Weekday Wardrobe

6.26.2015

Now that we are back on track with the weekly outfits I want to give you a heads up on something. You are going to be seeing a lot of orange and blue during the summer. Like I mentioned the other day, I work at an orange and blue University. And almost every week this summer there is an orientation of some sorts. And because of where my office is located we are in the "must where some variation of school colors" group whenever there is an orientation. So my closet is getting really creative with all shades and similarities to the school colors. Last week was the perfect example of four days that needed school colors.



Monday | Top: Lucy & Lyla | Skirt: Downeast Basics | Heels: Payless
Tuesday | Top: Pink Blush | Leggings: Gap | Heels: Target
Wednesday | Top: Cotton On | Skirt:White Plum | Flats: Forever Young
Thursday | Top: Old Navy | Pants: Norstrom Rack | Wedges: Target
Friday | Top: Luc & Lyla | Leggings: Gap | Sandals: Sanuk

I am going to have to say Friday was my favorite last week - of course the only day I am not wearing orange and blue - because that outfit just made me feel confident, comfortable, and sleek. It was the perfect work to party outfit - I traded in my flats for wedges and put on some red lips and was ready for Miss Idaho in about 5 minutes flat. And that is what I like to call a winning outfit - multipurpose and comfortable. Which your favorite from last week?

Elevate Conference 2015

6.25.2015

I mentioned that I was heading down to California for Elevate at the end of last month. And as I was trying to decide what to say and what photos to post... I basically was overwhelmed with gratitude and love for the women I meet in this blogging community and the opportunities I have been blessed with. So you are going to get a nice thought and photo dump. It is the only way for this post to happen. Let me start at the very beginning, a very good place to start... Let me tell you why I decided to come to Elevate. If you have been here for awhile you know I headed to Elevate on a whim - a majorly huge whim - last year in attempts to make friends in Arizona. I met sweet Camille and she said "Hey, we have room. Come!" And I said okay. Not only did I make friends, I made connections, I felt good, and I knew I needed to be there again this year because that is the impact this conference left on me.



Do you see those two LOVELY women in the front. Summer and Jen. The organizers. Two women that I look up to tremendously. And when I grow up, I am comfortable saying I want to be just like them... that is if I ever grow up. They are both so amazing, so kind, so generous, so innovative, so many good things. Great women, great humans. I have the honor currently of working with Summer at Pollinate & Weave. And I had the honor of working with Jen's husband, before I even knew they were married, and let me tell you. He wouldn't marry some dud. They are both hard working and have a spiritual push behind this conference. And it is incredible to me to hear them say, "We just pray that we have the right people here for the women that come to our conference."



And they did. Last year they had Alissa, the co-founder of Pollinate, which led to me getting my job. And has led to me being part of an AMAZING Pollinate family. This year they had women that inspired me to reach for the stars. I left the conference thinking I could seriously accomplish anything. ANYTHING. That is not a joke either. Ask my husband, my roommates at Alt, and my friends how many business pitches I have delivered since Elevate. It is a can't stop, won't stop situation. I just want to do it all. I want to be like these women I was surrounded by.



All the speakers were great. Alison Prince spoke about not being stopped. I. WILL. NOT. BE. STOPPED. She called herself a serial entrepreneur. What courage and bravery there is in that. And that is where the go-go-go mentality that has set in my bones began. After that was Ginger Parish, SO giving. Seriously. And so humble. I can not say enough sweet words about her. She wants to give back. She wants to share. And she wants to motivate. And sometimes you look at women that are as perfect as her on Instagram and you think, "She has got to be rude in real life." Nope. She is so kind. And she dresses spot on, so does her mother. But this this woman right here, seriously hit it home for me...



Courtney Brown. Owner and CEO of Cents of Style - which is a shop that I love to shop. My hat is from her store. She left me with chills and with inspiration. About being empowered. About reaching for your dreams. About being strong in spite of the worst moments and in honor of the best moments. She is spunky and stylish. And I admire her to NO end. I always saw her on Instagram and thought she seemed so fun. And then I met her in real life and her depth is a million times beyond that. Fun is the scratch at the surface. She is an inspiring woman. If you get a chance to hear her story, TAKE IT!

Then off course, on top of all the motivation and the speakers there is the swag. Swag on swag on swag. Giveaways. Crafts. All of the above. I learn every year I am not a crafter. But I think I did alright with my Crio Bru (best drink eva!!) mug. It is a great opportunity to learn about new brands. And to be reminded of the brands that love to reach out and create a connection. The Elevate women are marketing smarties. The more you gram the more tickets you get and the more chances to win prizes. You might have seen the photo of me with all the Lily Jade bags on Instagram - it is down below too - that was one of the Instagram contests. And I won thanks to my followers! Thank you for that. And throughout the night they spoiled us. To the point that I had to send my stuff back to Utah in a trailer to pick up later because I forgot I was flying.









My very most favorite part? More than the swag. More than the feelings of inspiration and empowerment. More than the California sun. THE PEOPLE! I started this post off by mentioning Summer and Jen, but they are just the tip of the iceberg at this conference. I was able to see women that I met last year and reconnect. I was able to meet new women and make new connections. I have new friends that I can't wait to talk to more. And I saw old ones that I missed dearly. I was able to end the evening with my Pollinate peeps at Alissa and Kyle's. Then wrap it all up with a pretty bow of my hotel roommates. Like I said, I am overwhelmed with the people that you are able to meet at these conferences. The love and support from the blogging community is unreal. You just have to put yourself out there. And I am so glad I did. Thank you to Summer and Jen for putting the thought and prayer into this conference. Thank you for getting the right people there to motivate and inspire. Thank you to the women that attended and made the experience that much more special. Thank you, thank you. My heart it full.

How We Wore It: Keepin' it Casual

6.24.2015

Another month, another how we wore it post! This is one of my favorite monthly collaborations. Let me give you a little refresher on how this works. All of us were given the same “inspiration outfit” and we were asked to create our own take on it once we let our creative juices flow. Any outfit can be inspired by the colors, the patterns, the pieces, or the textures is fine. So our how we wore it is coming from the inspiration side – with things we already have! Because not many people have the luxury to just go buy a new outfit based on what they see on Pinterest, so you have to work with what you have. First up is the look we used for our inspiration.



I have to tell you, when this little diddy showed up in my inbox I was PUMPED beyond pumped. Because outfits like this have been my go to on the weekends and at baseball games. Especially since Adam surprised me with a pair on converse my last time visiting him. I put my little twist on the outfit though because I do not own any camo - and while some it looks darling on, I am not one of them... so I don't think I ever will own camo either. So here is my outfit inspired by Robyn!



I stayed with the theme - sneaks, jeans, tee, and hat. Obviously my hat will be Diamondbacks since we are a Diamondback people in our home. I was a little worried mixing two reds - but I felt like I had to because this tee is my go to lately. I feel like a walking protest wearing the shirt. It is oddly empowering. Sometimes I get a lot of smiles and sometimes people just look at my like what the heck? But I am in love with my Fight the New Drug tee. Comfy with a message. Sounds like a win to me. So red on red paired with jeans and my converse. Basically a color twist on the classic inspiration. Do these outfits inspire you? How would you style a how we wore it outfit for this photo?

Now that you have taken my take on the look make sure you see what my friends came up with! A bunch of babes with styles all their own. And that is what makes this whole project awesome, and why I keep coming back! You can check them out here – Brooke at Silver Lining / Megan at And Here's to You, Mrs Robinson / Sierra at Sierra's View / Sharlee at My New Lines / Laura at Sincerely, Laura / Aubrey at Aubrey Zaruba / Kaycie at Redhead Memories / Kyla at FordOlogy / Stephanie at The Artist + The Architect / Danica at Danakin Skywalker / Tayler at The Morrell Tale / Jessica at My Peanut Butter Problem / Emma at Ever Emma / Kalyn at Geez Louise / Bonnie at Life of Bon / Rachel at Rachel Sayumi.

Dana Leigh Apparel

6.23.2015

This post has been a long, long time coming! I decided to work with Dana Leigh Apparel months ago because of their great deals and products - and finally I am here to tell you all about them. They recently launched their brand new Insta account where they sell all their overstock items for SUPER cheap. Which I love because I am a sucker for a deal.









Top: Dana Leigh Appareal c/o
Jeans: Novae Clothing c/o
Shoes: DSW

I got this top from Dana Leigh and I am loving it. The fabric is so soft and stretchy. And I like that it puts a new twist on an old colorblock classic. Plus... since I work at a school that is all about the orange and blue, I need to find a subtle way to rep the team colors. This one did just that without making me look like a crazy fan. Dana Leigh has a ton of different items on their website and then - like I said - their overstock items go straight to Insta for a killer deal! And I think you will love their items and the amazing prices that are tagged to them! So GO SHOP on their Instagram account for deals on deals on deals. Okay?

Weekday Wardrobe

6.19.2015

This post has been a long time coming. From Alabama I was home for two days, then off to California. From California I flew to Utah to pick up my new puppy. The next week was spent trying to train a puppy, clean a house, and unpack from back to back trips. Which meant I went awhile without even taking a single outfit picture. Then once I finally started to get back on track and even took time to weed my whole backyard my allergies decided I didn't deserve to get ready and so the next two days were spent recooping so I could pack up for on more trip down to Utah for Alt. So... what I am getting at is this 5 days of clothing is from last month and then there will be a two week gap. Enjoy!



Monday | Top: Forever21 | Shorts: Aeropostale | Sneaks: Converse Outlet
Tuesday | Hat: Cents of Style |Top: Fight the New Drug | Leggings: Gap | Sneaks: Converse Outlet
Wednesday | Top: Gap | Belt: Little Black Fashion Truck | Skirt: Soel | Heels: Dillard’s | Necklace: Jane
Thursday | Top: ToAdorn | Skirt: Target | Flats: Payless
Friday | Top: Caralase | Leggings: Gap | Sandals: Sanuk

First two days are from my last two days in Alabama, and the rest are of me trying to get back into the workday grind. My favorite outfit was Tuesday because I love the shirt, the converse, and the hat. Basically I put on all my travel clothing all day because I just felt good about it. Also, I really loved Thursday's outfit because I was able to wear purple to support my friends with CF. But now here I am, finally back from trips on trips and ready to get back in a groove. So hopefully I get back on outfit sharing track. Which is your favorite ensemble from all the simples I shared?

Bachelorette Season 11: Week 2

6.01.2015

Okay. So it is all official. Kaitlyn is the Bachelorette. Lots of guys that voted for Britt got to stay. Britt is somewhere crying and a really bad musician is about to knock on her door. That set up the whole scene for you, right? I hope so... because if not you need to go watch the whole thing on your own because I didn't have time to write a week one recap... I might go back and fill in the blanks later because I feel like it is a missing puzzle piece right now. But you can check out my meet the guys post, and that is where I will leave it just because I don't feel like mixing Britt and Kaitlyn again - clearly a bad idea ABC - I am going to start with the Britt recap, because it is shorter. Nashville Brody knocks on the door as Britt is crying to Mama that she lost. They are spending every day together. They both want to be famous. And now they are dating. I like them together. But also... now that Chris and Whitney broke up - I know, I was shocked too - maybe Chris will go find Britt? I still feel really good about those two together.



Let's start this whole thing with group date number one. Fight Night. And only one man wins. Clearly this was a bad idea Kaitlyn. You get however many competitive men in one room training and boxing and then fighting for a belt, you are clearly going to end up with at least one injury. I am speaking from experience - tangent time - because Adam and I used to have wrestle night and the winner got a dollar store belt and he bled at least once and I cried at least twice... so I don't really know how you were expecting to just have a some light boxing fun! And I am also shocked Jared beat Kuppah. But I am not surprised Ben Z came out victorious because he is the strongest of all the fitness trainers on this season. I think the rose went to the right man. And I think Kaitlyn is off to kissing more contestants than Prince Farming. So there is always that....





Then the one on one. An underwater photo shoot. Which is apparently all the rage for engagements? I don't totally get it. But their photos looked killer. I did, however, find it strange that the photographer was like, "Take break," and they just started making out in the water. I also thought it was strange that Kaitlyn was so into Clint because he didn't say much - in fact, I only ever heard him say. "I feel that way too." To literally every single thing that Kaitlyn said. But apparently she digs a man that doesn't have his own thoughts and feels? He gets the rose because their chemistry is off the charts.



The final group date of the episode? A little stand up comedy. With Amy Schumer who loves all the guys and it looking forward to taking whoever Kaitlyn eliminate - with the exception of JJ because he is a serious tool. Comedy acts are quick and slightly painless - some great, some not so great. Tony the Healer is a class act and doesn't tell jokes but tells his feelings. And JJ spends all his time saying how he is better than everyone and I hate him more. But somehow he walks away with the rose.





And then the cocktail party - where the three men with roses say they will let those without dates get a chance to talk to her first, until JJ shows his truly tool-ish colors and snags her before she is even done toasting. Then the rest of the night is focused on Kupah going crazy, talking loud, talking trash, being sent home, and then we are left with a to be continued as he is flipping out at his exit interview.

The one thing I do not like about Bachelorette is that they all wear similar things and so I can't say who was best dressed at the cocktail party. Which is a total bummer because I really loved picking out my favorite gowns. My favorites right now are Ben Z., Shawn, and Josh - but that could always change as we move pass the surface level stuff. Who are your favorites in these first two episodes? What do you think happened with Kupah? And do you really think those two guys fall in love? Tune in tonight! Can't wait to hear what you think.


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