Fabulous Friday!! And, yes... our Christmas tree is already up and decorated haha. I'm beginning to sound like a broken record but I have seriously been slacking with only posting once per week. I've run into some growing pains! I didn't expect each post to take a much time as it does. First, you need to come up with an idea for the post. I try very hard to come up with content that I think will be helpful. For flat lay posts, I have to come up with the outfit. This (surprisingly) takes a LOT of time. I pull tons of things out of my closet and dresser. I make a huge mess, which will only get worse as I incorporate more accessories (sorry R!) and I try a bunch of looks before I settle on the one. Then there are the pictures. I do not have a nice expensive camera, I'm just a gal and her iPhone. A picture of one outfit takes a lot of tries. I just got a light source to help make the pictures easier, yay! Then, there is the actual writing of the post. My goal is to make it so that someone is able to imagine the outfit or the room or feeling I'm describing. I try to use colorful language to try to achieve that goal, so it takes some time to get everything out. Then there is product linking, because I'm a huge proponent of using what you've got, it takes a while to find similar items. I start working on posts 3-4 days before they go live, so I'm working to develop a schedule of posts and go from there. Hopefully, once I've got the schedule and kinks of it all worked out, I should be golden on more posts. Also, to you bloggers that can pump out content, major kudos to you! If you've been reading along, you may already know that I have blazers that I want to wear, but never do. I challenged myself to put together a few outfits with blazers to get me wanting to wear them. So I've chosen three looks with blazers. I'm not linking similar items for this post. Instead, I encourage you to use what you have. Get out of your comfort level and try something new. It's a lot of fun and I feel like my personal style has expended so much since I've really been pushing myself. Plus, my wallet has been happier. Rather than purchasing, I'm finding new way to look at pieces I own. If you realllllly want to know similar items, shoot me an email and I'll be happy to send some suggestions. My first look is a sexy (slightly scandalous) combination. Something I wouldn't usually wear but wanted to go out of my comfort zone. A light pink blazer with black trim, black vegan leather pants and black pumps (and sunnies). Aren't I forgetting a shirt? NOPE! The way this blazer fastens, it is low cut but provides full coverage and stays closed, so you don't technically need to wear a shirt. Plus, I love the idea of wearing a blazer as a shirt. It just feels so scandalous haha. You can also add a black tank or cami if this is too risque for you and the look would be the same. Simple but sexy! I wasn't able to get the wrinkles out of the pants but loved them with the blazer, so please excuse them (more growing pains!) Next up, a look that I think would be great for the upcoming holiday season and one of my favorite looks I've put together so far. I'm not sure if it's the red blazer or the intricate detail and pattern to the pants or if it's because our apartment is already decked out for the season, but this outfit just feels so festive to me! The base of the outfit is very basic black, white and gold. I paired it first with a black blazer and it just didn't finish off the look. By adding the pop of red, it solidified the look and really made the gold touches pop. I opted to roll the blazer sleeve so the striped shirt would also be viable on the sleeves. It's amazing how little touches like that seem to take it from a good look to a great look! So far, this outfit is a front runner for Thanksgiving! This next look is so easy to recreate. I started with white pants and a white T-shirt. I finished the look with a patterned blazer. I love this blazer! The colors and pattern are just perfect. Can’t wait to wear this outfit. The final look of the week is a little more casual. I paired a black blazer with a pearl embellished 3/4 length sleeve, high neck sweater and pink distressed jeans. I finished the look off with a nude strappy pump and gold metallic clutch. I love the relaxed look of the frayed hem of the jean against the formal look of the pumps. I love the different length sleeve in this outfit. This time of year, temperature is such a variable (especially with the oven cooking dinner) so it is nice to have built in layers to adapt to the change in the temperature. I also like the mixture of gold and silver. Both the shoes and the pants have gold detail but the shirt and the clutch have silver (and pear) detail. I always wear my grandmother's gold rings and my white gold wedding ring, so I'm constantly wearing gold and silver. I like that it's continued through the outfit in this case. We've come to the end of another blog post and work week. I've been seriously slacking on running (ugh!) and blogging, too! I love that we gained an hour when the time changed but coming home from work in the dark is downright depressing and I do not approve of it! I want to finish on a more positive note..... only 38 days until Christmas (for those who celebrate it)!! Wooo!! *Sound the holiday music* I hope you all have a fantastic weekend. XOXO, Chelsea
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We've done it! We've made it through the week to arrive at another glorious Friday! This week, I'm centering looks around one shoe. It's got as many nicknames as ways to wear the shoe. The one, the only, Converse All-Stars aka Chucks aka Chuck Taylor's and the names go on and on. The story of the shoe is an interesting one too. So, Charles Taylor (aka Chuck Taylor) was famous basketball player who loved the shoe so much that he ended up joining Converse sales team. His efforts selling the shoe were so successful it became the most worn shoe in basketball. To thank him, in 1932 Converse added his name to the shoe and thus the "‘Chuck Taylor All Star’ was born" (source). For this week's Flat Lay Friday, I'm specifically centering looks around my white low top Chucks and a few ways to style them. They're very versatile, I'll likely do more than just this blog on pairing Chucks with outfits. For this look, I paired a blush tulle skirt (similar), black shirt and black moto jacket (similar here and here) and Chucks (exact shoe here). I love the juxtaposition of the "tough motorcycle chick" feel from the jacket with the "elegant, classic ballerina" feel from the tulle skirt (ballerina's are bad-ass BTW). Together they create a feminine, casually cool look with a hit of rocker. Plus, it's simple enough to throw it on and be out the door. The chucks really finish the look and tie it all together. While you could probably wear fun black booties with a motorcycle feel to dress it up, I just love how the Chucks work with it. I also like the white shoe to bring together the dark jacket and light skirt. For this look, I wanted to dress down this black and white blazer (similar style here and here). One of the purposes of me blogging is to use the items that I have in new ways. I've got a lot of blazers that I never wear. I played around with a few looks and settled on this one. I paired the blazer with a simple black and white stripe shirt for subtle pattern mixing (similar here). Up close the jacket has a chevron pattern (shown above). I wanted a pop of color to help relax the look, so I added a simple pink scarf (similar here). Then, adding distressed jeans (here) and Chucks to make the look even more relaxed and casual. This look could easily be changed by swapping out the scarf and blazer with some colorful options. I definitely see a lot of looks styled with blazers and Chucks in my future. For this look, I took a simple black long sleeve swing dress (similar here) and added a yellow, gray and white plaid scarf (similar style here) for a pop of color. Finish it off with my Chucks and a felt hat (similar here). I love swing dresses because they can be dressed up or down. They're also extremely comfortable. Overall, this casual look is easy, comfortable and fun. For colder days, you can add tights. Switch out the scarf for a solid colored scarf and add patterned tights. Or keep the scarf, and pattern mix with fun tights. The simplicity of the shoe and dress make it so easy to swap out a piece or two and totally change the entire look. Next up, I took my camouflage button down (similar here and here), white jeans (similar) and Chucks. I added a magenta and gold necklace (here) and a tortoise monogram necklace (here) to add some femininity to the look. I love how the pink necklace pops on the camo. Another very easy outfit to quickly put on and get out the door. Last but not least, I styled my chucks with skinny jeans (similar), a gray bow top (here) and a knit hat (similar style here). I felt like this outfit needed some color (sense a trend yet?) so I added a purple nail for a pop of color. The bow top is such an attention grabbing piece that I like pairing it with simple Chucks. It's pretty cold today, so I finished it all off with a puffy gray hat (which is sooo warm & soft).
This gray bow top is one of my all time favorites right now. It is absolutely adorable and a little bit over the top but still elegant (in my opinion). But I over do everything, so it is perfect and it matches my Tiffany & Co. bow earrings - shout out to the best hubby for getting them for me a few years back. There you have it! Chucks 5 ways. I love how each look has a different feel to it. From edgy to preppy, Chucks can do it all. Plus, they're comfortable! Can't beat that. I'd love to see how you style your Chucks! Shoot me an email at [email protected] or comment below with your favorite ways to style your Chucks. XOXO, Chelsea Happiest of Friday's to you all!! It's finally the weekend again! This week, instead of featuring a few looks, I've decided to show you guys a few new pieces I am LOVING right now. I've got links for everything above (not affiliate links, I just do it because I love it!). My other posts had older items styled (I am a girl on a budget after all), with options of similar styles. However; this post is all linked to the exact item that I have. {Sorry for the dark pictures! Our light blew and we didn't have an extra bulb on hand, so I made due with what I had.} First up, I've got these adorable booties! The heel height is perfect and the color will go with so many pieces. These also have memory foam, so they're comfortable to wear. My favorite part is that they're water & stain resistant so they won't get ruined in the rain. I love cute pieces that are practical too! Next up, another Old Navy find. I love saddle bags. It is so nice being able to put the bag on and have both hands free. I'm looking forward to being able to use this for an upcoming brew fest. It'll keep my hands free so I can sample some beers, but I'll still be able to carry essentials, like, you know, lip gloss hehe. I also love they color of this. It's a pretty light blush color, so I'll be able to use it all year. Finally, I love the adorable tassel they added. It adds a bit of fun to a classic style. Another piece I'm loving is this black hat from Abercrombie. I own a few other felt hats and the quality of this felt is way better! It's so sturdy and thick. I'm very impressed. I also love the chain they added to the hat. It makes the hat a little more edgy and inspired me to dress it in different ways. I can picture this with a pair of vegan leather pants and chucks. I can also picture it with a black swing dress, over the knee boots and a fall scarf. And the price?! Currently on sale for $7.60! That's what my Starbucks order costs me when I order whilst hungry, haha. Another item I've been crushing on is this magenta Kendra Scott necklace. A little pricey for a necklace, I think it is definitely worth it. *TIP: You can also sometimes find these on sale on other websites. If you sign up for emails from Kendra, you'll also get a 15% off code* I didn't expect to get so much use from this necklace but I find myself wearing it all the time. I wear it with jeans and a casual shirt, I wear it in the summer with shorts and I will definitely be wearing it during the fall. The bright pink of color really adds a splash of fun to outfits. Last but not least, an adorable ruffle shoulder sweater from Abercrombie (I got size small in oatmeal and I'd say it runs true to size). This sweater is literally SO soft! I also love the color, a perfect neutral! It's also light enough to wear during this transition period. I'm going to try to experiment with laying this sweater as it gets colder. That's all for now! I hope you have a splendid weekend. I'll be spending tonight watching spooky movies with my girls. It is Friday the 13th after all! Saturday will be spent celebrating a 1st birthday. It's going to be a great weekend.
Side note (would this be my blog is a post didn't have a side note? I think not haha): I recently realized that hitting 1,000 miles for the year is realistic at this point. I'm over 700 miles with 3 months left. If I average 112 miles the next three months, I'll hit it! So far this month, I'm right on track with only two runs left this week. I'd love to hear from you! Is there anything in particular that you'd like me to blog about? Any questions or topics that interested you? Would you want to hear more about my running plans or what not to do? Style posts? I'm all ears! XOXO, Chelsea It's finally Friday! We've made it to the glorious weekend. If you haven't noticed, I love flat lays! Like I said, I'll never claim to know it all, but flat lays give me a way of testing new looks together without dragging Rob with me to a cute spot to take a million pictures. Now, I'd love to have a professional photographer on call to be able to get gorgeous shots in picture perfect places, but that isn't in my budget! So, flat lays are the next best thing! I'm also going to compile a post wearing the flat lay looks, but I'm not quite there yet! Baby steps ;-) I love the contrast of the dark chambray dress with the tan scarf. The red boots really help make the red accents in the scarf pop, too! I finished the look of with a tan fall hat to tie the whole look together. I'm definitely going to have this on repeat as we transition into cooler temperatures. An unusually warm fall is an excuse to keep on wearing bright clothes. I paired this long sleeve Lilly Pulitzer with a blue moto jacket. The sleeves of this dress are mesh and they've got bubble out at the bottom. It's absolutely adorable. There's a lot going on with the dress, so I kept the shoes simple with some nude wedges. I paired this off shoulder gingham dress with nude wedges, a tan felt had and bright blue lens sunglasses. I will probably continue to wear off shoulder throughout the winder (yes, impracticable) but I just love the style. I keep this look transitional by pairing wedges with a felt hat. I also added gold dangle earrings to dress it up. I love this time of year. It's kind of like how you can dress up (or down) certain pieces. This time of year you can "summer-ify" or "fall-ify" different pieces to make a transitional look. It's too warm to bust out the Uggs, but not too warm for a fall hat. What are you favorite transitional looks? xoxo, Chelsea Shop The Looks:Shop:
As a girl on a budget, I'm always looking to spruce up my wardrobe, but I don't want to break the bank doing it. I've put together seven items that, in my mind, radiate all the fall feels and the colors remind me of the falling leaves.
I'd have to say that my favorite color of fall (right now) is marigold. I absolutely love how vibrant it is while still totally feeling like fall. Putting this together, I've realized I need to add more marigold to my wardrobe pronto! While, I won't be ditching my bright clothes for the entire fall, I am totally in love with rich fall hues. What are you favorite fall colors? xoxo, Chelsea Product Links:
I'm not sure if it's because I was a cheerleader my entire adolescent (and some adult) life but I love bows. The more the better. I love them on bags, shoes, jewelry, headbands, etc. Needless to say, I'm delighted that they're trendy right now on shirts. If you're like me, you're probably on a budget. So, I've found the bow top trend three ways and paired them with a less expensive version.
First up, is a more relaxed version of the trend. Inspiration was the $225 top from Bloomingdale's. While the less expensive version isn't exact, I tend to prefer the cheaper version. What about you? Next, is the bow tie collar blouse. I am absolutely in LOVE with the teal and pink Gucci blouse. It is probably my favorite bow shirt I've found. I'm seriously swooning over the color combination, the buttons, the cuffs and the collar. Unfortunately, spending over $1,000 on it is crazy unrealistic, so I found a similar shirt. While it isn't exact, it does have an adorable scalloped collar. I'm going to keep hunting to find a closer style. Finally, a bolder take on the bow trend. My inspiration is the Johanna Ortiz striped shirt with bows on the shoulders. It's a great spin on the bow trend and I just adore the style. It's been fun seeing different designers take on the bow obsession. I like this one because I'm crushing on statement sleeves and this puts my love of bows and statement sleeves together. Unfortunately, $995 for a top is a LOT, so I've found a similar version $40 from Chicwish. I love the bell sleeve with the ruffle details above the bows. This one is on my wish list for sure. All shirts are linked above in the smaller images below the collage. I'd love to hear from you! What do you think about the bow trend? Will you be incorporating it into your fall wardrobe? XOXO, Chelsea Fall is coming, fall is coming! Although it doesn't feel like it at all, it's almost time for the cutest clothes of the year. Fall fashion is my favorite! Most days you'll find me in workout clothes or a simple outfit composed of jeans and a plain top but that's not to say I don't love fashion, because I do! I absolutely love taking pieces that you wouldn't think would go together and making them work (think pattern mixing). I don't do it enough, so I used this blog to challenge myself. While I'll never claim to know it all about anything, here are some fall trendy outfits that I'm currently crushing on. Layering - whether it's adding a scarf or pairing a vest with a long sleeve shirt, I love layering. I think the great part about layering, is it makes pattern mixing easier because you're complementing the layer below it. Statement Sleeves! I have been obsessed with the statement sleeve trend and knew I wanted to continue that into the fall. I am in love with the polka dot shirt. The sleeves are to die for! Plus, I love that you can wear it with leggings or jeans. Definitely a versatile piece. "Leather" pants - I put leather in quotes because mine are faux leather or vegan leather as some stores are calling it.I love how you can dress them up or make them super casual with a pair of Chucks. Above, I've got them pair with a black tunic and vest with some fun smoking shoes. I've also paired it with the polka dot shirt and metallic gold pumps for a night out. Hats - I've got a bunch of hats that I never wear! A goal for myself this fall is to actually wear them. I love how they look when other people wear them. Time to step out of my comfort zone and rock all of the hats! Metallic / Statement Shoes - Between the metallic gold pumps, the sparkly smoking shoes and the metallic flats, I've included three of these in this post alone. They can take an outfit that might otherwise be pretty boring and pull together the look to make it look finished. I'm excited to pair to continue to pair these with my fall looks. What are some of your favorite fall looks?! xoxo, Wilk I've included links below (they're not affiliate links, just doing it for the love of fall) Shop the looks:Anyone who knows me well, knows I have been cursed with "expensive taste"(definition: I go into a store, find something I love & it's the most expensive thing in the store / 100x out of my budget). Do you suffer from expensive taste? Well, suffer no more & save your wallet! I'm sharing my two biggest secrets to looking like a million bucks, without spending it & I've got a link and a code to save you even more!
Am I becoming a morning person? After today’s morning workout, maybe! I wasn’t able to get Week 12 BBG abs done at the gym (no rooms were available for me to use) last night, so I did LISS. I decided on a whim to try and go this morning. Surprisingly, I got up and out and was at the gym by about 6:30. I think my festive pants helped get me awake enough to workout (pictured above). It was nice and empty! I was able to get my step and other equipment without having to doge people. It was really nice! I also got in 10 minutes of 30/30 HIIT (30 seconds on and 30 seconds off) at a 6:58 pace (intervals were at 6:58 but machine said 7:03average for the whole workout). Now, after work I can go for a run, maybe do another HIIT or even just… relax! That’s a thought. I haven’t been able to go home after work and just relax in ages. Let’s hope these morning workouts continue to be as successful as today.
I'd love to hear from you! When do you work out? Are you a morning person or a night owl? Buffalo plaid is hot right now and I think it’s a great pattern that can be bought as a steal. Unlike the Burberry plaid, when someone sees buffalo plaid, their first recognition isn’t the brand name. Old Navy has really been on point with their clothes recently and their $27 buffalo plaid is no different. Available in two colors and super comfortable it is a much better deal than the $264 Rag & Bone buffalo plaid shirt. Old Navy having their stuff and save event so it is even less than $27.
Today I mixed animal print & plaid. It came together even better than expected! I paired the look with a strand of pearls necklace, bracelet and a tortoise monogram necklace. The pearls were a gift from my best friend’s wedding, so they are very special to me! The monogram necklace can be found here. Mine is 1.75” on the 16” gold plated chain. The plaid shirt is from JCrew and can be found here. Pants are last season Hollister cropped at the ankle and cardigan is from American Eagle a few seasons ago. I also included my Stella and Dot Strength bracelet which is available here. Another weekend has come and gone! Saturday was a beautiful day and I was able to get in a strong interval run workout before the wedding. My 2nd mile was 8:20. That made me pretty happy. The ½ marathon is getting very close, so any good run I can get it helps. Only 12 days! This week begins my week 8 of the Bikini Body Guide. This is the last week of only LISS and I’m looking forward to the HIIT workouts. I feel stronger and stronger each workout. It is still amazing that it is only four 7 minutes intervals 3 times a week. This program is killer. I really enjoy it. I haven't taken a picture update since week 2. Are you doing BBG? How have your results been? As promised, here is my wedding look from Saturday: Hope you all have a great Monday and an even better week. Happy national coffee day! Yesterday my ivory puffer vest arrived and although it is still a bit too warm for it, I knew I had to wear it. I paired it with a teal, pink and navy plaid shirt, statement necklace, tan and black riding boots and loose curls. I also went with a dark maroon lipstick and neutral eyes. The lipstick photographed a lot more pink than it really is. Even though it’s a causal look, I can’t help and feel fancy! I love when an outfit comes together so well. Fancy is a state of mind. You can feel fancy in any outfit. Just have a sense of pride in what you're wearing and you can pull it off. A positive attitude goes a long way.
I’m also wearing my Stella and Dot strength bracelet. Through October, 100% of the net proceeds go to breast cancer research and awareness about the importance of early detection. It’s a cause near and dear to my heart and the little elephants are too cute! I will be attending a wedding on Saturday & am really looking forward to some quality time with the family. I'll post about my wedding look later on in the week. Running update: I ran on the “dread-mill” and actually enjoyed it! I think I’m going to start doing some speed work on it. How do you feel about the treadmill? I personally prefer an outdoor run. I’ve had a few really great runs this week and am really looking forward to my ½ marathon. Only 15 days! Hope you guys have a wonderful weekend!! Generally, I followed the rule that you shouldn't wear white after Labor Day. That all changed when I saw someone accessorize their white pants with dark accessories making the white look great for a fall. I loved the look so much I had to do it today. I'm loving booties right now and really think they balance the outfit helping to take the white pants from summer to fall.
Clothes: Sheer Purple shirt, black tank, white pants and purple suede booties. Accessories: torturous monogram necklace, brown pearls, Betsey Johnson gold bracelet and a Michel Kors watch. How do you feel about white after Labor Day? Send me your looks for a chance to be featured. Happy Fall! Summer is officially over and although I’m going to miss trips to the beach, the blazing sun and all summer activities, I've really been looking forward to fall. In honor of the beginning of the new season, I present to you “What I wore –Fall Edition”. The outfit I chose: a plaid button down shirt with a statement necklace, four prong 4 ct crystal stud earrings, black jeans and sparkly smoking flats. I really like how the statement necklaces pull on the red from the shirt but adds a girly feel with crystal center. The black jeans pull out the gray from the shirt and finally, the sparkly smoking flats have a subtle to bold look depending on the lighting source and add to the crystals on the necklace without overpowering the rest of the look. I paired the look with a simple side part, low ponytail and natural makeup. Neutral and no makeup looks were featured all over the runways and is a look I really like. To accomplish this I use a tinted moisturizer, illuminating powder, blush, eyebrow powder and mascara. I finished my look off with a clear nail polish. Cheers to all things fall - and make sure you eat everything pumpkin while it is still around! I'm all about upgrading my wardrobe each season but that can get very expensive. That's why I think it's key to purchase a few select items that are splurges and get other items that are steals. One example, the JCrew herringbone vest. It's hot right now. Anything close to it is going to look like a knockoff. An area for a steal? Solid puffer vest. This has been a staple in wardrobes for years so by getting a solid vest, you can save money while still having your style be on point. JCrew makes a very cute vest for $120 but JCPenny has a similar one for only $19. So, go ahead and buy the Herringbone vest guilt free because you know you can get a second vest for only $20 (and still be under your budget). Not bad you savy shopper! |
About meMore than just running....
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