OOTD: Pink Florals + My Q&A!

Congratulations, you've made it to Friday!! It's my favorite (work) day of the week! As always, I'm excited for the weekend- tonight I'm going to a craft fair with my girlfriend and tomorrow we have a Halloween dance class for Ellie, a family BBQ with some family who's in town, then Sunday we have church (I'm helping in nursery again!), and I want to make something yummy in the crock pot for dinner. What's your favorite dish? I'll probably do a loaded potato soup recipe my girlfriend shared with me.

I'm so excited about today's post too! I absolutely love this Pink Blush dress, it's the same silhouette as this dress, and I love it so much. It fits true to size, is fully lined, and so comfortable. Pink Blush has so many great pieces right now, I love their items and wore a few during my last pregnancy that I still wear now. Everything I have from them is good quality and has been really versatile to work for the different seasons of life. I know it's the end of October, but we're still enjoying (or should I say suffering?) through warm temps so my summer dresses are getting lots of use still. It's easy to "fall-ify" your clothes with hats, booties, layers, and tights. This get-up makes for a perfect weekend outfit, GNO, or date night.

One Instagram last Sunday, I asked everyone for some questions for a Q+A and here are ALL of the answers! It was so much fun and there were so many really great and fun questions, plus a few that really made me think! Thank you so much to everyone who commented, I really appreciate your support, it means so much to me!


 

OOTD: Distressed Tee + Pumpkin Patch

 Last week we took the girls to a pumpkin patch, and I can't wait to go again! There's some really great ones by our home and we've only been to one! Last year, this was my last month on maternity leave so I felt like we were always doing something fun. Our weekends are so packed, I'm hoping to maybe squeeze one more in before Halloween with the girls.

OOTD: Fall Floral + PinkBlush Giveaway!!

One of my favorite trends this year is florals, I've been wearing them since Spring and the "fall" season isn't slowing me down! I L-O-V-E this gorgeous emerald floral print, just looking at it makes me happy! I plan on wearing it for Thanksgiving this year, maybe with a hat?  

Bring on the Leggings!

Tunic // Leggings (c/o White Plum) // Booties (old, similar here)

October means legging season is upon us! Soft, comfortable, and easy to wear, I welcome leggings season with open arms! White Plum has some of my absolutely favorite ones, they are so incredibly comfortable and honestly some of the best quality I've seen. I nearly live in them when I'm outside of work and throw them on first thing when the temp drops.

These camo ones are super fun and I'm excited to wear them again this week to the pumpkin patch. I'm also loving their cable knits and these black and white pair. Right now, White Plum is offering 20% off your entire purchase through 10/17 using HD20 at check out!

Don't know how to wear bright or patterned leggings? Check out White Plum's guide for some great tips!

Closet Purge + Purchases

While my aunt was in town, we tackled my closet and dresser and purged a ton. Some things were easy to toss and other things she had to twist my arm. See all of those pretty bras? Thanks to pregnancy and nursing, they'll never fit again. See ya later C cups, I've moved on to bigger jugs. I totally had to take a break after that drawer, it was really hard to see all those pretties gone. We got rid of everything that didn't fit, was badly pilled, or hadn't been worn in the last year. There's really no need for several cocktail dresses when they only cocktails anyone is drinking around here are the ones my body produces for a baby.

Life is just different now that we have children and although Matt and I have date nights once in a blue moon, I'm not wearing anything fancy. The trips to Vegas have stopped, weddings and bachelorette parties are almost done, and baby showers have started to slow a bit too. It was time to go through my clothing and keep only the items that work with my lifestyle and get a lot of wear (i.e. mostly work stuff). It was awesome having a third person there to help evaluate items and talk about memories with; I remember where I wore something, what I bought it for, if anything special happened in it, etc. I'm totally a sentimental closet hoarder.

Now that my closet was clean and I could see a purpose in my clothes, I made a mental note of the items it was missing or needed to be replaced.

- A dark and a light wash pair of jeans
- Black denim
- A gray and a tan long cardigan
- Black flats
- Some lightweight short sleeve tops for work
- Black blazer
- Every day white tee



Here's some items I've purchased to replace the items I tossed above:
-Tan Cardi
-Gray Cardi (shown in black)
-Black Skinnies
-V Neck Tank
-Light Wash Skinnies

Light Wash Skinnies // Top (Old Navy, not online)

I absolutely love these jeans! I bought them at the regular length so they would hit just above my foot and look good with both flats or heels. They're really comfortable and have a nice tight stretch to them.

This top is perfect to look pulled together and comfortable. It's great for CA weather too, I can wear this all year and the nice plum color is perfect for fall and winter.

V Neck Tank // Tan Cardi // Light Wash Skinnies

So I bought this top thinking it was solid white and apparently didn't bother to read the description or zoom in to see that it's white with oatmeal color dots on it. I don't think I would have ever have bought it or tried it on had I seen it in store, but I'm so happy with it. It was a great surprise. I love how it looks with the cardigan too. I do wish it was available in more solid colors because it fits great and it really thin so it's perfect to layer. 

This is the best inexpensive cardigan! I have it in three colors that I bought last year and they've really washed well. I'm kinda surprised since they're less than $10. Sometimes a win is a win though.

Gray Cardi  // Light Wash Skinnies

I love, love, love both the jeans and the cardigan! The cardi is really soft and I love the length. My only gripe is that it's a woven material that will snag so easily and everywhere. I'm thinking about returning it just for that reason, but it's so cute! Ugh. My heart is torn.  

These skinny jeans are amazing! They are more comfortable than the light wash jeans and are black perfection. They fit like a glove and stretch so well. I love how they fit and can't wait to wear them with some cute booties.

So, that's what I've been up to around here! I donated all the clothes above and I hope that someone will get a lot of wear out of them. They're all in good condition (I threw out anything that was worn out) and some items I was really sad to see go, but if I'm not wearing them someone else should be. It's been a real relief though to purge and it's nice to actually have room in my closet. 

When I've been out shopping, I've kept an eye out for items that will really add to my closet. To choose and try on items that I need and I know will get a lot of wear. I'm trying to stick to just needs and not wants and think about different ways I can style them and picking what will be the most versatile. It can be really hard! Especially with a new season upon us and tons of new trends and styles coming out. I've been strong so far though!

What are you looking to buy this fall? How often do you clean out your closets? 

Maternity Clothes Reviews

One of the things I told myself before I was pregnant, was that my second pregnancy I would buy more clothing. Most of my items are loose and flowy so I didn't have to buy a lot when I was pregnant with Ellie. However, by the end of my pregnancy, I was so sick of the few items that fit me at the end and it was too late to buy new clothes- I just didn't see the point in buying something that would only fit for a month or two. I mentioned in last week's bumpdate about doing a review of what I've bought so far and here it is! I still need to buy a few more items for every day wear and blouses for work, so if you have any suggestions, please let me know!

Maternity Side Panel Pixie Pants

With my first pregnancy, I only bought full panel bottoms and this is my first pair of side-panel pants. The reviews on the pants were really mixed, but I went ahead and bought my regular size. Old Navy offers free returns/exchanges, so it was worth the “risk”. I absolutely love these pants! They are so cute on, fit great, they don’t stretch out, and wash well (I wash inside out in cold water and hang to dry). For me, they fit true to size, some of the reviews were mixed about that. I love the cropped pant leg, it looks great with flats or heels. My only complaint about the pants is that there’s no pockets, but I can live without that. I like these pants so much, I plan on buying a non-maternity pair when I return to work after my maternity leave.

Side Panel Cuffed Denim Shorts

When I was pregnant with Ellie, my mom bought me a cute pair of colored shorts (check them out here) and knowing that I was going to be pregnant all summer long, I had to buy some denim shorts to get me through. A woman from church game me a pair of Bermuda denim shorts in a dark wash, so I bought this pair to have a light wash in a different length. They are pretty comfy, but the first day I wore them literally all day long (from like 9am til 1am) and the seam on the side kind of bugged me by the end of the night. It just rubbed and rubbed and made my skin itch on that side. I’ve worn them since and it hasn’t bothered me, but I’m also haven’t worn them for 12+ hours. These also fit true to size and they have pockets! I like that these don’t have a full panel to them, they feel more like real shorts and are (mostly) comfortable to wear.

Boat Neck Top

I bought this shirt forever ago and it’s easy to just throw it on. It’s runs large, I did have to size down and even when I’m at the end of my pregnancy and I’m huge, it will still fit nicely. I wash it in cold water and hang to dry, but it still has pilled a bit. The description says it’s a sweater, but it’s really thin and will be ok to wear in the summer heat.

Scoop Neck Tee

I love me a good white tee and this one is perfect (white is currently sold out, available only in gray). I bought my regular size, it fits great, washes well, and I like the texturing on the shirt to make it a bit different than a regular t-shirt. My only complaint is that the scoop is a bit lower than I prefer.

Patterned Crepe Top

Initially, I bought the non-maternity version of this shirt, but it wouldn’t be long enough to last my whole pregnancy. I then exchanged it for the maternity version and love it. I actually prefer the hem line over the non-maternity version, pregnant or not. I don’t have very many prints in my closet and I fell in love with the florals on this shirt. It’s so easy to wear with my double pearl earrings (LINK TO ITEM) and I always get compliments any time I wear this top. Definitely a top pick for me!

Rockstar Full Panel Skinny Jeans

Ok, so I bought these when I was pregnant with Ellie, but I’m still wearing them and wanted to include them in my reviews. These pants are so comfortable, I could sleep in them. Plus, they have back pockets, woohoo! They wear and wash well, I swear by them and tell all my preggo girlfriends to check them out. I would definitely order two sizes to see what fits best, they run a bit different than their regular Rockstar jeans (not necessarily bigger or smaller, just different). Old Navy offers free returns/exchanges so it’s a great shop to test out different sizes you don’t find in store.

Striped Boyfriend Shirt

Oh my goodness, this shirt is so terrible. I returned it immediately, but with a sad heart because I really wanted this to fit. When looking through their site, the shirt didn’t appeal to me at first, but when you look at it on their model (LINK TO PIC), it’s adorable! I thought it would be the perfect shirt for work. The sizing is so terribly off though. I realize that this is a “boyfriend” fit, but it looked like I was wearing my husband’s shirt. It totally swallowed me up and I don’t think that sizing down would have done any wonders for it. Also, the collar is really slim/small and the wrong dimension for the shirt. Definitely pass on this baby!

Non-Maternity Items

V-Neck Cami Maxi

This dress is so comfortable and at a great price point- under $20. It comes in four colors and I just chose a color I didn’t already own for a maxi and went with basic black. I ordered my regular size and I think it’s roomy enough that I’ll be able to wear it til the end of my pregnancy and after. There is a slip underneath that will probably ride up, but the black isn’t see through, so I’m not worried about that. I’m really happy with this dress, it’s very easy to wear and just throw on and go. It looks really cute with a jacket or cardigan too.

Tropical Floral Maxi

I wore this dress for Easter and I love the print. I probably will only be able to wear it another two months, it’s not going to last me until the end, but I’ll definitely be able to wear it afterwards. The fabric is sheer and there’s a slip underneath that will ride up and there’s just not enough stretch or fabric to wear the full 9 months. I also bought this dress in my regular size.

Floral Kimono

This one obviously will be worn throughout my pregnancy and after. It runs a bit large, I bought my regular size and I’m happy with the fit, but if they’re out of your size, you can definitely size down and still have it fit right. One of my best girlfriends has a blue floral kimono and I’ve always loved it, she looks so adorable in it and when I saw this one online I immediately added to my cart and checked out.

Layering Tank

Every Target’s maternity section is so different and I really wish they carried more items overall at their store. They had similar white tanks for maternity, but they are always out of my size and it’s so annoying. Instead, I just bought a regular non-maternity long and lean tank in a size larger and I’m happy with it. I didn’t get a chance to compare their maternity vs non-maternity to see how different they were since they were out of a bunch of sizes. When I was pregnant with Ellie, I lived in these tanks, they’re such a staple in my wardrobe to wear under clothes, paired with cardis, or wear alone.

Sandals I'm Loving

1 // 2 // 3 // 4 // 5 // 6 // 7 // 8 //

Sandals are staples for me and since I live in the California sun, I get to wear them all year. It's crazy to follow people all over the US and see how drastic the weather can change from one coast to the other. Luck for everyone warm weather is just around the corner and I've been drooling over some sandals I just had to share. As you can see, I'm a fan of neutrals although several of them come in varying colors. #1 in hot pink and green! I'm in love with 1,3, and 7 and have them in my carts ready for check out.

Fall Necessities

Well, I'm still waiting for cooler weather to hit and dreaming of cardigans and boots. We're at that awkward point in the season where it's chilly in the morning and the Sahara Desert by noon. So, while I'm waiting for our temperatures to drop, I thought I'd post about my fall must-haves. These are pieces that I wear year after year and look to buy each season because I know they'll get the most use.

Draped Cardigan // Boyfriend Cardigan

I've always been a cardigan hoarder, but these last two years I've loved big cozy and boyfriend style cardigans. They're great to layer with this mood swing weather we're having and they're perfect with leggings or skinny jeans.

Ankle Boots // Riding Boots

A girl can never have enough boots! These ankle boots are perfect, I love the bit of edge the leather strap gives them. This year I'm in the market for another pair of riding boots and I love how these riding boots rise up in the front and dip in the back. Plus the color is gorgeous! 

Infinity Scarf // Plaid Scarf

It's no secret that scarves are part of my love language. I wear them year round and I've been itching to wear my thicker textured ones. 

Tweed Vest // Quilted Vest

Vests are perfect to wear when it's chilly, but not cold or you don't want the extra layers weighing down your arms. I snagged this tweed vest last year and loooooooooooved it. So glad to see it back again! This year I'd love to add a flatter quilted vest like this fun red one. 

What are your fall must have pieces? 

Recent Purchases- Labor Day Haul

Yesterday was such a good mail day! My Labor Day Old Navy haul arrived, woohoo! There's a few items from my Wishlist post that I'm so excited I got my hands on. I'm still waiting on an order from Carter's for Ellie, that I'll be sure to post as well. I've been so excited for this ON order. It's all items I've had in my cart for a while. There's still a few items I'm eyeing (like a hat and some boots), but I'm waiting until it cools off to get those.

Lightweight Cardi // Ponte-Knit Dress

I'm in LOVE with this dress. I can't wait to wear it! It's the perfect dress to wear year round. The sleeveless silhouette makes it perfect for summer and the textured fabric bring it right into fall. It's going to be perfect with tights and boots. I ended up getting the cardigan I posted about (in this Wishlist) in white to go with the dress and some other items in my closet.

Plaid Flannel Shirt

This flannel was added to my cart immediately and I was worried it would sell out before I pulled the trigger on checking out. I love a good plaid and these colors are so cute together.

J'Adore Tee // Fabulous Tee

These Ts are everything. I've already worn the Fabulous one (which is why it's wrinkled- I hung it up to dry) and order the J'Adore one next. I bought one size up in a large so that they would fit a bit big and I could tuck in the front. These tops are so comfortable and soft. I'll be wearing them 24/7 I'm sure.

Marled Crew-Neck Sweater

I'm obsessed with all things marled. I fell in love with the pattern last year and I'm so happy I'm finding it everywhere this year. This sweater is gorgeous and I love the 3/4 sleeves. It's perfect to layer and Old Navy knit sweaters are some of my favorites. I bought a plain long sleeve gray one last year and wish I bought it in every color.

Shawl-Collar Open-Front Cardi

After seeing Rachel Parcell of Pink Peonies in a simple pink cardigan, I went on the hunt to find one. I loved the feminine, simple look of it. This shawl collar is so soft and comfortable. It kind of reminds me of Olivia Pope of Scandal too, which I'm totally loving right now.


One thing I'm so happy about is that all of the items were great purchases! They all fit great and were exactly what I was expecting. Initially I was worried that some items may not fit how I wanted them too, or it would look how I expected them too in real life, but each item worked out. Love when the worlds collide like that.

Did you buy anything from their Labor Day sale?

Old Navy Work Wish List

In a previous post I talked about how I'm sick of my clothes right now, I feel like I wear the same thing all the time and that everything looks the same. I'm just stuck in a rut, but I don't want to go and buy a bunch of clothes I can only wear on the weekends or to work. I mentioned that Old Navy has a ton of great stuff right now and wanted to share my wishlist with you. If I'm honest, my shopping bag for Old Navy has 26 items, but I included only the items that would be work appropriate (unlike the Fabulous t-shirt or Wide Brim hat). I did order two items online last week that's included in today's post so I'm excited for them to come in. They're more for fall though, so I won't be wearing them anytime soon. Fall, ugh. Does anyone else feel like summer just came and went as fast as a weekend?

Everything is on sale right now too at Old Navy, up to 50% off! I ordered a few more items yesterday, so if you have your eye on something get it now!

Quilted Jersey Dresses- A dress with sleeves! Yay! I also love the quilted detail, this dress will be adorbs with tights and boots.
Ponte-Knit Circle Skirts- I love this skirt! It's fun and super cute. I just wonder about the length? I'd want to try this on in person, before purchasing. It does come in tall, so maybe I'll order it online after trying on in-store.
Sleeveless Ponte-Knit Dresses- I have this dress in black and wear it weekly. The material is awesome, doesn't wrinkle, has a bit of a thickness, and is easy to layer. This dress has a detailed material that's gorgeous.
Jersey Pencil Skirts- I love this bright blue color, it will be a great skirt to wear year round. Grays/blacks/emerald for fall and bright green/yellow in summer.

Sleeveless Shirt- I have a similar shirt from ON already, but it has to be ironed so I rarely wear it (plus it wrinkles like crazy), but this is rayon so no ironing! Woohoo! I love this color, it's beautiful! I plan on picking it up with some Old Navy cash I earned.
Satin Boho Tops- Another easy top to throw on and go. The color is so vibrant and would be cute paired with a colored statement necklace.
Marled Crew-Neck Sweaters- I added and ordered this top immediately. I love the marled look and I'm sure I'll be wearing this all of the fall and winter season.
Felt Smoking Flats- I've always liked the smoking loafer look, but never purchased any myself. I like the look of this flat's color and material.

Shawl-Collar Open-Front Cardi- This is another item I ordered, it's shawl-collar makes it a bit more casual, but paired with the right top and accessories it will be great with slacks. I love the blush color and it will be super cute with some skinnies and booties on the weekend.
Lightweight Cardis- I already have this cardigan in gray and wear it weekly, I definitely want to add some more colors to my closet and this navy and wine color are gorgeous and easy to pair with sleeveless tops and dresses.

What are some of your favorite work to weekend items? Where do you like to shop for work?

Can you (h)ear me now?

If you look at my jewelry collection, I have plenty of statement necklaces and stud earrings. Statement earrings though? Not so much. I wear earrings everyday, but always tend to stick with some basic studs. I love the look of statement earrings, but hate the feeling of dangling ones. Solution? Statement studs! After seeing these gorgeous beauties on Kate Mara, I went on a hunt to find some equally gorgeous studs.

1 // 2 // 3 // 4 // 5

Aren't these beautiful? I think they would be easy to wear as well. Not ready yet for something so loud? #3 are the perfect way to to dip your toes into the trend. They are sitting in my shopping cart ready to checkout now!

Obsessed: Very Jane

Want to know my late night obsession? Jane.com. It started when I brought Ellie home from the hospital. They have tons of goodies for babies, home décor, and lots of cute accessories and clothes. I became obsessed. I religiously check their Facebook account to see what items are going live at midnight and even set an alarm so I don’t miss out on them! I started ordering this and that at all hours of the night when I would be up nursing Ellie and would forget what I ordered until I had a nice surprise in the mail. Matt has even been conditioned to my late night shopping sprees, every time we get a package in the mail he asks me, “Now what did you buy from Very Jane?”. He’s so cute.

I’m no longer a shopping zombie, I’m still just as hooked to the site. I've found so many great items that I use and wear all the time, it’s my little secret shop that I just have to share with everyone. I've posted about my great finds and the site several times in the past, but I think it deserves its own post. Jane is a daily deals site that lists new items every day at great prices from some of my favorite boutiques and Etsy shops. Each item showcased is linked back to the shop so you can check out other items from the shop or if you missed the sale on Jane, snag it directly from the source. Everything I've bought from there has been great quality and they’re always up on the latest trends. I've only had one issue with an item, a jewelry piece was delivered broken, and Very Jane and the shop replied back to me right away and I had a replacement necklace within days. I love great customer service and was happy to have the issue resolved so quickly.

These are my first clothing items from them, and I can't take them off! I've worn them each once a week since they arrived. I recently wore the Bow top with the Stella Frosting necklace out with some of my sorority sisters and got so many compliments. The bow on each sleeve is such a sweet detail. I'm thinking about wearing one of them for our family pictures we're taking in a few weeks, but haven't decided which yet. The tan top is called the Kendyl and I absolutely love the silhouette. It's great to wear with jeans and looks fantastic tucked into a pencil skirt for work.

 

 Below is some of my favorite items from the site. They are seriously my go-to for jewelry and have lots of new goodies each day. My sister and I have a jewelry problem and this just feeds our addiction. As you can see, I've bought a ton of jewelry, but also tons of headbands for Elle Bell. 

Have you checked out this Very Jane yet? You can follow the daily deals and sale sneak peeks on their Instagram and Facebook page and set your alarm to get your shop on!

FTC: The Bow Top, Kendyl Top, and Stella Frosting necklace were all gifted to me by Very Jane. All other items posted were bought by me with my own money. All opinions given were based on my own experience and I am not being compensated for this post.