Happy Earth Day

Happy Earth Day everyone! I just wanted to give a quick shout-out to some of the best Earth Day treats/tips that I've found today. All of these companies are donating at least a portion of their product proceeds to green-related causes and/or have implemented nature-friendly business practices. GO GREEN! :)

1. Sprinkles Cupcakes are donating the proceeds from their vanilla cupcakes to local tree planting and environmental care organizations.Click Here to find a Sprinkles location near you!

2. Gilt Group is offering a selection of Eco-Friendly Gifts today ranging from FEED bags to trees from The Magnolia Company.

3. Check out Whole Foods Whole Story blog for all sorts of tips on how make smart environmental choices with your food.

4. PACT Apparel, Inc. is an awesome undergarment company that supports numerous environmental causes through organizations like the Sierra Club, EarthSpark International and Creative Growth. Oh, and did I mention that their underwear is super-soft and comfy too?

5. Method is a cleaning supplies company with a fantastic "methodology" and have "set out to save the world and create an entire line of home care products that were more powerful than a bottle of sodium hypochlorite. Gentler than a thousand puppy licks. Able to detox tall homes in a single afternoon."

Rent the Runway

A friend referred me to a site called Rent the Runway a couple of months back and although I usually hate getting referral emails from sites I'll never use, I found this one to be quite intriguing.

Rent the Runway is a consumer purchasing site dedicated to high-end fashion, but rather than purchasing a dress for that next great event, you rent it. According to their website, "Rent the Runway lets you access your dream wardrobe for all of life's special occasions at 90% off retail prices". You simply choose from their bank of dresses/designers to find the dress/accessory that suits your special occasion needs, pick the date of the event,  your size and the zip code you would like your dress shipped to.

I think RTR is a really great concept, especially for someone at my age/income level who's interested in fashion - I have more events/weddings than ever before, and seemingly less and less disposable income. So, if you have a special occasion coming up and are hoping to make a statement in a new dress rather than retreating to your go-to LBD, I highly recommend checking this site out. :)

Holiday Travel Must-Haves

Seeing as the holidays are fast-approaching, I've decided that rather than doing my usual last-minute scramble to pack everything for holiday traveling (which always leads to forgotten items and numerous emergency trips to Walgreen's), I'd plan ahead and get a few key items to make my travels easier, better organized and more enjoyable. I've compiled my must-have list of travel items here and thought I'd share them in hopes of inspiring other procrastination-packers like myself. :)

My Holiday Travel Must-Haves:

1. J.Crew jewelry pouch to organize all of the costume jewelry I'll be breaking to add a bit of sparkle to my holiday outfits
2. Kate Spade larabee dot small natalie cosmetic case to avoid the mess made by makeup spills during transit
3. Wishing Fish luggage tags to add some style and attitude to my otherwise boring luggage
4. CHI mini pro collection to reduce the extra bulk of hair tools/products 
5. Etsy shop Kindle sleeve
6. n.a.p travel blanket is the best blanket I have ever used
7. Freedom by Jonathan Frazen is a book I just started reading and I anticipate it being long enough to last me through my holiday travels
8. Bumble & Bumble live fully travel bag

TOMS Shoes

I, like most girls, love shopping whenever my schedule and well, let's be honest, budget (ekk) allow it. Shopping was definitely more fun back when it wasn't my money I was using to buy things but all the same it's still one of my favorite pass times. However, the one great thing about living on a budget is that you pick up a lot of good tricks for spending every dollar wisely and thanks to company's like Groupon, you can still indulge in little splurges every once in awhile.

All that being said, I was pa-rousing my staple online shopping sites last night, discouraged by the high price tags of all the "must haves" of the season when I remembered that I'd been meaning to check out this retailer one of my old co-workers had interned at back in college. She was always talking about all the great charity work the company does and well that engage their customer base. The company I'm referring to is TOMS Shoes.

According to their Web site, TOMS has provided over 600,000 shoes to needy children throughout the world but instituting an ingenious business plan; For every pair of shoes that are purchased, TOMS will donate a pair of shoes to a needy child who cannot afford shoes of their own. The extra bonus? The shoes are super affordable and cute! Their classic shoe is only $48.00 and most of their other styles of shoes fall well below the $100.00 mark. Ordinarily I double check with my gut (thanks to my stupid budget) before making an online purchase, but I have to say this was one expenditure I felt truly great about!

Happy shopping everyone!

Here Comes the Sun...

Which means it's time to FINALLY break out those sunglasses! I've been scanning the latest issues of all my favorite fashion sites/magazines to determine what the latest trend is in eye-wear and I'm pleased to see that plastic-framed sunglasses are going to be a big seller this season. I'm loving this trend because they come in a lot of bright, fun colors and shapes that that make it easy to spice up a spring outfit. Also, because their seems to be a variety of these shades at different price levels, which is always helpful when it comes to the bank account :)

Below are the links to a few that have made my wish list with my favorite being a pair of Ray Ban's that have a map of the NY City subway on the inside (pictured right). I've been told that their are similar one's with a map of the Chicago "L" but I haven't been able to find them yet. But if anyone else has heard about these and/or knows where to get them, please let me know! Happy Shopping!

Ray-Ban 'Classic Wayfarer' Sunglasses in Red/Subway $159

Retrosun Vintage Palomo Picasso Sunglasses in Yellow $220

Tory Burch Wide-Arm Plastic Sunglasses in Tortoise $145

Carrera Plastic Hippy Glasses in Red $98

ASOS Flip Frame Sunglasses in Black $20.51

Color in Optics Women's Metal Sunglasses in Turquoise $110

Betsey Johnson Women's Bj 247 Resin Glasses in Raven $65

Urban Outfitters Thick Plastic Frame Sunglasses in Purple $10

Summer Scarves

Some girls love sunglasses and some love purses. Frankly, I love both, but when it comes to an accessory that I simply can't live without my thoughts instantly turn to scarves.

I have always loved the fall/winter season because it meant I could wear scarves every day to make a seemingly bland outfit more interesting. I would take a plain white t-shirt with jeans (bland) and instantly jazz it up with a colorful scarf. In fact, anyone who knows me will probably tell you that I will try to incorporate a scarf into every outfit that I wear, sometimes unsuccessfully of course. Like the time I thought it would be a good idea to wear a winter scarf to an outdoor football tailgate party that, in my defense was in October, but was also about 30 degrees too hot for a scarf. Result: I looked ridiculous. Solution: Summer scarves.

I love the plethora of new summer scarf designs that I'm already seeing as I do my morning stroll down Michigan Avenue on my way to work. (Yeah, I know it's pretty cool that my daily commute includes strolling along the entire stretch of Michigan Ave. It's great for fashion inspiration...bad for the budget though). The bright colors and playful designs remind me that warm weather is on the way a.k.a I better start stocking up on my go-to accessory before all the good styles sell out. I thought I'd pick a few of my favorites to share with you here:

Antik Batik - Venus Scarf : $185

Diane von Furstenberg - Pleated Petal Scarf : $145

Kate Spade -Pass the Shades Cotton Scarf : $95

Tolani - Scarf in Sea : $57

JCrew - Metallic Dot Wool Scarf : $55

BCBG Maxazria - Twill Cotton Scarf : $48 (Good basic that comes in some fun colors)

Anthropologie: Shadowed Vine Scarf : $28

Gap - Colorblock Striped Scarf : $17.99 (On sale)

Forever 21 - Cotton Mesh Scarf : $5.50