Cheapy Mc Cheapster aka me

So we drove around last night looking for something fun to do along the Cuyahoga in Downtown Cleveland - the sun was gorgeous off the water and the view of the bridges blocking the sun was breathtaking. So we found a ginormous parking lot and decided to stop & meander around. Enter Mr. Parking attendant dude - "Yo - that'll be ten dollars." Psssssshhhhhh... you're kidding, right? We were in the -not gonna pay for diddily kinda mood- especially just to look at the lake - I'm pretty sure looking at big ol' Lake Erie is always free buddy

{insert light bulb hovering over our heads}

(in my best sweet little girl voice) "Oh, we were just looking to turn around dear, kind, sir, (ok, maybe I didn't say that last sir part but I was definetly batting my lashes) 

And this driveway was huge - I clearly meant to drive into the lot and could have done a couple donuts before entering the parking lot - there was NO way I just wanted to turn around... however:

My lashes or dumb look on my face convinced Mr. fine-public-servant-parking-attendant guy. 

"Oh, of course lovely young lady - you may pass through without a fee" (ok, maybe it wasn't that lavish, but you get the idea)

* Cha-ching! *

And we parked - almost immediately, snickered for a good half hour and enjoyed a lovely impromptu reggae concert on the water (maybe that's why you had to pay for parking, oppsie)

 Blue Scarf gifted from Sister-in-law

White Jacket from Elite Repeats $14 

Black Gap T shirt - $20 

Old Navy Jeans - $25

See what I mean? It was too beautiful to miss out on! And everybody loves reggae!

Summer Festivals

 It's summer and the festivals are here in full swing - yay! I looove festivals. The rides, the games, the food, the corny prizes and the carnies hollerin at ya to play their game. Love it. However sometimes its hard to dress for a festival. The exhaust from the rides and the steam coming from those gyro-makin grills makes it a steamy occasion and when riding the rides who knows which way your body will get flipped. So here's my recommendation for dressing up this summer for those awesome festivals: 

Bun it up: 

Who doesn't love Carrie Bradshaw? When your hair is in a bun it's totally glam and less likely to fly out of place or get ruined by a splash from the kiddies and their dang squirt guns. 

OR braid it up: 

I love this braided boho look Nicole Richie is rockin here- it's so stylish and keep its hold all night long. Plus if you have highlights in your hair it makes them look amazing! 

Some sample dresses for the occasion (most of em are under 50 big ones) :

Enjoy the festivals out there lovelies!

-Daughter

Beach Hair

 I'm loving this wavy hair look. I love how relaxed and breezy it looks. I've been wanting to achieve this look for awhile and have finally found a product which gets this look in a cinch (yay!). I have naturally wavy hair but - not adorable beachy waves but half-attempted curls that are very curly at my hairline and then straight at the ends - doesn't make sense does it? exactly.

John Frieda Frizz Ease Dream Curls $6.50 CVS

 Enters John Frieda Dream Curls - and the crowd goes wild. So you just spritz this stuff on your hair after the shower and I've been letting it air dry and *poof* I've got me some adorable beachy hair!

If you are looking for more of a curly look you're not gonna find it with this stuff - and I'm warning you that if you have straight hair you might not get this look. It does make my hair a little crunchy but if I run my fingers through my hair I can get rid of the crunch - without losing the curl.

I love this hair for the summer because it gets the hair off my neck and feels a lot lighter than when I wear it straight - plus I don't have to worry if the humidity makes my hair curly because that's the look I'm going for! 

Turquoise Top Target - $10 

Chico's Linen Pants from Elite Repeats - $14 

J. Lo purse free with purchase 

Belt thrifted $.50

-Daughter

Hidden Treasures of the Summer!

In the summer we are very blessed. However one of the most un-appreciated things about the summertime are garage sales. Nobody says "Oh, I loved last summer we spent so much time going to garage sales and I just loved digging through that old ladies 5 cent bin"... Nope. You just don't hear it. Well, I'm here to change that! I have a never ending love affair with garage sales and I'm here to promote your undying affection for them too. Example 1 of 98,347 why garage sales rock: 

This lovely pretend Louis Vuitton: 

Whats so great about this bag you ask? Well I love the colors and its in great shape but thats NOT it... it's the price. This bag was 25 cents! That's right! Yup, I'll always love this bag because it was only a quarter... Even if it falls the pieces in a week (which it may.) 

So the next time you see a little sign by the side of the road STOP, turn around and get your butt to that garage sale! You never know what totally amazing treasure you might find and for how low you could get it for!

Chico's Blue Jacket - $14 from Elite Repeats

B&W striped vest MKM Designs - $10 

Black Gap Shorts - $20 

Dr.Scholl's Black & Silver Buckle Sandals - $20

-Daughter

Spontaneous Adventures

Yesterday it was a gorgeous day - a perfect day for a drive around. Windows down, hair blowin, sunshine and sunnies - it was bliss.

On my drive we ended up catching some amazing views of Downtown Cleveland around sunset - how lucky is that? It was really breathtaking - and completely spur of the moment. Its the little adventures like these that make such lasting memories. I know I will never forget how lucky we were and how proud these views of my city make me. I'm so proud to be from Cleveland - it's a gorgeous city!

Black Old Navy Sweater Tank - $12 

Snakeskin Scarf - $7 from Elite Repeats 

Old Navy Jean Capri's - $6 

-Daughter

Because it was cheap, it's cuter on me.

Its a beautiful day here in Willoughby! Bright sun and blue skies. In the summer I often have a fashion dilemma - with it being so hot you can't layer items so you're stuck with just one top and one bottom. I get easily bored with my closet because I'm just picking two items. But tops like these - with colorful patterns and designs are much more fascinating (that's right, I said fascinating.) And my orange polish pops with this top. :)

I went garage sale shopping this morning so I was looking for something casual that I could also wear straight to work. This top is perfect because you just put it on and "Voila!" you look snazzy. How can I look snazzy you ask? Here's how:

This top is from NoMoreRack.com for only $9! This top is made by Ricki's and comes in a variety of sizes and colors - I bought the tangerine one above also. The great thing about No More Rack is that they feature new deals everyday and they are all incredibly cheap! AND they ship super quick - I got my tops 2 days later and for only $2! I couldn't be happier! 
Because this top was such a great deal I feel so much prettier in it - my pride about my great purchase makes my smile bigger... its like an instant makeover. 

Purple & Orange Top from Ricki's via NoMoreRack.com - $9

Black Old Navy Tank - $6

White Capri's -$11 from Elite Repeats

Enjoy the sun out there ladies!
-Daughter

Bright & Bold for summer

I love the bold and bright colors that are coming back in style. It's very fun to wear fuchsia, royal blue, emerald green, yellow and orange. It reminds me of the 80s, or what I imagine the 80s fashion was like. So I adored this nail polish set the minute I saw it. And it was only $6 - for 7 colors!!  

L.A. Colors Color Craze Nail Set - $6 Rite Aid

Just look at these colors! Too fun and bright to not try it. Right?
So here I am in the orange... not sure about it yet. I feel a little Halloweeny and it might make me look more pale (didn't think that was possible.) It's so bright its almost distracting, which is funny. If nothing else its fun and different. What do you think?? Please comment and let me know!