[GUEST POST & A GREAT FIND]

The lovely and talented Ashley from Calmly Chaotic absolutely made my day when she asked me to come over and contribute to her blog with fun ideas for a holiday party look. She is fun and real, she has great style, and she is kind of my hero right now because she is participating in NaNoWriMo and writing a book! Those who know me well know that writing a book is pretty much my ultimate goal in life, but being disciplined in setting aside the time to do it is much easier said that done, so I love that she is going for it. Putting together a high/low holiday look for her was a blast, so I hope you'll head on over to check it out!

And while I had saving vs. splurging on the brain, I thought I'd share one of my favorite finds of late. While perusing around shopbop one day, I saw a necklace and thought "that needs to be mine". It was a simple, understated, go-with-absolutely-anything kind of necklace. One problem... it was $240. So I gritted my teeth and moved on. But then! A few weeks ago, Kelly over at Fabulous K posted a giveaway that she was doing with The Altered Chain. When I went to check out her shop, I found almost the exact same necklace, and for only $23! I mean, it's like Christmas came early.

Have any of you come across any great finds that saved you some serious cash? Do share.

[BLOG CRUSH: RECENTLY]

I don't know about everyone else, but it feels like fall is finally making an appearance here in Texas! I love it. Just wish I had time to enjoy it more. Am I the only one who's getting sick of hearing myself constantly have to say that life has been so busy? I am ready for some serious, relaxing, sweats-and-hot-cocoa kind of down time soon.

But alas, I am off to Denver for work for a few days, and don't have time to put together a full post this week. So instead! I've decided that it's time I reveal another blog crush. Those of you who have followed this blog for a while (aka my favorite people ever, all two of you) have read about several bloggers that I love to follow and get inspiration from, and today, I am particularly excited to introduce you to one of my newer favorites.... Recently.

Emily is not only one of the bright new rising stars of the blogging world, I also think she is one of the absolute nicest girls. I've had a chance to chat with her a little, and she has so many creative ideas and big plans and I'm so excited to have found her blog and to see where she takes it. So make sure to check her out!

[MADEWELL FAVORITES]

Madewell has become one of my favorite things lately. It's one of the few places that I can say really fits my style across the board, and every time I look through their site (the closest store is in Austin), I fall in love with something new. The clothes are simple, classic American style, and lately, I'm loving what they have to offer aside from clothing, and these are a few of favorites from the other goodies they have.

I've thought forever about getting a pair of blue suede flats, and these are perfect, I love a classic brown leather bag, retro tortoiseshell glasses have become one of my favorite things, and I think mint is a color that's really pretty year-round.

Anyone needing Christmas gift ideas for me, take note.

(flats|iphone case|sunglasses|bag|notebook|belt)

[DREAM LIVING ROOM]

The Mr. and I have sort of been on a long-term hunt for the perfect sofa. When we bought our current one, we were newly married, on a tight budget, had the smallest imaginable apartment, and I will admit that I've never loved it. Since then, we've seen a few that we liked here and there, but then not long ago, we found THE sofa. A bright light poured down from heaven and angels sang. (That might sound like a lot of drama for a sofa, but I really dislike ours.) And now of course, I've started picking out all new pieces to go with this sofa that we will make ours. A few of the recent things we've bought have been purchased with this sofa in mind, and I'm really excited to start finally putting together a living room that is more "us".

I'm really trying to learn how to mix finishes, patterns and textures to put together a room that complements our style... something comfortable but simple, and rustic but modern. And I love bold and eye-catching pieces, like the striped curtains. These are some of my favorite things right now, and I'm excited to see how the room keeps coming together.

(sofa|curtains|coffee table|lamp|pillows|candles|chair|tray|side table)

[DOMINO: MY FAVES FROM THE BOOK]

So I know that I am quite possibly the last person to jump on this train, but I recently picked up a copy of Domino: The Book of Decorating, and I have already spent hours poring over the pages and getting big ideas for what I want to do to our home. I've had a fresh wave of inspiration for decorating our little rented abode. As I've been going through the book, a few spaces have jumped out at me for various reasons, and I thought I'd share a few of my favorites.

I love this dominant combination of green and pale blue, combined with other pops of color.

Black and white is a reliable classic, and against a punch of yellow? Please. It doesn't get any better.

I love how they've taken a small, old, and arguably outdated kitchen, and made the absolute best use of color to make it interesting and inviting.

Bright whites with gold accents and vibrant colors is what has inspired me to create the perfect home office, and this makes my heart pitter patter.

I can't stop staring at those herringbone floors and the liberally used deep gray hues. I want to make it mine.

The book has so many how-to's, ideas and tips, it gives even design amateurs like me enough inspiration to turn a space into something great and make it your own. Do any of you have favorites from the book? Do share!

(images mine)