Thinking Fall

Yes, I'm thinking about fall on these 90+ degree days. I love, love summer, but this one has been brutal. And totting a baby, car seat, and diaper bag has left me a sweaty mess most days.

Fall and slightly cooler days, I'm ready for you.

I'm ready for crisp lake walks, pumpkin everything, crunchy leaves, and all the fall candles.

While I've been wishing for cooler temps, I've also been looking at fall fashion. I'm excited about pulling out old clothes that I couldn't wear last year and adding some new ones. My mom uniform for summer has been flowy tops and shorts. Easy access to the boobs is key for nursing. My fall wardrobe will definitely have to incorporate that aspect.

Ok, so I need some help. I don't want to be that frumpy mom who doesn't shower, has greasy hair, and wears gym clothes all day long without working out. Don't get me wrong, there are definitely those days around here too, but I'd prefer it not be every day. In preparing for fall, I've been scouring blogs for inspiration. I'm sure you've seen them, but I love Caroline's capsule wardrobes and am thinking about creating my own. I'm a frugal shopper and love the idea of purchasing everything at the beginning of a season and then saving the rest of the months.

Guilty Target shopper?

Yes, that's me.
I chronically pick one or two pieces up almost every trip. In thinking through my fall wardrobe purchases, I would rather have fewer, high quality pieces than a closet stocked full of mediocre pieces.

I'd say my style is fairly classic and neutral. So, where should I shop for reasonable, cute, new pieces?

Fall Booties

I'm loving booties this fall. I always love pulling out my boots in the fall and winter to warm up my freezing toes. I love that they dress up an outfit but are still comfortable to wear all day long.

Three of my favorite looks are these...

1. Trolley boots. These might be the perfect fall boots for me this season. I love that they have a classic, sophisticated look but could easily be dressed down for a more casual look.

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2. Ramiro boot. I have been dying for a pair of glitter heeled boots since I first saw these appear on fashion blogs and pinterest last winter. They would be so fun to pair with jeans for a night out or even a simple coffee date.

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3. Phillip boot. I stumbled upon these at Nordstrom and love the rustic, woodsy feel and look of these Frye boots. And there is nothing rustic, woodsy, or outdoorsy about me, but I still love them. I wouldn't mind any pair of Frye boots while we're talking about them.

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These are a few of my picks for this season. What boots are you loving? 

Better Life Bags

Remember when I told you about Better Life Bags? Well, they are having a 4th of July sale! You should head over and pick out a new bag. I'm in the process of designing mine.

Disclaimer: Better Life Bags has no idea who I am, I just wanted to share this with you because I think it's a great bag and amazing cause. 

June Stitch Fix

I shared with you my first Stitch Fix box and the disappointment that came with it. But thankfully, a little referral credit built up, so I decided to give it another try. My second box was much improved on the sizing and style.

I did forget to write the names of the items down. #bloggerfail.

This top was a great fit and similar style to something I'd pick, but I just didn't think that it would get enough wear. Being a nurse, I never dress up for work, even when we have meetings it's pretty casual and this isn't exactly what I would wear for a date night. But if I was in a more dressy job, I would have kept it. Returned.

This navy and red striped top was incredibly comfortable. I loved the material and the sleeves were cut slightly dolman which was a nice change. I liked it but wasn't in love. Returned. 

For this box, I specifically requested to not receive anything outside of my comfort zone. These are most definitely outside of that zone. White stars with tears? Definitely not my style. The fit was ok, so it's too bad they weren't a dark wash. Returned.

This flower necklace was cute but it felt very cheap. Like something I'd buy off of Very Jane for $10 but it was $35. Returned. 

This top I loved as soon as I opened the package. This is my color. I have a few tops in this shade but nothing exactly like this.

I love the eyelet. It creates a delicate, sweet look and the side detail is precious. Thanks IG friends (aileenpp) for convincing me to keep it.

Overall, I was impressed that everything in this box fit and most of the items are things that I would consider wearing. I'm now considering getting another box to try.

Have you tried Stitch Fix yet? Here's an invite in case you're intrigued.

Sex and the City

Hi dolls! My name is Samantha and I blog over at Hooah and Hiccups! I'm usually writing about my favorite fashion trend or accessory, my wildly adorable little man, or spilling my heart on some random subject. I'm open, I'm honest, and I would do just about anything to put a smile on someone's face :) 

Anyways! Today I'm going to be talking to you about how Carrie Bradshaw and I are basically twins separated at birth.

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Let's start out with our curly hair. Until puberty, my hair was basically pin straight except for one random wave near the bottom. It was horrific; I cringe looking back at pictures. But once I hit puberty (and after two perms) my hair just stayed curly! Granted hers is a lot curlier than mine but hey, I'll take this over what it was any day!

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We love fashion! So no, I've never spent $480 on a pair of shoes like she tends to do frequently, but that doesn't mean I can't drool over them. I take expensive looks like that and do it for much cheaper. I ran a Reality Chic series a few weeks in a row and you'd be amazed how much you can save when you really take the time to look. Take inspiration from Pinterest, magazines, celebs, etc and then give it your own frugal fashionista twist!

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I'm a lover; I absolutely love to be in love. I'm a hopeless romantic and luckily for me, my husband is too most of the time. We fell in love through snail mail letters while he was away at basic training and well, the rest is history. Carrie went through her share of men on the series but it was ALWAYS Mr. Big. Always.

We love to write! Writing has always been my biggest passion. I wrote for my student newspaper in college and started blogging when my hubby deployed to Afghanistan. Although I don't write about sex like she does, I'm still going to count that as a similarity. She shares her life through her writing and well, so do I. 

I was meant to live in a city. Due to the military lifestyle dictating where I live, I don't really have an option to move to a big city. However had my life gone a different route, I would have been living the dream in the middle of Manhattan or Chi-town. I guess there's always my next life..

So there you have it! Carrie and I are basically twins! I'd love for you to stop by and say hello! And a big thank you to Aileen for having me today! xoxo

Fair Trade Fashion

I have been slowly getting through 7: A Mutiny against Excess. It is definitely a hard read, not because it's difficult to physically read, but it's extremely challenging and thought provoking. Through this book, I have been challenged to think differently about how much I have been blessed with in life.

I've been challenged to start making purchases that support fair trade and women and wanted to share three businesses for today's Wearable Wednesday.

FashionABLE works with women in Africa helping to create sustainable business to fight against poverty.  Purchasing a scarf is a great investment in others' lives, and I'll be making my first purchase when we get home.

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Noonday supports raising money for adoptions and providing funds for orphan care. They have fabulous jewelry as well as bags, scarves, and home decor items.

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I am in love with Better Life Bags and have my eye on the "Molly" bag that can be customized. It is the perfect size and shape for around town, traveling, or for going back and forth to work. And this bag is made all the sweeter because it supports low income workers in Detroit with other giving to entreprenuers in developing countries.

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You should check these shops out and support their causes!

Clothing Sale

If you're like me, I've been looking for great deals on spring outfits. What better way than to search through your favorite blogger's closets?

Next Wednesday, May 8th Ashley and I will be hosting a blogger clothing sale link-up. 

The Link-up: 

This is a great opportunity to clean out your closet and sell gently used or new women's clothes, jewelry, shoes, or accessories. Simply take photos of your items and write a blog post to link-up with us. 

How you sell your items (whether you use PayPal or another form), it is up to you. If you're interested in swapping with someone else for items, that is again up to you! Just be sure to note in the post whether or not shipping is included. 

So, get your closets ready for Wednesday, May 8th!

Ashley and I aren't responsible for any sales conducted through other blog posts.  

Stitch Fix

I promised to share my Stitch Fix and am finally getting around to doing it for today's Wearable Wednesday. 

I received four clothing items and one necklace in my first package. 

First up was a floral wrap style dress. In the online form, I specifically requested not receive anything with floral, but I tried it anyway to see if I liked it. You can't really tell in this but the top was way too big, and it highlighted my hips which is not something I'm into highlighting.

I tried it with a blazer and heels, as they suggested, and liked it more but not enough to keep it.

This top would have been a keeper except that just like the dress it was too large. Seemed to be a problem with my fix this time.

While I love chambray, I hated this top. It was my least favorite of the clothing pieces. I know some of you are into the tying of the shirt but it takes me back to middle school, and I just can't embrace this style.

My favorite item was this dress, and I really appreciated your comments on IG (aileenpp). I almost kept this one but a few people mentioned that it looked too big on top and that the side pockets made the dress look disproportional. I re-tried the dress on and completely agreed. I wanted to love this one because of the polka dots and the fabric was soft and light, but I didn't want to invest more money into alterations.

So, I ended up not keeping anything from my fix. To be honest, I was a little disappointed because I've seen so many girls with fabulous pieces in their fixes. I just didn't love that everything was too large on top and most of the pieces just weren't "me". Even though this fix wasn't the best, I'd like to give it another try and hope for a few keepers next time. Have you tried Stitch Fix? Did you love and keep any of your pieces?

Warby Parker

I love the idea TOMs has about buying a pair and giving a pair of shoes.

Warby Parker has the same idea except with glasses. I love this concept because I'm super blind without my glasses, so I'd love to give a pair to someone else with my purchase.

I love Warby Parker for a few reasons...

1. They are very affordable at $95 per pair with the possible $35 extra if you have terrible eyes like me and need the recommended slimmer glass.

Mallory

2. Warby Parker offers a wide, stylish variety of glasses.

Ballard

3. You can order five In-Home try on pairs for five days. Here are the five that I chose...

Benson

Downing

I currently wear a black pair of glasses that are smaller and more rectangular, so I was looking for something a little more hipster. My friends help push me outside my style box, so I went for it.

Ainsworth

Which one do you like best?

I placed my Warby Parker order and hopefully will be getting my new frames soon!

This is my own opinion and I wasn't sponsored to write this post.