time to bash

feminine fashions

Hello fashionista-fairytalers!

Ashley from sparkle sense here to give you a dose of friday feminine fashions. I gave my Pinterestboards a revamp last week, particularly {sparkle sense style}. All photos below are from my Pinterest board.

Lately, I've been trying to only pin outfits that I actually think I would wear. I had a bad habit in my old inspiration board {which I completely deleted} to pin things that would honestly just never look good on me. 

I ask myself -- would that inspire an outfit that would actually work on me? 

I'm finally in a place where I can wear what I want to wear and not worry about if it's "appropriate" or not. I used to be self conscious {since high school} because I was ALWAYS the one was dressed up. But, as I've learned, you just have to own it. If I want to wear wedges & heels everyday, I will. If I want to dress up at a football tailgate, I will. Because who's to say that's wrong?

I might always be overdressed but at least I feel my best :)

photo via

Oscar knows what's up. 

xx,

Ashley

i choose you.

phoebe dean.

welcome to one of my new series, i choose you. i am constantly surrounded by people who are inspiring me. LA contains the most creative crowd... and i have worked with or simply met many great peeps that i must share with everyone. 

meet phoebs... one of my very first LA loves. we met when we were both interning at BPCM one year ago. bonding over our post-grad confusion, i immediately knew this girl was the bomb. while we were both interested in fashion pr at the time, we both ended up working for fashion blogs. who woulda thunk? now that we both live in venice, i can't wait for more and more coffee dates with my favorite chick.

phoebe dean limberg. 23. san diego native. venice resident.

college: ucla art school with a major in design
job: creative designer for cupcakes & cashmere

favorite quote: "when a girl feels that she's perfectly groomed and dressed she can forget that part of her. that's charm" -F. Scott Fitzgerald
role model: i have a good handful of role models but to name one- Jessica de Ruiter. she has the best style and a great aura about her.
favorite movie: i love the kill bill series. another favorite is the royal tenenbaums and really anything wes anderson.

three things you don't leave the house without: cell phone, credit card, and my coconut kiehls lip balm 
favorite beauty product: rodin face oil- it keeps my face soft and has an intoxicating smell. i am also obsessed with my le labo fragrances.

guilty pleasure: my sunday morning pastry ritual (yes, i have a sunday morning pastry ritual)

favorite designers: Céline, The Row, Isabel Marant
where you want to be in 5 years: i would like to have an apartment that is bigger than a shoe box and a pet rabbit
dream job: being creative director of (hopefully) my own endeavor. if not my own then harpers bazaar, which has been my favorite magazine and a huge source of inspiration for many years.
best thing about being a twentysomething: although a bit weird, i enjoy the feeling of uncertainty that comes with being in your early 20s. it is somehow exciting.

favorite things about venice: i love how eclectic everything is from the houses to the people
why CA is the place for you: i love the lifestyle in california. everyone is so health conscious and progressive.

facebook / twitter / instagram / pinterest

turn it up thursday.

memory lane.

i have officially been out of college for about 16 months. but for some reason, whenever fall comes around, i get major depauw dumps as i like to call it. i miss that place... especially that in between time when it goes from humid as heck to a little bit cooler... but everyone is anxiously awaiting the day they can wear their tall frye riding boots with leggings once again. i miss the fact that you could never make up an excuse to see friends, they were all in walking distance (but we still complained when we had to walk from pi phi to lilly). i miss chatting with my girlfriends every saturday & sunday morning about the night before... you were deemed lucky if you didn't have a moral hangover in addition to the heck of a hangover from taking pulls of the kamchatka.

and there is more. i miss roy, the hub ladies, the meal plan, chapter, the cold dorm, the quack, the adirondack chairs, my tie, marvin's, the tailgates, dr. b, my sorority sisters, late night quesadillas, danny, dairy castle, warne hall (and all of the girls included), and i especially miss the boozin and crazy car bar's.  i just can't quite drink like i did in greencastle, indiana. 

let's all take it back a few years... location: (the frat of your choice here).

memory lane.

honorable mentions (actually, these tracks just weren't available on spotify)
-that's all by brenton duvall
-kinky mystery by k-flo
-love rocket by chris brown

inspire me.

faith will get you everywhere.

amen, abby larson. 

i know i posted this quote during my wrap up of weekly links, but i just can't get over it. it is so extremely relevant to my life... and to all 20something's alike. there are so many times when i overthink every single situation. i worry that time is moving too quickly and i am getting old. isn't that crazy? i am twenty three years old. i need to chill.

change. this word alone used to scare the heck out of me. but my loving nana spit some words of wisdom at me once that i will never forget. she asked... "why are you so scared of change? it's gotta happen. imagine if your life was exactly the same as it is now in 10 years, would you be satisfied?" and of course, my answer was no! there is so much i want to accomplish in that time and so much change is necessary! there is such a stigma on change, but i have learned that change can be pretty cool. 

finally, there is faith. we have to have confidence and trust in ourselves to make the right moves, but personally, i know that things happen for a reason - but i must remind myself often to not forget that in between goals there is a thing called life that has to be lived & enjoyed. and one more thing... we've gotta take chances when we are young (yes, we are still young) so we can tell some killer stories when we are old! XO

{image via}

lovely links.

last week, i wrote a post on my favorite links over on the effortless chic - i had so much fun doing it, i decided to make it a fashionista fairytale favorite. here are a few things i have been loving all week thing...

-i am not usually one to fall hard for celebs. yes, they are a great source of eye candy... but scott eastwood just makes me weak in the knees. check here & here too if you can't get enough.

-was this article written by a DePauw grad...?

-my boss is the cutest prego person ever.

-these words... "enjoy it, embrace it…be grateful for the ride. you are not old, you are young. and faith will get you everywhere. just you wait." -abby larson from SMP

-this song has been on repeat all week.

-if you know me well, there is no getting around the fact that i go through obsessions. right -now, acai bowls. good thing i live in LA and can eat them for any meal of the day!

-love drinking coffee out of mason jars, but with these cute cozies, i will love it even more.

-i love sundays because of this place. if you don't live in LA, you can watch their podcasts. you won't regret it.

-this article says starbucks customers come 6 times a month... i WISH i could say the same for myself. i am trying to cut back to three days a week... are you a starbs stalker too?

-there are good people out there. meet joey.

-SPOT on read.

{image via buzzfeed}.

turn it up thursday.

have ya missed carol's beats? i mean i haven't so much since i seriously stalk her on spotify as it is... but she is a doll to make another fashionista fairytales playlist for us! usually i give her a theme i am in the mood for, but this time i just threw traffic tunes at her. since i spend most of my day in LA traffic, my car (meet jose the jeep everyone!) has literally become my best friend. he sure has seen me at my best... and my absolutely worst - but the great thing about my ride, is that he loves me no matter what. 

whether or not you have a tight relationship with your vehicle, here are some tunes to get ya through this thursday:

For Blair (Mellow)

dating diaries.

it's all about balance.

i have recently come to a pretty big conclusion. my newfound epiphany is something that i have been told many times, but if you don't want to listen to others slash aren't ready to believe something... you won't. and that is exactly what i did, ignored it.

if you know me personally, there is no way of getting around the fact that i am loud. my laugh is loud, my personality is loud, and pretty much everything about me is over the top. well, shoot. because of this strong trait, i have usually been attracted to guys who share the same kind of loudness as myself. i have always gone for the jokesters, the life of the parties, pretty much any guy that is confident and funny could win me over. there was always something i loved about having FUN with a guy i liked. but as i am getting older (and believe it or not, more mature) i am becoming attracted to guys who are a little more reserved. in other words, i have learned that balance is key.

sure, the loud and crazy guys are really fun to play beer bong against, sing karaoke with, and even flirt with... but that doesn't mean they are dateable for me. we have all heard the phrase, opposites attract, but maybe that really is a thing. i do believe that you have to share the important things... like morals, beliefs, and such, but different interests and personalities keep things fun and exciting. this is not only a thing when talking about romantic relationships - but friendships as well. some of my very best friends aren't as obnoxious as me... because let's be real, that may be a little too much for anyone to handle. 

my opinion? when it comes to dating, i think opposites attract to a certain extent. say you are an early bird and he is a night owl? that's fine... you can work around that. but when it comes to subjects like religion, family values, & all that serious shizz... you gotta be on the same page. other than that, think about how much you could learn from each other if you both bring so many different things to the table! 

{image via}

trendy tuesday.

crazy for converse. 

before i made the big move out west, i would never have dared of rockin' a pair of chucks. i remember trying to buy a pair of black low-tops and felt too "gothic" wearing them, so that was a waste of buckaroos. after living in LA for a few months, i started becoming very obsessed with street style. i could go absolutely anywhere and be blown away by the trends... whether it was at whole foods, melrose trading post, or urth cafe, i would approach people (in the least creepiest of ways) and ask to take a picture of their outfit. randoms on the streets give me so much inspiration when it comes to fashion. so i kept these pictures in a folder on my phone when i wanted to try new ideas and trends. 

overtime, i realized that many of my pictures had white converse in them. whether these staple shoes were paired with cut-offs, leather leggings, or white jeans, i was always drawn to that look. there is something so laid back yet chic about this look. and it just screams california. 

what i love about chucks:

1) there are super comfy, yet trendy.

2) they can fit any kind of style. yes, they used to remind me of hipsters, but if you pair it with the right pieces, it can sream totally preppy, chic, or whatever look you want to go for.

3) although they are a cliche shoe in LA, how you wear them portray your own personal style and individuality. 

4) they don't break the bank!

XO

p.s. celebs sport the chucks too. a pair of shoes that mary kate olsen, jennifer aniston, jessica alba, and reese witherspoon wear that we can too?! so into it.

monday inspiration.

kill them with kindness.

way, way back when, my mom would overuse the phrase," kill them with kindness." when i would complain about the littlest of things... classmates who were mean on the playground in elementary school, to girls who were trying to steal my boyfriend in high school... after every vent session, i would get lectured on kindness. i was told to never stoop down to anyone else's level, no matter HOW hurt you may feel. and i never truly understood or processed what she was saying, but would give her a quick eye roll and shrug, typical teenager, right?

now that i have grown up and learned much more about my own identity, this phrase is something that has been rather ingrained in me. i specifically realized this last night during a powerful church service at mosaic. the topic was on friendship. some may say i need to start standing up for myself more or maybe i need to have more of a backbone when it comes to conflict, but i think it is much easier to just be kind. if you are confident in who you are and what you stand for, the important people will stick with ya. you will be like a magnet to people you want to have in your life. and the others don't even matter.

not only is being kind much easier than being a b word, it also keeps your mind and self esteem in a happy place. try it. kill them with kindness. (and be done with the h8rs y'all!)

time to bash

macarons on the mind.

Happy Friday, fashionista-fairytalers!

Do you love macarons as much as I do? Well, I got our wedding photos back on Wednesday and wanted to share some of our macaron lovelies. 

I am absolutely obsessed with Laduree. Our wedding logo was designed for us but inspired by Laduree's logo. 

We went to France for our honeymoon so it was fitting that we had macarons as our wedding favors. 

The candy bar had macaron towers as well :) 

I don't think I am brave enough {yet!} to attempt making them but I got this book from my sister in law at one of my showers. Purchase here & here to start making your own beautiful macarons. 

*all photos taken by Kortnee Kate. 

Have an awesome weekend.

Xx,

Ashley

dating diaries

all we ever do is say goodbye.

are there such things as on-off relationships? i found this insightful youtube video from the one and only, jm. he thinks an on-off-on relationship is a complete fantasyland. if you ever go off, you are always going to be sorta off...

what do you think? can a break up sometimes make things better the second time around? or is it going to be damaged goods from then on out? 

and can we talk about how john mayer is so knowledgeable when it comes to dating but things haven't alwaysss worked out the best for him? maybe i need to give him a try. 

friday favorites.

 1 made by girl print / 2 etsy download / 3 sugar paper card / 4 candle / 5 paris street style coffee table book (note the words until the title... effortless chic!) / 6 ashley brooke designs  coffee mug 

happy first friday of september! first fridays in venice only mean one thing... food trucks on food trucks on food trucks. down the street from my apartment is the home of the amazing abbot kinney. and every first friday of each month, this street turns into food truck fantasyland...(don't worry i will try to get pix for you guys!)

i decided to focus on the little things this friday. there are so many things that are on my wish list (or i have recently purchased) that may be minor details for the home, but make your space feel that much more cozy! whether it is a print, a new scent, or a coffee table book... these are ways to make your apartment super personalized and scream you!

i picked six things that suit my style. if you can't tell by my items, i have a love affair with a few things... including coffee, quotes, and all things pretty. #3, the sugar paper card was also a must have of mine. i have been trying to write friends notes since i live on the opposite side of the country, and this little sweet note does just the trick :)

have a wild weekend y'all. make these days off count. XO!