BEDKNOBS & BAUBLES

Beachy

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This tunic is by far the best pre-vacation purchase I’ve ever made. Not only did I wear it to the beach every day, it looks cute half-tucked into a pair of shorts–a relief since we’re a couple of months away from pool weather in Wisconsin. Go down one size if you’re lucky enough to find one online when there’s a return. (I’m wearing a small.)

While we were in Fort Lauderdale, we stayed at Snooze. It’s a renovated mid-century motel located across the street from the beach. It also has the cutest rooftop patio, where we took these photos. We didn’t spend a lot of time on the roof, since it’s only open during the motel’s daytime office hours, but it was a lovely spot to enjoy our morning coffee before heading out for the day.

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REMINDER
Enter to win a Mother’s Day charm necklace from Helen Ficalora. Enter here! 

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Tunic: J.Crew (also love this one and this one)
Swimsuit: LOFT (old, this year’s version)
Sandals: Kate Spade (also love these)
Sunglasses: Prada
Lips: Stila “Fiore”
Nails: Clinique “Really Rio” and Essie “In the Cab-ana”

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REMINDER
Enter to win a Mother’s Day charm necklace from Helen Ficalora. Enter here! 

Tropical Prints

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I wish I could say it’s good to be back home, but it’s really not as lovely as our vacation in Florida! We had such a relaxing week taking day trips to nearby cities, lounging oceanside, and dining (and drinking) at various restaurants. Despite getting back Saturday evening sun-kissed and sleepy, I set an alarm for 1 a.m. to await the debut of the Lilly Pulitzer for Target collection. Did anyone else stay up for it? I know many ladies had problems accessing the site (including Kristin Davis) and I was extremely lucky to find my must-have items. I was only able to add items to my cart if I clicked the quick shopping link on the mobile search page, instead of the product page. I managed to purchase the pineapple serving bowl (it was the one item I would have thrown elbows for in-store 😉 ), two of the giraffe-print pillows for our bed (lucky Dave), a cosmetic case, a pair of pom pom shorts, and this top. Honestly, I felt ridiculous making these purchases in the middle of the night, but everything was sold out when I stopped by Target around 8:15 a.m.

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Top: Milly x Banana Republic (old, also love this tank)
Shorts: J.Crew
Bag: Tory Burch
Necklace: c/o Helen Ficalora*
Ring: Lulu Frost
Sunglasses: Prada
Sandals: Sam Edelman (I wear these on repeat all summer.)
Lips: Stila “Fiore”
Nails: Clinique “Hi Sweetie” and Essie “In the Cab-ana”

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*Check back tomorrow for a special Mother’s Day giveaway!

Petals & Pleats

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I bought this dress a few months ago with the intent to wear it during next week’s Florida vacation, but it made an early debut when the mercury rose to 76 degrees. The loose silhouette is perfect for hot days…even if you’re at risk of a Marilyn Monroe moment when the wind picks up! I especially like how the petals of this Gerard Yosca necklace perfectly mimic the pleats in the dress. And, on that note, don’t forget to enter to win your own jewelry set from Gerard Yosca. There’s a daisy pendant and earrings up for grabs here. It’s a prize valued at $252!

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Dress: Line & Dot (also comes in three other colors)
Bag: Tory Burch
Sunglasses: Dolce & Gabbana c/o SmartBuyGlasses
Earrings: c/o Gerard Yosca
Necklace: c/o Gerard Yosca

Spring is in the Air

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I refused to wear a jacket on Saturday, even though the temperature barely rose above 40 degrees. It was dry, the snow was mostly melted, and it was sunny. That and I’m tired of wearing winter coats. So, I threw on my favorite merino wool sweater that I’ve had for four years now (and actually wore when I met Dave for the first time) and a pair of, gasp, jeans. For the record, I hate jeans. I don’t think they’re comfortable or particularly flattering, but I figured it was time to buy a pair for weekends when I don’t want to wear a skirt or black pants. I went to Old Navy after seeing this pair of jeans on Lydia. I see the appeal of the jegging-like material, but they looked terrible on me. I ended up going with the skinny “Sweetheart” style. Paired with some of my favorite spring accessories–including daisy earrings that you can win tomorrow–it made for a relaxed ensemble for running errands and indulging in afternoon drinks.

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Sweater: J.Crew Factory (old, similar)
Jeans: Old Navy
Scarf: Tory Burch (old, also love this splurge and this save)
Bracelets: Monica Vinader, Hermes
Ring: Lulu Frost
Earrings: c/o Gerard Yosca
Purse: Tory Burch
Sunglasses: Prada
Shoes: Gap (old, similar)

Ten Things

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My favorite bloggers are women who are smart, self-assured, and authentic. And I love getting to know more about them, which is why I love the “Ten Things” posts from Fran and Alissa earlier this month. To follow in the footsteps of these lovely ladies, here are ten things you might not know about me:

  1. I’m allergic to cats, Bacon included. Fortunately, I don’t break out in hives around him like I do most cats. I just need a rescue inhaler for the asthma he caused. (And, yet, I still can’t resist his fuzzy little face.)
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  2. I’m comfortable around guns. My dad is a retired police officer and a hunting enthusiast, so we always had firearms around the house growing up. He was very open about them and answered questions my brother and I had, so we weren’t curious enough to snoop when our parents weren’t home. I didn’t share an interest in hunting, obviously, but I was required to take a hunters’ safety class. I earned top marks on the written test and the field test. I remember being surprised that not everyone hit the bullseye. I mean, you look down the barrel and shoot. How hard is it?! Haha. (My brother is in the U.S. Army and is an excellent marksman. It must run in the family.)
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  3. I took Dutch for two semesters in college. It’s a shame I only retained a handful of phrases and the correct pronunciation of “Gouda.”
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  4. I have a tooth on the roof of my mouth and only three incisors on the bottom instead of four. The one on the roof of my mouth is dormant (thank God), but there’s a calcium deposit where a tooth could have formed. Strangely, my brother has the exact same deformity and his tooth came in. Poor kid had to have it removed in elementary school. (His wisdom teeth never formed, so don’t be too sympathetic.)
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  5. I will always choose beer over wine. (Any fellow beer geeks can find me on Untappd with username jmhamm.) Also, I’ll never order soda. I stopped drinking it two years ago and now find it sickeningly sweet.
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  6. My dad trimmed my bangs when I was little by taping lined paper to my forehead to make sure his cuts were straight. I remember seeing the scissor shadows come dangerously close to my eyes!
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  7. I make really good sugar cookies. My mom is an fantastic baker and I’ve inherited plenty of family recipes, including the sugar cookie recipe that I’ve perfected.
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  8. I was in Girl Scouts long after it was socially acceptable. I stuck it out for twelve years and earned the Gold Award, the highest award in Girl Scouts, by organizing a summer reading program for first through third grade children.
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  9. I’m named after the main character in some tawdry romance novel my mom read when she was pregnant with me. (Bonus: I was born in May and my parents briefly considered giving that to me as a middle name. Until they said “Jessica May Hamm” out loud. A little too close to “mayhem” for their liking. They picked Marie.)
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  10. I hate watching movies, but I love binge-watching television shows.  A movie seems like such a time commitment to sit through, even though I have no problem planting myself in front of the TV for hours of House of Cards.
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Top: J.Crew Factory (similar here and here)
Shorts: J.Crew
Shoes: Sperry
Purse: Tory Burch
Bracelet: Monica Vinader
Rings: Lulu Frost, c/o Vrai & Oro
Sunglasses: Dolce & Gabbana c/o SmartBuyGlasses
Nails: Zoya “Blu” (and a Band-Aid on my index finger 😉 )
Lips: Clinique “Peony”