Congratulations to....

So we have a winner for our May Large Ad giveaway! 

Congratulations Shellsea! Since May is just around the corner please send in your button ASAP! Cant wait to have you here!

And in other news... how incredibly gorgeous was Kate? I woke up in the middle of the night and loaded the BBC on my phone just to see a photo because I could not sleep until I took a peek at that dress!!! Thank goodness it is in repeat all day because I am watching them exchange vows on one channel and ride around in the carriage on another. What a day they are having!!! I feel like I need to take a trip to London in the near future, they just know how to make everything so lovely. What did you think of the Royal Wedding?

Plain White Tee

Sweater- Old Navy

Shirt- Mumford and Sons Tour

Jeggings- LC Lauren Conrad

Shoes- Tom's

Necklace- Urban Outfitters

     While not exactly plain, after getting back from Santa Barbara I was eager to wear my new Mumford and Sons shirt. We saw them play at the Santa Barbara Bowl and they were so great!! They played for two hours straight and played so many new songs I cannot wait to hear again and again! I loooove them and I am so glad we made the trip to see them!

     I don't wear t-shirts much unless it is around the house or with workout clothes, but I thought there would probably be a fun way to jazz this one up a bit. I added a bright sweater and my new find, a $10 necklace from Urban Outfitters. Not to mention I picked up a pair of Tom's when I was in Santa Barbara. I had been toying with getting a pair, and nearly everyone up there was wearing a pair so i decided to take the plunge. I was going to get the crazy glitter ones, but I started tame and got the grey. I was skeptical at first that they would be uncomfortable but they are exactly the opposite! 

     Just one more day to enter the giveaway. You should really jump on that train, all the cool kids are doing it!

The Plant Stand

A few weekends ago we headed out to our favorite place to buy plants and flowers, The Plant Stand in Costa Mesa. After buying a huge & gorgeous succulent at a plant sale for nearly pennies, I decided I needed a few more little guys to help fill it out for a project. This is by far one of my favorite places to buy plants! There is a huge warehouse full of nick-knacks, pots, soil, you name it. In the back are two additional warehouses full of larger plants, bushes and flowers. We normally just head to the front of the store and the little gazebo area to where they keep all of the succulents and cacti. 

 

All of the succulents are arranged by size and then by price. You can buy their pre made pots, but I like to pick out the plants that I feel will compliment each other nicely when planted together so I grab them all separately. They have such a huge selection! It is really visually stunning to walk up and down the rows. You can find them from 1" buds to as some almost 20" wide! They also start at nearly $1 so it is really affordable to spruce up your yard, porch, or they even make great indoor plants.

 

When arranging my succulents I normally stick to the rule of three's. Three plants always look more full and artistic then planting them in even numbers. In this case, I wanted to get three small plants to go around my single larger one. Also, when doing this I stick to a formula. I choose one that will be the focal point, another that is very textural and the last being very structured. I also try to vary the colors of the succulents I am picking up so they don't just blend in, but compliment each other. Also look for ones that look hydrated and where the soil is very dark. This will insure your plant is being adequately watered and that it is fairly fresh. If the plant and soil looks dry... keep going!

 

As you can see I picked up a deep purple floral, a minty green textural plant, and a mustard colored structural plant. All three are very vibrant and moist so I knew all of my pondering had led me to the right ones! Later that day, I picked up a bright green pot from Home Depot and some cacti potting soil. When planting succulents make sure the pot you are using has a hole at the bottom so your plant can drain, if it doesn't it is really easy to just drill a quick hole or two (which is what I had to do this time). I learned the hard way and have had pots bust at the seams or just start to almost drown in their own soil. 

All together this project cost me maybe $30 and I added all of this color and life to my front porch:

Bargain Threads

Sweater- Forever 21

Jeans- LC Lauren Conrad

Boots- Forever 21

Scarf- H&M

Sunglasses- LC Lauren Conrad

Bracelet- Vintage

Earrings- Icing

Peacoat (not worn)- Forever 21

Bag- Orla Kiely for Target

Sunday mornings are usually reserved for racing and breakfast but I managed to drag Geoff out to the Rose Bowl Flea Market a few weekends ago. I know, I know... you are probably eagerly awaiting seeing all of my finds... but I am going to save that for a separate post! Well actually you can see one... that bracelet! I found it in a random stand, in a little box, and I knew I had to have it! 

Anyways at 9 am... (can you believe I woke up with that semi decent bed head?) the key was light and layers. I absolutely love that airy, grey sweater. The punchy, coral scarf was a find in New York that I love using to add color to any outfit. I actually felt rather put together and thought it was fun snapping rogue photos in between other random people. 

Don't forget... I have another awesome giveaway for ad space in the month of May and I would love for you to enter!

Summer Essentials under $100

Today I have a lovely little post from our winner for the April ad space. Meet Kendra from Piece of Cake, Piece of Mind. She is a sweet girl with a lovely blog and wanted to show you guys her favorite picks for this summer. I have to say that bikini is to die for!! Remember if you want full reign of my blog for a day... enter the giveaway for May!

     Hello guys and gals! My name is Kendra and I run a little fashion and lifestyle blog called Piece of Cake. Peace of Mind. See my picture over on the side there under Sponsors? That’s me! I was lucky enough to win Hayley’s giveaway for some free advertising and the chance to chat with you lovely people! I’ve decided to share with all of you what I have deemed this year’s summer essentials. But there’s a twist! Not one of the gorgeous items you see above rings in anywhere above $100. So shop away without guilt my pretties.

1. This retro bikini would be adorable and flattering! Plus the stripes would add style and flare to any day at the beach (or afternoon in the backyard!)

2. A tie-front blouse would look incredibly fetching with a pair of cutoff denim shorts or some chic cigarette pants and flats. Not to mention it’s a great cover up for that bikini!

3. What a bright and cheery dress! The nipped waist and flowing bottom would look and feel great even after one two many burgers at the neighborhood BBQ.

4. This lovely little scallop edged top would look charming in a Mad Men kind of way. Pair it with pearls and you are sure to be the bell of the ball (or your local farmer’s market.)

5. A floral beauty like this high waist skirt would take a simple white T-shirt up a notch on the style spectrum.

6. Throw these wedges on with some denim cutoffs and a white button down and you’ve got yourself an outfit fit for a night on the town!

7. Dainty little earrings like this will add grace and charm to just about anything.

8. The stripes on this weekender are fun and nowhere close to your average, boring duffel.

9. These easy peasy sandals will keep your tootsies stylish and happy.

10. Trust J.Crew to make even a plain canvas tote glamorous.

11. THE. PERFECT. RED. LIPSTICK.

12. Throw these glasses on and you’ll be instantly transformed into the chic ladies of yester-years.

13. Lace shorts like these are equal parts sweet and sexy. The perfect combination if you ask me (or your sweetie!)

There you have it! It was very nice to meet all of you! Come stop by my blog and we’ll have some hot chocolate with whipped cream. Things get a little crazy over in my hood.

A Winner & a Sponsor Space Giveaway!

Happy Friday!! I wanted to kick this weekend off with another gift for you lovely followers. I really do thank each and every one of you for enjoying this little blog! But lets get down to business here folks! We have a winner for the Whimsical Poppysmic headband and it is.....

Congratulations Amanda! Send me an email so we can get your headband out to you asap! Thanks to everyone else who participated!

Now... The upcoming month of May is not only the best month of the year but it is also my birthday month! And since my last giveaway for ad space was so successful I decided to do it again for May! So you will be winning my one and only Large Ad Space on my right sidebar and also an opportunity to write a guest post on my blog (you will see this months post on Monday!). So how do you win? Here are a few ways:

(Example of your ad!)

1 entry each:

- Comment and tell me what your favorite thing about the month of May is.

- Be a Google Connect follower and leave a comment.

- Become a Twitter follower and leave a comment.

- Follow my blog on Bloglovin' and leave a comment.

2 entries:

- Tweet or Blog about this giveaway. It must include a link to the giveaway and/or @imhayley in the tweet. Leave a comment with the link or telling me you tweeted. 

The winner will be chosen via Random.org on Friday, April 29th. 

Also, for this week only... Small ad spaces are on sale, like a mega birthday blowout sale. So email me if you are interested!

Travel Style

Sweater- Forever 21

Top- Forever 21

Leggings- LC Lauren Conrad

Wedges- American Eagle

Fedora- Target

Sunglasses- Kate Spade

Bag- Orla Kiely

     I'm baaa-aaaack! Did ya miss me? I know you didn't, because it was like we were on vacation together the past few days traveling all over the world! But now we are back, and you have the real deal! We had a great time and I will have so many fun photos to share soon. And the fact that I managed to squeeze in 2 outfit photos over the few days was an accomplishment! 

Originally, I wasn't going to post this outfit because I thought it was a little ho-hum. But then I thought about it, and ho-hum actually turned into genius because I realized this was the perfect road trip outfit!! So to keep it comfortable while on the road, here are a few tricks of the trade...

1. Keep it lightweight. No matter what you are going to wear in the car for hours on end, making sure your clothing items are light and airy will make it easier to move and shift and feel as free as possible in your seat.

2. Layers. As you can see, it was going to be a warm day, but we left in the morning so I decided to wear leggings which are warm but also airy, a tank top for the afternoon, but a comfy sweater over that for the morning breeze. 

3. Comfort is key. Sure you might look cute in a pencil skirt or a leather jacket, but those might not be the best travel companions for your bum. I try to stick to soft fabrics like comfy sweaters or all cotton items that don't wrinkle.

4. Go wild with shoes. Sitting for hours and hours makes for the best opportunity to pull out some cute heels (or wedges!) and break those babies in. Plus, I feel really chic running into the gas station in heels. No one needs to know I slip those bas boys off and swap them for comfy socks the minute i'm back in the car! 

The Big Apple

Since we are on vacation, I am sharing some of our favorite photos from past vacations. Today is also a new post. We spent 8 days in NYC in 2008 and then when my computer crashed I lost all of the photos except these few that were uploaded to Facebook. I treasure these. Enjoy!

Since Geoff was still at school in England, and I was back in California and sometimes I missed the guy I asked him what it would take to meet up in New York. Going to New York City was like a dream come true. I have almost idolized the city that I had seen on movies and on tv and in photos and I just couldn't wait to be in these scenes and places I had seen time and time again. I planned out our trip perfectly, including where we would eat in which neighborhoods we were in. We had a fantastic time in the city. We stayed at a family friends apartment in the Village so we felt more like we were living in the city and immersing ourselves as opposed to being in a hotel. It was perfect!

Welcome to NYC! (So Cheesy!)

Columbus Circle. Like my hat? I wore this thing everywhere, I think it made me feel like I fit in! Geoff on the other hand, couldn't believe that thing was gracing my head. This was before my interest in baseball so I didn't realize what I was doing.

Staten Island Ferry. Also, a great hair day.

So I knew they were filming the first Sex in the City movie when we were there and I came across it by the Library one day! To say I was excited would be an understatement. This is the scene when she is running away and hitting him with the flowers. SO AWESOME!

Geoff in the Subway. Hubba Hubba. Hands down one of my favorite photos of him.

In line at Magnolia Bakery. I will be honest and tell you we went here 4 times in 8 days. Cupcakes!!

Us.  

Mr.Big!

Saturday morning stroll through the park! We were so lucky to have such great weather in October.

Serendipity 3! This thing was so good. The one in Las Vegas really doesn't compare to the real thing.

Obligatory Times Square shot!

Oh hey Miranda and Charlotte. Nice sweatshirts and ballgowns!

Geoff making his best Chewbacca impression at FAO Schwartz.

Inside the Museum of Modern Art.

Sitting on a bench in the city. We are cute!

Apartment where we got to hang out at in the evenings. It was the best way to visit the city!

Geoff at MOMA.

Okay, cheesy and cold and really not worth the money but it was a classic New York thing I just had to do!

It was so windy on the top of the Empire State Building. I was looking for Meg Ryan and Tom Hanks the whole time!

Cafe Lalo.

Carrie, don't yell at Mr. Big!

Hot dog in the park!

Oh yea, something else I convinced him to do! The boats in the Park! I just HAD to go on one!!

Luck of the Irish

While we are still up in Santa Barbara I wanted to share a few of my favorite past vacations with your guys! These photos have never been posted on this blog! Enjoy!

So in 2005, while Geoff was a student in Oxford, I did a study abroad in Oxford for a semester. And of course, being in England, just a hop and a skip away from Ireland, over the very awesome St. Patrick's Day weekend, we just had to go. We woke up at 1 am, took cabs, coaches and walked all the way to the furthest airport from Oxford, so we could take the must budget Ryan Air flight to Dublin. It was scary. But we ended up making it to Dublin by 7 am and the party was well under way! It was an awesome weekend, so say I have been there. We were poor, had the clothes we could stuff in a backpack and young, so we didnt even know what to do or where to go but I loved this trip! Oh, and yes... that is me with brown hair. I was trying something different that year. 

Sporting our Irish colors! Geoff was sleepy when we got to Ireland!

The adorable B&B I found on the internet and booked. They were so awesome to us and the house was soooo charming.

We look so young!! Watching the St. Patrick's Day Parade.

At a pub, faces painted, Guinness in hand and I think it is 10 in the morning!

Guinness Brewery!

The Second day. We went to explore a fishing village called Howth. 

Walking out to the lighthouse in Howth. Rolling hills, rocky beaches, and a picturesque village behind us. Gorgeous!

We also ventured out and went to explore Malahide Castle.

Newly dating, snuggling on a bench in the middle of a green field in Ireland? Are you kidding me! Amazing! I love this photo!!

City of Dublin. This is the Temple Bar area that has hip shops and bars. I remember finding an Urban Outfitters and making everyone go!

Trinity College. I love that we were so cheesy and wore green the whole time! You can see my backpack here, thats what I basically lived out of for 4 months!

St. James Gate. I love us!