Summer Work Wardrobe Staple 2.0

Remember when I talked about my love of colored denim? I have another summer work wardrobe staple for you today: the maxi skirt! I have three of them that I wear all the time.

This blue one is one of my favorites. Maxi skirts are great because they are cooler than pants but still work appropriate. And talk about comfy! The next best thing to wearing yoga pants.

Top - Kohls same $6!
Skirt - Target similar $15
Scarf - Gift similar $16.99

I like to wear the blue skirt with these sandals to jazz it up. I got these from Piperlime with a coupon like practically 10 years ago. They're Kenneth Cole Reaction and were dirt cheap! I think I got my moneys worth outta there babies.

These options are pricier that mine were but both cute options!
similar $52.95
similar $35.99

Come back tomorrow for my July 4th mani! You won't want to miss it :)

Independence Day Crafts

Now for some 4th of July crafts I've made over the last few years...

I love making wreaths for the holidays, and this is one of the first ones I made. You can find the instructions for it here. This one is done with maroon, cream & navy, and I also made one using red white & blue that pops a little bit more.

I made these last year, after seeing a similar pair in an email from The Zoe Report. I fell in love but the pair they featured was like $200! No way. This pair I made for probably $10. I used a pair of old white jeans that I already had, and I used wide painters tape to mark out the stripes. For the stars I did purchase some star stickers, and I also purchased the pewter fabric paint. I wore them on the 4th with a cobalt t-shirt!


And this year...

Isn't she beautiful!?! I wanted her to have something to wear for the 4th, but I also wanted her to look like a lady! I had a hard time finding red, white & blue collars to begin with, and the ones I did find were not very girly. So I made this one with some supplies from good ole JoAnn's. It was during one of their sales, so I got everything for like 70% off. The band is just wired ribbon, and the bow was actually part of a girl's headband! I just gently pulled it off the headband (it was only hot glued on) and I secured it to the ribbon with a couple stitches just to make sure it didn't fall off. Then I measured Ruby's neck, cut the ribbon and stitched some Velcro on each end. I can't wait for her to wear it Thursday. And I'll probably paint her nails to match of course ;)

Summer Work Wardrobe Staples

I am  not by any means a fashion blogger, but I have noticed a pattern in my wardrobe lately. It has been pretty hot here in CNY (finally!) so my work wardrobe has transitioned.

Let me tell you about my summer work wardrobe staples. For many, dresses are the answer, and I love dresses as much as the next girl, but I have to be in the mood. And at 8am on a weekday, I am usually NOT. Remember when I told you that I wanted to wear this everyday during the summer? Well I've come up with a similar look, using pieces I already own!

Behold: Colored Denim!

Look 1: Top/Target/Same, Jeans/Target/Similar, Sandals/Just Fab/Similar
Look 2: Top/Kohls/Same, Jeans/Old Navy/Same, Wedges/Aerosoles/Similar
Look 3: Top/Target/Same, Jeans/Target/Similar, Moccasins/Payless/Similar

Colored denim is the perfect compromise. When I'm super sleepy and just want to throw on jeans and a t-shirt, these looks are my go-to because that is exactly what these outfits all consist of! A quick roll at the bottom makes them perfect for warmer weather.

P.S. 10 days til vacation!! It's so close I can feel it :)

That One Time I Bought A Beach Hat

So by now a lot of you know that by this time in 2 weeks I'll be well on my way to skin cancer (I mean SPF 70, sorry mom) on the beaches of Southern North Carolina. And if you don't know already, as each day passes I am less and less able to contain my excitement.

The only thing I'm not excited about? Bathing suit shopping. Raise your hand if you're with me. So while I was at Target buying a bathing suit, this happened:

Now I already know that my sister has an affinity for the floppy beach hat, so I knew what she was going to say. Case in point:

I was using my pasty  porcelain complexion as a reason to justify my purchase as well. I mean if I am going to me spending most of my days on the beach, I should be shading my face right?!

So here's the perpetrator:

ain't she a beaute?

Oh Target..... I don't remember how much it was, I want to say like 12 or 14 bucks. Its straw with gold thread. I mean what's more glam than gold?!

shameless selfie alert

I can't wait to wear this gorgeous thing on the beach!

Linking up with Meighan!

Procrastination Is My Specialty

So I meant to have a mani for you today, and I meant to have a craft for you too (remember when I talked about being accountable?!) Well... I'm sucking at it lol. I guess I just haven't had much motivation lately. So today I'm sharing with you some of my favorite recent pins.

I'm wearing this top today from Kohl's. Right now it's on sale for $14.99 and the picture doesn't really do it justice. Its super cute, super soft and comfortable, and can really be dressed up or down. Right now I'm wearing it with slacks at work, but it could easily be paired with some cutoffs and moto boots, or skinnies and heels for a night out!


Can I have every single one of these please? (including the cookies) 
here


I would like one of these right now please
here


The cutest summer dress! It's unfortunately no longer available, but it's from ModCloth and I'm sure they have a bunch of other cute options


Who else is super excited for Great Gatsby?! See the step-by-step here


Hopefully I will need this article on how to freeze fresh summer veggies! I hope my garden does well!


This pin is gold because I've found out that I like making my own shorts so they can be a length that I'm comfortable in. My body is just not made for itty bitty booty shorts! I usually get jeans at the thrift store for a couple bucks (doesn't even matter if they're too short!)


I want this one to be my summer work uniform! It's so cute! Now if only 10 blazers were in the budget....

Grace Adele & What's In My Purse!

So you guys got a sneak peek of the purses that I got from a Grace Adele party. And since I was switching to my new bag anyway, I thought I would let you guys in on all the junk necessities I take everywhere...

I don't buy purses often, since I usually only switch them seasonally. But the one I've been using was about 30 bucks from Target and it was starting to fall apart. You get what you pay for amiright?

One of the biggest things that sold me on the Grace Adele were the pockets. Inside and outside, major amounts of storage. Sold! Because I really need to be carrying around more stuff obviously...

Another super cool factor, the clutches fit inside the front pocket of the bag, and they totally change up the look! How cool is that?!

Photo bomb alert!
I would also like to point out my sweet little hunter poised to attack. Please note he proceeded to attack me. 

There are a couple combo deals that you can choose from, along with purchasing pieces separately. Probably the most popular is the bag/clutch/wallet combo, but since I got a flashy coach wristlet for by birthday from the BF, the last thing I needed was a new wallet. So the combo I went for was the bag + 2 clutches. I knew I wanted this tan clutch as soon as I saw it:

It came with the long strap. I think this will be a great bag for summer outings like concerts or the State Fair.

Then I also got this purple studded clutch, which I'm envisioning as a great night out bag.

You can't really read the deep purple from this pic, but you can see it against my black bag above

And of course both straps detach so you could also carry them as actual clutches.

Grace Adele has some great spring colors, but as you may have guessed, bright pink and orange aren't really my scene. So I stuck with the darks/neutrals. You can check out their whole line here. You can virtually mix and match all the pieces too to see how they look, which is super helpful when trying to decide.

Oh! And did I mention that Grace Adele is a division of Scentsy?! Who doesn't love Scentsy? :)

So as for what's in my purse, it's actually pretty clean since I'm switching bags. If you really want to envision what the inside of my bag looks like on most days, add about 10 crumpled receipts, some crumbs and some loose change. But here's the low-down...

This picture makes my purse look so empty!! I swear there must be more in there than that. Well there is, because I forgot to include my hand sanitizer and my keys, as well as the virtual pharmacy that I lug around with me. I didn't think that would be very exciting to see.

Anyway, here's the deets:

1. Sunnies. Don't go anywhere with out them. I get teased for wearing them on cloudy days.

2. Misc. beauty products. (BTW all Grace Adele purses come with this clear zippered makeup pouch! Mine holds hand lotion, blotting papers, eleventy-hundred chapsticks, and a nail file.

Because if I don't file a broken nail right away I will pick/chew it down to a nub.

3. Planner, notepad and pen. These barely get used. 

Because I forget to write down the things I want to remember. And then forget those things too.

4. Coach wristlet that was a birthday gift from my boo. I wish I could say there was money in there.

So there's the lowdown, folks. Pretty fab right? Disclaimer: Please excuse my workout clothes from the pictures above. He. Btw, it's Thursday! And that's the day before Friday!! And Friday is the day before the weekend!!! (Gimme a break I'm trying to be optimistic here)

Pretty Pins & A New Spring Mani

I didn't get around to taking pictures for the post I wanted to do today, so I did what any good blogger would do, and I painted my nails and went on Pinterest instead!

I just love the thought of this. It transports me to that summer night! 
here

Can you tell I have summer and vacation on the brain??
here

Found this one just using Google so it's from somewhere random, but it sure is pretty!

I also made this sort of summer "style board"

Sources:
Wagon Wheel Tank - here only $10!
Emerald/wood grain flip flops - Speedo $25
Emerald bikini - Victoria's Secret $68
Aqualillies for Tarte waterproof makeup palette - Sephora $38
Messy bun with side braid here

Pretty sure I'll be rocking those nails some time this summer so look out for a tutorial!

And that spring mani I talked about earlier:

1- I used whatever base coat I had laying around. I haven't found one that I'm in love with yet.

2- Two coats of color (At least. I think the pink I did 3) 

3- Used my trusty painters tape to make the chevrons. I folded the tape in half sticky side out to make sure the cut was symmetrical. I actually wish the navy line on my middle finger was a little thicker.

4- Essie 'No Chips Ahead' (Best top coat ever!)

5- Voila!!

I had never used L'Oreal polish before (I had a coupon) but I do like it. I was skeptical because I had tried Maybelline's new polish and did not care for it at all. It was super watery, I think I had to use like 5 coats. So I was pleasantly surprised by the L'Oreal, not to mention i love the teal-ish navy color! As far as the Sally Hansen, this coral is from their Complete Salon Manicure line and I have a couple of different colors from it. I love the shape of the brush, it widens out when you paint with it and you can almost do your whole nail in one swipe!

So that's pretty much is for today. I'm linking up with Shanna! And hopefully I can get my act together and have something fun for you tomorrow :)