IT'S REALLY HAPPENING!

Today is THE day sweet friends! I can hardly believe it. I have worked so hard to get here and I'm sure I will be a ball of emotions, aka crying my eyes out, when I walk across the stage to get my long white coat. I am so blessed to be able to share it with so many of my closest friends and family. Even tho things have been crazy hectic over the last few days & after the graduation ceremony tomorrow morning, I am hoping that they calm down a bit. And a million thank-you's to all of my cheerleaders, meaning all of you. Your support over the last 2.5 years has been so encouraging & I am so blessed + love you all so much for it! 

& for all of you who wanted to know what my moms surprise was. Well, she treated me to a full afternoon of pampering. I get a full body scrub, a facial, shellac mani & pedi! I took some pictures & will be sure to post about it next week :) 

cheers to the weekend! xo

BEAUTIFUL BRANDING | CLASSIC + FEMININE

Happy Thursday, sweet friends. Thank-you all so much for your sweet comments yesterday -- I haven't gotten around to responding to them all but I have surely read each & everyone. They truly mean more than you know + are super encouraging, I don't know what I would do with out you all. But in retrospect, my day yesterday was superb. I spent the day at school listening to lectures (blah!) & then went to this new place in Williamsburg called Sticks, it's a kabob place & it was super tasty. Then last night I spent the evening using this fabulous Tassel Garland DIY to create my very own for my graduation party this weekend. I can not wait to share the final product with you! Oh & on another note I get to see my N today -- it has been a week & a half since I have seen him + I miss him mucho grandisimo. 

On another note, I wanted to share with you one of my recent design projects. If you don't already know my twin, Stesha from Classic & Bubbly, well then you must go check out her beautiful blog & gorgeous new shop she just launched this past Monday. Stesha is by far one of the sweetest girls I know & we have become the bestest of friends through blogging. When she contacted me about her exciting news to open a shop, I squealed! This was a long time dream of hers & now she was making it a reality. Her overall look & feel of her new brand is classic + feminine. She wanted  people to feel like that were in a beautiful boutique with pretty chandeliers, vintage decor, bright lights, & girlie touches. We worked together over the last few weeks & it was so much fun. & the most rewarding part is that the end result was by far one of my favorites to date. Be sure to stop by & give her a big hug (or hi!). & if you are in the marker for a new blog makeover, website design, business cards, or etc please get in touch with me I would love to work with you!

Enjoy your Thursday! Later this afternoon, I have a surprise from my mom for graduation! EEK. I wonder what it could be ;]

FOUR FAVORITES

Oh hay hayyyy! 

UPDATE: Life has been crazy around these parts with this that & the other...such as sitting in 8 hours of lectures since Monday trying not to stab myself in the eyeballs. oh & planning this graduation party thing I have on Saturday with all my friends & family. oh & designing this gorgeous girls blog + shop (one of my favorites to date!). oh & frantically applying for jobs because I will officially be living on a credit card very soon + that my friends is not my idea of fun. So therefore, I have been having the biggest anxiety attacks of my life since I have to put my big girl panties on in the very near future (freaks me out a bit kids!).**

& on top of it all I miss my other half. I feel like since I moved to DC being away from him for even an afternoon makes me sad, pathetic I know.. but I get to see him so very very very soon! EEK. (loudest squeal ever!).

Now, even with all this stress going on in my life I managed to put together my four favorites for yall this week. It was rather enjoyable + relaxing to be able to sit at the computer & put all of my pretties together. This week I feel like I needdddd a mini vacay more than evaaa. I mean its a serious NEED now, not even a want any longer. So if I were to travel to a beautiful place where I could lay on a beach with the sun on my face, sand in my toes & a alcoholic beverage in my hand (or 10) I would bring along these pretties (& a whole lot more because I pack for years when I travel, go ahead judge away):

TOTE // I fell in love with this Going To Market Tote, or GTM for short #loveit,  as soon as Blair posted it on her instagram feed. It is a must for any chick.

BIKINI // A polka dot bikini is a must for this little beach trip I am going on (dreaming of) + this D&G one fits the bill perfectly. I was sold at polka...dot! :)

DRESS // This maxi dress is simple + chic + affordable & would be perfect to wear during the day or evening out in Cabo, Key West or Punta Cana. Can you tell that I have really been thinking hard about this vacay! ha

FLATS // & adding these sparkly flats would complete the look. le duh!

*I sound super bubbly in my post but please be aware that this has been the longest week of my life, actually life in general over the last several weeks has been long. & I feel like I can never catch a break. But when I first started this post I didn't know how to write about what I am currently feeling, but I wanted to let you know that this little ol' life of mine is far from perfect.**

**side note: I learned this *** trick from the oh so fabulous Natalia. If you don't know this chic, please go say hi, she is adorable + is always making me laugh!

VACAY BEACH LOOK:

GTM TOTE BIKINI FLATS MAXI 

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Four Favorites link-up is held on Wednesdays! There aren't any rules: but If you would like to participate in our Four Favorites link-up we would really appreciate it if you followed both Kristin + I and share the button on your Four Favorites post!

 Be sure to spread the word and have fun with it :)

SIDE NOTE: Please only link-up posts that are relevant to four favorites, others will be deleted. Thank-you for understanding.

THE ARTFUL BATH | WALL ART

Hello, all! I'm so happy to be here with you at Let It Be Beautiful with a guest post from Arcadian Home blog. It's a great place to find lots of interior design inspiration including beautiful home decor ideas from glass pendant lights to awesome contemporary rugs and much more.

Today, we're going to take a look at what we're calling the artful bath. Barbie fashion prints, vintage photographs, and even an Andy Warhol classic make their way into these lovely spaces. Please enjoy!

A colorful water-inspired contemporary painting hangs in this otherwise all-white bath. The large scale artwork is a perfect fit for the wide expanse of wall it occupies.

This gorgeous tiled wall just got even better with the addition of big art that fits into the space beautifully. I also love the freestanding soaking tub with its polished wood base and the monogrammed chair in blue and green.

Hanging against a mirrored wall, the Chanel No 5 by Andy Warhol brings a sense of feminine elegance to this neutral space. The bathroom lighting fixtures are simply beautiful.

Vibrant contemporary artwork brings even more color and pattern to this decidedly Bohemian bath. Unexpectedly hung against large scale botanical wallpaper, it is quite captivating.

Adding a sense of fun to this classic bath, framed Barbie fashion prints lean casually against the mirrored wall above the marble tiled backsplash. Pops of pink can be seen around this lovely space.

A large ornately framed painting hangs above the fireplace in this updated Victorian bathroom. The silvery freestanding tub and stainless steel fireplace insert bring a fresh perspective to the space. An ornate torchiere lamp or two would look lovely in this room.

A photographic art gallery is hung high above the wainscoting in this modern version of the cottage style bath. The dark wood picture frames and little round table add depth to the pale space.

A misty unframed canvas looks lovely against the watery blue wall at the entryway to this elegant traditional bath. The large slightly glam chandelier and flowing draperies add a formal feel to the design. 

Images 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8

What do you think of these bath spaces? Let us know in the comments below, and come by our blog for more interior and home decor inspirations!

Thanks for letting me stop by for a visit.

~ Mari

HAPPY MOTHER'S DAY

I adore my mama & I absolutely LOVE celebrating this special day with her. She is one of the strongest women I know & no matter our differences she will always be my bestest friend. &  honestly I wouldn't know who I would be today if it wasn't for her ///

+ Mommy, thank-you so much for all that you do. I am so blessed to have you as my mom & I hope today is as special as you are, because you deserve it. I love you.

xo, your daughter.

PRETTY FORALS

GIVEAWAY | BIRDARIA MINI MANTRA CANVAS PRINT

Oh, hello there friends! I can hardly believe this week is flying by + that I am still alive & well. I wasn't sure if I was going to survive all these exams + practicals, but I did. YIPPEE! On another note, I hope you all are having a superb week & if you aren't I have my fingers crossed that this little giveaway will put some pep in your thursday! 

Let me introduce you too Birdaria. Birdaria is an online shop that 'infuses inspiration, color, and sophistication into home and office decor.'  When Birdaria contacted me & asked me to check out their work, I immediately fell in love with all of their canvas prints + how customizable they are. Some of my favorites are the you are loved print in pink + be your beautiful self print. I am also a fan of their you are beautiful lucite tray!

Today Birdaria is offering one lucky Let It Be Beautiful reader the chance to win their favorite mini mantra canvas print of their choice. You may use the rafflecopter to enter. Good luck! xo

a Rafflecopter giveaway

FOUR FAVORITES

Happy Wednesday, sweet friends! I first want to thank you all for all your words of encouragement yesterday via email, tweet, & text -- you all really are the best! I think my practical went well - I dressed cute + I'm sure that helped me from not vomiting before it started (i kid! ha). But that is over, until I find out if I passed or not. I have another test this afternoon, but it shouldn't be too bad. So I will be getting that bad boy out of the way soon + then hopefully enjoyed the rest of my day! 

On another note, I have sunshine + pretty things on my mind & that is exactly what my four favorites consists of today!

ONE / These pretty stella bow flats have been on my wish list for a while now & I might just make them mine in the near future, key word: might!

TWO / J. Crew does not wrong in my book. I walk into their store + want to grab everything & try them on in the fitting room. But I know if I do that I have very little will power so I will end up convincing myself that I should purchase everything I tried on & walk out of the store with it, which is a very poor choice for my wallet. But lately, this tortoise flower necklace is just gorgeous & I want it.

THREE / Hello Sunshine! I wouldn't mind having this print framed & sitting on my dresser to give me a little bit of encouragement even on rainy days, don't ya think?

FOUR / Just last night my mom & I were browsing the internet looking for a tassel garland DIY to make for my graduation party next week & then these magical tassel garland kits popped on up my screen & I just about squealed for excitement. I might just be purchasing some of these kits from Waiting On Martha for my grad party! eek!

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Four Favorites link-up is held on Wednesdays! There aren't any rules: but If you would like to participate in our Four Favorites link-up we would really appreciate it if you followed both Kristin + I and share the button on your Four Favorites post!

 Be sure to spread the word and have fun with it :)

SIDE NOTE: Please only link-up posts that are relevant to four favorites, others will be deleted. Thank-you for understanding.