What to Wear to a Fall Wedding

I hope everyone had a wonderful weekend! Fall is a popular season for weddings and with a chill in the air, it can be difficult to decide what to wear. Dressing for a fall wedding calls for a little more glamour, elegance, and a mixture of rich colors and textures. Today I'm so happy to be collaborating with Ada from Elegance & Mommyhood, Marta from Sweaters, Stripes and Sweets and Susan from Charming Lucy to show you how we would style an outfit for a fall wedding. Be sure to stop by their blogs to see their wedding looks!

I love the rich green color of this midi dress, the fitted banded waist and the flouncy circle skirt. I kept accessories minimal with an embellished gold belt, pearl statement necklace, small bag and heels. 

September Ipsy Glam Bag Review

Happy Friday!  Have you heard of Ipsy? It's is a monthly beauty and makeup subscription where you get full or deluxe size samples of a variety of products and a cute makeup bag. Ipsy sends out different variations of the glam bag each month. Here's what I got in mine in September:

Pacifica Natural Waterproof Eye Pencil
I received the fringe color which is a rich brown. My go to eyeliner is the Urban Decay 24/7 pencil and while the Pacifica was easy to apply and glided on my eyelid easily enough, I don't know if I would make the switch.  I'm giving it a thumbs up because it's a good back up!
Verdict: 

Hello Riding Boots!

Riding boots are a must have closet staple. You don't have to be an equestrienne to wear them and you only need a few key pieces in your closet to style them. Tuck your skinny jeans into your boots for a sleek look.  Pair them with a tunic and leggings for a casual and comfy outfit.  Wear them with a pencil skirt for workwear to the office or a skater skirt or dress for a more fun and flirty look. Just be sure to stay away from baggy jeans that will bunch up in your boots. Your jeans should be fitted at the knee.

These Sam Edelman Penny boots were a birthday gift last year and they were on repeat all winter.  The rich brown color is a great alternative to black and the distressed burnished leather gives them an edgy feel. Today I'm styling my riding boots with my white skinny jeans for a fall transition outfit. I think you can wear white after Labor day as long as you stay away from a summery fabrics and colors.  

Sweater (similar) / Gap Skinny Jeans / Stella & Dot Sanibel Pendant 

Sam Edelman Penny Riding Boots  / Ray-Ban Sunnies

What's your favorite way to wear your riding boots?

Thanks for stopping by and reading today! I hope you will come back and I'd love it if you followed along with me on Facebook, Bloglovin or Google +.

Linking up with these fabulous bloggers here and Happiness at Mid-Life.

Fall Initial Wreath DIY

I always start decorating for fall as soon as it's September 1st and with that, it was time for a new door wreath. I'm seeing initials and monograms on everything lately, so like my last wreath, I wanted to have our initial on it. I was going to paint the initial but then I was going through a pile of scrapbook paper and saw some paper that I liked instead.

~ Supplies ~

Branch wreath frame

Floral stems

Wooden initial

Burlap ribbon

Raffia

Patterned scrapbook paper

Mod Podge

Pencil

Scissors or exacto knife

Small disposable paint brush

Trace the wooded initial onto the paper you chose and cut out with an exacto knife or scissors.

Brush a coat of the Mod Podge onto the wooden initial.

 Then adhere the paper cutout onto to the wooden initial.

 Brush another coat of Mod Podge over the paper. Let dry.

Weave your floral stems into the branches of the wreath.

Cut a 24" piece of burlap ribbon and tie a bow onto the side of the wreath.

Using several pieces of raffia, tie the initial to the other side of the wreath.

There you have it, a personalized fall wreath to welcome guests into your home!

How do you decorate for fall? Let me know in the comments!

Thanks for reading today! 

I hope you will come back and I'd love it if you followed along with me on Facebook, Bloglovin or Google +.

Linking up with these fabulous bloggers here.

The Top Five Places I Want to See Before I Die

Joining the Lifestyle Sistas Linkup today to talk about the Places I Want to See Before I Die. This topic hits home for me because my Mom travels to amazing destinations several times a year and is checking off every spot on her bucket list. So far this year she has been bike riding in Amsterdam, spent a week in Paris with our daughter, kayaked in Alaska and is heading to one of my top picks this fall: Italy to hike.  I hope to do the same one day and here are the top five on my bucket list.  Turns out some of my favorite films were shot at many of these destinations so touring those settings would make the trip even more fun!

San Francisco 

I have never been to California (connecting flights at the airport does not count) so I'd love to wander around San Francisco and ride a cable car.  Union Square would be my top destination for art, theater and all of the shops and a Vertigo tour of San Francisco would be fun.  Vertigo is probably one of my all time favorite Hitchcock movies and was filmed here!

Goodbye Sandals, Hello Booties!

Cooler temperatures mean pumpkin lattes, candy corn, football and comfy sweaters. It's time to say goodbye to sandals and hello to booties!

We recently cleaned out closets around here and with that, I did a closet inventory to determine what I really needed to add to my wardrobe for fall. Next to sweaters, my favorite thing to wear is boots. There are several on my wishlist, but I already have the basics. So, I decided to do a series on fall boots and styling them with a summer piece to transition them into a fall look. 

These wedge booties from Tom's are one of my favorites.  Wedges are the only heel that I like to wear.  They are comfortable and they go with everything - jeans, dresses, skirts and leggings. Tank tops are a summer staple that you can wear year round.  You can easily transition them to fall by adding a sweater or jacket. 

Cardigan (Similar) (Similar) / Tank Top (Similar) / Gap Destructed Skinny Jeans 

Stella & Dot Kimberly Necklace / Tom's Booties

How do you transition your favorite summer pieces to fall?  Let me know in the comments!

Thanks for stopping by and reading today! I hope you will come back and I'd love it if you followed along with me on Facebook, Bloglovin or Google +.

Linking up with these fabulous bloggers here.

Tour Through Blogland

One of my favorite things about blogging is discovering new blogs and connecting with people! When Becky from BYBMG contacted me to participate in the Tour Through Blogland, it was a no-brainer!  She asked me to answer the four questions below about my blogging process and then pass the baton on to three bloggers that I admire!  

Here we go!

1) What am I working on?

I have only been blogging for just over 6 months and am still getting the hang of it. I'm normally a very organized person but I've have been surprised at how time consuming blogging can be. I work full time and this blog is my new hobby that I am really enjoying! I'm working on networking with other bloggers, learning about affiliate links and analytics, and having better time management with my blog and social media.

2) How does my work differ from others in it's genre?

I blog about a variety of topics, but my main focus is looking fabulous by shopping your closet and incorporating trends into your everyday style. I also post on decorating, DIY projects, recipes, books and life in general.

Friday Favorites

Happy Friday!  Today I'm sharing some of my favorites!  

It was 48 degrees this morning and fall has officially arrived in Chicago!

Time to swap the tank tops for sweaters. I'm loving the graphic trend!

Tres Chic / Wonderful / Oui

Everyday Style

It's been six months since I started Doused In Pink with Everyday Style posts to document what I was wearing by remixing my closet and getting out of my outfit rut.  Since then, I've branched out, posting about styling trends multiple ways, DIY tutorials and writing book and beauty reviews. Since today is What I Wore Wednesday, I'm getting back to basics to share how I remixed my closet over the past week.

It's September but it was still blazing hot this day and I was headed to our daughter's cross country meet. I wore my teal shorts, a lightweight top, and Converse. The combination of blues reminds me of the ocean.

 Top: (similar) (similar) / Tank Top: Shorts: J.Crew / Converse (currently 2 for $75!) / Swatch Watch/ Necklace: Brighton

The weather changed to cool but I wanted to stay with a summery look so I paired my turquoise top with my boyfriend jeans and wedges. I purchased my bracelet with a gift card from the Noonday Collection that I won in a giveaway.  Noonday's mission is to create opportunities for artisans around the world by creating a marketplace for their handmade goods in the U.S. I always like to support companies that give back.

Top: Deletta (similar) / Boyfriend Jean: Kut from the Kloth / Wedges (similar) /Pendant Necklace: Stella & Dot / Bracelet: Noonday Collection

Girls Night Out. The downtown area in our community always stay's open late the first Friday of the month and the shops have wine and live music.  It was storming outside but that did not stop us. Since we were due to get more rain, I wore my cutoffs, sweatshirt, polka dot denim shirt, and my Hunter boots.

Sweatshirt: J.Crew / Shirt: J.Crew (similar) / Shorts: Old Navy /  Hunter Boots / Bracelets: Stella & Dot

I'm a sucker for skirts with pockets and this one has been on repeat all summer. I wore this for running Saturday errands. These leopard slip-ons are super comfortable and I know I will be wearing them all fall.

Tee: Old Navy / Skirt: J.Crew (similar) / Slip-on's: Steve Madden / Necklace: Stella & Dot

I wore this outfit to a friends house for a Sunday BBQ. The olive color of this top definitely speaks fall and I added a pendant necklace for some interest. Wearing those leopard slip-on's again!

Top: (similar) / Cutoffs: Old Navy / Slip-on's: Steve Madden / Pendant Necklace: Stella & Dot / Sunnies: Ray-Ban

I'm saying yes to white after labor day!  To transition my white jeans into fall, I paired them with a neutral sweater, leopard sandals and gold jewelry.

Sweater (similar) Skinny Jeans: Gap / Sandals: Seychelles / Necklace: Stella & Dot

Thanks for stopping by and reading today! I hope you will come back and I'd love it if you followed along with me on Facebook, Bloglovin or Google +.

Linking up with these fabulous bloggers here.

Reading Roundup

Happy Monday!  If you read my Fall goals post last month, you'll remember that I made a resolution to start reading one book a month.  Well, I jumped right in on this one and read three books in August. Here's how I reviewed them on Goodreads:

Me Before You, by JoJo Moyes, is not your everyday romance novel, it is a thought provoking love story that makes you think about life & death and will leave you in tears as you finish the book. Louisa has never been outside of her home town and is leading an average life working in a coffee shop. Will is a successful entrepreneur who has it all and leads a life of action and adventure.

Will’s life is changed in a split second when he is in an accident that leaves him paralyzed and a quadriplegic. Will comes to the realization that he will never recover and his life will never be the same. He feels trapped inside his own body and makes a difficult personal decision that leaves his family desperate to find a way to change his mind. 

Louisa loses her job at the coffee house and is hired on a contract basis by Will’s family to be Will’s caregiver. She is not told the reasons behind the contract but soon overhears a private conversation between Will’s Mother and Sister. Realizing what the stakes are, Louisa makes it a personal mission to change Will’s outlook on life. 

Louisa and Will’s relationship starts out rocky but as it evolves, it’s interesting to see the effect they have on each other. Louisa does bring joy to Will’s life while Will pushes Louisa out of her comfort zone to try new things and embrace what life has to offer. 

Will’s situation is described realistically and without any confusing medical jargon. The characters are likable, easy to relate to and are unforgettable. Their story is a reminder to live each day to the fullest and not take what you have for granted. My favorite quote in the book is “You only get one life. It’s actually your duty to live it as fully as possible.”

Wearing Sequins as Day Wear

I found this gorgeous sequin skirt at J.Crew in January for a steal.  I had intended to wear it to holiday parties this year but then I started thinking, how can I incorporate sequins into day wear?  Do you have a sequin skirt, shirt or jacket that you have worn as party wear?  You can get more mileage out of these pieces by creating a chic daytime outfit. The trick is to keep it simple and balance your sparkle with neutral basics.  

You probably have tees, chambray or denim shirts, white button downs and blazers in your closet. To style my skirt, I looked for these basics in neutral hues; white, beige, gray, navy & black.  Your sequins are a built in accessory so keep jewelry to a minimum, think dainty necklaces or a simple bracelets.  Skip the heels and complete the look with a pair of sandals, booties or even Converse. 

Here are the two ways I wore my sequin skirt as day wear:

Top: Halogen (on sale!) / Booties: Sam Edelman / Bracelet: Tiffany / Necklaces: Stella & Dot

Tee: BP Nordstrom / Sandals: Unisa Necklaces: Stella & Dot / Bracelet: Stella & Dot

My skirt is no longer available but I found options for you here, here and here.

Heart Topiary DIY

Over the weekend, I made this cute heart wreath topiary for our front porch!  It was easy to make and the total cost was about $10.  

Supplies:

Wire hanger /Steel wool / Small terracotta pot

Floral wire / Floral foam / Ivy garland / Flower stem

Rub the steel wool in a circular motion over the terracotta pot to distress.