Last Weekend: We ate, we drank, we watched

It is rare for me to go out all three days of the weekend nowadays. With wedding planning sucking up my weekends, now that it's all over (hooray!), I seem to have more time for myself and my friends. Last weekend was a great time with a lot of great experiences.

Friday: After work, we headed to Ybor City for the Gasparilla Film Festival. We had purchased tickets forever ago using Groupon, and I had caught wind that some showings were selling out -- FAST! So, we hauled arse down to the theater to get our tickets for that evening. We were going to see Everyday Sunshine: The Story of Fishbone. I had not heard of this band until I met my husband, but they had a brief stint on MTV in the early 90s. Even if you hadn't heard of this band, the documentary was very interesting... and very funny! The band was pretty animated and they liked to party.

"Walking the red carpet" with my friend Kris

The trailer... there's some language in this so don't be offended!

After the movie, we set out to research potential birthday spots for my friend Kris. He's turning the big 3-0 and I wanted to make sure we would be planning on going to a cool place and not something lame! We went to an Irish pub, James Joyce (I also went here on my bachelorette party part deux), to see if he liked it. There was live music, beer pong, it seemed like a good choice for a celebration. The boys noticed they served absinthe and were quite interested!

Next, we wanted to try a karaoke bar we used to visit often. We wondered if karaoke still existed and if this place was still fun. Great success! Double Decker is a bar that serves a variety of European draft beers, and they *still* have karaoke. The boys sang, we made fun of people, it was a good night.

Random guy sleeping. Standing up. Good work.

Saturday: One of my bridesmaids drove up for the day and we still had tickets to the film festival, so we had hoped to catch several movies over the course of the day. Fail! They had all sold out except for a late night showing of a zombie flick -- The Removed. We got our tickets for that and tried to entertain ourselves throughout the day.

Cappuccino = necessary in order to stay awake!

My favorite soup -- beer cheese! And, ya know, a rum runner to go with it.

The movie we saw, The Removed, was actually VERY good. And creepy. Click this link to watch the trailer. And, bonus, there was a Baldwin in the movie. Daniel Baldwin? Who the heck is that?!

Sunday: I woke up early and had delicious brunch at one of my favorite Downtown Dunedin spots--Kelly's. I napped until 3 p.m. like a lame-o. I woke up and headed back to Tampa for a girls' night at the Improv to see Greg Fitzsimmons.

He was really funny, but it was a Sunday night show. His last one in this town. I felt like he was ready to go home and wasn't giving it his all. He was still hilarious though.

And, my last BIG drink of the weekend... a frozen Cherry Bomb.

Why did I unnecessarily gorge myself with huge beverages and bad movie snacks? Well, I started Weight Watchers Monday. I had a marathon grocery trip. I planned my meals. I bought fruits & veggies. I had been spluring way too much on fast food and junk, and I knew it was time to straighten up or else I'd develop a lifetime of bad habits. I know how to "eat right" but I have a problem with accountability. Either way, I'm on day 4 and it's been a breeze thus far. Just tracking, paying attention to what I'm eating. I am not sure if it will work, but at least I'm eating more fruits/veggies and bringing my lunch every day to work. I'll keep everyone posted. For those who have gone the WW route, what were some helpful sites or tips to remember?

Wild Wedding: Getting Tattooed

I am not what I would call a "tattoo person." Sure, I love them...but I never considered myself one! I had previously just one tattoo (a dove with a heart on my hip), and I had thought that would be all. However, with the wedding coming closer.... I wanted to do something fun. Adventurous? Crazy? I'm not sure. I knew that I wanted to surprise Scott in a way that was romantic...and you can NOT surprise this guy.

He really likes this song by a band that you've probably never heard of -- Big D & the Kids Table. I have listened to them (because of Scott), and we both really liked this one song "Describe the Sky." It's cute, happy, fun. He at one time wanted to have our first dance to this... but I shot that idea down. Too fast for a cute first dance! So, in an effort to just... show him how I felt or whatever... I asked him what his favorite lyrics were. He didn't hesitate and he answered "Forever your fighting partner."

And that was that. I made an appointment at a tattoo place in Ybor city (1603 Tattoos), and I left a little while later with a forever testament to Scott, a silly ska song, and our marriage on my forearm in beautiful black script. It was bold and spontaneous (though I *did* think about it for weeks beforehand... I just hadn't chosen the actual words yet).

My intention was to keep it a surprise -- and it worked! -- for about three days. I had started blabbing about it to the bridal party though so I figured I should tell him during the rehearsal dinner (and not wait until the actual wedding). I had made a card and printed out a picture and I gave it to him during dinner.

It was so cute and he cried. My bridesmaids cried. I was glad I was able to surprise him and that he appreciated it. It was just one of those unforgettable moments. Cheesy -- I know -- but it was perfect.

And, here we are, weeks later...and I still love my tattoo. It looks great. I wear cardigans to work nearly every day (it's frickin' freezing inside our buildings!) or I have chunky bracelets to stack on if I am in an environment where visible tattoos aren't cool. I have zero regrets and I am glad that this will always be a part of me. :)

I guess I am a "tattoo person" now!

I wasn't the only one with a surprise...Scott surprised me during the reception and it had to do with this same song....

Target Tuesday & FOOD

I totally splurged yesterday at Target...but on FOOD. How LAME. Though, I did get some really yummy things and I'm cooking this week! I always feel like cooking is an accomplishment--just because I don't always have the time, energy or finances to accomplish such a thing! I recently received a free credit voucher for Relish which is a meal planning website that you can use to figure out your shopping list. Most of the options are very creative and super good. Some of the recipes include Weight Watchers points (which is clearly a PLUS because I just joined...two days ago!). Here's my menu for the rest of the week:

• Chicken and Lemon Skewers | Couscous Salad with Mint
• Pork Chops with Apple Raisin Chutney | Roasted Broccoli
• Hawaiian Drumsticks | Island Salad

I'm hungry just reading that. Yum.

Anyways, had I not blown all my spending cash on the foods here are some of the things I would be checking out...

Well, first and foremost, I would be heading directly to get Britney's new CD. This is a must.

Jovovich-Hawk for Target® Floral Dress in Multicolor
I think I like this dress. The pattern is cute. Not sure how it would look on...

Mossimo Supply Co. Juniors One Shoulder Ruffle Dress - Purple Play

Women's Merona® Meaghan Ruffled Flat Shoes - Red

Women's Xhilaration® Tailynn Floral Platform Sandal - Cream

Wild Wedding: The Week Before

The week before the wedding was an absolute blur. From my bouquet not being done to frantically trying to pencil in a hair trial, it was a crazy yet fun week!

Since we had some unexpected visitors (who may or may not have filmed this whole week), we decided to have another bachelorette party! This time my mom came with and some of my favorite ladies came down to Ybor City.

We started the night off in Coyote Ugly and it was soooo busy there! We carried onward to James Joyce which is an Irish pub with beer pong, beer funnels and cheap drinks.

We ended the night in G.Bar and watched a drag show. It was a wild night!

The next day was a Sunday and we spent it trying to recover and get things done. We needed to make a seating chart, finish the bouquets, and figure out my bridesmaid situation. Oh...right. I don't think I ever mentioned that here...yet.

I was feeling a bit disconnected with one of my bridesmaids and I made the decision to change my bridal party. I know it's against like every wedding etiquette rule in the book, but I couldn't help it. I just knew that the only thing that was holding us together as "friends" was this wedding. I wanted my girls who were standing next to me on my wedding day to be lifelong friends. Unfortunately for me, another one of my bridesmaids declined being a part of the bridal party once she heard about the hoopla of the cameras. I respected her decision, but all of a sudden, there I was down two bridesmaids.

It was a bit dramatic, but I wasn't worried. I am fortunate enough to have several lovely ladies in my life, and I knew they would understand the circumstances as to why I didn't ask them to be a bridesmaid to begin with (we wanted a small bridal party) and why they were now being asked. And, I can say that I 110% believe that things happen for a reason...and I am very happy with how my bridesmaids evolved. That might sound weird or just plain wrong, but the girls who were standing up with me on the day of the wedding were the girls that I know I can count on now and in the future. I was very blessed.

Once my lineup was re-assembled, I had to secure dresses for my new ladies. I had never wanted matching bridesmaids, so we ended up with two girls in dresses from Lulus.com, two girls in J.Crew, and one girl in a random dress I luckily found at Ross three days before the wedding. While each girl looked different, it still seemed cohesive. I was happy about that!

On Valentine's Day, Scott & I had yummy grouper sandwiches for lunch and chatted about the upcoming week. It seemed appropriate to have a beachy cocktail on the sand with my husband to be. We knew the upcoming week was going to be crazy, so it was very nice to have some time to ourselves. He got me a bottle of Key Lime wine from a local winery here, Keel & Curley. It was delicious. :)

Other things to note this week: We decided on our first dance song ("I'm Yours" from the Casa Nova Sessions by Jason Mraz), I got a tattoo (more on that later!), I was pretty stressed, I got an artificial tan for the first time, we taste tested our specialty shots, and I couldn't believe how the day was almost here!

Top 2 Tuesday: Celebrity Hairstyles

My hair is usually a hot mess. Living in Florida, it's impossible to keep straight or curly or anything. The humidity kills my hair and no frizz product works. Honest. I drool over celebrity hairstyles just because I know my hair just won't bend or curl in those ways. Sigh. Here are the two ladies whose hair I'm currently lusting after:

1. Aria from Pretty Little Liars


The volume and curl... I love. I'm sure this would be easy to do myself... but again... just not talented enough nor will the weather cooperate.


2. Lauren Conrad



Maybe it's the highlights and the blond, but I love all the different things she does to her hair.


*Side note: I took in a picture of Carrie Underwood to my hair trial for my wedding, and the stylist said it just didn't look right since I'm a dark brunette and Carrie had the amazing highlights. Oh well.

Vintage Jewelry ETSY Giveaway!

I love to shop for vintage jewelry, but the thrift stores in my area are not that amazing. Turning to eBay and ETSY gives you a better selection, and some shops are just downright *amazing.*

One of these shops, My So Called Vintage, is run by a sweet chica who also blogs. Her passion for vintage pieces and thrifting has given her the opportunity to pass along some of her finds at great prices. She definitely has an eye for style and brings life into pieces I might not normally stop and purchase!

The winner of this giveaway has the opportunity to select one of the following items:

{Click to see the item page on ETSY!}

Modern gold choker necklace, signed by Monet


Sparkling silver bow necklace by Avon


Sparkling vintage rhinestone brooch

Sound good?

Win it:
One of the above pieces from My So Called Vintage's ETSY Shop

How to Enter:
Leave a comment with your favorite item from this ETSY shop.

Extra Entries:

• Become a follower of Krystal's Kitsch via Google Friend Connect
• Tweet this giveaway: Enter to win vintage jewelry from @MySoCalldVintg on @KrystalS blog http://www.krystalskitsch.com
  
• "Like" Krystal's Kitsch on FB
• "Like" My So Called Vintage on FB
• Add this shop to your ETSY favorites
• Blog about this giveaway (five extra entries; please leave five comments!)
• Add my button to your blog (five extra entries; please leave five comments!)

Giveaway ends Friday, April 8th at 11:59 PM EST and the winner will be announced April 9th. Winner will be chosen using Random.org and will have 48 hours to reply to my email. Remember, if I don't know your email and it's not in your profile... you can't win!

Spring Has Sprung Swap! =)

Aly & Molly hosted a spring package swap, and I was stoked to participate. :) I was very lucky to be paired with the lovely Ali of Young & Restless. She's a doll and sent me a great package!

She wrapped everything all cute!

And the package revealed!

• Essie nail polish in a beautiful coral color
• Notecards & envelopes in hot pink & orange that you can print your monogram on! Too cute.
• Olive Oil soaps
• & a *huge* lime green coffee mug!

She did a great job picking out things that I want/need! Thanks again!

Dove VisibleCare Crème Body Wash Review & Giveaway!

Dove makes timeless skincare products. From its classic bar soap to lotions, Dove is a staple among many women's beauty regimes. I'm excited to share with you the latest Dove products: the Dove VisibleCare Creme Body Washes. This product, when used daily, gives you visibly softer and smoother skin in just seven days!

This new body wash includes Dove's NutriumMoisture™ yet and also contains skin-natural building blocks to help improve your skin’s look over time. Dove® VisibleCare™ Crème Body Washes are available in two formulas: Renewing, which nourishes and replenishes, and Softening, which softens skin and dry spots. I tried the Softening and I *love* it! The first thing I noticed was the packaging--it's a lot of product for the price. It also had a nice scent and my skin is feeling pretty soft. :)

To kick off this new product, Dove is inviting real women everywhere to create a video up to a minute that shares why they are ready for their close-up experience. The selected woman will receive a weeklong all-expense-paid trip to Los Angeles where she will get an authentic “Dancing with the Stars” experience including training with a performer from the show, confidence coaching by Garth and the ultimate opportunity: a “finale” of her own. She will get to show off her smooth moves and beautiful skin in front of America when she dances in a Dove-sponsored TV spot in the season finale of “Dancing with the Stars” Monday, May 23 (8:00 p.m. ET) on the ABC Television Network. For more information and details on the “Dove® Close-Up Challenge”, you can visit the official site here: http://bit.ly/fB8Drs.


Additionally, one of my readers has the chance to win their very own full size Dove VisibleCare Crème Body Wash!

Win it:
A full size Dove VisibleCare Crème Body Wash

How to Enter:
Leave a comment with your favorite skincare tip!

Extra Entries:

• Become a follower of Krystal's Kitsch via Google Friend Connect

Giveaway ends Thursday, March 31st at 11:59 PM EST and the winner will be announced April 1st {And, no! It's not an April's Fools Joke!}. Winner will be chosen using Random.org and will have 48 hours to reply to my email. Remember, if I don't know your email and it's not in your profile... you can't win!

*Dove and Rocket XL provided me with the product and information.

Have you ever wished for an endless night?

It's about that time to share some of my favorite memories -- our wedding. Just like any other big event, it had its stressful moments... but in the end it all worked out. In fact, the day went just as perfect as I had anticipated.

The weather was beautiful.


The details were just as I had envisioned -- if not better!


And, I had a pretty handsome groom. :)

It's been just one month since our nuptials, and our schedules have been quite crazy. Increased workloads, big projects for me at school, work events, trying to volunteer... It's been a bit of a challenge to schedule time for each other. I'm sure our schedules will work themselves out (they always do), but it was a crazy month!

So, CHEERS! To my new husband, my friends for sticking by me during this wild time, my family for being there... and all of YOU for following along on this journey. It's been a great time in my life and I'll never forget it!

Top 2 Tuesday: Dream Rooms

This couldn't be more appropriate. We are on a house painting mission and are currently talking about what we want our space to look like.

1.) A Blue & Gray Bedroom

Something about just makes it looks so peaceful, comforting and relaxing.

2.) A dash of color in the living room

I love everything about this!

I've clearly decided blue & brown are going to be the living room colors ... it's just trying to figure out what to paint on the walls!