Comfy Spring Outfit Tips

I've been trying to dress better these days,  since I think "yoga chic" could be used to describe my usual fashions. Sneakers are my best friends, and I'm in a committed relationship with leggings, long shirts and oversized sweaters. I've been feeling super comfy, but looking pretty darn frumpy. In the winter it's perfect, because if I have to go outside in 20-degree weather, you best bet I'm gonna be comfy! However, it's warm and it's spring. Time to ditch that workout wear and put on something a little more festive. Easter seemed like the perfect opportunity to switch up my wardrobe. 

*This post contains affiliate links.

Even though I decked out my table with dollar store goodies, I ended up going to my uncle's house for Easter. It was a beautiful, warm day that turned into a rainy and cloudy one. There was an egg hunt, bible bingo (not my idea!) and some egg dyeing. Overall, it was a pretty relaxed but fun day. Since my uncle's house is known for being laid back, I decided to go with cute but comfy for my Easter outfit. 

For starters, I really wanted to wear my new pink jeans from Old Navy. I bought them during their half off promotion, so they were a steal at less than $18. I wanted to add some color to the top of my outfit as well, and I thought the teal peplum added a fun vibe without being too childish. I'm whimsical, what can I say! I decided to keep my shoes neutral and wear my crocs wedges. You guys... if you think crocs are for old people or gardeners, you really need to go check out their website. Forrealz. Do it now, I'll wait. They have so many great shoe options nowadays. Wedges, sneakers, rain boots, flip flops, sandals, even heels! You name it, they've got it. I know you're wondering if I have a pair of those atrocious clogs. The answer is yes, but they're the slim ones and I only wear them in my yard or for grabbing the mail. I swear. Scouts honor! 

Anyway, back to my outfit. At this point I was a little skeptical of my outfit. I kinda felt like an Easter egg, so I went down and asked my fiancé if I was too colorful. And he said something like "Is that even a question? Of course you are, but that's you." I found this answer to be pretty awesome (he's not classically, poetically romantic, so this was a compliment) so I felt brave enough to add on my tassel necklace. It makes every outfit way more fun! I seriously love this necklace. I feel like it's hit or miss- some people love it, some people... don't. Alas, it brings me joy and frankly the haters can keep sipping on that haterade. Yea, I'm talking to you John! (Ps, John is my fiancé. And in case you're wondering, no, he never reads my blog). 

Speaking of John.. here he is dressed in his Easter best. A few weeks back, I saw this shirt at Target and was instantly drawn to it. I pulled it off the rack and brought it over to him and asked if he liked it. He said it made a good Easter shirt. I swear that this guy must have only owned grey, blue, and black before he met me. I really appreciate that he wears things like coral, aqua, and even pink now that we're together. In case you're wondering, this is his "why are you photographing me, I'm just eating a hot dog" face. And why am I photographing him while he eats a hot dog, you ask? Because I'm kinda clingy, had a camera in my hand, and really like to unintentionally annoy him. Whoops. 

I gave John a break and went to hang out with my sister, Irene. I thought she really nailed the lazy-Sunday-meets-Easter outfit, so I decided to snap some photos of her. I love how quirky she is, and how she can look so good making the most ridiculous faces. When we were younger she always wanted to be just like me, but now I want to be like her. She's the ying to my yang. 

Irene kept it comfy with jeans and a tank top. Her kimono was perfect for adding a pop of color while keeping it light. It was pretty hot earlier in the day, so it was perfect for covering up without feeling warm. Plus, it dresses the outfit up without being uncomfortable. She wore leather slip-on vans, which were comfy but a little fancier than wearing sneakers or cloth shoes. Her necklace is a fake pocket watch I bought her years ago. The lid came off and the clock stopped working, but she still loves it and wears it frequently. 

Looking to upgrade your wardrobe now that spring has arrived? It's not too difficult!

Tips for a Comfy Spring Wardrobe 

• Mix in dressier pieces with more comfortable ones. You don't want to be pulling at your outfit all day, so if your pants are slightly dressier or less comfortable, try pairing them with a comfy t-shirt for an effortless chic look.

• Color is your friend! Don't be scared of it. Start small, like a colorful pair of shoes, jeans, or an accessory. You'll probably get loads of compliments on it, because people are automatically drawn to color! This should give you the confidence to mix it up a little more next time.

• Wear layers. Most of the spring is a fluctuation between a warm morning, a hot afternoon, and a cool evening. Even if your outfit isn't totally pajama-comfy, it should at least be temperature happy. Be sure to check your weather app too!

• Play with patterns. Try romantic florals, classy lace, and fun polka dots. I also love silky shirts with really fun and silly patterns like umbrellas, dogs, or pineapples! A fancier fabric will prevent it from looking too juvenile.

• Go thrifting. This is a great way to try new styles and patterns without breaking the bank. I recently got a pink coat from the thrift store. After sewing on some new buttons and getting it dry cleaned, it's practically brand new! The best part is that it only cost me $15. It definitely would've cost way more at a department store, plus it's better for the environment. Reduce, reuse, recycle!

• Try a new trend. I feel like every spring, something kinda ridiculous but comfy comes out that becomes the newest fad. Like the gypsy skirts, or gauchos, or skorts. Although you might cringe someday when you see photos of yourself in these items, it's worth trying something new and trendy. Plus it makes looking back at photos of yourself so much more fun.

• Wear comfortable shoes. If there's one thing that should always be comfortable in warm weather, it's your shoes. First off, you're walking around A LOT. You want to be as comfortable as possible when you do so. Also, a lot of spring and summer shoes require you not to wear socks. Your shoes may be cute, but those blisters won't be. And neither will that hammer toe you're likely to get from cramming your foot into tight shoes. Skip the pain and go for something cute but doable. And, be sure to bring a cute tote to carry around your flats!

1. Peplum Top 2. Bold Necklace 3. Ring 4. Comfy Wedges 5. Plaid Shirt 6. Pink Jeans 7. Floral Kimono 8. Tank Top 9. Dark Jeans 10. Vans Slip-Ons 11. Watch Necklace 12. Black Bracelet

I'm thinking I'll focus on finding some really cute but comfy shoes. I've already purchased 2 pairs so far! 

What's going to be your go-to item this spring? Do you like to switch to a colorful wardrobe in the spring, or keep it neutral? Let me know in the comments below!

DIY Dollar Store Easter Decorations

Hey guys! It seems that we hopped into April pretty quickly, huh? I had an eggcelent idea to do a Easter tablescape, but I'm on a budget this year. Planning a wedding ain't cheep, ya know? So I decided to visit my local Dollar Tree and raid my cabinets to create an Easter affair to remember, without breaking the bank. In all, I spent only about $30 dollars to create this classy table setup. Many of the Easter decorations came from my collection and I DIY'd a few things, because what's an event without a few handmade details ;). 

*This post contains affiliate links.

DIY Painted Plant Pots

You will need:

Pots or Plants (From DollarTree or larger version here)
Acrylic Paint (here)
Painter's Tape (here)
Paint Brushes (similar here)

Steps:

1. Paint your pot the lighter of your 2 colors. Let dry fully.

2. Using your tape, create an interesting line or pattern. I decided to do a diagonal pattern, but you could do polka dots, triangles, half and half, etc.

3. Paint the desired area, then peel off your tape while it's still a little wet. Let dry!

For a full list of my favorite craft supplies, check out this blog post!

DIY Banner

You will need:

Paper Bunting (from DollarTree)
Ribbon (DT or similar here)
Glue Gun (similar here)
Spray Adhesive (here)

Steps:

1. Be sure to adequately cover your workspace. This stuff is deceptively sticky!

2. Place your top bunting face-down and spray with the adhesive.

3. Pick up carefully and place on top of the other bunting. Lay flat to dry.

4. Take a length of thin ribbon and glue your bunting onto it while keeping the flags an equal distance apart.

5. Hang up and enjoy.

Related: How to Rock your DIY Party Projects

DIY Bunny Ears Bouquet

You will need:

Thick Wire/Covered wire (From DollarTree or here)
Ribbon (DT or similar here)
Thin sparkly ribbon (DT or similar here)
Scissors (here)
Wire cutters (here)
Glue gun (similar here)

Steps

1. Take your wire and straighten it out the best you can.

2. Measure and cut. Mine was 20 inches.

3. Fold gently in the middle to create a bunny ear shape.

4. Using your hot glue gun, carefully wrap your wire with ribbon. I found that not overlapping the ribbon on top of itself worked best.

5. Keep going up your wire, wrapping and gluing every few rotations.

6. Once you've wrapped it in your thicker ribbon, go back around with your thinner ribbon to cover the seams and any bald spots.

7. Repeat for the other ear, then place in a bouquet of flowers and enjoy!

Setting your Table

Place Settings

I purchased inexpensive white plates and chargers for each setting, and topped them with blue appetizer plates from my cupboard. I added some drinking glasses I already had on hand, and placed a handmade drink stirrer inside. I finished it off with my super cute bird salt and pepper shakers that I purchased from Pier 1 Imports a few years ago.

Centerpieces

For the centerpieces, I used a sequin table runner and fake moss from my engagement party, and topped it with my painted flowerpots, bunny ears bouquet, and some mercury tealights.  I scattered some small golden eggs I picked up at the dollar store to add to that Easter feel.

Tips for Saving Money on your Easter Table

1. Create your own bouquets by purchasing flowers from the supermarket, or purchase inexpensive fake ones that you can reuse again and again.

2. If you purchase new servingware, go for white, which can be reused for many holidays. It'll get much more use than a baby pink tray with a bunny on it!

3. Collect items from around your house. Tealights, votives, pastel decor items, etc. This will add to the ambiance of the event without you necessarily having to purchase (and store!) Easter items.

4. Mix high-end items with dollar store items to save money while still keeping it classy. The inexpensive items will be camouflaged among the more expensive ones, as long as you don't purchase anything too cheap looking.

5. DIY where you can to create something one of a kind. Search Pinterest for ideas, and see how you can re-create more expensive items.

6. For an inexpensive tablecloth or runner, use a piece of fabric that has been folded and ironed. This will allow you to make it any size or shape you need!

7. Go for a mix of larger items and smaller items to create a visually interesting mix for your table. Too many small items will look cluttered, and too many large ones will seem unbalanced.

The best part about this table setup is that you can take away the bunny ears and little eggs, and use it for the remainder of the spring! This helps it to do double duty, saving you money. Do you have any dollar store crafts as part of your Easter decor? Do you decorate for Easter, or are you more of a "save it for Christmas" type of gal? Let me know in the comments below!

Engagement Gifts for The Bride-To-Be

Great news! Your best friend just got engaged to the best guy, and you're SO excited. You've been talking about her wedding day FOR-EVER now, and that day is coming soon! You want to get her something really special as an engagement gift, something that shows how happy you are for her in this new chapter in her life, and something that'll put you in the running for the top spot to be her maid of honor. Kidding! No, but really, you want to get her an engagement gift as special as she is, without it being just another cheesy "bride" gift. I understand! I've created a list of 15 awesome items that will make perfect engagement gift and even bridal shower gifts! They are a mix of your typical bride items (something every newly engaged girl LOVES) and ordinary items with a bridal feel, this way she's not left having a second-hand sale of 3,000 bride items after the wedding. They're all so classy and gorgeous. She's gonna love them!

I've created a list of 15 awesome items that will make perfect engagement gift and even bridal shower gifts! They're all so classy and gorgeous. She's gonna love them! #engagementparty #engagementgifts #weddingplanning

1. Wedding Planner 2. Ring Dish 3. Initial Necklace 4. Miss to Mrs. Tumbler 5. Hand Lettering 101 Book 6. Vacation Duffel Bag 7. The Getaway Luggage Tag 8. Flower Earrings 9. Bride Mug 10. Adventure Makeup Bag 11. Geometric Vase 12. Essie Blushing Bride Nail Polish 13. Bling Wipes 14. Bride Lidded Box 15. Floral Luggage Tag and Passport Cover

Engagement Gifts & Bridal Shower Gifts

1. Wedding Planner- This is the PERFECT engagement gift to start with. Since wedding planning is a whirlwind experience, every bride can use a planner! This one features tabbed sections, inspirational quotes, and 3 storage pockets, so that it can hold all her receipts and contracts to keep her organized. Plus it has a really cute cover!

2. Ring Dish- Now that she's got some bling on her ring fing[er,] the bride-to-be will need a place to keep it! This ring dish will keep it safe while she washes the dishes, takes a shower, or just needs to give her hands a rest. 

3. Initial Necklace- Whether you get one with her new last name or her fiance's initial, your future bride will love this necklace! It's simple but stands out, so it can be paired with anything. 

4. Miss to Mrs. Tumbler- This tumbler will be perfect for all that iced coffee she'll be drinking as she rushes around trying to get that wedding planned! Bonus- she can use it after the wedding too, since she'll now be a Mrs!

5. Hand Lettering 101 Book- If your bride is crafty, she'll probably enjoy this hand lettering book! Give it to her along with some pens and she can practice her penmanship to address her own invitations, write cute chalkboard signs, or write it the escort cards. Because doing it yourself = saving money!

6. Vacation Duffel Bag- This duffel is perfect for all those overnight trips to the venue, a bachelorette party weekend, or her honeymoon! It's roomy enough for all her travel stuff, plus a bunch of outfit choices. Girls gotta have options, right? 

7. The Getaway Luggage Tag- this is like an ode to the days when people used to leave their reception early to head off to their honeymoon. Did people really do that, or was it only a thing in movies? Anyway, we all know she's dying to get out of town, and this luggage tag says exactly what's on her mind! 

8. Flower Earrings- These will add a little extra sparkle for her engagement party, bridal shower, or rehearsal dinner. Plus, they're simple enough to wear on an ordinary day to dress up your outfit! I wore them at my engagement party and they really complimented my dress.

9. Bride Mug- It's so exciting to be the bride when you're first engaged, so this mug will capture that feeling and show it off to the world. It'll look SO cute in her ring selfies!

10. Adventure Makeup Bag- This makeup bag will keep her looking pretty while reminding her of the end goal. It's not just about the wedding, but about creating a beautiful life together! 

11. Geometric Vase- Everyone loves fresh flowers! This geometric vase is really unique and will be an interesting addition to her home. It comes in 2 sizes, perfect for a small bouquet for her desk and a larger one for her table. 

12. Essie Blushing Bride Nail Polish- The bride-to-be needs to keep her nails looking good as she shows off that ring. This nail polish is a gorgeous, subtle color that will enhance the beauty of her ring, not compete with it. Bonus: add a manicure kit to get her nails looking perfect!

13. Bling Wipes- She's gotta protect the bling on that ring! These wipes will keep the ring as shiny as can be, and since they're individually wrapped, they'll be sure to stay fresh. She can keep them in her purse and whip them out whenever she needs to shine up that diamond. Everyone wants to see it! 

14. Bride Lidded Box- This little box is perfect for holding her rings and small jewelry. If she's got pets, this is great for keeping her ring safe and secure. Because I know that my 3 cats LOVE to knock things on the ground and play with them! 

15. Floral Luggage Tag and Passport Cover- Help the bride-to-be travel in style with this matching luggage tag and passport cover. The floral design is girly and elegant, plus since it's not super bride-ish, she can use it for years to come!

Tips for Buying Engagement Gifts

1. Avoid anything too trendy. She may hate the trend, and you also want something that she can use for years to come to remind her of your friendship, and how it felt when she first got engaged!

2. Don’t tell her she has to wear it or use it at the wedding. This could lead to an uncomfortable conversation. It’s her day, so you can suggest it, but never make her feel obligated to use anything. You never know what her plans are for her wedding day.

3. This is a good time to get something just for her, something she wouldn't necessarily indulge in herself, but that she can't put on her registry either. If it's too expensive to get alone, you can all pitch in with the bridesmaids or some friends. Nearly all the gifts she receives will be for her home, her wedding, or her life with her husband, so something just for her will be really special!

4. In general, the idea of straying from the registry is scary. If you do, make sure it's something you know the bride will love, and that it's something that will match the rest of the items she's registered for. No one likes having to store that ugly serving platter that they use once a year when the person who gave it to them comes over!

What engagement gifts do you like to purchase for the bride-to-be, or what did you get when you got engaged that you loved? Are you a stick-to-the-registry type of person, or do you like to get a surprise gift the couple will love? Let me know in the comments below!

DIY Flower Bridesmaid Proposal Box

It's pretty crazy that I'm getting married in less than 5 months. It feels like just yesterday it was the 90's and I was with my little sister, trying on our mom's wedding dress. We would sneak it out of the closet and take turns wearing it. We'd talk about our wedding day and how of course we would be each other's maid of honor. And now that day is almost here and I just can't believe it. Yesterday in my wedding planning update, I mentioned that I had (finally) asked my sister to be my maid of honor with a pretty box I made for her. I decided to document the steps I took to create it, plus I added some links to the products I used (and similar ones) so that you can make them for your bridesmaids too! These boxes are pretty easy to make, and don't require too many supplies. All you really need is a box, a glue gun, some flowers and some decorative tape. Let's get started!

You Will Need:

White Photo Box (similar here)
Glue Gun (similar here)
Fake Flowers (similar here and here)
Pink Duct Tape (similar here)
Scissors (here)
 

Filled With:

Fashion Emergency Kit (here)
Cute Card (similar here)
Maid of Honor Tank (similar here)
Mini Hairspray (here)
Monogram Wood Gift Tag (here)
Cupcake Vineyards Prosecco (here)
Color Swatches (here)

1. Take your flowers off the stems, and save a few of the leaves for later. I picked the brightest leaves to save.

2. Using your scissors, cut the little stems off your flowers to make them as flat as you can. This will make them easier to glue onto your box.

3. Using your glue gun, glue the flowers onto the lid. I mixed the smaller and larger flowers, as well as the different shades of pink. Try to fit them together as well as you can, like some sort of floral tetris.

4. Using the leaves, fill in any gaps. I wanted my box to be mostly flowers so I didn't use too many leaves, but you can put as many as you want. I recommend placing all the leaves in, taking a look to see if you like the look, then gluing them in.

5. Using your tape, wrap the perimeter of the lid to create a nice, neat edge with a pop of color. I used 4 smaller pieces of tape, one for each side, to ensure it would be nice and smooth. Then, take some tape and fold it over itself to fill the label. I used a sticker that said "party" that I found at Michael's.

Filling the box:

To dress up your Prosecco, take a piece of ribbon and wrap it around the neck of the bottle. Glue a flower onto it for decor. Sign your card with a loving and heartfelt note, and place your items inside the box.

Then, give it to your bridesmaids and maid of honor! My sister was pretty happy, since she didn't think I would be officially asking her in a cutesy way. It made me so happy to watch her open the box and see all her reactions as she pulled each item out.

WOOHOO! I now officially have a maid of honor. Now, onto the other 35687 things on my to-do list.

How would you use this box? For a bridesmaid proposal, to hold a birthday gift, maybe for your mom on mother's day?! There are so many possible uses! Are you doing a bridesmaid proposal box? What will you put inside? Let me know in the comments below!

Wedding Planning Update- Just 5 More Months!

Ok guys, it's happening... the wedding is less than FIVE months away! I can't wrap my head around how crazy that is, which is probably a good thing, because if I do I'll probably start to panic about my never-ending to do list. Last we spoke, I was getting ready to head to my wedding venue to wrap up a few things. Here's what we did so far.

Maid of Honor- Chosen!

Ok ok, my sister knew she was the maid of honor, but we sealed the deal by officially asking her. I wanted to do something special for her, so I made her a box and filled it with some fun goodies. A blog post about that is right here so you can make your own!

Food Tasting- Done!

That's right guys, we did our food tasting! This was actually really fun, even tough we did it at 10am haha. The food at our venue is SO GOOD, which is a relief for me. I was really afraid that maybe it would only be meh, since I've never eaten there before! However, I'm pleased to say that everything was tasty and attractive. We tried about 6 appetizers, and 3-4 main courses. We are doing a cocktail hour at the wedding (which we'll miss because we are taking photos), hot and cold appetizers, and a buffet dinner. I really hope I get to eat that day, because I'm really excited for the food haha. 

Cake Tasting- Done!

Right after our food tasting, we did the cake tasting. I was really excited for the cake tasting, but it was actually really difficult to do. First off, it was hard to decide on the combinations, since we had 4 cake flavors and 5 fillings to try. But, worst of all, it was nauseating! The cake and fillings were really sweet, and it could have been the fact that it was about 10:30am, but I started to get sick of it after a while. Since my fiance had strong feelings about what he wanted as the filling, I let him decide. I really couldn't eat anymore cake to come up with an alternative. We picked a raspberry jam filling, with one tier of chocolate cake and one tier of vanilla cake. Mmmm. For anyone wondering, we tried cake flavors in chocolate, vanilla, strawberry swirl, and raspberry swirl. For the fillings, we tried raspberry jam, raspberry mousse, Bavarian creme, custard with fresh strawberries, and white chocolate mousse.

Flowers/Wedding Colors- Done!

We met with our florist to go over the flowers for the wedding, and in doing so we finally narrowed down the color scheme for the wedding. I was super unsure about what to pick for colors, but in the end I'm excited with the ones I chose, because they feel very "me". I think it'll look gorgeous in the flowers as well! I'm a little nervous about the flowers, since I'm the rare girl that hates roses, but we are doing a mix of flowers and should only be having garden roses in our arrangements, which are very large and open. They barely look like roses! Otherwise, I'll have to learn to love roses and hopefully associate them with my wedding day.

Wedding Rentals- Done!

At the Bridal show, we met someone that did wedding rentals, so we set up a meeting with him. He came armed with lots of amazing goodies to dress up our tables, like sequin tablecloths, charger plates, napkins, utensils, etc. We decided to add some draping to the reception, as well as some nice napkin rings as well. Then it came to the debate- should we upgrade to nicer utensils, napkins and charger plates? We began to wonder if our family would notice, and in the end we decided it wasn’t worth the added cost. Everything adds up, and we decided to instead go with other stuff that would make the reception more fun, instead of just prettier. My biggest debate was with the charger plates. The glass ones were SO PRETTY but they cost about 5x more than the ones from Dollar Tree. I asked on a wedding Facebook group what they thought about charger plates. Nearly everyone said they went with the Dollar Tree ones and didn’t regret it.

Needs to get done:

Dresses for my mom and sister- These ladies helped me pick my dress, so now I need to help them pick theirs! Anyone know of any good places to go? We tried David's Bridal and Macy's, but there wasn't anything too wow-worthy there.

Wedding Invitations- Yea, we need to pick or create these, and get them mailed out soon! Our wedding is on a holiday weekend, so we want people to know all the deets ASAP. My sister is a graphic designer, so she may work on creating some for us. Depends on timing!

Hair & Makeup Trial- I have to go to my venue (3 hrs away!) for my hair and makeup trial. I have a good idea of what I want to do for my hair, so that's fine. Now I need to decide on makeup. I rarely wear makeup, so I'm hoping I can just look like a glam version of myself, instead of looking like a stranger!

Misc Decor- My FAVORITE part of party planning is coming up, and that's purchasing the decor!! I'm so so excited for this! I have a good idea of what I want, so I just need to go shopping. Any excuse, right? ;)

Overall I think we're making good headway, but I think we really need to start acting fast to get thing done, and avoid scrambling at the last minute! I'm going to take it one day at a time, but I think I need to get my to-do list in order ;) So, what are your tips for getting wedding planning tasks in order? Should I make lists, add tasks to my calendar, don't sweat the small stuff?! Let me know in the comments below!