Etsy Treasury: Blindingly Bright

With warm weather finally here, it's time to brighten our wardrobes with Summer shades (or so I've been told, I only wear black). What better way to brighten than with oh-so-popular neon? If you're scared, no worries, a touch here and there will still be exciting!

I gathered some fun pieces on Etsy, all for $20 and less!

Here's the link, kiddos: Blindingly Bright

photos: iphone case by seller shopsway, octopus ring by CABfayre, and cosmetic pouch by PouchAPalooza

Trendy Mommy Tuesdays vol. 6

Inspiration: Coachella Mamas

Coachella is an annual 6 day (2 consecutive weekends) music festival in Indio, California. I have never had the time, or the money to attend. Now that I have the money, I also have a 1.5 children so it really isn't practical for me. This means I love vicariously through magazine articles, radio broadcasts, and my freaky-deeky, carefree, party crazy friends.

Although I may not be able to attend, there are plenty of moms that go including celebrities. Coachella is about partying and music, but in the celebrity world it is also about fashion. I picked out a few of my favorite that attended Coachella 2012 and broke down their outfits for us average Joe's.

Celebrity Baby Scoop

Alicia Silverstone & her 11 mo old son Bear Blu rockin' out.

Trendy Mommy Tuesdays: vol. 4

Inspiration: Elizabeth Banks

You didn't think this whole Hunger Games craziness would go buy without us even touching on the subject or the cast did you ? I shamefully admit that I have not read the books, nor have I seen the movie. All I know is that one of my favorite actresses is in it, Elizabeth Banks!

Anyhow, you don't often read about her in gossip mags or even see pictures of her out and about in the normal world. This rare picture is one of the most recent in the tabloids of her in a "lazy-chic" look. Here she is sans husband, child, and make-up but still a cutie!

Here is a very inexpensive version of her grey chunky knit cardigan (only $10!) from JCPennys. Remember to pair this sweater with a cute drop waist tunic ($30) from j. jill, and a pair of skinny jeans with room to cuff them of course, like these DC jeans at $21 from 6pm, or these at only $10.50 from forever21.

And of course, what is an outfit without accessories? Here is a cheaper version of her tan cross-body bag from American Rag at the low price of $26 from Macy's. You can find similar sunglasses at Kohl's for $15 and a classic straw fedora from Urban Outfitters at only $24.

As for the lace up boots, I found so many cute ones I just couldn't decide. Torrid has a brown faux leather pair on sale for $9.99, Tilly's has a lace up/zip up light brown pair on sale for $18, and these uber cute fabric pair from 6pm. I want them all!

Trendy Mommy Tuesdays vol. 3

Inspiration: Gwen Stefani

Gwennie Gwen Gwen stepped out two weekends ago to our local Knott's Berry Farm with her boys Kingston & Zuma. I can't believe she is forty-freaking-two! She looks amazing !

You can get a similar grey tank at Urban Outfitters for $16 and black jeggings at Loehmann's for an amazing deal of $24.99 for Romeo & Juliet Couture Jeggings!

As for the accessories, you can find a similar cute wool with felt trim Bowler's hat at ASOS for $35.81 or a woven polyester version for the slightly lower price of $29 at Urban Outfitters. The printed scarf can be found for a sale price of $24.43 at Express. The sunglasses are a little more tricky - there are tons of similar version that are very expensive, I could only find a similar shape (but sadly, not the same color) like these cuties available at TopShop.

UPDATE!!! I found a super cute pair of almost identical glasses to Gwen's at Fred Flare on sale!

Cheap Thrills: Graphic Artist

Spring is just around the corner, so for this week's edition of Cheap Thrills let's look ahead at some spring trends. We're going to do things a little differently this time, we'll look at some high end options and their more budget friendly counterparts.

Bright colors are an obvious spring trend, the weather starts to warm up and suddenly we're drawn to bold colors and big pops of color. But this spring we'll also see lots of graphic prints, in the form of abstract florals, modern geometric designs, and bold prints and patterns. These pattens don't have to be limited to your clothes, you can jump into the trend by looking for accessories with these fun patterns. It's an easy way to incorporate seasonal trends into your regular wardrobe. No need to spend big bucks to rock the latest style.