Showing posts with label the shades of monet chronicles. Show all posts

Flock Together: Hot Wheels


I'm over on Flock Together today, posting about this seriously incredible dress I borrowed from Marisa. If you can't tell, there are bicycles with puppies all over it. I know. This might have been the most difficult one not to steal. You understand. Hope to see you over there!


Dress: Modcloth, borrowed from Marisa
Jacket: H&M
Oxfords: Urban Outfitters
Necklace: Jewelmint

Two-Year Anniversary Giveaway

Somehow, after years or unsuccessfully starting blogs and wishing I could actually be part of the fashion blogging community, I managed to keep this old thing up and running for two years. Last week marked my anniversary, and I wanted to celebrate the same way I did last year: with a giant giveaway to thank everyone who has supported me. As I've mentioned before, one of my favorite parts of blogging has been getting to know some great small businesses. I love supporting "the little guy," and I'm grateful for the opportunity to help give them the exposure I think they deserve. I'm so happy to announce that SEVEN of my favorite small businesses are donating some amazing items and store credit, and one person will win it all. Even if you don't want to enter (but why wouldn't you?), I still hope that you'll at least get to know the businesses and follow them after reading this. I do hope you'll enter though, since getting to know all of you has also been one of the best parts of blogging, and the least I can do is make you all compete for a bundle of great prizes. Just kidding. I wish I had enough awesome items to give to each and every one of you. 

Should you choose to enter, here's what you'll win, and who you'll win it from:


Everything Darling is an online store that's just that — darling. Run by two of the sweetest girls, Natalie and Grace, from close to me in Southern California, Everything Darling has an adorable selection of clothes and accessories. I'm completely smitten with the fit and flare dresses and cute satchels. All of the items in the shop are wonderfully feminine and completely versatile. You can read more about Everything Darling (and see how I styled one of their dresses) through my interview with Grace and Natalie here, and the two are offering up $20 to the shop today. 


Jennifer of Hello Cheeseburger just gets my taste in jewelry. The store's mix of statement and every day pieces is perfect, and I find myself wanting just about everything. Jennifer sent me one of my favorite statement necklaces, and it's pretty obvious by the selection in her store, that each piece is chosen carefully. Among the sparkly jewels and simple state necklaces (that we all need), are great stamped pieces like an ampersand necklace (my weakness). But let's be honest. Would anyone really want this necklace to say anything other than pizza? Okay, that's just an example she uses and you can have it say whatever you want, but come on. We all need pizza necklaces in our lives. Jennifer is offering $25 to Hello Cheeseburger. 


I never thought of myself as a headband person until I was introduced to Salvage & Stone. The shop's owner, Nic, crafts some of the cutest ones I've ever seen, and she successful converted me into a lover of them. Not only does Salvage & Stone offer some top-notch headbands, they're all made from mostly recyclable materials, as is everything in the shop. This means that you can look cute and feel good about yourself while doing so, which is really just an added bonus. Nic also has a personal blog, and she always nails it with her outfits. You can read more about Salvage & Stone and see how I styled a headband in my post here, and get a chance at winning a custom-made headband through this giveaway. 


A fellow Flock Together girl, Lisa of Lala Faux Bois is constantly giving me reasons to be jealous impressed. Her killer style and adorable cat definitely near the top of the list, but lately, it's been her jewelry making skills that I'm in awe of. Not only is Lisa incredibly sweet and funny (trust me on this; I met her in person), but she also makes the most lovely jewelry. Her shop, Paperplane, is stocked with gorgeous minerals and quirky charms, all of which I'd love to call my own. That's not even mentioning the great vintage pieces that round out the selection. Needless to say, the winner of this $30 store credit that Lisa is offering up will have plenty to choose from.


Speaking of Flock Together girls, it's no surprise that another one, Marisa of The Shades of Monet Chronicles has a darling vintage shop, Ally Hoot Vintage. Marisa is not only the master at pattern mixing, but she has a keen eye for unique pieces to keep in her store. Right now, Ally Hoot Vintage is stocked with bright colors and fun prints that are begging to be paired with sandals and wide brimmed hats for summer. The winner of this giveaway will receive $30 to Ally Hoot Vintage, but everyone else is in luck too. Marisa is being kind of enough to offer my readers 20% while this giveaway is running using the code "Room 334." Cheerful vintage frocks for everyone!


In case it wasn't made obvious by both this giveaway and my style, I really dig minimalist, but interesting jewelry. This brings us to Aether Design, another great jewelry shop that I'm in love with. I can't tell you how long I've been drooling over that antler ring, but it's not the only thing worth mentioning. Amber creates pieces that work well for every day, but manage to feel special. Maybe just knowing that the pieces are handmade in England has something to do with their appeal, but either way, they're all gorgeous. Amber is offering the lucky winner $40 in store credit, which could do some serious damage if you're looking to buy me that antler ring. Whoever wins is planning on sharing the prizes with me, right?


Ever since I worked with Amanda of Two Tickets on another giveaway not too long ago, I've loved keeping up with the shop through social media. There's something about the way Amanda crafts her pieces. They're all completely unique and unlike anything else I've seen before, which is tough feat to accomplish. For this giveaway, Amanda is offering up this lovely coral tassel necklace. I think we can all agree that the color is gorgeous and it would make a great piece against a simple black summer dress. I can see this necklace working a number of ways actually, and I can't wait to see how whoever wins will style it.

Just enter through the Rafflecopter widget below! This giveaway closes on Monday, 06/16 at midnight.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Almost Sailor Moon


I've been having a little love affair with Mata Traders lately, and I'm pretty sure it's mostly due to Marisa. I've always loved the brand (especially that it's fair trade), but I've never had the money to buy any of the gorgeous pieces. Luckily, this is the second Mata Traders dress that I've borrowed from Marisa via Flock Together, and it's making me yearn for more of these dresses of my own. This one in particular caught my eye with its fantastic sailor-esque collar, which feels like something my closet desperately needs. I mostly just say that because I want to feel like Sailor Moon, but can you blame me? I had a little bit of trouble styling it because the collar is so eye-catching on its own, but I didn't want to cover it up with a sweater or jacket. Both Marisa and Sammi styled tops underneath it, which I adore and almost did as well, but I decided to just keep it simple for summer. A few cute accessories is really all any summer dress needs. See how Marisa styled it for all four seasons here and Sammi's take here. 

My favorite part about this outfit is that it cost me $0. I've been getting back into the swap Facebook group I'm part of (where we swap clothes permanently), and I got this fun bag from a swap last year. These flats were waiting for me when I got home a couple weeks ago, and they're definitely one of my favorite items to come from a swap ever. I had been lusting after these on Modcloth for a while, so when someone agreed to send me these (which are like new) for two of my thrifted items, I almost couldn't believe it. This necklace was also a freebie, this time given to me from my wonderful friend, Lexi. Lexi had a ton of jewelry she was looking to get rid of, so she let me, Katie, and Mary raid her collection, and I ended up with this seriously awesome fan necklace. It even folds up and expands like a real fan, and we all know that practicality is the mark of killer accessory. 

Flock Together: Trade You


Wondering where I am today? Of course you are. Well, to answer your question, I'm posting over on Flock Together about this dress I borrowed from Marisa of The Shades of Monet Chronicles. If you're anything like me, you're drooling over it already. See you there!

Dress: Mata Traders, borrowed from Marisa
Sweater: Old Navy
Boots: H&M
Ring: Vintage
Necklace: c/o Born Pretty

Portions for Foxes


I don't know about you, but I didn't think it was possible for a sweater to be this adorable. When the incredibly-stylish Marisa put this up in our Flock Together swap group, I immediately jumped at the chance to borrow it. I can't pass up anything with a fox, really. I'm having a bit of a love affair with layering sweaters over dresses, and this white frock is one of my favorites to do so with. Maybe it was Marisa influencing me, but this sweater just screamed for a peter pan collar. Then again, I most things are asking for a peter pan collar to me. It's a slight addiction. For as little as a departure as this outfit is for me, I will say that it was kind of fun to wear something so bright for a change. I usually shy away from bright colors like this, but I wouldn't mind incorporating more of them into my wardrobe in small doses. You can see how Marisa wore the sweater here.

As for things that don't relate to clothes, I've been in a bit of a writing rut lately. I'm not sure if it's just lack of motivation or writer's block, but I haven't written much of anything the past couple of weeks. I think I'm just feeling dejected from not having found an internship yet, but I'm ready to start getting productive again. Sitting around, doing nothing has never really been my thing.

Mustard Girl



Oh man, out of all the clothes I've borrowed from the Flock Together girls, this dress may be the most difficult to give back. It's one of those dresses that just felt like it was made for me the moment I put it on. It belongs to Marisa from The Shades of Monet Chronicles and, as much as I'd love to pretend it got lost in the mail, it looks even cuter on her. You can see how she wore it here, plus how the ever lovely Katie of Butterflies and Snapdragons wore it.

Guest Post: Marisa of The Shades of Monet Chronicles


For today's post, I'm so excited to have Marisa from The Shades of Monet Chronicles. Marisa is one of those bloggers who leaves me in complete awe every time I visit her blog. She is the master at interesting color and print combinations and I'll never get over how completely unique her style is. In a sea of endless vintage-loving fashion bloggers, it's not easy to stand out from the crowd, but I always find something new and exciting I had never thought of when I visit Marisa's blog. Enjoy!
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Hello there Room 334 readers, 

My name is Marisa and I blog over at The Shades of Monet Chronicles.  How very loverly to meet you all here today at Elana's darling blog while she is off off and away at a journalism conference.  Speaking of journalism, Elana asked if I could share an item or outfit of mine that has a story behind it,  so I bring you this coat laced with denim, leopard, and faux fur...yes, the whole shebang.  Though it's  definitely not the most "in vogue" looking coat in the world, I'm rather fond of it even in all it's big, gaudy, Jersey Shore-ridden glory.

Outfit Details: Coat: Express (2003) // Dress: Topshop // Scarf & Bow Tie: Vintage // Shoes: Jeffrey Campbell


Anyhow, I've held on tightly to it for the past 9 years because it brings me back to the beginning.  The beginning of my relationship with the dapper fellow that later became my husband, that is.  After sitting next to each other my junior year of college, in an evening class and pretty much so being smitten off my feet by his big blue eyes, this perfect gentleman of a guy so sweetly asked me out afterwards.   So on to a night of hot caramel apple ciders we did go.  We talked and talked and we took a very long walk - over a bridge and underneath a snowy sky.  This night has gone down in the books as "Starbucks in the Snow".  We watched the stars, listened to Jeff Buckley, and talked some more.  I knew he was the one.  He was wearing Candies cologne and I was wearing this big furry coat.  

 Ok, so that is the really condensed version of our story, but you get the point :)  The coat is truly near and dear to my heart.

 
And we lived happily ever after....


Thanks for reading along with me today darlings!

Love bunches, 
Marisa Noelle