noto's winter wonderland

Hey there my lovely Akronites!

People are always saying there is nothing fun to do in Akron, but I'm here to tell you there is! And FREE too! 

This Saturday December 3rd my favorite little boutique Noto is hosting one of their infamous events 

at the posh Northside Lofts in Downtown Akron. 

Appetizers, spirits, live entertainment, fashion, prizes, and more are all in store for the evening. 

What more could you ask for for a FREE event?

I will be there, along with a few other fellow 330 Blogger's, will you?

I sure hope to see you there!

Visit Noto's official website, or the event Facebook page for all the details!

little loves

This was a pretty wonderful week if I do say so myself. I only had to work until Wednesday and then it was 3 full days off for me! I know, I'm totally spoiled or totally deprived I can't decide. Either way once the work week ended for me I went out with friends, shopped, ate, and danced the 3 blissful days away. 

My Thanksgiving nails, Sally Hansen's Nail Effect Strips in Check It Out.

On Wednesday I swung by fellow 330 Blogger, Sarah's farewell night out, then off to my friend Tony's 6th Annual Pre-Thanksgiving Party, and ended the night stopping by my boyfriends gig at a local bar. 

Fellow blogger Sarah and myself at her farewell dinner.

The beer pong table at my friend Tony's. I love my nerdy artsy friends!

Thursday I went over to my Grandparents house and stuffed my face full of Thanksgiving goodness, napped with my boyfriend, then hit the stores at midnight with my mom and the boyfriend (and snagged some pretty good deals if I might say so myself). 

My best Black Friday find were these Candy Cane Kisses. 

These things are my Kryptonite, along with Handel's Peppermint Stick ice-cream.

Friday I slept in and caught up on some blog work then went out to a new Akron Martini/Wine Bar called Paolo's for another of the boyfriends gigs. They had AMAZING martinis and really great vibe. They also had some pretty nice specials that I definitely want to go back and check out.

Saturday I hit up Crafty Mart with some of by best friends (ran into some of my fellow 330 Blogger Girls) got lunch, shopped a little bit, and called it a night. 

Rachel, Myself, + Jessica outside Noto/Crafty Mart.

Hope you lovelies had a wonderful Thanksgiving!

Don't forget to ENTER my first GIVEAWAY!

lovely little find + giveaway

I just love finding new ETSY artists. Not only for myself but for all you lovelies too! When I reached out to Crysten the lovely lady behind the little Phul Effect shop she was more than willing to work together. She is even offering up one of her fabulous pieces to one of you lucky lovelies! 

I really love her shop because it has such a variety. There are pieces that range from whimsy to refined, and edgy to classic. Everyone can truly find a piece they really love. When I asked Crysten to give me a little insight into how Phul Effect got started she had this to say:

"Phul Effect started came to fruition in 2007 after a break-up with a silly boy. I was feeling inspired and wanted fill my time, so I launched the jewelry line. Since then, I've traveled to Europe, South America and Asia, for school and play. The places I've been and the people I've met inspire my work--not to mention my designs frequently incorporate local oddities I collect along the way. It's certainly been a journey and the line has definitely evolved overtime, but I'm proud of what it's become and hopefully what it will be a few years down the road. "

Crysten was kind enough to offer up one of her lovely pieces just for you! 

Winner chooses from one of the following necklaces;  Leaf me Breathless Necklace, Handcuff necklace, or the Novia Necklace.

And don't you lovelies worry that this is all I have in store for you! All of my readers can save 15% off with the promo code LOVELY15 and FREE SHIPPING!

That is a total Black Friday steal! 

Shop HERE!

Contest Rules:

- Head on over to Phul Effect Shop and choose your favorite piece.

- Leave a comment below and tell me your choice.

- Contest ends at December 1, 2011 at 11.59 PM

- Winner wil be announced on Friday December 2, 2011 

- One Comment per person please

One additional entry for each of the following:

- LIKING a lovely little blog on Facebook

Make sure to include your Facebook name in your comment below

- LIKING Phul Effect on Facebook

Make sure to include your Facebook name in your comment below

- And one more entry opportunity revealed on my official FB page.

ode to sarah's laundry

Before I was a blogger myself, I was an avid blog reader. I spent hours upon hours on blogs from all over the world, covering all different topics. I would jump from blog to blog, wishing that in this little city of Akron I could have a blog. I can not for the life of me remember how I first stumbled upon AK2NY, which would eventually turn into Sarah's Laundry, but when I did it changed my little blog world. Before AK2NY I had never even imagined an Akron girl could have her own blog and people would read it. But there I was spending hours doing that very thing, and loving it! I started at Sarah's very first post, and day by day worked my way forward. 

I will never forget the day I was at work and I walked out and Sarah Stannard was sitting at my table. Of course she looked stunning and I was in my greasy work clothes. I was so nervous the whole time and couldn't make up my mind whether I should tell her I was a reader or not. Finally at the end of her meal I told her. Little did I know it made her whole day because that was the first time she had ever been recognized. 

What this sappy little blogger story comes down to is that it was Sarah who really inspired me to start my own blog. Of course I had wanted to before I even knew of AK2NY, but it was her little blog that made my lovely little blog not seem like such a crazy idea.

Once I started my blog and the 330 Blogger Collective was founded, Sarah quickly became one of my good friends. She was my ultimate blogger BFF and I have truly enjoyed getting to know her. She is a true one-of-a-kind lady and I will miss her dearly as she moves into the next chapter of her life, NYC!

Sarah, 

Thank you for welcoming another Akron blogger so warmly and kindly and showing me the ropes. You are so very talented and creative, and I can not wait to see what your future holds. New York has no idea what it has coming! 

Best wishes and much love from your blogger BFF,

Lyndsey

lovely little finds

Wedding Edition

In the process of preparing for my brothers wedding I had a lot of people asking me about the gifts I would be getting them. While I took the easy way out for the bridal shower gift and stuck to the registry, I opted for something more personal and special for the bachlorette and wedding gifts. 

Geezees Art

I first stumbled upon the image above via Pinterest (what's new?) and knew immediately this is what I wanted to get them for their wedding gift. I contacted the seller, Stephanie through her ETSY shop and we got right to work. While I loved the impact the canvas in the picture made it was a little out of my price range so I asked if she could possibly cut the height in half to better fit my budget. Stephanie was a total pleasure to work with and was more than accommodating. 

She immediately posted a custom listing for me and I sent her over the lyrics to the song I wanted on the canvas. ("Bubbly" by Colbie Calliat because it is the couples "song"). 

After I purchased my custom listing I received my proofs about 10 days later. Here are two of the three different proofs Stephanie sent me via e-mail.

After choosing one and asking her to tweak a few things she sent me over a mock up of the canvas, which was a great visual for me as a buyer. 

My canvas was printed, shipped, and received in under two weeks from that date. (And not to mention my shipping for such a large item was only $15!) Stephanie was a dream to work with and was more than open to any ideas or suggestions I had. She has so many different ideas in her shop that you can use as a starting point for any project. 

Print wedding vows, house rules, a favorite quote, a photo collage, song lyrics, bible verse, or anything else you can think up! Perfect gift for the holidays coming up, especially with the DISCOUNT Stephanie is offering to my readers! 

10% OFF with the promo code LOVELYGZ10 from now until Friday November 25th @ Midnight. 

So don't wait on this one lovelies!

Shop Geezees Art HERE!

Plum Pretty Sugar 

I believe I first found out about Plum Pretty Sugar through one of my favorite wedding blogs, Green Wedding Shoes forever ago. I remember thinking how beautiful and special the robes were and how if I was getting married I would want to wear one of those robes on my wedding day. So naturally (and because my brothers fiancé and I literally love ALL the same things) I got her one of their gorgeous robes to wear on her special day. 

Since we traveled to NYC for the bachlorette trip I bought a gray pashmina scarf from Target and wrapped it in that, tied with a bow. She loved it so much she even brought it along to her Hawaiian honeymoon. I can't wait to see pictures of her in it. 

Plum Pretty Sugar was absolutely lovely to work with. They made me feel like their number one customer and went above and beyond my expectations. The quality of the robe and the beautiful fabric were perfect in every way. For something a little different than your usual sexy lingerie (which is hard to pick for someone else anyway) Plum Pretty Sugar is the way to go. And without the typical "bride" or "mrs" that many robes have, this is something that looks and feels timeless.

Shop Plum Pretty Sugar HERE.

little loves

Last week I was so hoping to have enough energy to post a little loves, but I was beat. The week in Florida for my brothers wedding was amazing, beautiful, and exhausting. By Sunday I felt like I had a very serious hang-over. This entire post is dedicated to all my little loves for the week I was there.

Our escort macaroons for the french themed shower held at the gorgeous White Room in St. Augustine. Of course my brothers talented fiancé at the time did all the little details. For more info on her work and services check out Declaration Boutique and Events.

One of our gorgeous gifts/ accessories for the wedding day, a custom one of a kind gold cuff. Each one was engraved with the wedding date and special word just for us, and guess what mine was? Lovely! These were hand made by Anchor Boutique.

In honor of the couples first date at the famous Luigi's of Akron my mom and I made miniature Luigi's pizza boxes and hired Mini Desserts by Heather to make us miniature sugar cookie pizzas to fit inside. Every place setting at the rehearsal dinner had one of these lovely little treats.

My beautiful mother and me at the wedding, held at TPC Sawgrass. Gorgeous!

Little blurry but me and my brother, the groom. So happy for him :)

One of the many little surprises and details for the guests. Candy bars with childhood pictures of the bride + groom. Made by none other than the bride herself. (Declaration Boutique + Events)

All the bridesmaids. Had a blast spending the weekend with these beautiful, talented, funny, and lovely ladies.

And last but not least is a very shaky video taken by me of the surprise I planned for the couple on the big day. With help from the rest of the bridal party, family, and wedding vendors we surprised them with a 20 person GLEE performance in the middle of their reception. The St. Augustine High School Show Choir did an awesome job! Both the bride and groom are huge Glee fans, so I knew they would love it. 

lovely little find

There are few things in this world I love more than stationary. Add eco-friendly, completely adorable, affordable, and packaged with the sweetest details into the mix and you've got my full attention. 

I first stumbled across Jack + Ella Paper Press on Pinterest, and contacted them immediately about a feature. About a week later while blog-hopping my favorites I saw my fellow Ohio blogger Dana from House*Tweaking had purchased her New Home Announcement cards from Jack + Ella. (In blog world this is fate.)

Just one set of the cutest Change of Address cards I have ever seen.

Jessica the one woman machine behind all of the adorable stationary was more than happy to work together on a little feature for my blog, and offer my readers a special little discount just in time for the holidays!

Someday when I own a grill I will send these BBQ invites out. So smitten!

Jessica's ETSY store has been active for only about a year and a half now and she has plans to expand many areas of her shop, including a full wedding line, baby & kids' stationery, business cards and address labels. Her goal is to be a one stop shop for unique and eco-friendly paper goods for all areas of your life...your milestones, your business, as well as your social life :)

Jessica adores all things paper.

oh...and Jack and Ella are another thing she adores...her offspring :)

The coolest Thank You cards ever, period.

Jessica has both child + adult lunch love notes. 

Imagine tucking one of these in your honey's briefcase in the morning.

With the holidays right around the corner how perfect is this feature? 

Just a few of the sweetest little holiday cards I have ever seen.

These gift tags would be the perfect addition to a hostess gift for the holidays. 

Just punch a hole and string a festive ribbon through and make a statement. 

I have quite a few teacher friends who get endless supplies of Bath + Body Works products around the holidays. 

Why not give them their own personalized note cards that can get put to good use?

And for those of us who aren't teachers how about our own personalized note cards just because we are awesome? Yes please!

Of course my readers can save 10% off any order using the promo code BLOG10!

SHOP away lovelies!

And show Jack + Ella some love by liking the official FB page :)

american honey

You may remember a reader request post I did way back in May for a "little white dress". The "little white dress" is a staple in any girls wardrobe. It comes in just as handy as the infamous LBD. (Check out my post of LBD's HERE) I found this one a few years ago at Figleaf Boutique in Kent and have worn it more times than I can count. It is starting to wear thin and while I am usually pretty awesome at "Sherlock Holmes-ing"  (internet scouring for the identical one) things I have loved to shreds, I haven't had any success with finding my identical replacement.

Dress - Figleaf

Bow Belt - ASOS

Boots - Target

Jean Jacket - American Eagle

Ring - Vintage

Bracelets - Farmers Market in Florida

Of course another big THANK YOU to Jenna from Cup 'O' Tea Photgraphy for taking such awesome photos, and finding such an amazing field! 

lovely little local

Hello Lovely Little Readers! 

My name is Barbara Baughman, and I am the blogger behind Number 1990 as well as the designer behind Toony Jewelry. Since Lyndsey and I are both from the same area, I really wanted to showcase something local for my guest post. 

Urban Eats is a pop art cafe that's connected to one of Akron's hippest music venues, Musica. I first found out about Urban Eats through Crafty Mart - a pop-up market that takes place at Musica every year - and have loved it ever since. They offer a great assortment of wraps, paninis, & individually portioned flat bread pizzas, as well as a variety of hot teas, Cappuccinos, Lattes, and so much more. 

One of the best parts about Urban Eats is the artwork and all around aesthetic of the cafe. It definitely brings me back to the Andy Warhol/The Factory days of the 60's, which is so fun!

If you've never been I highly recommend checking it out! Lunch is served Monday - Friday from 11:00 AM  to 2:00 PM. Call ahead or drop in, either way you won't be disappointed.

Enjoy! :)

P.S. If you're looking for yummy snacks around the holiday season, look no further! 

Urban Eats offers catering.

Location:

51 E. Market St., Akron, OH 44308

Contact: 216.402.0331 or e-mail etyran@gmail.com

little loves

All of my weeks seem to be running together lately. With my brothers wedding out of state next weekend, and the hours I have been working I can barely keep track of the days. I did a little shopping, kickboxing, got my hair done, and got to meet up with my fellow 330 blogger Collective ladies. I also made a quick trip to Beachwood to grab some of the Great Lakes Christmas Ale + Ginger Snap Ice cream from Mitchell's for the boyfriend. I am so excited to get away on Tuesday for the wedding and be in sunny Florida. I hope you lovelies had a fantastic week too!

I have been dying to get to a Lush store and try this foundation. Finally made it there this week. Mix a little of this foundation with your moisturizer and it gives your skin the nicest dewy, glowy look.

Loving my 2 new vintage bracelets. Going to be perfect accessories for the bridal shower next week. The chunkier one is from The Secret Past and the double heart one is from The Hidden Pearl, both located on Front Street in Cuyahoga Falls. 

Totally obsessed with this chevron sweater dress I got this week. It might just be my new plane travel outfit, so comfy.

Few things make my week better than treating myself to a Cranberry-Orange scone from Starbucks. Whenever I have one it makes me slow down and enjoy the day. 

Snagged this amazing vintage carry-on bag for only $9 from Suburban Retro, also on Front Street. Love the color and structure of it.