift happily

To far-off places she was missing.

And there half hidden on the bookshelf,

She almost passed it by:

A book that reminded her of herself,

Curly lettering and blue as the sky.

Though time was swiftly running out

And soon the doors would close,

She took a seat without a doubt

And turned to the first page of prose.

The words seemed to glow in the dark

And the story awoke before her eyes,

But too soon it was time to embark

For staying any longer would be unwise.

To further unlock this marvelous creation

She ran with her library card in hand,

And smiled when she was given permission

To return to that printed land.

 

In case you're entirely confused, this poem is about a young girl in a library searching for the perfect book. What do you think?

  

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Outfit: Pretending To Be An Adult

Wore this outfit to class and then to an event afterwards where five alumni read from their recently published novels and then discussed the publishing process. I wore this because I wanted to be casual but also look more "adult," which can be hard for a young woman with a stature of 4'10" and a youthful appearance.

 

This beanie might look a little familiar. It was in my November Wishlist post. For $5 I just couldn't resist how cute it is with its little sparkles and bow, and 100% of the proceeds go to fighting breast cancer. Win win!

Hat // Lauren Conrad for Kohls {100% proceeds go to fighting breast cancer}
Shirt // thrifted
Jeans // Forever 21 {similar}
Booties // DSW
Coat // Forever 21
Bracelet // Forever 21
Glasses // Bonlook

Happy Tuesday!

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Inspiration: Dark Lips

Lately I've been loving the look of a dark, intense lip, especially for winter. It contrasts beautifully with the pale skin of winter and rosy cheeks. I recently bought CoverGirl's Lip Perfect in Euphoria (it's much darker in person than pictured) and have already worn it several times. It gives me that just bitten look if I dab it on lightly, like on Keria Knightly, or I can darken it with thick swipes.

Since I'm a Bzz Agent, I recently received three of CoverGirl's new Blast Flipsticks, which have two lipstick colors, one on each side. The three I got are Vixen (burgandy and pearl pink), Stunner (bright pink and gold), and Minx (deep brown and bronze). The dark colors are perfect for this current beauty trend.

P.S. -- I'll be reviewing CoverGirl's Blast Flipsticks after I've used them for a while, so check back.

What lipstick color do you like? Are you into wearing dark lipstick?

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(Images via Pinterest, Sidewalk Ready, or unknown)

Quote

 

I read the following for class from Peter Mathiessen's The Outlying Rocks. It's beautifully written but so hauntingly sad that I had to share it.

 

"The finality of extinction is awesome, and not unrelated to the finality of eternity. Man, striving to imagine what might lie beyond the long light years of stars, beyond the universe, beyond the void, feels lost in space; confronted with the death of species, enacted on each so many times before he came, and certain to continue when his own breed is gone, he is forced to face another void, and feels alone in time. Species appear and, left behind by a changing earth, they disappear forever, and there is a certain solace in the inexorable. But until man, the highest predator, evolved, the process of extinction was a slow one. No species but man, so far as is known, unaided by circumstance or climatic change, has ever exstinguished another, and certainly no species has ever devoured itself, an accomplishments of which man appears quite capable. There is some comport in the notion that, however Homo sapiens contrives his own destruction, a few creatures will survive that ultimate wilderness he will leave behind, going on about their ancient business in the mindless confidence that their own much older and more tolerant species will prevail."

 

I hope that didn't make you too depressed about humanity! I truly believe that people are good at heart, just look at all the people who have come together to help those affected by Hurricane Sandy.

 

I hope my follow Americans have a wonderful Thanksgiving tomorrow

and that everyone else has a lovely week!
See ya Monday!

 

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(Image via Interface Lift)

Outfit: Heart On My Sleeve

I took these pictures last week the day after it snowed. Twenty-three years old and I still get excited for the first snow fall of the season. I love watching it fall, watching it accumulate, and seeing how beautiful it is untouched. Once there are tire tracks or foot prints, this pure world of white fluffiness is ruined.

 

This scarf, which is super soft by the way, is the only orange thing I own. My mom recently gave it to me because she was cleaning out her closet. I was hesitant to keep it because I usually despise orange, but I rather like this burnt orange color. It's perfect for fall, don't you think?

 

Coat // Forever 21
Sweater Dress // Delia's
Scarf // gift from my mom
Leggings // Forever 21
Boots // Forever 21
Ring // Forever 21
Glasses // Bonlook

Do you like / dislike certain colors?

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Looks I Love

I saw Breaking Dawn this weekend with my friends, Jackie and Avra, and it was slow, not much happened, and the actors always looked like they were in pain. The only parts I really liked were the creepy title sequence and the fight scene. Anyway, I'm so glad this week is a short one because of Thanksgiving (yay!). I can't wait to devour all the turkey, stuffing, and vegetables on Thursday! Yum!

P.S. -- I'm selling a whole bunch of stuff on eBay. Check it out here.

 Warm sweater, purple socks & desert boots

{Holly Dolly}

 Gold glitter pants & a dark lip

{Sidewalk Ready}

 Lace, polka dots, & purple tights

{Delightfully Tacky}

 Wine-colored jeans

{Sincerely, Jules}

Fun hat & studded flats

{Ready Two Wear}

Beanie, burgandy jeans & wedge booties

{Coohuco}

Perfect fall outfit

{Pinterest}

Comfy sweater with sparkle mini

{Pinterest}

Can you tell I'm totally in love with that beautiful wine color?

Which is your fave? What color do you love lately?

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Life Lately

 Candlelight // Booties & lace

 Converse // Taylor Swift's Red

Heart sweater dress // Red bow flats

 Me, my grandma, & Ben, my brother

My grandma & her friend, Estelle, accepting awards
for their dedication to their synagogue
 

 I went to the Chocolate World Expo with my brother, Leo, & tasted ALL the chocolate samples!

 I bought Fractured Pretzels for myself & Apricot Jam for my mom,

got cheese samples & a sticker for tasting one of the hottest sauces.

 

Snow!

Taylor Swift's ZinePak

P.S. -- I've been adding pictures to Instagram like a maniac lately!
Follow me here!
My username is @strauss8922.

Have an awesome weekend!
I'll be writing a paper, writing Chapter 9 of my novel
& seeing Breaking Dawn with friends.

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Inspired By: The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn -- Pt. 2

I read the books (unfortunately) and saw the first four movies, so I guess it's only right I see the last one. The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn -- Part 2 (whoa, that's a mouthful) is the final installment in the epic love story of Bella and Edward. It comes out in theatres tomorrow.

Bella

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Bella Swan starts the series as a shy, awkward girl and comes out of her shell a bit, which is reflected in her attire in the movies. In the beginning, she wears baggy, tomboyish clothing, but later wears more feminine clothing, such as dresses and heels. The first look, with the blue dress, is more reflective of her newfound girliness, while the second is reminiscent of the old Bella.  

Edward

Edward Cullen wears a simple but classic outfits in mostly dark blue, charcoal gray, and black. His style hasn't evolved much and that's because he hasn't changed during the series. He's ever the dark, tortured soul and that is what's reflected in his clothes. To channel Edward opt for sleek silhouettes of a blazer, turtleneck and desert boots, or a cableknit cardigan with skinny jeans.

Jacob

Jacob Black sticks to rugged looks in shades of brown, green, and gray. His hoodie-wearing days from the first movie changed after he cut off his hair; now the werewolf sticks to plaid button ups, khaki's, and jeans. Dress like Jacob by wearing a cute button up with distressed boyfriend jeans or a dress with a plaid shirt and ankle boots.

Will you be seeing Breaking Dawn this weekend?

 

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