Mixing Metals

Some people still shy away from mixing brown and black or gold and silver, but I personally love many pieces that combine the two. Recently, I picked up a necklace from Eastern Market that mixes gold, silver, and rose gold, and it has me wanting more mixed metal pieces. Kendra Scott's new Glam Rocks collection has a bunch of pieces that include mixed metals. Of course, she always creates amazing jewelry, I especially love this pair of earrings!

watch: Kate Spade // earrings: Kendra Scott // rings: BaubleBar // necklace: Jules Smith // bracelets: Kendra Scott

That being said, did I mention that I got my necklace for $16? You definitely don't have to spend a fortune to be fashionable, though sometimes a splurge is worth it!

xx,

Erin

Simple Statement: Rayne Necklace

It always amazes me how some designers can take such a simple look and build an empire out of it. Kendra Scott's Danielle earrings are such an awesome statement piece and yet there isn't much flair to them. Recently, I picked up a Rayne necklace from Nordstrom and I am absolutely in love with it. I got the necklace in Colbalt because I wanted it to work year round and go with as many pieces of my wardrobe as possible.

I know the price tag for it is a bit steep, but it is a great addition to any jewelry collection, it's a quality piece, and if you love it as much as I do, it is worth it. I love pairing it with a white top and denim and actually wore the same top with it on the Fourth of July because the simplicity of the outfit makes the necklace the focus.

Also, I love love love these boyfriend jeans from Old Navy. I had a pair from Gap that I never wear because the cut is a bit off and they're too long, but these are the perfect summer fit. I got mine on clearance for $16, but they're still listed for $34.95 on the website so it might be worth going into the store to see if yours is getting rid of their inventory as well. If not, there is a 30% off sale on the website, so you can always save a bit with that!

top: old // jeans: Old Navy // necklace: Kendra Scott // shoes: Kohls // clutch: Target // sunglasses: Nordstrom

meet the perpetual photo-bomber...at least he's cute

latest snack obsession...seriously, i love these

xx,
Sugar Snap Pearls

Turtle Time

Have I ever mentioned on here that my family used to have six pet turtles? Yeah, we had a pen for them outside and fed them, put leaves on them to hibernate, the whole nine yards...it was pretty awesome. Well, if you didn't know that, now you do! Speaking of turtles, I am totally on board with the tortoiseshell trend in jewelry. I love how it looks amazing with any color and can be dressed up or down.

Recently, there was a Fornash sale on RueLaLa (thanks to one of my followers to tipping me off to it!) and I got a necklace and a great set of tortoiseshell bangles. Now I am on the hunt for the perfect tortoiseshell necklace, and I think I found it, also through Fornash. Admittedly, I have been scouring the Fornash site to use my gift card that I won through an Instagram contest, but it is perfect! Fornash actually has an entire section of their website dedicated to "Tortoise Chic" which everyone should check out! Personally, I am ordering the Melisa necklace because it is a bit more of a professional casual item:

Fornash Necklace

Here are some of my other favorite tortoiseshell accessories:

The Lucky Knot Necklace
(use "Erin" promo code for 15% off)

Design Darling Clutch

Kate Spade Earrings

Jack Rogers Black Label Sandal 

Purple Peridot Cuff (only $14.99!)

Case Mate Case 

Michael Kors Watch

There are so many great tortoiseshell items out there, which ones are you coveting?

xoxo,

SSP

A Wall of Jewelry

Okay, we have been over my love of Statement Necklaces multiple times on this blog. One thing that we haven't covered though is how to store them. I don't know about y'all, but tangled necklaces drive me absolutely crazy. When I plan an outfit, I don't want to spend time freeing up the necklace I want to wear. Oh, and that's if I even remember to wear it.

I am a very visual outfit planner, it's one of the biggest reasons that I tend to wear the same couple of bracelets and earrings that sit in my jewelry tray. So, how do I visualize my outfits with my necklaces? Say hello to the Jewelry Wall!

here's a close-up:

So necklace wall might be a more appropriate term for this, but you get the idea. Honestly, I need a better system for displaying my bracelets so that those get some more wear, but for now most of them are confined to the jewelry box on my dresser.  I made the decision to have one of these walls after seeing so many cute jewelry displays and frames with chicken wire in friends' rooms and on Pinterest last year.

{via: left and right}

The only think that caused me to hesitate with making that jump was that I wanted to really be able to see all of my necklaces and access them easily. Luckily for me, I had this big, empty wall in my walk-in closet and what better way to fill the space than with some practical decorating?

This wall has allowed me to really show off the variety of necklaces I have and to remind me that I actually do have them! Did I mention that it takes absolutely no effort to make? Seriously, I just used clear thumbtacks to hang them. The thumbtacks allow me to move around the arrangement of the necklaces when I add a new one to the collection and the marks they leave behind are practically invisible, perfect for a rented apartment!

see? just thumbtacks!

This wall has saved my outfits more times than I can count. I just do not function well without coffee, and having my options displayed like this make my mornings a tad easier. Another perk is that it's in my walk-in closet so I can just hold up a necklace and shirt combo whenever I'm trying to decide.

Of course, if I want to wear a dress, I have to go to my other closet to pick that out. Yeah, I have two closets...how many college girls can say that about their apartments? Just another reason to absolutely love where I live, of course, it helps that I have an awesome roommate, too!

How do you store your jewelry? Any bracelet display suggestions?

xoxo,

SSP

The Friday Five

It is finally Spring Break! I am so excited to see my Momma this afternoon and then leave for Florida tomorrow morning! Seriously though, I came out of my apartment this morning to find that there was a snow dusting last night...I am so over this weather. Anyways, there have been so many links and such that I love this week and I am just so elated for break that I can hardly contain myself.

1) 23 Most Annoying Things About Being a Female Sports Fan

can't wait to be back!

My friend Meghan wrote "did you write this?" when she posted this on my timeline this morning. Seriously though, last night at Boylan I was that girl standing at the bar watching the Clippers obliterate the Lakers rather than socializing. Oh, and I'm that girl going to watch baseball for my spring break with my dad and brothers rather than going to some tropical location with friends.

2) This Quote

I have been doing some self-evaluating lately and seeing as I recently cut my hair, I love this as inspiration. Thanks, Pinterest!

3) Kendra Scott Color Bar

I've talked about Kendra Scott earrings before, but I didn't know about this part of their site until Meghan told me. There was a pair of earrings that Kaitlyn Black wore on Hart of Dixie that I absolutely loved, but I wanted gold hardware instead of silver. Now I guess I can order them? This could be dangerous...

4) I am marrying "Logan Huntzberger" in a "traditional church wedding"

Buzzfeed quizzes have been on point this week. I got Logan, Brian from the Backstreet Boys and Mr. Darcy as my potential soul mates...all of which are more than ideal. 

5) Cavalier Basketball

cut down the net!!!

I know anyone can post anything on Buzzfeed, but I thought this was pretty great in the wake of UVA being ranked number one in the ACC. It is amazing to witness such a great team at my school, especially considering how great our football program is...

On that note, I do not expect Hokies to cheer for UVA basketball, let's not get ahead of ourselves.

What are you loving this week?

xoxo,

SSP

From America with Love

This Alex and Ani craze reminds me of those rubber Livestrong-esque bracelets that characterized part of my wardrobe in late elementary school. Do you remember this trend? Seriously, I had to have had like 20 of these bracelets that I would pile on my wrists before school every day because it was just the thing to do.

Fortunately, these Alex and Ani bracelets are chic and will not cause your wrists to sweat and never see the light of day like the piles of rubber bracelets. Honestly, I thought Alex and Ani had some cute products and I liked their designs, but I never thought about actually investing in any of their pieces. I don't really like charms and I prefer for my bracelets to be tighter on my wrists when I am going to class, but now I hooked on these bracelets.

The simple designs of Alex and Ani products allow you to express yourself in a subtle way. Think of it like a grown up charm bracelet, but instead of adding charms, you can add bangles to your chic arm party. Personally, I started with one of their really simple "Sacred Stud" bangles, but I am already coveting some other pieces. It's not about whether or not I believe that a bracelet will give me good luck, but it's nice to look down at my bracelet and think "Strength. Motivation. Knowledge." because sometimes that is just the reminder I need.

So, here is what I would get if I were to make a "charm stack" of these bracelets. Of course, there are tons of other options, so y'all should stop by your local store or check out their website to find bracelets that speak to you!

the first one I bought, the symbol is
"path of life"

Chi Omega

Claddagh Charm: it matches my ring!

October's Birthstone: the Opal

wahoowa!

would it be complete without including my favorite team?

lost something? say a little prayer

buy this and some of the proceeds go to fight cancer,
plus this is a great life motto.

These have no meaning, I just think they make a great stack addition

Do you have any Alex and Ani? What is your favorite bracelet?

xoxo,

SSP

Kate and Kendra

I've been MIA, sorry y'all. Honestly the snow days combined with my love of Netflix and the need to do homework kind of trumped everything this week. Oh, and Olympic Hockey, that trumped everything...like, to the point where I will skip a class to watch the game on Wednesday if I need to #dedication #america (sorry not sorry for those hashtags).

Back to slightly more feminine topics though, like, earrings. I used to exclusively wear my pearl studs and necklace. And when I say exclusively, I mean constantly, as well. Even now, I am known to include a simple strand of pearls in an outfit that looks more appropriate for a gym. However, this year, I have really started to branch out with my jewelry as a way to express myself and change up outfits. I love statement necklaces, and I am learning to like statement earrings as well. There are so many places you can seek out earrings that fit this description, but I chose to just highlight a couple of designers whose earrings I always love!

Kate Spade makes some great earrings that fit into this category. I absolutely love my two pairs of them and look forward to gradually growing my collection. The price isn't that bad, especially if you get them on sale. For example, I just got a pair on clearance for $19 with free shipping, you can't beat a deal like that!

Kendra Scott is also an amazing jewelry designer, with her simple statement pieces that utilize colored stones for a more earthy and relaxed look. Personally, I don't own any of her earrings, but I have so many friends who do and I really want to get my hands on a pair. Her earrings are less preppy, but no less cute!

Though they aren't featured here, J. Crew also has some cute ones available and they're very reasonably priced if you look at J. Crew Factory. I realize both of these other designers are not incredibly cheap, but they are good products and they use quality metal. Plus, sometimes it is worth investing in something you really like, or worth hoping for a sale!

Do you have any go-to statement earrings?

xoxo,

SSP