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Dancing like nobody is watching

I am a dancer, correction, I was a dancer. I have danced my entire life....until I graduated from college and stopped. When I moved back to Chicago I started doing all sorts of things and dancing just wasn't one of them. I have tried over the last 5 years half-heartedly, to get back into it but I hadn't found anywhere that I really loved. I took several classes; some that I could have done in my sleep,  and several advanced classes that I was way too embarrassed to ever go back to.  Cue, All About Dance in Old Town.

This was one place I had never tried but had heard awesome things. Friends of mine who were on dance team with me in high school and college had recommended it to me many times but I never got around to trying it, until last night. I'll admit I was nervous, I was wondering if I had lost all my skills. Deep breath...

I took the adult cardio class. This was a combination of excersice with abs, arms and stretching. Then we learned a dance routine quickly and practiced it over and over to different tempos and new hit songs. I had a blast! And bonus, I am sore today! Not only am I excited to be back at dancing but I got an awesome workout in the process. It has inspired me not to put off something I love doing again. Wednesday is a ballet class, one of my all time favorite types of dance, and I think I'm going to try it next!

Have you ever re-ignited your passion for something??  

                            XO,

                            GG

Fall into fashion finds

So if you're like me, you absolutely love summer but are looking forward to Fall fashions. I had the opportunity to visit the new Fashion Outlets of Chicago to score some new items for Fall. Overall I was really impressed with the mall. It is clean, well organized and parking couldn't be easier. Some of my favorite stores were All saints, Last call Nieman Marcus, Tory Burch, J. Crew Factory and Bloomingdales the outlet. Most of the stores had a good selection but only a few felt like you we're really getting a deal. All Saints was one if those. Not only did they have a huge selection of clothes but they were actually reasonable! A fully beaded sequin top, $98. A distressed leather jacket, $495. I didn't buy anything but I plan on purchasing next time.

Tory Burch was my next stop, they had a great selection of shoes and clothes. I wound up scoring two pairs of flats, and a headband. The flats were about 30% cheaper than I've seen anywhere else! Around $165 for the Reva flats and $100 for the Eddie folding flats. The black patent ones are currently being sold at Nordstrom! The headband I wound up taking back because it didn't fit my head but it was $45.  

The last stop was the Bloomingdales outlet store.  A great selection of dresses, shoes and accessories. All at a fraction of the regular price. I wound up with a new pair of Rachel Roy booties for $170 and a L. K. Bennett dress for $200.  Amazing!!

Hooray for great deals! Have you guys visited the outlets recently? Found anything good??

                                                                   XO, 

                                                                   GG

Showers of Happiness!

One of my very best friends is having a second child and this time, it is a girl! She already has a sweet little boy, who is adorable and was also my ring bearer. :) I was so thrilled to help host a "Sprinkle" in her honor.  We held it in a wonderful room at Bravo!  We decided to go with the Mommy-to-be's favorite style; shabby chic.

We used burlap runners, ribbon and handmade floral centerpieces. There were also handmade place cards with vintage fabric and buttons.  We also used pink straws which made the table fun and whimsical. 

For the prizes, I handmade chocolate chip cookie jars using ball jars, ribbon, and fabric. I included all the dry ingredients and all the winners had to do was add the refrigerated ingredients. 

I created a handmade burlap "It's a girl" pennant, as well as the tissue pom poms to use as decoration.  She is going to hang the pennant again at their home when the baby arrives.  :)

We had a gorgeous ruffle cake handmade by the Mommy-to-be's friend. I also created a calendar with her due date where people could stamp when they thought the baby would be born and sign their names.  This served as the guest book and decor for the future nursery. 

We also used the Mommy-to-be's old baby clothes as decor for the gift table. 

It was truly a beautiful shower and everything turned out really well! I had a lot of fun creating the handmade elements. I think it made it really special and the Mommy-to-be to be absolutely loved it, which is what really counts. 

Have you ever thrown an event you were really proud of?? 

                                                                    XO, 

                                                                    GG