Dressing for the occasion

Who runs the world?

Girls

This past Friday I attended the Beyonce concert at the TD Garden and she blew everyones mind as expected. The words used that night to describe her included "super woman", "Queen" and "perfect". As always, I started thinking about my outfit as soon as I got the tickets but this one did not come as easily. When it comes to baby showers, polo matches and weekends on the cape it's simple for me. I go to my closet, pick out a pair of Jack Rogers and something bright like Lilly Pulitzer or vineyard vines and its a go. A Beyonce concert outfit actually took me weeks. I ordered some things that did not turn out as expected and spent two hours in the mall trying on all the outfits you would expect to see, jump suits, sequins, leopard, patterned pants. Let's just say my friends were "crying" when I sent them the pictures. I'm not sure if its my preppy personality or my short awkward body that made these things all look so horrible but here are some pictures for you to understand and laugh. I also believe that these things could all look super cute on someone else.

Now for my outfit that I ended up wearing. I ordered the most fabulous tulle skirt from Space 46 Boutique and paired it with a sequin lip shirt from express and some leopard heels. (similar here)

I absolutely loved this outfit so much and wearing a tulle skirt brings out my not so inner princess in me even more.

As for my friends outfits, lets just say they looked stunning. From one pieces, Beyonce tees, sequins, leotard and one perfect snoop dog sweatshirt, I would say we were one fabulous group.

Now it's time to get my outfit ready for a Surprise birthday party for Jesus!

With love,

Ashley Maria

Bestie Box and Holiday Outfits

Happy one week til Christmas all!

It's truly beginning to look a lot like Christmas around here with the snowstorm just outside my door, packages arriving daily and my decision to also dress in Christmas colors all week at work. Most of these packages that are arriving are to give to others but today I received a very Merry "Bestie Box".

A few months ago my southern sister/bestie saw this idea on Instagram and we decided we should do it since we do not get to see each other very often. Lindsey was my roommate when I interned for Disney and she is currently working there now. Besides being a professional in the hotel management world I think she might also be one of Santa's elves with the way the bestie boxes look that I have received.

My merry Bestie Box contained some of my favorite things including a Scottie Dog ornament, snowflake everything, Jcrew earmuffs, a scarf, a cheers mug and so much more. This is the second bestie box I have received and both times I have been beyond overwhelmed. Everything is so thoughtful and beautifully put together (she does a much better job than I do with sending).

Her Merry Bestie Box that I sent contained a white Lilly Pulitzer top and Vineyard Vine flip flops since she is able to enjoy a much warmer holiday season plus some chocolate goodies. We both sent eachother peppermint bark because well, whats Christmas without it?

Here is also a picture of the first round of bestie boxes we sent each other, you can guess which one she sent me (I repeat, Christmas elf).

The best part about the bestie box is that it's a special way of connecting with a friend that is so far away and it's something great to not only receive but give as well.

Dressing for Chrismtas is usually a pretty easy thing for me since I love plaid, anything with scottie dogs and the Christmas colors. Here are the outfits I chose so far this week.

Pants: Old Navy// Plaid Shirt: Old Navy// Sweater: C Wonder// Shoes: Jcrew//

Skirt: Jcrew// Top: Ralph Lauren// Shoes: Tory Burch

Wishing you all a wonderful week til Christmas. Be sure to remember that this time is not just all about the gifts and the clothes but the true meaning of Christmas.

With Love,

Ashley Maria

Printed Leggings and Mug Clubs

Friday I was able to sneak up to my home away from home at Loon Mountain. This cozy little condo is what I consider my "happy place". When I reach exit 32 I get this feeling that I assume, is how yogis feel when they do yoga. Peaceful, calm, happy and just basically wanting to yell namaste (not so calmly) at all the other fellow looneys up there.

Jacket: Patagonia// Leggings Similar here // Boots Sperry old. Similar here // Faux Vest. Talbots Outlet

While up there I was able to get my first drink out of my mug for the winter 2014 season! Every year the bar at Loon Mountain, the Bunyan Room, sells 500 mugs. This mug gets you the first beer free and your very own mug to drink out of and take home at the end of the season. Each mug owner decorates their mug with stickers. Here is mine with a winter vineyard vines whale. Cheers!

With Love,

Ashley Maria

Can't always plan

If there is one thing you should know about me, it’s that I try and prepare and plan for everything. Sometimes I am not sure if it’s because I love to do it or because I feel like I have to. I cause myself so much anxiety about always being ready, scheduled and everything going smoothly when it turns out sometimes you just cannot plan and life throws you curve balls when you least expect it. Two years in a row I have planned an extremely successful polo match. I stress out a lot beforehand and worry about numbers adding up, weather, my outfit, costs etc. but both years it turned out flawlessly.

It was the evening of this year’s polo match that a very large curve ball was thrown at not just me but my whole family. The day was over and we all ended up at a local bar to continue the evening when Danny came and grabbed me swiftly out of the bar and said “get in the car”. I had no idea what was going on and to be honest I was a little bit tipsy from a day of drinking on a party bus and polo matches. He then told me something had happened with my dad but we were not really sure and had no idea what was in store for us.

As we pulled up to my house we saw the ambulances, my mom and neighbors standing around. The only thing I knew was that my mom found my dad lying on the ground in the bathroom. We did not know what was going on and it wasn’t til about twelve hours later and many tests that the doctors found out my dad had broken his neck. We sat in the hospital waiting for hours, not knowing if we would ever see him again or what was going to happen. My dad suffers from vasovagal and had gotten sick, the vasovagal caused him to pass out and he fell just enough to break his neck.

During 9 hours of surgery the doctors worked on replacing one of the bones in his neck and dealing with his spinal cord injury which I have learned basically controls everything including breathing, walking, hand movement etc. Our only goal from this surgery at the time was that my dad would be able to breathe again on his own. He had a breathing tube in for 9 days and now we are at day 84. After weeks at Boston Medical Center my dad was brought to rehab, we chose as a family that he would go to the VA Hospital in West Roxbury. A lot of people have asked why there, why not Spaulding. My dad is a disabled veteran but that is not the only reason we chose for him to go there. The VA Hospital in West Roxbury has a whole unit dedicated to Spinal Cord Injuries and we felt this was the best place for him and months after we all still agree. What they have done is amazing and just last week they had my dad stand up for the first time.

This was the most unplanned thing that has happened in my life and so many thoughts have run through my mind during these 84 days. It has also challenged me with not being able to plan everything, especially the holidays. This Christmas will not be the same but we will all spend it together and that is whats most important. One of my most selfish thoughts has been “will my dad ever walk me down the aisle?” when its time. And I can say now that I believe he will (I repeat WHEN IT’S TIME). Some days I still think of asking my dad to run an errand or two for me and then remember he is still at the hospital relearning how to do those things we take for granted. It has not been easy watching my dad relearn how to do things we all do easily like scratching his head, swallowing, feeding himself and walking. With time I believe he will get most of his movement back and what he does not we will adjust and find a way around it. I am so grateful and thankful for the people that have helped him, prayed for him and stood by us during this tough time and I know that a broken neck will never break the three best friends.

With Love,

Ashley

Do's and Don'ts of being a tourist in NYC.

The Do’s and Don’ts of being a tourist in NYC.

I should probably start off by saying don’t go to NYC during Christmas time but that is sort of is the reason to go, the decorations, the Santas, shopping, snow and most of all the chaos. This was not my first trip to NYC (for Danny it was, a birthday gift I gave him) but might as well should have been. I was clueless, confused, lost and overwhelmed. Don’t get me wrong, we had a great time spending the weekend away from home but it was definitely a lot for us.

I also have to let everyone know that while I was there I left my Louis Vuitton wallet in a taxi. I had no clue I left it there when being dropped off at the blow dry bar. A half hour later that taxi driver came to the salon and gave me my wallet back. Talk about restoring my faith in humanity, everyone at the blow dry bar was in shock and said things like “that usually doesn't happen around here”. Thank you kind sir, I will always be thankful for you.

DO’s: Stay close to the city the night before. We stayed in Stamford CT the night before and it worked out great. The hotel was well priced and offered a shuttle to and from the train station and let us keep our car there over night. 

Make reaervations. This is important, it is so busy this time of year and most places will not be able to take you. Ask local friends before for suggestions, they know best. We ate at Fig and Olive which was delicious and also had reservations at The View (see don’ts of why I cannot tell you how it was).

Rockettes. Those beautiful, long legged dancers are a Christmas joy to everyone. The show isn’t too long and something everyone should see.

9/11 Memorial. Just do it, pay tribute to the fallen and to where the twin towers stood. It’s beautiful and emotional and well worth it. (Don’t forget to make a reservation.)

Don’t:

Pedal Cabs. DO NOT DO IT. We ended up paying an excessive amount of money on these things and were almost killed quite a few times. Take a cab or the trains.

Mess up reservations. Triple check times and locations, we went to the right restaurant for dinner but wrong location, fortunately they were still able to take us. Not so fortunate when we showed up an hour late for brunch at the revolving restaurant overlooking the city so we missed that.

Plaza hotel. Love Home Alone? Want to feel like Kevin McCallister? Don’t bother going. They will not let you in the lobby if you are not a guest and it was so overcrowded. Stick to watching the movie at home.

In the end I suggest most to be nice, tip and smile. It’s worth it. NYC is a crowded city and everyone is trying to get somewhere so be patient. The women at the hotel we stayed at said she would have a room ready for us early because I was smiling the whole time, a taxi driver returned my wallet, another stopped the meter because I waited patient as we were stuck in traffic. Being friendly and generous is much better and karma happens. Thank you NYC for a weekend of enjoyed chaos.

With love,

Ashley Maria

Mass Conference for Women

Happy Thursday!

Today I attended the 9th Annual Mass Conference for Women held at the Boston Convention and Exhibition Center which was such an amazing opportunity. It is the largest womens business conference in the world with ten thousand people attending. About a month ago I received an email that I was nominated and chosen by my company to be an attendee and was ecstatic, especially since I knew Kerry Washington would be speaking (via satellite :()and Scandal is one of the best shows on TV, but it was some of the other speakers I will talk about that brought me to tears with such inspirational stories.

Naturally about ten minutes after I found out I was invited I started planning my outfit, suggested attire was business casual. I wanted to wear something classic with something bright, J Crew and Lilly Pulitzer seemed like the obvious combination. I went with the pink Lilly Pulitzer Leighton blazer (bought on Ebay) and the Jcrew scallop dress (bought on sale with additional % off) and my go to Jcrew patent wedges.

The day was filled with speakers, seminars, shopping and networking. I received an awesome swag bag filled with great things like Essie nail polish, an Alex and Ani MAKE YOUR MARK bracelet, pashmina and lots of other goodies along with some of the books I purchased.

The first speaker that really moved me was a woman named Linda Cliatt-Wyman who is the principle at Strawberry Mansion. If you can, watch this video of her with Diane Sawyer to see how remarkable she really is and what a difference she is making at this school that was close to being shut down.

The second speaker that was totally awesome was Blake Mycoskie, the founder and chief shoe giver of TOMS. He has such an inspiring story about how he founded the company and his idea behind TOMS is brilliant, the idea of one for one. I purchased his book Start Something that Matters today which also means a book will be provided to a child in need, one for one.

Some of the other people I saw today were Robin Roberts (via satellite) , Nancy Richardson, the vice president of digital and brand strategy at Lululemon and Randi Zuckerberg (sister of Mark) who is the CEO and founder of Zuckerberg Media and author of two books. Each woman had such passion for their work and what they do, it was a true honor to listen to them speak and tell us their story. Robin Roberts also reminded us that we are all a little bit stronger than we think and optimism is a muscle that just gets stronger with use.

All in all the day was filled with so many wonderful people and learning opportunities. I am so thankful I was able to attend and hopefully will be able to attend next year as well. Here are a few photos!

With Love,

Ashley

Why pay full price?

Why pay full price?

If there is one thing I dislike about shopping its paying full price for an item. There is almost always a way of getting a discount on items unless it’s something like Louis Vuitton and that you just have to deal with. I was fortunate enough to attend a college that did not put a graduation year on my college ID so you can bet your bottom I hand that over at any chance possible. No matter the store be sure to ask about the college ID if you still have yours. Some places I know that have it are Eastern Mountain Sports, J. Crew and Vineyard Vines. Don’t forget to sign up for every stores emails also which usually gets you a discount on your first purchase.

I recently started shopping on 6pm.com and have become a huge fan. The stuff is usually not from this season’s line but priced very well and still in style. The have so many great brands like Kate Spade, Lilly Pulitzer, Ugg etc. I was able to get a few Christmas gifts there this year at amazing prices allowing me to get more things for the person. 6pm Website

Rue La La has always been one of my favorite websites to shop on especially if you plan accordingly. Danny, my boyfriend, refers to it as “Rue La FREAKING La” when he sees boxes appear day after day at my door step but I cannot help it once I get the 30 days of free shipping after I purchase something. P.S if you need an invite let me know, I love the free $10! Rue La La

Poshmark has been a huge game changer in my closet this year. I have sold over $500 worth of clothing and accessories this year and it’s allowed me to shop even more. I have learned there is a high demand for Lilly Pulitzer and Vineyard Vines on there and am taking full advantage of this. I have also been able to buy a few things from there, one package both things were NWT (new with tags) and valued at $206 and I purchased for $50. You would be very surprised what people are willing to buy and sell so be sure to create your own closet. What do you need that sweater with tags you got as a gift a few years back that’s taking up space in your cramped closet? List it for $20 and make a quick profit. It is so easy and user friendly and done right from your smart phone. Check out my closet at AshleymBlake.

Enjoy the last few hours of Cyber Monday friends!

With love,

Ashley