weekend wear: maternity

{Dress | Sandals | Nail polish | Necklaces | Earrings | Purse}

Happy Friday friends! Since I don't know how much longer I'll be preggers, I thought I would put together a weekend wear focused on a super cute maternity look. ASOS has some of my favorite maternity pieces. In fact, when I was looking for an outfit to feature here I was kinda, maybe just a little wishing (not too hard though!) that I was at the beginning of my pregnancy so I could get some of their beauties! They have so many great options! And this darling dress is just one of them. I absolutely adore the floral print and the laid back feel of the accessories.

I hope you have a wonderful weekend! See you next week!

stripes with a pop of floral.

{Sunnies: Target | Coat: Similar | Shirt: Gap | Pants: Gap | Purse: Target | Shoes: J. Crew Factory}

This is one of those outfits where you feel like a million bucks and trust me guys that doesn't happen very often these days. I felt pretty, put together and stylish in this look...like a woman who doesn't just clean up spilt milk or sift through mounds of dirty laundry. I know that's not all I do but some days it feels like it! This outfit is perfect for the office, a casual business lunch or a get together with friends!

I had this outfit in my head for awhile. The only problem when I was actually getting dressed was finding shoes. So now not only is my closet slim pickings but also my shoe collection! I do not exaggerate when I say I tried on five different pairs of shoes. My mom laughed at how my feet bulged over the edges of two pairs. And by the end of the day I gave in and opted for sneaks. Oh the joys of being pregnant!

we can't win them all.

{Sunglasses: Target | Top: Similar | Vest: Similar | Shorts: Similar | Shoes: Sperrys}

Let's have a moment, k?  I don't want this blog to be a pessimistic place, but I also want this to be a true reflection of myself.  I want to be honest here.  So I have two options.  I can fake it.  I can pretend like yesterday was a wonderful day.  Or I can be honest and tell you it wasn't.  It's been a hard week and I feel a bit beaten down.  And that's okay because this is real life. 

I'm also seriously running behind on photos.  And when I run behind on photos, it means I have to take photos on days like yesterday when the last thing I want to do is take a photo.

So there you have it.  Me having a bad day in a so-so outfit.  We can't win them all, can we?

Here's to a better Wednesday.  I promise I'll be cheerier tomorrow.

Linking up with The Pleated Poppy for What I Wore Wednesday.

camouflaged.

{Dress: Similar | Shirt: Similar}

Could I have picked a better outfit or a better location?  I mean this really was a match made in heaven.  I just happened to pack this dress for our trip to my in-laws and my in-laws have this gorgeous rose garden.  Yes this garden is in their yard! It was perfect.

I actually got this dress when I was in China several years ago.  But I never knew how to wear it.  When I have that problem, I turn to my wardrobe workhorse...my chambray shirt.  Honestly when I have crazy pants, a difficult skirt or just trouble getting dressed, I turn to this shirt.  It goes with everything!

And sorry for the bags under my eyes...sheesh you would think I never got sleep!  Sometimes the light just hits me all wrong.  But I did just spring for some fancy eye concealer from Laura Mercier and I'm hoping it is a miracle worker.  I'll let you know how it goes.

Do you guys have anything you swear by?  I'm really just using you guys for good makeup tips...I'm kidding of course!

Today I'm linking up with The Pleated Poppy.

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!

Head to Toe: Floral!

I am such a sucker for florals.  I absolutely love them and for some reason they just never get old.  I feel like you could have ten different floral prints and each one could be totally different.  This shirt came from Target.  I love the bright blue hue and the print with pops of lavender and red.

{Blazer: Similar, Shirt: Target, Pants: Gap, Shoes: J. Crew}

I've been on a huge Target kick lately like I just can't seem to get enough of it.  And I am eagerly awaiting The Webster/Target collaboration that comes out on Sunday.  I think there a lot of beautiful pieces in the line and some really cute shoes.

Sorry for all the blazer posts recently but Chicago just can't seem to warm up.  And I refuse to put on a jacket.  I feel like that's taking a step backward...I need to be shedding layers, not adding them on!

I love little details like this.  There's just something about the color of the shirt against the striped cuff and the gold buttons that makes my heart melt.  If I have a piece of clothing that has a fun liner, I do whatever I can to make sure that liner shows.  It's a small detail that adds just a touch of interest to an outfit.

Other inspiration on how to wear florals.

Image via the Daybook

Image via Keiko Lynn

Image via Frassy

What We Wore: A Day at the Zoo!

So this is a double outfit post: what I wore and what Talinn wore to the zoo.  This is my typical mom uniform.  I wear it at least once every weekend.  I just switch out the scarf and voila I have a new outfit!

I originally saw these scarves on Good Life for Less and immediately was smitten.  I love the floral print and the pop of colors.  The price was right so of course I bought two.  But if truth be told I could buy...every...single...one!

On a side note, I used to hate TOMS.  I saw them everywhere on style blogs and I was like BLAH why are people wearing those?!?  They look like bandaged feet!  But then I caved and bought a pair...and I LOVE them.  They are so comfortable and cute. Clearly, everyone knows better than I do!

{Jacket: Similar, Sweater: Similar, Tee: Similar, Scarf: Forever 21, Jeans: Similar, Shoes: TOMS}

I've also decided to share some of the outfits that my son wears because I love dressing him!  When I was pregnant, I thought about how fun it would be to dress a little girl if I had one (enter: visions of pink, ruffly tutus).  But then I found out I was having a boy and I had to get creative.  I think having a little boy requires you to shop a little harder and mix and match more.  You don't just walk into a store and see a head-to-toe baby blue outfit and think: that's adorable (like you do when you see a pink one).  And of course I've had to find my own baby boy accessories like bow-ties and suspenders to replace the ribbons and bows!

{Hat: Boden, Shirt: Carter's, Sweater: Gap, Jeans: Similar, Socks: Boden}

This hat is my favorite.  We have certainly got our money's worth out of it this winter.  I love the combination of colors: the orange pompom, the grey and navy stripes and the red applique car.  It's so boy but also super cute.

We got the shirt at Carter's during a buy one, get one sale.  We bought a TON of stuff because it was such a good deal!

So there you have it.  Dressing a little boy can be fun!

Head to Toe: Strolling In the Park

So I've read a lot of style blogs and I always thought: You can do that!  But I never realized how hard it would be to actually put myself out there!

I don't claim to be the most glamourous girl on the block.  I don't have a degree in fashion.  And I certainly don't think I'm the perfect little package.  I'm just me--a mom who likes clothes and is taking a leap of faith.  

So without further ado, here is my first outfit post.

{Lipstick: SHANY, Sweater: Similar, Top: Similar, Jeans: Gap, Shoes: J. Crew}

One day while I was driving home, I saw a girl wearing this exact same cardigan with a floral romper.  And I wondered: why didn't I think of that?  I'm not really a romper gal, but I do have a lot of floral tops, so voila.  I love that this combo is not matchy-matchy but that the two pieces play off each other.  And this cardigan was a steal from Old Navy!