Victoria's Secret Fashion Show: Will You Be Watching?

My husband just made the BEST dinner---grilled shrimp with steamed veggies.  He seriously has a gift for using spices because he always makes everything so flavorful.  It was the perfect post-workout dinner.

I had a nice intense session with my trainer tonight---there was simply no way I was skipping tonight's workout.

Do you know why?....................................

Because tonight is one of televisions most exciting nights (at least for me)

Tonight, at 10/9 c the annual VICTORIA'S SECRET FASHION SHOW airs on CBS.  I DVR it every year and keep it there all year long---anytime I need a little workout motivation, I just watch it and immediately feel pumped to get to the gym. 

I caught a few moments of E! News before I left for my workout and they were showing the VS models working with their trainers before the show.  Of course models are genetically thin on the most part, but nearly everyday I see paparazzi photos of models like Gisele and Karolina Kurkova leaving the gym. It definitely takes some maintenance.

Last year VS held a competition for a new model to walk the runway---Kylie Bisutti got the lucky spot---they showed the girls working with celebrity trainer David Kirsch and the workouts he did with them were not easy.

Here are some images from this year's show (it is always filmed in advance): (pics: justjared.buzznet.com)

I don't want to reveal too many of the runway shots! I will post more once it has aired.

Do you plan to watch the VS Fashion Show this year?

xoxo,

Veronika.

PS---this isn't really an outfit of the day because I was literally running out of my house and didn't even have my camera on the right setting and didn't have any good lighting...but I wanted to show you ladies my sweater coat that I got at H&M! It's so comfy and doubles as a jacket here on chilly days.

Click! Click! Click! Getting Aquainted with my Canon

I played around a bit with my new camera (the Canon Rebel T2i) this weekend and wanted to share a few of the shots I took.  Right now I'm only shooting in full automatic or automatic without flash.  I will try other modes once I've watched the DVD about how to use the camera in its various settings.

Photography is just really inspiring to me.  I hope to learn to take beautiful photos with lots of practice.  I sometimes wish I could be naturally talented at photography so I could be a wedding photographer.  I look at wedding photographer's blogs and I always think how lucky they are to give a married couple such a beautiful and everlasting gift---memories, smiles and beauty captured by their lenses.  It just seems like it would be such an amazing feeling to give someone such an incredible gift.

Here are a few shots:

What struck me most when I uploaded these was the clarity and crispness of the images. Even in a mirror (like the last shot) the shot is so clear.  In the pictures of lulu, you can see all of the variations in his hair color and texture---every wisp of hair is defined.

I am just so happy I bought this camera.  It's really going to be fun to learn to take great photos and maybe even learn to use Photoshop a bit better so I can color balance my photos and overall just make them look awesome.

If you have any tips or tricks or great website recommendations for photography, please leave me links and advice in the comments below!

xoxo,

Veronika.

Make Your Holidays Beautiful: Shutterfly Holiday Cards (Bloggers can get 50 Free!)

I usually wait until 2 weeks before Christmas to send out my holiday cards.  This year though, I am lucky to be participating in Shutterfly's Holiday Card Promotion!  I've done photo cards before, but they were NOT as cute as the ones offered by Shutterfly!

I was seriously impressed when I saw the wide variety of designs they had to choose from---there's really something for everyone.  As part of my job I work a lot with graphic designers, so I know these cards are beautifully designed and the variety of layouts is wonderful as well. There are 805 (YES 805!!!) designs to choose from!

I still don't know which design I'm going to pick...but these are my favorites so far:

Snowflake Damask Holiday Card

Cranberry Joy Christmas Card

Modern Merry Squares Christmas Card

  Family Wall Red Christmas Card

  Starlight Trees Christmas Card

  Elegant Cranberry Damask Christmas Card

Modern Tile Noir Christmas Card

I am probably going to create our card with one of our wedding photos.  Since we will be in Paris and London over the holidays, it will be nice to have these beautiful cards sent out before we leave for our trip.  We always send to relatives and close friends.

I love receiving cards too---I put them all over our fridge, though I've contemplated creating a photo wreath too---maybe next year!  I love photo cards because it's nice to see family members and friends.  I like to see their smiling faces on my fridge during the holidays, especially if it's someone we don't see often or who lives far away.

If you are a blogger, you are also eligible to apply for 50 free Christmas Cards as part of this promotion. Here are the instructions:

* If you have a blog, visit this website where you can apply to get 50 free cards from Shutterfly. *update---I've been told this link doesn't work...try this new one: http://blog.shutterfly.com/5358/holiday2010-blog-submission-form/*

* You can also check out the other products Shutterfly has to offer for the holidays (an anytime, really):

Christmas cards
Photo Christmas cards
Calendars
Photo albums 
Holiday cards
Photo mugs 

Do you enjoying sending out and receiving holiday cards?  What do you think about photo cards as holiday cards? I once had someone tell me they didn't like them because they felt "self-indulgent" but I feel the opposite way---like I said, I love seeing familiar, smiling faces in my home during the holidays---even if it's just on my fridge.


xoxo,

Veronika.

Saturday Notes: Kate Middleton's Loveliness,Tennis & New Nike Eclipse Shoes

I am so glad that I was able to have a 4-day weekend.  After the traveling, jet lag and turkey dinners, I was exhausted and it was nice to sleep in today!

I started my morning off right by watching some DVR'd shows all about Prince William and Kate Middleton.  Can I just say how much I adore her? I mean, her hats, her gorgeous blown-out hair, her pretty smile. Sigh.  She will be a gorgeous princess.  I'll admit that I'm more than a little obsessed with her various hair adornments and hats:

 

I mean...isn't she just perfect?  I just love how the hats add that incredible last touch to an outfit. 

No stranger to hair accessories myself, I must say they really do make an outfit more unique.  I once wore a back feather flower in my hair with a little of that black netting on it (from Forever 21) to a club for a friend's birthday and it was a conversation piece all night---guys and girls would stop me and be like I LOVE that thing in your hair! (even if they didn't quite know what it was.) I was shocked at the response because usually I think people think big hair accessories like that are weird...but I'm not one to care what others think so I just rock them with pride! Here are a few of my hair accessories in action:

 OK, maybe this one's more of a mask, but FEATHERS=LOVE!  This was on Halloween

 More halloween

 It was always my dream to be a princess :P

 Wedding Feathers

 Feathered headband on my birthday

So see, Ms. Middleton and I have much in common.  I think it's pretty clear we share a love of feathers, hats and headbands.  And princes.  I'm really happy for them! Can't wait for the royal wedding!

Do YOU ever wear feathery or floral hair accessories? If you do, do you find that people approach you about it or do you get strange looks?

Today my husband and I played some tennis at a local court.  It was really fun---we hadn't gone to hit balls since last year.   The weather was perfect and it was a great workout (though admittedly, we had to stop after 30 minutes because I got a nasty blister that ripped after only those 30 minutes of playing---it's on my right index finger right where it bends so it's particularly painful.)

Then we ventured off to Academy where I bought some resistance bands to use with my Pilates workout DVD's.  I also picked up this pair of Nike Eclipse shoes I've had my eye on.  I just love the color combo! I'm going to wear them for light workouts and I'll also bring them to Paris for walking if I ever need a day off from my boots.

 Resistance bands and PINK tennis balls! (why not, right!?)

I really like them. They are sleeker than typical running shoes so they're a good "casual" shoe choice. They retail for $65.00 at most places but at Academy they were competitively priced at $59.99, so I saved a few bucks. Amazon also has them for $59.99.

Did you do any shopping today? I was tempted to go to the Galleria but I somehow talked myself out of it.  I really should be saving for the trip because I'm sure I'll want to shop there.

xoxo,

Veronika.

PS- I took a few shots of Lulu with the new camera---and BIG difference.  The quality is incredible.

(Black) Friday Shopping: Best Buy, Express, LOFT & Bath & Body Works

I hope everyone had a safe and happy thanksgiving!  Ours was spent with my husband's wonderful parents and my best friend who joined us for a turkey dinner.  Candice even baked an apple pie (from scratch) and it was delicious!  I couldn't have asked for a better thanksgiving.

I was able to get some reading done this weekend. I had read about this book in a few magazines and it peaked my curiosity so I bought it Thursday after work using a 50% off coupon from BORDERS.  It's called "Some Girls: My Life in a Harem" by Jillian Lauren.  It was a really quick read---definitely a page turner.  It's sort of a mixture of her life and what happened both before and after she decided to go to Brunei and live in a harem serving members of the royal family.  The descriptions of her time there are very interesting.  I almost expected it to be more shocking than it was, but it's certainly a great read and takes you into a world 99.9% of the population will never experience.  Candice is already next in line to read it!

So...I went Black Friday shopping. I had planned JUST to go to Best Buy but then I got all of those emails from all of the stores I shop at and when you see 40% OFF OF EVERYTHING IN THE ENTIRE STORE(!!!!!!!!!!)...well, that's kind of hard to ignore ("think of the money I'm saving!" I exclaimed proudly--- as my H rolled his eyes.)

Many of you ladies will be excited to learn that I finally took the plunge and invested in a good camera.  I purchased the Canon Rebel T2i!!! I am beyond excited!  This means better photos on the blog which I'm thrilled about. I also purchased a camera remote so I can take multiple frames using a tripod.  Very exciting! Finally, I purchased a DVD that's all about how to use the specific model I bought because honestly, I have no idea how to use it outside of automatic mode (haven't even taken it out of the box yet) and I'd love to learn to use it how it's meant to be used and learn about things like white balance and aperture.  It will be a fun little learning journey for me. I can't wait!  Plus getting it now leaves me time to learn to use it before we head to Paris.

So that's my BIG purchase...it's my Christmas present :)  We aren't really exchanging gifts this year (the H and I) because our trip is our gift.

Next up, I got this pretty sweater from Express for 40% OFF:

It's got this pretty, gunmetal colored metallic thread through it.  It was $79.50 and I got it for 40% off.

I picked up 4 packs of Wallflowers from Bath & Body Works too because they were on sale for $5 for a pack of two refills. For anyone who doesn't use these---I recommend them above and beyond any plug in air freshner I've ever used. The quality of the product and the variety of amazing scents available simply beat out the competition.

Lastly, I purchased these two incredible items from LOFT (at 40% off) that I am very excited about!

First, this gorgeous top (*sigh*, it's just so feminine and romantic)

The second item is this lovely lace skirt:

and here they are when I tried them on
(I wouldn't wear them together, this is just from the fitting room):

The top photographed a bit red...it's more of a reddish hot pink---a color I was actually worried about but I think it's nice to add a little something bright in once in awhile. I thought it looked flattering with my skin tone.

Lastly, I forgot to share something I bought at H&M when I was in Slovakia. Believe it or not, I didn't ASK to shop, my grandma's sister and her husband took me to the mall because they wanted to show me where my grandma had liked to shop (her and I shared a love for shopping.)  I only went to about 3 stores.  I ended up getting this sweater coat from H&M.  It's super long and warm...yet also lightweight so It's perfect to layer under a long coat, or even wear as a coat here in Houston where it's not too chilly:

and here's what I wore today---comfy clothes for shopping!

Tee- Love Culture
Hoodie- Victoria's Secret PINK
Tights- Lulu Lemon Wunder Under Pintuck (crops)
Boots- Nine West
Scarf---- My grandmother's---it was one of the items I took as a memory of her and I absolutely love it!

By the way---the Nine west boots are INCREDIBLY comfortable. I was so impressed with how great the felt when I walked around in them for a few hours. I am so very glad I bought them :)

How was your thanksgiving? Did you brave the malls today to get some great deals?

xoxo,

Veronika.