Work Appropriate Rain Shoes

(Sorry for the bad Beyonce reference. No, I actually like it.) Jelly flats are one of those things that I didn't know that I really needed until now. Like on all those days when it rains on a workday, and I'm sploshing around in nice shoes. And yes, I have rain boots, but I'm not wearing them to work. How much sense does that make? I need little shoes I can still wear to work and - you know - not be afraid to splosh* in. There are tons of jelly SANDALS but not a whole lot of options for jelly flats... because sandals would totally equal wet feet... yuck. So, I rounded up my favorite jelly FLATS for everyone else who might need proper rain and work footwear in one. I'm thinking the jelly boat shoes would be more of weekend/casual Friday wear, of course.

I tried and tried to find the Tory Burch Reva jellies... but it seems they're only on Ebay now. Fingers crossed that Tory brings them back!

* I know splosh is not an actual word. I just like using made up words sometimes... And I realize every workplace has different dress codes, so jellies might not be appropriate for everywhere, BUT they're still super convenient if you want to change into your nice shoes once you actually get to work.

1. Trippy Bow Jelly Skimmer - $70

2. N.Y.L.A. Elanino Jelly Flat - $30

3. Ted Baker London Joleey Flat - $90

4. Colorblocked Boat Shoes - $20

5. Jason Wu Confessions Loafer - $55

6. Skip Shape Flat - $59

7. Bow-Front Jelly Ballet Flat - $25

Bling Sale Starts Tomorrow!

Somehow JoJo Loves You must have caught wind of my obsession with stud earrings. And if you don't already know, I wear them EVERY DAY to work. There are some exceptions, but I mainly reserve fancy earrings for after work and weekends. Studs just make things easier - like talking on the phone with my hands full, trying on multiple outfits in the morning and making my bun hair look fancy.

Anyway, I have a crazy amount of stud earrings but none like these. The official name is "Vanilla Bling," but they are anything but vanilla. In fact, all of the "Blings" have a little exciting punch to them. Sparkly, little pieces of joy all wrapped up in the cutest packaging. I literally did not want to unwrap the package - beginning with the hot pink sticker on the envelope down to the pink bubble wrap.

Such thoughtfulness is no surprise though since the ladies at JoJo Loves You are also hosting a great sale this Memorial Day weekend. Scoop up what is essentially a buy 2 get one FREE event. This is especially helpful if you're in need of bridesmaid gifts, want to stock up early for Christmas gifts and/or looking for gifts for groups. OH and of course, it's also helpful if you're a stud earring hoarder like myself. ;)

Lots of love and thanks to the JoJo ladies for my Vanilla Bling! 
Check out the sale info in the ad below and visit JoJo Loves You for more info.

Deconstructed Floral & Metallic

Floral Pants from Lulu's (similar coming back in stock); Bisou Bisou coated sweater (On Sale!); Mossimo metallic pumps; DIY purple stone bracelet and earrings; Purse c/o Mondrina; vintage sunglasses; Marrakech ring c/o KiraKira; Eternity ring c/o Anjolee; necklace no longer available.

I've been known to splurge on classic pieces, but I'm a stickler for staying on budget with "on-trend" items. You never know how long they'll be around or how much wear you'll get out of them. For that reason, I always try to scout out wallet-friendly versions before jumping on the bandwagon. In today's post, I'm showing you three trends you can totally try out without breaking the bank.

I remember the first time I saw my first metallic coated sweater in NYC this past December... It was gold, I fell in love, and it was completely out of my budget. Months later, I ran across this lavender beauty with a much more reasonable price tag. I decided to compromise on the color and - guess what, I still wear it all of the time!

Floral prints are perhaps my favorite trend for summer, and there are a TON of options out there for floral pants - but finding the right fit and price can be a little work. I knew when I found this pair from Lulu's that they were a must-buy. Go figure, a lot of other people had the same thought because they're sold out. I found a similar affordable floral print pant on the same site coming back in stock soon though.

Lastly - silver metallic pumps - you've been seeing them everywhere most likely and from big name brands. Stuart Weitzman and Jimmy Choo are just a couple that have metallic pump options, but both of those will cost you  $400 to $650. Luckily, Target has come in to save the day with silver Mossimo brand pumps that give you the same look at a fraction of the cost.

What do you think? Would you be more likely to try out new trends if you didn't have splurge?

Photos by Brei Olivier

Shop similar:

Grits Grace Gossip Print - Available for Preorder!

I'm going to try to contain my excitement over this... The "Grits Grace Gossip" print is a project I've been brainstorming for literally months now. I had the perfect phrase but needed a medium - allllmost went the t-shirt route - but decided to go with an 8.5x11 art print to start things off.

This print should strike a chord with every Southern girl because hey - we love grits, grace AND good gossip. Not to mention it makes a pretty nice addition to any gallery wall. (That's our living room wall!) I also picture it on a dresser next to a lovely jewelry display or on a bathroom wall where you get ready every morning. I actually want to hang it everywhere, but Jordan just will not let that happen.

Right now, the prints are available for pre-order in the A Pinch of Lovely Etsy shop. They will be ready for shipping in about 1-2 weeks which gives you plenty of time to make room on one of your walls...

Shop it HERE!

What You've Been Missing on Instagram

1. Brooching necklaces together with vintage Kenneth Jay Lane
2. Fruit and mimosa brunch
3. Covering up at the pool with Mink Pink (also like this one)
4. New bathroom hardware updates
5. Graduation wearing Corey Lynn Calter (similar in pink), Dotted Tusk (1 & 2) and Stella & Dot
6. Planning posts with a little help from Lily

Are you following along on all the fun yet? Find me at @KrystalBennett on Instagram!

AND don't forget about the fabulous Warehouse And Other Brands Giveaway going on HERE:

Shop My Copious Closet!

I'm one of those people who buys stuff and only wears it once or twice. I don't know why, and I don't know how to remedy it, but I just never get around to wearing them again. These are good clothes!! I refuse to just dump them off at a thrift store because I know that there is life still left in them. SO, I've been waiting to figure out exactly what to do with them. I surveyed a lot of resale sites trying to figure out which one worked best for me (There was just something about Poshmark that turned me off. Maybe it was just too cluttered looking. It made me feel very overwhelmed.) I found an online marketplace called Copious and knew it was my answer - clean, to the point... and low fees. They also let you ship items the way you want to ship them which was important for me. Plus, I found other bloggers like The Man Repeller using Copious to sell their designer goods at majorly discounted prices!

Shop my Copious Closet Here!

After a major closet overhaul, I've got about 20 item listings on my Copious account to test things out... I still have about 30-something more pieces to list including a couple of never worn shoes... Yes, I'm nuts. I know this. I think I've priced things very reasonably as well - the point isn't really to get my money back but to give these clothes a new home at what I think is a deal price.

However, if you see an item you like, and you want to test out your bargaining skills - go ahead and shoot me an email - apinchoflovely@gmail.com!

Let me know what you think because like I said, I'm totally testing this out. I have no idea if this is actually going to work. But if you like the idea and I get positive feedback, I'll continue to load up the site with more goods, and eventually, I'll add a button to the sidebar to get you there in one click!

Old Shelf - New Life

So this is just a sneak at a recent project - can't show you the final pictures just yet. But I did want to share an idea on how to turn an eyesore shelf into something more appealing. I got this shelf for FREE when they were cleaning out the video room at work, and I desperately needed additional shoe organization. Those crappy over the door hangers simply do not cut it. The shelf sat for a long time bare and sad, so I searched and searched for some way to make it look better. I found that it's as simple as fabric and upholstery tacks, really. The longest part took finding a fabric. I was going to link back to the Premier Prints website for the fabric but it seems to be sold out - there was also a similar one I found on Spoonflower called Charcoal Dots HERE.

(These pictures were taken before the bottom was hemmed up and the sides were tied back. Better ones to come!)

Also a reminder about the Warehouse/Oasis giveaway going on right now!

Deconstructed w/ Warehouse and Other Brands

Butterfly Shift Dress c/o Oasis / Floppy straw hat c/o Warehouse / ASOS Sonic pointed heel (no longer in white (SIMILAR); BLACK and TAN styles still available) / Zara Metallic clutch (SIMILAR) / The Limited lucite necklace (SIMILAR) / Olive pendant necklace c/o Shabana Khan / Bracelets: Dotted Tusk, Stella & Dot Renegade, leather wrap c/o Clover Boutique, gold beaded bracelet c/o Accessory Auctions, orange bangle DIY, horn bracelet and two vintage gold bracelets / Michael Kors watch / Eternity band c/o Anjolee / Marrakech ring c/o KiraKira.

This post has been almost a month in the making, and I am SO excited to show the final outcome of my collaboration with Warehouse and Other Brands. It's been a hard secret to keep as we planned a post to kickoff summer style utilizing pieces from both of the Warehouse and Oasis brands. I can't think of more necessary and versatile summer pieces than a colorful shift, white heels, floppy hat and metallic clutch. Here's a little rundown of each...

The Oasis Butterfly shift dress is one of my favorite, new summer arrivals. The reflective, mirror design and gold, zippered back immediately caught my attention. Because I'm tall, the length is somewhat short on me but is perfect to pair with low heels like the ASOS Sonic pointed heel. Remember back when I posted about white heels? Yep, snatched these up, and good thing I did because the white version is completely sold out now.

Floppy hats - you know you covet one every time you see one pinned on Pinterest in some exotic location. BUT, you don't need a far-away beach to rock a floppy straw hat. Summer concerts, days by the pool, weekend BBQs and patio brunches - heck anytime you're out in the sun, you can wear a floppy hat like this one from Warehouse. I'm also loving this black and white floppy straw hat version too.

A fun outfit like this calls for a fun purse as well - but not one with lots of color. A metallic clutch makes a statement without stealing the spotlight, and in fact, it actually reflects the colors you're already wearing. Pile on some bracelet stacks and layer some necklaces to complete the metallic look!

Are you liking Warehouse and Other Brands so far? I think you're going to like them even more because they are giving one of my readers a $100 shopping credit! I can name about 20+ things I'd like to spend that $100 on... but let me get to the important stuff:

GIVEAWAY Requirements
1. LIKE A Pinch of Lovely and And Other Brands on Facebook
2. SHARE the giveaway post on the A Pinch of Lovely page to your own Facebook timeline (Hint: The image will look like the one below.)
3. COMMENT on this post or on FB with your email address
4. CROSS your fingers

Okay, so number 4 was clearly a joke, but it wouldn't hurt...

This giveaway is open until May 31st and will result in only one winner. Each entrant much complete each of the three requirements to be eligible. Official winner will be contacted by email and announced on social media. Email apinchoflovely@gmail.com with any questions regarding this contest. And Good Luck!


Photos taken by Brei Olivier.

Last Chance!

This is your LAST shot at entering to the KiraKira Marrakech ring giveaway. Contest ends at midnight tonight!

Head to --> THIS POST to get your entry in!

Nautical Sailor Party Invitations

Right in time for those summer parties, I have a new anchor and seersucker party invitation available for customizing. These were designed for a precious little boy's birthday party, but can be used for practically any nautical themed gathering. I've actually been hoarding these cute little ship wheel napkins and might be able to finally use them...

If you're interested in this design or a custom invitation design, email apinchoflovely@gmail.com for more information.