Nicole's Creations Came Yesterday!

My second delivery from Nicole's Creations arrived yesterday! For those who don't already know, Nicole makes gorgeous string jewelry up in Maine. She has a web shop so you can find anything available that she's created on there, but you can also opt for a monthly subscription. There are two options, $10 or $20. You will be surprised by Nicole with what you get, but I did select that I prefer bracelets. I also chose the $10 option. I love that Nicole visits this little blog to get a sense of my style and preferences. She really hit it out of the park this month! LOOK:

Gorgeous, right?!  The olive green... the gold toned filigree... Nicole really gets me. I so love that she included this adorable ring this month too! I would not have thought to make a macrame ring, but it's adorable and so comfortable!
I had asked if I could get the bracelets made just a teeny bit bigger since last months were a little snug. Nicole obliged, and this bracelet is a perfect fit. Like seriously perfect. It clearly was made for me.
I'm so happy with this subscription! It's quickly become one of my favorites.

Would you be interested in subscribing? If so, head on over to Nicole's Creations to get started! If you're kind enough to mention me (Stacie from Amateur at Large) I'll get an extra surprise with my next month's delivery. Which would be super awesome. No pressure though! 

What do you think of Nicole's Creations? What's your favorite sub box?

Thursday's Threads

Is it me, or does it rain EVERY THURSDAY? Yep, another gloomy Thursday here folks. I swear I have adorable spring outfits just waiting for a Thursday Threads appearance... Alas, it's not to be today. But I do I think my outfit is pretty cute for a rainy day!
Wanna see? Ok:

Let's start at the bottom and work up today. This is definitely up there on my favorite shoes list:

It's possible I've shown you these before. But either way, I'm going to gush over them. They are black patent Sperry's with some glitter detail on the sides. Oh and the inside? It's lined with sheepskin. Yep. Warm, cozy, adorable Sperry's. Also, I got them last year at Marshalls for like $29.00. Miracles DO happen!

The pants I'm pretty sure I've shown you before:

They are by Earl Jeans. I'm fuzzy on exactly where/when I acquired them, but they are definitely a staple in my wardrobe!

So about this sweater:

It's from Poof. I got it last week at TJ Maxx. I paid $3.00 for it. Yes that's right, I did not leave out a digit. It was on clearance for $3.00. I like how the stripes start small and get bigger (small by my giant butt and big up at my small chest... well played sweater!). If the $3.00 price tag wasn't enough to make me want this, that contrasting mint stitching obviously convinced me to take this home. I paired it with a mint cami underneath (the sweater is pretty sheer, perfect springtime weight) and my S necklace from Baublebar that you've seen many times:

Due to the long sleeves, my arm party is a little hidden. But it's there! I promise. I did some photos in the field today of my bracelets (by that I mean in the car when I first arrived at work):

I nearly did a rerun of last week's arm candy, but realized you expect something new and exciting, so I went with black and gold jewels instead of mint. I think either works with this outfit!
Righty up at the top is wearing all jewels from Little Black Bag.
From top to bottom: The first one is from Geranium. I don't think I've shown this one to you yet, it's a gold chain with a suede strip woven through it. It also has a very delicate, thin, gold chain attached and a tassle that hangs by the clasp. Next is the black and gold Chevron from ETK, followed by the black and gold rope bracelet from.... I can't remember who made that one (sorry). Last is the Mocha Infinity bracelet. I love how well they all stack together!
Left has on my trusty watch of course, along with a stack of cheapies from Forever 21. I ordered them online and was surprised at how nice they are! Nice heavy metal, and made really well! Impressive Forever21! Especially for how inexpensive they all were.
From left to right: The first one has spikes that lay flat and run along both sides. The second has outward facing spikes and a ball chain along the edges. The last one I think is my favorite. It's stretchy, with spikes on one side, and a leather piece on the other with slider charms spelling LUCKY. So cute, and so different!

That's it from here. Do you have a favorite item from above? What are you wearing today?

Thursdays Threads!

So I overslept for work this morning. Not like your typical 15 minutes either. I woke up at 10 am! That would be an hour and half late. Plus whatever time it took to get ready. Ugh. Thankfully I had picked out my Thursday's Threads last night! Phew.
Unfortunately, I STILL do not have a lovely spring time ensemble to show off. It was snowing this morning when I finally woke up. Again. Just a dusting though at least. (Spring, where are you?!)

Yep, still bundled for winter. Let's start at the bottom!

The boots are by Penny Loves Kenny. I got them from Little Black Bag as you may have seen here. They're really great boots! Really comfy, and not as difficult to get into as they look (they have a zipper down the inside of the leg thankfully). Though they're not real leather, they're very soft and truthfully makes me more likely to wear them in inclement weather. The snow doesn't damage faux leather! Also, the soles are actually rubber and have great tread making them better for walking in the ice and snow.

The jeans are by 1st Kiss. I've had them awhile, I think I got them from Marshalls? Hard to recall. I love the studs on the front pockets! The back pockets are plain, which I think is best. Probably much too busy with back pocket detailing as well. And you wouldn't want to sit on those studs!

The sweater is by Pink Rose. I got this one at the VF Outlet, which I think is the company that owns Levi's. I'm no expert though, I might have made that up. Anyway, it's a nice olive green color which is a little tough to see in my not great photos today. And the studs on the shoulder are cute and thankfully not pointy.

Now, on to the accessories! (My favorite part!)

 My necklace today features a tiny little pug bead on a green cotton string. I made him this weekend as you may have seen here. I've been dying to wear him all week!

Arm party!

Righty up on the top is sporting from left to right: A handmade by me bracelet with copper colored beads, a pretty friendship bracelet from Etsy, another handmade by me bracelet that's just braided with a heart, and lastly a gold bangle/cuff from Lydell that I got from Little Black Bag awhile back.
Lefty has on (from right to left just to mess with you a little) my trusty gold watch, a pretty arrow bracelet from Ettika that I think I actually got from Gilt, and my handmade pug bracelet that goes with the necklace.
All my craftiness this past weekend inspired me to don some of my own pieces again.

My bag today is one of my favorites from Emma Fox which also came from Little Black Bag:

I swear this bag only gets better with use. It's so buttery soft! I love it!
I guess that's it for today. What are you wearing today? Has it warmed up where you are? Let's hope (again) for spring outfits next week!

*disclaimer: most of the above links contain referrals. Should you sign up at any of them, I will get a bonus!

Mani Monday! And some new jewels

So it's snowing today... Which has nothing to do with my post, but I felt you needed to stay informed of the weather here.

Now that you're an informed reader, on to the fun stuff! I really can't promise Mani Monday being a regular thing, but I'm gonna give it a go. This week's mani is in honor of the upcoming St. Patty's day:

Sorry the photos aren't great. The glitter in this polish is SO SPARKLY I can't get a decent photo. The base is Avante Green by Maybelline Color Show. The glitter top coat is an indy brand, called That One Nail Polish in the color Ranger. There is SO MUCH GLITTER in this polish you get full glitter coverage in one coat practically! I did two just to even it out a bit. The accent nail is a wrap from NCLA. It's supposed to be a cheetah print. I'm not sure I love these wraps all that much. The NCLA brand tend to last in that they're pretty durable, but they are thick like paper. They're more difficult to apply and always seem to have a bend in them. I prefer the Sally Hansen wraps which are more like actual polish. They are easier to apply smoothly over the nail, though a little tricky to handle. NCLA has some really fun prints though!

So I KNOW you're dying to know about my new jewels. Especially since I'm not supposed to be shopping. Well fear not my friends, all of my new jewels were handcrafted by me! I'm not riding yet since my ring still looks like this:

So I have plenty of free time on the weekends. Especially since Katie and I got our long run in on Saturday. I did spend some time outdoors (since it was almost like Spring) with the doggies but after Artie got loose I decided to head back indoors.

The house was pretty clean, and I am trying not to snack out of boredom, so needed something productive to distract me. I turned to all the bead projects I haven't done. I got a lot accomplished!

Neon Necklaces:

 Pretty heart bracelet:

Giant stone necklace:

Close up!

 Jelly bean necklace:

Pug Jewelry:

Adorable Doggy Key Chain:

And then I decided each of my four legged kids needed a name bracelet (for me, not them):

 Fun right?! I know the name ones are a little silly with the giant wooden letters, but I really love them. I like the natural stone beads with the blocks, it makes them a little less second grade crafty in my opinion. The green and yellow also have stone beads though they look wooden in the photo.


What's on your nails today? Do any crafting this weekend? Leave some love in the comments section below!