C'est la vie

This last week has been one for the record books.  So much has been happening in my life / those around me, and I won't go into the gritty details here, but there have been 4 / 5 major events in just one week!  I'm feeling emotionally, mentally, and physically drained from recent days and any spare time I've gotten I've used for either sleep or just taking a few moments to chill out and think about how I'm feeling about everything.  However, I am feeling extremely grateful for the people I have in my life and the time I have with them. 

I recently started collaborating with Bliss Boutique [< - - click the link!] and knew that I had to have this top.

Not only am I sporting the 'Canadian Tuxedo', I'm sporting it in double acid wash.  Double faux pas??

I love the edginess [acid wash and crop] and sportiness [athletic stripe] of this top.  I knew instantly that I wanted to play off of these aspects and create an overall edgy/sporty look.

My tried and true backpack from Forever 21, along with these combat boots, appear in so many of my off-duty / casual looks.

She looks like she's trying to escape me, but trust me, she was LOVING it.

I try to shoot during the 'golden hour', near sunrise and sunset, to avoid weird reflections and lighting, but I thought these streams of light ended up looking kinda cool.

I'm grateful for the doggies in my life too.  Two big paws up for all the dog lovers out there!

What I'm Wearing:

Hat - My Boyfriend's

Top - Bliss Boutique [< - - click the link!]

Necklace - Gifted

Denim - Echo Clubhouse

Backpack - Forever 21

Ring - Crossroad's Trading

*This post is sponsored by Bliss Boutique

Purple Heart

Hello Again!  And welcome to another installment of my Valentine's Day looks for 2015.  This theme is, you guessed it, PURPLE (:  I wanted to create a look that was slightly unconventional for Vday + experiment with my new purple lip color (:  Although it's not your typical red or pink or hearts or what-have-you, I like to think of the look as still being romantic, with an edge.

I love the sweetheart neckline of this dress.  I think it makes it look, well . . . sweet.

For fancier outfits, I gravitate towards clutches.  I appreciate that this one comes with a strap #thumbsup

If I were ever on a carpet [of any color], I'm thinkin that this would be my go-to pose.  Whattayou say?

This claw-like necklace, matched with my purple lips, provides the edge I was looking for to balance out this sweet outfit.

Love, love, LOVE this print.

What I'm Wearing:

Necklace - Gifted

Dress - Crossroads

Ring - Francescas

Clutch - Gifted

Heels - F21

Loving him was RED

Hellooooo Ladies and Gents!  I wanted to put together a few looks for Valentine's Day and thought I would start with my favorite color, RED (:  When I get an idea in my head for a look, I COMMIT.  As soon as I knew I wanted to create Vday looks, I went to my closet to look for the strong hue.  Immediately I decided on this dress and shortly after I committed to a Hollywood / Old Glamour feel overall.  Red Lips, big curls, simple sexy heels.  I feel like red evokes confidence, sexiness, and fun.  What's your favorite color to wear for this love themed holiday?

Here I am emulating a pin-up girl, or trying to show off my newly toned Yoga arms.  You decide.

This type of dress / skirt is so fun, you just gotta twirl it.

Don't mind the Grandma legs . . .

I like the romantic feel and balance of this dress - tight up top, flowy on bottom, and short in length.

Dreaming of this Saturday when my baby is going to cook steak for us :D:D:D

Closed my eyes during the flash?  Falling asleep because I took these pictures before 7am on a workday?  Can't be sure.

What I'm Wearing:

Hoop Earrings - Gifted

California Necklace - Ibiss

Dress - Francescas

Clutch - Jest Jewels

Heels - Forever 21

Mortal Kombat

Last night I received a notification that the blogger fashionlaine liked one of my posts on Instagram.  Naturally I went on over to her Instagram and subsequently her blog.  Her bio on Insta reads 'Be what you want.  Wear what you want.'  So simple, but I think it's a great reminder to embrace your sense of self when it comes to style and fashion.  Sometimes I can get caught up in wanting to emulate a certain image.  Look a certain way.  Send across a particular message.  Whether something might be "too much".  Or people might think "who the h-e-l-l does she think she is wearing something like that?"  When really I should be wearing whatever the heck I want!  I'll be happier knowing I'm being true to my self, and I think other people will be happier that I'm presenting the most genuine / raw version of myself.  Ordinarily I would overanalyze the outfit below.  I would think oh, I can't do ripped jeans, camo print, AND fringe.  That is just too, too much.  But instinctually when I looked in my closet this morning, this is exactly what I wanted to wear.  So I went with it!

I like to call this I'm-tired-couldn't-be-bothered-to-style-it's-cold-I'm-going-to-be-outside-first-day hair.

These jeans are unbelievably comfy and actually quite flattering on the rear.

I love how fun this shirt is.  I think the fringe detailing adds extra oomph to an otherwise pretty casual piece.

I really don't know what it is with me and camo.  I can't even pinpoint the moment in time where this love affair began.  '...but there's somethin bout your love that makes me weak...and knocks-me-off-my-feet.'

Knapsack guard in action #WOOF

What I'm Wearing:

Necklace - Ibiss

Top, Jacket, and Jeans - Crossroads

Bangles - Thrifted

Backpack - F21

Shoes - Wanted Shoes

OOTW

Below are my outfits of the week!  I know they're super grainy, but I got a new phone this weekend [went from iOS to Andriod :O] and am trying to work out a lot of kinks.  I figured I would throw them up here anyway, and you can see better quality images over on my Instagram @trendingcheaply.  The looks [in chronlogical order] are from Tuesday, Wednesday, and Friday.

I absolutely love this tweed jacket with hints of neon green.  It really can dress up / business-i-fy any outfit.  My boyfriend really likes it too.

What I'm Wearing:

Jacket - Crossroads

Shirt - Zumiez

Jeans - Zara

Purse and Booties - F21

I felt very spring-y [amidst a California winter] in this number.  I had fun repurposing the head scarf too.  It's actually a sash from one of my robes (:

What I'm Wearing:

Head Wrap, Blazer, Leggings, and Boots - F21

Necklace and Dress - Francesca's

Friday night date night!!!  This night was so much fun.  My boyfriend wrote me a sweet love note, opened the car door for me, and paid for dinner at one of our favorite sushi places.  What more can a girl ask for??

What I'm Wearing:

Earring, purse, and booties - F21

Top and Jeans - Crossroads

Fashion Resolution: Repurpose

Another one of my fashion resolutions is to 'Repurpose'.  Repurpose clothing so that I can wear it year-round instead of having a strictly winter wardrobe, summer wardrobe, etc.  This can be a little tricky when it's cold outside and you don't want to bother with reinventing summer pieces and think about exactly how you are going to layer everything and still make it look chic.  Personally when I'm cold, I don't want to think about it.  Most of the time it's a sweater, beanie, jeans, boots, and I'm done.  Especially when it's in the morning / getting ready for work.  My feet are going in socks immediately and I'm grabbing the first clean item that will warm me up.  But i think there's value in taking time to think about how you can wear off-season pieces in different ways.  By taking a few hours on the weekend to come up with different outfits, you can save time getting dressed during the week.  And of course there's the monetary value of getting more bang for your buck the more you wear something.

I repurposed this summer dress by pairing it with a blazer, leggings, and boots.

It actually warmed up quite a bit today and while I was shooting out in the sun, I was able to remove the blazer and still refrain from being cold.  Plus I wanted to give you an idea of what the dress looked like without the blazer (:

I love how forgiving this dress is.  It's form-fitting but has the ruching detail that hides imperfections.  And lord knows I have not been wor-kin-on-my-fit-ness.

No pictures of the dogs today, so I thought I'd wear my dog whistle in spirit.  Only kidding, but they were just a little too hyper for photos today.  I think they know this is their last day to party before MONDAY (my arch nemesis).

I also like the winter floral feel of this dress.  I feel like the dark colors and purples make it less summer-y.

What I'm Wearing:

Dress and Boots - Crossroads Trading Co

Blazer - Francesca's 

Necklace - Stella and Dot

Leggings - Sportsmart

Purse - F21