Common Threads Challenge: Week 2

Well hello!  I hope you're all having awesome and stylish weeks!  For those of us participating in the Common Threads Challenge, we're over halfway done.  Can you believe it?!  I'm still loving this series and how it's stretching my creativity and my closet.

Previous Common Threads Challenge Posts:
Introduction
The Pieces 
Week One

But y'all, one thing I've learned about myself is, no matter the intention to get dressed, I will wear leggings and a sweatshirt on the days when I don't have to leave the house.  And I had two of those days this week.  So here you are, the five outfits I wore for the CTC this week!

October 10th featuring my Tunic: I'm pretty darn pleased with this outfit!  I wore it during a sixish hour drive to Madison, Wisconsin.  Even though I was wearing leggings and a fuzzy tunic, the scarf and d'Orsay flats made me feel very put-together.

October 11th featuring my Skinny Jeans: Like I mentioned in a previous post, I knew I would be attending lots of sporting events this month so I included my skinny jeans as one of my five items.  Nothing beats jeans and a sweatshirt, right?!  Go Edgewood Eagles!

October 12th featuring my Ankle Boots:  I purchased this swingy, boxy cardigan in Belgium and have been waiting for the weather to be cool enough to wear it!  They are all the rage in Europe this season, by the way.  I thought it would look classic and chic with stripes and these ankle boots!  I felt great for a day touring Milwaukee and the Lakefront Brewery.

October 13th featuring My Ankle Boots: Ever since my boyfriend told be about a local apple orchard and shop, I've been so excited about spending a fall day there.  And this was the day!  We found our way through a corn maze, tasted wine, went for a hayride and enjoyed donuts and cider.  Shades of olive and the ever-popular blanket scarf felt so very fall for this autumn excursion.

October 14th featuring my Tunic: Okay, so I did manage to get dressed on one of my lazy days this week.  Although I was quite productive despite not leaving my house.  Anyways, at least I'm wearing one of my pieces even though it's not that exciting, right?

So I realize that I didn't wear my mustard cardigan or olive skirt this week!  That's probably because I think of them more as "work" pieces and I had the week off.  Don't worry, they are getting lots of wear and you will see them again soon!

And don't forget to link-up your Common Threads Challenge looks below!

Travel Capsule: Summertime in Europe- Outfits Thirteen, Fourteen and Fifteen

Wow, friends!  We've made it to the last post in my Travel Capsule: Summertime in Europe series!  Even though I took most of these pictures on my trip and had them ready to post, I've definitely struggled a bit to stay on top of this series.  Life can be so crazy sometimes!  Mine has been crazy in a good way lately but blogging has been hard to squeeze in.

Before we get to the last three, err two outfits (more on that later), let's recap what's happened so far:

Introduction and Outfits 1-3
Outfits 4-6
Outfits 7-9
Outfits 10-12

Outfit Thirteen

I think these pictures win the "best backdrop" award of the trip, don't you?  They were taken at the Magic Gardens in Philadelphia.  If you've never been, I highly recommend a visit!  And while we're on the topic of bests, I think this skirt is the best new purchase I made for this capsule.  I used mostly pieces that were already in my closet with a few new additions during my trip.  This skirt was so comfortable, feminine and easy to pair with my various tops!

Outfit Fourteen

You may notice that this background is decidedly less exciting.  Yep, this is real life!  My friend took this picture in her classroom yesterday morning.  I did wear this outfit when my boyfriend and I visited Niagara Falls.  But between the waterfalls and the rain, I was absolutely soaked before I had the chance to take pictures.  So here we are!

Outfit Fifteen or Lack There Of

Which brings me to my last outfit of the capsule...that I do not have pictures of.  I was so good at taking pictures throughout my two and a half week trip but it was a tad exhausting.  And once I ruined my streak in Niagara, I just couldn't bring myself to take pictures of the last outfit I wore while riding home to Michigan.  Plus I didn't even put make-up on or do my hair for the five hours spent in the car.  But there was an outfit fifteen!  It consisted of black leggings, the patterned shirt from outfit four and my Adidas!

And there you have it!  Fifteen outfits made of fifteen pieces for a summertime trip to Europe and the East Coast of the United States!  I'm planning to write a final post with tips and tricks for creating your own travel capsule but, truth be told, I don't yet have a date picked out for this post.  So please continue to let me know if you have any questions or requests for that post!

Travel Capsule: Summertime in Europe- Outfits Ten, Eleven and Twelve

Welcome back to the fourth installment of my Summertime in Europe Capsule!  I've you've missed a few posts, you can find them below:

Introduction and Outfits One-Three
Outfits Four-Six
Outfits Seven-Nine

Outfit Ten

Ahh, we've made it to the flying home outfit!  When you spend nine hours on an airplane, comfort and layers are key!  Truth be told, it was absolutely roasting for our entire flight home so I immediately ditched the jacket and scarf.

Outfit Eleven

You may be wondering why I have more outfits to show you if I already flew home from Belgium!  That is because I flew back into Washington D.C. and then proceeded to road trip up the East Coast as I headed back to Michigan.  Instead of packing for two separate vacations (European and road trip), it made more sense in my brain to continue the capsule!  Here I'm dressed for a hot day touring the streets of D.C.

Outfit Twelve

From D.C., we headed to Philadelphia.  When rompers feel like pajamas, they make for comfortable car-wear and a chic outfit for touring the city!

Make sure to stop by next week for the last three outfits in the capsule!  And I'm still planning a "how-to" capsule post afterwards so let me know if you have any questions or topics you want discussed.

Travel Capsule: Summertime in Europe- Outfits Four, Five and Six

Hey, friends!  How have you been?  I had every intention of getting back into regular blogging once the school year started but I have been so dang busy.

There are lots of wonderful and exciting things happening in my life right now that I promise to share more about later, once things calm down a bit.  But for today, I promised the second installment of my most recent travel capsule photos!

If you missed it, you can find the list of items in my capsule as well as the first three outfits here.

Outfit Four

Did you know that during the first Sunday of every month, you can get tickets to many of Brussel's museums for free?  My friend and I were able to hit four museums in one day!  Therefore, as with the first three outfits, comfort was key.  This wrap skirt felt like pajamas but I still felt pretty all day.

Outfit Five

These might be my favorite blog pictures that we took during the whole trip!  You gotta love when the backdrop, the lighting and the outfit just come together so easily!  I wore this simple yet classic outfit while on a day trip to Bruges.  I was really happy that I wore my Adidas sneakers because we walked a lot this day!

Outfit Six

Can you tell I was tired when we took these pictures?  We actually snapped these right before enjoying a mid-afternoon nap.  This outfit made of classic, simple pieces took me through the Royal Palace of Brussels and an art museum.

Actually, it is the classic-nature of all of the pieces in my capsule that made these pieces so easy to wear!  What do you think so far?  Do you have a favorite outfit?

Travel Capsule: Summertime in Europe- Introduction and Outfits One, Two and Three

Hey, gals!  I'm super excited to be starting a new mini-series on the blog today!  When I traveled to Europe in April, I did so with a small, capsule wardrobe.  I loved the cohesiveness of my look throughout the trip as well as the ease of packing lightly.  I loved it so much, in fact, that I decided to do another capsule wardrobe for my summer travels.

Comfy Christmas Break Style + Link-Up

Ahh, I have finally made it to Christmas Break!  While I am super passionate about teaching, it can be a physically and emotionally draining job.  Lately I have been feeling particularly zapped of energy and a little bit down in the dumps so I am really ready for this time away from work.

I'm not going to lie, I plan to spend most of my vacation days in leggings, a comfy top and fuzzy socks.  But when I do actually have to get dressed, I plan to be in outfits just like this one!

Tunic top + cozy scarf + comfy jeans + Converse = done!  I think that the scarf and the Converse take this outfit from a little bit boring to put-together without being much work at all!

And since it is winter in Michigan, a cute coat is a must for any last-minute holiday errands I will be running.  I bought this coat years ago at H&M when I lived in France and I still love it as much as the day I bought it.  The plaid and toggles add fun details to any outfit!

On the day that I wore this ensemble, I actually took a turn behind the camera to take maternity photos for one of my best friends and her husband!  (Fun fact: I have two best friends and they are both pregnant right now!)  We had so much fun and I don't remember the last time I laughed as hard as I did while trying to pose the two of them in Pinterest-y ways.  Luckily, Best Friend's Husband was accommodating enough to snap a few photos of Nicole and me, too!

Showing Best Friend's Husband how it's done!

Nicole is due on Thursday and I CAN'T WAIT to meet the little one!

What I'm Wearing:

Top: Banana Republic (similar, similar)

Scarf: LOFT (similar, similar)

Jeans: American Eagle (exact)

Converse: DSW (exact)

Coat: H&M (similar, similar)

Now it's time for that weekly Lovely Little à la Mode Link-Up!

Fall Transitions for the Lovely Little à La Mode Link-Up

I know that I'm just one of many personal style bloggers to profess my love of fall.  Not only do I love fall fashion elements like layering, blanket scarves and booties, but I also love the exciting start to the school year, football season, and acorns crunching under my above mentioned booties.  And of course I have to throw in the mandatory shout-out to the pumpkin spice latte!

It can be so hard (in a first world problems kind of way) when you are ready for fall but Mother Nature is still enjoying summertime.  What's a cool weather loving girl to do?  My favorite way of transitioning into fall attire while it's still warm outside is to throw on a light, gauzy scarf!

I love scarves because they are one of the easiest ways to add interest too an outfit.  Not to mention they are a cool weather staple which makes my fall-loving heart very happy.  However, if the scarf is lightweight, it's perfect for transitional days...plus you can obviously take it off if it gets too hot!

You are also witnessing my first step into the world of joggers.  I received this pair in a Le Tote delivery and really enjoyed wearing them because, well, who doesn't enjoy sweatpants that are acceptable to wear in public.  I did feel a bit nervous, though.  I went shopping with my mom and kept asking her if it looked like I was just wearing your average sweatpants.  She assured me that this pair is truly worthy of a public appearance.  So here you go!

What I'm Wearing:

Shirt: LOFT (similar, similar)

Scarf: Le Tote (exact)

Joggers: Le Tote (exact)

Sandals: DSW (similar, similar)

Before we head into this week's Lovely Little à La Mode Link-Up, I just want to remind you that Carrie, Casey and I are starting Create28: Fall Looks on Thursday!  We hope that you'll join in by creating 28 brand new looks based-on our daily prompts.

And now it's that time of the week!

Blogging Besties: Olive You

Wow, it has been one crazy week and I'm happy that it's Friday!  The weekend takes on a whole new meaning during the school year, amiright teachers?  I am so ready to sleep in and watch a little Michigan State football!

But before we get there, let's take a moment to reflect and remember those who lost their lives on September 11th, 2001.  And speaking of fallen heroes, my town is experiencing a devastating and senseless loss this week.  Whether you pray or simply send positive vibes, please keep the family and friends of a fallen firefighter in your thoughts today.

I'm not sure there is a very good way to transition from these somber thoughts to a "take one, pass it on" style challenge, but here is Alex's neutral-cool outfit from last week.

I've been hearing for years that olive is a great pseudo-neutral to work into your wardrobe, and I finally jumped on the bandwagon by buying not one, but two olive skirts!  I actually own the exact olive skirt that Alex is wearing, but to mix it up a bit, I decided to work with my olive maxi skirt this week!

Since I'm itching for fall but stuck in summer weather, I picked autumn-like hues to create my outfit.  An orange lace tank and a fun scarf added visual interest while allowing me to teach comfortably in my warm classroom.

So, my friends, here are your options that you can pass on for next week: orange, olive, lace, a scarf, flat sandals a (maxi) skirt, or an uneven-hemmed skirt (handkerchief or hi-lo).

What I'm Wearing:

Scarf: LouLou (similar, similar)

Tank: Banana Republic Outlet (similar)

Skirt: c/o Le Tote (exact)

Sandals: DSW (similar, similar)

Where I'm linking-up!

But first I want to see what you passed-on from Alex's look last week!

Create28: Summer Blues Look

There are a couple of common sayings that relate to summer. "Dog Days of Summer" and "Summer Blues". Both seem to relate to a long hot summer that can sometimes be wearing on a person. I know I've heard the "Dog Days of Summer" repeated over and over during the month of August when the temps are high and no break in it is seen on the horizon. Summer blues is tied to the emotional heath of a person who tires of the heat. For the most part I enjoy summer and the heat. Don't get me wrong though, by the end of the summer {Octoberish} I'll be impatiently waiting for cooler temps...but not today! I'm making a little play on summer blues and featuring an outfit centered on blue.
 



I featured these striped shorts for my All-American Patriotic Look {here} and am glad to be remixing them for this look. I'm a big fan of stripes and these shorts give me the opportunity to try stripes in a different way other than a top.
 



Navy and mint create a sweet color combo with dark {bolder} and light {softer}. In order to focus on blue I added a scarf which brings in other blue tones while being complimentary to the mint as well. Summer blues = summer ease for this look.

shorts/ON {similar, similar} tank/ON {similar, similar} scarf/gift {similar} wedges/dsw {similar}

Styling with blue provides so many options. It's one of your basic neutral colors which gives you lots of options when adding color. You can check my Pinterest board for more inspiration.

Follow Carrie Carson's board Summer Blues on Pinterest.

Whitney's up tomorrow with a favorite sneakers look for summer. Hope you'll stop back and see what she features. Have a lovely day, friends!

Where I'm linking up.

Create28: Summer Scarves Looks

Hello, FRIDAY!!!

Fall and scarves go hand in hand. I always look forward to breaking out my scarf, ahem.....collection come Fall. Let's just say I have a few scarves....let's just say I may have a slight scarf, problem :) Scarves are just such an EASY way to add color and life into an outfit. Not to mention, they are functional so you know I'm all over easy and functional :)

However, in the summertime, you might not always think to reach for a scarf. I get it. When it's 100+ degrees out, any type of clothing besides a swimsuit on your body is enough to make you sweat--especially anything around your NECK! But on warm days, it is possible to wear scarves without overheating. Here are a few ways to make scarves work in the summer ~

1. The Jersey Scarf ~ Small and lightweight, this scarf is almost like a glorified necklace! It's just the right size to add color to an outfit, without being too close to your neck . The jersey material is cool and won't make your overheat. This scarf is a 27 inch infinity loop and measures 26 inches wide., so it's pretty small. Look for similar dimensions if you are buying a scarf online.

2. The Necklace Tie ~ When you have a bigger scarf and you want to keep it away from your neck, you can "twist tie" it up using the method below. It becomes almost like an infinity scarf and a cute little "necklace." :) The "twist tying" keeps it away from your neck. This scarf measures 72 inches long and 26 inches wide.

The Necklace Tie Method (Twist Tie)

~ Start with the ends of the scarf evenly down your back.

 ~ Bring the ends forward, to the front of your body

~ Starting on one side, wrap the loose end of the scarf around the loop that's formed. Keep wrapping until you get near the end of the scarf. 

~ Repeat on the other side. Adjust as necessary. You should end up with both sides twisted and away from your neck. I like to leave a little out and let it hang a bit.

3. As a Belt ~ What a fun way to add a little something different to a boring jeans/tee outfit! And nothing near your neck! Score!

4. On the Bag ~ If all else fails, a pretty scarf always looks nice tied to your purse or bag!

If you are really awesome, you can use scarves in your hair in the summer, too! I'm not that advanced yet, but I'm trying :) I will keep you posted, but don't hold your breath waiting for any scarf-hair-tying tutorials! HA! Stop by tomorrow when Carrie will show off her awesome summer statement necklaces!

In the meantime,  here is more summer scarf inspiration for you!

Follow A Little Bit of Cheer's board Summer Scarves on Pinterest.


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