care package

I love the idea of care packages & getting to know my fellow bloggers so when I saw that Casey, Danielle, & Alycia were doing a blog party & gift exchange, I jumped to participate!  

I was paired up with Mary from Lily White Blog...this girl is a sweetie! She's newly engaged to Jed & has got some great crafty & creative wedding ideas! You should definitely pop over & say hi! She also has an etsy shop with some very cute prints! 

Over the past couple of weeks I've been getting to know Mary & we actually have a lot in common: crafting, cooking, sewing, love for coffee & teas, and pretty much anything that creates that warm & cozy feeling. Mmmm now I'm seriously craving a hot cup of the tea she sent me :)

Here's the care package she sent me!

This tea is delicious & perfect for winter! The yarn is a beautiful warm pumpkin color...will definitely be knitting something out of this! How fun are the socks? And they're so soft! Being a nurse, the hand sanitizer & nail files were so smart! I have to wash my hands a lot & consequentially my nails take a beating.

The fabric is adorable & I can't wait to use them in projects! How cute are these lil cards & notepads too? One of my resolutions was to be more organized and I'm using these to leave little memos all over my house!

Thank you so much Mary! You were a great partner for the gift exchange! Getting your care package lifted my day! I hope mine did the same! It was wonderful getting to know you...keep in touch!

much love,

Kristina

for the love of creativity: j. crew amina belt

Hello all! I'd like to introduce a new weekly series here on the blog: "For the Love of Creativity"! It'll be a DIY, tip, & tutorial series! Every week here you'll find ideas on how to transform clothing pieces into something a lil more special and unique, "look-a-likes" for less, home decor projects, diy jewelry, recipes, make-up tutorials or whatever else happens along.

I have been creating, crafting, & transforming since I was a kiddo. One of my favorite things to do is make something out of nothing or, better yet, up-cycle an item to make it again beautiful and useful! I also get a rush out of creating "look-a-likes" for less! 

This series will be link party style so feel free to like up any DIY project, tip, or tutorial below! Or you can always check in to gather up some inspiration! This series is for you guys so have fun with it!

I was walking through J. Crew last week (checking out the sales) and came across the Amina belt, a wrapped color blocked belt. I thought "oh, how cute! What a fun use of color! How much?" flipped over the price tag...$52. Ok, for a J.Crew belt is this ridiculous? No. But I didn't want to spend $52 on a belt that I knew I could easily recreate. So to get this series started, I bring to you the DIY Amina belt: 

You'll need:

• a skinny belt ($2.50 at Forever 21) 
• the one I used had little studs that easily popped off for a smooth surface.
• 5 colors of embroidery floss: I used 2 metallic, 2 basic, and 1 gloss ($3.50)
• Fray block ($2.50) or Elmer's Glue
• Scissors

Measure 5" from where the buckle attaches to the belt. Wrap your first color floss around the belt and tie with a knot. Tuck your tail so it'll lay on the backside of your belt and be wrapped by the floss. Use fray block to adhere the tail down the belt. Keep floss tight & begin wrapping.

Wrap with that color until it is the width you desire. To switch to a new color, tie the new color to the old color with a knot. Dab the knot with fray block & adhere your tail to the belt.

Continue wrapping your floss tightly, while covering your tail with the wrapped floss. Be "aesthetically spontaneous" with your next color & width. 

Once you reach the first hole, tie a knot on the backside to finish. Secure & adhere knot with fray block. All done! Here's your finished DIY Amina Belt!

Start to finish, this project took me about an hour. Here's the finished belt so you can see the random sizes of color blocks I used.

Well, what do you think? Pretty close huh? And $43.50 cheaper :)

Now it's your turn! Have a DIY, tip, tutorial, or recipe you want to show off? Link it up below!

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green jeans

blazer: AE (similar), stripe tee, green jeggings, watch, bracelet: Express (similar), wedges: Bakers (similar)

It may or may not come as no surprise to you that for the last few weeks I've been obsessed with green. I'm craving spring colors already. We'll I've finally jumped on board with the colored denim trend...so what other color would I gone for? Ok technically I got these bogo 50% off so I picked up peach too. I suppose that's the other color I would have gone for then. Technicalities...they always muddle up a plot line.

guest post: Meggy from Chasing Davies

I'm so excited to introduce you all to Meggy from Chasing Davies! We're swapping blogs for the day so be sure to pop over to Chasing Davies to say hi! This girl is amazing...stylish, creative, and a new mama! She can do it all! So without further ado...Take it away Meggy!


Hello Simply Bold readers! I'm Meggy from Chasing Davies and today Kristina and I are swapping blogs for Friday Fancies.  I love to meet new people and find new blogs, so I'm happy to be here today!

{Jacket - Gap; Chambray Shirt - J.Crew Outlet; Skirt - Old Navy; Boots - Chinese Laundry} 

I love fashion, trying to dress somewhat creatively, J.Crew and most recently & importantly, my new role as a mama.  My blog reflects these things, as well as my adventures in home design, however, I'm guessing with all this new baby stuff taking over, most home projects will be on hold for awhile.

Life as a mom is presents a whole new level of creativity when getting dressed... I need something that can withstand spit up, baby drool and pee (I have a boy baby...) and can easily access my baby's source of nutrients... But I'm willing to take on the challenge (thus a washable button up is key)!

My new accessory, Liam. ;)

I hope you'll all stop by Chasing Davies and say hi to Kristina over there today.  It was nice to "meet" you all!

Thanks Kristina for being my swap partner.

xox,
Meggy

jackpot giveaway! {Closed}

Ok guys, this is going to be a fun one! I wanted to have this giveaway be as interactive as possible. 
So here's the deal...

For every 20 new followers, I'm going to add another item to the giveaway lot! In the line up are items from J. Crew, Anthropologie, Kate Spade, Sephora, LOFT, and many more! This is a giveaway you'll want to share so we can reach the most items! I'll post the new additions here each time we reach a new prize so you can see what all the jackpot is up to! So check back often! Also, so you can keep tally, we're starting the giveaway with 121 followers. At 141, I'll add something from the lineup, and so on!

The winner will get the entire lot! It's going to be a sweet Valentine's day for one lucky Simply Bold reader! Please note this is not a sponsored giveaway. This is simply my way of saying thank you to all of my readers for your wonderful support and encouragement!

So to kick it off, here's the first item in the giveaway:

J. Crew Turquoise Faceted Bubble Necklace

Added on 1/27 at 141 followers (In less than one day?! Wow!):

Anthropologie Royal Apothic Hand Creme

Coming from a nurse, trust me, this stuff is amazing!

Added on 1/30/12 at 161 followers:

Kate Spade Stud Earrings

Added on 2/1/12 at 181 followers:

Anthropologie locket charm bracelet

Added 2/3/12 at 201 followers:

Anthropologie Barr-Co Soap 
This is my favorite new product! 
Natural, moisturizing, exfoliating and smells like perfection!



Added on 2/3/12 at 221 followers:

MAC lipstick

Your choice of color! I have angel & love it!

P.S. This might be the last item...we'll see!

How to enter:

Be a follower with Google Friend Connect! Click "join this site" button to the left & leave a comment below!

(mandatory entry)

Extra entries:

 Make each entry in separate comments to count!

-Add Simply Bold to your blogroll or link to it in a post-add link in comment below {5 entries}

-Facebook about this giveaway and include the link in your comment! {1 entry}

- tweet about this giveaway and include link in your comment! {1 entry}

Giveaway is open to all Simply Bold readers! Giveaway closes on Sunday, February 12 at midnight!

Winner will be announced on February 14 (Valentine's Day!).

thursday latelies

It's Thursday again! How's your week going?

1) Joico Color Endurance Shampoo & Conditioner. LOVE this stuff!

2) DIY/Tutorial Weekly Series launches this coming up Tuesday! Link party style! Make sure to link up your posts! This series is for you so I want your input on the title of the series. Write your preferred title in the "comments" to vote!

DIY Weekly Series title potentials:

     a) All the Pretty Things

     b) For the Love of Creativity

3) Giveaway starts tomorrow! I want it to be interactive so for every 20 new followers I'll add something to the giveaway total! Make sure to check back in tomorrow to enter!

work it wednesday: polka dots

I am loving polka dots! They're playful and can easily be retro or modern just depending on how you pair them, which makes them uber versatile. Classic polka dots in neutrals are perfect for pairing with the bright colors of spring heading our way. Here are a few looks I'd love to be wearing this spring!


So sweet and perfect for the office:

Longsleeve Tops by Equipment
Wedges by Michael Antonio

cardigan, polka dot shirt, stripe skirt, belt, wedges, earrings


Great fun weekend look:

Tees by J.Crew
Flats by Steve Madden

polka dot tee, pants, necklace, clutch, shoes


Playful look for girls day or brunch:

Shorts by Marc by Marc Jacobs
Platforms by Zigi

necklace, chambray shirt, polka dot shorts, belt, wedges

pop of pink!

Over a month or so ago, I came across these pics, but didn't save them because it was prior to my love affair with pinterest. I love the elegance and playfulness of the mix between the neutral camel and the pop of bright pink! So I tracked the pics down (& pinned them) for you!

Source: google.com via Kristina on Pinterest

Source: harpersbazaar.com via Kristina on Pinterest

With the chilly temps finally rolling in, it's also been making me want a hot pink beanie/ski cap too! Guess what I found last night? Yup, I snatched up a pink beanie for $1.40 at wal-mart. It's a little more magenta than I wanted but seriously, for a little over a buck it's perfect! Target also has one in stores for only slightly more money but it's more of a soft pink and I was looking for a jolt in color. Here are some pink cap options online: 1, 2, 3

This little beaut would be an easy, one-step, approach for the pink & camel combo and you could easily pair it with another pattern for even more interest!

What are your thoughts? Are you feeling the pop of color that's popping up everywhere?

work it wednesday: striped blazer

I adore striped blazers! I see one and automatically have a reaction...I'll save you details but it involves drooling and an inert desire to grab it and run. Here are some of the looks I'm loving:

1, 2, 3, 4, 5

Blazers are one of my closet staples and I have been wanting to get more unique ones, like this one I got a couple months ago. For a twist on a traditional blazer what's better than a bold stripe? You have to check out this one...trust me, you'll be searching to find one for a better price! It's definitely on my next shopping list!


In addition to the outfits above, here's 3 ways I'd work the striped blazer style:


Perfect spring weekend: love mixing in the citrus twist...bring on the lemonade!

Shorts by J.Crew
Flats by Kimchi & Blue

similar blazer, shirt, shorts, flats, earring



Date night: just a pop of color with a LBD!

Day Dresses by Asos
Platforms by Nine West

similar blazer, dress, necklace, wedges



At the office: nothing like mixed prints (stripes are the easiest to mix with)

Skinny Denim by Dr. Denim
Boots by Jessica Simpson

similar blazer, leopard shirt, skinny jeans, earrings, boots