Pastel Party

This is definitely the type of party I have no shame inviting myself to. I have been loving all of the pastel colors I've been seeing lately. It's perfect for me, because I've always been a little afraid of too much color. But little hints here and there with items like these? That, I can do. Here's a fun story - I bought some mint colored jeans recently. First time I washed them, the color bled somehow and now they're all splotchy in places. Sweet. Luckily, I didn't pay a lot for them, but still. Cut a girl some slack, huh? Another fun story - I bought that swimsuit up there in the corner from J.Crew about a month ago. Thought it was a great idea...until it came and I tried it on. No dice. The bottoms didn't fit. And the kicker? By that point, they were sold out of the size I needed in that color. Having really good luck with these pastels so far. Enough about that though, because I really do love these items. Can we talk about the purse? I have a sneaking suspicion that this or another Rebecca Minkoff bag could be my next splurge. This could have to do with the fact that I look at them almost daily online. Of course, if I did buy one, I'd probably end up being really practical and get a classic color like black or brown, but I don't see that as being much of a negative. I'll just spice up outfits with a few less expensive pastel accessories. Like how I'm talking like I'm going to buy it tomorrow? Fun game, right? We'll see.


Jeans / Scarf / Blazer / Swimsuit / Belt / Purse / Necklace / Shoes

Two, please.

Both pairs of sandals from Zara, here and here.


Planning on getting these beauties in the near future. Especially the top pair. Zara is kind of killing it with sandals right now. So glad there are alternatives to the 'one strap up the middle of your foot' summer sandal look this year. Don't mind me, I'll just be stocking up.

work it.

[1. J.Crew belt (similar); 2. Rag & Bone blouse; 3. Michael Kors bracelet; 4. Lord & Berry lipgloss; 5. J.Crew skirt; 6. Aldo pumps]

I'm not sure who thought it would be a fun joke to make me be a grown up. I mean, really. Work and bills alone would be bad enough, but then they throw in taxes and lack of sleep? Hilarious. Luckily, the clothes are a high point. I've had the itch to update my work wardrobe lately and figured these classics would be a good place to start. A soft, white blouse, classic pumps, and simple jewelry mixed with a pop of color skirt and printed belt - conservative, yet fresh and age appropriate. With spring around the corner, I will definitely be on the look out for items along these lines. That and trying to convince my boss that I can get so much more accomplished with my laptop up on the roof of our building. My translucent legs would really appreciate it. Fingers crossed.

what's in your make-up bag?

Yeah, so not all of this is actually in my make-up bag (I own #s 4, 9, & 10 so far). I don't even own the make-up bag?! Shoot. But hey, a girl can dream. And I dream big. These products combined would create (at least in my head) a really nice, sweet look for this time of year. Here's my spring beauty wish list:

1. Marc by Marc Jacobs Cosmetics Bag 

2. Nars Lipstick

3. Lord & Berry Lip Gloss

4. Smith's Rosebud Salve

5. Chanel Coco Perfume 

6. Sedu Curling Wand 

7. Bobbi Brown Ultra Nude Eye Palette

8. Bobbi Brown Pot Rouge (cream blush)

9. Bobbi Brown Creamy Concealer Kit

10. Essie 'A Crewed Interest' Nail Polish

What's on your beauty wish list? Here's to trying this blogging thing out again. Come back often, won't you?

and another.

Just something I could basically live in during the fall/winter. At this point, I'm not sure when I'll even be able to wear something like this, but a girl can dream. I saw these Tory Burch boots on Pinterest a couple of weeks ago and fell in love. Of course, they're way out of my price range and who knows if they'd fit like I'd want them to, but whatever - they're beautiful. I'm loving the emerald greens and rust colors I'm seeing so far for fall. Hoping I can find some fun pieces to add to my wardrobe. Or at least paint my nails accordingly. All I know is that I'm itching to buy a few fall pieces but cannot bring myself to do so when it's 113 degrees outside. But hey, we're supposed to have a cold front and rain later this week - cold front meaning 98 degrees instead of 110 or more. I'll take what I can get.

first polyvore set.

friday night dinner by chelseajordan featuring straight jeans

Decided to share the fruits of my new found obsession with Polyvore. I've heard about the site for a while around Twitter and some other blogs, but didn't ever check it out for myself. Finally, I caved and am very glad/a little worried that I did. It's slightly similar to Pinterest, in that you can collect a bunch of things from different sites in one place. But with Polyvore, you can basically build virtual outfits or just do a little dream styling. Now, this "set" contains a few items from places I've never heard of, which kind of defeats the purpose. I'm hoping as I learn more about the site, I can work towards only building sets with items from stores I actually shop at or that are at least on the same continent. But for now, it's just fun. I call this my 'Friday Night Dinner' outfit. If you know me and a little about my personal style, you know I stick to a pretty muted color palette and classic staples. This set stays pretty true to that with a few fun elements thrown in. Who knows, maybe this site will help me branch out and be able to try new things.

1. Reiss blazer - $370 
2. H&M scarf - $2.99 (euro) hm.com
3. Agent Ninetynine long tank top - $30 generalpants.com
4. Nordstrom necklace $68 nordstrom.com
5. Essie nail polish 'Sew Psyched' - $8 ulta.com
6. Dolce Vita pumps - $170 heels.com
7. J Brand jeans - $274 coggles.com
8. Tory Burch magnetic clutch - $142 (euro, again) theoutnet.com

As you can see, since some items are listed in Euros on websites I've never heard of, I have a lot to work on. But as an overall set - I like it. 

three things.

Continuing with the trend of the number three, I've decided to try to list three things once a week that I either have, don't have but want, like, love, think is crazy, funny, or whatever else might pop into my head. The items will range from apartment finds to new recipes to clothes and accessories. So check back weekly to see a new list of three things I'm excited about at the moment.

[Empty frames to be used in a collage.]

[New fun sandal flats.]

[New alarm clock.]

sparkle nails.

[Essie - 'French Affair' and OPI - 'Bring on the Bling'.]

I decided I needed some pep in my step after this week. I feel like I’ve been going non-stop all week, so when I got home from work yesterday, I sat myself down and painted my nails. I’ve been seeing all over, this new thing with painting one nail a different color than the rest – specifically one nail in sparkles. I have all of these fun OPI sparkle colors that my friend, Tricia, gave me for my birthday last year. Ahh, that reminds me of what fun my birthday was last year. Tricia’s other present was that she flew out from Orange County for the weekend – something I didn’t know she had planned until she showed up outside my dressing room in Madewell. I’ll have to post the video later. Complete shock. Needless to say, I wasn’t expecting another present after that, but in true Tricia form, she had a lovely box with an incredible homemade bow waiting for me as well. We had talked about these OPI sparkle colors a few days before and I was so excited to see she had found them. As I’ve mentioned before, I try to dress on the conservative side for work, so I haven’t used these fun colors very often. But I figured this might be the perfect opportunity. Just enough of a hint to be fun, but not so overpowering that it ends up being the only thing my boss looks at. That and I decided to do it on a Friday, so a large part of the time it’ll be on will be during the weekend. I know, I’m way over-thinking this. Welcome to my life.

I think it’s a pretty fun alternative to a normal manicure – especially during the summer. As I mentioned here, why not take advantage of some fun summer colors? What do you think? Would you do it?

Oh, and I also got to see my favorite girl last night. We had a really fun dinner at Maggianos with my sister and brother-in-law. And now have leftovers for days. Yum. Hope everyone has a great weekend.

essie nail polish

I have a slight obsession with Essie nail polish. I don't mean to cheat on OPI, but the Essie people have done a really good job of branding their product in a way that makes me think it's more my style. No matter the color. Even the bottles themselves seem to have a more youthful, fun look. Now that summer has officially started, [even though the thermometers here in Texas have been telling us it's been summer for a while now] why not paint your nails fun colors? I worry slightly about using colors too far out of the normal spectrum since I work in a pretty conservative environment, but there are ways to still have fun with it. So, tonight - 'In Stitches'. Next week - 'French Affair'? 

[My collection of Essie colors so far. 'In Stitches' closest to camera.]

One of the blogs I follow and look up to, Cupcakes and Cashmere (might have had some influence on my title choice...), had a post this week that also involved Essie. 'Mint Candy Apple' was her color choice. Sadly, not one I'd probably try during a work week, but still fun nonetheless. And the glitter detail on the one finger is something I've recently decided I need in my life.

 ['Mint Candy Apple' chosen by Cupcakes and Cashmere.]

stripe-a-holics anonymous

I mentioned here that I have a slight addiction to stripes. Just thought I'd show you exactly what I meant by that. As you can see, I have a thing for horizontal (& a few vertical) stripes.

 [Pretty good chunk of my closet.]

 [I also have a problem with grey & black.]

[Notice my duvet cover as well.]

The first step is admitting you have a problem, right? 

Oh, and trying to take these pictures is making me realize I need a new camera. Pronto. Something like this, perhaps. Just in case anyone who might be interested [Mom] is reading this...