Even though we have basically finished remodeling our entire home, it seems that there is still a never ending list of projects that need to be done. So after a long Saturday spent painting and doing chores, J and I decided that we wanted to savor what was left of the gorgeous day and enjoy a nice dinner out on a patio somewhere. So with that, we settled on a little place called Pago-small and quaint with delicious farm-to-table food and a sweet outdoor dining area perfect for such a balmy night. And apparently Ty Burrell (Phil Dunphy) had the same idea, as he was seated at the table right next to us. 🙂

Because our date was sort of an impromptu affair and I didn’t have a whole lot of time to get ready, I ended up putting my hair up into the ever popular sock bun, and threw on a really easy (and comfy) silk color block dress, then topped off the look with fun accessories-my spike heels and a pair of feather earrings paired with some super long chain earrings that I can’t get enough of!! It was a look that felt just right for the evening and one of the easiest date night outfits I have thrown together in quite some time. And not only that, but I managed to cover up the stubborn white paint leftover on my legs and arms from the day’s earlier project.

Dress: Forever21 (recent)

Earrings: Aldo, TJMaxx (recent)

Handbag: Rebecca Minkoff Mini MAC

Watch: Michael Kors via Macy’s

Bling Ring: Macy’s

Bracelets: Macy’s, Old Navy, Forever21, Tiffany and Co.

Spike Heels: Simply Vera Vera Wang via Khol’s

I am a huge fan of Forever21 but know that it can be a very overwhelming store to shop. However, there are a couple of tricks to follow to help you avoid the poorer quality merchandise so you can take advantage of the good stuff. One specific trick I have found to help me navigate Forever21 is to look at the fabric content on the tags of some of the seemingly nicer garments. The dress that I am wearing in this post is silk and was under $30-which is a pretty tough find to beat. And there are actually a lot of gems like this scattered throughout the store if you just take a little time to seek them out-which of course is challenging, but definitely well worth it in the end.

Happy Monday everyone!

xx

Remember that old acronym from school? Keep it simple stupid (or silly, as I prefer to say)? My very favorite teacher ever (Mr. Armstrong) used to always say that to our class. He also used to say that “pressure makes diamonds” which is a saying I like a lot-and still sometimes use, particularly when I find myself in a stressful situation. But it was K.I.S.S. that popped into my head the other night when I was trying to figure out what to wear with my new pink jeans. As much as I love colored jeans, sometimes it can be easy to over think what exactly to wear with them. I tried on a multitude of options (all of which I like and will eventually share), but I was really drawn to the simplicity of a plain white henley, sky high platforms, and some simple gold earrings and bangles to complete the look.

Henley:  Forever21 (recent)

Pink Skinny Jeans:  The Limited

Wedges:  Steve Madden Nockout

Watch:  Michael Kors via Nordstrom Rack

Bracelets: Tiffany and Forever21

Earrings:  Forever21

Sunnies:  Calvin Klein via Macy’s Sunglass Hut

So I have a funny story, or rather a confession, about these shoes.  But first of all I should give credit and say that I discovered them only because one of my friends had them first (you can check out her cute blog here) and they looked so fantastic on her, I just couldn’t help myself!!  So while these shoes are really, really tall, they are also really, really comfortable.  And because I am never one to shy away from high heels, I wore them to work-knowing it was a day I would be on my feet a lot.  And it also happened to be a day that my district team decided to walk to a nearby restaurant to grab some lunch on a break between meetings-all of which would have been perfectly fine had I not been talking up a storm and not paying attention which made me miss the big rock lying on the sidewalk that I, of course, stepped directly on.  And let me tell you, in shoes this high, there is no chance for recovery.  Not only did I fall FLAT ON MY FACE in front of 12 of my co-workers, but there were also about 10 other people in the very nearby vicinity who also witnessed my totally embarrassing debacle.  Now I am a clumsy person by nature and have been known to take some rather public tumbles, but this one was particularly humiliating.  Fortunately, my injuries were slight and only my knee and my pride were bruised.  But despite my “incident” and the lingering embarrassment, they are still one of my favorite pairs of shoes-I just make sure to tread a little more cautiously when I wear them. 🙂

xx

I find that it is much easier for me to dress up than to dress causally (probably because it is more fun!). And truth be told, my casual outfits all seem to have a pretty specific underlying theme to them-some sort of pairing of cognac and grey. In my opinion, these two colors live in perfect harmony together, maybe even more so than ebony and ivory. Not only are they incredibly are chic when in tandem, but since one is a warm tone and one is cool, if you want to spice things up a bit, the possibilities of what you can add to this simple base are really pretty endless. So, last Saturday, when my hubby and I had a date with our littles (we are mentors with BBBS), I threw on my old faithful combination, but added a surprising (and fun) neon yellow striped sweater that left me feeling cute, casual, and comfortable for a rough-and-tumble play date.

Sunglasses: Steve Madden (TJ Maxx)

Neon Striped Sweater: American Eagle (on sale for $14.99!!!)

Grey Tank: JCrew (last summer)

Jeans: Else by Joe’s Jeans exclusively for Macy’s

Boots: Aldo Farmar (only one pair left!!)

Watch: Michael Kors c/o Macy’s (back in stock!)

Earrings: The Icing (recent)

And not only did I feel cute AND comfy all day painting and playing at the park, I also still felt like a bit of a fashionista-which is definitely a good thing. 🙂

Happy weekend!!!

xx

I have always wanted a white kitchen and a farm sink. And when J and I decided to forge ahead and purchase our “fixer-upper”, I had only one stipulation (well that probably isn’t entirely true-pretty sure I had more than one), I was going to have the kitchen I had been dreaming of. I figured if we were going put in all of the hard work and labor, then I wanted to reap the benefits of the end result with a kitchen we could really love and enjoy. And fortunately for me, my hubby was on board. Thus began the work of not only gutting the existing kitchen (which was literally full of exploded paint balls, crusted, moldy spaghetti sauce, and chewing gum-everywhere), but picking all of the perfect pieces to build my new kitchen. And to tell you the truth, I’m not quite sure which part of the equation was harder work!!!

Once the kitchen was finished, we went about year without backsplash. I actually had one picked out from the beginning, but when I went to order it, the dye lot had been slightly altered, making it all wrong for the space. And so I became a huntress of tile. I looked high and low and in every store I could think of and finally, I happened to pop into a Home Depot (not our usual Home Depot) with my hubby and there it was, hanging in the special order section. It must have been meant to be. So after waiting patiently for our order to arrive (which was nothing compared to waiting for over a year to find the perfect backsplash), J and a friend installed the tiles, and I finally have my gorgeous, perfect, totally finished kitchen.

Before…This picture actually makes it look decent-which it wasn’t.

Getting my sledge hammer on to remove that AWFUL tile floor, only to discover four more layers of flooring that needed to be removed, and then, instead of the hardwoods we had hoped for, rotted-out subflooring from a previous flood.  Yikes!!

New subfloors, patched walls, and no more hideous light fixtures (thank goodness!!!!!)

Cabinets and appliances going in-that was an exciting day.  Although we did live without counter tops and running water for about two weeks (that was a real adventure!)

The almost finished product, and the way our kitchen looked for the last year (please excuse our messy counter tops).  It was beautiful and just fine the way it was, but with no backsplash I always felt something was missing…

And FINALLY-the tile going in, and looking fancy!!!

And…the finished product!!  It looks even better in person!!!

So there you have it. Pretty sure I’m quite in love with it, and pretty sure all of the blood, sweat, and tears that went into this kitchen make me love it that much more. Looking forward to sharing many more before and after stories and photos from our remodel, including the rest of our kitchen, complete with a gorgeous handmade bar crafted by my talented father-in-law! Stay tuned…

xx

As a district planner for Macy’s, I am always busy juggling many different hats and recently the addition of opening a new store in the City Creek Center in downtown Salt Lake City, UT has been added to my plate. It is the only retail development in the United States opening this year, so it is a pretty darn big deal. And while the hours have been long, and stocking shelves, chasing orders, and planning plans have all been exhausting, I know the results will be well worth it in the end.

But perhaps more challenging than the grueling schedule, has been the difficulty in figuring out what to wear for this type of work. Normally we are in an office setting, but for this phase of our job, as we set the store, we have to be casual, comfortable, and open to getting dirty. And let me tell you, for me this is much more difficult than you might think. Not only do I work in fashion, but I LOVE fashion so have a hard time dressing dowdy for any occasion. And having to be at work an extra hour early, I am certainly not at my most creative when it comes time to getting dressed in the morning. So a challenge it has been. BUT I did manage to pull together a few looks, and even felt this one might just be blog worthy.

Jacket:  H&M (sold out)

Polka Dot Top:  H&M (recent)

Jeans:  Seven for All Mankind (old)

Boots:  Aldo Farmar (sold out)

Ring:  Italian Flea Market

Nail Polish: Hunger Games for China Glaze District 12 with OPI gold crackle

And yes, even though I have been doing a lot of manual labor, I still made sure to paint my nails.  I can’t decide if it is an addiction or obsession (or both) but not matter the situation, you won’t often catch me with bare nails.  It kind of feels like being naked!!

Stay tuned for more updates on the new store to come.  Our grand opening was actually today!!!  It was amazing, but exhausting, so I am off to bed to get some  much needed rest.  Sweet dreams(of new shoes, of course).

xx