5 Travel-Inspired Prints Under $80

As you may have seen on Instagram, this past Sunday marked the one-year anniversary of my engagement. My fiance and I spent the day registering for gifts at Bed Bath & Beyond, and I don't mean to complain, but it was exhausting. Luckily, we agreed on almost everything, but it was still difficult to think of what we really need to upgrade and how much of each item (e.g. dishes) would be reasonable. I also struggled with what was appropriate to put on a gift registry. Is our registry supposed to be strictly functional household items, or can I include a huge framed poster of Yosemite National Park? Your input would be appreciated!

Anyway, the point of all this is that for today's Travel Tuesday link-up, I thought I would share some of the gorgeous prints I found during our trek through our local Bed Bath & Beyond store. And after you tell me just how perfectly acceptable it is to add such items to my registry, I might choose a few. :)

Prague, $24.99 | compass, $79.99 | Grand Teton, $59.99 | Budapest, $24.99 | elephants, $19.99 each

Link up with your travel-related posts below! Feel free to grab the button, too.


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Also linking up with Nicole for Treat Yo Self Thursday.

Literary Junkies: May 2014

It's time to join Taylor, Christine and me (as this month's co-host!) for the May edition of the Literary Junkies book club link-up! And if you've read Where'd You Go, Bernadette, be sure to join us at 7 p.m. CST tonight for our monthly book chat on Twitter. Or join our Facebook group. Or our Goodreads group. Or all of the above. :) Anywho, time to move on with this month's questions!

As always, Literary Junkies is hosted by 

LIFE WITH A SIDE OF COFFEE & PINK HEELS PINK TRUCKYour May co-host: SEMI-CHARMED KIND OF LIFE (that's me!)

50 Books From 50 States: Reading Challenge!

Remember when I said I wasn't participating in any reading challenges this year? Except my own challenges? Of course, that means the Semi-Charmed Summer Book Challenge alone is not enough for me anymore. Kelsey from Keeping up with Kelsey contacted me about co-hosting a fun geographically based challenge with her, so how could I say no?? Hence, the 50 Books from 50 States Challenge is born.



I actually started a "Where You've Been Reading" challenge a few years ago, but I knew I would never be able to read 50 books to fit the challenge in one year. Thankfully, Kelsey agrees, so this will be more of a long-term challenge. And, to help you out a little more, you are more than welcome to count any books you've read since 2012 until now for this challenge. (It's harder than it sounds to read 50 books from 50 different states!) And, of course, double-dipping is always welcome! So feel free to count any books you're already reading/have read for other challenges.

Here's a little map showing the books I have read since 2012 or plan to read for this challenge. Feel free to look at specific states for ideas if you need any, and let me know if you have any good ideas for states that I don't have a book assigned to yet (the red states)!

View Where are you reading? in a larger map

Sound fun? Of course it does, and we'd love to have you! Continue reading below for the nitty-gritty of the challenge.

The best type of souvenir.

Welcome to Travel Tuesday, a weekly opportunity to share your travel-related blog posts! Last week, I asked about your favorite type of souvenirs when traveling. Anyone want to guess mine?

Go Green! (Mental Health Awareness Swap Reveal)

A few weeks ago, I found a green-themed accessories swap opportunity on A Cute Angle. As if I wasn't already sold on the idea of getting a fun new green accessory, I then discovered Ashley was hosting the swap in honor of National Mental Health Awareness Month (May). I was partnered with the fabulous Maddie over at The Whimsy One. It was so fun learning about Maddie through her blog (right off the bat, I discovered we are both huge bookworms) and shopping for some green goodies to send her way. As with any swap, though, the best part was opening my package and seeing what Maddie had picked for me!

Maddie said she wanted me to "pamper myself" with this package, and I will definitely take her up on that invitation! Plus, I love fuzzy socks. I wear them around my apartment all the time when we're too cheap to turn the heat on. ;) And I painted my toenails within about five minutes of opening my package and seeing that glorious mint polish:

Alcatraz Island: San Francisco, California

Welcome to Travel Tuesday, a weekly link-up for all things travel-related! Last week, Carly posted about her visit to Alcatraz Island in San Francisco, which inspired me to dig through some old photos and share my experience, as well. Warning: This trip was taken during my pre-blogger life, when I didn't understand the importance of taking 27 photos of one detail in order to find the perfect shot, so pickings were slim!

Blogger Revealed: All Things Considered

For my birthday earlier this year, I invited all my readers to ask me anything about my blog and/or life. I got a lot of questions about Semi-Charmed Kind of Life's two most popular topics (books and travel), so I answered those questions in their own post already. Today, I'll be sharing my answers for all your other random yet awesome questions! Here goes....