Summer Lovin'

It's been a whirlwind summer and I've been neglecting RGR (as you know). We've traveled a ton, I've worked at my full time job, I've had tons of fun and I have been working hard on my business. It has been one of the best summers I've had in a long time but at times it's also been tiring and a little stressful. I'm going to attempt to catch you up over the next couple weeks. If you follow me on Instagram, then you've seen photos of some of the adventures. One of my favorite events this summer was the wedding of my cousin Brittany. It was a day filled with love and family. Back in the spring I was struggling to find outfits to wear to the many weddings we had on the calendar. I managed to find a great dress at Lane Bryant. It was sold out online but I tracked it down in a local store. Definitely a great purchase. I also wore it to the Stella & Dot fashion show in Vegas.

 

Dress: Lela Rose for Lane Bryant (no longer available but I love this one.), Jewelry and Clutch: Stella & Dot, Sandals: Circus by Sam Edelman via Amazon

I love that {msL} and I managed to coordinate without trying.

My sweet Mom.

My Aunt, the beautiful Bride (my cousin Brittany), and I

The Happy Couple! Congrats Brittany and Jeremy!

Moto In the Tropics

I love a great biker jacket. I own quite a few in different fabrics. When I spied this one, while standing in line to check out at Kohl's, I knew I had to have it. Impulse buys are rarely something I indulge in these days. In the past, I spent lots of money on items that I didn't really love and rarely wore. Last spring I saw a biker jacket, in a fun print, on one of my favorite clothing store sites. It was amazing and I loved it but the price was close to $200. I just couldn't justify spending that much. When I saw this similar jacket in a fun tropical print, I flipped. It was a great substitute at a great price. I've already worn it to work a couple of times, with a skirt and pants. Casual but polished was what I needed to go to a few appointments one day last week. This jacket and the heels, amped up my basic outfit.

This jacket was a perfect excuse to try the jeans and heels look. I grabbed my favorite black kitten heels and threw together this combo. 

Jacket: Kohl's, Top: BB Dakota via Amazon, Jeans: NYDJ via Amazon, Shoes: Target (no longer available), Sunglasses: Ray-Ban via Amazon, Jewelry: Stella & Dot

My Easter Duds and a Giveaway - Stella & Dot Rory Necklace!

Over the weekend, we made a quick trip to see my Mom. My visits with her are never long enough and this one was delayed because we had a sewer problem at our house. Plumbers earn every bit of their pay, it's a nasty job. There is still more fixing to do and more money to pay (UGH!) but we have a little peace of mind. It was nice to leave that stress behind and spend some time with Mom.

Jacket - Target, Top - Talbots Outlet, Skirt - Talbots Outlet, Shoes - Asos (no longer available but similar here and here), Aviators - Amazon, Rings - gifts, Bracelets - vintage (gifts) and Stella and Dot, Watch - Timex (gift), Lips - Revlon ColorBurst Lip Butter in Lollipop

Rory Necklace (bottom) and Somervell Necklace from Stella & Dot

I also see this necklace styled with a coral top or jacket (like this kimono I just purchased) and some white jeans. I'm sure I'll be wearing it constantly. It's the perfect summer addition.


Would you like to win your very own Rory Necklace?! My good friend and Stella and Dot Stylist, Kristin Biggs has generously offered to give one of you lucky readers a Rory Necklace of your very own. Just enter below by leaving using the handy entry and leaving a blog comment about how you'd wear the Rory. You can also gain additional entries by liking RGR and Kristin on Facebook, following RGR on twitter and tweeting about the giveaway. The contest will end at midnight on May 5th.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

GOOD LUCK!!

Peplum and Posies

A little over a week ago I was thrilled to order a pleather peplum top. In the process of ordering, I saw another peplum top in tan that I thought might be great for work. The versatile color and sleeves meant I could wear it in the office without a jacket. I don't own any peplum tops but after seeing them on quite a few of my curvy blogger friends I hoped the style would be flattering on me as well. I'm thrilled.  In fact, I'm considering ordering this top in other colors.

Top - Forever 21 (tan is sold out), Pants - ASOS (similar here and here), Bag - Lord & Taylor (old), Shoes - Coach (similar here) via Loehmann's, Sunglasses - D&G via Loehmann's Necklace - gift, Watch - gift, Bracelets - Stella and Dot and ?, ! Ring - Forever 21

 

Just Simple

There are many times that I get dressed and ask myself, "Do I want to take pictures of this outfit for the blog?"  I don't want to bore all of you with jeans and a t-shirt or a skirt and cardigan.  There are mornings when I get up and don't feel like putting lots of thought into my outfit so I go for the easy options. I gravitate toward those old standbys.  I love getting dressed up but sometimes jeans and a top make the perfect outfit.  This outfit is one of those. It's a simple t-shirt style top with some oomph paired with my fave pair of straight leg jeans.  I wasn't wearing any jewelry when I originally put this outfit together.  Well, except for the jewelry I wear every day (my engagement ring, the bracelet that was gift from {msL} and earrings).  Then I received an amazing package in the mail, from Kristin, my friend and Stella & Dot stylist. Of course I had to add more jewelry.

Top - Calvin Klein (similar here), Jeans - Lane Bryant, Sandals - Simply Vera Wang Kohl's (no longer available), Bag - Fendi (gift), Sunglasses - D&G via Loehmann's (also here), Bracelets (on right)- c/o Stella & Dot, Ring - c/o Stella & Dot, Bracelets (on left) - gift and vintage, Watch - Timex via Target, Earrings - Target (no longer available), Toes - Wet n' Wild Spoiled in Tip Your Waitress, Nails - Revlon ColorStay in Bare Bones, Lips - Just Bitten Kissable Balm Stain in Lovesick

I received these lovely gifts from Stella & Dot stylist Kristin.  I'm in love!  They are the perfect combo of tough and pretty (Soiree Trio Ring, Renegade Cluster Bracelet, Revival Bracelet, and Toujours Bracelet) .  If you own some Stella & Dot bracelets yourself or want to grab a few, Stella & Dot is holding a contest right now.  If you snap a photo of your arm party via Instagram and upload it with the hashtag #SDarmparty, you could win a $500 Stella & Dot shopping spree!! (Details here)

Search for your own gold sequin top via Shop Style.com

gold sequin top

Your Love is Better Than Ice Cream

As I got dressed today I realized that I have pastel accessories and a top or two but zero pants or jackets in pastel colors. I have one pastel blue sweater but it's a cashmere pullover that was too hot for today's weather. The Everybody Everwear challenge this month was pastels. Because of my lack of major apparel that met this criteria, I was forced to start with a basic pallet of black. I thought the all black backdrop would show off my pastels nicely. In this first photo, I was caught in the act of laughing. My Honey thinks it's funny to get me to crack up during picture taking.

Cardigan - Macy's (no longer available), Shirt - Target, Skirt - Talbots Outlet, Shoes - Target (no longer available online), Scarf - The Shoppe on Main, Earrings - Karin Jacobson Design c/o Already Pretty, Shades - Goodwill and DIY (details here), Watch - Timex gift, Bracelets - gifts, Ring - gift

It's hard to tell in these pictures but my skirt is polka dot eyelet.  It's a fun design and not the typical eyelet pattern.  I loved playing with the dot pattern and wearing it with my bubble earrings and my circle laser cut scarf.

 

Pastels always remind me of ice cream and sherbet.  Sarah McLachlan contributed the title of today's post.  Her song, Ice Cream is one I love and has special meaning for me.  Wearing the pastels trend my way for this month's EBEW challenge was fun. I've discovered that I definitely need a tan skirt in my wardrobe, along with a pastel jacket or sweater. Will you be wearing pastels this spring?

In Your Easter Bonnet

Over the weekend, we went to visit my Mom. She lives in a rural area of Virginia. She and my Dad moved back to the area where they grew up, when they retired. It's a beautiful part of the state and since they sold my childhood home, this area is home to me. Many of my relatives live close and I went to college near by.

Jacket - Target (no longer available), Dress - Donna Rico via alight (no longer available), Bag - vintage, Shoes - Ferragamo via Goodwill, Necklace - Target (no longer available), Earrings - JewelMint. Bracelets - F21 and gift, Watch - Relic via Kohl's, Nails - Wet n' Wlld Spoiled Lox-y Lady, Lips - Revlon ColorBurst Lip Butter Sweet Tart

When I visit Mom, I dress pretty casual. We are usually helping her with repairs and things around the house and on her property. We also go walking and hiking on trails close to her house. There isn't much call for stilettos and sequin skirts. On Sunday we went to Easter service at Mom's church and I took the opportunity to dress up a little. We watched the kids hunt for eggs before church and then attended the lovely service. After service, we went home and had a yummy lunch prepared by my Mom.  The weather was perfect and it was a great day (and weekend) with family.



I also tried out a new hairstyle. The fun of having long hair is the ability to change up my style. I get tired of the same old ponies and up dos.  This faux bob was a fun and easy option.  I curled my fine hair to give it some volume and waves and sprayed it with a small amount of hair spray.  I love L'Oreal Elnett hairspray because it gives great hold without being sticky or crazy stiff and brushes out easily. I took sections about two inches wide and rolled them under with my fingers. I left a few pieces around the front hanging to give it some interest.  Then I spritzed it with hairspray one last time.

Several years ago I stopped at a little antique shop, on the way to my parent's house.  Small town antique shops have some of the best items I've found when it comes to accessories.  I think this is because many people go to these shops looking for furniture and dishes. This little bag is one of my favorite finds.  It has a tiny bit of wear on the inside of the handle but otherwise it's perfect. It also holds a bit more than just your lipstick and some money.

I snagged this necklace a couple of years ago at Target, prior to an event. I usually wear it as a bracelet (here). . 

I hope you all had a fantastic weekend.  Happy Monday!

Rock n' Roll Saturday Night

We went out to dinner on Saturday night and I had to sport my new t-shirt. It was a fun outfit to wear and comfy too. These pictures make it hard to read the wording on the t-shirt.  Make sure to check out yesterday's post for all of the DIY details.

Tuxedo Jacket - Gianfranco Ferre via Saks Off 5th, T-shirt - DIY, Jeans - NYDJ via Nordstrom Rack, Shoes - Taryn Rose via Nordstrom Rack, Bracelets - vintage and Premier Jewelry, Ring - DIY, Watch - gift, Earrings - Shecky's Girl Night Out, Lipstick - Maybelline Fifth Ave. Fuchsia, Nails - Revlon ColorStay in Rich Raspberry

Frugal Fashion Friday - DIY Guest Blogging

Happy Friday!  Today I'm guest blogging over at the DC Goodwill Fashionista!  I subscribe to the DCGF feed and read it daily.  There are so many great tips and posts from DCGF and other guests bloggers. I always find something new. Today my post is about the neon trend and how I turned some inexpensive jewelry into a trendy item with just a little spray paint.  Me and spray paint? Go figure!

Shirt - Talbots via Goodwill, Jeans - Lane Bryant, Shoes - Romantic Soles (from my sister, no longer available), Bag - Target (no longer available), Bracelets - Goodwill DIY, and vintage, Earrings - gift, Necklace - Goodwill DIY

My outfit today is really simple.  One of my favorite "I don't have to think about it" combos.  Rolled jeans, flats and white shirt always makes me think of Audrey Hepburn.  I thought it would be a perfect canvas for the bold neon jewelry.  

Now click on over to the DCGF blog and check it out!!

Happy Friday Real Girls!!

Green Day

All shades of pastel are a spring trend but around St. Patrick's Day, all trend bets are off.  Even the non Irish got for the green.  This month, the blogger challenge from Everybody Everywear is "green".  The interpretation is up to each person.  I happen to love green and wear it often in many forms.  I thought I'd share some of my favorite green outfits and accessories.

Love combining bright colors!

Pink and green preppy combo, classic.

Minty green maxi and some toughness.

Green with prints and stripes.

My latest DIY, mint sunnies.

There are lots of St. Patty's Day activities going on in our area.  Including a huge party thrown by our  Congressman.  Will you be wearing green this weekend?

Floridays

When I was packing for the warm weather I knew this dress was going in my suitcase. It fun, colorful, and easy to wear. It is everything I love about dressing for a beach vacation.

Dress - Kohl's (no longer available), Shoes - MIA via DSW, Bag - vintage Coach via Goodwill, Necklace - gift, Bracelets - gift, vintage, Until There's A Cure, Watch - TIMEX gift, Rings - JewelMint and VMFA, Nails - Revlon ColorStay Longwear in Provence, Lips - Maybelline Fuchsia Fever

My favorite Jimmy Buffett album is Floridays. There are so many great songs on that album. When the weather is cold and nasty, it always makes me think of the beach.