Momma's Got ANOTHER New Bag Part Two

OK, I was perfectly fine and completely content with the purchase of my bright orange Steve Madden bag at the beginning of the summer. Really, I was. I even blogged about it. And then there I was on vacation a few weeks later, minding my own business, happily carrying my new, bright orange, attention getting, Steve Madden bag when I got an email from Jill of Glamamom congratulating me on winning the past week's Monday Mingle link up prize! It was a biggie too ~ Erickson Beamon earrings AND $100 to Bag Borrow or Steal!!! I was beyond excited to say the least! (I never win anything, btw). Jill sent the earrings out to me right away, they arrived the week we got home from vacation, and gave me the gift card code for Bag Borrow or Steal which had to be used by the end of the month. Then began my three week mission to borrow the perfect bag. I can not tell you how many times I went to the Bag Borrow or Steal website and poured over the hundreds of fabulous bags trying to make the decision of which bag would come live with me for a little while. Let's put it this way, my "favorites" list on the site is quite long! The problem I found was that every bag I was interested in borrowing was already out and I'd have to go on a wait list. Normally this would not be a problem, I'm not that impatient (ha!), but my gifted coupon had to be used by June 30th which meant I needed to choose a bag that was currently available. I also wanted to borrow a bag by a designer that I don't currently (you see I said currently, leaving hope for the future!) own. I landed on a Marc by Marc Jacobs "Voyage Satchel Handbag". It's a beautiful reddish brown leather with gold hardware and a multi colored lining. Bag Borrow or Steal offers a week, month or three month rental and I choose the three month option. For this specific bag the cost for three months was only slightly more than my gift card. I placed my order on Monday morning and by Wednesday afternoon the bag was at my door (free shipping, btw!). I now get to spend the next three months carrying this fabulous designer bag! And I already have my next bag picked out ~ yep, I'm a planner! Ha!

The Erickson Beamon earrings I won are absolutely fabulous, like nothing I currently own, and will be AMAZING with a dress I'm wearing to a very special event coming up in the near future ~ I'll blog about that later!

I hope you all have a happy, savvy and stylish weekend!!! Thanks for reading!

<3 Mz Savvy Style

Did you know you can also follow me on Pinterest (Elizabeth Herrin), Twitter (@mzsavvystyle), Bloglovin (www.mzsavvystyle.blogspot.com) and Facebook (Savvy Style)? Follow, it's fun! ;-)

Three Ways To Style a Colorful Blazer

Happy Wednesday! I hope everyone's week is off to a great start. It's been a rough one around here but let's not dwell on that ~ let's talk fashion! Marionberry Style is hosting another trend of the month link up and this month's trend is "how to style a colorful blazer". Instead of styling my bright red blazer (another amazing TJMaxx score) just one way I styled it three different ways: dressed up, dressed down-weekend and casual workday. My point with the different styling is to show just three of the endless ways a colorful blazer can be a great addition to your wardrobe! How would you style a colorful blazer?

Thanks for reading!

<3 Mz Savvy Style

Linking up with Marionberry Style, Rolled Up Pretty and the Pleated Poppy!

A Short Story

In today's post I'm doing something I don't normally do, I'm wearing shorts for a day out. You usually won't see me in shorts outside of my house because I think skirts, dresses and pants are just more flattering on me. I wish I was one of those toned, long legged girls whom shorts look amazing on but I'm not, so I gotta work with what I have! I felt like these shorts were a good exception to my self-imposed "no shorts outside of the house" rule because of their length, they hit at the most flattering part of the thigh (if there is such a thing!), and their fit, nice and loose but not baggy. It was a super hot day and we were heading to the lake so I think it was a good time to break my rule! I picked up this top on my last trip to TJMaxx and I am totally in love with it! I can also see it worn with a pair of jeans or maybe belted with a maxi skirt for a boho look. I discovered these wedges on our recent vacation at one of the quaint shops in Seaside. I'm totally in love with them too! They are quickly becoming my go-to shoes for summer! They are cute but comfy as well.

I'm excited about linking up with Monday Mingle again today! http://www.momtrends.com/2012/06/beach-fashions/

Have a savvy and stylish week!

<3 Mz Savvy Style

Real Clothes ~ Mint, Coral and White

Well, I did it! I got out of my sweat shorts and men's tee got into some real clothes! (Of course as I'm writing this I'm back in my shorts and tee, but it was good while it lasted!) My reason for putting on real clothes? Yesterday while catching up on some of my favorite blogs I stumbled upon a challenge for bloggers called "Bloggers Do It Better" hosted by Pretty Shiny Sparkly. This week's challenge is styling an outfit with mint and coral, which are not only hot colors for summer but also two if my favorites. I had to step up to the challenge and link up (this girl loves a challenge!). In the pictures the colors didn't turn out as minty and corally as they are in person and the top makes me look, well, large, but here it is, how I styled my mint and coral pieces.

What are your favorite colors for summer? Try a little mint and coral, you'll like it! Have a fabulous, savvy and stylish weekend!

<3 Mz Savvy Style

http://prettyshinysparkly.com/bloggers-do-mint-coral-better/

The Last of the Beach

These are the last outfit post pictures I took at the beach, which means I need to put on something other than sweat shorts and a men's T and snap some more pics! Being off of the day job for these few short weeks in the summer means I can walk around the house looking like "whodathunkit" and no one but the family knows! But now you all know since I told on myself. The trials of a fashion blogger! ;-)

I bought this green strapless maxi on clearance at Old Navy summer before last and never wore it. I actually had it in the "to consign" box in the closet. What was I thinking, right? The dress had no belt, it just flowed from the top and it made me feel huge, like I was wearing a muu-muu, so I added a white belt from my belt collection and I have a new dress! I love the combo of pink and green so picking accessories was an easy task. The necklace came from TJMaxx, the best store for bags and accrssories if you ask me. There's not much to say about the serious tan line. Tan lines are one of the hazards of the beach I guess!

Hope you all have a savvy and stylish last half of your week! Thanks for stopping by!

<3 Mz Savvy Style

Silver and White

I hope everyone had a fabulous Father's Day weekend! We celebrated both of my guys yesterday, my husband for Father's Day and my son for his birthday. I made homemade white chocolate-key lime pies for our dessert and they turned out pretty good if I do say so myself!

Isn't it funny that when you're taking outfit photos for a post all these ideas run through your head on what you're going to say about the outfit in you're blog but if you wait a week or so to use the pics your ideas are totally gone? Any fellow bloggers experience this? I know I sure do. Sometimes I wish I could blog as I shoot but it never seems to work out that way.

These pics were taken on our beach vacation while we were out at dinner. I brought several maxi dresses on our trip and was getting a little "maxied out" at this point so I tossed on this silver skirt and white tank for something different. This skirt is super comfortable, made of a stretchy lycra fabric. The waistband can be folded down to make it shorter or left alone to keep it knee length. I picked up the tank at TJMaxx. It can be easily dressed up if worn with a skirt, like it is here, or dressed down if worn with jeans or shorts. I'm crazy about the shell charm bracelet, another TJMaxx find. If you have followed my blog you know that I'm a little bracelet obsessed and this one is summer perfection! I know it's gold and all my other accessories and skirt are silver but I love mixing metals (and breaking fashion rules!). I felt like anchoring it with other silver bracelets made it blend in and stand out at the same time.

I hope you all have a savvy and stylish start to your week!

<3 Mz Savvy Style

I'm linking up with Glamamom, BonBon Rose Girls and Momtrends for MondayMingle!

Momma's Got (another) New Bag

Earlier in the spring I was on the hunt, as I am at the beginning of every season, for the perfect bag. I'm one of those girls who likes to change bags with the seasons. I thought I'd found what I was looking for, a cute, slightly edgy, vegan leather, studded bag. It's completely different than what I normally carry (I'm a classic Michael Kors, Marc Jacobs kind of girl) and slightly smaller but the price was great and I was up for trying something out of my norm. Well...I carried my new, cute, edgy, vegan leather, studded, slightly smaller bag for about a week and quickly realized it was not slightly smaller, it was much smaller, and it was just not going to work for my everyday bag. My 17 year old daughter was happy to benefit from my purchase-that-didn't-work.

So I found myself on the hunt again and this time I really did find the perfect bag. It's a bright orange, just the right size, woven front, Steve Madden bag on sale at my go-to store, TJ Maxx. I've been carrying it every day for the past several weeks and I love it more every time I do!

What kind of bag girl are you? Do you change your bags out with the seasons, with your outfit, monthly or do you find one bag you love and carry it until it falls apart?

Happy Weekend!

<3 Mz Savvy Style

Funky Trunk Vintage

In 2006 a beautiful, talented, amazingly creative friend of mine, Amy, started making unique, eco-chic jewelry from repurposed treasures she found in antique and flea markets. Her business has grown over these past years and so has her line of jewelry. Many boutiques in our home state of Georgia and around the south now carry her unique, one of a kind pieces. Below are just a few of her hand-crafted beauties. My current obsession is the "Hippie Chic" bracelet. It's a funky turquoise cross on a chunky brass chain. I can see it becoming part if my jewelry collection very soon! If you'd like to learn more about Funky Trunk Vintage and the designer, Amy, visit http://thefunkytrunk.com/ or follow on Facebook at Funky Trunk Vintage. You will definitely be more savvy and stylish sporting one of her original pieces!

<3 Mz Savvy Style

Striped Maxi

I tried to get several outfits photographed last week while we were on vacation and I had my choice of "photographers"! My sister-in-law (who is actually one of the people who encouraged me to start this blog) snapped these pics for me on one of the first nights at the beach. One of my favorite things to wear in the summer is a maxi dress. It's effortless and put together at the same time. When I bought this particular dress I loved the colors and shape but was concerned about the horizontal stripes. We've all heard for years that horizontal stripes are a fashion no-no but they seem to be everywhere this season and I think if they are done right, if the width of the stripes and the shape of the garment is spot on, then the stripes work!

I found these shoes on one of my pre-vacation TJMaxx trips and knew I "needed" them. They were too much fun to pass up and the $19.99 price made them a deal! I have to keep them away from my dog though. When I wear them he thinks a small animal is attacking my feet and he barks at them until I put them up in the closet. I have a feeling if I left them out on accident they would get eaten for sure!

One of the things I enjoy most about vacation is having time to just sit and read (and read, and read)! In years past I would bring a bag full of books but now that I have my Nook and iPad I just download the books I want to read and if I get thru them all before vacation week is over I can simply download more! One of the books I read this vacation was "The Vow". Great book and completely different than the movie. It was a really quick, read-in-a-day kind of book.

Have a savvy and stylish start to your week!

<3 Mz Savvy Style