Organized.

Having a slight case of undiagnosed OCD, I like everything to be in order. I've been playing around with how I like my make-up, nails, closet and jewelry organized, so I thought I would share!

First off is my make-up. My friend told me I have the most make-up she has ever seen, and while that may be true, I can't help it! I just love make-up. This organizer is from Target (similiar here) and I found it so helpful being able to see everything organized by function. Knowing where everything is makes getting ready in the morning that much easier.




 My nail polish collection has been growing steadily, and keeping them stuffed in a bag didn't allow me to really know what colors I already owned. This rack was a spice rack I bought for $2 at Savers, and then spray painted white. 

My closet has been organized by color for as long as I can remember. I know many people organize theirs by function, but that never worked out for me. The unmentionables are kept in a drawer set from Target, as well as the shoes and work out clothes located at the bottom. I'm still looking for a better way to organize my scarves (currently stuffed into a bin) but the current summer weather means I'm not exactly looking for scarves to wear.

My mom made me this jewelry frame as a Christmas present - the window pane is originally from our barn which is attached to a burlap wrapped wood panel. This picture doesn't do it justice - it is really beautiful. Having everything hanging in order really allows me to experiment with my jewelry, more than I ever did when it was sitting in a balled up mess on my dresser.



So that's a little look into the pieces that help me make myself presentable - how are you keeping everything organized? Does the ball mess work for you, or are you slightly OCD about how your clothes are arranged in your closet?

Sail Away

There are very few times where I see something on another person and go, "That must belong to me...immediately"

....except when I saw this Madewell belt on Skylette over at Sequins & Stilettos.

I had to make it mine.

Shirt: Forever 21
Jeans: Joe's Jeans
Belt: Madewell   (on sale)
Bracelets: Forever 21
Nails: OPI My Throne for a Cranberry Scone


I also recently found this necklace on the Poshlocket website and might just have to buy it once it comes into stock. Its so cute and perfect for summer.

How Much Does a Blogger Weigh?

 An Instagram. Follow along at FHasselhof.

A week-long manicure

I do my nails every Sunday with the intent that the manicure will last me through the week. I've picked up a couple of tricks to make my nails stay chip free for a week and want to share with you!

- The stronger your nails, the better. I take a biotin supplement every day to benefit my nails and hair.

-  I prefer to keep my nails relatively short. Keeping them shorter also prevents them from breaking.

-  Start your manicure with a base. I've been using Sally Hansen's Base Coat {$8}. It fills in the ridges of your nail, it gives the colored polish to grab on to, and it prevents your nails from turning yellow if you wear darker colors.

 - Start your color polish in the middle of the nail, and push down to your cuticles {Thanks to The Stylish Housewife for that tip!}. This will leave a smooth edge at the bottom of your nail

- Wrap your tips - this gives the edge of your nail an extra coat of polish, and gives your nail a more uniform color. See How-To here at the Polish Perfectionist. 

- Once the last color polish coat is completely dry, use a heavy-duty top coat, such as Sally Hansen's Hard as Wraps. I've found that this top coat really does the trick for preventing chips but it goes on very heavy, and takes forever to dry so I may be on the look out for a different formula once this bottles is up.

I hope these tips help you achieve a chip free week long manicure. If you have any tips or suggestions please share in the comments!

 

MOTW: stripped

Red: OPI My Throne for a Cranberry Scone
Grey: Essie Chinchilly
White: Sally Hansen White On

Graduation, Part 2

Today's the day Max finally graduated from high school. I still think of him as my little 6 year old brother - the one we dressed up as our third sister, the one we called when there was a bug that needed killing, the one I had to sleep next to for a year so he wouldn't sleep walk. I can't believe we're at the point where he'll be going off to college in 3 months. Here are a couple of pictures celebrating the day:

School colors of black and orange.

Our "Uncle" Will. He lived in the duplex above us during my dad's residency and has been a part of our lives ever since.

 My proud parents.

The family - my dad, mom, grandma, brother, sister and uncle.

My cute 81 year old grandma - doesn't she look great?

We miss you Viktoria!

 Siblings - can you tell?

Mom's outfit:

Heels: Guess via DSW
Dress: Vince Camuto via Marshalls
Necklace: H&M Germany
Bracelet: Forever 21
Purse: Louis Vuitton


Remember when I said my mom is one of the most stylish people I know, and her greatest advice is to mix high end up more inexpensive pieces? Case in point.

Dress: Old Navy
Cardigan: Target
Necklace and Ring: borrowed from Mom
Wedges: BCBGeneration via Boston Store

As We Go On, We Remember...

My little brother is graduating from high school this weekend - we're so proud and excited for him! My aunt and uncle bought him an authentic pair of Lederhosen as a graduation present - look how handsome he looks! We spent Saturday with close friends and family eating, joking and celebrating...

Tobi, our one eyed retriever, spent the day trying to sneak bites from everyone's plates.

While photographing Max, he grabbed the camera and snapped a couple pictures of me.









We can tell that Viktoria got the modeling gene since after about 3 shots I felt so awkward I resorted to this face: 

No celebrations are complete without Jaeger shots, at least not in this family!

My Oma {that's Grandma for all you English speakers} came over for the celebration. Inspiration that you can by stylish at any age. 

My pretty sister Karoline.

Chris has been working really hard studying for his boards coming up in 3 weeks, so I was really excited that he could come join us for the day. My grandma just loves him....

 Pops.

My mother's famous tiramisu. If I had to choose 1 food to eat the rest of my life, then this is it. Recipe coming soon!

Since I have to wear pants and flats at work every day, I get really excited when I have the opportunity to wear dresses and skirts but since I don't get a chance to wear them often, I don't really own a lot. Since reading Whitney's blog {Between the Lines} I've been day dreaming about all the cute ways to find and wear skirts - she always looks so great!

I just discovered that we have a Loft in Madison, so I stopped by on my out of town on Friday. I found this great skirt {on sale for $20} but unfortunately it was at least a size too big. I bought it anyway and am going to try to alter it myself...we'll see how that goes. Anyone have any tips? Or should I save myself the hassle and just take it to a tailor?

Top: Target {borrowed from Mom}
Skirt: Loft
Shoes: Target {recent!}
Bracelet: borrow from Mom