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.

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.  

Plaid and Polka Dots

Today Grant is at daycare and my mom and I are going to go to lunch and to see The Book Thief. I loved the book, so I'm super excited. Grant and I saw Frozen on Tuesday and it as super good. Two movies in a week doesn't usually happen, so this should be fn!

I recently found this scarf  at JC Penny, it's Joe Fresh and although it looks like it's wool, it's actually not. It's lighter and easier to wear all day without getting hot, which I love. I decided to pair it with my polka for sweater, black jeans, and boots. I seriously want to wear these jeans everyday. I tried on these recently and wanted to love them, but without pockets I didn't feel they'd be appropriate for me to wear at school. What do you girls think? Am I crazy? 

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....

Pattern Mixing

Are you all ready for Christmas? I so enjoyed my small Thanksgiving break and had a chance to do a little Christmas shopping, as well as get the decorations out. I love how the house looks at Christmas, and although Brian needs to finish the trim in the basement, it's done otherwise.  We're really enjoying the extra space and I'm loving having the majority of Grant's toys down in his playroom. Yay!

I'm loving this combo today, I was inspired by this pin, then put my own spin on it. I picked up this sweater at J.Crew Factory and this button-down at Gap factory and love how it came together. I don't know what it is about plaid this year, but I love it! I wondered about these with it, what do you think?

Stripes and Dots

Life is pretty busy right now. We've been working on finishing our basement and are finally at the painting stage, which is where I come in.  Fun. The light is at the end of the tunnel and we are having the carpet laid next week.  Everything is set to be done by Thanksgiving and I couldn't be more excited!  I'm sure I'll post some pictures once it's all done. : )

I'm loving this professional look today.  This blazer, top, and skirt were definitely smart purchases this fall, the outfit possibilities are seeming to be endless.  I rarely thrift anymore, but the one time I went this month I found this new Loft skirt for $3 and I couldn't believe it, I have a bunch of pinned looks with red skirts, but actually came up with this one on my own.  I feel like I've come a long way since last year and now see possibilities in my closet that I never saw before, and that's pretty awesome.

Building A Wardrobe: Jeans and Dress Pants

I'm excited to be continuing my Building a Wardrobe series with you today! One the first day of the series I shared Essential Blazers and Jackets, one day two I shared Essential Cardigans, and on day three I shared Essential Skirts. and today I'll be sharing essential jeans and dress pants with you. Here are my thoughts on essential jeans and dress pants:

• I think it is essential to have good pair of skinny jeans, boyfriend jeans, and black, gray, and tan dress pants. I realized today that these are much more essentials for fall and winter, for spring and summer I'd definitely add white jeans.
• Although skinny jeans and boyfriend jeans are kind of a trend right now, they are definitely to key to making a casual look look great.  I also love the trend of cuffing skinny jeans to show your ankle; I think this is much more flattering then wearing them long.  I also love wearing skinny jeans with boots for the sleekest, most put together look.
• With dress pants, black, gray, and tan will be the most versatile.  Now, when I say tan, I don't mean khakis.  I'm a teacher, so I still see these everywhere, but I don't suggest spending money on them right now, as they are seeming dated at this point (we'll see when they come back, I'm sure they will).
• As for dress pants and jeans, fit is key. I'm not going to lie, I think finding great jeans and pants is pretty difficult. I also don't think buying because the price is right is the right way to tackle purchasing pants.  In the past I tended to focus on if pants fit my waist and I stopped there.  I didn't check how it fit in the thighs or check out the pants/jeans from the back either.  Bad idea.  This summer I took the time to try on all my jeans and pants and check them out from every angle.  They all fit in the waist, but if the thighs were too baggy it made me look much bigger than I was, and if the back didn't fit right, I looked very...well saggy.  I kid you not, I got rid of nearly a dozen pair of pants and jeans.
• I'm the most happy with a style I found at The Limited, they were not cheap (about $45 a piece) but the fit is perfection and I know the classic feel will mean I can wear them for years to come.

Now that I've shared my essentials thoughts on jeans and pants, here are some additional options to consider:

• I suggest investing in one pair of colored jeans, I love red. 
•  I also think a good pair of boot cut is a great go-to option for the weekend, I wear mine a lot for errands.
• I also love trouser jeans and depending on where you work, you might be able to wear them at work too.  The fact that they have the structure of dress pants makes them dressier and can give a casual outfit a more polished look.
• I'm also seeing a lot of black denim now and I love it. They haven't been cool since the early 90s, but they're back!

skinny leg jeans / boyfriend jeans / gray dress pants / black dress pants /  tan dress pants / red jeans / black jeans / boot cut jeans / trouser jeans 

Today I'm wearing black skinny pants, which I wear like crazy, they are great with a boot, heel or flat; a must have for every closet!

On Valentine's Day Brian and I had the day to ourselves, which was great. Prior to going out to dinner we stopped by the mall, as Brian had a giftcard to Scheels and I had one to J.Crew.  I found this striped sweater on super sale and was pretty excited because my other one needed to be thrown away. Black and white stripes are so great, but it seems like I need to replace mine each year. I got the inspiration for this outfit from this pin and love how it came together.

Polka Dot Love

Last week we had parent teacher conferences, which seems crazy that it's time for that already.  I like to make sure I dress very professionally, but still be myself. Our conferences are two nights, so for one of the nights I wore this outfit  again, seriously, it's one of my favorites. For the second night I wore this look. When I came across this blouse at Target, I knew it would be a great addition to my closet.  I feel like I can tend to neglect tops, but adding this blouse to the outfit as apposed to wearing just a plain white one makes the outfit a little more special, and I like that.

I'm still amazed by all the great options Target has like this blouse, and I can't believe its such a great dup for this Gap one at less than half the price. Crazy.  I might need that one too, two polka dot shirts is definitely not two too many. : ) So, what tips do you have for making your outfit special?

One Piece: Twelve Ways

I'm Excited to take part in Audrey's "One Piece Many Ways" challenge today.  It was easy for me to decide to focus on my denim jacket.  I love them and found 12 ways to share with you today, with three for each season.  I love how they can be the perfect addition to so many outfits and can be worn all year round.  My new look for today includes me wearing the jacket with my favorite floral skirt and a polka dot top.  I love pattern mixing, but breaking up the look with a denim jacket made the outfit perfect for me.  Check out my ginormous college below with 12 other ways to wear this piece.

Jacket: The Limited similar

Top: Old Navy $4 

Skirt: Target $12 same

Necklace: Stella and Dot Rebel Pendant same

Bracelets: Stella and Dot Renegade, Triple Wrap and Chimera 

Shoes: Target $30 same

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Mint and Polka Dots

Getting back in the groove of school has been a process. Every morning Grant cries for me to put my jammies back on when I'm dressed. I wish, buddy.  Every afternoon I'm having these "Oh no, what's for dinner moments."  Then, every evening I'm trying to catch up on blogs, relax, and hang out with my husband simultaneously.  Not easy.  Being at home is summer was such a treat!  I love teaching but those summers off are such a teaser!

I'd love for you ladies to take a second to vote for me in the #AllNaturalStyleSecrets challenge here. Thanks so much!!!

Have you entered to win my giveaway for a $25 gift card to Target or Old Navy/Gap/Banana Republic here yet?

Blouse: Express same

Skirt: Loft similar

Belt: Kohl's similar

Necklace: Stella and Dot Juniper

Bracelets: Stella and Dot Chimera, Renegade, Moxie

Shoes: Nine West similar

Linking up with:

Tre-Chic Fashion Thursdays

Summer Style Link-up

Stripes and Dots

I recently found this on a trip with my sister to LOFT, they had some great deals and I actually by chance tried this top and skirt on together and loved the combo.  I'm bummed the top is showing as yellow, as it's actually more like lime green.  This is one of the last dressy outfits I'll be wearing for a while.  School is getting out on Friday, (yes!!!) so I'll be sporting a lot more casual looks, however, if I do dress up you better believe I'll want to wear this outfit.

Top: LOFT $10

Skirt: LOFT $20

Necklace: Target $8

Bracelets: Stella and Dot  Kalahari/Renegade/Chimera

Shoes: Nine West $30

Bag: Coach

Linking up with:

What I Wore Wednesday

Get Your Pretty On

Fashion and Beauty Finds
Real Girl Style
We Love Target

Polka Dots and Stripes

Blog Everyday in May Challenge, Day 8: A piece of advise I have for others:

If you are unhappy with who you are now, you can change.  The person I am today is very different than the person I was in college, even more so the person I was in high school.  For a very long time I was super concerned about what other's thought of me, as well as having their acceptance.  I ended having a pretty wild lifestyle and am seriously lucky to be alive today.  It's totally by the grace of God that  I am here.  During this whole time of chaos I was pretty unhappy and kept searching for happiness in activities, possessions, and other people.  It wasn't until I realized that God thought I was "good enough" that I felt a weight lifted off my shoulders, and truly was able to get comfortable in my own skin. I'm still far from perfect, but now I know that's ok. : )

Now to my outfit:For whatever reason, I haven't worn my chambray in quite some time but when I pulled out this skirt I really wanted to wear it, and a little subtle pattern mixing came to mind.  Both of these pieces I probably would have passed up a year ago, but I love the outfit possibilities I can create with both. :)

Chambray: Old Navy $20

Skirt: Target $16

Necklace: Very Jane $15

Bracelets: Target ? and Express $14

Shoes: Fergalicious $30

Bag: Coach

Linking up with:

What I Wore Wednesday

Get Your Pretty On

Fashion and Beauty Finds