Back to School

Skirt and Sweater-JCrew, Blouse-Equipment, Boots-Aldo, Necklaces-EmersonMade,
Watch-Coach, Bracelets-Target, gift, maui, Earrings-Limited

When I awoke this morning, there was a chill in the air. It reminded me of the first day of school. The time of year when the nights are cooler, but warm during the day. It's the time of year that makes me want to break out all my fall clothes, but I know it's still August and I should be savoring summer. With that said, I went for it and wore some of my new fall finds. It seemed like the perfect day to dress a bit warmer. Even our puppy didn't want to get out of bed this am. She was snuggled up tight in her bed.  I know it won't last, it will get hotter again and then we'll hit the tundra freeze. But I'll know I had today and if felt just like it did years ago, on that first day of school. I wish Fall was a longer season, it really is my favorite time of year.

Stripes and Spots

Tee-Stylemint, Skirt-H&M, Belt-Limited, Shoes-Vince Camuto, Necklaces-EmersonMade,
Watch-Coach, Bracelets-Maui

Have you checked out Stylemint yet? It's a monthly tshirt line created by Mary Kate and Ashely Olsen.  Each tee is 29.99 and they release a new set each month. I just love the way this one hangs. It's comfy and soft yet looks stylish. I wore this numerous times while I was in California last week and see it becoming a go-to piece.

Wings

Blouse-Gap, Cardi-Winter Kate, Jeans-Paige, Shoes-Vince Camuto, Necklaces-EmersonMade,
Watch-Coach,Bracelts-Gift, Target

I was lucky to snap these shots between rain storms on Friday and the onset of what turned out to be a very hot and humid weekend. It was "You walk outside and instantly need to go back in and shower" humid.  Notice the progression of my hair in these pictures. It started out straight, and in a matter of 10 minutes, the ends started to wing up. Note, my hair was blown out by my hairstylist AND flat ironed just shortly beforehand... still didn't hold up to this humidity. Ugh. You should have seen it later that night. Picture Monica in the Friends episode when they went to Bermuda and her hair continued to grow throughout the trip!  I don't know what I'm going to do this week. It's going to be like this all week long. Any suggestions? I wish I could wear a head scarf to work, or better yet a hat! Oh, and I don't have air conditioning so spending hours drying and flattening it just don't work. I end up a puddle of sweat before I even get out the door.

Birthday BBQ

Tshirt-H&M, Skirt-Loft, Hat-Macy's, Flip Flops-Target, Earrings-F21, Necklace-Vintage,
Bracelets-Gifts, Nomination, Watch-Michele, Rings-Silpada, NY&Co

It was my friend Susie's birthday this weekend and she had a fantastic BBQ. It was hotter than sin out, but we had so much fun, it didn't really matter. I'm not a big shorts person, have yet to find a pair that look good on me. So, I wear a lot of skirts to stay cool.  To take a simple outfit from boring to wow, all you need are a few key accessories. Add some fun, bold jewelry, maybe a hat or scarf. Voila,instant chic. I opted for a hat as the full 'fro was in effect with the humidity. I love a great hat, it can make any bad hair day just melt away- literally in this heat! 

Borrowing from the boys

Tank-Target, Sweater-Target, Shirt-JCrew, Blazer-local boutique, Pants-JCrew, Shoes-DV by Dolce Vita, Ring-Silpada, Earrings-F21, Necklaces-Target, F21

I'm on count down to my trip to Maui. It's been hard to focus today. Tomorrow I'm only working until noon and then the packing festivities begin. I'm so in need of just lounging around with my girlfriends and enjoying the sunshine. These cold, rainy days are starting to get to me!

Spring Blooms

Tank-Target, Top-Anthropologie, Sweater-Target, Pants-Express, Shoes-Bandolino, Necklace-Target, Bracelets-Gifts, Watch-Coach, Earrings-Target

 I don't think we're ever going to see Spring. The forecast is calling for snow this week-IT'S MID APRIL PEOPLE! Usually by now the weather is much more tolerable. To offset my grumpy mood with the weather, I'm enforcing brights and florals into my daily dress. Once I get past March, I have a hard time wearing anything that reminds me of winter. I pack away all my tights, boots and heavy sweaters. Now it looks like I might have to pull some of them back out. Not. Happy. I'm going to dress in denial and keep telling myself Maui is one week away. Oh, didn't I mention that I'll be gone for 8 days as I relax in Maui with my two BFFs. Can't wait. It's a girls getaway and I'm planning to do a lot of nothing. I'll get my Spring one way or another.

Cropped

Blouse-Express, Tank (over blouse)-Target, Cardigan-Vince, Pants-JCrew, Socks-JCrew, Shoes-DV by Dolce Vita, Necklace-Tiffany&Co, Chain-Stella&Dot, Necklace-Forever21, Ring-Silpada

I'm loving the plethora of cropped pants available right now. I used to worry they'd make my legs look short and stumpy, but I've gotten over it and I'm embracing them with full force this spring. In fact, this is my second pair in a week! I've been itching to wear these for sometime and decided that snow or now snow, I was going to make them work. Since it was so cold out I had to pair them with socks, but I kinda like them that way. What do you think? Are you a fan of cropped pants?

School Uniform

Blouse-Gap, Sweater-Forever21, Blazer-local store, Pants-Express, Shoes-Target,
Necklace-Local, Earrings-Target

This blazer was a surprise find last winter at a local gift shop. I had gone with a girlfriend to their annual holiday shopping event and stumbled upon this lovely piece. The minute I saw it, I knew I had to have it. Every time I wear it I feel like I'm wearing a school uniform, but I love it!

30 for 30 {Day 20-Snow Day}

Blouse-JCrew, Cami-Target, Vest-Local Boutique (props to my BFF for finding and snagging for me!), Pants-Banana Republic,
Boots-Aldo,Watch-Coach, Bracelet-Local, Bangle-Forever21, Bangle-Limited, Belt-Target, Necklaces-Gifts, Earrings-Forever21

Yep, you guessed it, still snowing! I feel like I wasted a great outfit at work today because no one was there. Between being stuck in driveways or taking the day off due to the holiday, it was a ghost town. Rats! But enough about work.

We've only got 10 days left to go in the 30 for 30. I'm feeling pretty good about my selections and what I can still remix for this last stretch. How about you? Are you taking part in the challenge? Have you been inspired by my posts to take a closer look at your clothes? Let me know, I want to hear how y'all are doing!

30 for 30 {Day 16-Dress for Success}

Shirt-Gap, Sweater-Limited, Skirt-JCrew, Tights-Spanx, Boots-Steve Madden, Watch-Michele,
Bracelet (wrapped necklace)-Local desinger, Necklaces-local designer, earrings-local designer

Today was a crazy day, I didn't even have time for lunch (and I hate it when that happens). It was back to back meetings all day. UGH. Now I've got to do some work at home tonight to catch up. After work, I had plans on the calendar to meet friends for happy hour and I wasn't going to miss that! Do you ever meet up with friends intending to only stay for a short while and next thing you know the night has past you by? I could have done that tonight. I was in the mood to just kick back and hang out. I didn't really want to leave. But here I am, at home, procrastinating on the blog when I should be doing work.

Speaking of work, over lunch today I gave my "Dress for Success" presentation to team outside my pyramid. It's something I like to do in my free time (my job has NOTHING to do with fashion or clothes). I've created a short presentation on personal brand and how the way you present yourself says a lot about you in the work place. I hope they liked it. It's the second time I've shared this with a new team. The 30 for 30 challenge came up when I was explaining how you can make a few items go a long way. I shared with them how it's reinforced in me that you don't need to have a closet packed full of clothes to have a lot to wear. You can/should invest in a few key pieces and then learn to remix them. I spent the majority of time talking about this today and sharing with them ways to rethink their wardrobes. I think how you dress says a lot about you and you better make sure you're saying what you want (whether you're out for CEO, being creative, enjoy vintage, follow the trends, you get my drift). Dress for how you want people to see you. Have fun with it!

Papertrey Ink {Make it Monday 2}

I'm so loving the go-to sentiment challenge from Papertrey Ink's Make It Monday Series. This is my second card and it's only Tuesday. If you recall, I made this Birthday card yesterday. Today, it was all about the Thank You. I'm behind in making my thank you's to send to my family in India, so the timing couldn't be better. I have a card to do list a mile long and I'm getting crafty! Know what's even better? The challenge runs 'til Monday which means more chances for me to win the $250 gift certificate to Papertrey Ink. Have I mentioned how much I love Papertrey Ink products?! They ROCK!

Materials:
Paper: Charcoal (Coredinations), Fuchsia (PaperSource), Gravel (Papersource)
Stamps: Signature Greetings (Papertrey Ink), Fillable Frames #10 (Papertrey Ink),Hero Arts CL342, Stampendous SSC1003
Ink: Frost White (Colorbox), Tuxedo Black (Memento)
Dies: Mat Stack 4 (Papertrey Ink)
Other: Embellishments (Michaels)