Favorite Things Lately

I ordered this necklace from Ily Couture, and I love it.  I had been looking for a gold necklace that was shorter and simple to wear for the summer with bathing suits and coverups.  This will be a simple way to still wear jewelry but will be understated - perfect for both the beach and pool.

ilycouture

I have been on the hunt for more blouses to wear to work, and I found this one from Hive and Honey on Piperlime.  I finally wore it today and love how it fits.  It's also very comfy might I add.

I paired it with these shoes from Steve Madden, which I've been wearing a lot.

I'm lucky to work at a place that has casual dress attire EVERY DAY!  It's pretty amazing and is not common in the corporate world.  I'm so thankful.  It helps to have pretty much the same wardrobe for my work wear and weekend wear.  I still wear business casual on occassion to get use out of the clothes I still own, but pretty much wear jeans a lot.  Yes, be jealous! :)

I'm hoping for great weather this weekend.  We have a wedding on Saturday and family pictures on Sunday and need the weather to cooperate!  Hope it's sunny where you are.

Tara

Rodeo and What I Wore

Happy Friday! 

I'm going to keep it short and sweet for you today.

Last Sunday night we were able to see George Strait at the Houston Rodeo Finale!!!  Enough said right there if you are a country music fan, right?! 

It was such an amazing show!  We lucked out getting to go with some good friends of ours, and we were so happy they asked us to tag along. 

The crowd was amazing.  George came back out to do an encore.  He didn't disappoint that's for sure!

I wore this dress that I got from Piperlime with my boots.

Since it was St. Patty's Day, I paired it with this beautiful Stella and Dot statement necklace.

I also think this necklace would be perfect for summer with a simple white tee.  I think I'll be getting lots of wear out of it.

My husband's parents and my dad and step-mom are coming into town to be with us this weekend, and I know we'll be having a good time.  Hope all of you have a splendid weekend as well!

XO,

Tara

What I've Been Up To

Happy Friday!!  So glad it's the final countdown till the weekend begins.  I have all kinds of things I want to share with you all.

Here in Houston, it's rodeo time.  It's kind of a big deal.  However, I don't usually make it to the rodeo but once or twice at most.  If you aren't familiar, for a few weeks there is a daily rodeo with a concert directly after.  In addition, while you are there, you can shop, visit the livestock show with a petting zoo for the kiddos, go to the carnival, and the whole thing begins with a big cookoff weekend full of all kinds of BBQ.  My sister brought my niece and nephew this week, and I was able to join them.  We saw Gary Allen, and the kids were amazed at how much there was going on, which was so fun to see their reactions.  I threw this together after I got off of work to try to join in on the "cowgirl" attire.  :)

What I'm wearing:  Black HUE jeggings, denim shirt, CAbi fur vest, and Old Navy Camel boots.

I've been LOVING my Michael Kors watch, and I like pairing it with the Renegade Stella and Dot bracelet. 

Also, I recently picked this chalkboard up for the house from HomeGoods.  I thought it would be perfect for writing menus on or making lists for groceries and errands and all sorts of other fun things.  The husband asked if I was going to be teaching class.  shake my head.  They just don't get it, do they?

I thought it was the perfect place to put it in between the kitchen and the laundry room in the hallway going to the office.  See it will be easily used and functional in this space.

Also, one last thing is that I purchased this tote recently, and I was a little hesitant at first if I would like carrying it as my everyday bag, but it's working out perfectly.  I've gotten use to the size as it's a little wider, which was a concern when wearing it on the shoulders, but I don't even notice that so much now.  The color is gorgeous too!  So, if perhaps you are in the market for a tote, this is a good choice for sure! Or even if you weren't, but want one now, I understand.  You should get one.

Have a wonderful weekend.

XO,

Tara

Jewelry Organization

For the last few months I've been on a major organization kick around our house.  I'm tired of some of the clutter in our closets, garage and other places.  I'm also realizing how much stuff we have that we never use.  So my new motto is: "If we aren't using it, let's get rid of it."  I know this is obvious and should be something that is practiced without it being some big change, but well with the craziness that takes on our everyday lives with work being busy and us going out of town many weekends, it's surprising how fast junk can accumulate before we even realize it.

Mission Organization has been in place and well it's gone pretty good so far.  Slowly but surely changes are happening.  I haven't posted them, but we've cleaned out our garage so that we can actually walk in there and could even park a car if we wanted to (you know use the garage for what it's made for).  Awesome!  I hosted a garage sale with a friend and walked away with $165 in my pocket...all for old clothes and other stuff that was lying around but now someone else can actually use it.  Now, most recently, I've organized my jewelry and actually snapped some pics on my phone (meaning not the best pictures) in the process to show you.

You can make this jewelry display board in five easy steps!

STEP 1: Gather Supplies - Foam board, linen or other fabric, tape measurer, x-acto knife, pen or marker, hot glue gun and cup hooks.

Step 2: Measure the foam board to the size you want.

Step 3: Cut the foam board using the x-acto knife.  In my case I wanted two pieces, so I cut the board in half.  Gus did a fabulous job assisting me with this to make sure I didn't hurt myself!

Step 4: Wrap the fabric tightly around the board and using the hot glue gun, secure the corners and edges on the back side of the board.

Step 5: Screw in the cup hooks where you want them on your board.  I used the x-acto knife to make little slits in the fabric and board so that the fabric wouldn't bunch up where I was scewing in the hooks.

Ta-da!  You now have a beautiful and easy way to store your jewelry.  For me, this works so much better than drawers as I find myself not using what I don't easily see, and I tend to not put jewelry back in it's place if it's not easy.  This has been working great so far! 

I designated two of my shelves in my closet for my jewelry.  I just leaned the boards agains the back of the wall, and then I used a plate and some bowls from West Elm to display my earrings, bracelets and rings.

Hope you enjoyed getting a peak at my new jewelry organization!!

Have a fabulous weekend. XO,

Tara

Spring Fashion

Spring is definitely here!  I love driving and seeing everything so green and all of the wildflowers spread along the roadsides.  Now that the warm weather is here to stay, it's time to break out the colorful tanks and summer dresses.  Here are my recent purchases that I've added to my closet to brighten up my outfits for this spring and summer:

via Bauble Bar

Yes, I did! I finally purchased these Stella and Dot earrings that I've talked about a few times on here already.  Now I can quit obsessing over them. 

by Splendid

I purchased this top at Anthropologie, but found this image via Piperlime.

OH, and speaking of Spring, our backyard recently got a makeover and is ready for the warm months now as well. I'll share the before and afters with you real soon. 

Have a lovely day!

Tara

Chicken Orzo Salad Recipe + earrings!

This is what we had for dinner on Monday night and ate some leftovers tonight.  Simple and oh so delicious!

Chicken Orzo Salad with Goat Cheese

{sorry for the blurry phone pic}

We used already cooked frozen grilled chicken strips that we heated up in the microwave.  We laid this on a bed of arugula and spinach mix (from a bag), added chopped basil and orgegano,  and then we cut up vegetables including grape tomatoes, red onion and red bell pepper to add in.  We added cooked orzo pasta and crumbled goat cheese.  Then mixed up salt, pepper, red wine vinegar and olive oil to drizzle over the top. Tossed and ate!  

**This is not my own recipe.  I did see this from another website, but honestly couldn't remember which one.**

I'm linking this recipe up to 33 Shades of Green for her Tasty Tuesdays Linky Party!  Click on the button below to go check out all of the amazing recipes shared.

Also, remember these earrings I talked about here??

Well, you can enter for a chance to win them over at The Girl in the Red Shoes! Seriously, she is that amazing and is hosting a great giveaway.  And while you are there, you definitely should check out the rest of her adorable blog!

Good luck!!

Tara

GOLD on the brain

Speaking of GOLD, here is some gold jewelry that I've been loving, and you know wouldn't mind wearing... I mean if I had to! :)

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Happy Friday!!

Tara



Kendra Scott...Perfect Gifts

As I've confessed, I'm obsessed with jewelry.  But really what girl isn't?  A piece of jewelry is ALWAYS a great gift...at least in my opinion.  And I know I've said this before too, but I just love Kendra Scott.  She has an amazing collection that ranges from studs to statement pieces and in all different price points, so you could find something for everyone.  Here are my personal faves!

Maybe this will help you finish up those last few people on your list.  HAPPY SHOPPING!

Tara

***all pictures taken from kendrascott.com.  I'm in no way affiliated with Kendra Scott and am not paid for anything said in this post***

Wishing and Hoping...

In honor of my birthday coming up soon, I thought I'd allow myself  3 items that I wish for or hope one day I might be so lucky to get....not that I NEED these items, but if I were to happen to receive them one day, I would receive them graciously!  :)

Wish #1 is DIAMOND STUDS! 

Wish #2 is a DIAMOND NECKLACE!

Wish #3 is more DAVID YURMAN JEWELRY!  I LOVE my saphire cable bracelet.  I wear it every day, and I would like ummm more bracelets to stack with it maybe.  That would be nice I think.  Or maybe a ring, or necklace, or earrings, I mean I wouldn't be picky as to what type of jewelry actually.  I think this piece is lovely though.

So, now that I've revealed that I don't only have an obsession with necklaces (click here), I apparently have an obsession with jewelry!  Yes, I do.  Jewelry is definitely something I go crazy over! 

I also know that this will not be the year that I get any of these pieces for my birthday, which I'm totally okay with, but these are definitely great items for future big celebrations, say milestone anniversaries would be one idea! Just saying, in case my husband happens to be reading.  ;)  and now back to reality...

Hope you are all having a great Wednesday.  I'm definitely looking forward to the weekend already!  It can't get here fast enough.  My mom is going to be here visiting from Colorado, and I'm so excited.  She will be here over my birthday, so we'll get to celebrate together.  And that in itself is enough of a birthday present for me!!!

Tara

Necklace Obsession

I don't know why, but lately I've gone a little overboard on necklaces.  I usually go for bracelets and earrings, but recently I bought a necklace and then before I knew it I had a bought two more...I've become obsessed!! haha Somebody stop me!  Here are my new treasures:

 Stella and Dot's Vintage Stella Link Necklace - LOVE it!!  It's a piece that is classic, but still bold and fun all at the same time.  It's so versatile!  I imagine I'll get a lot of wear out of it over the years to come.

Kendra Scott's Tavi Chalcedony Necklace - I got this necklace on Gilt!  A good deal, and I adore the color. 



Sea Blue Necklace from IKE and Co. on Etsy - I saw this necklace and fell in love with it and ordered it immediately.  When I received it, I loved it even more in person! So pretty!!  Perfect for Summer!  In addition to her store, Angie also has a blog, Life with IKE.  If you want to visit her, click here.



What are your current obsessions??  Any new treasures that you would like to share with us?

Tara