My Entry...Favorite Fall Looks for LC

Hey everyone...

First I want to say that this is probably my last post for a week or so as we were finally able to close on our condo and find a new place to live! With that said, the next few days are filled with moving stuff...packing, cleaning, moving, errands, etc. And I have no idea how soon our internet will be up and running at the new place so I am just warning you in advance! I am really bad at taking pictures but I snapped up this one from our new deck. Pretty cool view, huh??

On a completely different note, I am a huge fan of Lauren Conrad. I loved her shows. I loved her books and I am currently loving her website and Beauty Department blog posts. In a recent post, she introduced a Polyvore Challenge to use items she selected to create a fall look. I had a few extra minutes and...who am I kidding, I could FIND minutes to play around in Polyvore! Anyway, I created a look that I think is pretty cute and contains a few things I am personally dying to get for Fall - leather leggings (faux for me...I hate actual leather pants), another striped sweater (can you really ever have enough) and a cute pair of nude, suede mary jane platforms.

Fall Fashion Must Haves...Inspired by Lauren Conrad by jj8809 featuring leather leggings

If you have a few minutes, you should totally enter. Although, maybe you shouldn't. The less people that enter, the better chance I have to win! :)

Lastly, in a previous post, I showed you guys a couple red/wine colored boots that I love. Even though I do love them, neither are the ones I truly want for Fall. I have looked far and wide for a cute pair of red boots and have had no luck. So, my dear readers/blogger friends, I need your help!

Do any of you have any suggestions / recommendations for an ah-mazing pair of wine/maroon/oxblood boots??? If so, I would love to hear them so please leave them in the comments below! 

Thanks friends!

I will be back as soon as I can!

Comfy Clothes

Oh if these walls could talk and take pictures...I would be in T.R.O.U.B.L.E!

I mentioned before that I work from home and that my daily outfits are pretty atrocious. They are...
I have this fear that during one of my web ex conference calls (I have MULTIPLE every day), my laptop camera will somehow come on and record me and my awfulness. So I put a little sticker on top of the camera lens - just in case.

Because no one sees me, I am able to wear what is truly comfy. It does not have to be pretty, does not have to fit right and definitely does not have to match. I know that fashion rules are pretty much out the door, but I guarantee if someone saw me in my current state, they would re-instate them immediately!

So here are my top 4 items of what I consider comfy clothes - they are not fashionable but they will get you through a day of work on the couch...which may or may not involve HGTV on low volume in the background.

Here goes...

1. Gap Pure Body Pants. I seriously love these. They are made of modal so they are super soft and stretchy. My fave is the foldover pant. It has a foldover waist which is really comfortable. I have an older version that has drawstring bottoms which is great for modifying length. The Pure Body dance pants are pretty awesome too. They are more fitted but have that same soft material. Just beware, these babies can be a bit see-thru in the rear area. So if you do wear them out...I suggest long shirts and/or not ever bending over. :)

2. Anything Lululemon (of course) but I especially love the No Limits Tank because its light and flowy, yet still has support. And in the rare instance I have an hour to kill, I can hop over to a quick pilates class or go on a quick run while still wearing it! Lulu gets this tank in almost every color since it's so popular. I am in love with this Angel Blue one!

3. Happy Feet Socks - OK these are not super comfy but you know that "ahhh" feeling when you stretch your toes out? These do that for you! Sure they start to KILL after a few minutes but it's a good pain. AND I have seen a huge improvement in my feet since wearing them. My toes are straighter...really they are!

4. J Crew Tissue Tees - So soft AND cute. These you can actually wear out of the house. Like the Pure Body pants, these are sheer so wear something underneath! I am loving this color for Fall...

So there you have it...I guess they are not SO bad but the color combos and my crazy, unruly hair (and eyebrows) make it un-presentable to the public eye! Trust me...

What are your favorite comfy items?? Anything you suggest I try?

Oh and by the way...I am doing a blog hop today! Click below and hop with me! :)

Almost Fall: Shorts and Sweaters

Happy Monday!

I hope you all had a great weekend. Ours was pretty chill except for the fact that we had to find a place to live ASAP since our condo closes this week. Good news is we found a great option...but that's all I will tell you since I don't want to jinx anything until things are final!

It was still nice here in SD this weekend so I took full advantage of my last few weeks of shorts. Who I am kidding?? I know I will wear them into the Fall - maybe even Winter. :) But I have noticed that its now time to start wearing them with sweaters almost exclusively instead of tanks. Which then means in a few more weeks I am going to have to swap my sandals for boots...sigh...

Here's how the weekend went down...

Friday night, we went to a local seafood restaurant. The restaurant is always packed but the secret is to sit at the Oyster Bar and order from there. They will do special orders and cook your seafood selection right in front of you and prepare it anyway you choose. It's pretty cool. I won't tell you the name b/c I don't want everyone knowing this little piece of info! I was excited to finally wear my Old Navy flats and they were cute and comfy.

J Crew Sweater, Necklace & Shorts // Old Navy Flats & Tank //  

Kate Spade Purse (old but loving this tweed one for Fall) // Enamel Bracelet

On Saturday night...we went to Asian-fusion place right near our condo that my husband has been dreading going back to. I love it but he thought the dishes had too much sugar in them aka "sugar chicken" and we have not been able to go back. For some reason, he suggested we go there so I didn't object. Once we got there we realized it was happy hour all night and our entire dinner was under $40 with drinks! Sweet! Believe it or not, I actually wore flats a second night in a row. Seriously, what has gotten into me?? In fact, I even based my outfit around a pair of my striped Steve Madden flats that I got on sale a while ago... (the ones below are Prada - mine are the Steve Madden knockoffs (no longer on sale).

Chain Bracelets & Necklace - Homemade - same chain as my Bracelet Hair Ties // 

Old Navy Heart Sweater // Zara Lace Shorts (old but these are cute too!)// Gucci Sunnies // 

Michael Kors Watch // Prada Flats (mine are old Steve Maddens - no bows) // Speedy LV bag (old)

 I know...I know, the lace shorts AGAIN. But, I love them. Or should I say I "heart" them. :)

Speaking of LACE & love - my lace necklaces are still are on sale on Open Sky and could use some more love! I would be so happy if you could stop on by and either get one (they are super cute!) or just show me some love by loving the item (their version of "like").

In case you didn't see them...here they are! Cute, right??

Until tomorrow everyone...

Bordeaux, Maroon, Oxblood, Burgundy...

...whatever you want to call it...I'm on board!

I am LOVING this deep color for fall. Aren't you?

I actually hate the Fall which is strange because everyone seems to love it. To me, it was always the end of the summer, time to start school, start of football (sorry to all of you football fans) and the beginning of cold, rainy weather - all things I am NOT a fan of. The only reason I ever got excited for Fall was for the clothes but even then, that got old pretty quick. I do love the first day I get to wear boots and cozy sweaters but then after a few hours with new blisters on my feet, I'm over it and wishing I could go back to sandals and shorts!

But there is no way to actually avoid a season so this Fall, I am going to focus on the things I love...like fall colors. Specifically this deep red wine color that has a million different names!

Here are some of my faves for the season: (the booties and 7 jeans are a MUST)

La Mer Watch // 7 for All Mankind Jeans // Brian Atwood Booties // Leather Skirt //

Elizabeth and James Sash Pump // Frye Boot // Zara Tote // ASOS Sequin Dress // J Crew Sweater

And of course everyone is going to need an oxblood/wine accessory, so starting today you can buy a maroon lace necklace from my Etsy shop! Two styles are now available and you can choose silver or gold chain. So many options! Here's the OG style with a gold chain...

What are your favorite colors for fall? Are you digging the oxblood, maroon, bordeaux, burgundy trend? What are you calling it?

The cat's out of the bag and wearing a lace necklace!

How dorky is this illustration?? :) 

I knew it would happen one day...

The day before my lace necklaces went live on Open Sky, I read Hilary from Diary of Doers' (who is awesome, by the way) post asking bloggers whether or not their friends and family know they blog. For me the answer was NO. Sure my mom is one of my regular readers - she says she learns more from my blog than from talking to me. I know my husband checks it out from time to time, even though I think he should read it EVERY DAY. There are a few people that know about it, but really not that many. I never post links on my personal facebook page or tweet from my personal twitter account. I do pin things on Pinterest but I hardly think anyone clicks through.

I sort of liked my "secret blogger life". I liked the friends I have made in the blogging community and I liked having a creative outlet.

But now that "secret life" is over...and I'm okay with it.

With the announcement of my Open Sky feature, it seems people now know that I not only make necklaces, but that I have a blog. They found it and they are reading it. They've given me some great feedback which makes me feel good. Maybe I shouldn't have been "hiding" for so long...

So as I said above, the cat's out of the bag*...and she's looking fab wearing a lace necklace!
*If you want a brief history of the origins of that weird phrase - read this article! It's a weird story... 

If you want to look fab too, check out the lace necklace Open Sky sale and support CWAK by buying one! If anything, I would LOVE it if you could at least go to the link and click on the heart to "LOVE" an item and show me some LOVE! Who knows...if you let me know you did that in the comments below, I might just pick a random person and send them their own lace necklace... :)

Oh and check out this awesome feature on Glamour.com...so exciting!!

Until tomorrow...

Glamour Magazine Editors Love CWAK Necklaces!

Remember all those "hints" I told you guys about a while back regarding my lace necklaces...

Well I can finally share the good news! I was approached by Open Sky a while back and apparently some fashion editors at Glamour magazine saw my necklaces and wanted to feature them on their Open Sky channel!

I made them custom necklaces - new colors, lace patterns and gold chains and they are finally posted on the site and on sale! You can buy turquoise...

Raspberry

or Bright Yellow

While I am super excited for the extra exposure, I think the best part about it is that somehow these editors found my necklaces and liked them enough to feature them! Sweet!

Anyway, I would be SOO happy if you guys could help spread the word and share this with your friends. Of course you can still buy my necklaces on my Etsy shop but these are limited edition and any support would be amazing. Even if you go to this link and "love" the item, that would be awesome!

You guys are the best! Happy Wednesday!

Everything's better with sparkles...

I have to admit that working from home can lead to some...let's say "interesting" outfits. Sometimes I just throw something on so I can get right to work and it's not until 5 pm that I realize what I am actually wearing.

Yesterday my outfit consisted of these crazy wide leg lounge pants - my husband hates them and thinks they look like karate pants - and a neon yellow tank top with mint colored flip flops. Not pretty. I am not even going to tell you what my hair looked like...

However, after 5 pm and a quick workout, I pulled myself together for a quick dinner out. The weather is getting a bit cooler so I chose my new J Crew gingham shirt. The weather is not yet COLD though, so I went with my Zara lace shorts. I finally got to wear my Ily Couture Bubble Necklace (I got a couple weeks ago but last week was not really the time and place to wear a cute statement necklace). The whole get-up was feeling a bit too preppy for me so in true "classy with a kick" fashion, I blinged it up with my J Crew knockoff pave chain bracelet and glitter flats from F21 (last mentioned here).

Bubble Necklace from Ily Couture // J Crew Gingham Shirt // Zara Lace Shorts // 

Glitter Flats from F21 // Pave Link Bracelet (J Crew Knockoff) from local store 

// Lucky Ring // Kate Spade Bag (Old, but loving this one)

 I mean everything is a little bit better with sparkles, right??

Source: stylesaint.com on Pinterest

Amen!

BTW, I am doing a blog hop today so if you are new, please say hi and leave your links so I can follow you back! :)

Happy Tuesday - or as we call it my household - CHOOSEday. Don't ask...just start saying it yourself. It's fun!

What to Wear: Celebration of Life Memorial Service

Source: artistupgrade.com via ArtistUpgrade on Pinterest

Hey everyone.

Thank you all for your kind words and for understanding my absence last week. It was a truly emotional week and I was so happy to be surrounded by so many old friends. My friend that passed away was one of the most incredible people. He touched so many lives that his memorial service topped 500 people. It was impressive. Because my friend was so young, it was decided that we celebrate his life "his style" and the service was really just a big, fun party. There were tears, but there were more laughs and smiles - just as he would have wanted it.

Unfortunately I have been to two funerals this year, both for young men taken way too soon. I have definitely seen a trend in these memorial services; instead of a serious, dark funeral, there is a party - a celebration honoring the deceased. More fun, less tears.

So what does one wear to a memorial service, celebration of life, or funeral? Here are a few suggestions based on what I've seen & what I wore...

**Black is always safe, but if the invitation calls for colors, you should wear them! In fact, if they are encouraging colors, you should definitely honor their request. That was the case for the service I went to. I went with this maxi dress by Tart. It was perfect! (And the pattern hid the fact that it was 95 degrees outside and I was sweating like crazy!)

However, if black is recommended, a classic shift or tank dress is always good. I like wearing navy too. I feel like it's a little less harsh than black but is still appropriate. 

**Wear weather/location appropriate clothing. Is the service inside or outside? Is it in a church or at a park? Make sure to keep this in mind and choose something that works for the venue. Definitely do not wear stillettos or thin heels if you will be walking in grass.

**Speaking of shoes... Wear comfortable shoes - it's not a fashion show. Sure your new Louboutins are totally fab, but the focus won't be on your shoes at this event. And if you are walking or standing a lot, it's much better to be focused on the people speaking then on how bad your feet hurt! 

**Wear a conservative cut dress, top or skirt and/or bring a wrap/cardigan to cover up. Strapless, halter and spaghetti strap dresses are fine and sometimes encouraged, but it's always best to bring something to cover up in the case you feel you might be exposing too much. And of course, it's there if you get cold! Also, I think maxi dresses are perfect for these events. They are comfortable, classy - and you don't have to worry about shaving your legs or fake-tanning them!

Bring a smaller purse but make sure it can fit tissue, sunglasses and extra mascara. You will need these things...trust me! And you will not want to lug around a big bag - trust me again!

Sunnies are recommended; for sun and for covering tears. Sunnies are accepted in these type of events so make sure you have them on hand. The bigger and darker, the better - but I think that in every day life anyway!

Based on these simple rules, my own outfit and some of the best dressed people at the event last week, I think the following look is the perfect outfit for a summer celebration of life.

Tom Ford Sunnies // Max & Mia Maxi Dress // J Crew Square Links Bracelet // 

Vintage Chanel // Steve Madden Wedges // Travel Sized Kleenex

I truly hope that none of you have to have to attend one of these events but if you do, hopefully these tips will help you dress for the occasion. 

See you all tomorrow!

Thank You & Free Stuff!

Hey all,

I am still out of town, however, I wanted to thank you all for the support regarding my latest situation. You guys are amazing...I am overwhelmed by the comments, emails, tweets, etc.

I am still limited on time and resources (I miss you photoshop) to blog but I wanted to let you know that the lovely Sharon from The Tiny Heart (one of my adorable lace necklace models) is doing a giveaway on her blog and is giving away an orange lace necklace (and other fun prizes including COFFEE) to her readers!

Be sure to check out her blog and go here to enter to win!

I'll be MIA for a couple more days and then hopefully back into a normal schedule next week.

Thanks again everyone...I love you all! :)

Live, Love, and Remember...

Hey everyone,

Sorry to start your week off with a sad post but just wanted to let you know that I will be taking a break from blogging this week as a dear friend of mine was in a fatal wake boarding accident over the weekend and I am heading home to Seattle to be with his wife who is one of my oldest and closest friends.

I am not sure when I will be back but I will try to post when I can.

In the meantime, please hug your loved ones a little tighter today and make sure you tell everyone you love how much you appreciate & love them.

Love to you all. Stay safe. Love unconditionally. Forgive and forget. And never...ever go to sleep angry. :)

Friday Faves & FOFFs - Lots of L's

Yay, it's Friday. Sorry for posting so late in the day...I was up till all hours last night working on a fun and secret project that I promise I will tell you all about soon! Back to tradition, here are this weeks Faves and FOFFs. (For a definition of FOFF - check out some older posts here). There seems to be an "L" theme today...not sure why but hey, go with it! :)

Faves

Leggings (Zella) - My amazing hairstylist recommended I try these leggings so I took advantage of the Nordies sale price and bought some regular and some crops. They just arrived yesterday and I LOVE them. They are pretty similar to my Lululemon Wunder Unders and half the price! And since I am not super happy with Lulu right now (see FOFF #1 below), these are great replacements. Yay!

Zella Live In Leggings - Nordstrom

BTW, I got this jacket too but have not received it yet. I love it though! It's like a bad-ass Lulu define jacket.

BLog Hops - I did another blog hop this week and not only did I find some amazing new blogs, I have some fantastic new followers! For many of you reading this, thanks for hooking up with me and for those of you who have never done a hop, I highly recommend it. Check out the blog - The Life of a Not So Ordinary Wife next Tuesday to particpate!

Activ-fLex BandAids - These are simply amazing! Remember how I told you about the holes in my feet from the NY street walking...well, I needed something to ease my pain and allow me to wear shoes with some sort of backs on them. I totally forgot about these and bought normal band aids which fell off the second I put my feet in shoes. I went to buy more and remembered the amazingness of the Activ-Flex Band Aids - they are the best thing ever. First, they stay on - through showers, shoes, etc. Second, they work differently as they form an actual blister-like bubble over your cut/blister to help heal it faster. Oh, and they help prevent scarring...even better! You MUST get these!

FOFFs

Lululemon - This is rare, but this week, I am not a fan of Lulu this week. 1. My newest item already has a hole in the seam. I have heard of people talking about the quality of the items starting to go downhill and this is the first time I have experienced it. Not cool. 2. The pants I wanted sold out from the hours of 11 pm - 6 am. Seriously...keep more in stock Lulu...that is ridiculous.

Loan Approvals - The home buying and selling process sucks. We are at a standstill as our buyer is waiting on his loan approval. Needless to say...we have no idea if or when we are moving and it S-U-C-K-S!

Licorice (BLack) - No reason why...I just hate it and it starts with an L!

There you have it! See you guys next week!

Happy weekend!