Good Reads

ETA: OMG! I had this post in my saved posts and I hadn't finished it yet! I don't know how it posted when I didn't schedule it! Haha! I basically said everything I planned on saying, but I haven't added my Good Reads icon yet. I will have that up soon for y'all to visit my profile! Can y'all believe that happened! I am a little embarrassed! :)

Have y'all heard of Good Reads? It is a fabulous website for those of us who just love reading! I recently signed up and have found it to be a very good resource. You can review books you have read, read reviews for books you want to read, make a que of what you want to read, and have "friends" who can comment on what you have read/reading. I am really enjoying it! I always hear of good books that I think I should read, but when I go to buy them they slip from my mind! I have found the que to be a very helpful tool! This website is totally free, so if you don't have it...sign up and add me as a friend! If you already have an account, click on my good reads icon on the sidebar to visit my profile!

Blog Roll

I have recently gotten a lot of new followers that I would absolutely love to get to know better! If you are a reader that has a blog and you would like to be on my blog roll on my sidebar, please let me know! This applies to followers and those "lurkers!" Come on out and let me know who you are and where you blog! If you don't blog, WHY NOT?????? Come and join the fun!!! I have so enjoyed reading all of your sweet comments and I can't wait to become great blog friends!!!

New Vogue Patterns

The newest patterns are up on the Vogue Patterns website. Being new to sewing, I have acquired many basic patterns in my stash and now I don't feel the need to buy new ones unless it is something that really calls to me. When I heard the new Vogues were up online, I rushed over to take a look. I have found that I like the Vogue Patterns the best. Well, some of them excited me, and some had me scratching my head! I give you my picks for the Good, the Bad, and the just plain UGLY!

The Good

1176 - Michael Kors

This is so classic! What else would one expect of Michael Kors! This is one I will add to my TO BUY list when the sales come.

1182 - Kay Unger

This is stunning! How perfect would this be for a wedding! Another to add to my list!

1183 - Kay Unger

This is such a great dress that could go from work to dinner very easily! Plus, can we talk about the model's hair for a moment! Gosh, hair jealousy over here!!!!! I am not going to add it to my list as I have something very similar in my stash.

1178 - Anna Sui

Love this style! Not 100% sure about the sleeves, but that is an easy change. Again, I have something really similar, so I won't buy it.

1177 - Anna Sui

I love love love this one! I want it in that fabric! haha! I know some websites that get the actual designer fabric and if I can find some of this, it will go home with me! This just looks so loose and breezy! I am adding this to my list to buy!

1179 - DKNY

Pretty classic style! I could see this in a season neutral color or print with a turtleneck underneath in winter and sleeveless in summer. I am adding it to my list!

1174 - Cynthia Steffe

I saved the best for last! LOVE LOVE LOVE!!!!!!! Doesn't the bottom of it remind you of the Betsey by Lilly Pulitzer? I am so adding this one to my list!

The Bad

1175 - Donna Karan

I can see where this *could* be a cute dress, but frankly it makes that skinny little model look like she has massive junk in the trunk in the back shot and the front shot looks like she is modeling maternity wear circa 1970. UGH!

1187 - KOOS Couture

Since when are Mu mus in style? Total shapeless potato sack.

1184 - Today's Fit by Sandra Betzina

Okay, I can tell this obviously is for the older woman. However, I wouldn't even let my grandmother leave the house in PLEATED SHORTS! PLEATED SHORTS! Enough said! And that drawing looks like a pair of coolots...I don't think I spelled that right, but you know those shorts that are so blousy that when you stand with your legs together they look like a skirt. Everyone's mama I knew made them wear them in the 90s. Yeah, lets not bring those back!

1188 - Mizono

What is up with these pants? It looks like you put on some stretchy knit pants and threw a belly dancing skirt around them! I don't see many of these being made.

The UGLY

1181 - Chado Ralph Rucci

Now, this my friends might be the one item you want to make in this grouping of patterns. It is quite versatile! It can be worn to a beach cocktail party as a caftan (which is what they say this monstrosity is by the way) or worn next Halloween for a multitude of costumes. Make it in black...you are a member of the Volturi (double your wear by wearing it to the midnight showing of Eclipse in June...or any other Twilight events an obsessed fan might go to) or if Harry Potter is more your style, put it on and grab your replica wand and Gryfindor scarf! Voila! You are a wizard! Other costumes could be Dracula, a monk, or a cast member of Dynasty.

1185 - andreakatzobjects

For the love of all that is fashionable, WHY????? First off, I know the romper/jumpsuit trend is in. I am not down on that trend. I have seen some that I think are actually quite fashionable. This however, is not one of them! It reminds me of something I would see a character on the Rugrats wear. And what is with those pockets? You could fit a small child in them!

Rusk Hair Products

It's time for another beauty product review! I make it no secret that I am a beauty product junkie! On a recent trip to Ulta, I found a hairline that I had never tried before called Rusk. I have very thin limp hair that doesn't like to do much other than hang straight. I have tried many products over the years, and I am always on the lookout for something new and great that will give my hair that va-voom that I crave! My dream hair is Brigitte Bardot! Well, Rusk is a wonderful product! Ulta was having a great promotion on Rusk products and I bought 2 and got 1 free. Here are the products I got:

Thickr Hairspray for Fine Hair

BloFoam Root Lifter and Texturizer

Rusk Volumizing Mousse

I simply cannot say enough good things about these products! My hair feels light and volumized, while still holding style throughout the day. The scent of the products is nice too. The price point is great and with Ulta's promotions (check your sale papers, they are always having them), it is even better! If you have fine thin hair like mine, run don't walk over to your beauty supply store and get yourself some Rusk haircare!

*all images found via google and amazon.com

Sewing Blogs

I was asked in a comment a while back for the names of some of the sewing blogs I read. If you haven't noticed, I have been on a slight sewing hiatus lately. I have had midterms, spring break (which was spent at the office...boo), and lots of cleaning and organizing going on. I am planning to get back to it this weekend by finishing up the final touches on my latest skirt and starting something new. Without further ado, here is a list of my favorite sewing blogs/websites.



Pattern Review You have to sign up, but it is free for a general membership and there is a ton of information
Allison C Sewing Gallery
Amanda's Adventures in Sewing
Assorted Notions
Back to Sewing
Confessions of the Pink Obsessed
Diary of a Sewing Fanatic
Erica Bunkers DIY Style
Lindsey T Sews
LooHoo Originals
Male Pattern Boldness
Real Life: Live & Unscripted
The Selfish Seamstress
Two On Two Off

Those are my fave sewing blogs I have found! I constantly learn new things and get inspiration from all of these sites. I hope you enjoy them!

Lilly Jeep!

Look what I spied when I went on my Lilly Shopping Spree!I hope everyone is having a happy Monday!

New Moon Weekend

Guess what is happening at exactly midnight tonight? NEW MOON is coming out! As a self proclaimed Twihard (and hunky Robert Pattinson fan) I am going to get the movie at midnight! I am showing y'all a little of obsessed fan side huh? Oh well, I can't get enought of the Twilight saga and the movies are no exception! Are any of y'all huge fans too? Who is going to get the movie at midnight? Seriously, how can you not be on Team Edward!

Closet Organization

It is time for the big switch-a-roo around my house! Spring is almost sprung and once again I must rotate my closet. Unfortunately, I have quite a small closet in my current abode and it doesn't fit everything all at once. Every spring, and then again every fall, I must pack up the out of season clothes in rubbermaids and say goodbye until the next year. Tuesday night, I pulled out a couple of the rubbermaids (yes, I have MANY to hold all my clothes) and started the rotation. In honor of spring closet organization, I thought I would share a few of my tips for keeping a closet neat and organized year round!

• Group like items together
  

In my closet, I like to group my clothes by by categories like tanks, blouses, cardigans, jackets, dresses, skirts, etc. Within those groupings, I like to separate based on length of sleeve for tops and length of hem for skirts and dresses. I also like to separate based on where I might wear the item (i.e. is it a fancy or is it everyday). Another thing that I have seen done is groupings by color. I have tried this in the past, but I find it makes putting your clothes away after laundry a much bigger chore.

• Use the same type of hangers

When you see pictures of a well organized closet, it doesn't have a mixture of hangers from every store you have ever visited throughout. I think this is one of the biggest items needed for a organized closet. I like to use all white hangers so that I can see the color of my clothes better. When you are searching for something to wear in the morning with sleep still in your eyes, it is much faster to just see the color of the garment as opposed to a myriad of colored wire hangers, clear hangers, plastic hangers, etc. I buy the hangers for my closet at Walmart in a big pack for like $1. I also like to buy white skirt hangers there as well. Wood hangers are also a wonderful option. The price point is significantly higher, which is why I use cheapie Walmart ones. However, if you are lucky enough to own them, they are much better for your clothes. I also think it is important to invest in some puffy hangers as well. Delicate items really must be hung on the thick puffy hangers so that there isn't extra stress on them.

• Keep in season items in the main part of your closet

If you are not lucky enough to live in a place with tons of closet space or numerous closets, this is essential. It is time consuming to do the old switch-a-roo, but it is worth it in the end. Even if you have a larger closet, put in-season clothes in a central location and the out of season in the out of the way area. If you have a lovely walk-in or a closet room (gosh, I would be so jealous of you!), you are lucky and don't have to worry about this!

• Get rid of items you don't wear

We have all heard time and time again to get rid of things your haven't worn in X amount of months. My timeline is 1 season. If I didn't wear the garment at all that season, I donate/sell/giveaway that item. I do have a hard time with this one, but if you really think about it, it makes sense. If you didn't wear it this season, there was a reason. Maybe it was too small or large. Are you really going to be that size again in the near future? If the answer is seriously no, then get rid of it. No point in keeping "skinny" or "fat" clothes. If they can be altered to fit, go ahead and do that and keep them. However, if you put them in a stack of items to take to the tailor and they sit there for months as well, you don't love it enough to keep it. Remember that you will feel better in clothes that fit you correctly and you will look better too! Maybe it is an item that fits you fine, but you just never seemed to wear it. Toss it! If you went months and months without being drawn to wearing it, there is no point in keeping it any longer. Let's don't kid ourselves here. You are going to shop in the future. This isn't the last garment in existence. If you found yourself passing it over for clothes you already own, then you are going to pass it over next year when you have those clothes plus ones you have acquired since then. These items just junk up your closet and take up space. You will feel better when they are gone and you can actually see what you have and wear! Some items this obviously doesn't apply to. Special items like evening gowns or ski apparel might not be worn every year, but might be worth keeping. I would suggest keeping those items in a separate area so that it doesn't clutter up your main closet.

• Get rid of items that are showing wear

This is another big one that goes along the same lines. If the garment is showing wear, then it doesn't look it's best anymore. There is no point in keeping something that looks this way. You aren't going to feel your best wearing it and it should be replaced. If it is something that could easily be mended and look as good as new, you should do so. However, again, if you put it in the stack to take to the tailor or fix yourself, and you never get around to it, you should not keep it. You haven't missed wearing it and it isn't doing you any good.

These are my tips for keeping your closet in picture perfect shape year-round! Maybe if you are lucky, I might show y'all a snapshot of my closet when I get it organized. Right now it is in progress, so I would be embarrassed to show y'all that mess!

*image via google

St. Patricks Day in Savannah

First off - y'all were so much fun yesterday with your comments about my purchases! Thanks for them because they all brought smiles to my face! I am loving all my new followers I have gotten in the last week! I am really looking forward to getting to know all of y'all too! It is SOOOOOO unlike me to buy anything full priced, let alone a pricey Lilly! My long time followers know I am a bargain fashionista! I really SPLURGED this birthday, but it was so much fun! I am really set on Lilly for this year! I don't think I will need to make another purchase until this time next year! LOL! :)

Today is St. Pattys Day! In Savannah, it is a BIG DEAL! People come from all around the country to party! We have a huge parade downtown with thousands of people in attendance! We have bands participate from coast to coast. My favorite tradition of the parade is that all the ladies put on bright red lipstick and when any soldiers, police officers, or firemen come through in the parade, they run up and kiss them on the cheek! How cute is that! We have a military school in Savannah called Benedictine Military Academy and they always march in the parade. Those teenage boys always get the most kisses! You can count the kisses on their cheeks because of the bright red lipstick! It is such a cute tradition! Another favorite Savannah tradition is that the city dyes all the water in the fountains green! It is such a fun tradition! Savannah literally lives for St. Patricks Day! People start counting down and planning for next years on March 18! Our colleges even plan our Spring Break around this holiday because if they didn't, no one would show for class that week anyway! Haha! If you have never been to Savannah for the St. Patricks Day parade, you are really missing out! Being a Savannah girl all my life, I have been to the parade many times. I always enjoy going, but I don't go every year. This year I decided that I would take the day off work since my office is literally in the middle of parade central and I wouldn't be able to drive down there anyway. I am using today to relax, spend time with Thomas, and rotate my closet for Spring. I hope everyone is having a wonderful St. Pattys!

Tell me about your favorite St. Pattys Day tradition! Have you ever gone to the Savannah parade? Did you go today?

*all images found via google

Shopping Spree at Lilly P!

OH BOY! Did I ever have a great birthday! This is one that will be remembered forever! I celebrated my birthday over several days by going out to dinner, going to the movies to see Remember Me (by the way, GO SEE IT! I loved it!), having cake at my office, and the best part was SHOPPING! This was the year of green presents...money I mean! That is one of the best presents one can receive in my opinion, and I was ecstatic to be able to spend it this past Saturday! I will give y'all 1 guess where I decided to put my presents to good use at! PALM AVENUE, OUR LILLY PULITZER STORE OF COURSE! I certainly racked up! I have a whole wardrobe of new Lillys to wear this year and I am so excited!

Originals Bel Air Dress in Lilly's Pink Frisky Business

Originals Del Mar Dress in Daiquiri Pink Ten Ton Bouquet

Originals Worth Shift in Starfruit Yellow Climbing the LadderAndover Dress in Prep Green Hit The Spot

Originals Roslyn Skirt in Classic White Giddy Up

Hillview Halter in Starfruit Yellow (Not the Classic White as shown...not on website yet)

Originals Tote in Starfruit Yellow Climbing the Ladder

**** I also got another adorable green and blue leaf print halter top with little swirl appliques at the top that I can't find a picture of online! It is super cute and I will be sure to take a picture when I wear it to show y'all! Or if they put it online I will show y'all then! ****

Can y'all believe how much great stuff I got! It was super fun to go shopping Saturday at my favorite store for my birthday! They were having a really fun promotion so I got a 20% off coupon and the Orignals tote free! How many days until Spring now??????

Celebrating 22!

Today is my 22nd Birthday! I thought that in honor of this special day for me, I would share 22 things about myself that you might not know!

1. I was born in Germany
2. My favorite sweet treat is pralines
3. When I was a little girl, I loved American Girl dolls. I got my first one, Samantha, for my 6th Birthday. I still have her tucked away in hopes that I have a little girl to pass her to one day!
4. If I could go anywhere in the world, my number one place to travel would be Greece.
5. I am a little bit of a germaphobe...just a little bit.
6. I am allergic to chocolate. No chocolate birthday cake for me!
7. I have a really hard time picking an all time favorite movie, but if I really had to it would be The Sound of Music
8. I would love to move back to Europe for a few years. It would be very scary to pack up and move, but a little piece of me is craving that adventure!
9. I love junk food! Chicken fingers, french fries, debbie cakes, you name it I love it! I would rather snack on junk all day than eat a meal. It is something about myself I try to avoid since it would probably catch up with me very quickly!
10. For my 13th birthday party, I had a swimming party at the indoor pool of the YMCA! It was a lot of fun!
11. My favorite birthday party was the one when my mom let all the girls in my class at school come to my house and spend the night. We had someone come to do our nails and makeup and we played all night long! I remember my mom telling us to go to sleep many times. That was the only slumber party I ever had...I think I know why now!
12. My dream car is a Volvo XC90. Yes, I said my dream car! I really really want one and have for many years now!
13. My favorite Disney character is Belle from Beauty and The Beast. I have always thought she was so pretty. That was one of my favorite movies growing up.
14. I am obsessed with comfy clothes. Every time I go to a store like Target I have to go look at the pajamas or the lounge wear. I always seem to be buying stuff like that because it looks so comfy. I have 3 whole drawers in my dresser devoted to pjs and lounge wear. I don't think Thomas is going to have any room for his stuff when we get married!
15. My favorite flower is a peony
16. I love to water ski, go tubing, knee board, and other water sports. I just can't get enough
17. I really like to cook and bake.
18. My nickname at work is Social Butterfly
19. I have freckles
20. My favorite cut of diamond is a Round Brilliant
21. I love to go to art museums. I could spend an entire day looking at art and be very content.
22. The quote that best describes me is "Determine to live life with flair and laughter." - Maya Angelou

Happy Birthday Southern Belle!

Everyone join me in wishing The Tale of A Southern Belle Happy Birthday! She is a beautiful person inside and out and a very dear friend to me! If you do not read her blog, you are really missing out! I sure do hope you have a wonderful birthday full of fun and memories!

Baby Shower Planning

I am simply giddy with excitement right now! One of my dear friends, Ashley, is expecting her first baby! She is such a great friend and I am just ecstatic to be able to throw her a baby shower! She is going to be a wonderful mother and that little baby is going to be so spoiled! I can't wait to meet him! :)

I am throwing a baby shower with another friend for her at our workplace. I have so many ideas to make this a great shower for her! Since we are throwing it for all of her and all of our co-workers will be attending, it is going to be a bit different than a traditional baby shower. We will have lots of men there, and well, we all know they don't get into the baby shower games! I am planning that we will be having a luncheon shower for her at one of the hotels in town. There will probably be about 30 guests in attendance and it won't be in a private room, rather in one section of the room they use for the lunch buffet. I guess the best way to describe it is that it will be like when you have a birthday party or shower at a restaurant. It will be secluded enough, but we don't have our own space and we must be respectful of the others lunching. It is a very beautiful space, and our workplace has had a number of retirement luncheons and events there. The service and food is fantastic and the mother-to-be is excited about it being held here. I would like to do some type of game or something to have everyone involved, but I am really stumped! I don't know what would be suitable since we cannot be too loud, we don't have tons of room, and there will be many men in attendance. The only thing I have thought of is that we will have the ultrasound picture framed and matted so that all the guests can sign and write their well wished for the Mommy and Daddy! Of course, we also will be doing gifts.

Have any of y'all ever had a shower that wasn't held in a private space? What types of activities did you do? What advice do you have for making this a fantastic shower? I hope that all my readers can give me some great ideas for making this a special shower for one of my best friends!

Be Fine Skincare Review

A few weeks back I was lucky enough to win a giveaway from the lovely Landlocked Mermaid! She is one of my favorite private bloggers! She decided to giveaway a goodie bag full of makeup and skincare samples! This is something that is right up my alley and I have been having a great time trying out all the samples! Thanks so much LM for hosting this awesome giveaway!


LM suggested that I do some reviews to let everyone know if the items are something we all want to run out and buy, or stay far away from. I loved this idea and I am planning on doing some reviews in the future on the items I love or hate! I am not getting any sort of compensation for this, and the companies have not contacted me about their products. I just think these will be some fun posts for us girls that love beauty products!


The first products I tried in my goodie bag was a facial system by Be Fine Skincare. I had a sample of the Gentle Cleanser with Sugar, Mint, Oats, and Rice, the Firming Toner with Ginger and Willow Bark, and the Daily Moisturizer with Rosemary, Pomegranate, and Rice. This company uses natural products that are known to be good for the body like pomegranate and have made them key ingredients for the skin. I love natural products like Burts Bees, so I was eager to try this out. I am always on the lookout for a good skincare product!

The Pros:

• The cleanser washes off all of my makeup, including eye makeup! This is a big deal to me because I hate having to use greasy eye makeup remover and then wash my face after that. I like products that do it all!
• My skin felt very clean after using the cleanser, and my skin look brighter and rejuvenated!
• The toner made me feel extra clean and my pores looked smaller.
• The packaging was unique, streamlined, and looked pretty on my bathroom counter. I liked how the toner was actually a spray bottle! It was neat and I felt like I used less toner this way versus the normal way that toner comes in a bottle and you have to stick your cotton ball upside down on the bottle and I end up wasting a lot of it. The packaging is A+
• The products smell really good!

The Cons:

• The moisturizer is awful! It is nice that it can be used on the face and the hands, but I felt greasy every time I put it on. It felt like putting hand cream on my face! I did not like it at all!
• Do not use the moisturizer if you get acne even a little bit. I am NOT prone to acne and I have the worst breakout right now because of this product. I ended up throwing it away before I was even done with it. I am not having to use medicated acne cream to clean up this mess. DO NOT USE IT!!!!

The Verdict:
I was recommend the cleanser and toner to anyone! They are awesome products! But the moisturizer, ou vey! Don't waste your money! I used it for two weeks and it screwed up my face so bad! It is a terrible product! LM - don't worry or feel bad that I hated the moisturizer, it is just part of trying out new products! I am thoroughly enjoying all my new goodies! :)

"What's Jennifer Sewing?"

If you have noticed lately, I haven't been doing "What's In Jennifer's Closet?" The reason is because (1) I am sick to death of winter clothes and I simply can't gush about how much I love something when I am ready to box it up until next year and (2) every time I look in my closet, I feel like my fave things are the ones that a semi-new and I have actually shown on the blog before from my shopping trips. So, I have decided to quit making that an every Monday segment. I think I might do a segment from time to time, but every week was a bit difficult to maintain.

Well, this got me to thinking about something else I could do with Monday posts. I like having something fun to write about on Monday since most of my weekends consist of studying and going out to eat, which I am sure y'all don't want to read about. I have been reading some sewing blogs lately and many of them do a weekly list of goals they have for sewing. I really enjoy reading theirs and seeing how they fare each week, so that is what I am going to do on Mondays. Everyone seems to be pretty interesting in my newest hobby and I will now let y'all know what I am making every week! I hope y'all like this new segment!

Without further ado, the first ever "What's Jennifer Sewing?"

This week I have a lot going on with 2 midterms and Alice in Wonderland coming which I MUST see! I am not going to set anything too lofty this week. I would like to...

1. finish my skirt that I started this weekend. It is being made in a fabric I love! I will do a full post when it is complete!
2. Figure out what my next project to tackle will be and start work on it. I have a stack of 6 garments ready to be made with fabric picked out and everything, but I can't decide which I want to do first. It will either be another one of these skirts in a pretty greek inspired maze print, a strapless dress made out of a fun lemon and lime print (very Lilly inspired), or one of my jersey items I planned out from a past post when I ordered fabric. I just can't decide!!!!
3. Post about what items I have made and learned in the last 2 months and do a post on my pink and white seersucker bow dress! It is tres cute!!! I am leaning on making it my official Easter dress!

That's it! I think I can accomplish all of these sewing goals this week! We will see where I am next week! Have a great Monday!

Valentine's Gifts

This post is a little late, but I had to brag on my sweet family and fiancee! They always get me things that are right up my alley! I am very blessed to have such a wonderful mother, loving fiancee, and future in-laws that I love to the moon and back. Here is what I received this Valentine's Day!

From Thomas

From my Mother

From my In-laws

I felt very loved this Valentine's Day because of all the sweet Valentine's I had this year! What did y'all get for Valentine's Day?

ETA: You may have seen this post before because I posted it last week. Unfortunately, I had no idea that all the posts I have in the works saved as drafts are actually posting on the days I started working on them...so like 2 weeks prior to the actual day I post them. So, if you wonder why I haven't been posting, I actually have but they have been going back a couple weeks. At least now I know how to fix this! I am not even sure how many posts this happened with, but in the future it won't happen anymore! Have a great week!

Oh, and there will be a Monday post today as well, so be sure to look for that! I have a new idea for Monday posts! :)