winter... are you there?

 

this year has been the craziest winter weather i have ever experienced in Miami. 

it's no secret that most states across America are experiencing hotter than usual temps... but do i really have to have an 80 degree Christmas day?!

i've collected some really great coats, jackets, and sweaters over the years - mainly from living in Connecticut - and i'm itching to wear them as best one can in Miami.

sweaters with cutt-offs anyone?

the other day i started organizing some winter wear in my closet to put in storage and found this amazing jacket. it's a Connecticut thrift store find and definitely from the 80's... and i LOVE!

it also reminds me of Joseph's coat of many colors from the Bible. 

this jacket is surprisingly versatile, very comfy, and obviously super unique.

just for fun i paired it with a light long sleeve shirt and my cut-offs, then added some ankle boots and prayed for colder weather. 

needless to say,  i had to pack my jacket away b/c after 10mins of wear i was sweating.

oh the struggle...

what i'm wearing:

necklace: james michelle

shirt: GAP

jacket: thrifted

shorts: one teaspoon

boots: sam edelman

   

zara for the holidays

ummm... have you seen what Zara's got in its stores for the holidays?!

if you know me at all, you know i have a slight obsession for this store. so like a true stalker, i downloaded the app and check it on the daily.

in a time when fashion has become disposable (you can buy shirts for $7.99), trends come and go like the wind, and even hand washing items doesn't guarantee they won't come out toddler size... it's nice to have a store like Zara.

i have gathered a few of my favorite items and shared them below... who doesn't  need glitter sneakers (genius!), a 90's relaxed blazer, pops of coral, statement earrings, lace detailing, turbines, and the most awesome velvet bucket purse with beading and. a. tassel!

bring on all that is festive ///

sweeping the grass.

had such an awesome birthday weekend for Lyla. honestly, i could not fully express in words how much my now one year old has changed my life. there are the obvious things like less sleep, more doing, and showers becoming a luxury. BUT more importantly and more personally she has shown me what selfless love really looks like - it's kinda scary. she has also taught me that i am (or was) a super lazy individual - when i used to complain about not having enough time in the day i really had NO IDEA! lastly - well at least for this blog post - she has shown me how important family is. without family i could not have got thru this first year. my family and my hubbs' family have been a loving, motivating, comforting, disciplining, and self-checking force. and for ALL of the before mentioned i am extremely thankful.

so thankful.

on a lighter note - below is a little photo session spurred on by Lyla sweeping the grass before leaving for her 12month check up and shots - poor baby had no idea what was coming. Lyla is in an adorable outfit given to her by my bros girlfriend and i'm in a Canadian tux inspired by OneTeaspoon.

Lyla:
dress & cardi - Carter's
moccs - Freshly Picked
Me:
sunnies - Spin Gallery (local to miami)
shirt: Madewell
shorts: OneTeaspoon
shoes: Converse 

   

a pumpkin post.

fall is here! so as usual my sister has turned all festive. she literally won't leave you alone until you join in on her merriment. if you enter a store that happens to have seasonal candles she will smell everyone -- then ask your opinion on her favorites to make a final decision.

needless to say, she has way too many candles. 

with all these celebratory acts of fall going on my sister decided to rope me into decorating pumpkins with her -- oh the joy!

well, if i'm going to spend a day decorating a food that will eventually perish in the sun, why not document and blog it. my sister started with this little guy:

i wasn't going to purchase any pumpkins, but once we got to Home Depot i couldn't resist this cream colored pumpkin and this light peach pumpkin that looked like someone threw-up on it. i bought some iridescent copper paint by Ralph Lauren and lightly painted the bottom half of my cream pumpkin as such: 

 my sister continued on her merry decorating spree with gold and silver spray paint by Rust-oleum, some glitter, and painters tape.

clearly she was a very proud mother hen. she is also a perfectionist and needed to make deep inspections at the completion of each pumpkin decor endeavor... as seen below:

after we completed our pumpkins we put them together for a little photo shoot. i think my sister's orange and gold striped pumpkin is reminiscent of The Nightmare Before Christmas.

i put my two pumpkins on a mirrored tray with some candles and and scented pine cones.
yes, my sister won me over and now our house is all fall festive.

of course Lyla had to give her approval -- and by approval i mean she needed to taste the pine cones.

and if you're interested my sister even took the time to name each pumpkin.
she REALLY gets into this seasonal stuff.
mine on the top and hers on the bottom:

   

ain't got time for that!

i recently acquired this tee with text that reads, "i woke up like this." loved it for a couple reasons; it's grey and it's super soft. once i brought it home i re-read the text and realized how true the statement is for me. since having Lyla, getting ready (brushing my hair and teeth) or dressed (putting on any item of clothing) is no easy feat. i have had to accept the fact i can no longer leisurely get ready and most days i throw on shorts and a tee and... look like i just rolled out of bed. thank goodness messy hair and big sunglasses are a "thing"!

Lyla, however, always looks like a little princess -- she never misses!

::or so her very biased mommy thinks::

all that said, this is just a season and soon i'll have time.... right?!

WHAT I WORE:
shirt/franchesca's
jeans/abercrombie&fitch
shoes/gap

WHAT LYLA WORE:
bow/target
onsie/carter's
moccs/freshly picked

   

oh clothes!

oh clothes! when you really think about them they are the most frivolous and unimportant items to obsess over. yes, they can make or break a first impression - but in this day and age if someone is forming a complete opinion of you based solely on your attire then they have some major issues. the only arguments for "proper" attire are the seasonal elements and the risk of being charged with indecent exposure.

regardless of the above mentioned - i see clothes as such a creative outlet on the daily. whether people choose to admit it or not, they daily express themselves thru their outfits.... no matter how much effort was or was not put forth.

personally, it's fun to dress up or down, to put an outfit together, to try the unexpected, to read up on trends, to appreciate the artistry and deep creativity designers put into their collections, to watch bloggers put forth their interpretations of "what looks good"... i could go on for a while.

the best part about getting dressed is very similar to art -- it's all open to interpretation and personal taste. what one person may love, another may hate.

alright, enough said. here's a fun little outfit featuring white after labor day, a plaid shirt in honor of autumn heading our way (fingers crossed miami),  and the cutest polka dot shoes i got for $9.99 from GAP (originally $34.95 -- deal!).

WHAT I WORE:
glasses/rayban
necklace/james michelle
shirt/target
shorts/target
shoes/old navy