Pinterest Party on CBS

I feel the need to spread the love about a girlfriend and sorority sister of mine from college who is seriously hitting the big time this Thursday morning on CBS This Morning!  

Kristi Gilbert is the writer of a hilariously honest and funny blog, called Whine and Cheez.  She lives in the suburbs of Chicago and blogs about her 'new' life as a Mom of two adorable kids.  She also writes a column called 'Goodbye Miniskirt, Hello Minivan' for the Patch.  Busy lady!  

Anyway, a few weeks ago Kristi decided to throw a 'Pinterest Party.'  Now if any of you like Pinterest as much as I do, you would have LOVED to go to her party!  At the party, Kristi made appetizers and goodies made from recipes and ideas found on Pinterest, she had crafts made found on Pinterest, she wore a dress she found on Pinterest, and even had a white elephant gift exchange with her guests - of course the gifts/crafts were required to have been found on Pinterest.  

Here's Kristi at her 1st Pinterest party, how cute is she?

Anyway, a day after she posted her 1st Pinterest party on her blog, a producer from CBS This Morning emailed her to see if she'd be interested in throwing another party to be filmed and aired on their show!  Um, YES!  How cool is that - the magic of the internet, for realz.  So over this past weekend she had Pinterest party #2, which will be aired THIS Thursday morning on CBS.  You MUST tune in, and if not, you MUST visit her blog and read about her parties.  

Here are just a few things at her party, found on Pinterest and created for the party.......

DIY potted herbs in chalkboard painted pots, easy and cute to label

Cowgirl Cookies 

Lemon Sugar Hand Scrub

Cute floral arrangement with limes anchoring the bottom

Here's Kristi's Pinterest Party #2 Board, in case you'd like to follow her.

Congratulations, Kristi!

Everyone else, aren't you inspired by where a few pins and a fun party can get you?  

Happy Pinning and Partying!  ;-)

Vault Jewels

As I was blog-hopping yesterday on Designer Bags and Dirty Diapers, I discovered its writer Natalie was guest posting on The Vault Files.  The Vault Files is a fabulous blog dedicated to the writers' love of fashion, design, and decor.  Gaby (the blogger) also has a cute Etsy shop called the Vault Jewels (took me a while, but i got there).  

Gaby's jewels are simply fabulous and also VERY well-priced; I want almost all of them. 

Here are some favorites........they are making me think spring!

Frida in Blue & Ivory, $40

Charlotte in Yellow, $30

Charlotte in Orange, $30

Susan in Tangerine, $30

Beatrice in Royal Blue, $30

Beatrice in Purple & Pink, $32

Big Announcement!

Today, I'm unveiling the launch of my new business venture, Style Spies.  I couldn't be more excited or more proud to tell you all about it!    

Style Spies is the brainchild of myself and my co-founder, Erin Lopez.  Erin and I have known each other since college, and were actually roomies here in Chicago upon graduating from the University of Missouri. She and I have always been in fashion - Erin on the modeling side of the business as an agent for Ford Models, Elite, and Arlene Wilson Talent Agency, and me on the retail side of things as a manager at Mark Shale to start and then as a buyer for Shopbop.com for many years.  

After both of us getting married and having children, we realized how tough it is to be stylish and put together like our old selves, but also be productive and mindful mommies (stay at home or working alike) like our new selves.  We saw that we were always helping our girlfriends find the right outfit for a date, answering questions as to what's in style and what's moved on, helping them weed the bad and the ugly out of their closets, even helping them find an alterations specialist!

Knowing there are many other women like ourselves and our friends out there, we launched Style Spies. Style Spies can help you out on many levels; here are some of the many services we provide.

• closet consultations - no longer say 'I have nothing to wear!'  Instead we'll help you pare down your closet, find what works, and have you feeling cute and confident as you walk out the door each day.
• event styling - need a dress for a big date or event?  we'll help you find it AND accessorize it.
• speaking events - we'd love to speak at any event about helping you 'up the ante' with your personal style, cleaning out your closets, what's 'in' and what's 'out,' etc.
• model scouting and development 
• event production - having a fashion show?  we're your go-to gals from a-z.

Although I'm just announcing Style Spies today on my blog, we've been up and running a few months now.  What's super exciting is that TODAY, we've just brought on our first independent consultant.  

Melanie Knopke, former fashion buyer and blogger extraordinaire is the newest Style Spies consultant to join the team.  Melanie lives in Kansas City, and will be our KC branch (I'm the Chicago gal, Erin is the Houston gal).  Melanie comes to us extremely knowledgeable of the fashion industry - she was a buyer for Mark Shale, and has made quite a name for herself in the Kansas City area as a blogger, on air personality, and writer for the Kansas City Star.  Though she loves a good Louis Vuitton, Melanie prides herself on finding the 'look for less,' a talent that's hard to come by!   Melanie's blog is something I can't go without mentioning as well – Scout – A Mom's Guide to Stylish Living is a great read and was also my inspiration in starting down the blogging road.

Please help me welcome Melanie to Style Spies by stopping by our Facebook page, 'liking' it, and commenting/saying hello!  You can also visit our website, www.stylespies.com, to learn more about our business and for contact information.

Happy Friday, and remember to always be stylish!

Momastery - A Must Read if you like to laugh till you cry

Who needs a new blog read?  I didn't know I did - but I did.  Glennon (the author of this fabulous blog) is spot-on, insightful, and hilarious.  I couldn't enjoy her posts any more than I do already.  I'm a fan.  You should be too.

http://momastery.com/blog/2012/01/11/whatever-honestly-2/

Here she is with her beautiful family:

And if you don't want to 'follow' the blog, you can find her on Facebook too.

Happy Reading!

Not too Shabby (hint, this is a great giveaway!)

I was just reading my friend Marla's blog (Keeping up with Stella and Rubylou), and noticed that embedded in a great post about the darling clothing line Shabby Apple, there is a giveaway!!!!

Love a great giveaway, especially when it involves a line of clothing and accessories that I would wear and purchase for myself (sans the giveaway).

Here's what you'll win:

Light as a Feather Necklace, retailing at $48

Click HERE to view the details on the giveaway....entries are accepted until the 9th, and a winner will be selected on the 12th!  Good luck!

Giveaway Time.....on Apparently Obsessed

Hey all!

Want to win a cute pair of earrings from one of my fav's, Stella and Dot???

Head on over to Apparently Obsessed to enter the giveaway!  

New Gorjana Winner! Seriously!

Ok - sadly, Tara Marie (who was one of my Gorjana bracelet winners) didn't leave any way for me to get in touch with her.  I tried to reach out through my Mascara Meets Matchbox page and gave her 24 hrs - to no avail.  

So happily for someone else - I have a new winner of my Gorjana giveaway!!!!  Fun, right?

That person is........(and again, selected by random.org)

The Huntress (Amy) from the beautiful blog - The Huntress Lives.

Congrats Amy!

Obsessed, Apparently....

My title to this post is not so clever as I want to introduce you to a new blog out there you MUST read.  Apparently Obsessed is written and edited beautifully by an old friend of mine who resides in Kansas City. 

She writes about things that she's 'apparently obsessed' with, because that's something that many of her friends say she says A LOT.  I love it. 

For example: 

 "Apparently, I am obsessed with the ballet flats I just tried on."  Cute!

Here's a quick list of reasons I love her blog:

1.  she affectionately refers to her husband as 'The Texan' and her son as 'The Bug.'  I love this, it's like you're reading about fictional characters, but 'apparently' you're not!

2.  her taste is impeccable - from organization items to fashion to food, she's a gal from whom I would definitely take advice.

3.  the way her blog is set up is just gorge (for gorgeous, people).  Take for example the picture she chose under 'Meet Me.'  

Fabulous.

You can also find Apparently Obsessed on Facebook - click HERE. 

Preoccupied..........but always shopping

Last week I inadvertently took a blogging break.  I don't know what it was specifically, I just got BUSY!  I've got Griff's 3rd birthday coming up this next weekend, and that along with my rep job (along with that whole Mommy job) has kept me running around like a nut!  I have also been calling everyone a 'nut' lately.  I find it funny that sometimes people find a saying or a word and then they use it to death...........do you?  That's what I've been doing with the word 'nut.'  Everyone who is slightly crazy is deemed a 'nut.'  It's funny when you say it out loud and with some gusto - try it!  Maybe I'll spark a trend.......

ANYWAY, I wanted to share a couple of fabulous flat finds I came across while shopping with my girlfriend Heather a couple of weekends ago.  I love love love shopping with Heather because she completely trusts my fashion opinion and as long as she likes what I pick out for her, it goes!  It's very therapeutic because it's LIKE I'm spending money, but I'm not - someone else is!  :-)  So anyway Heather told me she needed some new shoes to take her from Winter to Summer - and I of course said that A) she needs some Hunter boots and B) she needs a few pairs of 'go-to' flats.

Here are our picks from the trip:

1.  Hunter Boots.  No brainer right?  I suggest a neutral color that goes with everything so you literally CAN throw them on, on a rainy day with either leggings or skinny jeans. What could be easier, dry, and most importantly, fashionable?

2.  Stuart Weitzman's Giveable Ballet Flats.  Why are these deemed fab to me?  They are SO COMFY I could sleep in them.  I'm not really kidding here.  They have an elastic band (the black part) around the edge so there is no chafing your poor wintry skin that hasn't breathed fresh air for a few months.  And trust me, when it's flat season, the band aids and Dr. Scholl's moleskin come out for a couple of weeks while I break in my skin again.  EEEyikes.  The things I do for style.  Secondly, they are classic, timeless and simple.  Match with everything.   I could go on, but you get my point.

3.  Ivanka Trump's Diaspi Flat.  Yes, Ivanka started her own shoe line!  I don't know a whole lot about her other than that she's super smart, rich, on Celebrity Apprentice, and now preggers, but I like her style.  These flats are so perfect for every single day - think about it - throw them on with just about anything and they'll work.  Plus, they are again, ridiculously comfortable.  I am such a big comfort person on flats that I actually sold all of my Tory Burch flats on Ebay because they just weren't cutting it in the comfort department.  Not worth it, even though I do love a good TB flat on anyone else.  :-)

Did you enter to win a Shopbop gift card??? Contest ends tomorrow!!!

SHOPBOP GIFT CARD GIVEAWAY!  ENDS TOMORROW (3/16!)

Just reminding you that my giveaway for the $100 gift card to Shopbop.com is ending tomorrow at midnight!!!  So if you're interested in winning this (and really, who isn't?), click HERE to get to my original blog post about it and ENTER!

GOOD LUCK!!

Smoothie kick

I'm totally on a smoothie kick these days.

I have completely been inspired by my girlfriend Erin who has decided to eat a raw food diet for an entire year! Seriously, talk about dedication. Eating raw is SO good for you; the health benefits are numerous.

I have been doing smoothies for breakfast and lunch for a few weeks now, and trying to eat a healthy vegetable-heavy dinner as well. I've been learning a heck of a lot about how to do this via Erin's blog, Raw for a Reason. You must stop by if you are at all interested......she has some fantastic recipes on there that you would honestly be surprised by! I have surprised myself by really loving these, and so has my family.

Here is a yummy smoothie that is so good and good for you....I'll try to share more as I find more!

Kale-apple smoothie

Time: 5 min

Serves 1, so double if you are making for your kiddos too!

Ingredients:

3/4C chopped kale (thick stems removed)

1 small stalk celery (chopped)

1/2 banana

1/2 cup 100% apple juice

1/2 c ice

1 T fresh lemon juice

Blend until smooth and frothy!

And here is my husband's favorite, and my son's too....

Strawberry Flax Smoothie

Time: 5 min

Serves 1, so double if making for kids too!

Ingredients:

1 C frozen strawberries

3/4 C plain low-fat yogurt

1/2 C fresh orange juice

1 T honey

1 T flax seed meal

Blend until smooth and frothy!

Note:  this one does not qualify as 'raw' b/c of the milk......so maybe instead of milk do almond milk or coconut water??

Enjoy!

Guest posting today on Scout!

Head on over to one of my favorite blogs, Scout - A Mom's guide to stylish living.  Melanie is on vacation and asked me to step in as one of her guest bloggers this week.  If you don't already read Scout, you should - Melanie always has great fashion, make up, mommy......everything advice! 

Today's topic?  More Spring 2011 fashion - specifically my 'Lust List top 5.' 

Enjoy!

$$$ to spend on Shopbop, anyone? It's a GIVEAWAY!

Yes Yes Yes it's true! 

I have graciously been offered a $100 gift certificate at Shopbop to give to ONE lucky Mascara Meets Matchbox reader!!!! 

I'm thrilled to be able to do this, since

a) i love shopbop & I'm sure you all share my itch for spring clothing right about now!

b) I used to work there and KNOW how amazing all of the brands are that they sell.

c) I know how HAPPY this will make one lucky gal (or guy)!

Hmm......what would I put my $100 towards on Shopbop?  As usual, I have a multitude of things on my wish list.....

Vince Hooded Anorak

Lanston Boyfriend Romper

House of Harlow 1960 Hexagon Drop Earrings

Juicy Couture Lace Shift Dress

Eugenia Kim Max Panama Fedora

Interested in entering this giveaway?

Here's how:

1.  leave ONE comment on my blog telling me ONE thing you'd buy with your $100 gift certificate.

2.  make sure to leave an email address so if you WIN i can contact you!

3.  become (if you are not already) a public follower of Mascara Meets Matchbox (look on the top left hand side of the blog)

Extra Entries??

1. become a fan on my Facebook page (if you are not already) and leave ONE comment on what you'd buy with the $100 on Shopbop.

2.  BLOG about my giveaway and then leave a comment HERE letting me know, including the link to your blog post.

***Important***

-giveaway starts TODAY and runs through next Wednesday, March 16.  The winner will be chosen at random and I will notify them on St Patty's Day, March 17!

GOOD LUCK!