Category Archives: Personal

Spring Break & An Ode to My Cousin

This week I’ve been on spring break, which means my brain is on a completely different schedule. All week, I’ve had completely no idea what day it is. Thank goodness for the calendar on my iPhone dinging me and reminding me that I have things to get done, etc. Fortunately, I remembered enough to take pictures of my outfits, although I forgot a couple days. You can tell that I wore jeans a whole lot more than normal. My focus was being comfy, lazy and hanging with my kids.

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When I was growing up, I never went clothes shopping. I grew up with six older girl cousins, who lived not far from me, so I always got to wear their hand-me-downs. Thankfully their fashion taste wasn’t completely awful, so I didn’t mind too much. I still LOVE getting hand-me-downs and making a used piece my own.

My cousin, Emily, is two years older than I am. When we were younger, I idolized her. She seriously could do no wrong in my eyes, except that she wanted nothing to do with me (but isn’t that always how it is with younger cousins/siblings?!). Emily was super interested in fashion/beauty, which no one else in my family cared much about. She was the only one I knew that got giddy over clothes, like me. She had her own style and could make anything work.

Now that we are in the same stage of life -both mothers of younger children, home owners, working moms- we have become great friends. I am so thankful for Emily’s lead in not saying, “Oh, I don’t think I could wear that”, but making anything work regardless of what people would say. She completely OWNS an outfit and always looks put together. We thrift store shop together and enjoy making possible outfits out of the clothes that we find. Emily has a completely different style than I do, but I LOVE her artistic eye and confidence.

This post is my giant thank you letter to Emily for unknowingly guiding me to find my own style and giving me the confidence to take care of myself (she’s a size 0!) and care about what I look like, no matter how tired or overwhelmed by life I am. She is an eBay master shopper & I still LOVE getting her hand-me-downs (especially on the rare occasion when they fit me!). Such a beautiful person, inside & out and I am so happy to call her my cousin AND friend. Love you, Emily.

Who is your inspiration?

This was my Easter dress. Check below for the great deal I got on it.

Proof that those amazing deals are out there! Brand new with tags still on! I was extremely stoked it was in my size!!!

Happy Friday!

CLOSET ALL-STARS

The next 10 items are the most versatile and essential items I have in my closet.They help complete all of my outfits and are easy to pair with each other.

1. A Comfortable Pair of Boots-I have more boots than I should, but boots make an outfit immediately look pulled together and are a perfect accessory to short, flowy dresses and skirts AND skinny jeans.

2. Scarves In Bright Colors-There are soooo many different ways to tie scarves and the bright color that close to your face helps you to look more awake because it brightens your eyes.

3. Long, Gold Necklaces-I prefer gold over silver and I love the longer length because it looks good with all necklines.

4. Skinny Jeans-Find a good pair that fits you well. You can pair these with boots, flats or sandals in the summer.

5. Leather Jacket-The leather jacket is so versatile and can make your outfit look classic or rocker chic in seconds. It is the perfect alternative to a cardigan.

6. Metallic Flats-I truly believe that metallic is the new black. The colors gold, silver, bronze and pewter go with everything and your toes will feel nice and pretty. 😉

7. Pearls-I’m pretty sure you could wear a potato sack and have pearls on and you would look pulled together. Pearls have a magical ability to make any outfit feminine and beautiful.

8. Waist Belt-A good solid belt in brown or black is perfect for nipping in a dress, shirt or cardigan and giving you a slender, hourglass figure.

9. Jean Skirt-If I feel frumpy, I’ll turn to my jean skirts, instead of jeans because it’s comfortable, but still dressy. Plus they are denim, so they go with EVERYTHING.

10. Dresses-I think dresses are the best thing for covering up any “chubby” areas you might not be too happy about. Make sure to buy ones that fit you well and are comfortable. The brighter the color the better.

(This last picture was taken by Liam, so he immediately wanted me to take a picture of him to put on the blog. Check out his pose.)

Happy Friday!