beat the heat!

You guys, it has been over 100 degrees in Chicago and it is yucky.  The only thing I can imagine doing in this heat is going to some luxury resort pool (unfortunately all we have are public pools) or going on someone's fancy yacht (alas we will have to settle for a paddle board).

I'm linking up with Long Distance Loving for beach-chic attire today.  Since I already did a beach look based on one of my outfits this summer, we'll call this one pool attire (as if there is a difference!)

1) We have this amazing hat shop around the corner from us called Goorin Brothers Hat Shop.  I have this hat in navy and adore it.  I kind of want to add this one to my collection after pairing it with this outfit.
2) I love the color of this coverup from Victoria's Secret.  It's so fun and flirty and paired with navy accessories...it just pops!  And it's on sale...it just doesn't get better than that!
3) And of course, you always need a good lip color in your bag just in case you grab drinks or dinner after your pool time.  Nars Heat Wave is just the right hue.
4) When you are headed to the beach or pool, you wear your hair natural.  Some beachy waves are perfect and low-maintenance.
5) I know I've featured these J. Crew sunglasses before but I just love them!  I want them so badly and they are on sale!
6) I love dip dyed totes.  They just scream summer to me.  This Tory Burch one is classic yet fun.
7) Always make sure you have a great sunscreen in your bag.  Protect that beautiful skin!
8) Sprtiz some of this in your hair after going in the water and you will get that beautiful wave back.
9) Have a colorful water bottle on hand so you can stay hydrated in the heat.
10) And this swimsuit...little sailboats...adorable!  I want this.  It's playful and classic all at the same time!
11) Make sure you have a nice fluffy towel to dry off with.  This one pairs so well with the suit.
12) And of course make sure you have a cute pair of sandals on hand.  These from Target are one of my go-tos!

Now go enjoy the heat in style!

feeling flowery

{Shirt: Zara | Shorts: J. Crew | Shoes: J. Crew}

Happy Thursday ladies!  It's almost the weekend and boy am I ready for it.  I had this wonderful post planned for today, but then I woke up this morning and had no energy...absolutely zip.  I was lucky I managed to dress and bathe myself and my child.  The bad thing about this lack of energy is that we are leaving in less than a week to visit family...eek!  And that means my to-do list is getting longer and longer and nothing is getting crossed off.  

So instead of that wonderful post, I give you this top.  This beautiful, flowery top as a peace offering.  I hope you love it as much as I do.  I love the feel of it, I adore the print and I wish every shirt I owned had these amazingly draped sleeves.

And psssst...in case you didn't already know it...Zara is having a sale.  Go on...check it out!

Trend of the Month: Colorful Blazers!

{Lipstick: Revlon Are You Red-dy | Blazer: Zara | Necklace: Target | Top: J. Crew | Shorts: Gap | Shoes: Target}

I'm joining Marionberry Style for the trend of the month...colorful blazers!  This one was a no-brainer.  I got this red blazer at Zara recently and hadn't worn it...so this was the perfect opportunity.  

I went out for drinks with a friend and this was the ideal cocktail outfit.  Heels and shorts...yes please!  About those cocktails though...I don't know what I was thinking!  I had so much fun I got carried away.  Maybe I thought I was back in college or that I didn't have a child or that I wasn't a stay at-home-mom...but I had one too many...and this was on a THURSDAY.  We literally shut down the bar.  Who does that?!?  Apparently I do! A word to the wise, dealing with an almost toddler when you go to bed at 3 a.m. is not fun.  Most people probably know that, but I had to test it out.

taking a walk on the wild side

{Top: Old Navy | Pants: J. Crew | Clutch: Nine West}

This is me taking a walk on the wild side...isn't it crazy?!?  I actually didn't think this outfit was quite that "wild," but when I asked my husband his opinion that's what he said.  Men...apparently you put on a pair of polka dot pants and you are dancing with danger!

To be honest, I kind of loved this outfit.  It was bold and the colors just looked so good together.  I was surprised how easy these pants were to style.  I see combos with hot pink, mint, red and yellow...pretty much any color in the rainbow!

I hope you all have a wonderful day! And remember it's good for your wardrobe if you walk on the wild side every once in awhile!

Weekend Update!

Hey ladies!  How was your weekend?  Ours was wonderful.  Lots of goodies to share.  We went to the zoo on Saturday and the polar bear was so playful!  She kept hiding in the corner and then popping out into view and all the kids got such a kick out of it.

It used to be that weekends were the times when I got all gussied up.  Now with an almost toddler, weekends are when I don't shower!  But it's still important to me to get dressed and look put together, so I pop my hair in a bun and throw on some lipstick and go.  Here's what I wore on our trip to the zoo...easy, comfortable and stylish!

T was such a good little walker this weekend.  He gets a little anxious when we make him walk outside but he was a trooper.

So we've had all these great ideas for this summer, but we never remember them!  We usually use our blackboard for menu ideas but if truth be told we never keep it up to date.  I saw this on pinterest and was inspired.  Ours is not nearly as cool.  But nonetheless, we got to work immediately with our list!

The pride parade was in our neighborhood this weekend.  And so of course, we needed to check it out. Talinn was very enrapt.

After our two hour nap (all of us!), we hurried to the swimming pool so we could get a quick swim in before it closed.  All T does is splash and splash and splash!

After we got out, he was cold so we got some good snuggles out of him!

And last but not least I found the coolest ombre flower in it's natural state.  This flower is absolutely gorgeous!

How was your weekend?  I hope it was wonderful and that you guys are taking every advantage of summer!  I'm joining a couple blog hops this week.

yes, that is a huge flower

{Lipstick: From this Pack, Sunglasses: Kate Spade | Flower: EmersonMade (now Emerson Fry) | Jacket: J. Crew | Sweater: Similar | Shorts: J. Crew}

I hate it when I think my outfit is all cute and then somebody makes an offhand comment that probably is not a compliment.  Case in point, I walk into my building in this super cute outfit and my doorman goes: "That's a huuuge (emphasis on huge) flower."  What am I supposed to say that? "Why yes sir, it is a huge flower.  Thanks for noticing."

I've had this "huge" flower for forever and have failed to wear it with anything.  It was a last minute addition to this outfit and I love how the dusky blue looks with the dark green and neon pink.  Despite my doorman's opinion, I will be wearing my huge flower again!

Oh and in case you were wondering what's happening in that last photo, that's me being a mom.  T was getting cranky so I put on my mom hat.  Just be happy I didn't post the photos of me sticking me tongue out and doing jumping jacks.

I only kid of course.

thursday latelies!

Hello ladies...it's that time of the week again!  This week has been a good one.  Not too much to complain about (except maybe that crazy 90 plus degree heat we've been having!)

First of all, thank you, thank you, thank you to all my wonderful readers!  The comments have been awesome lately.  And I have 30 followers now!  Yay!  I know that may not seem like a lot to some of you, but I am ecstatic.  So thank you to all of you who have followed.  I love checking in with each of you.

Okay, have you guys heard of Zhush?  I may be the last person on Earth to discover this place but it's amazing!  I've spotted items similar to both of these at Jayson Home and Garden, which is such a beautiful place but kind of expensive.  These guys...not nearly as expensive and still gorgeous!  If you have not heard of Zhush, go check it out...now!

Mrs. Baker over at Baby Baker Love blogged about doing a 30 for 30 challenge and no this is not Kendi Everyday's challenge.  This is about spending 30 minutes every day getting down on the ground and playing with your child for 30 days.  Frankly I'm really all about the first 30 because I want this to be something I incorporate into our daily life indefinitely.  Today we went outside and drew on the park path...and on the grass...and on a few trees...and in the dirt.  And it was good to just give him my full attention.  I love this challenge and if you have a kid, you should give it a try!

This is literally my favorite thing about summer.  Tomato salads.  Sadly this one is missing fresh basil, but nonetheless it was delicious.  I love getting fresh, juicy tomatoes from the farmers market and making this.  And here's the kicker...ditch the mozzarella and go for a creamy, flavored goat cheese.  So delicious!

I already mentioned our Father's Day picnic but here's the photo to do it justice!  I love picnics in the park in summertime.  

These are my favorite new detail in T's room.  It's a family of foxes and they are so cool!  They are from Kids on Roof.  Don't they have a lot of spunk?

And this is how city kids cool off...in playground fountains!  Talinn is in love with the fountains.  He just dives right in...with clothes, shoes and everything!

Hope you guys are having a great week!  The weekend is one day closer!  If you want to check out other Thursday Latelies, head over to Bex...A Diary.

Also if you want, follow me on Instagram my username is LipstickNLollies!

a peek at my humble abode

I really believe that style translates to the home.  Mixing patterns, coordinating colors and accessorizing all need to happen to create a beautiful space.  As I've told my husband a million times, a home is not just a building with rooms.  It's the place where we raise our children; it's where memories are created; it's where we feel comfortable just being us; and it reflects our personalities.  I hope you enjoy this little peek at some of my favorite little nooks around our place.

This is our side table in our family room.  And there's a coffee book for everyone!  Vogue covers is for me, Dr. Seuss' art is for Talinn and Planet Earth is for my nature nut husband.  I think these say a lot about us and our diverse interests!

This is a fun little accent in our kitchen.  I pulled out some colorful, striped straws for summer cocktails and drinks. 

One of our go-to's for artwork is photos.  We aren't professional photographers but we love to showcase our work.  We have a huge hallway that has black and white photos from all of our travels.  We took this wasted space and made our own story out of it.  

Our living room is definitely our prettiest space by far.  I love all the little details in it.  

The pieces in the background are tin ceiling tiles from old Chicago buildings.  And the tea cup was a gift from my grandmother.  She took a few from her collection and gifted them to all the women in my family.  I love how pretty and perfect this one is.  She definitely knows my style!

The artwork in this photo is a rendition of North Avenue in Chicago.  And the old film camera belonged to my husband's grandmother.  I love that it has a place of honor in our home, especially since photography is so important to us.

And of course I need a pretty little place for my jewelry.  This is my last stop each morning.

My favorite room is Talinn's.  I think it's so whimsical and fun...just what a nursery should be!  The quilt was handmade by my grandma and mother.  And the T was painted by me.

This was my favorite idea for T's room.  It's still in progress but it's a gallery wall with photos of our family as children.  In this shot, there are photos of my father, my mother and my grandfather.  I think it's such a cool way to share history.

We've definitely made this little space our own.  It's not all mass produced items...a lot of what makes it special is what we found and created ourselves.

I hope you like it!  

What are some of your favorite little nooks or details in your home?

Color Me: Yellow!

{Clock | Plate | Owl Measuring Cups | Cross Body Purse | Top | Shorts | Chevron Purse | Dress | Sandals | Blazer}

It has been hot, hot, hot here in Chicago.  And when I walked in my closet today, I found no inspiration whatsoever in there.  My outfit was kind of a dud and it was like the fifth one I tried on!  So I turned to the Internet and these yellows just do it for me!  There is so much inspiration here!  I love it all!

On a side note, I started the Adobe Elements 30 day trial and I am loving it (well, I started loving it after the two hours of doing everything wrong!)  You may see some changes around here and hopefully it will be for the better.  Let me know if you like this series or hate it (in a nice way).  I do this for you guys and your input is important!

Hopefully I'm reinvigorated to actually pick out some cute outfits this week!

Flirty and Feminine

{Lipstick: Revlon Ravish Me Red, Shirt: Similar, Skirt: Target, Shoes: Similar}

Sometimes a girl's just got to wear a skirt. She needs to feel like a woman.  And she just has to wear killer heels.  This was one of those days.  I just pretended for a night that I wasn't a mother and threw practicality out the window.  And you know what?  I liked it!  I just might be doing it more often.

How was your weekend?  Ours was fantastic.  Despite waiting to the last minute to plan anything for my husband on Father's Day, it turned out great (procrastination = success)!  I made him breakfast, specifically this fabulously yummy strawberry stuffed french toast.  You must try it out!  It was delicious!  Then we went stand up paddle boarding and had a delicious fresh picnic after.  Hope you had an equally wonderful weekend!

Boho-Chic

{Top: Similar, Shorts: Similar, Booties: Similar}

{Watch: Target, Bangle: J. Crew, Bracelet: The Way We Are}

I don't usually go for a boho vibe but it just felt right on this day.  This shirt was meant to be paired with those booties; they are a match made in heaven.  And, I felt uber chic in this outfit like I was headed to  Coachella or something equally amazing.  Unfortunately, I'm not that cool and this outfit just got to hang out with my son and go out to dinner.  But we can pretend, right?

In a perfect world, we would take photos at this time of day every day.  The light was gorgeous.  I swear it's making me look better than I do in real life!

What are you guys up to this weekend?  Any big plans for Father's Day?  I'm usually so good about planning something for my husband but I'm just drawing a big ol' blank this year. I haven't done a thing...I'm a bad wife I know!  So I need to get my butt in gear and sooner rather than later.  Oh and don't worry my husband proofs all my posts so he knows this!

Have a wonderful weekend and hopefully you guys are in better shape than I am!