First Blogiversary!

Hi friends! I hope you are all having a terrific Thursday, and for any east coast readers, I hope you aren't too shaken (see what I did there :)) from our quake and are ready for natural disaster round two with Hurricane Irene! Quite the interesting weather we are having lately, huh? In all seriousness, be safe everyone! 

So I am now officially late in celebrating my own blogiversary, which is possibly the most pathetic thing ever! If even I don't have time to celebrate, who does?? Mais, c'est la vie! And don't think that I am canceling the hoopla just because it's a belated hoopla! Hooplas are way too much fun to just be cancelled willy nilly. The party must go on! Dolls, if I had it my way what I would do to celebrate one year of blogging is to throw a gigantanormous (so big it needs its own word) party and invite each and every one of you who have made the last year as amazing as it has been. We'd get all dolled up (duh), nibble cupcakes and other delicious morsels and sip some bubbly! And I'd hug all you beautiful people and say thank you for the support, the laughs and the inspiration that you have provided throughout the year. Oh, and I'd tell you that I absolutely die for your adorable purse/necklace/dress etc, but that is really a given considering how utterly fabulous you all are. Now, since it would be rather impossible to actually throw this marvelous soiree, I am doing the next best thing: hosting an online virtual tea party! Yes, ladies, get out your best tea dresses and throw on whatever elegant baubles you deem necessary and join in my virtual fun! Linkup your darling concoctions below and one lucky lady will be leaving the party with a dozen custom cupcakes from the best cupcake shop ever: GEORGETOWN CUPCAKES! All you have to do is submit your teaparty-worthy outfit and be a follower for your chance to have the cupcakes sent straight to your door! 

If you are really gaga over cupcakes (and trust me, you will be over these cupcakes) and want extra entries to winning the delectable dozen you can tweet about this giveaway/linkup party, post about it on facebook/your blog, or like A La Mode et Plus on facebook! Just make sure you let me know that you did. 

In case you were wondering, this is what I'll be wearing, paired with these heels!
Wearing: Betsey Johnson dress, Steve Madden heels, Michael Kors watch, forever 21 earrings, gifted rings and bracelet. 

Now I want to see what vous are wearing! So show me those stylish outfits girls and one lucky lady will get to enjoy delectable cupcakes of her choosing!

Bisous!

Jewelry! Jewelry! Get your jewelry.

'Ello poppets! I hope you are all having a fantastic first Saturday in June! I don't know why, but for some reason I am inexplicably happy that June has arrived. It might be that it now truly feels like Summer. Or perhaps it is the fact that my first Vintage Sunday is just around the corner (more on that tomorrow)! Or it could just be that for the first time in what feels like forever, I have four weekends ahead of me on which I will not be traveling at all! That means I'll be able to sleep in, explore my city the way I have been itching to and simply have time to just sit back, chill out and relax. After all, isn't that what summer weekends were made for? I sure do think so!

And it might also have to do with the fact that A La Mode et Plus and Towne and Reese (remember my necklace obsession?) are teaming up to offer one reader the chance to win a piece of jewelry of their choice! Yes, you get to choose any of the gorgeous pieces designed by the talented Christi Pack and Jessica Stanfield. Towne and Reese, named after Christi and Jessica's daughters respectively, offers an amazing selection of pieces that "blur the line between timelessness and trendiness and fits into almost any budget." Now what wardrobe doesn't that philosophy work with! And Christi and Jessica continue to add a personal touch to each of their pieces by naming each item after the daughter of a friend that has touched their lives. They already had me sold when I saw their pieces, but after hearing that story and realizing how down to earth and family-oriented the company is, I was caught hook, line and sinker mes amis!

L-R: Avery bracelets, Meredith earrings, May earrings, Grace bracelet Genevieve necklace (Do you see a pattern??)

If you need any help entering send me an email at lwainman321@gmail.com. I hope you will all join in the fun before midnight (ET) June 11! I will use random.org to pick a winner and announce the winner Sunday. Make sure to leave me your email address or link to your blog so I can contact you if you win!

To enter:
1. You must be a follower of A La Mode et Plus either through Google Friend Connect or bloglovin.
2. Check out the Towne and Reese collection and tell me what your favorite piece is. Trust me, it will be hard to choose!

For extra entries (separate comment for each please): 
1. Follow this blog on Google Friend Connect AND bloglovin'
2. Like Towne and Reese on Facebook and like A La Mode et Plus on Facebook (1 entry for each) 
3. Follow me on twitter (laurachanning) and tweet about this giveaway.
4. Add my button to your blog (+2 entry)
5. Post about this giveaway on your own blog

If you just can't wait (and who could blame you!) to get your hands on one of these beautiful pieces, hop on over to Towne and Reese and use code ALAMODE15 for a 15% discount off your purchase, anytime during the week of this giveaway! A discount and a chance at free jewelry? Doesn't get any better than that! Happy Saturday, dolls.

Bisous!

What's that I hear? A giveaway calling?

Hi lovelies! I hope you all had an excellent weekend filled with relaxation and glam! I definitely mastered the relaxation concept this weekend, indulging my inner couch potato with an entourage marathon avec le frère. Glam? Not so much. Unless your definition of glam does indeed involve baseball diamonds and PJ Sundays. Oh it does? Why, I'm in luck then!

So I had a work interview that was très important this morning. It could mean big things for me professionally. But since I'm a bit superstitious, I don't really want to say anything about it until I know what is going to happen. But I would seriously love some good vibes to  be sent my way! So if you have some to spare, and you think of it go ahead and just put them out to the universe for me.

As a thank you for all the good vibes that I just know you dolls will send out, I am hosting another giveaway! One lucky A La Mode et Plus reader will have the chance to win Whitney Port's book True Whit. I added this book to my collection this fall, and have loved reading a chapter or two at night before bedtime. I've always admired Whitney as a confident woman in the fashion industry, who seems to have stayed true to herself despite the press she has received over the last several years. Her style is always point on, in my book, and her book is a fun read about just about every subject under the sun.

A great addition to any fashionista's coffee table book collection!

Favorite takeaways from the book: 

"If you love something there is always a way to wear it. I believe in injecting a bit of brightness into every outfit." (Amen to that, Whit!)

"It is so much more empowering to be alone than to stay in a dysfunctional relationship purely because it's comfortable."

"One of the best parts of living on your own is you don't have to ask permission to throw a party. You just do it!"

"Your twenties are the ideal time to try your dream on for size." (Since I'm in my twenties, this is great news!)

If you need any help entering send me an email at lwainman321@gmail.com. I hope you will all join in the fun before midnight (ET) May 22! I will use random.org to pick a winner and announce the winner Monday. Make sure to leave me your email address or link to your blog so I can contact you if you win!

To enter:
1. You must be a follower of A La Mode et Plus either through Google Friend Connect or bloglovin.
2. Tell me who your style icon is.

For extra entries (separate comment for each please): 
1. Follow this blog on Google Friend Connect AND bloglovin'
2. Follow me on twitter (laurachanning)
3. Tweet about this giveaway and @ reply me.
4. Like A La Mode et Plus on Facebook
5. Post about this giveaway on your own blog
6. Add my button to your blog (+2 entry) 

Bisous!

Thanking you for the support!

Salutations lovers! I hope everyone had a wonderful weekend, and that your Monday is going as well as any Monday can ever go. I sort of checked out of the online-world this weekend (no blog, no twitter, no email) and I hope you'll forgive me. I had a friend visiting from college and sometimes it is nice to just enjoy time with friends and not focus on my online life. Of course, I missed you all dearly :)

And to make it up to you, I am finally getting around to the giveaway I have been promoting for awhile now, very excitedly! I mentioned a few posts ago that I had just received new business cards from Vista Print and that I was very pleased with them. The design seemed to have been made for me, the quality was excellent and the delivery was much faster than I anticipated. And, in my opinion, their pricing can't be beat! So, in honor of my 100th post on this blog and to thank all of YOU for the joy that you bring me everyday, I am hosting a giveaway for a set of 250 premium design business cards of your choosing! 

My card

If you need any help entering send me an email at lwainman321@gmail.com. I hope you will all join in the fun before midnight (ET) April 17! I will use random.org to pick a winner and announce the winner Monday. Make sure to leave me your email address or link to your blog so I can contact you if you win!

To enter:
1. You must be a follower of A La Mode et Plus either through Google Friend Connect or bloglovin.
2. Tell me why you think business cards would be advantageous for you.
3. And only if you feel like it, let me know which design suits you best!

For extra entries (separate comment for each please): 
1. Follow this blog on Google Friend Connect AND bloglovin'
2. Follow me on twitter (laurachanning)
3. Tweet about this giveaway and @ reply me.
4. Like A La Mode et Plus on Facebook
5. Post about this giveaway on your own blog
6. Add my button to your blog (+2 entry)

Note: This post is not sponsored in any way by Vista Print and is being handled solely by me.

Bisous!

Daisy Mae Designs Giveaway!

Hiya pals! How is everyone doing on this lovely Saturday? I think this is one of only a couple Saturday posts this little blog has ever seen. It usually feels very neglected on Saturdays as it rarely even gets logged into. But today I had such an exciting giveaway that I just couldn't wait until Monday to share it!

Have you heard of the absolutely adorable Daisy Mae Designs etsy store yet? If not, you need to check it out because trust me it will rock your world! The owner, Kristy Sickles, named her cute shop for her sweet, lazy beagle, Daisy Mae. While she's always enjoyed crafting, Kristy started Daisy Mae Designs as an outlet for stress when she couldn't sell her house in Chicago. The house sold years ago, but she still finds great relaxation in making jewelry and accessories. She also finds relaxation in margaritas, but that's another story :) Her latest passion is rescuing old atlases from a lifetime of storage in basements and attics to give them new life as wearable art. My personal favorites are the Boston bracelet, the London and Paris vintage map earrings (which I totally want to get for someone on my life but can't say who since she reads the blog!) and of course the vintage map pendants seen below!

 

Kristy is generously offering one lucky A La Mode et Plus reader the chance to win one of the above customized vintage map pendants, featuring the city of your choice! It would be a great and unique way to commemorate your hometown, a city where you studied abroad, your favorite travel destination or perhaps a city that is just near and dear to your heart.

If you need any help entering send me an email at lwainman321@gmail.com. I hope you will all join in the fun before midnight (ET) March 12th! I will use random.org to pick a winner and announce the winner Sunday. Make sure to leave me your email address or link to your blog so I can contact you if you win!

To enter:
1. You must be a follower of A La Mode et Plus either through Google Friend Connect or bloglovin.
2. AND visit Daisy Mae Designs etsy shop and tell us your favorite piece in a comment! 

For extra entries (separate comment for each please): 
1. Follow this blog on Google Friend Connect AND bloglovin'
2. Follow me on twitter (laurachanning)
3. Follow Daisy Mae Designs on twitter
4. Tweet about this giveaway and @ reply me so I can see it
5. Like A La Mode et Plus on facebook (brand new!!)
6. Like Daisy Mae Designs on Facebook
7. Add Daisy Mae Designs to your favorites if you have an Etsy account
8. Post about this giveaway on your own blog

That is a total of 9 entries you can have beautifuls! Go ahead and enter away to score yourself one of these darling pendants so you can feel connected to the city you love all the time. Kristy is also offering all my readers a 15% discount with the code ALAMODEETPLUS so hurry on over and start shopping! Have a great weekend!

Bisous!

Let's pause- For a GIVEAWAY!!

Hello beautifuls! I have finally returned to the land of the living and am well enough to get off the couch. Yes, lovelies I made it all the way to the rocking chair. At least I can sit up though. I hope none of you are ever that sick. I have basically been an incubator of viral plague since Wednesday. I went home early from work that day and had not left my couch until yesterday to drag myself to a work function that I had to attend. So unless you are highly interested in seeing how I styled sweats and a ratty t-shirt with a red nose and cough, you will understand why I do not have any outfit posts. Actually I do have Tuesday's outfit still to post so you will see that tomorrow and then I will be back up and running with the 30 for 30 challenge.

As you all may know I recently moved into a new apartment, which has left me with an insatiable desire to browse home decor websites to ogle beautiful accouterments for my pad. One of my favorites as of late are the many gorgeous computer desks that the CSN stores offer! Doesn't every hard working and fashionable blogger deserve a gorgeous space to inspire her creativity? Mais oui! And lucky for you gals, CSN thinks so, too, and is graciously offering one of my readers a $40.00 gift code to be used on whatever your little heart desires at any one of their 200 stores! Magnifique, non?

The rules to enter are pretty simple, but please feel free to ask a question if you need any help entering!! You can leave a comment, or you can always email me at lwainman321@gmail.com. I hope you will all join in the fun before midnight (ET) February 26th! I will use random.org to pick a winner and announce the winner Sunday.

To enter:
1. You must be a follower of A La Mode et Plus either through Google Friend Connect or bloglovin' and don't forget to tell me how you are following.
2. Leave a comment on this post telling me what spring trend you are most excited to try?
3. Please leave your contact info (either blog address or email address) so I will know how to reach you with your gift code if you win!
4. Note: CSN only ships to the United States and Canada, so this giveaway will only be open to my U.S and Canadian followers. Sorry international readers, but I will make it up to you soon!!

For extra entries (separate comment for each please): 
1. Follow this blog on Google Friend Connect AND bloglovin'
2. Follow me on twitter (laurachanning)
3. Tweet about this giveaway, and please leave the url to your tweet
4. Post about this giveaway on your own blog
5. Share your best blogging tip!

Bisous!

Read all about it!

Happy belated New Years loves! I hope you all had fantastic evenings filled with sparkles, shine, bubbly and midnight kisses! Mine included 3 of the 4, but I'll just let you wonder which three :) I have been meaning to show you photos from my night, but I was having camera trouble all weekend. We should be back in business tomorrow, though!

On December 23rd I achieved one of the first goals I had set for this blog: to have 100 followers before Christmas. I could not have been more excited! It means so much to me that you wonderful ladies take time to stop by and read my random musings. I learn from each and every one of you and I always look forward to checking out your lovely posts. I have been promising a giveaway to thank all of my followers for awhile now and I always deliver on my promises! When trying to decide what would be good enough for you fabulous fashionistas, I took some of my own advice and turned to one of my Fashionable Giving posts and immediately spotted the perfect giveaway item! To thank all of my current (and any possible future) followers I will be giving one lucky lady a year subscription to Elle Magazine! I am always so inspired by the beautiful spreads that the magazine produces month in and month out, not to mention the top quality writing content that the incredible editors churn out. I would love to bestow this gift upon one of you dears.

The rules to enter are pretty simple, but please feel free to ask a question if you need any help entering!! You can leave a comment, or you can always email me at lwainman321@gmail.com. I hope you will all join in the fun before midnight (ET) January 8th! I will use random.org to pick a winner and announce the winner Sunday.

To enter:

1. You must be a follower of A La Mode et Plus either through Google Friend Connect or bloglovin' and don't forget to tell me how you are following.

2. Leave a comment on this post about whatever your heart desires!

3. Please leave your contact info (either blog address or email address) so I will know how to reach you if you win. 

4. Note: Unfortunately, this giveaway will only be open to my U.S followers. Sorry international readers, but I will make it up to you soon!!

For extra entries (separate comment for each please): 

1. Follow this blog on Google Friend Connect AND bloglovin'

2. Follow me on twitter (laurachanning)

3. Tweet about this giveaway, and please leave the url to your tweet

4. Post about this giveaway on your own blog

5. Share your best blogging tip!

Good luck chicas!! I can't wait to see who will win and stay tuned for several more giveaways to come!

Bisous!

'Tis the season of giving!

Hi darlings! Happy Sunday! How were your weekends? Magnifique, I hope. And I have a little treat for you that will hopefully help your weekend to end on a high note. We've been talking a lot about gift giving this week, and who deserves a gift more than my lovely followers! Thanks to the very generous team at CSN Stores, one lucky reader will receive a $45 gift code! With more than 200 stores, I have no doubt that you will be able to find whatever your little heart desires most! You could even use the gift code to help you with some of your last minute holiday shopping.

As someone who will be moving into her first apartment in February (ahhh so excited!) the CSN stores are pretty much a daily browse. I was checking out the amazing flat screen TV stands, which of course led me to browsing through the home decor, the shoes, the cooking products and other items that I definitely don't need, but want!

The rules to enter are pretty simple, but please feel free to ask a question if you need any help entering!! You can leave a comment, or you can always email me at lwainman321@gmail.com. I hope you will all join in the fun before midnight (ET) December 18th! I will use random.org to pick a winner and announce the winner Sunday.

To enter:
1. You must be a follower of A La Mode et Plus either through Google Friend Connect or bloglovin' and don't forget to tell me how you are following.
2. Leave a comment on this post telling me what you are desiring this holiday season!
3. Please leave your contact info (either blog address or email address) so I will know how to reach you with your gift code if you win!
4. Note: CSN only ships to the United States and Canada, so this giveaway will only be open to my U.S and Canadian followers. Sorry international readers, but I will make it up to you soon!!

For extra entries (separate comment for each please): 
1. Follow this blog on Google Friend Connect AND bloglovin'
2. Follow me on twitter (laurachanning)
3. Tweet about this giveaway, and please leave the url to your tweet
4. Post about this giveaway on your own blog
5. Share your best blogging tip!

Good luck chicas!! I can't wait to see who will win and stay tuned for several more giveaways to come!

Bisous!

In Fashion Giveaway!

Trivia time kittens: What do Seventeen, YM, Harper's Bazaar and Bobbi Brown Cosmetics all have in common? Any guesses? Well, if you said they have all been lucky enough to have had the the fabulously talented Annemarie Iverson helping them to develop their style, you would be right! Yes, this wonder-woman has done a little bit of everything in the fashion world and she was kind enough to share her experiences with all of us in her newest book, aptly named In Fashion. In what has been described as the "most comprehensive guide available for a notoriously competitive industry", budding fashionistas are made privy to the ins and outs of the fashion biz. Readers will earn exactly what it will take to make it in the industry and where to start. Iverson discusses everything from getting your foot in the door by writing a killer resume and selecting the perfect interview outfit, to how to survive the first year and make a lasting impression with all those you come in contact with. She combines her own insider's knowledge with the advice of leading experts from all sectors of fashion, including Michael Kors, Bergdorf Goodman and Condé Nast. 

I have yet to finish reading this fashion bible, but I can already tell you that I completely 100% recommend picking it up NOW if you have any desire to work in any arena of the fashion world, or are even just considering it. This book will guide you through every step of the process and help you to unravel the secrets of the elusive industry. My favorite parts so far? The aptitude survey in the beginning basically nailing my personality spot-on and then telling me that my personality belongs in the "critic" world of fashion writing/editing. Um hello, dream job! I sort of cheated and skipped to the back of book to read the "fashionista survival guide" before I have actually read the main contents of the book. I had fully intended to just browse briefly so I would know what I had to look forward to at the end, but once I had started down that dangerous path there was no turning back. The wealth of information was too strong of a pull. Iverson advises what every fashionista should have in her closet to get her through the first year, where to put money, rules to totally disregard (SO excited to hear her say "yes" to black and navy color combos!!), rules to stick by, the perfect office-day makeup and so, so much more! 

So now that I have (hopefully) convinced you of the essential-ness that is this book for anyone hoping to be a part of this world, I have good news. One of you lucky, gorgeous readers is going to score a copy of In Fashion!! I have learned SO much from this book already and I want to share it with you as well! he rules to enter are pretty simple, but please feel free to ask a question if you need any help entering!! You can leave a comment, or you can always email me at lwainman321@gmail.com. I hope you will all join in the fun before midnight (ET) November 10th! I will announce the winner Thursday.

To enter:
1. You must be a follower of A La Mode et Plus either through Google Friend Connect or bloglovin' and don't forget to tell me how you are following.
2. Leave a comment on this post telling me a little about your dream job, and it doesn't have to be fashion related!
3. Please leave your contact info (either blog address or email address) so I will know how to reach you if you win!

For extra entries (separate comment for each please): 
1. Follow this blog on Google Friend Connect AND bloglovin'
2. Follow me on twitter (laurachanning)
3. Tweet about this giveaway, and please leave the url to your tweet
4. Post about this giveaway on your own blog
5. Share your best blogging tip!

Good luck chicas!! I can't wait to see who will win and stay tuned for several more giveaways to come!

Bisous! 

Giveaway Fun!!

Bonsoir babes! I hope your weekends were filled with fabulous events, whether you engaged in exciting adventures or enjoyed  a relaxing lounge weekend on the couch snuggled up with your sweetie. Either way, I am sure you looked fantastic!

Well, I promised you a giveaway and a giveaway I am delivering! I am so thoroughly enjoying writing this blog and getting feedback from readers, so I want to show my appreciation for all that I have learned from each of you. I wish I could personally thank each and everyone one of you, but since we are only connected through the wonderful blogosphere for now, I will have to content myself with continuing to read your lovely posts and learning from you every day. But for one lucky reader, I am giving you the opportunity to win a $25 gift certificate to H&M!!! I know we all have fall items we are still hoping to add to our wardrobe, and I would like to help one of you do a little bit of shopping! The rules to enter are pretty simple, but please feel free to ask a question if you need any help entering!! I hope you will all join in the fun before midnight (ET) October 31! I will announce the winner Monday morning.

To enter:
1. You must be a follower of A La Mode et Plus either through Google Friend Connect or bloglovin'
2. Leave a comment on this post about your must have item for the fall and don't forget to tell me how you are following this blog.
3. Please leave your contact info (either blog address or email address) so I will know how to reach you if you win!

For extra entries (separate comment for each please): 
1. Follow this blog on Google Friend Connect AND bloglovin'
2. Follow me on twitter (laurachanning)
3. Tweet about this giveaway, and please leave the url to your tweet
4. Post about this giveaway on your own blog
5. Share your best blogging tip!

Good luck chicas!!

Bisous!