August Budget

Holy crap, August is over. Based on what I bought this month (besides this little white dress that I'm completely obsessed with) it looks like I'm fully in fall mode now, although I'll probably still be in shorts and little dresses until summer is officially over. I got a little overly excited this month and bought a lot of stuff (and went a tinge over budget ;), but you know, fall clothes are the best and I just couldn't resist. Or really I think I just forgot that I had gotten so much because it has to sit in my closet and wait for the temperatures cool down enough.

So anyway, here's the damage for August - stripes and plaid and sweaters oh my!

J.Crew Factory Popover Blouse - originally $75, on sale $35.60. I'm so excited to wear this for work, it has the perfect drape.
Banana Republic Striped Flutter Sleeve Blouse - originally $74, on sale $51.80, used coupon $1.80. Yep, $1.80. I freaking love this blouse and have already worn it an embarrassing number of times, including here.
endless rose Pom Pom Dress - originally $71.00, on sale $49.70. Love love love love love this. As seen yesterday.
Gap Batwing Sweater - originally $69.95, on sale $41.98. So soft I maybe have already taken a nap in it.
J.Crew Factory Striped Shirttail Sweatshirt - originally $65, on sale $44.50. I ordered this back in JULY and it just came this week! It is gorgeous and perfect and I love it, and there are still a couple of sizes left so scoop it up while you still can!
Old Navy Classic Plaid Shirt - originally $24.94, on sale $14.96. Yes I did need more plaid. Yes I did.
Old Navy Long Cardigan - originally $29.94, on sale $17.96. Yes, I bought two oatmeal cardigans this month. No, I don't have any regrets.
J.Crew Factory Puffer Vest - originally $98, on sale $46.80. All of my vests are dark colors so I'm excited to have a light colored puffer in my collection.
Gap Tank Dress - originally $59.95, on sale $35.97. Loooove this for transitioning to fall (already wore here).

Total spent: $339.27
Total saved: $258.45

A tinge over budget - whoops! I know that next month is going to be a big spending month too, I'm looking for comfy dress shoes and new dress pants to wear for a weeklong work event in October, and I still have an outstanding #nsale purchase that's on backorder.

Did you budget in August? What did you get?

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Late Summer Pom Poms

Dress (currently on sale!) - endless rose / Jacket (similar) and Earrings (similar) - J. Crew Factory / Bag (similar) - Coach Factory / Sandals - Dolce Vita / Bracelet - BaubleBar

Do you ever get a new piece of clothing and need to wear it immediately? I got this dress in the mail on Thursday (after seriously stalking it on Blair and Maya) and had to find a reason to wear it. Work seemed like a weird choice, so the Billy Joel concert it was. The dress is gorgeous and feels fancy (and would be perfect if you're a bride looking for a shower or rehearsal dress!), but it's actually a sweater dress and worked just as well dressed down with a denim jacket and casual sandals. I somehow made it through a night of meatballs and many cocktails without spilling all over it (nothing short of a miracle!) and now I'm looking for another reason to pull it out - maybe a little date night ;) Since it is a sweater dress I think it'll work well into the fall, so there's no rush.

Billy Joel was amazing, by the way. If you ever get the chance to see him live you should definitely do it. We've actually seen him twice now and both times it was so much fun to sing and dance along. I don't know about you, but Billy Joel was our jam in college - we used to always put on Uptown Girl when we were getting ready to go out, and one of our favorite activities was going to a weekly show called Piano Man where a guy would play Billy, Elton John, and Ben Folds all night. Old Billy brought me right back to those two dollar long islands and dancing the night away ;)

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This Weekend...

This weekend I...

...Saw Billy Joel at Wrigley Field with a couple of friends and some of Jeff's family. We saw him a couple of years ago and he was just as good this time. Who can ever say no to dancing around to Uptown Girl?!
...Went to Medieval Times! Lol! So you may remember that I'm in a couples fantasy football league, and every year the winning gender picks an activity to do and the losing gender pays for it. Two years ago the ladies won and we took the guys to get pedicures. Last year the men won and this weekend we finally had to settle up with a trip to Medieval Times. I wasn't quite sure what to expect but it ended up being hilarious and terrible and awesome all at the same time (as you may have seen on Snapchat haha - follow along @kristinadoes). Afterwards we wound up at a dive bar singing karaoke, so you know, embarrassing decisions made all around ;)
...Went to a little family party out at my grandma's house in the burbs, which meant I got to get in some good hangs with my baby niece.

I hope you had a good one!

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Friday Finds

Happy Friday!! This weekend I'm going to Medieval Tiles - lol! I'll explain on Monday after I've experienced all of the gloriousness and horses and shouting for the Black Knight to win. In the meantime, here are my finds for the week:

one / two / three / four / five

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The Dog Days

Tank (similar) and Jeans - Old Navy / Bag (similar) and Sandals (currently on sale!) - Sole Society / Necklace (similar) - Madewell

So it seems we've hit that point in summer where I only want to wear white with almost white (you know, like last year, and last year, and last year), and only want to lay on the couch with the fan running and Bachelor in Paradise on the TV because the dog days of summer are for real. Also there's something funky going on with our air conditioning right now where the sensor says it's 97 degrees inside and keeps kicking into overdrive, so I've been overcompensating by turning it off completely and sweating to death.

So anyway, back to the white. I think I realize every year that white bottoms season is drawing to a close (I know that I could wear white jeans into fall and winter, but I just usually don't) and try to get in as many wears as possible while the sun is still shining. Plus, you know, it's hard to say no to these particular jeans - the fit and the distressing are juuuust right.

What have you been up to this week? Besides being a part of #bachelornation, I also managed to snag a reservation to Monteverde from a coworker for a little mid-week date night! I've basically been stalking Monteverde on OpenTable trying to find a reservation so I was super excited to scoop it up - all of the pasta for the win!

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Previously on KDTI - white jeans:

 

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Dining Room Updates

I shared my dining room a couple of months ago, but I wasn't quite happy about it. For one, it was SO blue, and felt really dark unless it was the middle of the day. I also was never quite happy with the rug. We actually had a lady come and measure for the rug when we bought our table and chairs, and she insisted that the size we bought would be perfect for the space. Well, not quite - whenever you pulled the chairs back from the table they went off of the rug, and then would get caught on it if you tried to scoot your chair. No bueno.

So, we bought a new rug! The one we had was actually on the cheaper side so we decided to just move it downstairs into Jeff's office. I stalked tons and tons of rugs online, and ended up finding this one at Target.com. BUT then I googled the name of the rug, and found the exact same one for fifty bucks less at Walmart. So yes, the rug in my dining room is from WALMART hahaha. I can hardly believe it. I've actually found that if you're buying any furniture/rugs/decor online (especially from Overstock/Wayfair) it's smart to google the product name - usually it's available at another store for a little less. I love the way the rug brightens up this corner of the house, and even though the pattern has blue in it, the rug somehow makes this part of the room feel less blue. It also makes the room feel a little bit less masculine. We were going for the loft feel, but it ended up feeling a little too bachelor pad, so I'm trying to fix that now.

The other thing that brightens up the room and makes it a little less masculine is this painting I made! Pink for the win. I've literally been looking since we moved in for something for this space but had no luck. The wall is huge so we needed something fairly large, and all of the framed prints I wanted were $500+, and after buying the place less than a year ago I wasn't really willing to drop major cash on artwork. So I finally decided to run to Michael's, grab some paint and the biggest canvas I could carry, and get painting. It wasn't that hard to make, but I actually painted over the entire canvas at least five times before I got to something I liked! I just poured out a crap ton of white paint, and slowly added more red and orange to it as I went to get the ombre effect. I'm really happy with how it turned out, which is unusual because I usually hate everything I DIY! It makes the room feel a lot more peppy and bright. I'm thinking I'll get another pink/coral piece for another wall in the room, and also some coral pillows for the couch to tie the color in. 

So I think we're done with this area now! Next up - the bedroom. I'm still looking for lamps, a floor mirror, some art, and a chair. We've only lived here, for what, nine months? I figure I'll get the house done juuuuuust in time for us to move out ;)

Table & Chairs - Walter E. Smithe
Rug - Mohawk Home via Walmart
Bookcase & Table Runner (similar fabric / similar pattern) - Crate & Barrel
Bowl, Lemons, Fish Plates, Bottles - Target

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A Little Swingy

Dress - Gap / Bag (similar) and Sandals (currently on sale!) - Sole Society / Necklace (similar, love this one)- BaubleBar

So. This dress. It's basically the best thing ever. I got it in the mail next week and had to immediately put it on and wear it out the door... and then again to work the next day ;) The fabric is super soft and thick enough to hide imperfections, and the cut is swingy and fun without being overly large or too clingy. I love it dressed down like this, but will definitely be wearing it with a statement necklace and heels for date night too, or with a big blanket scarf once the temperatures cool down a bit.

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Previously on KDTI - lace up sandals:

 

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This weekend...

This weekend I...

...Tried to take it easy after a crazy week at work (ahem, actually hoping you DIDN'T see some of the Snapchats I posted Thursday night - @kristinadoes) with a little movie & taco night at home with Jeff. We finally saw Brooklyn and it was so good. I read the book though, and while you never expect a movie to follow the book exactly, there was something left out from this that made the point of the movie completely different. I think I weirdly actually liked the movie version better!
...Finally got the saddle bag I've been obsessing over in the mail, and you guys it's so gorgeous. I can't wait to pull it out for fall! They currently have all of the colors in stock (I went for bordeaux but I also love the saddle brown) so snag it now before it sells out!
...Went to the Chicago Air & Water show for the first time. I know, I know, I've lived in Chicago for six years now and have no idea how I haven't made it before. We watched from Montrose Beach rather than trying to go downtown, and it wasn't crazy at all. We were able to stretch out and have a little barbecue in the sun (and occasional downpour haha - silly Chicago).
...Tried my hand at making cheese! I found this book One Hour Cheese while we were in Tahoe earlier this summer and thought it looked easy enough that I could try it. It was pretty good but I could probably use a little more practice ;)
...Brought the cheese to a wrestling party. Yes, you read that right. For some reason my friends (ahem, and husband) are really into wrestling and get together to watch pay-per-views. I usually refuse to go, but the theme of this party was super hipsters so I thought it would be funny to go. What's more hipster than making and bringing your own cheese decorated with herbs you grew to a party?
...Went to Rent The Runway for a fitting! They sent me a coupon for a free fitting, and I have a black tie event coming up in a couple of months so I thought why not try a few things on. I found a couple of dresses I loved, this one might be the winner!

I hope you had a good one!

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Blazer and Shorts

Oh hey, turns out I couldn't stay away ;) Blazers and shorts are one of my favorite combos - there's something so fun about mixing dressy and more casual pieces together. This summer that look has fallen by the wayside because it's been so hot (not that I'm complaining!) but I'll definitely be pulling it out again come fall. I'm thinking I maybe need this houndstooth blazer in my life. My only blazers are black and navy, and houndstooth would be a really fun addition. It's a pattern but not crazy, which makes it really easy to mix with solids and other patterns.

Oh, and can we talk about this Sole Society crossbody? It's currently flying its way to my house! I actually ordered it multiple times during the Nordstrom Anniversary Sale but they kept cancelling my order because it couldn't be fulfilled (those jerks!). I then super stalked it (like, maybe checked for it every day) and eventually saw that it came back into stock so I snapped it up. I kept expecting Nordstrom to cancel this order too, but I got an email that it shipped the other day so it's definitely going to me mine! It's no longer as good of a price as it was during the sale, but I love the color so much that I don't really care - it's going to be perfect for fall!

Blouse / Bag / Watch / Shorts / Blazer / Earrings / Flats

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This Weekend...

This weekend I...

...Went to the Arlington Million (the biggest horse race in Illinois) with a bunch of our friends. You may have seen me all over Snapchat (@kristinadoes), the girls who went are way into Snapchat so we were all trying to outdo each other all day ;) Jeff and I were betting with the same allowance, so even though I may have won a little, he lost a lot so we came out a bit behind.
...Managed to snag this saddle bag! I really wanted the burgundy version (also in brown on the Sole Society site) during the Nordstrom Anniversary Sale and actually managed to place an order with it twice, but both times the order was cancelled. I've been seriously stalking it though, so when I saw it come back into stock I snagged it right away, and got a notification yesterday that it actually shipped! So I had to wait a little and pay a little more, but I definitely think it was worth it - I'll be wearing this baby all fall long!
...Had dinner at Fatpour, because, you know, we were looking for bar food, and were there for the swimming medleys on Saturday night. The DJ played Proud to be an American after the second gold which was basically amazing, the entire bar sang along. The downside? Something was wrong with their A/C, so the pipes were dripping all night! Serious ew. I don't know about you, but I can't handle it when a random air conditioner drips on me while I'm walking down the street, so being in a dripping bar all night was not quite my cup of tea.
...Had my family over for a little roof party on Sunday afternoon and made this spicy jerk chicken again, yum! I'm so glad we decided to add a roof deck to our place, it's so nice to be able to have people over and enjoy the outdoors.

And that being said, it was a really busy and fun weekend, but I somehow didn't manage to make time for planning any content for this week! Since it will also be a really busy week with work, expect a little radio silence - I may make it back a day or two but don't count on anything! If I don't see you, I'll be back next Monday!

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Friday Finds

Happy Friday!! What are you up to this weekend? I thought in my head that we weren't up to much, but it turns out we're busy just about every minute - whoops!

So here's what my mind is currently stuck on - mostly fall, with a hint of "but it's still summer!!"

one / two / three / four / five

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Going for Gold

Shirt (similar) - H&M / Jeans - Old Navy / Bag - Sole Society / Sandals - Dolce Vita / Necklace (similar) - Madewell

What's up with these fall colors, you say? Well earlier this week I participated in my company's Office Olympics, and because I can never do anything normal my team and I decided to rep the tiny city-state of Monaco. What do I know about Monaco? Grace Kelly was their princess, they're super wealthy, and they're home of the real Monte Carlo. Oh, and since doing some research, I discovered their flag is a deep red on the top and white on the bottom, so I made our team wear red and white so that when we all lined up we could be the flag (#nerdalert). We also bought some monocles off of Amazon because A) monocle sounds like Monaco and B) rich people love monocles, right? 

If you saw any of our performance on Snapchat (follow along @kristinadoes!) you may have seen that we were NOT performers hahaha. Luckily none of my athletic ability made its way to the internet because it was embarrassing - I played a game where I had to shoot a rubber band at some cans on a table and I think I only managed to hit 3 of 9. A surprising number of them came back at my face haha ;) Somehow we managed to scrape out a 5th place finish - I think our team spirit outfits helped us out! 

The Office Olympics were a fun reason to pull out a fall color from my closet after months of pastels and brights. I've had this shirt for years now (I found a picture of me wearing it on a trip back in 2012!) and it was definitely a good purchase - I think it was something like $12.95 at H&M which puts the cost-per-wear in pennies. In the fall I love wearing it with darker colors, but it feels just right in August with some bright white jeans. 

Now, if you'll excuse me, I have to get back to watching the actual Olympics - go USA!

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Previously on KDTI - this dark red tee in a mirror selfie plus a spikey bracelet, courtesy of 2013!

 

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