INSPIRATION TUESDAY: RINGS

clockwise from left: buzzfeed / etsy / buzzfeed 

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i've always loved rings. and rose gold is probably the prettiest. dear future husband, you can;t go wrong with a rose gold ring. fyi. -m

UO SUMMER FAVES

red shorts / embellished tank / military vest / birks / bralette / graphic swing dress / boxed romper

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it's finally summer. the sun is out, the pool is open, but my clothes are seriously lackin. anyone with me? (insert sassy hand raise emoji here) i don't think i've actually been to a mall in three months because i've been so busy. yikes, right? enter shopathome.com - the lovechild of saving time/money and stylish shopping - where after signing up for free, you have access to coupons and deals to more than 1,000 of your favorite stores (j.crew, nordstrom, target, urban outfitters, you name it!). and after saving enough money and earning enough cash back, THEY'LL SEND YOU A CHECK. IN THE MAIL. WITH MONETARY VALUE. seriously people, why wait to sign up to a site that saves you money and PAYS YOU FOR SHOPPING? not to mention, you don't even have to get up from the couch.  i've picked a few of my faves from UO that i can definitely see myself wearing this summer season, all with benefits from shopathome.com! how amazing is that embellished blue tank? heart eyes all around. -m

DISTRESSED DENIM IN 5 STEPS

i had been on the hunt for the perfect pair of distressed jeans for a long time.  i couldn't find a pair that i liked well enough to commit a big $$$ to, and the cheaper ones were, well, cheap. and then i remembered that sometimes i craft and that i should just make my own.  duh. so i did, and was blown away by how easy it was! the washing machine does most of your work, actually! here's what you'll need to distress your own jeans. 

S U P P L I E S

• a pair of jeans. (i recommend practicing on some old ones first)
• x-acto knife
• tape or chalk
• scissors
• nail file/cheese grater
• tweezers (optional)

1. start by taping off the areas you want to distress. (knees, back pockets, etc.) i find putting the jeans on first helps to find the correct placements.

2. insert your cardboard scrap inside the leg of the jean and place it under the area you are distressing. take your x-acto knife and cut horizontal slits, all the same length, into the jeans. denim is laid out with white horizontal thread woven into blue vertical thread, and cutting the strips allows you to remove the blue strips, leaving the white.

3. after you've cut the strips, separate the blue strands by grabbing them in the middle and pulling out to each side, revealing the white strands! using your fingers or tweezers, pull out the loose blue threads and discard them.

4. once all the blue threads are removed, take the grater or nail file and "rough up" some of the edges of the pockets and bottoms of the legs. or not! this part is where creative freedom comes in, do what you want! i love the look of distressed back pockets and edges of the legs, but anything goes!

5. place those guys into the washing machine! they'll adopt a bit more of a used look, and once they've dried, your set to wear 'em!

remember these ^^^ from this?

strut your stuff and feel free to tell everyone that yes, you distressed these yourself. because you are an awesome boss lady who rules. -m

THE PERFECT NEW YEAR'S PARTY HAIRSTYLE: THE MILKMAID/MAIDEN BRAID

              
hey guys! i hope everyone had a wonderful christmas spent with family and friends, and lots of yummy sweets and pretty presents. speaking of family, over thanksgiving break, my cousin katie and i filmed a little tutorial on one of my favorite hairstyles, the milk maid/maiden braid. check out the video above for the full tutorial!
xo. molly


p.s. you'll most likely hear me call it both names, as they are interchangeable!

ON THE HUNT FOR THE PERFECT BOYFRIEND JEAN

clockwise from upper center: american eagle, gap, madewell, refinery29, j.crew

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time flies even when you're not having fun. (and by not having fun i mean studying for finals. tis' the season right?) my last real post was about a week and a half ago. anyway, i have been on the hunt for sometime now in search of the perfect boyfriend jean. madewell has my favorite pair, but i'm afraid my wallet will become to light once i leave with them in tow. american eagle has some inexpensive pairs, that could be distressed by themselves. we'll see. the hunt continues for now! if you have a favorite pair of bf jeans i'd love to hear about them! xo. molly 

AN ODE TO FALL

i've always loved fall mornings. waking up and walking to starbucks, having a warm drink in your hand, and just soaking in the day. it's the weekend, schools out, and the sky is clear. one of my favorite places to go in the fall is our local forest preserve. it's shady, so the temperature is perfect for sweaters, long-sleeves, and cardigans. and when eshakti contacted/asked me to pick out a piece from their collection and talk about my fall style, i agreed right away! i chose a navy blue tunic with black embroidering. when i got it in the mail i fell in love. i knew i had to show off eshakti's beautiful piece, and i knew just the place to do it.

 my brother sam. this has got to be my absolute favorite picture of him.

 the first of three feet shots. the leaves were the perfect colors.

feet shot 2/3.

 testing out the new instax birthday gift.

 a closer look at the detailing on the tunic.

the leaves displayed the most amazing colors.

the final feet shot my friends, we made it.

don't be fooled by that smiling face - we were stranded in a parking lot because i drove against a curb and popped a tire. yea.

tunic: eshakti (c/o), jeans: american eagle, kicks: american eagle, neaklace: nordstrom, sunnies: urban outfitters

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i'm so thanksful to eshakti for this opportunity to share my fall style! check out eshakti at their website, instagram, twitter, or facebook. and use code thelollyprojectblog  without any spaces or extra characters for 10%! and p.s. - you get 25% when you sign up! take a look around eshakti, and head off to your local forest preserve, and write your own ode to fall.

*this post was sponsored by eShakti. thanks for supporting companies that make TLP possible!