If You Like Starbucks & Makeup....

then today is your lucky day!

But not yet, though.

You're stuck with me for a little bit while I share my friday letters.

Link up with Ashley and share yours!

Let's get at it, shall we?

Dear California, I get to explore you next week. NEXT WEEK. I'm going to say HOLLA for that and I don't even care how lame I sound. Dear new studded loafers {from urbanog}, you are my favorite pair of shoes right now. You are so comfortable and fun! I know that you love them, too. ;) Dear lonesome tomato from our tomato plant, you are the only thing I grew this year. Besides some basil and a little bit of cilantro. I haven't gotten a hang of this 'green thumb' thing yet. Dear Rocky, when you were getting a bath last night you literally stood there like a statue. Then, you ran around the house like crazy sliding on your sides to try and dry off quick. It's hilarious. Dear cookies in our lunch room, I found it to be just cruel to see you sitting there but with a sign on you that said, "do not eat". Luckily, my coworker let me sneak one. You were eyeing me down! Dear Mickey D's iced coffee, thank you for my morning fix. Dear Ohio State football, the ESPN special (training days) that has been on this week has me SO pumped up. One more week until you are here! Dear Zara bib necklace, I cannot wait until you arrive in the mail. I'm a little bit obsessed with you. Dear husband, I'm excited to spend the weekend with you just laying low and getting our favorite breakfast tomorrow. It is so nice to have you home and thank you for waiting until after you got home to tell me about the creepy man who has been sneaking in girls houses and watching them sleep. However, I'm still extremely freaked out by this. Dear readers, if you like Starbucks, Too Faced Makeup, scarves, and other amazeball things - you should read below and go say hello to the cutie below on her blog. 

No, not me {Go Bucks!}...

keep reading!

Hey guys! I love Katie's blog and she is hilarious!

My name is Arielle,

And I blog over @ Gracefully Southern .

I'm a twenty something Florida girl trying to find her place as a smart part of this big world! I have a penchant for Gator football (less then 2 weeks before game day!), the South, traveling, big hair, lipgloss and diet coke. From my love of any and everything girly to the fun adventures I will always remember, I hope my blog will serve as a revolving reminder of this crazy but beautiful life! And in all I do I hope to remain, Gracefully Southern.

I am about to start my senior year at the University of Florida. Go Gators! 

Here is a little snap shot into my life!

I LOVE my dog, Moose.

Twin sister, Kendra and me

I love spending time with friends, DIY/crafty projects (Pinterest is auh-mazing!), and entertaining. I thought it would be fun to put together a few of my favorite things for a giveaway!

 My Favorite Things Giveaway:

1. $10 Starbucks gift card

2. Too Faced lip gloss in barely legal. One of my favs!

3. This month's Southern Living magazine- love the before & after home!

4. A pink Camelbak water bottle. Best water bottle ever! And I love pink. Ha!

4. A scarf from Franchesca's 

The Coast Call scarf. I so need this! :)

5. Reese's ---> my favorite candy 

Now for the giveaway details... it's easy, just leave a comment here or on this post (Arielle's giveaway post) letting me know your a follower of Gracefully Southern! For an extra entry leave a comment of one of your favorite things! 

Have an wild and wonderful weekend, loves.

Catch ya on the flipside!

Don't Act All Surprised.

Now that I've had my morning tea and am now able to function....

(without staring you down) 
it's time to say Good Morning everyone and happy Friday
from us, William and Kate.

What?

You don't think we are royalty?

Shame on you.

Guess what I found this week?

The coolest sweatshirt (from F21) to ever exist.

It says Sunday Funday on it with an ice cream cone and it's mint.

{mint/black scarf is now available at StyleLoveLiving!}

I also found these leopard print loafers from Target for $20 buckaroos

if anyone is looking for an inexpensive pair. 

(I bet loafers will be on that list in 10 years of "why did I think those were cool, again?")

Guess what else?
It's a really important persons  animals birthday on Monday.

the biggest stud of them all...

Our little baby, Rocky.
He wants me to tell you that any dog treats and squeaky toys (pink please) 
are gladly accepted with open paws. 

He's another year older and that means I'm a little bit more depressed.
I'm going to celebrate this little man all week next week!


Now, I'm about to tell you who I want to be 
if I could go back and be young & beautiful with the best fashion sense.
(do you SEE that neon outfit below? I die..)
As you all saw, I can't take back that homemade N*sync shirt I made.

Seriously, please look at these pictures below.
Could Brie get any more gorgeous?!
It's girls like these we usually don't like.
but...in this case, we do, because we're bloggers, and we're nice.
Right?


Well hello there, all of you cute little Keep Calm and Carry On-ers.
I'm pretty excited to be here today because, well, Katie's really cool/pretty/funny/sweet/awesome. Therefore, you must be really  cool/pretty/funny/sweet/awesome too for reading her blog.
I don't want to take up to much of your time, so I'll get right to it:

The name is Brie. Yes, like the cheese. 

You can find me over at Sophistifunk where I blog about whatever my heart desires, but mostly things that I love.

This is including but not limited to:

Family

Friends

Fashion

A fluffy pup named Zoey

Fighting cancer (you can read more about that here)

And last, but certainly not least...Colton. Too bad his name doesn't start with an "F."

Well, ladies (and gents), that's all I've got for you today. 

If you want to know more you'll just have to come on over here to my little corner of the blogosphere. 

You can also check out my Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram: @briebemis.

See.

I told you all...

now go visit her blog and tell me how sweet she is.

As you read above, Brie recently lost her father to cancer so I can (and maybe you can)

definitely relate to her. Her outlook on life seriously motivates me 

and I'm so glad to have her in this blogging world. 

*

This weekend I plan on relaxing, hanging out with girlfriends,

finding out the gender of my best friend Marissa's baby (YES, SHE IS PREGNANT!!!!!!!! More to come on this topic.), and then on Sunday I have a bridal shower.

Oh, and how awesome was this yesterday?

USA WOMENS SOCCER - GOLD!!!

Sadly, I had to sit on the bench because of my previous knee injury.

Don't I wish.

Have an amazing weekend lovers.

Friday Five {Arm Candy Lovin'}

ello' ello' ello'!

You know what I love?

Besides Fridays (Amen!).

When I don't post, and you check on me asking me if I'm still alive (looking at you, Erin.)

That makes me feel special (and a BIG thank you for all your comments on my office post!). Truth is, sometimes I have nothing to say (shocking, I know) and I figure why bore you with random crap? 

Oh wait, I do that pretty much everyday. 

Moving on...

I do have some sweet things to share today.

including but not limited to a $15 Starbucks gift card. Just sayin'.

1. StyleLoveLiving

Both the sideways cross wrap bracelet and the Faith bracelet are from StyleLoveLiving...

aka one of my new favorite jewelry shops. 

Seriously, they have the CUTEST jewelry and I'm obsessed. I posted this picture on Instagram yesterday and it seems like all of you are equally as obsessed, as well.

Well, it's your special day.

All KC&CO readers get FREE SHIPPING with code: "KeepCalm" (one word)

and it NEVER expires. 

That means anytime you shop there, you never have to pay for shipping.

Awesome sauce, I'd say.

Get to shopping here!

Also, you will get another discount if you go to their webpage and then go "Like" their Facebook page. 

Make sure you keep an eye out for me styling these bracelets in outfit posts in the future!

2.  Million Dollar Listing

Are me and Billy the only ones obsessed with this show?

We've been watching it since the very beginning and Josh Altman is our fav (middle).

He tweeted me back last week and it truly felt as if Brad Pitt tweeted me.

Not kidding (nerd alert). 

We love looking at the houses and how much commission they make!

Insane.

3. VS Semi Annual Sale

I swear, it is close to impossible to go in that store during this sale and walk out with exactly what you went in there for!!!! Next year, I need to hire someone to just go with me and not allow me to pick up anything else besides the Bombshell bra. the end.

On the plus side, thanks to Billy's parents (thank you!!) I was able to get all of this for free because they gave me money (plus a beautiful charm for one of my bracelets) for my birthday. So, all of this is justified, right?

Sidenote: that Tropical Breeze scent smells amaze. 

4. Fathers Day

We are celebrating Fathers Day early with my Dad and my stepmom Judy tonight. 

We decided to have them over for a cookout because we are leaving for Cleveland for the rest of the weekend to spend time with Billy's family. 

While I don't tell him as much as I should (need to fix that), my Dad means the WORLD to me. I don't know what I would do without him, and he raised me to be the woman I am today. He is, without a doubt, the one man I've always looked up to my entire life and I would need more hands to count the reasons why I love him so much.

I'm looking forward to giving him some gifts and cooking out with them tonight!

So, Dad, if you're reading: 

Happy Fathers Day! I love you!

 5. Iced Coffee

Remember how I said they are my special Friday treat?

Yeah...about that.... those days are long gone, let's be honest.

They are becoming a 2-3 week thing. 

I blame Steph and BBFT because they are both coffee addicts.

Now, I have a special gal to introduce you to.

She loves her coffee, too and is offering a $15 Starbucks gift card right now on her blog.

Jackpot.

Lindsay blogs at From Nanny to Family, is a fellow Columbus, Ohio gal, and has such a special family story that you must hear about. She also got hooked to that Christian Grey/50 Shades business that I've been meaning to get into. 

Anyways, Lindsay is super awesome so get to know her, friends.

*

Helllloooo Keep Calm & Carry On lovers!

My name is Lindsay and I am so excited/thankful to be able to be stopping by from my little slice of the internet today to meet all of you here on Katie's fab blog!

You can find me 5 days a week over at my little blog From Nanny to Family, unless of course I had too much riesling the night before and I am trying to spare you my rant.

So you want to know a little bit about me? Maybe you don't and you already clicked away- either way I'm giving a little background info. . .

I live in the burbs of Columbus, Ohio with my hubby of {almost} 2 years. He had 2 children when we got married, so therefore I now am proud owner of two children. I mean parent. I was their nanny before I was there step-mama, so I loved them before I loved my husband.

I wish I had some scandalous story to tell you of how our relationship came to be- I was the nanny, but there was no affair that happened. Divorce came into play and we found each other after that. Strange, simple, possibly weird? But it works for us.

Olivia 8 & Gracie 6

I love wine or anything alcohol really, reality TV- minus the Real Housewives of NY they fell off the wagon hard this season so I had to press delete, reading {especially enjoyed the 50 Shades trilogy}, right now I am really digging summer time, I consider cheese a food group and one that I LOVE, I love to travel but not sure I consider travel with kids really a vacation, oh and coffee I am in love with Starbucks.

To share the love I wanted to offer you all a $15 gift card to Starbucks. Stop on over to my little slice of the internet to check it out/enter!

BLOG::TWITTER::FACEBOOK

Have a fabulous weekend, everyone!

I have some exciting things happening on this blog next week

...so stay tuned.

:)

Recent Buys + Skincare

1,2,3

Happy Tuesday, friends!

Here are a few items that I've recently bought that if I could wear them everyday, I would. This black peplum top will be perfect to transition into the fall and can be paired with shorts, skirts, or a dress underneath. I finally got the Jack Rogers (in Platinum) that everyone raves about and I feel more Southern already! ;) They are so comfortable and versatile. I'm kinda obsessed with them. This Old Navy plaid top I have in multiple colors and I love how lightweight they are {true to their name!}.

 What have you bought recently that you love?

Also, as most of you know, skincare is so important in the summertime. 

No one wants skin damage or wrinkles, now do they?!

Lucky for you, my girl Chelsea is here today to share her favorite skincare products with you. Chelsea has an adorable blog called Ruesch Love where she talks about her recent travels to California, her husband Jeremy, and her puppies!

Take it away, Chels.

then pop on over to her blog and get to know her!

*

Hi! I'm Chelsea and I blog over at Ruesch Love. Thanks to Katie for letting me share a little of her space with me today. I love meeting new bloggers and reading as many blogs posts as I can squeeze in before the work day starts. Bloglovin' really is a beautiful thing isn't it? If you haven't jumped on that bandwagon yet, I highly recommend. It pulls all of your favorite blogs onto one page and you can choose post by post what you want to read. It's lovely.

Okay, so enough about that. One thing that you ought to know about me is that I tend to ramble and go off on tangents. See above for example. Over is my little bloggy world I tend to write about things I love, like thing things. I have a serious shopping problem, it drives my husband nuts. Speaking of my husband, he's cute and I refer to him as j.rue. He keeps things light and slow paced and I'm right there behind him pushing things along and trying to make things all on task and serious like. We balance each other out nicely and have way to much fun together. I also use my blog as a place to write my opinions on very important topics like my fur babies, when one has too many shoes (never), food, and other life altering events with a huge scoop of sarcasm on top when necessary. Mostly, I just try not to take myself too seriously. I have to do that at my day job, and need I say more?

When I was thinking about what I was going to write for a guest post, I was having a hard time coming up with something. On my own blog I can ramble about whatever suits my fancy and it doesn't even have to make much sense. If no one wants to read it then, okey dokey. BUT writing on someone else's blog bring pressure, you know what I mean? I don't really cook, I'm not an amazing DIYer, and I am an academic advisor during the day. Titillating, right? So, I settled on something that I just love, skincare.

DISCLAIMER: I just like to think of myself as an informed consumer. I do not claim extensive knowledge about skin. Meaning, take what I say with a grain of salt (applied to everything I say actually) and do your own research. Hey, it might become fun. 

So, here we go:

#1. A Clarisonic, and style. I promise you will not regret it if you have not already taken the plunge. It has completely changed my skin. If you absolutely refuse to pay that kind of moolah for a face brush I've also heard good things about the Olay brush that you can get for about $20 on Amazon. Just get one. NOW.

#2. African Black Soap. This stuff is delicious, and a total game changer. I heard about it a while back and was intrigued, so of course I did my research. This bar of soap claims anti-acne AND anti-wrinkle magic, plus it's all natural. Oh, and if you're agonizing over whether or not to buy the Clarisonic, this bar costs $3, so use the money you're saving from all of your expensive cleaners and buy a Clarisonic. They should pay me to problem solve. Seriously. I won't get too much into it because this post is already MUCH too long, but I will leave with with a side story.

When I first got the soap I immediately jumped in the shower and used it and then forgot to take it out. A few hours later j.rue jumped in the shower and nervously asked my why there was a turd in the shower. Then he asked if he could use it. The soap literally looks like a turd, but what did your mother teach you? Don't judge a book by it's cover.

#3 Moroccan Rose Water as a toner. It moisturizes and also packs a nice anti-aging punch. Plus it makes your face smell all fancy.

#4 LUSH Imperialis Moisturizer. I don't think you could go wrong with any of their stuff.

#5 Jason's Vitamin E Oil - for body and FACE. Yes, I said it. Every time I bring this stuff up, people freak out about how you should never put oil on your face. Well, I use it (the 5,000 IU) on my face and it never makes me break out. Here are a ton of positive reviews and information if you would like some more information.

#6 SPF. I don't care what kind you use, just please please please use it. Come on, I'm practically begging and we just met. It's probably the best thing you can do for you skin. I'm partial to this and this.

#7 L'OCCITANE Pure Shea Butter. I have multiple tubs of this laying around and I even carry a little guy in my purse. Here are 50 reasons why you need this. now.

Thanks again to Katie for letting me hang out with you guys today!

 Have a good one my friends and stop by my blog and say hi.

::BLOG::TWITTER::

...go show her some love, will ya?!

What are your must have skincare items? 
Have you tried any of these products?

The LUSH products have me intrigued..I'm thinking I need to try those soon.

Have a great day everyone!

On The Lake...

Woo-hoo! We've made it to the weekend ::high five::

This week felt long to me... anyone else? 

Billy and I will be doing a small road trip today to go to the cottage and spend the weekend on the lake. Excited is an understatement. I haven't seen Billy's brother, sister, and parents in what feels like a year (even though it's only been a couple months) and it's one of our favorite places to be. Being on the water is so relaxing and we have so much fun there spending time with family and being in the sun! Last night we picked up ingredients to make some killer sangria (what else is new?) and our favorite dip, so we are ready to hit the road! 

Expect a few (meaning many) instagram pics over the weekend.


{Speaking of Instagram, my girlfriend Ashley introduced me to StickyGram where you can turn your Instagram photos into magnets! So cool. I just ordered my first sheet.
You can get $2 off your first order with code: FRIEND5NWD. Order here!}

Today, you get to meet another awesome blogger and have a chance to win one of those adorable monogrammed Marley Lilly bags. 

My sponsors are awesome, I tell you. 

Awesome. 

Jodie writes on her blog, Ramblings of a Fabulous Brunette, about fashion, beauty, and everyday life. I personally love this post about her 2012 Summer Essentials! Good stuff.


Please give Jodie a warm welcome:


Hey y’all! My name is Jodie and I blog at Ramblings Of A Fabulous Brunette and I am SO honored to be here at Katie's blog today!

I am a 20-something fabulous single gal residing in the Great State of Oklahoma and living life to the fullest! I'm just a small town girl with big dreams and an open heart. I truly believe that all you need is love and everything happens for a reason!
I post about life and all of it's adventures including fashion, movies, books, inspiration, and everything in between.

A few RANDOM facts about me!

I'm addicted to the Bravo channel. Andy Cohen is my best friend!

I am a professional bridesmaid.

Justin Timberlake is my boyfriend. 
(I only wish, thanks Face in the Hole for making this awesome picture)

I love taking pictures and going to concerts! I've seen Dierks Bentley 3 times in concert, plus my boyfriend JT!

This has to be my favorite picture I've ever taken! How cool is it that I caught him sticking his tongue out?!?!?!

 I'm a shopaholic and I love the color pink!

That's it folks.... a little about me! 
Come on over to my blog and let's be friends! :)

Ohhh, one more thing!
I'm having a Marley Lilly Monogrammed Crossbody Bag giveaway!!

  Come over to my blog to check it out and enter.

Thanks, again Katie for having me on your blog today!


BLOG::TWITTER::
*
-Interested in sponsoring? 
Email me: whalenkat@gmail.com
There are many different options you can do to promote your blog, shop, or business! 


Now, make it a great weekend peeps.