eShakti Grace Dress

dress// eShakti (c/o) glasses//Armani Exchange Bangles// Bauble Bar & Threads shoes// Steve Madden 

Tonight Reese and I are headed to a rehearsal dinner for some sweet friends who are getting married on Saturday. The dinner is being held at a tennis club which makes me want to pour a martini and strike up a conversation with Don Draper. So when eShakti asked me to review one of their sweet 50's inspired dresses I knew that this dinner was the perfect event to pull out a full skirt for! One of my favorite things about this dress is that is cut on the retro side but also has a modern twist with the illusion neckline. I also upped the modern value by adding a half braid and some chunky bangles. My absolute favorite part of this dress is the fact that eShakti has length, sleeve and neck line options. For instance, this dress was originally a maxi dress and for shorties like me sometimes maxi dresses online are dangerous territory, so I had is shortened. No safety pins (no, I have never done that...) No expensive tailor, No fuss...easy!

Here are a few eShakti picks that would be fabulous for summer!

CONNECT WITH eSHAKTI 

FACEBOOK//TWITTER//PINTEREST 

This dress was gifted in exchange for review. All opinions are my own and truthful and trust me, I tell it like it is... just ask my students. 

Stopping Sorry

Background: I signed up and get the honor of attending a Jasmine Star workshop this July.
I logged into my email to find an email from Jasmine Star listing all of the workshop participants website links (Hi panic attack).
My first instinct was to apologize.
Sorry I'm not good enough.
Sorry I am more of a blogger right now.
Sorry I don't have a full photography website right now.
Sorry I haven't posted anything on Facebook since January.
Sorry... Sorry... Sorry.

Apologies were on rapid fire.
I exited the email feeling the exact opposite of how I should have been feeling. I should have been excited for all the knowledge and experience I was going to be able to learn from not totally intimidated and on the verge of a panic attack. I sat there for a few minutes and realized I was being the biggest hypocrite in the world. I spend 8+ hours a day in a place where learning is encouraged, fostered and freely given I don't need to apologize for wanting to learn. In fact, I would probably feel so guilty if one of my students was (and probably does... oh gut check!) feeling this way. I can't be sorry.

So in short, Sorry I am not sorry. I'm pumped to learn. Bring it on.

What do you not need to be sorry for?

The Queen of Classic Bohemian

Blazer//j. crew Dress// Francesca's (similar) Sandals//Target Watch// kate spade 

Alright.... readdy? Confesh sesh, I bought this headband after I saw a student wear one. Pinterest confirmed this little jeweled headband thing was actually a safe to be worn by people who didn't have One Direction stickers on their binder. So I took the leap. It's cool to follow the fashion trends of teenagers (Kendal and Kylie Jenner anyone?), right? The only mistake I really made was rocking this classic bohemian (as my roommate called it) look at school on Monday and the following are the real comments people/students made...

"I like yo locks"

Oh thanks-- fake hair flip, fake hair flip. Now, can you use proper grammar please?

"Yo, Queen Scholz" 

Does this mean I can now add "off with your head" to my list of consequences?

"Are you wearing a tiara??"

Yep, I'm wearing a TIARA... TO SCHOOL. 

"You look like Princess Diana!" 

I would have preferred Princess Kate, but I'll take what I can get. (Also clearly this was a co-worker, I bet the kids think Princess Di is a rapper)

"YOU HAVE EARS!? I'VE NEVER SEEN YOUR EARS!"

I've known you since August, were you not sure I had them? Is this something you think about often? Really, like please tell me what you thought I had... I'M INTRIGUED!!!

"Hey everybody get your phones out were gonna pretend to be her paparazzi."

Well sure you are... 

"You look like Princess Leia, or a cinnamon bun." 

Have you ever actually seen Star Wars, child who was born in 2000? Or had a cinnamon roll for that matter?

Then I proceeded to curtsey all day. 

                          

All of that to say this is obviously a great hair style that will get you lots of attention. Also, it is crazy easy check out this tutorial  for the instructions. My headband is from Francescas but not online so I made a little cheat sheet below for other headbands I love! 

Blogspotter Interview

Blogspotter Interview 

I am so honored to have been interviewed by Blogspotter.co as a featured blogger. When I looked through the site and saw the others who had been featured I felt a little like J. Law being nominated in the same category as Meryl Streep. Like seriously, WHATT? For realsss though I am in great company and really am honored to be among such inspirational and stylish women! Thanks again Blogspotter!

Read the whole interview HERE!

Country Concert Ware

This weekend Kaitlyn and I got to go to the Lady Antebellum concert at The Pavilion via my own personal rockstar Whitney! At one point during the show Charles Kelley (lead singer for Lady A) reached down and plucked a cowboy hat off a concert going wearing the hat a few seconds before he declared that it looked like he was "trying too hard". I can relate Charles, I can relate. I land somewhere between j. crew and Cavendars which makes me apt to fall into the "trying too hard" category. I kept it country with the boots but classic with the leggings and tunic for this early summer country concert! As per usual I had a blast with these ladies and the killer country tunes!

And for your viewing pleasure, we met a new friend named Alice who has a precious blog called Trendy in Texas, check her cute self out!

Everything I am wearing is either really old Target (tunic) or vintage (boots) sooooo linking to it would be futile... Here are my suggestions for recreating this outfit!

Kimono Style

Top// Target Kimono  Tank// Loft Jeans// Old Navy Rock Star Pumps// Aldo Earrings//Stella&Dot (similar)

You know how sometimes there is a lag time, a just a few moments, in between picking up an article of clothing in a store and putting in your cart. You mentally picture your bank account and decided whether said item is worth making that number go down. This Target fringe kimono... yeah, there was not even one millisecond of that lag time. I was obsessed with it from the moment I laid my eyes on it. Much like a twirly skirt any article of clothing with fringe on it instantly add 87.98% more fun to an outfit (numbers yall, they make everything more legit...even if they are 114% made up). I wore this out in Austin this weekend...cause fringe and Austin go together like peas and carrots (insert Forest Gump reference here) and there also might be a distinct possibility that I have worn it 87 times since I bought it... what can I say I am a sucker for fringe. My real favorite part of this kimono is that I can throw it on with heels for a night out or a hat, shorts and sandals to run errands (so be on the look out for that outfit post!).

Tough Mudder Weekend

This weekend Reese and his friends from college competed in the Central Texas Tough Mudder in Rockdale Texas. The name is pretty accurate-- it is tough and it is muddy or so I am told. For the record, I did get splashed with mud while in the heat of the picture taking action, so I can vouch. Street cred is important in rigorous athletic endeavors like the Tough Mudder. 

The whole idea is to work as a team to run 10ish miles periodically stopping to do ridiculous obstacles... basically it is for people who are insane. Our boys did a great job they showed great strength and endurance (the beer at the end of the race had NOTHING to do with that I am sure). We were seriously so proud of them! With obstacles with names like "Electric Shock Therapy" (running through charged electrical wires) and "Arctic Enema" (Jumping into a ridiculously cold ice bath) and "The Mud Mile" (a mile of mud hills to climb over) you could not pay me enough to attempt it. It was great to see the boys really work as a team and encourage one another when it seemed to difficult to move on. Even as just a spectator I felt encouraged and motivated! 

The boys finished with pride in their eyes, bruises that tell the story for weeks to come and a beer in their hand the perfect way to end a race. The girls left with with man respect for our men and some pretty sick tan lines! We finished up the weekend with a well deserved trip to Austin's 6th Street where we sang the night away at Pete's Piano Bar! 

 

Team MUDstache Before/After 

and if you wanna see the 34548 pictures I took you can see them HERE