pretty things thursday

Ah, Thursday. I love you so...it means we're over the hump and headed straight for the weekend.

So what better way to celebrate than by posting some pretty things?

Pretty things on a Thursday. I like it.

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I'm on the lookout for a new phone cover. I'm not beneath getting out my hot glue gun and buying some cheapy pearls from the craft store and GOING. TO. TOWN. But then, that might take a really long time. So, maybe I'll just look for this one on Ebay?

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It's a real-life My Little Pony. I need this. Someday...

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I love this pretty pink marbeled cardigan. It's almost like a piece of art hung on the back of the door.

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Wildflower ice cubes! What a gorgeous idea!

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Pale pink peonies (or ranunculus) in a weathered aqua pail. So pretty and girly.

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This gradient purple cake with SPRINKLES. Gosh, I love it.

Well, that's what I've got for today. Tune in tomorrow for Instafessional Friday. Same bat time, same bat place. Vamos!

product review: Ulta lip crayon

Y'all know that I am all about some lipstick.

I would even consider myself to be slightly obsessive when it comes to lipstick.

I rarely leave the house without it.

I'm always looking for new lipsticks but usually look for a lip crayon/pencil for the summer because of the staying power of these versus the regular tube. For years (and I mean YEARS) I swore by the Lip Pencil Plus by Merle Normal in Chocolate Mousse but went in search of something a little more budget friendly and a little less drying. (There's also not a Merle Norman in my local area.)

So I stumbled upon this little gem. It's the Ulta Lip Crayon.

When I went into Ulta, I got 2 for $8 or something like that. It was very inexpensive compared to what I was paying before. Needless to say, for that price I wasn't expecting much.

But I was wrong! This has a great saturation of color, is smooth and lasts pretty long. It's got a lot more moisture than my old pencil and doesn't make my lips feel chalky. I picked up the colors "Date Night" and "Vintage". Vintage is a little too dark for me for summer, but I layer it under a pale pink gloss and it totally works.

My only qualm is that it tends to dry up and clump on your lips after a few hours. But when you reapply like me, it's no big deal. I just blot and reapply. I was pleasantly surprised at the quality of this product when compared with the price and with a wide variety of colors, there is a shade for everyone!

How do you feel about lipstick? Would you ever try something like this?

I was not compensated in any way by Ulta or Ulta brand cosmetics. I'm simply a consumer with a desire to share good finds with her readers. BUUUUUTTTTT, I wouldn't refuse if Ulta offered to send me a few... :)

summer essentials under $50

Happy Memorial Day!

The un-official start to summer is upon us.

Here are some of my fave summer items this year and the best part is that every one of them is under $50 (actually under $40).

1. Jergens Natural Glow $6.83 - Drugstores

2. Old Navy Women's Multi-Print Tunic Top $40 (though mine was $20) - Old Navy

3. Women's Mossimo Black Perri Wedge $30 - Target

4. Mossimo Supply Co Junior's Neon Tank $13 - Target

5. Women's Candy Stripe Belted Maxi Dress $18 - Wal-Mart

6. Merona Camel Ostrich Tote $30 - Target

7. Soda Women's Cheri Patent U Sandal $12 - Wal-Mart

8. Wet n' Wild MegaMix Bronzing Powder $8.72 - Drugstores

On a more important note, I want to express my gratitude to all of the servicemen and women to gave their life to protect this country. I am eternally grateful.

hair pins

These are some pretty hairstyle/haircut pins I've seen on Pinterest lately and LOVED them.

These are hair pins. Get it? ;)

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Have y'all heard of hair chalking? I'm kind of obsessed with it and want to try it soon. I might get my sister to do it the first time. ;)

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A messy bun is something I live in. This messy bun is so chic and effortless looking.

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I love this bob. The end.

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Gosh, I love hairbands. I've not worn as many as I usually do as of late but these pins really make me want to. So cute!

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Even though Charlize is a little weird (right?) her hair here is killer. I'm all about some curls and this wavy/curl hybrid is do-able enough for everyday.

same show different channel

Happy Friday, friends.

If you're tuning in and thinking you accidentally clicked on the wrong blog...you didn't.

A Little of This and That is now called The Striped Flamingo.

Here's why:

I created the old name a long time ago and while I like the concept behind it, it's a bit too common and a mouthful. It's not memorable. I posted a bit about this on Facebook this week.

I wanted a memorable blog name that wouldn't constrict me to a particular genre, topic or theme.

Because, y'all know that I love to post about some random stuff. ;)

So, I arrived at The Striped Flamingo. It is a culmination of two of my favorite things: stripes and flamingos. I also find it comical and remarkable enough to suit my personality.

You'll also notice that I have an actual (real) domain name now. Don't freak out if you go to the old (a little of this and that) address because it will still redirect here. But it's much easier to remember www.thestripedflamingoblog.com than the other thing, right?

Finally, I changed up the blog look just a little bit. I'm still sticking with the same color scheme because, well, I like it. ;) Things shouldn't really look all that different.

Now, I wanted to share with you a couple more photos from my mini family vacay. Here you go!

Well, I think that's all for today. If you read my blog from an RSS feed and wanna check out the look for yourself, click here. If you have one of the old A Little of This and That blog buttons, feel free to switch it out with the new one located in my left sidebar. ;) For everyone else, have a wonderful and safe holiday weekend!

i'm still here!

Hi bloggy friends.

I apologize for my absence over the last few days. On the last day of my mini-vacay I came down with a pretty nasty case of food poisoning. That, coupled with driving straight back home and work made for a sick and tired April.

I just haven't been able do much blogging. Or anything else for that matter. ;)

But, I feel I'm on the mend now. My stomach only gurgles every OTHER time I eat. HA!

Anywho, here is a little something to keep you bloggily satisfied (yes, I made that up) until I can give you a bonafied post tomorrow.

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weekend recap

Oh, what a glorious weekend it was. I spent some time with the family down at the Isle of Palms in South Carolina. Though a tropical storm threatened the first part of the weekend, the weather ended up GORGEOUS.

I wanted to share a few photos from the weekend with y'all. :) More to come later...

We had a house that was on the Intracoastal Waterway. It's basically on the back part of the island.

This was from the back porch on the first day. Kinda dreary and rainy looking but with the occasional sun to peek through the clouds.

We were treated to an AMAZING sunset though.

This is my dogchild playing with his grampa. They do play so well.

This is the dock just as the sun was starting to come out.

These are my nieces as they rested in the backyard.

An interesting photo of my dad and my brother in law. They were both talking. Quite common, actually. :)

splurge vs. steal

One of these outfits totals around $1,279 while the other comes in at around $149.

Can you tell which is the SPLURGE and which is the STEAL?

The outfit on the left is the STEAL and the outfit on the right is the SPLURGE. Can you believe how similar these outfits are? And with the steal being almost 1/10th (I think...y'all know I do don't fractions before 7 am...well...actually at all) of the price of the other outfit it's a definite "steal".

Are there any designer looks that you've ever tried to replicate on a low budge?

insta friday

YEEESSSSSS!!!!

It's Friday. I'm so excited because I get to hang out with the fam at the beach for the weekend. Yay!

First off, let's do a quick Friday dance party. Click here and rock out. I'll wait...

Now, I have some super fun instagram photos to share with y'all today.

I got me some new sunnies and they are quite large. They kind of give me a bug look, don't you think?

This is how I find my child most days when I come home from work. He enjoys standing on sentry duty...on the arm of my chair. Weirdo.

Speaking of weirdos...I bent down to unplug my computer and noticed someone peeping at me in between the shelves on the coffee table.

I made these delish cookies last weekend and they turned out great.

The secret ingredient? Sea salt.

I used this chocolate chip cookie recipe (minus the nuts, yuck) and subbed the 1/2 teaspoon of regular salt for 2 teaspoons of sea salt.

Yes these cookies are a bit salty. But yes, they are also delicious!

Linking up with Jeannett at Life Rearranged for Insta Friday!

thursday's things

I'm in kind of a random mood today.

Here are some random things you might enjoy...

::: I'm loving this awesome hair station organization idea.

::: I don't exactly remember how I stumbled across this website, but I seriously love it. It's hilarious.
This is one of my favorites.

::: This pin. S'cuse the lang...I just love it so much.

::: I don't know why this makes me laugh so much but it does. [Source]

::: I think this recipe is on my weekend plan. Oh stink, and probably these too.

::: I've been stalking this dress since I saw it online last week.

::: Oh, and this one too. It's a little bit Dorothy and a little bit Anne of Green Gables.

::: This song has been absolutely haunting me lately. It reminds me of my grandfather a little bit but then it's also strangely comforting and soothing. IDK. Do you ever just have REACTIONS to music that you can't explain?

::: Ever since I saw this cute outfit I've contemplated wearing my gold glittery stilettos to work. Thoughts?

::: Lastly, I'll close with this photo. I found it on Pinterest and laughed for about 10 minutes.

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OOTD: now in technicolor

So, my inspiration for this week's outfits had a little something to do with this scene.

This is how it started...

I won this amazing necklace in a giveaway from the lovely Chris over at Chubbette Tales: Life After Spanx. I wanted to style this necklace and really wanted to rock my favorite shirt dress.

So I threw together these outfits.

I wore the first outfit for church on Sunday and then again to work on Monday. I really loved it and it was SO comfortable. (So much, in fact, that I might wear it again to the second job later in the week.) HA.

Dress: Target (similar)
Leggings: Target
Necklace: JCrew Bubble necklace via giveaway
Shoes: Farenheit via Amazon

The only problem with it was that it's WAY too many neutrals for my taste. Y'all know I love me some color, right? Well, sometimes I feel like too much neutral is quite boring. So after I wore this outfit I literally thought to myself, "let's put on as many colors as possible." Hence this outfit. :)

Cardigan: Marshall's (label gone)

Tank: Rue 21

Skirt (former dress): Macy's

Shoes: Target (similar)

Necklace: JCrew Bubble necklace via giveaway

Talk about a move from black and white to technicolor!

Linking up with Lindsey at The Pleated Poppy for What I Wore Wednesday.

Also, head on over to Whitney's blog to see me featured in her Women Who Work post series. :)

top 5 tuesday: things to do in wilmington

Though I've only lived in Wilmington for a few months, I've been blessed to experience lots of new restaurants, attractions and shops in the area. Today, I'll share my Top 5 favorite places/shops/restaurants I've discovered since being down here.

All of these are within Wilmington-metro which encompasses Wilmington, Carolina Beach, Kure Beach, Southport, Oak Island, Leland, Ocean Isle Beach, Sunset Beach, Bald Head Island, Wrightsville Beach.

And if you're planning a vacation in any of the following areas, you're close enough to try some of these out!

1. Surfhouse Cafe
This place is a really interesting cafe and surfshop in one. It's located on Carolina Beach (with another location near UNCW in Wilmington). Personally, the Cuban is something I dream about and they have decent prices. The atmosphere is very fun, hip and eco-conscious and they've got some very interesting tastes on their menu. I've also heard great things about the Mahi Sandwich, Marinated Chickpeas and Curry Chicken Salad Sandwich.

2. The NC Aquarium at Fort Fisher.

Okay, you probably expected this one, but I can't help it! It's a great way to spend a couple of hours. I was blown away with the Cape Fear Conservatory and how natural and beautiful it was and I hadn't even entered the main part with the fish in it. Admissions prices are VERY fair ($8 for adults and even cheaper for kids and seniors. Kids 2 and under are free.) There are lots of daily activities like feedings, dive shows, animal encounters and films. It's located south of Wilmington in Kure Beach.

(That's me with Luna, our albino American alligator.)

3. The Cotton Exchange

This is a series of historic buildings transformed into one huge indoor shopping area in downtown Willmington. They added shopping and dining but kept the integrity of the building so you get lots of original wood and mouldings, ceiling beams and other interesting architecture. Oh, and not to mention the shops are cool. Some are more tourist-oriented and some are just awesome!

4. Fort Fisher Beach/Recreation Area

This is one of the few beaches in the area where you can take your dog year-round and parking is free because it's a state historic site. So, win win!

5. Hibachi Bistro

Y'all. Seriously. You are talking about someone who doesn't eat Asian food, rice or most vegetables eating MASSIVE quantities of this stuff. I get the hibachi chicken bowl with broccoli. OH. EM. GEE. It's nothing like anything I've ever had. Oh, and their white sauce (which is really pinkish) comes out of these ketchup-like dispensers attached to the condiment bar. You put the sauce into little paper ramekins and you can get as many as you want!!!

Those are some of my faves in my town. Have you been to Wilmington? What do you like to do here?