February Round Up!

Here's February at a glance... now, who's ready for March!?!? (me, me, me!)

Looking at the month in one glance looks like I wore a lot of black and grey with a few pops of color, lots of layers and lots of coats.  Here's to hoping for a warm (-er?) (-ish?)  March!

Also... head on over to Makeunder My Life today to check me out on "keeping it real" - warning... it's not pretty!

3 way to wear pastels - pre-spring! {work it wednesday}

Pastels are definitely on the upswing for spring and summer.  And while I am loving all the sherbet-y hues that are popping up in the stores - they don't seem particularly practical for right now.  You know? But here I pulled together three pre-spring appropriate outfits that have you rocking pastels now.  Why wait?

For the first outfit I paired a pastel top with a neutral blazer and boots... swap the boots out for flats when the snow thaws!  Then I paired a nice pastel sweater with some rockin' skinny jeans for a night out on the town.  Lastly, a simple and casual outfit featuring pastel jeans with a fun striped top!

(above: jeans, necklace, top, blazer, boots, clutch)

(above: black jeans, sweater, pumps, necklace, bangle bracelets, clutch)

(above: jeans, sweater, glasses, scarf, bracelet, flats)

my outfit: leopard!

match made in heaven: orange + navy!

I am both obsessed with these colors individually this spring and obsessed with these colors together for spring.  It's definitely a bold pairing, but ever since first seeing this outfit, I am convinced it works when done right.  And since I am so in love with these colors... I brought you an extra dose of color today!  Hopefully this post doesn't seem to long... it was so difficult to narrow down my favorites!

And I should mention... ALL of the items featured here are UNDER $100... and almost half are even under $50!  So shop until your heart is content ladies!

(above: orange tunic, navy blazer, scarf, necklace, ring, shoes - obsessed!, clutch, striped top, gathered skirt)

(above: orange bangle, navy bangle, orange wrap bracelet, clutch, earrings, drape top, navy dress - love this!, nail polish: orange/blue, pumps, shorts)

(above: bangle bracelet, ring, striped sweater - love the mint with these colors!, striped tote, navy v-neck, orange v-neck, flats, navy trousers)

my outfit: neon + fur!

wardrobe consult: Ms. E!

Today's wardrobe consult features a few outfits I recently pulled together for Ms. E.  She is a full time college student that wants to add some maturity and sophistication to her wardrobe.  She's starting to look at internships and wants business casual outfits that can double duty for classes as well.  I chose some fun and colorful pieces and paired them with classics like skinny jeans, black pants and a blazer to get a youthful but still mature look.

(above: green dress, blazer, necklace, wedges)

(above: earrings, black pants, polka dot top, jacket, wedges)

(above: earrings, trousers, striped top, blazer, wedges)

(above: necklace, skinny jeans, tank top, jacket, wedges)

For more information on my wardrobe consultation services... click here!

spring preview: Topshop!

I'm going to try and bring you a few more spring previews as quite a few of you have said you enjoy them... then this week it will be back to regularly scheduled posting - for those of you that enjoy that as well!

Today I have Topshop... while some of their pieces are a little over priced (in my opinion) I always love that Topshop offers fresh and minimalist pieces.  It's often difficult to find such streamlined pieces in regular mall stores.  And they do it each and every season.  This spring is no different.  Staples such as blouses, red trousers, white blazers, metallic flats and feminine dresses abound.  These are just a few of my personal favorites.

(above: green maxi dress, white blazer, pink sweater, lavender jeans, scarf, flats, tassel necklace)

(above: red trousers, black blouse, tote, hat, glitter sandals, chain bracelets)

spring preview: Madewell!

The spring previews march on today (get it... "march") with Madewell.  Madewell is of course J.Crew's uber coo hipster cousin.  I love that they take standard fare and make it special with fantastic colors and fabrics.

Their entire spring line is hip and casual and would easily integrate into any casual wardrobe.  My personal favorites are the simple but beautiful blouses, classic pumps (love the green!), funky sunglasses and of course the white jeans.  Bring on spring!

(above: fox ring, boyfriend jeans, white blouse, red sweatshirt, navy tunic, messenger bag, sunglasses, green pumps)

(above: maxi dress, leopard pumps, orange belt, white jeans, navy blouse, chambray top, striped top)

Are you enjoying these spring previews? Would you like more or have you seen enough!?!? Pipe up!

my outfit: is it spring yet?

spring preview: Gap!

Spring previews continue today with the Gap!  I've long been a diehard Gap fan and I was excited to see that this spring they have seriously upped the ante with their fun take on the classics.  Again, color abounds - including some fun neons - and colored jeans and pants rule.

I am particularly in love with the belted cape/trench (very cool!), the distressed jeans (I just can't help myself), the pink dress (with pockets!) and the cropped buttery leather pants (swoon! but totally impractical!)... other than that the bold colors and simple silhouettes make me want just about one of everything else!  I have some serious crushes here...

(above: belted cape/trench, neon v-neck, polka dot scarf, wedges, orange tote, distressed jeans)

(above: blue button front top, striped top, pink trench, lilac skinny jeans, pink dress, leather pants)

my outfit: winter wear!

3 ways to wear printed pants! {work it wednesday!}

For today's Work It Wednesday I revisited the wild printed pants that I featured for last Sunday's post.  After I posted about them, I couldn't stop thinking about them!  And while they are not cheap... they are gorgeous! I'm hoping some of the less expensive brands get on the printed pant bandwagon this fall so I can snatch some up at a decent price.

In the meantime I had a blast pulling together some fun outfits inspired by these pants!  If you have your eye on a pair of similar pants, I think that the components that I chose here would easily mix and match with any style of printed pants.  I chose simple classics like a black sweater, a chambray top and a white blouse... see for yourself!

(above: pants, blouse, earrings, clutch, shoes)

(above: pants, top, flats, necklace, nail polish, bag)

(above: pants, ring, sweater, earrings, clutch, pumps)

~~~

A quick note of "thanks" for supporting my (albeit disappointing) decision to suspend the link-up portion of Work It Wednesday... I really, really appreciated each note you gals left!  

If you are up to linking-up, PLEASE do so in the comments!

my outfit: a pop of pink!

spring preview: J.Crew!

Spring previews continue this week with a look at J.Crew.  They never disappoint and while nothing in their spring line shouts "newer, bigger or better" - I love that they stay true to their style while adding updated silhouettes and colors.  It's their classic style that improves upon itself without reinventing itself that keeps me coming back for more.

Just like we are seeing from other retailers this spring, the name of the game is COLOR.  I love the bold bermudas, simple classics like blazers - but in punchy orange, flats and wedges in a rainbow of perfectly executed colors, classics like destroyed denim (you know I have a place in my heart for destroyed denim!) and the pique polo!  For the love of, the pique polo is back! I can't wait to snag one to wear with blazers, sandals, shorts and casual boyfriend style jeans. (Who's with me!?!?)

(above: yellow scarf, lipstick, pink pants, blue polo, orange blazer, chambray skirt, yellow flats)

(above: "FACE" nail polish, pink belt, turquoise bermudas, polka dot top, red button front top, wedges, destroyed jeans)

Bloggers Night Out with Plastics Make It Possible!

spring preview: Old Navy!

Spring lines are arriving at all the stores and I couldn't be more thrilled!  Even though it's too chilly to wear (some of) these styles right now, it's an absolute breath of fresh air just to see them.  The colors! The patterns!  The light-weight materials!  They all promise one thing. Spring is almost here!

I'll be featuring some of my favorites from the stores in the coming days and weeks right here on the blog.  And in addition to that I'm already hard at work on my spring 2012 looks:book to bring you my top picks for styles and trends for this season.  Stick around ladies, I have your spring style in the bag.

First up, Old Navy... they really don't disappoint lately with their fresh and on-trend styles. I love that you can experiment with new styles at these price points.

(above: white denim jacket, green tassle top, pink cross-body bag, peach pleated chiffon top - swoon!, yellow belt, blue shorts)

(above: striped sweatshirt, gingham top, yellow bracelet, green jeans, color blocked maxi dress, wedges, earrings)

sunday splurge... printed!

It's pretty safe to say that printed pants are the "next big thing" and while the style is sure to trickle down to friendlier price points soon - you may just want to jump on the bandwagon now with these ikat beauties!

I can totally see them styled up with a chambray top for weekends or feminine blouse and blazer for day time.  Or they would be perfect with a sleek black top and black pumps for the evening.  I'm seriously crushing on this pair!

(silk ikat pants, michael kors)

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what to wear: weekend!

The weekend is finally upon us!  This week has been a doozey - I'm looking forward to completely chilling out this weekend... you?

Even though spring isn't technically here yet and it's still a little chilly out, I am already dreaming of sunshine and waking up to birds chirping!  So color is at the front of my mind in my wardrobe... it's time to start thinking-spring!

(green jeans, sweater, jacket, bracelet, scarf, sunglasses, mocassins)

I hope you have a fabulous weekend in store!

mix and mingle! {think spring}

Mix and mingle serves as my visual wish list as I go through the year/seasons... the last version was great inspiration for me as almost every item was added to my wardrobe!  I think it's important to plan out buying clothing to make sure that it will be a good investment and a practical piece in the closet for the long haul.  My one rule of thumb is that everything needs to be able to "mix and mingle" once I bring it home!

Here are my latest cravings... simple (but sturdy) leggings for the change in seasons, t-shirts (in a rainbow of colors!)... I know it's almost spring when I'm suddenly craving t-shirts like crazy, some fun and spring-y shoes and this fun sleeveless trench that I have been crushing on for a while now, but haven't pulled the trigger on.

I think all these items could play well together, no?

1. pink tee 2. white tee 3. mint tee 4. sleeveless trench 

5. ponte leggings 6. espadrille flats 7. sperry topsiders

more NYC fun!

work it wednesday: white blazer!

I'm completely obsessed with white blazers for spring and summer - they seem to be popping up everywhere and while they aren't the most practical piece you might add to your closet (up-keep wise) - they sure are easy to style!  I hope to be adding a very similar one to my wardrobe very soon!  Plus, the one I featured here is UNDER $30!  Whoa!  Love it!

(above: sunglasses, jeans, striped top, scarf, shoes, blazer)

(above: ring, skirt, shirt, wedges, necklace, blazer)

(above: heart earrings, jeans, top, purse, shoes, blazer)

~~~

On another (kind of sad) note... Work It Wednesday will no longer be a link up party.  

I had readers that did such a great job of following the Work It Wednesday rules and linking up properly - and I THANK YOU for that!  But on the other hand I had people that weren't following the rules and subsequently the ones that were following the rules were complaining about the ones that weren't.  Then the ones that weren't following rules were mad at me for deleting them and blah, blah, blah.  It's my blog, I make the rules - but in the end the last thing I want is people coming after me after a stupid link up post.  (you'd be surprised how rude people can be)  As a blogger, link up parties take time and money to host - yes you have to pay for those services - and I'm no fool, I refuse to spend time and money on things that people aren't thankful for.  It may sound harsh, but in the end I wasn't doing it for me, I was doing it to spread the love and give some of you newer bloggers a great way to build your readership.

If you want to link up in the comments - DO it!  I love seeing your Work It Wednesday posts.  If you want to hate on me - go somewhere else.  That's a formal invitation to scram.

my outfit: bloggers!

your dressing room! {the valentine}

Today I present: the Valentine!

She takes time to love herself as well as those that are most important to her.

She wears rose colored glasses.

She is blowing kisses in her mind to the cute babies and puppies she sees on the streets.

She loves red and pink together (even before they were trendy).

She will gladly accept a dozen roses and a box of chocolates, no matter how cliche.

She knows that cupcakes with sprinkles soothes souls.

A 'sunday kind of love.'

The ultimate true love forever bracelet.

Chocolate covered strawberries? Yes, please!

Spending a few hours with Shakespeare's Sonnetsis standard Saturday reading.

Rose perfume? Always.
The perfect February 14 ensemble.
(red jeans, heart top, blazer, clutch, wishbone necklace, multi-strand necklace, flats)

NYC!

 (the view from the plane while landing at LaGuardia)

a weeks worth of outfits!

Another week... are you ready? I'm not... but that doesn't mean it's not time to jump in with both feet!  We officially have only FOUR weeks until Texas Style Council (who's going? who's pumped!?!?) and about THREE weeks until my Spring 2012 looks:book touches down.  And lastly, we really are in the final weeks of dressing for winter.  Crazy, but true! So these upcoming weeks are going to be fast and furious, and of course... a whole lot of fun.

Let's get the week started with 6 simple outfits to wear... I could use a little (or a lot) of style and simplicity right about now!  This week I'm heavily influence (errrr, obsessed) by red and neon.  I think they are the MUST have staples for your wardrobe this spring.  They are SO fun!

(one: neon sweater, black jeans, belt, necklace, flats

two: navy top, trench, red pants, rings, flats)

(three: white blouse, black jeans, boots, clutch

four: neon sweater, jeans, necklace, sunglasses, flats)

(five: earrings, black sweater, red pants, boots, bag

six: striped top, white blazer, scarf, flats, black jeans)

I hope your week gets off to a fabulous start!

Check back this afternoon for photos from my NYC trip!

Sunday Splurge!

The holiday of love is upon us folks! And I'll be honest, it's one of my favorite holidays of the year... so I'm in heaven! Although I've really got to get my cupid-act in gear over here since I've been gone the past couple of days.  I've got gifts to buy, baking to do, a little meal planning and I've got to help my kids finish  their Valentine's for school.

So I thought it would be fun to get in a lovey-dovey mood around here too.  Starting off with the perfect Valentine's Day handbag and wallet combo... they've stolen my heart for sure!

(wallet & tote)

match made in heaven: pink & red!

Of course it has something do to with Valentine's Day being just on the horizon (one of my ALL time favorite holidays!) but more than that this look is all over blogs and Pinterest and magazines.  It's a really fun and bold look that I am seriously crushing on!

(above: sweatshirt, t-shirt, necklace, bracelet, jeans, striped scarf, belt, flats, nail polish: red & pink)

By the time you read this I will be in NYC prepping for the big night tonight!  Don't forget to follow myself and Plastics Make It Possible on Twitter for up to the minute happenings!  In the meantime... I wanted to leave you with some great ideas and little notes I jotted down from listening (only briefly) to the  IFB blogging conference online on Wednesday. (I seriously need to be at one of these in person soon!)
{Also, I don't know exactly who said what - so pardon my inability to properly quote the correct person.  It was during the final panel - so you can at least see who the speakers were here.}

• Set boundaries in your blogging and be creative within them. (on making/keeping your blog successful)
• Real inspiration comes from turning OFF the computer. (on how to manage life/blog balance)
• p.s. i made this said "you can DIY a business" (on how much money it takes to start/keep blogging, inferring that it should be very little)

For all you fellow bloggers out there - this is such GREAT advice!  Happy Weekend!

I'll be back on Monday with tons of photos and behind the scenes fun from my trip!

my outfit: fur cowl!

what to pack: New York minute!

Packing for New York isn't going to be TOO big of a deal (wait, did I just say that!?!?) since I'll really only be there for 24 hours.  I'll need a fun and party friendly outfit for Friday evening and besides that just warm and casual, but refined, pieces for the travel days and for grabbing lunch and coffee out and about.  It will be such a quick trip I doubt I will even have time for shopping (sad face!).  As excited as I am to get out there, I will be just as excited to get home to my kids and husband the next day!

Here's a packing list that is inspired by what I'll be bringing...

1. simple and gorgeous sweaters like this one for layering under scarves and coats 2. boots that are comfortable enough to walk in and still pretty look at 3. fun and bold accessories like this necklace 4. party dress! 5. simple skinny jeans 6. a feathery clutch for evening 7. a scarf to brighten up any outfit 8. a classic black coat 9. sweater/sweatshirt combo that is perfect for wearing on the flight 10. my go-to carry all Kate Spade bag 11. sunnies - will the sun shine for Fashion Week? 12. earrings for day or night 13. neon necklace, yes please! 14. simple wedges for evening 15. a cozy warm faux fur cowl, perfect for NYC!

To keep up with me in NYC - make sure to follow me on Twitter!  And for live tweets of the Blogger Night Out event that I will be attending - make sure to follow Plastics Make It Possible on Twitter.  They will be live tweeting from our booth including tons of photos of the outfit I styled for the event, the outfits my fellow bloggers have styled for the event and of course, what outfit I am wearing for the event!

my outfit: neon dreams!