Target for spring!

Just really quickly... I am behind on posting and just spent the morning running errands with my little gal... we went to Target to pick up spring clothes for her (I just LOVE Target for little girls clothes).  But, surprise, surprise I found TONS of items for myself!

I haven't shopped for myself at Target in a while, so I was very pleased to find some great stuff at, of course, great prices!

I snagged this dress (looks better IRL)... I know!?!? A dress? Me?  I love it though!

(dress)

This top... (again, what is up with Target models... looks way better on!)

(top)

And this red/orange tee... You know I have been loving bright red for spring!

(tee)

I got a few other things that will be showing up on the blog soon (I'm sure!)... but this is at least a little peek!

p.s. I am still hemming and hawing about these shoes... I've posted about them before, but still haven't bought them. I tried them on again this morning and LOVE them... I'm just worried that they aren't very practical? Thoughts? Encouragement?

(shoes)

my outfit: copy cat!

First things first... I have to admit that this outfit is a dead-on copy cat of Kendi's recent maxi dress outfit. Sorry Kendi! Or you're welcome... I'm not sure which one, since imitation is the most sincere (albeit unoriginal) form of flattery.

It's true... she came up with the outfit. I just followed in suit. In my own clothes, of course... these clothes aren't Kendi's. Promise.

If you want an outfit you can feel completely lazy in but still look decent, a maxi dress is the way to go. It's almost cozier than pajamas. And for a Monday morning (you know I'm always behind in posting, right?) it was just what the doctor ordered.

We had a little Indian Summer - I know you're not supposed to call it that, but I don't know what else Indian Summer means besides it gets cold and then warm again and the warm part is the Indian Summer. Don't kill me here peeps. Any way the dress + the scarf + the jacket was perfect because parts of the day were jacket + dress, other parts were dress + scarf and even still other parts were only dress or all three, jacket + dress + scarf. Whew, did you catch that?


What I MEAN to say, is that it was a versatile outfit for the weather. There.


I have a question though... what the heck do you do with your hair once you have been growing it out forever? It's been over a year I have been growing it, with little trims here and there to keep it healthy. But then, it's just... hair. And lots of it. Stuck to my clothes and all over my bathroom floor and just every where. So it's getting pulled back a lot more, because frankly I can stand to cut it and I don't have the time to do it all the time. This is a predicament folks! Please tell, are pony tails (like this one) acceptable? I sure hope so!

Details:

Jacket, courtesy of Tulle

Dress, Old Navy (similar)

Scarf, Limited (similar)

Earrings, Wendy Mink (I got mine cheaper from GILT!)

Wedges, Cynthia Vincent for Target (similar)

shopping guide: fun flats!

Flats are a great shoe going into fall and even for winter (if there isn't too much snow!)... and even in the winter I like to wear boots and then slip a pair of flats in my purse for where ever I am going. These styles are SO fun and all of them are under $50! You can thank me later... now it's time for the eye candy!

1) I love this snow leopard print flat from Target... they actually are pony hair (synthetic?) like the high end brands but for waaaay less. (Snow Leopard Flat, Target $24.99)

2) Chambray + Rhinestones... um, yes please! These flats would look SO cute with jeans or leggings for the fall and your favorite cozy sweater. I really love these! (Rhinestone Chambray Flat, Gap, $49.50)

3) Glitter, glitter, glitter! It seems glittered shoes are popping up every where... and while some are quite high priced, these are just the right amount of glitter and the perfect price! (Multi-Glitter Flats, Gap, $49.50)

4) I am unexpectedly drawn to this creamy brocade pair... they are so chic and seem like they would be very versatile. Aren't they pretty? Every gal needs pretty shoes! (Brocade Flat, Charlotte Russe, $22.50)

5) A close second to chambray + rhinestones is CAMO + rhinestones. These would be a fun (and maybe a little rebellious) addition to any outfit! (Camo Rhinestone Flat, Charlotte Russe, $22.50)

6) Pink pom poms? Need I say more. Yes and yes. (Pom Pom Ballet Flat, Old Navy, $22.50)

vegas shoe details...

Because it's all in the details, right??? I thought I would circle back and give you the full on deets of the shoes that I searched endlessly for and then found! Hallelujah!

So I mentioned my search here - after what had been days of looking both online and in stores. I was starting to worry that I would have to return the dress - but then I realized it was from F21 and that wouldn't be an option. So I'll admit, I was freaking out a bit. (about shoes people... I know, I'm crazy!)

Many of you left comments with links to shoes... mostly from places I hadn't thought of! You gals are the best! I had looked at Target a couple of times but didn't think to check their expanded offerings at target.com. Duh!

I was torn between these two shoes... both from Target.com

A ruffly pair...


And a peep toe pair (in grey)...

I decided to order both and when they arrived try them on with the dress - returns are easy at the store and target.com was having a shipping promo - those details definitely sealed the deal!

In the end the peep toe pair were more comfortable, but the ruffled pair fit the look I was going for the best. I returned the grey peep toe pair (although I would have loved a pair in black to have and to hold - they were really comfy!) and went with the ruffled pair. They killed my feet - but it was worth it! Truth be told, I can't wait to wear them again!

In unrelated news... I ALSO wish I would have ordered this pair from Target.com as well. How cute???

work it wednesday: sequined sweatshirts!

I just LOVE all of the sequined sweatshirts I have been seeing in the shops and online recently... I fell in love with one at Urban Outfitters while shopping in Vegas and I am regretting not buying it now! The thing I love so much about them is they have the casual and dressy textures so well balanced for an everyday appeal.

I thought I would have some fun pulling together looks based on sequined sweatshirts Work It Wednesday style - and the next time one crosses my path I'll be very likely to snatch it up!

(shorts, top, jacket, clutch, boots)

(ring, pants, top, purse, scarf, boots)

(necklace, jeans, top, purse, jacket, flats)

Are you loving the sequined sweatshirt for fall and winter?

shopping guide: puffers!

A few weeks back I featured some great winter coats that were dressier. I like to have a few styles in my arsenal and a puffer coat is definitely one of them. They are so warm and cozy and this season I am loving the slimmer and sleeker versions that I have been seeing. Here are some great examples. I would wear EACH of these... they are all so cute!

(1. Lodge Puffer Vest, JCrew. $118 2. Puffer Vest, Gap, $59.50 3. Coffee Shop Puffer, Target, $59.99 4. Callie Nylon Puffer, Delia's, $69.50 5. Long Belted Puffer, Gap, $128 6. Puffer Jacket, Gap, $98)

yes, please.

Earlier this week I had the sheer luck of getting to trot through Target with no kids - that is like the holy grail for errand running, no? I happened upon a lot of things... but I checked out this coat and loved it the minute I saw it. Then my "practical" side started telling me how silly it would be to buy a fake fur leopard print jacket - not to mention mere days before I head off on vacation (read: money should go elsewhere).

But imagine this: I woke up this morning and couldn't stop thinking about it. Paired with skinny jeans and flats and my hair up in a bun... heck I wouldn't even have to wear a shirt - well, err, I *WOULD* but I am just saying: it's that easy!



Seriously, I am in love with it! (Target, $44.99)

I have some big stuff in the works for when I return from Vegas... a new winter looks:book and a super secret new project as well. Maybe it can be my reward after getting both those things off the ground.... just maybe!

my outfit: easy does it!

I wore a variation of this outfit (read: pretty much the same exact outfit) to church on Sunday and after a night of literally no sleep (thanks kids!) - this was the first thing I found (on the floor) on Monday morning. I wasn't going to be picky. I swapped a necklace (wore that to church) for this scarf because Monday morning was like 30 degrees (BRRR!!!) and if you haven't slept at all the night before, the last thing you want to do is freeze your tail off at the bus stop with the kids. On second thought, the last you want to do is ANYTHING. So at least I had a scarf to "hug" me.

But Monday is my "work" morning... so I like to look decent to feel more inspired and I do really love this outfit. Note, I DID take a shower... just didn't do my hair. Thank you hair for being long and for liking to be in a bun, really, thank you. Un-Thank you make-up for not putting yourself on my face and making all signs of no sleep disappear. Better luck next time.


Blazer + scarf + t-shirt + skinnies + flats. I could live in a variation of this outfit for the rest of my life. It's so easy and comes together quickly. I added some simple little earrings to dress it up a bit. I happen to love Swarovski's studs. If you are "into" studs... Swarovski makes gorgeous crystal ones that glow like the real "stuff" and are really high quality. My ears are super sensitive so I need really high quality earrings. And these I could wear everyday (and did for a while... and come to think of it... I could use a new pair!).

Details:

Scarf, Macy's (similar)

Jacket, LOFT (similar)

T-shirt, Target (similar)

Skinnies, Forever 21 (similar)

Flats, Sam Edelman

Purse, Kate Spade via GILT - (similar)

my outfit: ArtPrize!

If you live in West Michigan you are probably (almost) sick of hearing about ArtPrize... but soon it will be gone until next year and we will miss it so! If you HAVEN'T heard of it yet... you should know about it... it's the most amazing open art competition with the largest purse in the world and Grand Rapids is luckier than lucky that it's in our own backyard.

The Top 10 has been announced - did I mention that it's judged American Idol style? Super fun! - and while I haven't seen many of ALL of the entries (there are thousands of total entries), I have seen many in the Top 10. What I love most about ArtPrize is that it's 100% accessible to the public and not at all snooty or overly art-sy. It's just good honest fun and inspiration!

My husband and I had a date night on opening night... here are some of the favorites I saw that night: (iphone photos to follow...)

This was the coolest sculpture... from the side it was several pieces of cut metal...


When you stood directly in front of the piece, it became a woman's face. Isn't this just amazing?


One of my favorites of the evening is this piece made all of red thread... this one is currently in the top ten and deservedly so.


This piece entitled, Cavalry, is showing at the Grand Rapids Art Museum... it was SO busy there, but somehow the crowd split and I got this amazing picture of the artist in front of his piece. Cavalry is a pencil drawing... it's amazingly large.


And here is a close up to get the magnitude of this drawing... look at the detail. Amazing! This piece is in the Top 10 as well.


In the "I want to steal this to take it home" category... this paper cut out wins my vote. This would look amazing in my stairwell. Isn't it so cool? It was rather large... maybe four feet by six feet. I just loved it.


Here's what I wore:

Details:

(the crazy stickers on my shirt are from ArtPrize, admission stickers and artist stickers... random, I know)

Necklace, Forever 21

Lace Top, Charlotte Russe (similar)

Jacket, Courtesy of Tulle

Zip Ankle Jeans, Forever 21 (similar)

Wedges, Cynthia Vincent for Target (similar)

Purse, Deux Lux (similar)

my outfit: a little bit rock n' roll!

There is a little bit of a "rocker girl" in me... just a touch. But when I got this jacket from Tulle recently it came out even more! This blazer/jacket is gorgeous and fits like a dream! It is synthetic leather or - pleather - and is also very comfortable - I am IN LOVE!

This jacket was giving off a bit of a rocker-chic vibe for sure, I wanted to embrace that but still make it practical... so I sweetened it up with this flowy white top. It seemed to be the perfect pairing. I might also wear this outfit tomorrow, and maybe the next as well. Would that be overboard?


These jeans are the Gap Skinnies I got last year... they were "mildly" distressed when I bought them. They became a quick favorite and now you can see that the knees are completely blown out. I actually like them this way too (inner rocker?) - they are comfortable and still a super favorite of mine. Great jeans are just as good with a little extra wear!


Isn't this jacket gorgeous? It's going to become a regular around here for sure!



Details:
Jacket, courtesy of TULLE
Top, Forever 21
Necklace, Estate Sale
Jeans, Gap
Wedges, Cynthia Vincent for Target

my outfit: blazer & tennies!

I am endlessly inspired by JCrew - and although that seems so cliche these days it doesn't make it less true. JCrew is just very inspiring lately... especially for refined casual wear. Which is right up my alley. I love to spend time perusing their catalogs and inspirations online. The gal on their landing page had-me-at-hello with this outfit. Blazer + tennies? Sure!


So I thought I would recreate something similar from what I already owned...


Do you think that JCrew would mind being called the number one knocked off looks of 2010? Because I glean a lot of inspiration from them. It's likely better than "most knocked off watch" or "most knocked off purse." Inspiration is much better knocked off than real brand names. No?



I digress... any way, on first glance it seemed like the sweet JCrew lady above was leaping. So I tried to "knock" that off as well. Turns out one should look before they leap, err, knock off. On second glance I think she is just standing on her super tippy toes and on first glance I think I look crazy. Pretty sure.

But who doesn't love a little crazy now and then?

Details:

Blazer, Gap (similar)

Scarf, Cost Plus World Market (similar)

Tee, Target (similar)

Jeans, F21 (similar)

Belt, Gap

Tennies, Superga (I got mine at GILT for cheaper!)

my outfit: event!

I was able to get out of the house recently for a really cool event in downtown Grand Rapids. It was urban-y and fashion-y and all around inspiring. I hope to bring more details about it to you soon... in the meantime, here's what I wore.

I will say right off the bat that this was NOT what I had planned... I had a last minute wardrobe malfunction with the outfit I WAS going to wear, don't you hate that? So this was definitely a "safe" alternative. A black top and big earrings, duh!



As a mom do you ever feel like you are a blur just running around like crazy? I served dinner at 5:15 and we had to be dressed and downtown by 6:15... I was flying through the house, the kids were screaming, my husband was trying to take my picture and general craziness was happening.



Thus, blurry pictures.



I took some iphone photos and there was also a professional photog there (I'm secretly hoping he posts some stuff to FB so I can "borrow" them). But I will have details soon!

Details:

Top, Gap

Earrings, Amrita Singh (similar... I got mine at GILT)

Jeans, Seven for all Mankind (similar)

Wedges, Cynthia Vincent for Target (similar)

Clutch, Target (similar)

my outfit: September is here!

This is my first official outfit of September! We've had cooler mornings and the longer range forecast shows that temps won't cool off immediately... but more slowly. Which I am fine with. This outfit has a fall look to it, but it's still comfortable enough if the afternoon warms up.

I have been wanting to try the belted scarf look that I have seen other bloggers pull off so brilliantly. At first it feels weird, but I really like the way it looks. It has a boho feel which is a little bit of a change-up for me and the clogs add to that look as well. It's fun to step out of your comfort zone every now and then!



I am so looking forward to a long weekend... after not feeling good this week I am ready to recharge and then full steam to back to school! It's crazy to believe that some schools have been in session for weeks and we are only just starting next week. But I am ready... and so are the kids. We all need a little schedule around here!


Do you have any big plans for the long weekend? We are just sticking around home... hopefully doing some fun stuff with the kids and getting lots of relaxation in!


I have Mad Men on my Netflix queue and my husband and I are going to catch up on each and every episode from the start - hopefully starting tonight. I am very excited for this... I've missed some episodes and sometimes I get a little lost - so now I will be right back on track! What ever you do... enjoy the last official weekend of summer...

Details:

T-Shirt, Target (similar)

Scarf, Forever 21 (similar)

Necklace, Banana Republic (similar)

Jeans, 7 for all Mankind (similar)

Clogs, UGG

my outfit: fall preview (more!)

This past weekend I spent a rainy morning raiding my closet and getting excited about fall... I played "dress up" big time to get a feel for what I already had in my closet for fall before I got TOO excited about buying more for fall. I think the 30/30 Challenge has made me more disciplined (success!). My fall shopping list seems about a mile long... not good. I wanted to dig into what I had first to make sure it didn't get shoved to the back of the closet with the new. This week I'll show you all my fun "existing" fall looks - then hopefully in the coming weeks I'll mix in some new as well!

~~~

The fall outfits continue...

Is there anything better than a cardi/cami combo? I think not... there are a million variations and it's a great way to work your summer pieces into fall and beyond. I just loved this outfit... it was comfortable and easy to wear. I definitely want to stock up on some more cardi's this fall to make outfits like these continue to be a go-to in my wardrobe.



As I mentioned above... I spent a whole morning putting together all of the outfits I featured here this week. It really does help to carve out some time and really go through clothes, trying them on and mixing and matching them. When you are not in the "what am I going to wear... I have two minutes to decide" flurry that often happens in the mornings it can give you a fresh perspective on what you own. I felt like I got re-acquinted with my fall clothes and tried combinations that I wouldn't have thought of otherwise. This is a perfect example. It's two pieces that I have had in my closet for a while, but never paired them.



This camisole/top is one I got after I had my second babe... it was just flowy enough to hide the jelly belly post-pregnancy when I went back to work. It works well with a blazer too. I hadn't worn it in a while, but I just love the pattern!

Details:
Jeans, F21
Top, Old Navy
Cardigan, Target
Necklace, Estate Sale
Wedges, Target


Steal this look:

Cardigans by J.Crew
Wedges by Blowfish

my outfit: 30/30!

Whew... THIRTY!

I'd like to thank:

• the academy, because that's what the famous people always say.
• my readers, for looking at my mug for 30 days straight
• the Gap, Forever 21, Old Navy and Target for being such cool and cheap places to shop (I'm sure I'm forgetting someone here!)
• Kendi (of course!), for challenging us to go crazy, I mean to really put our wardrobe to some serious use!
• TULLE clothing that supplied a few of my items - a few of my most favorite of the 30!
• my kids for squeezing in pictures and driving me crazy... even though they're sups cute
• my chambray top who really pulled through for me, I give you the MVP award.
• the rest of my clothes for waiting patiently - can't wait to get to know you all again!
• my husband, for believing in me, or not.

Drum roll...

I feel okay admitting this now, but I didn't think I would get to 30. I wanted to quit about a bajillionity times. I'm glad I didn't. This Challenge was awesome, it really stretched me and I'm glad for it.



{HUGE EXHALE} Now the question is... do you EVER want to see an outfit photo from me again? Are you done??? Bwahahaha!

There will be more... I hope. He he!

Details:
Top, JCrew
Jean Shorts, DIY
Belt, F21
Wedges, Target
Clutch, gift from Francesca's