Light and Lilac

Blazer;skirt: Express; shirt: The Limited; necklace: F21; wedges:?
So I've been trying to spice up my wardrobe a bit and try to create outfits that I normally wouldn't wear. I've really been loving the idea of splitting up my suits and using my blazers to complete an outfit. So with all the rain, the temp's been a lot cooler and I've been able to wear blazers with a couple of outfits. I was surprised at how chic they can make a simple outfit look. I have a lot of blazers, a lot, for work, and the other day I found the one I'm wearing from Express with the tags still on buried deep in my closet. It has the coolest leopard print pattern on the lining. I ripped them off and decided to wear it with this silk skirt that I had also never worn. I was very pleased with the results! It's still been pouring like crazy, so I wore the wedges that I didn't mind sacrificing to the rain and they also gave me some lift in avoiding puddles.

Ruffles and Pearls

blouse: F21; slacks and necklace: Express; shoes: nine west

I finally mustered the energy to post a look. The weather has been crazy here, guess I underestimated our Texas weather :), and I've made it home drenched a couple of times running to my car after work in a thunderstorm. That and life has been keeping me pretty busy. I hope to make some time more often to post and check in on all the fabulous blogs that I've come to love that make me oh so happy! I hope everyone has a great week!

Fall for Texas

Question from reader:
I'm moving to Texas for a couple months (Sept.-Dec.) and I love your style soooo I figured you would be a good person to ask my what to pack question! I'm from PA so I'm used to cold weather around that time but I don't want to make the mistake of thinking it's gonna be like summer in TX.

I recently received my first blog question from Avee. And decided it would be a great opportunity to show ya'll ;) what I'll be wearing for fall. While so many awesome fashionistas and bloggers I adore are contemplating how they'll wear their textured tights, over the knee boots, and cute coats, I know I would be perspiring up a storm if I wore those items anytime before January, here in Texas. But then, I realize, I won't be shivering or shoveling snow anytime soon, and I'll probably find myself lying on the beach well into November, and all is good. That being said, I still love fall fashion and have chosen a few items that I think are hot but not too HOT to wear this fall.

I love trench coats and have them in every color, but I think a classic khaki trench never goes out of style. This one from Old Navy is great and at a great price.

Old Navy

A black blazer is also a great item to throw on over a button down shirt, flowy shirt, or even a ruffle-tank and then remove as the day heats up. I buy at least one every year, usually from Express. Pair it with slacks or a pencil skirt during the day, and jeans at night.

Express

Cardigans are also a must have as layering is key, because by noon, it's usually in the 70's, 80's, and sometimes, 90's. I'm loving these by the Loft.

Ann Taylor Loft

And of course, I love dresses, and I'm glad I can wear them all year long without freezing my legs off. This fall, I'm looking for dresses with more structure, less color, and a bit longer length. I am dying to get this dress from Banana Republic. It's not available in my size online, so I will be heading to the store to buy it.

Banana Republic

Also, I live in wrap dresses in the fall, usually with a colorful cami underneath. Target always has a good selection.

Target

This F21 dress can be worn with a blazer or cardigan during the day and is also perfect for going out after work!

Forever 21
For shoes, I usually go for platform pumps and peep-toe shoes, and calf- length boots when it gets cooler.

Baker's Shoes

Have a great time in Texas, Avee! And come winter time, I'll try not to be too jealous of all the fashionistas bundled up in their awesome coats and drool-worthy boots! :)

Basic Black

necklace: F21; dress: ann taylor; heels: jessica simpson

I really like the simplicity of this LBD, although it's my first time wearing it to work because I feel it is a little short. And short skirts and dresses are a no-no at work! Since the dress is so simple I figured I could pull of my silver pumps and not look to festive. I didn't want too high heels because of the hemline of the dress. I also added this cool f21 bib necklace for subtle jewelry. This outfit put me in a good mood all day. I hope yours was good too!

Stay-cation

Dress: F21; sandals: Nine West

(sshhh, don't tell hubs I posted this pic ... LOL!) hubs wearing: Express shirt; Levi's jeans

With the busy month my hubs and I have had (including celebrating our 1 year anniversary; several friends and MY b-day), we haven't had much time to travel :(, but luckily we're not too far away from the beach and we try to head out as often as possible for some fun in the sun. For my bday, recently we went sightseeing around the area like a bunch of tourists and actually had a lot of fun. It's something we hadn't done as a couple, since we used to visit these places as children all the time, long before we met. Since it was a SPECIAL occasion, so I thought I'd dress up a little, even though it was really hot. The dress is from the Love 21 at F21 and I really like the design. The shoes weren't too bad for walking around. We went out to eat afterwards and overall had a great day in each other's company for a really good price!

A Little Nauti-cal

Dress: Tulle; Necklace: F21; Shoes:Steven by Steve Madden; belt: Banana Republic (oops, I messed up top pic trying to stretch it out! Grrr...)

So once, I put this outfit together, I realized it's a little fall-ish, but I am running out of cute, yet professional outfits for work in this heat! And there's no way my blazers or cardigans are coming out of my closet any time soon. Still, I decided to wear this outfit because I thought it had a nautical feel to it, which to me says summer! I love this dress even though it's a little big. It's from Tulle, and I got it on sale at a great deal. The bow belt is one of my faves, and I simply cannot find enough outfits to wear these heels with!

My hubs and I had a great anniversary weekend! Thanks everyone for the well-wishes!

Happy Anniversary!

My husband and I were married 8/8/08. I've always believed 8 is my lucky number, and I was so glad everything fell into place and we were able to get married on that day. Maybe the date had nothing to do with it, but it has been a wonderful marriage thus far!


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Dear Hubs,

I can't believe it's been a year already! I am so happy and proud to be your wife. I hope you know how much I love you and appreciate everything you do. I love you for always trying to do your best in everything and in turn making me a better person. I love you for for driving me around as often as possible, because you know I hate driving. I love you for always saying every meal I cook is amazing, even when it's just turkey hotdogs. I love you for being so great with our "boys" and can't wait until you're a daddy. I love you for helping me pick out what shoes to wear, even though you know I will pick the opposite. I love you for always being up for whatever spontaneous thing I want to do, no matter how crazy it may sound. I love you for loving my family as much as I love them. I know they adore you. I love you for always encouraging my hopes and dreams. I know the road has not always been easy or perfect, but I know you will always be there walking by my side, looking out toward our future together. Thank you for being such a great husband. I thank God everyday for putting you in my life. Love, your wife

"Love is a temporary madness. It erupts like an earthquake and then subsides. And when it subsides you have to make a decision. You have to work out whether your roots have become so entwined together that it is inconceivable that you should ever part. Because this is what love is. Love is not breathlessness, it is not excitement, it is not the promulgation of promises of eternal passion. That is just being "in love" which any of us can convince ourselves we are. Love itself is what is left over when being in love has burned away, and this is both an art and a fortunate accident. Your mother and I had it, we had roots that grew towards each other underground, and when all the pretty blossom had fallen from our branches we found that we were one tree and not two." -St. Augustine

Skirting the Issue

blouse: Express; skirt: Tulle; shoes: Oh Deer

I am so tired, but I still had the urge to blog about my outfit for the day. I got this skirt from Tulle and absolutely loved the print so much that I bought a dress in the same print. I got a really good deal on a couple of items from the site and found the quality of the clothing really good. Oh, and they donate a portion of amount you spend to one of their selected charities, which is awesome. Doing some good while you shop! I would have preferred to wear a white tank in this 100+ weather, but that wouldn't fly at my job, so a white button down was the best I could do. The red shoes, I love. I'm addicted to buying red shoes and cannot be stopped! ;)

It was such a busy day today at work and then I had a meeting where I had to make crafty projects for a big event I'm helping out with, but it was fun. Now I'm just so drained and really can't wait for our anniversary weekend! No concrete plans yet, but we'll see where the road takes us!

Blue Paisley

shirt: GAP; skirt: Express; shoes: Macy's; bracelet: F21


Ya, I listen to country, sometimes. And BRAD Paisley is one of my faves. Anywho, it's back to a normal work week for me, which means no more extended weekends. I'm gearing up for a busy month. I love August. My birthday is around the corner, and this weekend I get to celebrate my BIG ONE year anniversary with my husband. I can't believe it's been a year already! I'm nost sure what gift to get him. I know he's been wanting a Playstation 3 for awhile, but then he also hinted at wanting an XBOX 360. He's not really a huge gamer, but I know he'd like one for when he has downtime, which isn't often. Plus, we'll be able to rock out with RockBAND! I will probably just let him pick. We have plans to get away for the weekend, so that'll be fun. I'm counting down the days!

The shirt has a cool paisley, snowflake looking print. The crisp white skirt is very cool, and I love these shoes and always feel like I can't wear them enough!

Like a Peacock

dress: F21; cami: Express; heels: Nine West

I usually never wear prints, especially to work! But with this summer HEAT making it virtually impossible to do or want to do anything, I'm pulling out my brightest outfits to get me going. I love the embroidery on this dress although it reminds me of a peacock. It's very lightweight. And of course, the yellow shoes are putting some spring in my step.

Uptown Safari

Dress and ribbon belt: Old Navy; Necklace: F21; shoes:Nine West

I feel very safari-ish in this look. I woke up late this morning and had less than half an hour to get dressed for work. For some reason this dress just stuck out this morning even though I haven't worn it in over a year. I got it from Old Navy several years ago, but have only worn it twice. It's strapless(big no,no at work) so I knew I needed a cover-up. It is triple digit heat, and no way I was wearing a sweater. Luckily, I remembered I had these short sleeves blazers(also in black and white) and knew the beige would work. The belt came with the dress. I thought it would be a better way to keep the blazer closed, so I wouldn't feel so stifled.

The necklace I adore! It's a F21 find, and I'm trying to put together more outfits to incorporate it into. The shoes are by Nine West and are very comfortable. The outfit needed a pop of color!

After a looooooooooong day at work, I had a meeting at night to attend, but I was happy to be involved in the project. This outfit kept me going all day. How can you be down when you're wearing yellow shoes? ;)

In Black and White

dress: Forever 21; bracelet: F21; shoes: Bakers
So this pic was taken last week before my salon session, and I must admit I'm kind of missing all my hair. Hey, I'm from Texas! We love our big hair. What can I say?


This is one of my favorite dresses and I actually have a similar dressier look. This dress is incredibly comfy and cool. The shoes are one of my favorite pairs but I always have trouble finding something to wear them with, but I thought they went great with the dressy look I was going for.

Hope everyone enjoys the rest of the week!!!

Much Ado

Dress: F21; Necklace:F21; Wedges: Michael Antonio

Yeah!!! I finally got my hair done today. I got the whole works, cut, dye, and style, so I was there for a couple of hours. After debating what to do with my hair, I actually went darker than usual, so it's taking me a while to get used tto the color which is a chocolate brown? color. I do love the cut! Instead of long side-swept bangs, I got them cut a little shorter, but decided to go against completely short blunt bangs that so many ladies can pull off so nicely. I think my face is TOO round! But this is enough of a change for me that I'm happy.







In other news, my hubs came back unsuccessful from his fishing trip. I told him if he caught anything, I'd post pics on my blog, but alas, nothing but small catfish took the bait :(. Maybe next time!

P.S. The dress was $13 at F21!

Purple Heys!

Dress: F21(Love 21 collection); shoes: Jessica Simpson; necklace:gift; hairband: Goody ;)

Saw a billboard a while ago that said that, and it was the only title I could think of using with this post. This dress is from the new love 21 line by F21. I have bought a few items from there and really like them. The dress is totally work appropriate and a nice length. The shoes I bought in a pinch when I was at a conference back in February, and I needed dressy, easy to walk in shoes, because the ones I had brought with me weren't made for walking. They are my first pair of Jessica Simpson shoes and are actually pretty comfy. Forgot to remove my hairband off my wrist. Oops...

So after a long, SUCCESSFUL work day, my hubby and I had some errands to run in the evening. We went out to eat at a great Mexican restaurant afterwards (darn, should have taken pics of the huge plates we got). I'm so glad I am off tomorrow and am looking forward to getting my hair done (YEAH!!!) while my hubby goes fishing. Hope he catches dinner for the night.

I love getting my hair done but am dreading sitting in the salon chair for the hours it takes, especially in this Texas heat (hello 100 degrees, ugh), but I've been putting it off for too long, now. I'm thinking about going lighter with my hair color, maybe cutting off a few inches, or doing highlights. Hmm... what to do?

Just a Touch

If Ihaven't disclosed this before here, I LOVE technology. I'm always wanting the latest gadget and am excited when something new comes out. Of course, I had to get an iPhone ASAP and since I've had it, we have been inseparable. I, actually, left it at home once and felt completely lost throughout the whole day. I check my email, surf the web, update my calendar, check the weather, seriously, this phone does everything.

My husband, who also has an iPhone, got me hooked on the iTunes App Store. I have quite a few pages on my phone loaded with handy apps. One of my favorites is Touch Closet by Bay Dynamics, Inc.

The application allows you to upload/take photos of items in your wardrobe and then categorize them by type of clothing/shoes/acc. You can also add color/brand/date info. While it takes a while to take pictures, I've started doing this everytime I've gone shopping or when I'm doing laundry and the clothes are already out. So far it has come in very handy when I'm shopping and trying to figure out if I have an item that coordinates with an item I want. You can also create outfits for future use. Plus, it has a feature to shop select retailers or add their clothing to your closet, too.

I love being able to access my closet even when I'm far from home, and the best part is the ability to log on to the TC website online and check out your wardrobe from there.

I have tried out other apps like this, and this is by far my fave. I cannot recommend this app enough, just because of how fun and functional it is, and best of all it's free!