34. The Motivation or The Inspiration

Greetings readers!

I thought I was going to be able to announce some good news, but alas, it has yet to come once again. My patience these days is thinner than a single piece of thread. The thread isn't even really a thread anymore, it's merely a frayed loose end, awaiting to fall off.

No outfits, nor recipes, nor workouts today. Today, I needed a pick me up and all of these quotes I gathered from the Internets seem to do the trick:

If you're ever having a bad day, I hope one of these will help brighten it.

33. The Weekend Recap: The Leopard and The Stacked Sweater

Greetings readers!

Hope you all had a great weekend! Once again, lovely New England was pounded with another snow storm, no where near Nemo status, but snow nonetheless. Spring... where are you??!! I'm so over the snow it's not even funny! Sometimes with this dreadful season, it's hard to find motivation/ inspiration to dress in things other than sweatpants, hoodies, and all things comfy. Thanks to the lovely Internets and bloggers in warmer climates, inspiration comes easier:

The Inspiration.

One of my absolute favorite blogs is "J's Everyday Fashion." She is pure genius! J, like myself, shops in regular stores like Forever 21, H&M, the Gap, J Crew, Old Navy, and the like. She works off of a $200/ month budget. To find out all of her budgeting tips, go here.

J's outfit here was found via "Nasty Gal" and believe it or not, J is actually wearing a leopard dress, not a top. I am loving the color combo: the black and the royal blue. Also, how awesome are her bag and shoes? The shoes are on my wish list!

Black cardigan, leopard shirt with belt, royal blue jeans, and alternating accessories. I ended up wearing the black shoes (featured on the right) with my black bag (featured on the left), but adding a yellow hue into the mix is definitely something I'm looking forward to. Royal blue, black, and mustard yellow may end up being my favorite color combination. 

With all of the snow yesterday and a few errands to run, it was casual day for me:

Cream sweater, brown shirt, black layering tank, jeans, the brown/black boots, and gold accessories. I think my favorite about Sunday's attire has to be the idea of stacking brown on black with the clothing and the boots; the stacking is almost in reverse- perfect! And I can honestly say, I cannot get enough of the gold watch: I'm addicted!

Cross your fingers, all! Today may be the day! :)

Items:

Black cardigan: Old Navy, super old (similar)

Leopard-belted shirt: White House, Black Market, Spring 2012 (similar)

Royal blue jeans: $25 Marshall's, Spring 2012

Black wedged heels: TJ Maxx, old (similar)

Black bag: $12 Buffalo Exchange

Yellow shoes: TJ Maxx, super old (similar)

Mustard yellow bag: originally $250, but was on sale for $110 at Bloomingdale's Outlet

Cream sweater:

Brown shirt: Christmas gift 2011

Black tank: borrowed from Mom

Jeans: $30 American Eagle (same)

Black/brown boots: $101 Macy's (same)

Bracelet: Christmas gift 2012

Gold watch: $24 The Limited (Sale) **Cheaper in the store!!**

Earrings: Christmas gift 2012 (Green Envy)

Would you ever wear leopard, royal blue, and black? How would you have changed the outfit?

32. The Hunter Green and The Katniss Everdeen

Greetings readers!

(Totally did not intend on rhyming in my blog post title today- haha!)

Thursday and yesterday were very low-key days. I was kind of in a funk yesterday. This waiting to find out about the job offer is slowly, killing me. Please pray that Monday I will hear!

While browsing Pinterest on Wednesday, I came across a cool look and decided recreating was meant to be:

The Inspiration.

*Fun Fact: I was going to post this yesterday, but lost the inspiration photo. Utter fail. Apparently, I didn't repin it, so I spent yesterday and a good chunk of today looking for it! Ahh, alas!!*

I love the idea of all of these neutral, forest-like colors. The hunter green, the tan sweater, the black boots, the gold jewelry, and the black jeans: to die for! The top is only $15 and the tan sweater is $29. I would totally splurge on them, if they weren't already sold out. Boohoo!

The Pinspirable.

I wasn't heading anywhere, so for me my comfy slippers/slip-on soles were my boot replacement. I felt very Katniss Everdeen from The Hunger Games:

The Pinspirable.

Maybe it's because, I too, did my hair in a braid that day? It felt very messy like I had ran through the brush/forest, just like Katniss does in both the books and the movies. My hair isn't long enough to achieve the actual "Katniss Everdeen" hair style:

The Inspiration.

Wait till you see today's attire! Woohoo!

Items:
Black jeans - $80 Kenneth Cole
Tan sweater with belt - $25 Marshall's
Green tank - $8 Old Navy
Slippers - $15 Target

31. The Wednesday Bauble

Greetings readers!

As promised in my last post, you're in for a treat regarding Wednesday's adventures.

I was meeting up with my friend BeP (I love creative nicknames I provide via my blog haha) to go shopping, enjoy dinner at PF Changs, and then go to a Match.com event. Clearly, she needed a killer wing-woman. ;)

On a previous post, I mentioned how much Bauble Necklaces thrill and excite me! I was itching to wear mine and figured, why not wear it on a fun night out?!

The polka dot shirt was a lovely splurge. I've become slightly obsessed with this chiffon-like material. It's edgy with the see-through qualities, but makes dressing up so exciting! You could easily switch out a black tank top, for a red, a blue, or even a white! Options galore!

Besides the Bauble Necklaces trend, how about the killer Rose Gold Watches?! They're amazing! And this one was a steal, so I splurged again!

It was all perfect for a fun night out.

What trends are you really into lately?

Items:
Polka dot shirt - $37 Francesca's Collection (similar) **In Stores Only**
Black skinny jeans - $80 Kenneth Cole
Black wedged heels - TJ Maxx, old
Bauble necklace - $6.99 The Limited (Sale!) **Cheaper in the store!!**
Matching bauble-like earrings - $4.99 The Limited (Sale!) **Cheaper in the store!!**
Rose gold watch - $24 The Limited (Sale!) **Cheaper in the store!!**

30. The LizTheresa

Greetings readers!

As you all know, I'm freelancing for my good friend, Liz Theresa! I met Liz in graduate school and had to admit that I was so jealous of her! She exudes the upmost confidence, has a killer fashion sense, exceptionally wise beyond her years, and loves helping people. If you ever have a problem, Liz is your girl. She started her own Internet Marketing Strategy business in January 2011. Liz' knowledge of the Internets and all of its glory is astounding.

In fact, Liz is hosting a *FREE* telecall this Thursday at 8:00pm EST about how to increase your Google rank.

Read More...

For any Entrepreneur, Coach, the like, etc., make sure you check it out. Nothing like a free telecall to boost your web rank, right?! Amazing!! 

To find out more about Liz' business click here, and to read more regarding the telecall click here.



Also, loads of exciting things coming tomorrow, so make sure you check back!

Disclaimer: Please note that all opinions and editorials are my own.

29. The Photo Recap: The Personal Shopper, The Valentine's Day, etc.

Greetings readers!

Life has been a bit hectic lately, to say the very least, so I've decided to capture my life in photos for you all:

Wednesday's Pinspirable Workout.

(Left to right/top to bottom: Michael Kors shoes for my interview on Thursday; Valentine's Dinner Date outfit for an evening with my parents- *I'm loving the black tight and black heels combo!!;  Shopping spree on both Friday and Saturday- I'm apparently now the "Go To Girl" for Helping Expand Wardrobes amongst my family and friends; My sweet new Sperry's!!; Modeling my new outfit; Kicking around today in a tank and comfy fold-over sweatshirt.)

Lots of fun things the past few days:

• A killer job interview on Valentine's Day in the heart of Boston! I'll find out this week if I get it or not. :)
• Had the best Valentine's Day. Who knew you could have so much fun when you're single? All of my friends and family texted me and wished me good luck on my interview and future endeavors. It just felt great to know how loved I am. And I love all of them even more!
• Friday, I went out shopping with my one of my best-friends to try and find a dress she could wear to a wedding on Saturday. I'm her "Go To Girl" for advice.
• On Saturday, I went out shopping with my cousin, for I too, am her "Go To Girl" for shopping advice. 
• I think after all of these "Go To Girl" shopping dates, I should just be someone's Personal Shopper like in the movie, "In Her Shoes."

In Her Shoes, (2005).

• Tried out Boloco for the first time on Saturday with my cousin and now I'm addicted. Delicious! It's like Chipotle, but healthier and unfortunately only located in New Hampshire, Vermont, Massachusetts, Maryland, and DC. Hopefully, they'll expand so everyone can experience the amazingness!
• Played pool with two of my friends and I got confirmation that Little Miss Sandy has found a home! My friends will get her in a few weeks!!

Little Miss Sandy! She gained 2lbs in 1 week: a total of 3lbs! :)

All in all, it's been a marvelous past few days, filled with friends, renewing friendships, splurging in some stores, experiencing new restaurants, and gaining new memories.

I know I shouldn't have splurged the way I did this weekend, but sometimes you just need to treat yourself! Apart from buying Christmas presents back in the beginning of December, I haven't spent more than $50 on clothes/accessories/etc. Besides, when I was shopping, I kept my "What I Want To Buy When I Have A Job" list in the forefront of my brain. Doing this helped me stay on point. 

These pictures have helped create my list. Trends, in a nut shell:

I've wanted a pair of Sperry's for awhile now.
I actually found the same sparkly silver pair on Wanelo awhile back.
The Sperry's are normally $90-100, but I got them for $40!

I'm obsessed with Bauble Necklaces and have been craving one for a long while now!
Bauble Necklaces can range from $19- $47. 
I scored 2 Bauble Necklaces for $6.99 each at The Limited.
I also got the matching earrings too for $4.99**
**The earrings are priced higher online for some reason, but you can find them here.

Who hasn't seen Polka Dots Galore all winter long?! 
I scored a Black and White Polka Dot Chiffon like shirt (similar to the 3rd).**
**The shirt was featured above in my collage of recaps. 
I got the shirt at Kohl's and spent $30.80. The shirt is normally $45.
You can find the shirt here.
I just LOVE Lauren Conrad's line at Kohl's!

Hope you all enjoyed my belated shopping post, and hopefully, I'll have an update soon about the job! Cross your fingers all! :)

28. The Brownie Oreo Invasion

Greetings readers!

Hope the remainder of your Tuesday was just as wonderful as the first half!

One of my New Years Resolutions, was to learn how to cook. I'm not completely clueless in the kitchen, but when it comes to baking... watch out! As one of my friends politely put it, "Grab a fire extinguisher!!!!"

Tonight I was going to a former co-workers house and meeting up with a bunch of co-workers to eat, vent, catch up, and just enjoy some good ol' fashioned girl time. Everyone volunteered to bring things and I was just at a loss. What's your go to party food? So, I texted one of the girls and she said, "Bring a dessert!" My stomach was immediately in my throat. Me... bake!?!? So I decided to go through my Pinterest board of recipes and dig something out. (Kind of an oxymoron to pin recipes if you can't cook, but then again I have a wedding board and no boyfriend. Oy vey!) Low and behold, I discovered Oreo and Peanut Butter Brownie Cakes. Can we say, "Yum?"

The Inspiration.

Absolutely amazing, right?! And what's even better is that they're as easy as pie to make!

How To Make The Oreo and Peanut Butter Brownie Cakes:

1. Buy brownie mix. Mix according to the box's instructions.

2. Fill a muffin tin with cupcake liners.

3. Place an oreo in each liner.

4. Smear peanut butter on the oreo. (The recipe called for 2 tsp, but that was a bit much.)

5. Place another oreo on top. 

6. Smear the top of the second oreo with peanut butter.

7. Take 2 Tbsp. of brownie mix and pour it over the peanut butter oreos and in the cupcake holder. The brownie mix will fill in the holes.

*Note: The bottom of the brownie will be the oreo, for the mix does not seep it's way underneath the oreo. 

8. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

9. Bake brownies for 18-20 minutes. (I did 20 to stay on the safer side, even though apparently my oven bakes fast.)

10. Remove the dessert from their respective tins.

11. Mangia, mangia, mangia. Eat, eat, eat. :)

Here are my final products:

The Pinspirable. (Left: My brownie cakes; Right: Me with my half-eaten one.)

I had one teeny one and it was delicious. It was the perfect blend of crunch and sweetness. Let me know if you try it!

27. The 1,000's And The Surprise!

Greetings readers!

Hope you all finished off your weekend splendidly and that your week is off to a great start!

Sunday ended up being a rest/planning day for me, so no post for you from Sunday. In the morning, it was a Bridal Party meeting for the Bridal Shower I'm planning. The meeting went great and we have so many ideas brewing, I can't wait to share them all! The rest of the day was a "rest day" from working out/everything else.

Yesterday, I woke up with an awful sharp pain digging into my left rib. My mom is convinced it was from working out, but today I'm ok. So yesterday, I did do a work out, but only half and finished off the remainder today, on top of today's workout.

Yesterday's Workout:

The Pinspirablers Workout.

Can I just tell you how excited I am right now!? I didn't realize this was a PB Fingers exercise, for I originally found it floating around on Pinterest. If you ever have time, check out her blog, for she has some amazing workouts, fitness tips, and recipes!

Today's workout:

The Pinspirablers Workout.

Not an easy exercise by any means, but I finished it nonetheless! Please note that the original source cannot be found, but if I do find it, I will provide credit!

Now it's off to finish baking. Yes, that's right, you heard it, I'm baking. I found an amazing recipe and will post it for you later! Stay tuned!!

26. The Fight2Fitness and The Nemo

Greetings readers!

To all of my Northerners, I hope you all are surviving the storm along with me! This morning, I was cursing "that silly clownfish" under my breath and my mom gave me the most perplexed look I've ever seen. "Mom, the storm is named Nemo." And with her still puzzled expression says, "Since when do snow storms get a name?!!?" Yup, ladies and gents... this snow storm is that bad that it got the name of an orange clownfish invented by Disney!

The Pinspirable.

For all of you confused about the road banning photo, our governor issued a state of emergency and for any car on the road not containing someone who is necessary to be working ie. police, firemen, nurses, linemen, etc. will be issued a $500 fine and 1 year in jail! In conclusion, Nemo has been found! ;)

Since everyone is essentially on house arrest, I decided to do some workouts today. Before being laid off, I was a member of Fight2Fitness in Rhode Island, which is a boxing gym. After class, if I could regain any of my memory, I would write down some of the workouts, so today I give you one of those***:

The Pinspirable.

After doing this workout, it was onto Fab Ab February:

The Inspiration.

After doing Fight2Fitness: The 10-1 and Fab Ab February (day 8), I did 10 burpees and 100 crunches. And as per usual, instead of doing the "25s plank," I opted for 60 jumping jacks.

Now, it's time to preserve my laptop power, since my lights are flickering. Yikes!!

***Please let me know if any of the workout for The Fight2Fitness: The 10-1 is unclear, for I will be sure to clarify for you!! Enjoy and good luck!!!***

25. The Peanut Butter Fingers, The Houndstooth, and The Topsy Tail Remix

Greetings readers!

Even though my job interview yesterday went better than expected, today was still a hard day. I've never been a patient person and being unemployed is truly testing me. This past weekend's date, texted me this morning, and asked if I could browse for Celtics/Lakers tickets for tonight's game; after going back and forth with text messages for about an hour, he decided we should plan a night instead of a spontaneous outing. On that note, I immediately mustered up some motivation to work out. Probably not so much of a muster, since I was frustrated. With this treacherous 3 foot snow storm watch coming my way, I wanted to go out tonight before being snow bound all weekend. Choosing to stay indoors and being forced to stay indoors are two very different things in my book.

A great blog I read, Peanut Butter Fingers, posted a killer workout:

The Pinspirable.

Referring back to a previous post, any time there's a plank, I substitute the workout due to having Carpal Tunnel in both of my wrists and the planks really make it act up. For the 60 second plank, I did 180 jumping jacks (since the workout was done 3 times, I tripled 60 seconds to get 180), and also for the 20 plank jacks, I did 60 jumping jacks instead. Julie, the Peanut Butter Fingers' blogger, did 20 minutes on the elliptical beforehand; I still have yet to figure out how she did that, since after the squat jumps alone my legs were shaking. Even my knee caps were shaking - did you know your knee caps could shake from working out?!?! I certainly didn't!

After this intensive workout, it was off to shower and ready for the day:

The Inspiration.

I can honestly say, I loved today's updo, partly because the Topsy Tail (featured in pictures 1-3) is my go-to hairstyle. If you're at CVS, Walgreens, or any convenient store, look for the "Topsy Tail" in the hair section. It's a simple tool that essentially looks like a giant needle. Instead of separating your ponytail, this piece simply slips behind your ponytail base, and then you feed it through the needle part, pull it through, and the piece comes out and you have the Step 3 look! Easy as pie!

The Pinspirable.

Apart from my silly little flyaways, I really liked today's idea of taking the Topsy Tail pony and feeding it back through the main part. Super easy. I definitely recommend some bobby pins for shorter hair for the ends/"flyaways" and for right around the base of the bun/Topsy Tail to ensure it's secure.

Earlier in the day, I headed to CVS for some dryer sheets and Light Grape juice. The Light Grape juice could not be found, so off to the local market I went. I can guarantee you that I was the only one that left that grocery store empty handed today. Goodness me, it was a NIGHTMARE!!!! Most checkout lanes were 15 people deep with full, full, full, AND FULLER carts! You would've thought it was an apocalypse the way people were purchasing. Silly, Nemo (the name of our incoming snow storm).

I texted my friend and said we needed to go out for drinks before being snowbound and thankfully, she agreed!

The Pinspirable.

The Pinspirable.

For my errands, I wore my white tee, jeans, and flats. To dress it up, I added this new glorious Houndstooth jacket and heels. Transitioning from day to night is very easy when you change out accessories and jackets! :)

I was a little weary of wearing my t-shirt (it features lyrics and a rose) and my Houndstooth blazer at the same time, but I stepped out of my comfort zone to bring you today's look. *Fun Fact: I once read that, "Life begins at the end of your comfort zone" and I can honestly say I believe that wholeheartedly.* Besides, mixing prints/patterns is very in right now!

Hope you all make it through Nemo! Also, if you have a twitter, check out your feeds regarding Nemo. They're absolutely hilarious.

"A little orange clownfish is going to royally dominate New England this weekend."

I busted out laughing so hard when I saw that, for one of my favorite children's flicks is Finding Nemo. *Fun Fact: My high school sweetheart took me to see Finding Nemo on ice for our 1 year anniversary. It was absolutely amazing!!!!*

Items:
Wide-legged jeans: Passed down to me by a friend
T-shirt: $10 Forever 21, circa 2008
Blazer: $19.80 Dots, purchased this past weekend in Newport
Flowered Headband: $5.80 Forever 21, circa summer 2012
Earrings: $15.00 Kate Spade outlet, fall 2012 (talk about a sale, eh?!
Ring: Christmas gift, circa 2011
Heels: Christmas gift, 2012 (can find at TJ Maxx/Marshalls on sale for $39)
Purse: Chanel (a combination of graduating with my Masters, my 24th birthday present, realizing I deserve more in life, and my Christmas 2011 present)

Till next time,
Bells

24. The Minimalist Hair and The Snowball/Sandy

Greetings readers!

What a great Wednesday, I had! Today was filled of collaboration efforts with Liz Theresa (as a reminder, I do freelance work for her), a wonderful phone interview (I'll expand at a later date if something comes of it), going to go see puppies (!!!!!!), watching the Bruins (!!!!!), followed by watching Nashville (!!!!!). Like I said, a very exciting day!

I was supposed to go to the gym today and work on my running, but my gym buddy called and said she wanted to go look at a puppy she may purchase. Passing up a 1lb., 3 week old puppy?? I think not!

The Pinspirablers Puppy Venture (Left to right: all of the puppies playing and feeding; my friend holding Snowball/Sandy

Seriously, can they be any cuter?! The one my friend is holding is the girl she wants to adopt, currently named "Snowball," but she's going to name her "Sandy." Tonight she's supposed to discuss with her beau if they are going to adopt, so hopefully I'll have news for you all tomorrow about that!

Today, I bring you a quick and easy hairstyle, which I had done for the gym. Especially on the elliptical and/or treadmill, I need to have my hair completely out of my face or else it will get plain, old, ugly!

The Inspiration.

The Pinspirable (Left to right: The side and partial back view; the entire back view)

Very easy to do! And I have to say, I'm very proud of myself because normally my side braids start by my ear lobe, but I actually got it close to my forehead. Woohoo! Brownie points! 

Helpful Tip: My recommendation for doing this hairstyle would be to simply bobby pin your side braid(s), gather all of of your hair to make the pony, and remove the bobby pin at the same time. In order to achieve this look, I used 1 elastic and 1 bobby pin! Talk about a miracle, eh? Normally, I have 3 elastics and like 10 bobby pins. It felt very comfortable to have so little in my hair, especially for having 2 braids.

What's your go-to gym hairstyle?

Till next time,

Bells

P.S. We are supposed to get 2 feet of snow on Friday night. Does anyone have any good ideas for what to do when snowbound???

Also, my friend texted me quickly today saying she ordered 2 of the pairs of sunglasses I posted yesterday. Maybe she'll let us know? ;)

23. The 3 Braids, The Hot Yoga, and The Trendy Glasses

Greetings readers!

Hope you all had a great Tuesday! Today, I experienced Hot Yoga/Bikram for the first time. My, oh my! Last March, my friends and I bought a Groupon deal for 10 sessions of Hot Yoga for $20, originally a $130 value. Not a bad deal! It was definitely a unique venture. Normally, I'm not a huge fan of yoga because it's too slow for me, but this was challenging and slightly faster-paced. And, believe it or not, I'm actually sore tonight from the 90 minute class in a room that was 120 degrees. Apart from it being the most fowl smelling thing I've ever undergone, it wasn't half bad.

For Hot Yoga class, I wanted a hairstyle away from my face, so I bring today's Pinspirable:

The Inspiration.

I have to admit, Step 4 was very confusing because it made it seem like you had to braid your middle section into 3 unique braids. I definitely didn't do that:

The Pinspirable (frontal view).

The Pinspirable (back view).

It's very Heidi-esque, which is a look I always envied as a child. Nothing like a Tuesday trip down Memory Lane, eh?

Last night, my friend whom I visited with in Newport all weekend asked me to do some digging for her. She wants a pair of non-prescription glasses. 

So, here are some options for cheap non-prescription glasses to participate in the new trend:

The Pinspirable (Forever 21: $5.80)

The Pinspirable (Target: $14.99)
I am LOVING this mint pair!

The Pinspirable (Target: $14.99)
Black meets tortoise?! Yes, please!

The Pinspirable  (Target: $12.99)

The Pinspirable (Target: $12.99)

The Pinspirable (Target: $12.99)

Which is your favorite pair? I'd say my favorite pair is the mint and tortoise combination!

Till next time,
Bells

P.S. If you're looking for other non-prescription glasses options, check out Claire's. There are a plethora of options at Claire's Accessories. Enjoy!