What I Wore with My Pink Converse

Hey, y'all!  I'm back with the third and last post in my mini-series featuring one of my favorite pairs of shoes, my pink Converse!  If you missed it, here's where you can catch days one and two.

You're probably sick of hearing me tell you that these shoes work perfectly with neutrals, but they do!  Today, I'm totally recommending that you pair your sneaks with stripes!  It doesn't necessarily have to be a striped dress, either.  I'm looking forward to wearing these shoes with skinnies and a striped top now that the weather is getting a bit cooler.

So as a quick review, a pop-of-color pair of Converse looks great with solid neutral dresses, denim layers, chambray and stripes!  Do you own a pair of colored Converse?  How do you wear them?

And don't forget that today is is part of the What I Wore Series with The Blended Blog!  Don't forget to link-up below!

Rose Quartz Converse

Hey, friends!  I'm back today with my second post in my Pink Converse Mini-Series!  Yesterday I let the shoes shine when paired with a neutral dress and denim.  Today I'm still sticking with neutrals by wearing the sneakers with a simple, chambray dress!

This seems like a warm-weather outfit but could transition easily into the fall with a long-sleeved chambray dress or a chunky cardigan!

And do you remember my monthly Rose Quartz Series?  I totally dropped the ball in August but considering these shoes are pretty darn close to Rose Quartz and that I'm posting three outfits in a row featuring these shoes, will you forgive me (although you probably didn't notice that I forgot in the first place)?

What I'm Wearing:
Dress: Amazin (exact)
Shoes: DSW (exact)

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Should I Splurge on Pink Converse?

If you've ever found yourself asking this question, the answer is YES!  Since purchasing my classic, white Converse about a year and a half ago, they've gotten a ton of wear.  This summer I found myself wanting a pair in a pop of color but wasn't sure how well they would fit into my wardrobe.  Then, a $10 rewards coupon from DSW convinced me to go ahead and give them a try!  Do I regret my decision?  Not one bit!  I've already found bunches of different ways to wear them!  In fact, this week I'm doing a three-part series on how to wear pink Converse.

To me, the key to wearing colored shoes is often keeping the rest of the outfit neutral.  That will be a reoccurring theme throughout this mini-series.  While I'm wearing pink Converse here, these outfits could be recreated with any color or classic white sneakers.

For this first look I started with a stretchy, grey sheath dress and the Converse.  I found it needing something else and tried several necklaces.  The outfit still wasn't quite working for me so I turned to my trusty denim vest and voilà!  When in doubt, add a layer of denim, am I right?!

I've already worn this outfit twice.  Once to school and the second time to a Blues Festival in Old Town Lansing.  Although to the music festival I wore a denim jacket instead of the vest making this a great transitional outfit!  I felt comfy and cute the entire time I had this on!

Pink Converse Outfit One = Solid Neutral Dress + Denim Layer + Converse

Come back tomorrow for my second pink Converse look!

What I'm Wearing:
Dress: LOFT Outlet (similar, similar)
Denim Vest: Old Navy (similar)
Converse: DSW (exact)
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Blogging Besties: Old and New

Blogging Besties is a weekly series featuring Whitney of Whitney à la mode, Alex of The Cheerful Closet, Maricel of ::My Closet Catelogue:: and Selah of A Bibliophile's Style.  Each week, one of the bloggers will choose one component from the previous week's outfit to pass on in a brand new look.  This "take one, pass it on" challenge is an inspiration to stretch your closet and your imagination!

Last week Selah was the queen of interesting pairings: masculine with feminine and old with new.

I admit I was in a bit of a bind getting this post done so I wasn't as creative as I would have liked with Selah's prompts.  I wanted to attempt mixing masculine and feminine but I ultimately decided to go with "old and new!"

I'm wearing the absolute newest piece in my closet, this fun baseball style tee from LuLaRoe.  Have you tried LuLaRoe yet?  I'm totally addicted! I will be doing a fun post about the company soon complete with a giveaway.  Make sure you stay tuned!  Anyways, I paired my new top with my favorite, old jeans.  They are so old, in fact, that they need to be replaced soon!

So I have a good reason for working on this post at the last minute.  It's Homecoming week in my district.  Along with teaching, I have so many commitments as cheer coach that my head is spinning! At least we get fun dress-up days to lighten the mood!  I wore this outfit for Hawaiian Day!

So Alex, your prompts for next week are: a raglan tee, Hawaiian, Converse or your oldest jeans!

What I Wore in Nashville

Wow!  I'm posting awfully late...in two different ways.  First of all, I should have had this post done this morning, but here we are.  Also, I took these pictures in July.  Blogger friends, do you ever take pictures with the intent to post soon and then find yourself two months later with unused photos?  Oh well!  Better late than never, right?

This summer I got to spend a week at my sister and brother-in-law's home watching my niece while they were on vacation.  They live just outside of Nashville so my mom and I had a "grandma and aunt's night out" on the town in Music City!

I wanted to dress the part so I knew I had to wear my cowgirl boots (plus they don't get a lot of wear during normal life).  I kept the rest of the look simple with a sleeveless chambray dress and a cognac purse.

If you find yourself in Nashville, I would highly recommend a meal at The Listening Room!  You enjoy delicious southern food while experiencing an intimate concert with up-and-coming country artists!

After dinner my mom and I wandered up and down Broadway, popping into the various honkey tonks as we went.  We really enjoyed all of the talent that Nashville has to offer.  The live music in every single bar was spectacular!

Speaking of country music, have you seen the Forever Country video yet?  It's an amazing collaboration from so many iconic performers!

And while you're here, don't forget to link-up for The Blended Blog's What I Wore series!

Blogging Besties: Layered

The Blogging Besties series is the brain child of Alex @ The Cheerful Closet and Whitney @ Whitney à la Mode. In 2015 the series expanded to include Maricel @ My Closet Catelogue and me, Selah @ A Bibliophile's Style. It's based on the idea of "take one, pass it on," but we're passing on an element from another blogger's outfit. It's a fun challenge that inspires us to be creative!

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Last week, Maricel showed off her sewing skills with this amazing book print skirt:

The prompts she gave me were "a midi skirt, a silky top, or something layered."

The calendar says September, but it's still 95 degrees and humid in the Southeast, so I'm going to show off some Summer "layering" - in the form of a double layered blouse, consisting of lace and georgette. I paired this ultra feminine blouse with brand new boyfriend jeans and old kitten heels.

Next week, I challenge Whitney with: masculine and feminine, old and new, lace, and aqua.

Previous Editions of Blogging Besties

What I Wore on the First Day of School

Welcome to the second week of The Blended Blog's simple September style series, What I Wore.  It's so very easy, we just want to see what you've been wearing!  Link-up below or show us your style on Instagram using the hashtag, #theblendedblogstyle.

Last week I talked about what I wore all summer, so I only thought it a natural today to show you what I wore on my first day of school.  As a student and now as a teacher, I've always thought it important to feel and look your best on the first day of school!  An outfit that I feel cute and confident in makes it easier for me to make a positive first impression and sets the tone for a great school year.

I purchased this great LOFT Outlet dress during a my annual back-to-school shopping trip with my mom.  I love the flattering fit and the Great Gatsby-esque print.  I kept my look simple with silver jewelry and my comfy, scalloped flats but I'm really looking forward to all of the layering possibilities the dress offers!

One of many things that I love about blogging is that I have documented little bits of my life along the way.  I think it's fun that I can now look back through four years worth of back-to school outfits (2015, 2014, 2013)!  Which one is your favorite?

I had to do my annual picture at the door (I've been doing this since I was a kid)!

What I'm Wearing:

Dress: Loft Outlet (similar, similar)

Flats: DSW (similar)

Before you get to linking-up, don't forget to head over to The Blended Blog for day three of our Scavenger Hunt Giveaway!

And now it's time for that link-up!

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An InLinkz Link-up

Blogiversary Celebration + A Giveaway

A picture is worth a thousand words!  Or is it a blog post?  What can you learn about me from these three photos?  Find out at The Blended Blog!

We are celebrating the second day of our Blogiversary Scavenger Hunt Giveaway and I am one of the featured bloggers today!  Head over for your chance to win a $150 gift card to a store of your choice.

And don't forget to bring the champagne!

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Scavenger Hunt Giveaway at The Blended Blog

Happy Monday, friends!  It is a special week over at The Blended Blog.  We are celebrating our one-year blogiversary!

To make this week extra special, we are hosting a giveaway for a $150 gift card of your choice!  And it's not just any giveaway, it's a scavenger hunt intended for you to get to know each one of TBB contributors a little bit more!

I would love for you to head over to The Blended Blog to play along!  And make sure to check back each day this week for new opportunities to win!

Cheers!

Blogging Besties :: A Fall Transitional Look

Blogging Besties is a weekly series featuring Whitney of Whitney à la mode, Alex of Undergraduate Style, Maricel of ::My Closet Catalogue:: and Selah of A Bibliophile’s Style. Each week, one of the bloggers will choose one component from the previous week’s outfit to pass on in a brand new look. This “take one, pass it on” challenge is an inspiration to stretch your closet and your imagination!

  Last week, Alex trusted her sister (and rightly so!) to style her into a comfy/chic ensemble:

 

This week is brought to you by: “lace-up shoes, lace, chinos, or a fall transition look". And for your viewing pleasure, I give you: a fall transition look.

Now, let's be honest: Southern California isn't exactly known for its seasonal changes. Plus, we spend a majority of our time in air-conditioned, climate-controlled environments so really, any day can be a "fall" day. So perhaps I'm cheating just a bit with today's outfit because I don't really consider it much of a "transition". I do, however, feel it's very "fall"-ish. Note, if you will, the to paired with a cardigan. Not only is the top's structure reminiscent of cooler days (long-sleeved), its fabric (a silky charmeuse) is as well. The cardigan is an obvious fall transition layering piece, made more so by its autumnal, mustard color. The midi skirt is my nod to the "transition" portion of the prompt. I suppose, in colder climes, wearing a skirt is probably not apropos when the weather turns, so pairing a warm-weather piece with cool-weather pieces makes me prompt compliant.

Speaking of the skirt, what do you think of my first attempt at sewing?

Yep, that's my newest obsession. Sewing. I taught myself this summer because I was tired of coveting vintage clothes that are so vintage they don't fit my 21st century-sized bod and/or coveting repro vintage clothes that cost an arm and a leg. So I sat down in front of the machine we bought for my husband to hem his own pants, made my MIL teach me how to thread the darned thing (both the top needle and the bottom bobbin), and watched scads of YouTube tutes. To date, I've crafted one unfortunate top, two midi skirts, one successful top, a half pair of leggings and a plaid skirt (for my daughter), and a summer dress. I know, right. I'm nothing if not prolific. I'd actually toyed with switching over from a style blog to a sewing blog - even renaming it to "Mad Clothier's Chronicles" just so I can keep the acronym - but then I came to my senses and realized I wasn't quite ready to broadcast to the world my defeats. Plus, blogging about sewing would open up a whole can of responsibilities and expectations and stress, so I think I'd rather keep my hobbies separate for now. I would like to share my successes from time to time, though, so expect more outfits with personally hand-crafted pieces in the future. For Selah’s turn next week, I challenge her to the following: a midi skirt, a silky top, or something layered. Vive le vendredi!  

:: Just the facts, ma’am :: Top – eBay Skirt – made by me! Heels - Cobb Hill

:: Scream it from the top of your lungs :: Still Into You by Paramore

What I Wore All Summer

Having survived my first day of school (yesterday) and with the start of September, I'm saying adieu to the summer of 2016.  It was a delightful summer in that I had time to focus on my well-being and what genuinely makes me happy.  Two highlights stand out to me as having been truly good for my soul: yoga and traveling near and far to spend time with my favorite people.  I feel whole and more myself having made these activities priorities this summer.

You know what makes yoga and traveling even more spectacular?  You get to wear leggings and a top knot!  Nine times out of ten this summer you could have found me with my curls in a messy bun, in comfy pants and sporting my Converse.

Unless I'm actually attending yoga, I like to wear a tunic to cover my bum when I'm wearing leggings.  I would like to purchase more tunics, actually.  Does anyone have a go-to place for longer tops?  This particular outfit was perfect for a road trip to Pittsburgh for my cousin's wedding earlier this summer!  Comfy yet put together.

The Blended Blog (have you seen our new look?) will continue with our Wednesday style link-ups but with different twists for the different seasons.  For September, we just want to see what you wore, plain and simple!  So for this very first link-up of the month, I'm admitting to what I wore all summer.  Now I can officially move on to fall clothing!  Don't forget to link-up below!

Blogging Besties: Styled by Someone Else

Blogging Besties is a weekly series featuring Whitney of Whitney à la mode, Alex of The Cheerful Closet, Maricel of ::My Closet Catelogue:: and Selah of A Bibliophile's Style.  Each week, one of the bloggers will choose one component from the previous week's outfit to pass on in a brand new look.  This "take one, pass it on" challenge is an inspiration to stretch your closet and your imagination!

Last week, Whitney wore a lovely summer outfit styled by her sister! My sister and I share a love of fashion and regularly steal each others' clothes, so it was only natural to pass on the element "styled by someone else" and have her craft an outfit for me! 

My sister is a bit more trendy and edgy than me when it comes to style, so I wasn't surprised that this outfit revolved around my new lace-up flats! She styled a work outfit for me with chinos and a lace top, finishing off the look with a purple statement necklace. I love the contrast between the plum in the necklace and the olive color of the pants! Overall--I'd say she did a pretty great job :)

The elements that Maricel can pass on next week are: lace-up shoes, lace, chinos, or a fall transition look! 

Top: JC Penney (similar, similar, similar)

Pants: Old Navy (exact, similar, similar)
Necklace: thrifted via Plato's Closet (similar, similar, similar)

Flats: Target (exact, similar, similar)
Watch: c/o JORD (exact)

Previous Editions of Blogging Besties