Lissa Mar

Do you have that dress that you put on and instantly feel more mature and confident in? Well my friends, these Lissa Mar dresses are that dress for me. I don’t know what it is, but when I put them on I feel like I’m at least in my twenties with a kick butt job. Weird? Maybe. I just love the belt detail and the fact that the fabric has some weight to it! And the fullness with the inverted pleat in the center is so on trend. And can we just talk about dresses with pockets? LOVE!!!! I am also in love with the teal color of the first dress. It’s not a color that every other girl in the room will have on, and that’s why I love it. It’s unique, it’s comfortable, and it’s a dress that I feel totally confident in. Triple whammy.

And the pink dress is one of my favorites as an everyday dress. I can pull my sundress with a Lissa Mar twist for just about everything, even wearing it to the Farmer's Market before heading out for the afternoon! It just fits right in no matter where I go, from casual to dressy! It's easy & breezy - the perfect summer dress in bold summer colors that stand out... in a good way.

dress: Lissa Mar (c/o) | shoes: Jack Rogers | sunglasses: Ray Bans

Which Lissa Mar dress do you like best? The pink or the teal?

3 simple steps to make a round picture

Have you seen all those cute round avatars or round pictures on sidebars? It took me forever to make ours until I learned how simple it could be! So I'm sharing the simple way to make a round picture with you. The secret is... my favorite photo editing tool: PicMonkey - and if you aren't using it then I suggest you start. If you are, then you already know it rocks. (And no, they are not paying me to say this - but I'd say the same thing if they were! I just love them, plain & simple.) PicMonkey is a very simple photo editor and is quite intuitive. Chloe uses PhotoShop and loves it, but it's complicated to simple folk like me. And there are rumors of a rental fee now, so it doesn't seem like a great time for me to start learning it.

Something I learned recently is that it is quite simple to take any online photo and and turn it into a round picture. I should have learned this a long time ago, but just wasn't experimenting enough! Not only can you make a round picture, but you can also make it look fun and funky in an instant.

Here's how: 1. Drag a picture to the PicMonkey editor.

2. In Basic Edits CROP the photo to make it square by simply making the actual size of equal length and width.

3. in Frames under Rounded Corners, round them until you have formed a circle by dragging the corner radius to 222 degrees. Click "transparent corners." And then you have your round picture!

To get funky with your round picture... goto Effects and play!

Well now, that's as easy as... 1, 2, 3! So what are you waiting for? Jazz up your photos and start making them round pictures! It's not hip to be square :)

Any questions? Leave them in the comments! Or do you have another way to make round pictures -- I'd love to hear!

I'm joining a cult

I am, really. Don't worry, it doesn't involve chanting or drinking potions, it simply entails pulling on a dress and feeling like you've won the gene pool lottery. I've always loved the look and style of Diane von Furstenberg dresses but never, in a million years, even wanted to try one on. I always thought the Diane von Furstenbuerg cult gals were just devotees who loved the story of an amazing designer who also has had a great comeback. I never joined the cult because wrap dresses are not made for women like me. My boobs are too big, my stomach is not flat, my waist doesn't exist and a wrap dress accentuates every single one of these areas. For instance, would the wrap go over my boobs, giving me the dreaded uni-boob, or under one of boobs, giving me the come-hither hooker look? And that's just the 1st issue I typically encounter when trying on a wrap shirt! Let alone a wrap dress.

dress: Diane von Furstenberg (on sale!) | shoes: Pedro Garcia| sunnies: Prada | earrings: Chan Luu (last worn here) | lipstick: Maybelline Neon Red | toes: Clambake

I was trying on multiple dresses at a sale (you know me by now!) and decided what the heck, the fabric was great, the price was fantastic, the black and white print was perfect to hid all sorts of sins, and I was intrigued by the ruching. I slipped it on and did a double take. Then a triple take.

Diane von Furstenberg has a cult following for a reason. She is genius:

• The wrap at the boobs is tucked and draped in all the right places and I don't have to decide whether it goes over or under your boobs. She knows women have boobs, since she is a woman designing for women. It's the only wrap that has ever fit my cleavage without me spilling out. (These photos are deceptive, Chloe is at the "peek down the dress angle," especially w/ me laughing and leaning over!)
• The ruching at my stomach helps hides my stomach instead of accentuating it.
• The pattern slims.
• The fabric is miraculous (silk jersey). It can be packed, crumpled, rolled up into a ball, unrolled and still look fresh.

We all know a Diane von Furstenberg wrap dress is iconic. Meaning timeless. My mom wore them & still can, I can wear one 20 years from now and it will still be in style. It's classic, yet not stodgy. I can pull it on, go anywhere and feel good. And isn't that what really matters: the cult of feeling good?

What do you have in your closet that makes you feel your best?

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