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!