Anniversary Weekend // Mackinac Island

Ciao beauties! I hope you are having a fabulous day.

What an incredible few weeks I've had. I have so much to tell you. First of all, my sister moved back home from Missouri! She is, well, my otherness. :) We're incredibly close so her homecoming was a big deal. We're having tons of fun already.

Adding to the excitement- Ben and I just celebrated our 4th anniversary with a trip to Mackinaw and Mackinac Island. Yes, they're spelled differently. No, I don't know why. We stayed in the most adorable knotty pine cabin and truly enjoyed our visit.

Today I'm taking you on a journey of our adventures through pictures. Ready?

All dressed up for our anniversary dinner. 

Bread pudding. Absolutely sinful. 

A peek inside our knotty pine cabin. Too cute isn't it? 

Enjoying breakfast cuisine at the critically acclaimed 'Java Joe's Cafe' in St. Ignace, MI. Just across the bridge.

At Java Joe's. The biggest collection of teapots I've ever seen + 28 different kinds of omelets = a memorable dining experience. Did I mention it's owned by a hippie? 

These gorgeous mini-orchids were spotted on a hiking trail near Tahquamenon Falls.  

Hiking through a tunnel of trees! 

The falls! The water (though hard to tell in the picture) is always a coppery brown color due to the tannic acid that is produced from the dense decaying cedar trees that run along the river banks. 

Mackinaw Bridge. At 5 miles long, the bridge always provides stunning views of the water and surrounding island landscape.  

On Mackinac Island. This is a view from the top of a park. The water is 'oh-so' blue! No vehicles are allowed on the Island, providing visitors with a true step-back-in-time experience. 

We made the 8.2 mile trek around Mackinac Island on a Bicycle built for two!! Hooray for teamwork.

Arch rock. Naturally created and defying the odds by still standing! 

Our silhouettes in the crystal clear water! 

The exterior of our little cabin. :) 

I hope you've enjoyed this little peek into our vacation!

I will be back with you again this Friday! Thank you for reading, you're the best.

Melissa goes Ombré.

Hello my wonderful friends!

It has been 'way' too long and I apologize! I'm sure you were wondering if I had fallen off the face of the earth.....I have not. On the contrary- I have been busy travelling, spending time with family, celebrating our anniversary, and exploring new territory on vacation (blog post to come on that).

I have ALSO been busy playing with a new hairstyle and having 'oh so much fun' with it. I dropped a hint to my Facebook fans that I was going to be changing up my look and well, I did it! I've gone all out for a colorful ombré and I'm seriously digging the look. 

Those of you who follow via Pinterest may have seen some of my 'hair' boards that showcased this fun ombré look. I had been pinning various styles but finally narrowed it down to a few that I was drooling over. There's only one person on the planet I would trust to execute such a bold and adventurous look- Kasey Reed, my girl at Hair Peace Salon (click here for the salon's Facebook page). Kasey and I have a long standing relationship and I absolutely trust her with my hair. If you're local, I would suggest you call her up (see the salon's fb page, call Hair Peace, and ask for Kasey Reed) as she can work magic on hair. Period. 

Also, more exciting news- Kasey and I will be collaborating soon to showcase some extra cute 'short hair' DIY styling how-to's! More on that later, for now, let's take a peek at the new ombré shall we??

  Before:

After:

Freshly done! Super bright at first. ;)

Anniversary night out:

And a few pics taken by Kasey:

That's it for me tonight! Thanks a million for reading,

What I'm loving now. Chunky beads, Vera Wang, & Toms.

Deals, deals, deals...... That is the story of my life. Momma didn't raise no fool. ;) I never mess with the 'front-of-the-store' business, I just cut straight back to the sale racks! You never know WHAT you're going to find on a sale rack. My best days are when I hit the 'just marked down' stuff. Score!

Let's be honest, the thing that stinks about being a bargain hunter is that sometimes you have to put your 'wants' on hold until that particular 'want' goes on sale. But I'll tell you what- it's so, so worth it when you score a fabulous deal.

People are always asking me "Where did you get that?" or "How did you get those so cheap?" and that brings me to today's post, as I share some of my latest bargain finds with you. Cool? :)

What I'm loving now...

Toms Ballet Flats - $29 out the door. Yes, that's a crazy deal. Here's how I did it:

I had a gift card for $25 to a local shoe store so I went to check out what they had to offer. I found these ballet flats on the sale rack. $74: original price. $54: sale price. You do the math! $54-$25 (gift card) = $29.00. That is a good day in my book. :)

The verdict on these ballet flats: amazingly comfortable. 

  

Vera Wang color-blocked purse: $25.00 

How I did it:

Shopped at Kohls in the clearance purse section. This purse was $129.00 new and it came home with me for $25! Incredible, and so cute for fall. 

My chunky beads! $5.00 at Francesca's Collections Boutique. 

Naturally, I found these on a sale rack. Obviously this necklace is a big deal (pun intended) because I've seen it on Pinterest about 100 times! Who would have known I'd be purchasing such a highly coveted item?

Here are a few more *completely candid* shots of me sporting the goods. I say candid because Ben took these pics and didn't tell me when he was snapping the camera. He just LOVES doing that. Boys... Anyway, enjoy! 

Thanks for reading friends!! See you back here on Friday. :) 

DIY Glitter 'Heart' Shorts

Good evening lovelies!

This might be the latest blog post I've ever released. I am hoping that everyone will have a chance to see this, if not tonight then tomorrow!

So here's the deal- I like sewing. It's kind of a new revelation for me and I'm sure I have a ton of learning ahead, but I'm having a blast with the basics. Today's post will incorporate a bit of sewing (seriously minimal, don't freak) so read on and enjoy this fun DIY refashion!

I've had this old pair of American Eagle Bermudas for a really long time and I don't know WHY I ever bought the things because I've never liked them. *Sigh...* Women...

Anyway, I decided that it was pointless to let them hog valuable dresser space if I wasn't going to use them. It was time to draw a line- get rid of them or refashion them. I chose the latter. It just so happens that around this time I stumbled upon a really neat tutorial from Teen Vogue showcasing this adorable glitter short idea. And there you have it folks... The light bulb went on and I got busy creating!

The plus side to this project is that you can customize it anyway you want! I chose hearts but someone else might use birds, anchors, polka dots, etc.

DIY Glitter 'Heart' Shorts 

Find a pair of jeans or crops that need some refashioning. 

Measure evenly and crop them. Make sure you leave enough room to roll up the bottoms once. 

Roll them up and stitch them so they'll stay put. 

Draw different sized hearts on paper, cut them out using an x-acto knife, and paint over them to transfer the heart shapes onto the shorts! *Note: Make sure you purchase a glittery FABRIC paint. I got mine at Joann Fabrics for $1.97 on sale! 

Keep painting on the hearts until you are happy with the number and placement. 

Let the paint completely dry. 

And wear them!! 

Enjoy your cute new re-purposed shorts! :) 

Thank you for reading! Be sure to get plugged in to what's happening here at The Bee's Knees. There are several ways to get involved whether through Facebook, Pinterest, Bloglovin, or Google friend connect. 

Love you all! 

August Birchbox Review // Beauty School!

Whew, what a day! I am already exhausted as I type this and it's only 3:00 pm. This has been my day:

• Coffee w/Ben 
• Take Bear to groomers 
• Stop @ Joann Fabrics 
• Pick up vitamins 
• Grocery shop 
• Fill up gas tank (ew,  who likes doing that??) 
• Run lunch to Ben at work 
• Pick up Bear from groomers 
• Stop @ Bank 
• Finish Monday's blog project 

Yep. All of that before 3:00. In the pouring rain. In wet shoes. Crazy... Oh the lives we lead these days. Fridays are just busy for me and I'm sure I'm not the only one.

With all that said, I think you're really going to enjoy Monday's DIY blog post. :) It's a great summertime project so make sure you come back here on Monday ok?

Well, it's the beginning of a new month and you know what that means! It's time for our monthly Birchbox review. This month's theme was 'Beauty School', equipping fans with items necessary for surviving college/high school life (or for the rest of us who aren't in school- just surviving in general. Wink.).

You know, just as a side note- I'm collecting quite the stock pile of Birch-'boxes' around the house. I should get inspired with a crafty way to reuse them, don't you think? Hmm.... *Ideas roll around in head.

Check out the cute box design this month: 

Comodynes - Self-Tanning Towelettes  Pack of 8: $13.99-$14.99
I have yet to use these but check Facebook as I 'weigh in' with the results next week. I'm overly curious to see if these actually produce good results. 

Comodynes - Hydra Tanning Face Moisturizing Summer Glow  Full Size: $38
I am wearing this today on my face. I like it. It's supposed to work gradually so I'm sure it will become progressively darker the more I use it. But, I can tell a difference. My face is 'glowing'.  ;)

Juicy Couture - Viva la Juicy La Fleur  Full Size: $70
Wow. Say hello to the juiciest juicy ever! Yum. Hands down my favorite Juicy scent. And, let's be honest- it's just fun to say La Fleur. 

Birchbox Bonus! - Schick Hydro Silk Razor.
Why yes, I did need a new razor. Thank you for being awesome Birchbox.

Beauty Fixation - Makeup Removers. Full Size: $5.00
Another item that I've been wanting to try for months. These q-tips are filled with makeup remover. You simply crack the end to get the 'juice' flowing. Makes fixing any makeup 'oops' a cinch.  

DDF - Brightening Cleanser. Full Size: $38
I used this cleanser last night and was satisfied with the results. Leaves your face a little tingly which makes me feel like it would be especially great for those with oily skin. 

You've got to love this. A cute little pamphlet of beauty tips & tricks. :)

Also, it's worth mentioning that for the entire month of August, 15% of Birchbox's total sales will be donated to Pencils of Promise, a non-profit organization that helps to educate children all over the world.

Have an exceptionally great weekend everyone! I'll be back here on Monday to bring you a fun DIY blog. As always, thank you for reading.