Fashion Chemistry

I'll be honest with you. I don't have the biggest wallet to buy new clothes all the time. Experimenting with your closet can be so much fun, and I feel like I've gotten better at mixing pieces and making them into something different. I guess it only makes sense, chemistry was one of my favorite subjects in school. I think it's good to find ways to get more from your clothing so I wanted to show you how I took one dress to create 3 different ways to wear it.

Taking a dress and wearing it as a skirt I think is a fun way to be girly without looking too formal. It gives you the chance to play around with whatever you are wearing on top to really create the mood you want. 

I think this is such a great look for a strapless dress, especially when you don't feel like showing off your back and shoulders. Depending on the kind of shirt you pair it with, you can even give it a more casual feel. 

Wearing the dress as a top and pairing with a maxi, gives you the best of both worlds. You get to keep the pretty neckline from your dress but you don't have to worry about showing off your legs.

xoxo erica

Sponsor Question of the Month: April

Every month I like to ask the sponsor a fun question so all of you can get to know them a bit better. This month I asked, Where is your dream vacation and what would you do there?

Here's what some of them had to say...

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   Natalie from Spoonful of Sugar

Erin from Currently Coveting

Annelise from Aunie Sauce

Diana from dianapantz

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Thanks so much ladies!

So now I want to know from you. 

Where's your dream vacation & what would you do there?

Interested in being a sponsor for May?

Check out my rates here

I've added a new 2 month option

xoxo erica

Life Lately

A cupcake full of sprinkles. 

Look at this baby frog, isn't he so cute?!?

My niece Isabella. This was her idea of playing with food. 

Ice cream...perfect to cool off on a hot day.

Hanging out by my uncle's lake. Nothing better than relaxing with the family.

My niece's kitten.

Starbucks! Payment to my niece Binx for taking photos of me. 

xoxo erica

P.S. My instagram name is ericamarie04 for any of you who may want to follow.

Ombre Nails: Mix the Colors Yourself

I love the look of ombre nails and have been wanting to try it out for some time but honestly I didn't feel like buying five different shades of one color. Well problem solved. I already had a pretty shade of blue and white polish at home so all I had to do was buy black and let the painter in me have fun mixing colors. 

I love the way it turned out and I even think it would look great with the original color as the darkest and only adding white until you get a pretty pastel, so if you don't have black...don't worry about it, you can still try ombre with only two polishes.

xoxo erica

Oh I'm on Facebook now, make sure to check it out :)

Also you can see me featured on Glamour's Slaves to Fashion Blog

All Aboard

Lace Top: Thrifted, Skirt: Thrifted, Heels: Target, Accessories: F21

Hey lovelies, I hope you all had a fun weekend, I enjoyed every bit of mine. Chris and I went to a rock concert Saturday night that we had a really good time at...my neck was definitely feeling it in the morning. It's hard to not feel the music when Korn is playing, we've seen them a few times now and they always put on a good show. Sunday I went  with my mom to a small family owned restaurant that has the best milkshakes...seriously so good, I wish I had taken a pic or two. Right across the street is a railroad museum so I took the opportunity to take a few photos of my outfit. As you all know this is one of my favorite skirts. I guess it's because I wanted to a ballerina a long time ago and love how it reminds me of a tutu...and really what's not to love?

Quite a few of you have asked about the past weeks photo locations and they have all been in the old downtown area around town. Sometimes I love how this small town I live in has so much history. I read a post about blogging and taking photos awhile back and one of the tips was to scout out interesting places so I've been  driving around town and looking...I completely recommend it. I've been finding a bunch of backdrops that I hadn't ever noticed before.

Wishing you all a start to a lovely week.

xoxo erica

There Are Always Two Sides to a Story

 Dress/Tunic: F21, Shorts: Express, Heels: Target, Bangles + Ring: F21, Stud and Spiked Bracelets: Hot Topic

Lately I've noticed that I've been falling for simplistic pieces with pretty details. I was actually trying to find something to wear to a concert this weekend when I saw this from the corner of my eye. I instantly feel for it and loved how it has two sides and an interesting cut...it's almost like a high low hem that I've been loving but just a bit more drastic. As for the concert this weekend, I decided to stud some shorts...they feel a bit more rock and roll anyway. What are you up to this weekend? Do tell :)

Wishing you all a lovely weekend!

xoxo erica

p.s. the winner of the XL sponsor spot is Sara from Build Castles in the Air

Guest Post: dianapantz

Hey everyone, today you are all in for a treat...I have the lovely Diana here to share with you a tasty looking recipe that you and I should be trying out this weekend. 

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hey everybody!

my name is diana & i run a sustainable accessories shop [5% of all proceeds go to charity!]+ a vegan lifestyle blog ; both named dianapantz.

Last month, I launched my *very first* e-cookbook called 'the 3-day a week vegan.' Its got 30 easy [and affordable] recipes for breakfast, lunch, dinner, sides & dessert [my fave!]. There is a color photo of each recipe + a helpful shopping list. 

The best part of the cookbook?! No matter where you live, you can find these ingredients. AND everything you need is natural [no faux meat!] This book is great for *any* type of eater who wants to add a few more whole grains & veggies without feeling deprived of great foods.

Today, I wanted to stop by and share one of my favorite summer salads.

7 veggie salad 

serves 4 // takes 25 minutes

what you need :

*5 asparagus spears ; chopped

*1 large carrot ; halved

*1 sm zucchini ; quartered

*4 endive spears

*½ pepper ; chopped

*10 snap peas ; stringless

*2 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil

*1 tbsp lemon juice

*1 tbsp vinegar

*1 1/2  c white beans ; drained & rinsed 

how to do it : 

1) shred asparagus, zucchini & carrot in a food processor [if you dont have one ; just chop everything up super fine]. thinly slice endive, pepper & peas.

2) in a large bowl, whisk together all liquids & salt and pepper. add all veggies & beans. toss to coat. season with extra s&p, to taste.

thats it!! so stinkin' easy! super easy to make for a dinner party, an outdoor get together & a picnic in the park!

interested in purchasing the book?!

pdf // kindle // nook [coming soon!]

$1 from each & every sale goes directly to charity.

thanks for reading & happy eating!

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Thanks so much Diana! 

xoxo erica

Back to Basics

Black Tee: Target, Shorts: LC Lauren Conrad, Heels: Steve Madden, Necklace: Rue 21

Whenever I go shopping, I usually try to find something that has a special quality to it, embellishments, a fun print, or interesting details. Lately I've realized that when it comes to shirts sometimes a good  simple basic is all you really need to pull an outfit together. Keeping it simple on top while having a cute print on the bottom makes the outfit seem so much more polished...especially when you have a statement necklace to add just a bit of sophistication to bring out the girly girl in me.

xoxo erica

Dreaming in a Field of Poppies

I've always thought it to be quite whimsical to hang about dreaming in a field of flowers. When I saw that these were growing far in the fields at the boyfriend's house, I knew I wanted to do a little photo shoot there. Lucky for me Chris agreed to be the photographer. I've always loved the beauty of poppies but hadn't ever been around them before and couldn't believe how tall they were. Some were taller than me but I guess I am a bit short lol. Anyway it was lovely to spend the afternoon dreaming about a field of poppies.

Wishing you all a weekend of everything beautiful.

xoxo erica

Don't forget to enter the XL Sponsor Spot Giveaway

Sponsors & A Giveaway

 i am diana & i run a sustainable accessories shop + a vegan lifestyle blog ; both named dianapantz. on the blog, i share recipes, green living tips & fun home projects. i love the library, riding my bike & vegan cupcakes. 

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Hello! I'm Annelise. I'm that girl who's "really popular on my own blog." Come check out my saucy-ness!

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Now here's your chance to be a sponsor on the blog...

Over the past month I've gained so many new readers and really wanted to give my thanks to all of you...I'm almost at 600! 

I'm giving away one XL sponsor spot to one of my readers. 

I love being able to show off my sponsors and as an XL sponsor you get to write a guest post on Sea of Blooming Dreams as well as other sponsor features such as the intro post, sponsor question of the month, and share any of your links.

Sounds pretty awesome right?

To Enter:

1. Be a follower via GFC and leave a comment stating so.

Extra Entries:

2. Follow me on Twitter

3. Follow me on Bloglovin

**Leave a comment for each one**

Last day to enter is April 19th

Winner announced April 20th

xoxo erica