Vintage Blue

A few months back I bought an adorable vintage yellow dress on Etsy. I love it to pieces and wear it almost every week.  It has perfect button detailing and fits very well. I couldn't be happier. The ties on the side are adjustable, so it fits a pretty wide range. I don't need it now but at some point this would make a good maternity dress.

I was thrilled to get an email from the seller letting me know there is another one just like it in her shop but in blue. I don't need this blue dress, so I thought I would pass the good news on to you. If you're looking for the perfect house / run around and chase kids dress, this is it.

Wedding Love

In June my sister got married. We had so much fun getting together and celebrating. I love my family. We always have a great time together. I made my dress, added the pink sash and made Calder a real bow tie. Of course, when the time came to put it on we couldn't find it. So, I quickly made another one out of ribbon.

 My family is as thrifty as I am. Instead of renting a backdrop from a wedding supply company, my parents bought these garden decorations to use as a backdrop. I love the way they look and now that the wedding is over they can use them just about anywhere in the yard. I imagine it cost about the same, but they get to keep them.

 I had two jobs to get ready for the wedding. I pulled all the weeds in the flowerbed, planted flowers and spread bark and I was in charge of the candy buffet. I've seen them all over and really wanted to do one. I'm so glad my sister wanted one too. It turned out very cute and everyone loved it.

 I made little cards to identify the candy. I think we had 12 different types of candy. I love the way it looks. Her colors were pink, white and black. I would love to try this again with more colors.

Layering Accessories

 There it is. Layered necklaces. This was a bit of a challenge to photograph but it was really easy to do. Most of my necklaces are chunky and really stand along. I don't have a lot of delicate jewelery. I like the way this looks and want to explore this trend a bit more.

 We had the most marvelous storms today. I LOVE stormy days when I don't have to leave the house. It really is awesome to see the lightning and rain coming down in sheets. Thankfully we didn't lose our power this time. Oh what a good Sunday!

Shirt: The Limited

Jacket: Loft

Skirt: Thrifted (like 12 years ago)

Shoes: Target

Circle Necklace: Target

Sapphire Necklace: Gift from husband

Scarf as Belt

So, this is what I wore yesterday. The challenge was to use something in a unique way and I chose to wear this scarf as a belt. I happen to find one of those awesome plastic scarf/t-shirt things from the 80's. You know, you thread your oversized t-shirt through it on one side and you looked amazingly cool?

Oh, you don't remember?

Was I the only one?

At least I had my sisters. They wore them too. Anyway, I found one at the thrift store and had to have it. I wear it occasionally and it makes me laugh a little on the inside. So, yesterday I wore it as a belt buckle.

Shirt: Shade

Skirt: Made by me

Scarf: Thrifted

Belt buckle (haha): Thrifted

Shoes: Thrifted Dr. Scholls

Belt It

 I totally played it safe today. I wear belts most days, so it wasn't very hard to put a belt on. I was so comfortable today I totally forgot to take a picture. So, husband was out with work friends tonight and resident 2 year old was sleeping, so I was left to take my own pictures. I promise better pictures in the future!

Scarf: Thrifted

Shirt: Shade

Pants: Made by me

Belt: Thrifted

Color Blocking

 Oh color blocking. I think highly of this trend, but not this outfit. I am using the 21 Day Challenge as an opportunity to try things I've never tried before or to push myself when getting dressed. This outfit definitely did that. I have on an orange tank (Target), a magenta cardigan (Shade), persimmon pants (made by me) and thrifted Dr. Scholls. I love each of these pieces separately but not together. This outfit will not be happening again, but I'm glad I tried. And I will definitely give color blocking a go in the future.

You'll have to excuse the indoor photos. It was raining, a lot. Oh and excuse Buzz Lightyear in the bottom picture. My son insisted he be in the photo.

Mixed Patterns

Oh what a fun clothes day! I am totally into this pattern mixing thing. I have a heavily patterned button up shirt that I don't wear very often because it is a bit loud. But with a yellow and white striped sweater over the top, it was perfect. 

 Both of these came from the thrift store. I love them and just can't wait to wear this outfit more. I liked the white capris (Eddie Bauer) but could pair these with white or blue jeans just as easily.

 The day wasn't totally perfect. Calder has been sick and so we didn't actually leave the house. Well, we did go to the roof to take some pictures, but that's it. At least I looked cute while helping my poor little man feel better. Hopefully he will be on the mend tomorrow.

I'm totally sweating about color blocking tomorrow. Wish me luck!

Tuck It

As I mentioned before I am doing the 21 Day Outfit Challenge. The challenge for today was to tuck something in. Tucking in shirts is something I feel I excel at. Or at least, I do it a lot. Whether I do it right, I don't know but at least I feel comfortable doing it. So, I thought I would try something I don't normally do. I tucked my scarf into my belt. 

We spent the day at Bethany Beach. It was awesome. We will be going back for sure. So, I wore something quite casual but with the addition of a belt and scarf it seemed dressier. I often feel slightly frumpy in the summer because I wear such casual clothes like shorts and t-shirts. The scarf really helped me feel more polished. I will be doing this again. Scarves in the summer certainly aren't as silly as I thought they were.

The challenge for tomorrow is really exciting! I can't wait to show you what I have planned!

Calder's New Chair

A few weeks ago I found a cute little patio chair for Calder at the thrift store. Okay, it wasn't really that cute at the time. It has a little rust at the bottom and is a very ugly green color. But the chair was solid and the perfect size. So, I sanded the rust and then gave it a nice gray coat of paint. 

And of course, I couldn't leave it at that. I made the cutest removable seat cover using an adorable organic cotton car fabric. Calder (and I) could not be more happy. He loves his little chair and requests many meals to be eaten on the patio.

I love this adorable forced grin.

21 Day Challenge

I am doing yet another challenge. Kayla of Freckles in April is hosting a 21 day outfit challenge and I am really excited to give it a go. Every week Kayla will give an outfit prompt for each day of the coming week. So you will create an outfit using a prompt or suggestion. You don't have to make anything or do much, just get dressed. And it's not a competition in any way, it is really just a way for you to put a little more effort into your look. I'll post pictures of my outfits every day and would love to have you join me!  The challenge runs from August 15 to September 4. Let me know if you decide to do it too!

Express Jeans Love

This is a Sponsored post written by me on behalf of Express for SocialSpark. All opinions are 100% mine.

Some of my all time favorite pants are Express jeans. I love the way they fit my body type and they are incredibly comfortable. They are right on trend but also will last forever! My favorite pair of pants from Express are at least five years old.  If you haven't tried their jeans, you definitely have to! And right now they are offering a chance to win free jeans! Check out the Express giveaway here.

I'm loving the wide leg and

flared leg jean trend coming onto the scene. It really is like a breath of fresh air after the many years of skinny jeans. I love these   Redrock Tripe Stitch Flares and these Wide Leg Slim Fit Zelda Jeans. Wouldn't they look awesome paired with a striped, boatneck top and bright red necklace? Or maybe with a bohemian inspired top with a long necklace. Check out all the women's jeans.

One other thing I'm loving these days is the bright colored jeans. Remember my affection for bright colored cordurory skirts? Well, I now have the same love for bright colored jeans. I'm really loving red and and gray jeans these days and have them on my short list of things to find. Honestly I'm LOVING gray everything so if you could put gray and jeans together you've hit perfection.

I'm always looking for new denim ideas. So, which jeans do you have in your closet that you love? Why?

The Name Game

I was featured on The Name Game today! Check it out at Live A Colorful Life.