What I would buy with $200 at Piperlime

Here are a few items I think to be worthy of splurging for, at $200 or less each. I particularly love the pastel sandals and skinny jeans! I have to admit, I'm kinda bummed that I can't win my own giveaway right now....

 

bag / jeans / swimsuit

necklace / dress / sandals

Or, if you would rather get the most bang for your buck, you can get this entire outfit for $202! Can you tell I'm loving scallops right now?!

dress / earrings / cuff / wedges

Enter to win the $200 Piperlime gift card HERE! Hurry, this giveaway ends at 11:59 pm CST on Friday, March 29th!

*Also valid at Gap, Old Navy, Athleta, and Banana Republic!

Sam Edelman Trina Sandals

Ann Taylor LOFT / Sam Edelman

If you follow me on Instagram, you might remember me sharing my love for these cognac/snakeskin Sam Edelman sandals with a gorgeous metallic block heel. I swoon. I have held out on purchasing them because I've been hoping I'll score them on sale in a month or two. 

However, as I was browsing online at LOFT, I spotted an identical pair except in black. At first, I simply thought they were the same shoe in a different color, since LOFT does sell some Sam Edelman shoes. But when I looked closer, I realized that they're not Sam Edelman at all, but LOFT's version of this adorable metallic low-heel sandal...and it also comes in other super versatile colors! While the full-price is only a $10 difference, LOFT is running a 40% off everything promotion, bringing the total down to $54! At about half price, would you consider LOFT's alternative?

If it wasn't for Sam Edelman's humongous signature on the bottoms, could you tell the difference? Which are your favorites?

P.S. If your heart is set on Sam Edelman, they are available on Piperlime for $100...Which would still leave you with another $100 to spend if you won the $200 gift card! What I'm getting at is, be sure and enter HERE for your chance to win and get these sandals for free!

Baked Spaghetti

In accordance with our recent vow to try new recipes, I am always searching Pinterest for ideas. Back in our food rut, we ate spaghetti at least once a week. It's such a quick and easy meal, not to mention inexpensive, so I admit I was happy to find a baked variation. This version includes ricotta, mozzarella, and parmesan cheeses, so it's definitely not just another boring spaghetti meal. Recipe is as follows, with my adaptations in red.

Roasted Garlic Cheesy Baked Spaghetti

Ingredients:
1 box of spaghetti pasta
2 regular sized jars of your favorite spaghetti sauce (I used Kroger brand's roasted red pepper)
1 16 oz container of ricotta cheese
1 bulb of roasted garlic (I used a couple teaspoons of garlic powder)
1 cup of grated parmesan cheese
Mozzarella cheese
2 roma tomatoes sliced thin (I included two cans of diced tomatoes inside the spaghetti instead)
I didn't add any meat, but I may try that next time!

Directions:
Boil pasta. Strain and mix with sauce, ricotta, half of your parmesan, and garlic.
Pour into a large casserole dish.
Top with mozzarella cheese. Top mozzarella with remaining parmesan. Bake at 400 degrees for for 20 minutes. 

Mint Home Accents

1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6

When Tyler and I got married and moved into our first place together, I was forced to get rid of most of my girly pink and purple things. I've always gravitated toward pinks my entire life (my bedroom walls in high school were bright pink...I mean bright) so most of my home decor I had throughout college and graduate school were super bright, girly, and admittedly teen-ish. So, last year when I began buying things for mine and Tyler's first place together, I began with neutral colors (this bedding, this sofa, these place mats) so I could add a little sophisticated color through accents (this mixer, our headboard, these pillows).

As you know, I'm obsessed with mint in clothing and accessories, so it should come as no surprise that it's also my color of choice in home decor. It's fresh, guy-friendly, pairs well with most other colors, and may have taken pink's place in my heart.

If you haven't already guessed, all of these mint accents are from Anthropologie, the queen of irresistibly unique home decor.

Win a $200 Piperlime Gift Card!

Today I present to you my first giveaway! 

Along with 13 other fashion/lifestyle bloggers, I'm hosting a giveaway for a $200 Piperlime gift card!

And the bonus: It is also valid at Gap, Old Navy, Athleta, and Banana Republic (in-store or online)! So, whether you want to splurge on a designer item at Piperlime, jump on the colored skimmer trend at Gap, stock up on inexpensive basics at Old Navy, prep for summer with a new swimsuit from Athleta, or revamp your professional wardrobe at Banana Republic... You're gonna want a chance to win this bad boy!

Colleen @ Parties and Cardis | Bekah @ Matters of Merrymaking | Laura @ Walking In Memphis In High Heels

Natalie @ My Crazy Busy Life | Amanda @ The Sequined Spaniel | Jaime @ Mommy On A Mission

Tasha @ A Sunshiny Day | Jen Marie @ Southern Belle | Lia @ Sunkissed & Southern

Sarah @ Moske Monkey Business | Bree @ aBree Fashion | Terri @ Peace, Love, & Applesauce

Misty @ Handbags & Handguns | Wendy @ The Sweet Life of Second Grade

To enter, use the Rafflecopter tool below. Giveaway will run until 11:59 p.m. CST on Friday, March 29, 2013. 

The winner will be announced here and notified by email the following Monday.

Good luck!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Neon + Berry

Tee: J. Crew (similar, on sale!) / Jeans: Express / Wedges: J. Crew / Clutch: Francesca's / Bracelet: J. Crew / Necklace: Francesca's / Sunnies: Kate Spade

I wore this a couple weekends ago when my in-laws came to visit. We went out for a casual dinner Friday night at the Trolley Stop, so I decided to keep it comfy & casual with jeans and a tee. To make the combination more interesting, I added pops of neon pink and berry purple with simple gold jewelry.

Happy Friday! I hope you all have a fantastic weekend, and don't forget to come back here Monday for a huge giveaway!

Save or Splurge: White Cap Toe Pumps

J.C. Penney / Steven

I'm not normally attracted to white pumps, but I fell in love with the gold cap-toe from Steve Madden's more sophisticated (and often more expensive) line, Steven. I was disappointed to see the price of $150 and went searching for less expensive alternatives. I found myself browsing J.C. Penney's shoe department and found this similar pair. I'm not completely sold on them, mostly because the cap-toe is silver instead of gold. The Steven pair just looks sleeker and of course, of higher quality than the J.C. Penney alternative. On the other hand, cap-toes could be a passing trend, which in case I might regret splurging.

What do you think? Is this a save or splurge?

A Spring Collaboration with aBree Fashion!

Happy First Day of Spring! In honor of this day, I've teamed up with Bree from aBree Fashion to share with you two ways to wear white jeans! Bree is so sweet and adorable and I absolutely adore her style! We share a love of mint and J. Crew, which basically makes us style sisters. Right, Bree? :)

White jeans are one of my favorite items to wear because they're such a blank canvas and can be paired with virtually anything! I even wear them year-round, pairing them with boots & heavy sweaters in winter and flowy tanks & wedges in summer, but my favorite time to wear white jeans is in the spring! 

I love piling on layers of brights in the same color family. For this look, I chose varying shades of blues, greens, and yellows, and opted for a skinny jean. Obviously, my style sister and I were thinking alike since we both wore yellow and turquoise! Promise we didn't plan it! And let's just take a second to talk about how cute that jacket is!! I'm drooling. So perfect for spring! 

My outfit details: 

Turquoise shirt: J. Crew Factory

Lime shirt: J. Crew(similar)

Jeans: J. Crew

Heels: Sam Edelman

Cross-body bag (carried as a clutch): Target

Necklace: Francesca's

Bracelet: J. Crew

Watch: Fossil

Bree's outfit details: 

Shirt: Gap

Jacket: Gap

Jeans: J. Crew (size up for a boyfriend fit)

Shoes: J. Crew

Necklace: J. Crew Factory

Bracelet: J. Crew Factory

Earrings: Banana Republic

Watch: Michael Kors

I'm so thrilled to have had the opportunity to collaborate with the beautiful Bree! Go check out her blog now! You'll love it! :)

P.S. Bree and I will be teaming up again in a couple days, along with several other awesome bloggers, to host a giveaway! Make sure you're following us both on Bloglovin' because you won't want to miss it!

Thank you for reading :)

Liebster Blog Award

I received The Liebster Blog Award from Ashley at Sincerely Miss Ash. Thank you!

What’s a Liebster Award you ask? Liebster is a German word meaning dearest, and the award is given to up-and-coming bloggers with less than 200 followers who deserve some recognition and support to keep on blogging. It's also a great way to discover new blogs!

Here are the rules:
1. Thank your Liebster Blog Award presenter and link back to their blog.
2. Share 11 things about yourself and answer the questions given to you by the person who nominated you.
3. Nominate 5 blogs that you enjoy to receive the award who have less than 200 followers, and provide them with questions to answer about themselves.
4. Inform them of their nomination by leaving a comment on their blog.


11 Things About Me...
1. I'm obsessed with my fur-babies, Bella & Bentley. They're my life!
2. My favorite colors are pink & blue, specifically fuchsia and mint.
3. I have a master's degree in professional writing and my dream job is a magazine editor. Or a personal shopper :-)
4. I'm not a morning person.
5. I could eat Mexican food every day of the week.
6. I was a cheerleader through high school & college, and miss it more than anything.
7. I fell in love with my husband on an Navajo Indian reservation in Arizona.
8. I've lived in Tennessee almost my entire life.
9. I'm horrible at keeping plants alive.
10. I get addicted to TV shows easily. Thank goodness for Netflix!
11. I grew up drinking Motts apple juice and still have a glass almost every day.

My Questions From Ashley:

1. Do you have a day job and what is it? I'm a legal assistant at a civil defense firm. Quite ironic because my degrees are in English, and my husband's an attorney!
2. What inspired you to start blogging? I've been reading fashion blogs for a couple years and always thought to myself, "I wish I could write a blog. That would be so much fun!" At the end of 2012, my husband starting encouraging me to start my own. His thoughts were since I am not in a position right now where I get to use my degrees, it would be a good idea to keep up my skills. Blogging is my place where I get to challenge myself, find inspiration (and hopefully pass on inspiration), meet new friends, and share some of myself with the world!
3. What would be your tip for new bloggers? I've only been blogging for two months, so I definitely don't have it all figured out. A piece of advice I would give to new bloggers is to write about things you love. Don't become obsessed with your number of followers, stats, recognition, etc. that you forget why you began blogging in the first place. If you blog because you genuinely enjoy it and share what you're passionate about, that will make you shine more so than anything else.
4. Facebook or Twitter? Instagram! But to choose one, I use Facebook more than Twitter.
5. Do you workout and how often? Through high school and college, I didn't have to work out because I got my exercise at ball games and cheer practice. After college, I was like... "Wait. Now I actually have to go to the gym?" The truth is, I HATE working out. Sometimes I am motivated to work out consistently throughout the week, and sometimes I am just not... I guess I go through phases. I really wish I was one of those people who actually enjoy it. I need a personal trainer to tell me exactly what to do and yell at me until I do it. 
6. What is the craziest thing you have ever done? When I moved to Memphis to be with my boyfriend (now husband) and to attend graduate school. Two things I never thought I would do: live in Memphis and go to grad school. Both elicited fear and anxiety initially, but God had a plan! 
7. One thing you would like to do before you die? Visit Australia. That's always been at the top of my bucket list.
8. If you had to choose just one beauty product what would it be and why? Lip treatments. Lipstick tends to dry my lips out and the cold weather has only made it worse recently. Even if the rest of my face is makeup-less, I think it's much prettier with soft lips. I'm obsessed with Fresh's Sugar Lip Treatment!
9. If you could live anywhere in the world where would it be and why? Well, I've never traveled outside of the United States (except for our honeymoon to the Dominican Republic and that's not a place I'd want to live) so I can't say that I'd rather live anywhere else. I'd love to travel the world and visit other countries, but I think I'll stay put in the U.S. As for the region, I couldn't leave my southern roots! It'd be awesome to live in Southern Cal's climate, but I'd miss the South for sure. I'd be happy in the burbs of Atlanta or Charleston, but I'm hoping to settle in Knoxville close to our family and friends.
10. Lipstick or lip gloss? Lipstick, definitely! I'm addicted to MAC's lipstick.
11. If you could be any celebrity who would it be and why? Jessica Biel. Think about it.

My Questions For My Nominees:

1. Spring or Fall?
2. Tell us the best book you've read recently.
3. What's your #1 pet peeve?
4. What's your favorite color palette?
5. Name your best childhood memory.
6. Are you a dog person or a cat person?
7. If you had to live in a decade other than the current one, which would you choose and why?
8. Do you prefer Chicago deep dish or New York style pizza?
9. What's your favorite thing about fashion?
10. What/who inspired you to start blogging?
11. If you could be anyone for a day, who would you be and why?


And my nominees are.......

A Spoonful of Style
Sequins and Polka Dots
Parties and Cardis
aBree Fashion
High Heels and High Notes 


Go check them out!

Pastels + New Blog Design!

Blouse: Lilly Pulitzer (similar sleeveless version) / Jeans: J. Crew / Wedges: Kate Spade (similar) / Bracelet: J. Crew / Earrings: Francesca's Sunnies: Kate Spade / Nails: Essie "Bikini So Teeny" / iPhone 5 case: J. Crew (other patterns here)

When I saw this blouse at The Pink Door in Memphis, I knew I wanted to pair it with other pastels, such as my peachy jeans & hydrangea nails. I love the idea of wearing colors of the same intensity (punchy neons, crisp neutrals, etc.) but the brighter reds, pinks, and purples in my shoes made this outfit not seem so matchy-matchy and added a little dimension. 

What do you think of my new blog design?! Amie created my feminine theme with subtle polka dots, pretty pastels and sweet scallops! I couldn't be more pleased. If you need your blog re-designed, Amie's awesome! We're still working through a few kinks, so bear with us!  :)

*My blog can now be found at "www.thesequinedspaniel.com" instead of ".blogspot.com"! You will automatically be directed to the new url.*

Look for Less: Cabochon Earrings

J. Crew $75 / LuLu-Le $22

I am kicking myself for not snatching up these J. Crew earrings up before they became sold out. Seriously guys, I'm so mad at myself. I tried them on, loved them, and just never bought them. I've diligently been searching eBay for them for weeks with no luck. Then, as I was browsing LuLu-Le's large selection of affordable jewelry, I literally gasped out loud when I saw this nearly identical alternative!

If these aren't your style, take a look at their website. You're sure to find something you love! Plus, almost everything is on sale right now! I'm currently eying this go-with-everything necklace, these unique earrings, and this classic bracelet!

The Denim Jacket

1. Victoria's Secret  2. Gap  3. American Eagle  4. J. Crew

The denim jacket is a classic staple that many people misjudge. Yes, it was popular when I was in middle school and yes, I wore it with boring khaki pants and a white shirt. No, it is never O.K. to match it to your jeans, but there are so many other ways you can style it, because like I said, it's a classic staple! Floral dresses, pencil skirts, patterned tees, colored shorts, oxford button-downs... the options are really endless! They're perfect for spring days and summer nights when you need a light layer and look great paired with boots in the fall!

I still have my Aeropostale denim jacket from middle school and I am proud to admit it still fits and a little embarrassed to admit I still wear it occasionally. I think it's time for an update, don't you? My perfect denim jacket is softly worn with a relaxed fit and medium wash, which I think maximizes its versatility. These are the best and most affordable options I have found under $100.

Which do you like best?

Comfy in Coral

Blazer: Piperlime / Tee: J. Crew / Pants: J. Crew / Necklace: J. Crew via eBay / Bracelets: J. Crew / Bag: Gianni Bini / Heels: Ivanka Trump / Sunnies: Kate Spade

I love a good blazer, mainly for their versatility. You can wear them casually with a pair of boyfriend jeans or dress them up paired with a elegant shift dress. My favorite of the two is casual, as I most often wear blazers with jeans. I loved this particular blazer because its stretchy knit fabric makes it so comfortable, yet it creates a more polished look when paired with ponte pants and a striped tee.

I wore this a couple Sundays ago to church. I was scheduled to take care of the children during the service, so I needed a comfortable outfit appropriate for chasing down kids!

In other news, look at these pretty pink blooms on the trees! Spring is almost here :)

Spring Dresses

neon: 1 / 2 / 3

printed: 4  / 5 / 6

lace: 7 / 8 / 9

With spring just around the corner and summer wedding season in only a few months, colorful dresses are big on my wish list. I can always count on Dillard's for a cute dress, so it comes as no surprise that I spent hours looking at colorful spring dresses last week. Among their wide selection of new spring dresses were lots of feminine lace, bold prints, and colorful neons. My favorites are 2, 6, and 9! 

Which are your favorites? I think I'll take them all :)

Beautiful Blossoms + Colorblock Cardigan + Prancing Pups

Cardigan: J. Crew (on sale!) / Blouse: J. Crew / Tee: J. Crew (on sale!) / Jeans: Express / Heels: Ivanka Trump / Bag: Kate Spade / Necklace: Jessica Simpson / Stacking Rings: Groop Dealz

Things that are currently making me happy:

The first sighting of pretty spring blossoms
My new colorblock cashmere cardigan
Blue skies + beautiful weather
Walking my pups + seeing them prancing around in the sun


I hope everyone has a great weekend filled with things that make you happy :)

Mexican Casserole

I love all kinds Mexican dishes any day of the week, sometimes multiple times. I am always looking for new recipes to mix up my usuals, and I found this one on the back of a McCormick spice pack. I love it because it's incredibly easy and quick and feeds 4-5 people, which means leftovers for Tyler and me! It doesn't freeze well, so eating the refrigerated leftovers in the next few days is crucial.

Mexican Casserole

1 lb ground beef
1 can tomato sauce
1 can black beans, drained and rinsed
1 can corn, drained
1 can rotel
8 flour tortillas
2 cups shredded cheddar cheese
2 tsp chili powder
1 tsp cumin
1 tsp minced garlic
1/2 tsp oregano leaves

Brown beef in large skillet; drain. Add tomato sauce, beans, corn, rotel, and spices; mix well. Bring to boil then reduce heat to low and simmer for 5-10 minutes. Layer two tortillas in a buttered casserole dish. They may overlap in the middle. Spread mixture over the tortillas, sprinkle cheese, and layer another pair of tortillas. Repeat with remaining mixture and tortillas. Bake at 350 for 15 minutes or until heated through.


*Note: I've also seen variations that call for sour cream in place of tomato sauce. Feel free to substitute chicken for beef, add onions and/or peppers, or spread on individual tortillas to make a low(er) carb Mexican pizza!

Weekend Spontaneity

Turtleneck: J. Crew (on sale!) / Vest: J. Crew / Jeans: Express / Boots: Hunter / Bracelets: J. Crew / Earrings: Francesca's / Sunnies: Kate Spade

This past Saturday we slept in, ate brunch at a cozy diner, took Bella & Bentley on a doggie play date at the park with Will & Courtney's furry kids, (which resulted in baths for both dogs), made cupcakes, cleaned our apartment and ended up going on a spontaneous double date with friends Barrett & Michelle! A Saturday with no plans turned into a day full of friends & productivity... gotta love spontaneity! 

If you don't follow me on Instagram, here are a few iPhone snapshots!