Purple dreams

A few purple things that I am currently in love with.

OPI Done out in Deco Nail Polish

JCrew Cashmere Argyle Cardigan

JCrew Short sleeved ruffle cardigan

For the Love of the Game

This is where you will find Kellen any time he has free time. It doesn't matter if it is 35 degrees outside, he is shooting baskets, winter coat and all. He loves the game!







I apologize for the grainy pics...they were taken through the window, but were too sweet not to post.

Rekindled Love: Ann Taylor Loft

It is a well-known fact to those that know me and know my closet that I am a big fan of J. Crew clothes. However, in the past few seasons, the fit of their tops has changed and sadly as much as I still love their styles, they just dont flatter my long torso anymore. Thankfully though, many other stores have come up with designs that are very similar (and sometimes even cuter) to J. Crew and almost always cheaper! I stopped in to Ann Taylor Loft today to try on a skirt that I saw online and I was excited to see that one of the tops from J. Crew's current season had been knocked off my Ann Taylor Loft and happily the ATL one fit me perfect and was so much more flattering than the J. Crew version, plus $5 cheaper!



J. Crew Rosette tee $39.50

AT Loft Tee $34.50

A great rainy day project...

I have been looking for a nice looking, yet practical way to store my necklaces for....well, forever. Right now I have them in about three different places and I never know where to look for a certain necklace. Not to mention that the places they are stored in are neither convenient nor easy to see what I have. I started looking at different ideas online and decided that Grace and I would take on a rainy day project and make our own jewelry cork boards. We went to Hobby Lobby to gather the materials and came home and got started. It was super easy and a lot of fun. I am excited about how they turned out...now I just have to wait for the husband to hang it up so I can start using it...

Materials:
Frame (I used 11x14)
Glue gun
Fabric (1/2 yd. will cover 2 11x14 frames)
Stapler
Scissors
Exacto knife
12" square cork boards (comes in pack of 4)


Step 1: Remove the glass from frame, but keep the cardboard insert as well as the cardboard guide. Use the cardboard to cut the cork to the exact size of frame using exacto knife.

Step 3: Glue the cork down to the cardboard insert.


Step 4: Cut fabric to desired size around cardboard. It should have at least an inch of extra fabric around all sides.



Step 5: Pull the fabric tight and staple in place around all sides.


Step 6: Put finished cork back into frame. Put back of frame back on (you will have to work a bit to get the positioners back into place, but they will fit so that you can hang your frame). Put push pins into cork where you want to hang your jewelry. I put a dot of super glue on them so that they will hold my heavier necklaces and stay in place. I put my pins about 1.5 inches apart for necklaces.

Step 7: Finished product :)


**Will update with pics of the frames in closet once I bug Matt enough to hang them for me!**

The perfect nude pumps

I have been plagued with the daunting task of finding the perfect pair of classic nude pumps for ages. I am 5'8'' and while I love the feeling that wearing heels gives me, I don't trust myself with 4 inch stilettos. This is particularly heartbreaking when nearly all of the heels that I fall in love with have at least a 4 inch heel. Well, thanks to the wonderful ladies on Makeup Alley, I was introduced to a beautiful pair of nude shoes with under a 3 inch heel! I got them today and dare I say, they are near perfection. The pinkish nude color is perfect on my skintone and the almond toe can be worn with jeans or dressed up and look equally fabulous! They look much more expensive than their $20 pricetag! Stay tuned tomorrow for my outfit where they will make their debut.
Apt. 9 "Modest" Pumps

Spring has sprung

What is it about the spring colors and styles that always make me want to buy, buy, buy. Spring has only just begun and already my wishlist is a mile long. I could spend my entire paycheck (or rather, my husband's as I am on maternity leave right now) on Anthropologie's new collection.

Here are a few of my favorites...

1. Anthro Behind the Clouds dress
2. Blue ruffles tee
3. Chocolate Chip Blouse
4. Level 99 Gray trousers
5. Ann Taylor Loft polka dot tulip skirt
6. Anthro ruffle jacket
7. AT Loft White crochet shirt
8. AT Loft Slate rosette tee

Daddy's Girl

Daddy's Girl

For the second year in a row, Matt took Gracie to the Father-Daughter Dance at our church. This is the one occasion where it didn't matter to Grace how long it took me to do her hair; she wanted to look beautiful. I am not sure who she wanted to impress more: Matt or her friends. We spent thirty minutes curling her hair and making sure we had every part of her outfit, from her frilly pink dress to her pink sparkly shoes, just perfect. As soon as we got outside to take pictures, she had to compare outfits with her two little friends who were also going to the dance with their daddies.
I am not sure who was more fun to watch, Grace in all of her cuteness or Matt being the proud daddy. I hope that she never outgrows being Daddy's Little Princess...

Angelic curls

The most important part of the outfit...

This is a sight I will not forget; all the daddies in front, princesses in back

Less IS more

There are a few things that I believe should be in every girl's closet that make her feel like a million bucks. That goes right along with my new philosophy that less is more. My closet is overflowing with clothes, half of which have not been worn for months. My new post-Karson resolution is to clean out what I do not wear and never let it get so full again. This will allow me to "shop my closet" more and prevent me from sporting sale goggles.

To keep myself from impulse buying, I have come up with a list of a few key pieces that I hope to own by the age of thirty. Because they are classic pieces and rather expensive, I will have to save for them, which means no more $100 shopping trips at F21. Instead, I will save that money that would have been thrown away and acquire a few dream pieces.

Five Key Pieces:

1. A pair of classic black pumps (red sole optional)
CL Black Simple 85's

2. Classic trench
Burberry trench





3. A black classic bag
Chanel Jumbo Black Double Flap with silver hardware

4. Little black dress (still haven't found the perfect one)

5. Diamond Studs

Easter Egg Hunt

I am not usually one to experiment with colors outside of the red and pink families on my nails. However, when I saw this shade of lilac that came out as part of OPI's Brights Collection, I had to give it a try. I LOVE IT! As my husband says, it makes my nails look like Easter eggs, but I think that's exactly what I like about it. I would not wear it as an everyday color, but as spring approaches, I find myself reaching for it quite a lot and admiring the result :)

OPI "Do You Lilac It?"

Signs of spring

As I woke up this morning (and after cup of coffee #1) I opened the shades and windows because the temperature was already close to 60 degrees at 9 am. As I opened the shades I noticed that the grass was green! When did that happen? I guess our recent heat wave has brought out a few signs of spring. When my tulips first started coming up Kellen and I both got a little anxious because it was barely March and in Missouri that means that we could still have a few snowstorms. However, we learned from Grandma Donna that tulips actually love snow and that if we had another storm or two, they would still thrive once they started blooming. Although fall is my favorite season, spring is a very close second and it is nice to be home this spring to enjoy watching tulips bloom and taking morning walks with Grace and Karson.

Newborn Pictures

A good friend of mine is starting a photography business so when she asked me if she could "practice" on Karson, I was more than pleased! She did an amazing job and I love the pictures a little more each time I look at them. They were taken when Karson was 10 days old.