these are all the dresses I tried on for my bff's wedding

I have two major problems in life: Shopping and making decisions. 

My best friend decided she wanted to let us all pick our dresses for her wedding, and even the color we wore, within a palette. When she dubbed me her Maid of Honor, I pretended like I was going to help out all of the other bridesmaids by ordering and trying on a ton of dresses, but it was a totally selfish act. I just wanted to try on ALL of the pretty dresses, in the comfort of my own home. 

The beauty in places like LuLu's and ASOS is that they have beautiful dresses, for fairly cheap, and free returns. I literally ordered 17 different dresses. I never planned on sharing these pics with the world, but I figure it could help you out if you're planning a wedding or looking for a dress. This is most of them: 

The "transformable" dresses in the top right two- you could change up the way the top was in infinite ways. I really like the satiny one, but it would have shown every lump in my body in pictures, I think.

Here are some links to the dresses that are still available/that I can find: 

• TRANSFORMABLE DRESS $78
• SHINY TRANSFORMABLE $58
• GOLD SPAGHETTI STRAP $94
• STRAPLESS $84
• PLEATED $74
• OFF THE SHOULDER DETAIL $179 [used to be cheaper :(]
• DEEP V WITH SLIT $84
• CRISS CROSS NECK $68
• LACE CRISS CROSS $84
• WEIRD BACK SATIN $96

It was from ASOS, when they were having a sale, so I got it for about $80. It's currently $119.

The TFNC brand on there has a lot of really pretty kind of matching but not totally dresses. I'd recommend it. :)

As for the finished product... I'd say we all did pretty damn good. I wish I had a better pic of everyone's dresses at the moment.

Now I have my birthday party and WHAT THE HELL WILL I PLAN FOR AFTER THAT?! 

I'm sure I'll figure something out... I guess. 

love,
elizabethany

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latest spree: spring jewelry and accessories

It's probably been a year since I've ordered anything from BlueLans, so it was time to restock on cheap jewelry straight from China!

I grabbed a bottle of wine and spent a night going through everything on the website. [Turns out they have a lot of x-rated toys and clothes! Haayyyyy.] Ya see, when you drink while shopping- you won't second guess your purchases, and you'll just love yourself when it comes instead of wishing you had actually bought that thing you took out of your cart.*

Here's [almost ;)] everything I ordered:

*this is actually not safe at all and the cheap-skate in me still feels a little guilty. 

All of this was under $40!! 7 necklaces, 3 bracelets, 2 watches, 3 pairs of earrings, some nail jewels, and whatever that teardrop make-up thing is called. 

I'm so in love with all of these. The first one is perfect for beautifying just about any website, but it still has a harder/not-so-feminine touch. I have four weddings to go to this summer, and I foresee the far right one being my go-to necklace for all of them. 

Now to add a little color to my collection! I tried to mix up the vibe of each necklace I bought, and I think I achieved that! The only one I'm not a huge fan of is the purple one. It has ribbon weaved within the metal, and it's really big/chunky. It'll be interesting to see how I can really work with it.

It was SO HARD for me to only pick three of the wrap bracelets. They're my new fave and it's ridiculous how many options they have. I also got my brother that blue watch because the way it tells time is super weird-cool, and it's under $5 so why not?! The green bracelet says "where there's a will there's a way."

How fun are those colorful earrings?! They'll be getting plenty of use. Also pretty excited about the silver knot earrings. A new every day pair!

Last time I ordered a bunch of stuff, some of the metal smelt a little.... metal-y. Excited to say that it wasn't an issue with any of these! And the only thing I was really disappointed with were the flower earrings. They look pretty cheap, but I'll make them work.

If you're going to order, you have to be prepared to wait a couple weeks for the delivery and for some things to arrive "broken." I put it in quotes because it's normally something like one of the rings not being closed all the way, so you just have to reattach and pinch it together. And let's be real here... People will notice how awesome your jewelry is, but it's not like they're going to get a magnifying lens and look at how cheap it's made.

Also- I didn't order any because my fingers are pretty large, but my friend Brooke recommended getting some of their tiny rings for your upper knuckles. She makes them look real good.

Let me know if you get anything! It makes me feel like we're shopping together.

love,
elizabethany

PS See other things I've gotten from here

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peek at the latest from lc lauren conrad at kohls!

I'm in love with this whole "get a peek at the new collection every month" thing. It's gonna do damage to my wallet, but whatever.

Here's the latest from our BFF LC.

Monochromed navy? Not mad at it.

These look a little shiny, no? I'm intrigued, and I want.

Note to self: Jump in the air when taking the next outfit photos.

This is how you wear shorts in the fall! In love.

Okay these little chest embellishment shirts could become my new obsession. How easy and cute is that?!

BOWS. ARE. BACK. And couldn't be more adorable. Glad I saved all of mine from high school!

There's a whole lotta navy blue going on, but it matches everything, so who's complaining?! It's time for me to keep a close eye on the sale section at Kohls.com and wait for some of these babies to be in my price range. 

Also... I would tell you that there's a giveaway on her blog right now... but like... that'd lessen my chances of winning. 

love,

elizabethany

PS you're welcome.

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the first look at lauren conrad's summer kohl's line

Eep! These days are always exciting for me! It's a lot like getting a new Delia's catalogue way back in the day. I wait all season for a look at Lauren Conrad's next line of clothes, drool over them when they come out, then cry when I go to buy them and decide I really can't afford a $60 dress.

Still... it's fun to drool over them when they do come out! Here are some of my favorites for the summer line!

This is so simple, and if I can just get over my personal rule of not wearing long sleeves in the summer, I can dig it!

This is absolutely gorgeous. For anyone looking for a white lace dress to buy, I'd say this is the one.

Maybe my favorite of the sneak peek... It's so different from anything I wear, but it's also so cute and versatile.

These crochet tanks are everywhere, and I'm not mad about it. They make looking like a hippy totally acceptable.

These were screenshots from her photoshoot video. That orange dress needs to be mine.

I read an article about her not long ago and she said she was realizing she needed to make more clothes that fit everyone, not just people like her. It's pretty obvious she's starting to make more clothes that are suitable for middle aged women who want to be "hip." I'm not mad about it, though. They're all still awesome.

What's your fave? Tweet me or comment so we can be giddy together!

love,
elizabethany

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why i'm loving buying things from china

To be honest, I'm a little nervous to share this secret with you because I don't want my options to go down or out of stock! BUT, I've pretty much made a vow to share my life with you and help you out, so that's what I shall do.

For the past couple months, you may have seen bluelans.com in my What Ya Wearin Wednesday or fashion posts. It's a website that ships straight from China, FOR FREE! Sure, that's cool, but what you also need to know is that everything is super cheap!

I ordered two shipments of jewelry and other things from BlueLans and DressLink, totaling at $31, including any shipping costs! Everything you see here [and two more pairs of earrings] are included in that total!

The two scarves are from DressLink, the clutch from BlueLans. I'm obsessed with the yellow scarf. The clutch might get a little makeover. [but the inside has so many card pockets- LOVE!]

Studs from BlueLans. I got two of the Amurrica ones for a friend. The black bows will become a fave!

All of these are from DressLink. The bracelet on the far left actually fits my wrist which I'm shocked about because I have XL wrists. That necklace is going to be so fun to work with! It's pretty exquisite/fancier than I normally get, but with a plain shirt I think it'll be gorgeous!

You've seen the owl necklace before, and I got the anchor necklace to match earrings I got from BlueLans a couple months back. Those purple earrings are pretty big, but I'm pumped about them. I also got them in black [not pictured].

How great and different are all of those things?! The most expensive item was the big gold necklace, for $3!

Because I'm always honest with you, I will tell you the cons:

• You're ordering from China. Things are going to be made very cheap. If you know how to fix little things like loose chains/reconnect them, you're good to go.
• Shipping takes a while, up to 45 days. If you're getting these things for a vacation, plan accordingly. 
• If you're ordering clothes- beware. I got lingerie for $5 and a shirt for $10 in another order. The shirt lasted for a day before it shrank to half it's size in the wash [without a dry]. The lingerie actually isn't terrible, it's just super simple and required a minor sewing fix at the seam when I pulled it out of the packaging. I'm interested in trying a dress or a jacket, but we'll see... 
• Some of the metal smells a little weird. I don't know how to explain it besides it's cheap metal. I had to get used to wearing the owl necklace.

Those are really the only complaints I have, and they're minor considering what I'm paying for a whole jewelry makeover. 

If you have or will be ordering anything from the sites, let me know and keep me updated! I'm excited to discover more! Also, if you know of any similar sites, please share with all of us in the comments! 

Happy shopping!

love,

elizabethany

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watch etv: we did some [silly] thrifting

I asked people to help me come up with ideas for this week's video, and I was all pumped to go out and do one, until I realized my brand new mic was not in the box. PLAN B: A thrifting challenge!

 Dustin, the intern that I got drunk on my show, and I had to find the perfect outfits for Valentines Day and the red carpet, since it's both awards season and the season of love.

Let us know who did it better!


Those are crushed velvet pants, my friends. It doesn't get any sexier than that.

And yes, my neon pants were a solid 4x too small, so my shirt is pulled down to cover up the completely open zipper exposing my undies. Call me something mean, I dare you.

love,
elizabethany

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watch: 3 minute lisa frank documentary

I got excited when I saw Urban Outfitters is starting to carry a ton of retro Lisa Frank stuff, but this is even neater!

They put together this quick documentary of the real Lisa Frank, inside her headquarters, and the history of the company and how they made things.

Oh, it also includes an old commercial that stars little Mila Kunis.

First of all, LOOK AT ALL THOSE PRETTY COLORS AND CUTE ANIMALS! Goodness, that must be a seriously happy place to work.
Then look at ALL of those Lisa Frank things Mila is surrounded by! AND her jean hat! Shooottt gurl. You stylin'!

Now I'm left with wanting more, though. The fantasy factory was always a mystery! I want to see more old-school paintings! I want to sit on those gigantic statues. I want to see Lisa's face! Hmph.

Til then, I'll wait for my Sugar Daddy to buy me pretty things.

love,
elizabethany

PS: See more of their interview here!

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ebudget: every gal needs birchbox in their life

I'm all about saving money and not spending even a dollar on something little or something that won't be used, but I'm also all about giving yourself small gifts. I also love getting things in my mailbox.

Ladies, if you've never heard of "BirchBox," you need to check it out.

For the past couple months, I've been paying $10/month and receiving a fun little gift in the mail. It's a cute little box filled with 5 or 6 samples of different beauty products, wrapped up nicely and tied with a bow. It even comes with a note to explain everything I'm getting!

I've gotten anything from Bare Minerals mascara, to Stila lip gloss, some face wipe stuff that almost instantly made me tan without looking fake, lotion, masks, some awesome all natural chapstick, and tons more. It's a lot of products that I haven't heard of, but am falling in heart with.. and I could buy, if I had the money to do so. [Woops. Let's hope they don't cancel me for this...]

This month I got this awesome piece of handmade paper that can be planted into the ground for it to grow into flowers! REAL LIFE! I also got some nail polish, a moisturizing peel, Zoya nail polish, body butter, and a perfume sample!

It's a cheap monthly bill, and it's an awesome day when you get this unknown present in the mail. It's kinda like a secret admirer is sending you some love.

I love it, and I really think you would do! Dooo ittttt.

love,

elizabethany

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lauren conrad's spring line!

Tweet YAY! More clothes from Lauren Conrad hitting all the Kohl's stores! I think it's time to put my gift card to good use. [Or, at least some use... considering it'll only cover a portion of anything from this line. Hmph.]

Check out some of the looks she has to offer:

I LOVE these, and need them in my closet now. [Sugar Daddy, WHERE YOU AT?!]

True life: I had a dream about those jackets last night. I started working on this post yesterday, then had a dream I went to buy them and they weren't there and I had to settle for something else. Issues.

I also dig these, but unlike LC, I can't make everything look good.

As for these, I think she coulda done without em, but it's just my opinion:

Seriously, though... HOW IS SHE SO PRETTY!?

Some stuff is really girly, but that's the Spring-time vibe, for ya! I can't handle anything too girly, people will give me the o_O. BUT... I absolutely adore the whole line, as usual.

Every time I go in to Kohls, there seems to be a lot of stuff still on the rack or on Clearance. this is good and bad. Good for the bargain shoppers [make sure you're always checking!], but I really hope it's not a bad sign for the line.

love,
elizabethany