I realized I have a hole in my wardrobe when it comes to pullover sweaters. The few that I do have aren't solid colored, or they are thinner and not conducive to layering. So, during Black Fridayweek, I was on a hunt for the perfect one. These cotton sweaters from Gap got a lot of good reviews, so I took a chance and ordered three of them. I sized up based on a few reviews and based on how it looked on the model. I'm thinking I could have just gone with my regular Gap size, but I still like them just the same!
So I know I'm supposed to take it easy since I've been battling a cold all weekend, but I've spent all of today (Sunday) just sitting in my chair catching up on blog posts. To me, that's still taking it easy, as I'm not really moving. Right? And you know what, I am ALL DONE FOR THE WEEK! This is the first time I've been able to do this all week. And I actually have time to paint my nails and still have a good night's sleep. Hopefully this is indicative of a productive week!
I appreciate you guys hanging in there with me during an unconventional blogging week for me. I still enjoyed all of the content I prepared for you guys, even though I didn't have any new outfit photos to share. Anyway - have a great weekend! I'm just glad I'm not only feeling better, but feeling caught up!
Disclosure: CS Gems gifted me some jewelry and The Fashion Lane provided me a discount to shop in exchange for these photos and this blog post. All opinions expressed are my own.
Yay for short weeks! I'm only working Monday through Wednesday this week and then we're off for a long weekend in SoCal because the nephew turns ONE this weekend! Not sure how time has flown by so quickly! But before those festivities kick off, I do have a few things to share with you this week! Let's start with this adorable printed dress from The Fashion Lane! You can see the other two outfits I styled with CS Gems and The Fashion Lanehere and here.
Earrings: The Fashion Lane | Necklaces: CS Gems (here and here - use code CARYLEE15 for 15% off!) | Bag: Tory Burch (option) | Dress:The Fashion Lane | Bracelets:CS Gems | Flats:Halogen (other colors here)
I was basically in love the second I laid my eyes on this dress. The print and embroidered trim are beautiful I will be packing this with me this weekend on my trip for sure! Very packable and versatile to dress up or down, which is ideal for me not knowing what our exact plans will be.
These style events have been pretty great. I basically bring a few basics - some jeans, shoes, and clutches, build outfits using pieces from the boutique and finish off the look with accessories from CS Gems. Not knowing what you'll end up wearing makes it pretty fun for all parties. And it also proves how versatile the jewelry from CS Gems really is - there's always a piece or two or three that will go with what I'm wearing.
Oh! Before I go! If you're local to the St. Louis metro area, you'll be happy to know that The Fashion Lane has opened a brick and mortar store in Clayton! They're at 7529 Forsyth, so be sure to stop in and say hello!
I hope you enjoyed this series! I'm sure there will be more of these in the future!
Whether it's fashion, lifestyle, fitness, food, or DIY, share your latest musings with the Hello Monday Linkup!We just ask that you link back to the hosts within your exact blog post and throw a follow our way on Bloglovin or Instagram. Thanks for linking up!
Disclosure: CS Gems gifted me some jewelry along with these photos and The Fashion Lane provided me a discount to shop in exchange for these blog posts. All opinions expressed are my own.
Welcome to part two of the fun shoot with The Fashion Lane and CS Gems! If you missed part one, you can catch yourself up here. This top was the first thing I was drawn to the second I stepped foot on the truck! It's striped. It's a faux wrap. It has the adorable tassel ties. I decided to leave the tassels untied, which worked perfectly with the layered necklaces from CS Gems. Having the tassels hang loose makes for an unexpected but pleasant detail.
I have to tell you that these photos were taken after I got rained on. I let my hair air dry as much as possible, but since I didn't have a flat iron, I just had to let it hang au naturel. I was a teeny bit terrified to see how these photos turned out, but they're actually pretty great. Stacy does very well for me behind the camera!
One of my most favorite things to do is take a shorter, multi-strand necklace and layer it with a long pendant or tassel necklace. Proportionally, these worked great with the neckline of this wrap top, and the pops of turquoise in my ring and the pendant play well off the blue clutch! I decided to pair the flares with this top since the top has such a laid back, easy going vibe, much like these jeans do.
Sunnies: Ray Ban | Necklaces: CS Gems (exact HERE and HERE - use code CARYLEE15 for 15% off!) | Clutch: The Fashion Lane | Ring: CS Gems (exact HERE) | Top: The Fashion Lane (exact HERE) | Bracelets: Nadri | Jeans: Express (similar) | Heels:Kate Spade
In honor of the What's Up Wednesday linkup with Mel, Shay, and Sheaffer, I decided to play along and answer the questions to finish off this post! Enjoy!
What we're eating this week:
So far we are 0 for 2 in terms of cooking at home. The husband has been traveling this week, which makes the schedule a bit hectic. We ended up having Raising Cane's last night for dinner and tacos and wings tonight. So so bad. Don't judge.
What I'm reminiscing about:
Today after work, we had a happy hour celebration for a co-worker who is retiring. There were a couple of poster boards worth of photos from work functions over the last few years and it's crazy to look back and see how young we all were. It's awesome that so many of us have been with the company for so long, and it's equal parts awesome slash eery that we are all growing old together!
What I'm loving:
The Fashion Lane and CS Gems, duh! I got so many goodies over the weekend that I'm obsessed about. And these ladies are just the sweetest, most supportive ones you will ever meet!
What we've been up to:
We just signed a lease with new renters for our old house. It's our third set of renters, but it's a relief to have it rented again so quickly, and without having to market the house!
What I'm dreading:
My debit card expires at the end of the next month. The one I have memorized for ease of online purchasing. I am dreading getting a new card because I don't want to have to memorize new numbers! Hopefully it's just the 3 digit security code I need to remember!! It's so nice to have your card memorized, am I right?
What I'm working on:
My blog posts for the rest of the week. I'm so behind on life. I remember the good old days when I was able to actually get them done over the weekends! One day it will get back to that!
What I'm excited about:
Seeing my nephew in a couple of weeks for his one year birthday! Time flies! Can't wait to squish the little cutie!
What I'm watching:
The Cardinals play the Diamondbacks on TV. The answer to this question is really always the Cardinals. I very rarely watch TV otherwise.
What I'm listening to:
The husband snoring on the couch. He cannot lay on that thing for more than 2.5 minutes before falling sleep!
What I'm wearing:
A hoodie! Because it feels like fall outside all of a sudden! Where did summer go?!
What I'm doing this weekend:
Celebrating the father in law's 60th birthday! Funny because I was just telling a coworker that my father in law was in his early 50s. Uh, yeah, when me and the husband first started dating! Ha!
What I'm looking forward to next month:
The cousin's wedding is at the end of next month! Cannot wait! Which reminds me…. I need to get my dress altered and book a hotel room!
What else is new:
I got some new Nike Internationalists headed their way to me thanks to Jenna and her heads up about a crazy sale. Wooo! Oh, and please head over to the CS Gems blog for a little question and answer session with yours truly!
I had such a fun Saturday and am excited to share these photos with you! Obviously you all already know Jenna, and by now you should know CS Gems. For those of you who don't know about CS Gems yet, let me catch you up! I ran into them at STLFW last October, and they told me they followed me on Instagram. I felt famous! I've never been recognized from social media before! I ended up following them back that night and fell in love, not only with their account, but with all the pretty jewelry they sell! Stacy and Carrie are absolute sweethearts as well, so it's really tough not to support them. Their great products are truly just an added bonus. They are based in the St. Louis metro area, and they're practically neighbors with me in the same suburb! I've done a couple of collaborations with them already - you can see two of them HERE and HERE.
Jenna was able to join us for our last styling event with The Clothes Line Boutique, and since that was so much fun, we managed to plan another one, this time with The Fashion Lane, which is a boutique on wheels! Basically like a food truck, but without the calories, just some good old retail therapy.
While Jenna was off with Stacy from CS Gems photographing one of her outfits, I got to chat with Laura, The Fashion Lane owner, about how this all came to be. She is actually a CPA by trade, but never really loved her job, it was just that - a job. She was going through a few life challenges, which seemed to be a good turning point to start something new. Her husband asked her what she *really* wanted to do, and was extremely supportive from the beginning when she pitched the idea of starting a fashion truck. About this time last year, she purchased the truck, had it redone, and she officially opened for business in November of 2014. She's been enjoying the experiences and the people ever since! The Fashion Lane is such a great concept! Laura picks a great mix of trendy and traditional pieces for her shop, and since everything was in the $30-60 range, it was hard to say no. I seriously had to stop looking at stuff lest I end up buying all the things.
The first piece I grabbed off the rack was this top! It has a great texture to it, and I loved the shape and stripes. I immediately saw so much potential with it, and the second I tried it on, I knew that it was going home with me.
I decided to go with silver accessories for this particular outfit, but it could easily be paired with gold jewels as well. How gorgeous is this bolo necklace with it? I love grey with pops of turquoise, so this necklace was an easy pairing. I just happened to bring my turquoise ring with me as well, so everything just fell into place! My collection of CS Gems is seriously growing. Beautiful and affordable - what's not to love about them?
Sunnies: Ray Ban | Necklace:CS Gems | Ring:CS Gems | Bag: Rebecca Minkoff (gifted) | Top: The Fashion Lane | Bracelets: CS Gems | Bottoms: Express (option) (Lusting after AG Jean leggings seen HERE) | Wedges:Steven by Steve Madden (shop other wedge espadrilles HERE)
Use code CARYLEE15 for 15% off of your CS Gems purchase
And not only do they have great gems, but Stacy is such a fun photographer to work with! These photos were taken in front of The Muny. Laura parked her truck out front, we picked out our outfits and changed right on the truck, then walked to wherever Stacy felt was the right setting She picked this fun floral backdrop for me, and about one minute later, the skies opened up and we got completely drenched!! Thank goodness we were basically already done with this outfit, but I was mortified at what happened to my hair!! I brought a bunch of hair products, but not a blow dryer! Fashion blogger problems to the Nth degree, I tell ya! It was still so much fun though, and I'll share the remaining two outfits with you over the next week!
Disclosure: CS Gems gifted me some jewelry along with these photos and The Fashion Lane provided me a discount to shop in exchange for these blog posts. All opinions expressed are my own.
Whether it's fashion, lifestyle, fitness, food, or DIY, share your latest musings with the Hello Monday Linkup!We just ask that you link back to the hosts within your exact blog post and throw a follow our way on Bloglovin or Instagram. Thanks for linking up!
