Top 5 Tuesday: Nail Polish

Today I'm linking up with miss Rachel from Just Peachy for Top 5 Tuesday!

I'm so excited that it is about nail polish, because let me tell you girls...I'm crazy about nail polish! I paint my nails ALL the time, about 2 times a week, or depending on if I get chips or not. My wonderful SIL taught me how to do a perfect manicure on myself, so I haven't had to go the the nail salon in over 4 years! Thanks Katy!  Here are my top 5 nail polishes!

Sally Hansen Insta-Dri- Sonic Bloom

This is what I'm wearing right now. I love it! It drys super fast and lasts about a week on me with no chips!

Sally Hansen Salon- Flamingo

I wore this ALOT this past summer! It's a little more red than the picture shows. It's a great polish for when you want to add a pop of color without going overboard!

E.L.F. French Manicure Set

I love a good french manicure. It's classy, simple and elegant. I have finally perfected it enough so that my right hand looks almost as good as my left when I'm done. Y'all know what I'm talkin' about!

Sinful Colors- 24/7

This is a bubble gum neon pink and I LOVE it! It always makes your skin look tanner than it really is. I found it at my local Walgreen's for about $2 and it is my spring/summer go to color! I love having sassy nails and I always get complements on them when I wear this polish!

Orly- Hot Shot

This is a great red-ish orange color! It wears for a long time and I always get complements when I wear this one too. Complements to SIL for suggesting this one to me!



So can you tell I mostly wear pinks and reds?! I have tried greens, tans and blues, and while they look great on all of you, sadly, they don't work for me. Why? I have NO idea!

Do any of y'all wear any of these? How do you like them?

xo Julia

P.S. Here are a few giveaway alerts for you to check out!

1. Jenn over at Bliss to Bean is having a giveaway for a very cute bracelet! Head on over to her blog to enter! Thanks Jenn!

2. Lindsey over at Keep It Classy, Alabama is giving away a Swell Caroline monogram necklace! Check out her blog and enter for your chance to win!

Mary and Dyer Giveaway!

Hey y'all! Kat, over at Mary and Dyer is having a giveaway for a Tiffany necklace + a gift from her shop! Check out her blog for your chance to enter!! 

I found Kat's blog...well, actually, she found me first!...almost as soon as I started blogging.  She has just recently finished her store and it is now up and running! Mary and Dyer was the creation of Kat and her sister-in-law, and is named after her children! And even better...10% of their proceeds go to support the IJM - International Justice Mission.  Not only can you buy beautiful jewelry, accessories and handbags, but you will also be helping a very worthy cause!

Here are some of my favorites:

My Heart Will Go On Earrings

These are so classy, I absolutely love them! These are on my Christmas list now!

The Faithful Cord Bracelet

I use any chance I can to wear faith inspired jewelry, and this is a great way to do it!

Is This Antique? Take 2 Necklace

Turquoise? Yes please! I adore turquoise jewelry!

Fashion Is For Elephants Ring

This ring is so pretty! I love the jewel tones with the copper color!

I hope y'all take a few minutes to check out Mary and Dyer. They have gorgeous products, affordable prices and free shipping!  You could definitely knock-out a few people on your Christmas list I'm sure!

xo Julia



Classy Baking: Yummy Chocolate Bark

Hey everyone! I hope all is well in your neck of the woods!  The past few days, I've been busy crafting and trying out some Holiday recipes! A few things I've worked on have been a driftwood table top Christmas tree, purses, aprons and a few recipes! Hopefully I'll get to post about my crafts soon, but here is a super yummy, super EASY recipe for Chocolate Bark. It's perfect for gifting over the Holidays!

*Just so y'all know, this post is picture heavy*

Julia's Yummy Chocolate Bark

1 bag Semi-sweet chocolate chips

1 bag White chocolate chips

Wax paper or foil (if using foil, you'll need butter)

1. Preheat your oven to 250 degrees F. Place foil over a jelly roll pan, making sure to fold sides over. If you are out of wax paper, and have to use foil like I did, take a stick of butter, and rub it over the foil, making sure to get a complete coating. If you're using wax paper, just lay it over your jelly roll pan and you are good to go!

2. Now sprinkle your chips in a checkerboard type pattern on the pan, making sure that they are in a single layer. Place them in the oven and bake for about 6 minutes.



I only had half a bag of each chocolate, that's why it's kind of small. You can also use half a bag or use a whole bag of each to make alot!

 3. When you take them out of the oven they should look shiny. Now take a spatula and, pressing lightly, swirl the chocolate around, making sure to flatten any chips. Once all the chocolate is swirled together, place your pan in the fridge for an hour (I'm not patient when it comes to this, so I stuck mine in the freezer for 10 or 15 minutes!)



4. When the chocolate is chilled enough, take it out of the fridge, remove the foil from the pan. Lay the foil chocolate side down on a cutting board. Peel the foil away from the chocolate, making sure no little foil pieces are left.  Now all you have to do is cut or break the chocolate into medium pieces.

5. Now it's ready to enjoy! Like I said, it makes a great Christmas treat. You can package it in a super cute box or bag to give as a gift! Or just put it on a serving platter like I did!

Do y'all have any yummy Holiday recipes you like to make? Let me know if you try this!

xo Julia



A Classy Christmas

If y'all are anything like me, you can't wait until the Holidays!  I love when I hear that first Christmas song on the radio and just the general feeling in the air.  Yeah, yeah, I know Halloween was just a few days ago, but you can't blame me! So while I am in this Christmas-y mood, I'll let y'all in on a few (this is only a fraction of my entire list) things on my Christmas list so far!

1. Triple monogram earrings- Swell Caroline

I LOVE these! I hope I can actually wait until Christmas to buy them.

2. Dotti Earrings- Swell Caroline

These are really cute and will go with just about any outfit!

3. Pineapple Earrings- Swell Caroline

What can I say? I'm a sucker for pineapples!

4. Monogrammed Travel Bag- Marley Lilly

I am in love with this bag! How classy it that!? I like that it is simple and timeless.

5. Monogrammed Scarf- Marley Lilly

I have to have one! I've been waiting for a long time!

6. Pineapple Sandals- Target

I missed out on these in the store, but I can still get them online. Yay!

7. 13" Mac Book Pro- Apple

Neil and I have been wanting one of these, and I think we are finally going to get it!

8. Monogrammed Cosmetic Bag- The Palm Gifts

I really need one of these, and I love that it has my favorite colors!

9. Monogrammed Brown or Tan Ostrich Clutch/Purse - Marley Lilly

I never thought I would want ostrich, but I am really loving it! I can't decide..brown or tan?

10. Headband - High Cotton Ties

I am liking the nautical stripes!

11. Monogrammed Jute Tote - Marley Lilly

I am going to use this when we go to the beach! I'm totally thinking ahead! I want either aqua, green or pink

12. The Official Preppy Handbook by Lisa Birnbach

I bought the "True Prep" book when it came out last year, which was a follow up to "The Official Preppy Handbook" It was written in the '80s but I still think it's a really neat book!

13. Longchamp Le pliage in Navy

I have wanted one of these forever!

14. And of course I want the usual clothes, scarves, shoes, ect.

I think I see a pattern here! I guess this Christmas is going to be my "monogram" Christmas!  Do you like/have any of these?  Do you have any monogrammed items on your Christmas list?

Before I go, I just want to say that I know it can be so easy to get wrapped up with getting and giving gifts, but I always try to find different ways to give back to those in need, and honestly, I'm one of those people who would rather give than receive. It makes me so happy to know that I helped someone.  So, this Holiday season, I hope y'all keep others less fortunate in mind, and try to do something for the greater good!

xo Julia

Once again I have some giveaway alerts for y'all! It seems like there are TONS of giveaways going on lately doesn't it!?  Hey...I'm not complain'n!

1. Hailey from Tied Together With a Smile is having a giveaway for a necklace, $25 starbucks gift card, 2 essie nail polishes AND an item of your choice from Swoozies...oooh I LOVE swoozies! Make sure to swing by her blog for your chance to enter! Thanks Hailey!

2. UGA Bama Belle is having a giveaway for a monogrammed Marley Lilly scarf! Make sure to check out her blog for your chance to win! Thanks girl!

3. Mrs. S over at Everything Girly and Beyond is having a giveaway for an amazing E.L.F. eyeshadow palette and lip gloss set. Sail over to her blog to enter! Thanks Mrs. S!!

Neils Birthday Weekend

Hey all!  I hope everyone had a great weekend!  Neils birthday was Friday, so, instead of celebrating only on Friday, we made it into an entire weekend of fun!  We went to lunch at his favorite Mexican place on Friday, went and did some shopping on Saturday and today we just relaxed!  Here is what I got him for his birthday!

He's been wanting this Vineyard Vines Harbor Vest for a while, so of course I had to get it for him! Look how handsome this guy is!

I also got him some other little gifts here and there, but this was his main present. If any of y'all know someone who is wanting a nice fleece vest, this is the one to get! Neil really recommends it, and so do I!  Overall, I'm pretty sure he had a great birthday...now what to get him for Christmas!?

How was your weekend?  Did you do anything fun or exciting?

xo Julia

P.S. Make sure to enter Faison's giveaway for a Kate Spade planner! I've been wanting one of these!

Summer Wind's giveaway for a Sailboat Tervis Tumbler! Sail on over to her blog for your chance to enter!

Keep it Classy, Alabama is giving away a monogrammed Marley Lilly scarf! I still want one of these pretty bad! Head on over to her blog to enter!

A Day of Pretty Packages!

Hey all! I hope everyone has had a great Thursday! One more day until the weekend! Today I got 2 amazing packages in the mail that I wanted to share with y'all!

1. The first package was from my sock swap partner Jenn! I was so excited when I found out Ashley was going to be hosting a sock swap, and I was so thankful to get paired up with such a wonderful partner!

She sent me some wild zebra print knee high socks! Along with hot chocolate and a sweet note! And can I also just say that her tissue paper is so cute?!  Thanks Jenn! I really appreciate it and I hope you like yours as much as I love mine!

_______________________________________________________

2. If any of you recall, a few weeks back I won Let's Be Preppys Scentsy giveaway! I have been anxiously awaiting my package ever since!

Ashley Miles was the sponsor of the giveaway and she was so great to work with! She even let me pick whatever warmer I wanted! So of course I picked the "Welcome" warmer! It has a pineapple on it...how could I say no!?  Sorry the picture is so dark, so you might not be able to see it, but the warmer is an ivory color with a crackle, antique-y finish! I love it. And let me just tell y'all...this warmer is a lot bigger than what I thought!  It's the perfect size to set on a hall table or side table.

Anyways, to get back on track...I won a mid-size warmer, fragrance foam and a scentsy bar. The fragrance foam is a hand sanitizer! YAY! I always carry hand sanitizer with me and I'm so excited to have one that smell so good! It came in the Skinny Dippin' scent and it is a blend of apples, melon and pears. It smells so yummy!  The scent block is the "Welcome Home" scent which smells kind of like apple cinnamon. A perfect scent for fall!

If any of y'all are wondering what exactly Scentsy is...they basically make wickless candles. The warmers have a light bulb inside that heats the wax instead of an actual flame. How it works: place a few wax chunks from the scentsy bar in the top of the warmer. Plug it in and turn it on.  It took about 15 minutes for my wax chunk to totally melt.  Our bedroom is about 20x20 and it scented the whole room and it smells great!

If any of you are in search of a nice gift for the Holidays, a Scentsy warmer would be perfect!  I definitely recommend it! Check out Ashley's website to see all the different products available! 

Do any of you own any Scentsy products? How do you like them? And did anyone else take part in the sock swap? It was so much fun!

xo Julia

P.S. The lovely Ashley over at Everyday AEM is having a giveaway for some CUTE Kate Spade socks! Head on over to her blog to enter for your chance to win! Thanks Ashley!


{Long Distance Loving} is having a Lilly Pulitzer Jungle Glam giveaway. There can be 3 possible winners! Head on over for your chance to win!

One of my fabulous blog friends, Allison over at Just a Carolina Girl is having a giveaway for a Marley Lilly Scarf! This girl is so sweet! Please make sure to stop by her blog and enter for your chance to win!

High Cotton Ties

Hey everyone!  I hope y'all are having a great Wednesday!  Over the past few days, I've been searching the web for something to get Neil for his birthday on Friday. I'll post about what he got later, but for now, I wanted to share a new brand that I found. I wasn't able to get him one right now because I wouldn't have gotten it in time for his birthday, so maybe a nice Christmas present?  I'm sure some of you already know about it, but some of you might not! And just to add, I wasn't paid in any way to talk about them, I just think they have some great products!

High Cotton Ties are made from 100% cotton. Which is great, because, like they say on their website, silk ties can hold viruses and icky germs, but because these are cotton, you can wash them!  I would much rather Neil wear a cotton bow tie than a silk one because of that reason.  Also, they are all hand made by a professional sewing shop in North Carolina. They even offer a special service that will convert some of your old or vintage cotton clothing into a bow tie! How cool is that?  Besides bow ties, they also sell cummerbunds, tee shirts, koozies and, for us ladies, some super cute headbands! Make sure to check out their "About Us" page for the full story!  Here are some examples from their web site.

These are a few ties from their new "Fall 2011" line. They also have some very handsome hounds tooth, tweed and other classic patterns available. Click on the picture to go there.

These are from their "Summer 2011" line, and although these colors are kind of out of season, I still think they are super fun and handsome at the same time. I love the pink and navy oxford pattern.

And for me...

I love both of these headbands! I absolutely go nuts for anything nautical-esc like this navy and white stripe! And you can't really get any classier than black and white hounds tooth and for me, it also shows my support for Alabama football!

Now for some Holiday matchy-matchy!

If NMC wore this:

I would wear this:

If NMC wore this:

I would wear this:

Neil and I are one of those couples that, even if we have no idea what each other are wearing, alot of times we end up wearing the same colors. I think it's kind of cute!

So after looking at all their products, and knowing what I know about their company, it's safe to say that I will be purchasing at least 1 bow tie and 1 headband for Christmas.  Although I can't recommend buying from them through personal experience, I can definitely recommend looking at their website and checking them out for your self, especially if you have a husband, boyfriend, brother or dad on your Christmas list still in need of a good gift!

Have any of y'all bought anything from High Cotton Ties? How do you like it?

Before I go, I wanted to let y'all know about a giveaway from the lovely Crystal, over at Coffee at Nordstrom. She is giving away a supper cute set of monogram earrings from Swell Caroline! Make sure to head on over to her blog and enter for your chance to win!

xo Julia



So...You Think You Know Me?

Hey y'all! I hope everyone had a happy and fun filled Halloween!  Neil and I just stayed in, got an oven bake pizza and watched some movies then fell asleep!  It might not sound fun to some but it was great spending some quality time with my hubby! 

While I was catching up on my daily reads, I saw this cute little questionnaire on Emily's blog and I thought I would do one. Like her, I love to know more about all you girls, so I figured you might like to get to know more about me!  I hope y'all do one too! Here it goes!

If....

... I could live anywhere in the US... I would live in the south of course, as I do now, but I would love to move back to St. Augustine, FL. I grew up there and I absolutely love it! It's so rich in history, the people are really nice and you are never more than 5 minutes from the beach! We go there for vacay and Neil loves it too! Here are 2 pictures of the beach we took last time we were there!

... I were to have more children... Well, first of all, I don't have kids and hopefully wont for a few more years. I do love kids though, and I would like to have 2. Probably a boy and a girl.  I, as well as everyone in our family, pretty much know exactly what they will look like. Neil and I both have dark hair and he has curly hair so they will have dark wavy hair. I'm sure they will be the cutest little kids you've ever seen, besides your own of course! ;-)

... I could have any talent in the world ... I would like to be able to paint beautiful pictures! As much as I like being creative and crafty, I really can't paint too well.

... You met me in real life ... You would know that I am exactly the same as on here! I'm really nice and can get along with everyone.  I think it's really mean and rude not to give people a chance, because you never know who you might be passing up...they could end up being your best friend! You would also know that I make a lot of facial expressions when I talk and sometimes talk with my hands.

... I went back to school ... Actually, I am thinking about it...I want to finish my business degree I started working on.  I'm not really excited about it, but I'll appreciate it later in life!

... Money were not an object ... I would make regular donations to charities that are close to my heart. Spoil my family members. Buy several cars I have been wanting, own about 5 homes, all with the best furnishings, buy homes in exotic locations for myself, my mom and my in laws and buy my brother and sister and SIL something really, really nice.

... I could meet one celebrity ... I would probably choose Reese Witherspoon or Julia Roberts. I love every movie either of them have been in. Reese is so classy and Julia, aside from sharing my name, is a great actress and a great lady in general.

... I could only shop at one store for the rest of my life ... It would probably be Belk. They have the most stylish dresses, shoes, bags, jewelry and clothes around. I love going in there all the time to see what they have, even though I've seen it all a million times!

... I could choose an animal/pet ... I of course would have dogs and cats, but I would love a baby tiger! They are so cute! I love kitties and tigers are just a huge kitty!

... I could go on a trip right now ... I would go to Palm Beach, FL and stay at The Breakers.  Neil and I are planning to go this next year. It is supposed to be the best of the best, so hopefully it lives up to it's reputation! It was actually built by the same man that built most of the Spanish style buildings in St. Augustine.

... I had to choose between a house cleaner and a personal chef ... I would choose a house cleaner because I actually really like to cook.  I don;t mind cleaning, but if I had a choice, that's what it would be!

How Would You Answer These Questions?

xo Julia