High Five for Friday

Hey, it's Friday! How was your week? Can you believe that tomorrow is the first day of August? I can't! This year is just flying by! Check out the five high points of my week to get a taste of how mine went:

1. On Saturday, I was in a crafting mood, so I whipped up a couple of crafts. I made this Lilly Pulitzer watercolor popsicle picture, and this cute hot air balloon one:

2. On Monday, I posted an outfit post. It was about my love for this shirt and these shoes. Click here to view the full post.

3. I am trying to make my blog better, and I thought that I should use Google Analytics. The problem is: I don't know how to work/use/set up GA. Does anybody have any tips? They would be greatly appreciated.

4. On Wednesday, I posted my Beach Day Packing Essentials. That post, and everyone's beach pictures has really made me ready for a week long beach trip that I am going to take. I'm going to go to Edisto Beach for the first time and I couldn't be more excited.

5. I am about to do my own manicure, and am looking forward to some semi-restful weekend time. Who else is?

Have a great weekend!

Linking up at Bright on a Budget, A Liz. Adventures, Meet at the Barre, The Diary of a Real Housewife

Beach Day Packing Essentials

If I was asked what my favorite place to go was, I wouldn't say the mall, or even the Smoky Mountains. I would respond excitedly: the beach! I absolutely love the beach. I go on day trips to the beach quite often, so I have a pretty good idea of what to pack. Here are my beach day packing essentials in no particular order:

Sunscreen
Above, I said no particular order, but really if these were in a particular order, sunscreen would be at the top of my list. I don't usually get very sun burnt, but I always wear sunscreen to keep from getting skin cancer. Banana Boat Sport is my favorite since it stays on in seven conditions. 

Floppy Sun Hat
A floppy sun hat makes it onto my list of essentials because it does two vital things: it keeps the sun off my face, and it is super cute and makes a bit of a fashion statement. This one from Target is adorable.

Lip Balm with SPF
As much as it is important for me to wear sunscreen, it is also super important for me to wear a lip balm that has SPF so that my lips don't burn. I raved here about my love for EOS lip balm, and the Lemon Drop scent with SPF 15 works really well.

Beach Towel
Beach towels are essential because I like something to dry off with after wading in the ocean, and I like something to lay on and get a tan. This chevron one is so cute and looks very comfy.

Swimsuit
This one is super obvious. I hardly ever go to the beach without my swimsuit on. I actually have this swimsuit top, and I love it. It comes with a detachable strap, too. I usually like wearing swim skirts or shorts instead of a plain bottom, and this one is pretty.

Cover-up
Cover-ups are essential for me because I like to wear my swimsuit to and from the beach instead of bringing or wearing a change of clothes. I have a few, and this one is so cute. I especially love the palm tree print.

Sunglasses
The beach sun is bright. I always make sure that I have a pair of sunglasses to not only shade my eyes from the sun, but also to protect my eyes. Plus they look really cute! 

Tote
I like having a nice, big tote to carry all of my beach essentials (the ones I'm not wearing, of course). I love this one that has an adorable, trendy tassel.

Books/Magazines
At the beach I like to catch up on my reading; whether that's magazines or books. I recently read this book and loved it!

That's all! 

What are some of your beach day packing essentials? Answer in the comments. I'd love to hear from you!

Linking up at Still Being Molly, Spreading His Grace, Garay Treasures

Chevron and Green

Happy Monday! I hope y'all had a great weekend! Today I have an outfit for you:

Outfit details:

Top: Kohl's (similar, similar)

Jeans: Kohl's (exact, similar)

Sandals: Kohl's (similar, similar)

Necklace: Charming Charlie (kind-of similar, similar, similar)

Photography by Allie D.

I included this top in my capsule wardrobe. It was literally my life saver. I wore it all. of. the. time. I think that the reason why I wore it so much was because this top is very easily worn fancy or casual. 

I wore it very casually some, and a little dressed up another time.

On a sort of other note, I am looking at these pictures and am sad. I am sad because a couple of weeks ago, I broke these sandals. I was just walking around, and snap! The thong part came out of the sole of the shoe. I was so angry! These had lasted so long, and I never thought they would break. They held up really well, but oh, well. The only thing is that I don't know how I'm going to replace them. They were the best sandals I ever had. I hope that next spring I will be able to find a replacement.

Hope you have a great day!

Linking up at Still Being Molly, Spreading His Grace, Garay Treasures, Live Randomly Simple, The Pleated Poppy, Tucker Up, Curly Crafty Mom

High Five for Friday

Happy Friday! How was your week? Mine was great! Check out the five high points of my week:

1. On Monday, I was able to get together with a good bit of my friends. Most of them live at least an hour away, so I don't get to see them that much. It was great to get to see them! I had a nice time! I can't wait until I can see them again.

2. On Tuesday, I co-hosted Rachel from Garay Treasures's weekly link-up, Bloggers Who Have Inspired Me. I also posted an outfit along with it. You can view the full post here.

3. On Wednesday, we got together with a few of our church family since we didn't have church. We also were getting together to meet one last time with one of our friends who is moving away. It was a great time of fellowship, but also really bittersweet.

4. On Thursday, I posted about a Summer color trend that I have been seeing everywhere: bright orange/tangerine. You can see the full post here.

5. I have plans this weekend. Plans to chill, rest, and relax. Of course, after I do the few chores and household things first. :)

Have a great weekend!

Linking up at Bright on a Budget, A. Liz Adventures, Meet at the Barre, The Diary of a Real Housewife, Spreading My Joy

Summer Trends: Bright Orange

Happy Thursday! Since I posted this, other Summer trends have really been on my mind, especially Summer colors. Some colors that are super big this season are: blues, medium pink, pale yellow, and tangerine/bright orange. Today, I am featuring bright orange:

one, two, three, four, five, six, seven, eight

This bright orange/tangerine is such a fun color for Summer! It brightens everything up, and goes with almost any color. I would wear bright orange most with grays and browns, blues, and maybe even light pink for an unexpected color combo.

My favorite pieces from this compilation are the scalloped shirt, the purse, the maxi, and the skirt. All of these are very affordable, especially the skirt which is on sale right now for only 10 bucks. 

What colors have you seen everywhere?

Linking up at Still Being Molly, Garay Treasures, Live Randomly Simple, The Pleated Poppy, Tucker Up, Curly Crafty Mom

Pop of Pink and Bloggers Who Have Inspired Me Link-Up

Happy Tuesday! Today I am co-hosting my blog friend, Rachel's, weekly link-up, Bloggers Who Have Inspired Me. But first, here is an outfit:

Outfit details:

Top: LOFT (similar, similar)

Jeans: Kohl's (exact, similar)

Cardigan: Target (very similar, similar)

Shoes: Target (similar, similar)

Photography by Allie D.

This outfit is one of my favorites because it is so comfortable, but it is still super cute and put together. It is simple, and yet, pretty.

Simple is what I want lately. I have really been drawn to simple outfits, simple colors and patterns, simple home decor, and simple make-up. I don't know what it is, but recently I have just wanted everything to be simplified, natural, organic.

Also, instead of my usual wearing lots of bright colors, I have wanted to wear all neutral with just a pop of color. Hence the pop of pink in this outfit.

What do you usually wear, more neutrals or more colors?

Now onto the link-up!

"Bloggers Who Have Inspired Me" link up: Meet your Host: Rachel of Garay Treasures blog  
 Rachel is a former full time preschool special education teacher turned full time stay-at- home mom of four children with a passion for substitute teaching and blogging at Garay Treasures on the side. Garay Treasures is a fashion and lifestyle blog with some added posts on faith and everyday treasures. Rachel loves drinking several cups of coffee a day (hot or iced), blogging, and reading and playing with her children. You can follow Rachel by bloglovin, Instagram, Twitter, Facebook or Pinterest. 

Meet your 
guest co-host Sarah of  bowsandclothes.blogspot.com blog.

Hi! I am Sarah, and I blog over at Bows and Clothes. I blog mostly about style, but with a little bit of life and beauty sprinkled in. I am a Christian. I like fashion, reading, crafting, looking pretty, and girly things like bows and ruffles. I enjoy cooking, and listening to and playing music. I believe that being yourself is vital and that everyone is special and has a purpose. I also believe that a new pair of shoes is always a confidence booster. Blogging is a way for me to give inspiration; whether that inspiration is style, beauty, or just plain ol' inspiration. I would love it if you would stop by! "A girl should be two things: classy and fabulous." - Coco Chanel

You can connect with Sarah via the following social medias:

Bloglovin' , Twitter, Pinterest

Now on to the featured five from last week and link up: I enjoyed reading how Susan (of charminglucy) spent some time in NYC with her daughter Lucy for a Rockette Intensive training session and just loved reading about the things they saw and enjoyed together. What I think I love most is the mother/daughter love these two have for each other. Susan is just crazy in love with Lucy and named her blog after her. Be sure to check out the post here. I always love getting fresh ideas on hair styles and loved my friend Beckys new hair style tutorial here. I can't wait to try it. Christie did a post on how to style statement pieces and she was even kind enough to add comments from other fashion bloggers on their takes on statement pieces. I love how Christie was inspired by other fashion bloggers to compile a post to help all of us out. Plus I just love her statement look here. The next two posts were very helpful for me as I have been looking for pattern mixing looks on pinterest several times in the week for inspiration and little did I know a few linkers included their take on pattern mixing that I just loved: Shannon Carrie I hope you enjoyed those featured, now on to the link up. Remember to follow the rules below, follow your host and co-host and enjoy being inspired. *Want to guest co-host some week on "Bloggers Who Have Inspired Me?" Guest co-hosting is a great way to gain more exposure and meet new people, while being inspired and having fun blogging and interacting with other bloggers. If you are interested in doing this just drop an e-mail at rachel.garay@me.com and please be following Garay Treasures blog in some way to be considered for this. Thanks! Now it is your turn, just follow the link up rules below: 1). Please link up recent posts and include the link up button or post this URL link back on your blog. The posts can be about fashion, DIY projects, recipes, inspiration, tips, etc. *If you link up other link ups or giveaways please be sure you share this link up on your link up post to share the blog love and I will be sure to link up to yours. Also please follow me in the below social medias and let me know how you are following and I will follow back. Thank you! 2). Please follow your host Rachel of Garay Treasures either by Bloglovin, Instagram, Facebook or Twitter or all. Comment below and let me know how you are following so I can follow back. 3). Stop by and check out the other bloggers who have linked up and be inspired. 4).Depending on how many link up I will feature 5 bloggers and their posts for my next "Bloggers Who Have Inspired Me" link-up or series. 5). Have fun! Comment below if you have any questions! Thanks for linking up!

An InLinkz Link-up

To link up it would be great if you linked my button to your post that you link up. Get button code below:

 

<div align="center">
<a href="http://www.garaytreasures.com" title="Garay Treasures" target="_blank"><img src="http://www.garaytreasures.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/04/bloggerswhohaveinspiredme.jpg" alt="Garay Treasures" style="border:none;" /></a></div>

Linking up at Still Being Molly, Garay Treasures, and Live Randomly Simple, The Pleated Poppy, Tucker Up,

Tea Party

Happy Monday! As promised, I have the pictures from a recent Tea Party that a few of my friends and I threw. The theme was pink, yellow, and butterflies. It reminded me of Spring. I didn't get to take pics of all of the food because we were so hungry, but I did get some good pictures, otherwise.

This is what I wore (minus the shoes):

Menu:
Drinks-
Iced Tea
Lemonade
Various Hot Herbal Teas
Cherry Limeade Punch

Food
Mini Salads
Cheese Scones
Mini Egg Muffins
Melon Fruit Salads
Chocolate Cupcakes
Coconut Donuts
Icing Filled and Chocolate Covered Strawberries

Sorry. but I don't have the recipes since some of my friends brought the food. You can probably check here to find most the recipes.

Overall, it was super fun, and I ate way to much delicious food. In hindsight, I wish I had taken more pictures, but at least I got a few, right?

Hope you have a great Monday!

Linking up at Still Being Molly, Garay Treasures, Live Randomly Simple

High Five for Friday

Happy Friday! How was your week? Check out the five high points of my week to get a taste of what my week was like:

1. On Monday, I posted about perfection which is something that I struggle with daily. I said that striving to make people think you are perfect is just plain stupid. Click here to read the rest of the post.

2. I think that I may be coming down with a cold. :( My throat is scratchy and I don't feel my best. Needless to say, I have been trying to rest and consuming lots of vitamin C this week. I took a power nap on Wednesday, though, and had so much more energy. I'm not much of a nap person, but if all my naps made me feel like that, I will be taking many more.

3. Tuesday, I posted the third installment in my Style Snippets series. Last month, the most votes went to How to Make Your Summer Outfits Interesting, so that is what I posted about. I offered a few tips on how to wear cute Summer outfits without adding lots of bulk. Here are a couple of outfits from the post:

You can read the full post here. Don't forget to vote at the end of that post on what topic you would like to see next!

4. I mentioned here that I was planning a tea party with a few of my close friends, and yesterday, we had the party. It was loads of fun, with tons of laughter and food. Here is what the table looked like, and what I wore (minus the shoes). I will be posting all about it soon.

5. I have been reading some books lately and I thought I would share with y'all a few of the books that I have recently read and are about to read:

I just finished Summer of Joy by Ann H Gabhart, I recently finished Love Idol by Jennifer Dukes Lee, I am reading Live Original by Sadie Robertson, I am about to re-read To Kill a Mocking Bird by Harper Lee so that I can read Go Set a Watchman which my sister just recently ordered.

Hope you have a marvelous weekend!

Linking up at Bright on a Budget, A. Liz Adventures, Meet at the Barre, Spreading My Joy, and The Diary of a Real Housewife

The Most Popular Dress

Outfit details:

Dress: Old Navy (exact, similar)

Shoes: Target (similar, similar)

Necklace: Charming Charlie (very similar)

I titled this post "The Most Popular Dress" because I have seen bloggers everywhere wearing this exact dress. Audrey, Anne, Fran, Meghan, Brynn, and probably many more. Also because when I wrote a bit about it here, multiple readers commented about how they loved the dress.

This fit and flare jersey dress is such a great addition to my wardrobe. It is a lovely basic and super comfortable. I have to stop myself from wearing it too much. Besides being comfortable and a basic, this dress is also super flattering. Fit and Flare dresses usually look good on every body shape. Plus, it can be styled millions and billions of different ways.

I also really like this necklace. I wear it a lot. As a matter of fact I just wore it on Sunday with my new dress. It's pretty, and the colors go very well with a lot of my wardrobe. The peach-y color is absolutely perfect with the light and medium greens.

Here is another way that I styled a grey jersey dress.

Hope you have a Wonderful Wednesday!

What is your favorite piece in your wardrobe?

Linking up at Fizz and Frosting, Still Being Molly, Garay Treasures, Live Randomly Simple, The Pleated Poppy, Tucker Up,

Photography by Allie D.

Style Snippets: How to Make Your Summer Outfits Interesting

Hi! Welcome to my third Style Snippets post. Style Snippets is a series that I started a couple of months ago to give style tips and ideas. I post Style Snippets posts on the second Tuesday of every month. Don't forget to vote at the end of this post on what topic you would like to see next!

I know you've struggled just as much as I have when trying to come up with cute Summer outfits that you don't swelter in. I'd had so much trouble until I realized how to make Summer outfits interesting without adding lots of layers. Here are my tips:

top, shorts

This outfit is what I am going to use to prove my points that adding different accessories, or shoes can make plain outfits interesting and fun. It's kind of like a blank canvas.

Adding colorful or patterned belts, necklaces, shoes, and/or purses adds lots of interest to boring Summer outfits. Following is four outfits in which I use patterned or colorful belts, necklaces, shoes, and/or purses to turn the plain outfit above cute and interesting.

top, shorts, sandals, belt

top, shorts, sandals, belt, necklace

top, shorts, sandals, purse, necklace

top, shorts, necklace, purse, sandals

Another way to make your Summer outfits interesting without adding tons of layers is to buy or utilize pieces that are interesting enough on their own. Here are a couple of outfits where I utilized pieces that are already interesting.

top, shorts, purse

top, shorts, necklace

The top in the first outfit and the shorts in the second outfit are both so interesting that lots of accessories are not needed in order to make the outfit interesting.

I hope these tips helped! Happy Tuesday!

Voting Time!!

What Topic Would You Like to See Next Month? Please cast your vote in the comments.

1. How/Ways to Wear a Graphic Tee

2. Ways to Add Color

3. How/Ways to Wear a Statement Necklace

4. How/Ways to Wear Colored Shoes

Linking up at Fizz and Frosting, Still Being Molly, Garay Treasures, Live Randomly Simple, The Pleated Poppy, Tucker Up