Orange & Yellow

I just picked up this orange striped shirt from Loft. The reviews on the website were just so-so but I wanted to give it a chance because I love orange.. and stripes. Half the battle was won right there! It is a little loose and boxy but I solved that by doing a half-tuck and I think it will look great with skinny jeans and a longer tank underneath it.

I also gave in and ordered the yellow wedges. I love them! The color is great and I'm not going to complain about going from 5'4 to 5'8 by simply putting on a pair of shoes :)

Top: Loft (available here)
Shorts: Gap Outlet (summer 2011)
Shoes: Loft (summer 2012)
Earrings: Lia Sophia

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Planning Ahead: Maxi Dress

This is another dress I plan on taking with me to the beach. Believe it or not, this is the only maxi dress that I own. I have trouble with maxi dresses in that they are super long (I know, I know they are supposed to be long :) and I have to wear a wedge or heel when I would rather just wear a flat sandal. That's why I like this dress from Target, it's the perfect length for me.

We've had an active week but today is pretty overcast with a chance of thunderstorms. It's the perfect chill out in the house type of day, but I'm tempted to head over to the Loft friends and family sale to look for some belts. ONLY belts. Yep that's what I keep repeating to myself :)

 
I'm linking up with Casual Chic Mom  today!! 


Dress: Target (summer 2012)
Cropped Cardigan: NY&Company (summer 2011)
Shoes: Kenneth Cole Reaction (summer 2010)
Earrings: Local Shop 

Belted

One accessory that I need to add into my closet is the belt. I've never been very creative about wearing belts, and if I have the choice spending accessory money on a cute necklace or earrings or a belt, I will almost always go for the cute necklace or earrings. But I do have a lot of outfits/dresses that can become more interesting if only I had the right belt. I tried it with this dress and I think the look is O.K., but I'm not crazy about the actual belt. I wish I had something in the tan color family or maybe fabric which I think works better for summer. So the moral of this story is I will definitely be adding a couple of new belts to my wardrobe this fall!

Dress: Target (summer 2010)
Belt: Loft
Shoes: Coach (summer 2012)

Planning Ahead: Loft Dress

This loft dress is one of my favorites from this summer. It's definitely coming on vacation with me. I tried to make it more beachy by adding some nautical jewelry. I would normally wear white sandals to keep everything crisp but I decided to play off the bright yellow with the bright orange sandals. I also think that the Loft wedge sandals that I was coveting in yesterday's Things I Love About Summer  post will look cute with this dress. It's a good thing I gave in and ordered them!

Dress: Loft (Summer 2012)

Shoes: Kenneth Cole Reaction What a Square (summer 2012)

Necklace: Lia Sophia (spring 2011 collection) 

Things I Love About Summer: Sandals

A friend posted this on my facebook timeline:

This really is how I operate when it comes to shoes. I love to shop for clothes as much as the next gal, but I can talk myself out of buying a new item of clothing. Shoes, that's a different story. They really test my willpower.  This is one of the things that I love about summer. Sandals are so fun, they show off pedicured toes, and they are more affordable than those tall leather and suede boots that I lust over every fall/winter. Here are some of my favorites that I own or would like to own :)

Kenneth Cole Reaction
French Braid Sandal in Turquoise
I don't own these but would like to. They are 50% off and still available in my size..
tempting!

Kenneth Cole Reaction
What a Square Sandal in Orange
I own these and I love them!
They are also on sale (but no longer available in orange)

Loft Lara Platform Espadrille in Pale Citron
These are so cute and although they have mixed reviews on the Loft website,
I might have to take the risk and order them. This color is $49.99 and 40% off!

MICHAEL Michael Kors Meg Peep Toe Espadrille
OK so these are not technically sandals but I still love them:)

Planning Ahead: Flowy Skirt

I've hit that part of the summer. The part when I get bored with my clothes, bored of trying to be creative, and end up in some variety of the same shorts/t-shirt/tank top/flip flops every day.  I guess lazy would be another word for this but I'll use bored.  Since I feel like my current every day outfits are no fun to blog about, I decided to do a little planning ahead for an upcoming beach trip and post some photos of outfits that I plan on bringing. The one I'm wearing today is something that I... actually wore today! I haven't decided if I'm going to bring this one along or not. I like the skirt but I feel like it's length and fullness kind of overwhelm me. But I do love the color and print so it's in the running!

T-Shirt: NY&Company (spring 2012)
Skirt: Old Navy (summer 2012)
Shoes: Kenneth Cole Reaction Flower Gem (summer 2010)

10 Years

This past Saturday was my 10 year anniversary. I can't believe I've been married for 10 years, it's crazy! We celebrated by having dinner at an ocean side restaurant in NJ. It wasn't overly fancy or overly casual so I went with a dress that fit the atmosphere.

Dress: Loft Outlet (summer 2011)
Sweater: NY&Company (spring 2011)
Shoes: Bandolino (spring 2011)
Wristlet: Coach Factory Store (summer 2012)
Necklace: Charming Charlie (spring 2011)

Orange, White, and Blue

Another color combo that I love is orange and navy. I added the striped orange cardigan for a stripes on stripes look. I always bring a cardigan with me if I know we're headed to an indoor place during the summer because the cranked up AC makes me shiver! I also added some of my fun new orange accessories for an extra pop of color.Do you think orange and navy are a perfect combo?

Dress: Loft (summer 2012)
Cardigan: Loft (spring 2011)
Shoes: Kenneth Cole Reaction (summer 2012 still available and on sale!)
Bracelet & Ring: Sunshine Daydreams local jewelry shop 

Things I Love About Summer: Iced Drinks

I stopped at Wendy's today after Robert's swim class to get a skinny vanilla ice coffee and found out that small iced coffee at Wendy's is free for the month! That prompted me to create this post about my favorite summer iced drinks. This is something I really do love about the warm weather. I actually prefer iced coffee to hot coffee and usually switch over as soon as the temperature rises above 50 in the early spring. I've started making my own. I make a single cup in my keurig after my morning cup, stick it in the fridge until afternoon when I'm ready to have it, throw in some ice and my favorite flavored creamer and presto! It tastes as good as any store bought brand.
I DO however, still like my store brands of iced drinks as well. Here are 3 of my favorites:

Wendy's skinny vanilla iced coffee
(small is free this month!) 

Starbucks black tea lemonade 

Dunkin Donuts iced coffee in blueberry or french vanilla flavor

Cupcakes & Polka Dots

I picked up these green polka dot shorts at the Old Navy sale last week. I thought they were fun and super cute and first color that came to mind to pair them with was navy. I love navy and green together. This navy cardigan was perfect for when the weather cooled drastically down this past weekend. 

I headed down to my parent's house by the beach to for a visit and picked up some adorable new accessories at a local shop. I also picked up a delicious cupcake and thought I would add the picture.. for anyone who appreciates sweets as much as I do :) 

Tank: Loft Outlet (recent)

Cardigan: Old Navy (spring 2010)

Shorts: Old Navy (recent)

Shoes: Bandolino (a few years ago)

S'mores cupcake.. Yummy! 

Typical

Today is one of those days that you either have to be at the beach, in a pool, or inside with the AC on. We have the AC/pool plan going on today. First with errands that have to be run, in places like the supermarket where it's always cold. That's why I'm wearing a sweater on a 95 degree day. Then we'll go home and go in the pool. And then probably back inside the with the AC. And this is pretty much a typical summer mid-week day for us. And a typical mid-week summer outfit for me!

Shirt: Target (several years ago)
Cardigan: Loft (summer 2011)
Shorts: Loft Outlet (summer 2012)
Shoes: Kenneth Cole Reaction Flower Gem (Summer 2010)
Jewels: Sunshine Daydreams local jewelry shop

Green and White Stripes

There is something about stripes and summer. Well stripes are great any time of year, but I especially love to wear them in the summer. This green and white dress is another Old Navy sale item I picked up last week and I wore it out to brunch on Friday.

I'm happy to report that Thursday's pedicure with R went just fine. He helped me pick my color, sat and played his electronic game, and the ladies loved him!

Dress: Old Navy (recent)
Sweater: Loft Outlet (recent)
Shoes: Kenneth Cole Reaction Flower Gem (2 years ago) 

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Plaid Shorts

I know I said I was done shopping for myself this summer, but when I headed to Old Navy to pick up a birthday gift, I couldn't resist the cute printed shorts. The 40% stuff and save sale made it all the more enticing and I left with these shorts, a green polka dot pair, and a green and white striped dress. Never the selfish shopper, I also picked up a another bathing suit, pair of shorts, and shirt for Robert, 2 t-shirts for hubby, and 2 baby outfits for the birthday gift. I left spending only $85 which I couldn't believe, considering all the stuff I bought!

Today we are heading to a library story craft and then I am going to attempt the nail salon for a pedicure... with Robert. I tried this once a year ago and it.. didn't go so well. I'm hoping being a year older will help. And I'm not past bribery. Wish me luck!

Tank: Gap Outlet (old)
Shorts: Old Navy (summer 2012)
Belt: NY&Company (spring 2011)
Shoes: Bandolino (via Macy's summer 2011)
Bag: Kenneth Cole Reaction
Necklace: Charming Charlie (spring 2011)

Shades of Blue and Red

The heatwave has broken in the northeast which means I finally felt like attempting to style my hair and put on a pair of flats because I didn't have to worry about my toes sweating. Actually, I had white sandals on at first and then felt like I needed a little punch of color so threw on the red flats. I'm not a huge fan of wearing closed toed shoes in the middle of the summer, only because I have to wear closed toed shoes the majority of the year here in NJ, but I figured I would step outside of my comfort zone.. flats in the summer, wow I am really living on the edge :)
You can't really see in this picture but the tank top has these cute metallic details on the shoulder which makes it a little more interesting then your plain tank.

Tank: Loft Outlet (last summer, but they had the same tank in other colors, I picked another one up in a bright pink shade last week)
Shorts: Loft (last summer, but they had a similar style in the Outlet also)
Shoes: Gap Outlet (spring 2010)
Necklace: local jewelry shop Sunshine Daydreams 
Bracelet: local jewelry shop Sunshine Daydreams 

Another Day Another Dress

One of the things I love about summer is getting to throw on a sundress and look a little more sophisticated even if you're just running errands or heading out to a quick dinner. As a bonus you don't have to worry about tights and boots and all the other cold weather accessories that go along with wearing a dress in the fall/winter. Of course there is that little annoyance of having to shave your legs all-the-time... :)

Dress: Loft (summer 2012) Still available on-line
Shoes: Kenneth Cole Reaction (2 years ago) 
Sweater (that I'm holding not wearing): Old Navy (a couple of years ago) 

Blog Awards

Thanks to M @ Cardigans and Cupcakes for awarding me with 2 blog awards. My first ever blog awards, how exciting! M is a fellow New Jersey teacher and I love her style! It's always great to find stylish teachers to get more inspiration!

 

Here are some blogs that I think are "lovely"!

Once you get awarded this award follow these steps:

1) Link back to the person who gave you the award.
2) Follow the person who gave you the award.
3) Pass the award on to 15 new bloggers!

A Working Mom's Closet  Check out Melissa, she has great style and is an adorable person!

Casual Chic Mom I just started following this blog. Cute outfits and a fellow Loft shopper

Dressed up Mom Another stylish mom

Economy of Style  Great blog great outfits

Me, Myself, and Style  Love Kish and her blog!

Moms Have Style Too  Great style and a sense of humor about motherhood.

This Life Redefined  Another lovely blog

From the Mixed Up Files  Always very put together 

Amy Fashion Blog Amy always looks adorable!

It's My Cardi Stylish and great sense of humor

OK I only have 10 and they aren't all new, but all still great! 

Things I Love About Summer: Beach Bags

Vera Bradley Very Berry Paisley Large Resort Tote
Although I have this bag, this is not mine pictured. I found this image on Ebay. 

I thought it would be fun to start a weekly post about some of the things that I love the most about each particular season, be it a style item or something that is simply "fun". Of course it's summer and we are in the middle of a massive heat wave so I'm going to start with a fun beach/pool item.

Everyone loves a beach bag.  I got this Vera Bradley beach tote as a Mother's Day gift from my sister and I think it's great! I love the bright colors and that it's vinyl which allows for easy clean up of sand and water. So far we've used it for beach outings, picnics, and R's weekly swim lesson.

The Color of Summer

Tank: Loft (last summer)
Shorts: Gap Outlet (last summer)
Shoes: Old Navy flip flops (old) 

Hope everyone had a great 4th! I love this orange tank from Loft that I picked up last summer. It's a fun looking shirt. I have had a little trouble wearing/styling it as it's a tad voluminous due to all the tiers of fabric that overlap. But I still always find myself pulling it out because I love the color and the white dot print. Orange is really my color of summer. I have a lot of stuff in various shades!

Oh and it's obviously little R's color too so it's fitting he jumped into the picture with me. We went outlet shopping yesterday and for anyone with little kids, try to hit up your Gymboree outlet. They were having a great sale and I picked up about 7 shirts and 2 pairs of shorts for R for only $35. I also picked up 2 pairs of shorts, 3 tanks, and a shrug sweater at the Loft outlet for only $60! We are getting ready for our trip to FL in August and I figured I would stock up on the warm weather clothes with all the good sales going on. I think this might be it for me shopping wise for a while. I have a ton of sundresses, enough shorts and tanks, and 3 bathing suits for our trip. The only thing I do NEED is a pair of comfortable walking type sandals for Disney World. Other than that, it's time for me to cool it with the shopping. Let's see how long I can last :)

Plain Dress Bright Shoes

This dress is so comfortable and casual and I have to admit that whenever I wear it I kind of feel like I'm in my nightgown. So I try to fancy it up a bit by wearing bright shoes or accessories. Such as these bright orange shoes I just picked up during a half off sale on the Kenneth Cole web site. These are definitely a lot more neon than I'm used to, but they will spice up a neutral color palate.

Dress: Loft Outlet (a couple of summer's ago)
Shoes: Kenneth Cole Reaction What a Square Sandal still available here
Bracelet: Gift

Come and Relax Now...

...Lay your troubles down.. No need to bare the weight of your worries just let them all fall away.."

Lyrics to a Dave Matthews Band song. I will be heading to their concert tonight and this is what I'm wearing.
After the concert we're off to the beach for a couple of days, can't wait!!

Tank: Gap Outlet
Cardigan: Old Navy
Jeans: Old Navy
Shoes: Kenneth Cole Reaction
Bracelet: Gift from a student
Earrings: Lia Sophia 

Bangs

I have never really been afraid to experiment with my hair.  Perms, highlights, two tone botched color jobs, stacked bobs, layered bobs, long layers, bangs, I've tried it all, with the exception of a very short pixie (can't get up the nerve for that one). I felt a little bored with my hair walking into the salon today and decided to go with a long bang. I love it right now and I'm sure I'll be fighting with them as soon as I wash my hair!

I'm having major issues with blurry pictures, I will have to work with that.

Tank: Gap Outlet (a coule of years ago)
Shrug: Old Navy (old)
Jeans: Dress Barn (last year)
Shoes: Target