The "It" List October 29th

Today's list has a decidedly fall feel. Take some time today or this weekend to peruse these awesome blogs! The list is hoppin' this week!

• good life for less has the perfect fall outfit from the perfect summer dress. Check it out!
• adella avenue kicks off a great new series that pits East vs. West. And whether you live on either coast or some where in between you'll love it. This week she chooses fall shoes suitable for each coasts' weather!
• merci blah blah goes all spooky on us with spooky library decor. It's making me rethink my own Halloween decorations. I just love all these spooky but inspired rooms!
• jewelscapes definitely inspires with this fall outfit popping with yellow! I just love this look... yellow is so alluring this time of year! And you know she always has each outfit perfectly accessorized!
• closet confections fakes it 'til she makes it... why spend three grand on a coat when you can get a perfect alternative from Forever 21. I love this coat on her!
• good tots! pulls together 3 great maternity looks all using one pair of jeans. If you are expecting a baby or know someone that is, you will love these looks!
• you can call my chris has a fun series called "fight the frump" - this week she features bold tights. They are a great way to not only avoid looking frumpy... but to look down right festive!
• really cute stuff has your hard-to-buy-for Christmas list in the bag. These monogrammed notecards are super classy and practical. They are perfect for teachers, co-workers and long lost friends.
• rose a la mode is seriously rocking winter shorts. I am so inspired to try this look, she has it perfected!
• dressing mommy is giving away a gorgeous pair of JessLC paisley earrings. Go.... go enter NOW!
• karina, ink whips up an adorable fall place setting using apples and other fall goodies. She makes it look effortless - I'd love some of these on my fall table!
• fashionably southern gives lace a try... and likes it! She tracks down some great lace tops - some of which I am completely in love with for fall!
• sweetie pie pumpkin noodle celebrates vanity this week... get a sneak peek into the stylish vanities of fellow bloggers and inspiration galore for creating your own vanity spot at home!
• one hundred inspirations gets you this great fall outfit that Reese Witherspoon is wearing for only about $100. This is definitely a look to snag!

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Interested in learning more about the "it" list or being featured on it? Click here for details!

Vanity Week Giveaway- Chevron Lucite Tray from tilly maison & Gold Peacock Earrings from BrooklynThread

What a fun time we have had here on Vanity Week! We started the week off with some vanity inspirations, then got to view the vanities of some lovely bloggers, I created a vanity "formula" and styled it up three different ways, I came to the defense of vanity, showed you some awesome DIYs, shared a few favorite vintage etsy finds, and let you take a look at my own primping area.Whew! What a week!

Now, to go out with a bang, I have an amazing giveaway for you! One lucky reader will win the following items to use in their very own vanity space:

To help organize your space, the lovely Carolyn of tilly | maison is giving away one of her sought-after Chevron Stripe Lucite Trays!

The chevron print on this gorgeous tray has been hand-painted, and comes in the color combinations of black and white, navy and white or raspberry and white.  The winner can choose their favorite color.  The tray also has three compartments to help keep your jewelery, makeup, etc. in order.  I just love these!

Next, to add to your jewelry collection, a pair of beautiful Gold Peacock Earrings from BrooklynThread.

  It's obvious why I love these earrings so much, right? So stunning. These gold-dipped peacock filigree discs hang from nickel-free gold-dipped french ear wires.  The designer/owner of BrooklynThread, Joanna, had her vanity featured here this week.

How to enter: 

Please note: There is only one winner, and the winner will receive both items.

1. For your first entry, the only requirement is that you are a follower of this blog, and that you leave your email address so that you can be easily notified if you have won.

You can receive one additional entry for completing each item listed below-for a total of five entries:

2. "Like" Brooklyn Thread on Facebook here.

3. Become a follower of Joanna's blog, Lifestyle Bohemia.

4.  Become a follower of Carolyn's blog, tilly | maison.

5. Tweet about, post a link on facebook or blog about this giveaway

Please remember to come back and leave an additional comment for each item completed, otherwise you will not get your extra entries counted.

The giveaway will be open through next Thursday (November 4th)  ending at 10 p.m., PST.  The winner will be announced Friday morning.  Good luck, and thank you to both shops for donating such wonderful items!

A Peek at My Vanity

Okay, you didn't think I would do a whole Vanity Week without giving you a peek at where I primp, did you?  My little spot is in my bathroom, where there was a built-in vanity area already in the home when we bought it.  I would prefer a free-standing piece in the corner of my bedroom someday, but for now it works.

So here is my little corner.  I have two trays I bought from target to corral everything.

 

My makeup tray holds my main daily essentials.  I use a lot of Benefit makeup.  My "Her Name Was Glowla" kit has pretty much everything I need for a daytime look.  I also like their "Sugarbomb" blush, The POREfessional primer, and their Playstick cream to powder foundation.  I use a little vintage dish to hold q-tips.  I also have out my favorite nail polishes, OPI's "You Don't Know Jaques" and Essie's "Limited Addiction", as well as some great cuticle cream by Burt's Bees.  I even slather that stuff on my lips and around my nose when it gets chapped from colds.

Here is a little cup I bought this week at Pier 1 (if you follow me on twitter I passed it up the first time-but I had to go back and get it!), it reminds me of the Kate Spade Larabee Dot rose bowl I have loved for so long.  It holds my favorite lip glosses, my tweezers, a nail file, my fave mascara and a few other randoms.

This tray holds a few of my favorite pieces of jewelry and my perfume and hand creme.  Lollia Wish is my signature scent, and I recently bought a little bottle of the Kim Kardashian perfume.  I know, I know, but it smells so good!

The big earrings hanging on the left and right are by Kendra Scott.  The earring holder comes from Pier 1.

 I found this awesome little brass hook holder at a thrift store, and use it to hang some of my most oft worn pieces of jewelry.  The rest are in my closet, which you can check out in this post, in which I cleaned out and organized my closet.

 

 And a general overview for you.  Don't mind the mess reflected in the mirror (including myself! I obviously didn't put the area to use this morning!) I still need a little stool for the area, I do everything standing up right now.  Which Maggie G would not agree with!  Also, everything is so obviously builder-standard in here that it kills me.  Would love to get a color up on the walls and paint the cabinets, but the bathroom is WAY last on our to-do list around here. 

So there you have it, my little vanity space.  In case you missed the others you can check out group one here, group two here, group three here, group four here. and the DIY set here.

Vanity Accessories: Vintage Esty Finds

You all know how much I love vintage items, and that I have my own shop selling vintage goods for the home, One Sweet Find.  I recently moved my shop to etsy, which was my next step in the business if it was successful, so hooray for that!  One thing that I love to look for are little trays, dishes, bowls, hooks and cups that would make for unique jewelry and trinket displays/holders.  As much as I love hunting for them on my own, I am still very much addicted to sifting through all the great finds on etsy too.  Here are a few that caught my eye, and would make a lovely addition to your vanity display:

Shell Keepsake Box to tuck away 

delicate jewels.

Ceramic Hand for displaying rings, a la Holly.

 Lime Green Stand to hang bracelets or necklaces from.

Mouse ring holder.  How cute would your rings look stacked on his tail?

Marble Leaf Shaped Dish, for gathering your favorite baubles.

 

I seriously die over this Cathedral Vanity Mirror.  Gorgeous!

Or what about this Victorian Cast Iron Mirror?  This one is a lot of bang for your buck!

A cute little vintage brass apple trinket box.

 

Or perhaps a brass swan to hold your rings on it's neck?

This only scratches the surface, as there are so many amazing options out there in etsy land.  Go give it a little looksie and see what you can find!  Simply search under vintage and type in "vanity".

 

Blogger Vanities-Part 4

We have lots of eye candy today ladies!  Today we have the vanities of Christine of Just Bella, Liz of Lizzy Punch, Hilary of Hilary Inspired, Elena of Breakfast for Dinner and reader Milly!

"Call me lazy, but I always like to sit when I get ready in the morning.  I'm not really much of a morning person and all that effort to stand while doing my makeup seems like such a waste of energy, haha!  So when I found the perfect vanity at HomeSense I was beyond excited to whip up my girly little corner.  I combined some elements I already had, some vintage touches like the mirrored tray and lipstick holder, add in a trip to IKEA and I was set!  My makeup drawer used to be a sorry, sorry sight so looking into these pretty organized drawers everyday makes me so happy!   Beautiful and organized? Yep, this is pretty much my dream little nook ;) "

  Christine, Just Bella

"My dresser is my vanity and I have many storage solutions on it.  I use it to keep my bracelets, earrings, rings, and perfumes in order.  The blue dish was purchased in Portland for $5 and was originally from Turkey.  My small perfume collection rests atop a mirror that was also thrifted for $2.  I re-purposed a deviled egg tray as storage for my small pairs of earrings, it was $2 at a yardsale, I even sort my earrings by color! Other earrings and bracelets are kept on the stand that my mom found at a discount store for $8.  The ring holder was a gift from my parents in the shape of a Dachshund like my two dogs back home.     That orange thing is actually a bird feeder but instead of birds it houses some chunky bracelets, it cost about $7.  The little dish holds tiny special things and was a gift from Argentina.  A little mix of eclectic and special items make my morning routine a little more special, and it didn't cost a lot to make a unique space, just a bit of imagination!"

-Liz, Lizzypunch

Hilary recently re-organized her spce, and this is what she had to say about it:

"It’s so much more enjoyable to pick out my accessories now that I’ve scaled back to just what I want and wear. By having more frequently used items close at hand and storing less popular pieces, I’m able to make quicker, more satisfied decisions. Not to mention it just looks better. Yipee!"
-Hilary, Hilary Inspired

"This is my jewelry board and frame tray. My mom got me the bulletin board and I decided having all the baubles out in eyesight is much easier than storing in a drawer. I got the idea for the tray made from a frame from Real Simple a year ago...[and] found a gorgeous pink paisley scrapbook paper to fill the frame."

-Elena, Breakfast for Dinner

Lovely reader Milly sent me these photos of her vanity.  Would you look at all those baubles!  And I'm quite jealous of her book collection...

Thank you ladies for sharing your beautiful spaces with us!

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This rounds up our peak into bloggers' vanities.  I'm glad you have enjoyed these pretty little scenes and I hope they have left you inspired to create your own!  I'm pretty sure I got everyone that emailed me in, but if I missed you, or if you are just joining in and have a vanity you have posted about on your blog that you would like to share, please add your link on the link list below.  It is very easy to do, and that way we can all stop by and say hello!  I will leave the link list open for a week or so as well, so if any of you put a spot together over the weekend, come back and link up! We would love to see it!

Okay girlies, this may be the end of our sneak peaks, but it definitely is not the end of Vanity Week!  I have a few more posts in store, as well as a Vanity Week Finale Giveaway coming up tomorrow.  You won't want to miss this one-trust me!

DIY Vanities

Two of my savvy readers sent in their DIY vanities, and let me tell you-they are good!  We all love a little before and after action don't we?  Here we go...

Kate of DomestiKated Life took a rusty old toolbox she bought at Brimfield:

And turned it into this beauty:

"After hours of sanding down rust with steel wool (lots of help from a loving boyfriend) and several coats of spray paint later, I have to say, I’m a bit obsessed with how it turned out.  I’m mostly excited because I can’t believe how organized all of my accessories are now! There’s a little surprise on the inside, hot pink felt lining to keep my necklaces from rattling around in the metal drawers. It was quite the facelift – from holding wrenches to cocktail rings!"

I am in LOVE with this! What an awesome idea to use a toolbox as a jewelry armoire/vanity! And the peacock blue color you painted it is gorgeous. I must do this. Thanks for sharing Kate!

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Next, Kerri of Champagne from Beer took a plain old ordinary Ikea Lack TV stand, like so:

And turned it into this:

"I made this vanity from a black Ikea Lack TV stand. I added caster legs [from Ikea] for mobility and purchased a roll of wallpaper on Ebay. The edges are trimmed in hem tape from JoAnn fabric. The tray on the left holds my most worn jewelry and a few makeup essentials. On the right are hair and nail products as well as lotion and perfume.  My hair dryer and a wider variety of makeup are all kept below, neatly out of sight.  This vanity has made my life a lot easier, I no longer have to fight for room in front of the bathroom mirror and my beauty products aren't scattered between my bedroom and the bathroom."

Genius!  I love how she brainstormed and turned an old unwanted TV stand into something so useful and pretty.  It's great that she can stash extras in the little cubby, so they are out of sight and not taking up space on top.  Wonderful job Kerri!

Blogger Vanities-Part 3

Moving right along with our peaks into blogger's vanity spots, today we have Lindsay of Starfish and Sundresses, Leah of The Way We Are,  and Jill, The Good Life For Less.

"Hi SPPN readers! I'm flattered that Jackie asked me to share a little snapshot of my vanity with you! I have to admit, calling it a vanity makes me feel very glam but in reality it's just my half of the bureau. I suppose I'm even using the term vanity loosely because mine is more about baubles than makeup and perfume. The print was an ebay find that I just love even though the boyfriend thinks her fox fur stole is creepy. Currently she's holding some of my more delicate necklaces. The dress form stand I've had since high school and I think is from PB Teen. It's great to be able to see all of my earrings so easily but to be honest, you can usually find me in pearl studs. Boring I know! Cocktail rings, more earrings, and favorite perfumes are scattered on small dishes I've found on flea market adventures and an initial cup houses my lipglosses (it's an addiction!) I hope you've enjoyed a peek at my little vanity. Thanks again to Jackie for asking me to participate!"

Lindsay, Starfish & Sundresses

"First of all thank you so much for having me Jackie! I am so honored to be here! I love having fellow blogging Mama's to reach out too that have the same obsessions that I do! ; )  My vanity has only recently come together. I am the sort of person that is constantly rearranging and redoing things. So when Jackie asked me to show you all my vanity I went into turbo trying to rearrange ever thing to be "presentable" to you all! The desk itself does not have a lot of table space, with the two side compartments. So I wanted to find a cute little antique tray to reign in all the little goodies that every vanity should have. I also needed a mirror with character which I believe no mirror should be without and then all it needed were a few little trinkets. After I decided what I needed I headed off to my go to place the GW a.k.a the Goodwill. I found the mirror that I fell in love with for $12 and the tray for $9!  All together with a few other little trinkets my little mini makeover came out to $23.  The space before was just kinda empty but now I actually want to sit down and make the whole experience of getting ready enjoyable!  Thanks again for having me!"

 -Leah, The Way We Are

{P.S. After this interview was sent, Leah's sister found a stool in her rental property and gave it to Leah to spruce up for her vanity.  You can check out the transformation here.  Awesome job Leah! }

 

"My little vanity area is right between my bathroom (to the right) and closet (to the left) so it's convenient for the back and forth that happens from each room every morning!  It is a small two drawer Campaign-style dresser that I refinished. It includes a jewelry tree from Ikea, a vintage silver footed tray and an anthro egg tray (which just cracked a few weeks ago - so sad!) to hold all of my little pieces.  Some of my favorites are the Voluspa Lilac candle (for whenever I need a "zen" moment), The Sartorialist book (for when I need a dose of inspiration) and in general I love the bright and bold colors that I choose for jewelry that I don't usually choose for my clothing.  It is very inspiring to stand before this little dresser each morning!"

-Jill, The Good Life For Less

Thank you to these three lovely ladies for sharing your goodies!

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I appreciate all the emails with links and photos of your vanities!  I will do my best to post them all, but there are only so many blogging hours available in this momma's life, so I will be posting a link-list opportunity tomorrow for you all to link up!  I didn't anticipate such a high response- I am thrilled! Thanks sweeties!