A Little Dirt Before a Clean Slate

Today is my FIRST day at my new job! I'm super nervous but also really excited. I'll be doing what I want and love, and as an added bonus I'll be in the fashion industry. Because of this huge change, I'll probably be a bit MIA with commenting this week but I will eventually get back to you. Sorry in advance!

And speaking of MIA, this past week I wasn't working so I spent very little time on the computer. Instead, I went to Northern Arizona with my family. We spent a few days playing in the desert and mountains surrounded by family. Here are some of the scenes from my last several days:

 

Your turn to gossip! Here's how it works:

1. Blog about your gossip - be it the weekend, big news, or anything else
2. Include the badge (below) in your post and/or link back to Join the Gossip
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I'm also linking up for Yolo Monday and showing a little Monday blog hop love to other hosts :)

Pretty in Pastels

Easter weekend in upon us, already! When I think of the holiday I think of pastels. The outfit I created below is perfect for Easter mass and spring in general. Would you wear it?

Pretty in Pastels by leeannm 




Linking up for Friday's Fancies over at Long Distance Loving

 

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Enjoy your Easter, if you celebrate. See you back here on Monday for my weekly blog hop, Monday Morning Gossip. All topics are accepted. Stop by, link up, and make new friends!

 

Customized By eShakti

I know you've probably seen the reviews about eShakti.com on several blogs by now, and now it's my turn. I'm here to tell you that they really do have a great service! You literally get to customize your order to fit every inch of your body. You can select a standard size or input all of your measurements - including shoulders, upper arms, chest, bust, arm length, under bust, waist, and hip. They then take those measurements and make a dress specifically for you. On top of that, you can also decide what hem and arm length of your dress/skirt you'd like. The most difficult part of the process is trying to pick an item!

I decided to order the Trellis pleat knit dress in emerald.

I ordered my dress a few weeks ago and now there are many more items available in their spring line. I want to place another order since I know and trust their products! And if you want to place an order, be sure to use the special discount code JTGSP for 20% off your order, valid from 03/20/13 thru 04/07/13.

 

Linking up for Random Wednesday & Style Sessions.

Jobless for a Week

Guess who has this week off? MEEE! No work until April 1. I'm super excited to have moved on from my last job but a little nervous to embark on my new journey. I'm going to take this week to relax and enjoy doing a whole lot of nothing combined with traveling to see family for Easter. Sounds glorious, right?

Before I left, my co-workers gave me a little going away surprise complete with a toilet papered desk and treats. And I my treat to myself was a few celebratory drinks.

 

What are you gossiping about today? Join the blog hop and share! Here's how it works:

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Spring Has Sprung

Today is my last day of work at my current job. It's been a long 4 1/2 years so I'm taking a week off before I start my new job. I'm going to call the time off in between MY spring break. Fitting since it's now officially spring.

Perfect timing because last weekend I added several dresses to my wardrobe to make it really feel like spring. I'm loving all of the high-low dresses available right now. In fact, I bought the one above. It's an adorable tribal print H&M dress that will hopefully get a lot of use for the next several months. You can't tell from this pic, but there are cute little hearts incorporated into the print. I love it!

Most people think of lace and floral when it comes to spring (both of which I also purchased), but I also think of lightweight, airy items that can be worn for outdoor activities like festivals and wine tasting. This dress will be perfect for that.

 

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See you back here on Monday for my weekly blog hop, Monday Morning Gossip. All topics are accepted. Stop by, link up, and make new friends!

 

Spring 2013 Wish List

{Dress / Pumps  / Handbag / Earrings}

_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

Although it pretty much feels like spring during Southern California "wintertime", now that the rest of the country is getting excited for warmer weather it's making me embrace the sunshine here in LA. Technically I could've started wearing dresses and bright colors a month or two ago. Now that Easter is on the horizon, it's a must.

Maybe it's the fact that April 1 not only symbolizes spring, but it's also the first day of my new job. A complete fresh start.

What are you craving this spring? Anything you're looking forward to?


Linking up for Random Wednesday and Four Favorites.

Currently Lusting: Glitter Heels

Um, are these not the most adorable peep-toes you've ever seen?! I stumbled across these Glitter By Little Heel beauties while browsing ModCloth. I contemplated for a long time on buying them, but ultimately decided that I didn't want to pay $65 for a pair of heels that isn't going to fit (they don't have half sizes).

I think I'm going to try to make my own glitter heels instead. There are so many tutorials available online and it's cheap to do.

Hopefully a tutorial is coming soon!

Linking up with for anything + everything and Just Because.

 

Monday Morning Gossip

I hope you all had a fun St. Patrick's Day! I spent Saturday night celebrating the holiday and my friend's birthday. The rest of the weekend was low-key, including a trip to my grandparents' for corned beef and cabbage. Here's a look and my last few days...

My newest obsession, Hazelnut Macchiatos / Shamrocks for St. Patrick's Day / Easting lunch outside on Hollywood Blvd.

Drinking with my college friends in Fullerton where we all used to hang out years ago.

Your turn to gossip! Here's how it works:

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Green and Gold

Green & Gold by leeannm

The day of green beer and pots of gold is upon us! My mouth is watering just thinking about corned beef and cabbage. This dress, appropriately named "Shamrock Wave", is also making me drool. Unfortunately it's sold out from Modcloth. BUT if enough people request that they carry it again, it could happen. So I'm praying to St. Patrick that it happens!

 

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Are you doing anything fun for St. Patrick's Day? I hope so! Have a great weekend then come back and link up for my weekly blog hop, Monday Morning Gossip. You don't have to be blogging about your weekend to linkup, though. All topics are welcome!

Make a Wish

The last few years have been a roller coaster - ups and downs. That's life. But sometimes life doesn't go the way you want it. It's easy to just continue on a mundane path and that's what I've done. But I finally decided it was time to break away and make a change...wait did I just plagiarize that line from Kelly Clarkson?

Anyways, it was time to take control of my life - so I did. I am excited to announce that I got a new job! I'm getting back into writing and will be working for a fashion retail site. I'm super excited. But it's bittersweet. I'm going to have to leave LA and my friends here. I'll be jumping into a new routine for the first time in four years. And frankly, I'm just sacred because it all seems too good to be true. But it is true. And it's time for me to be happy!

I have a favorite 311 lyric that I try to live by. Maybe if you're in need of a little cheer it will help you:

You've got to trust your instinct and let go of regret. You've got to bet on yourself now star, because that's your best bet.

We really are stronger and braver and better than we tend to give ourselves credit for. Don't ever feel like you're not good enough or wish you'd done better. You can always make a change. You've just got to believe in yourself.

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Talls vs. Smalls + Target

Today I am filling in for my life partner, Tiffany of Polka Dotted Cats, which she's off celebrating her birth week. Go check out my post that counts the many ways we are exact opposites!

AND This month I'm sponsoring Shanna's blog and also a part of a HUGE group giveaway. Be sure to enter!

Now let's talk Target...

That store always has a way of sucking me in. Pretty sure it sucks everyone in. I mean, you can get pretty much anything there at a decent price. But that's where you get into trouble. You grab a top, some shoes, a few DVDs, coffee mugs, and before you know it you've blown 100 bucks. That's about the average at Target, right?

Here are my week's four favorites, courtesy of Target.

1. Prabal Gurung sleeved dress / This is such a classic dress and would get so much use. 

2. Linen blazer / Nautical + perfect for spring! 

3. With Love by Hilary Duff perfume / My FAVORITE perfume. I know, but it's amber and amazing. 

4. Armless Upholstered Accent Slipper Chair Black Chevron / Who doesn't want a chevron chair?

 

Linking up For Random Wednesday & Four Favorites

BaubleBar + GIveaway

This month I'm a sponsor for Because Shanna Said So and participating in a group giveaway over at her blog! My contribution is a $20 credit to BaubleBar. If you don't already know, I'm obsessed with the site. And if you're not already signed up, you get $10 off your first purchase, so sign up now!

Not only do they have great prices, the site also offers Buried Baubles - an item goes on sale for $20 on Mondays, and $10 on Fridays. So if you win the giveaway, you could get either one or two pieces of jewelry.

AND there are also a bunch of other sponsors and a total of 16 amazing prizes. Enter below!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Birthday at Tiffany's

This weekend I celebrated two birthdays - my mom's, and my tallest friend's, Tiffany's. While my mom's was more low-key (I got her tickets to see one of her favorite bands, The Dirty Heads, and she was so happy she cried. I wish I'd gotten a pic of it!), Tiffany and had a big bash.

For Tiffany's 30th birthday Kathrin and I headed to San Diego. The three of us have been friends since junior high and although we see each other pretty regularly, we've been scattered across SoCal since college. Despite that, we're remained friends. We all entered our teens together and now this year we'll enter out 30s. It's pretty incredible that we're still so close.

For her birthday, Tiffany's amazing family planned a Breakfast at Tiffany's themed party - complete with Tiffany Blue cupcakes and candy bags, sunglasses, and pearls. It really was adorable! And the perfect weekend.

What kind of gossip are you blogging about today? Link up with and tell us about it. Here's how it works:

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2. Please add the badge (below) to your post and/or link back to this blog
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Lovely Lace

Topshop just opened here in LA. I've been once. Before that I had only been one other time, during my recent trip to Chicago. Both times I didn't see and that much I loved but whenever I look online I find so much. Is that because they don't have a lot of stuff in the US?

Aside from the Stella & Dot necklace, everything else is currently on the Topshop site. I want it all!

Lovely Lace by leeannm featuring studded handbags

Topshop bodice dress / Topshop ankle wrap shoes / Topshop studded handbag / Stella & Dot jewelry

Linking up for Friday's Fancies!

This weekend I'm headed to San Diego with Kathrin for Tiffany's birthday. Recap Monday. Be sure to come back and link up for Monday Morning Gossip, a weekly linkup. All topics accepted!

 

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Cobalt Blue

Today Vodka Infused Lemonade is hosting a cobalt linkup and I'm joining her. Blue is my favorite color so I couldn't resist. I love all of these items! I actually saw the TOPSHOP dress a few weekends ago and loved it but they didn't have my size. I hate that!

What color are you craving right now?

I am a Delta Z!

Today I'm talking Delta Zeta. I pledged DZ in 2001 along with Kathrin of Shop.School.Sleep. To start off I wasn't into the whole sorority thing, but we'd been friends since jr. high and she wanted me to go through recruitment with her so I decided to give it a try. We wanted to join different sororities (to make double the friends) but ended up at the same spot! Our Bid Day was actually THE 9/11. A day I really will never forget.

Over the course of my four active years I learned and grew a lot. I stepped out of my comfort zone. I met people I never would have. I was Greek Week Chair. I went to fraternity parties. I made life-long friends.

To this day most of my very best friends are a my sisters. I've gone to their weddings, baby showers, baptisms, and countless lunches. I am so lucky to be a DZ!

Four DZ Facts:

Delta Zeta was founded October 24, 1902

We are the second largest fraternal organization in the nation and the largest international sorority

Our badge was designed by Tiffany & Co.

Our mascot is the turtle 

Speaking of Delta Zetas, the fabulous Shanna is a DZ! Linking up with her for Random Wednesday. Also linking up with another DZ, Whitney of the Observant Turtle for International Badge Day. AND linking up with Miss Ashlyn for Four Favorites!

Dogs Are Babies Too!

Today there is a special linkup hosted by Laura, Kate, and Kara, called Dogs Are Babies Too and I'm excited to be participating! So here's a little story about my mutt, Coco.

Two years ago my brother rescued a litter of puppies and we helped find homes for all of them. Although I wasn't necessarily ready for a dog, I decided to adopt one. Little did I know this little thing would be such a monster!

I blogged about it a few years back, but here's a recap again. When Coco was about three months old she ate my bra. Like ate it, ate it. I had no idea until several days later when she stopped eating or drinking. After taking her to the vet we found out that she had a bad blockage and her stomach had actually ripped open and she was essentially leaking. We had to make a big choice: surgery or putting her to sleep. I was too in love so I decided to go with the surgery that cost thousands of dollars and only provided her with a 50/50 chance to live.

In the end she had a foot of intestines removed, and the vet had to cut into five pieces of it to get clogs out. Things were iffy for awhile but she made it! She still has issues AND EATS EVERYTHING but overall she's great.  I mean, look at that face!

Now she's 2 1/2 and 60+ lbs (she thinks she's still 15 ad a lap dog) of orneriness and I love the crazy thing!