Snow Boots and Vests

 I have to be honest with you guys, I feel kind of guilty showing you outfits that are with vests on every-other post.  But, at the same point I pretty much love them this winter, and this blog is about showing my daily outfits....so here you go, another outfit with a vest.  I've recently discovered that the perfect addition to an outfit with a vest are snow boots. The ones I have are actually like four years old. I bought them at of all places, Walmart. I was pregnant and needed boots so I wouldn't slip and fall walking in and out of school. I wore them a little bit that winter, and since then they were pretty much forgotten in my closet until just recently.  You guys. They are so comfortable, and I actually really like them. I actually wish I'd worn them yesterday.  Cool me, took a corner too quickly on our newly waxed floor, and although I didn't fall, I was wearing these booties and I twisted my ankle pretty badly. : (  I'm elevating it and icing it as I write this.  Fingers crossed I'm good today and don't have to limp around having to explain to every 7th grader I pass what happened....

Double Stripes

Sometimes there are outfits that I just wear time and time again, and this is one of them.  It was originally one of those outfits that came together unexpectedly, but there's just something about it I love. Before getting my booties I wore this with simple heels, but I love it with the booties. If you want more tips on how to style booties, check out this post. Honestly, I think I just like this outfit because it's a little edgier than my norm and it makes me feel cooler than I really am. :)

Teal and Polka Dots

I recently this to work and I actually picked up this blazer for $.99 at Goodwill and found this Lauren Conrad blouse for $3 that day too. I actually went in to try to find an ugly sweater for a Christmas party, but no luck. I was pretty excited to find these pieces though, especially since the blazer is Tahari by Authur S. Levine and retails for around $140! Say, what? The blouse is also studded with polka dots, similar to this one. I'll have to wear it on it's own soon! I decided to pair the blazer and shirt with my polka dot skirt and Phoenix Pendant. I mentioned recently I wouldn't go without tights until spring, but I just couldn't do it with this outfit . Luckily my bare legs made it through the short walk into school.

Scarves and Dresses

This dress is definitely one of my favorite pieces. I've worn it a number of times, but was kind of stuck on how to style it a different way until Lauren of Fizz and Frosting wore her leopard dress like this. I feel like the bright scarf was the perfect touch to her look, so I decided to give it a try myself. I really love how it came together. I don't think I have considered scarves with dresses much, but after this outfit I definitely think I need to consider it more. Finding out my closet is even more mixable definitely brightens my day!  I think sometimes I take for granted the little things like this, so I thought today I'd share some of the simple loves in my life:

1. Clean. Sheets.  Seriously, sleeping on clean sheets is the best! If I had the time I probably put on fresh daily instead of weekly.

2. Bubble baths with a book.  I don't think I need to elaborate on the awesomeness that this is.

3. Pedicures- I used to go monthly before Grant was born and now I'm lucky to go twice a year.  Over Christmas break Grant went to daycare a few times and on one of the days I went and pampered myself with a pedi and my feet have never been happier, seriously, that girl was amazing.

4. Compliments from fellow fashionistas; it always makes my day to have stylish ladies give me a compliment.  Have you guys read The Five Love Languages? If not, you really should, mine is words of affirmation, AKA compliments.  My husband is good at a lot of things, but compliments isn't high on his list, so you ladies really help me out it that department. : )

5. Gift cards for Christmas, I'm excited to shop Loft's new spring clothes and am loving this skirt.

6.  The Grantster.  He's a pretty sweet kid....I might just be slightly biased. 

What about you?  What makes your day?  I'd love to hear about it.

Blazers and Boots

I found this Loft blazer last year at Goodwill and wore it a ton, but for whatever reason it's been totally under utilized this winter.  I decided to pair it with my polka dot sweater, also totally under utilized this winter and my red scarf.  I feel totally cozy and warm, and when it's ridiculously cold outside that's a winning combination.  

How To: Style a Boyfriend Cardigan

I'm excited to be starting a how-to series, which I'll be sharing with you all weekly.  This week I'll be sharing tips on how to style a boyfriend cardigan.  Now, these cardigans can be great, but the length and tendency for them to be over-sized can make them difficult to style.  I have some great tips on how to style them for you all today.

• First, when trying a boyfriend cardigan on in the store, try on your "normal" size and then one size smaller.  You might find that the small works better than the medium, etc.  Also, check the length.  For me, having a boyfriend cardigan hit right below the hips is most flattering.  Due to my short petite figure, cardigans that are longer than this are not flattering on me and look more like a weird dress with buttons on the front.  Not cool.
• One great way to style a boyfriend cardigan once you've gotten a well fitting one is with a jersey dress like this one I'm wearing in the first picture below.  Boyfriend cardigans are more casual in nature, so wearing it with a jersey dress works great.  I'll done this quite a few time and and always feel put together and cozy all day long.  A belt also helps to accentuate your waist with this combo too.
• The second ways to wear a boyfriend cardigan is with skinny jeans.  This is a great combo for casual Friday or for a weekend look.  I think skinny jeans are best because you don't want to create more volume with the outfit by adding a wider leg jean; this outfit can have a tendency to look overwhelming and make you look bigger than you are.  I styled mine below with booties, but you could also easily wear ballet flats or tall boots too. I also feel that tucking in your shirt or wearing a more form fitting shirt is the most flattering with a boyfriend cardigan too, just like with the jeans, an over-sized shirt can make you look bigger than you are.
• The third way to style a boyfriend cardigan is with a mini-skirt.  Now pencil skirts can be ok with boyfriend cardigans too, just keep in mind the casual nature of this piece, so a cotton skirt is probably best.  Once again tucking your shirt in will be the most flattering for this look and I think booties are boots look best.  I don't recommend wearing an a-line skirt with a boyfriend cardigan, just like I stated above with over-sized shirts or wider leg jeans, adding more volume is not very flattering.
• The last way I'm going to show is to wear a boyfriend cardigan with leggings.  I love this with a longer tunic and boots or booties.  I don't recommend wearing leggings to work, I'd stick to wearing this combo for a night with friends or on the weekends.  You also want to make sure your rear is covered by the tunic and cardigan and that the legging are nice and thick.  To wear this look at work, simply swap out the leggings for black jeans or the gigi pant and you're ready to go.

Red and Leopard

I'm loving this combo today. I think I pinned something red and leopard awhile ago and have been waiting to wear them together. I feel like some outfits just don't work with tights. Tell me I'm not the only one who thinks this???? However, I totally think they work here, which is good because I'm pretty sure today is supposed to be pretty cold today, so my fleece lined tights are a definitely a necessity.

*I found out we get a cold weather-no school day today, so this outfit will have to wait for tomorrow. To those of you dealing with these freezing temps, stay inside, keep warm, pin some stuff, and follow me on Instagram while I try to keep the Grantster entertained and inside.

Keep It Simple

Whelp, back to school today. Whomp, whomp.  Break has been great, I've had some time to myself and some great time with family too. Today is a workday and I have grades to finalize and lesson plans to write.  

As for my outfit, I'm going to come out and say it, sometimes layering a shirt under a sweater is just too much work. Seriously. Getting the arms and collar just right is the last thing I want to do when I'm already tired in the morning, and having to get up early for the first time in weeks. So, today I am keeping it simple with this red vest and my Stella and Dot necklace, and that's ok. I love the overall ease of this, and it's perfect for looking put together and cozy at the same time.

Chelsea and Ginny Take On: New Year's Eve

Christmas is right around the corner, and I'm so excited for that! However, I bet some of you are already finalizing your New Year's Eve plans.  Today Chelsea and I are going to take on New Year's Eve.  Now, I have to be honest with you, Brian and I are not party goers.  We enjoy the occasional BBQ and we did host a Christmas party at our house, but it was nothing fancy and with kids involved everyone cleared out my 8:00.  Yep,  we're living on the edge.... So, I'd be lying if I said I was going to wear this outfit on New Year's Eve, even though I do think the outfit would be perfect if you're going to a party.  The patterned tights (I really want this polka dot option too!) and fancy necklace make this look perfect for a New Year's party where you want to look nice, but age appropriate.  Face it, we're not all 20 anymore.  : )  Instead I am wearing this to celebrate Brian and my wedding anniversary this following Saturday.   It'll be six years, crazy how time flies.  On New Year's Eve Brian and I typically stay and home and don't even make it until midnight, so I sure am not going to waste this cute outfit on that. 

Have you entered my giveaway for $200 in Amazon cash yet?

Tights Weather

 It's officially tights weather here and as much as I love tights, it's the general coldness I strongly dislike.  However, this year I stumbled onto the sweetest pair of tights I've even owned Esprit fleece lined tights similar to these.  They are amazing and they go perfectly with my new booties, which happen to have fringe on the back of them.  If you follow me on Instagram you already know that my 4th grade self would be pretty jealous.  Esprit and Fringe?  The awesomeness is endless. : )  I decided to pair these two with a gray dress, my favorite cardigan, and a chunky belt.  To finish this up I added my new infinity scarf I snatched up for $10 from an old lady at a craft fair.  Last year I tried to knit one for myself and I think I did about three inches in six hours, before I ultimately gave up. I'm telling you, craft fairs are the best!

Skirts and Booties?

I feel like I haven't updated you all on my life lately with my recent series, so here's some random updates for you:

1. I'm pretty sure I've eaten my weight in candy since Halloween. It's ridiculous, people.
2. I've determined I'm the worst coffee maker of all time, I swear I get a mouthful of coffee grounds on a daily basis.  It can't be rocket science, why do I have such a hard time with that darn filter?!?
3. Fall TV!  Can I just tell you how excited that I am that Ted's finally going to get to How He Met Your Mother.  Love that show!
4. When you get to leave work at 3:40 but end up having to stay until 5:00 to work with kids who think homework is optional it gets old pretty fast. As in, holy smokes this is going to be a long year!
5. I'm still on the hunt for new brown riding boots, anyone see any real leather ones they love that are under $150? I tried these one's on, but they bunched at the ankle.  I really want these, but I'm pretty sure my husband is going to tell me to keep dreaming....
6. I have a bunch of pinned outfits I'm chomping at the bit to try next week, stay tuned!

Now to my outfit: Recently my blogging friend Inge asked what I thought about booties with skirts, I honestly wasn't sure, because it hadn't tried it. I decided to give it a try today and love the result. I feel like the booties give the outfit a more casual edge then a traditional heel does. I think the casualness of the cardigan helps make the combo work too, and I'm not going to lie, this might give me a slight case of Buy All The Booties!

Also, have you entered my sponsor's giveaway for an Old Navy gift card yet?

 

Building A Wardrobe: Shirts

I'm excited to be continuing my Building A Wardrobe Series again today. One the first day of the series I shared Essential Blazers and Jackets, one day two I shared Essential Cardigans, on day three I shared Essential Skirts, on day four I shared Essential Jeans and Dress Pants, and on day five I shared Essential Shoes and Accessories. Today I'll be continuing my Building A Wardrobe Series by sharing some essential shirts with you.  As important as it can be to have a few basic tops, a great shirt can be the focal point of any outfit or definitely make a good outfit great.  Here are my thoughts on essential shirts:

• I've think there are five shirts that are essential to any mixable wardrobe, and that includes: a stripe shirt, chambray, gingham, a detailed blouse, and a polka dot shirt.  These pieces can go with so many things!
• Like I said above, basics are great, but often the key to a great outfit is a shirt that is a little more special than a plain tee shirt.  Think about color, texture, and print when you buy tops, they are guaranteed to help make your look great!
•  I recommend not just getting a plain white, black, gray, shirt.  I recommend getting one that has extra details, like a puckered neckline, or unique texture or lace.  These details make the shirt more special, but definitely still versatile in your wardrobe.
• Fit is definitely important too.  When buying make sure the buttons lay nicely on any button-down option and check the length too.  Can it be worn both out and tucked in?  This is definitely key in creating both dressy and casual looks with the same shirt.
• I picked some great additional options, I recommend getting a few great prints, like leopard, and I love the jeweled tops that have become popular too.  I definitely think these tops are special and are great additions to your wardrobe, though they are not quite as versatile as the essential shirts I've listed.

Here's a visual of my shirt recommendations:

stripe shirt / chambray /  gingham / detailed blouse / polka dot shirt /  jeweled tee / jeweled sweatshirt / bird print / bright blouse / leopard blouse 

Today I'm wearing a detailed blouse in lace. It's a fun mixable top that makes every outfit better.

Building A Wardrobe: Cardigans

Yesterday I started my Building A Wardrobe Series by sharing with you Essential Blazers and Jackets, and for the second day of the series I'll be sharing with you my thoughts on cardigan essentials.  Cardigans are great for laying and can be worn both to dress an outfit up, as well as easily worn with a casual outfit as well.  Here are my tips for building essential cardigans into your wardrobe:

• Must have colors include black, gray, and tan.  In my experience, it's worth it to by quality pieces, as you will probably wear these the most.  There are a lot of inexpensive options out there, say at Target or Old Navy, however, they inexpensive options don't seem to last or wear as well and pill much sooner.  I've been most happy with the quality of cardigans I've purchased from Loft, Banana Republic, The Limited, and J.Crew.
• Consider the type of cardigan that fits your style best.  Traditional lengths will probably be the most versatile, but I love a good boyfriend cardigan and think they can be dressed up for worn casually depending on how you chose to style them. 
• When purchasing, pay attention to how to wash the item, if it's dry clean only, it will limited how often you can wear the piece. I've used Dryel, and in-home dry cleaning product, for over a decade and have been happy with the results, however I still spend the money to get pieces professionally dry cleaned at least once a year and this definitely adds to the overall cost of owning a piece of clothing.
• I've also included some additional options for you to consider purchasing.  These include purchasing a few cardigans in bright colors, as well as a leopard or other print option.  In my opinion you won't wear these as often, so purchasing a less expensive option, like this or this makes sense to me.
• Regardless of what you chose to buy, wash these pieces inside out to help protect the them in the washer.

Here's a visual of my recommendations for cardigan purchases:

tan cardigan /gray cardigan  / black cardigan /  mustard cardigan / bright cardigan /  leopard cardigan 

Today I'm wearing a bright cardigan, which is a fun addition to any outfit. It helps define my shape and pull the overall look together too.

I'm crazy about today's combo. I score this skirt for $4, new with tags, from thredUP (use this link to get $10 off your first order). I wasn't sure about a top, but tried the polka dots and love it.  I might freeze today with bare legs, but this just didn't look right with tights.  Hurry up, spring!

What to Wear With Orange

For the last day of my series I'll be sharing my tips on how to wear orange. On the first day I shared with you how to wear wine, and on the second day I shared with you how to wear mustard, and of the three I think orange can be the trickiest to wear.  Here are my tips on what to wear it with:

• Neutral tones are an awesome pairing for orange, though I think warm tones like tans and browns are best.  I would recommend steering clear of pairing orange and black, for fear of looking like you're dressed for Halloween.  
• The second way to wear orange is with complimentary colors and you might be surprised at all the colors that work to pair it with. I love orange with different shades of blue, but it can also be great with army green and wine.

Today I chose to pair orange with a combination of neutral and complimentary colors. I love the neutral cardigan and navy skirt with this fun top and I think it's a perfect look for fall. Make sure to check out my collage at the end of the post for some additional ways to wear orange.

Here's a chart for you all to help you see what to pair orange with:

What to Wear With Wine

This week I thought it would be fun to do a mini-series focused on color.  I recently joined a fashion page on Facebook where women post their OOTDs.  It's a great group with a lot of stylish women, but one of the things I see people post often is a picture, then the question: "Do these go together?" Another common question I see is: "What color goes with this?" This prompted my mini-series.  I thought I'd pick three color that are big this fall and try to help give some direction as to what to wear with them.

Today I'm focusing on wine, burgundy, ox blood....whatever you call it, it is definitely a great color for fall.  The problem can be deciding what colors look best with it.  I came up with some different colors which I think pair nicely with wine.  

• The first is another shade of the color for a monochromatic look; this is also a big trend this fall, and definitely one worth giving a try.  
• The second is to pair it with neutral colors, either a combination of warm tones, like browns and chocolates, or cool tones like grays and blacks.  I chose to pair it with cool tones today (mainly because I wanted to wear my Phoenix Pendant again.  
• The third is with a complimentary color like mustard or navy.  I'm a big fan of both of these combinations too. (Look below for examples of these color combos).

To help out you visual learners (like myself) here's a handy little chart for you to reference:

Blush and Black

I recently wore this look to church and love everything about it. I seriously never would have guessed when I picked this dress up on the clearance rack last winter I'd get so much use out of this dress. I've also decided that shawl cardigans are amazing. You've seen me wear this one a number of times, but seriously, it's perfection. I added my Phoenix Pendant and felt like a million bucks. 

Chelsea and Ginny Take On: Fall

Today Chelsea and I are taking on Fall. One of the biggest trends for fall is Leopard print. After buying this polka dot top I knew I needed this leopard one from the same line too.  Today I decided to show you how to style this top for both the workday and weekend.   

Leopard and Stripes

I'm loving this casual look today. It's actually starting to cool down here, so breaking out my cargo jacket made sense.  I love the leopard and stripes combo and I feel really put together, but comfortable at the same time.  Pants and I aren't always the best of friends, but these red jeans and I get along just fine. Now, if I could just find another pair in a different color that fit this well.   I'm really liking this cobalt option, I'll let you all know what I think once I get in to try them on. What about you all, do you have any suggestion for a good place to buy colored jeans?

Cobalt and Orange

Last year I was ecstatic when I found this Loft skirt at Goodwill and decided to pair it with my cobalt blazer and lace top today.  The first time I wore this skirt I wore it like this, and I was so pleased with myself.  Yipes, that was pretty bad. Today, on the other hand, I really like this. I really like the texture and color mix and definitely think it's an outfit I'll wear again, although I think I might wear it with my cobalt  Portfolio Shirt first.  What do you think, how would you style this skirt? 

Buy All The Leopard!

Ok ladies, I think I have a serious case of "buy all the leopard!"  Case in point my Sunday Post.  Last year I was all about leopard heels, now I'm all about leopard everything.  Today I'm wearing my favorite thrift of all time, this leopard dress. I decided to pair it with my teal blazer and I love the overall look.  I'd had this outfit in mind then I saw Lauren pair her cheetah dress with a bright blazer and Tara pair her leopard dress with teal; I was sold!  I think cobalt might be next!