May showers

About three weeks ago, three of my sweet sweet girlfriends hosted a baby shower for me and our new Bebe. It was a truly lovely afternoon - lots of delicious food, lots of fun books for Bebe to read (or, us to read to Bebe, let's be real), and lots of lovely gifts (thank you cards are being worked on, pinky promise).

My parents came to visit for the occasion, and while Mom and I attended the shower, the Mr., my Dad and some boyfriends/husbands of the girls attending my shower played lawn games and enjoyed beer at our house. My bestie with a new baby came and even brought her little one to my house before the shower so I could love on the wee one. Friends came from all over Colorado to celebrate and I only wish I could had more time to see everyone.

Mama (soon-to-be- Gramma) & I

friends from high school - thanks for making the trip!

ZTA friends - thanks for making the trip!

Above is the dress I wore for the shower - not included in my Maternity Capsule Wardrobe, as this was a birthday gift from my parents that arrived after I'd taken pictures and posted my capsule on this here blog.

It's from a Pea in the Pod Maternity, and while I do like it a lot (built-in print mixing, huzzah!), I had planned to wear an apricot midi skirt with a lace top for my shower, but this Colorado spring weather had other ideas (gray. cold. rain. mud.). So, a warm dress with tights and booties was the next best option. Luckily these fleece-lined tights matched the red/maroon in the dress perfectly - phew!

Thank you to my hostesses for a lovely party, and thank you to everyone who made the trip or sent lovely gifts - you guys are the best. We can't wait for you to meet our new addition!

30 for 30: day 29 + day 30

The last two-fer, for the last two outfits in my April 30 for 30 style challenge. So, sit back, relax, sip that glass of wine, and continue to wait on the edge of your seat for my recap of these 30 outfits (you'll be waiting a few days. Did I mention I'm running a half marathon on Sunday morning?

because I am...)

day 29

These tights didn't photograph so well - they look more puke-green than in their packaging from Old Navy. Disappointing.

BUT

Never fear. One of my favorite dresses, my favorite boots, and a new necklace make for a redeeming outfit.

blue sweatshirt dress: J. Crew Factory

green tights: Old Navy

boots: The Frye Company via Nordstrom

navy floral scarf: Target

necklace: WalMart

day 30

The last one. Not to read too much into this and create some meaning out of something that is probably pretty insignificant, but this is one of my favorite outfits. Not just for this month.

But EVER.

Polka dots, leopard, skinnies, flats + a faux leather jacket. I mean...

Do I have to say it?

All of my favorite things. Together. In one outfit.

And the print-mixing. This cardigan. This shirt.

LOVE.

 (apparently I've lost the ability to speak in complete sentences. excuse me. Friday?)

leopard print button up: WalMart

polka dot cardigan: J. Crew Factory

dark skinnies: c/o Aéropostale

black flats: Target

faux leather jacket: Target

fancy

When your best friend has a birthday, and invites you out for margaritas at your favorite margarita place, you might wear something like this. Or you might wear something like this for a fun party, or a nice date. Or your own birthday celebration at above-mentioned margarita place.

You might especially wear something like this if you hadn't taken your new skirt out for a test drive yet, and/or your new polka dot tights were burning a hole in your dresser drawer.

I kept it simple up top with a white v-neck tee, and fancy on the bottom, with a bow skirt, polka dot tights, and suede magenta wedges.

And we had a splendid time celebrating my friend.

So much fun, we didn't even get a picture of the two of us :/

shirt: WalMart

skirt: c/o Aéropostale

similar: Solid Pucker Skirt / Chevron Jacquard Pleated Skirt

tights: Target

wedges: ALDO

eye-popping blue + sweater #6

This “skirt” is really a dress – I’m really trying to get more wear out of my (summer) dresses by layering and adding tights. I know I could always wear a black cardigan over a dress, but that feels a little too easy to do all the time, so I tried this dress on with most of the pullover sweaters in my closet. There just so happens to be teeny bits of blue in this floral print, so this eye-popping-blue v-neck was the clear winner.

And now, an explanation for featuring my sweater "collection" this month...

A few weeks ago, I counted how many sweaters I had, and I had about 26. Couple that with my attempt to come up with my own style/blog challenge, and I came up with the idea to wear a sweater every day in January. I purchased one more sweater, and have a few nicer sweatshirts, plus a few sweater dresses/skirts, bringing the total to 31.

And there's 31 days in January, soooo

I figured January is as good a month as any to wear sweaters - it'll obviously be too warm in the summer, and the fall and spring in Colorado can be hit or miss (60 degrees or -20). But January is pretty consistently cold, and so, a sweater a day in January was born!

dress: c/o Aéropostale

sweater: GAP

scarf: gift

tights: Old Navy

boots: c/o Aéropostale

two New Year's Eve outfit ideas

In case you need some last minute ideas for what to wear tonight (and tomorrow will have some ideas for New Year's Day ON New Year's Day - mindblowing, I know), here are two a wee-bit-more-than-casual looks, incorporating skirts and tights.

This first look is a black sweater layered over a black dress, with some purple tights for a little pizzazz. I added a polka dot heart scarf, booties, and a purple headband to pull it all together. This would be a great look if you're not into wearing sequins - monochromatic, with a bit of fun color thrown in.

sweater: American Eagle

dress: thrifted (Target)

tights: ???

scarf: c/o Aéropostale

booties: Old Navy

But if you ARE into wearing sequins...

And if you want to be festive in sequins, but tend to get cold like yours truly, try wearing a sweater with your sequins. It's a fun juxtaposition - snazzy party-ready sequins with a warm sweater and boots. And, as an added bonus, this look incorporates ALL OF THE textures: cable-knit sweater, sequins, tights, leather boots, peacoat, and curly strawberry-blonde hair (some of my favorite things!). 

sweater: Old Navy

skirt: Lauren Conrad via Kohl's

tights: Old Navy

boots: The Frye Company via Nordstrom

coat: Old Navy

bag: TJ Maxx

classy in leather

I don't ride a motorcycle (but I DO ride a beach cruiser), and I’m not one to wear lots of leather (besides a jacket, shoes, or bag). However, I found this skirt at a thrift store and have silently been plotting ways for my sunshine-y/fuzzy/warm self to wear it.

Enter winter.

And tights.

And sweaters.

I added a cream sweater (with a wide v-neck collar - very feminine) to soften it up, and take the look from “lady of the night” to “fashion forward young strawberry blonde on a date with her husband.”

Did I nail it? I mean, if anything, the sweater helps, and the black herringbone print tights also contribute. The booties help a teeny bit, but maybe the low bun in the hair is really what takes it from edgy to modern classy…?

And cool.

Definitely cool.

sweater: American Eagle

skirt: thrifted

tights: I don't remember...

booties: Old Navy

black, purple & gray

  

Again with the dark colors. It's just so easy to wear darks in the winter. Especially gray - one of my favorites. I added some color and texture with my tights, and a bit more with my necklace and boots. I tend to like to wear basic pieces, and then throw in a little something different - like purple patterned tights, or a bright necklace, or...both?

Merry Christmas Eve eve!

sweater: thrifted (J. Crew)

necklace: Kohl's

skirt: from a friend

tights: I don't remember...

boots: The Frye Company via Nordstrom