life's a beach.

psssssssssssssst: did you enter the giveaway yet? no? do so HERE!

----------------------------

it's another no capitalizing kind of day. just because.

michael and i fail at beach going. here's proof:

thing 1 : michael and i went to virginia beach on tuesday, and spent a good part of the day boogie boarding in the ocean. 

the first thing i did wrong was wear a bikini.

 the second thing i did wrong was convince myself i was doing awesome & try to ride a MUCH bigger wave than i should have.

a big old wave started to break and i chose to grin like an idiot and jumped on it. long story short: it crashed over me and took me tumbling to the ocean floor shallows. besides taking my dignity it took my bikini top mostly off as i scraped the bottom and my...er...chest now looks like one very angry cat scratched the heck out of me. classy.

(for the record i did manage to ride other waves before said incident- and other than almost smashing into a fellow beachgoer, i was pretty successful)

thing 2: i was laying out in the sun on my stomach and had my arms stretched out in front of me on the beach and failed to notice the beach bag strap laying across my arm. i must say, the thick white diagonal tan line goes quite well with the chest scratches.

thing 3: michael is singlehandedly keeping the aloe companies in business. after his ridiculous burn last time at the beach we applied layer after layer of sunscreen on his back and shoulders....but neglected his chest/stomach because he has so damn much hair. Wellllll let's just say that was dumb and it now looks like he's wearing a t-shirt that's white on the back and neon pink on the front.

thing 4: when we first started out in the ocean on the boards we were just floating along, and michael was still wearing his brand new sunglasses. i said "hey, are you going to take those off?". well folks, per usual he didn't listen and a few waves later they were lost at sea.

thus, from now on when we go to the beach michael will be slathered with sunscreen from head to toe & i'll be wearing a full wetsuit.  we'll be quite the sight to see!

(all that being said, we did have a pretty dang good time. photos prove that, right?)

Please tell me we're not the only ones that are terrible beachgoers.
Please.

xo, lp

GIVEAWAY!! (Fornash Jewelry) [CLOSED]

I'm doing a giveaway today.

WHY?

Well, I don't really have a super good reason beyond the fact I really like you readers, and I really like Fornash.

  Fornash is an Washington DC based accessory shop that also does wholesale- which means you can find them in boutiques all around (If you live in DC or NOVA you can visit their shop in Arlington, VA!). I originally found Fornash at a local shop in Richmond when I was searching for a birthday gift for Carly. I ended up getting her a pair of their Rainbow Earrings...aaaand bought 5 more pairs beyond that. They're just the perfect bold pop of color that completely makes an outfit.

 The catch? They aren't sold online! You have to go into the Fornash shop (or another boutique that carries Fornash) to get them.

Not today my friends. Oh no. 3 of you will walk away with a pair of these Rainbow Earrings. 

You can then look oh-so-cool like Carly and I do below showing them off on Instagram!

Okay, So what will you win? Well, there are 3 pairs up for grabs: minty turquoise, bubble gum pink, and coral red. 

 If you also follow me on Twitter or Instagram, you know I have a love for jewelry, and I'm hoping this will be the first of plenty jewelry giveaways. Now, before I go- just have to share a few of my favorites from the Fornash online boutique! I mean, whale and zebra earrings? YES.

To make things better, Fornash is offering 10% off* to EVERYONE this week because they rock.

Just got to their site and use this code at checkout:  ' beauty ' 
*excludes custom & sale items         

Good luck to everyone, the winner will be announced June 7th! (Use Rafflecopter below to enter & make sure to leave contact info if you don't have a blog!)
 a Rafflecopter giveaway

 *no, i'm not being paid or anything fancy like that for this giveaway. i just legitimately love these earrings that i'm giving away- and i love seeing a business like this grow and grow. Fornash just happens to be kick butt enough to offer the 10% off when i have them a heads up about the giveaway. awesome, no? 

Cinnamon Swirl Coffee Cake

Why is coffee cake so good? Completely unfair.

My grandma used to make ridiculously delicious coffee cake- and I was feeling nostalgic the other day...so I made some. The recipe was one I found online & is completely perfect: soft, sweet, comforting. 

Note: Coffee Cake has a lot of butter. 

Wait.

Let me reiterate:

Coffee. Cake. Has. A. LOT. Of. Butter. 

But it's oh so good.

The main recipe is from the sweet blog Buns in my Oven- and the cinnamon swirl is mine.

Recipe (found here) 

For the cake:

2 1/2 cups all purpose flour

3/4 teaspoon baking powder

1 teaspoon baking soda

1/2 teaspoon salt

12 tablespoons butter

1 1/2 cups white sugar

2 large eggs

1 1/4 cups sour cream

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

For the crumb topping:

1 cup brown sugar

1/2 cup white sugar

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 1/2 tablespoons cinnamon

1 cup (2 sticks) melted butter

2 1/2 cups flour

For the cinnamon swirl:

1/4 cup white sugar

1 tablespoon cinnamon

For full instructions, make sure to give the original recipe maker some love, by visiting her blog here. The one thing I added was the cinnamon swirl in the middle- just put half the batter in the pan- sprinkle the cinnamon + sugar evenly, and add the rest of the batter! 

---------------------

Ugh. It tastes as good as it looks, I promise. Cinnamony sweet goodness.

I worked yesterday and am dying to hear about what everyone did yesterday! I'll be at the beach today making up for lost relaxation time. Mmmhmm bring on the sun.

How was your weekend? 

I envy any of you that had any type of picnic/BBQ/etc. Majorly.

xo, lp

**psssssssssst! I'm majorly excited about the fact that tomorrow I'll be doing my first GIVEAWAY on the blog! Woohoo!!!

Guest Post: Lauren from Pink on the Cheek

Hope you're all having a relaxing Memorial Day! I'm working a full day- but I'll mentally be right there with you at the beach. Instead of a post from me today- Lauren from Pink on the Cheek is stopping by to share her favorite supper makeup with y'all! Lauren's a past Richmonder- so you know she's a good egg....
-------------------------------------

Hello sweet B&B readers!I am Lauren from Pink on the Cheek, or POTC for short. 

I am so amazed by Laura's talent, I cannot imagine more creativity coming from her!So that makes me really happy to be on her blog today. 
I wanted to share some of my favorite makeup with you that will be perfect for the summer.I know that RIC can get pretty hot during the summer months, I experienced it myself!With the humidity, sudden storms, heat lighting, and more...you need to look good for all conditions.
 First off:Smashbox Camera Ready BB Cream

This cream is a 5 in 1 secret. It is a moisturizer, primer, concealer, foundation, and even has SPF 35. This is my go to item on my days off from work when I need some quick cover up.Perfect. 
The next item is a bright lipstick.

I am wearing Electric Pink by Smashbox.I have good luck with matte lipsticks. When you find a great one like Smashbox, it just glides on easy and just sticks. No smudges, no check ups during the day, you are good to go!
Next is a great lotion. You are going to be wearing shorts and skirts most of the summer.With shaving your legs constantly, you want to keep them smooth but not have that sweaty feeling.

Source: kiehls.com via Lauren on Pinterest

 

I am in love with this lotion because it goes on quickly and it not sticky.

You feel moisturized the whole day PLUS  it smells great!

So those are my summer must haves. You shouldn't be doing too much makeup while you are in the sun because the most important thing to wear is sunscreen!

Plus having lots of makeup sweat off your face is not a good look.

I hope you stop by my blog after reading this, I would love to have you!

blog//tweet//facebook

xoxo,

Lauren

----------------------------------------

Thanks for taking over for me today, Lauren! (Make sure to show her some love, my friends).

We'll be back to our regularly scheduled programming tomorrow.Until then, have a cold one for me.

XO, LP

Friday's Fancies #22: Memorial Day

I'm salty about having to work on Memorial Day.

 Thus, I'll keep it short:

------------------------------

Red, white & blue of course, with some perfect star studs. Very Americana, right?

If I was going out for a picnic or to the beach, this is the outfit I'd wear! I recently bought a pair of white pants and thoroughly love them. AND I got them for $6. Yeah. I'm that good people, that good.

Sunglasses   /   Star earrings   /   Tory Purse  /   Cobalt top   /   White Jeans

Bangles 1 /  2  / 3

What will you be doing on Memorial Day?

xo, lp

(sidenote: giveaway on the blog next week! woohoo!)

psssssst: i'm very anti-war, but i have the utmost respect for those who have fallen while dedicating their life to their country. between picnics and mall sales, take a minute to remember what memorial day is all about. for history on the day, click HERE

Kate Spade Inspired DIY Jewelry Tray

I love Kate Spade. The flawless jewelry, the classic handbags, the stunning shoes- I love it all. 

Unfortunately... my budget doesn't love Kate Spade. Wop-wop. 

Thus, I made this:

I love the Ticker Tape Tidbit china, and thought a single plate would be fun as a jewelry dish. Although I have no doubt it's worth every penny- each plate comes up to $50. Again: Wop-wop. 

Someday when I make my millions or win the lottery I'll buy one of everything online-mark my words!

Until then, I'll have to DIY what I can.

Kate Spade Ticker Tape Tidbit China

I stopped by a local thrift store and picked up this glass tray for a whopping $3:

 After a good sanding and a couple layers of white acrylic paint I got everything I needed ready:

- Foam Brush -    -Painter's Tape-    -Scissors-     -Martha Stewart Glitter (yellow barite & copper)-  

-Index Card-     -Metallic Acrylic Paint ( Deco Art Splendid Gold)-      -Mod Podge-

Next I cut a small hole in the index card, reinforcing the card with some painters tape:

Slowly but surely I added gold dot after gold dot, stopping every 10 or so to allow time for them to dry without smearing. The best part about the Kate Spade design is that there are overlapping dots- so anytime I messed up I simply let it dry & painted another dot covering up my mistake! 

 Continual dot adding....

 A little bit of glitter just for good measure & some Mod Podge to seal it all off!

 The finished product!

 Of course, the best part was adding a little bit of my jewelry- just a few of my favorite gold pieces:

 Jewelry:

Cobalt Studs: Fornash

Red Studs: Marc by Marc Jacobs

Gold Leaf earrings: Thrifted (for $1!)

Watches & Bracelet: Charming Charlie

Tiny Gold Locket: c/o Hibiscusdays Jewelry

Gold Circle Diamond Necklace: Gorjana (c/o Shopbop)

I am THRILLED with how it turned out. It's shiny and glittery and completely wonderful. 

It may not be real Kate Spade, but I sure do love it. 

Would you keep your jewelry favorites on this DIY tray?

If not, what's your go-to jewelry storage?

xo, lp

Pssst: I know was all people could talk about a little while ago..but how perfect are Kate Spade watches?  Le Sigh. 

Oh How Pinteresting #13

This week has been flying by.
Our friends went back to Minnesota yesterday and we had a dangerous amount of fun.
The days of relaxing at the beach are over and it's back to work today. Sad face.
To add to my joy, last night Donald Driver won Dancing With the Stars. Packer Nation!!

Okay- OHP time!
-------------------------
Favorite Interior Idea [map shade!]:

via

Favorite Recipe Idea [holy yum]:

via

Favorite Earrings [yes, zebras]:

via

Favorite Necklace [golden girl]:

via

Favorite New Idea [washi joy]:

via

Favorite Look [neon maxi madness]:

via

Which is your favorite this week?

Can't get over the Map Shade. Amazing!

xo, lp

pssssst: tomorrow on the blog I'll be sharing my Kate Spade DIY jewelry tray!

Spicy Chocolate Pretzels

You all know I like pretzels, right? Especially now that I can pronounce them (as I kid, I called them "prezzles").

Remember my Cinnamon Sugar Pretzels? Delicious.

Well, I found some unopened cayenne in the spice drawer this weekend and decided to try making some spicy chocolate pretzels. Just like the last pretzel snack I made, these are of course ridiculously simple. I mean, it's pretzels and chocolate. Not rocket science, but still: delicious. 

WHAT YOU'LL NEED:

-1 cup semi sweet chocolate chips

- 1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper

- 1 tablespoon vegetable shortening (crisco)

- pretzels

- parchment paper

HOW TO MAKE IT HAPPEN:

Step 1: Melt chocolate chips and shortening together in a bowl. (Either using a double boiler or slowly microwaving 10 seconds at a time)

Step 2: Once fully melted, stir in cayenne

Step 3: Dip your pretzels, making sure they're fully covered.

Step 4: Lay on parchment lined baking sheet and refrigerate for 1 hour before enjoying!

 I put them out without telling Michael (who hates spicy things) they had cayenne in them. Needless to say, he was NOT pleased with how they came out. I thought they were the perfect balance of spicy and sweet.

Next time I guess I'll have to make something a little more Michael friendly.

I'm thinking of making some kind of pretzel toffee...

...anyone have any good recipes for that? 

xo, lp

Side Note: Do y'all watch the show Shark Tank? If you don't- you should. Basically people pitch their business ideas to billionaires (like Daymond John and Kevin O'Leary) and either get an investment or not. It's way more interesting than I make it sound, I promise! ANYWAY some lady went in looking for an investment to start a specialty pretzel company. REALLY? Just because you can put caramel and nuts on pretzels doesn't mean you deserve a $100,000 investment.  Boo lady, BOO.

Sunburn

Holy crap it was windy in Virginia Beach this weekend. 

My hair is a frizzy, curly, knotty mess. It's really good looking, let me tell you. 

Having our MN friends in town this weekend was lovely- and we thoroughly enjoyed the beach. Michael is now pure red on his back, and still white on his stomach from boogie boarding on his belly for hours and hours. It's rough. This picture doesn't even fully do it justice:

A few more shots from last week:

1&2: work outfits, with big necklaces as usual.

3: beach outfit, with a big necklace as usual.

4: debut of the new Fornash earrings (giveaway coming soon!)

5: my lovely necklace i DIYed here

6: i'm a grandma.

7-9: virginia beach shots (studly Beard, pre-sunburn)

------------------------

How was your weekend? 

Any extreme sunburns worth talking about?

xo, lp

 Find me on Instagram HERE ( @lpodlich) !

Have Instagram? Oh, do share.

* P.S: Today I'm over guest posting on The Lifestyle Guide with my Boudoir of the Day. Landi is beyond sweet- make sure to check out here blog while you're there!


*P.P.S: Did you check out my guest post feature on Richmond over at Pink on the Cheek last week? If not, go over to Lauren's lovely blog and give her some love. she does a great "flyaway friday" series featuring bloggers from all over the USA!

Friday's Fancies #21: Chambray Season

It's Friday. 

As you're reading this I'm on the beach. In the sun. Eating salt water taffy.

Like I mentioned earlier this week, Michael and I have friends from MN in town, and we're spending the weekend in Virginia Beach! Hopefully I'll be getting a good tan so I can pull off an outfit like this:

Yep, {av} had us great chambray inspired outfits this week, and I instantly knew what outfit I'd want to wear. I love the combination of chambray & neon- and to top it all off with aviators and a bun? Yes, please.

Would you wear chambray + neon?

Have an amazing weekend everyone!

xo, lp

Bandwagon

Oh hey, guess what, I'm a bandwagon jumper. Cool.
I debated whether or not to do this post, because I wasn't sure if it would come off mean or whiny. Technology is funny that way, isn't it? You can mean something with the purest intentions and it can be turned around to smack you in the face.
Well, Carly and I had a long talk, that made me realize, THIS IS MY BLOG, not anyone else's. Maybe some of you will relate to my "things I'm afraid to tell you" and maybe it will alienate you. I truly hope none of the latter, but here goes...

(If you want to know the origin of these posts- read the first inspirations here and here)

When I studied abroad in Peru I had a blog...and looking back on it now it was terrible. Tiny pictures, black background, neon font. The only followers I had were my family members. If you want a good laugh check it out here.

I didn't get Twitter until a few months ago, and had to have Carly teach me how to use it. No, I'm not kidding. It was embarrassing. Sometimes I STILL don't know when to use # or @. Bear with me people.

I really do not like cats. No, really. I pretend to be nice and like other peoples' cats, but I don't. They give me the heebie jeebies. You can never know what they're thinking and then out of no where they claw the crap out of you. Boo cats, boo. 

I cannot stand Nikki Minaj. Or Nora Jones. I don't feel the need to explain myself here either. The end.

I am overly sarcastic, and when others do not get sarcasm/dry humor, I tend to think less of them. I keep trying to find a way to phrase that to make me seem like less of a jerk, but I can't. I grew up in a family of intelligent people with a quick wit, and if you couldn't keep up, too bad for you. When I meet a fellow sarcastic blogger, it's like a breath of fresh air (like Christin).

I pretend to like living in the South, but most of the time I don't. This doesn't mean Richmond doesn't have great things about it- but overall, it doesn't hold a candle to the Midwest.

I'm usually terrified of being home alone at night.  I blame it on watching too many episodes of Law & Order, SVU. When Michael has been away/worked late in the past, I keep lights on and fall asleep in the wee hours when I'm too tired to stay awake any longer.

Whew. Okay, that's enough honesty for one day.
Hope all of you still follow the blog even though I'm a Nikki Minaj & cat hating, Twitter inept baby.

Did you do a "things I'm afraid to tell you post"?
If you did, leave the link in the comments. I'd really love to read more of them.


xo, lp

Oh How Pinteresting #12

Why is it that the week goes by so much slower when you have something to look forward to?
Michael and I have 3 friends coming to visit us on Friday & I am SO READY to spend a weekend at the beach. I'm thinking about making the first pin below for a road trip snack.....
--------------------------------------------

Favorite Recipe Idea [salted caramel popcorn]:

via

Favorite Party Idea [sprinkles make everything better]:

via

Favorite Bauble [need 216 or 651]:

via

Favorite Look [glitz & neon]:

via

Favorite Wall Space [panoramic love]:

via

Favorite Inspiration [balloon envy]:

via

Favorite Free Idea [paint chip perfection]:

via

Which pin is your favorite this week? 

I'm loving the number rings, what numbers would YOU get?

xo,lp

pssst. you can follow me on Pinterest here!