Back-To-School HAUL

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Yesterday I did some good ole fashion Back-To-School shopping. I was kind of sad when I realized that Tuesday will be my LAST first day of school. Ever. It's crazy to think I only have a year left of school and then it's on to the real world.

I am so excited to update my Fall wardrobe with these new finds! I think my favorite color of Fall would be Olive/Green. Not to ride the vain train, but I'm a big fan of the way it looks on my skin (being a darker skin tone and all). I did all my damage at Cotton On, American Eagle, Forever 21, J. Crew Factory, and Wet Seal. Bless these stores' hearts.

I must say, my favorite steal of the day was my Boombox Stormtrooper Muscle Tank from Forever 21! Nothing like a little Star Wars to make your outfit retro. And how adorable is that floral backpack from Wet Seal? I haven't shopped in Wet Seal for a while because in the past I thought the styles they sold didn't reflect my own. But I saw that bag online and decided to check to see if they had it in the store. Lucky for me, I snagged the last one (fist pump)--and to my surprise, I also walked out with some combats boots and a jacket! Looks like I might be shopping there more often now!
Oh, and yes, I did buy TWO more fedoras. I think I have a problem guys!

Click on the corresponding numbers above to get a closer look at the items and maybe snag one of your own!

Stay Classy.

Feature Friday: Connor

This week's Feature Friday spotlight shines on my dedicated, amazing, handsome husband:

Connor!

Looking back on my posts I realized I never really formally introduced this guy to you folks! I don't want to turn this into a "How We Met" post (I'm saving that for later), so I'll give you guys just the basic timeline of our relationship. Connor and I met in an English class at BYU, winter semester of 2011. We started officially dating on April 20, 2011 and got engaged in March 2012. We then got sealed for time and all eternity on July 21, 2012 in the Seattle Washington Temple!

Connor is my husband, best friend, partner, and soulmate. He is my forever. He is my everything. He's never left my side during my worst of times, and he's always there to celebrate with me during my best of times. He always puts my happiness first and I honestly couldn't have asked for a more amazing guy in my life. I never forget to thank God at night during my prayers for sending me Connor because he's that precious of a gift.

Okay, enough of that mushy stuff.

Here are some fun facts about my super cool husband:

He is from Issaquah, Washington

He is 24 years young

He is 6' 4"

He is the second oldest of 5 brothers

He is studying Communications

He played BYU Football during his Freshman year of college

He played BYU Lacrosse during his Sophomore year of college

He served his mission in Edmonton, Canada

He is a black belt in Shudokan

He is allergic to wheat and dairy (but that doesn't stop him from eating/drinking it)

He read 29 books this summer

He doesn't like tomatoes and sushi (it's okay, more sushi for me!)

He once bumped shoulders with Hilary Swank. They're basically besties now.

So I asked Connor a few questions so you guys could get to know him even better:

1. Who is your favorite superhero and why?

CONNOR: I have always loved Green Lantern. I like him because he is a normal guy and his courage is what makes him strong.

2. What would you spend your last dollar on?

C: My wife, I like making her happy. [awwwwww!]

3. What is your favorite childhood memory?

C: I loved growing up with 4 brothers and exploring the forest. We would just run around the woods for hours during the summer.

4. What is something you can't live without?

C: Beverages, I love quenching my thirst.

5. If you could be any animal, what would you be?

C: Grizzly Bear, they own the forest, eat, and sleep.

I love this kid to death and would follow him to the ends of the earth!

What a great husband (:

Stay Classy.

Our World Boutique Giveaway

Hey friends! I am excited to be teaming up with Jessica from NC Grown and Our World Boutique to bring you an amazing giveaway! 

Our World Boutique is a trendy little shop that sells beautiful clothing, jewelry, and accessories, all at an affordable price! Their items are inspired by styles from all over the world and they always have such a variety of things in stock! 

I have especially fallen in love with their Sheer Button Shirt, Chevron Necklace, Compass Charm Bracelet, and Denim Purse! You can see how I styled them in the pictures below! Also, have I mentioned that the majority of the items in their store are always on SALE?

Today, TWO lucky readers of Auteur Ariel and NC Grown have a chance of winning one item of their choice from Our World Boutique! Enter by using the rafflecopter below!

Good luck!

Shirt, Necklace, Bracelet, Bag- c/o Our World Boutique // Jeans-PacSun // Shoes-BCBG

Don't forget to check out how Jessica styled her items from Our World Boutique over at NC Grown!


Stay Classy.

Snickerdoodles // My Face On TV!

Happy Hump Day! Hopefully this tasty Snickerdoodle recipe will help you all get through the rest of the week. Enjoy!

Soft Snickerdoodle Cookies

credit to Juju Bee via Food.com

-yields 24-

Ingredients

1 cup butter

1 1/2 cups sugar

2 eggs

2 3/4 cups flour

2 tsp cream of tartar

1 tsp baking soda

1/4 tsp salt

3 Tbsp sugar

3 tsp cinnamon

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

2. Mix butter, sugars, and eggs thoroughly in a large bowl.

3. Combine flour, cream of tartar, baking soda, and salt in a separate bowl.

4. Blend dry ingredients into butter mixture.

5. Chill dough and chill an ungreased cookie sheet for about 10-15 minutes in the fridge.

6. Meanwhile, mix sugar and cinnamon in a small bowl.

7. Scoop 1 inch globs of dough into the cinnamon sugar mixture.

8. Coat by gently rolling balls of dough in the cinnamon sugar mixture.

9. Place on chilled ungreased cookie sheet and bake 10 minutes.

10. Remove from pan immediately.

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Yesterday I filmed/starred in a commercial for BYU Independent Study that is gonna air on BYUTV during GENERAL CONFERENCE in October!!! Say whatttt???

For those of you who don't know, I work in the video department at BYU Independent Study. I'm usually found behind the camera during video shoots, but this time I got roped into playing the female lead in FRONT of the camera! It's a fun 30-second commercial promoting the online portion of BYU and I'm really excited to be a part of it! The script is way cute and I even get to speak a few lines of a foreign language (which hopefully I didn't butcher). Here are a few pictures I took throughout the day:

My boss looking over some footage. Does that face on the screen look familiar? ;)

Oh, hey.

Couple of my coworkers working real hard.

So remember this face, you'll be seeing it on TV in a couple months! :)

Stay Classy.

PS. TO ALL MY PRETTY LITTLE LIARS FRIENDS:

What did you guys think of the summer finale last night???

Here was my reaction:

I was confused, freaked out, frustrated, excited, and shocked all at the same time.

Why can't PLL ever give us answers that DON'T leave us with even more questions?

So annoying, yet so addicting.

Back To School With Style + Friends

Rachel-Rachel Sayumi // Marsa-The Daylee Journal  

Jessica-North Carolina Grown // Mikell- Love & Such // Ariel- Auteur Ariel

Hey friends! I am so so excited to bring you a fun collaboration post I did with a group of gorgeous bloggers! Today we are bringing you a handful of back-to-school looks that each of us put together to match our personal styles!

Let's face it, the first day of school--whether you're in grade school or college--is always a fashion show. You want to make a great first impression and enter that classroom with a Bang! Also, I've always felt like the first day of school is like the first day of Fall fashion! I can officially bust out my scarves, boots, coats, and layer it up!

So check out my back-to-school outfit below and don't forget to show my fellow bloggers some love and click on their links above to check out their BTS outfits as well!

***********************************

PS. Today I am also guest posting over at Nikki's blog: Fashions on the Fly.
I'm sharing my Five Fall Favorites! Click HERE to take a look!

Shirt-Modbe // Jeans-American Eagle // Hat-Cotton On // Flannel-PacSun // Boots-[Similar]

Stay Classy.

Blogger Event: Aveda Beauty Bash

A couple Saturdays ago I attended a blogger event at Aveda in City Creek. For those of you unfamiliar with Aveda, it's a company that manufactures and distributes skin care, cosmetics, perfume, and hair care products. They also train students in cosmetology and esthiology at the Aveda Institutes.

Now what sets Aveda apart from other beauty product companies is that 90% of their essential oils and 89% of their raw herbal ingredients in their products are certified organic. Even their packaging is made from recycled product! Talk about a company that takes "Going Green" seriously! The products we were there to review comes from their new Fall make up line: Heart Lands. To demonstrate the products, the adorable Gentri (from Gentri Lee) gave the already gorgeous Nikki (from Fashions on the Fly) a makeover using the products from the new line. The end result was a fabulous look--perfect for the upcoming Fall season! My favorite is the lipstick she used--it had a dark purple tint which I think is a fun change from the bright red lipstick that most Summer looks have! I might go back and get one for myself real soon! [see pictures below]

I'm still new to the blogosphere so one of my favorite parts of blogger events is meeting new people and getting to know others better! A new friend I made this time was Jessi (from Haircut and General Attitude). She is just as sweet in real life as she is on her blog!

Now for some exciting news!
I've got a few things in the works for you guys:

On Monday, I will be guest posting on Nikki's blog while she is away on vacation! I'll be sharing my Five Fall Favorites so be sure to swing by to check that out!

Also, I've got some great collaborations and giveaways coming up this week! I'm collaborating with a group of gorgeous bloggers to bring you a collection of Back-To-School outfits. Also, Jessica (from North Carolina Grown) and I are putting together a giveaway sponsored by Our World Boutique.

I've also got a couple more giveaways that you'll just have to wait to find out!
Make sure to keep your eyes peeled for all these upcoming collabs and giveaways!
I'm so excited I can hardly stand it.

Stay Classy.

Feature Friday: CEEJ

Welcome to Feature Friday!

Today I'm featuring a fellow friend of mine--the very talented and beautiful musician, CEEJ! 

I met CEEJ a few years ago through social media when I discovered her on Youtube. Back then I was part of a singing duo on Youtube, so when I reached out to CEEJ and told her how much I liked her music, she said she was a fan of us as well! Over the years, we stayed in touch--exchanging stories, leaving motivational comments, and just updating each other on life. I consider her my cyber sister because she is just so gosh darn sweet!

I was so excited when CEEJ agreed to be featured on my blog. She is one of those talents that deserves to be recognized and needs to be shared with the world. At only 18, her voice is a force to be reckoned with--a few seconds of listening and you'll be hooked. Seriously guys, she has one of those voices that you only wish you could have. Not only does she cover songs, but she is a songwriter herself! She's recently released an original, Across My Heart, and even had her song Perfect Two featured in the movie Hoodwinked Too! I often catch myself throughout the day singing her songs because they are just so catchy! I have no doubt that CEEJ will be an artist to look out for in the upcoming music scene.

I had the chance to ask CEEJ a few questions so you folks could get to know her better:

1. Tell me a little about yourself!

CEEJ: Hi! My name's CEEJ. (pronounced CJ) I'm a singer-songwriter, dreamer, wanderluster, libra, and self-titled gypsy. I love music, fashion, making youtube videos, makeup, pennyboarding, kittens, and sushi!

2. Which artists do you pull inspiration from?

C: For my live shows, and even some Youtube videos, I've incorporated this gadget called a loop station, where I'm able to record harmonies and beats and layer them live over what I'm playing [see an example of this in her Slow Dancing in a Burning Room video below]. I was inspired to do that, because of artists like KT Tunstall or Kimbra and especially Ed Sheeran. I'm also really inspired by amazing singer-songwriters with sensitive lyrics like Sara Bareilles or Christina Perri, but I'm also loving Taylor Swift's newer pop sound. 

3. What are your five fall favorites?

C: (Even though real fall weather is hard to come by in Los Angeles!) Starbucks fall flavors, beanies, boots, a good acoustic playlist, and a cozy night in with friends and a romantic comedy!

4. Who is your favorite Disney Princess and why?

C: I've been told I look like Jasmine from Aladdin if she were a real human being, but I think my favorite Disney princess would have to be Ariel from The Little Mermaid. I used to be obsessed with mermaids when I was younger, and always used to sing the songs from the movie!

5. What advice would you give to aspiring musicians?

C: Some advice for aspiring musicians... I would say, take risks, be vulnerable and be yourself. I think life should be exciting and terrifying, and no other way or else it would be boring! So if you're scared to make a choice, because it isn't what everyone else is doing, you have to drop that fear, because sometimes the best rewards come from the riskiest choices. And I say be vulnerable, because I think subconsciously, we are all attracted to people who are raw and honest with themselves and others and so when we see artists who share that vulnerability with us, we relate so much and feel connected as human beings on an emotional level -- and I think that's a huge part of what music should be, a way to connect us all and make us realize we're all the same underneath it all. We have the same fears, desires, and essentially feel the same emotions and don't want to be alone. Be yourself, is pretty self explanatory. I've kind of gone on a preach-y tangent, but I think it's important to do what makes you happy in life and be the person that you're proud to be. If someone thinks you shouldn't go into a certain profession, because it's risky, but it's what you love, you need to follow your heart. Because at the end of the day, your job is going to take up a huge chunk of your life, and you deserve to be happy. You're going to be doing that for the next twenty or so years, not the person telling you you should be doing that. So follow your heart and be yourself and do what makes you happy. Do you!

 If you're not convinced by now how awesome this girl is, give a listen to a few of her videos! I dare you not to be blown away.

CEEJ dropping some mad beats with her loop station:


CEEJ doing one of her classic mashup covers:


CEEJ's original song:


You can find CEEJ here:

Youtube: http://www.youtube.com/user/ceejofficial
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/CeejOfficial
Twitter: https://twitter.com/ceejofficial
Instagram: http://instagram.com/ceejofficial
Tumblr: http://ceejofficial.tumblr.com/


Also, here are a few of her upcoming shows. If you're in the LA area, you should check it out!

*On August 29, she is opening for Cassie Steele (from Degrassi)!!!

Hope you enjoyed today's Feature Friday!

[ You can download CEEJ's latest single Across My Heart HERE on iTunes! ]

Don't forget to check out CEEJ on Youtube!

ps. My Internet is back online at home! Hurray!

Stay Classy.

*photos courtesy of CEEJ