Summer Prints

Holy Moly!!  Is it August already?  I am still living in the past - back to June - where I took a week long vacation with my boyfriend and his family.  We vacationed at Martha's Vineyard and it was just the escape I needed!  My days went something like this: Wake up with coffee on the back porch while looking at the beach, go to the beach, come home for dinner, shower, head back to the beach (with wine) to catch the sunset, back home to sleep, repeat.  Martha's Vineyard is huge about outdoor showering - like, every house has a private outdoor shower.  It was secluded and still had a perfect view of the beach.

Another reason I like the beach so much is it requires no make-up!  Big hat, sunglasses, sunscreen ,and a bathing suit.  You're all set!  Packing is rather easy - I think I packed one dress for a 'nice dinner', two outfits (hint: this is one ...) to hit the towns in, three pairs of shoes....aaaand 5 bathing suits and 5 swimsuit cover ups.  Just because I'm on the beach without makeup doesn't mean I actually want to look like a bum...

This dress from New York and Company was flowy enough that I could wear it the day after eating a big lobster dinner and consuming glasses and glasses of wine.  The Panama hat is a must when you're out in the sun all day. I couldn't resist the gladiator sandals either. They were a fun twist for this summer dress and, thankfully, I did not have a tan line at the end of the day. {That would have been awkward}

We went into Oak Bluffs this day which is the more 'touristy' spot among the three towns. Any souvenir you want you will find in Oak Bluffs. I purchased a shirt I had my eye on last year. To my surprise, it was half off this summer! My buyer's remorse paid off for once!!!

Dress - NY & CO
Hat - Marshall's
Necklace - Francesca's
Jacket - American Eagle {old}
Shoes - DSW {These are on super sale}


 

Collaboration

 

 

I'm so, sooo happy to talk about my collaboration with one of my best friends!  This isn't the first time that I've blogged about Amber - she was also the main event of my very first post from March last year!  She had just accepted the proposal of marriage to her ol' ball and chain, Danny ;) Their wedding was March of this year and I wish we could relive that night over and over again!  Amber and I basically did relive her wedding night over because we went through their 4,000 camera roll of pics from their photographer, Martin Digital. Amaaaazing photos, by the way!

 

Anyway!  Amber just started a blog of her own and I couldn't be more proud of her!  She is an art teacher in Cincinnati and is so creative! Whenever I have the urge to be crafty, she's my go to person for advice!  One of her blog posts is about Bucket Lists, which really inspired me to make a bucket list of my own.  I have so many things that I want to do or accomplish in my lifetime - everything is just milling around in my head.  Might as well get it down on paper so I have a constant reminder of my goals.  We had a lot of fun making our lists - and we looked cute doing it :)

 

Having a bucket list reminds me that there are no limits.  A bucket list isn't someone else telling me what I should do or how to live my life - my list contains my own thoughts (...and maybe a couple from Amber's list that I copied....).  There are already a number of things that I've accomplished I never thought possible - recording a song, moving to another state by myself, and conquering my fear of heights with the slip n fly (http://www.ohiodreams.com/photos/slip-n-fly).  Now that I've created a list, I'm looking forward to checking each item off and who knows what else I will add to the list?!

 

My outfit:

Shirt - Marshall's

Necklace - Shop Hope's

Leggings - H&M

Shoes - DSW

 

Amber's outfit:

Shirt - H&M

Necklace - Francesca's

Leggings - Marshall's

 

Notebooks - Kate Spade

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 



To Mom, WIth Love

....And then my mom decided to change so she didn't clash with the prints!

Our new family dog, Ben!

Happy Mother's Day to my Mom!! She is such a beautiful person inside and out so it was time to get her out from behind the camera!  She's taught me to be the person that I am today.  She's my rock, my role model, my best friend.  We talk for hours on the phone every week - sharing recipes, decorating tips, accomplishments, embarrassing moments, updates, gossip, etc.  I can't imagine my life without her.  From her big smile to her big heart, if I become half of the woman that she is, it would be my biggest accomplishment in life.

My mom and I like the same type of fashion, but we feel comfortable in different types of clothes.  To show off our own style, we started with the same pair of shoes and worked our way up. These Franco Sarto dress sandals are a great neutral color and extremely comfortable!  I would highly suggest any type of shoe that's Franco Sarto - great price point and quality that doesn't break the bank.

In the warmer months, I tend to wear a lot of skirts and dresses while my mom said she's more likely to be found in capris and a flowy shirt.  My favorite accessory is anything that shines.  My mom's favorite accessory is hoop earrings - gold, silver, bronze, she has a pair in every color.  I guess she's still an 80's girl at heart :)

Here's a couple other questions I asked my mom throughout our discussion over some mimosas:

What's your favorite thing about being a mom?
Kids.  Watching you and your brother grow up and becoming so smart.  You're both good kids.  So, enjoying my kids is the best thing about being a mom.

What would be your advice to new moms?
Enjoy your kids at every age because they grow up too quick.  Even when they're going through their terrible two's, enjoy your kids.

Can you think of any favorite memories about being a mom?
To you?  Or you and your brother?

Mmmm....me :)
Reading all of your Disney and Minnie Mouse books.  We read all of the time so we had them memorized.  On the way to preschool, I would have to tell you the story of the Little Mermaid.  Every time I would skip a part to make the story end faster, I always got caught.  You would tell me, "mom, that's not right!  You forgot...." And I would have to go back and add in the part that I skipped over.


Dress - NY&CO
Necklace - Shop Hope's
Shoes - DSW

Sunday Best

I hope everyone had an amazing weekend! I was home and celebrating Easter with my family. As a kid, I loved having an Easter egg hunt! Now, I love wearing my Sunday best. The brighter the colors the better! I chose this neon coral midi dress from the Eva Mendes collection at New York and Company. The midi length is something I'm still getting used to. I'm 5'3" so when the length of the skirt/dress hits my calf, I look a lot shorter than I am! Throwing on a pair of heels adds height to my look. To make this outfit more modern, I threw on a gold turban headband. These headbands are my new favorite thing! I love how they jazz up any outfit. 

Stay tuned for more looks that incorporate turbans and bright colors! Here's to hoping that spring is here to stay!

Lady in Red

Valentine's Day is almost here...  You either love it or you hate it!  I, myself, love this "holiday" I love wearing pink and red, wearing hearts, and eating chocolates!  I also have big plans to raid every nearby grocery store on Sunday when the candy is 50%... I need enough reese's to last until the Halloween candy sale...

Anyway, I digress....Red is a daring color.  I decided to be bold and wear all red - lips, nails, dress, shoes.. I mean, go big or go home, right?!  I wore a 'tiffany blue' heart necklace for a pop of color against all of the red. 

We had beautiful weather last weekend!  It was warm enough for me to take pics outside in the sun.  Valentine's Day is going to be a high of 7, so my boyfriend and I are staying in and making sushi.. Hiding from the crowd and the cold!

Next weekend I'm headed to Nashville for a bachelorette party!  Stay tuned for some honky tonk fun....

Dress - Charming Charlie
Shoes - Shop Hope's
Necklace - Tiffany & Co
Planner - Kate Spade New York

A Bathrobe as Public Attire?

 

Every time I wear this cardigan in public, I always feel like I'm in my robe. It's comfy, it's warm, and it's fashionable - just like my bathrobe ;)

 

I love the aztec print of this cardigan. The colors are beautiful and the best part is, it was a sample sale item so I didn't pay close to what the tag said. Winning! I stayed with the neutral pallette but did add a necklace to bring out more colors.  I can't wait to style this sweater again.  I love the blue threads hidden amongst the aztec print.

 

I'm guilty of wearing leggings every chance I get.  It was a no brainer to pair them with this long sweater. For extra warmth, I also paired my olive leggings with legwarmers and boots.

 

How about the beautiful artwork in the background?  It's a mural in my hometown behind the hotel I used to work at.  I have no information on who painted it or who the people in the mural represent, but it's beautiful. Thank you, mystery artist, for painting a perfect background for my photo shoot! 

P.s. I can't help but break into song whenever I see it... "there goes the baker with his tray, like always..." If you grew up a disney princess fan, then you know where I'm going with that ;)

 

 

Aztec sweater - Hollister

Shirt - Marshalls

Leggings - Forever 21

Boots - DSW

Leg warmers - DSW

Necklace - DSW

Watch - Michael Kors