25. valley.

here i am, summed up by bullet points. enjoy these 25 facts and have a great weekend.

xo.
valley & cake (just testing out how it feels to go before the "&" sign...)

1. i'm four minutes younger than cake, which makes me the youngest of four girls.
2. i'm not adventurous with nail polish colors- red & gray are the only colors i get.
3. i've worn the same make-up since i was a freshman in high school; with the exception of red lip stain.
4. i hate super high heels and think 90% of the time they are unflattering.
5. i drive a green VW beetle.
6. champagne is my preferred drink, but i limit myself to two glasses because i've made the mistake of not doing that before. 
7. if possible champagne should be served in a saucer/coupe and not a flute. 
8. a good scarf should be full when wrapped and can be worn with anything & in all four seasons.
9. i love kempt facial hair. (on men...just to be clear!)
10. i'm a gift card hoarder, it's impossible for me to decide what to spend them on.
11. instagram is my prefered social media platform.
12. i had my nose pierced for a good 36 hours before i was over it. 
13. i've lived in NYC, Chicago, and London; but nothing compares to home {aka Indiana.}
14. i'm always one hair cut away from getting bangs . . .  but didn't they just grow out?
15. i've worn glasses since seventh grade, but complained about not being able to see the blackboard since i was in third grade. (thanks mom and dad!)
16. on my soccer team when i was little we had a rotating schedule of goalies so everyone had to do it, when it was my turn i took a ball straight to my face with out even putting my hands up to stop it. i never had to play goalie again.
17. i love chocolate malts but hate chocolate milk shakes. 
18. i have a complex about everything being too short on me. thank god for the midi length!
19. i have entire gchats of just .gifs with coworkers.
20. i worry about everything. all. the. time. 
21. going to the movie theater by myself is just as fun as going with a friend.
22. sneaking a chipotle burrito into the movie theater is the only way to see a movie. forget the popcorn. 
23. root beer floats, s'mores, and strawberry short cake are the best summer desserts.
24. celebrating my 30th birthday in wine country with friends was the best birthday i've ever had. sadly one of my closest friends was sick and couldn't make it...but all the more reason to take another trip there, right!?
25. i've recently become obsessed with infographics...who's with me on this one?

25. cake.

for all our new readers & our old ones too . . . . here are twenty-five things you might not know about cake! get ready for valley's 25 tomorrow :)

x&o.

cake & valley.

1. i learned to drive at age 25.
2. i love the color blue.
3. i want to take a trip where i only pack white tops & jeans.
4. getting a manicure & pedicure every other week is my little slice of heaven on earth.
5. i have four tattoos & have plans for at least two more.
6. i wore black nail polish on my wedding day.
7. i never craved ice cream or french fries until i met my husband who loves those two things.
8. i firmly believe ranch is the best thing ever.
9. i hadn't really thought about becoming a mom until i met my husband.
10. i one time thought whipped butter was whipped cream and piled it on top of a belgium waffle when i was little and tried to eat it. it was the grossest thing ever. i've never told that story to anyone before.
11. i'm on an anxiety/insomnia medication for post-partum depression & going on it is one of the best decision i've ever made.
12. i meet my husband at a wedding in california & we dated long distance for more than 18 months; he lived in indiana & i lived in NYC.
13. i never knew i liked chicken fried rice or coconut until I got pregnant. that's all i craved for the second trimester of pregnancy. during my first trimester all i ate was apples, cucumbers, and celery; seriously the crunchier the better.
14. i was forced to touch my twin sister's teeth once.
15. i find #14 to be one of the oddest experiences of my life. 
16. i write letters/emails to people to get my anger out but never send them. i'm usually over it by the time i'm done writing. 
17. when it's hot-hot outside i like to drive with the windows down & the air conditioning on full blast.
18. i hate hate hate talking on the phone, please for the love of god don't leave a voicemail just text me!
19. i really want lavender hair but hate to think of the long term damage.
20. i've been an art teacher, cupcake decorator, stylist, pointe shoe fitter, puzzle painter, library filing extraordinaire for eight years, museum photographer/cataloguer . . . and i still have no clue as to what i want to be when i grow up.
21. i hate that i try to finish other people's sentences allllll the time. i just cant seem to break the habit.
22. coffee morning. noon. and night. always.
23. i one time sneezed so many times in a row that when i was walking to get a tissue i nearly passed out from being so light headed.
24. i want all the turquoise jewelry in the world. it's my favorite.
25. i plan all my outfits around how i'm going to style my hair & if it's not a good hair day, you might as well assume i'm in a bad mood.

fitting room files. cake.

alright ladies & gents it's my turn to offer some insight into our latest trip to F21! hope you enjoy & that it helps when you hit up their website and/or store! oh, and hope you had a good weekend & happy monday.

x&o.

cake.

ps. the computer is fixed!!!!! we'll be fully up & running by thursday :)

bought.

i love this top & know i'll get tons of use out of it this summer. i'll wear it over a bikini or with jean shorts or flared jeans & heels . . . .  and i even imagine wearing into the fall layered under sweaters and some killed boots {but i can wait for that look, bring on the summer heat!} with anything like this from F21 i make sure to wash with very little heat & i always let it air dry. i've found with something like this it almost always shrinks! just a little heads up :) link & i bought a size M.

passed.

i thought this was sooooo cute & still do but i HATE HATE HATE when embellishments stop at the shoulder. i think it makes the top look cheaper then it already is! so, as soon as i noticed that, this item was a no go. oh well. link & i think i tired on a small. i'm currently eyeing these styles here, here, & here.

passed:

looking back i wish i'd bought this. i think i'd already had so many misses with other stuff at this point & i didn't feel like taking off my pants so the fit was totally off  . . . thus the reason i passed. in hindsight i think i would have gotten lots of use out of this. it was soft, a midi length, and a great piece to pair with lots of jewelry to make for an easy chic go-to look. i'll probably try and go to a F21 in the next few weeks to see if i can pick this up and add it to my closet. link & this is a size L.

passed.

yes another pass for me. this was cute & sweet but did i need it? i always walk the line between buying something like this because i know i'll wear it and feeling like i have a closet full of stuff like this already because i wear stuff like this all the time {especially now that i'm home with georgina full time.} plus as stated above i was already in the mood of passing on almost everything; so, i left this cute little guy in the fitting room. similar style here & i tried on a M.

passed.

i loooove striped tops & recently realized i have lots of blue & white or black & white striped tops but no red & white striped tops. so you can imagine my excitement when i spied this little guy. sadly i didn't like the fit or the permanently rolled sleeved. for some reason i imagined that little detail driving me crazy! random, yes, but if it was already driving me crazy in the fitting rooms, i knew it would never get worn. of course the only version of a similar top i could find online does not have a rolled sleeve . . .  grr . . . here's the link & i tried on a M.

purchased but not pictured: this necklace set- this was a must! it was packaged all together and so i was hesitant because i hate when you have to wear something a certain way but after seeing the price tag i figured i could make due. i was pleasantly surprised when i opened up the packaging and discovered it was actually three separate necklaces! bonus! the go perfectly with some of the other little delicate gold necklaces i own. so now i just have more to play around & layer in all sorts of mix and match patterns!

fitting room files. valley.

so a few weeks back, when i was out in NH, cake and i stopped by a f21. one of our favorite places to poke around. here are the items that i tried on. you can see if i bought it or passed on it. also i give my review on the item and some insight into why i might have taken it home with me or left it for another shopper to try. enjoy. 

bought.

review: i am not usually one for items that remind me of other things, but this one was okay in my book. it does resemble a nurse/doctor/scientist lab coat, but i don't really care. i thought this would look great during the summer over a bathing suit at the beach {and i am always looking for something with sleeves since i burn easily} and i think during the winter it will look great with boots and my typical standby of jeans and a black turtleneck. i do not anticipate wearing this over a dress, i think it might make me look more like a potato sack than i'd like to look like {or give the illusion of a robe}. i also thought i'd step out of my comfort zone & try a style i don't normally try, a kimono look. i bought this in a M, here's the link.

passed.

review: first off i love a good illusion neckline; this is what first attracted me to this dress. then the fact that it had sleeves was an added bonus. i can't wear sleeveless things to work, even during the summer so i am always on the look out for summer things with sleeves {or a good cardi to pair with sleeveless items i can't resist.} on the hanger this dress was a perfect find. then i put it on. the fit was OK, but the color was not good on me. at. all. cake was trying to convince me to get it...and while she was close i eventually had to pass. it was a little dressier than my typical work dress & other than looking kind of like a kate middleton dress, i saw no reason to buy it. i tried on a M. follow this link to buy yourself this dress.

passed.

review: so truth be told, i loved this chunky cardi. but i have so many like it. the texture was different, the fit was good, and the sleeve length was ideal; i just don't need it. i really thought about it, but in the end {just like the above dress} i had to say no. it was the right decision. it was also on sale...so it was not easy. i have on a M on. it was a major sale item, so no link. sorry. don't hate me. to make it up to you here's a similar one :)

bought.

review: having to wear a light blue collared shirt for three years of high school has subconsciously made me not buy anything in this color. i own almost nothing in pale blue so it was risky to try this on. i actually liked it. not only the color, but also the cut. i am not someone who should wear cropped tops...eh...like, ever, so this is a good alternative. it's cut a little longer then a crop-top and i thought it would be a good pair with any of my pencil skirts. so i took a risk and bought it {so far, so good} i bought a M. link to my not so cropped crop-top.

passed.

review: i think most women are always looking for a new go-to summer dress. i thought this one might be mine for the 2015 summer, but it was not. while i like somethings about this dress, i did not buy it. i love the color. i like the material, i like the cut of the top. however i did not like the length, way too short, and i did not like way it hit me at the waist. i think for someone a little taller who doesn't mind a short summer dress this would be fabulous on them! for real. i am keeping my eye on dressed at f21 with the same neckline, only in a midi skirt length. so, with a heavy heart, i passed. i tried on a M. link to your summer perfect dress? maybe :)

bought.

review: so i saved the best for last. as soon as i saw this i knew. and i couldn't be happier with this purchase. i love a good swing top & the weight of this material & the length were perfect for me {length to wear over jeans, not as a dress!} i am a sucker for a nice white top and this one will be worn all summer long & into the cooler months. its only been a few weeks and i've already worn this a ton- as a top! i might buy it in other colors. since f21 items have a tendency to shrink i have NOT put this in the dryer and it's stayed this shape and length. i am one happy camper. i bought this in a L. similar link.

thanks for following. happy shopping.

x&o

valley.

behind the scenes with georgina. cake & valley.

as promised {and seriously requested by friends & family} we're sharing some behind the scene photos with little georgina. for such a tiny thing she sure makes having a blog & taking blog photos different! guess that was to be expected, but living it is an adjustment! obviously this adjustment is one we're more than happy to make! seriously, when we're all together it's like it's always been us three doing this blog. we even have a band name for the three of us- gigi & the twinkles. pretty fantastic right :)

hope you enjoy the pictures & happy "we're half way to the weekend" wednesday!

x&o.

cake & valley.

^^^ georgina just checking herself out in the mirror & giggling with aunt valley.

^^^she always loves when she's in her swimsuit, means we're going to the pool. which just so happens to be her favorite place in the entire world! you should hear the screams of excitement she lets out when she know where we are!

^^^ couldn't you just eat up those little rolls & that little booty. scrumptiously adorable!

^^^ always investigating something new! {ps we look great! ha}

^^^^ trying to get a good mother daughter picture. fail.

^^^ as soon as the berries arrive she always dig right in & shoves as many into her little mouth as possible. the juice just runs down her chin as she shoves more in the next time!

^^^ how sweet is this moment between aunt valley & little gigi. heart melting, puddle on the floor.

^^^ acting shy for the camera. 

^^^ yogurt bites & car keys keep her pretty occupied during our photo shoots. 

^^^ dad, the best jungle-gym-high-flying-machine around. when she hears the door from the garage close she crawls as fast as she can to the the stairs that lead up from our basement garage to see him. it's literally the cutest thing you've ever seen.

^^^ attack of the tickle-mom-ster.

^^^ gimme-gimme-gimme.

^^^ picking out some hair-ties.

^^^ getting those piggy-tails in! 

circles & lines. valley.

okay, hope we didn't scare you yesterday with our instagram reference to someone being in the hospital but it's pretty serious business when one's computer isn't working! we mean not like solving world peace serious business but you know what we mean :)

anywho, valley's look, just like cake's look yesterday, is simple and sweet. it's straight to the point but still makes head turn when walking down the street. isn't it the best when those two worlds meet in one terrific outfit.  you too can have a similar look! just grab a classic print shift dress {doesn't matter if it's stripped, sleeveless, floral . . . etc just make sure it fits you well} pair it with a jean jacket, weather appropriate flats, a funky braided hairstyle, and BHAM you'll too be strutting your own sassy self down main street!

happy tuesday readers.
x&o.

cake & valley.

 ^^^ making georgina laugh during our photo shoot. tomorrow we'll be showing you more of our behind the scene photos with little g. 

dress: j.crew {old, similar here} jacket: old navy, shoes: F21, bag: F21, sunglasses: ray-ban, earrings: target. necklace: F21 {part of this set}.

circles & lines. cake.

you guys the computer we do all our blogging on is sick :( it's currently at the computer hospital being seeing by a specialist! keep your fingers crossed that it isn't anything serious! we have a few blog posts scheduled so we should be fine to post this week but after that . . .  it's up to the digital gods! 

okay onto the post-isn't it adorable!?!?! so patriotic! this dress is part of the new collaboration between milly & kohls! you guys there is some serious cute stuff and at some excellent prices! this dress should serve cake well this summer and easily transition into fall with some nice brown boots and big cardigan & blazer layered over the dress! plus it's a classic piece and will easily be in cake's closet until red & white stripped tee shirt dresses go out of style . . . which is never!

happy monday.

x&o.

cake & valley.

dress: milly x kohls, jacket: old navy, shoes: j.crew {patent version here}, bag: forever 21 {old, similar here}, necklace: anthropologie {old, similar here}, sunglasses: versace, midi rings: gorjana.