Dana Renee {Style}

Life + Blog Updates!

Well hello there everyone! It feels like so long since I've written, although I guess it's only been a little over a week. I wanted to share a couple of updates in case you wonder where I've been or what's been going on over here.

1. Where the heck was I for the last week and a half? Paris! And home by way of Iceland. It's an interesting story that I'll be blogging about soon. We went as a surprise trip from me to my hubby and it was a crazy adventure!

2. What did I bring you from Paris? In addition to loads of pictures, I have a fantastic little something to giveaway from my trip to Paris. I'll be launching that next week...watch for info!

3. Why haven't I been posting as much these last two weeks? Shhh! I've been secretly working on switching to self-hosted Wordpress. It's not really a secret anymore and I hope to be launching the new page this week. I wanted to go ahead and make the switch and I've been trying to make it a seamless effort, but it's been taking up a lot of my time! (...which I hate because it means I haven't been able to blog as much in the meantime, but I can honestly say the new page is looking great so far and I'm in love <3 )

4. Did you know I make jewelry? Have you checked out my shop? I love making jewelry, specifically statement earrings, and I have my own little shop also called Dana Renee Style which you can visit at http://shop.danarenee.com (And if you use code FB25OFF you'll receive 25% off your order and I'll even throw in a little something extra!) Check it out, tell me your favorite pieces...I am always excited to hear your feedback.

5. My wedding anniversary is next month. I can't believe three years have already gone by!!! I need ideas for an anniversary gift for the hubby. Have you seen anything cool on Pinterest that I could make or some new gadget that's a must-have? Tell me about it please! I need all the help I can get!!

xo Dana Renee

Fashion Friday {Rain Boots}

How is the weather where you are? Here, it's been gloom and doom all week and the forecast through the weekend isn't pretty either. One of the things that drives me nuts about our house is that the sidewalk doesn't extend all the way to the street (something on my never-ending home improvement list). Every time it rains, I always end up with soggy shoes. I hate soggy shoes. So I'm realizing I should probably invest in a pair of rain boots to avoid trying to tip toe and jump around puddles whenever I need to run an errand on a rainy day. Right now I'm loving these Zasha Houndstooth Rain Boots by Merona from Target and they only run $35...which is a lot less than the shoes I've ruined!

A Trip to Paris...

Next week is the hubby's (actual) 30th birthday and I was so excited to be able to surprise him with a trip to Paris. Granted we are traveling standby, so there is a tiny chance that we may to have to route to somewhere else, but I'm being hopeful!

He has never been to Paris. We went to London last fall and that was his first trip to Europe. I can't wait to be able to show him around. I was lucky enough to spend a week (and a birthday of my own) there a few years ago. There really is nothing that quite compares to the first time you see the Eiffel Tower all lit up and glittering at night.

We'll only be there for a few days and we have a jam-packed schedule of sight-seeing planned, but I'm definitely going to make time to do some shopping. We are staying near Champ Elysees so I'm sure there will be plenty of window displays to drool over. I. can't. wait.

AND, I'll also be bringing something back from Paris (or wherever we end up) to giveaway here! Stay tuned next weekend for the details!

DIY Chain Bracelet Tutorial

I've been getting interested in chainmail recently and was inspired to whip up this simplified chain bracelet. It's super easy to make.

For this bracelet you'll need:

Jump Rings. I picked up a value pack from the craft store and that was more than enough. You could also use different color jump rings to make a pattern.
A clasp. I chose a heart toggle clasp, but you can use any type of clasp you like as long as it has a loop to attach a jump ring.
Pliers to open and close your jump rings.

Start with one end of toggle or clasp and attach a jump ring to it.
Add 3 more jump rings to the first one, then close it.
Open a jump ring and loop it through the 3 you just added.
Add an additional three jump rings, then close it.
Repeat this 3-1 pattern until you've reached the desired length.
End with one ring and attach the other part of the toggle or clasp.

And that's it! Now you're ready to add it to your army candy.

Today Is a New Day {Printable}

It's so easy to get bogged down with day-to-day troubles, but I was reminded recently that each day is a blessing and presents new opportunities. So to remind myself of that even on my not-so-great days, I whipped up this little printable to keep around. Sometimes little reminders make the biggest impact =)