Friday Finds

one / two (40% off with code FRIEND) / three / four / five

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The Perfect Work Dress (and Sale at Loft!!)

Dress - LOFT / Coat (similar here, with toggles here) - J. Crew Factory / Bag - Tory Burch / Booties (on sale here, more sizes here) - TOMs 

I currently have this problem, where I never ever dress up for work. Seriously, I think they maybe only draw the line at booty shorts (although yes, I have seen women in those in the office before - ummm...). I used to work in a business casual environment, but over the years my work wardrobe has been pared down to one pair of dress pants, ponte pants that I hope don't look too much like leggings, and a couple of blouses that I've now owned for upwards of five years. It's getting sad in there.

And the problem is, is that sometimes I do have to dress up. There will be a big presentation or an event that necessitates business casual, and I just don't have anything that I want to wear.

Enter: the work-ready dress. You guys, isn't she a beaut? My mom bought it for me for my birthday (yet another way this blog has come in handy, because she saw it on one of my Friday Finds posts!) and I think it's love - here's why:

1. The pattern
Work wear often equates to boring in my book, so I love that this is a "professional" pattern - perfect for the workplace!

2. The length
As a tall girl over here, I always have a hard time finding dresses or skirts that are long enough on me. I'm past the days of sneaking into the office with a skirt that barely goes past my finger tips and hoping no one says anything. Let's face it, longer just is more professional.

3. The fabric
In looking at the dress online, I figured it would be a thin material like what you would find in a blouse, but it's actually thicker with a tiny bit of stretch. Which means no worrying about undergarment lines, no showing every little body imperfection to the world. It's super flattering, and while I haven't packed it yet, it seems like it wouldn't get wrinkles in my suitcase - perfect for business travel!

Okay, I think I'm good on talking about this dress now ;) BUT I wanted to let you know that Loft is currently running a sale on everything - you can take 40% off everything with code NEWNOW, plus free shipping on orders over $50 (which never happens at Loft!) and double points for cardholders.

And their spring arrivals are so good right now!! Loft can be pretty hit or miss for me in that sometimes they pick a trend and go way too far with it - I remember basically hating all of their fall and winter collections this year. But now I want everything - this dress, this dress, this skirt, and these pants are currently en route to my house (supposed to be delivered tomorrow - I'll try and do a try-on sesh on Instastories Friday night), and I'm holding myself back from buying more! Here are my picks:

Dress - LOFT / Coat (similar here, with toggles here) - J. Crew Factory / Bag - Tory Burch / Booties (on sale here, more sizes here) - TOMs 

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Five Reasons to Make Your Bed

Duvet Cover / Bench / Blanket / Similar Rug

Okay, so I don't know about you, but I was NOT one of those people who made their bed. Like, ever. We would make our bed on days we changed the sheets or when we had people over, but besides that? Nah.

I mean, I have a long history of not making my bed. I have to assume at some point in my youth my mom made me make my bed every day, but by high school that definitely was not the case. And not only that, I also stopped even using a top sheet for a while - so gross, especially when you consider how little I washed my comforter!!

I wouldn't say it was a New Year's resolution, but about halfway through January while I was still in the deep end of the disease that would not end (was it the flu?!) I decided I would start making it every day. Now, this did not have strong conviction behind it, because I've made that particular decision before and given up after two days. But I don't know what happened this time - something clicked! I've missed a day here or there (mainly on days when I have to be out of the house before the sun is up!) but for the most part my bed has been made every day for two weeks now. And you know what I learned?

1. It makes you feel accomplished

I mean, really, what else are you able to check off of your to-do list by seven in the morning? Or, you know, ten in the morning - no judgements here. But really, starting my day by accomplishing one tiny thing really sets you up to have a good morning and a productive rest of the day too. Making your bed just gets you started on the right foot.

2. It seriously takes one minute

I mean, really, let's face it, I'm pretty lazy. I would probably lay on the couch all day if the option was available. Making the bed on the regular always seemed weirdly daunting (probably because I was half awake whenever considering the task) but seriously? It takes one minute. One. Out of my entire day. Making my bed takes such a minimal amount of time, but makes such a big impact on the room.

3. Clean bed, clean room

If you've ever seen me sharing outfits in my bedroom on Instastories, you know that keeping the bed made is the least of my worries. I'm incredibly messy and have a tendency to make piles I never pick up. But - BUT - when the bed is made, it's the weirdest thing, but it makes me want to keep the room clean. Which is not a feeling I've ever felt before in my life. After taking the minute or two it takes to make the bed, I've been picking up anything on the floor and straightening up a teeny bit too. It's probably still less than five minutes total of my day, but that tiny bit of effort daily means my room has not once turned into a pigsty since I started on this making the bed journey. It even motivates Jeff to keep things cleaner too!!

4. No going back to sleep

I don't know about you, but sometimes I used to get up in the morning, take a shower, and then wind up back in bed. Does that ever happen to you? I would either try to catch a few more winks, or pull my phone or computer in there with me and snuggle on down. Now, I make the bed as soon as I get out of it, which forces me to get the day started. Now I have to do my morning Instagram scrolling in an upright position instead ;)

5. It just feels good! 

Climbing into a neatly-made bed at the end of the night is just about the best thing ever. Yes, it is so much better than wrestling your sheets back into place or having to arrange blankets before you can climb on in.



So tell me - do you always make the bed? Will you now?

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Pastels in Charleston

Shirt (available here, here, and here) - Sanctuary / Jacket (similar) and Shorts (similar) - J. Crew Factory / Bag (black version, yellow version, larger size) - Clare V / Watch - Wristology / Shoes - BP / Earrings - BaubleBar

After our long weekend in Charleston, I am so ready for some spring weather - anyone else? I'm dying for Chicago to hop above 50 degrees now. Come on Chicago, I believe in you!

We took these pictures while walking around one morning during our trip, and let me tell you, just about every corner in Charleston is photogenic. I don't think Jeff quite realized when he signed up for a trip to Charleston that it would include taking pictures of me on every corner, but seriously, every time we turned onto a new street it was somehow prettier than the last! Sorry Jeffrey :)

These photos were taken on King Street, the main shopping drag. If you go further north on King Street it started to feel more generic and then more college-y/tourist-y, but heading south on King past Market Street had tons of cute boutiques. I don't usually like to shop on vacations, especially when they're the same stores I would see at home, but this place just drew me on in. So double sorry to Jeff. Some of my favorites were Candlefish, which does have a lot of candles but also jewelry and home goods/gifties, and The Impeccable Pig, which I told Jeff is basically my spirit animal in clothing store form. Apparently both are (smallish) chains, but not chains we have up in Chicago so I'm not counting them :)

So yeah... when is it going to be shorts weather again?

Shirt (available here, here, and here) - Sanctuary / Jacket (similar) and Shorts (similar) - J. Crew Factory / Bag (black version, yellow version, larger size) - Clare V / Watch - Wristology / Shoes - BP / Earrings - BaubleBar

Linking up with How I Spring, Trend Spin Linkup.

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This Weekend...

This weekend I...

...had my big volunteer weekend of the year - I hit Habitat for Humanity on Friday, and then Destination Imagination on Saturday. I did Habitat for Humanity about a year ago and liked it, but this time it was so much more interesting and I felt like I was really contributing. Of course, it took me literally the whole day to tile a 12x6 foot space, but you know, I'm going to count it. And of course I volunteer with Destination Imagination every year which is always so fun because I love seeing the kids perform, but also because it's a mini reunion for me. If you don't know what Destination Imagination is, I won't be explaining it to you now, because for the past 20 years I've been referring to it as, "that thing that I do."
...went out with Jeff's family for my finale birthday dinner - we managed to spread it out over two weeks this year! We went to Copa di Volpi, which Jeff and I kept meaning to go to but instead have wandered into for couple of cocktails whenever we're in the area. If you're ever planning a big group dinner this would be the place, they were very accommodating for our group. Plus, you know, who can say no to carbonara with a quail egg?!
...got the bow heels (in pink, in black, and in silver) from J. Crew in the mail, and you guys, they are so good in person. I mean, definitely a little extra, especially in pink! But so so good. The heel is really high though, so they definitely will be more of a special occasion heel for me. I can't wait for the weather to warm up enough to wear them!

I hope you had a good one!

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Friday Finds

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Yellow Gingham

Dress - / Bag (black version, yellow version, larger size) - Clare V / Sandals (similar here and here) - Dolce Vita / Earrings - BaubleBar

Y'all!!!!!

(I was in the south for four days so I can say "y'all" now.)

We're back from Charleston, and the trip was everything I hoped it could be. The weather was gorgeous (we're talking around 80 degrees over the weekend!), the food was amazing, the town was beautiful. We got a chance to hang out with my cousin and her husband, I did a little shopping which Jeff had to totally support because it was my birthday, and I even got a fun Southern Charmed run-in.

I was going to leave it there and play it cool but I'm so not cool. We sat next to Austen at breakfast. I don't even care about Austen because, I mean, he's no Shep or Craig. I did not even say words to him because I was being super respectful (read: shy) but I'm happy to report he had to borrow the insta-famous wubby fleece pullover from the girl he was with because he was cold. Lolllllllll. Bringing my loves of reality television and style blogging together.

Okay, so this little yellow dress. I didn't know I needed a little yellow dress. I, like the rest of you, assumed I would never look good in yellow. Turns out I was wrong.

This is maybe the most fun I've ever had wearing a dress. It's pretty, it moves, it gets you a million compliments on the street, and it lets you eat all of the tacos and no one ever needs to know. Ever.

Expect to see a lot more of this little dress. You know, once the weather gets a bit more tolerable here in Chicago.

Dress - / Bag (black version, yellow version, larger size) - Clare V / Sandals (similar here and here) - Dolce Vita / Earrings - BaubleBar

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