Savin' Maven: How To Save Money on Family Portraits

Happy Monday my loves. 

I hope each of you had a great weekend. 

Mine was pretty awesome. I spent Saturday shopping with my Mom and on Sunday my honey and I went on an outing with our little Peanut to get family photos taken. They came out great! I can't wait to pick up the finished product.

I'm such a picture fanatic however, I'm always surprised at just how costly professional photos are. Like what exactly are they charging you for? 

I've noticed some downright outrageous sitting fees since I began getting professional photos done for my lil man. Seriously though, must these companies charge a full fee for a child who hasn't even reached 2 months old.  Clearly this has to be against the law.

I've honestly seen families stray far away from the traditional family photos in the recent years all because they are way too expensive. A lot of people have even taken it upon themselves to create their own photo shoots. In a world where Instagram is so popular almost everyone has become a photographer. Once I feel more comfortable with the settings on my 'big girl' camera I will definitely experiment more with snapping my own portraits. However, for those of us who love the cheesy poses and backgrounds at our local studios, there must be a way to lower the cost of these portraits. 

How, you ask?

You guessed it.....

Coupons!!!

I literally used to toss these picture coupons right in the garbage until my lil man came along. These things are lifesavers! They're like paper gold!! One of these coupons lowered the cost our Christmas photos by 70%!

Who wouldn't want to save 70%.?

Another great thing to do would be to sign up or register on photo sites such as Tinyprints and/or Vistaprint. If you place frequent orders with any of the online sites you sign up on they will automatically send you special offers and discounts in the mail.

These coupons and discounts will allow me to get tons of portraits of my little one at a fraction of the cost. That means we will be in the studio at least once a month. Because every holiday is like a special event in my family-especially when there is a new baby involved! 

What are some things your family does to save money on portraits?

I can't wait to hear from you!

And remember, think about how much money you can save before tossing the next batch of picture coupons that appear in your mailbox!

Thanks for reading.

XOXOXOXO

Newly Engaged + A $25 Target Gift Card Giveaway

***This post is sponsored by Target but all opinions and views are my own*** 

Hello my loves.

Are you all over the winter weather yet?   I think this may very well be the most snow I've seen in the last 10 years.  No exaggeration. I'm completely over it at this point. My lil Peanut and I are going stir crazy in here staring at one another!  That part is quite alright by me though because I'm thoroughly enjoying this quality with him before I head back to work.

I can hardly believe that January is basically over and we're about to embark on February. That means Valentine's Day is almost upon us.Have you began shopping for your significant other yet? If you're in need of some inexpensive and very practical gift ideas check out my last post. 

Valentine's Day has easily become one of my favorite holidays. Not only because of the chocolates, balloons, and cuddly teddy bears but also because on that day 4 years ago my honey and I made our relationship official. Since then we've created tons of great memories-the greatest of them all being the birth of our beautiful baby boy this past December.

The next step from here would be engagement. What better gift could a girl ask for than an engagement ring on Valentine's Day? I already have our wedding plans all figured out. We would register with Target's fabulous Wedding Registry and have a very intimate reception, that would also double as our ceremony, at his parents clubhouse which overlooks the water.

Wait, did I mention how fab Target's Wedding Registry is? It's the absolute BEST destination for newly engaged couples as its products will allow any couple to turn their dreams into reality. I literally can't wait to begin adding things to my list. Since both my honey and I love technology and social media we would most enjoy the Panasonic Lumix Digital Camera to post pictures on our social media and begin our website, the HP All-In-One Printer to print business documents, and the Garmin Nuvi Portable GPS to navigate us to business meetings, etc. These items will help us to expand and grow our hobbies into entrepreneurial powerhouses.

         

 And being that we are choosing to focus more on our honeymoon in terms of how we will make use of our budget,  we could definitely make use of some nice luggage like this SwissGear Upright Luggage Set.

The best part of this post is that Target has agreed to give one of you lovelies a $25 gift card just for visiting their Wedding Registry and coming back here to comment about your most favorite item (you must leave the link to the item) and why you love it. (You may also visit Target's Pinterest board to view more items) A winner will be chosen at 11:59PM EST on Friday,  February 7, 2014-just in time to do some last minute Valentine's Day shopping. Please leave your email address in the comments as your gift card will be emailed directly to you by a Target representative.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Thank You for reading and best wishes. 

XOXOXOXOXO

Valentine's Day Gift Guide: For Him

Hello and Happy Tuesday my loves.

I know the day is about over but I wanted to post anyways-having a newborn has my schedule all thrown off therefore I just post when I can. Gone are the days when I continuously beat myself up about not posting at a certain time of the day, 3-4 days a week.  It's my blog and I make the rules; which means I'll post when the mood strikes-even if it's past normal business/blogging hours.

I can't believe that Valentine's Day is right around the corner y'all! I mean, didn't the new year just begin!?

Valentine's Day happens to be one of my most favored holidays. I love love and the opportunity to celebrate it. Most of all I love the aspect of giving my special someone, something special. Any opportunity to shop is my kinda day!!!

So what do you get your man this year? Especially when he already has everything. Here are a few practical and inexpensive gifts that any man would enjoy-even if he does have everything-on Cupid's day.

Valentine's Day Gift Guide: For Him by sherockwell on Polyvore

A SWISS ARMY KNIFE will get him out of a jam in a flash. It can open beer and/or wine bottles when he's hanging out with the fellas for All Star night and it's easy accessibility provides convenience for the man on the go.

The TOOL KIT...what man doesn't need a tool kit? This one speaks for itself because it can benefit you as well. Remember that broken hinge on the door? Yeah ladies, this is possibly the best gift on the list.

A UNIVERSAL REMOTE will easily provide comfort and quietness within the home on those days when PMS has gotten the best of you. 

The CHARGING STATION is perfect for the tech savvy guy. He can charge all of his gadgets at once with this and can furthermore stop using the excuse that his phone was dead when you attempted to contact him to remind him of the eggs you needed from the grocery store. 

Lastly, the ELECTRIC SHAVER will keep him looking and feeling his best. Because after all, who wants an unkempt man?

I hope this list provided you with some new and exciting ideas that you hadn't already thought of. I love compiling lists like this because it makes it that much easier for me to shop for gifts. Please come back and visit the blog tomorrow as I will be teaming up with Target again to discuss love and offer one of you a $25 gift card that will help lower the cost of your Valentine's Day shopping bill.

Have anything else to add to list?

Lemme know in the comments below...

Black, White, and Pumpkin Spice...

Happy Wednesday Snow Day my loves. 

I hope you all are enjoying some much needed time off to relax and take in the beautiful scenery outside.  My area rarely ever gets snow-especially not in January- so this is somewhat of a big deal for us.  I believe the last time we had weather like this it was in the middle of March. Crazy, right!?

Today I want to share with you one of my maternity outfits that I intended to post before the baby got here. Time obviously got the best of me as I was busy nesting and doing baby related chores.

Since I didn't really get a noticeable baby bump until late (about 7 months)in my pregnancy this outfit will look great on a non expectant woman as well.

My Mother gave me this wonderful striped blouse as a birthday gift and I knew immediately that I wanted to pair it with a bold color.

If you're a new visitor, each Tuesday I highlight one trend and come up with an inspiration board containing 3 different styling ideas in my Trendy Tuesday posts. My outfit post for the week usually pertains to the highlighted trend-giving you a chance to see a real life budget friendly version of that trend. View this week's post to see the styling ideas I came up with for the black and white trend.

These bold leggings worked perfectly to bring out the classic black and white pallette. They were found on the red line clearance rack at NY&Co, one of my favorite retailers. I can't wait to style them this Spring.

The elastic waistband made for a comfy belly too!

I'm all about some layers so I figured I would top this fit off with my thrifted Zara corduroy blazer.  The elbow patches had me at hello. This piece is such a staple in my closet.

All in all this may have been one of my favorite maternity outfits-it was super comfy and stylish, and best of all it cost me less than $25.

What are some of your favorite budget pieces from your closet?

I can't wait to hear from you. 

Thanks for reading. 

XOXOXOXO

How To Wear: Black & White

Hello and happy Tuesday my loves!

I hope everyone is off to a great start this afternoon.

I soooo miss being able to blog on a regular basis-my newborn has inevitably taken over my life and I'm totally fine with that because I'm so in love with him.

Whenever I get a free moment these days, I'm undoubtedly blogging or thinking of blogging. I actually think I would rather blog than hang out sometimes. Does anyone else feel that way?

Just me, huh!? OK...greeeaatttt!!!

Anyhow, I wanted to drop in today to share with you some styling ideas that I came up with for the black & white trend.How To Wear: Black & White by sherockwell featuring a black sweatshirt

Black white floral dress, $25 / Black sweatshirt / River Island blazer, $82 / Roksanda Ilincic red pants / 3x1 skinny jeans, $485 / Valentino pointy toe pumps, $985 / Jerome C Rousseau black stiletto, $300 / Steven by Steve Madden high heel shoes / Neon yellow purse, $33 / Black necklace, $9.85 / Black hat, $41 / Ray Ban ray ban wayfarer

What do you think of these styles? 

And how do you wear your black & white?

I can't wait to hear from you. 

Thanks for reading!!

XOXOXO

How To Wear: Silver Pumps

Happy Tuesday my loves!

I know I'm late as heck but better late than never, right!?

Just wanted to drop in with a little trendspiration. This year I'm focusing more on motherhood, my goals as an entrepreneur, and lastly meeting and styling more clients. Once I put this bit of information out into the world of social media, a couple of my friends and followers began to ask me for styling advice.

My first diva said that she needed help styling a pair of silver pumps so here are the 3 looks that I came up with...

How To Wear: Silver Pumps by sherockwell featuring leopard handbags

Scotch Soda cardigan / Pull Bear sweat shirt, $33 / MICHAEL Michael Kors leopard blouse, $150 / Alexon bolero jacket, $145 / Mango moto jacket / Mink Pink vest, $165 / American Eagle Outfitters tapered jeans / Vivienne Westwood slim pants, $620 / DEPT red skirt, $105 / BCBGMAXAZRIA platform pumps / Sperry Top Sider lace purse / Miss Selfridge leopard handbag / Topshop hat / Eyeglass / Nars cosmetic

One look for each personality type-something casual, fun, and flirty-all of which were styled with a hint of edginess in mind. This post actually reminds me that I now own 2 PAIR of silver pumps that I need to style for myself. Funny how being a blogger and helping others allows you to unleash inspiration for yourself as well. Oh, the perks of being creative.

What do you think of these looks?

I can't wait to hear from you.

Thanks for reading!

Trendy Tuesday: 8 Winter Coat Essentials

Well hello everyone!!

Happy Holidays to you. It feels so great to be back-momentarily.

I can't quite apologize about my hiatus this go 'round because most of my regular readers know I've been busy having a baby. And we all know that with a new baby, time, sleep, and regular life activities get interrupted-and sometimes even deleted altogether. I am slowly recovering and enjoying time with my adorable little one. I'm also looking forward to somehow incorporating him and my journey through motherhood into this little blog of mine.

But for now, let's talk about this ridiculously, bone chilling, cold weather. The lowest temperatures in 20 years huh? Wind so cold that schools have cancelled classes-now that's cold.

How well equipped are you for this winter's blistering cold?

I happen to love layering but I don't particularly care for the bulkiness winter coats however these babies had me at hello.


8 Winter Coat Essentials by sherockwell featuring a trench coat

Which style will be your go to this season?

-Peacoat-Military Inspired-Car Coat-Cape-Wrap-Parka-Trench-Toggle

I can't wait to hear from you!!

Thanks for hanging in there with me!

My Kind Of Holiday: Black Friday Shopping

***This post is sponsored by Target but all opinions and views are my own***

One of my most favorite parts about the holidays is the shopping that goes along with it. I love gifting and I love giving.
This year's Black Friday was incredibly different because most stores actually opened up on Thursday, which was a complete bummer because those of us who are serious about our Black Friday shopping more than likely left our families early to be able to make it to our store of choice before the lines got too out of hand. 
I had my game plan figured out way in advance. I've been a loyal Target Black Friday shopper for the past 3 years now, this year being no different. 
I had my mind set on a brand new TV, which by visiting their Black Friday ad, I saw they were having a great doorbuster deal on. I even went so far as to map out my exact route once in the store so that I could be in and out and on to my next deal within a decent time frame.

The store wasn't scheduled to open until 8PM on Thursday evening so I figured if I got in line by 5PM I would be fine. Seeing how Thanksgiving dinner began at 3PM, I couldn't fathom leaving my family any earlier than that. 
Being that I am in my 9th month of pregnancy, I made sure to take a lawn chair, blanket, and earmuffs that were able to hook up to my phone so that I could listen to my favorite music and be semi-comfortable while waiting in line. 
When I initially arrived in the parking lot I saw that there weren't many cars nor were there many people standing in line. Awesome!!! I'm gonna be able to get in and out of the store in no time-TV in tow!!!
NEGATIVE!!!!!
About 30 minutes after waiting in the line, an associate came through to notify us that they had handed out all of the tickets for the TVs and that we should no longer waste our time in line because all 24 of them had been accounted for. 
Though I think it was very nice of her to notify us so that we wouldn't stand helplessly in line for hours, I'm very disappointed in Target for not having more of this advertised doorbuster in stock. I mean at least 50 would have been a more reasonable number. So now, not only am I frustrated with the fact that I lost out on valuable family time, I have to get my pregnant self up and search for another TV deal because unlike Walmart, Target did not offer an 'in stock guarantee'.
This Black Friday was a total bust for me-totally NOT #MyKindofHoliday.

My Kind of Holiday: Thanksgiving Traditions

***This post is sponsored by Target but all opinions and views are my own***

 

 

Content and/or other value provided by our partner, Target.

Hello and Happy Tuesday my loves!!

I hope all of you are off to a great start. I'm sitting at my desk with my feet propped up because as I approach my 9th month of pregnancy they're beginning to look like an opened can of Pillsbury biscuits. LOL

I'm also thinking of macaroni and cheese, daydreaming about candied yams, and craving for some of my Aunties homemade banana pudding in anticipation of the upcoming Thanksgiving holiday.   I just can't wait!!!   Every year is especially memorable but this year will be particularly different because all of my family will be oogling over my pregnant belly, how much food I have on my plate, and how many trips I make to the serving table-making sure to keep a running tally of the exact numbers so they can tease me about it later.   Thanksgiving is such a special holiday for my family. It's a yearly tradition of ours to begin planning our menu in October. Food + Family (definitely) = #MyKindOfHoliday! I have a total of 4 aunts and uncles so each year they rotate hosting duties.   The women usually set the tables up really nicely-complete with pretty serving trays, napkins, and glasses-and the men....NOT SO MUCH!!!         They're usually more focused on the featured football game of the evening.   At some point during the evening, after eating of course, the men and women go their separate ways. The women hover over the Black Friday sales ads and contemplate their plan of attack while the men continue to hoop and holler over touchdowns and await their Black Friday shopping assignments.   This portion of the holiday is usually accompanied by some type of wine, spirit, and/or other spiked beverage. I'm madly jealous that I can't participate in this particular tradition and that I'm going to have to settle for nonalcoholic daiquiris and Shirley Temples this year!!!     Oh well, at least they're gorgeous to look at!   Besides, I would hate to drink too much and miss out on the slamming 'Doorbuster' deal that Target has on their 50" flat screen TVs this year.  I've been dreaming of this deal all season.   I would love to hear about some of the traditions that you and your family follow for Thanksgiving or any new ideas that you plan to incorporate this season.   I can't wait to hear from you.   Thanks for reading! XOXOXOXO

     

Pink Florals + New Hair...

Hello and Happy Thursday my loves!

I hope you all are off to a great start today. I'm actually off to a late start today due to meetings at work. I promise if I go to yet another meeting, I'm gonna pull these marley twists out of my head.

Oh, by the way, did you notice?

I have new hair (It's actually old now as these pics were taken weeks ago)!!!

As I get further along in my pregnancy I don't want to be worried with what to do with my hair so I figured these twists would be no fuss and extremely low maintenance.

There are so many different styles that I can try with them and they really make me want to consider locking my hair.

I LOVE THEM!!!

Just about as much as I love this pretty pink floral dress.

I found it on the clearance rack at my favorite spot, none other than my 'ole faithful Target!

I fell in love with it when it initially hit the rack but I refused to pay full price for it.

So like a true 'thrifty and shameless' bargain shopper I waited....and waited...and waited...

until I finally found it marked down for $7.48!!!

Major score!

And I adore how well it goes with my 26 week bump!!!

Dress-Target | Shoes-TJ Maxx

Perfect match!!

What do you all think???

I can't wait to hear from you.

And while you're visiting, make sure to enter my $25 Target gift card giveaway as there's only a few hours left to enter. The rules are simple and you can enter by clicking here.

Thanks so much for reading.

XOXOXOXOXO

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