Predictable Party Girl

Top: LC Lauren Conrad, Skirt: Thrifted, Heels: Rebecca Minkoff

I feel like every time I  go out, I somehow always gravitate towards wearing this skirt. Honestly I  can't resist it and find myself wishing that I had it in a few more colors, especially pastels like seafoam green. These photos were taken right before Chris and I set off for the night. We spent most of the night dancing and I got to see a lot of my old co-workers...all in all a good night.

Today is my brother's (& Justin Timberlake's...I still love him even though he is engaged) birthday so you know what that means...Birthday Cake!! Hope your day is just as happy as mine :) 

**lol a NSYNC song just came on in my itunes playlist, it feels like freshman year again**

xo erica

If You Want Something Do it Yourself- Heart Garland

I'm one of those people that really loves to get into every holiday so when I saw this cute post I couldn't help but be inspired. I instantly started to come up with ideas and thought this was a fun and easy diy to make for Valentine's day that I just had to share with all of you. 

Pipe Cleaners, Scissors, Ribbon

1. Take 2 pipe cleaners and twist the ends together and shape into a heart

2. After you shape the pipe cleaners into a heart push the ends in 

3. Get pipe cleaner and come underneath heart and repeat steps to make another heart 

4. They should be intertwined. I made my garland starting with the center heart and then worked my way out on each side.

5. I wanted my hearts to get slightly smaller, so if you decide to make your hearts different sizes just cut off however much before you make the heart.

6. After you've made your garland as long as you want it, take a small piece of pipe cleaner and twist it to hold two hearts together.

7. Tie ribbon to each end and you're done!

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So easy right?? Hope you enjoyed this :)

xo erica

Early Morning Thief

Button up: Belongs to my brother, Shirt: ?, Skirt: Rue 21, Belt: Thrifted, Heels: Rebecca Minkoff

Eagle ring: antique, Other accessories: Forever 21

I've always wanted to raid Chris' closet because sometimes boyfriend's clothes can be fun to play with. With the boyfriend's closet nowhere around me this morning, I snuck into my brother's room and stole his shirt...haha ok maybe not really. I told him I had been wanting to use it sometime, although he was sleeping when I took it. Do you ever wear your boyfriend's (or in my case brother's) clothing? 

Spartacus is showing this evening and there is a party tomorrow night with hopefully lots of dancing! Hope you all have fun the next few days too. Happy Weekend everyone!!

Guest Post: Ly from Eternal Optimist

Hey everyone I'm so excited about todays post. It's my first time having anyone guest post over here at Sea of Blooming Dreams and I couldn't be any happier than it to be someone as lovely as Ly. Seriously you will have some style envy...she always looks amazing. Oh and her how to post are pretty awesome, I'm wearing my hair in a top knot (thanks to her fabulous skills) to school today for early morning classes. Hope you enjoy :) 

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Hi, I'm Ly (pronounced Lee). As a recent graduate, I needed to fuel my procrastination for the MCATs and a good reason to abandon my Uggs and leggings, which lead to the birth of my little blog, Eternal Optimist.

I write about a variety of topics; beauty/hair tutorials, food, and my ever evolving (budget deflating) personal style but mostly it mostly contains my daily ramblings about my awkward life.  Finally, I like to thank Erica for letting me bogart her blog for the day and feel free to hop on over and visit me anytime.

**Click on the picture to see the full post over at my blog**

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Thanks so much Ly!!

Don't be shy. Drop by her blog and say hello.

xo erica

Life Lately

1. Cupcakes are my weakness

2. Old good luck note from my sis, brother-in-law, & baby from when I went out to Hollywood to do dance auditions. I forgot I've been carrying it around in my wallet these past few years...brings back good memories :)

3. New apron from Theresa over at Despising Life Is So Passe

4. I'm in love with this purple/blue watercolor like dress.

5. New bows I've been working on.

6. Zeus-my niece's new dog...just look at those eyes!

7. One of the first pics the boyfriend and I have from when we first started dating...I plan on doing a cute diy project with this.

8. Purses in the Juicy Couture store...love

I Asked, They Answered

Every month I like to ask my sponsors a fun question so all of you can get to know them just a bit better. Be sure to check out their blogs, just click on their snap shops :)

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I want to get in on the gorgeous bright lipstick trend! Love the red and bright pink lips:)

I plan on incorporating new colors into my wardrobe. I have a tendency to wear primarily blue things but I've found that I adore this mustard yellow color that I've been seeing around a lot lately. I don't always like new trends but this one I'm definitely going to try out!

This year- I'm rockin' out in button-ups. Whether they're open, belted, buttoned, leopard, or even a little crazy... I'm 100% in love. All my favorite ones are from thrift stores like Goodwill and Youth Ranch. I love being unfashionable!

On my blog, I'll be keeping up with Friday Favorites where I post lovely things that make me happy that week, and I'm also working on a weekly or monthly segment called "Etsy Interviews" where I interview Etsy shop owners about their stores. I also plan on doing giveaways with those posts, too! (If the shop owners are willing, that is. I already have one in the works! :) I'm excited!


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Interested in being a sponsor for February? Check out my rates here :)

Baby I'm Ready

Top: Bebe, Skirt: Made by me, Belt: Thrifted, Heels: Steve Madden

I feel like it hasn't gotten as cold yet as it has years before. To be honest with you I'm not even sure I miss the freezing cold. I'm in full gear, ready for spring which is pretty evident in what I'm wearing today. This skirt is actually the first skirt I've ever sewn and I'm happy to start wearing it again and I love the neon green color of my sweater top. Which by the way some bright colored skinny jeans are now on my current wish list. What's on your wish list?

Do What Makes You Happy

I've been working out hard these past few weeks and after looking at a few blogs that had me drooling over their food photography, I decided I needed a reward for myself. All afternoon I had been thinking of a root beer float, it had been so long since I've had one. Let me tell you, it was so good!! Yup root beer floats make me happy :)

Hope your weekend is full of all the good stuff :)

A Peak into My Sketchbook

With my day off yesterday I decided I would be a good student and get some work done. I've had a certain sketchbook for awhile now that I should have already filled the pages of but to be honest I hadn't really done too much with it. I finally sat down, pulled out all my magazine clippings and a few sketches and filled the pages with what inspires me. I'm hoping by the end of the quarter it will be full but now that I've actually started it, I wanted to share a few pics of what the inside looks like.

I'm inspired by photography, pretty details, music, and color and I wanted my sketchbook to be something fun that I could look back at...almost like a diary that's personal and me filled with pretty inspiration.

What kinds of things inspire you?

Old Crush

Swearer: Thrifted, Top: Target, Shorts: Express, Tights: Rue 21, Boots: Charlotte Russe

 Hey dolls, hope the week has been treating you all well. I snapped these photo before heading to school yesterday. I love this top, I think I've always said how much I've always had a thing for the mustard yellow color but hadn't actually worn it until now. I love it!! I'm so happy that I finally embraced wearing one of my color crushes...it's been a long time coming. Today is my day off from work and school...it feels nice to have a day to not worry too much about anything. 

If You Want Something Do It Yourself-Bow Necklace

Over the weekend I decided I wanted to make something fun and easy to add to my wardrobe. I ended up going with a tulle bow necklace because let's face it, a girl can never have too many bows and I love tulle. I had a bunch of black tulle at home but I think this would be fun in other colors like pretty pastels or even lace and I only need a few inches of fabric. So if you want it, here's how to do it yourself.

1-4. Tie your tulle into a bow

5. Puff out the ends so your bow looks full like this

6. Cut 2 pieces of felt-approx. 1/2 inch

7. Hot glue one piece of felt to the back of the bow

8. Line up chain, make sure you have it in the middle

9. Glue the second piece of felt to secure the chain in place

Hope you enjoyed this :)

Buttoned Up

Blouse: Express, Cardigan: Target, Jeans: ?, Shoes: Target, Rings: Forever 21, Necklace: DIY

I had a pretty relaxing weekend...which you can probably notice by what I'm wearing. 

I've got jeans on ...and flats, this doesn't happen too often. You know that you usually find me at least in heels. I wore this yesterday while I made burgers for my family...cooking more often was one of my goals for the year...Yes! I'm off to a good start :) We watched the Texans play, it was a good game. I just wish we would have won...oh well there's always next year. I did get some sketches done and now know what I'll be working on this quarter for school. I'm actually really excited about my projects this time around. Oh how do you like my bow necklace? I made it this weekend and will be sharing it with you tomorrow :) yeah I know you're excited. me too.