July Pin-Spired

It's time for another Pin-Spired post!  I have pinned so many fun looks on Pinterest this month, and have recreated four of my favorites with items already in my closet.  Linking up with Pinterest Told Me To, The Larson Lingo and Mix and Match Family.

Pin-spiration #1

Nautical sweater, striped skirt, Hunters

My Recreation

This look is totally me.  I don't have red Hunters or a striped skirt but I did have the exact sweater in the coral color. I swapped out the stripes and the red for black and am really happy with the result. This is definitely something I will wear in the fall.

Sweater: Old Navy/Similar

Skirt: J.Crew

Sunnies:vBrighton/Similar

Bag: Similar

Boots: Hunter

7 Fav's for 7/4

If you are wondering how to incorporate a patriotic look for the upcoming July 4th holiday weekend, here are a few of my favorite finds for red, white and blue.


This beach cover up is versatile and will take you from the pool to dinner to the fireworks.  You can dress it up with wedges and a statement necklace or down with flat sandals.  

Elan Striped Coverup Dress - Nordstrom

Everyday Style

Another week flown by and I can't believe it's almost July!  I picked our daughter up from swim camp and drove five hours through an awful storm to Iowa for the Swim Pink A+ swim meet which supports swimmers and their families struggling with cancer.  There were only a few other swimmers from her team that qualified, but it was still fun!  

The day we picked her up, the weather outside was rainy but humid. I decided to throw on some shorts because of the temperature, and put one of my comfiest popovers to stay dry. 

Shirt: J.Crew Factory

Shorts: Old Navy
Hat: J.Crew/Similar

Bracelets: Stella & Dot

Boots: Hunter

Five Favorites for June

I love discovering new products!  Here are my five favorites that I'm currently loving.

Bath and Body Works Pineapple Palm Grass Candle

Our daughter gave me this candle for a Mother's Day gift.  It smells like fresh cut pineapple and grasses but is very subtle and not overpowering.

NYX Butter Gloss

The Eclair shade was in my June Ipsy bag and I was immediately hooked.  While it's a gloss, it glides on your lips and is not sticky.  It smells like sugar cookies and has a nice pigmented color.  It's pinky nude color is perfect for days when you just want a hit of color on your lips.

Everyday Style

With our daughter away at camp this week, I thought there would be lots of extra time for date nights with the Hubs and to get caught up on all the things on my to do list. Somehow the week flew by and I'm no further ahead than I was before.  

Just like on Mother's Day, on Father's Day we had to get up at 5:30 am and go to a swim meet.  We were planning on having a nice Father's Day lunch and then dropping our daughter at camp but we were all so tired we came home and took naps before heading to camp.  

Tank: Gap/Similar

Shorts: J.Crew

Hat: Target/Similar

Necklace: Similar

Flip flops: Similar

Looking Fabulous on a Budget

Crystal from That's So Crystal recently interviewed me for a Meet and Greet on her blog. She asked me for one tip on how to stick to a budget and still look fabulous.  I had so many ideas, I wanted to share them with you.  Make sure you stop by Crystal's blog not only to read the interview but because it's a great place to find inspiration on creating your own personal style.

How to Stick to a Budget and Still Look Fabulous

• Create Pinterest boards and pin outfits that you like.  See what you already have and what can be substituted.  You don't need to match exactly, use it as a guide and be creative.

• Don't buy anything full price.  It will go on sale. Last spring, I met my friend for lunch and afterwards, we walked around the mall.  I saw these cute pink Rich & Skinny jeans for $198 in Nieman Marcus.  I know, I had no business being in that store.  A month later, I checked their website and they were on sale.  I checked again a month after that and finally they had a 30% off clearance promotion and I got them for $29!  

• Buy scarves, jewelry, accessories at stores like Target and Forever 21.  You don't have to splurge on these items and adding a scarf or statement necklace to a basic tee changes the entire look.

• Sign up for store reward programs.  Years ago, when I still had to dress for work everyday, I applied for a Banana Republic store credit card.  What they sent me was a Banana Republic Visa card that earns rewards that you can use at Banana Republic, Gap, Old Navy, Piperlime and Athleta.  To maximize the rewards, we charge groceries, gas, etc and then pay it off every month.  I usually get a $20 - $50 reward in my statement each month.

• If you like to do your shopping online, I recommend using Ebates.  Ebates is the leader of online cash back shopping and they are linked to over 1700 retailers. Signing up is free and when you connect to a retailers site through them, you receive a certain percentage of cash back for your purchases. The percentage varies with each retailer.  They also have all of the retailers promo codes so you can save even more.  Ebates will send you a check four times a year or you can have your cash back transferred to a Paypal account or charity.   

Everyday Style

We used five snow days this winter which brought the end of the school year to this week.  I'm so glad we can officially start summer, but also a little sad because our daughter will be traveling for most of it!

As usual, outfit planning was difficult with the crazy Chicago weather changing from hot to cold every other day.  Here are some of the outfits I wore this week.

Since it was cooler out today, I decided to pair my teal cardi with my teal shorts and add some print with my leopard belt and shoes.  I dressed up this basic white tee with a statement necklace for the perfect spring like look.

Sweater:Target

Tee: Gap

Shorts: J.Crew

Belt: Target

Necklace: Stella & Dot

Sandals: Nordstrom

Eyelet Shorts Dressed Up and Down

As everyone's summer staple, shorts are easy to wear and they're comfortable. Just because they're basic, doesn't mean they have to be boring.  The key to turning shorts into a chic summer outfit is how you style them.

Eyelet continues to be a huge trend each summer because of its cool and airy fabric and it adds a feminine touch.  Eyelet shorts are a sweet and simple option from your everyday colored or denim shorts and you can style them up or down for casual to dressy.  

Look 1 - Casual

For a relaxed, casual look, dress down the shorts by adding a vintage tee and sneakers.    

Everyday Style - What I Wore

It's June and school is almost out!  I've been spending as much time as I can outside and have already paddle boarded a few times (if you have not tried this, it is a great workout but also relaxing at the same time).  But with the crazy Chicago weather, it can be 80 degrees one day, and 50 degrees the next. This makes outfit planning pretty difficult. Here are some of the things I've been wearing over the past few weeks.

This is a fun summery combo with the yellow, white with the animal print.  

Tee: Similar

Skirt: Similar

Necklace: Stella & Dot

Bracelets:Charming Charlie, 

Flats: Similar