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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Summer Favorites with Pearl & Clasp

I am back with another installment of the Pick, Pair, Share Summer Style Series with The Blended Blog!  Today I'm featuring orange + lace + a skirt.  I definitely wouldn't have thought to put this outfit together without the help of the graphic below so I'm finding this series to be really helpful in stretching my closet this summer!

What have you been picking, pairing and sharing?  Make sure to link-up below or post your looks on Instagram!  But before we get there, I want to talk about a few of my favorite summer style items.

First of all, if you don't own a denim vest, please go buy one now!  It's so nice to make an outfit more interesting by layering without having to add sleeves.

My second summer favorite (or really just a favorite in general) are pearl earrings.  If you've been stopping by for awhile, you may have noticed that I wear my oversized (faux) pearl earrings all of the time.  Well, I have bad news.  One of them broke!  I am in the process of seeing if it can be salvaged (you guys, I LOVE these earrings) but in the meantime, serendipity struck!  TBB connected me with the ultimate pearl company, Pearl & Clasp!

Pearl & Clasp graciously sent me a beautiful pair of black freshwater pearl earrings.  These studs are so very pretty and iridescent.  I had a difficult time capturing their varied colors in my photos!  I just know that these will be staple earrings for me because they are classic yet stunning.  These same earrings come in white and pink as well, but Pearl & Clasp sells other pretty pearl pieces, too.   They even have a whole section of real pearl bridal pieces.   Please stop by and visit P&C and let me know what pearl pieces you're coveting!

The other cool service that Pearl & Clasp offers is pearl restringing.  Do you have an heirloom string of pearls that are in need of a little love?  P&C will put them back together for you!  I will have to tuck this bit of information in the pocket of my denim vest in case I need it someday!

Thanks for stopping by today and don't forget to link-up with TBB below!

My Favorite Summer Dress + LLALM Link-Up

Happy Labor Day, mes amis!  This year, my holiday weekend is the calm before the storm.  Not only is the first day of school on Tuesday, but it is my first day in a new school with new (younger) kiddos!  I'm two parts excited, one part nervous and one part sad to see the summer go!

So what better way to say au revoir to the summer than with my favorite summer dress?  You've seen this dress a few times since I've purchased it.  I wore it for my birthday dinner and then for a date night look.  For this relaxing weekend, however, I chose to dress it down with my favorite summer dress sidekicks: my denim vest and my Converse!

I wore this little number for a Sunday fun day date with my handsome guy!  We ate lunch on the river (12-inch stack of onion rings, umm YES) and finished off our meal with some ice cream.  What a perfect way to celebrate the end of summer vacation!

Happy Labor Day!

Make sure that you pop over and say "hi" to Carrie and Casey today!  They are both wearing their favorite summer dresses as well.  I can't wait to see which ones they've chosen!

What I'm Wearing:

Dress: Kohl's (similar, similar)

Vest: Old Navy (exact)

Sneakers: DSW (exact)

And now it's time for that Lovely Little à la Mode link-up!

Create28: My Favorite Go-To Summer Look

Happy first day of July, you guys!  With the school year an ever distant memory and Independence Day right around the corner, I truly feel that we are in the throws of summer!  And it's time to start Create28: Lovely Summer Looks!  First up: My Favorite Go-To Summer Look!

Given the ever-soaring temperatures, I know that I have been sporting my go-to summer look bunches already.  What is my signature summer ensemble, you ask?  More often than not, you'll find me in a jersey maxi dress, a denim vest and a pair of wedges!

In my opinion, there isn't anything more comfortable than a stretchy, flowing maxi dress!  And comfort is key when it's so darn hot outside, amiright?  Sometimes it can be hard (at least for me) to find maxi dresses with the right proportions to be flattering, but for the last two summers I've found this style maxi at the Banana Republic Outlet.  I've already purchased it in three prints and I'm hoping to find more this summer.  When you find something that works, go all out, I say!

All the BR Outlet Maxis (original post, original post)

Another summer staple that I added to my closet last summer is my denim vest!  Sometimes you want a little extra interest to add to a dress and this piece works perfectly when it's too hot to add a jacket or a cardigan.  I can't even tell you how frequently I wear mine!

For more go-to summer look inspiration, head over to Carrie and Casey's blogs to see what they are wearing today!  We've also created a Pinterest board featuring even more ideas.

Follow A Little Bit of Cheer's board Summer Go-To Looks on Pinterest.

And we want to see what you're wearing, too!  Post your looks on Instagram using #Create28SummerLooks.  We will also be hosting a link-up for your whole week's worth of outfits each Monday.  Come on, join in the fun!  Tomorrow's prompt: Graphic Tee Look!

What I'm Wearing:

Dress: Banana Republic Outlet (similar, similar)

Vest: Old Navy (exact)

Necklace: Kendra Scott c/o Rocks Box (exact)

Wedges: DSW (similar)

Comfy and Cozy on this Confident Twosday

I'm really excited to be co-hosting the Confident Twosday link-up with the lovely Laura of I do deClaire.  Laura is so genuine and always looks perfectly put-together.  Plus, when I read the title of her blog to myself, I usually do so in a southern accent...which is fun.  Am I the only one who does this?  In any case, if you haven't read her blog, you should definitely head on over there!

Now that the fall weather seems to have really arrived, I am just so happy to be dressing in my comfiest, coziest layers!  I purchased this striped hoodie this summer with this exact outfit in mind and have been dreaming of the crisp fall air ever since!  Granted, I'm in the middle of my October 15x31 remix so I have to wait a little while longer to wear this outfit...but you know what I will be wearing on November 1st!

What I'm Wearing:
Shirt: Eddie Bauer (similar, similar)
Vest: Old Navy (similar, similar)
Leggings: Old Navy (exact)
Boots: Gift (exact)

I do deClaire (Bloglovin) | Whitney a la Mode (Bloglovin)

An InLinkz Link-up

Channeling Zelda

I'm so excited!  I finally have my act together enough to participate in Maricel and Selah's series, Thoughtful Third Thursday!  If you recall from the one and only time I participated in the past, for the T3 challenge I allow my look to be inspired by literature.  Combining my beloved books with fashion?  Don't mind if I do!

This month, "Mandatory High School Reads" serve as the jumping-off point for a book-inspired ensemble!

I have always been fascinated by flapper fashion and I seem to have the roaring twenties on my mind lately.  I am currently reading Z: A Novel of Zelda Fitzgerald by Therese Anne Fowler.  I've only read about a quarter of the book but I'm enjoying this unique perspective of the vivacious Zelda Fitzgerald née Sayre.  Zelda's real-life spunk and the adventures she shared with her husband are fascinating and it's fun to read this fictionalized account of life from her perspective.

So, in honor of Miss Zelda, I have chosen The Great Gatsby as my T3 inspiration this month.  Gatsby was, in my opinion, one of the more enjoyable books that I was required to read in high school.  That being said, I'm not sure that I truly grasped how terribly tragic the story is.  I'm delighted to have read the novel in high school but I also think it is a story to revisit as an adult.

In channeling Zelda, I chose a cocktail shift with twenties-esque beading.  I've worn this little number to a couple of parties before (and most certainly will do again) but I wanted to create a jazzy date night ensemble for this post.  To dress things down and make the sparkles a little bit more wearable, I added some flats and a denim vest.  I think this will be cute with a denim jacket when it gets a little bit cooler!

I'm contemplating dressing-up as a flapper for Halloween!  Do you think this would be a good dress to wear?

What I'm Wearing:
Dress: Old (similar, similar)
Flats: DSW (similar, similar)
Vest: Old Navy (similar, similar)

Blogging Besties

Happy Friday, loves!  I am so excited to introduce you to a new series and collaboration that I will be doing with one of my best blogging buddies, Alex, from Undergraduate Style!

If you are a regular reader of personal style blogs, you may have heard of a "take one, pass it on" challenge.  During a typical run of this challenge, I would start by putting together and wearing an outfit.  The next day, I would take one element from the first outfit and wear it in my second outfit.  The third day, I then take a different element from the second outfit and wear it with my third.  I would follow this pattern until the end of the challenge.

(original post, original post, original post)

Here is an example of what this might look like.  You will notice that I took the dress from the first outfit to wear in the second.  From the second ensemble, I took the belt to wear in the third photo.

Got it?  Good!  And now for the twist!  Alex and I are going to do this together!  I'm kicking-off the challenge today and then next week you will see which element of my outfit Alex is passing-on.  The following Friday it will be my turn again (and so on and so forth).  Obviously Alex and I don't own the exact same wardrobes so we will be doing this challenge with items that are as similar as possible.

Without further ado, here is the first look of the series!

The basic elements of this ensemble are my beloved denim vest, a simple black dress, a long pendant necklace and flat cognac sandals.  Alright Alex, let's see what you've got!

Don't forget to check back next Friday for Alex's first installment of this series!

What I'm Wearing:

Dress: ASOS (similar, similar)

Denim Vest: Old Navy (similar, similar)

Necklace: Gift (similar, similar)

Sandals: Target (exact)

Linking-Up:

Rachel the Hat and Lena B Actually- Passion 4 Fashion

Simply Sequins- Fashion Item Friday

Style Elixir- Friday's Fab Faves

Vodka Infused Lemonade- Très Chic Fashion Thursday

Work Clothes, I Suppose- Third Thursday Threads

Sweet Summertime and a Giveaway!

Greetings from the Mitten State!  Though I currently live in Virginia, I am from the great state of Michigan and it is still my all-time favorite place to be.  I am spending my last three weeks of summer vacation at home with family and friends.  I have been busy eating lunch every day at my parents' restaurant, exploring new shopping with my best friend and boating on the fresh Michigan water.  There is something about this place that always helps me to breathe a little easier!

Here is that denim vest again!  I told you that it has been so versatile and that I've been wearing it non-stop.

In fact, my new summer staple + a comfy maxi skirt = the perfect outfit for bumming around during a Michigan summer!

Another activity that I have been doing a lot of while relaxing at home is reading!  I adore reading but I don't get to do as much of it as I would like during the school year (darn you, lesson planning and grading).  This just means that I make-up for lost time during the summer by reading as much as I possibly can.  Most recently I finished Peril at End House by my ultimate favorite author, Agatha Christie.  If you enjoy a good murder mystery, Agatha is your girl!  In fact, if you are a mystery lover like me, I'm going to give you some homework (yes, it's summer vacation but I am still a teacher at heart)!  First of all, enter the amazing giveaway below and you could win a Kindle Paperwhite!  Then, download an Agatha Christie novel, curl-up with a cup of tea (perhaps iced) and lose yourself in a mystery!  Let me know when you are finished because I do enjoy a good book discussion!

Giveaway Details:
-Enter using the Rafflecopter below.
-Open from August 4th to August 18th.
-Open for Continental U.S. residents only.
-Winner's entries will be verified.
-Hosted by Marissa from The Modern Austen.
-Co-hosted by the following bloggers:
    Brittney & Staff from Urban Cashmere
     Kristin from My Life as a Teacup
     Rhea from Rhea Et Cetera
     Sam from Sam Bell Creative
     Whitney from Whitney a la Mode
     Karen from Fearlessly Authentic
     Inge from This Ever Evolving Life
     Meghan from Hayes Days

 a Rafflecopter giveaway

What I'm Wearing:
T-Shirt: Gap Outlet (similar, similar)
Vest: Old Navy (exact)
Skirt: Dressbarn (similar, similar)
Sandals: In France (similar, similar)

Linking-Up:
Cha Cha the Fashion Genius and Pink Sole- #howisummer
DC In Style- Monday Bloom
I Do deClaire- Confident TWOSday
Style Elixir- Style Sessions

Blogger Blind Date

Last week, I had the greatest pleasure of meeting a blogger friend in real life for the very first time.  On Monday I went on a lovely outing with Danielle whom many of you know from her blog, A Little Bit of Wo.We.

If you read Danielle's blog, you know that she is adorable, intelligent and oh so hilarious!  I have to admit, in preparing to meet her in real life, I felt a little bit nervous...like I was going on a blogger blind date (although maybe not so much blind since I've seen so many pictures of her).  Luckily, we quickly broke the ice by admitting to each other that we both tried on at least five outfits before coming to meet each other.  I mean, meeting a style blogger in real life?  What the heck am I going to wear??  Anyways, I quickly felt at ease with Danielle.  She is so down to earth and is even sweeter in real life than on her blog (how is that even possible?).

Danielle and I met in Georgetown for a delicious lunch and shopping.  And go figure, two style bloggers out on the town and the only things we purchase are matching workout tank tops.  At least we will be sweating in style!  

This amazing lady even took a few outfit pictures for me.   And let me tell you, she is a pro...offering to take detail shots without my even having to ask!  Is she great or what?!  I'm already looking forward to the next time we hang out.  I'm so happy and thankful to have made a real life friend through this crazy blogging world!  

P.S.  As you can see, I found a denim vest that I love!  I've already worn it a bunch of times.  It's such a great way to add a little interest to a dress when it's too hot to consider other layers.

What I'm Wearing:

Dress: Land's End (exact)

Vest: Old Navy (exact)

Shoes: DSW (similar, similar)

Linking-Up:

Penniless Socialite- Look What I Got

Rachel the Hat and Lena B, Actually- Passion 4 Fashion

Simple Sequins- Fashion Item Friday