mySTYLE :: chunky rings

An accessory that I've been super obsessed with lately is the chunky ring.

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This is a trend that I've embraced multiple times over the years.

Does anyone remember those big ol' plastic bubble rings that were popular in the 90s?

You know, the ones that you could buy at your local Claire's or (gasp!) any 25cent gumball machine.

Yep, I had LOTS of those.

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My style has definitely changed a bit over the years, and now I am drawn more toward chunky rings that have a more bohemian feel.

In my head they go perfect with long flowy skirts or dresses and beach hair.

My favorites have a natural, earthy feel, with large stones such as turquoise or sea glass.

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I love how chunky rings are a versatile accessory.
Dress 'em up, dress 'em down, whatever you please!

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And being someone who doesn't wear a lot of jewelery at once,
I can definitely feel that an outfit is "complete" by just throwing on
a funky ring.

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Whenever I walk into stores that have a jewelery section,
I make it a point to seek out the rings.
Even if I don't make a purchase, it's still fun.

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These last two pictures are from my own personal collection.

The ring above is my favorite of the moment and was purchased at good ol' Target.

The ones below were bought at Old Navy about a month or so ago.

LOVE!

 

I tend to wear my chunky rings on the middle finger of my right hand.

Do you have a favorite spot to wear these magnificent accessories?

xoxo.

jen

mani[c]MONDAY :: nail art obsession

When I was a teenager I used to get my nails done.

Like straight up, in the salon, acrylic nails.

Teenage me loved long, bold nails.

Adult me still loves bold nails, but I'll take them MUCH shorter, and no falsifying, please.

For awhile I've had my nails painted on and off.

Almost always in a bold, fun color, and recently I've decided that I'm going to take a leap and start trying out my own nail art.

I did this diagonal color blocking a few weeks back.

One major lesson was learned. 

Nail art has to wait for both kiddos to be fast asleep.

My polish wasn't completely dry and just kept smudging, and my 6 year old and 14 month old just didn't get the concept of waiting to need things until after it had an appropriate amount of drying time.

The nerve.

 But try again, I will.

Here are some ideas of things I would like to try in the future.

My plan is to post my successes and my failures (hopefully more successes!).

As always I have found tons of polish inspiration on Pinterest.

Some of my favorites so far.

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Hopefully my nails will look as good as these.
Well, maybe one day...

Also, if you want to check out an awesome polish site head over to PerryPie's blog!
She's both awesome and informative. :)

Stay tuned for more of my nail art experimentation....

xoxo.
jen

mySTYLE :: statement bags

If you've known me for any amount of time, you probably know that I LOVE bags.

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Most of the time I go after the big bags in fun colors and/or prints.

Probably my all time favorite style is the (excuse my being politically incorrect) "hobo" bag.

The large, slouchy, bohemian-esque bags get my heart a racin'.

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Now I try to save bag purchases for Christmas or birthday presents/gift cards, but there was a time where I squandered a pretty penny on beautiful bags.

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I've never really been into name brand bags, save for the Dooney & Burke phase of my young teen years (which the closest I ever got to was a flea market knock off), I think the most I ever spent on a bag was around $50.

And I actually still have the first "expensive" bag that I bought. 

It was smaller than I usually went for, but it was GORGEOUS!

The bag was from Express, and it was a light tan suede-y leather, with beautiful embroidery all over the shoulder strap.

My 16 year old self couldn't bear to not have it, so I took my hard earned money from my measly $6.00 an hour job and bought that bag up.

I was SO happy with it!

And that began my obsession with bags.

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Nowadays, I mostly carry around a plain ol' black Diaper Dude diaper bag (per the hubs' request),

but you better believe I enjoy those moments when I can throw all of my stuff into a handbag.

I do tend to stick to the same two or three bags most of the time, simply because they are my favorites, but bags of all kinds still call to me.

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I'm thinking that my next weight loss reward needs to be this patterned beauty from Forever 21.

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This one catches my eye EVERY time I walk into Target, probably because I make sure to go out of my way to pass by it. I love the southwest/Native American vibe.

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And, finally, one of the female celebrities whose style I love, Nicole Richie, shows how a great statement bag can change the look of a simple white tee and jeans.

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xoxo.

jen

weigh down wednesday :: a rewards system

One thing that I think is important in any big endeavor is a rewards system.

Seriously, stuff is just easier to do when you have a little something to look forward to.

And I'm not talking about a HUGE something like a vacation or a car or anything.

Just one of life's little pleasures that you normally wouldn't buy for yourself.

Or, if it makes you happy, something that you do buy often, that screams TREAT to you.

I'm actually behind in my rewards for this whole weight loss journey.

I've only bought one and I really should have four under my belt for meeting goals.

One great thing about a rewards system is that you can make your goals as big or little as you want, just be sure to reward yourself accordingly.

For my first major goal of meeting 20lbs lost I got a new phone case that I had been eyeing.

It was $30, which I normally wouldn't spend on a phone case, unless it was my birthday or Christmas, but it felt more than worth it for me. 

I'd been really wanting the case for a couple of months and it's something that I get a ton of use out of.

My other goals/rewards are a bit smaller, because I feel like the more weight you've lost the slower it comes off.

My original plan was to get myself a little something for every 5lbs lost after 20lbs, but that hasn't happened.

Hmmm....I wonder if there is a correlation between my lack of rewards and my lack of motivation as of late?

So, it's time for me to get back on the reward train.

I think my big reward for getting back to my wedding weight will be a tattoo that I've wanted for awhile.

It seems fitting that a big goal get a big reward.

As Tom and Donna say, sometimes you just have to.....

 

xoxo.

jen