Double Inspiration

 

At some point, I pinned this outfit idea.  I really liked the yellow and turquoise together.  Then Ginny did her own spin on the look, which I liked even better, because stripes are always better!  So, this outfit is doubly inspired!  I brought it into fall with my boyfriend jeans.  I think it would have been cuter with heels, but I was being practical because I wore this on Saturday when my mom and I road-tripped to Grand Island.  It seemed like heels would have been a bit ridiculous for that little adventure. 

Speaking of stripes, don't forget to follow along with me and Kate next week for Stripes Week!  Link up to show your stripes on Friday! 

Today I'm linking up with Pinned It & Did It, What I Wore to Work, Look What I Got, and Tres-Chic.


Top: Loft
Necklace: Charming Charlie
Jeans: Jessica Simpson
Shoes: Payless

Pinned It & Did It - Dots and Florals

When I pinned the J.crew version of a floral dress with a polka dot cardigan, I didn't have a floral dress. Then I found this beauty at Dillard's. Then I was perusing Pinterest one morning when I didn't know what to wear, and saw my inspiration. Brilliant.  

Go check out the other Pinterest inspired looks over at Style Journey.  I'm also linking up with Agi for Tres-Chic.    

Dress: Gibson& Latimer
Cardigan: Old Navy
Belt: Limited
Necklace: Charming Charlie
Shoes: Born

Stripes for the Win!

 

Trends are weird.  Rumor has it that two of the big trends for summer are "stripes" and "Black/white prints."  Aren't those both always in style?   I can't think of a time when wearing black and white was considered a faux pas.  It's sort of like saying that jeans are very popular this year.  Yeah, every year.  

Anyway, I'm glad that stripes are popular, because I love wearing striped everything!  When Bri announced the theme for this month's Third Thursday Threads, I was totally pumped!  

I decided to grab one of my striped top inspiration pictures and do my own interpretation of it.  So, here's my inspiration.  I'm not sure I would have put this together on my own, but I really like it!  YAY for Pinterest!   

I'm also linking up with Summer Style and Tres-Chic.

Shirt: Old Navy
Necklace: Charming Charlie
Skirt: Loft
Sandals: Carlos Santana

5 Days, 5 Ways - Bubble Necklace

You can't tell, but it was snowing and about 17 degrees and very windy as I was taking these pictures.  I had my tripod nestled in the garage so it wouldn't get wet or blown over, and I didn't have the patience to make sure my pictures were framed properly, so I'm kind of far away! 

Day 3 of the 5 Days, 5 Ways challenge is all about accessories.  It was tough to pick just one item to feature, but the bubble necklace was the obvious choice.  It's such a statement, and becomes the focal point of the outfit.  When I first saw these appear on fashion blogs, I thought they were cute, but I wasn't about to pay the $100+ for the J.Crew version.  Around Christmas, I noticed the cheaper option at Charming Charlie, and was happy to snag one!  I'd like another color, but I just can't decide what would be best (pink or black are in the lead right now).  Anyway, this is a great necklace and adds interest to any outfit! 

Today, I'm showing 6 ways! 

1/2/3/4/5/6

Outfit Details:
Dress (as a skirt): Target
Sweater: Old Navy
Necklace: Charming Charlie
Belt: Urban Outfitters
Boots: Rampage

Roatan Adventures

Mahogany Bay is where the boat docked

After 2.5 days on the boat, we finally got to our first port: Roatan, Honduras!  We wanted to avoid the super busy beaches, so we consulted TripAdvisor, and learned about Camp Bay Beach, which was about an hour away from the cruise pier.  After a bit of drama with our taxi driver, we were happy to arrive at the beach!  

We had a pretty great day at the beach - reading, playing in the ocean, throwing the frisbee, etc.  It was really nice, because there were only a few other people around, so it wasn't crowded at all!   We got back to the pier with about an hour to spare, so we walked over to the Mahogany Bay area, and there was a little "Nature Trail" that we decided to walk through.   We saw some iguanas and birds, and a strange squirrel/rabbit hybrid, which I'm pretty sure was a gibnut.

And here's my dinner outfit for that day.  You can tell that I was bad at applying sunscreen on my arms!

Dress: Old Navy
Necklace: Charming Charlie
Belt: Limited
Sandals: Carlos Santana

On a Boat

On Sunday, we were just on the boat, which is actually pretty nice, because we just got to be lazy!  The above picture shows my view for most of the day.  Again, it wasn't as warm as I expected it to be, so I kept my sweatshirt on most of the time, and used my towel as a blanket, but I mean, look at that ocean!  

When we got tired of being lazy, we ventured up to the mini-golf course and played a few rounds.  Putting is much more complicated when the green moves.  

Sunday was also the first formal night, so we got to dress up a little more.  

This is the dress I mentioned in my February goals review.  I changed it from a halter top to just having normal straps.  (Not that you can tell, because my hair pretty much covers the straps!)

Dress: Ann Taylor
Belt: Limited
Necklace: Charming Charlie
Shoes: Seychelles
Scarf: Princess Cruise Gift Shop

Weekend Recap

 

Take One, Pass It On Item:  bubble necklace from last Monday's post.
**Today, I am copycatting Kate's look from early December.  It's kind of exciting when I have the exact same item as another blogger, because it's very easy to get inspired.  Don't be surprised when I pass along this cardigan and copycat her again next week.

***I also need to get a better plan for taking photos at work, or figure out how to avoid taking photos at work.  These are not great!

Well, it's Monday again.  I swear, it's like it happens every week.  I had a pretty good weekend.  John and I finished painting our hallway bathroom (updates on that later).  I met a friend for lunch, and then we had some other friends come over for dinner and an epic game of Catan.  On Sunday, we had church and then met up with John's parents for lunch.  I also got caught up on some basic household tasks, like laundry and dishes!

I'd say it was a pretty successful weekend.  Did you do anything fun?

Cardigan: Old Navy
Necklace: Charming Charlie
Top and Jeans: Gap
Shoes: Born

One Hit Wonder

 

There are rumors in the blog-o-sphere that some fashion bloggers buy clothes, wear them for their blog, and then return them.  I think that's pretty ridiculous, but I accidentally did it with this dress.  I wore this last Tuesday, and during a meeting, I noticed a little hole near the hem.  As the day progressed, the hole got bigger and bigger.  You can kind of see it in the above pictures, but here's a close-up:  

I went to Old Navy to exchange it, but they were sold out completely.  I'm a little disappointed, because I love a good striped dress, but it's probably for the best.   The funny thing is that I was $10 over my January budget, but now that I've returned this dress, I'm right on track.  I've updated my budget post from last week, so it will be true.

Also, starting tomorrow, I am going to try a modified version of "Take One, Pass It On" remix challenge that Sarah devised.  Her version involves picking one item each day to wear again in a different way the next day.  I'm afraid of my co-workers noticing and judging me if I wear the same thing 2 days in a row, so I am going to do a weekly "pass-along."  Each day this week, I will be re-mixing an item from one of my posts from last week.  Then the next week, I'll pick from this week's posts, etc.  I'm not allowed to"Pass Along" the same item, either.  I can wear it again, but it can't be my focal item again.  I'm going to try to do this for the rest of February!    

Dress: Old Navy
Cardigan: Marisa Kristina
Belt: Limited
Necklace: Charmin Charlie
Boots: Target

Third Thursday Blazer

It's the third Thursday of the month, so it's time for another link up with Bri!  This month, we are rocking blazers!  I thought it was a good excuse to wear my new Christmas present again.  I was also somewhat inspired by this pin.  I have to say, this is one of my favorite outfits!

On a less happy note, I wore this on Tuesday, which is the day I came down with the flu.  After a Pilates class on Monday night, I was way more sore than I expected.  As the day progressed, it became clear that it was not post-workout soreness, but it was the terrible muscle aches of the flu.  Lame.  I really hope to feel better soon, because John's grandparents are visiting this weekend, and they are so much fun!  The girls are all supposed to see Memphis on Friday, and I'm very nervous I will have to sit out!  Being sick is no fun!

Anyway, you should all go check out the other blazer looks here, and you should definitely link up in the future!

Necklace: Charming Charlie
Sweater & Jeans: Old Navy
Blazer: Gap
Chambray: J.Crew Factory
Boots: Wanted via Piperlime

Bubble Necklace Bandwagon

I'm finally jumping on the bubble necklace bandwagon.  I wasn't really sure about them when I first started seeing them.  Then I liked them, but wasn't about to spend $88 for the J.Crew version.  Then I started seeing them at Charming Charlie, but still wasn't sure.  Then I got 2 gold watches for Christmas, so I decided to swap one out for the bubble necklace.  So this is technically a Christmas present. (Thanks, Mom and Dad!)

I'll also confess that Hilary Duff inspired this outfit.  Since I was a teenager when she became famous on the Disney channel, this is sort of embarrassing for me.  Wikipedia just told me that she is now married and has a baby, and now I feel old!  The internet is a crazy place.

The giveaway is still open - tell all your friends!  

Coat: Gap
Shirt: J.Crew Factory
Skirt: Old Navy
Shoes: Seychelles
Necklace: Charming Charlie