cohesive

It's almost the weekend. It's almost the weekend. And with that comes friends, good food, and some fun summer outfits. Enter all black, a hat, and some wedges.

Not my usual MO, but I'm really loving it (if you can't tell, I'm into monochromatic looks this year). The easiest way to fake cohesiveness + having it all together is to wear all black. At least, that's what I'm telling myself when I feel like I'm running around like a chicken with my head cut off. At least my outfits matches, right?

shirt: Target

shorts: GG Boutique

wedges: Target

hat: KMart

two New Year's Day outfit ideas (sweater #1 + #2)

If you're like me, and didn't go out or get gussied up to celebrate New Year's Eve, you might be more concerned about what you're wearing for the first day of the year. Lucky you, I've got not one, but TWO fancy pants (literally) ideas below.

Difficult to see, but I'm sporting my leggings with the faux leather stripe down the side. Let the leather tell you "edgy", or "daytime tuxedo pant," whichever you prefer. I paired them with an oversized button up (with my monogram!) from my sister-in-law (she gave them to her bridesmaids to get ready in the day of her wedding), and wore a bright red cardigan on top.

Additionally, I layered a shirt underneath, because, cold.
I wore my SOREL snowboots because, snow.
And I added a beanie because, dirty hair.

You could easily ditch my cold weather accessories for something a bit more fancy, and warm weather friendly, too. Sandals? Flats? Heels?


button up: gift from my sis-in-law
shirt underneath: GAP
leggings: c/o Aéropostale
snow boots: SOREL via Jax
cardigan: from a friend
hat: ?

  

These pants are new - they were a Christmas gift from my brother and sister-in-law. They're velvet (velvet = fancy).

They're warmer than most other pants I own.

They're skinnies.

They're black.

They're perfect. 

Paired with a slouchy sweater, a statement necklace, booties, and a messy-ish bun, it's the perfect outfit for starting off the New Year in style.

sweater: c/o Aéropostale

pants: J. Crew Factory (gift from my brother & sis-in-law)

booties: Old Navy

scarf: c/o Aéropostale

necklace: WalMart

peacoat: Old Navy

Happy 2015! Hope it's treating you right!

different vibes

Here are two (slightly) different looks, using the same pieces of clothing. One with a bit more sass, the other more casual. Both are made up of black & white plaid, leather, and pearls - say what?

I like to think the fedora and the booties add a teeny bit of an air of mystery, or perhaps, intrigue...?

It's fun to play with different accessories to see how they can easily change up a look.

And then the Chucks dress down my look.

I've got several different vibes going on:

plaid (casual)

+

leather (tough-ish?)

+

pearls (sweet & classy)

+

glasses (super smart)

+

swapping out the shoes (trendy vs. casual)

+

the oxblood fedora (mysterious-ish?)

Not something I used to do a lot of, but now, I'm a big fan of combining different looks

(sassy + sweet, or edgy + warm&fuzzy) into a single outfit.

And, somehow, this worked (I think).

See how I did this just a few days ago here.

black and white plaid: Old Navy

leather skirt: thrifted

pearl necklace: Ann Taylor

bracelet: Target

glasses: America's Best

fedora: thrifted (Target)

booties: Old Navy

Chucks: actually, they're Converse One Star via Target...

The First Wedding of 2014

Like I mentioned last week, I traveled to the Land of 10,000 Lakes to celebrate my cousin's wedding. They're a couple that's been together since high school, so, I'm kinda partial to them.

#highschoolsweethearts #HSSoftheworldUNITE

Here are some pics from their big day. My sister-in-law couldn't make it, as she was in one of her best friend's weddings on the same day - we still had a really great time, but really missed her.

with MY high school sweetie

Big Brother and us

Mr. & Mrs.

originally my youngest cousin agree to split 1 of every flavor with me, so I wouldn't be a TOTAL glutton. However, he filled up on Shirley Temples and couldn't help a girl out

Cousins - 1 of them was the Best Man!

me & Dad. sorry for the grainy pics - the lighting was low at the reception so we could get our dance on

ain't he handsome?
*swoon*

my family has a long tradition of breaking out hats at a wedding.
don't believe me?
proof from our wedding is below

I made a dainty little fascinator-top-hat, and my groom sported Nemo. don't worry - he's only kissing one of my besties/bridesmaids because she traveled the farthest for our big day (all the way from Hawaii!)

It's tough to see, but the dress I wore was a really pretty plum color, originally from Banana Republic,  but I thrifted it before we bought our house this fall - thrifting for the win! See something sort of similar below...



SOMETHING SIMILAR...

Hemingway-ed

I don't know if you know this, but I really love my local library. They've saved me tons of money when it comes to reading - I can just check a book out, read it, and turn it back in, rather than purchasing a book I might not really like or want to keep. I also check out audiobooks on the regular, and listen to them on my drive to & from work. I'm finishing up Jane Eyre, and this time last year listened to The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo trilogy, among several others. The Mr. listened to all 5 books of A Song of Ice & Fire, sparking our interest in the TV show "Game of Thrones," and subsequent Halloween costumes. 

So, anyways, I love the library. A few weeks ago I finished The Paris Wife. It's a novel about Ernest Hemingway's first wife, Hadley Richardson, and their life in Paris as he was working on some of his first works.

Finishing The Paris Wife piqued my interest in Hemingway, so, on this fine (read: not freezing) day, I went to the library and headed to the H section of the fiction area. I checked out two books by Hemingway, and am halfway through the first one, To Have and Have Not.

Now, my knowledge of this great American author is limited to The Paris Wife, the novel I'm currently reading, and what I read on Wikipedia (I never read The Old Man and The Sea in high school). Based on this small bit of information, I don't think Ernest Hemingway is someone I would have gotten along with. Seems to me he was a bit of a womanizer (he left his first wife for her best friend), and kind of selfish. That being said, I AM enjoying reading To Have and Have Not, although I wish it provided more background & detail for each character.

So, since I knew I was headed for a literary center, I wore a hat. I don't know why a hat makes me feel more cultured and traveled, but it does a little bit. Maybe it's the fact I don't normally wear them? Or that a fedora seems a wee bit old school? Either way, I wore a hat. And checked out some books by Hemingway. And took some pictures of my outfit.

linking up with:

Vodka Infused Lemonade for Tres-Chic Fashion Thursday

Color Blind for Thrifters Anonymous

shirt: GAP similar below

sweater: thrifted

jeans: thrifted (True Religion) similar below

shoes: thrifted similar below

hat: thrifted (Target) similar below

30 for 30: Day 20 & Day 21

Day 20

Day 20 was a big day for us...

We closed on our house! Our first house!

We are officially homeowners. Now we talk about things like the HOA, trash pick up, and window treatments. And I'm going to be honest with you, I LOVE it!

I LOVE our house.

I LOVE that this is OUR home.

And most of all, I love the person I share my new home with (and those two little wrinkly dogs).

He's incredibly handsome, smart, funny, and really good at moving furniture and packing boxes (those last two things I am NOT good at, so it's good we have a balance).

So, we bought a house, moved out of our apartment, and are settling in to our new home. That's why I've been absent from this here blog - reasonable, right?

We made a trip to The Home Depot (the first of many), and I got my very own
Homer Bucket for all of our upcoming projects!
#let'sdothis

Since this was such a big day, I didn't really get outfit pictures, but I wore my black & white striped top, black velvet blazer, olive green skinnies, leopard flats & gray infinity scarf. I wanted to be comfortable, but stylish for our
BIG DAY!

Day 21

I wore this the day after our closing when it was very chilly, so the chambray layered under a wool sweater was perfect. The pants I wore the day before (a symptom of moving) and my hat helps to hide "I-just-moved-and-can't-find-any-hair-stuff-because-it's-all-in-boxes" syndrome. Tell me you've been there, please!

linking up here today

A Hat to Keep Me Dry

Do you keep up with the news? If so, you'll have heard that Colorado has received record-breaking amounts of rain this past week. Due to this rain, some parts of the state are flooded, and several roads and highways have simply given way to the water. Rivers and creeks have overtaken bridges, and major roads that are in danger of being flooded have closed.

Because of all this rain, my work was closed today, so I'm lounging at home, catching up on my DVR, blogging, and tackling my weekend to do list, which includes really exciting things, such as ironing and working on our family budget. It's ok to be jealous ;)

Let's talk about my outfit, shall we? I mean, that's why you're here, isn't it? The tank, vest & booties are all recent purchases. The studded tank and booties are from Old Navy, and I bought both because I had nothing like them. The Mr. is not a big fan of the booties - but to him, I say "Too bad, I like 'em!" I snagged this vest at a thrift store - I think it's a fresh twist on a regular denim vest. It's more cream than white, and I'm envisioning taking it into winter with jeans and a long sleeved shirt. 

And this hat (and my booties) helped to bring this outfit into fall a wee bit. I'm still rocking summer with my shorts and tank under the vest, but inviting fall in with the booties and felt fedora, and the oxblood colors of my tank and hat. See? Easy peasy to mix seasons ;)

I'm linking up over here today with my hat!

    

Stay dry and safe out there, fellow Coloradoans!

tank: Old Navy

vest: Levi's (thrifted)

shorts: Gap Outlet

booties: Old Navy

hat: Target via Goodwill