Event: DSMFABB

On Wednesday, Katelyn and I hosted our first Des Moines Fashion and Beauty Blogger event at aimee. After a month or so of planning we were more than excited to see our plans unfold. We donned our best party dresses {or skirts!}, toasted with champagne, devoured a few too many Crème cupcakes, & chatted about nothing but blogging & fashion. Sometimes it's nice to be surrounded by other women who understand what it means to come home from school or your day job and spend endless hours working on posts, researching {aka pinning}, or taking photographs for something you are truly passionate about. 

Crème Cupcakes

Pouring the champagne.

This staircase. Swoon.

Added a bit of Sequin to our arm parties.

 Kiley, Katelyn, Brittney, Emily T., Emily G., Kelsey

Lucy, Amy, Meagan

Love me because I'm beautiful.

When in doubt, wear sequins.

A bit of swag that the girls left with! Stay tuned...one of you lucky Des Moines readers will win one!

Guest Post: A Sequin Dress at Breakfast

My dear friend Kiley, from A Sequin Dress at Breakfast, is here today to share with us her latest lust vs. must! 

While there are some items that are worth splurging on (a timeless purse, classic watch, and great pair of black heels for example), others are not. While this summer every girl should have a pair of bright colored sandals, the season can be rough on shoes and it doesn't make sense to spend more than needed on such a seasonal and easily worn down item. While I love Dolce Vita, and $70 for a great pair of shoes isn't unreasonable, it does seem silly when these Target ones are nearly identical in appearance but much less in price. These sandals come in all the best summer colors - turquoise and pink are my favorites - and with the money you save you'll have enough to pick up one in every color!

My Style: Mixing Patterns

leather jacket // denim // striped shirt // leopard cardigan // ankle boots

On Sunday, I met up with Kiley & Brittney for Sunday Brunch.  We devoured an all-you-can-eat breakfast buffet at Americana and caught up over our delicious cups of coffee.  I ended up wearing a leopard print cardigan over a striped long-sleeve shirt. It was a bold move for me; I'm working on remixing items that I have in my closet instead of spending on clothes that simply hang in my closet. I managed to get one photo taken during Sunday via iPhone -- C & I managed to pause our usual Sunday Criminal Minds marathon to get the shot. 

be our guest

I'm a guest blogging today over at a Sequin Dress!

Come say hi & enjoy a *sparkly* tutorial!