Statement Scarf

Scarf: Target
Coat: Macy's
Jeans: Old Navy
Bag: H&M
Shoes: DSW
Sunnies: Betsey Johnson

A basic scarf can compliment an outfit, but a "statement" scarf can anchor one. I love the mixed animal prints on this scarf from Target (from over a year ago). Have a great weekend! 

- Lael 

Faux Leather Love

Jacket: Forever 21 (similar here & here)
Scarf: H&M
Top: H&M
Jeans: Target (old)
Boots: Charlotte Russe (old)
Watch: Michael Kors
Accessories: Nordstrom (black/gold, spikes), H&M (earrings)
Sunnies: Betsey Johnson (similar)

Forever 21 and H&M have such great faux leather options, especially when it comes to jackets. Black is obviously a great staple color, but I've been pleasantly surprised by how well burgundy can work as a fall/winter neutral. I've also been pleasantly surprised by how much I love the spike bracelet I picked up at Nordstrom last month. It's a great arm stack piece and brings just the right balance of "edginess" to most polished/sophisticated looks.

Finishing up my final exams this week and graduating on Saturday! :) Hoping to post much more consistently in the coming weeks! Thanks for reading!

-Lael

Ready For Combat

Jacket: JCPenney
Dress: ? (via Ross)
Jeans: GAP
Boots: Charlotte Russe
Purse: Steve Madden (via Ross)
Necklace: Nordstrom
Watch: Michael Kors

My fiancé got me those green colored skinny jeans for Christmas last year and recently helped me pick out those combat boots (he has great fashion sense!). Originally, I was somewhat skeptical about the combat boot style - I've always liked how they looked on other people but never had the guts to try them myself. After a little reassurance from my fiancé that I could pull them off, I finally got a pair of the boots...and ended up loving them! I'm definitely looking forward to incorporating them into more looks. 

How do you feel about the combat boot style? How do you style them? Thanks for reading!

-Lael 

high note: Great Minds Think Alike

Back in October, my now fiancé and I celebrated our one year anniversary (we weren't engaged yet!). I knew I wanted to give Reed something to commemorate the first year of our relationship. I thought about doing some type of timeline or scrapbook, but after quickly realizing the astonishing amount of pictures and memories that accumulated in just one year, I thought there had to be a better idea!

After a trip to Hobby Lobby for some inspiration, I decided to do a keepsake box! I filled the box with ticket stubs, pictures, and trinkets from our first year together. I also included a few gift cards to some of his favorite places and little surprise notes. My favorite touch was the "message in a bottle" - I teared up while writing because it felt like I was writing out wedding vows.

When I finally finished putting it all together, I got "crafter's remorse" - you know, that sinking feeling you get when you've poured your heart into a special creation for someone else, only to wish that you could keep it for yourself because you love it so much? It hit me though that, more likely than not, this box would be in my possession again one day... ;)

When the time came for me to give Reed his box, I got the best surprise! For part of my gift, he had gone to Hobby Lobby as well, picked out a similar keepsake box, and even used some of the same pictures that I had used for the front of his box! We died laughing that we had thought so similarly, and I was thrilled to have my own box!

I got emotional during our gift exchange, thus the puffy face. It's amazing to think back on this night, realizing then how truly blessed we were to have had such an amazing first year together and how sure we were that we wanted to spend the rest of our lives together. Just a few weeks later, we made it official...or at least put ourselves on the path to make it official! :) Gosh I love him. 

Winter Neutrals

Scarf: Nordstrom
Top: H&M (recent)
Jeans: Old Navy
Boots: Old Navy
Bag: H&M (recent)
Watch: Michael Kors

I knew I had to figure out a way to keep incorporating mint into my fall wardrobe as the summer came to a close. I'm becoming obsessed with this color! The key to wearing neutrals and pastels during the fall and winter months is layering different knit fabrics. I really like how the mint compliments the neutrals in this outfit. The whole look is bright and fresh, you'd almost think it was for spring.  I could wear a version of this outfit every day for the rest of fall/winter and be perfectly content! 

-Lael

Plum

Top: Allen B. (JCPenney)
Jeans: Target
Bag: Steven Madden (via Ross)
Heels: Charlotte Russe
Watch: Michael Kors
Bangles: Dillard's & Forever 21
Ring: Charlotte Russe
Sunnies: Simply Vera by Vera Wang (Kohl's)
Lips: MAC, Shanghai Spice

Blouses with sophisticated details are one of my favorite items of clothing! I absolutely love this plum blouse from the Allen B. line at JCPenney. (The Allen B. line is one of my favorites at JCPenney - it tends to be more on the trendy, bolder side compared to some of their other brands.)

At first I thought this blouse fell into the burgundy family, but after a little research, I've concluded that it falls into the "plum" family. Plum colors tend to have more of a purple tint, while the colors burgundy and wine tend to have more of a red tint. The color oxblood, another popular one for this fall, has more of a red-brown tint.

Which is YOUR favorite of fall's "it" color - plum, burgundy, wine, or oxblood? Leave a comment below and let me know!

Thanks for reading!

- Lael

P.S. - I am leaving the country today to go on a mission trip to Lesotho, Africa! I'll be gone for ten days! Check out The Beautiful Dream Society to learn more about the cause my team is supporting! Can't wait to share my experience when I return! 

Sperry Rain Boots

Umbrella: Target
Top: Old Navy
Scarf: Nordstrom
Watch: Target
Sweater: MNG by Mango (JCPenney)
Leggings: Allen. B (JCPenney)
Rain boots: Sperry

I definitely prefer a sunny day over a rainy one, but I do enjoy an excuse to wear fun rain boots! I got these Sperry rain boots from a local shoe store in OKC a couple years ago, but Sperry's website has some other cute prints in this same boot style. Even though this isn't a boot I wear all the time, it was worth the investment considering how comfortable they are and how long they'll last!

Thanks for reading!
-Lael

P.S. - Most of the pieces in my outfit above were things I bought a year or more ago, so there were no applicable links available. 

high note: 23rd Birthday

I missed last Friday's "high note" post due to the pure craziness that has been my life for the past couple of weeks! September 29 was my 23rd birthday, and October 7 was my one year anniversary with my boyfriend Reed, so needless to say my last couple of weekends have been packed! 

Birthdays are always a great reminder of the sweet, precious people in my life - they always make me feel so special and loved! Here are some pics from my birthday week and the loved ones who shared it with me! :)

Every Thursday morning, my amazing team and I have a weekly meeting at Panera. The Thursday before my birthday,  Kristy (we sing in Warr Acres together & she's also Reed's cousin!) surprised me with these adorable - and delicious - cupcakes! 

To my additional surprise, Kristy gave me these darling chevron mugs that she hand-painted! I absolutely love them!

This girl is an absolute gem of a friend/sister, and I love her to pieces! 

Every year, my mom never fails to make sure I wake up to something like this on the morning of my birthday. She really is the sweetest, cutest, most thoughtful mom around. 

I thought this gift idea was so cute and clever! (My mom said she found it on Pinterest, of course) Chocolate, money, jewelry, perfume - seriously, what more could a girl want?! :) 

As I mentioned in yesterday's post, my best friend Katie and I have a tradition of making each other gifts for our birthdays. Each year she continues to blow me away with her creativity and thoughtfulness! Each of the canvases above have lyrics to different songs that I've written over the years! I can't wait to put these up in my future home! Grateful for a best friend who's been so supportive of my music!

My wonderful boyfriend Reed went above and beyond on my birthday and our anniversary (I'll be going into more detail about our anniversary in another post)! He surprised me with this cute little set-up (I love the touch of the iPad slideshow of our pictures!) which included a personalized "coupon" he designed for me to pick out a Michael Kors watch of my choice, something I've been secretly wanting for a while!

He's the cutest and sweetest! :) 

This is the one we eventually landed on! I absolutely adore it and have worn it almost every day since. It literally goes with virtually everything! Most of all, I love looking at it and instantly stopping to think about how blessed I am to be with a guy who makes me feel so special, loved and appreciated! 

All in all, my birthday was nothing short of wonderful! Excited for all that the 23rd year of my life will hold! Thanks for reading! 

-Lael

The new panoramic feature on the iPhone update/iPhone 5 is awesome! Birthday dinner at Zio's! 

Chevron in the U.S.A.

My best friend Katie and I have a tradition of making each other creative gifts for our birthdays. Our friendship has spanned over ten years, so coming up with new ideas every year can be somewhat of a challenge! I'm sure the countless hours I've poured over Pinterest since it's inception subconsciously played a part in this year's creation, although I don't recall a specific pin inspiring it.

During a recent trip down memory lane - aka Facebook photos - I was quickly reminded of how many amazing trips Katie and I have been blessed to experience together. Our entire class got to visit Washington D.C. in 6th grade, and six years later we headed back East to Boston for our Senior Trip. Extracurriculars like choir, sports, and our favorite - shopping - have led us to Memphis, Colorado Springs, Joplin and Dallas over the years. 

In an attempt to create something to commemorate all of our travels, I finally came up with this ...

I found this chevron pattern printable template to be helpful in tracing the chevron print I used on the canvas. The cute pink push pins are from Target, and I included the leftovers in her overall gift (along with this fun notepad) in hopes that we can add more to the canvas in the coming years! :) 

Do you ever make gifts for your friends' birthdays? If so, I'd love to hear your ideas, so please leave a comment below! Thanks for reading! 

-Lael

Dallas, 2011

Boston, 2008

Fall Is Here!

Jacket: Forever 21 (similar)
Top: H&M
Denim Leggings: Target (old)
Boots: Old Navy
Boot Socks: unknown
Scarf: Nordstrom (similar)
Bag: Steve Madden (via Ross)
Ring: Dillard's
Watch: Michael Kors

Last week we finally got some fall temperatures here in Oklahoma! I could wear a version of this outfit everyday during the fall/winter months and be perfectly content. Jackets, scarves, boots - there's so much you can do with these fall staples! I usually enjoy wearing them in neutral colors head to toe, but occasionally I like adding a pop of color like I did with the scarf above.

Looking forward to creating more fall looks! Thanks for reading & spreading the word about my new blog! 

-Lael