Blogging has its perks.  Meeting other fabulous bloggers is one of them.  Getting free stuff is another.  Last week I had the opportunity to visit DownEast Basics with a guest for a blog mixer that featured both perks - bloggers AND free stuff.  Winning!

I've been a fan of DownEast Basics since their store started popping up in Arizona.  They have a girly vibe that I totally dig, and it seems like everything is always on sale.  The day of the blog mixer, all denim was 40% off and all skirts were $25 or less.  When I spotted the denim skirts, I immediately knew that's what I wanted.  I'd been looking for one that wasn't too short, but not too long, to mix with tanks and tees for the summer and jackets and tights in the winter (or what little winter we have in Arizona).  I have a feeling it will took adorable with cowboy boots too.  (The consensus last week was that they go with everything.)  My Krafty Kash 'Kisser' necklace also goes with everything.

Have a wonderful week!

My cousin, Brock, got married on a horse farm in South Carolina over Memorial Day weekend.  As soon as I caught wind of the location, I knew I was going to wear cowboy boots.  The question was, which color?  And what will I wear with them?

I bought this dress at Forever 21 for $17.50, and it won a 'Best Dress' award from the bride!  The boots definitely came in handy since there were lots of ankle-biting bugs around in addition to the dogs, chickens, and horses. 

Aren't the bride and groom lovely?  Her dress only cost $50, and the groom already has his attire.  I guess we are a thrifty family.

Do you have a wedding to attend this summer?  What are you wearing?

This weekend was pretty awesome.  I went to the Arizona Cardinals Ribs and Music Festival to stuff my face and see KC & The Sunshine Band.  Don't know who they are?  According to KC, he is your mom's N*SYNC.

Next I attend the Arizona Blogger Conference hosted by The Phoenix Style Collective.  Over 100 bloggers attended, and I had only met one prior.  Phoenix bloggers represent!  The swag and new friends were totally worth it.  Follow these folks for info on future events.

Sunday morning was perfect for wandering around the zoo with my parents, and that evening my mom and I saw Green Day's American Idiot the musical.  If you're a Green Day fan or child of the 90's, it's worth seeing.  Otherwise, I wouldn't recommend it.

What?  You're distracted by all these photos of raspberry colored cowboy boot prettiness?  Ya, that happened this weekend too.  They were a thrift store score, they fit, and they're pink! (Thanks Mom and Dad!)

I also mowed the lawn for the first time ever and fixed a toilet (for the first time ever).  Girl power.  How was your weekend?  Happy Monday!

Monday again already?  I haven't paid much attention to the days passing me by lately.  You see, I've had my nose stuck in a book.  Three books to be exact, the Hunger Games trilogy by Suzanne Collins.  My book club chose the first book to be discussed at our November 30th meeting, and I wasn't thrilled about it.  Children chosen to fight to the death?  No, thank you.  That's not something I would choose to expose myself to.  The stack of books on my nightstand consists of The Martha Rules, Bethenny Fankel's autobiography and The Zen of Social Media Marketing.  Fiction novels rarely make the cut.  But I trust the girls in my book club, and they haven't made a bad selction yet.  The least I could do was give it shot, right?  It usually takes about a month for me to get through a book, so I started early.  After zipping through the first book of the Hunger Games in two days, I immediately began the second, then the third.  The books are written so well that the characters pulled me in and each chapter ended in such a way that I couldn't stop reading.  I just HAD to find out what happened next!  Thank goodness the ending was worth getting to, or I would have been pissed.

At some point during the week I had to force myself to get dressed and go to the office.  That was tough.  It finally feels like November, so I had to put on more than a dress and a pair of flats.  I was going for warmth, comfort and somewhat office appropriate.  (I have submitted my resignation after all.)  A coworker turned impromptu photographer at least made me laugh.

That's my 2011 vision board in the background that I made back in January.  It's a little creepy how many of the random clippings actually happend this year.  For example, the bottom right corner says "A laid back lakeside retreat" and I ended up spending quite a bit of time on the lakes of Minnesota this year.  See?  Creepy!  I'm going to put pictures of successful entreprenuers on my 2012 vision board.  It couldn't hurt, right? 

My inquiring mind wants to know - What book sucked you in so that reality ceased to exist?  What pieces do you rely on to keep warm during the Fall months?  Do you believe in vision boards?

It's baaaaaaaaack!  Model Monday has been the most asked for post since I took a break from blogging.  Apparently you all think I'm stylish.  In reality, I just wear what I like which usually consists of a dress in a bright color or pattern.  What's in style has nothing to do with it.

Many bloggers post their outfits on Wednesdays, but I like Mondays because it gives me something to look forward to on an otherwise bland day of the week.  The compliments you leave all day long don't hurt either.  Since I won't be wearing a costume on this unseasonably warm Halloween in the Phoenix area, I have the privilege of sharing photos from a shoot with Everardo Keeme.  The intent was to get a headshot for the About Us page on my new website, but there are so many good ones that I have to share some more. 

I'm going to make a set of lip balms with my own face them.  Why not, right?

My inquiring mind wants to know - Are you dressing up for Halloween?  What kind of candy will you pass out (or keep for yourself)?  And most importantly, did you enter to win 100 personalized lip balms yet?  You have until Wednesday.  Happy Halloween!