Sunday Sunshine: Elegance

I think that so many of us strive on a day to day basis to be, "noticed"...And why would we not strive for that? Not only is it a desire, but a basic human instinct. 

However, there is another point to be raised...to be noticed, is to receive a short amount of attention from someone else, while to be "remembered" requires a much more selfless act towards another human being. To be REMEMBERED we must NOTICE someone else. And in the long run we end up being a lot more happy. It is that simple. Focus on remembering others and noticing someone else. And there you have it...Elegance.

May your Sunday be full of sunshine:)
PS...I am terribly sorry for my bad blogger etiquette ...school has been kicking my bum! Posts for DIY to come this week I promise!

Sunday Sunshine: Make Do and Mend

Sometimes things happen in life and it hurts.But as life would have it, there is still something wonderfully beautiful wrapped inside. And that is the ability to mend. We all have it within ourselves, that innate ability to tie up our burdens and put a bow on top of it all. From personal experience I have learned that is much easier to do with the Savior then on your own. So today's message is simply this, however you do it...make do and mend. May your Sunday be full of sunshine:)  

Sunday Sunshine: Breathtakingly Beautiful

Sometimes I sit. I sit and think about life. About happy places, happy people. About how blessed I am, how amazed I am by this Earth. Overall I think of beauty. The beauty in the mountains that surround my home, the subtle sound of the leafs tapping on one another, the immense and overwhelming charity of those around me, it is all just breathtakingly beautiful. It is overwhelming to say the least, and it fills me with JOY. All of these small things that surround my daily existence, all falling together in the most perfect of harmony to create a little life so FULL. And then I think of God. And then I feel peace. And then I am overwhelmed with breathtaking beauty. Because that's what life is.

May your Sunday be full of sunshine:)

Lil' bito blog feature

Overwhelmed in end of summer boredom? Maybe there just isn't enough food in the fridge to combat the sheer and utter nothingness today? 

Well then...read what I am most excited for fall on thethingaboutjoy.blogspot.com. (It should show under yesterday's post and not todays...aka August 14th)

And hopefully your face looks like this afterwards. 

My Classy Banana Friend: Lulu style

Look AT THAT LEG MUSCLE!!!!! It must be the lulu lemon 

Let me tell you about Hannah. We met. She liked clothes. I liked clothes. We both had banana suits. Dear me...it must be fate!!! I love this girl and she has some great advice for us on how to shop the most ever (but expensivvvvvve) precious Lululemon! Take it away Han...

My friends that know me well know of my obsession with lululemon athletica. They also know how ridiculously expensive it is, however, I tend to splurge. There is most definitely an art form to buying lulu, a way in which you can get the really great stuff at a really great price, it is all about working the system. Here are a few tips to try if you have a craving for cute workout gear: 

1. Lulu has a sale section called "We Made Too Much" in which everything is  30% off or more! Take advantage of this section. It is updated every Tuesday. 

2. Lulu stores will randomly mark down items they have that may not be marked down online. Check the sale rack at your local store!! Sometimes they shove the sale rack in a corner but once you find it you will have hit the jackpot.

3. Sometimes you just have to be willing to splurge. The shirt in this picture was a splurge. I don't even want to admit the price because it is a lot but you have to understand what you're paying for. This shirt known as the "swiftly tech" is designed with the most fantastic, breathable fabric I have ever worn. I can wear this when I work out or just because I want to be comfortable. 

4. Save up for the stuff you want most. I have always wanted one of Lulu's "in stride" jackets but couldn't bear the thought of spending over $100 for one! Sure enough, went to the store last week and this blue beauty caught my on. On sale for more than 35% off I was sold and so happy that I waited instead of just splurging right away! 

Hope this helps when purchasing Lulu. Sometimes a girl just needs a cute pair of work out shorts and a comfy jacket for "one of those days". Pamper yourself and buy. the. jacket. Chances are when you're cuddling up in that warm luon fabric, you won't be regretting your decision. 

Practice makes Pinterest

             (Apparently one most fold the edges in prior to tieing?)

Pinterest. What a beautiful place. A place of dreams, babies, food, and attractive men. Life doesn't get any better, am I right?

So while I scrolled through what I think is my future life I found

this DIY pillow and was like...HECK WOMAN DO THAT! So I did what I am now calling a "pinterest trial" AKA try to make pretty things on pinterest. So I went to the store, bought some happy fabric and kidnapped a pillow from a closet and went at it.
 2 things I discoverd during this trial:
1.) Pins are friends, not food! (Alright the food thing makes no sense but I had to add in the Nemo reference.)
2.) FOLD the edges before you tie the pillow!!! My pillow is still struggling from my non-folding transgression.
3.) I need a manicure

Overall however, I would give this pinterest trial an 8 out of 10. It turned out cute...but not pinterest cute. Curse pinterest and it's unrealistic expectations on my life.

Sunday Sunshine: Mrs. Hinckley

Marjorie Pay Hinckley - “I don't want to drive up to the pearly gates in a shiny sports car, wearing beautifully, tailored clothes, my hair expertly coiffed, and with long, perfectly manicured fingernails. I want to drive up in a station wagon that has mud on the wheels from taking kids to scout camp. I want to be there with a smudge of peanut butter on my shirt from making sandwiches for a sick neighbors children. I want to be there with a little dirt under my fingernails from helping to weed someone's garden. I want to be there with children's sticky kisses on my cheeks and the tears of a friend on my shoulder. I want the Lord to know I was really here and that I really lived.”

I think that says it all folks. May your Sunday be full of sunshine:)

Farm Dreamin

I have always dreamed of living on a little old farm with my little old husband in a little old dress. Perhaps this dress can get me started? Now I just need to snatch up a man with a darling farm! So to you non-existent husband I say this:

1.) We will have rocking chairs. 

2.) Please wear suspenders.

3.)Perhaps a barn as well?

4.) I would just love a tire swing.

5.) I'm looking forward to it. See you in a few years.

Love, 

Mallory

DIY: Bright Idea

                                  BEFORE         AFTER

 When you go to this thing called "college" you apparently must have a lamp of sorts. With funding low, I went to Home Again consignment, where I had a 40.00 dollar credit from selling furniture there previously. It was there I found my grandma lamp. Can't you see your 80 year old grandma sipping tea by this lamp? Cause I could. I bought it because of the fabulous and unique base that I knew I could turn into something really fun.

I purchased the lamp for 20.00 dollars, but with my credit it cost me nothing. Between spray paint (3.00) and a new, much more simple and modern shade (6.00) this little lady only cost me 9 DOLLA!!! HOLA!!! 

 

I highly recommend thrifting for lamps, I have found that most times vintage lamps have the best and most unique bases for the best price. It is also important to remember while thrifting that it's all about the potential of an item, not it's current state! I hope I have given you a "bright" idea this monday morn! 

Sunday Sunshine: It Will All Work Out

Sometimes we just need to know things will be ok. My favorite blogger of ALL time, Stephanie Nielsen is the perfect example of that. Enjoy the video, I hope it fills your Sunday with Sunshine:)

Fashion Inspiration: Kate Middelton

I'm going through the great fashion depression...also known as, I don't know what to put on my body. So my idol/obsession Kate is in today and will be posting about her oh so fashionable life:

(please read in british accent) Well hello there dahlings! I just love to stroll about in pretty dresses. Most especially, Alexander Mcqueen. Whether it's tea at Buckingham Palace or simply embarking off of a royal plane, I love to always have a sense of class about the way I dress. And doesn't William look oh so dapper in his suit? What a cute bum. Oh dear...I have tea with the queen! The queen does not wait! Ta ta for now! 

Yes I just impersonated Kate Middelton. This must really be The Great Fasion Depression.

Manic Monday: Madelyne

Shirt: Shabby Apple/ Skirt: GAP/ Earrings: Downeast home/

Shoes: DSW/ Suitcase: Vintage

My brain rarely functions on a Monday morn...so I am starting "Manic Monday" where some of my favorite people can feature how THEY like to dress! To start off our series we have Madels, AKA my sister, and of course, the bangles original music video, manic monday. How could this post be complete without it? 
I know this was out of her comfort zone but doesn't she look fabulous!? Take it away Madels...

HELLO! For those of you who don't know me, dressing up and posing for pictures is not one of my everyday activities. I am definitely the kind of girl that loves pony tails and t-shirts, along with goofy poses and silly faces, so this my blogger people, shows what a great friend I am! Ok, just kidding, it was actually pretty fun, but when Mal asked me to be on her blog, I was definitely nervous. To ease my fears, I went with one of my favorite, simple, dressed-up outfits. Once I was dressed, we stole one of my mom's vintage suitcases and headed for the mountains. As always, It's an adventure with me and Mal. She's trying to get me to not look so awkward while I'm trying to balance on a wobbly suitcase while surrounded by weeds and the stance looks of mountain goers who were passing by. I'm sure it appeared as quite the circus act. But that's just our friendship for ya! Thanks for reading!

Sunday Sunshine: Lover of Love

“... What really matters is that he will love you,that he will respect you, that he will honor you, that he will be absolutely true to you, that he will give you the freedom of expression and let you fly in the development of your own talents. He is not going to be perfect, but if he is kind and thoughtful, if he knows how to work and earn a living, if he is honest and full of faith, the chances are you will not go wrong, that you will be immensely happy.”- Gordon B. Hinckley 

I'm a self proclaimed lover of love. Sometimes I wonder if I will ever find that "perfect" love. Unfortunately life isn't a Disney movie.But this quote gives me hope that when we try, when we love, we can get pretty darn close, and maybe even a little bit better. 

May your Sunday be full of sunshine:)

Slurp Slurp

Shirt: Madewell/ Jeans: Zara (half off)/ Shoes: Zara/ Watch, Sunnies, Necklace: Nordy's (gotta love the anniversary sale) Pretty sparkely necklace: J.crew (aka my momma's closet)

Lovin' the mint life this summer. My eyes enjoy slurping this magical color, and how could one not enjoy that? 

Today my brain is low on words so I will live you with this...

Have a thuggin' weekend folks.

San FranCRISCO

In order to remember how to spell SAN FRANCISCO, I spell it San FranCRISCO, apparently crisco doesn't only fix creeky doors and wrinkles, but grammatical errors as well. 

Anywho...the land of crisco was lovely. Penitentiaries, trees, baseball, and of course...shopping. Tomorrow I shall attempt to fashion blog and chronicle some treasures from my trip. Note "attempt"...this whole "put pictures of my clothed body on the internet" is difficult for me. But I will learn one day. For those of you who choose to bare with me...my sincere thanks.