Happy {Friend & Family} Friday!

Happy Friday, friends! I am feeling super guilty so I am here to confess- I bought that orange bag and that bow ring from the Kate Spade sale this morning. I couldn't help myself. The bag was only $100 (down from $350) and it felt too good to be true. Judge away. I give you permission. However, I did in fact pay off my last credit card bill- in full. It took quite a bit of time to save up (and now I'm broke until next pay day) but it feels so good to be debt free; Aside from my massive student loan debt. But, hey. I'm chalking it up as a win.

Bag // Wallet // Ring // Bracelet // Blouse // Earrings

The best thing about all of these picks (w/ the exception of the bow ring because it was too cute not to post) is that all of this is already on sale PLUS and additional 30%. Talk about a steal. Will you be partaking in the sale this weekend? What would you get? 

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Hope everyone has a fantastic weekend! xx

Prepping For Cold Weather

Since the temps here in Chicago are definitely dropping, I thought I'd round up a few of my favorite coats for Fall. I snagged a Lauren Moffat coat in bright pink last year on super sale.. but I fully believe you can never have enough cute coats. Especially when that's pretty much all anyone sees of your wardrobe from November-March. 

Option 1: Coat Scarf Mittens Loafers
Option 2: Coat Scarf Gloves Flats
Option 3: Coat Scarf  Mittens Boots

Have you spotted any must-have coats lately? Would love to hear about them. Even though I can't buy any for another 13 days of course, :). 

So this weekend..

I went to that nude panting class with my girlfriends that I mentioned last week. And it was definitely an experience. A hilarious one. We brought a few appetizers with and even more bottles of wine & had ourselves a really great time. Apparently I have the maturity level of a 5 year old because I found myself getting rosy cheeks as soon as the model came. But after that initial awkwardness, it was just fun to laugh at our sad attempts at "art". I would show you my painting but it's embarrassing. I am no Van Gogh. 

It brought me to thinking about how important is to make time for all the people in your life. Yes, I was racing like a mad woman after work to get there by 7 with appetizer in hand, but it was SO much fun. And I don't really get to see these girls as much as I'd like so that in itself was a blast. Which leads me to my question- Do you have any fun "girl date" ideas? I'd love to hear some them because getting together more regularly is on the top of my to-do list. 

Happy Weekend!

{via}

I am so happy it is finally Friday. I felt like the weekend would never get here. I'm going back to Bottle & Bottega tonight to celebrate one of my best friend's birthday. Tonight is "ladies night" there which means we will be painting a nude model. I already feel awkward. I plan to bring about 6 bottles of wine to cope so I'm sure my painting is going to to turn out wonderfully. What are you up to this weekend? Anything fun? Whatever you end up doing.. I hope it's fabulous!

Tuesday Tunes

Thought I'd share a few songs helping me get through the week. I have the most random taste in music (just a warning) in that I can go from listening to Britney Spears to Dave Matthews to Jason Aldean in about 3.6 seconds. In unrelated news, 1 week down 3 more to go in my spending freeze. I may not survive but I'm sure trying hard. Hope everyone has a great Tuesday! 

Loving every song on the Lumineers CD this week- especially this one.

He was just on Ellen last week, and I've been stalking all of his music since.

Try not to judge me too much- what can I say? It's catchy.

A nice mellow jam. Ryan Adams, you rock.

Sweater Weather

I did a little fall cleaning this past weekend to try and really narrow down what I need for my closet and what I already have way too much of. I have a lot of sweaters, but not very many I love- which is an issue. If I was not on a spending freeze, I would buy all of these sweaters. Each one I picked is simple enough to be mixed and matched throughout your closet but also has a little bit of detail that makes it more exciting than a plain old pullover. Also, Dorothy Perkins is 20% off regular priced knits so you can get a few of these babies even cheaper than they already are. 

 Happy Friday! 

Row 1: one two three  four

Row 2: one two (favorite!) three four

Operation: Stop Spending All My Money

Well, I'm not going to lie to you. I already messed up my spending freeze. It's not my fault Bauble Bar got a new collection in and I needed this ring and maybe a pair of studs or two. Now I feel guilty. I also feel like I should check myself into Shoppers Anonymous since I couldn't even make it a whole 48 hours without spending money (what is wrong with me?!). Don't get me wrong- I technically could still shop. I mean, that's why I live with my parents. I have saved a good deal of money doing that and have gotten all of my bills to a manageable amount. I have not spent my life savings on shoes or anything like that. After all, I am not an idiot. But I do need to make some changes. I am planning to move out in the spring and would like $0 in credit card bills and whole lotta cash in the bank. So alas, I must start my spending freeze over again today.

But I thought about a few things as I almost purchased the boyfriend jeans I've been wanting from Gap solely because they are 30% off and tempted me every time I opened my web browser. I do not need those jeans. I have about 15 pairs of jeans. Those jeans will not turn me into Rachel Bilson. They will not make me successful or have a fun time this weekend with my friends. Do they provide happiness? Absolutely. And the thought that clothing can bring happiness may be extremely materialistic but I don't really care. It's a fact.

A ton of other bloggers  have done spending freezes and I will be stalking their blogs for advice over these next couple of weeks. Especially Morgan's and {av}'s. And I do not mean to make this sound dramatic, because after all it is just shopping. But at the end of the day I really do have an issue with thinking I need all of these great new things when in all actuality I do not. I also think it will be a fun challenge to work with what I've got in my closet currently & see how I can spice things up.

Wish me luck!

Latley

I hope everyone had a great weekend! I had a lot of fun but spent all day in bed yesterday (clearly I had a little too much fun). It is definitely starting to feel like Fall around here in Chicago and I am l-o-v-i-n-g it. In other news, I am attempting a little "spending freeze" for the month of October. I've made it 1 whole day but I am seriously doubting my will power with all of these fall sales going on. I may need to unsubscribe from every email I get until November 1. Also, I finally got the new iphone5 which means I am no longer left out of the instagram club. My user name is the same as my twitter: ashleybona. So follow long if you'd like! 

Oktoberfest with some of my college roomies & the boyfriend.

Concert outfit with my favorite new skinny's & Frye boots.

Mini pumpkin doughnuts a la here.

View from the Zack Brown Band concert- such a good show!