Children's Cancer Research Gala

*taps mic*

Does this thing even work anymore?  Can you hear me in the back?

So, the last we spoke, I was sharing a random find.  If I told you how many things I found since then, you'd fall out.  I'll get to them... all of them.  I promise.  For now, I'd like to just catch you up on some of the summer happenings.  

Don't give me a hard time.  Yes, we're going to play catch-up!  The summer heat is fading, our days are shorter.  Our time under the sunshine decreases by the day.  What better time to relive some of the best moments?  Exactly.  Put on your bikinis and grab a fruity drink!

First up? The First Annual Gala for Children's Cancer Research.  

 

I got a trim and blowout.  

I got a pretty dress.

 

We linked up with friends for an Uber ride to the party.  No need to drive home?  It's going to be a fun night!

Open bar and 50 drink tickets for the four of us?!

 

 

We had a good time for a great cause!  The theme was masquerade ball and the décor was so nice. 

 

Oh, and the food.  How could I forget the yummy food?

Oh, and let's consider this photo to be a before.  

Yep, there have been some major changes that we will talk about tomorrow!  This event was about more than getting dolled up and dancing the night away.  It was an opportunity to raise awareness and funds for a good cause!

Goodwill Finds: The Magnolia Wreath

Happy Friday, Islanders.

I wanted to share a thrifty find from a while back.  Ugh, I love my local Goodwill Outlet.  Oh, and yes, you saw correctly.  I typed Goodwill Outlet... as in, the thrift store has an outlet store with items going for crazy discount prices.  I know!  Mind boggling, right?  I pinky-promise to share deets soon but, for now, I want to share one of my outlet finds.

The magnolia wreath.  Some of you may recognize this update from my Instagram story:

While digging through a bin of household items, I saw the large blooms and fell in love.  Guess what.  Because it was in the outlet, the wreath was only 79 cents!  Sold!!

Once home, I dusted the wreath and used a damp cloth to wipe off leaves.  Then, I added a small sign (purchased on clearance from Michael's months ago) and some scrap ribbon I had on hand.

I hung it on the door and it looked amazing!

Fun Bags: Fave Finds and Go-To Spots!

Y'all know me.  I've professed my love of granny things.  I love lace and wicker and vintage and ruffles and eyelets and floral prints.  I love all things old lady.  I've recently indulged in my obsession with funky bags and many of them have an old lady appeal.  I guess you could say I cleaned out my closet before the move.  I parted with a lot of my bags because I wasn't carrying them.  In the new area, I've found several thrift and antique shops; I've even explored neighboring towns.

While in an antique shop, I spotted a cigar purse.  It was cute but it was pricey.  I left it and proceeded on my thrift shopping journey.  Then, on the same day but in a different spot, I found one with a price I couldn't pass up!

$3.98?!  Goodwill for the win!  I was smitten.  It was pretty.  It was unique.

Wait.  Is that a cat??  With a hat... and a tie?  With rhinestones? Yep, it was also old lady.

BUT that bamboo handle with that fabulous coloring on the box... the original price tag from the artist.. I had to have it.  Before I purchased, I convinced myself and my shopping buddy that I would wear it.

Islanders, I wore it and I wore it well.

Fighting Irish: A quick a Easy Favor Idea!

Howdy, Islanders! It's been *what feels like* forever since we last spoke.  I'm working on a few blog posts to get back into the swing of things so, it looks like I'm coming out of hiding!  This time, I've been missing NOT because I haven't been doing things but because my resolution to be productive and to make some serious progress on personal goals meant that I needed to spend less time sharing and more time doing.  As I've mentioned a few times, my Instagram story (here) has behind-the-scenes updates everyday; follow me for the latest!

Today, I'm sharing some goodie bags I made for a neighborhood mom.  Her son had finished a successful football season and she wanted to give team members something cute to commemorate making it to the little league playoffs.  She asked for something sweet and she gave me free reign to create.  I used the team mascot to create some super cute tags:

I've shared the free printable below.  Save the image and print as a 4X6 photo at your local drug store.  6 tags for every photo print.

I like printing at CVS because photos are usually 29 cents each.  I was so pleased with the final product!

Strawberry Festival 2018

Howdy, Islanders!

I visited Plant City, FL for an afternoon a few weeks back.  I found an awesome boutique called A PEACE of Plant City.

It was super cute and so full of cute decor, yummy teas, and accessories.

I loved the light fixtures and posted several highlights on my Instagram story.

I even shared a pic with Strawbuddy who was also located in the shop!

We stopped in a few of the awesome antique shops and I got some Wakanda collectibles and decor inspiration.

How awesome would these planters look with cool plants inside the hats?

... on a book shelf??!! OMG! I have an idea for some shelving solutions in the new place and I can't wait to execute and share it!  Anyhoo, we had a great time in the cute town.  I remember saying I couldn't wait to visit again.

I didn't realize that my photo with Strawbuddy would be chosen as the 2018 Strawberry Festival Selfie Challenge winner!  OMG!

I won tickets!  It was announced on Instagram and I was super excited.  We arrived on the final day to pick up my concert tickets!  Munch and the man weren't as excited as I was; they assumed the festival would be boring.  They were pleasantly surprised.

There was great food.  

There were fun rides.  There were performances.  

There were strawberry treats.  

... AMAZING strawberry treats at that!

We had a great time.  I knew it was a successful day when, on the way home, the man and Munch were talking about what we're going to do next year at the Strawberry Festival.

To top it off, the sunset warmed our faces and the time warmed our hearts; Strawberry Festival 2018 was an awesome time!