Last bits of summer...

If you follow many fashion blogs, you will probably read this same type of thing: it’s that magical time of year where you need a jacket or sweater at the beginning of the day, but it is hot in the afternoon. It can be described as the ideal, favorite, or perfect type of weather – and I would agree! I wish it were like this all. of. the. time!

 

I LOVE the bright colors in this dress, and it is so soft and comfy! I have so many colored cardigans that I could throw over this in lieu of the jean jacket.

 

Nieves Lavi Frida Maxi Dress – Anthropologie (via eBay)

Jean Jacket – TJ Maxx

Apt 9 Necklace – Kohl’s (similar to Anthropologie’s Blossomed Garden Necklace)

Mossimo Wedges – Target (similar to Seychelle’s that were sold at Anthropologie)

Consignment Shopping

Are you shopping consignment? If not, you should be!

 

I am sure people think I have a lot of clothes. I am not going to lie – I do. BUT, I am a savvy shopper and rarely pay full price for anything! I will share some tips here on how to save and plan your closet.

 

Not only do I shop consignment, but I also use consignment when I clean out my closet. Of course, I donate as well, but if I want to sell a piece of clothing and don’t feel like going through the hassle of eBay, consignment is great. Sure, you only get a % of what it sells for, but they do all the work for you. My local shop has what is called “drop and dash” so it’s really easy if you already have an account set up.

 

Consignment is becoming so popular, there is even a TV show about it! I love watching Resale Royalty on the Style network. The demand to consign is so great, my local store was so full this season they were not accepting any new inventory for about a month!

 

When my local store (My Style, Your Style) started up, I had met the owner at an Art Fair I was doing. She approached me to sell my work at her store. After selling jewelry there for a while, I soon started bringing my clothes there too and the rest is history! I’ve been a loyal customer ever since. When I get to thinking about it, everyone who supplies them is just like me – people who love fashion and keep their clothes in great shape…….. some even with the tags still on! Ladies who like to change up their wardrobe on a regular basis.

 

Without further ado, I wanted to highlight some of my best finds from My Style, Your Style:

 

Who hates paying a ton of money for special occasion shoes? Shoes that usually hurt anyway and you will never wear again? Well, here is a great example on how to avoid that. I wore these shoes to the wedding I was in this past weekend. I got them at MYSY for $10. They were brand new with the tags still on them. Satin peep toe, t-strap wedges with a flower detail? Too cute! Believe it or not, they were comfy the ENTIRE day too! These are so me, that I will certainly incorporate them into other outfits as well. (I will get into my eBay searching skills in another post, but I was able to track these same shoes down for another one of the bridesmaids on there.)

I got my red jeans at MSYS for $3 or $4 I believe! I LOVE these things and as you can see, I wear them a lot!

A staple piece like a jean jacket goes with most EVERYTHING! But if you go to a name brand store, or department store, you will pay on average $60-$70 for one. Once again, MSYS comes through with one from the Gap and I think I paid around $15 for it.

You never know what kind of “gem” you are going to find at a consignment shop, especially one that curates only name brand clothing. I now enjoy stopped at shops in other cities whenever I can!

Wedding Party Bling

My dear friends wedding finally arrived this past weekend! My Matron of Honor duties have come to a close, after planning showers, Girls Night Out, helping with decor projects, etc.... It turned out so beautiful! I wish I could show you some pictures, but I was a bad MOH and did not take any. I was so busy with other things though that I am sure you will understand. I know so many people who took pictures so I am anxious to see them.

 

I did, however, take pics of the jewelry I was asked to make for the wedding party before handing it off to the bride. I cannot take credit for the design, as we took inspiration from pieces that looked like this, but I just love how they turned out! Very vintage feel! I know for sure that I will wear mine again and again, as it has a very classic look. Rhinestones and pearls? You just can't go wrong....

Matching earrings.....

I just love seeing all this bling together!

Widest of them all......

By now you know my love of wide leg pants, and this most recent acquisition (on sale from Anthropologie) is probably the widest yet! I had to have these hemmed, and I am contemplating going a little bit shorter yet because I was still stepping on them with wedges on. I love the chevron print on these and it certainly gives the eye an optical illusion, often making it hard to tell they are even pants as they look like a skirt. I also love the brown, black & white combo. Some sections are black and white tweed look which gives the appearance of grey.

Elevenses Chevron Wide Legs - Anthropologie
Arctic Feather Earrings - Anthropologie
Apt. 9 Black Sweater - Kohl's
Jean Jacket - TJ Maxx
Apt. 9 Aviator Sunglasses - Kohl's
Mossimo Patricia Wedges - Target

A Peacock & A Project

I mentioned in my last post that there are some major life changes over here.... my husband took a new job that is about an hour and a half further East here in Michigan, so we will be moving! I have a wonderful job where I work from home half of my time, so our goal is to settle in a place where it is still feasible for me to commute into the office when I need to. Our house is on the market, and we have worked so hard to make it look it's best. It is truly exhausting to make it look perfect every night/morning, not knowing if someone might be coming to look at it. Because of this, my creative muse has taken a vacation. Usually, I can leave projects laid about in my studio, but not now. Everything must be cleaned up daily! Needing to fuel the need to do something creative, I needed a project that would be quick, easy, and not require a lot of involvement.

 

I had seen these painted rhinestone necklaces on Pinterest, and thought they were pretty cool. Especially with my love of statement necklaces. I got my necklace at H & M, and I used nailpolish/clearcoat. My original plan included painting all of the little beads in between each section, but I am glad I left them clear.

 Before

 After

 Oh shiny!

 And here is the necklace in action! Cobalt blue tee and green jeans are INC Concepts from Macy's. My black wedges I have had forever from Steinmart. The new piece though..... oh the new piece. A few months ago Anthropologie re-released classic designs for the 20th Anniversary. In this post, I talk about how I had collected many of the originals over the years via eBay. Well, I had never seen this peacock sweater before. I was instantly in love! The collection sold out fast, and I have no regrets snatching one up right away (at full price, gasp!).

 I need to plan to wear my hair up though when I wear this, because the back is truly what makes it! As it was, my hair was very different today...... This is my hair just washed and dried. Usually, I have it perfectly parted, backcombed, and sprayed into place. So this is very unusual for me. My hair is so fine and straight, it is constantly in my face like this - ugh!

My little photo bomber!

And just for the record, his hair is just as fine and straight! Mama's boy!

Black & White/Dressy & Casual/Curly & Straight

Hiya, it's been a while I know! I have so many changes going on in my life right now, but I am excited to get back into blogging! I wanted to share a few recent looks that have similarities and differences. They are similar in that they are both black and white colors, and both feature an owl. They are different because one is dressy and the other is casual, and if you really want to get down to it in one I have my hair curled and the other straight.

 

 I just love owls, and I picked up these 2 pieces quite reasonably recently. The sweater is from Kohl's and the short sleeved sweatshirt is from Macy's. The sweatshirt has little studs on it so I thought it went great with my go-to studded sandals that I often feature here. Both tops are so great in this transitional weather!

 

Left Look:
Apt 9 Animal Sweater - Kohl's
Meadow Rue Waverly A-Line Skirt - Anthropologie
Unlisted "Webpage" Wedges - Steinmart

Right Look:
Style & Co. Short Sleeve Cuffed Printed Sweatshirt - Macy's
A.N.A. Black Jeggings - JC Penney
Candies Sandals - Kohl's