A Hiatus & A Neon & Nude S-A-L-E

I have to begin this by saying this: to each of you who have bought, loved, pinned, talked about, tweeted, instagrammed, or done ANYTHING to love on my little shop, Neon & Nude....I thank you from the bottom of my heart. I would hug each of you if I could (and I'm totally NOT a hugger). You are the reason I kept going even when I got discouraged. Even when I wanted to give it up. Even when I wanted to throw my hands up and say I can't do it anymore. 

YOU ALL are the reason. For real. Because you loved my lil' shop, I continued on. 

But now, I have to take a little break from it. 

Life is getting in the way of my shop. Actually, my shop is kind of taking over my life. Not in a bad way, just in the I am constantly thinking about it/fretting about it/coming up with new designs/keeping it fresh/taking new pics/sending out current orders/always worrying about it way. 

And even though I L-O-V-E doing what I do (I can't emphasize that enough)..I LOVE that I get to make jewelry and send it to all of you fabulous people. I LOVE when I get an email saying how much someone loved their bracelet, or their necklace and how they want to wear it all the time! Makes my heart happy. 

I JUST LOVE YOU, MY N&N PEEPS!!! 
(lots of love is pouring out of me today, you guys).

I have been debating about doing this BREAK for a while now.... 

Should I? Shouldn't I? What is my ultimate goal? What do I want to get out of the shop? What do I want my customers to feel when they get a piece of my jewelry? Do I want to expand it to other things? Art? Designs? Rings? Do I want to change the name of my blog & my shop to be one cohesive thing? 

These thoughts are constantly running through my head. But I have no time. NO time to really sit & think about any of this. Or DO any of it. I find myself spending less time with my family & friends & my baby...for my shop. Which is fine, normally. Because I LOVE doing it (there's that word again). But lately..it's become a little lopsided. My shop is a big chunky lady and my life is anorexic. :)

I NEED TO FIND A BALANCE. So, that's what this break is for. 

It's going to be good for me...AND good for YOU guys, too! I promise. Hopefully, when/if I come back...it will be for the BEST. The shop will come back better and more beautiful! For the better of my shop, for the better of me, and for the better of everyone involved in my life. 

SO....the REALLY good news??? You guys get to benefit from my hiatus!
Starting today through Monday, my entire shop will be 50% off!!!! EVERYTHING you guys. That's crazy bananas. 

{SHOP HERE}
**NO DISCOUNT CODE REQUIRED, EVERYTHING IS ALREADY 50% OFF!**

The shop will be officially closing Tuesday, so I hope you take advantage of it -- I really do! 

LOVE YOUR FACES OFF!!!!





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A Long Weekend Away

I think we take for granted the moments that we spend with our family, sometimes (yup, I'm startin' this one off deep, peeps). I mean, the little moments. Like the lounging around and laughing at some silly show on TV, or a family dinner every Sunday, or just a HUG from your sister. It's really true what they say...you don't know what you've got 'til it's gone. 

I miss my sister. I just do. I try not to think about it, but we are cut from the same cloth, her and I. I just don't think it's sunk in that she doesn't LIVE HERE anymore. When she got married, and moved to Texas, it kinda broke my heart a little. Not that I'm not COMPLETELY happy for her, because I AM! I just miss her little blonde self. I don't like that I have to see her just through facetime. 

So. when she decided to come back here for a little visit, I was all about it! I even stayed an extra day longer than I planned, because she asked - now don't say I didn't ever do anything for you, T ;).

Sometimes, there's nothing better than just lounging around with your fam like the good ol' days. My WHOLE fam was there (except for Ry who's still on his mish -- we miss you!)

WE HAD A BLAST! Thanks Mom & Dad for making this happen!!

D loved the view of the mountains right behind our condo...

Papa, D & Ty 

Daddy & D on a little mini hike

Just loungin'....eatin'...watchin' TV...playin' games...

 The Girls getting ready for our first hike!

I mean...the views are so gorgeous, right?!

We are awesome. :)

Saying "bye bye" to Clarky.

Some more awesome family moments...

 Making faces at Clarky (I'm a kook, I'm aware)

We all went to the St. George Parade of Homes  (one of my fave things ever). It was SO INSPIRING. It makes me want to redo my WHOLE house (a girl can dream)! 
Some of my fave moments.....

D being a little fish and jumping off the side like 400 times // Scarfing down one of Nana's yummy muffins // Leaving to go home :( // My new fave store, Urban Renewals 

I think D was a wee bit sick of pics by this point. Umm Moooooom, come on...I'm trying to sleep, here!

How was your weekend?! Hope it was a blast!! 
ALSO...stay tuned in the next couple of days... I have a pretty B-I-G announcement!!


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Oh Hey...It's Valentines Day

Awwww the day of love. 

I am not a fan advocate of good 'ol Vday, actually. I think it's a little cliche. But it is nice when my hubby surprises me with something (usually it's something I've been hinting at a LOT - so he is a good listener...I'll give him that)! 

And I loooove anything red and anything with hearts on it...so I'm kinda a sucker in that way.

So, I thought I'd share some of my loves & my favorite beautiful "hearted" things!

Hello Sweater (I already have the blue one...but it's the comfiest sweater ever..so of course I need two!) // Heart Studded Shoes // Baby Arrow Leggings 

Weird Card (did you know POOP is my favorite word ever? I know..I'm 4) // 

Heart Chalk Decals // Nail Art (which I sooo want to do..but probably wont have time for)

 Printed Heart Sugar Cookies // Chalk Memo Paperweight Heart // Love Tickets

Make Out Pillow (cause who doesn't need one of those...I mean, really?) // 

V-Day Makeup Ideas // Heart Makeup Bag

Also, Happy Valentines Day to my hubby...I'm so glad you didn't do THIS to your back for my present. No, no, really. I'm good. I'll just take the flowers. 

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And Happy Valentines Day to you guys! I hope it's filled with love...

but most of all...I hope it's filled with chocolate. Lots of chocolate.

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Cabo Cabo Cabo!

Oh, Cabo...how I love you. Sunny, breezy, water everywhere, drinks a plenty...oh and did I mention SUNNY? Those are a few of my favorite things. Every year, my awesome hubby gets to go on an even awesome-er trip with his work. Last year, it was Hawaii, the year before that it was Cabo, and this year we got to go back to Cabo. I feel so lucky to get to go on these trips each year!! It's just cause my hub is awesome at what he does.  (Hey, a girl's gotta brag a little about her guy, right?)

I have a confession, though. I completely forgot my camera charger...and my camera died after about 7 pictures because it wasn't fully charged. I know, I know..let the shunning begin. Ha. I am a baaaad blogger. But I did snap some pics on my phone, so there's that at least. :) 


We were SO EXCITED to arrive & get to our rooms (especially me because I was in a sweater and jeans - hooooot!) But then checking in became quite the process...we had to wait until 3:00 on the dot to get into our rooms. But no worries, I was still in PARADISE (ok ok we might have had a drink to calm down, too)! When we finally did get our key, the first thing I did was get into shorts! 



The only pic I got of our room...and of Ty watching Mexican TV...his fave. ;)

Lounging on the beach might be my favorite thing...ever.


At Lovers Beach/Pelican Bay with all of our fun friends (Krissy, Kyle, Daniel, Suzie & their two kids)...Cliff Diving...Ty holding some lizards (random, much). I held some too..and I think Suzie got a pic of me being completely terrified by those same lizards..but I'm definitely not posting that one...yet. 

Oh did I mention Ty went bungee jumping????!! He's crazy..but I was so proud of him! Me? I watched from afar. I was a big chicken and couldn't do it! Next time maybe. But big props to my girl Michelle for going FIRST out of all the boys! 

I was pretty Neon-ed out this trip. Pink Nails, Yellow Purse, Orange Shirt, Green Shoes. Yup. Thaz how I roll. ;)

Playing Tennis (and beating my hubby - YES!!)//Getting pampered at the spa with massages//Flaming Dessert at one of the most beautiful restaurants ever//Enjoying our huuuuge drinks by the pool

I wish I could lay by the pool ALL DAY. I would be much more inclined to read, I think. 


I really really am so sad I didn't get more pictures (ahem Krissy & Suz send me any if you have some)! But it was a blast, and I don't think I'll forget it anytime soon. Those pictures of the beach are my happy place right now when there's snow outside my door!!

So, anyone want to pool our money together and go somewhere tropical-like next week? ;)

P.S. Did you know THE LIFE OF THE WIFE is on FB now? Head over there and say hi, tell me what you're thinking, what you'd love to see more of...etc! I wanna know! Pin It

Friday's Letters

Dear Cabo, You were friggin' awesome. Much needed. Totally worth it. Thanks for the sun. Thanks for the fun. Thanks for the tan. Post on you comin' up soon. 
Dear Laundry, You suck. Go away. Where is this "laundry fairy" I've been hearing so much about? Can you send her to my house, pretty please? 
Dear Davis, I missed you OODLES, little monkey. How did you learn so many things/turn into a 7 year old while I was gone? You saying "Thank You" and "Please" (instead of just signing them) is pretty much the cutest thing ever. 
Dear Sun, You and me are best friends, now. You healed my soul. If you could just come around my house more often, that would be great. Thanks. 
Dear Snow, I didn't miss you one bit. I think a move is in order. Get me outta here! 
Dear Body, You look pretty good lately. I've had a hard time saying that for almost two years now, but I'm pretty happy with how you're lookin'. Keep it up. I think the hubby likes it too. Just sayin'. 
Dear Blog & Shop, I've neglected you both lately. Sorry 'bout that. The good news? You might be getting a HUGE RE-DO here pretty soon. I'm kinda excited about it. You need a makeover fo sho. Thank me later. :) 
Dear January, I'm glad we're over. You were not that great to me. Frankly, I won't miss you at all. Hopefully February likes me more than you did.
Dear Readers, Thank you for putting up with my not answering emails, blog breaks, non-social media presence, and just my absence in general. It's been kinda crazy around these parts, so thank you for bearing with me. I promise some AWESOME things are coming. If you're still listening, of course. Hello? Anyone? :)

See ya soon for my Cabo trip post! 

Even though I couldn't find my camera charger, so most of the pics are Iphone pics. I know, I know...I'm a bad blogger. Tsk tsk. :) 

Oh...and one more PRETTY IMPORTANT THING!!!  The WINNER of the FOREVER 21 GIFTCARD IS......
MIKAELA P.!!!  Enjoy that shopping trip, girlie!
I will email you today, lady! CONGRATS & THANKS TO EVERYONE THAT ENTERED! And THANKS to my awesome sponsors Liz, Angela & Summer for putting ON such an amazing giveaway!  Pin It

Elizabeth's Makeup Must-Haves!

Hey y'all. While I'm enjoying the sun & the beach (hehe, had to rub it in a bit..sorry), I asked cute Liz to talk about her fave beauty products! She has good taste, this one! 

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Hi everyone! I'm Elizabeth and I blog over at "The Better Belle Project". 

You know those lists you make of things you want to accomplish during your lifetime? I make a lot of those! I started blogging as a way to hold myself accountable in my attempts to become the person I want to be - getting back to my roots and being a better Southern Belle! I'm currently living in Las Vegas with my military boyfriend, but we're hoping to end up back in the South in the near future!

One of the goals of my BBP is to consistently do my makeup each morning. 

I work for a very relaxed company, and I have a bad habit of just going into work wearing whatever and not taking the time to look my best in the morning. In the last few months of doing this, I've come across a few products that I really like, and since Jenna loves makeup so much, I thought I'd share them with her and with all of you today!

Last time I was in Sephora, the sales girl helping me talked me into buying Smashbox's Photo Finish Color Correcting Foundation Primer in Adjust (Green). It's AMAZING. I'm on the fairer side of skin tones, and I have pinkish skin all the time - this primer totally balances out the red tones in my skin and makes my skin silky smooth!

Tarte Amazonian Clay BB cream is my next step. It's so moisturizing and I love that it has sunscreen in it, which is a must in Las Vegas! It's also rather sheer, but you can build on it to get more coverage if you need it! 

For my under eye circles or any blemishes, I cover them with Tarte's Amazonian Clay Waterproof Concealer - LOVE this stuff and love how well it stays on throughout the day! I wouldn't call it "waterproof" like its label says, but it's definitely water resistant and stays on even through sweaty summer days.

Lately I've been using a lot of liquid liner for my eyes, my personal fave is Stila's Stay All Day Waterproof Liquid Eye Liner in black - it really does last all day! I also love their smudge stick collection as well.

If I'm feeling like being a little smokey, I use Stila's Smudge Crayon Eye Color in "Smoke". It's the perfect grayish, goldish, brownish color - you can just swipe it around your upper and lower lashes and it's the perfect smokey eye.

I keep it simple with Maybelline's Great Lash Waterproof Mascara - my Mom used it all the time I was growing up and it's the first makeup I remember stealing from her, I still love it!

Last but not least I finish it off with Make Up For Ever's Super Matte Loose Powder and Physicians Formula Bronze Booster!

I hope you guys enjoyed reading about some of my favorite products! I love hearing from readers and getting recommendations as well, If you have a product that you love, I'd love to hear it! 

You can find my blog here, or connect with me on Instagram @thebetterbelle or Twitter @thebetterbelle.

Make sure to head over to Elizabeth's BLOG & say hi! It's such a cute blog!! :)

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