Exploring The Mediterranean – What To Wear

May 2016

Hello there! Well… I have some very exciting news to share with you all!! Blake and I are headed on a Mediterranean getaway next week…and I am SO EXCITED! I am partnering with Princess Cruises to share our adventures as we fly from Austin to Barcelona and from there, board the ship and travel around the coast of Spain, France and Italy. Y’all…is this REAL LIFE?! I must admit, when I received the email from Princess Cruises I actually started crying tears of pure joy haha! GIANT goon over here, but it’s not everyday you get to partner with an incredible travel brand and bring your love along for the ride! Needless to say, I am so thrilled to relax, enjoy the view and soak in the gorgeous scenery as we travel around for 8 days! We depart late next week and we finally booked our flights yesterday soo… it’s. all. really. happening. AH!

Boyfriend Jeans

May 2016

Hi there ladies! How is your week going? Hopefully it’s off to a great start! Blake is finally home (hooraaaay!) so after I picked him up from the airport this morning we went and grabbed breakfast tacos and cuddled up on the couch for a bit… aka, my happy place! Gah, I missed him like crazy, so glad he’s home!! Already have a feeling this week is going to be a good one (and him being around definitely helps, ha!).

In other news, I am so excited to partner with Nordstrom today and spotlight one of my favorite brands they carry: Caslon! As y’all know, I worked at Nordstrom all throughout college (winter/summer breaks) and even after I graduated (hey, it’s tough to find a job in journalism in this city, ha!), so I am very familiar with the brands they carry and jumped at the opportunity to feature a few Caslon items! Nordstrom is one of my very favorite retailers because they carry such an array of items to fit any body type and any budget…Nords is pretty much my go-to for clothes, shoes, handbags…you name it, I am happily walking out of the mall with that little silver bag any chance I get! 😉

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A big thank you to Nordstrom for sponsoring this post! All opinions are my own.

Instagram Roundup: May 15, 2016

May 2016

Hey there! How is your weekend going? Mine has been an interesting one…! Blake is out of town so I’m flying solo for four days, and it has definitely been an adjustment for me, ha! I guess I didn’t realize that we literally do almost everything together…soooo, it’s been super weird to have so much alone time, I’m ready for him to come back…been missing him like crazy! Let’s just say I’ll most definitely be counting down the hours until I scoop him up from the airport tomorrow morning! With more time I’ve been able to knock out wedding planning to-do’s with my mom and visit with girlfriends I don’t see as often as I’d like, so that part has been really nice. However, I’m super ready to have my other half back! True story: I stayed at my parents house on Friday night and went grocery shopping at 11pm last night…clearly I don’t know what the heck to do with myself while he’s away ha!

Casual Tee & Slip-On Sneakers

May 2016

Wahooo, we made it this far! 😉 This morning I am headed to Dallas to visit one of my besties (Lauren from the fashion blog Vandi Fair) and I am SO EXCITED to see her! It’s only been about a month since our last gathering, but she’s one of those friends that when we’re together, it’s non-stop silliness and laughing…thus, I always look forward to seeing her! We’re meeting a few other bloggers for lunch and then going to snap some photos around Dallas, then I’m headed right back to Austin – quick little day trip! I’ll likely consume an unhealthy amount of coffee to make it through our busy day ahead, ha! Blake is headed to visit his best friend in Atlanta tomorrow, so I definitely want to get back and take him to the airport early in the morning (..like, 5am early..eek!)…all good, I always enjoy waking him up and having coffee while he packs, then giving him a big ‘ol farewell bear hug and smooch at the airport…wouldn’t miss that opportunity! 😉

Now that we’re inching towards the weekend, I felt that sharing this casual skinny jeans, lace-back tee and slip-on sneakers combo was appropriate. 😉 It’s pretty much the ultimate “oh ya know, just going for a casual coffee run!” look.. 😉 Ps. Every time I take blog photos I always start by grabbing coffee…for one, it’s delicious and two, depending on the weather it either cools me off or warms me up… it’s my photo shoot staple! (No surprise there, right? 😉 ).

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Instagram Roundup: May 7, 2016

May 2016

Hi there, gals! How is your weekend going? We’re in full-on wedding planning mode over in our abode – finally addressing our save the dates (it’s a miracle, ha!)..literally, Blake and I have them scattered on the floor in our living room, diving headfirst! Music is humming on the record player (Leon Bridges has been on repeat lately…soooo good, his voice is buttahh-cream!) and we’ve got a big pot of coffee brewing (already had two cups early this morning…in need of as much fuel as I can get today!). Needless to say, we’re off to a productive and lovely start to the weekend! 🙂

I have been loving all of your comments on my Instagram posts lately asking me to add certain photos to my Instagram roundup posts – seriously, this helps me so much to make sure I include the outfits y’all want to see most! I’m working to add a Like To Know It tab on my website, so you can just shop all of my Instagrams as they pop up straight from this tab…will be so helpful because these Instagram Roundup blog posts take me quite a long time to do + y’all won’t have to wait weeks for me to create them! More on that later as it moves along, I’ll update y’all asap when it’s live!

Recently I’ve been drawn to crisp whites, pretty florals and distressed denim…as you probably noticed from my Instagram account! You can never go wrong investing in pretty basics (like this tank top below) and floral prints are just so whimsical and girly (which I am a big fan of, ha), and of course, adding a little distressed look to your jeans brings about that effortlessly cool vibe that’s “so hot right now” as quoted from Zoolander. 😉 Enjoy shopping my latest looks and if you don’t already, you can follow me on Instagram for more outfit inspiration!

Mother’s Day Coffee Date Featuring New York & Co.

May 2016

Hello there! Me oh my I am SO excited to finally share this much-anticipated post with y’all! MamaWat (which is what my friends call my mother – short for “Mama Watson” or rather, Kim Watson) joined me for a coffee date at Jo’s on South Congress Avenue in Austin for a Mother’s Day collaboration with New York & Company (…aren’t our outfits adorable?!). Seriously, I LOVED having my mom by my side for this collab, I love her so much…it’s kind of ridiculous, really! We made this post a family affair and my sister snapped these photos – special shoutout to Kimberlee for being an amazing photographer and capturing such wonderful moments for this post!

I am so lucky that my mom lives roughly 10 minutes from my apartment (…that may or may not have been on purpose, ha!) because as I get older, I realize more and more how lucky I am to be so close to her and really know she’s one of my best friends and someone who will always be there for me. I say this all the time, but there really is no one quite like a mom – they provide a sense of comfort that no one else can compare to – and after raising 5 kids of her own, I’d say my mom is an absolute expert at making us feel so loved and taken care of, I really do believe it was her calling to create such a loving and beautiful family. (All 5 of us still reside in Austin…so if that doesn’t tell you something about the family love we have and that my parents instilled in us, then I don’t know what does, ha!).

A big thank you to New York & Company for sponsoring this post! All opinions are my own.

Shopbop 40% Off Sale!

May 2016

Hey ladies! Keeping it short and sweet tonight with a super S A L E roundup at one of my favorite retailers – Shopbop! This surprise sale only lasts 2 more days, so hurry and scoop up these killer deals on designer handbags (seriously, if you’re going to invest in a designer bag, now is the time – how gorgeous are those Michael Kors and Tory Burch bags? Stunning!), sunglasses (Ray-Ban’s for $112…pretty much unheard of) and SHOES galore!

**Scroll over images above and click to shop

SHOP SHOES

SHOP HANDBAGS

SHOP CLOTHING

SHOP SWIM

SHOP ACCESSORIES

Printed Dress & Blush Jacket

May 2016

…Of course I post this juuuust as the weather drops a bit in Austin! Ha, typical..! 😉 I guess that draped front jacket will come in handy again…however, I may swap the breezy shift dress for jeans until the heat comes back (…it’s been VERY windy in Austin…trust me, makes for quite an interesting public photo session haha! Which mostly consists of me leaning up closely against the wall and trying my hardest to keep my dress from flying up from all angles, half mortified and half genuinely terrified the wind will win that battle…I gotta say, Marilyn made that moment look pretty darn graceful, ha! Those outtakes will just stay in my trash folder…that’s for sure.. 😉 ).

Now that I’ve spilled my guts about the awkward woes of snapping photos in public (ha! That is a true struggle of mine, quite a weird and vulnerable thing to do!), we can move on to this look..(the good stuff, right? 😉 ). My dress is a razorback shift dress that has a zipper down the back (as you can see in the 4th photo in this post) and a fabulous paisley print and some intricate stitching along the bustline. This thing is TOO cute and so perfect to take you from spring (when paired with a jacket) all the way to summer (literally just nix the jacket..okay and maybe add a tan…and perhaps a topknot if we’re talkin’ Texas heat 😉 and voila, golden for summer! This dress is super affordable and I’m wearing a size small for reference. I’m a big fan of Sun & Shadow products, too, LOVE this brand and buy a lot of their pieces! Great fit, quality and an amazing price point.

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Floral Print Halter Midi Dress

April 2016

Hello there! How’s your week going? We are SO CLOSE to Friday…this week just seemed to zoom on by! (No complaints here, I have been anticipating a lazy Saturday since Monday..ha! 😉 ). Things have been crazy busy in my world this week – busy but good. 🙂 I am helping my sister get her Etsy store together at the moment, so that’s been a fun and different addition to my usual {hot mess of a} routine. She is a painter and beautiful artist, so we’ve been working to get some of her gorgeous prints up online so I can share her work with all of you! I’ve been such a big fan of her artwork (seriously…she is truly gifted..if you were to give me a pen and paper and ask me to draw anything, you’d quickly question how we’re related ha! Let’s just say I didn’t get that talent – like, at all!!). At the moment, all of the artwork you see in my photos (mainly Instagram) is by her – Blake and I joke that our apartment is basically a shrine to Kimberlee – ha!! Fine by me when it looks that good! I’ll tell you more about that later, super excited to share a big reveal post on my blog once we get everything set up on her Etsy store! Stay tuned for that. 🙂

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Casual Texas Wedding Guest Outfit

April 2016

Hi ladies, hope your week is off to a great start! I am super excited to partner up with Modcloth today and feature a fun little wedding attendee look for y’all! In my last blog post, I touched on how I am definitely in that stage of my life where weddings are happening left and right (…and if it’s not a wedding, it’s a shower or engagement party or… okay okay, you get the point!) – thus, it’s important to know how to dress for such occasions – and I’m here to help! 🙂

Given that I live in Austin (err…basically the most casual city ever) and most of the weddings I’ve attended here are primarily outdoor ceremonies or receptions, let’s just say it’s key to opt for a dress that flatters your figure and gives you plenty of breathe (…and breeze) room because let’s be honest…between the Texas humidity and crazy heat (y’all, we nearly hit 90 degrees today), you’ll want to pick a dress that accounts for all of the above and makes you feel beautiful! (Style tip to note: if you know you’ll be sweating at an event (hi, that’s me starting now through October 2016, ha!), prep in advance by wearing fabric that won’t show it! Crochet (like the one I’m wearing) is an excellent choice!).

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A big thank you to Modcloth for sponsoring this post! All opinions are my own.