happy halloween!

via

Hello!  

How was your weekend?  Did you celebrate Halloween already??  It's kind of a bummer that it lands on a weeknight this year, but I'm headed to NYC for the Village Parade with my sister.  She claims she's NEVER been to a real parade.  How is this possible??  The Halloween parade in NYC is always a fun and interesting time.  My favorite part is pictured above.  I love to see the shadows of the paper mache puppets dance on the buildings along 6th Avenue.  

The perfect amount of creepy + visual appeal.

tie it with a bow

If you are feeling crafty this weekend, I put some beautiful grosgrain ribbon from a former project in my Etsy shop today!

Have a great weekend!

xoShelly

smart girls: learn something new every day

How to Peel a Head of Garlic in Less Than 10 Seconds from SAVEUR.com on Vimeo.

Have you guys seen this?  I tried it last night...

Wow!  What a time saver!!

I've decided to add a new feature to this little blog of mine called "smart girls".  I keep running across great ideas that I want to share with you guys despite the fact that they may have nothing to do with fashion or accessories.  

What is the most genius thing you've run across lately? 

Friday's Fancies - Happy Halloween!

Fancy Friday, Halloween Edition {can you believe Halloween is MONDAY!?}

1.  The perfect Trick-or-Treating Bucket

2.  A bewitching skirt sure to get you more treats than tricks...

3.  The Perfect Ghoulish Polish

4.  Adorably wearable earrings.

5.  Who needs striped witch tights when you can have striped heels?

6.  Bangles and baubles galore.

I am linked up with Long Distance Loving today!!

what kind of girl are you?

My, oh my, I just could.not.choose just one of these.  On any given day I could be any one of these girls...or all of them.

Which one is your favorite?

PS  If you're quick you can snag one (or all) of these for yourself with today's Living Social Deal! 

midweek manicure - sparkleween

This week's manicure was a special request.  The picture above isn't mine, but was found here.  I actually pained my nails like this (twice) and both times failed to snap a picture before chipping them...

PS.  Having trouble removing glittery nail polish?  My friend Holly, informed me that you need ACETONE nail polish remover.  Tried it....works like a charm!  Thank you Holly!!!

PPS.  More festive nail ideas here

work it wednesday - gs lillian + j crew

Shop Talk

 Hello!

I'm all business over at Vianza today!  If you're at all interesting in starting a business, or you just want me to be your friend (I kid), stop by and check out my interview.  More (like how to get your awesome products in a magazine on the cheap) coming soon!!

♥ Shelly

PS I'm happy to dish any, and all info I have on businessy stuff.

PSS  My use of fake words such as "businessy" should be enough to let you know that I probably only have a Business 101 course worth of info pulsing through my brain. {I'm much better at pulling pretty colors together}

creative organization

 

 Over the weekend something came over me and all of the sudden I needed to organize everything in sight.  First up, all the jewelry on my dresser.  It was in some semblance of order, but I really had no idea what I had or where it was.  After a quick trip to Homegoods where I found a wire napkin holder, and a pop into Target where I found this to match. I had everything I needed to get some order to all this jewelry.  Now I know right were to go when I need something because I can see it all on display.  

I kind of wish I had an extra "closet" room where I could put this, but for now it stays in my bedroom...

Inspiration Monday

Hi!

How was your weekend?  Mine didn't end up with apple picking (well actually, it kind of did...I picked up a new white iPhone!!!)  but it did end up with some major jewelry organization.  My dresser was a mess of tangled chains, multiple pairs of the same earrings, and long forgotten favorites.  I wish I had taken a few before pictures for you, but I will have some after pictures (from my new iPhone!?!***) for you later today.  I found some pretty ingenious jewelry organizer by thinking a little outside of the box.


***So dish, what are your favorite apps now that I've joined the 21st century??

PS I'm linking up with Two Birds for Inspiration Monday inspired by one of my personal favorites...

weekend dreaming

It's Friday!!!

Have an awesome weekend soaking up all that is autumn.

I'm looking forward to...

pumpkin spice anything

falling leaves

&

apples

PS I am a HORRIBLE thrifter, but I did manage to thrift this awesome top after missing out on it at Target...So I can finally link up with Spunky Chateau!

friday fancy - tickled pink

1.  Vintage Pink Vespa

2.  Etta Grace Overflowing with Love T Shirt

3.  Kate Spade Dreamer Pumps

4.  YSL Lipstick

5. Macarons

6.  Get in Touch Foundation {this is my friend's foundation, please stop by and say hi!}

Linking up with:

Thursday Lately

Linking up with Bex...a style diary.

princess?

My 4 year old neighbor hates my hair in a messy bun because "I don't look like Belle" if it's not in a pony tail.  Isn't that sweet??  She thinks I look like a princess.

Oh wait, there was that time she said, "Shelly, you are so beautiful.  You look just like my grandmother!"

I think she's messing with my head.

work it wednesday nerd glasses

One of my first ridiculous thoughts after I cut my bangs was...what if my beloved nerd glasses don't work with my new do?! I mean, how tragic would that be?

Good news friends...still loving them.

Pics soon!

Midweek Manicure - Office Romance

teal tones

I'm playing around with some new materials for GS Lillian and the bracelets shown above aren't available on my website yet, but if you are interested in anything just email me and I will make one for you.

On a side note, I love this skirt that I got at Target earlier in the year, it reminds me of this skirt, at a fraction of the price.

Target Tuesday

Target overload here.

I hadn't even realized how Target heavy this outfit was until I started labeling it.  I'm sure you've noticed that I don't post a lot of links to the separate pieces.  It's because I RARELY even look at full priced items anymore, I always head straight for the clearance section...ESPECIALLY at Target.  Well, with the exception of belts.  Have you noticed the abundance of skinny belts Target is carrying these days, I can hardly make it out of the store without one in my bags.

color explosion

It's Monday my friends and I decided to blast you with a fall color explosion.  It's going to be mini skirt week here at GS Lillian.  It's finally cool enough to bust out tights and I have several skirts that are just a touch too short to wear bare legged.  I know some people think that colored tights (beyond black) are a no-no, but I love them, so they'll probably be a staple for the next few months.  Seriously how fantastic is the contrast between my yellow shoes and fuchsia tights?!

be still my beating heart

found here

Who wants to craft with me this weekend???

Hi Friends!

I stumbled upon (literally found it via Stumbled Upon) this TED lecture given by Elizabeth Gilbert (Eat Pray Love) recently, and it's long but so worth it if you are a creative individual.  So many things resonated really deeply with me, and if you are of a creative mind, I think you'll enjoy it too.

babysteps

So I took the bang plunge, so far I don't hate them.  I might be allergic to them though...

I also cut a lot of length off, but I'm still practicing brushing my hair, so maybe we'll see that next week.  For today, I was happy to master (and by master, I mean they don't look like crap) my bangs.

I'm linking up with 260 Days, No Repeats today!

♥ Shell

be still my beating heart

found here

Thursday Lately

Calendar Swap

Etta Grace GS Lillian Cuff Giveaway...ends tonight!!

As always, linking up with the lovely girls over at Bex...A Style Diary.

Midweek Manicure ~ Take me for a Swirl

Have I even mentioned how much I'm digging nail polish these days?  It's such a cheap and easy treat.  A couple of you have asked me if I had tried the above manicure yet, and since I had pinned it quite a while ago, I thought I'd finally give it a try.  I found this video which helped a lot.  It's really not that difficult, the only really time consuming part is taping off your fingers, other than that...easy peasy.

Go ahead, give it a swirl!

♥ Shell

sweats and sequins

Yup, they totally go together, along with vintage chandelier crystals.  

Does this necklace look familiar?  I REALLY wanted the aqua anthropologie necklace that everyone has.  When I went to buy it, I realized that the "crystals" were actually plastic and I was totally turned off, so I decided to make one for myself.  Well, as it turns out, 10 crystals are super heavy.  Maybe anthro was on to something...

♥ Shell

Target Tuesday ~ Cloche

Last year was such an intense winter that I went a little crazy with winter gear.  Well, I heard a little rumor that this winter is supposed to be just as tough.  Eeeek!  So, I've decided to get started early on adding to my winter collection at Target.  How adorable are these hats?!  I plan on jazzing them up a little as noted above, but other than that, these are just about off my wishlist and into my shopping cart.

I know I'm not the only one craving a winter Target fix...stop by Fabulous but Evil for a ton of other great finds.

the "it" list

Happy Friday Ladies! Take some time to check out these great links!

• gs lillian shares these quirky loafers and flats she found - how fun are these? Check out her blog to see more fun styles! (find gs lillian on twitter!)
• sweetie pie style never disappoints with her simple and inspiring Monday posts.  This "just breathe" photo has me swooning! (find sweetie pie style on twitter!)
• lex and learn tries stuffed peppers for the first time... yum, these look amazing! (find lex and learn on twitter!)
• rachael, really gives us the scoop on gel nails. I love her insight here - have you ever tried them? (find rachael, really on twitter!)
• little girl in a big world is vowing to shop her closet... I need to be better about this too! (find little girl in a big world on twitter!)
• everyday mom style shows us her sideline attire - all you 'soccer moms' know what I mean! And I love this outfit... perfect for a stylish mom! (find everyday mom style on twitter!)
• spot of whimsy is totally in fall mode... check out her gorgeous farmers market pictures and other snapshots of fall! (find spot of whimsy on twitter!)
• fabulously average sports an adorable fall outfit including stripes and a few bold colors.  How could it get better than this? (find fabulously average on twitter!)
• the style dossier has a flapper/20's gal hair (and makeup!) tutorial.  Just in time for Halloween! (find the style dossier on twitter!)
• simply bold is loving ponchos for fall!  Me too! See how she styles them up!
• chic or treat shares her favorite beauty finds at Target - I always love a peek in to a fellow bloggers "shopping cart" so to say!  Check out her picks! (find chic or treat on twitter!)
• take me for a twirl shares her favorite podcasts... are you a podcast addict too!?!? Check out her favorites! (find take me for a twirl on twitter!)
• good life for less releases her newest e-book called "Blog Bits" where she dishes on how to grow and monetize your blog.  Check it out if you are interested in taking your blog to the next level! (find good life for less on twitter!)

green is the new gold???

Yeah, I don't know what I'm talking about either, but the result is kind of fab!

Pretty polishing, my friends!

♥ Shell

guest post + giveaway alert

Hi!  I'm guest posting over at Etta Grace today.  I'm not going to lie, there's a pretty awesome giveaway involved.  Here's a sneak peek...

While you are there, make sure you check out their adorable Etsy shop, I'm kind of IN LOVE with this top.  And by kind of, I mean add it to my Christmas list along with these.

♥ Shell

a scHAIRy situation

        It's been over a year since I've gotten a haircut!  I'm sure you can tell, also I hear you whispering behind my back...

  

And, for someone with an aversion to brushing my hair, I am very particular about who cuts it.  I have been going to the gorgeous Bumble and Bumble studio in NYC for years, but my stylist has disappeared and since I've lived in Connecticut for 5 years now, I think it's about time to find someone a little closer to my neighborhood.  SCARY 

(I'll swim with whale sharks the size of a bus without a second thought, but finding a new stylist..EEK!!)

That, coupled with wanting a major change is almost too much to bear.  So I'm going to have to leave the change part up to you...

shorter - or - bangs

♥ Shell

Remember when I said, "no sneakers...ever"

That is, unless they're french...
Blogging on the fly today, I hope you're having an awesome day too!  (French sneakers, or not)

Target Tuesday

Well hello there!

Last spring I went a little nuts with Target's line of party dresses, this dress  was last seen here and another here.  I had actually returned this dress only to find it on the clearance rack 2 days later for $20 less...for $7, I repurchased it.  The evil part of me wants to order a bunch of clothes online and return them in the store to see if I can find them super discounted, but I'm much too lazy for that.  I'll just count this dress as MTB (meant to be).

♥ Shell

 

inspiration monday

I know, I know, you've seen this before as a "bonus" to this post.  If I could have seen into the future, I would have known to save it, but I haven't developed that skill just yet.  I feel quite confident that I must be committing some sort of blogger crime by posting the same photos, but it's Inspiration Monday over at Two Birds and this little ensemble was just perfect.  PLUS, I had more I wanted to say about this outfit, so it's kind of like killing two birds with one stone.  

When I stopped by to check out the inspiration outfit this week, I saw this:

 

I was like, "no way, not even going to try this look".  I personally don't even like it on her.  Fancy lumberjack?  Meh...

  

Then I scrolled down and noticed that there were 3 outfits to choose from this week.  I was baffled and confused, but thrilled to discover that I could revisit my outfit above. When I originally posted it, the post was already too long by the time I got to the "bonus" and I didn't get a chance to talk about how perfect this dress is for traveling.

I don't wear sweats in public, or PJ's for that matter, and I've already discussed how I feel in jeans. 
I do, however, insist on being comfortable (physically and emotionally) while traveling, and I travel quite a bit.  I've gotten not only personal comfort, but getting through security down to an art.  

If you've got a big trip in the works (like me!!!!), here are a few of my do's and dont's

Do use a rolling carry on....don't pay extra to check your bags.

Do wear something comfortable...don't roll out of bed and forget to get dressed.

Do accessorize...don't wear anything with clasps that take more than 2 seconds to take off or put on.

Do wear shoes that slip on and off...don't wear sneakers...ever, unless you are exercising.

Now, DO go check everyone else out at:

 

And, DON'T forget to have an awesome day!

♥ Shell