august sponsorship discount

some of you may have already noticed that i am now offering sponsorship through passionfruit ads. i love how easy their setup is and finding new blogs through their directory. go check them out!

blogging has been so much fun and a great creative outlet for me and i would love hosting your blog or business and help you get more exposure. sponsorship also comes with a few special perks that may help you drive your numbers even more.

my current stats can be found right over there on the left. just click on the sponsor button and feel free to shoot me an email with any questions.

as a special i am offering a 20% discount code on all available ads so head on over to that sponsor page :)

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favorite european fashion brands you can shop in the US

This was my contributer post for July over at Love Stitched, in case you missed it here it is:
I thought I would share a few of my all time favorite European brands with you.
I always like to find new brands and the following ones can be shopped via the ASOS website which (lucky for us) ships to the US :))

Pieces Accessories by theforgestyle featuring genuine leather belts

Pieces cross body shoulder bag / Pieces logo bag / Pieces bracelet / Pieces pearl hair accessory / Pieces genuine leather belt / Pieces Etika Snood / Pieces Eileen Snood

First on the list is a danish accessories label called PIECES. They make the most gorgeous scarfs, jewelry and leather belts. You'll find wardrobe staples as well as on-trend accessories for a fair price and once items go on sale they are a steal. I just returned from Germany with a new scarf (and one to giveaway on my blog) as well as a great new belt. I really love how they use different patterns in their pieces which can add so much interest to a plain outfit. I am also very much into scarfs with a collection that mostly replaces necklaces for me - super comfortable and multi functional.

Vero Moda by theforgestyle featuring knit tops

Vero Moda scoop neck t shirt / Vero Moda knit top / Top / Vero Moda hooded trench coat / Vero moda / Vero Moda long pants, $16

Second is another danish fashion house called Vero Moda.
Vero Moda, in my book, is a more affordable alternative to Zara. Their pieces are trendy and well made but remain practical for everyday wear. They also have a line of intimates which is super pretty and feminine. The brand has used models such as Kate Moss and Gisele Bündchen in their campaigns.
I am in love with that coral rain coat!

Mango by theforgestyle featuring skinny jeans

Dress / Mango maxi dress, $55 / Mango double breasted coat, $89 / Skirt / Mango Yellow Stripe Detail Jumper / Mango skinny jeans, $55

Lastly, spanish fashion brand Mango is a go-to for basic pieces with an edge.
The tailoring on their coats is great and my most favorite leather jacket is from there. I've had it for years and it still looks amazing. Best of all - it only cost about $120!
I definitely have my eye on that amazing mustard and striped sweater next.
You can also shop their online store on their website.

So there you have it. 3 wonderful new fashion brands for you to explore and hopefully fall in love with :) I would love to hear your opinion and maybe you'd like to share a few of your own not-so-well-known brands?




Disclaimer: Neither Brittany nor I have been paid to advertise for any of the above mentioned brands or ASOS.com. All opinions are my own and your experiences may vary. All images were taken from ASOS.com via Polyvore. 

diy: ombre dip dye sweatshirt

today is part 2 of the ombre dyeing series. you can find part one with full directions on how to achieve a dip dye ombre effect here. not only did i dye this shirt but i also dyed a white sweatshirt i got a wal mart for $3. the process was exactly the same as in the ombre shirt tutorial but the result turned out a little differently. the sweater definitely soaked up a ton of dye and i think that's what created the more obvious lines. the gradient doesn't flow as smoothy but i still like the end result. it's much more interesting than just a plain boring white sweater and one of a kind. 

i let the sweater soak a lot longer than the shirt because i wanted the very bottom to be nice and dark. you can see how i used several hangers that were suspended from the tension rod in my laundry room so that i didn't have to hold it the entire time. i also used an old paint stirrer to keep the dye moving. 

life lately, just pouring my heart out

life lately has been pretty good. it really took me a while to settle back in here at home after being in Germany for 6 weeks but things are finally starting to go back to normal. after being gone for so long i inevitably start comparing and complaining about how things are here at home. a lot. 

in the end i remind myself that both places have their good and bad sides and that no matter where i live i'd miss something. 

so i guess what i am trying to say is that we are back to our regular routine and enjoying the rest of our summer. j is back to work and traveling a lot. logan is in love with our dogs and walking. we are now in the "walking while carrying the most possible amount of toys" phase. food and sleep are still his biggest passions which is totally fine with me. who doesn't have a thing for food and sleep? 

kisses are still far and few in between (from the little guy that is). dada is his favorite word, he laughs in my face when i ask him to say mama. every day i am in awe of this little person, his smarts and personality.

i've been cooking a lot and getting my creative juices flowing. i started doing pilates again and it feels amazing. most days i feel balanced but then i put pressure on myself to do more. the dogs crave attention but i can't give them much and it makes me feel horrible. i have a constant fear to disappoint, that i should be making money and providing for this family in some way. 

i'm sure i'm not the only mom asking herself these questions and wondering if what we do is ever enough? putting careers on hold to raise kids, moving to new places and leaving everything behind, dreaming and wondering if those dreams will ever become a reality. 

for me it's always been one giant leap of faith, just going with my gut feeling and hoping that things will turn out ok. i don't know when i became such a worry wart? 

ok, wow don't really know where all of that came from! i really just wanted to write a little update on what we've been up to lately... 

on a more cheerful note, we'll be meeting j on his current road trip in cincinnati this weekend and we can't wait to explore the city while we're there. last time i went on a cincinnati road trip logan was just a tiny little poppy seed. any of you from the cincinnati are and have any recommendations for what to do and where to eat? 

diy: ombre dip dye shirt

this post will be part one of two on how to ombre (or dip dye) clothing at home in a few easy steps. now i am aware that this trend has been around for a while and some of you may already be tired of it. that's ok. i wanted to give it a (second) try anyway. the first time i tried ombre dyeing at home a few months ago it didn't work out so well... i used rit powder dye but the colors didn't turn out very rich and the fabric ended up with spotting and obvious lines. luckily i had only used some cheap cotton muslin, so it wasn't a big loss. 

this time around i decided to use the rit liquid dye and a shirt that had been hanging in the closet for years. again, if it didn't work out, no big loss. it worked out a ton better though so i'll share a few tricks. 

you'll need:

a piece of clothing or fabric

rit liquid dye in purple (or any other color)

salt

a large bucket, plastic tub or in my case laundry tub to dye in

hot water

a few hangers 

gloves

because i wanted the darkest part of the gradient to be at the shirt collar, i rolled up the bottom half of the shirt evenly and put a hanger right in the center. this will make it much easier to dip the garment and less likely for you to accidentally get dye splashes where you don't want them. if possible, it really helps to have something to hang the garment from when trying to achieve a darker color otherwise be prepared to hold the item for a while. 

mix the dye with the hot water and salt according to the directions on the bottle. i used half a bottle since i was only dyeing two items. also make sure to wear gloves and clean up any splashes on the tub so they don't come into contact with the lighter parts of your garment. 

wet the part of the shirt that will get dyed with water. hold the shirt upside down from the hanger or sides and dip it into the dye to the point where you want the color to be lightest. hold it there for only a few seconds (especially with darker dyes) and then pull it out a few more inches and hold a little bit longer. 

always make sure to keep the dye moving and never let it be still. this will only form lines you don't want. i used an old paint stirrer.

repeat this step a few times each time leaving the garment in the dye a little bit longer. check the color to make sure it is what you want. keep in mind that the color will lighten during the rinsing and washing process. 

when you've achieved the color you were looking for start rinsing the dyed portion until the water runs clear. for me it actually never ran 100% clear (i'm impatient though). i rinsed for a good 15 minutes and then put the shirt in the washer. at this point the bottom of the shirt is still white but through the washing process the remaining dye will give this portion a very light color as well. if you want the shirt to remain white i am not quite sure how to achieve this with rit dye. there is a possibility to use more professional dyes and maybe some sort of fixative that would keep the dye from running into the rest of the garment. i'm no expert though. 

i love how the finished shirt turned out and can't wait to wear it. 

all in all, this ombre dyeing process takes a little bit of time and patience but it's fun and definitely turned this boring white shirt into an eye catcher. come back to see how i transformed a simple white sweatshirt with this same technique. 

style files: dear baseball tee...

jeans: american eagle, tee: target, shoes: , watch: michael kors, bracelet: lisa leonard

yup, that's a style files post friends ;) keepin' it real here on the mama front.

that is also me bright eyed and bushy tailed at 9 am, heading to breakfast with my two favorite guys, hair begging to be washed and in the most fantastical bun ever created... 

and how great is it that baseball tees are apparently all the rage these days? because this puppy was right on top of that big pile o' laundry waiting to be folded. one day. maybe? 

happy weekend! may you cross off many things on your to-do list or simply sit in the sun with an ice cold glass of your most favorite beverage. ahhh summer...

wet cement and nude lips

so while i was out grocery shopping the other morning (9 am, all by myself for an entire hour, folks!!) i picked up wet n wild's mega last nail polish in "wet cement" and their mega last lip stick in "bare it all".

we've been spending a lot of money traveling, baby proofing the house and of course spoiling the kid and so i am trying to cut back on the fun stuff a little bit at the moment. i've been wanting to try essie's merino cool and was looking for a similar color so i took home wet cement. it is definitely darker but still has that hint of violet i was looking for. 

it's definitely different from what i would usually wear but i like it as an eye catching neutral. 

i also really liked the large brush they put in their bottles which really helped with the application. the polish goes on smooth and covers very well. i put on two coats and a clear top coat. the one down side was that it took forever to dry. i usually put polish on at night before i go to bed and i sat and waited for over half an hour to make sure it was safe to get under the covers. well, the next morning i definitely had some light impressions from the sheets on my nails. not a huge deal but up close they are definitely not salon perfect. 

overall, i honestly couldn't tell much of a difference between this $1.70 bottle and the $7+ bottle of high end polish. i've had it on for 2 full days now and with all my mama duties it hasn't chipped at all yet. 

as for the lipstick i totally love it. the nude color is slightly darker than my go-to revlon (soft nude) and it is matte (main reason i got it). it's very subtle and great for everyday wear. it lasts for hours and at $2 you can't really go wrong. 

so that's it for today. any cheap cosmetics you absolutely love? do share!