A Date with Fashionable Fete

Welcome back! Today I have an exciting beauty feature to share with you. My long time friend as well as creative director of Fashionable Fete stopped by Hip Hop Hooray HQ to work her makeup magic on me. Susie is a mama and an accomplished makeup artist who studied at the Napoleon Perdis Makeup Academy. One of the many cool services her company offers is an in home makeup assessment. Basically, Susie offers to bring her expertise to the comfort of your own makeup drawer. During her assessment she will tell you what to keep, toss and add to your collection. In short, she is a traveling Sephora but with concierge services. What woman or mama couldn't benefit from that?

Below, Susie will also show you how the right pair of lashes can give you that extra touch of glam for an event or night out. If you were timid about trying this makeup trick before, fear not. Susie explains that the right tools such as this Bulls Eye lash applicator from the Sephora Collection, and the right glue (she prefers the clear DUO glue) can help you to easily achieve this look. One tip Susie shared with me was to let the glue get very tacky before trying to apply. I'm talking very tacky. Apparently you should wait a good 15-30 seconds before attempting to put it on your lash line. She also instructed me to start the lashes where my natural lashes start, not on the very most inner corner. An important tip to keep in mind for when I have to brave this on my own.

Here is my "before shot" and the final result with my lashes on! It's important to note that no eyeliner was used to achieve this look. Impressive, right? I hope you like it as much as I do. Be sure to check out Susie at Fashionable Fete to learn more about her services, and to see other looks she has created. As always, thank you for reading.

Xo,
T.

99 Problems

...and a degree ain't one!

This past weekend I had the pleasure of celebrating my brother Jeff's graduation from Azusa Pacific University. After years of dedication, hard work, and sacrifice Jeff is the proud new recipient of a Bachelor of Science degree in Organizational Leadership. To say it was a huge celebration is quite the understatement.

To get the day started, we stopped and picked up some coffee for the rest of the family who was already waiting at the campus. Once we arrived, we could feel the excitement in the event center, it seemed almost contagious. I was very taken by the intimate ceremony and thoughtful speaker, it was truly an amazing experience. I hope one day the babes will want to attend Azusa too, it was that good.

I asked Jeff to share his top five tips for staying motivated in school while maintaning and still pursuing you career and personal goals. This was his response:

1. Focus on the big picture. Remind yourself why you are in school and what your ultimate goals are. 

2. Having said that, also try and take it one step at a time. Focus on the task at hand and give it your all. 

3. Know your limits and rest when you can. Twenty minute naps are essential. Short spurts of rest help you maintain long periods of sleeplessness. 

4. Minimize distractions while in class. Pay attention during the instruction. Put your phone away, unless the Dodgers are playing. 

5. Don't be afraid of failure. If you fail get back up and try again. Don't let it derail you, use it to help you grow. 

Xo,

T.

Perspective

There are a few go-to items in your closet that you can throw on and feel good in. This dress is one of those pieces. I used to sort of subscribe to the motto: "fashion before comfort" and in some aspects I still do, but with age (or maybe after becoming a mama) I find myself placing value in comfort. Can my new motto be "fashion and comfort?" Of course it can, this is my blog. 

Tell me, what pieces are your favorite? Do you mama's notice a shift in your perspective too? Please tell me in the comments below, I'd love to hear from you!

Outfit: Dress: c/o SUO Boutique, Necklace: c/o SUO Boutique.

Xo,

T.

Table Manners

Going to a restaurant with the three year and under crowd can be challenging to say the least. We decided before Savvy had even started on solid food that we were going to introduce eating out right away, in hopes of making it something familiar and easy to navigate. For all of us. 

After a few years of trial and error I have a arsenal of tricks to make it an enjoyable experience for everyone. 

First, decide on a restaurant that serves food your babes will eat. Be sure to consider time of day as well. In these photos we went to one of our favorite breakfast spots, Kimmie's Coffee Cup. You also want to make sure you have all the essentials, so you aren't relying on an available high chair or kids cup for a smooth experience. Once you have all the items you need to allow for easy dining, focus on keeping them busy and happy. 

It's unrealistic to expect toddlers to sit quietly for too long, especially with nothing to keep them occupied before and after the meal is served. Bringing a busy bag changes everything. A busy bag is exactly what it sounds like, a bag full of goodies and magic that keeps little ones engaged just long enough so you can eat your meal and maybe have some dessert too. But let's not push it.

Here are my busy bag essentials:
1. Wipe Clean, First Words: A dry erase book for tracing letters. Clean up is an activity of it's own.
2. Playdoh: A classic with endless creative possibilities, easy clean up.

3. Melissa and Doug Snap and Sort Color Match: Puzzles are quiet and time consuming.
4. Endless Alphabet: A great age appropriate game for toddlers on an iPhone or iPad.
5. Stamps & Stickers: An inexpensive way to add variety by supplying new ones every few trips.

Do you bring a busy bag out to eat? I'd love to hear what's inside your bag!

Xo,
T.

Wait For It...

I personally couldn't be any more excited for Friday. This week has been long and exhausting, and I am ready to throw caution to the wind. Which basically means one cocktail and going to bed early. Oh to be young, wild and free.

Xo,
T.

Amazing

I think this shirt speaks for itself. Actually, come to think of it, a lot of my shirts do. JCrew has found a tiny spot in my heart and filled it with linen/cotton blend tee's with fun sayings on them. Speaking of my heart, it was completely full this last Sunday when we got to see our good friends dedicate their baby boy. We heard a very powerful message which was a good reminder of so many things, namely the pitfalls of comparision. I want my babes to learn that being able to rejoice with those who rejoice is when you truly abandon camparison and competion with one another. Now that's amazing.

"Isn't everything you have and everything you are sheer gifts from God? So what's the point of all this comparing and competing? You already have all you need." (1 Corinthians 4:7-8 MSG)

Outfit: Tee: similar HERE Skirt: similar HERE Shoes: Sam Eldelman from Nordstrom Rack (you can find them there now, but it's usually hit and miss for size and color) Watch: HERE

Xo,
T.

Fresh Blooms

There is something about receiving a fresh flower bouquet that seems luxurious and special. It's not expensive or particularly time consuming to pick one up, but it says: I thought about you today. Just having a few fresh blooms around seems to brighten up the whole house for a week, which in turn, brightens up your mood. One way I like to make a bouquet last is by splitting it up and arranging a few smaller vases all around. This way, you can have a pop of color in almost every room and enjoy them more frequently than just say, on your entry table when you come and go. Also, it helps to have a variety of vases in different sizes and mouth widths, so the next time you are at the flea market or HomeGoods think about picking a few up. Always hit up the sale section first, you'd be amazed what you can find. 

I started with this $7.99 bouquet of wildflowers Cory picked up from Sprouts. 

First, I put them all in large vase like this one:

Then I will selectively pull a few flowers, and a good amount of "filler" 

like greenery and baby's breath (this bouquet had mostly greenery) and arrange a medium size setup like this:

Finally, I will take what's left and arrange the smallest one:

The final result looks something like this:

Prepped, primed, and ready for a variety locations around the house. 

Do you have any style tricks for making blooms last, or spreading the love? I'd love to hear your secrets in the comments below. 

Xo,

T.

A Day Late, An Ice Cream Short

Happy Monday and welcome back! Did you miss national ice cream day yesterday? Because we did. Well, we almost did. I found out all too late (thanks to Instagram) but don't worry, I remedied that oversight immediately. Target never lets this girl down. 

Outfit: Top: c/o SUO Boutique Floral Skirt: c/o SUO Boutique Bag: similar HERE Sunglasses: HERE Sandals: similar HERE Earings: HERE Watch: HERE

Savvy's outfit: Dress: similar HERE Shoes: HERE

Xo,
T.

SUO Spotlight, Rompers

Aren't romper's great? Getting to knock out an entire outfit with one decision is genius. The other day I was noticing the similarities between what we adults like to call a romper, and a baby onesie. For those of you unfamiliar with all things baby, a onesie is basically a leotard with snaps at the bottom for ease of changing. Even better than a onesie, is it's chic older sister, the jumper. Basically the same thing but with built in shorts. How this became a tutorial on baby clothes I'm not really sure. All I know is this romper hit it out of the park in every category. The style was just dressy enough to wear out at night...but comfortable enough for daytime too. Plus, the fit was proportional and easy to pull off. SUO has this, and a ton of stylish rompers in store right now. Some even cuter...if that's possible.

Xo,

T.

Date Night, San Clemente Style.

This week date night was a little out of our comfort zone. Not the pizza and beer part, that part we  know. I'm talking about the painting class we took from a little art studio in San Clemente. I have to hand it to Cory Taylor, it was really fun! I was definitely a little skeptical at first, but once we got started we ended up really enjoying it. To be fair, most of my skepticism was due to the fact that I am seriously lacking in the "art department." (See what I did there?) Overall it was a great night. Plus, he agreed to pose for pictures...now that's love. 

Xo,

T.