Spring Fashion Fever

I don't know about you, but I am craving spring. CRAVING. I think it has something to do with the fact that it snowed again last night and the wind has been blowing so hard you would think I still live in Oklahoma.

I am tired of my sweaters. My coat is dead to me. And I am pretty sure that I have a legitimate back injury from shoveling snow.

Dramatic much?

Yes. I am dramatic much because cold weather is the opposite of everything I love. Except when it snows on Christmas. That is awesome. I love that.

Anyway...

As I think about the warmer months ahead, I have found myself gravitating towards a handful of fashion trends. This year seems to be all about feminine prints, flowy details and really colorful jewelry.

And do you know what I say to that? Step aside, turtleneck, your days are numbered.

Here are my current faves:

Maxis: Maxis are the equivalent of the ever-popular muumuu with one key difference: they actually look good. I could wear one everyday. And I adore all the patterns, styles and colors.

Pastels: Gone are the days of thinking that pastels make you look like walking Easter eggs. These colors have been re-invented to be more vibrant and sophisticated. And there is a color for every skin tone. Bust these out.

Prints: Gotta love them. And they are everywhere right now. I somehow always gravitate towards blue tones but I wouldn't mind a printed dress in every color. Anthropologie is loaded with amazing prints right now. Uh-mazing!

Now, if I only could get someone to donate to my wardrobe fund I may be able to shop there...

Jewelry: I am nuts for accessories. One piece can totally make an outfit. My favorite places to shop for jewelry are Charming Charlie, Francesca's, Target and Banana Republic. Oh, and my sister's jewelry box.

White: classic, feminine, strong and it makes even an Irish girl look tan. Find the shade that looks best on you and you can't go wrong.

 

 

 

 

 

Isn't that hat killer?

 

So, are you craving spring like me? Are you tired of your wool socks and mittens? Or do you secretly wish you lived in the Arctic? I promise I won't judge.

 

March is only nine days away, and even though it is Colorado's snowiest month (sigh), it is also the arrival of spring. My heart, mind and wardrobe are so ready.

Color of the Year

When January hits, I am always ready to bring out bold, vibrant colors. Spring is only two months away and the thought of green grass and warm nights is enough to make me want to wear flip flops in the snow.

The color for 2014 is helping me make the transition from black to something brighter. I am wild about this year's color because not only does it go great with my skin tone (I am a WINTER) but it will transition easily into every season.

SIDE NOTE: My sister always finds out the color of the year early and lets me know how I should plan for the upcoming year. She is my fashion Sherpa, if you will.

This year the color is Radiant Orchid and I am kind of in love with it.

Just soak it in, people, because you are going to see a lot of it in 2014. It is everywhere!

If you are wanting to dive into this year's color trend, here are a few of my favorite orchid-infused things.

This darling pillow from Joss and Main:

For your tootsies:

As an accent wall, a bedroom dresser or the interior of your kitchen cabinets:

 

 

 

Some arm candy from Michael Kors:

 

 

To tuck you in at night:

As a way to celebrate your big day:

 

To accessorize anything:

 

You can even buy a net for your face...if you want a net in your face:

 

So, there you go, purple-lovers! This is your year! Live it up.

And if you want more ideas of where you can find Radiant Orchid, Pinterest has an entire board dedicated to it!



Secretly an "It" Girl

I secretly desire to be an "it" girl. I really don't know what that means exactly, but I basically just want the "it" girl wardrobe.

"It" girls come and go and most of the time I have no idea who they are or how their great-grand parents made all of their billions of dollars. But my favorite one at the moment is Olivia Palermo. I don't even know what she does. I mean, does she have a job? Is her dad famous? Did she cure cancer?

I really have no clue.

But all I do know is that she walks around New York City on the regular wearing the most amazing clothes of all time, ever.

Maybe that is her job, walking around looking fabulous.

I could totally do that.

Please, let me do that.

Here are some of her recent wardrobe choices:

 

I am always in favor of animal print. The shoes have the potential to be a health hazard but I am willing to give them a go for the sake of fashion.

 

 

Casual? Check.

Awesome? Check.

Affordable? Knock-offs at TJMaxx are calling my name.

 

I have no idea where I would actually wear this but it just looks deliciously comfortable, like an elegant version of the yoga pant.

 

I am crazy about laser-cut clothing. I am currently wearing a t-shirt from Target that cost exactly 1/100,000 of what this outfit cost.

 

Oh, and I would need some self-tanner. Pronto.

 



 

I am in love with the red-heeled boots and the jacket. Now all I need are cobble stone streets, the tights, blouse, skirt and everything else and I could totally rock this outfit.

 

 

 

Granted, not all of them are practical, for let's say, a trip to King Soopers, but I sure would look great buying butter.

 

Brussels Sprouts, Skinny Pants and A God Who Loves

Hello. I am still here. My trip is still to come and I am more than ready to stick my toes into the ocean. Toes and oceans goes together like peanut butter and everything else. I am very excited.

In the meantime, I have been cooking and baking like a crazy woman. My oven seems to be on more than it isn't and I have found myself eating watermelon for more than one dinner. Is there anything better than cold, sweet watermelon? Nope, not in August there isn't. Unless it is cold peach cobbler, which, you know, awesome.

I had a cooking class last week with some fabulous girls who I love and adore. We focused our menu on the wonderful world of carbohydrates and made my version of crack bread (look on Pinterest for this...it is everywhere!), baked four cheese mac and cheese with bacon, and homemade salted caramel sauce with ice cream. That meal is sitting nicely on my hips but it was worth every bite. And they did a fabulous job putting it all together!

Tomorrow, I have another cooking class and this one is all about tapas, or, if you are not from Spain, appetizers. But "tapas" just sounds more international and sophisticated, which is what I am approximately .9% of the time. On the menu: prosciutto wrapped asparagus, baked ricotta, stuffed Brussels sprouts and a watermelon and feta salad. For dessert, baked peaches with streusel and maple cream sauce.

And everyone said "amen!"

I am really excited about this class because it is cooking with fresh ingredients that are in season. And the recipe I put together for the stuffed Brussels sprouts may show up on this year's Thanksgiving menu. Who knew a Brussels sprout could be the bearer of herbed cream cheese and bacon? That is something I am already very thankful for.

In other non-gastronomical news, I have now become a fan of the skinny pant.

WHAT the WHAT!?

I know, it's like the world is spinning the other direction (which, wouldn't that throw everyone off!). But it is hard to avoid this trend. "Skinny" is everywhere! And even though this girl is approximately 46,902 treadmill miles away from being skinny, I realized that if I am going to have anything to wear this summer other than yoga pants and my pajamas, I had better embrace them. As a result, I have them in almost every color. Miracles, people. They are happening.

And finally, I heard the most amazing sermon at church on Sunday. I mean, it was life-changing. It was about loneliness and how we were never created to be alone (Genesis 2). And in a world of social connectedness, humans have never been lonelier. One of the things the pastor challenged me on was my desire to only show the good stuff: the happy photos, the beautifully filtered photos, the photos where I look as skinny and pretty as possible. And yet I never show the photos where my hair is gnarly or when I have a zit on my chin or if the dress I am wearing resembles a blimp. As a result, we all think that everyone else has it together and we are the only ones that do not.

Yep, I struggle with that. I am huge fan of the filtered photo probably because I don't think the real one is good enough.

When will my tiny brain realize that the real one is the one God pursues, loves and died for?

I am working on this.

And with that nugget, I give you an unfiltered photo of my skinny pants.

The Simple Life Experiment

Yesterday morning I had coffee with my darling friend Heather. She and I get together periodically to talk about shoes and baking and traveling adventures and boys, all things dear to our heart, the last one causing more angst than joy.

And we find ourselves being on the same page with most things, almost to the point where it is wonderfully ridiculous. Yesterday, we camped out on the topic of simplifying. Getting rid of the excess that ends up hindering our lives instead of helping.

And this got me thinking. What are the things that I really need in my life?

My iPhone? Maybe, but I don't need to check it every five minutes.

My Kitchen Aid mixer? Definitely.

TV? Nope. I really don't need it.

Hulu Subscription? Weeeeeellllll...I guess not. Darn it.

And the list goes on.

I loved the idea of taking things out of my life that I have held onto by obligation or trendiness. I think part of my funked-out week had to do with being overwhelmed with too much, or being absorbed with too much. Granted, some things you have no control over, but other things? Heck, yes. They can be kicked to the curb.

Thus: The Simple Life Experiment.

I am dedicating the summer of 2013 to simplicity.

I am sure it will come in a variety of forms, from cooking and baking healthy, clean foods to gardening, reading, traveling and maybe finally getting rid of the Kardashians...maybe. And not spending half of my paycheck every time I go to Target. I look forward to purging, cleaning, down-sizing and streamlining so I have more room to be creative. Or perhaps just so I can take a really great nap. Yoga also sounds like a wonderful new addiction.

Ideally, I would have some chickens and horse to round out my experiment, but suburbia is not conducive to farm animals. But I will blog about it and I will show you pictures of recipes and my scraped knees from falling off of my bicycle.

I promise to not become pretentious and condemn you if you eat Velveeta. I promise to still shave my armpits and to eat pizza and cookie dough every once in a while. And I promise I will not, under any circumstances, wear clothing made of hemp.

But, I have got to do this for me. It's just time.

And I am starting today: I am disconnecting my work email from my phone. A small step for most, but a ginormous step for the FC.

And I already feel better.

So, bring on the simple.

Top Ten: Spring Favorites from Pinterest

Holy cow. It is Wednesday already. And guess what? It snowed again in Denver. Apparently we like to call our Spring "Winter" around here.

In spite of the chilly morning and snow on the ground, I am celebrating warm weather in my heart. And do you know why? It is because Pinterest told me I could. There is nothing quite like a virtual bulletin board to make you want to bust out your flip flops!

So, while I wait for the snow to melt, I am here to share my latest favorites for Spring:

1. Statement Necklaces:
Isn't this GORGEOUS? Granted, you can't wear it with everything, but you could plan your entire outfit around this necklace. I am a huge fan.

2. Floral Print
I am a sucker for floral print. It is ultra-feminine but can still be paired with a chunky belt and denim shirt. Love!

3. Chevron.

I love chevron. The end.

4. Coral Bedrooms

I am always in the mood to re-do my bedroom and right now, I am drooling over the neutral/coral/turquoise combination. I could take a serious nap in these rooms.

5. Colorful Bags

I feel like I am perpetually on the hunt for the perfect bag. It is so hard to find the right combination of size, utility, material and color. But these two? I would take them both!

6. Salads

You all know that I am a girl who likes her food. But right now, I am so sick of hot, heavy meals. I yearn for quinoa and kale and fresh corn and fruit. Apparently, I am becoming a rabbit. And I am totally okay with that.

7. New Work Outs

I am always looking for ways to avoid change-up my workouts. Right now, these are the two I am tackling and I love them both. They go by so quickly! If my glutes are hating me then I know I must be doing something right.

Hike It Off: Treadmill Workout from Self Magazine: Set the treadmill at 3.6 mph, and toggle between inclines to simulate hills.
Minutes: 2  Incline: 0 Minutes: 1  Incline: 4
Minutes: 3  Incline: 8
Minutes: 2  Incline: 12
Minutes: 1  Incline: 3
Minutes: 2  Incline: 10
Minutes: 1  Incline: 12
Minutes: 4  Incline: 7
Minutes: 2  Incline: 12
Minutes: 2  Incline: 6
Total: 20 minutes

 

8. Flats

Flats are where it's at. Don't get me wrong, I adore heels, but flats make your life so much more comfortable. And there are so many cute ones out there right now!

9. Twirly Skirts

I love skirts in the spring and summer. And I especially love them if they twirl.

10. Parties

There is nothing I love more than a big backyard party! And once the snow melts and the ice drips off the roof and the ground thaws out and I can once again feel my toes, I am throwing a big backyard bash. Oh yes I am!

Happy, happy Spring, peeps! May you bask in the warmth of the sun today, even if you are wearing a down-filled coat.