WEEKEND LINKS

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Lots of fun links that I'm loving this week, from party ideas to pick up lines to debates on education and women in the workforce. Read & enjoy & bake some yummy cookies - it's the weekend!

01. The Awkward Years Project: A submission-based tumblr that shows people now versus what they looked like in their "awkward years".  I have flashbacks to my own middle school days - braces, no makeup, and the inability to properly smile in school picutres....yikes!

02. Why Oh Why is the Birkenstock Back?: Jess Graves of the Love List says what a lot of us are thinking - Birkenstocks? WTF? I don't care if Vogue and Leandra have ok'd it, Birkenstocks are not a good look.

03. DIY Big Fringe Garland: I stumbled across this tutorial on Oh Happy Day, and think I might have to try it out for my friend's upcoming birthday. We've having people over to our new house at school the first weekend back, so I know it won't be decorated at all. I'm thinking that this easy-to-make, colorful space-filler-upper will make the room look more festive!

04. Best Apps for Design and Living: Alright, so considering I don't actually own my own home (not even an apartment, really), most of these are pretty useless to me now. But Domaine's round-up is great, and if you're doing anything with your home, from picking out paint colors to measuring windows, there's probably an app on this list to make your life easier.

05. 7 Best F. Scott Fitzgerlad Pick-Up Lines You Should Be Aware Of: Gents, for the next time you find yourself at the bar with the pretty lady  - learn from the master.

06. Six College Courses that Help Grads Land Jobs: My Dad actually sent me this one. All I can say is thank goodness I'm an Econ major. Though I'm definitely considering adding a writing class or a leadership-based course to my schedule this coming year...

07. SMP Sprinkles Shower: The cutest sprinkles-themed shower over on Style Me Pretty - pun intended! There's umbrellas, silver "rain" streamers, and blue drinks, and also donuts, marshmallows, and rice krispie treats all getting the rainbow treatment with a different kind of sprinkle. Too cute!

08. Are We Really Screwed If We Leave Work to Have Babies?: An interesting article on Refinery 29 in response to the NY Times article "The Opt-Out Generation Wants Back In", discussing whether or not women who "opted out" of work to raise their children are now regretting that decision or not.  I'm loving all the debate about this topic right now, as a soon-to-be young working women, though I can't help but feel that one of the women they interviewed summed it up best:

"The conclusion that I’m coming to with the whole Sheryl Sandberg/ Anne Marie Slaughter / "Can Women Really Have It All’ debate really comes down, once again, to the wise words of Cher Horowitz: It’s a personal choice that every woman has got to make for herself."

Any article that quotes Clueless is a must read in my book!

WEEKEND LINKS

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01. Margarita Body Scrub - get softer skin with a scrub based off of a margarita! (Chips and salsa optional).

02. Current / Elliott for PB Teen - get stoked - cool girls Emily Current and Meritt Elliott are going to design a range for PB Teen.

03. Olive and Piper Statement Necklace - major bling for not-so-major buck.

04. "Girl, Be Nice" - a great discussion going on about the pros and cons of "nice girls".  Based off of the original article by Catherine Newman on the NY Times parenting blog.  Some food for thought!

05. We Can't Stop Jane Doze Remix - some party tunes for some party people.

HAVE A GREAT WEEKEND!!

INSPIRED BY: GIRLY LIVING ROOM

Don't y'all just love this room? A light-filled space with the bright colors and clean lines - it's right up my alley! It's super girly, sure, but honestly, when else are you going to be able to decorate a room in corals and pinks and oranges and turquoises than when you're a twenty-something girl living by yourself? (Or with a roommate, natch.) Love the bright colors and the graphic prints and how all the white keeps it from being too overwhelming.  If I could redo my room, this color scheme would def be a top contender.  

Here are my picks to recreate the look!

 inspiration via.

ONE / TWO / THREE / FOUR / FIVE / SIX / SEVEN / EIGHT

WHITE OUT

madewell vest / jcrew tee / anny and ava crystal necklace / asos heels / american eagle jeans

There's this girl in our office, Claire, who I have the biggest girl crush on. She has the best clothes and always looks so freaking cool. She's also tall and blonde and gorgeous, of course, but really she just always looks so great and I immediately want to wear exactly what she's wearing. (In a completely non-creepy way, of course.)

Anyway, she wore this outfit to work on a recent Friday (aka casual Friday aka you can get away with wearing jeans), and I loved it because it was so simple and looked so chic.  The denim vest offset the white-on-white, while the silver heels and statement necklace dressed it up enough for the office. She accessorized with a messy pony and bright lipstick, and I had to wipe the drool off my chin. (JK, dudes.) In my book, it's a perfect summer Friday work look.

A QUICK SPIN

classic summer sandals.

pretty chandy + painted ceiling.

lace pants.

major girl crush.

colored pencils + a jar full of ribbons.

a room overflowing with flowers.

cuffed + clutched.

Posting from the laundromat while waiting for my spin cycle to finish, and then off to dinner for a friends birthday! #mutlitaskingmaster #citythatneversleeps

These pretty things + more over on my tumblr!

A GAME OF LOVE

In honor of Wimbledon, it's time to break out your tennis whites.  Perfect for easy, breezy summer days, rock an LWD to work or pair a kicky white skirt with a matching top for weekend fun.  Punch it up with colorful accessories (bonus points if it's a cute tennis themed tote, ala Kate Spade) or go the extra mile and add white tennies.  You might not look like Pippa Middleton, but you will look like you just stepped off Centre Court. (Athleticism optional.)

MADEWELL SKIRT / JOIE ROMPER / KATE SPADE TOTE / RAG AND BONE DRESS / 

SUPERGA SNEAKERS / DSQUARED2 SKIRT / EQUIPMENT BLOUSE

TOP IMAGE VIA VANITY FAIR

THAT LAST BRO I DATED

Jess Grave's THE LOVE LIST is one of my all time fav blogs, and her latest spin-off doesn't disappoint.  Her tumblr " THAT LAST BRO I DATED " chronicles her love of all things menswear.  It's a go-to page for inspiration for tomboy chic or for the man in your life.  If all of the site's pictures and quotes and songs somehow manifested themselves in a real live boy, he would never be "that last bro I dated", because let's be real, who would break up with such a cool dude?

TAKING CARE OF BUSINESS: LEAN IN

So if you're been living under a rock, this chick here is Sheryl Sandberg.  She's the COO of Facebook, a bona fide badass, and she just wrote a book about women and leadership that's making all the headlines. It was based off of a TedTalk she did back in 2010 called "Why we have too few women leaders". I read it over Spring Break and loved it - she offers a lot of insight into women's leadership, particularly how women hold themselves back, and what we can do to change that.  As a women and as someone entering the workforce very soon, I enjoyed hearing her stories and advice, and will definitely take some of her points to heart in my future career.  Check out the video below to learn a little more about Sheryl's story.

She also just did a open question and answer session with young professional women on the Levo League (which, if you haven't checked that out yet, you should - it's a great resource for Gen Y women).  I highly recommend you click through to it here to hear some more wisdom as she answers tough questions from young professional women.  Basically, Sheryl takes cares of business in a big way, and any woman, whether they want to be a CEO or not, should either watch the TedTalk or read the book so they can learn how to LEAN IN in whatever they do.

*Just a disclaimer: Not everyone is as big of a fan of the book as I am. (You can do a quick Google search if you'd like to read some very well-written critiques, including this one.)  Many have pointed out that her book focuses mainly on the corporate world, and doesn't really apply to anyone who's not white, married, and privileged. Obviously, it's hard to write the perfect book, especially about this, but I think she does get a lot of things right. I suggest you read the book for yourself and form your own opinions!

image via vogue and video via leanin.org