40% Off Ends Tonight!

 It's a busy Sunday for us, as we've been enjoying so much Summer fun that our house went into disarray! So today is lots of cleaning and catch up, but I wanted to do a quick post because Anthropologie's extra 40% off sale items ends tonight!

 I wore this easy outfit grocery shopping this morning. The top is an item I got this week from Anthropologie. It was originally $68 marked down to $29.95 plus the 40% off! The artist who drew the design, Danielle Kroll, is someone whose work you will find often at Anthropologie. I have a tote bag from her as well that I bought a few years ago that I haven't featured on here yet.

 We've long loved Egyptian culture, so of course I was drawn to this print. You can adjust the shoulders with the drawstring like ties which have beads on the ends. Since it's a button up shirt, you could also wear it open (I feel it needs a tank underneath no matter what) or tied. Lots of options. But today, I just wore it loose with jeans and Birkenstocks (yes, I do wear sandals other than my favorite Payless ones). I wore my Mayan cartouche necklace, which is my name in Mayan symbols that I got on my honeymoon. I know it's different civilizations so hopefully I am not committing too much of a faux paus.

 With the 40% off sale ending tonight, I wonder what this means? Will Anthro just reduce the extra percentage off going forward? Make new markdowns? Hmmmmm. At any rate, I suggest checking out the sale for some good deals!

Brooklynite Printed Top : Anthropologie

Mossimo High Rise Distressed Jeans : Target

Birkenstocks : Moran's Consignment in Chelsea

Necklace : Mexico

Jessica Simpson Sunglasses : TJ Maxx



The Ruffle Sleeve

 Ruffled sleeves are just one of the many trends right now. Some are so exaggerated and "unwearable" to me, that I had not purchased any yet. My upper arms, even when I am in better shape, have always been large so why would I want to emphasis that? And the long sleeve versions I would think would constantly be in the way - working and eating are two activities that especially come to mind.

 When I saw this cute print at The Loft, I knew I had to have it. The fact that it has ruffled sleeves is just an added detail as it was not a deciding factor in the purchase. The print reminds me of Rifle Paper Co., which, trust me you've seen these prints on just about everything! Anthropologie carried some clothing items a few years ago with these prints and they sold out quickly and are hard to find. Besides this blouse, The Loft also has a dress, pants and skirt in this print.

 When I first got this blouse, I wore it with my navy wide leg pants (picture at end for reference) and I DID NOT like the proportions once I got home and edited the pictures. I like it much better paired with jeans - here a crop flare leg with raw hem. The morning of these pictures, I was heading to Richard's field trip at LEGOLAND (about an hour and a half away). I knew I wanted to stop and get some coffee and treat for breakfast, and since it was on the way I went to Zou Zou's in Chelsea. It was the most beautiful Summer morning and I really cherish these quiet moments alone that I can sneak in once in a while.

 Summer Floral Tiered Sleeve Top : Loft

Mossimo High Rise Flare Crop Raw Hem Jeans : Target

Sandals : Payless

Jessica Simpson Sunglasses : TJ Maxx

Anthropologie Tassel Necklace : TJ Maxx

Here's the top with the wide legs that I did not like. The pants are from Old Navy and the sandals are Blowfish from Zulily.

Metallic Blooms

 Oh Free People..... why are your clothes either 10 times too big or so small they wouldn't have fit me even when I was 12? This shirt is an extra small. Yeah, no way on this earth have I ever been an extra small!?!?! I love flowy, but this is definitely a case where I am glad I bought this top in person (during a rare trip to Macy's) rather than online!

 The peacock print caught my eye right away! Besides the blue/white, it also comes in black and purple. The blue/white reminds me of chinoiserie décor. I enjoyed wearing it long and loose, but like seeing how some of the retail sites show it tucked in or tied to try in the future. Such a cool and comfy blouse to throw on with some skinny jeans! I got a good deal at Macy's, but you can search this blouse and find it on a variety of sites and then just watch the price. Just remember.... size down!!!

 Free People Metallic Blooms Blouse - Macy's

Mossimo High Rise Jeggings - Target

Sandals - Payless

Laundry Room Update

Since I like to share home décor from time to time - especially if it's DIY - I thought I'd share some recent projects from our laundry/mud room. We painted it a rust color and freshened up the white trim too. We had been using coat hooks that were there when we bought the house, but they weren't very practical for a few reasons - one of which was the kids couldn't reach so they'd throw their coats on the floor as soon as we walked into the house and I'd have to step over them until I set everything down to hang them up.

Jon found a bunch of railroad spikes behind his office and we hatched the idea to make them into hooks. We needed something to attach them to, so we headed to The Antique Mercantile (where I used to have my booth). It seems they always have what we were looking for - in this case an old farm door! Once we had it home, we planned out how many hooks we wanted and the spacing. We then cut them down to the right size and Jon drilled a hole in the back so that we could attach them to the door (the same way you would attach a pull to a drawer). There are 3 rows, the lowest for the boys. We had a scrap piece of wood left, since the door had to be cut down a bit to fit the space, so I stenciled a "laundry" sign. Pallet signs are all the rage right now, whether handmade or store bought. I haven't felt the need to go to a workshop to make once since we usually have all the supplies on hand to be creative. 

As we're coming up on 3 years in our house, we are really enjoying continuing to put our personality into it! If you ever have any questions about the DIY we do, let me know!

Butterfly Culottes

The time period between having my two boys, I was REALLY into crazy printed wide leg pants - mostly all from Anthropologie, duh! Sadly, none of them fit me anymore. I loved this silk butterfly pair that Anthro sold last year, but never pulled the trigger on them. They showed up on one of the buy/sell/trade boards so it was finally my chance to own them.

My size may have changed, but difficulty in photographing wide leg pants sure didn't! They are hard to show without looking too awkward. I first starting pairing these with brown and olive green tops...... but then I tried blue and I loved how it made the blue in the pants pop. I got this chambray peplum last year and didn't know why I hadn't worn it yet. But now, seeing this pictures and knowing I ironed it before I left the house only to have it still look wrinkled is perhaps the reason. No time for high maintenance here!

Levi's Sleeveless Peplum Top : JC Penney

Elevenses Mariposa Silk Culottes : Anthropologie (via buy/sell/trade board)

Blowfish Malibu Sandals : Zulily

Get the Look for Less : Floral Tote

Right about this time last year, I bought the floral tote on the right from Zulily. I am really drawn to dark, moody florals - especially ones that remind me of oil paintings.

 

I've been really happy with this tote, and now, even happier with the deal I got as a more expensive version has shown up on Anthropologie's website. This has happened to me on more than one occasion - buying something I like and then seeing it or something similar at Anthropologie. It just further confirms how much Anthro's style speaks to me and hits my demographic.

 

So let's talk the differences - besides the price tag. Anthro's version is leather and mine is not. However, I prefer faux as it is easier to clean and is better with wear and tear. On Anthro's version, the straps are wrapped in the same printed material and mine are brown. And.... that's about it!

 

I bought mine on Zulily and the brand is Rebecca & Rifka. While Zulily no longer has it, a quick search shows you can find this brand on Amazon, eBay, etc...... And here is the link to Anthropologie's Romantic Florals Tote.

Below is a snap of the blog post (link here) where I carried the bag last July. 

Plaid Peplum

I mentioned recently that I had a streak of bad luck with some items that came in the mail. That streak is broken because I got 3 packages the other day and they were all winners!

Anthropologie is holding their Summer Tag Sale, and right now all sale items are an additional 30% off. This cute plaid peplum top is one of the items I bought. These mildly distressed jeans have quickly become my favorite lately and of course I am wearing my favorite Payless sandals from a few years ago. 

This top is has an oversized fit, so you could certainly size down. I just love the colors and I found one of my cheap beaded necklaces from Meijer to match it.

Holding Horses "Mina" Plaid Top - Anthropologie

Mossimo High Rise Distressed Jeans - Target

Sandals - Payless

Necklace - Meijer

Sunglasses - TJ Maxx

Linking up with The Pleated Poppy

Second Time Around

Here are some pictures I've been sitting on for a few weeks, of some existing pieces just worn in different variations. The first time I wore my handmade jacket, it was over a solid orange dress. Here it is over a solid pink dress. Not ground breaking, but I haven't been confident enough to wear it with anything but a basic dress. I am thinking maybe black & white stripes next time.

 

Speaking of this pink LuLaRoe Carly dress I first wore here, I get so much wear out of this! We just came back from vacation where I used the dress as a swimsuit cover up but also wore it to the park and dinner. I wore it on the drive home which lead into a trip to the grocery store later in the day. Trying to get back into routine here and gear up for the rest of the crazy busy Summer.

Pink Carly Dress - LuLaRoe

Chap Jacket - Kohl's - embellished by me

Sandals - Payless