Moment of Fame

Are you an Instagram-er? If not, you should be - it's currently my favorite social media outlet. And just so happened that one of my Instagram photos lead me to a moment of fame!

Last Wednesday when the weather was gloomy I decided to encourage spring by wearing a floral explosion shirt to work. With the shirt being so busy and my office being so conservative, I kept my accessories simple and classy – wedding rings and David Yurman. Loving that my “Springy” shirt looked so happy, I decided to snap a selfie.  

The caption for the photo:

Springy shirt = happy shirt. #springweardontcare #whatiwore #oldnavy #peridot #prasiolite #davidyurman

Fast forward to Friday. I’m out enjoying Good Friday off work and check in on Instagram to find that DAVID YURMAN commented on MY photo! According to the caption below, their Executive Style Director, Collete Neyrey “thinks I have great style!”

Talk about David Yurman making my day!

I didn’t care if DY commented on every photo that included a #davidyurman, I still had a smile ear to ear. For some reason the page that my photo was featured on was not accessible by phone, so I took the first opportunity when I got home to go look from our desktop. 

There's my arm party and pretty shirt!

Then, I realized that my photo is currently 1 of 20 featured pictures!! Shut. The. Front. Door. I was expecting to be 1 of 10,000… but I’ll take #19 out of 20 any day! Whoop whoop!

You can see my “famous” springy shirt and DY jewels by clicking here, scrolling down the “Show Your Colors” section and then scrolling through the pics to find me (@McSwann)! If for some reason the link doesn't work, visit:

Facebook.com/DavidYurman > Click: The DY Edit > Scroll down to: Show Your Colors > Scroll through the pics to find me: @McSwann

PS. I know this made my Nina (grandmother) in heaven smile.  She's part (and my momma) of the reason for my love of David Yurman. Many of my peices are gifts from important milestones in my life (high school graduation, 21st birthday, college graduation, Christmas, etc.) #notaspoiledgranddaughter #justoverlyloved

Momma Swann's Painting

I finally painted something for my Mom. It only took me a few years to drum up the nerve to paint something for her, but it actually came to me pretty easily. Painting something for my ever-so talented and creative mother was intimidating but I focused my inspirations from some of her favorite things. You can't go wrong with favorite things, right?

When I went home to Texas this past weekend, the painting donned a new (old) gold frame and had an official wall space in my parent's home. Seeing the painting in a frame and on the wall made me feel like an "official" artist (kinda). 

The story behind the painting is best described through pictures. So, let me show you the story.  

Mom recently purchased the ikat throw pillows to place in the den. I'm a sucker for ikat. 

My Mom has been collecting peices of Mackenzie-Childs Morning Glory (blue) since I can remember. (I guess my love of MC Courtley Check is genetic?)  

Momma Swann's all time favorite color is pink. So flower color choice was obvious. To touch on favorites - I included hydrangeas and lillies. Mom loves hydrangeas and my Dad has always liked lilies.

At one time I would have said "yuck" to gold but it's a different story now. I added gold to give the painting some pizzazz and demension.

This was the finished, signed product before I wrapped it up for Christmas.

Obviously, she is proud of it. Not just because as my mother, she has to be, but because it was placed in a room Mom & Dad always sit - they'll think of me all the time.

Pretty cool!

Let TEXAS fill my soul

Attempting to capture this picture is always a must!

It had been 8 weeks since my last Texas visit and 6 weeks since I last saw my parents… it was time for a fix. To add icing to the cake, I was invited to my dear friend, Meagan’s first bridal shower, which meant I would also get to see my best high school pals.

Come to find out, Dad was headed to meet my brother, Fen (who lives in Houston) in San Antonio to ride bikes. And by bikes, I mean motorcycles. Dad’s a Harley Davidson guy and Fen is a Crotch Rocket guy – his latest bike is a Ducati.

So, it was a girl’s weekend for me and Mom!

For the love of scarves. As you may have seen in my Instagram post, it’s obvious that Momma Swann and I have a love for scarves. Mom and I went to Target and to lunch at La Madeline before the Bridal shower, two places I'll never say no to.

Shirt: Ann Taylor Loft // Jeans: Ann Taylor Loft // Jacket: Target //
Scarf: Max & Olivia's on Facebook // Shoes: J.Crew Factory // Bag: Louis Vuitton //
Phone Case: J.Crew // Jewels: David Yurman

Swann for life. My last name may not be Swann anymore, but ever since I changed my name to McDaniel I've been drawn to anything with a swan. So, when I found this Fossil Swan Print Dress, I had to have it.  I was saving the dress for something and because it was a cold, spring day it seemed fitting to pair with a jacket and boots and wear to Meagan's shower. 

Dress: Fossil // Blazer: Lauren Conrad at Kohl's // Belt: Banana Republic Outlet // 

Boots: Vince Camuto at Dillard's // Lips: Laura Mercier - Mango // Jewels: David Yurman

The JLMS. That's what Jene, Meagan, Lauren and I have called our little group since high school. It's hard to believe it's been 10+ years that we've been friends. And even harder to believe we've manageed to stay connected as we've went our different directrions,  "grown up" and gotten married (or soon to be in Meagan's case)!

Jene, Meagan, Lauren and I at Meagan's Bridal Shower

Love Texas Shopping. Momma Swann and I went out and about Saturday after the shower and I scored a few bargains. Nordstrom Rack, Marshall's, TJ Maxx, World Market, Horchow Outlet are a few of my favorite Plano haunts. 

My favorite weekend find was this mint peplum top from Nordstrom Rack for just $18.95!

Girl's Night. After dinner at Campisi's with Momma Swann, I met the JLMS at Mercy Wine Bar in Addison. We didn't plan it, but you'll notice the polka-dot and stripe theme with our outfits. I love it, great minds think alike. 

 

 Blazer: Anthropologie // Shirt: Ann Taylor Loft // Jeans: Ann Taylor Loft //

Necklaces: Moon & Lola Monogram and Anthropologie 

I had such a great weekend in Texas. Sometimes seeing your Momma and best friends is just what a girl needs. 

 

Want It Wednesday: Beaded Rose Necklace

Why is it that you always want what you can't have? Now that the J.Crew Beaded Rose Necklace is SOLD OUT,  I want it! I convinced myself when I first saw if that it was too "red" but the more I see it, the more I want it.... then quickly realize it's something I can't have.

My only hope is that in a few months there will be look-a-likes everywhere, just as the bubble necklace has exploded. I think I have 3 or 4 "bubble" necklaces now that I snagged up on GroopDealz for less than $10/each.

Vent over. 


Maybe as an alternative, I could go for the Firework necklace on Modern ego for $25? The red offered, is a little too red for this OSU girl, but maybe the green, blue or mustard?

 

 

Spring Forward Filled Weekend

This weekend has been packed full of fun and blog worthy events. Here's a day by day run-down:

Friday:

I was SO excited that I had won tickets to the Miranda Lambert & Dierks Bentley concert from work! Miranda is my favorite female country artist, hands down. I love her music, style, love for animals and "don't give a darn" attitude.... and let's not forget she's a Texas Okie girl too!

Thank you to the nice stranger in front of us who offered to take our picture when she saw us trying to do it ourselves! I rocked Kendra Scott, Turquoise Skylar earrings, a Jewelry Nut Auctions necklace, Studded Frye "Billy" Cowboy boots with a J.Crew Tissue Tee, Loft Modern Skinny Jeans and an old Loft Jacket.

Dierks is a cutie and Miranda rocked it. Too bad she called out OU, OCU, OC and forgot OSU!! I guess I'll forgive her this time. 

Saturday:

The weather and allergies had me bogged down with a headache but I got up and went to lunch & Loft with my sister-in-law. I'm glad I did, because I found a few steals with their 30% off everything in the store sale.Added 3 things to my spring, work wardrobe! And, I should mention that those coral pants were only $1.88. Yes, you did read that correctly.

1. Marisa Blue Geometric Ankle Pants (better price in-store)

2. Floral Variety Pencil Skirt (better price in-store)

3. Marisa Coral Straight Leg Pant (WAY better price in-store)

I also had a much needed hair appointment at 3:30pm. I went in, wanting to be blonder and was curious if we should do something different with my layers. My ever-so-talented stylist suggested bangs and trusting her, I said okay!

Shortly after this chop, she dried out the bangs with the roll-brush and called them Mom bangs. Thankfully, she was joking as they were still a work in progress. After telling her she didn't need to spend time curling my hair because of the weather, she said another funny line, "I've got to sell these bangs!" So, my hair was curled.

I'm sold. Even more importantly, B is sold. Says I look like Kate Hudson in Bride Wars (sweet guy, huh?). Let's just hope I can handle styling them!

Sunday:

B and I slept in, well because the clocks sprung forward over night we thought we did anyways. We got up and around, went to the grocery store and lunched at The Garage. Then, I was on a mission. I was headed out to Garden Ridge. 

My mother-in-law has a good eye for things that I might like - just like the green lamp! I received the text below back on Thursday and knew that Garden Ridge would be on my weekend to-do list.

By the time I got there on Sunday, there were only 4 gold deer left. There were no silver deer to be found and only a few antelopes left. So, at $12.99 I snatched up 2 gold deer just in case ever I wanted another one. Garden Ridge is one of those places that you may never see it again. 

I also picked up a new weenie for my dachshund loving friend, LOakes. Isn't he cute? 

Here's a shot of our two new, "Deer"est friends at home. I'm not sure where they'll end up yet - but glad to call them ours!

Paint Slinging Sunday

I felt inspired to sling paint on Sunday. My inspiration came from two random places: Pinterest find and a Saturday shopping trip.

I found this bedroom on Pinterest and fell in love with the look and feel of it. The mix of color (my favorite colors) with hints of rustic was what caught my eye.  In true stalker fashion, I wanted to see more pictures of the room so followed the sources to find that the headboard was a DIY project by See Cate Create. The ikat, chevron pattern on the headboard was actually painted onto white fabric, who knew!?

My other inspiration is really random. I went to the mall Saturday morning to scope out Dillard’s Additional 40% Sale and ended up walking around the mall. Walking by Victoria’s Secret, it caught my attention that they had swim suits in store (ordering online has had its back-fires for me) so I turned in. As a lover of bright colors, chevron and gold – I was drawn to this print:

I can't seem to find the exact swim suit I saw in store, but this is the same fabric on a different suit.

After finishing my Sunday honey-do’s and nothing on slate for my afternoon, I busted out the painting supplies. When all else fails, create.

I got stuck here for a bit. Should pink make an appearance? What about white, would it be too white? What’s the repeat going to be? 

So, I went with a little pink (Momma Swann would be pleased), a little white and another “line” of gold and found my repeat. Here’s the final product:

Fashionista Friday: March 2013 J.Crew Love

B laughs when I say I have a "passion for fashion" but it's true, I do. Did you know Fashion/Interior Merchandising was my original major at OSU? Well it was, until I worked at Kohl's for a summer in Texas and got to see first hand what my future career in retail might be like...

First thing I did when I stepped back on OSU's campus that following fall was change my major to Business Marketing. Except, I had already completed enough classes in Merchandising to make it a minor with just one extra class a semester. This meant instead of enrolling in Chemistry, I enrolled in Textiles, the science of fibers and my electives would be filled with Merchandising classes. Done!

Fast forward to today; I work in the HR department of a corporate office where business attire and/or business casual is required. Mixing the inner fashionista and "blah" business woman (on a budget) can be difficult at times but I've learned to love the mixture (and the bargain hunting).

So, as the work week ends and the weekend begins, I thought it would be fun to post about fashion! And in perfect timing, J.Crew's March 2013 Style Guide arrived in the mail yesterday.

After flipping through, wishing and day dreaming, I came back to budget reality. Budget aside, I put together a "Dream" board from the latest J.Crew Style Guide on Polyvore. (I should mention that I'm new to Polyvore and this was my first "set" called "March 2013 J.Crew Love"!)

March 2013 J.Crew Love by ashley-mcdaniel featuring flower print jeans

J.Crew j crew / J.Crew polka dot chambray shirt / J.Crew pencil skirt / J.Crew flower print jeans / J.Crew leather wedge shoes / J.Crew ballerina shoes / J.Crew leather handbag / J.Crew j crew bracelet / J.Crew j crew bracelet / J.Crew colorful jewelry / J.Crew j. crew sunglasses