Fashion Inspiration: Wedding Festivities

As many of you know...last Friday, I was a bridesmaid in my friend's wedding.

Sometimes it can be challenging to decide on an outfit for the many events surrounding a wedding.

So...I thought that I would share what I wore to all the wedding festivities.

{to see what I wore to Danielle's bridal shower, check out this post}

Lingerie/Bachelorette Party

Danielle opted for a low-key lingerie/bachelorette party.

We stayed in and had some good, quality girl time.

top: Banana Republic, jeans: American Eagle, belt: J.Crew Outlet
necklace: Banana Republic Outlet, shoes: Aldo Outlet

{the bride with her bridesmaids}

Rehearsal/Rehearsal Dinner

The rehearsal dinner was also a little more relaxed and low-key.
So rather than a cocktail dress, I decided to glam up a ruffly skirt.

top: Gap, skirt: Banana Republic, belt: J.Crew Outlet
necklace: Target, shoes: Target

{husband and I}

Wedding

Each bridesmaid wore a different dress in a different color.

All of our dresses complimented each other so well.

And...the groomsmen got bow ties to match each of our dresses.

dress: Macy's, earrings: Forever 21, bracelet: borrowed (from the bride)

To read more about some of Danielle's pre-wedding plans....check out her blog.

She talks about...looking forward to marriage, wedding make-up, and her bridal shower.

Fashion Inspiration: Bright and Cheery

shirt: J.Crew Outlet, cardigan: Target, pants: J.Crew Outlet, scarf: Charming Charlie's
watch: NY&Company, bracelet: vintage (from my mother-in-law)

It was overcast and gloomy today, so I decided to add a little bright and cheery to my day.
Naturally, my yellow shirt needed an orange scarf to really brighten my day.
I bet you're wondering if it worked...well it did!
Well, my bright outfit and the grace of God.

"Delight yourself in the LORD,
and he will give you the desires of your heart."
Psalm 37:4

Apparently my fashion inspiration is rubbing off on those around me.
Take my husband for example...he decided to wear yellow today, too.
I am loving how he paired his green and blue striped tie with his yellow shirt.
I talked him into letting me take a few pictures of him.
Here's a sneak peak at my handsome husband today.

Isn't he so cute?

Umm....I mean masculine and manly.

Hope everyone had a wonderful Tuesday!

Fashion Inspiration: Liebster Blog Award

shirt: Banana Republic Outlet, cardigan: Forever 21, jeans: American Eagle
necklace: gift from my mother-in-law, shoes: Target

I was awarded my first blog award!  

Jess from Messy Jess C. awarded me the Liebster Blog award.  

Jess is my first blogger friend and she is absolutely wonderful!  

We have a lot in common and you should check out her blog.

Now I get the honor of awarding the Liebster Blog award to five up and coming blogs.

And the award goes to...

TeamRopesCourse

Danielle is one of my best friends from college.  

She recently got married and I was so honored to be apart of the wedding.

On her blog, she shares about her life as a bride-to-be {well...as a newlywed now!}.

She is very crafty and fashionable.  You should check out her blog.

Greater Than Rubies

Caitlin is so inspiring!  She is participating in "the challenge" with a friend.

"The challenge" is to not buy ANY clothes for a whole year!

They are going to save the money they would have spent and give it to a ministry God places on there heart.

This girl is so cute and fashionable!  

Ruffles & Buttons
Adorable is the best way to describe this blog.
I absolutely "adore" her love of stripes and color.

Pictures and a Thousand Words
I just started following this blog and it is fabulous.
Diana is a teacher and med student's wife...just like me.
She likes to blog about fashion and food...just like me.
So if you like Aspiring Chic...then you should definitely check out Pictures and a Thousand Words.

Gloriously Imperfect
Nicole is one of my friends from work.
She hasn't been blogging long, but her blog sure is cute.

Now, if you've been awarded the Liebster Blog Award below are the rules:
Choose 5 up and coming blogs with less than 200 followers to award.
Give thanks to the blogger that awarded you by linking back to them. Follow them too for extra appreciation.
Post the award on your blog along with the links to the 5 bloggers you chose. (it's also nice to leave them a comment letting them know!). 

Fashion Inspiration: Another Girl's Treasure

shirt: "stolen" from my sister, cardigan: "swapped" from friend, jeans: American Eagle
necklace: Tiffany's (gift from husband), shoes: gift from my mother-in-law

You know the saying...

"One man's trash is another man's treasure."

Well...

"One girl's 'goodwill bag' is another girl's treasure."

This outfit is filled with treasures that I took from someone else's "goodwill bag."

{goodwill bag: a bag filled with clothes you don't want anymore & will be donating to goodwill}

I totally "stole" this top from my sister's goodwill bag a while ago.

And...this cardigan came from my friend, Patti, a few weeks ago when we went to a clothing swap.

These 2 pieces made it possible for me to recreate this outfit from Kendi Everyday.

I would like to take this opportunity to thank Sarah and Patti for making this outfit possible.

You two are absolutely fabulous!

High Five for Friday! (Saturday Edition)

This week has been a whirlwind.  

(hence the absence of posts)

I was a bridesmaid in my friend's wedding yesterday.

As you can imagine, it was amazing...but busy.

Stay tuned for a post with my outfits from all of the wedding festivities.  

In the meantime, here are my favorite things {that happen to all be wedding related} from this week...

1. Danielle is married!  

This lovely lady is one of my best friends from college.

I am so happy for her and her new husband.

2. My bridesmaid gift.  

Each bridesmaid received an unique, vintage brooch.  

We each had our brooch pinned to our bouquet.

3. Photo booth at the wedding.
Danielle and her hubby love pictures!
They are dedicated Instagram users and they never pass a photo booth without taking a picture.
{as a part of fact...he proposed in a photo booth!}
So naturally, there was a photo booth at their wedding.

4. Wedding hair.
I have been loving hairstyles to the side,
so as soon as I saw this picture of Carrie Underwood.
I knew that I wanted something similar for Danielle's wedding.
Her hair stylist did a fabulous job recreating the look.

5. My professional french manicure.

While I love painting my nails in a solid color, 

there is something about the classy look of a french manicure.

I'm linking up with Lauren over at From My Grey Desk.
Stop by her blog to see how other bloggers documented their 5 favorite things from the week.

Fashion Inspiration: Mustard and Green

shirt: J.Crew Outlet, pants: J.Crew Outlet, necklace: Forever 21, belt: J.Crew Outlet

When I put this shirt and necklace together, I thought I was just pairing mustard and green.

That is until...one of my friends at work asked me,

"Is that gold and green?"

Apparently, I was rockin' Baylor colors today.

I did not attend the lovely Baylor University...

however, my sister, sister-in-law, and several of my close friends did.

So on their behalf...

Sic 'em Bears!

Fashion Inspiration: Blue and Green Stripes

sweater: Old Navy, tank: Target, jeans: American Eagle, necklace: Target
boots: Arturo Chiang (from Dillard's)

I tried on this sweater about a month ago and really liked it.

However, I didn't like it for $33.  It was cute but not THAT cute.

Then...yesterday, I walked into the store and it was marked on clearance for only $10.

And it was totally worth all $10.

I'm pretty sure I love this sweater now and the price tag helped.  

I think what I love most are the colors.  

I've been wanting a blue and green striped shirt.

And...here it is!

{Dear Husband, Thanks for taking me shopping yesterday!}

Fashion Inspiration: Sunday

striped shirt: Banana Republic, solid shirt: J.Crew Outlet, jeans: American Eagle

scarf: Target, boots: Arturo Chiang, earrings: Target, watch: Michael Kors

Once again...my favorite day of the week...Sunday.
Church.

Nursery.

Shopping. 

Nap.

I mean...seriously...what's not to love?

Impressed with the quality of today's pictures.  

Husband is really getting into being my photographer.

He added a UV filter to our camera lens and scouted out a new photo location.

Oh, how I love that man!  

{the only down side was that we took them at about 2pm...when the sun was bright in my eyes.}

Lessons learned...  

Use the UV filter.  

Experiment with photo locations.  

Take pictures closer to sunset.

This Week's Nail Polish: Pink

Sinful Colors: Folly

It's time to brighten up these nails.

I'm done with the dark colors.

I need some bright and cheery in my day.

Painted nails help me feel polished and put together.

{wow.  did you catch my corny joke?  ha.}

I've been rocking unpainted nails for about a week now and I was beginning to feel a bit boring.

Some pretty pink nails is exactly what I need to jump start this week.

Food Inspiration: Rolo Pretzel Bites

Rolo Pretzel Bites
{recipe found here}

Oh Rolo...how I love thee!
Especially when you are between a pretzel and a pecan.

These little morsels are delicious!
And so easy!
(You may be noticing a pattern with some of my recipes...easy.)

Line up some pretzels on a cookie sheet.
(I line my cookie sheet with a Silpat mat.  You could also use parchment paper.)
Top each pretzel with a Rolo.
Place in a 250 degree oven for about 4 minutes.
Top with a pecan half.
Cool in the refrigerator until chocolate is firm.
Enjoy!

{I found this recipe on Pinterest here.} 

High Five for Friday!

Wow!  This has been an absolutely wonderful week!
Here are my 5 favorite things from the week...

1. Valentine's Day with my wonderful husband!

2. My consignment store treasure...

a gray, pinstripe, J.Crew blazer for only $8!

3. Teacher Appreciation Week at school.

(On Monday, each student brought 1 flower [or 2...or 3...or 4], 

so when I put them all together it created a large, beautiful bouquet.)

4. The valentines that I made for my students.

It was so rewarding to hear them say, "Coooool!," when they received them.

{I found the idea on Pinterest here.}

5. The bowl I made for the Empty Bowls Project that my school is co-hosting.

Fashion Inspiration: Clothing Swap

chambray shirt: J.Crew Outlet, cardigan: Loft, jeans: Forever 21
necklaces: Forever 21, boots: Arturo Chiang

Tonight, I went to a clothing swap.  It was a lot of fun!

Everyone cleaned out their closets and brought any clothes, shoes, or jewelry that they didn't want anymore.

There were about 7 of us and we brought a good amount of clothes.

I feel like everyone walked away with a few "treasures."

It was great to see people getting excited about their "new" pieces.

The night was a win-win situation...clean out your closet and spend $0 shopping.

I think that this may become a new tradition.

Food Inspiration: Lemon-Blueberry Yogurt Loaf

Lemon-Blueberry Yogurt Loaf
{recipe found here}

Husband had a morning test this week, so I made a breakfast treat for him.
Turns out I have been on a bit of a baking kick this week.
And...it feels so good.
Hopefully, I can keep this motivation going.
And...maybe even inspire myself to do some cooking.

{I found this recipe on Pinterest here.}

Food Inspiration: Cheesy Bacon Biscuits

Cheesy Bacon Biscuits

{recipe found here}

These biscuits are so EASY!

Seriously, so easy!

1. Cook some bacon.

 2. Put some Pillsbury biscuits in a cast iron skillet.

3. Layer on the cheese and bacon.

4. Bake in the oven.

{I found the recipe on Pinterest here.}

Oh and they make my husband a very happy medical student.

(even if he did have to study all weekend)

Fashion Inspiration: Pink and Red on Valentine's Day

shirt: Loft, sweater: J.Crew Outlet, scarf: Target, jeans: American Eagle

I tried my hand at pink and red again today.

I have to say that the color combo is starting to grow on me.

Today one of my co-workers even made the comment, 

"You have really been experimenting with colors lately."

I think that she meant it as a compliment...or at least that is how I received it.  

Because after she said it, I thought to myself,

"Well, thank you very much.  I've been working on it."

{grin}

Husband and I celebrate Valentine's Day very low key....for 2 reasons.
1. Our anniversary is about 3 weeks away and we generally make "bigger" plans for that occasion.
2. Our very 1st Valentine's Day together, husband had an organic chemistry test that evening...so I treated him to chicken wings and beer after his test.  So it's kind of our tradition.