The Style House

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You listen to podcasts. [hello Adam Corolla & Jillian Michaels]

You make weekly meal plans.

You choose to listen to AM radio on the way to/from work instead of rocking out. [Ok some days I still totally rock out]

You start using anti-aging eye cream. [at 23 - never too early, right?]

You use a crockpot multiple times per week.

You no longer get a discount at the movies on 'student night' [sometimes I sneak with my old UofL ID] Shoot me.

You actually watch the news.

You have a business facebook page.

You need an entire day to recuperate from a hangover. [an entire day]

You enjoy reading personal finance blogs & articles.

You start saving for retirement. [Next year, folks.]

You no longer regularly eat ramen noodles. [hmmm... miss these, they are damn good!]

You use coupons.

You feel like you deserve to go to bed early. Really??

...

What is wrong with us, ladies?? Ha!

Tell me I'm not alone with the above ;)

xo
Sam

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That's what it feels like to me. Christmas in freakin' July. Can you believe that Christmas decor is already out in all of the stores?? How is almost November??

Seriously.

Well.. since all of you crazies are already doing your Christmas shopping [don't worry. I will be jumping on that bandwagon soon] I decided I might be able to help you out!

Visit my Etsy Shop and get 20% off of your entire order when using the code BLOGGER20.

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Ohhh goodness. Monday again! I've had a pretty busy yet fun filled week!
First and foremost... I've joined the real world.

Yep. A smart phone, people! My very first! It's the iphone 5. I was this close to just getting the iphone 4 off of amazon - being the cheapskate that I am - buttttt... I caved & went ahead and used my upgrade.

I'm loving it so far, but there is a huge learning curve! What are some favorite apps?? Fill me in girls!

Also... Happy 3rd Birthday to this guy...
My baby is getting old! We got him this orange dog for his Bday present. It has a water bottle inside AND it squeaks so he is pretty much in heaven.

Speaking of Kobe... My friend Holly & I went to Uptown Art: Uncorked for 'Paint Your Pet' night last week. It was so much fun!

Basically this place has different themed nights for painting. They supply you with the paint, canvas, etc. and have instructors to come around and answer questions and everything. Before the class you send in a photo and they rough sketch it onto the canvas as a guide for you. They also had snack & dessert trays and ofcourse, wine! It was fun.

Loved it!
What else??? Halloween!

We decided to have a little Halloween get together at our place this year, costumes & all!
Remember my saying I was going to attempt this makeup??
Well, it was tough, but I think I did alright. What do you think??

This was in the getting ready process :) Sidenote: does anyone use velcro rollers?? This was my first attempt. A few friends recommended them for extra volume so i decided to give them a whirl.

For the makeup I bought one of those cheap halloween makeup kits which I used some, but I also had to improvise a little bit with my normal makeup.
The white cream face makeup just didn't go on my skin well. I ended up having to use a little bit of that as a base, but then blend white eye shadow all over.
Hey, whatever works right?

We had an awesome time catching up with friends & seeing everyone's costumes!

Extra points if you can guess who Jason is...
Stu - the dentist- from The Hangover! I thought he looked just like him!

 A little halloween decor mixed in with le booze! Also, aren't the cabinets neat?? My bf came up with the idea to use hardware cloth as the door inserts instead of glass. Creative, no?

Had to glam up the infamous leg lamp with a black light & some cobwebs ;)

And most importantly.... Caramel Apple suckers have officially made an appearance!
Who else loves these bad boys ;)

Who else did something fun this weekend??

xo
Sam

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Know what I really love the smell of? Bonfires.
I thought about this when I was walking Kobe this morning.
Smelled a random bonfire.
I don't know who starts a bonfire at 9am, but I'm pretty sure I want to be friends with them.

Know what I'm sort of pissed about?
Pretty Little Liars.
They tease us with a Halloween episode but then tell us to wait until January for more. WTF?

Know what I"m trying to duplicate for Halloween??
This baby.

We'll see how that turns out on Saturday. Hopefully good!

Know who is absolutely Hilarious with a capital H? This girl.



Happy Random Thursdayyy! ahem. Friday Eve.

xo
Sam

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No I'm NOT talking about a date...
or even a day at the pool...

I, my friends, am talking about my annual female appointment otherwise known as the gyno.

Does anyone else find this annual appointment freaking awkward? I would prob put it off if it wasn't for the fact that I need my BC prescription.

This is my convo with my MALE 60ish year old gyno. What makes this even more strange is that this doctor delivered me when I was born.

Me (in my open front robe - classy): Oh, hello.

Doc: Hi there. Nice to see you again.

Me: Yep. You, too.

Doc: Sooo been anywhere fun this year? (As he lays me back on the exam bench, er, table? This is his 'go-to' line every year I go in for my appointment.)

Me: As a matter of fact, I just got back from Destin. What about you?

Doc: Denver. My daughter lives there. (As he is feeling up my boobs also known as checking for lumps.)

Me: Oh, I've heard Denver was nice. (As I stare up at random things hanging from the ceiling that I guess are there to hold my attention.)

Doc: Alrightyyyy. Scoot on down to the edge & put your feet up.

Enter: Awkward nurse/assistant to observe.

Me: Ok then.

Doc: (Stabbing & poking me with random instruments) You have such nice skin.

Me: (Uhhh skin where? ha) Oh. Thanks. (Joking) I shaved my legs for the occassion.

Doc: (Doesn't really laugh.) Oh, sometimes I have patients that haven't showered in a week, let alone shaved.

Me: Ohhh. Gross.


Does anyone else have these awkward exchanges? Tell me it's not just me!

xo
Sam

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Hey lovelies!
Look who's back in the swing of things! Nothing like a little impromtu trip to Florida... you feel?
My bf's parents had a condo in Destin & they just sold it... so luckily we were able to move some work stuff around & drive down for one last visit before closing!

Days spent like this are the best in my book :) I envy you girls that get to live on/by the beach.

Going in October is the best because it's not crowded but it's still warm enough to do normal beach stuff aka sit on the beach, get in the pool, etc. The ocean was a bit cool but I still got in. Wasn't going to miss out, that's for sure!

Pretty beach! Destin has some of the prettiest water & sand. I never would have guessed it, but the first time I went I was wowed.

Awesome house rumored to be Tim McGraw's... who knows! I've never seen anyone stay here.

And I like to call this one the Pink Palace... It looks way more pink in real life.

What else.... We ate great food. If you go to Destin or Pensecola you HAVE to try McGuires Irish Pub. Irish in FL?? What??? Yes! You will not be sorry. Get the irish wake. Also Dewey Destins for seafood.

Here are some of my favorite products to use at the beach...


Tinted Moisturizer! I love the Aveeno in light... it's not too heavy but gives you a little bit of coverage to even out your skin tone. Don't feel like you have to run out & buy it though, you can totally make your own. Just combine your regular facial moisturizer with a hint of your foundation. It works with liquid foundation or even mineral foundation.

Discovered this sunscreen while we were in Destin. Love it! It feels good on your skin, isn't greasy and it doesn't make me break out. Give it a shot. I usually use Aveeno, but I might just switch!

I also was super proud because I managed to fit all of my clothes for 5 days into a carry-on sized suitcase. Major success. Does anyone else have a hard time with this? I had an even harder time stuffing everything back in my suitcase on the way home. Did I go shopping???

Well... I went thrifting! I'll be back this week to show you what I got. Think wedges, sweaters, cute summer tops, etc.  I will also give you a few tips for when you go thrifting yourself!

I'm off to watch Pretty Little Liars (who is excited?!) & then tomorrow is a full day of work (alot to catch up on!) and THEN...
I will be drinking wine & painting! So excited to try this. I'm going to attempt to 'paint my pet'... Kobe ofcourse. Sooo.. the question is, will my painting skills get worse or better when accompanied by wine? Time will tell, ladies. Time will tell.

xo
Sam

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  Tribal Shrug

DIY Letters


Bright Throw Pillows + DIY Art


Vintage Door Knob

Stackable Rings


Repurposed Night Stand

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So as most of you have figured out by now, I am NOT what you call a spender. I am frugal. Cheap. A saver. However... there are some little luxuries I feel are well worth a splurge now & then...

The occasional facial: We're talking two or three times a year, now. But in my book, totally worth it!

Bare Minerals foundation: All of my other make-up is usually generic or cheaper brands, but I can't find anything that works for my skin like Bare Minerals.

The occassional Starbucks... Hopefully I'm lucky enough to get a gift card as a gift or to find a special groupon or something. But even when I don't, I still splurge on a latte every now and then, maybe once every couple of weeks. Normally I brew my coffee at home & doctor it up with creamer but it just won't replace my love :)

Fruit from Fresh Market: I don't know if you have Fresh Market in your area... but it is the bomb.com! Seriously love this place. It is pricey, so normally I do my grocery shopping at Le Kroger... however, sometimes I allow myself to go on a fruit run to fresh market. The fruit is such a higher quality but you definitely pay a premium for it.

A fun time with friends: I'm a big believer in spending your money on experiences rather than things. For example, I spent money to go skydiving - totally worth it! Exhilerating, plus I have a memory that will last a lifetime. Also, soon I'm going to plan a night out at 'Uptown Art' with a friend where we go drink wine & paint canvas art. Plus I love going out for sushi every now & then.
I think my next splurge will be monthly Netflix. I just have so many shows I want to watch on here. It's not too much, so it's doable. Something bigger I want to splurge on soon is a short trip to either New Orleans or Chicago. I would love to treat my boyfriend to a long weekend away. I think he would prefer New Orleans! Oohh maybe Christmas idea?

I don't know about you guys, but sometimes I make myself feel guilty for spending on extras or splurging on something. I guess it's just my frugal mindset, because it's not like I have no money leftover each month. I have a budget with plenty left at the end of the month plus a good sized emergency fund in savings, but I still find myself worrying & wanting to save more. I guess I'm just a freak & need to let go sometimes! Here's to life's little splurges!

What do you consider a splurgeworthy item or experience??

xo
Sam

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This was my only purchase at the St. James Art Fair (remember? here) Well... this and a slice of pumpkin roll ;) This ring is actually a vintage brooch turned into a ring. Pretty sure I - and any of you - could make these! Next time I go thrifting I'll be keeping my eyes open for vintage jewelry to repurpose!

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Friday afternoon some girlfriends & I got together to head to St. James Art Fair. If you ever visit Louisville, this is a Fall must in my book! It's set in historic St. James Court which is the perfect setting to take everything in. I'll let the pictures do most of the talking :)

This was my favorite art. It looked like the artist took multiple copies of the same photo, then cut sections out & layered them to give it a 3D effect. So cool & something I want to give a try!





Creepy Lady Gaga doll. You can see Jimmy Buffett hanging out next to her.


There is also another art fair each year that takes place on the same days as St. James called the 'Un Fair'. It's basically all of the rebels that boycott St. James booth prices & set up on the outskirts. There was some crazy art in here!

All in all a great way to spend a Fall day!

xo
Sam

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