Jumping in the Snow

 

Last week we had our first snowfall. As you can see from above it was less than an inch, but snow is snow. It was funny to watch all the weather persons say over and over again, "Please be careful when driving, and please remember how to drive in the snow."

I chose this jumpsuit for last week's Sunday ensemble. I love that the black and cream is such a classic look and was less than $16 on clearance at dressbarn! The thing I hate about this ensemble: The Buttons!!! It is fine if you only plan on wearing it for an hour or two, but if you plan on all day wear...be prepared to spend lots of time unbuttoning and re-buttoning the buttons each time you have to use the restroom...not so fun.

 

 Since this was a summer piece it was sleeveless (now it's winter..well technically still fall I suppose) so I chose my favorite oxblood stretch blazer from dressbarn for some added warmth.

 

Because there was no pattern in this ensemble I decided to incorporate my favorite...leopard! I chose a printed belt found at Nikki's Next 2 New for $2, Michael Kors leopard gold-tipped flats, leopard ring, and a black and gold stack of bracelets to accessorize. 

Although this is the first jumpsuit I have purchased I think I will get more this coming spring/summer. It is an extremely comfortable style that I would highly recommend!

 

<3 CMM

a little camo goes a long way

As with just about any person who works in retail full-time, I do not have a 8-5 Monday-Friday job. I work some days, some nights, some holidays, but most importantly most Saturdays. So when my weekend off comes around once a month (sometimes twice a month), I look forward to not having any major plans. By not having any big plans it means I can relax, spend time with Shayne, and get things done around the house I probably should have been working on all week..

This weekend off I was happy to not have anything major going on, and it happens to be beautiful outside! 65 degrees in October and sunny? (I'll take it!) Shayne and I headed to Whispering Orchards & Cafe. If you have not been there I would STRONGLY recommend it. The eggs are taken right from the coup, there is fresh apple cider, apple cider jelly, meats from local butchers, and the list goes on... I ordered a caramel apple pancake.. YUM! 

Today's ensemble was all about comfort on a casual fall day. I have never been much into wearing camoflauge, as I did not grow up in a family of hunters, or around others that were very much into that, but thanks to Duck Dynasty  it has become a bit more popular on the fashion scene. I absolutely love this camo infinity scarf from dressbarn. A cute scarf for $16,you can't go wrong! 
 

Anything chambray makes a great fall piece. Wear a cute chambray blouse under a cream embellished sweater, or with a thick blanket scarf. A chambray dress is much in the same. I picked this one up from Goodwill for $6, originally from Kohl's. The brown belt is from one of my other dressbarn dresses (I absolutely love how versatile it is!).

 

For fall & winter vests are a necessity. Old Navy & J. Crew seem to have the perfect lightweight vests year after year. This olive vest was purchased from Old Navy for $34.94. They also have it in geranium, black, and tan. A vest is a great fall and winter piece, because you can pair it with a t or sweater and scarf & you have a put together outfit. 

No outfit would be complete without an #ArmParty..Once again I chose my leopard ring, which is my favorite ring of all time from dressbarn. My other chosen bracelets are various thrifted finds and dressbarn bangle/bracelet packs. 

<3 CMM

Fall Essential: The Blanket Scarf

The blanket scarf, an essential to any fall wardrobe that came to the trendy fall fashion scene last fall thanks to Zara, has continued to be an accessory must. Retailers such as Target have come up with their own versions of this scarf. Although some individuals are selling Zara's scarf for well over $100 on phone apps such as Poshmark and Vinted, you can find one on eBay for under $20 from China. 

 Although I was thinking of purchasing one of the scarves from a vendor in China, I happened to be at Target the other night {I'm there at least twice per week} and stumbled upon their own version of the style. The original price was $16.99, but they were running a promotion of 20% off Merona scarves. {You all know I love a great deal!}

 

 Let's begin with my new cognac leather flats..Two of my favorite go to shoe brands are Michael Kors & Coach, but I prefer to find them on sale. These beauties were picked up from TJ Maxx at $60. I had a $25 giftcard and two $10 Reward Certificates, so after tax I only paid $18!

The polka dot tights are from Dressbarn. I cannot wait to pick up more patterns this year! A patterned tight works great with a plain skirt or dress to add an extra point of interest. The acorn pleated mini is from J. Crew Factory. I had been eying it up for some time, but did not feel like I could justify paying $80 for it, so I waited until they were running a 40% off promotion. The belt was one of my lovely thrifty finds; only 99 cents at Goodwill! :)

 The oxblood blazer and cream sweater are two of my favorite Dressbarn staples from last fall. I love versatile pieces that you can mix and match to make endless outfits! Let's talk about my #ArmParty shall we? I love my pave link bracelet, but the rest I sure love too! I purchased this pack of bangles and bracelets from Dressbarn this week, and at $15 you can't go wrong :)

 Happy Fall!

<3 CMM

ONE dress, TWO ways

We all love versatility don't we? Personally I love when I have an item in my closet that I can wear endless ways. Many blouses and scarves now come with extra buttons or loops that allow you to completely change how you wear the item.

Today's outfits all started with an emerald patterned Dana  Buchman dress from Kohl's, thrifted snakeskin black pumps, and emerald bracelet and earrings.

  
 For church this morning I then added my new emerald Chaps pencil skirt over the bottom half of the dress. By doing this it provided the illusion that my top half was now a blouse paired with my skirt. (The trick is using a skirt that comes long enough so the dress does not hang out the bottom.)

The skirt, dress, and heels were all purchased at great prices or thrifted. The snakeskin black heels were found at Goodwill for $4.99. They were sent from Target; part of the Sam & Libby line. The emerald skirt is by Chaps at Kohl's and was found on the clearance rack for under $15. The emerald leopard print dress was also found at Kohl's by Dana Buchman for under $15. 

 
I love that this skirt has slant zipper pockets on each side near the hips. By having these zippers angled upwards it helps to narrow the waist & hips, compared with if they were straight across. 

 For an evening look I took off the emerald skirt, added sheer black nylons, and put on a black blazer (a pleather jacket would work well too). 

 
By starting with a few basic pieces, and adding or taking away a few more you can create countless outfits with things you already have in your closet!

<3 CMM 

Chambray'd

There has been a fall chill in the air the past few days, which has prompted many fashionistas to pull out their boots, sweaters, and tights from storage and incorporate them back into their outfit rotations.

I had the weekend off, so Shayne and I headed to 

Fond du Lac yesterday and did a bit of shopping at Kohl's. They were running a special promotion in which all clearance was an additional 25% off and then you could use your coupon on top of that! You all know I love a good deal :) I found this taupe Apt. 9 dress for just over $6! {It even has pockets.}

Although I love wearing dresses with blazers and/or cardigans on a regular basis I wanted to do something a bit different for this ensemble; taking inspiration from Pinterest. A printed button up, chambray blouse, or sleek mock turtle-neck sweater work great to pair underneath a dress such as this. This chambray blouse I purchased from Old Navy last year.

I styled it with two layered necklaces, one in gold chains from Express, and the other tortoise shell print chains from Dressbarn. To tie in with the necklace I wore my tortoise chain bracelet from Target {only $3 on clearance} & Dressbarn leopard ring.

To complete the look I chose a giraffe print (close enough to leopard print) skinny belt {thrifted from Nikki's Nex 2 New}, my printed Kate Spade bag, and black leather booties also thrifted. I found the booties at Nikki's Nex 2 New as well, and sent a picture to my friend of my find..turns out she was the one that brought them there to be resold. Twinsies! 

Going into fall you can easily turn some of those summer neutral dresses into completely new outfits just by adding some layers on top or underneath!

<3 CMM

a POP of NEON

It was a bEaUtIfUl weekend in Sheboygan. {I love when it is in the low 70's!}

On Saturday we had an all store event at Dressbarn to launch our new SMART fit pant. The pants I am wearing above our part of our Secret Agent Collection, and are my absolute favorite! They have no zippers or buttons and simply pull up. These however are not grammy pants by any means, and at the same time are not the legging pants. They are the perfect black career pant!

 Gold accented pieces served as the accessories for this ensemble. What leopard print blouse wouldn't be completed with out this adorable leopard hinge ring from Dressbarn?

I have fallen in love with these black d'Orsay flats that I picked up at Old Navy for $7 while on vacation in Missouri last weekend!

I love this neon cardi, but then again I just love this color in general! Neon works great with black and white, and is an easy way to add a POP of color to a neutral ensemble. 

I love this black and white blouse from Dressbarn, but I did not like the fact that it had semi puffy sleeves and elastic bottom. By pairing the blouse with a cardi over it, and by tucking it into my pants I was able to hide these features. 

NEONs can be worn year round, and are perfect for everyday wear or the office. Hopefully you will give this trend a try!

<3 CMM

 

Pineapples in Paradise

What is the newest trend in fruit..in clothing that is?...Pineapples! Pineapples have been seen in both home decor and the fashion scene in recent months. What doesn't say summer like a nice tropical fruit?

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Retailers such as J. Crew and Target (along with many others) have jumped on the pineapple bandwagon.

I have been loving all of the adorable pineapple ensembles that some of those whom I follow on Instagram have put together. Last week I was at Target and found this button down on sale (50% off at $11), so I thought I would give it a try :)
 

I paired a neon cardi with it from Old Navy to accentuate the bright colors of the pineapples. By rolling up the cuffs I was able to show off the pineapple detailing on the sleeve as well too. These neutral flats with yellow cap toes help to tie the yellow all together. (Purchased from Kohls)

 

Soon summer will be coming to a close, will you give pineapples a try in your wardrobe or home decor this month?

<3 CMM