Cocktail Hour: Bump Up Your Beer

Assuming the rain doesn't cancel it, today is the annual Congressional Baseball game here in Washington, D.C. If you've never heard of this event, Members of Congress get together and put any partisan sqwable aside to fight over what really counts, a win on the baseball diamond. For those of you in DC or if your even remotely political you need to get your butt down to Nationals Park tonight. Tickets are $10 and it's general seating, get them here!

Anyways, since this is a night where the Washington elite kick their feet up and relax, I figured a little cocktail hour is in order? Tell me what goes better with baseball than a cold beer? Besides a hot dog or a little shake shack? Well this cocktail is perfection for summer and the ingredients are pretty darn inexpensive, so you've got to love that!

I actually discovered this drink at PS 7 when it was still open, but alas, the drink lives on with us! 

Ingredients

• 5 oz light lager beer (i.e. Bud Light, Miller Light, PBR, etc.)
• 1 oz Ginger Liqueur
• 1 Tbsp freshly squeezed lemon juice
• 1/2 Tbsp fresh ginger thinly sliced (for garnish)
• Ice

Directions
Simply combine the ginger liqueur, beer and lemon juice in a tall glass. Add the ice and garnish with ginger. Enjoy.


It seriously couldn't be much simpler than that folks? Let me know if you try it! Happy Thursday!

Four Things

Happy Wednesday! Seriously, I feel so much better on Wednesdays because I know the weekend will be here before we know it, and this weekend promises to be wonderful. So today I wanted to join some of my favorite gals in a four things link up, and share four things I'm loving today.

gelato / havaianas / fathers day / lulu and georgia 

Is there really anything better to cool you off during the summertime than some ice cream? I popped in to pitago gelato over the weekend, and I haven't been able to get the stuff out of my head. DC area folks. White Grapefruit Sorbet. If you want to get crazy add it to the Chocolate Noir sorbet. It's beyond amazing. 

I picked up a new pair of havaiana's at south moon under a few weeks ago, and oh my gosh I forgot how comfortable they are. If you've never tried them, go get you some ASAP. 

Father's Day is this weekend! What are you getting your dads? I love getting to celebrate a day of Dad's, but let me tell you... mine is SO hard to shop for! If you have any awesome dad gift ideas please send them my way!

I'm sure by now y'all have heard of lulu and georgia but as I'm apartment hunting I can't help but dream of a new place decorated entirely with their gorgeous pieces.

What four things are you loving today? Don't forget to link up!

A Little Gap Love

Since it's been raining pretty much nonstop for days I'm dreaming of some warm sunny summer fun. So what's a girl to do, obviously a little online shopping right? Somehow I wound up at the Gap and was actually super impressed with the selection this season.

Gap tall maxi dress / Gap dress / Gap flip flops / Gap platform wedge shoes / Gap leather tote bag / Gap straw fedora / Gap Tortoise Bamboo Sunglasses

I haven't really perused their website in years, but I'm loving all of the maxi dress options, fun sunnies and even some cute shoes.  What do y'all think? Have you visited the gap lately?

ps. don't forget today's your last chance to enter to win a $50 Shabby Apple Giftcard here!

Wonderful Walls

As we get closer and closer to moving day I'm continuing to dream about what my little apartment will look like in New Orleans. You already know about my bar cart, but there's a whole lot square footage beyond that. I know that I want a very clean ascetic. No clutter and tranquil colors, while still soft and feminine. While I love a good gallery wall (this one is fabulous), I feel like they can be overwhelming at times. If they aren't done correctly it makes a room look shorter and utterly cluttered.  No thank you. So instead of buying or creating some big artwork to fill up a wall, I'm thinking of going another direction.

Have you heard about this new product? Wallpaper for renters.  Amazing right? The mild adhesive keeps the walls safe, and then it saves you from having to re-paint before you move out. Love that.

So I'm thinking an accent wall in the bedroom, maybe in the kitchen as a backsplash? Or in a dinning area to make it feel like a separate room.  I can't decide.

What I am certain of is my love of gold wall paper. I found the most perfect chevron cream and gold adhesive paper this weekend (at Union Market, haven't found it online yet).

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I just love how decadent and sophisticated it makes a room feel. I love this one and these.  There's just so many options out there!!! What's a girl to do.

So what do y'all think? Metallic wallpapers, yay or nay? 

Quoted: Dolly Parton

Friday's Fancies

Is it just me, or did that week just fly by? Time seems to just keep moving faster and faster. While it's overcast and rainy thanks to that pesky storm Andrea. While I don't mind the cooler weather and rain, I would like to break out my sunglasses this weekend.

summer sunnies by bluedogbelle featuring stella mccartney

I need them all, obviously.  Don't forget to come link up with Alison so you can see some other fabulous shades to last you through the summer and beyond.


Link Love

• In need of a fabulous cocktail? Natalie's got you covered with these cute printables. 
• I loved this board of four favorites. Definitely thinking about this color scheme for my new apartment. 
• This is SUCH a good idea for decorating an apartment! Who doesn't love Washi tape?
• I've been on a quinoa kick lately. Definitely going to attempt to make this little cake. 
• Shay had a great list of books to read in your twenties. I had better get a move on if I want to get it all done!

Since it's supposed to be rainy tonight I may just stay in and do a little reading in bed. I went to the library yesterday and picked up a few books to read to prep be a bit for law school. I doubt I'll make it through all of them, but I'm just feeling so antsy about all the upcoming change, I felt I needed to do something tangible.

Anyways, have a fabulous weekend dolls! Oh... and don't forget about the Shabby Apple Giveaway!

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Currently

*So, I'm a bad blogger and completely took the night of yesterday because I forgot to fill a hole in my editorial calendar, so truly... this is what I'm doing currently*

Listening to CNN. What else is new? Trying to catch up on the morning news before I run over to the Senate for a hearing.

Loving that it's Thursday, and tomorrow should be a very relaxed day heading in to the weekend. Plus, I'm really excited about all the rain we're about to get. I love warm rainy days.

Drinking diet coke. I just bypassed coffee this morning. Though I may grab a quick latte on the hill.

Reading emails. CQ. Politico. National Journal. I spend entirely too much time reading the same stories over and over again in different publications. At least I'm in the know right?

Wearing slacks. What? That never happens. Added a blue cami and a black cardigan. Super stylish over here, let me tell you.

Thinking about how ready I am to get to law school.

Feeling anxious about leaving DC.

Eating egg and cheese on wheat toast. Regretting it already.

Wondering if anyone actually likes these blog posts?

Realizing that I have 58 days left in DC. 40 days of work. Yay/Ahh!!!

What are you doing, currently?

A New Subscription Box: Beauty Army

I shared my May Birchbox yesterday, so today I wanted to share my my experience with Beauty Army. I should note, this post is completely un-sponsored. I simply want to share my honest opinions with y'all about these two services. So let me introduce you to 

Unlike most subscription boxes out there, Beauty Army allows you to actually choose what products you want to sample in your box. You take a fairly extensive profile quiz about your beauty preferences, then a slate of 9 products is presented to you. You can choose up to 6, or try re-taking the quiz to see what the other options are. 

One of the best parts is you you actually get to see what size the sample is. Because lets be honest, I'm going to be a whole lot more excited about a 1.5 oz sample of shampoo as opposed to a little .2 oz packet. 

I will say, when I got the box I didn't get quite the same thrill of "oooh what'd I get?" as I do with birchbox, but you know what? I'm 100% happy with my box, so no disappointment! 

The cost is $12 a month, but you can easily opt out of a box month to month which is great if you're overwhelmed with samples, or just want to test the waters to see what else is out there. Oh, and I almost forgot to mention, it comes in the cutest little pink box that is pretty enough to use over and over again (mine just happens to coordinate perfectly with my bedroom and is proudly displayed on my vanity). 

Now, here's what I got this month.

Nelson J Argan Oil Non-Foaming Shampoo- This shampoo promises to cleanse your hair with out harsh detergents that dry out hair, meaning it should in theory be great for my dry color treated hair. Well, it actually did make my hair look great, but I was an oil slick within 8 hours. Thank goodness I had some dry shampoo with me. Maybe I used it wrong? Or not enough? But I thought it was kind of hard to tell if my hair was clean or not after using this, and I'm not going to lie, I missed the lather. 

GG Gatsby Raise Volume Conditioner- This conditioner smelled great and definitely didn't weigh my hair down when I tried it. I don't know that it left my hair quite as bouncy and voluminous as promised, but I don't really have anything negative to say. 

Say Yes to Daily Pore Scrub- I tried the grapefruit version a few weeks ago, so I was happy to test out this "tomato" version. I definitely love this line, and this version left my skin feeling fully scrubbed and a little tight (in a good way). I do think I prefer the scent of the grapefruit scrub, but this one is great too if your looking for something a little less scented. 

Mark. Scanda-Lash Black Mascara- I was actually really surprised with how much I liked this mascara. Lengthening like woah, and even a little volume to boot. I would compare this to the iconic Maybelline Great Lash in that iconic pink and green tube. Definitely a great option at only $6.50 a tube. 

New York Streets Dry Shampoo- This dry shampoo is probably one of the finest mists I've ever tried. Lightly scented, but still enough to make your hair smell great. For you darker haired ladies, this is one of the "clearest" powders I've tried. Plus its sulfate and paraben free, who doesn't love that! 

 

Addiction NV Gel Liner Pot in Gold Digger- Oh my gosh y'all. This is hands down the best gel liner I have ever tried (moment of honestly I've only tried like 3-4 others). The consistency is super duper creamy, tons of pigment and dries quickly. I've been wearing it every single day since I received it. I've also tried it as a cream base shadow, and it works perfectly. 

So that's my experience with Beauty Army. Any other subscriptions out there I need to try? 

May Subscription Boxes

Alright y'all, this month I added a new box to my repertoire and let me tell you it was a good one. So, I wanted to link up with my favorite texas gals for....



Now, I have a lot to say about these two boxes, so I'm actually going to make this a two day link up (keeping you on pins and needles I'm sure). First up, my standby, Birchbox! I actually just celebrated my 25th Box! I can hardly believe how much $$$ I've given them it.

COOLA Sunscreen- This it seriously the best feeling/smelling sunscreen I've ever used. It smells like cool cucumbers and isn't thick and gloppy like so many other sunscreens. It goes on lightly, but still provides 30 SPF? I'm completely obsessed. All my pale girls out there (well really all you girls out there) you need this.

amika Nourishing Mask- This is a deep conditioning hair mask that seriously smells amazing. But I'm not going to lie, I don't think it was as nourishing or deep conditioning as I would want from a product being sold as a mask. I left this on my hair for almost thirty minutes and I still had some tangling issues. I have long damaged

Pilot Acroball PureWhite- This is a seriously great pen, and it's even pink. But guys...  this is such a strange thing to include in a box.  I'm just not feeling it. But thanks for the pen.

Sumita Color Contrast Eyeliner- This eyeliner impressed me right off the bat. Quite possibly more than any other eyeliner I've ever tried. It just glides on with seriously no effort and is instantly set. You have mere seconds to blend it (my favorite eyeliner technique at the moment), so thankfully I have a steady hand! Seriously though, the staying power is amazing. The color power is awesome. Birchbox seems to be low on color options at the moment, but for a while they had a 4 mini pack for $21. Seriously y'all... I think this is my favorite eyeliner, ever.

Fabulous by Isaac Mizrahi- This perfume is definitely fabulous. It just screams "I'm a girl" It's sweet and floral, but light at the same time. I really don't have anything bad to say about this scent, but I'm not sure. I guess it's just not "me."

Marvis Toothpaste- This toothpaste is awesome. It is just a middle of the road perfect toothpaste. Not too flavored or scented or foamy. But I'm more of a whitening toothpaste gal so I'm sticking with my sensodine white.

Stay tuned for part 2 tomorrow! Don't forget to link up with the fabulous ladies above!

Life Lately and a Giveaway!

This is what life has looked like lately according to instagram.

Summer weather has officially made it's way to Washington (though I'm thankful it took it's sweet time). I've been celebrating with lots of time wandering around the hill, watching baseball games, and partaking in a few yummy cocktails.

Even more baseball, late nights with good friends, a few pretty flowers and some new beauty goodies to sample c/o Birchbox and Simple Skincare.

Finally shopping for some baubles at South Moon Under, pretty flowers in my front yard, Cheese Shop deliciousness in Williamsburg, and taking in the breathtaking views of the tidal basin while I still can!

Now, the lovely people over at Shabby Apple would like to give one of you fabulous ladies a $50 giftcard! Great way to start the week, right? If you don't already know, Shabby Apple is an online dress boutique that specializes in vintage and retro dresses.  Click Here: vintage dresses to see the selection! Winners will be announced on June 12th.

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Quoted

Friday's Fancies: Winning in White

Are four day weeks not the best? I can hardly believe it's Friday, but I'm certainly not complaining! This week's Friday's Fancies theme is very appropriate, as summer time weather has officially arrived in DC.

winning in white by bluedogbelle featuring stainless steel jewelry

Flower dress / Topshop leather shoes / Accessorize evening handbag / Kate Spade earrings / French Connection stainless steel jewelry, $145 / San Diego Hat Co. wide brim hat

Honestly I'm still way behind in my reader... so I haven't gotten to troll through as many posts as I would like, but I certainly still have some link love to share with you all.

• Pugly Pixel had this great post about free downloadable art from the  Rijks Museum. I may have to nab a few for my new apartment!
• Alyssa from The Glossy Life wrote such a beautiful and poignant post yesterday. It's definitely worth a read. 
• This trick from The Beauty Department is genius, and actually works! Who knew?
• I loved Allyssa's summer reading challenge, and think I may play along. Anyone else?
• Now go make this deliciously southern summertime cocktail and start the weekend off right. 

Have a great one gals!

Bar Cart Beauties

With only two months left as a Washingtonian I'm beginning to dream about what life in New Orleans will look like. I'm foreseeing some long nights in the library, lots of warm weather, late nights on Magazine Street, and cocktails on the porch of my new New Orleans abode (that I have yet to find). Sounds pretty good right?

Since I'm planning on living on my own for the first time I'm thrilled to get complete and total control over the decor. Yay!!! So in the coming weeks I want to get y'all's oppinions on a few decor options I'm considering. I've come to learn you folks have the best taste around. 

First up, the ever important bar. I'm not sure what it is about having a "bar" in my house that makes me so happy (beyond the obvious bottle collection), but I just love the sheer decadence and sophistication of devoting a chunk of your living space to pretty glasses, bottles and trays. Whatever it is, I've decided that a bar is a must in my new abode. 

Right now I'm using a massive Ikea bookshelf turned on it's side for storage/ bar wares, but I'm thinking of switching over to a pretty bar cart. 

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I mean, come on. Don't you love them all? While I'm still debating if I want to go for a cart, ooh... or maybe a tray or two on top of a buffet? I'm pulling all of the elements together.

bar cart by bluedogbelle featuring beauty products

Beauty product, $38 / Waterford Crystal Lismore Ice Bucket & Tongs, Cobalt / Riedel Ultra Decanter - 225mm 1230ccm, $340 / C. Wonder Neon Lucite Serving Tray / Casa Couture Platinum champagne box of 4, $53 / Tabla by Mikasa® Circumference Shooter Glasses, Set of 4 / Worlds Away Bar carts

What would you put on your bar car?

May Beauty Favorites

Holy Cow! How is it the last Wednesday in May? Seriously, when did that happen? After a wonderful long weekend and a very stressful start to the work week I'm feeling slightly dazed this lovely Wednesday. But you know what makes me feel better? Being able to share my May beauty favorites with you! Monthly favorites are some of my favorite posts to write, so I hope you enjoy reading them!

I have to say, this month was pretty epic. I did a little birthday shopping at Sephora, so I had lots of new goodies to play with!

1. Benefit They're Real Mascara- I am officially a believer in this mascara! If you want LONG and defined lashes you need to try this mascara. I will say the formula is probably the wettest one I've ever tried, but after a few coats I've never quite seen my lashes look as good as they do. I will say this isn't the most volumizing mascara (i.e. thickening), but my lashes are definitely longer and more defined than with any mascara I've used... ever.

2. Suave Dry Shampoo- I've gone back and forth on this product a lot since I've discovered dry shampoo, but I have finally decided this one is the best deal on the market. First of all, it's the least expensive one out there, it smells amazing and it works! I think that I have to use a little more of this product than some of the higher end dry shampoos I've tried, but for the price it's still worth it.

3. Simple Soothing Eye Balm- I have a full review of this and a few other simple products coming soon, but I am loving this eye balm after only a few days. When I turned 25 I decided it was time to start taking care of the skin around my eyes a little better and I can't tell y'all how much better my eye area looks already. If you're guilty of not taking off your eye makeup way too often every now and again, you need this product. It soothes the tired eyes you didn't know you had, plus it helps keep those dreaded bags at bay!

4. Benefit Watt's Up! Oh my goodness. Hands down the best highlighter I have ever used. I love this creamy little stick of glowing perfection. Mendi and Jayme of HLNC did a highlighter review recently and I couldn't agree with their assessment of this product more!

5. Juice Beauty CC cream- Okay, I'm eating my words a bit with this one. In my last birchbox review I didn't exactly give this product glowing reviews, but oh have I changed my mind. I guess it's something in the product but my skin has been absolutely glowing with this product! I stand by the fact that it's on the light to medium side coverage wise, but it has definitely improved the condition on my skin. PLUS my baby sample lasted me almost 4 whole weeks of daily use! Love that!

6. bare Minerals in Warmth: Remember when we all used bareMinerals for everything? I never used up that container of the matte warmth powder, but I'm loving it as a bronzer lately. Since I've switched to liquid foundations I've forgotten about how great this brand is. Definitely loving this as a bronzer to finish out spring.

7. Sephora Pro Lesson Palette: Blue Eyes in all honesty I quickly added this palette to my shopping cart so I could get the free shipping, but I'm so glad I did. First of all 6 shadows for $9? Great deal. Plus it comes with instructions for 2 different looks. On top of the good deal the shadows are extremely rich and very smooth. Only one is matte, with the rest shimmery, but no glitter. My favorite shade is the coppery color (they call it soft beige), it had such pretty pigmentation that is very build-able.


In other big beauty news I've decided to add another subscription box to my beauty buying regimen. I may be going a tad overboard but when I found out about Beauty Army I couldn't help it.  Unlike most subscription services you actually get to pick your products (love that)! You start by filling out a pretty extensive beauty profile then you get 9 options to pick from (you can order up to 6). If you don't like the options? Just re-take the survey! It's $12, but I have to say this month I'm getting 3 full size products and 3 more large samples. While I still haven't received the box, I have to say I'm loving it already! If you want to learn more or sign up yourself just click here. 

Alright girls. I think that's about it for my May beauty favorites! What have you been loving this month?  

Instagram and Vine Blog Hop

Welcome to the Instagram + Vine Blog Hop! If you're new here, the Instagram + Vine Blog Hop is a party where you link up your Instagram and/or Vine accounts, find and follow new friends, and be continually inspired by what you see in your feeds! No need to have a blog, just an Instagram and/or Vine account!

How to PLAY:

1. Follow your HOSTS:

Kimberly | Instagram: @anightowlblog | Vine: anightowlblog 

Emily | Instagram: @mrsemshhh | Vine: emily emshwiller 

Angie | Instagram: @blogali | Vine: Little Inspiration

2. Follow your CO-HOSTS:

Jaime | Instagram: @momstestkitchen

You can find Jaime here: 

Blog :: Facebook :: Twitter :: Pinterest

 ***

Emily | Instagram: @empri88

 You can find Emily here: 

Blog :: Facebook :: Twitter :: Pinterest

3. Link up your Instagram Web Profile:

Just link up your new Instagram Web Profile (http://instagram.com/username) -OR- your web viewer of choice in the linky below!

Note: this URL will not let you choose a profile pic from your feed, so be sure you have a picture you can upload from your computer if you use it! If you get a "Error: The requested URL returned error: 500" error that just means it can't find a picture to use NOT that your link is bad. Just click on "Direct Image URL" if you have one or "Upload from Computer". If you still have trouble, try sticking with Followgram or Webstagram to upload your profile.

4. NEW! Link up your Vine Username and/or Video!

Add your Vine username (so folks can find you) to the list below! Or link up a Vine video so we can see your cinematography at work! This is new, so there aren't web profiles just yet, but hopefully they'll be out soon! How do you find your video link? If you post your video on Facebook or Twitter, you will be given a URL that looks like this: "http://vine.co/v/bJegq22datT." Just link that up below with your username so we can find you! If you don't have a URL to one of your videos, simply link up your blog URL, but make sure the title is your Vine username so we can find you!

5. Check out and follow a few fellow Instagram or Vine friends.

Tell folks you follow that you found them through the Hop!

6. Spread the word!

Tweet about it, share it on Facebook or post about it on Instagram!

Tweet

Now let's link up!

Quoted

Friday's Fancies: Memorial Day Diva

We made it again folks! Boy am I glad this week is over, and it's a three day weekend to boot! Yay! since my days in DC are numbered I've decided to stick around town and take in some of the best sights this city has to offer. A National's game on Sunday, the Memorial Day Concert on the mall on Monday, it's going to be great! And I'm pretty sure this is the perfect outfit for all that gallivanting around town.

seersucker dress / flat sandals / tote bag / pendant jewelry / sunglasses / Sunscreen

How cute is this seersucker dress? First of all I love anything seersucker, but how perfectly patriotic for Memorial Day weekend right?

Since I'm going to be out and about quite a bit I'll definitely putting my sunscreen supplies to good use. Don't forget ladies! No one wants wrinkles or skin cancer!

Okay, now for a little link love. PS I hope y'all are liking this new weekly feature! It's quickly becoming one of my favorites!

• Need a one stop show for creative blog resources? Ashley Ella Designs put together a great one this week! So helpful. 
• Like any true southern girl I love me some boiled peanuts, but I've never thought to make them for myself. Thankfully Carlene is here to rescue us all with this recipe. Rumor is she's going to make boiled peanut hummus soon too. Yum. 
• Since summer is unofficially here we all need to remember to protect ourselves from the harmful rays of the sun. Here's 12 things you're doing wrong with your sunscreen right. 
• I'm SO doing this to my vanity! 
• How amazing does this chicken sound? I love all of her recipes, but this one is just calling my name! 
• I think I've found my next DIY project! I love this camera strap! 

Alright gals! I hope y'all have a fabulous long weekend!

A Little Revamp

Thank you all for your sweet response to yesterday's post. I think I definitely just needed a little break from all of the craziness, so I spent the day allowing me to treat myself here and there. Cupcakes for breakfast? Sure. A latte in the afternoon? Why not. Needless to say I'm feeling much better today.

I've been reading a lot of design blogs lately, and after reading this awesome post from Allyssa I decided it was finally time to take the plunge and do a little revamping of my "about" page. My original one was thrown up kind of haphazardly more than a year ago. So I figured why not go ahead and update it?  Here's the whole shebang...

Emily: The Girl Behind the Blog

Welcome! I'm Emily, the girl behind the Blue Dog Belle blog. I am originally from Georgia where I lived the first 21 years of my life. A few months before I graduated from college, I picked up everything and moved to Washington, D.C. to pursue my dream of working in politics. 

I love all things girly and have a strange obsession with the color gray. Like any southern girl I love a good monogram and drinks in mason jars. I am a beauty junkie with a weakness for all things makeup, and I'm a huge college football fan. Throw in an infatuation with glitter and you have me in a nutshell. Want more? Quirks. Goals. Friends. Confessions. History of me. 

Washington, D.C. : The Setting

After nearly four years living in Washington, D.C. the city has really become my home. DC has a unique culture unlike any other city in the world. This is truly the epicenter for all things political, but with a diverse and youthful citizenry the life of a local is never too serious or boring. Want a little taste of what it's like to gallivant around DC? Try this. this. this. this. or this.   

Blue Dog Belle: The Name

Many a-political types aren't tuned in to the various coalitions within political parties, and that's okay. But to understand a little more about me, you need to understand what a Blue Dog is.  According to their website...

"The Blue Dog Coalition was created in 1995 to represent the commonsense middle of the Democratic Party. Blue Dogs advocate for mainstream American values, a commitment to fiscal responsibility, and a strong national defense. 

The name “Blue Dog” originates from the long-time tradition of referring to a strong Democratic Party supporter as being a “Yellow Dog Democrat,” who would, “vote for a yellow dog if it was listed on the ballot as a Democrat.” Leading up to the 1994 election the founding members of the Blue Dogs felt that they had been “choked blue” by the extremes of both political parties." 

So essentially a "Blue Dog" is a moderate Democrat. Fiscally conservative, socially liberal is what I like to think. The Belle portion comes from my desire to be a southern belle. Really I just wanted a name that would represent multiple aspects of my personality. You guys know this, but I'm a political junkie with an addiction to glitter and sparkles. For more on the meaning behind the blog read my post: here.

New Orleans: The Future

As I posted here I will be picking up my life again to move to New Orleans, Louisiana to pursue my dream of going to law school. I'm both terrified and excited about this new adventure, saying goodbye to DC is much harder than I expected. Stick along for the ride though, and I'm sure we'll have tons of adventures in cajun country together. Read about my first adventure here.


And I'm back! So what do y'all think? too long? Are you annoyed by the round pictures? I hope you love it just as much as I do! Now I'm inspired to make even more changes! What should I tackle next???

Heavy Hearts

I'm going to go ahead and warn you, this post albeit brief is not the normally light hearted post you are probably used to seeing around this blog. I'm not sure what's really going on with me this week, but I'm just feeling emotionally crushed by the state of my world. I know so much of my feelings are coming from the absolutely heartbreaking images coming from Moore, Oklahoma.  But it's beyond that. This has been a really tough year. First the shootings in Aurora, Co., then hurricane Sandy, then the absolute tragedy of Sandy Hook, the Boston bombings, all the coverage of those girls in Ohio, and now the devastation in Oklahoma.  My heart has been saddened by each and everyone of these events. 

I like so many others have shed plenty of tears for the victims of these tragedies, but at the moment I'm just feeling so overwhelmed by all the sadness in the world.  I'm so appreciative that none of the tragedy has touched my personal life, but that doesn't negate the sadness hanging over me. 

I don't really know how to explain my feelings other than to say I'm utterly overwhelmed. 

So I hope you'll excuse me today as a take the day off to get myself back into a better head space. I need to focus on the good in the world, and in my world in particular.  For now I'll just leave you with this quote...

South Moon Under Shopping

Last week I made the trek out to South Moon Under in the Mosaic District in Fairfax for the Rebecca Minkoff trunk show, and let me tell y'all it was well worth the adventure. I know I'm making this sound like it's hours outside the city, but like many other district dwellers I rarely venture out to virginia, let alone outside the beltway! 

Honestly though, I wish I had done it sooner. Fabulous boutique shopping, many of my favorite DC area restaurants and target in one place? I don't even have to pay for parking? Amazing. Anyways, South Moon Under is a gem, so many unique and on trend pieces I definitely know where I'll be doing my shopping from now on. 

I was beyond impressed with the selection, and hey a 20% off night doesn't hurt either right? 

Gilded Stripes

Well folks, we made it once again! Happy Friday! I can tell already this summer is just going to fly by (yay/sad).  This week has been an absolute whirlwind and I really don't know where the time keeps going! But anyways, let's talk about more exciting things like Friday's Fancies. I decided to go a bit more formal for Friday's Fancies this week. While the theme was stripes, I seemed to be craving any and everything gold.

Lace top / striped pencil skirt / shoes / sandals /  handbag / bracelet  / disc earrings / pearl drop earrings

I don't know about you, but I'm absolutely and completely obsessed with this pencil skirt! 

UPDATED

Oh my gosh y'all! somehow I forgot to do a little link love this week! How did that happen? Maybe because I stayed up entirely too late last night watching the epic office series finale. Before we get to link love can we just talk about the office for a minute? Oh my gosh, I'm so sad. I was a little disappointed with the ending, but I think that's more in the fact that it's ending not so much the writing. I was definitely great to see the whole gang together one last time and get some resolutions for so many of my favorites. Seriously. Thursday nights are never going to be the same. 

Okay, enough ranting about TV. Link Love time. 

• Now that summer weather is quickly approaching I've been craving fruit like crazy. This teriyaki chicken with strawberry mango salsa sounds right up my alley. 
• Anyone in need of a few good DIY ideas? Design Crush pulled together some great ones this week. 
• I am not the best about cleaning my makeup brushes, but I would say it realistically happens every 3-4 weeks. This is a great guide on how to not only clean, but sanitize your makeup brushes. 
• It's friday, obviously time for a cocktail tonight and this one sounds so perfect.
• I am officially half way through my twenties, scary. I loved this cheat sheet for winning at life in your 20's. Definitely some lessons to learn. 
• Not that I need to do any more shopping, but I loved each and every one of these shops featured on Dooley Noted Style this week. 

And that is all she wrote. Happy Weekend Y'all! I'm finally seeing Gatsby and checking out Opera in the Outfield. Other than that, I'm going to enjoy this lovely weather! 

A Perfect Eastern Market Afternoon

Last weekend I ran around eastern market, and I've still be dreaming about how lovely it is. If you've never been you absolutely need to get over there ASAP. The market lies just blocks away from the Capitol building, but it feels like a different world. Everyone just meanders around, shopping, eating, drinking and enjoying a little time off. Honestly this market is one of my favorite things about DC, and I will often miss spending my weekends taking in the sights and sounds of this gem of a market. 

Do you have a favorite weekend haunt? A market? Brunch spot? 

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Happy Birthday Mom!

Hello there! I'm back again to wish my Mom a very happy birthday! 

Me too. Happy Birthday Mom!

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