Something Old, Something New, Something Borrowed and Something Red, White and Blue

Happy Fourth of July, my dear blogging friends!  May your day be filled with friends, hot dogs, cold drinks, sparklers and a swell of pride for the 'ole U.S. of A!  And while you're at it, will you have an extra hot dog and cold drink for me?  Because I will be spending today driving across this great country of ours for about ten hours.  It's not exactly the way I would prefer to spend my holiday but I will make the most of it by taking in the landscape that our nation has to offer!

For the past two years, I have been invited to a wedding during Fourth of July weekend.  I love holidays and I love weddings so I think that this is a perfect way to celebrate the Fourth!  Add to the mix a self-imposed challenge to create a wedding-appropriate, not cheesy, red, white and blue outfit?!  I am in closet remixing heaven!

I purchased a beautiful, red maxi dress for the wedding last summer and decided that because I love it so much, I wanted to wear it again for this wedding!  I wanted to do red, white and blue again but in a different way than I did last year.  The dress and the shoes remain the same but I spiced up the accessories!

When Bri hosted an online Stella & Dot party a couple months ago, I found the perfect necklace and clutch to create the look I had been daydreaming about!  By purchasing these items, I won the spot of surprise hostess for the party and received some credit to purchase another couple of Stella & Dot pieces.  Thank you, Bri!

With that, have a lovely Fourth (and don't forget about that extra hot dog)!

What I'm Wearing:
Dress: Nashville Boutique (similar, similar)
Wedges: DSW (similar, similar)
Necklace: Stella & Dot (exact)
Clutch: Stella & Dot (exact)

Create28: My All-American Patriotic Look

Happy Independence Day!  I hope that you are busy celebrating today with parades, barbecues, baseball and fireworks!  I also hope that you will take a deep breath today and appreciate the freedoms that we enjoy in the United States as well as the men and women who have worked hard to protect the lives that we live.

Today's theme for Create28: Lovely Summer Looks is keeping with the holiday spirit: My All-American Patriotic Look.  Carrie, Casey and I are all featuring our own looks today so make sure to stop by their blogs to check-out their red, white and blue!

I have extra-special July 4th plans this year.  A good friend of mine is marrying the love of her life this evening!  I'm super excited to have such big and joyful plans this holiday weekend.  I mean, wedding cake and fireworks.  Does it get any better?!

For the wedding festivities, I wanted to look patriotic without being cheesy.  Way back in December I found this gorgeous, red maxi and knew that it would be perfect for the event!  To keep with the American vibe, I purchased classic navy espadrilles and a white crystal necklace.

How are you sporting your red, white and blue today?  Don't forget to show us on Instagram (#Create28SummerLooks) and to link-up with us on Monday!  Need some more inspiration?  Check-out our Patriotic Pinterest board!

Follow A Little Bit of Cheer's board Patriotic Looks on Pinterest.

And please come back tomorrow to see how Carrie styled her Denim Look!

What I'm Wearing:
Dress: Boutique (similar, similar)
Espadrilles: DSW (exact)
Necklace: c/o Rocksbox (similar, similar)

On Birthday Coupons and Splurges

If you stop by here frequently, you know that I recently celebrated my 29th birthday.  One of my favorite things to do during the month of May is to treat myself to a few things using the assortment of birthday coupons that flood my inbox.  My biggest birthday splurge this year was this comfy, flowing maxi dress from Anthropologie!

For a busy birthday on-the-go, I paired the dress with some flat, strappy sandals.  I can't wait to dress it up with a cute pair of wedges and perhaps a statement necklace!

Gotta love a goofy face and a cat photobomb!

As much as I love birthday coupons, I do have to say that I'm growing a bit disappointed in the offerings from certain stores.  I loved my "no purchase necessary" make-up sample from Sephora and the "no strings attached" $5 coupon from DSW.  But stores like Anthropologie and Gap really let me down.  Truth be told, this dress wasn't purchased from Anthro with my 15% off birthday coupon, but rather with the 20% off Mother's Day Sale code.  Call me greedy, but I think that my birthday coupon should be special and should trump the other sales that are currently happening!  Similarly, for having a Gap card, I received 25% off a purchase for my special day.  Meanwhile, a 40% off sale was happening.  Don't you think that your birthday deal should be more of a special occasion that the typical store sales??

What I'm Wearing:

Dress: Anthropologie (similar)

Sandals: France (similar, similar)

Linking-Up:

Spy Girl- 52 Pick-Me-Up: United Nations (I think I've got a little Mexican flair going on here!)