oh baby | baby shower details

dress (maternity) | earrings | shoes

ribbon backdrop made by me with ribbon from Hobby Lobby and balloons from Target

Today I'm sharing the details of my baby shower that I planned with the help of four of my closest friends. I decided to help plan because I love to plan parties and I'm a bit of a control freak - I had a vision and I wanted it to go exactly how I imagined it! While things didn't go exactly as planned (they never do for me!) I couldn't have asked for a more perfect day! Even though everyone there had to travel at least an hour to be there, most of my closest friends and family were able to make it - and baby McClure and I were definitely feeling the love! 

My friends have made jokes about how Lauren Conrad came out with a maternity line while I was pregnant and how I must have planned it because I love LC, so naturally I had to wear this adorable dress from her maternity line, and even though it's maternity I definitely think it can be worn post-baby! And I had to pair it with these blush shoes and pink ball drop earrings to match the pink theme! Keep scrolling to see pics and more details from the party!

banners from Bannerize on Etsy (in rose gold)

I love Etsy for party planning, and I've found some great little shops in my research. I got a custom banner from Bannerize for my best friend's bachelorette party a while ago (see the deets in this post here) and I was so pleased the first time that I decided to use them again. Excellent customer service, quality products, and great pricing! Check them out here for their custom banners and other party decor! I'm sure this will not be the last time you see their decor on my blog!

What we ate, drank and indulged on:

Walking Taco Bar

Mock Pink Champagne (non-alcoholic - recipe below)

Sweet Tea

Mini Cupcakes

M&M Cookies

Pink Starburst treat bags

{My girlfriends Lindsay and Aubrey and twin sister Alyson taking a selfie in front of the DIY ribbon and balloon photo backdrop that I made - these were three of the four girls who helped make this day go off without a hitch - the fourth had a baby just days before and wasn't able to make it, but she was there in spirit and helped so much! We also got to meet her babe (who is baby McClure's future bestie!) shortly after the shower!}

B-A-B-Y sparklers from TOPS Malibu | mini cupcakes from Scratch Cupcakery

My invite had an illustration of a cake with these sparklers on it, so I had to have them as decor at my shower. I was excited when I finally found them at TOPS Malibu's online store. I reached out to them and they had great customer service and sent me the sparklers along with the confetti popper that I used for my gender reveal in this post here. They have tons of great party decor and they already have me thinking about details for my next party! 

I have been a fan of Scratch Cupcakes since they opened a shop in my hometown, and I was happy to see that they made mini cupcakes! My best friend chose the flavors and they were all so delicious, and I loved that they were able to make them pink for baby girl! The flavors pictured above from top to bottom were:

Oh Happy Day - made with pink sprinkles

Wedding Day - a little off topic, but my favorite of their cupcakes, and they were able to make them with pink frosting!

White Chocolate Raspberry - I'm not normally a fan chocolate and fruit, but these were SO good!

Mock Pink Champagne from 7up.com (non-alcoholic) | Straws from pomtree on Etsy

I got a sample of this mocktail while I was grocery shopping one day and I took the recipe knowing I had to recreate it for a party, and it ended up being the perfect mocktail for my shower! It was so good and was a hit - and if I wasn't pregnant I'd definitely add some champs to it! Click the link above for the recipe!

{diaper bouquet made by my friend Alison - find the instructions here}

{Centerpieces using upcycled McClure's Pickles jars with faux flowers from Hobby Lobby, linens, tables and chairs from Big Ten Rental}

{Big brother Fletch couldn't help but try to be the center of attention at the party!}

The party was a major success thanks to everyone involved and I would have lost my mind if it wasn't for my best friend Lindsay being here all the way from Dallas and my husband Brian helping me set everything up. The party was supposed to be outside, but last minute we changed it to inside because it was so incredibly hot out, and it all ended up being perfect. Even if it didn't go as planned, just being surrounded by friends and family celebrating baby girl McClure made it success enough. She is definitely going to be one spoiled and stylish little girl, and we cannot wait to meet her in 12 short weeks! Thanks for reading! XO

galentine's day brunch

Decor: Target + Hobby Lobby | Food and Drink: Hy-Vee

Happy Galentine's Day! Last year I talked about how to host a successful Galentine's Day and this year I actually hosted a successful Galentine's Day! I had so much fun setting up for this brunch and had even more fun celebrating that I just had to share all the deets. Below are my essentials for a successful brunch.

WHAT TO WEAR:
I'm all about a theme, so I told my girls to wear pink, red, or whatever color they thought would fit the theme. My besties know how to humor me, and they did not disappoint! Read this post here for some adorable Valentine's Day dress ideas!

WHAT TO EAT:

In my post last year I rounded up some great breakfast ideas that you can see here. This year I had a pretty simple but amazingly delicious menu, and the best part is that it was so easy! This was the menu:

Cherry Donut Holes (available at your local grocery store's bakery)

Fruit Pizza

Sausage and Goat Cheese Egg Bake

White Chocolate Covered Strawberries

White Chocolate Covered Pretzels

Brach's Jube Jel Cherry Hearts

WHAT TO DRINK:
Mimosas - duh!

Bellinis made with Izze Sparkling Peach and champagne

Cranberry Cocktail with Club Soda (for my pregnant bestie!)

(Also see last year's post for more cocktails and mocktails!)

DECOR:

Heart shaped plates, candles, paper straws and the cutest pink pitcher - I found the BEST decor in the Target dollar section and also in the holiday section at Hobby Lobby. Between those two places, decorations were pretty easy, and they looked great! I got the plates for my wedding from Crate and Barrel, and the gold champagne flutes are from World Market.

GIFT BAGS:

I made my girls some Caramel Crispix (recipe here) and put them in adorable little Valentine's Day bags from Target for my friends to take home. I also got some cute little straws from Target that I taped to the Izze bottles with gold foil heart masking tape from Hobby Lobby. Honestly it was so inexpensive but so cute - and everyone loves a goodie bag!

Did you have a Galentine's Day brunch this weekend? I'd love to hear about it! Thanks for reading! XO!

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host/hostess gifts | thanksgiving

1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10

Are you hosting Thanksgiving, or even Friendsgiving this year? If not, you're probably relying on someone else to do all the hard work for you, so what better way to say thanks than with a hostess gift? I know that I like to sit back and let my mom do all the work on Thanksgiving, not that she would let me help, but I know a lot of hard work goes into preparing the perfect Thanksgiving meal. My sister and I will sometimes bring her a nice floral arrangement for the table and she's completely content with that, but if you're looking for something different, look no further! I've gathered up a few festive gifts for the host/hostess in your life, and all but one are $50 or less!

I love being festive, so the more holiday themed items I can have, the better. I know that once I start hosting my own Thanksgiving, I will be going all out with the décor, and the serving spoon is no exception! That's why I like this one appropriately stamped "Thanks and Giving" -  I can see several "test tries" of my mom's mashed potatoes with this spoon! These white and gold acorn salt and pepper shakers and these leaf cork coasters are adorable, and would add to the décor on the table as well as serving a purpose! My thought with this "Oh So Thankful" ceramic dish is that you can make a side dish in it and leave it for the host/hostess to keep - that way you don't have to worry about leaving a dish behind or toting a dirty dish home - just make sure to tell them it's theirs to keep, or they may just think you want them to clean your dishes for you! My sister and I used to love making wishes on the wishbone, and this magnetic wishbone comes apart and goes back together, so if there are kiddos in the host/hostess' home, this is the perfect gift to entertain them, and make sure everyone gets their wishes in! There are typical gifts that are still great for the host/hostess, like this candle or these wine stoppers - pair either with a bottle of champs or wine and you'll be in my heart forever! A lot of people eat their Thanksgiving meal at different times - some do lunch, others do dinner. At our house, we eat dinner, so during the day my mom makes some delicious homemade appetizers, like homemade pizza rolls or little cheeseburgers on rye bread. (Sounds weird but I promise - it's the most delicious! I may post the recipe!) This serving tray and these appetizer plates would be a great gift for my mom to serve her apps on! And this "Get Stuffed" serving platter would be perfect to set that turkey on right in the middle of the table!

Once we get settled into our new house (hopefully in the next couple weeks!) I'm hoping to host a Friendsgiving, but I'm thinking by the time we get everything organized it will be more of a Friendsmasgiving instead! For last years tips on a successful Friendsgiving click here, and be sure to check back for some other fun festive posts in November! Thanks for reading! XO

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live love gameday tee + tailgate snacks

tee | hat, similar here and here | shorts, also love these | shoes 

Happy Labor Day weekend! College football has officially started and I could not be more excited! The hubs and I are taking it easy this weekend, having tailgate snacks, drinking La Croix instead of beer and watching the game at home. If you've been reading my blog for a while, you know I did Whole 30 at the beginning of the year, and I've been wanting to do another one, but we've been so busy it's been nearly impossible. Thankfully we have a pretty tame September with the exception of one wedding next weekend, so I'm going try it again - it's amazing how much better my body feels when I'm eating clean, and it's nice to hit a reset button every once and a while, especially with all the crazy eating and drinking I've been doing for the past few months. 

I love trying out new recipes, especially fun finger foods, so today I want to share with you a few clean-eating tailgate recipes I found on Pinterest:

Jalapeño-Lime Chicken Wings from Stupid Easy Paleo

Rosemary and Sea Salt Sweet Potato Chips from Plaid & Paleo

Buffalo Chicken Dip with Veggies from Plaid & Paleo

What team are you cheering for today? I'm cheering for my alma mater - Iowa Hawkeyes! Y'all know how much I love a graphic tee - This tee pictured above from Live Love Gameday is perfect no matter what team you're cheering for! Enjoy the rest of your Labor Day weekend, and thanks for reading! XO

Facebook: The Blonde Style Blog | Instagram: @theblondestyleblog | Twitter: @blondestyleblog | Pinterest: @theblondestyle | Snapchat: stephmcclure

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recipe | frozé

tank | shorts | shoes | sunnies | wine glass

cinco de mayo // margarita recipes

Happy Cinco de Mayo! Another one of my favorite holidays... Why? Because, TACOS. Mexican food is easily one of my favorites, and paired with a margarita? Done. If you want a festive margarita that's different from the rest, look no further - I've found a few yummy margarita recipes to share with y'all! 

Cucumber Lemon Margarita from Lauren Conrad

Pink Cadillac Margarita from My Recipes

Rosa Picante Margarita from Carrie Bradshaw Lied

Spicy Jalapeno Margarita from Bethenny Frankel

My husband and I first officially started hanging out on Cinco de Mayo TEN years ago today. So this day brings some special memories... And also makes me wonder where the past ten years have gone! Since we leave for Texas on Monday, we decided to celebrate at home, throwing the diets out the window and noshing on tacos, margaritas and chips with my mom's homemade peach salsa... (Seriously, SO good!) How are you celebrating Cinco de Mayo?

Thanks for reading! XO

Facebook: The Blonde Style Blog | Instagram: @theblondestyleblog | Twitter: @blondestyleblog | Pinterest: @theblondestyle | Snapchat: stephmcclure

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first of the month faves // april

Ok, admittedly I was not prepared for this post... HOW is it already April 1st?! It's a good thing it's not hard for me to scramble up a few of my favorite things... So let's get started! 

1. ESPADRILLES

Being in Hawaii for 2 weeks gave me serious tropical style inspo, and one of those styles are espadrilles. They are so cute and beachy, but are also perfect for spring! Whether you have an upcoming tropical vacation or are just looking for a fun addition to your spring wardrobe, espadrilles are for you. Here are a few of my faves:

1 // 2 // 3 // 4 // 5

#bacheLOrette weekend // our girl's trip in miami

My friend's parents are such great hosts, not only when we stay at their home in Wisconsin, but also by allowing us to use their timeshare when we go on girl's trips. They've provided a place to stay in Marco Island, Vegas, and now, Miami. This time we stayed at the Hilton Grand Vacations Club Resort at McAlpin - Ocean Plaza and the accommodations were beyond amazing. Not to mention, it was the perfect location. Here's a guide to how we celebrated three days of bachelorette mayhem in Miami - also known as #bacheLOrette weekend.

how to // host a successful galentine's day party

I was watching Parks and Recreation when I was introduced to the idea of Galentine's Day and I was all like, where has this been all my life?! What is Galentine's Day, you ask? In the words of Leslie Knope, "Oh, it's only the best day of the year. Every February 13th, my lady friends and I leave our husbands and our boyfriends at home and just kick it breakfast style. Ladies celebrating ladies. It's like Lilith Fair, minus the angst. Plus, frittatas!" 

first of the month faves // february

Welcome to the second month of 2016! I don't know about you, but January flew by for me. Shocking, because I had absolutely nothing going on. Besides going to work, I think I left the house four times total... It's too cold outside! February will be a different story though. In just two days I'm heading to Miami to celebrate one of my best friend's bachelorette party... I'm so looking forward to some fun in the (warm) sun! Without further ado... Here's February's first of the month faves!

whole30 // final thoughts

Today is day 29 in my Whole30 journey, and I'm posting my final thoughts a day early because I have some other stuff planned for this week. I have to admit, it's been a much easier road to travel than I thought, and I'm happy about that. After seeing such great results and feeling so much better about my body, I'm going to try my hardest to continue this way of life. At least parts of it. Here are some of my final thoughts:

I'm down 11 pounds and my body just feels good. My clothes fit better, I can suck in easier and I'm just in general not uncomfortable. I have always struggled with water retention and problems in my gut, and after a couple weeks of clean eating, I felt like those problems were gone. I can't pinpoint exactly what it was that I eliminated that helped, if it was no soy, no dairy, no sugar or no alcohol, but we will see how my body feels when I am in the reintroduction phase. 

whole30 // my thoughts

For the month of January I decided to try out Whole30. I didn't read any of the books, just educated myself online and found some recipes on Pinterest, and one of my favorite Instagram accounts @whole30recipes. I'm halfway through, so I figured I'd share some of my thoughts so far. 

First off, it's really not as hard as I thought it was going to be. In fact, I've had a lot of fun coming up with things to make, especially in the first week. See one of my favorite recipes below. 

I've realized that I like sweet potatoes much more than regular potatoes. 

Eggs, avocado and almonds have become my go-tos. 

I thought I was going to miss cheese a lot more, but going dairy-free has seriously changed my life. 

Homemade mayo is so easy and it's actually really delicious! 

I've made smarter decisions and have had much less food anxiety when out at a restaurant. Also, I've seen a drastic change in my willpower which is something I thought I could never overcome. 

So far, cutting out alcohol has been surprisingly easy, but I also haven't found myself in any social situations. 

Dishes. SO. MANY. DISHES. I feel like I'm constantly cleaning plates and pans now that I'm not always eating off Lean Cuisine cardboard. 

La Croix is a life saver if you're sick of plain old water. 

I made a couple booboos at the beginning (chewed gum out of habit, bought some food with dextrose in the ingredient list) which has made me become a lot smarter about reading and knowing ingredients. No, I didn't start over, I think it's okay to slip, especially at the beginning, and especially if it's an accident. It's not like I "accidentally" shoved a cupcake down my throat. 

first of the month faves // january

January is such an odd month for me. It's so exciting at the beginning, with the new year and all the parties and football games, but then it just kind of gets boring, the weather is terrible, and there's not much going on. This year is going to be crazy for me, I'm doing a ton of traveling and we all of the sudden have a bunch of weddings to attend. So actually the nice, quiet month of January will be good for me.

I love a new year, and I especially love even years. Just like a new month or a new week, it's the ultimate fresh start. Which brings me to the first of my first of the month faves:

how to // host a successful friendsmas

It doesn't seem like that long ago that I was talking about how to host a successful Friendsgiving. Isn't it crazy how fast this holiday season is going? Christmas is just over 2 weeks away, and many of us have a lot of parties to attend, and some may even be hosting! I feel like Friendsmas is made best by these four things: music, food, drink, and of course, your outfit. If you're in charge of Friendsmas this year, here's some tips on how to host it successfully:

fall in iowa // amana colonies

I absolutely love this time of year. When summer turns into fall and all the cute clothes and accessories that come along with it. Usually around this time, my sister and mom and I take a trip to the Amana Colonies in Amana, Iowa. They have a couple restaurants with delicious food, and the most adorable little shops with all sorts of clothing and wine and cheese and amazing Christmas decorations. This year we got an early snowfall, so it didn't feel as fall-y as normal, but there are still bright yellow and orange leaves on the trees - kind of strange. But it was still fun nonetheless. This weekend there are tons of Christmas events starting - check it out at www.festivalsinamana.com.

jalapeño popper chicken chili

I'm back in Iowa for Thanksgiving and to celebrate my mom's birthday (see the pretty flowers I got for her from Trader Joe's on my Instagram - @theblondestyleblog). Last night we got the first snowfall of the year and Mother Nature was not messing around - it's full on winter outside! So I'm staying in with my sister and one of our bests to watch the Iowa Hawkeyes go to 11-0 against Purdue. 

how to // host a successful friendsgiving

The holidays are just around the corner, which means holiday parties are also quickly approaching. I love a good party, especially if I'm the one hosting. The planning is one of my favorite things to do. With most of our friends spread out across the country, we try to get together and have an annual Friendsgiving and/or Friendsmas. We are hoping to all get together on Saturday, so I thought this would be a good time to share my plans for a successful Friendsgiving. 

cream of mushroom soup // light!

I have been wanting to make a lightened up version of Cream of Mushroom soup for a while now but I have just never gotten around to it. Like I've said before, my husband isn't the biggest fan of soups, but today when he forgot to save me a rotisserie chicken at the grocery store he works at, I decided to make the soup instead! It took me only about a half-hour to make and it is delicious! I found several recipes on Pinterest, but I couldn't decide on which one to use so I kind of based my recipe off a couple that I found on there and made it my own. And here is what I came up with:

Cream of Mushroom Soup (light!)

first of the month faves // november

Happy November! I cannot believe October is over and the holidays are almost upon us. I have so much to look forward to in the coming months; my best friend is driving up from Dallas to stay with me, I'm heading back to Iowa to spend a lot of time with my family, my sister and I are going to take our annual Christmas trip to Chicago and we are also going to have all of our friends in town for our Friendsmas party. This time of year makes me so happy, so I figure this is a good time to share with you all a new series of blog posts I like to call First of the Month Faves. Here's the November edition!

detox smoothie recipe // beets

Can I tell you guys about my newest obsession? BEETS! I know, gross, right? But they're really not that bad! Ever since I started dating my husband I've been less picky about my eating and willing to try new things. I even started putting onions in our food and I HATE onions! So I tried the beets out of curiosity and I was not disappointed.