The Brunette One: June 2012

6.28.2012

Sail to Sable

There are two things in this world that can always put a smile on my face: a great pattern and a fun & flirty dress. And not only does Sail to Sable {which just went live today!} offer us those two things,the line offers coordinating place-mats, napkins, and pillows to boot! Mix and match the prints and don't forget to add a pair of Jack Rogers to complete your look!

{images via sail to sable}

6.26.2012

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!

6.25.2012

Guest Post: The Unprecedented

The lovely Randa from The Unprecedented & the lovely artist behind the I See Noise prints on Etsy was kind enough to cover for me while I'm still away for my work trip!

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Hello to all the lovely readers of The Brunette One! I am so honored to be writing a post for all of you to read and I hope you enjoy it. My blog highlights everything I love in fashion, beauty and home decor so this post is a little mix of everything I talk about on the blog. Enjoy! xoxo R

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Fashion and Home Decor – in my opinion – go hand in hand. You take aspects of fashion (trends, textures, colors) and mix it into your personal spaces. I have just recently noticed the similarities between the two for myself.

My home is vibrant and eclectic with tons of white mixed with touches of mint, gold and silver. However, my outfits seem to be overpowered with darker shades of blue denim, black and grey and tan. The idea is very much the same between the two with the palette, the way I accessorize and how I top it all off.

The Palette – Clean colors, vibrant in either bright or dark shades, basic and somewhat neutral.

My clothes are neutral in the base seem to be the raw pieces of my outfits. I add on with accessories and a great bag! My home is also in neutrals but topped off with lovely patterns and textures.

The Accessories – Always gold and silver.

My clothing may be neutral and the basis of the outfit but I always add a touch of sparkle with a great gold watch or chain link bracelet or a great leather handbag. My home is the same way with every separate area treated as a different outfit. Each area has its own sparkle with a vintage silver desert tray holding tea lights or a gold lamp.

The Topper – This would definitely be my shoes for an outfit! I love my shoe collection and each pair gives my outfit character. In my home it’s the fashion book collection and throw pillows. It brings it all together and gives the home a sense of who lives in it!

6.22.2012

Guest Post: Notes from Sarah Lagen

Hi everyone! I am Sarah from Notes by Sarah Lagen... my dear friend Sam is off in a far away place enjoying some sun [and doing a little work] so I'm here to share a little something! I'm a 20-something single girl living in Chicago, I went to college & was once roomies with Miss. Samantha of The Brunette One!

Over the past few months I've been falling deeper and deeper in love with everything neon and have been searching for small fun ways to add it into my life more. Recently I saw a striped neon t-shirt and decided that was something I could put my DIY moves on!

Supplies:

1 white t-shirt (I reused one that I don't wear anymore)

Neon fabric paint

Duck Tape to create the pattern

Good luck and have fun adding neon to your life! I'm really loving this shirt and I think I'll wear it way more then if it was a boring normal white t-shirt-- the only thing is I wish I could tie it in a little knot on the side, any tips? Advice?

6.21.2012

Guest Post: Hush n Wonder

Hello, readers of The Brunette One! My name is Brittney author of the blog Hush n Wonder and I'm honored to be guest posting for Sam while she's away. Today I wanted to talk about one of my very favorite guilty pleasures - pajamas. I love to shop for pretty little nighties, cozy sleep shirts, and cute printed shorts, even if they are to only be worn in the comfort of my own home. In my opinion, there is nothing better than cuddling up in some comfy pjs for a night on the couch watching movies and drinking wine, followed up with a long night's sleep. It is laziness at it's best and to stay nice and cool in the summer months sleepwear in light silks and breathable cottons are key. Below are some of my favorite pajama picks I'm dying to get my hands on.

Floral sleep pants and cami from TopShop
Terry thong slippers from Old Navy
Sleep shirt and short from Juicy Couture
Sleep romper from The Webster at Target
Floral sleep pants from Old Navy
Nightie from Donna Karan
Short Pajama set from Marigot Collection

And remember, never feel guilty about splurging on a cute pair of pajamas... After all, you never know who you'll meet in your dreams.

6.20.2012

Guest Post: Leopard & Lavender

Hello! I'm Kelli from the blog Leopard and Lavender. I am so glad to be guest posting for Samantha while she is on vacation! At my blog, I do my best to write about style, but mostly focus on keeping life simple but fun! The thing is, style and fashion can seem so tedious. How many mornings do you stand in your closet feeling entirely lost? I know for me, it is more often than I should admit. My solution has been [you guessed it] simple: statement necklaces!!

Statement necklaces are a real style saver. You can throw one on with anything [and I do mean anything], and your outfit is MADE. I have a few favorites that are nearer to the neckline and have upped the ante more times than I can count:

What is really nice is all of these were less than $12! The black collar is from H&M, the turquoise was a DIY [which you can see here], the sparkle is a Target find, and the neon is Forever 21. These were LOW budget, SMALL items that make a BIG impression. Another route you can take is a long, chunky necklace- similar to the ever popular [cult classic?]

style below:

Again, in both cases- I am wearing a very plain item with the necklace stealing the show. As you can see- blending color [black on black] or contrasting [hello turquoise!] works well. These types of statement necklaces are often more eye catching, so perfect when you're ready to take your statement to the next level. The black version is from one of my favorite Etsy shops, ILY Couture. [And all readers of my blog get FREE SHIPPING when they use the code LLSHIP at checkout.] Hopefully, I've plead my case enough to make you realize what a staple a statement can be :) and it will help you the next time you are feeling like mortal enemies with your dear closet.

Thank you again to Samantha for letting me post today, and don't forget to come visit me at Leopard and Lavender!!

6.19.2012

Guest Post: The NOW Stylebook

Hello out there to all The Brunette One readers!!!! I'm Elizabeth from The NOW Stylebook and I am so happy to be on Samantha's blog today. I have recently become a follower and am such a fan of Samantha's taste so I was so honored she asked me to guest blog while she is away. Thank you so much for having me and please feel free to stop by The NOW and say, "hello"!!

Jeans: Current Elliott for DVF | Shirt: Equipment |
Shoes & Pouch: Charlotte Olympia | Dress: Clover Canyon

6.18.2012

Guest Post: Beauty & the Beard

Hello lovely readers of The Brunette One!

I'm Laura from Beauty & the Beard, and naturally was excited when Samantha asked me to help out in the form of a guest post while she was away (Btw, Hawaii for work? Seriously? Sign me up for that job!).

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If there's one thing I love, it's summer dinner parties and barbecues. There's something so perfect about a cool summer night with friends, drinks, and homemade food- isn't there? Naturally, with my sweet tooth, I love creative desserts-and all the s'more ideas I've seen lately on Pinterest are sheer perfection.

I mean, a s'more bar with different flavored marshmallows, chocolates, and graham crackers? How did I not think of this first?

via

I will absolutely be having a s'more bar at one of my summer parties this year, and so I've started compiling some of the essentials:

What would you build your s'more with?

[I'll take a regular marshmallow with a chocolate caramel bar and a Chips Ahoy, please]

Thanks so much for having me Samantha- hope you're having a blast on your travels!

xo, lp

6.15.2012

Leaving On a Jet Plane

By the time you read this I will be flying over the West Coast making my way to Kauai, Hawaii! One of the perks of my job {I work in corporate event planning} has been having the opportunity to travel on some of the programs I assist with. And while it may sound glamourous, most of the time I am either running around the hotel making sure our participants are happy or hiding out in the offices making sure things are going smoothly behind the scenes with our team.

Over the next few weeks I will be hosting quite a few amazing guest bloggers - you will LOVE them! Be sure to show them some love & you can still follow my adventures over on twitter & instagram!

{image 1}

6.14.2012

Casual Chic

hat // handbag // dress // wedges

Dressing down never seemed so easy. Take a cue from my favorite style bloggers & throw on your favorite black baseball cap and out the door you go!

{images 1, 2, 3, 4}

6.13.2012

Dare Blog Design

If you are a frequent visitor and reader of TBO you may have noticed a few changes around here. I would like to give a big THANK YOU to Darrian over at Dare Blog Design for revamping my blog. She was amazing to work with and she would love to help you out too! Darrian loves lines, sans serif fonts, and lots of white space {who doesn't?!}. Just email her at dareblogdesign@gmail.com to chat!