These are NOT pajama pants!

Much to my husband’s disagreement, these are not pajama pants. Sure, they have an elastic waistband. And yes, they are loose and comfy. Crazy print? Check.

I will admit though that they feel like pajamas – they are great! But believe me – I wouldn’t be caught dead in public with my pajama pants on. I don’t know what changed in society to make people think it is okay to go out in your pajamas!?!?!?! It makes me shake my head in disgust every time I see it.

These are Palazzo pants and I’ve been seeing them around a lot lately. I got this particular pair at Kohl’s, however they are not on their website any longer. But you might be able to still snag a pair at your local store. As soon as I saw these I was intrigued. I loved the jewel colored design which reminded me of peacock feathers. That leaves a lot of options for a top and accessory pairing. Because the pants are so full, I recommend a form fitting top to balance everything out. The black sweater and belted jeweled purple blouse I’ve shown here are also all from Kohl’s but from previous years. I would also recommend a heeled or wedge shoe instead of flats. I’m wearing my favorite black wedges.

I make sure I tell Jon every time I get a compliment on these. We tease each other in these ways…….

I love these so much, I wouldn’t mind adding these from Anthropologie once they hit sale! And the best part? They are super friendly for Mom duties, such as:

the zoo.......

 an outdoor concert......

 ...... and a first haircut.

Up, up and a (give)away!

Back to balloons, but this will be the last post on them for a bit now…….

The last piece of balloon clothing I have to show is this dress by Leifnotes called “Up, Up and Away” (from Anthro). It was my submission for this weeks reader outfits on the EA blog. It is super soft and comfy – pretty much effortless to throw on. The rest of the outfit includes:

Vogue sunglasses & statement necklace – c/o TJ Maxx

Belt – Apt 9 c/o Kohl’s

Sandals – Unlisted “Web Page”

As far as adding more balloons to my closet, I am currently coveting this dress and this sweater, provided they get marked way, way down to my price range. I think the dress would be cute with a red cardi and shoes to pull out the red in the pattern. As for the sweater, I tried it on the last time I was at Anthro so I knew what size I would need once it does go on sale and/or hits eBay or one of the trade markets. Since the closest store to me is an hour away, this is good info to have so that I don’t have to purchase in person. It’s going to look great with skinny jeans and boots!

I thought I’d share one last local pic I have from the festivities last week. This is one of the many team trucks that can been seen around town, with their basket loaded up. While they do have 2 daily launches and other activities, they also have free time so you will see them around town (shopping here for example). When the balloons are in the air, you will see these trucks scurrying around so they can be at the location where their balloon is going to land. So, one could be a balloon chaser! I have not done this yet but I think it would be fun. The other thing I have not done yet is go on a hot air balloon ride. But I would love to! Maybe that should be my goal for next year! I sure have the clothes to match an event like that!

And now, as promised, I would like to giveaway one of my handmade hot air balloon necklaces to a lucky reader! There are 6 to choose from, so leave a comment stating which one is your favorite. If you blog, tweet or facebook the giveaway, you will earn a second entry (just let me know which you did). The balloon pendants are handmade by the lovely Jade Scott – they are made out of copper, decorative papers, and resin. I have beaded matching strands for each of them to float on so each one is unique, one of a kind, different lengths, etc…..

Thanks for following my recent obsession with balloons, and good luck in the giveaway! I will announce the winner next Wednesday, September 5^th (my birthday)!

Beach Treasures

 

Because I forgot to load some pictures last night, I am taking a break from my balloon posts. But be sure to check back tomorrow for the final post and a giveaway!

So today, I thought I’d show this dress with the matching necklace I made. This is Meadow Rue’s “Beach Treasures” Dress from Anthropologie. I must say, when I saw this dress online it was easy to overlook. From afar, the print just does not look that interesting. It wasn’t until Anthro featured it on Facebook that I realized it was a photo print of washed up trinkets from the shoreline. I knew immediately that if I got the dress I wanted to make a necklace to match. Jewelry pieces inspired by sand and water are always popular, classic, and appealing, and I love beach combing whenever possible.

Before I get into what I designed, let’s talk about the dress. It has a very Grecian feel to it, with its’ draping on top and soft flowy material. I love the asymmetrical hem. As you can tell by my hair holding, it was a windy day. To keep with the weathered feel, I found an old weathered building to snap some shots at. I threw a little sweater over this frock for work, and the sandals are from a few years ago (A.N.A. c/o JC Penney).

For the necklace, my focal is a piece of blue and white pottery which you can see in the print of the dress. The chunky strands are a carefully curated collection of wood slices, stone chips, shells, and rough quartz (which look like beach glass). I tried to pull all of the objects and colors represented in the dress into the mix. I am so pleased how it turned out! I think Anthro would be proud. Hey, how does a gal get to come design jewelry for you? In my dreams, right?

More hot air.....

 

So here's another outfit I wore this week, and I stopped on over at the Leila Arboretum to take these shots. I guess when you are not lucky enough to catch a close up picture of a balloon, you can admire this one that is always in the Children's Garden. I like the shot looking up into it too! Definitely have to bring Richard back here to explore!

Hot Air Balloon skirt - Talbots - found on eBay

Navy tank (not visible) - Old Navy

Jean Jacket - TJ Maxx

Sandals - a.n.a. from JC Penney from a few years ago

I am just looking over the Official Souvenir Program for the balloons, and there are 32 countries represented! That's amazing to think about how far competitors travel to partake in this event. It's a great boost for our local economy, as I know I've seen lots of the teams shopping and dining around town this week.

Balloons up in here!

Much like Shark Week on the Discovery Channel, we here in Battle Creek have “Balloon Week”. This year marks the 20^th Anniversary of the World Hot Air Balloon Championship! Every morning and evening (between 7-9 in both instances) the balloons launch across the city. I know there are all kinds of technicalities they try to achieve, but instead of learning all of that I just enjoy watching them glide across the sky ever so gracefully. After living here for 10 years, it never gets old. It makes me stop whatever I am doing – even driving – to just sit and watch them.

Hot air balloons have been popping up a lot in fashion too, which has been fun for me now that I have grown this connection to them. It’s perfect for a gal like me too, who loves whimsical prints. Over the next few days, I thought I’d show what I’ve been wearing in support of these beauties and on the last post I plan to giveaway a hot air balloon necklace I made!

Dress – Elevenses (Anthropologie brand) found on eBay for a steal

Necklace – popular statement design (as seen at Anthropologie, J. Crew, ect…) found at TJ Maxx for $12.99!!! Where else can you get a visual impact like that for so cheap?

Heels – to pull out the pink balloons on the dress (from Bakers many years ago)

I’ll also post any pics I can grab during the festivities, such as the ones I took this morning……. The balloons finally made it to my side of town (the North side) so I snapped these after dropping Richard off at daycare. I don’t have the type of camera that best captures their magnificence, but that still doesn’t stop me from taking them! I counted 75….. 75 balloons!!! Love it!