July Lemon Loves

July's Lemon Loves curator is Amy from Smart Style Seattle and lowcarbhighstyle.  You can read Amy's full bio here.  Amy has a degree in Clothing, Textiles, and Fashion Merchandising, is an active fashion and food blogger, has a fabulous name, and loves kitties.

Amy's chosen charity is the Make-A-Wish Foundation, who grants wishes for children with life threatening medical conditions. Love them.  <3

If you purchase one of Amy's Lemon Loves picks in the month of July, Bon Lemon will donate 25% of the sale price to the Make-A-Wish Foundation.  Shopping + charity = joy!

Amy's Lemon Loves picks are:

LING STINGRAY BRACELET

ANNIE NECKLACE- NEON YELLOW

LONG MANHATTAN LINKS NECKLACE

SOIREE SPARKLY POST EARRINGS

CAPRI SUNSET EARRINGS

Aren't those gorg?  Happy shopping everyone!  Come see us at 2938 Limited Lane, Suite C-1 in Olympia or at www.bonlemon.com.

Wheat in Vogue

Ferragamo 2011

I am currently Bon Lemoning from 6 Par Farmer's wheat farm in central Montana.  It is amazing how much you can get done when the phone isn't ringing and the likelihood of someone dropping by is close to nil.  (The mailbox is 1.5 miles down the road, so we have even ruled out an unexpected visit from the mailman.) 

Grain elevators themselves are quite majestic.

But around here, you must take an occasional break to enjoy the beauty of the sky and the maturing crop.  The wheat is just starting to rise from the soil and it inspired today's post.  Did you know, wheat is not just nourishing, but wheat is totally in vogue?  Who knew?  Wheat is hot!

Coco Chanel loved wheat.  And who is a better judge of style than Coco Chanel?  Look at these fabulous Chanel pieces featuring wheat.  Karl Lagerfeld (creative director at Chanel) knew of Coco Chanel's affinity for wheat and has paid homage to her many times using the iconic design.

I want to wear Chanel wheat! 

This table lived in Coco Chanel's Paris apartment.  Fab!

Wheat is cropping up in lots of other places too.  On invitations.  

Check these out on Etsy.

On plates.

Buy here.

Even at weddings.

And I LOVE this handmade, brass, wheat necklace and earrings.  Tres chic!

From Etsy.  

Etsy

Who says farming can't be fashionable?  I feel inspired to take the wheat trend to new levels.  Maybe I can wear wheat in my hair.  Or include a sprig of wheat on Christmas packages.  For now, I will settle for looking at it growing on the horizon.  And eating it for lunch. 

  

The view from my "office."

 

Have you tried the wheat trend?  How do you wear it?

Hump Day Half-Off Special: Boho Chic Earrings in Bronze Berry

The Boho Chic Earrings are one of Bon Lemon's best selling earrings. (They were recently featured on La Dolce Vita, a popular blog written by the ever-fashionable Paloma Contreras.)

Today's, Hump Day Half-Off Special is for the Boho Chic Earrings in a great colorway for fall: bronze with berry. These earrings are surprisingly light and comfortable to wear. I find myself wearing mine all... the... time. Chocolate is THE color for fall jewelry. Update your wardrobe the affordable way.

Regularly, $24. Today, only on Facebook, $12.

In the Know: Blog Writing Yields to Babysitting

When you are a new auntie, sometimes blog writing yields to babysitting.

But all you moms and aunties probably already know that. :)

Something Tasty: How Sweet It Is... We're On One of Our FAV Blogs!

With our new website (almost) complete, we have started figuring out how to get the word out. "Hello! Anybody out there? Bon Lemon is fabulous!" For some reason, I have always believed Bon Lemon would be successful. I have literally been chanting, "If you build it they will come." It has taken awhile to get the foundation laid, but we are ready for the flood. Bring on the Lemon Lovers, world!

I think traditional advertising is a thing of the past, and the best way to spread the word about whatever it is you are doing is to form partnerships with like minded/styled blogs and businesses. I read a handful of blogs religiously and look to them for fashion advice, home decor tips, entertainment, insight, and travel suggestions. One prong of Bon Lemon's campaign to let people know we exist is blog exposure.

One of my favorite blogs is La Dolce Vita. I stumbled upon it, because my dog's name is La Dolce Vita. (Not that I was randomly searching Dolce Vita on the internet and seeing what came up...) Little did I know, La Dolce Vita (the blog not the dog) combines a great eye for design and flair for fun. It has quickly become one of my favorite blogs. Paloma has been written up in many magazines and gets thousands of blog views a week. Paloma has a screening process for all sponsors, and I must say, I was a little nervous when I first inquired about being apart of La Dolce Vita. When she wrote me back and said she loved Bon Lemon, I was over the moon. Here is Paloma.



Today, we are featured on her blog in the sponsor spotlight. You can read it here. I LOVE, LOVE, LOVE all of Paloma's other sponsors and feel lucky to be included in this group. Check out La Dolce Vita. And check out Bon Lemon. We are busy photographing more great stuff and putting it online for you to enjoy on the website. We are also signing up new spas and salons and Independent Shoppe Owners. This is an exciting time. Thanks for being apart of it!

Being included on one of our favorite blogs... now that is Something Tasty!

Daily Dose of Whatever I Want

Base on my new blogging schedule, Friday, Saturday, and Sunday, are days when I get to write about whatever I want. And sometimes, I won't write at all. It appeases the libertarian in me. Don't tread on me. Live free or die. I do what I want.

So, for the first Daily Dose of Whatever I Want, I wanted to do something funny. And random. And visual.

So I did a Google image search for, "the coolest photograph on the internet." Here was the first picture that came up. Oh yeah.

Happy Friday!

Blogger Daily Dose

The whole blogging world is still a bit of a mystery to me. I continue to come up with thoughts of interest (or that I think might be of interest), pictures that will make you laugh, and rants and raves about places I've been or heard about. One trend in blogging I have come to like is a daily theme. One day is "Yummies" the next is "Fashion Flash." One day is "Dream Home" the next is "Love It or Leave It." And "Wordless Wednesday" seems to be a popular one, if only because it lets people take a short breather from their writing duties.

The best blogs usually have a theme, such as modern home decor, having a child with autism, or cooking chicken 1,000 ways. But then there is the Pioneer Woman, one of the most successful bloggers of all time, who just says what's on her mind at any given moment.



People love pictures, and some of the most popular blogs don't have much text at all. Just pretty pictures.


(How's this for pretty?)

Some people find my website, because of my blog posts. One of my photographs is being used for an interpretive display in a state park. Some of my other blog posts go largely unseen. But overall I think blogging is good for me and good for Bon Lemon.

I am not a master novelist, nor do I aspire to be. Once Bon Lemon has "gone big time," (starting later this year and really hitting it hard next year) people will read this blog just because we will be that cool. Until then, I am going to continue to incorporate ideas I think will make this blog better. This week, I am going to start doing a "Daily Dose." Each day, you will get a daily dose of something different. I hope this helps you all know when you want to tune in.

Mondays will be "In the Know" (News, politics, and other facts. I know I am supposed to stick to style, but I can't help myself.)



Tuesdays will be "I Want That" (Self explanatory. I want that. Fabulous dresses, chaise lounges, trinkets, and treasures.)



Wednesdays will be "Hump Day Special" (50% off one item, for one day only. Available on our Facebook Page.)



Thursdays will be "Something Tasty" (Food, travel, and experiences that are good enough to eat.)



And Friday, Saturday, Sundays will be whatever I want. Whenever I want. Just because it feels fun to say that.

Hope you like the new format. Would love to hear your feedback.

A Fab New Outfit On A Shoestring

A fab new outfit on a... shoestring by BonLemon featuring flip flop shoes

Crochet top
$37 - amazon.com

Tunic top
$27 - target.com

Tie dye tank
$20 - target.com

GAP cuffed jeans
$70 - gap.com

Franco Sarto wedge heel sandal
$60 - piperlime.gap.com

TOMS slip on boat shoes
$58 - nordstrom.com

Flip flop shoes
$46 - infinityshoes.com

Bon Lemon : Hammered Sterling Fish Earrings - 925-E-103
bonlemon.com

Bon Lemon : Banana Bauble Ring - BJ-517-R-18
bonlemon.com

Some of my recent fashion blogs have featured items I lust over. Is it likely I am going to run out and pick up the $3,000 Burberry number I have had my eye on? Um, no. Will I find something equally fabulous and pair it with some Bon Lemon accessories and a cute top I picked up at Target? Absolutely. Tory Burch meets Old Navy. Marshall's meets Nordstrom. You get the idea.

Today's fashion blog is about reality. We would all like to shop on Rodeo, or 5th Avenue, or wherever the hip place to be shopping these days is, but let's get real. This blog highlights some great pieces that are available in anytown America. There is no excuse for not looking fabulous. (Remember, Bon Lemon is only a click away.)

The Outfit

1. Tops. The new Calypso collection at Target is a great jump into summer. Love the colors. And some of their fabrics are quite good. (I am a fabric snob, and love the 100% silk pieces they did. The poplins felt nice too.)

2. Denim. Gap was a great go-to for jeans in 5th grade, but they have kept up with the trends and are a good place to find basic denim for summer. Roll them up and you will be so chic, nobody will notice they aren't designer.

3. Accessories. Aaa. And the accessories. A fun Bon Lemon cocktail ring and a pair of hammered, sterling earrings will take it to the next level. Don't leave home without your sparkle.

4. Shoes. Lastly, the footwear. Although, I have noticed some people wearing cute shoes from Target, there are certain things I do not buy at Target. I do not buy handbags, and I do not buy shoes. This might make me snobby, but I find the quality in these areas to be lacking. And with all of the cute, affordable footwear options available, why not broaden your shoe horizons.

Tom's are all the rage and for every pair you buy, they donate a pair to someone in need. Win-win. Love the Bon Lemon yellow. Rainbows are comfy and stylish and are perfect for a lazy day. If the stylish southern or Cali friends in your life haven't converted you yet, buy some of these. Havaianas aint got nothin' on Rainbows. And we all need a pair of wedges when we want to up to ante a bit. Franco Sarto and Nine West are good bets to be reasonable quality, affordable, and stylish.

Voila! An outift. Perfect for date night, grocery shopping, or book club. And you'll have money left over to spring for dinner. Yippee!

Mother's Day Musings: The Circle of Life is Pretty

Yesterday, was Mother's Day. I can't think of a better thing to celebrate than mothers! If you took a gander at Facebook yesterday, you saw how many people love their moms. There was a lot of love flowing through the airwaves for those we spend our days with, those we have lost, and those we still hope to meet.



To celebrate Mother's Day, I spent Saturday evening with my mother and my almost-nine-months-pregnant sister. We celebrated my sister, because let's be honest, carrying a baby around in your belly is about as "mothering" as you can get. We celebrated my mother, because she is fantastic and motherly in every way. If all children could be blessed with a mother like mine, I am certain the world would be a much happier place. To continue our Mother's Day weekend, we spent Sunday with my grandmother, celebrating her. It was a weekend of mothers. (Dolce Vita Evans didn't even get me a card. That little stinker.)



I was thinking about what I wanted to blog about Mother's Day. Talking about how great my mother was seemed redundant. Those who know my mother think she's great. And those who don't, probably don't care to hear about how lovely my upbringing was. Boring. I started thinking about the circle of life and how we as women go from child to mother and often to child again.



My sister will soon come home to find a warm human sleeping in her home. That little human will depend on her for food, shelter, love, and a good lesson in proper manners. My sister will soon be both child and parent. What a beautiful thing.



My grandmother has lost her ability to remember dates and which medicine to take. After decades of cooking, cleaning, and driving my dad to baseball practice, she now depends on him (and my mother) to buy her groceries, take her to the doctor, and balance her checkbook. My grandmother is now both parent and child. This part of the circle may not appear beautiful at first. Witnessing the struggles of aging can weigh heavy on even the hardest of hearts. Oftentimes, it does on mine.



I have struggled with my blog recently. First, I was advised to talk only about things that were pretty. Then, I was advised to blog less frequently. I have gotten out of the rhythm of blogging about what's on my mind, and in some ways, I feel I have lost my voice. Today, I think I found it again. Blogging about Mother's Day inspired me to think about mothers in a new way. When thinking about childbirth, aging, and the circle of life, I was able to look at the life of a mother. And when viewing the whole circle I realized how beautiful that circle is. (Even when some of the individual pieces seem unnecessarily painful.)



The idea of returning to the place you began is beautiful. From a thought to a child to a mother to a child to a thought. Ashes to ashes. Dust to dust.



Happy late Mother's Day.