Tres-Chic, Bows, and Stripes

I'm excited to be co-hosting with Agi for her Tres-Chic link-up! Today, I'm also kind of in love with outfit. This bow sweater is definitely one of my favorite purchases from this winter, so I was excited to get to wear it again.  Originally I was thinking of wearing booties but changed to my boots last minute and I'm so glad I did. It's perfect for the cold temps. we've been having. The mix of sparkle from the bows on the cardigan, lace from the top, and texture of the skirt make this a winning combination for me.

I'd love to have you link-up down below and show off your tres-chic look too!

Have you entered my sponsor's giveaway here yet?

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. :)

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.

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.

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?

Bows and Dots

Today I decided to pair my bow cardigan with my polka dot blouse and my purple pencil skirt. I was feeling pretty optimistic about the weather when I took these pictures about a week ago, but reality: I'll be wearing tights with this outfit today, and probably with every skirt I wear until spring.  Sigh....

Bow-tastic

I'm not sure what happened, probably the 20 degree temperatures, but I'm all about casual looks right now. I ended up wearing this on Thanksgiving and was cozy all day long. Last winter I was crazy about this J.Crew cardigan, but didn't have the chance to get it in stores. Now that the factory store is so close I'm able to nab the pieces I love easily! I was able to pick this up for a steal and have quite a few looks in mind for it.  What would you wear with it?

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?

 

What to Wear With Mustard

Today is my second day of my mini-series focused on styling colors.  Yesterday I shared my tips for styling wine and today I'm focusing on another hot color for fall, mustard.  My boyfriend cardigan is quickly becoming one of my favorite things in my closet and I was excited to style it today for a nice casual look.  When it comes to styling mustard here are some tips for what colors to wear it with:

• Wear mustard with another shade of yellow for a monochromatic look.
• Although mustard is a warm color, it can easily be worn with both warm and cool neutrals.  Mustard and gray is an awesome color combo, but mustard with browns and blacks is also great.
• Lastly, wear it with a complimentary color like navy or teal.  Today I chose to wear it with navy, which is one of my favorite color combos.  I added my skinny jeans, then cuffed them (I love this!) and added my booties.  This outfit is not only comfortable, but perfect for all your fall activities (Pumpkin Patch anyone?) 

Make sure to check out my collage at the end of the post for some additional ways to wear mustard and here's a chart to help you see what to wear with mustard:

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.   

Cobalt Two Ways

Cobalt is definitely one of my new favorite colors and I'm excited to collaborate again today with Lauren from Modern Modesty to show you two ways to wear cobalt. I love Lauren's take! She just look beautiful. :)This peplum is amazing, and I've been looking for a skirt like this Lauren snagged hers at J.Crew for a steal! Make sure to stop by Modern Modesty to check out the outfit details and to say hi to Lauren. :)

As for my look,  I got my dress this summer for a steal at H&M and I decided to pair it with black today and my new Phoenix Pendant necklace. If you follow me on Instagram you've already seen this beauty a few times, as well as me raving about it. It's the perfect addition to this look. 

Blogger Love: ...for Lauren and Lauren

Next up in my Blogger Love mini series is Katie from ...for Lauren and Lauren. Not only is Katie super sweet, she's a teacher, a Christian, and a new Mom. Katie shows off her daily styling along with engaging her readers with posts about her life and faith. I sometimes feel stuck about what to write about, but Katie's always seems to have the right words. It could be a beautifully written letter to her daughter Addilyn or a Summer Steal, Katie's writing always feels authentic. 

When I came across this look of Katie's I loved it immediately, the leopard and stripes combo is perfection, and I never would have thought about pairing them with charcoal, like this skirt, but I loved it.  I got my charcoal skirt last winter as the weather was warming up, so it only got worn once. I was excited to try it out and create my spin on this look. I added the cardigan and booties and am pretty excited about the final look!

Make sure to stop by ...for Lauren and Lauren to say "hi" to Katie!

On Being Yourself

About a week ago my husband was out of town for work, so Grant and I had more weekend time than normal. I decided to try to get a bunch of outfit pictures taken, and Grant pretty happily obliged. I was gearing up for an exciting mini-series set for next week, and other than this outfit, none of the other looks were working out.  It was windy, too sunny, and I didn't feel great in the clothes. I was frustrated. What I should have done was just call it a day and try again later, but darn-it, I had a plan.  

What I realized as I was looking at the pictures I'd attempted to take was I looked like I was playing dress up; I didn't look like myself. Boo. Bad blogger.  I took a step back and had some fun with the Grantster at the splash park, had a movie night, went to church the next day, then came home and scrapped a few outfits and tweaked a few more. I made the outfits me. Surprise, surprise, pictures were suddenly a breeze. When I started this blog almost a year ago it was because I was getting excited about my clothes and style again. Each look was "my new favorite outfit" I need to keep that in mind as I get dressed each day; I shouldn't be dressing for my blog, my friends, of even you (sorry) I should be dressing for myself. 

Dress: Loft $5 (thrifted) similar

Cardigan: Jones Wear $5 (thrifted) similar

Necklace: Charming Charlie similar

Bracelets: Stella and Dot Renegade, Moxie, Triple Wrap

Shoes: Coach (circa 2002ish) cute option on sale

Linking up with:

What I Wore Wednesday

Get Your Pretty On

Feeling Great with Hanes Undercover Color-Sponsored Post

Hanes is unveiling a brighter, more colorful look this summer with panties, bras and tees in on-trend patterns and vibrant hues that women want the most. With this being said, I was excited to get to try some of these new great pieces first hand. 

I got to try the Bandini ComfortFlex Fit Bra, which is super comfortable.  I got one with light foam padding and two without any padding in great bright colors.  I'd say the coolest thing about them, other then how comfortable they are, is that they can work with a varity of tops.  Because of the flexible straps I can wear it traditionally with both straps, I can wear it with one strap for one shoulder tops, or I can wear it with the straps down for strapless shirts and dresses. Seriously cool.  I'd happily wear the one with light foam padding ($10.99 retail) to work and the two without padding (two pack retails for $10.99) for relaxing at home or trips to the store. They basically have the comfort of a sports bra without looking like that's what you're wearing.

Hanes comfy and colorful styles are available in a variety of silhouettes to offer a great fit for every body type at a price point that everyone can feel good about. They also sent me some great boy shorts in bright fun colors.  The cut helps to eliminate panty lines which is a total plus.  These would great for everyday wear, and are seriously comfortable.

 Hanes also sent me a  Live.Love.Color tee, which is available in various colors to help women feel bright and carefree all season long and a pack of boy briefs in bright colors too.  The shirt was super soft and the boy briefs are perfect for bedtime.  I've been wearing them most nights with the  Hanes tee and am loving them.

Here's all the cute pieces I got from Hanes.  So cute, right?

This is how I styled my Hanes bra and undies for the Go Blog Social this last week.  I love the bright colors and the comfort of the product was great, as I was having to sit and listen for most of the day.

Hanes also created this fun mood board with tons of different great graphic to show your mood.  Bonus, they're tweetable : )  My Hanes #Undercovercolor is pink.  Click on the Hanes link to pick and tweet your own : )

Bras, undies, boy briefs, and tee: c/o Hanes

Cardigan: Old Navy $5 (thrifted) similar

Dress: Loft $35 same (with giftcard from Chippmunk giveaway I won)

Necklace: Stella and Dot just bling from Sutton

Bracelets: Stella and Dot Chimera, Julep, Renegade

Shoes: Bandalino $30 similar

I was selected for this opportunity as a member of Clever Girls Collective and the content and opinions expressed here are all my own.

Lately...

Today I'm linking up with Susannah for her In His Image link up. I don't talk about my faith on here very often, although it's very important to me. I really liked the idea of this link up, but struggled to put any thoughts down on here. 

Blogging has been such a great experience and I love the support I get from each of you readers and from so many friends and family members, however, sometimes I catch myself just not feeling like I'm not  "good enough." You know the old saying, hear seven compliments and one criticism and what do you remember? The criticism. I have had nothing but such great support from so many, but I have a couple of friends who I've come to the conclusion just think me blogging is weird. It's not what they say about it, it's what they don't. And I let it get to me and stupidly let  it overshadow all the kind words and support I get from others. I'm just a girl....with a blog, and if that's not for everyone, I shouldn't take it personally.

However,  I hate feeling inadequate and letting others have such an impact on my emotions, it's then I'm reminded of who I am in Christ. Galatians 2:20 says: I have been crucified with Christ. It is no longer I who live, but Christ who lives in me. And the life I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God. who loved me and gave himself for me. By golly, God thinks I'm good enough to die for, why would I let a select few make me forget that??? 

*I wrote this earlier this week when I was feeling pretty bummed, shortly after that I had a number of people I know who have never mentioned my blog to me said something really sweet to me about it.  I think that's pretty cool and definitely a sign that I needed to just get over my above feelings and focus on all the good people I do have in my life : )

Cardigan: Loft $5 (thrifted) similar

Top: Express $30 similar

Shorts: Kohl's $20 similar

Necklace: Stella and Dot same

Bracelets: Stella and Dot Light and Kalahari and Kohl's similar in gold

Shoes: Target $30 similar

Bright Stripes and a Survey Recap

Seriously, summer is the best thing, and this dress is the perfect addition.  I snatched it up on special at Target and love the ease of it.  I wore this to a friends' kids' birthday party and it was cute and comfy (which you all know is my favorite combo).  I think I'll get a lot of use out of this bad boy. : )

Also , about a week ago I asked you ladies to give me some feedback about my blog and I want to thank all of you who participated! I really enjoyed looking at the results and wanted to share some of the with you all today.

• Of those that took the survey about 60% didn't have a blog and 40% did. This surprised me for some reason. I get the chance to "get to know" other bloggers, but not the non-bloggers. I think it's so awesome that you non-bloggers take the time to stop by! I wish I go the chance to know you too!
• I also asked about how frequently those who took the survey visited my blog. 90% said they visited either daily or multiple time a week. Wow. I'm humbled by this. Thank you so much!
• My content has really been specifically OOTD posts and I really wondered what you guys thought about that. About 50% said my content was fine as is and 40% said they'd like to see more "How to Wear" posts. I'm hoping my Styling Series last week was what you ladies were looking for. I also have another "How to Wear" post coming next week. I do think I'll try to show posts like this to you all on a more regular basis. It pushes me to think outside the box too, which is great.
• I was also curious about my pictures. 95% of you said they were good as is. (Whew!) A couple of you did say you'd like more detail shots and different poses. Since I take my own pictures and I'm not a model my photo bag of tricks is limited, but I will try to work on showing more details and poses.
• I also asked about your age demographics and found about 30% were 21-29, 40% were 30-39, and 20% were 40-49. This wasn't super surprising being I'm 34 so right in the middle of these ranges.
• The last thing I was curious about was adding links to similar/same items. 70% said yes to this. When I first started my blog I had links, but they were so time consuming I eliminated them. I've decided to try them again, especially if the item is still available. I'll re-assess once school starts depending on time.
• I also decided to add labels, mostly colors and clothing types. Their are links on my sidebar for these now too.  I thought it might be helpful and honestly I didn't realize how easy it was to do. It'll take me a while to get everything labeled, but it's been fun looking back at past outfits. I also now realize how often I wear blue, stripes, and florals. Hmmm.

Once again, tanks to all of you who participated! I love this hobby and you all really help make it worthwhile!

Cardigan: Target $3 (thrifted) similar

Dress: Target $15 same

Necklace: Stella and Dot Rebel Pendant same

Bracelets: Stella and Dot Renegade, Foundation and Chimera similar

Shoes: Target $30 same

Linking up with:

What I Wore Wednesday

Get Your Pretty On

It's in the Styling: Tip Three, Tuck Your Shirt

Ever put on an outfit that in theory should look great, only to find you look frumpy and dumpy? Me too. However, the simplest trick to styling an outfit and taking it from bad to fab is to tuck your shirt. Seriously. Sometimes a shirt is just fine un-tucked, especially for more casual looks, but if the shirt is too long/flowy/loose a simple tuck is all you need to dramatically change your outfit's look. I usually try an outfit both ways, then decide which is best.

I also decided to enter Chippmuck.com's Expert Shopper Contest again with this outfit. I came in 7th last time and the top five won. Help me make the top five this time by loving my look here. You can vote each day too. I seriously appreciate it ladies!

Do you see the difference?!? I probably look 30 pound lighter by just tucking this shirt in!  I honestly didn't realize the power of the "tuck" until I started reading blogs and seeing what other girls were wearing.  I also didn't own a lot of skirts before tucking in either, just look at "Exhibit A" and you'll understand why.  Now that I realize that tucking your shirt in can make such a great change in the outfit, my skirt collection has grown tremendously, and I have a much more polished professional look too. Here are some more pictures of this look:

Cardigan: Old Navy $20 similar

Top: Target $3 (thrifted) similar

Skirt: Target $16 similar

Belt: Kohls $1.5 similar

Necklace: Loft $5 similar

Bracelets: Stella and Dot  Julep, Gilded Arrow, and Chimera similar

Shoes: JCrew similar

Anthro, What?

A few months ago I was shopping at my favorite Goodwill. I came across this dress and loved it instantly. I hadn't heard of the brand, so I Googled it only to find out it was sold at no other than Anthropologie. Say, what? I was waiting for the weather to warm up to wear it, but I so should have broken this bad boy out right when I bought it, even if it was like February. I pretty much love it and want to wear it every day, and I might.

Also, it's getting close to D-day for GFC. I'm honestly hoping it's all a fluke and my newsfeed will stay as is, but I'm preparing to move to Bloglovin if need be.  Here's easy directions for how to move all the blogs you follow to Bloglovin in one easy step. Here's the link to follow me on Bloglovin too! 

Dress: Anthropologie $5 (thrifted)

Necklace: Target $3

Cardigan: Billibong $3 (thrifted)

Bracelets: Stella and Dot Renegade, Foundation, and Chimera

Shoes: JCrew (circa 2007)