PRIMARK BOSTON

If you follow me on Instagram, you may have seen my posts about the grand opening of Primark in Boston. It's the first U.S. store for the European retailer, and they went big for this one! The store is spread out on four levels. FOUR. And it houses women's clothing, accessories, shoes, and lingerie, as well as mens, kinds, and a home section.  My favorite was the large outerwear section. Oooooh it was so good. 

Never heard of Primark? Think H&M, but even better prices. Yeah - our shopping dreams have come true. And If you are going to go check it out in Downtown Crossing, make sure you leave yourself a couple of hours to explore, because you'll need it. 

HOLLYDOLLY x LOU & GREY

This past weekend I had the pleasure of hosting a DIY workshop at the Lou & Grey Natick location. You all know how much I love my Lou & Grey! The laid-back, easy pieces of the lifestyle brand is quickly taking over my closet. So when my friend Amy asked me to host an event at her store, I was so excited! 

I showed everyone how to make rope knot bracelets, enjoyed David's Tea and cookies, and got to showcase my jewelry in one of my favorite stores. All in all, it was a pretty good Saturday. Thank you so much to everyone who came out and crafted with me :)

dress: Lou & Grey

shirt: Old Navy

necklace: shopHollyDolly

tote: c/o Lou & Grey Natick

shoes: c/o Swedish Hasbeens

YOU'RE INVITED // HOLLYDOLLY AND LOU & GREY

Hey, all Boston and New England friends!

I'll be hosting a DIY workshop at Lou & Grey Natick this weekend, and you're invited! We'll be making rope knot bracelets (simple, easy to do versions of my shopHollyDolly knot bracelets), and also enjoying some sips and snacks. I'll even help you pick out a new outfit if you'd like! The latest collection is perfection - you don't want to miss it. 

If you can make it this Saturday -  June 27th, from 2-5, then RSVP to Lou-grey@anninc.com. hope to see you there!

#HFTFBOSTON WITH BOSTON BLOGGERS

Usually, I'm the type of person who waits until after Thanksgiving to even think about anything Christmas related. I'm the one always whining "but it's too eeeeeeearly!" 

A little over a week ago, Boston Bloggers held their Home For The Holidays event at the Wayfair.com offices. And man oh man, did it give me all the holiday warm and fuzzes. Even though it was only the beginning of November. The day was filled with crafting and party planning tips, sprinkled in with some real blog talk. Heather Armstrong of Docce was there to open up the day with a key note (that girl is hilarious), and we also wen't in depth about SEO with the Wayfair team. Abby Larson, the founder of Style Me Pretty, was on hand to talk about setting the perfect tabletop styling, we made gift tags and holiday buntings, and talked menu planning for the holidays, too. 

Thanks Allison and Kate for putting together the perfect event (as usual!) And thanks to Wayfair for hosting and providing the cutest little gifts for us under your tree :)

last photo by Surabhi of Third Eye Chic. See all of her amazing photos from the event here. 

YOU'RE INVITED : LOFT FALL FASHION BASH

Hey Boston area friends! Join me and Katherine on Thursday, August 28th for some fall fashion fun. You can find us at my store, Loft at Prudential Center (Elissa will be there, too!). Not only will you get to check out all of Loft’s new fall arrivals, but there will also be treats, drinks, giveaways, and polish updates with MiniLuxe!

Please RSVP here, and we hope to see you there!

#BOSATOGA

Man, where do I even begin with this last Saturday, you guys? 

Myself and about 18 other bloggers boarded a luxury coach and headed out to Saratoga, NY for a day at the races, courtesy of America’s Best Racing. Even though there were a few naps (it was pretty early, after all), the atmosphere on the bus was lively. There were pastries, drinks, lots of chatting, and a videographer along for the ride to capture the trip and interview each blogger. 

When we finally arrived in Saratoga, we changed into our track attire (seriously, there was some fabulous fascinator and hat action going on there) and were treated to brunch at Fasig Tipton. We also were introduced to Centennial Farms, a Boston-area horse racing operation whose horse - Boston Strong - has a portion of his earnings donated to the One Fund Boston, which supports the Boston marathon bombing victims and their families.

And then, after a quick introduction to betting and understanding the odds, we headed across the street to the track!

**photo by Alexis Kletjian**

There, we got the full experience. We had access to the paddocks where we saw some of the horses being prepared for the races, and even got up close and personal with this beauty -, Black Jack. We got to place a bet, watch a couple of races from right on the fence, and I even had the experience of winning! Horse number 7 - Designed For War - came through for me in race 6 and I left the track $15 richer than I came. For my first time, I’d say that’s a good day. 

Overall, It was such a fun day. That atmosphere is insane. Something I don’t even know how to put into words. And now that I (sorta kinda) know what I’m doing, I’d love to go back sometime with Boo! Big money, big money! Let’s place some bets :)

Thank you so much America’s Best Racing for having us and providing such an awesome experience! And thank you Noelle for organizing everything for us.

Don’t forget to check out all the other ladies’ (and gentleman’s) blogs and keep a look out for their posts, as well. 

 - Christine - Vanessa - Amy - Alexis - Lianna - Georgina - Noelle - Khatu - Katie - Jessica - Heather - Molly - Tiffani - Laura - Katherine - Jean - Pedro - 

**photo by Dan Tordjman**

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dress: Modcloth

headband: Neesie Designs

sunglasses: Warby Parker

bag: c/o H&M

heels: Louboutin 

#GETCRAFTYBOSTON // MICHAELS NEW LOOK

You all know I love a good crafty DIY, right? I’m a maker. And I actually spend a lot of time at Michaels getting supplies. So I was so excited to be invited to join a group of Boston bloggers yesterday for a night of snacking, crafting, and touring the new look at Michaels in Saugus! We made Italian sodas, and then crafted (and laughed our way through) our own Boston skyline canvas art. I say laughed, because I totally botched mine. And Amy had to help me salvage it. Oy. P.S - you can actually reserve the Michaels craft room/event space for free. 

But really, the real reason we were there was to get the inside scoop on the store’s new look. If you live in the Boston area, 27 Michaels locations are unveiling the same exact new look. So no matter what store you go in, you’ll know exactly where everything is! The aisles are now wider, the layouts make more sense, everything is brighter and more colorful, and signs are more visible - making things much easier to find. Plus, they’ve expanded their home decor section, which I really liked! So many cute coastal designs :).

Oh, and you know what else I learned? You can now shop online! Long overdue, in my opinion. But I’m so excited about it. 

The 27 Boston area Michaels stores will be revealing this new look with a grand re-opening, ribbon cutting event this Sunday, May 4th at 9:45 am. So if you like to get crafty, you should head on over to your local store! They are giving away over $1000 in gift cards at each store. Be excited!

#getcraftyboston :)

Recap: LOFT [Prudential] Grand Re-Opening

Last Thursday, I was invited to co-host the LOFT grand re-opening event at Prudential Center. Alongside Emily, Amy, and Alana, we mingled with customers, offered styling advice, and took way too many Instagram photos (in true blogger fashion). Oh, and there were music and delicious cocktails. So.Fun. 

The store looked impeccable, and the clothes were the cutest. Seriously, I’m not just saying that. I spent some time before the event trying on a bunch of different outfits, and I wanted them all. In fact, I think I might be going back for a few more items (shhhh, don’t tell Boo).

Thanks to the LOFT and Blog Better Boston girls for such a lovely evening! 

P.S - I didn’t get any proper outfit photos (seeing as I picked it out just before the event started). But trust me - I will definitely be repeating this outfit. 

Here’s what I wore:

LOFT Grand Re-Opening Party

Hey Boston friends! You know what you should be doing this Thursday evening? Stopping on in and visiting me at the LOFT grand re-opening event at the Prudential Center! I’ll be there alongside Emily of So Anthro and the ladies of Blog Better Boston, offering styling advice and our company while you shop and enjoy music and refreshments. 

Oh, and did I mention that there will be an Instagram contest where you could win $250 to LOFT? Yeah, pretty awesome. 

So come on down and hang out with us! Hope to see you there!