My First Instameet!

I feel like I haven’t really done a lifestyle update recently, so I thought it would be fun to fill you guys in on what I did this weekend!

As you can see in the photo, there’s a dinosaur on my head.  Well that’s because I was invited to an instameet (instagram meet) for the new Disney and Pixar movie, The Good Dinosaur!  We all met at the Golden Valley Ranch Open Space and started taking pictures that represented the essence of the movie.  What could be better, right??  Even though the movie isn’t released yet, just by seeing the trailer and posters, you can tell it’s all about adventure.  Which was perfect for the scenery we were in.   There were also delicious sweets and treats for all of us which was a nice surprise.

Okay, back to the pictures.  I found my little Arlo (that’s the dinosaur’s name) from Target, and brought him along for the adventure.  I wasn’t the only one with this idea either.  Pretty much everyone that showed up had an Arlo, or another Dinosaur toy from the movie.  I also brought my new Pixar ball that my very good friend, Skylar (who was also co-hosting the event), gave me when he had the lucky chance to visit the Pixar studios a few weeks before.  I couldn’t pass up the opportunity to use it in some of my photos!  It’s safe to say, it’s my new favorite possession.  What’s even more fun about the photos we were taking, were that at the end of the day, we picked our favorite one to be entered into a contest!  Whoever won got two tickets to The Good Dinosaur premiere!  All we had to do was post our favorite photo to Instagram, tag @thegooddinosaur and #gooddinomeet.  That’s it!  And, obviously, the photo had to relate to the movie.

Hunter came with me to the meet, and we took this very seriously, needless to say.  On the drive up to the ranch, he was putting together a loincloth to represent the little boy in the movie, Spot.  And youbetcha he wore that loincloth!  Obviously the photo turned out great and hilarious, as you can see on the left.  Definitely a head turner.

The photo I ended up choosing to enter was a photo that Hunter and I both thought really grasped the essence of the movie.  In the movie posters, you see Spot and Arlo surrounded by a dark sky with nothing but stars lighting it up.  It’s really magical and sweet so we thought it would be good to incorporate that same magical feel to this picture.  Even thought it wasn’t dark outside, I thought it was still a representation of that magical essence of adventure.  Plus, the sky was so pretty and clear that we couldn’t help but use it any chance we had!

Sadly, neither of us won the contest.  The person who did win though, did a really great job and I’m happy she won.  Honestly, I’m totally fine with not winning.  I know you probably don’t believe me, but it’s true!  We had such a great time and it really felt like we were little kids again!   Just running around in the grass and getting to play with toys again, was definitely an afternoon well spent in my book.  Plus, we got to see the sun setting over the mountains which was so beautiful to see.

I had so so much fun at my first instameet and I can’t wait for the next one!  Thanks again to Disney, Andrew Kuttler, and Skylar Bartlett for hosting that awesome afternoon!

Until next time,

– Grace

eShakti at Tiffany’s

 “I believe in pink.  I believe that laughing is the best calorie burner.  I believe in kissing, kissing a lot.  I believe in being strong when everything seems to be going wrong.  I believe that happy girls are the prettiest girls.  I believe that tomorrow is another day and I believe in miracles.” – Audrey Hepburn

When I was approached by eShakti to write a post about my experience with their wonderful company, I couldn’t say yes fast enough!  To have a whole fashion line devoted to you expressing your own unique style, no matter what shape or size was right up my alley.  As soon as I saw this dress on their website, I knew it deserved to be written about.  Immediately, I thought of a modern day Audrey Hepburn look and a recreation of the timeless classic, Breakfast at Tiffany’s.  So today, it’s all about this little black dress.

eShakti is a fashion company that thrives on making their customers feel happy and beautiful in well-tailored clothes, without paying a fortune.  With their amazing technology, you can have your clothes custom fit and styled to your choice!  So let’s take this dress as an example.  When I saw this dress, the length showed that it would fall right above my ankles.  Well, when I was placing my order, I had the option to change the length, neck-line, sleeves, and I could even put my exact measurements in to make sure the fit was just right.  I ended up just making the dress a tad shorter, and everything else was already perfect!  How great is that?  It’s such an easy process, and when I tried my dress on, it fit like a glove!

eShakti is such an empowering company for women, so I decided to have my style icon for this look be one of, if not the most, empowering women in history: Audrey Hepburn.  Audrey was not only an inspiration in the entertainment world, but she was also a huge fashionista.  Everything about her style just radiated elegance, so I thought it was only appropriate to bring some modern-day elegance to this look. What could be more elegant than Tiffany’s?  Since the dress is already a big statement piece, with the tule skirt and gorgeous neckline, all that was needed were some pearls and sparkly earrings to make it Audrey-inspired.  To add my own personal touch of style, I topped the look off with some black Ray-Bans and my favorite polka-dot Kate Spade purse, just for a little fun. Then I threw on these lovely Steve Madden heels and my Audrey look was complete!

Of course, I made a little stop by Tiffany’s to get fully inspired.  Even though I didn’t have my breakfast there (shh, don’t tell!), I did have some lovely macarons as a snack.  Because, honestly, what’s more delicious than macarons while looking at diamonds?

I want to thank eShakti so much for my dress and for the fun experience!  I felt so pretty and comfortable in this, which are two things I always look for when I’m shopping.  This is definitely going to be my new favorite dress for the holidays and I can’t wait to see all of the fun ways to style this beauty!

My friends at eShakti have been so kind to offer my readers a 10% off discount on your next purchase now through December 11th!  Just in time for Christmas shopping, right??  Just use the coupon code “graceandrewsonline” and enter it in the “promotional code” box when you’re finishing your purchase.  This code can be used any number of times through December 11th, so make sure to take advantage of it!  (NOTE: does not work on clearance items)  I’ve provided a link to the dress and website here, so make sure you check it out and have fun shopping with your new discount!

Until next time, darling.

– Grace

Fun (and inexpensive) Date Ideas

 Tyler and I just celebrated our one year anniversary of dating.  So crazy how the time flies!  We didn’t do anything too exciting to celebrate, but we had the best and most fun day we’ve had in a long time.  We had a typical day: made brunch, watched Parks and Rec, I accompanied him to an audition, sat in traffic (for a LONG time), went to dinner, walked around the Americana (which is a gorgeous mall we have here), then finished the night off by watching Guardians of the Galaxy.

While we were at dinner, we kept trying to figure out why we had such a great day, since everything had been so simple.  His answer was because “we got to spend it together.”  I cried.  Well, not really, but it was super sweet.  Even though I agreed that it was fun for that reason, I think another part of why we had such a great time was because of HOW simple the day was.  So simple, that we didn’t have to worry about what something might cost, or having to be at a reservation by a certain time.  We had an idea of what we wanted to do, then just went with it, with no set plans.  Our day had me thinking, that we needed to start having a date night at least once every two weeks, if not every week.  Since we had only gone on maybe a hand full of dates during the whole year, he agreed that it was a great idea, especially since we’re the type of couple to binge watch a Netflix show, rather than go out for any reason besides an important occasion.  He, especially, also wants to keep our dates within spending reason too.  Just so neither of us fret about expenses and we can enjoy our time together without any stress.  Of course I completely agreed, so I decided to write about some date ideas that can be used for a 1st date, all the way up to just a night out with the one you love.  Hope you all enjoy!

1. Visit a candy store or soda shop:  We actually did this the very first time we hung out one-on-one.  We didn’t mean to, but we visited a candy store called Lolly and Pops.  It was like Willy Wonka’s factory!  There were loads of freshly made candies to sample, not to mention a giant section of every gummy bear you could think of!  Of course they had tons of other candies to choose from, and after we were done exploring this marvelous place, we each picked out a custom-made candy to share.  On our one year, we made a little stop by here and it brought back such fun memories.  It’s a great way to have the fun of being a little kid in a candy store all over again.
2. Have a photo shoot!  Okay so this one might be saved more for anniversaries or for those of you that might be dating someone for a while.  And no, I’m not talking about an engagement photo shoot!  Pick a fun wall in your town, or some place that isn’t too romantic, and just be silly!  Have a friend come and snap a few good shots of you guys, and then you have colorful, goofy memories to have forever!  Plus, they make great gifts for later on.  And yes, the picture on the left is from one of ours.
3. Find out what “national” day it is:  Okay, we all know there’s a “national” whatever day for every day of the year.  Why not, figure out what day your date happens to be on, then incorporate that into the date!  It could be something as simple as national pizza day, or national coffee day.  There ya go!  Two dates right there that didn’t take any thinking at all.  Plus, if there’s an obscure national day, it’s just another great way of making some funny memories.
4. Alphabet movie night:  Alright, for this one it’ll take some perseverance getting through the whole alphabet.  But the idea is still great, and you could honestly just pick whatever letter you want to start with if it’s a one time thing.  First, just pick a movie.  Let’s say it was something that started with the letter A (if you were starting from the beginning of the alphabet), like About Time.  You then would only have dinner or snacks with foods that started with the letter A.  It’s really fun if you pick a movie that starts with a letter that’s a little more challenging to come up with food ideas.  Super creative though, and it can make for a great movie night tradition!
5. Hiking:  Even if you aren’t an outdoorsy person, hiking is still good whether it’s a 1st date or a 10th date.  To make it more fun, pack a picnic to take with you guys!  That way, whenever you get to a point where you want to rest, just whip out a blanket and some sandwiches, and you have two dates in one!  Plus, it’s awesome exercise.
6. Build a fort:  Yes, Tyler and I did try to do this once.  There’s a lot more work that goes into than you think!  But it was so worth it once it was all done, and it’s the perfect place for a game night.
7. Questions:  Each come up with 10 questions that you’re dying to know the answers to!  Whether you’re out to dinner or just sitting on the couch at home, it’s a great way to get to know a person and it’ll for sure be an icebreaker!
8. Bake a cake!  Figure out what type of cake you want, get icing, and fun toppings, then have a fun decorating date!  Plus, you’ll have dessert for later.
9. Farmer’s market: Make a date at the farmer’s market!  Get food or ingredients to make for lunch or dinner, then go home and cook a delicious meal.
10. And if none of these sound good…  You can’t really go wrong with a Netflix night.

Hope I gave you guys some ideas to try out!  If you have any that I haven’t mentioned, I would love to hear them!  Just comment below or shoot me an email.

Until next time,

– Grace