Saturday, August 27, 2011

Sea Treasures from Irene


I stole this picture from a friend's facebook page.  She lives in Wrightsville Beach, NC.  Irene started pounding them with heavy rains and high winds last night.  Look at what she found on the beach this afternoon...


I can't even tell you how envious I am of her finds.... All those beautiful star fish.  And look at the bottom, right corner of the picture, those are sea urchins!!! It is super rare to find starfish or sea urchins on NC beaches, she is one lucky beachcomber!!

Thursday, August 25, 2011

Weekend in Charleston!

A few pictures from my fabulous weekend in Charleston with Megan, Ashley, and Ashton!!


Hanging out with this little guy, Chubs, made for a verrrry entertaining Friday night! How cute is he? He acts just like a dog!
 
Friday night boat ride

 
Our ride for the night!

 
Downtown!

 
I had to get a picture of what I had at brunch.  A bagel with cheddar cheese and french fries! Ohhh the life of a carbitarian... (I will add that I wanted cheese grits, but they were pre-mixed with bacon so that was a no-go)

Brunch at Fat Hen.  I got to see Ashton and meet Caroline of Tupelo Honey!

Wednesday, August 24, 2011

Crazy for Coral - (More) Vestique Necklaces

More coral greatness from Vestique












All necklaces and images found at Vestique.com

and speaking of necklaces...I did a post on great gameday necklaces over at The Belles of Saturday!

Friday, August 19, 2011

Friday's Fancies

Today I am honored to have {av}, of {long distance loving}, guest posting for me!  Her blog was one of the first ones I found when I began blogging and we've been close every since.  I am off to Charleston for the weekend (woo hoo!!) and she has put together a fabulous and "very me" look in honor of my weekend in one of the most beautiful southern cities.  She picked an awesome one-shoulder dress  and even included Jack Rogers (she knows me too well...)  I really wish I had this whole ensemble packed in my bags...

 

Hi! My name is {av} and I couldn't be happier to grace the pages of Seashells and Southern Belles! I've come to know the lady behind this blog in the last year--and my life is so much better now that I have :) She's full of energy and always looks so daggone cute in all of her photos. In honor of her jaunt to South Carolina this weekend, I pulled together this snazzy outfit for a night out on the town...


1) In playing to Jana's favorites, I knew I had to find a knockout one shoulder dress--and I think this Tibi Paz Sequin-Embellished Asymmetric Silk Dress most certainly fits the bill! Since white is taboo for anyone's wedding but your own, you have to rock it elsewhere...and there's no better time than on a hot night out in the South!
2) Lauren Merkin makes phenomenal clutches and this Tatum Raffia Clutch is another prime example. It could hold most everything a girl needs with some summer sass to boot.
3) A little sparkle never did anyone harm, which is why I thought these Melinda Maria Teeny Pod Blue Topaz Bangles would be a fun addition to this get-up. The color of the topaz is subtle but works splendidly with the sequins in the dress!
4) Who can argue with Jack Rogers? I know Jana can't! These Marbella Espadrilles provide the perfect platform {pardon the pun!} for a boost in the height department. I could definitely use that ;)
5) Hello, Max & Chloe Double Natural Stone Earrings--I'm in love! I just can't get enough of this stunning stone called chalcedony. Their loveliness shines through and finishes off this outfit perfectly.


What would you include in your own Southern going-out get-up?

Have an incredible time in Charleston, Jana! I'm so jealous of the weekend you have ahead of you :) Give my love to each and every one of those bloggers I've come to love so much while you're there! {This is honestly just another sign that {cv} and I need to move South one of these days...sigh} Thanks again for having me here--happy weekend everyone! xoxo {av}

Wednesday, August 17, 2011

WILW


I'm loving lots of things this week!

  • I'm loving Ashton of Soulshine and I launched our new blog The Belles of Saturday this week!! A blog that's dedicated to our love of football #hurryupfootballseason 



  • I'm loving that last night I had dinner with Sarah Elizabeth from We're Just Like You Only Prettier.  We had been trying to get together for a while and then I ended up winning her fabulous giveaway, so we did dinner last night and I got to pick up my painted cooler from her!! 

How awesome is that?!  And there was some EOS lipgloss in there and it's everything that people say and more. I busted open the package the minute I got in the car and tried it and I love it!

  • I'm loving that this weekend I'm going to Charleston to see: Ashley of Run With Me, Megan of Fried Green Pickles, and Ashton!! Watch out Chuck Town, there's going to be some fun times had... 
 
  • I'm loving that the Panthers looked about 198 times better in their first preseason game than we looked last year. Pretttty sure we got more touchdowns in this game than we got ALL last year... and I am officially a Cam Newton fan now.  He is STUD. (and when I say that, I mean he's a great athlete and a star QB. I'm falling in love with his sports skills, not him...)
 Him wearing those glasses cracks me up...Urkel anyone??

Be sure to stop by Jamie's blog and link-up too!

Tuesday, August 16, 2011

Giveaway Winner!


Hello friends! Sorry it has taken me forever and a day to draw (aka random.org) the winner of my Merry Martini giveaway.  As I said yesterday, I've been working a lot on getting The Belles of Saturday ready to launch and just now had a chance to put the results in an Excel spreadsheet.

and the winner is...




Congrats Amanda!!

Amanda is the wife of a guy I work with and has been all about Seashells and Southern Belles since it started! and she's proof, that just becuase you don't blog, doesn't mean you can't win giveaways! (She actually told me she's started a blog, but never got far. I think we all shoud tell her she should keep blogging!!)

Congrats again, Amanda! Email me and let me know which bracelet you want and I'll get it mailed to you.  And a BIG THANKS to Kelly at The Merry Martini for sponsoring a great giveaway!

Monday, August 15, 2011

Intro to The Belles of Saturday

Today's the day!!  As I mentioned on Friday, Ashton and I have been working on something we are really excited and passionate about.  After finding each other blogs and having lots of gchat conversations, Ashton and I quickly learned that we share a passion for football and decided we should start a blog devoted to our love for the game. 

and so it was born... 


A blog that's devoted to the traditions of Saturdays (and occasional Thursdays) in the South. We will discuss everything from gameday fashion to offensive pass interference to tailgating must-haves. Focusing on the teams and towns of the Southeastern Conference and the Atlantic Coast Conference, we will cover everything that makes Saturdays in the South so special and exciting. 

We hope to get a link-up started when the season begins for everyone to share their gameday pictures that they'll be posting on their blogs!  We also welcome guest posters.  We'd love input about your school and traditions and we are going to be featuring a lot of tailgating recipes!  
 

Since it's football season and it sadly doesn't last nearly long enough, I'll be devoting most of time to The Belles of Saturday and won't be on here quite as much.  I'll still be posting some stuff on here, just not every day. 

If you like football and tailgating or want to learn more about the game, come check us out!

Friday, August 12, 2011

Friday's Fancies - Fancying Football

 
Today for Friday's Fancies with {av}, of {long distance loving}, I am jumping a few weeks ahead to my favorite season of the year... football season! Our inspiration this week for Friday's Fancies was the color red and with football season being three weeks away, I put together a look that I would love to wear for our first football game.  I WANT that dress!!

You may have noticed that I've been a little MIA on here. That has been for good reason.  I've been working on something new with my pal Ashton and will reveal it to you on Monday.  It may or may not have to do with one of my true loves in life. and I'm not talking about seashells, one-shoulder dresses, or french fries. So what does that leave.... perhaps the theme of my Friday's Fancies today?... You'll see on Monday. I can't wait to share it with you!
Fancying Football






Wednesday, August 10, 2011

Sea It...Love It... - Shop Ruche, ModCloth, Vestique

This time of year is really hard for me fashion-wise.  Fall colors and clothing is showing up everywhere, and while I am PUMPED for football season, I am not ready to let go of my sundresses and summer wardrobe.  

Here are some recent pieces I am loving!

Shop Ruche Ocean Sailing Striped Dress
Shop Ruche Distant Nautica Striped Top

Shop Ruche Moonlite Aura Dress

ModCloth Peer to Pier Dress

ModCloth Time to Reflect Dress

Vestique Under the Sea Dress
 
ModCloth Home Port Advantage Doormat

 (Ok, so this isn't clothing, but I love it too!)

Monday, August 8, 2011

Why I Won't Rush To Get Ready For Church Again...

I have a funny story for y'all.  Not real sure it's super classy of me to tell it on here, but every time I think about it I start laughing again.  It may be one of those things that's only funny to me, but here goes...

 I normally never run late or have to rush getting ready, but yesterday morning I didn't give myself enough time to get ready for church.  I normally wash my hair at night, but I ended up washing it yesterday morning.  When I got out of the shower, I had as much time left as I do when I just hop out of bed with my hair already straightened. (Which is not a lot...)  I blowdried my hair in a hot minute (no pun intended,) did a shotty job of straightening it, and tried to pick my outfit out while brushing my teeth.  I spotted a dress that I hadn't worn yet and wasn't sure if I was going to return it or not, so I threw it on to see how I liked it and kept running around.  Well after having it on for like five minutes, I was like "what the hech, I like it, I'll keep it."  So I cut the tag out and zipped it up (which was difficult... It's one of those ones you have to contort your arm behind your back to grab the zipper) I then threw some Bare Minerals on my face and quickly painted my unpainted toenails (I never go in public without them painted)  Also, somewhere in there I managed to change necklaces and earrings like 3 times. So needless to say, I was pretty rushed getting ready.  

I then hopped in my car and headed to McDonald's to get a biscuit (even though I knew I was already running really late...) and ended up getting held up in the line behind a guy that was mad about his order and was taking his sweet time telling them about it, making me even later.  I rolled up in the church parking lot five minutes after I knew the service had already started...  

I floored my car into a parking spot and as I was walking through the parking lot I got to thinking "I sure hope my bra straps aren't showing" and then it hit me, two steps from the church door, MY BRA STRAPS CAN'T BE SHOWING, BECAUSE I DO NOT HAVE A BRA ON.  I NEVER PUT ON ONE.  How I made it through my twenty minute drive without noticing this, I'll never know.  I then had to walk in when everyone was already seated and silent... I was about 100% sure that everyone was staring at me and that they all knew my little secret.  Thank the good Lord that my dress was thick and navy... I don't have like triple D's or anything, but I don't ever need to leave the house without a brassiere on.  I couldn't beleive I was up in the Lord's house like that...

{via}

{via}

After crawling down the pew to sit beside my sister, I started laughing and couldn't stop.  Of course she asks me what is up and I tell her "umm I don't have a bra on. and it's not on purpose. I forgot it." She then too starts laughing. She says, "Jana, how do you forget to put a bra on?..." I was laughing so hard I started crying.  Every time we stood up to sing she would look my dress up and down and smart smiling.

At the restaurant after church, I told my mom, dad, and my sister's bf what was going on and why I kept laughing.  My mom says "Did you turn around and go home to get one?" and I say "nope, didn't have time." and then my dad says "well surely you found one in your trunk or something...." ha, nope.... not that either. " I still don't have one on."  We then laughed about it the rest of the lunch. You can also imagine how self conscious I was when I had to go in the very crowded Verizon store after lunch... I'm sure no one could tell, but still...

So there you have it friends.... that is why I will never be rushed again getting ready for church or at least, before walking out my door, will make sure that I have the proper...umm... pieces on.  and as a good friend (Ashley at Run with Me) told me last night "good thing he (the Lord) accepts us just as we come."  Ain't that the truth! 


and my Merri Martin giveaway enters tonight at 11:59pm.  If you haven't entered, click here to do so!

and a very happy birthday to Ashton at Soulshine! I hope you have a great day!

Friday, August 5, 2011

Friday's Fancies - Maxing Out Summer


This week for Friday's Fancies with {av} of {long distance loving} I am paying tribute to the maxi dress.  Although the 100 degree weather we have had here lately hasn't allowed me to wear one in a while, I love maxi dresses.  They are a simple and effortless staple for summer.  Although last year I was worried they had gotten "too" trendy and had ran their course, I think it's safe to say they are still in.  (Does anyone else remember the comment Blair Waldorf made on Gossip Girl about them..)

Although I'm sure you're all shocked to see that my look doesn't include anything nautical...I have been loving orange lately, so I love this dress.  I also LOVE these Jack Rogers and the Kendra Scott earrings. 

Here's to "maxing" out the rest of summer!  Only a few more weeks until FOOTBALL season starts!!!

Maxing Out Summer




Enter my Merry Martini giveaway if you haven't already! It ends on Monday!

Thursday, August 4, 2011

The South

I'm sure you've seen this sign on other blogs, but I was just looking at mine hanging in my living room and had to share it with you just in case you haven't seen it.   A few years ago when I saw it on a friend's mantle, I knew I had to have one.  I finally tracked one down in Greenville, SC, and of course now, I see them everywhere in NC.

Everything it says is so true, I just think it should have something about football on there!!
 
{via}
The South - The place where...tea is sweet and accents are sweeter. Summer starts in April.  Macaroni and Cheese is a vegetable.  Front porches are wide and words are long.  Pecan pie is a staple.  Y'all is the only proper noun.  Chicken is fried and biscuits come with gravy.  Everything is Darlin'.  Someone's heart is always been blessed.


If you haven't already,  be sure to enter my Merry Martini giveaway. It ends on Monday!

Wednesday, August 3, 2011

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