grocery shopping is more fun with seesters.

 yes, you can now cue song Happy Together by the Turtles.

yes, that's me with one of my many favorite cereal brands.

and  yes, that's kristine, being the master chef that she is and gathering ingredients for taco dip.

and yes, that's ashley, channeling her inner Men in Black. 

and speaking of Men in Black, you can bet we blasted the radio when Pitbull's Back in Time came on. 

baaaaaaaby, oooh baaaaaby, you're the one! 

hope everyone has a fantastic weekend - whether it's grocery shopping for fun or blasting the radio while cruising 'round town! 

much love.

{happy friday, friend.}

p.s. and for your friday, i have several giveaways winners to announce! first, i have TWO more winners for the Le Mode Accessories giveaway! with the busyness of this week, i forgot to draw the two runner-up winners for the $15 Le Mode gift cards! 

Le Mode Accessories $15 Gift Cards 

- Shannon of Shannon Hearts (#167)

- Hannah Avery of Blissfully Feminie (#219)

second, the winner of the May Group giveaway is...

- Krysten of Why Girls are Weird (#142)

winners, please shoot me an email at muchloveilly at gmail dot com to claim your prize! congrats to the winners and thank YOU to all of the incredible sponsors involved in both giveaways! 

IMHO.

 sweater, skirt: forever 21 / camera bag: c/o JoTotes

timo wedges: c/o Blowfish Shoes / neon chains necklace: c/o Le Mode Accessories

capri suns (especially splash cooler!) should be a staple for every summer day.

orly's passion fruit pink nail polish is the best shade of hot matte pink.

inception is still one of the best movies ever made ft. one of the best actors alive.

red velvet cupcakes are the best cupcakes on the planet.

jessica sanchez should have won american idol (sorry, julie!).

nacho libre quotes are freaking hilarious. 

neon colors should always sneak their way into summer outfits.
random dancing in the car to Call Me Maybe is a must (do imitate harvard baseball team).
thoughtful snail mail and hilarious text messages can make anyone's day. 
if someone is having a bad day, he or she needs to read this.
every now and then, everyone should throw off their routine - it's rather refreshing.  
and skirts are so way more fun when they are asymmetrical. 


but what do i know? that's all just in my humble opinion. 

much love.

{happy wednesday, friend.}

p.s. are you Leesh (#180) 'cause you just won the Le Mode Accessories giveaway! shoot me an email at muchloveilly at gmail dot com to claim your prize. congrats to Leesh and thank YOU, Le Mode Accessories! 

sponsor love + giveaway with Through the Eyes of the Mrs.

meet beth of through the eyes of the Mrs.

I'm Beth and I write at Through the Eyes of the Mrs. and recently opened a little shop for all things pretty. I can't believe I said that but yes it's true. I'm a writer and I opened a shop... it still sounds crazy right? Lover of all things vintage, thrifting, fresh flowers, and sunshine!

whenever i stop by Beth's blog, she always makes me smile! she has the biggest heart for her family. she writes amazing DIY posts with a gift for taking something new and making it into something new with purpose. and she recently opened up a brand new etsy shop with a variety of colorful accessories - include the prettiest earrings, necklaces, and tote bags! 

{giveaway:}

and today Beth is generously giving away a couple of her creations from her brand new launched shop! one lucky Much Love, illy reader will get the chance to an adorable ad colorful Pink Lemonade Flower Tote and a pair of Buttercup Yellow Rosebud Earrings!  i think both are perfect accessories for a picnic or a day at the beach!  

{how to enter:}

be a public GFC follower of beth's blog, Through the Eyes of the Mrs! 

(mandatory entry)

{really, really wanna win?}

additional entries - keep in separate entries to count as individual entries 

- Heart Through the Eyes of the Mrs Etsy shop (1 entry)

- be a public GFC follow of this blog (1 entry)

- Like the Through the Eyes of the Mrs. Facebook page (1 entry)

- follow @muchloveilly and @througheyesmrs via Twitter (1 entry)

- blog, tweet, or facebook about this giveaway and include the link (1 entry)


feel free to copy/paste the following tweet:
crossing my fingers to win the @througheyesmrs tote bag and earrings giveaway over @muchloveilly! http://t.co/X9TYj87Y

{don't wanna wait?}

use coupon code SHIPFREEILLY for FREE shipping for your Through the Eyes of the Mrs shop order! 

Giveaway is open to ALL Much Love, illy readers thru June 4th.

Winner will be announced on June 5th.

much love.

{happy tuesday, friend.}

bring me a bag of spicy cheetos, i'm ready to punch the highway.

 paris tee: urban outfitters / jeans: belk / wedges: c/o Blowfish Shoes / watch: fossil / bracelet: c/o Mama Nest Designs

camera bag: c/o JoTotes / nails: blue me away and coral reef 

i am in full travel mode. i want to pack up the car and blast Call Me Maybe in the car and make goofy roadtrip videos on my Flip cam. i want to stop at gas stations and stock up on candy, especially anything sour, or spicy cheetos. i always need my spicy cheetos (i used to down bags and bags of them and drink bottles of Mt Dew with my sisters on road trips!). i want to go through Mickey-dee drive thru's and live off of their coffee, smoothie, and french fries. 

there might be a trip or two happening this summer. we don't have all the deets lined up quite yet - but i am already so excited and dreaming away! traveling is one of my all-time favorite parts of summer, so it seriously needs to be summer here now.

oh and when this camera bag came in the mail, i just about died. not literally, but close to literally. i'm in absolute love and obsession. and yes, i did say a camera bag so it comes with all the sweet padding for the  DSLR and whatever else i needed to throw in there. i'm pretty sure if i ever had to runaway in the night and get on the back of some stranger's motorcycle, this would be the bag i would grab to stuff my life into and go eat, pray, love all over the globe. 

see? i told you i am in full travel mode.

much love.

{happy friday, friend.}

a MAH-valous MAY group giveaway!

seriously, where is this month going?

anyone else feeling that? it is fly by way too fast! 

i need someone to hit the pause button, please.

but on the flip-side, i am excited about it being the end of the month because i bring to you today another mah-velous! sponsor group giveaway! with almost $200 worth of blog ad space and handmade goodies at your finger tips, you don't want to miss this! 

***

kristina of simply bold.

find her via blog / twitter / bloglovin'

giving away 1 month of Large Ad Space with feature/giveaway post (valued at $25)!

emma of ellarye boutique. 

find her via blog / shop 

giving away $25 of Ellarye Boutique credit! 

lauren from The Elephant's Trunk.

find her via shop / blog / twitter / facebook

giving away 6 Greeting Cards of WINNER'S CHOICE!

exclusive discount - use code MUCHLOVE for free shipping!

larissa of Rissy Roo's.

find her via shop / twitter / facebook

giving away $35 of Rissy Roo's shop credit!

exclusive discount - use coupon code MUCHLOVE25 for 25% off of your Rissy Roo's order! 

ashley of Run with Endurance.

find her at her hilarious, fashion-forward, and inspiring blog, Run with Endurance

giving away 3 months of small ad space package! 

kirstin of kirstin marie.

find her via blog / twitter / facebook 

giving away 3 months of Large Ad Space! 

danielle of Sugar Blossom Boutique.

find her via shop / blog / facebook

giving away $25 shop credit to Sugar Blossom Boutique!  

***

and this folks, is another amazing ONE WINNER'S TAKES ALL giveaway!

so give those little fingers some stretching exercise so you can start click-clickity-ing away!

{how to enter:}

be a public GFC follower of this blog!

(*that's it! mandatory entry*)

{really, really wanna win?}

additional entries - keep in separate comments to count as individual entries 

- follow, like, or heart any of the listed links and lemme know for which sponsor!

- tweet, blog or facebook about this giveaway and lemme know you did (include link)!

feel free to copy/paste the following tweet:

i wanna win the MAH-velous MAY group giveaway rockin' over @muchloveilly's blog! http://t.co/2WaEiTRi

Giveaway is open to ALL Much Love, illy readers May 30th.

Winner will be announced on May 31st.

much love.

{happy thursday, friend.}

yelling through BIG ole megaphone: calling all June Sponsors!

calling all bloggers and businesses!

looking to advertise for the month of June? thinking you and moi would make a fab team?

though all Large Ad Spaces have been snagged for the month of June (those go lightening fast!), i have affordable, availabe openings for small ad-spaces for 1 month or 3 month packages.

shoot me an email at muchloveilly at gmail dot com for deets!

*mmmkay, awkward bow and walks left off-stage*

much love.

{happy wednesday, friend.}

more than just another night full of kimonos, bamboo sticks, and chow mein.

last Friday, my family and i attended the annual Asian-Pacific Islander Dinner Event, celebrating the Asian-American heritage. it was especially a privilege to attend since my dad was the chairman of the committee that headed up the whole deal - so it sweet to see his hard work from the past year unfold. mom, my sister and i were very proud of him and his team! 


over 500 people showed up for the event, so it was def a full house! and the night was filled with colorful costumes and ethnic dress (there was even a fashion show!), cultural dances (i love tinikling, a Filipino dance and watching a group dance a Japanese fishermen dance), and a ton of Asian-inspired dishes. and i was particularly moved by the guest speaker (Admiral Chinn) who reminded us that diversity was more than the color of our skins or our races - diversity is the coming together of different backgrounds and experiences. and the night certainly proved that to be true. 


for such a fun night, i actually walked away from the event  with more than a full tummy and satisfied entertainment with some deeper thoughts. i personally don't want to forget where i've come from, where my parents and their families have come from. and then i thought about the children that i hope to bring into the world one day - and how i want them to know this part of my heritage, part of their heritage. i felt proud to have come from a cultural that celebrated life and fought for freedom. and even in the hardest of times, they held on to what was most important, such as family, faith, and values, and celebrated the fruit that blossomed from the hardships. 


it's easy to forget where we've come from, so sometimes it's a good thing to stop and think, really think. and not for the sake of just thinking, but so that we can be grateful for the past, to be appreciative for today in hopes for an even better future.

much love.

{happy wednesday, friend.}

p.s. are you Sarah-Anne (#155) 'cause you just won The Shine Project giveaway?! shoot me an email at muchloveilly at gmail dot com to claim your prize and i'll provide you with all the deets. congrats to Sarah-Anne and thank YOU to Ashley of TSP! 

CLOSED - sponsor love + giveaway with Le Mode Accessories.

meet Le Mode Accessories.

Le Mode Accessories is your source for the latest trendy fashion jewelry and accessories. Whether you are feeling boho-chic, glam rock, eclectic or anything in between, you will always find something to suit your mood.

i have been a long time fan of today's shop, so i am especially excited for today's giveaway! it is one of my favorite go-to places when i am shopping for the women in my life or when i feel the need to spoil even myself. they are always up to date with the newest trends, and you can always expect quality with all of their pieces! 

{giveaway:}

and today THREE (yes, three!) of you beautiful people get a chance to win! my generous friends at Le Mode Accessories are offering one $30 Le Mode Accessories gift card and two $15 Le Mode Accessories gift cards! so seriously, you better start entering - this is gonna be gooood! 

{how to enter:}

visit Le Mode Accessories and tell me what you would spend the gift card on if you win!

{really, really wanna win?}

additional entries - keep in separate comments to count as individual entries! 

- Like the Le Mode Accessories Facebook page and let them know Much Love, illy sent ya! (1 entry)

- be a public GFC follower of this blog (1 entry)

- follow this blog via Bloglovin' (1 entry)

- follow @muchloveilly and @ShopLemode via Twitter (1 entry)

- blog, tweet or facebook about this giveaway (1 entry)

feel free to copy/paste the following tweet:

i wanna update my spring/summer look so i entered the @ShopLemode giveaway over @muchloveilly! http://t.co/31xAH0f6

{don't wanna wait?}

use code ILENE at checkout for free shipping within the US and Canada on your next Le Mode Accessories order! 

Giveaway is open to ALL Much Love, illy readers thru May 28th.

Winner will be announced on May 29th.

much love.

{happy monday, friend!}

orange.

 dress: c/o Stitched and Adorned / cardi: forever 21

necklace: c/o Le Mode Accessories / gypsy wedges: c/o Blowfish Shoes

orange you glad it's the weekend?! 

dude, i sure am.

and sorry that i only have this lame riddle and not much else to say. i'm gonna blame it on this that we inhaled at dinner tonight. all of it's deliciousness made the blood rush straight to my tummy instead of my brain, so i'm one big, happy mush. 

*still licking my lips and fingers*

happy weekend to all of you, beautiful people! 

much love.

{happy friday, friend.}

some atlanta action.

 

froyo with piles of mango, kiwi and those strawberry-filled things that pop in your mouth. walks through downtown atlanta. people watching at a park. panda express runs and jo-anne runs. grilling hotdogs. teal moccasins. polaroid cameras. hugs and kisses. orange-aid which is like lemonade but with an orange. afternoon at the movies, Hunger Games and The Avengers. 

and of course, the last photo had to make it into a second blog post.

it just had to. it's my fave.

that boy is my fave. and he's all mine.

much love.

{happy thursday, friend.}