Chambray Can Mean Business Too

Hi there!

I hope you had a wonderful weekend! Mine consisted of Monster Jam (aka Monster Trucks) with my husband, father-in-law, and a couple of friends & a food truck festival with my mom and sister & coffee with two awesome girlfriends & a 9 mile run & and a chili cookoff at church. Whew! ;)

Like I said Friday, this is my last week at work where I'm allowed to wear jeans. Boo! :P I am having fun experimenting new "office appropriate" ways to wear some of my older clothes, such as this chambray top and striped blazer--both of which have been shown on Katie's Style Project plenty of times!

Chambray top Charlotte Russe // Blazer Target // Pants Zara ($19.99) // Watch Vernier (Amazon) // Heels Tahari (DSW) // Necklace Forever 21 ($12.80)

One of the best things about chambray tops is that, just like jeans, they go with any color! I felt a bit patriotic wearing red, white and blue. :)

I put the blazer on top to take the look from casual to business casual.

Cropped pants with nude heels help elongate legs!

ACTION SHOT! Ready to kick Monday's booty! ;)

It's the last week of January already!! I hope yours is a good one. :)

Thanks for stopping by! :)

Pencil and Plaid

Hi there! TGIF! :)

My Friday Favorite! this week is this Slow Cooker Honey Parmesan Pork Roast! Last Saturday, I stuck this in the crock pot (dontcha just love the crockpot?), poured a few luscious ingredients on top, let it warm for 6 hours, and at the end of the night when it was done. . .mmmmmmm it just melted in my mouth! It was so yummy. I was seriously obsessed with it for a few days afterwards! haha :)

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At my job, employees have been allowed to wear jeans (instead of "business casual") everyday through the end of the year until February 1. It's definitely been a nice perk--jeans are just so easy! As January comes to a close, I'm starting to think about new ways to mix pieces I already have into some business casual outfits.

Top American Eagle // Skirt Forever 21 // Necklace Now on sale at Charlotte Russe! // Booties H&M // Watch Vernier (Amazon) // Knot Ring Forever 21 // Turquoise Ring Old

To ease myself back into my normal office uniform, I put together a very casual plaid top and added a simple black pencil skirt, as well as a watch because watches can make any outfit look put together!

I cinched my waist with a red belt to accent the very thin red line that runs through the plaid print.

I also threw on my arrowhead necklace that I've been loving lately.

I'm not ready to give up my jeans quite yet! Good thing I have another week. 

Thank you for reading! Have a fabulous weekend! :)

Spotted: My Oversized Sweater

Hi there!

I hope you're having a good week! I went to the gym last night to lift some weights with a friend, and whew, she kicked my booty! I'm definitely feeling a little sore this morning. After our gym sesh, we went into the sauna. I have never been in a sauna before and WHERE HAS THAT BEEN ALL MY LIFE? haha I am a biiiig fan of heat (works well considering I live in a desert!), and now that my husband has finished building us a bed, I am considering asking him to build me a personal sauna. Not sure where it would fit in our tiny apartment, though! :P

Anyways, on a more "stylish" topic: If you know me well, you know I love wearing the color red, and I love wearing leopard. Combined? Oooh I just love it!

Sweater and Boots Charlotte Russe ($24.99 and $7.50) // Bubble Necklace Etsy ($17) // Pants Zara ($19.99) // Owl Ring Wet Seal // Turquoise Ring Old

I added my blue bubble necklace for a nice pop of color against the (neutral!) leopard print. Then, to stick with the animal theme, I added my owl ring that I found at Wet Seal a few years ago!

Thank you for reading! Enjoy the rest of your week! :)

Black and White (and ready for Date Night!)

Hi there!

Friday Favorite! This week it's. . .my bed!

That probably sounds odd, but hear me out: A few weeks ago, I mentioned to my husband that eventually, someday, in the future, I would like our bed to have a tufted headboard. A black one with gold buttons. I see tufted head boards all over Pinterest, and I think they look so luxurious!

A couple of nights later, he had found a tutorial online about how to build a tufted headboard from scratch, and we were standing in the middle of the fabric aisle at JoAnn's picking out the perfect fabric to use. He didn't just stop at the headboard--oh no. He also built a new bed frame (with the bottom wrapped in the same velvety material that the headboard is made out of), with matching nightstands. He even drilled perfectly round holes in the back of the nightstand to stick cords through so we can plug in a lamp, clock, or phone charger without any cords hanging in the front. It sure is handy being married to a guy who loves to build things! ;)
 

 It's soooo soft! The fabric also has a faint zebra pattern. :)

He finished building it this week, and I just love it! Next, we need to figure out what color sheets and comforter we should get to match!

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Valentine's Day is coming up fast (wasn't New Years just yesterday? It feels like it!), and I thought it would be fun to share an outfit idea to wear that night--whether you're going out with your significant other or with your friends!

Top The Limited (50% off) // Skirt Zara (orig $25.90, sale $12.99) // Tights Target // Boots H&M (25% off coupon) // Necklace Charlotte Russe ($10.99) // Bow Bracelet Charlotte Russe // Chain Bracelet Forever 21

As you can see, I added a statement necklace and some fairly large bracelets to the outfit. Otherwise, it looked a little too plain for my liking--I don't want to be mistaken for a referee!. ;) I kept my jewelry black and gold, but any color would work! A bright statement necklace would look great with this outfit! For today, I decided to keep my blue nails the main source of color.

I found these booties at H&M! I have been wanting black booties all season, and I think these are so cute! I was standing in line at the register waiting to pay when I remembered to pull out my phone to pull up the "RetailMeNot" app to see if there might be a coupon for H&M that day. There was--for 25% off! I was so happy I checked!

These boots were (not) made for walking (in dirt). :P

Thank you for reading! Have a great weekend! :)

Minty Fresh

Hi there!

Today I am wearing a simple outfit that would be perfect to wear while running errands, meeting a friend for lunch, or just lounging around the house. I recently found this sweater at Forever 21. I think mint is such a pretty color and it reminds me of spring! (It is also currently the color of polish on my toes!)

Sweater Forever 21 ($19.80) // Jeans Levi's // Scarf Charming Charlie (2 for $20) // Boots Target: Merona (20% off on Black Friday) // Sunglasses Nordstrom ($12) // Ring Forever 21 ($1.80) // Earrings Francesca's

 The sweater itself is soooo comfortable (love that!), so I "dressed it up" a little bit with this pink and white chevron infinity scarf!

I was wearing Victoria's Secret lipstick, so I wanted to make a kissy face like a VS Model. My sister said I just look grumpy! I guess it's hard to "smize" behind a pair of sunglasses. ;)

Are you bringing out your spring colors, or do you think it's still too early? (It is only mid-January!)

Thank you for reading! :)

The Time I Tried On Red Pants

Hi there!

Raise your hand if you're dreaming of a vacation! A tropical destination, maybe? I've been dreaming of sand between my toes while feeling the ocean breeze through my hair, but it doesn't look like that will be happening anytime soon. In the meantime, I'll be wearing floral-patterned blouses and cropped pants, ready to be whisked off to the beach at the drop of a hat! (Speaking of hats, I really wish I had a wide-brimmed black hat to complete this look. Oh well, I went hatless today!)

Top Zara ($19.99) // Cami Charlotte Russe // Bottoms Zara ($19.99) // Flats DSW: Adrienne Vittadini (last seen here) // Bracelet and Ring Forever 21 ($6.80 and $1.80) // Bag Francesca's 

Zara was having a huge sale this weekend! That is where I bought both this top and pair of cropped pants. The top was originally $35.90 and the bottoms were $59.90, but I scored both for $19.99 each. Woohoo! :) I don't know how long this sale will be lasting, but if you are a Zara fan (or just a fan of big sales), check out their website soon!

I have wanted to own a pair of colored pants for the past few years. Not just any color, though. I wanted a pair of red pants. Cherry red, to be exact. However, I've never even had the courage to try on a pair! I had convinced myself I wouldn't be able to pull them off.

When I found these at Zara, I thought to myself "you know what, why not?? It's the beginning of a new year--time to get out of my comfort zone a little bit and take some fashion 'risks'!" As soon as I had them on in the fitting room, I was dreaming up all of the possible outfits I can create with these pants mixed with what's already in my closet! What trends do you want to try? I encourage you to go for it! Don't wait as long as I did to try on a pair of red pants. . .or whatever it is you're curious to try. You just might be as surprised as I was. :)

Thank you for reading! Have a good week! :)

Friday Favorite!: Running Like a Girl

Hi there!

It's time for another Friday Favorite! This week, I want to share with you a book that my sister gave me for Christmas. I loved it so much, I finished it in 3 days!

Running Like a Girl: Notes on Learning to Run is about Heminsley's experience becoming a marthon runner in her 30's, and what she learned along the way. It is a blend of funny stories mixed with some useful information specifically for female runners (sports bras, anyone?). I am currently training for a half marathon, and this book just made me even more excited for my race! This will be my first half marathon. In fact, it will be my first running event, period. A year ago, I honestly don't know if I could have run one full mile. Tomorrow morning, I am planning to run 7 of them! [[Tonight, I fueled up with this Italian Chicken, which I served with some fettucine alfredo. Mmmmmmm it was tasty! :)]]

I also have an outfit to share tonight!

Sweater Gap // Plaid Top American Eagle // Jeans Levi's // Boots Target // Watch Vernier (Amazon) // Necklace Charlotte Russe

Just being goofy.

I gave this preppy outfit some "edge" by pairing it with this arrow necklace that I found a few weeks ago at Charlotte Russe! A sweet friend of mine had given me a gift card for $10, and this necklace was only $8.99 so it completely covered it. Thank you, Alicia! :)

Thank you for reading! Have a great weekend, and good luck finding some good deals if you're going shopping! ;)