Layering Jewels

When I saw this photo on Pinterest, Layering in Gold, I fell in love. Everyday I wear rings and earrings, but I typically stray from necklaces. But a simple necklace, or two, can add dimension and fun to your outfit.

Lately, I have been trying the statement necklace trend. Bold pieces that make an outfit. However, in some instances, especially the working world, a bright pink bubble necklace just doesn't mesh. Therefore, I want to invest in some dainter pieces that can add some understated pizazz.

Adina Necklace

Sometimes you just need a punch of color. 

Libby Layering Necklace

This would add dimension to any pairing, perfect all around layering necklace! 

Dogeared "Love is a state of mind"

I love the idea of personalizing your layer to include your state!

Some other great inspiration pictures... 

Here are the two that are in my shopping cart. Pretty sure I will make them mine very very soon!

Piper Necklace in gold


Demi Layering Necklace 

Do you layer necklaces? What are your favorite necklaces to layer together? 

Paris - Part 2

We had a great time the first few days and continued our sightseeing throughout the rest of the week! 

Tuesday we took a trip outside the city to Versailles, the King and Queen's Palace before the Revolution. On our way to the train we saw the Statue of Liberty and Eiffel Tower. 

I personally loved Versailles, but for most its a take it or leave it when visiting Paris. It is very crowded and difficult to maneuver, but the free audio sets provide some great historical information and everything is so over the top, as Marie Antoinette said "Let them eat cake." 

Marie Antoinette's Bedroom, she barely escaped through the secret back door during the riots.  

Tuesday was an absolutely gorgeous day (we even got slightly sunburnt). After Versailles we had a lunch of ham and cheese crepes at an outdoor cafe before relaxing in the park by the Eiffel Tower. 

Wednesday, we got our art on. Unfortunately, neither museum allowed photography but they are worth a quick visit (plus they are right across the river from each other). We stopped by Museum D'Orsay which houses impressionist and post-impressionist art including Van Gough, Renoir and Monet. 

Museum de l'Orangerie is the smallest of the museums we saw in Paris, but it has one big seller, Monet's water lilies  They.were.amazing. They take up two rooms with 4 walls each completely covered, absolutely gorgeous. 

We walked around the neighborhood and found the lock bridge and Tulieres Garden, which will be gorgeous come spring. 

That night, we headed up the Eiffel Tower, where it was ridiculously cold. 

But the best part was the view of the sparkling Eiffel Tower (that we gasped at while stuffing our faces with strawberry and nutella crepes). **Must see, happens every night for 5 minutes on every 'night-time' hour.

Thursday we headed out of Paris and into Belgium. We made a day trip to Brussels by train (only really requires a day) and ate our way through the capital of the European Union. I am talking a diet of waffles, frites and beer. 

 

Friday we had a relaxing last day in Paris and explored the Montamarte and Latin Quarter areas. We saw our last "popular" Parisian sights, Sacre Coure and Moulin Rouge. 

Overall, it was a great trip to Paris. Yes, we had some snafou's along the way (mostly dealing with our directionally challenged-selves and lack of French), but it was a great opportunity to explore and see the world as a young adult.

Paris - Part One

Back in February my college roommate and I had the amazing opportunity to go to Paris for a week. Now, as a Spanish minor in college and after studying abroad in Spain summer 2010, Paris was quite different and the language barrier was the biggest difficulty when traveling. 

Jet Lagged from our 7 hour red-eye, we decided to walk around our neighborhood and head towards the Seine River. We stayed in the 16th Arrondissement, which was more of a neighborhood feel. 

As we were walking along the river we came across a bridge that led us straight to the Eiffel Tower! 

After seeing the most iconic Parsian sight, we hopped on the metro and headed to quite possibly its most famous street, the Champs-Elysees. We arose from the underground to find the Arc de Triomphe. 

After a little shopping therapy, and of course, macaroons from the original Laduree, we were exhausted and headed back to our apartment for a dinner of French cheese, baguette and wine! 

Since we had been up for about 48 hours from our travels, we decided to be lazy and slept in Sunday morning before heading to Notre Dame. 

We climbed to the top to explore the gargoyles and views of Paris. (Note: If you are going to Paris, I highly recommend buying the Paris Museum Pass, we got into all the museums, churches, major sights with the pass for a discounted price.) 

Climbing to the top was my favorite part of the trip. I highly suggest taking the trip up, it was not as crowded as other sights and gave magnificent views plus you can't beat the magic that comes with the 800+ year old church.

Some of the gargoyles were very graphic! 

After our trek to the top we stopped in a cafe for a traditional cafe and crepe!

We decided to explore the Isle that is the center of Paris and walked along the Seine Quay's, another must do in Paris. 

We were lucky to be able to meet up with a friend's friend who was studying in Paris for dinner. She took us to a fabulous restaurant in the Latin Quarter, Le Relais Odeon, where I enjoyed a typical French dish, salade chevre chaud, or warm goat cheese salad, so delicious! After, we headed next store to a delicious chocolate shop, where we served ourselves to our hearts content. 

Monday, we made our way back to Notre Dame to see the inside of the beautiful church. (Note: It is free to get inside, but go early in the morning, around/after lunch the wait becomes 30 min+) 

After, we made our way to the Louvre. (Note: It is extremely crowded, like almost claustrophobic in the popular parts of the Louvre. Hit the three big sights - Mona Lisa, Winged Victory, Venus de Milo - then escape the crowds.) 

 We headed to the opposite end towards the Napoleon apartments, which were extremely ornate and a must see at the Louvre in my book. Loved the crown jewels on display! 

Next on our list, Pompidou, the museum of modern art in Paris. It looks super bizarre (reminded me of a hamster cage thing) on the outside but it is easy to manage and has some great pieces of fun art, without the crowds of the Louvre.

That night, we headed to the Champs-Elysees area to go up the Arc de Triomphe at night. This was my friend's favorite part of the trip. One must see is the Paris skyline at night, it is so romantic. Afterwards, we went to a traditional French dinner of steak and frites.  

I'll be back later with more of our time in Paris! Au Revoir! 

Catching up

Since getting home from my rendezvous in Paris last week, I have been busy trying to get back into the swing of things. And since 2 weekends away from Richmond in a row were not enough, I decided to make it 3 and headed up to DC this past weekend to celebrate a birthday! 

My best friend and forever sidekick Stefanie turned 23 this past weekend. Let me just tell you, I would not have survived college without this girl. We were in the same small major and sorority sisters (not to mention 2 of the 3 sorority girls in our said major) and I could not ask for a better friend. She wanted to head into DC (I have never been out there) so we gathered the crew and headed into the city! 

Richmond girls do DC

Hokie Love 

First time out in DC! 

Sorority Sisters celebrate! 

It was so great to be able to see so many friends in DC. It's crazy going from seeing people daily to seeing them monthly or worse, so trips are always so worth it!