east vs west [coast] style. neon.

yowza...it's bright in here!

this week we're rocking neon, and nothing says bright like neon. these bright colors are bold enough to stand on their own, or pair them with another bright color if you dare. looking to tone it down? keep it casual and pair it with neutrals. the great thing about neon is that it's truly wearable. introduce bright colors into your wardrobe with small doses like a belt, scarf, or bag. hope you find some inspiration here, because spring loves brights!

don't forget to visit the girls.

east

Jackie / Living After Midnite / New York

Meaghan / District Sparkle / D.C.

Tracy / TheRightShoes / New York

west

Ashley / Pursuit of Shoes / California

Ashley / Golden Divine / California

Becks / oomph. / Hawaii

daylight doesn't accurately portray the brightness of these hi-lighter yellow shorts. while i'm not afraid to rock this bold color, i also love the flip side of pairing brights with neutrals. i've been slowly growing my collection of tees, and this creamy Paradise Lost tee felt like the perfect match for these shorts. plus, it is uber soft and comfortable!

(Crystal Pave Ring & Bar Necklace c/o Capwell & Co.)

long time readers know that i have a favorite gold ring very similar to this one. i am so happy to have this one in silver. 

evening trip to the library.

(Sole Society 'Amerie' bag c/o)

i was worried this bag was going to be huge and heavy, but it's the perfect size. absolutely loving the style and color.

(tee c/o Lulu's (buy); GAP shorts; ON vest; JustFab shoes)

doses of neon:

in case you missed it:

east vs west . varsity

east vs west . festival

brighthouse baubles [jewelry] GIVEAWAY.

welcome to the Brighthouse Baubles giveaway!

i've joined some fabulous bloggers to give our readers a chance to win three amazing pieces of jewelry from Brighthouse Baubles.

about Brighthouse Baubles

Brighthouse Baubles is an affordable fashion jewelry online boutique founded in september 2012 by amy wingertsahn, a 20-something entrepreneur with a passion for fashion and inspiring women to follow their dreams.

recognized for its "on-trend and on a budget" philosophy, the baltimore, maryland brand supplies a fresh selection of necklaces, bracelets, and earrings in the season's hottest colors and styles, all priced under $50.

new collections are released seasonally and brand staples include the bauble bib, gold link cuff, collar necklace, and sarah stone earrings. Brighthouse Baubles is dedicated to providing you easy access to what's trendy...without breaking the bank!

enter for your chance to win a fringe necklace, gold link bracelet, and pink leather wrap bracelet from Brighthouse Baubles using the rafflecopter widget below.

ends 9/30, open to US only.

good luck!

follow our sponsor: facebook / twitter / pinterest / instagram

*Brighthouse Baubles is responsible for prize fulfillment.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

whites and brights.

i have always loved the look of a crisp, white pantsuit.

unfortunately, they are difficult to buy. the pants need to fit perfectly, and the proportions need to be just right. since i recently found some white jeans that i love, i've been pairing it with my white blazer to create a makeshift pantsuit. i'm wearing it here with bright colors...a pink sweater and these awesome blue marne heels from JustFab.

black is always a classic, but white is forever fresh.

will you be rocking black or white?

cupcakes we make last weekend for a friend's party.

hamburger cupcakes...

yellow cupcakes cut in half for the buns, chocolate cupcake slices for the burger, and colored frosting for the ketchup, lettuce,

and mayo.  

sundae cupcakes...

marshmallow halves for the scoops of ice cream, then decorate.

popcorn cupcakes...

mini marshmallows snipped at the top. you can brush with yellow food coloring for "butter" or torch lightly for a toasted look, but we ran out of time.

(guess denim; justfab marne heels c/o; rampage blazer; inpink necklace)

try these:

*     *     *

have you entered the firmoo glasses giveaway yet?

enter here.

mint khakis + leopard loafers.

boyfriend shorts, loose tees, and roomy khakis.

call me lazy, but i'm loving everything relaxed lately.

one thing that's getting too relaxed is my exercising. swimsuit season is around the corner (ok, it's year-round here, but more so during summer months), and i'm hoping to tone up a few trouble areas before then.

another thing i've been loving is pretty little necklaces. i find myself reaching for dainty ones over my long or chunky ones lately, so i was happy to see this one on the SilverSpeck website. i have a couple gold ones, and this one filled my silver void.

what have you been loving lately?

(SilverSpeck sterling silver diamond accent wishbone pendant c/o (buy))

so much to choose from!

final picks...cabs from ghost pines + entwine.

(old navy khakis; sam edelman shoes; sonia rykiel bag)

shop the look:

sandwiched.

halloween.

car accident.

slammed from the back, pushed into the car in front.

stretcher. ambulance ride. er.

stiff neck. backache. nausea.

 i'm ok. the aches get better everyday.

now i'm dealing with insurance claims and all that fun stuff.

and because of another major accident on the freeway that day, i didn't get home until 8:30 pm. poor mini-he missed out on trick-or-treating. luckily we had our halloween block party last weekend. at least he got to wear his costume once.

wearing the No nonsense leggings i talked about here.

this was the most uncomfortable contraption ever.

(leggings c/o No nonsense (buy); shoes, victoria's secret; f21 sweater (gift); necklace, INpink))

try these:

  don't forget to check out the great selection of chains at lovely obsessions. 10% off with code: rockoomph

jelly of a time.

this weekend had a nice balance of work and play. saturday was a full day of volunteering at the aquarium...standing on my feet for five hours straight making hats out of paper plates. it was supposed to be a kids' activity, but it proved to be too difficult for the little ones. i met up with the minis when i was done, grabbed some much needed sustenance at a nearby restaurant on the beach (view=good, food=not so good), let the minis take a dip in the ocean, and finally headed home. my body was so tired, i fell asleep by 9pm. sunday was a much more relaxing day. after the usually morning classes and errands,

we went to the pool and jacuzzi and swam until we turned

into raisins.

guys, i'm really struggling with finding time to take pictures. i've already used up all of my save-for-a-rainy-day drafts.

next week is swimming class sign-ups, and i'm hoping to find

a different day that will free up my sunday mornings again.

until then, you may see a sponsored post or two to help

fill the gaps. normal programming to resume shortly.

the jellyfish was our favorite.

so was this cute little girl.

let's hope we don't ever step on one of these urchins.

try this look:

afternoon sun.

last week i mentioned that sunday mornings were my days to take photos for the blog. well, that went out the door since signing up mini-he for back-to-back swimming and tutoring lessons on sundays. now i really have no idea when i'll be able to take photos. bear with me the next few weeks as we settle into our new schedules. mini-she goes back to school tomorrow as well.

luckily we had an opportunity on saturday afternoon to snap a few pictures. the sun was fussy...either too bright or hiding behind the clouds, but certain shots hilighted the

gold tones in this necklace perfectly.

(Alloy Western Design Necklace c/o AliExpress powered by Alibaba)

all sellers at AliExpress are based in china.

you'll find a wide variety of jewelry and other products

straight from the source at great prices.

new planner/journal to keep my thoughts and,

well...life, in order.