5 on Friday

Today I am linking up with Smidge of This and a few other bloggers for the 5 on Friday linkup!

I love linkups because they allow me not only to connect with other bloggers but to discover other sites as well. The catch? Post about any five things on your mind and hook up using the linkys widget on any of the blogs listed on the 5 on Friday logo at the bottom of this post.

1.  I have been obsessing over the idea of key holders lately. After thrifting my almost perfect Louis Vuitton, I know the importance of protecting such an investment. I have noticed the wear and tear that my bulk of keys has had on the inside of many of my other favorite handbags and I want to make sure that it does not happen to this bag. Not to mention, this is perfect for when you need to valet your car and can just remove a key on it's gold hook.

2.  I ran out of chicken (or rather, thought I had it but never did in the first place) and ended up making quesadillas with thinly sliced pork. It was absolutely delicious! I wasn't a fan of how caramelized it turned out, but Will enjoyed the extra crisp taste.

3.  I just renewed my lease for a year and realized I never bought a headboard for my bed. While I do have 4 pieces of art hanging in place  of a headboard to kill space, I couldn't help but look for the sake of looking on Pinterest.

While I love navy and white headboard, my duvet is navy and I don't like the idea of having a white headboard. I think dark wood is classic and wipes clean easily. This photos exemplifies perfection to me.

4.  I started reading A Dog's Purpose, the first book I have read in quite some time. It is SO good. Any animal lover will enjoy this book written in a dog's perspective but with a peculiar take. I am not one for cliché plot lines, and I can honestly say that although I have not finished this book it will be one that I recommend to others.

5. I received a pair of Hunter boots in hunter green from Santa this year and I had to put a plug in for how much I love them. The green goes with absolutely everything. I normally wear a 9.5 and sized down to a 9 and still have room to wear my favorite socks.  I used them to replace my old Ralph Lauren wellies.

Hope everyone has a great weekend!

Find other blogs at the 5 on Friday Linkup by clicking here.

XOXO,

Country Club Prep & Vineyard Vines Shep Shirt Review

I was so excited to receive this Limited Edition Vineyard Vines and Country Club Prep shep shirt in the mail a few days ago. If you are looking for the perfect accessory to transition you from season to season, this is absolutely it.

I won't lie, I am a huge fan of French Cotton Terry. This shep shirt is no exception. The quality is unmatched by any other pullover that I have, and I love that it is not mixed with acrylic, polyester, and other faux fabrics. Not only is this warm and perfect for layering in the winter, but it will breathe and take you from campfires to graduation parties in the summer. It washes well without fading color, although if you are like me I would strongly recommend against drying any of your better clothing. I usually fluff in the dryer for 5 minutes and then hang to dry over a towel. 

I think this shep shirt is impeccable, and the classic navy color will pair beautifully with a crisp white shirt or over a bright polo. Or, try throwing it over a classic Lilly shift dress this summer for a walk on the beach at night. The runching at the end of fitted sleeves adds to the sophistication of this modern day pullover, so it passes by as dressy instead of sloppy. Some might even categorize this Vineyard Vines and CCP crossover as the newly framed "athleisure." 

Other features I enjoy from Vineyard Vines and Country Club Prep include that the companies understand the need for understated logos. Though the style of padded shoulders and boxy fabric squares is immediately recognizable as a product of Vineyard Vines, the small Longshanks logo on the left arm small Vineyard Vines logo on the left breast is a brisk statement of your appreciation for preppy outerwear without needing to assert status. 

I used my normal size in this outwear, and am wearing a small.
I chose to style this for a winter walk on an unexpectedly nice day. While cloudy, the low 50s were warm enough to bust out my favorite tennis and workout leggings for a walk at a local reserve, hence exemplifying how this can be a perfect athleisure outfit. I can't wait to wear this on the beach when we take our trip to Rhode Island to visit old friends in July. The navy goes with everything, which is why it is the color I would recommend to everyone.

Vineyard Vines & Country Club Prep Shep Shirt 

Looking for a similar classic pullover that is just as pulled together? I love the Blakely Pullover from Lauren James that can be found both at Country Club Prep and Tide & Peak Outfitters.  

This pullover exudes the same classic, and pulled together pullover (no pun intended) taste as the Vineyard Vines shep shirt. 

The Blakely Pullover 

After browsing Tide & Peak, I was immensely impressed by their selection of preppy goods. They are also one of the last places online that you can find True Grit pullovers in stock! If you read my post back in the fall on True Grit Pullovers, then you know it is a must have and I live in mine. Reread it here  and then make the purchase! 

XOXO, 

Prints by Rachael: The Art Shop

I had to stop by to do a plug for my new online Instagram shop, @paintingsbyrachael. 

I am so excited to start this new dream I have had for long time of selling my art. While many of my pieces I have completed I have a respectable amount of emotional attachment to making it very difficult to think about selling, I am excited to now offer high quality color glossy copies. $15 flat rate shipping and handling is offered to all US shipments, and all transactions are run through PayPal to keep finances secure for both myself and the buyer. 

While most pieces are around 12" by 15", I can resize most pieces and will comment actual sizes at request. (Not all sizes are listed directly on my Instagram shop as I have many pieces stored in my portfolio at home and will measure them on demand). 

Below are just a few paintings that I have listed on my site. New postings will be made frequently. 

I hope there is something for everyone, but much of my portfolio stands on feminitity, color, abstraction, and the female form. 

A few of my pieces in my own gallery in my home. 

Please ask any and all questions! 

And make sure you follow my shop on Instagram at @printsbyrachael. 

XOXO, 

Getting Organized With Lilly

At the last Lilly After Party Sale I purchased an agenda folio for nearly a quarter of the price, and I fell in love. It has so many pockets, and I can fit my tablet into it if I need to. In addition to have a zippered pocket both inside and outside of the folio, there are plenty of places for sliding papers, stickers, notecards, pens, pencils, post-its and more. I was so sad to find out that it is no longer for sale.

The tech case (pictured below) is available for purchase and is very similar. now that I have the agenda folio I am finally able to carry around items that I always pine to have with me but have nowhere to put. For instance, it is always useful to have notecards, blank thank yous, stamps, a few cute stickers, coupons, and multiple colors of pen. I also prefer to keep a highlighter, white out pen, and a few different colored Sharpies with me as well as a pair of scissors. While the agenda folio is on the larger side and could possibly be mistaken for a laptop case, it is quite possibly my new best friend.

While it is available on sites like Amazon that hang on to Lilly items for longer than they are up for purchase on the site, I found plenty of items to help with organization that are still for sale. I love all of the options Lilly has for coin purses and keeping together small items in a large bag, like the coin purses and pouches. The notecard set would be a great gift for anyone in college, and the water bottle is the perfect surprise for any workout junkie in your life.

Getting Organized with Lilly by aduchessandablog on polyvore.com

XOXO,

How to Make Extra Money

Latey I have been thinking of lots of little ways to make extra money. I have a steady job and make it a point to put money in my savings every month. However, it is always great to have a way to have a little extra cash flow, especially doing things that you love. I am sharing a few of the ways that I have been making a little extra cash to do fun things that I love. I try to use this "fun money" as my funds for shopping and buying other knick-knacks or things I have been lusting over online.

1. Sell your old stuff online.

Ebay and Poshmark are my jam. I am always amazed at some of the old things that I no longer use that others still want to buy. I have sold everything from gently used scrub tops to bridesmaid jewelry I never wore, to old loved boots and doubles of anything I own. While this doesn't bring in a ton of money a month, it does provide an extra $20 - $30. The trick is to start your prices for items you are selling a little higher than you like, and slowly start to lower them over a period of time. You never know when someone might be looking for an item you are selling and want to buy it now, and you don't want to lose out on a higher profit because your prices were low to begin with. Patience is key to this method of extra cash.

Both of these sites also have apps, which makes managing your sales on the go much easier.

2. Monetize Your Blog

I have to admit, I have not been the best at this. I used to make a decent chunk of cash under my previous blog domain, but I was also in college and had a lot more time to commit to posting. I do enjoy writing reviews for sponsored posts; however, I am very keen on only writing honest reviews on items that are parallel to both my likes and lifestyle.

Blogger pairs with Google Ads, and there are plenty of sites that also allow you to host ads on your site for monetization per clicks.

I will continue to blog with or without cash flow, but it is nice to know there are options that reward you for your hobby and time.

3. Swagbucks

You may have heard me talk about my favorite trending websites a few weeks ago, and I have not wavered. I love that after putting an extra 15 minutes into this site a day I am able to make an extra few dollars a week. I plan on saving this up for the end of the year and then buying a gift card to a site like Amazon where I can buy a variety of items that I use on a daily basis.

I have also been considering listing high quality copies of some of my artwork for sale. I have received a lot of compliments on my original pieces which I have used to decorate my entire apartment. However, I am wishy washy on putting effort into building a site and then not having it be successful. I feel like investing in an Instagram site might be more successful.

4. Shop Smart

Check your credit card...I know Chase Freedom and Discover accounts allow you to earn cashback for many of your purchases. Use Ebates or Swagbucks to earn cash that be deposited directly into a Paypal account as well.

What are your favorite ways to make extra cash?

XOXO,

Bedroom Decor

I recently added a few extra pieces to my bedroom and have had so much fun adding extra spunk to my nautically inspired home. My goal is to decorate at a discount, which makes a lot of my pieces original and one of a kind because I find them at thrift stores, garage sales, closeout stores and on Amazon.

Floating Shelves (Set of 3) 

I found these wall scones at Marc's, a local closeout store. The painting is an original. 

I found this adorable sailboat many months ago on Amazon, but this shelf (part of a set of 3) is still available. I bought two sets of them and they are perfect for hanging adorable knick-knacks. 

Liberty Paper Lanterns

I also found these adorable Liberty Paper Lanterns on Tuckernuck a few weeks ago. While they are sold out on Tuckernuck, I found them on another website. They come with gorgeous delicate gold string and are so easy to set up. I love the way they spruce up the corner of my bedroom, and for a price of less than $20 they cannot be beat. 

This lamp and mirror table were also found at Homegoods. I received my Lilly Pulitzer paper coasters years ago with a Lilly purchase. The vase was a Mischka gift from my parents for my birthday years ago. I love the catchall that I bought with a coupon code for only $5 from Tuckernuck during Christmas time that is no longer available. It has my monogram on it. It is lucite, which means that it gets scratched less easily than glass with other glass items and jewelry on it. Pink Wasabi Ink on Etsy has a lot of other gorgeous personalized options for catchall trays.  

Frenchi Home Shelf 

I also just had to share the set of standing shelves that I bought on Amazon to display my Tokidoki and Kidrobot toys. They were starting to invade every ledge, nook and cranny in my home and I needed somewhere to display them that looked put together. They were super cheap and come in blue, pink, and a few other colors. The quality is great for the cost , and I think they would great in a bedroom, bathroom or office. I even pondered putting it next to my entryway with a cozy lamp after I put them together. 

I also had to share my new agenda folio which I scored for around $15 (a far cry from the original price tag of more than $40). Carrying around my planner, pens, post its, etc. can be a real pain in my work bag. I love that this allows me to keep everything organized. There are so many pockets, including a large one on the outside. I love that I could also fit my tablet inside if I needed to. Such a great investment, and it is huge. The fact that I only have a medium agenda means there is even more space. 

XOXO,