{Christopher Straub spring line @ maurices}

If you're a regular reader of my blog, you'll know that I"m a big fan of maurices, and especially of their collaboration with Project Runway's Christopher Straub.

When I interviewed him last fall about his holiday line, he told me that he would be debuting a new spring line as well, so I took a peek at their website today to see if it was up.

And I was greeted by lots and lots of lovely coral. And this adorable dress...

Oh goodness I absolutely love it! And look at these sweet accessories...

 Christopher, you have done it again! Perfectly spring and totally wearable.

{playing dress up}

Ah Wednesday we meet again! Time to play dress up! :)

But first I want to say thank you for all of the sweet comments you all left on my first video blog post. I will definitely do more!

I'm a little all over the place this week with my hair...straight, up in a bun, and my new attempt at waves. Fun to try something new!

Thursday...

Ruffle tee: maurices
Cardigan: Gordman's
Skirt: Sears
Tights: Target
Boots: Kohl's
Necklace: Kohl's
Earrings: The Bird's Papaya on Etsy

Friday I accidentally deleted my outfit pics, but I did have this one from photobooth to show how I wore my necklace...

It is a long one that I doubled. Fun to create a "new" accessory out of something you already own!

Sweater and necklace: Kohl's

Sunday I attempted a photo but it was hard to do with the boys running around. Here's the best one I was able to capture {gotta love the nerf gun on top of the cabinet}...

Here is a much better one... :)

Embroidered top and skinny jeans: Kohl's
Cardigan: c/o maurices giftcard
Flats: maurices


Monday...

Black lace tank: Kohl's
Cardigan: Target
Pants: Gap
Flats: c/o maurices giftcard
Necklace: Kohl's

Tuesday...

Top: Kohl's
Cardigan: c/o maurices giftcard
Skirt: Sears
Tights: Target {RIP...they got a run in them yesterday :( }
Boots: Kohl's

And today...

Gray tee: Kohl's
Wrap sweater: JC Penney
Skirt: Gap
Tights and boots: Target
Necklace: The Bird's Papaya on Etsy
Earrings: The Purple Attic on Etsy

Thanks for sharing in another What I Wore Wednesday with me!

Linking up with...





 

{maurices giveaway winner!}

Thanks so much to everyone that entered the maurices giveaway! 150 comments...wow! And I reached 100 fans on my new Facebook page so the lucky winner will also receive two cute sets of handmade Valentine notecards.

I used random.org to pick the winner and the lucky gal is...

Jessica 8:21 PM  

I Follow you on Pinterest jessicarwarfield at gmail dot com 

Congratulations Jessica! Email me at *mandybeth01 at hotmail dot com* with your mailing address so I can send you your goodies!

{maurices giveaway 2.0}

Yep...you read that right friends.

Are you ready for another maurices giveaway??!!

The lovely and generous folks at maurices asked me if I would share some exciting news with you, and in return they have given me another $50 giftcard to give to one lucky This Girl's Life reader!

So what is maurices up to?

They are smack dab in the middle of their next Main Street Model Search!

They are looking for real girls in all sizes who embody what maurices is all about: fashion, fun and giving back. If that's you, you can enter the contest to be one of 12 women chosen to be a maurices Main Street Model. You could win fabulous prizes, including a fashion shoot in an iconic destination in the U.S., a $1,500 maurices giftcard, and $7.500 for a charitable makeover to be awarded directly to a community or charitable organization in your hometown. <---- this is my favorite part!

Here is a video featuring some of last year's beautiful and inspiring winners and how they have given back to their communities...



So do you think you have what it takes to be one of the next maurices Main Street Models? Be sure to enter soon...the deadline is noon (MST) on February 13th. You can enter here!

And now for the giveaway! 

One lucky reader will win a $50 maurices giftcard, AND if I reach 100 Facebook fans, I'm going to throw in two really cute sets of handmade Valentine cards created by yours truly! Here is a little peek at one of the cards...

To enter to win, you can do one or all of the following, but be sure to leave a comment for each one:

1. Tell me what you would do with $7,500 if you could give it to a local non profit organization
2. Follow This Girl's Life {already a follower? Be sure to leave a comment letting me know!}
3. Like This Girl's Life on Facebook 
4. Follow me on Pinterest
5. Like maurices on Facebook 
6. Share this post on Facebook, Twitter, or your own blog {leave a separate comment for each}

Giveaway will be open until midnight EST Sunday, January 29th. Winner will be chosen randomly. Open only to US residents. 

Good luck friends!

*maurices also provided me with a $50 giftcard for sharing their Main Street Model Search on This Girl's Life. Thanks maurices!
 

{whoa! and low}

I've seen other blogs feature similar items, whether they be home decor or fashion, that are on the high and low end of the budget spectrum. I don't know if this will become a regular feature on This Girl's Life, but I had to share these whoa! and low finds with you...

Kate Spade New York All Aboard Necklace...$248

maurices 5 Stone Bib Necklace...$25

And honestly I like the low necklace much better! What about you?

{2011 blog recap}

With 2012 right around the corner I thought I would do a little recap of the most popular, and my favorite posts on This Girl's Life for 2011. It is amazing to me how much more traffic I haven gotten this year, and I'm so honored and thankful for all of my readers and blog friends. 

Without a doubt, the most popular post from 2011 was my DIY t-shirt scarf. This post, thanks to Pinterest and Craftgawker, has received over 15,000 pageviews since I posted it in August! 

The second most popular post of the year, and definitely one of my tops faves as well, was my recap of the boys' Despicable Three birthday party. It has had over 5,600 views since I posted it on May 29th. 

And coming in third is my post about prettying up our fireplace mantel with a DIY chalkboard. It is amazing how much attention just a little bit of chalkboard paint can get! 

  

And now for my faves...

#1 without a doubt is my interview with Project Runway's Christopher Straub and my maurices giveaway. This was definitely the highlight of my blogging year!

 

Here is the interview again if you missed it...

 

I also really loved my DIY artwork for my son Ben's room...

And our super easy kitchen island project...

  

And finally I was very excited to share our little office space makeover...

It has been a fun and exciting year for this little blog of mine, and I can't wait to see what 2012 has in store. One of my resolutions is to complete a lot more home decorating and organizing projects this year, so stay tuned, and thanks for coming along for the ride!

 

{maurices giveaway winner!}

Thanks so much to everyone that entered the maurices giveaway!

And thanks again to maurices and Christopher Straub for making This Girl's Life quite a bit more exciting!

And now for the winner.....

AubreyLaine 11:33 AM  

I like Maurice's on FB littlegray88 at yahoo dot com

Congratulations Aubrey!! Your comment #45 was the winner!

Stay tuned to see what I purchase with my giftcard...I see a little shopping spree post in the future. :)

{last call}

 Today is the last day to enter my giveaway for a $50 maurices giftcard!

So head on over and enter!

Oh, and happy Friday! :)

{Christopher Straub Interview and maurices Giveaway!}

I'm still on a high and have a huge smile on my face from my interview Wednesday with Christopher Straub of Project Runway fame. He was extremely fun to chat with and shared some great information about his new holiday line at maurices. And he actually asked me a few questions too!

But before I get to our interview, let's see what Christopher has been up to...

He has created a super fun, flirty and affordable line of holiday clothing and accessories exclusively for maurices, one of my favorite shops.

His line includes some adorable party dresses, including this little black dress, which he told me is his favorite piece in the collection...

And inspired by his first, and winning, design on Project Runway...

 His collection also includes some great separates like this black top...

And I love this pendant cluster necklace...

So now let's hear more about Christopher's new line from the designer himself!

**Please disregard the annoying "call recorder demo" line across the video...pretend it says something like "Best Project Runway designer interview ever", alright? :)



Thanks so much to maurices and to Christopher for giving me the opportunity to interview him...it was an honor and so much fun!

And now for something exciting for my readers! 

maurices has given me and one lucky This Girl's Life reader a $50 gift card! And this is the perfect time of year for a little extra cash, right? Use it to buy that cute little black dress for a holiday party, or use it for Christmas gifts!

How to enter:

1. Leave a comment and tell me your favorite piece from Christopher's new line at Maurices.
2. Follow This Girl's Life and leave me a comment.
3. Share this giveaway on Facebook, Twitter or your blog, and leave a comment for each.
4. Like maurices on Facebook.

Entries will be accepted until midnight EST on Friday, December 2nd. Only available to United States residents.

So what are you waiting for? Good luck everyone!

{pinch me}

You all. I'm so.darn.excited!!

I have some pretty awesome news regarding this little blog of mine. 

Those of you that have been following my blog for the past few years know that I'm a huge fan of Project Runway. And for the past few months I've been participating in What I Wore Wednesdays by sharing my weekly outfits, a lot of which included pieces that I've purchased from one of my favorite local clothing shops, Maurices.

What do Project Runway and Maurices have in common, you ask?

Wellll if you are also a PR follower, remember this guy?

That's Christopher Straub, a contestant from season 6, and he is launching a new clothing and accessories line at Maurices. And the folks at Maurices contact me, yes ME, asking me if I would feature his new line on This Girl's Life.

That in itself is pretty cool...but then they told me I could interview him as well!

So next Wednesday, I have a Skype date with Mr. Straub.

AND...wait for it...one lucky This Girl's Life reader will win a Maurices sponsored giveaway!

Yeah...you could say I'm pretty darn excited about this.

So be sure to check back next weekend for all of the details about Christopher's new Maurices line, our Skype interview, and a fabulous giveaway!

Did I mention that I'm SO.DARN.EXCITED?! :)

{playing dress up}

Happy What I Wore Wednesday!

I only have one outfit to share today, because we were on vacation this past week. But I'm excited about today's outfit because 1. I'm wearing boots! and 2. I'm wearing a new cardigan and belt combo that I bought on our trip. The weather went from mid 90's to low 60's in a matter of days here - crazy! I was so excited to pull out my gray suede boots this morning.

Ruffle top: Maurices
Cardigan and belt: Gordman's {looove that place!}
Skirt: Sears
Tights: Target
Boots: Target
Flower brooch: Sariejune
Earrings: Dillards

I'll be sharing pics and details of our trip soon - we had so much fun! The hubby and I were so proud of how well the boys adapted to being in a new place for so long.

As always I'm linking up with The Pleated Poppy, No Model Lady, and Momma Go Round {links in my link list}.