Pep(lum) Up & a GIVEAWAY!

{peplum top: ASOS via Gwynnie Bee | jeans: TJ Maxx | belt: dots | wedges: payless | necklace: JNA}

I have loved the peplum trend since it first hit the mainstream a year or so ago, but finding a good option that I loved on me was difficult.  I tried dresses, jackets, and tops all peplum... none were great.  When Gwynnie Bee sent me this ASOS top, I was weary.. but I actually loved the Minnie Mouse vibe (so did my preschoolers) and it felt funky and fun!  Peplum, I have a feeling our love affair is just beginning. (Side note: these pics were taken pre-keratin treatment, so just imagine the hair 1400 times better, because it is)

{I am guest posting on Ten Feet Off Beale today! Go check out more merrymaking over there!}

With the big announcement by Google that they're getting rid of Google Reader, there has been a huge push to move towards Bloglovin', and it's such a fun way to follow and keep up with blogs.  So in order to help our followers move to that platform a bunch of us bloggers got together and have a HUGE giveaway to celebrate.  The response was intense, and so we ended up with 4 different gift cards at a $320 value!  Amazing!

In order to keep you from getting too intimidated by the rafflecopter we've broken it down into 4 different ones, go ahead and enter them all if you'd like! :) This also ensures you have a much higher chance of winning!  

Guest Post: The Daily Dani

Since I am letting the good times roll in New Orleans for a few days, I asked some of my closest blogging buddies to share a post with my little chickens.  Heeeeeeeere's Dani!
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Happy Mardi Gras, Chickens!

My name is Dani - nice to meet ya! I'm so excited to be here keeping y'all company while my B(logging)BFF Bekah is off enjoying herself and a few too many hurricane cocktails out in NOLA! Let me tell you a bit about myself before we continue...

I have my own little fashion blog, The Daily Dani! I post daily outfit photos, weekly blogger features, and the occasional celeb fashion update! I've been blogging for a little over a year, and I absolutely love it! Not only has it helped my style to evolve exponentially, but I've made some amazing friends - like Miss Bekah! - through the blogosphere!

I'm 25, I live in Orange County, CA, and I'm a preschool teacher! I love: seafoam green, Sex & The City, baby dinosaurs, Pinterest, The Beatles, anything Native American-inspired, and leopard print!

In honor of Fat Tuesday, I put together a little purple, green, and gold inspired outfit to wear over here in So Cal.

{Tunic, Scarf, & Watch: Nordstrom | Fleece-lined leggings: Anthropologie | Socks: Target | Boots: Hunter | Teal bracelet: Tory Burch | Gold bracelet: Boutique | Necklace: Vintage}

I threw in my green boots, purple scarf, & gold jewelry to keep in the Mardi Gras theme! I totally wish I was in New Orleans celebrating Fat Tuesday and the rest of the week with Bekah... So I'm pretending that I am! I've styled a few Mardi Gras-esque outfits that I will hopefully be lucky enough to inspire some future Louisiana looks!

Mardi Gras 2012 Bourbon St. Day Drinking by danicalifornia15 featuring slouchy sweaters

Let's all be honest... we know Bekah is enjoying some cocktails down on Bourbon St. right now, and I'm going to pretend I'm right there with her! I know the forecast down in New Orleans calls for some showers this week, so I thought a cozy cream sweater, a floral scarf, some plaid-lined boots, and a fantastic umbrella would be perfect for some bar crawling and parade watching!

Mardi Gras 2012 Team Spirit by danicalifornia15 featuring graphic hoodies

I, myself, happen to be a Colts fan, but I know Bekah loves herself some Saints football! I know football season is over, but I'm pretty sure it's never the wrong time of the year to show some support in New Orleans! Nothing like representing your team spirit with some sparkly Toms, simple jewelry, and a fun hair accessory! Who dat?!

Mardi Gras 2012 Evening Out by danicalifornia15 featuring a wrap bracelet

I'm sure a nice evening out for some delicious Cajun cuisine (followed by beignets, of course!) would definitely be on my Mardi Gras agenda! Continuing to keep in the classic Mardi Gras color scheme, I'd go for a feminine dress and shoes, with a harder-edge jacket, unique accessories, and glittering nails!

Mardi Gras 2012 Masquerade by danicalifornia15 featuring kenneth jay lane rings

I was recently informed that balls of all sorts are thrown during Mardi Gras! Now, I'm not exactly a masquerade ball princess, but it's fun to dream, isn't it? There's nothing like a classic cut dress in a great color combined with bold accessories to really make a formal look POP!

Please be sure to visit me over at The Daily Dani and say hi! For now, I'm off to live vicariously through Bekah, and maybe have a homemade hurricane of my own! ;)

Later, kittens!

Guest Post: The Blog of Worldy Delights

Since I am letting the good times roll in New Orleans for a few days, I asked some of my closest blogging buddies to share a post with my little chickens.  Heeeeeeeere's Laura!

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Hi Bekah's little chickens! I'm Laura from the blog of worldly delights filling in for the oh-so-lucky Bekah who gets to go have a ball of a time at Mardi Gras. While she's accumulating beads, I'm dreaming of the perfect outfit to wear I'd don if I were as lucky as she is!

Mardigras by delightedlaura featuring diamond jewelry

Ideally, my perf Mardi Gras outfit would be topless (I'm kidding, I'm kidding! or am I?) but in reality, I'd probably wear a loose-fitting top to hide all the Fat Tuesday morsels I'd have gobbled up. 

What's your Ideas Mardi Gras Outfit? 

Guest Post: Faye's Book

Since I am letting the good times roll in New Orleans for a few days, I asked some of my closest blogging buddies to share a post with my little chickens.  Heeeeeeeere's Faye!

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Hello lovely ladies! My name is Faye and I blog @ Faye'sbook (clever, right?)

I met lovely Bekah IRL when we stood near each other @ a Hanson concert. Also, I hate abbreviations like IRL. Anyway. Once we found each other in blog land, it was love at first post. On my part anyway. If you like it here @ Matters of Merrymaking, you should check me out! I mean, if you're into the complete opposite. No OOTD for me. Until Bekah takes me shopping, that is. My blog often features posts such as Miscellaneous Monday, Tuesday Tidbits, and Word Vomit Wednesday. By that, I mean...I'm totally random. And I like alliteration. But as my about me says -- I won't promise I will be profound, but I will promise I won't be boring.

You may be wondering why I'm here. Miss Merrymaker has gone down to the Big Easy to celebrate Mardi Gras. If she could have packed me in her suitcase, she would have had to make room for this loveliness, too.

Now isn't that a fabulous Mardi Gras outfit?

Actually, no. No it's not. How do I know? Because I've been. Proof:

It's February and that means it's cold. Bourbon Street is absolutely filthy and crowded. The best music and dancing is quite a long walk away (at the gay bars, of course). 

But wait. I'd totally still wear that outfit. Cause as long as you have a few hand grenades and a "huge ass beer to go", you'll be just fine.

Unless you fall down in this.

Have one for all of us, Bekah! Happy Mardi Gras!

Hey Everyone, Come See How Good I Look!

Nothing like an Anchorman quote to start your Monday off with a bang.Today, you can find me here, sharing a bit of myself at Lady M.

I hope you'll check it out, chickens :)