Stars, stripes, and a Big Blue Bow

Good morning everyone! Happy Forth of July!

The forth is one of my favorite holidays because it brings family and friends together and is a great reminder of the wonderful country we live in (amongst food and fun yard games of course).

In preparation for the forth of July, I ordered a new dress from Red Dress Boutique! Check it out  here! This dress was just made for the 4th. I loved pairing it with a light blue floppy hat & some simple jewelry with white at blue accents! Keep it simple and comfortable today. 

Meanwhile our photo shoot, dogs will play and Meagan will twirl...

Happy Forth of July everyone! :)

I've really missed you!

OH BOY! Has it been a while or what?! I'm pretty sure that last time I posted, I had just gotten engaged, finished my first ever Christmas music program and also broke my foot! Well the end of the school year is here and it is finally summer! With some extra time on my hands, I wanted to come out and brush off the dusty blogger account and say hello!

With this renewal of blogging life, I had started to brainstorm some ideas for the blog this summer and made a list of things I want to think about!

As I went down this path, I realized that I am a person who loves way too many things and can't focus on one topic. Call me ADD but I just  love so many different things in the world! Because of this, I have decided to write about everything that interests me. This may seem overwhelming or unorganized but if so, then that's who I am! I find myself always switching obsessions and projects but I also always come back to the same ones.

If you're prepared to stay with me, this is what you can look forward to!

• I will always love to write about my life of being a new music teacher while also staying fashionable in a Catholic school environment. I love fashion and I will admit I have a bit of a shopping addiction!

• Alongside all of my fashion interests, I love sewing and making new creations or making my own version of something I know I can't afford. 

• I also love baking and trying new recipes for various types of cupcakes and improving my skills along the way. 

• As usual, I am always picking up new hobbies, and with the beginning of the blog, I loved learning about photography. As I go along on this journey, I look forward to learning more about photography and showing off some of my pictures of life along the way!

• On the opposite side of baking, I have recently joined an amazing community called Tone It Up. This community is full of supportive and inspiring women all on the lifelong path to health and happiness! As I have joined this community, I have learned so much about nutrition, new recipes, working out, and ways to live a healthier life.
  
  
• As some of you may know, Tony & I got engaged this last Christmas and the wedding planning has officially begun! We are starting our crazy and exciting wedding journey and I want you to all come along with us! 

Life after college is great. But very different. Join me as I explore life and try to find my passions and what makes me happy! 

P.S. Since in 13 months I will no longer be Ms. Bruck (eeee! :)) and will be Mrs. Ash! I will have to change the name of my blog! Let me know if you have any cute ideas!

Gift Guides - for the bestie & men

Gift for your bestie? Your mom? Friend from college? Favorite co-worker? We've got you covered! We're all about comfort and warmth here..

Your bestie will LOVE this top because its a comfortable sweatshirt but can be paired with a dress skirt and easily dressed up!

LOFT petite top  

I LOVE my sleep shirts. So comfortable to sleep in :) 

Aerie sleep shirt  

Bling bling. Need I say more?! 

Forever 21 gemstone necklace 

For all the nights of going out and little purses, Kate has us covered...with glitter ;)

 Kate Spade accessory 

Keep her warm!

LOFT mitten glove 

Cake for breakfast? Okay.

Kate Spade drinkware 

This is the cutest scarf ever! Who doesn't LOVE reindeer?! 

Reindeer Scarf | Loft 

Fabulously cheerful.

Merry Christmas Light Up Acrylic Double Wall Tumbler

Looking for some good ideas for the men in your life? These fun gifts are great for brothers, boyfriends, and dads!

**Every man likes to smell good. Check this out - its amazing. 

 Euphoria Men by Calvin Klein Eau de Toilette

**As much as men say they're not cold, sometimes even THEY need gloves. These 'etip' one have a light to keep your techy boys happy. 

The North Face 'eTip' Gloves 

**Beautiful? Yes. Professional? Yes. Good price? Oh my goodness!

 21 MENS Faux Leather-Strap Watch 

**Have a blind man?  Check out these funny contact cases :) 

21 MENS Contact Key Case  

**Naughty? Maybe a little. But so very funny. 

American Eagle Outfitters / 

**For the athletic man in your life... he'll be thanking you forever.

GoFit 'Triggerball2' Therapeutic Double Ball Massager 

**How neat is this phone charger?! 

FOREVER 21 dci Holiday Lights Phone Charger

All I want for Christmas...

Its the day after Thanksgiving and its official. It is now socially acceptable for me to be the Christmas song singing music teacher that I am! Not only can we get a tree, decorate the house, and constantly bake cookies, but its also time to start thinking about Christmas gifts. After doing a little online shopping, I have created a few GIFT GUIDES for the various people in your life. To start off, here are my top 6 things for this Christmas.

Stay tuned for more gift guides!

Good luck shopping and welcome to the Christmas season!
Dear Santa,

Eddie Bauer parka coat / Collar jacket / Kate spade crossbody / Kate Spade holiday jewelry / Isaac Mizrahi tech accessory / Blanket

Falling in Love - Dressing for FALL Weddings

                                         Graphic Design cred to Lauren Verplaetse. Check her out at laurenverplaetse.com :)

This is such an exciting point in my life. I am finally old enough that the word "wedding" is now frequently used in my vocabulary. Not only am I going to weddings, but they are my best friends who are MY age! Weddings are no longer a time in the far future but a present time. 

Because of my little wedding experience, I have only experienced summer weddings. This year, I had the joy of attending my beautiful cousin's fall wedding. I was so excited to see her and her wonderful fiance since I grew up alongside her & I look up to her so much.

Although in the back of my mind, I have always thought... What am I going to wear?! So I did some brainstroming and this is what I came up with. I hope you enjoy and find that this is something you can use this fall.

When picking out a dress, color is the biggest thing. For me, I wanted a color that would match all the deep rich colors of fall that would be displayed at the wedding. I found this dress at my favorite store, Francescas Collections. I loved the rich emerald green color with the knitted texture. This dress was a perfect fit because its something I can easily dress up or down. Its something I can wear and teach in comfortably!

I decided to dress appropriately for the weather and wore black tights to keep my legs warm. I then dressed up my look by adding clear/gold jewelry& my black Michael Kors heels. I also got to use my new favorite bag from target that I also doubled as a camera bag that day!

When thinking about buying a dress for a fall wedding, get something that you can wear again. Depending on how casual or formal the wedding is, you may be able to get away with using the dress to create many different styles! 

Look for COLOR. Jewel tones look are great for fall because they compliment so many of the colors of the season. Make a statement with a green, purple, or red dress that will make you dance the night away in confidence. And as always, get a dress you feel great in! 

Model cred to my little brother: Aaron Bruck

Jazz up your look by having fun with sweaters, jackets, and coats that can add layers of warmth and beauty to the look! REMEMBER: Fall is ALL about layers. This counts for weddings too!

Thanks for reading and we'll talk soon!