There are a few specific fashion items and trends that just scream summer. Flip flops, bright Lilly Pulitzer prints, and seersucker to name a few... but another thing that makes me think of the warmest months of the year is a chic all white outfit! Whether that's an LWD or white separates, there is something so summery about that type of outfit. I'm sharing my take on all white for summer today, as well as a fun giveaway with other bloggers!
The giveaway in today's post is sponsored by Lili Allesandra. This post also contains affiliate links. Thank you for supporting the brands that support Southern Belle in Training!
Photo by Amanda Rose Photography - {from my bedroom tour in my Vermont apartment in this blog post}
Happy Monday Friends! I am back in Charlottesville after a whirlwind weekend at a college friend's wedding in North Carolina. Keeping today's post right to the point while I get back on schedule today! One Nordstrom Sale category that I haven't covered yet this year on the blog is the home decor and home goods that are part of the sale!! To be honest- I feel like I forget each year that Nordstrom has such an extensive home department. They have a whole range of fun items marked down in this year's NSale, so I wanted to highlight a few picks if you're in the market for new home decor right now. There's also a lot of luxurious bedding and pillows included in the NSale this year, thanks to Lili Alessandra!
Again- there is so much good home stuff in this year's NSale! These are just a few picks that caught my eye especially when browsing. Another reason to shop for home decor during the NSale isn't just to treat yourself or spruce up your home... but to pre-buy presents! A lot of these items would make awesome Christmas, housewarming or bridal shower gifts.
Now let's get right to the fun part of today's post! I've teamed up with Lili Allesandra and several great bloggers to bring you a fabulous Nordstrom gift card giveaway!!
"Southern Belle in Training" is the name of my blog, but I feel like it's been a little while since I've posted what I think is a true Southern Belle type outfit. I think today's look definitely fits the bill, and I'm excited to share this beautiful dress in today's blog post. There's also a Nordstrom gift card giveaway with some other bloggers further in the post- Early Access for the Nordstrom Anniversary Sale is on the way soon!
What is a Southern Belle? According to Wikipedia (my favorite reference source), a Southern Belle is a "stock character representing a young woman of the American South's upper socioeconomic class." This description brings to mind pictures of 1800s Southern women in hoop skirts... I think we're way past that in terms of Southern Belles! To me, the modern Southern Belle is a woman who is put together, poised, and confident. Her fashion sense is feminine, bright, and classic. On a deeper level than fashion, the modern Southern Belle knows how to stick up for herself and is strong and independent, but also loving and nurturing. Her faith is the center of her life, and that plays out into how she loves and interacts with her family, friends and significant other. And most importantly... she LOVES living in the South and loves Southern culture! These are the attributes I think of in 2018 when I hear the words "Southern Belle," and I try and live them out myself through both my blog and my real life. 😊
Now- onto the outfit! This dress from Chicwish makes me think "Southern Belle" every time that I see it! The bold red and pink flowers are so eye-catching and beautiful. It's made of a light enough material that you wouldn't sweat too much wearing it outside on a hot Southern day (it was about 90 when Deeana and I shot these photos!). It makes me think of all sorts of fun summer occasions like garden parties and tea parties. I paired the dress with classic pointed-toe nude pumps, a bold pink lipstick, and a coordinating necklace.
Switching gears now- did you know that the Nordstrom Anniversary Sale is just a few weeks away? If you've followed me or other fashion bloggers for a few years, you know that this is one of the biggest sales of the year, especially here in the blogging world! I make a conscious effort each July not to *over* promote it, but with that said it is a great sale, and I am excited for it this year! To get excited for the NSale, I've teamed up with a group of other bloggers to give one lucky person a $1,000 Nordstrom gift card to shop the sale!! Giveaway details are below:
I’ve teamed up with an amazing group of bloggers
to give YOU a chance to win:
a $1,000 Nordstrom Gift Card, just in time to shop the Anniversary Sale!
Simply enter below by completing the rafflecopter.
You’ll receive one entry per completion.
This giveaway is open to the U.S. and Canada only and runs until 7/9.
Winner will be announced here. Good Luck!
Void where prohibited.
By entering the giveaway you acknowledge that you are agreeing to complete each task,
which involves following, liking and subscribing to newsletter's.
I am a woman of contradictions, and I am okay with admitting that. I strongly dislike (dare I use the h-word... hate?) about 95% of Christmas music. I do enjoy The Carpenters Christmas Portrait album in moderation about a week before Christmas... and that's about it. Yet whatever distaste I have for the music side of Christmas, I absolutely overcompensate for in my obsession with CHRISTMAS DECORATING!! In today's blog post, I'm giving you the Christmas decor tour of my Vermont Bachelorette Pad!
Photography by Amanda Rose Photography
This post contains affiliate links. Thank you for supporting Southern Belle in Training!
Christmas Decor from Hobby Lobby, At Home and Dollar Tree. {Ornaments on small tree handmade.}
The Christmas season last year was such fun time for me, as it was my first time buying large amounts of Christmas decor, and getting to decorate my own apartment! (I lived in dorms all four years of college, so my Christmas decorating during those years was limited to the tiny silver tree that you can see pictured in one of the photos above!) Just like with determining your personal style with fashion, there are many routes that you can take with determining your Christmas decorating style. You can go traditional, neutral, sparkly, bold, multi-colored, modern, classic, rustic, etc etc!! Or combine a few of those things into your own fun style. Where I'm a super girly girl, but my fashion sense is a mix of modern and classic, I wanted my Christmas decorating style to reflect this. I also wanted to go all out and have everything be over-the-top glam and feminine, because in the years where I'm living alone, I totally can do that!
My biggest inspiration for decorating my tree last year came from this post from Emily from The Sweetest Thing. #treegoals I could not get enough of her tree from 2015, and wanted to do my best to re-create something like that, but with my own colors and flair. Here is my Christmas tree and decorating blog post from 2016! As you can see for comparison, I kept my fake tree and all of the ornaments and everything when I moved to Vermont. This year I just added more of everything, since I had a whole apartment to myself to decorate! That meant more ribbon and ornaments on the tree itself, and more fun decorations throughout the apartment. I can't wait to keep adding more and more decorations to my collection as the years continue to pass! Fun story about my Christmas tree: it was given to me by my Charlotte blog photographer, Deeana, after she and her husband moved across the city to a new home last year!
My dad spent a weekend with me in early November of this year, and we took a day trip over to Upstate New York (across Lake Champlain) to visit the nearest Hobby Lobby, and I bought a bunch more ornaments and ribbon for the tree, and other Christmas decorations for my apartment. I am so happy with how everything came together this year. The color scheme that I go with for my tree decor is hot pink, teal, purple and gold, with other colors as accents. I also like a subtle peacock theme on the tree. I do have a small collection of sentimental and homemade ornaments that have been given to me through the years that don't necessarily match my big tree, so this year my dad bought me the small tree that's on my dining room table to put all of those on. It's such a fun table centerpiece, and a great way to still showcase special ornaments!
Thanks so much for enjoying this year's holiday home tour of my apartment! To make this post even better, I'm teaming up with some other great bloggers to bring you a fantastic holiday giveaway. It is so easy to enter:
Simply enter below by completing the rafflecopter.
You’ll receive one entry per completion.
This giveaway is open internationally and runs until end of day 12/18.
Winner will be announced here. Good Luck!
*this giveaway is in no way sponsored by Nordstrom.
Forget the NSale... my favorite sale of the year is the Lilly Pulitzer After Party Sale! And the summer edition begins TOMORROW!!! Yay! In today's post I'm sharing some of my tips and thoughts about shopping the sale. Make sure you read to the end of the post, because I'm also giving y'all a preview about my week of blogiversary giveaways which begins on my Instagram tomorrow night!
This post contains affiliate links. Thank you for supporting Southern Belle in Training!!
What is the After Party Sale? The After Party Sale is Lilly Pulitzer's best sale of the year! It is held twice a year, online and in Lilly Pulitzer official stores (some signature stores choose to participate as well), in January and August. Lilly Pulitzer merchandise rarely goes on sale, and during the APS various fashion pieces and accessories are marked down between 30-70% off depending on the item! Shipping is also FREE (although it is always free shipping at Lilly- sale or no sale! 😉). If you're familiar at all with the Lilly brand, you know that their dresses and other apparel can be quite pricy. I buy most of my Lilly pieces during the APS since those prices fit my budget much better!
When is the After Party Sale? This is the first time EVER that the After Party Sale is THREE DAYS LONG!!! Yay! In past years, it's been only two days. That means that as early popular items sell out, Lilly will most likely be adding new surprise items throughout the sale. I can't wait! The sale begins bright and early tomorrow morning, at 8 am EST. It runs Monday, August 28th through Wednesday, August 30th.
What is the queue shopping system? If this is your first time shopping in an After Party Sale, you might be surprised at how popular this is! Lilly's website gets an enormous amount of traffic in the first day of the After Party Sale! If you're online and ready to shop at 8 am, you will be placed into a queue while waiting for the website to open. You might get scared if you see your shopping number say something very high like 50,000... but don't panic! Lilly uses this system to try and prevent website crashes (which have happened before). Generally speaking, the line does move quite quickly. I can only think of one APS when I had to wait a full two hours for my number to get me into the website, and even then I was still able to purchase the item that I wanted! Other times, I've gotten into shop in less than 20 minutes. The main thing to remember is DO NOT refresh your browser! Just wait it out - it will pay off!
Something you can do though is shop on multiple devices! Pull out your laptop, work computer, iPad, phone (Lilly has an iPhone app!), old iPod Touch... you get the just! 😉
A final tip for today- if you don't have a shopping account with Lilly Pulitzer yet, make one NOW! This will save you so much time for tomorrow and the rest of the sale!
Any shopping strategy tips? Similar to my tips with each year's NSale, I always advise friends and blog readers to enjoy the sale and treat yourself, but not to go insane, and also not to buy just for the sake of the sale. Unlike the NSale, the After Party Sale is 100% FINAL SALE, so if you purchase something that does not fit, you will have to get creative in ways of resale.
What I'm looking for varies each time there is an After Party Sale! Last time around, I was looking for a graduation dress for broadcasting school. I ended up purchasing totally different items (and thank goodness- because I ended up moving to Vermont and being unable to attend my graduation!), but this time around I'm definitely not looking for graduation dresses. Instead I'll be on the hunt for popovers, sweaters, and luxletic pants- aka Lilly items that I can wear in Vermont's cold fall and spring seasons!
A few things I'm hoping to see in the APS:
Happy shopping tomorrow ladies! Tomorrow and Tuesday's post will also be focused on the sale. Also stay tuned to my Twitter (@miss_alk) for the best deals to be tweeted out hourly during the whole sale! This is seriously one of my favorite times of the year- I can't wait to hear what y'all purchase! Feel free to tweet me, email me or DM me!
And finally- for a little exciting announcement and preview- next week is my 5th year blogiversary with Southern Belle in Training! I can't even believe it!! This week in honor of that, I'm hosting five days of giveaways on my Instagram, beginning tomorrow night. 😊 Each one is sponsored by a wonderful brand that I've had the pleasure of partnering with on my blog over the last few years or this year. They are Nava New York, Smooch by April LipSense, YumEarth, Charming Charlie and Aveda! I wanted to do this for y'all to say thank you to each and every one of you who supports my blog and creative passion. Stay tuned on my Instagram for the first giveaway with Nava New York tomorrow night!
Today's giveaway is sponsored by Lili Allessandra. This post also contains affiliate links. Thank you for supporting the brands that support Southern Belle in Training! Today I'm sharing some home decor favorites from this year's Nordstrom Sale, as well as a $500 Nordstrom giveaway with some other great bloggers! I feel like homedecor is sometimes the category that gets forgotten about during the NSale, but there are also wonderful deals in this category, just like there are on clothing, shoes and accessories!
Let me start this off by saying it's taking all of my willpower NOT to buy that adorable flamingo shower curtain! Aquamarine and hot pink are one of my favorite color combos, and I am just in love with it! (I got all new bathroom decor for my first apartment in Charlotte last year though, so I'm not quite overdue for a bathroom decor refresh yet. #meh #budgeting)
I think that the recipe tin and wine rack would both make such great bridal shower or wedding gifts! Those are the types of items that a bride might not think to put on a registry, but could both come in handy for a new apartment or house.
This sale could also be the perfect time to invest in some luxurious new bedding! Bedding is one of those things that can be such an expensive purchase, but the good news is when it's from a good brand, it will last for years and years to come. I love this gorgeous Lili Allessandra bedding which is included in the sale!
And now for the best part of today's post- the giveaway! In celebration of the recent launch of Lili Alessandra a maker of fine linens and soft furnishings on Nordstrom.com. I have partnered with a few of my favorite bloggers to give away a $500 Nordstrom gift card! Simply enter below by completing the Rafflecopter. You’ll receive one entry per completion. This giveaway is open internationally and ends on 8/7. Winner will be announced here. Good luck!
Bird- of-paradise have always been one of my favorite plants. Growing up, my mom had a big painting hanging in our living room of these colorful flowers, so it sparked my interest in them from a young age. When I saw that this skirt was just covered with them, I knew I had to have it!
Thank you to Nicholle from Nicholle Sophia for taking these photos!
This post contains affiliate links. Thank you for supporting Southern Belle in Training.
Good morning from Maine! Being new in radio, I don't really get time off at my job this year, but my boss gave me Sunday off so I was able to come home for a very quick trip Sunday/Monday for my mom's birthday, which is today. (If you wish her a happy birthday in the comments she will see it- she's one of Southern Belle in Training's biggest fans!) I'm heading back to Vermont tonight, but hoping to stop first in Manchester, NH, to do some shopping at stores that we don't have in the Burlington area!
This skirt is such a vibrant, colorful piece that it just screamed my name! Not only is it covered in beautiful bird-of-paradise flowers, but it also has such a ladylike style and fit to it. Pairing it with a black dressy camisole and block sandals gives it an elegant but still fun look. I love it! This is definitely a classic summery "Annaliese" look. 😊
Back in May, I shared the three library books that I had read that month. Since I have been trying to read more for fun since getting a library card here in Vermont, I thought I would do that again! Here are the three books that I've read in June/July:
*Good Luck by Whitney Gaskell: This book is what I would categorize as a "classic beach read." It's about a woman named Lucy, who by complete chance ends up winning a huge jackpot in the Florida lottery. The lottery ends up changing her life a lot more than she anticipates, and through a series of new experiences and lessons she learns all about the ups and downs of being a lottery winner. I didn't love this book but I didn't dislike it either. This would be a good one to take with you on a beach or lake house vacation if all you're doing is reading lots of books for a week, but it's not memorable enough to read if you don't have a lot of time to read for fun.
*Beach Town by Mary Kay Andrews: I was initially really excited about this book, because in May's book review post I had read my first Mary Kay Andrews book and really enjoyed it. Unfortunately, this one was really a snooze. I only finished it because I only don't finish books unless they're terrible, but by the end I was kind of forcing myself to get through. This book is about a woman named Greer who works as a location scout for Hollywood movies, and she is sent to a remote beach town in Florida to scout for an upcoming movie. The movie ends up shooting there, and over time a complicated romance and some family drama develops for Greer outside of her crazy work life. I thought this book would be so fascinating being about an old Florida beach town and the movie industry, but I found it to be so predictable and honestly quite boring. I wouldn't recommend it!
*Touch and Go by Lisa Gardner: I decided to check my first thriller ever out at the library after reading so many of Caitlin from Southern Curls and Pearl's book reviews. She has raved about the thriller genre, and Lisa Gardner as an author, so I decided to try one of her books. And OMG- I LOVED this book! I stayed up until almost 2 am reading it the same night I brought it home from the library. This was a very intense book with a lot of graphic violence scenes, but it had the most insane plot. I also liked Touch and Go since it was set in New England. To say a little bit of the plot without spoiling it: an entire wealthy family in the Boston area is kidnapped one night, with no ransom and no leads on who might have done it. This book goes back and forth between the perspective of the kidnapped wife, and one of the female private investigators who is working on the case back in Boston to find the family.
These books and my outfit are linked below:
Just wanted to remind y'all as well that the Nordstrom Anniversary Sale giveaway that I'm hosting with several other bloggers, which I first posted about last Monday, is still going on!! It's not too late to enter. This giveaway is open internationally and runs until 7/24.
Winner will be announced here. Good Luck!
Tomorrow I'll be sharing an honest review post of LipSense - which might be 2017's most talked about beauty product! And then on Wednesday I'll be reviewing my NSale puchases in my Midweek Ramblings post!
Getting to break out my Lilly Pulitzer whenever I want to is one of my favorite parts about summer! Today I'm styling this adorable skort that I found at a resale shop in Charlotte before I moved. PLUS- there's a huge Nordstrom Sale giveaway at the end of this post so don't miss it!
Lilly Pulitzer became one of my favorite brands shortly after I moved to North Carolina. I always thought that their colorful clothing was more than just a fashion statement, but also embodied a whole lifestyle! Lilly pieces always remind me of some of of my favorite Southern memories. Even though I have such strong Lilly associations with the South in particular, I knew that I had to bring my Lilly obsession with me here to Vermont!
I'm wore this Lilly-filled outfit for an afternoon stroll on Burlington's Church Street Marketplace! Church Street is a pedestrian district in Downtown Burlington that is filled with shops and restaurants. I've had a lot of company visiting me in Vermont over the past month, and I always make sure to make time to bring my visitors to Church Street, as I think it's one of the most quaint parts of Vermont that I've seen so far. The Church Street Marketplace kind of reminds me of a tiny version of one of Boston's streets- it's very New England! Definitely the perfect place to wear some Lilly and enjoy warm summer weather, which as y'all know can be more of a rarity here in New England!
Outfit details (and current Lilly styles) are linked below:
In honor of the Nordstrom Sale beginning soon, I've teamed up with several other bloggers to bring you a great giveaway to help prepare for the sale!
I’ve teamed up with an amazing group of bloggers to give YOU a chance to win:
a $1,000 Nordstrom Gift Card, just in time for the Anniversary Sale! Simply enter below by completing the Rafflecopter.
You’ll receive one entry per completion.
This giveaway is open internationally and runs until 7/24.
Winner will be announced here. Good Luck!
Hey Queen City (and surrounding area) friends! I've been sharing this on social media all week, but I just wanted to give y'all a reminder that I'm hosting super fun Galentine's themed giveaway on my Instagram currently. It ends tomorrow night, 2/15, so there is still time to enter! I'm co-hosting this giveaway along with Rachel from Queen City Chic, who is one of Charlotte's biggest local influencers. She partners all of the time with Charlotte area restaurants, boutiques, and lots more local businesses, and I so-admire her passion for the city and how she has been able to turn that into a blogging and social media endeavor.
Rachel and I have put together a fun little Galentine's giveaway for all of our sweet Charlotte area gals who are following us! Three Charlotte businesses have generously agreed to be sponsors. You can enter the giveaway directly on this Instagram photo. If you're the winner, both you and a bestie will each win:
*A beautiful handcrafted necklace from Mila Rose Jewelry (Rachel and I are each modeling them in these photos!)
*A variety pack from Popbar (Pops pictured above - each variety pack will contain three gelatos, two sorbets and one yogurt pop.)
Rachel and I had fun shooting the pictures for our giveaway all over Charlotte's NoDa neighborhood a couple of weeks ago. After taking some photos outside of the necklaces, we headed over to Popbar to enjoy a treat. Their storefront is currently all decked out for Valentine's, which was just perfect for our giveaway!
I have previously written about Popbar in this blog post, and it's definitely one of my new favorite Charlotte spots to head to for a sweet treat. I've been recommending it to all of my friends!
Suarez Bakery is another fantastic Charlotte spot for tasty treats. I used to frequent there more than I should admit for midweek pick-me-ups when I was in college! Take a look at some of their special Valentine's goodies:
Rachel and I are hoping that all of our Charlotte area followers will enter this Galentine's giveaway! I sure wish that I could win it. 😉
Speaking of Galentine's- I'm off to celebrate for a special Galentine's lunch with some of my girlfriends today! Hope that y'all are having a great weekend.
