Marolsha giveaway

Today's giveaway comes courtesy of Marolsha, my favorite little shop on the web. Maddy, Marolsha's owner, makes such adorable pieces in so much variety... a little something for everyone! :) The giveaway winner will take home a $30 shop credit to buy whatever they'd like. Good luck!

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New shop obsession: Salt City Emporium (+ a giveaway!)

{ Leggings c/o Salt City Emporium, Shirt and sandals: Old Navy, Necklace c/o Noonday Collection }

Two recipe posts in a row and then two outfit posts in a row? What is this blog coming to?

Anyway, have you heard of Salt City Emporium? The leggings in these photos might just be my favorite thing I've ever been gifted by a Story of My Life sponsor. I've seen cute-patterned leggings around the web, usually for little kids, and when I was offered the opportunity to try the adult version, I was all over it. I didn't expect these to be so ridiculously comfortable, though. I mean, obviously leggings are comfortable by nature, but these are soft like silk (made of Polyester and Spandex) and just feel like wearing air. How's that for an endorsement? Check out their kids stuff here and their women's stuff here!

One SOML reader will win a pair of Salt City Emporium leggings of their very own, so be sure and enter in the Rafflecopter form below.  GOOD LUCK!

(and YES, these photos were taken inside our new house! It's such an interesting blank slate for photos right now... kind of fun!)

{ Leggings c/o Salt City Emporium, Shirt and sandals: Old Navy, Necklace c/o Noonday Collection }

and a few other pairs from the website... (scroll down for giveaway!)

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Thoughts on personal style (+a Penn Avenue Eyewear giveaway!)

Jeans and shirt: Banana Republic, Shoes: c/o Minnetonka, Glasses: c/o Penn Avenue Eyewear

I have been thinking a lot about personal style lately. It's something that's pretty important to me and also something I've always "struggled" with, for lack of a less dramatic word. The thing is, I love a lot of different kinds of styles, and I can be fairly easily influenced by other stylish people I admire or, let's face it, FREE CLOTHES. When you're a blogger and also tight for cash, and people start offering you free clothes, you figure you can't be too picky, right?

The thing that's been bothering me lately, though, is that when I open my closet each day to find something to wear, so little of it really resonates with me. My closet has turned into this weird thing full of free clothes that aren't really even ME. Aren't what I feel most comfortable in, aren't what actually reflects my tastes, when you get down to it. A couple days ago I tried to put together an outfit for a blog post, and it felt so weird and contrived and, as a result, it looked terrible on me. Then the next day, I thoughtlessly threw on this outfit in the photos above and below, just to run an errand, and I felt so comfortable and great in it and, even though it isn't really Blogger Perfect whatsoever, I felt like I was being true to myself, and that is a good way to feel.

So maybe this wonderfully boring outfit today is just sort of my way of starting over, starting with a simple, clean palette, and making a pact (with myself and with you) that I'm not going to compromise my own tastes anymore. (Though maybe I never really was - maybe I had to learn for sure what isn't me before I could know what really is?) 

Jeans and shirt: Banana Republic, Shoes: c/o Minnetonka, Glasses: c/o Penn Avenue Eyewear

The fine folks at Penn Avenue Eyewear are sponsoring SOML for the next few months and would love to give away one complete pair of prescription glasses or non-prescription sunglasses to a reader... sweet, huh? The ones I'm wearing above are the Morgan frames in tortoise, and I absolutely love them. Enter for your chance to win a pair in the Rafflecopter below, and good luck! :)

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$50 Hazel & Olive giveaway (+ a Photography Concentrate discout code!)

Howdy folks, and happy Tuesday. Today's giveaway comes courtesy of one of my favorite online shops, Hazel & Olive! I've worn it proudly here and here, if you recall. ;) Today a $50 gift certificate to the store is up for grabs, which will buy you just about anything you'd like. (most items are a steal at under $40!)

Also, the Photography Concentrate tutorial prize pack winner has been chosen and emailed, but the kind couple behind this awesome site is offering up SOML readers an exclusive 30% discount on all tutorials through September 21st (this Saturday!) with the code SOML30, for those of you who may have been sad about not winning. ;)  Just keep in mind that the field to enter the discount code is on the second checkout screen, and if you are paying by Paypal, you will first be transferred there to log in and then transferred back to the PC site where you can enter the discount code. Thanks, Rob & Lauren, for being so generous!

Now enter for your chance to win free loot from Hazel & Olive below, and have a fantastic day. :)

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