Pinned It, Did It + LINK UP

Welcome to another edition Pinned It and Did It! You know, the time when we dig deep into those 4,506 pins we have and start recreating them!

If you haven't been following my friend Carrie for her Shop and be Free for 3 group, you really should be! Read all about it HERE.

In this group, Carrie talks a lot about defining your personal style--figuring out what is really YOU vs. what looks good on someone else or in a picture. I think this Pinned It post illustrates this point perfectly. I swooned over this look because it has every single element I love--camo, chambray, sparkle! And I love how the "edgy" (camo) is pair with the more conservative button down.

Frankly, in "real life" I hated this outfit. Well, hate is a strong word but number one, I didn't feel comfortable in it. I have pretty much decided sweater and button down is NOT me.

While I love all of these pieces separately (camo, sweater, chambray, ankle boots) I just don't like them all together.

These camo pants still continue to get TONS of wear, mostly because they are so darn comfy! But then paired with the "stuffy" button down and sweater, it defeats the purpose of throwing on my most comfy pair of pants, ya know??

I think it's really important to come to grips with the fact that every "flat lay" and awesome looking outfit on Pinterest and on Instagram might not look or FEEL good on you! And that is A-OK! I mean, sometimes I seriously wonder if other super high end fashion bloggers actually WEAR the stuff they blog about! Since I am all about practicality, I don't get much joy out of perusing outfits I'll never wear!

Has this ever happened to you before? Have you ever lusted over an outfit online, then it fell flat for you? I think this a GREAT thing, actually because each time you "fail" at an outfit, you come closer and closer to defining your own personal style :) I like to call it "failing forward."

Have a great day, friends!!!

Time to link up! Don't forget to use the hashtag #lovelylittlealamode on social media!

Hosted by ~

Carrie/A Lovely Little Wardrobe ~ Bloglovin/Facebook/Instagram

Whitney/Whitney à La Mode ~ Bloglovin/Instagram

Casey/A Little Bit of Cheer ~ Bloglovin/Facebook/Instagram

Each week we choose a favorite...check out Carrie and Whitney's blogs to see if it's you! My favorite look this week was Rebecca from Red Tag Chic! This look is SOOO cozy and totally something I would wear...like, everyday!!!! Read her entire post HERE.

Now let's get linking! We like to keep things simple around here. Just link up your favorite posts--fashion, beauty, food, DIY, anything goes! Follow your hosts on social media, have fun and be inspired! Thanks for linking up!

<a href="http://www.alittlebitofcheer.com" target="_blank"><img src="http://i1212.photobucket.com/albums/cc454/pianoprincessdesigns/button%20small_zpsujefyz2q.png~original" alt="A Lovely Little À La Mode Link Up" width="125" height="125" /></a>

Don't forget to follow A Little Bit of Cheer on Facebook HERE

Follow me on Instagram HERE

Follow any of my boards on Pinterest HERE 

Follow me on Bloglovin' HERE  

See where I link up HERE

An InLinkz Link-up

Celebrity Style ~ Joanna Gaines + LINK UP

Do you guys watch the show Fixer Upper on HGTV?? I might be a little bit #obsessed with it--enough to **maybe ** make me fly to Waco and stalk Chip and Jo Jo until they redo my house!!! HA! Joanna's decorating style is always spot-on and I would give her free reign in my house any day!

Not only does her interior design style match mine, so does her personal style! I am always so drawn to her simple, casual, slightly "rustic" outfits...can you describe an outfit as "rustic?" Hmmm. Anyhoo, check out some of my faves from Joanna ~

Reece Witherspoon is another one of my celeb style icons (read the post HERE)--I am drawn to the casual, no fuss, yet put-together "mom" looks of both Reece and Joanna. I have recreated several of Joanna's outfits at one time or another this fall, but here is the one I am recreating today :

Black Jeans/Leggings, Chambray Top + Military Jacket + Cognac Boots

Here is my recreation ~

 This outfit formula is super simple to recreate and you probably have most of these items already!!

Black Jean/Leggings: Express (exact, similar)
Chambray Tunic: Target (exact, similar)
Jacket: J. Crew Factory (similar, similar)
Boots: Nordstrom/Corso Como (similar, similar)
Bag: Nordstrom/BP (similar, similar)

What do you think of Joanna's style???

Time to link up! Don't forget to use the hashtag #lovelylittlealamode on social media!

Hosted by ~

Carrie/A Lovely Little Wardrobe ~ Bloglovin/Facebook/Instagram

Whitney/Whitney à La Mode ~ Bloglovin/Instagram

Casey/A Little Bit of Cheer ~ Bloglovin/Facebook/Instagram

Each week we choose a favorite...check out Carrie and Whitney's blogs to see if it's you! My favorite look this week was Lanae of modest budget belle! She rounded up how to glam up a sweatshirt! She pretty much had me at "sweatshirt." So much inspiration, Lanae!!! I love this one:

This is TOTALLY my idea of the perfect holiday party outfit! HELLLLOOOOO it's a SWEATSHIRT! Read her entire post HERE.

Now let's get linking! We like to keep things simple around here. Just link up your favorite posts--fashion, beauty, food, DIY, anything goes! Follow your hosts on social media, have fun and be inspired! Thanks for linking up!

<a href="http://www.alittlebitofcheer.com" target="_blank"><img src="http://i1212.photobucket.com/albums/cc454/pianoprincessdesigns/button%20small_zpsujefyz2q.png~original" alt="A Lovely Little À La Mode Link Up" width="125" height="125" /></a>

Don't forget to follow A Little Bit of Cheer on Facebook HERE

Follow me on Instagram HERE

Follow any of my boards on Pinterest HERE 

Follow me on Bloglovin' HERE  

See where I link up HERE

An InLinkz Link-up

Work Wear Challenge ~ Week 1 Favorites

The Work Wear Challenge with started last week and it's been a blast playing along with the girls from the Challenge!! Although I only work 2 days I week, I sometimes run out of business casual ideas to wear to work (I work at a K-8 school). The Work Wear Challenge has given me so many great ideas and the best part of it was, I had 90% of the items already in my closet! If I didn't, I made little adaptations here and there.

Here are my Top 3 outfits from last week ~

1. Black Pants + Polka Dot (or printed) Top + Cardigan + Leopard Heels/Flats ~ I had been looking for a cute polka dot top for awhile and this is one the few items I purchased for the Challenge. I ended up buying it via Poshmark and I love it and will be wearing it again and again!

Black Jeans: Express (exact, similar)
Polka Dot Top: via Poshmark (similar, option)
Cardigan: Old Navy (similar, similar)
Leopard Heels: Payless (similar, flats)

2. Printed Skirt + Chambray/Oxford Top + Pearls ~ I LOVED this combo! I wore it to work and got so many compliments. The pearls dress it up just enough, but then paired with sandals, it wasn't too dressy to look out of place at work. The original outfit called for colored heels (red would be awesome!) which I don't own, but I think the sandals were perfect for my work place. BTW-I purchased this skirt from thredUP (you know how much I love them)! Here's the link to get $20 off your first order: $20 OFF!
 

Printed Skirt: thredUP (option, option)
Chambray Tank: H&M (similar, long sleeve blouse)
Pearls:(similar, similar)
Sandals: Target-Sold Out (option, option)

3. Colored Pants + White Top + Neutral Heels/Flats ~ The original outfit showed a long sleeved white blouse but since temps were in the 90s here last week, I opted for my trusty sleeveless Portofino top. If this isn't acceptable in your work place you could easily throw a black blazer or neutral cardi over the top. Or you could do a long sleeve white blouse and colored slacks (vs. my casual chinos)--just adapt it to your workplace!! I added a leopard belt for fun :)

Chinos: J Crew Factory - exact color sold out (same style)
White Portofino: Express (exact)
Nude Heels: Payless (exact, similar)
Leopard Belt: Target (exact, similar)

Hope this gives you a few ideas for work! Remember, just use the outfit formula and adapt it to your workplace. For instance, I did black jeans because I work in a casual environment, but you can easily just swap them for black slacks/pixie pants, etc if your workplace is more dressy.  I'll be recapping 3 more of my favorite Work Wear outfits next Wednesday! Enjoy the rest of your week! XO



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See where I link up HERE

 

Remixing & Tips for Shopping on thredUP

Happy Wednesday! Last month, I featured this black lace skirt (originally $108!) that I bought on thredUP for $11! See original post HERE.

Today, I am remixing this awesome skirt and transitioning it to Fall!

Lace Skirt: J.Crew via thredUP (option, option)
Olive Top: Target (similar, similar)
Vest: via Jane.com (the "real" one, option)--check Jane and Groopdealz, often! I have already seen this vest on both sites and they sell out FAST!
Ankle Boots: DSW (option, option, option)
Necklace: Stella & Dot (exact)

This little lace skirt is SO versatile and spans the seasons, which you know I LOVE! Later on, I will definitely throw on some tights and tall boots or black wedge booties as well.

Can you believe I got this $108 skirt for $11? I used a $20 credit that I got for initially signing up. You can do the same!! Click HERE to sign up with thredUP ASAP and both of us will get a $20 credit for anything on their site!

Now, if you haven't used thredUP before, it can be a little overwhelming. They are SO MANY ITEMS on their site, which is a great thing, but it can get time consuming to sift through it all. Since I have become a regular thredUP shopper, I put together some tips that will hopefully help you easily navigate their site and find things you LOVE!

1. Computer ~ Use a PC or home computer/laptop vs. a tablet or your phone if you want to search for something really specific such as "striped skirt" "polka dot top." There is no search bar on the app (see #2).

2. Search Bar ~ At the top right of the website (not the app), there is a search bar that works really well at narrowing down a specific item. For instance "long cardigan" or "polka dot top."

3. Sizing ~ After searching for something specific, always put in your sizing and save your search--use the orange "Save Now" button on the top left. This makes it really easy to go back a few times a week (day?!) and see what they have added. They seem to add new items by the hour!

4. Personal Shop ~ Create a personal shop of brands you love, along with your sizing. For instance, I know my sizing at J. Crew Factory, so I have a J. Crew Factory shop with my sizes entered. I can just go to my personal "J. Crew Shop" and it's just like shopping at that store, but everything is in my size! Score :)

5. Specific Searches ~ It's too overwhelming to just search for "Casual Tops," so what I do is add all the brands I love and ONLY search on those brands and my specific size. By adding brands you know and love, there will be a much better chance it will fit you, too since you are familiar with the sizing.

I hope this helps encourage you to check out ThredUp! Use this link and enjoy your $20 shopping spree!


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Classic Color Combo + ThredUp!

Hope you're all having a great week so far! I'm excited to be co-hosting a link up with Rachel from Garay Treasures. Please link up with us below!!

Recently I discovered an awesome online consignment store, ThredUp. Have you guys heard of them? Of course you have! Like I've explained in this post, I am a late adopter :)

Basically, you can buy and sell clothes--just like a regular consignment shop. They have very high standards of what they accept, so when you buy, you know you will be getting a very gently used or brand new item. I had originally heard about ThredUp through one of my Blogger buddies, Susan but until recently, I hadn't ordered anything...until now!! Susan had an offer for $10 off your first purchase so I thought WHY NOT??! I purchased this $108 J. Crew skirt...for $11 bucks!!!

 This is how it was pictured online and it looked exactly the same when it arrived!

I am trying to collect a few more skirts since this is something I don't own a whole lot of. This little lace number is SO comfortable and can really be dressed up or down in so many ways! I have big plans for this $108 skirt!!

Create28 ~ A Casual-Sporty Look

"Sporty" can definitely encompass many different looks. You can be "gym sporty" with cute workout attire, you can be "baseball sporty" like Whitney's look yesterday or you can be "casual sporty" which is one of my favorite, easy looks.

In this look I am just wearing a cotton, striped jersey dress --a wardrobe essential in my opinion! I added my Converse sneakers and a baseball hat which are also two wardrobe essentials!! My Chucks have seen better days because I wear them SO OFTEN! I am in the market for a couple more pairs--maybe one white pair and a colored pair. I can totally picture a nice red pair with this outfit!!

A cute baseball cap can cover a multitude of sins, let me tell you! From tired eyes to a bad hair day--a fun baseball-style hat can be both cute and functional.

Add caption

Striped Dress Options (click on any image for details) ~

Chambray Options ~

Sneaker Options ~

Cute Baseball Hat Option ~ 

A few of my "casual sporty"-look DOs and DON'Ts ~

1. DO wear casual, wash and wear fabrics for ultimate ease and comfort!

2. DO choose a cute pair of sneakers or slip ons.

3. DON'T wear tennis shoes--I leave my bulky gym shoes for just that--the gym! Or when I'm in the mood for the "gym sporty" look. "Casual sporty" is supposed to look like a put-together outfit, not workout attire :)

4. DON'T over complicate things and add lots of accessories. I know as people who enjoy fashion, we always like to add, add, add...accessories, pops of color, layers, etc. But the beauty of an outfit like this is it's simplicity.

Here is more "Sporty" inspiration for ya!

Follow A Little Bit of Cheer's board Sporty Looks on Pinterest.

Join us tomorrow as Carrie sings the Summer Blues!! Hint: There is nothing SAD about her outfit!!


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See where I link up HERE

Create28 ~ Maxi Dress Looks

Happy Friday, friends! Hope everyone is ready to get the weekend party started! I also hope you are enjoying the first few days of our Create28 ~ Lovely Summer Looks! Don't forget to play along and show us your looks using #Create28SummerLooks on Instagram or link up your blog posts here every Monday in July!

Today is Maxi Dress day!! A maxi dress is one of those super versatile items in your closet--you know I'm a fan of those, right??! I like to get a lot of bang for my buck and I think when buying items of clothing it's important to be able to wear it several different ways. Even when I buy things on clearance at Target, I ask myself -- will I be able to wear this item 3 different ways? or will this item coordinate with 3 other items already in my closet?

Here I dressed up this jade green maxi dress with some simple jewelry, wedges and a clutch.

Maxi Dress: Nordstrom/Lush (exact, in Jade)
Pendant: Kendra Scott (exact, in Mother of Pearl)
Clutch: similar, similar
Bracelet: Stella and Dot (exact)

Here I threw on a chambray shirt. I also did a little "inside tie" to give it even a more casual vibe. I'll wear a maxi like this tied or with the "inside tie" to the pool or just lounging around. The inside tie is also extremely helpful when your maxi length is perfect with wedges but too long with flats or flip flops.

The "inside tie."

The inside tie is super easy to do ~

Step 1 ~ Gather about 2-3 inches of fabric from the inside SIDE of your maxi skirt (the amount of fabric you will have to play around with depending how short or fitted you want the dress).

Step 2 ~ Using any hair elastic or rubber band, tie up the fabric, just like you would tie a ponytail.

Step 3 ~ Turn dress back the correct way and you are DONE! :) You'll end up with a cute little "inside tie." Of course you can always just tie the skirt of your dress into a big knot but this is something a little different and I feel like it's easier to walk when I tie mine up this way :)

Check back tomorrow to see my Patriotic look! Carrie and Whitney will also be showing off their red, white and blue looks too and so check them out as well! Can't wait to see you pretties as well. Use #Create28SummerLooks! Happy 4th, everyone!!!

I'll leave ya with some more fun maxi dress inspiration from my Pinterest board ~

Follow A Little Bit of Cheer's board Maxi Dress Looks on Pinterest.
 
Don't forget to follow A Little Bit of Cheer on Facebook HERE

I'm on Instagram now! Yippeee! Follow me HERE

Follow any of my boards on Pinterest HERE 

Follow me on Bloglovin' HERE 

The Summer Challenge Week 2 + Linkup + Giveaway!

Happy Hump Day, pretties! Today I'm recapping the first full week of Summer Challenge outfits! Hope you're ready for some serious summer outfit inspiration....check out all of my blogger bestie's outfits linked below, too! Feel free to link up your favorite outfits, too--the more the merrier!! Also, you only have 2 more days to enter to win the $200 gift card to Gap Brands...enter if you haven't already!!

OK-now for this week's outfits~

Outfit Formula 4: Kimono + Tank + Denim Shorts
I'm not giving up finding a kimono!! Still looking because I think the trend is darling--i just can't find one that looks right on me. In the meantime, I pulled this long cardigan/shrug thing out of my closet. I usually only wear it in the fall/spring, but now I know I can wear it with shorts!! Yay!

Cardigan/Shrug: Target (similar)
Shorts: J. Crew Factory (similar)
Coral Tee: Nordstrom/Stem (exact, in Red Fiesta)
Sandals: Target (exact)

Outfit Formula 5: Lace Top + Bright Shorts + Colorful Necklace
I LOVE this outfit. It's light, bright and super easy!

White Eyelet Top: Loft Outlet (similar, similar)
Bright Shorts: J. Crew (similar, similar)
Necklace: Charming Charlie (similar, similar)
Sandals: Target (exact)

Outfit Formula 6: Chambray Shirt + White Shorts + Sneakers
I chose to wear my white sandals instead of sneakers because I decided I really need to invest in a bright pair of Converse! I'm thinking pink, red or teal...any other suggestions??

Part of this Challenge is also trying new things with your hair. Soooo....I watched like 3,000 bun/top knot/messy bun tutorials! It looked sooo easy but once I had to do it on myself it was a mess!! This was my first attempt--I'll keep trying!!!

Chambray/Blue Shirt: HM (these are hard to find!! option, option)
White Shorts: J. Crew Factory (similar)
Sandals: Target (exact)

Outfit Formula 7: Maxi/Summer Dress + Denim Vest + Sandals
I feel like I have been wearing my long printed maxi dress to death, so I opted for this short little jersey dress I found on the Target clearance rack for $8! It think it works!

Dress: Target (similar, similar)
Denim Vest: DIY'ed (similar, similar)
Sandals: Target (exact)

Outfit Formula 8: Palazzo/Track/Printed/Soft Pants + Flowy Tank
Whatever they are called--I hopped on the Palazzo/Track/Soft pants trend a few months ago and I've never looked back. I LOVE them--totally feels like PJs, yet looks pulled together and not super frumpy. Nothing is more comfy than this outfit!!! You have to shop and be patient for the ones you like, but once you find them, you'll love them!

Track Pants: Coscto (similar, similar)
Tank: Loft (similar)
Sparkly Sandals: Target (exact)
Necklace: Nordstrom/Kendra Scott (exact)

Outfit Formula 9: Graphic Tee + Denim Shorts + Sneakers
This is one of the outfits I could just live in all summer!!! Like I said, though, I need to invest in some super fun colored Chucks!

Graphic Tee: Forever 21 (exact one is sold out i think--option, option)
Shorts: J. Crew Factory (similar)
Sneakers: Nordstrom/Converse (exact)

As a girl of comfort, I can attest that every one of these outfits was super comfy and functional for my everyday, running around mom-life! Next week I'll have 6-7 more outfits for ya!

And don't forget, next WEDNESDAY, July 1st Create28 ~ Lovely Summer Looks starts!! Read all about it HERE and join us!!!

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Puppies & Pretties // Daily Style Finds

Shoes to Shiraz // A Lovely Little Wardrobe // Making the Most of Every Day

Two Teens and Their Mama // Once Upon a Time & Happily Ever After

A Little Bit of Cheer // Nick + Nik // Foxy's Domestic Side // The Mishaps and Mayhem of a Solitary Life // Quilty JoyJoy

Confessions of a Frumpy Mommy // Get Your Pretty On

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Shoes to Shiraz | R Squared | Two Teens and Their Mama | 

Confessions of a Frumpy Mommy | A Lovely Little Wardrobe | 

Mishaps and Mayhem of Solitary Life | Puppies and Pretties | Daily Style Finds | 

Making the Most of Everyday | She Thought She Could | Foxy's Domestic Side | 

Quilty Joy Joy |  Once Upon a Time and Happily Ever After |

A Little Bit of Cheer | Nick and Nik

An InLinkz Link-up