Denim Stilts

408464_10200528354996111_775223121_nDon’t you just love it when you order something online and forget about it? Its such a little  treat to open up your mailbox only to find a package that judging by its shape can only be shoes! Its like getting a birthday present when it’s your un-birthday. Alice in Wonderland for those of you that didn’t get that reference…Wanna see whats inside?

22110_10200528393317069_420869747_nOh Laaa Laaa! Ok, I know I have a really strange fetish for my shoes that’s a little more apparent these days but I have an excuse. I’m doing a cleanse right now that doesn’t allow any cheese, booze or sugar so a girl has to get her kicks somewhere. Care for a front view?

148786_10200528371076513_64886688_nAaaah…sigh.  Damn I want a glass of wine right now. Grrrrrrrr. FOCUS! FOCUS! Front and side view anyone??

denimI must say that I have been a little down on NoMoreRack.com lately because my last few purchases weren’t really up to par and took forever to ship. But I have a tentative renewed faith in them after these shoes. Can u believe they were only $14.oo? Marco Santi Pumps can run upward of $35-$50 online. NowI just need some warmer weather to visit so that I can rock these babies!

~ Hugs and Smiles ~ R!LEY COUTURE

 

 

 

 

Oooooh Sparkly

The nail trend of glitter mania has been around for a minute and I must admit that until now I’ve sort of skipped this gravy train. I always get annoyed when I spend money on glitter polishes that never show up as awesome as they do in the bottle. I was in the Dollar General grocery mart yesterday and spotted these guys for a $1.00 so I figured why not….

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I painted the one on the left over my shellac polish, and much to my surprise I love what came out of this little bottle-o-glitter!

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~ Hugs and Smiles ~ R!ley Couture

Tangerine Dreams

IMG_1767There is often and age old question that comes to  mind whenever  I pass by a fabulous pair of shoes and contemplate whether or not they need to come home with me. “Do I really NEED another pair of shoes?” Pfffffft! I almost always answer that question with…DUH! YES! How could I pass on these gorgeous tangerine pumps when they were only $10.00 a pop?! Oh what a sucker I am for a good ole pair of Mary Janes!

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I would almost be losing money walking away, because once I fall in love with a shoe there is something that clicks in my brain that automatically looks for that color. Nine times out of ten I would walk away and then regret not buying them , and then end up spending more money on something else later. Its a science people, trust me.

~ Hugs and Smiles ~ R!LEY COUTURE

 

Mini Martha Stewart


flowerssIn my spare time I am a reality TV junkie and a master crafter. Strange combinations I know…. Don’t judge me :). I am a proud little lady right now because I made that little flower arrangement with my own two hands. It wasn’t necessarily an easy project being that it took me about an hour and a half to wrap that twine around that glass bowl. After this little project I remembered why My motto on my Etsy Shop is “Made With Love”. Glue gun burns are no fun. But the time and pain was worth it in my opinion. The glass bowl was from the dollar store and the twine and ribbon I had in my crafting stash. The roses were a manager’s special at Kroger  for $2.99. Small price to pay for a little bit of happy in my kitchen.

~ Hugs and Smiles ~ R!LEY COUTURE

Cheap N Spicey

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Is it just me or do spices and herbs seem to be uber expensive? I really would love to have a fresh herb garden but with my brown thumb I would most likely kill it. I needed some herbs for this potato recipe that I found on The Pioneer Woman (awesome site for cooking) and was about to buy the generic Kroger spice blend, but I really wanted something a little more gourmet. I love going to TJMaxx to find little food goodies so I figured I would check there. Turns out I was in luck because I found that spice bottle for $3.99.

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The price tag  says “compare at $6.00” but I bet this would cost about $10.00 at a specialty store.  Happy cooking!

~ Hugs and Smiles ~ R!ley Couture

Little Eternities

eringHow adorable is this little dainty eternity band? Thanks to Lauren Conrad I have been obsessed with simple stackable rings. I’m not sure if the stones are real, but its .925 sterling silver and it was only $12.99 with shipping!

ering2I need another ring like I need a hole in my head, but I’m so in love with it that I’m going back for another one in a different color. Don’t worry I won’t be stingy. If your as in love with it as I am you can get one for yourself  here 🙂 Happy Self-Spoiling!

~ Hugs and Smiles ~ R!LEY COUTURE

 

 

Wen or “Worth It” ?

WenSo I have no problem admitting that I hate my hair. Its kinky, curly, and impossible to to work with. Adding to my hair issues I have been guilty of excessive dying and being irresponsible with my trimming habits. In fact its because of this that hair products are usually one of the very few things I am willing to spend big bucks for. I was using the Wen hair products for awhile and I really loved the way they made my hair feel. I even saw a lot of growth which is a miracle when it comes to my hair. Wen isn’t really that expensive, about $20 bucks for the kit that comes with styling products, but when you order it you have to sign up for the auto refill.  As much as I love that product I don’t need a new bottle of shampoo every 30 days. Let’s leave that to the hoarders out there.

loreal-evercreme-cleansing-conditioner Loreal’s imfamous solgan is “Because I’m Worth It” so I decided to give Loreal’s Ever Creme Cleansing Conditioner a shot.  I was pleasantly surprised at the way my hair felt after using it! Its sulfate free like Wen and its only $5.99 at Target. To be honest, I may go back to Wen eventually because the quality is a little better and I think they may have gotten rid of the auto refill rule. But its good to know there is a cheap alternative out there if I ever need it.

~ Hugs and Smiles ~ R!LEY COUTURE

IF I Had a NYE Resolution….

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I vowed this year that I wouldn’t make any impossible NYE resolutions. HOWEVER, the scale has not been my friend as of lately. To be honest I’m not really one to be obsessive about weight more than I am about how I feel and look. Normally I’m really good about eating healthy, but this Christmas I took full advantage of my mom’s Puertorican feasts. I sort of had an open mouth insert food policy. As of this week I started thinking it was time to get things back on track so I have been trying to cook really healthy. But healthy for me doesn’t equal icky. After I posted this picture of last nights dinner on instagram I got a lot of requests for the recipe. It’s stupid easy folks. The best part of this meal is it cost me like $5 bucks to make with leftovers to spare! Now you must bare with me at my recipe description because I’m no Martha Stewart.

R!LEY’s Yummy Olive Chicken (Creative Name Huh?)

Chicken Breast

Zucchini and Yellow Squash

Kalamata Olives

Miced garlic

Roasted garlic oil ( $3.99 at Ross)

Adobo Seasoning ( Hispanic Isle at Kroger $2.30)

Salt and pepper to taste

Heat roasted Garlic oil in pan

Season both sides of chicken with adobo and salt and pepper then grill in roasted garlic oil

In a spearate pan grilled zucchini and squash in roasted garlic oil, add salt and pepper and grill until somewhat soft

After chicken is cooked transfer zucchini and squash to chicken pan and add olives and minced garlic.

Cook for another minute or so to let flavors blend and vuala!

NOM! NOM! NOM!

Cheap American Glamour

IMG_1669It is a well known fact that I am often guilty of shopping for myself during Christmas time but to my credit, I have been looking for a trench coat like this for FOREVER!  My sister is a stylist for HSN and they have an outlet store in Florida that is a must on the agenda whenever I visit. The stuff in there is ridiculously marked down and my sister gets an extra 30% because she’s an employee. I was pleasantly surprised to see that HSN is now carrying higher end fashion lines. The trench I scored is American Glamour by Badgley Mishcka.

IMG_1664The minute I saw it I knew that I wasn’t going to leave Florida without it, but I freaked out when I figured out what the price was.

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HSN discounts things by the date on the tag, so this coat was something like 40% off and then another 30% with the Big Sis’ discount. I’m useless when it comes to math but in the end it ended up only costing me $17.oo bucks! For Badgley Mischka?? YES PLEASE!

~ Hugs and Smiles ~ R!LEY COUTURE

 

 

2012 in review

The WordPress.com stats helper monkeys prepared a 2012 annual report for this blog.

Here’s an excerpt:

4,329 films were submitted to the 2012 Cannes Film Festival. This blog had 16,000 views in 2012. If each view were a film, this blog would power 4 Film Festivals

Click here to see the complete report.

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