Friday Favorites

Favorite Summer Cookie Flamingo and Pineapple Sugar Cookies

These adorable sugar cookies are too pretty to eat!  These would be so fun to bring to a dinner party, bridal or baby shower, pool party and more.  They're so whimsical and cute that they're sure to be a hit anywhere you bring them!  Find the recipe for them here.

via

Favorite Accessory Eyelash Dreamer Makeup Case

I've been obsessed with eyelash print accessories lately and love this makeup case from Sweet Water Decor.  I would like this to store my eye makeup in and think it would look great sitting on my vanity.  This would also make for a cute birthday present for a friend!  Be sure to check out Sweet Water Decor's Instagram (@sweetwaterdecor) too to see their beautiful feed and get inspired!

via

Favorite Front Door Color Benjamin Moore Old World

I fell in love when I saw this door on Pinterest.  It belongs to Chassity Evans of Look Linger Love in Charleston, South Carolina.  The color, Benjamin Moore Old World, is such a pretty pink coral color and screams Charleston to me.  It's the perfect girly touch to add to the front of a house to make it pop, but not overdo it.

via

Favorite Summer Cake Gold Pineapple Cake

This is probably the coolest cake I have ever seen!  It is actually a cake topper (so basically a decorative cake on top of a cake) for a wedding cake.  The people from Adorn Cakes have a video tutorial on their website to show you how they made it.  I'm not sure if I would actually want to make one though because it is definitely too beautiful to eat!

via

Favorite Room Monika Hibbs's Nursery

I first saw this nursery on Glitter Guide's Instagram (@glitterguide).  I thought it was the most beautiful room and had to go see the full room tour on Glitter Guide's website.  While the room features so many amazing pieces my absolute favorite part of it is the gorgeous wallpaper, I love it so much I wanted to get it for my own room!

via

What are your favorites this week?

  

                

Make sure to add me on Snapchat - @kthomp22!

Today I'm linking up with Casual Friday, Friday Favorites, Friday Favorites, and Fab Favorites.

About Me

I realized that it's been way too long since I shared some information about myself on here so I thought it would be fun to take today to reintroduce myself for those of you who don't know me or would like to know more about me.  This post was inspired by an Instagram challenge I've been participating in, which has encouraged me to share more about my "real life;" it goes into detail on some of the information I've shared over the last week on my Instagram account.  I always love posts like this because I think it's great to learn about the person behind the blog and I hope you do too!

Hi I'm Kristin, creator of lifestyle blog The Blush Blonde (aka this little slice of the internet).  I am twenty four years old and graduated a little over a month ago from Villanova University with a degree in Communications.  I am an Alpha Gamma Delta Alumna, and love Villanova Basketball (we were National Champs this year!).

I have a younger sister and am very close with her and my parents.  I also have a little Maltese named Coco Chanel, and am a crazy dog lady.  Right now I'm living back home in New Jersey, which is where I am originally from.  I grew up one mile from the beach in a super small town (it's only one square mile!).

I have RSD and Crohn's Disease (you can read about it here), and to be blunt I feel pretty terrible all the time.  Due to my health I am taking a break this summer to rest, recuperate, and try new medical treatments.  Up until a few weeks ago I was unsure of what my next move would be (which as a major Type A person was NOT fun), but I've decided that in the Fall I will be applying for grad school programs that start in Spring 2017.  I can't tell you how good it feels to have that all figured out now!

Since graduating most days you'll find me working on my blog and cuddling with Coco.  For the summer I'm basically a blogger/stay at home dog cuddler.  I love serving the world by inspiring people to live their best life and add a touch of pretty to their day.  I want to curate a beautiful, fun, fashionable lifestyle and encourage others to do the same.  

Another thing I am very passionate about is not letting my health prevent me from doing what I want.  While my health does slow me down, I try to never let it stop me.  I may not make it out of bed every day, but I still manage to get a lot of work done and my bed is super cozy so I don't mind working from there!  I think that no matter what life throws at you it's important to do what you want and live the best life you can.

For as long as I can remember I have been obsessed with anything that has to do with fashion and beauty.  My personal style is classy and feminine with influences from trends and my favorite celebrities.  Although I do adore hair and makeup, my absolute favorite thing about beauty is skin care, which I am constantly researching and experimenting with.  I have a thing for sweets and I enjoy making them as much as eating them.  I also have a way with glitter and love a good D.I.Y. project.  These topics are all featured on my blog as different aspects of that lifestyle I want to build.  When I'm not busy blogging and I feel up to it I try to do the things I love as much as possible and surround myself with friends and family.

Eventually, I would love to turn The Blush Blonde into a full time gig.  My ultimate dream is to be like Emily Schuman from Cashmere and Cupcakes, and to be able to share my love of a pretty lifestyle with as many people as I can.  I get worried sometimes though that my dreams are out of reach because of how I feel, but then I remember that good things come from hard work so I just try to work as hard as I physically can everyday.  I'm hoping that one day I'll be able to make my dream a reality, no matter how many naps (and there are a lot) I need to get there!

To learn more about me make sure to check out my Instagram, @theblushblonde, and to really see behind the scenes add me on Snapchat @kthomp22.  Last, but not least you can find all my other "About Me" posts here.

Now it's your turn!  Tell me about yourself in the comments below, I would love to get to know you better!

  

                

Make sure to add me on Snapchat - @kthomp22!

Today I'm linking up with Thursday Fashion Files, #WIWT, Throwback Thursday, Spotlight, Thoughts for Thursday, and What I Wore to Work.

Solid Body Scrub Bars

In the summer we all show a little more skin because of the rising temperatures and I don't know about you, but I want the skin I'm showing off to look nice, which means keeping it smooth.  One of my favorite ways to keep my skin smooth is to use a scrub while I'm in the shower.  The thing I love about body scrubs is that they're easy, fun, and inexpensive to make at home.  I had been trying to think of a way to make using a body scrub easier and one day I realized that I could figure out how to make a solid scrub.  After toying with a few different ideas I came up with this recipe and I love how it came out.  The coconut oil and shea butter is what make these solid, but they melt down while you use the bars to help moisturize the skin.  These bars can get a little soft so you can either use them to scrub as a bar or break off little pieces to use.  I made a bunch for my Mom and myself and we keep ours in the fridge to make sure they stay very solid because we like to scrub directly with the bars.  We've been loving using them because they've made our skin so soft and perfect for summer!  Give these a try to get smooth skin and ready for summer.

Supplies:

-Cupcake pan

-Cupcake liners

-1/4 cup sugar

-1/4 cup brown sugar

-1 cup sea salt

-1/2 cup coconut oil

-1/2 cup shea butter

Instructions:

-Line a cupcake pan with eight cupcake liners, set aside.

-Combine sugar, brown sugar, and sea salt in a bowl, mix well and set aside.

-Put coconut oil and shea butter in microwave safe bowl.

-Microwave the coconut oil and shea butter for 30 seconds, then mix.

-Microwave the mixture on 15 second increments, mixing between each, until the coconut oil and shea butter are completely melted.

-Add the melted coconut oil and shea butter to the sugar/salt mixture and mix well.

-Fill each lined cupcake cup 3/4 of the way with the mixture and flatten the tops of the bars (or it will set uneven and/or lumpy).

-Place in the refrigerator and allow to set for a few hours.

-Store in a container or baggie.

-Store at room temperature for a softer bar and store in the refrigerator for a more solid bar.

-Peel off cupcake liner before using.

-Enjoy!

Do you ever make your own body scrubs?  What are your favorite ingredients to use when you mix one up?

  

                

Make sure to add me on Snapchat - @kthomp22!

Today I'm linking up with Your Whims Wednesday, WIWW, Oh Hey Girl!, and Trendy Wednesday.

Feel the Summer Breeze

Dress: c/o Tobi  |  Shoes: Lulu's  |  Bag: DSW  |  Sunglasses: Fendi  |  Earrings: Kendra Scott

This Summer Breeze Shift Dress from Tobi.com is perfect for any event you might be heading to this summer.  I love it for daytime weddings, bridal showers, brunch, parties, a date, and more!  The slit down the arms allows you to stay on trend and give "the cold shoulder."  I also love the lavender color, it's such a fun and bright color for this time of year.  Dress it up with heels or down with flat sandals, and wear minimal accessories so that it is the focus of the outfit.

I have a wedding shower in July that I'm thinking about wearing this to.  I am also going to look at other cocktail dresses, rompers, and skirts from Tobi though in case I wear this before the shower and want something new.  I was thinking that even a pretty maxi dress would be great for that event.  After the bridal shower I have the wedding in September so I'll be sure to check out Tobi's sequin dresses for that!  Who doesn't love a little sparkle?!

Tobi.com has so many cute pieces that are perfect for all your events.  Check them out the next time you need a dress and you're sure to find something you love!

  

                

Make sure to add me on Snapchat - @kthomp22!

Today I'm linking up with Tutu Tuesdays, Confident Twosday, and Style Sessions.

Welcome to Tutu Tuesdays a linkup with The Blush Blonde and The Fairy Princess Diaries!  Linkup whatever you'd like and make sure to do a little mingling - our goal here is to create a community of bloggers where we can all connect, find new blogs, and support one another.  We love new friends, supporting other blogs, and meeting fellow girl bosses!

There are just a few rules we ask you follow to join in on Tutu Tuesdays:

1. Please follow both Jordyn and me, your lovely hosts, on Instagram and/or Bloglovin.

Kristin: The Blush Blonde  |  Bloglovin'  |  Instagram

Jordyn: The Fairy Princess Diaries  |  Bloglovin'  |  Instagram

2. Link to your specific post, not your blog's main page.

3. Grab our super cute button or share a link to Tutu Tuesdays in the post you are linking up so everyone can know about the party!

4. Have fun and mingle with other bloggers that have linked up!  Like I said we want everyone to make new friends!

<div align="center">
<a href="http://www.theblushblonde.com/" title=“Tutu Tuesday"><img src="http://i864.photobucket.com/albums/ab203/blondi52145/button250_zpsnqtszhlp.png" alt=“Tutu Tuesday" style="border:none;" /></a></div>