Updated Gingham 4.25.2018

I never thought I'd be saying this, but I'm loving gingham lately! I love all of the updated and non-preppy variations (nothing against preppy style - it's just not me ;). I recently got this dress (which you may have seen on my Instagram) and I've had my eye on this dress too. At the bottom of the post I've shared some of my favorite gingham finds!

Fun fact about the photo location... This is the original sign from a Route 66 Motel that's still in business. And, my previous office was actually located on Route 66, and I thought it was so cute that it was our address!  

top (c/o)  |  similar jeans here & here (mine are Agolde)  |  sunglasses  |  mules (c/o)  |  similar bag

Some of my favorite gingham finds...

And here are my very favorites (sadly couldn't put them in the widget) here, here, here and here.

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Simple Things that Make me Happy 4.02.2018

We got home from vacation at about 2:30am on Sunday, and while I'm not excited about going back to work today, I am feeling refreshed and energized and so much more positive. I needed some time away with just my husband, and I also needed some warm sunshine and a change of scenery! It's amazing what those simple things can do! So, in that spirit, I thought I would share some simple things in life that bring me joy...

Seeing sunshine after days of clouds

Coming home to packages on the front porch

Taking a long, hot shower after a workout

Walking into the office and not having any voicemails

Getting the randomest of texts from my dad

Having meals planned out and groceries purchased for the week

How happy Russell and Lulu are when I get home

Having fun weekend plans to look forward to

Getting fresh farm eggs

When Trey shares funny tweets & Instagram posts with me throughout the work day

De-stressing at my weekly spin class

Sleeping in our own bed after traveling

Pulling off a new recipe and deeming it a "keeper"

That Russell sleeps curled up against my stomach every night

top & culottes c/o Sage the Label  |  similar sandals here & here  |  similar bags here, here & here  |  sunnies

Trey and I shot these photos in Manhattan Beach, where we stayed for a couple of days last week! It's such a dreamy little town! I'll be sharing more about our trip soon though :)  

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Spring Outfit + Playlist 3.21.2018

Whether the weather cooperates or not at this point, I'm fully in a spring mood. I'm a weirdo and love making playlists and virtual mood boards for all kinds of occasions as well as each season, so I thought I would share my Spring Mood playlist with you! 

You can listen to my Spring Mood Spotify playlist through the widget, or at this link.

Top  |  Skirt (c/o)  |  Sneakers - here & here (have black accents)  |  Similar bags here & here  |  Sunglasses

I hope you enjoy the playlist! Do you like to make playlists for new seasons?

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February Loves 3.01.2018

Top (c/o)  |  Mules (c/o | flat version here)  |  Bag (sold out)  |  Sunglasses  |  Necklace

Did you know my monthly favorites posts are back, but new and *hopefully* improved? If you missed last month's you can read it here.

Random Amazon purchase of the month:

* These $11 sunglasses. These zeroUV frames are so trendy and chic, and you would never guess they were only $11 and not $60+! All the credit goes to my friend Bri for this find. You'll continue to see a lot of these over the spring and summer months!

Apps:

* ColorStory. This is a mobile phone photo editing app that I'm late to the game on but now completely love! It gives you so many editing options, and they have really beautiful filter packs as well. I'm currently enjoying the "Fawn" and "Flashes of Delight" filter packs. 

* Unfold. I've been using this app here and there over the past month to create layouts for my Instagram stories. Their layouts and fonts are are super pretty and chic, and are helpful for those of us who appreciate design but aren't great at executing it/creating from scratch.

Budget fashion find:

* Embroidered sweatshirt. A sweatshirt may be a strange favorite purchase, but I know I'll be wearing this little guy A LOT. I'm so drawn to pops of red right now, and I love the vintage, varsity feel. Also, Etoiles means "stars" in French. Cute, right?  

Beauty finds:

* The Ordinary Retinol Serum. First of all, this is a 2% retinol serum for $9.80! Yes, you read that right. I've been using it twice a week for 4-5 weeks now and I've noticed visibly brighter, smoother skin. Unfortunately I haven't found a cure for the hormonal acne flair-up on my chin, but hey, at least the rest of my skin is looking good!

* Native Deodorant. I've embarked on the natural deodorant transition, and I'm glad I picked a good one to start with! I got the coconut and vanilla scent, which smells delicious. Does it hold up just as well as my Dove spray deodorant? No lol. But, it's been pretty good so far! Also, Native has free shipping on all orders and you can Google coupon codes :)

* Prive Shine Mist. You can read more in this post, but I'm loving this mist for a bit of extra shine! It makes your hair super silky.

Binge-watch sesh:

* Younger. Trey was recently out of town for part of a weekend and being the introverted homebody that I am,  I made absolutely zero plans while he was gone other than a yoga class (*heaven*). I binge-watched two seasons of Younger (a TV Land show that streams on Hulu), and I love it so much! My friend Mary-Katherine turned me onto it and it's witty and delightful and fashionable.

Can't stop listening to:

* My Favorite Murder podcast. The title of the podcast is bizarre, and I waited for ages to try it out, but it's such a good podcast! The hosts Georgia and Karen tell true crime stories (mostly intriguing murder cases) but they're hilarious gals. It's worth giving a listen to! After listening to a few episodes, I actually started listening from the beginning, and I'm enjoying having so many to listen to (although it is making my slightly more paranoid haha).

* The Black Panther Soundtrack. Trey and I suck at going to movies and still haven't made it to the theater to see the actual movie, but we've been listening to the soundtrack A LOT. Kendrick Lamar + SZA + Khalid is a pretty amazing combo in my eyes (although there are many other artists on it too).  

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I'm In a Funk 2.21.2018

Part of me feels weird admitting this here, but the other part of me knows it's healthy to talk through things. I am in such a funk lately. I've been going in circles over branding, aesthetic, etc. and I'm feeling so unsure lately that I haven't even been wanting to edit photos or post - things I usually love and look forward to! 

I LOVE creating content, but I'm so in my head right now that it's feeling very stressful instead of like a creative outlet. 

Location, location, location
Part of the "funk" that I'm in stems from the fact that the aesthetic and vibe that I love and am personally drawn to is nearly impossible to achieve living in Missouri, especially in a smaller community. I think I've always done a fairly good job with creativity of photo locations, but ultimately the look I love doesn't exist here. So why not just work with what I have and be happy? Well, I'm trying. But I think we're all intrinsically drawn to what we're drawn to creatively. So, right now I'm feeling a little stuck on this front! In some ways I would love to pick up and move to SoCal, but I also don't see it happening for us :) So, somehow I have to figure out something that will work for me. I still haven't found that formula or "look" that's perfectly "me."

Self-doubt
I also fall into terrible little black holes of self-critique sometimes. I'm struggling to find my place right now, and trying not to compare myself to others!

Winter Doldrums
I also think a big part of the weird funk I'm in is honestly that I'm so sick of winter! I don't know if it's seasonal depression, but I'm not quite feeling like myself. I'm not feeling my usual motivation to go out and shoot content and get things done due to the cold and constant gloom. I'm hoping that spring brings a wave of fresh motivation to me!  

Anyways, the point of this post is just to let you in my head a bit, and to ask you to bear with me as I try to figure out what the heck I'm doing! You'd think I would know after years of blogging 😝 but I'm still exploring and learning where I stand in this crazy blog and Instagram world! I need to make the most of where I live and make it work with the aesthetic I like, stop comparing myself to others so much, and take advantage of spring weather and the energy it brings!

Now, a quick word about my outfit... This dress is one of my first spring purchases, and I love it so much! Looking at my closet, I've realized I'm really, really into black florals, so of course I was drawn to this little wrap mini dress situation. To transition it from winter to spring I stuck with a denim jacket and some ankle boots for now. I bought my dress here, but I also found it with all sized still available here.

Dress: available here & here  |  jacket (more options here)  |  boots  |  sunglasses  |  necklaces here & here  |  earrings  

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Graphic Tee + Jean Jacket 9.21.2017

I saw this crape myrtle blooming on the side of the road, and pulled over to shoot right away! We don't have the SoCal bougainvillea here, but I felt this had a similar vibe. I'm also soaking up these end-of-summer blooms before winter comes along and everything is dead and brown for awhile 😪 

As you may have noticed on my Instagram stories, I've been wearing this tee a lot! I'm always looking for great graphic tees because they're so fun and versatile to style, and this one hits the mark! The colors, stripes, and fonts give it a vintage feel, and I love that the sleeves are sewn into a cuff! I got a size small and it fits perfectly - not too loose, yet still relaxed. Here are some others that caught my eye ⇩

I finally found my perfect oversized + distressed jean jacket! This trend is absolutely huge this fall (read my fall jacket guide here), and I'm here for it. A jacket like this is incredibly versatile! I found my exact jacket here & here, but here are some other great options ⇩

Jacket: exact here & here, similar   |  Tee  |  Jeans  |  Similar Sneakers  |  Similar Earrings  |  Bag: sold out Rebecca Minkoff

I got to have a fun afternoon with my mom yesterday after wrapping up a meeting and some work in Springfield! I needed to head to the mall to shop for an upcoming collaboration, so she helped me pick stuff out and we made a fun day of it. Living 45 minutes away from my parents really isn't far at all, but some months I don't get to see my parents as much as I'd like, so I always cherish my time with them :) 

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Greenhouse Vibes 5.18.2017

This post is part two from the shoot I did with my friend Jo of Jo Johnson Photography in Columbia a few weeks ago! For the full story of why we shot in this gorgeous greenhouse check out my first post here.

Gallery Style Boutique sent me this gorgeous little set (top, shorts) for the shoot and I am still so obsessed! I love that this outfit defines the waistline and is so comfortable yet flattering.

We also got to partner with one of my very favorite jewelry brands, Kendra Scott (via their beautiful St. Louis store), to style some of their gorgeous summer collection! I love this necklace that can be adjusted to a wide range of lengths (the choker length is my favorite though), and these stunning statement earrings that totally give off mermaid vibes!

Top (c/o)  |  Shorts (c/o)  |  Similar Heeled Sandals (this year's version of mine is the "Jessy")

Bag  |  Earrings (c/o)  |  Necklace (c/o)

Photos by Jo Johnson Photography

I hope you girls are all having a great week! I get to see my sister this weekend for the first time since February, so I'm wanting the rest of my work week to fly by! She moved to Virginia last August for law school and we're super close, so it's been hard on me to only see her a couple of times in a year! 

Thanks for reading!

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