And The Winner Is...

Congrats to Kelley who posted the above comment- you won (chosen at random) the CSN giftcard giveaway! Please email me at nicole.guidetostyle@gmail.com to claim your prize.

A big thank you to everyone who participated, it was fun to read what all of you would buy from the CSN websites! Hope everyone has a great weekend and I will be back soon with some fun posts!

Giveaway: CSN Stores Giftcard

CSN Stores has been kind enough to sponsor my first giveaway in celebration of guidetostyle's upcoming 2nd birthday! They have over 200 online stores, ranging from furniture to cookware (which features some awesome dinnerware sets) to health & fitness to outdoor living- the list goes on!

To enter, simply check out their online stores (link here) and leave me a comment in the comment section of this post telling me what you would put the giftcard towards if you won and become a follower of guidetostyle if you aren't already.

I will draw a name at random on Friday, August 20th so be sure to get your comment up before then. Only one comment per person please. Good luck!

photos from csnstores.com

Inspiration Of The Week: My Pre-Fall Inspiration Board

Updated my inspiration board which hangs right above my desk and thought it would be fun to share! I am so excited for fall and think these looks are the perfect pre-fall transitions. Click the above photo to enlarge.

The left side has some of my favorite things for fall: furs, lady-like outfits with funky details (love the short socks with shoes), bold texture and colors as seen on the gorgeous Jessica Stam and also some surprisingly soft colors thrown in the mix (seen in the upper left and on Mary Kate)... I am soooo overly obsessed with the shot of Georgina Chapman in her feathered Marchesa creation that you will see it twice on the board.

The middle of the board focuses on personal pics and two "Flash" tears from Vogue featuring some of my all time favs: nude and leopard.

Far right side of the board showcases the to-die-for feather Marchesa dress yet again on January Jones, a "Fashion Resume" tear from the September issue of Marie Claire featuring Dree Hemingway and more personal photos.

And the token flower shot- Switched it up with some daisies this week.

Hope that inspired some of you to go through magazines and figure out what looks you want to recreate for the upcoming season!

Birthday Gifts Part 3: Hayward, WI Trip & More...

Gorgeous view in Hayward, WI.

The sun finally coming out.

The infamous saltwater taffy wall.

Candy, candy and more candy.

Homemade fudge was delicious!

My bf's family's lake.

Lululemon Workout Outfit.

Alice & Olivia Polka Dot Shirtdress.

Urban Outfitters Kimichi Blue Dresses (with giftcards).

Madewell Shirt (almost identical to the ones by Equipment).

And that is officially the end of the bday celebrations/gifts/etc. Hope everyone had a good weekend!

♥ Recent Outfits

Work: Sir Alistair Rai scarf, Alexander Wang t-shirt, COH jeggings and Lanvin flats.

Airport: Tory Burch leopard scarf, Alexander Wang striped t-shirt, COH jeggings and Lanvin flats.

Work: What Comes Around Goes Around dress and Steve Madden wedges.

Work: J.Crew plaid shirt (from men's section), Current/Elliot shorts and J.Crew sandals.

Birthday Gifts: Part 2... Santa Barbara Vacation & Wine Tasting

Our hotel: Bacara.

The entrance.

Lobby Centerpiece.

Poolside.

The reading material.

Bacara honey blonde beer poolside.

Pretty ocean views.

Headed out for dinner.

Yummy breakfast.

Wine tasting.

Our transportation for the day: Cloud Climbers Jeep Tour.

Solo shot.

Sunstone Winery (all organic).

Gainey Winery.

Bridlewood Winery.

Bridlewood Winery- Where Seabiscuit was filmed.

Morning at the spa: got the Bacara Body Melt treatment.

Started and ended the weekend with Freebirds (aka best Mexican food in SB).

I have a great BF who treated me to this lovely getaway for my 24th! Headed with him now to another vacation so might be gone for a few days... Hope you all have a great weekend!