I've officially hit that point where I'm completely tired of my wardrobe. I have a couple of favorite tops and dresses that I've been wearing on repeat all summer, and while I still love them I really wanted something new. Enter the little floral dress. This dress is so '90s but in the best way possible, and the dark floral pattern will work well for the end of summer as well as into the fall. I'm wearing it with sandals now, but come fall I'll definitely layer in some tights and booties.
This week has been a busy one for me. Between my trip to San Francisco last week and heading out for Labor Day Weekend tomorrow, I've been trying to play catch up at work and at home. Basically my house is a mess and my inbox is full. There hasn't been a lot of fun, but I'm hoping to get as much done as possible tonight so I can head out worry-free tomorrow. Wish me luck!
Every month I post about my clothing budget. My budget per month is $350, which may seem like a lot to some and a little to others, but feels just right for me. You can read my thoughts on my 2016 budget here.
And August 2017 seems to have been the month of shoes! I don't usually focus so much on shoes, but hadn't bought any new pairs in a while, I've loved having a little more variety in my closet. Of course I hurt my knee over the weekend (getting old I guess!) so now I need to ignore anything with a heel for a while. I also freaking love this little floral dress, I wore it sans tee shirt over the weekend and it's such a fun little piece - I'm thinking it also might make an appearance for my cousin's casual farm wedding in a couple of weeks. I'll have a full outfit post up with the dress tomorrow!
Anyway, here's the damage for August:
Topshop Floral Dress - originally $68.00, on sale $33.99 Target Gladiator Sandals - originally $32.99, on sale $16.50. I bought these sandals in a panic when I needed some nude heels at the beginning of the month, and I can't believe the quality for the price I paid! Target Espadrilles - originally $29.99, on sale $14.95. These were bought on a whim with the previous pair - they were such a good deal I decided to bring them home and see if I'd actually wear them. And I did. A lot. They're surprisingly comfortable, and I get compliments every time I wear them! Express Hat - $19.90. I saw this on someone's Instagram and immediately had to buy it. I mean, come on, it's so stinking cute. I'm definitely packing it for Labor Day Weekend!! Ann Taylor Suede Sandals - originally $128, on sale $78. These are one of those pairs of shoes that really make an outfit - I'll be wearing them until it starts to snow! BP Bow Mules - $69.95. I already own these in blush, and had to have another color for fall! I also am loving the gray version. How cute will these be with some distressed denim and plaid?! BaubleBar Earrings - originally $36, used points $33. I wanted some statement earrings that would work for fall, and these definitely do the trick! They're really cute in person and are super light and easy to wear. LOFT Skinny Ankle Pants - originally $69.50, on sale $34.75. I'm on a continuous hunt for dress pants that don't suck. I don't have to dress up often for work, but whenever I do have to I panic because I don't have the right pieces in my closet. These pants are really comfortable and really flattering, so they will definitely fill that closet hole!
Total Spent: $301.04
Total Saved: $153.29
Under budget, yay! I'm excited to see all of the new fall arrivals come into stores, and will definitely be shopping for plaids and sweaters and boots in September - I can't wait!!
Did you budget this month? How did you do?
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Last year we took the year off, but previously we've rented lake houses with a bunch of friends, and this year we're going again! Our house is on a lake in southern Michigan, and I'm super excited for a few days of boat rides, swimming, obnoxious pool floats, bonfires, too much wine, and lots of fun. We're roadtripping out on Friday afternoon, and I cannot wait!
On previous trips I tried to plan cute outfits for the weekend, but now I know I want to spend time in the easiest clothes possible - leggings and sweatshirts for the evenings, shorts and tees for daytime, and of course a bathing suit for every time in between. I don't want to bring anything fussy or complicated - only the simplest of jewelry, sandals that can slip on, and clothing I don't have to worry about ruining are making it into my weekender bag. Oh, and speaking of weekenders, I've had this one for a few years now and still love it. It's the perfect size for a long weekend, and the faux leather is really beautiful in person - I get compliments everywhere I go!
I shared my packing list for Labor Day Weekend a couple of years ago and it's consistently been one of my most popular posts, so I thought I'd share a little update based on what's in my closet now. This cute new hat definitely made the cut, as well as my new favorite sweatshirt and leggings. Since we won't be doing anything remotely dressy, I'm only bringing sandals for the beach and sneakers in case we decide to leave the house.
Of course, with even the best laid plans, I'm sure I'll still manage to overpack - wish me luck!
...flew back from a week in San Francisco for work. I usually stay in the Union Square area while I'm there, but this time we all stayed at The Argonaut (which had such a fun nautical theme!) in Fisherman's Wharf. It's a super touristy area, but it was fun to get to explore some new stuff. I climbed up the hills to check out Lombard Street, wandered through Ghiradelli Square, and got to see the sea lions at Pier 39. And oh my god the sea lions - I seriously could have stayed all day. I determined that sea lions spend approximately 1 hour a day sleeping, 1 hour a day finding food, and 22 hours a day pushing other sea lions off of the pier for no apparent reason.
...got to go see Lady Gaga!! You guys, life goal complete. So so good.
...went on a brewery crawl with my fantasy football league per last year's winner's demands (you might remember that last year my husband won and took us all to Medieval Times - still laughing about that experience) and then held our draft. I still have no idea what's happening in football ever ;)
...went out for more Korean Karaoke for a friend's birthday!! We went earlier this year for my birthday and it's still one of my favorite things to do in the city. Don't worry, many '90s hits made the playlist ;)
I hope you had a good one!
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So as you probably saw on my Instagram, I participated in the Tour de Frosé on Saturday! It was an event put on by a couple of awesome bloggers that took us to five different Chicago restaurants to sample their frosé! And I mean, really, is there anything better than frosé? In case you haven't heard of it, it's basically a cocktail made with frozen rosé - some places mixed it with a fruit pureé, and some places served a version that was closer to frozen wine. So where did we go?
Tiny Tapp is right on the riverwalk, and is in such a beautiful location! I've actually walked past it a few times but didn't stop in because I thought it was just beer - well I was wrong! Their frosé was delicious (it tasted kind of like a smoothie with some wine in it) and it was fun to hang out by the river and people/boat watch. Definitely a spot I'll have to check out for happy hour sometime!
I had no idea this place existed, and now I have to go back! Saint Lou's Assembly is just a couple of blocks off of restaurant row, and had a huge back patio complete with bocce ball and some great space for lounging. Oh, and the frosé? Really freaking good. This one tasted much more like rosé and was really refreshing. They also were serving giant buckets of fried chicken, which is enough to convince Jeff we need to visit, so we'll definitely be back!
The Hampton Social is the stop I've been to the most, and the only place I've tried the frosé before! If you've never been, it's so freaking cute - it's like their designer made sure that every single corner is Instagrammable. Jeff and I were seated under the Rosé All Day sign once, and it was hilarious how many photos we ended up in. Their frosé has some peach pureé in it as well as rosé, which makes it really refreshing. We had the lounge section reserved, and there was live music while we were there, which made it the perfect place to relax and escape from the sun! They actually gave us two rounds of frosé here, and we all left much more giggly than when we got there ;)
I've been to Drumbar before but never out on the roof deck, and oh my gosh you guys, those views! It's right next to the Hancock building and has some stunning city views, but you can also see the lake. So freaking gorgeous. The frosé here was also much more wine-y than some of the others, and I clearly drank it so fast I didn't manage to get any photos of the full glass ;)
Our last and final stop was at Celeste, and you guys, I don't know how I haven't been there before because it is right by my office! They have a roof deck too, but we didn't even make it out there because the interior was so stunning - just look at all of that green! The frosé was great here too! It actually may have been my favorite, but was so full of berries it didn't taste much like rosé anymore. I love berry smoothies though, so add a little booze to one and I'm good to go.
To cruise around the city all day, we used the rideshare app Via - have you heard of it? It's a really affordable and fun way to get around in style, and we had a blast chatting with our driver between frosé sips. If you want to try Via for free, visit it.ly/2fNYZwA and use the code "kristinadoes" for three free rides (terms apply).
So, last week I had a total blogger fail. I filmed an Instagram live video of my makeup routine, but didn't save the video correctly and lost it - d'oh! I decided to redo the video so you could see it if you didn't catch it the first time around!
My goal is always to look natural, not like I'm wearing a ton of makeup, so that's what you'll see. I still wear a lot of products, I just don't go overboard. Usually it takes me just 5-10 minutes, unless I get caught up in Netflix or get distracted by Jeff dancing through the room, which tends to happen often ;)
This romper has been a favorite for a while now - it's so versatile! I've worn it as a beach coverup, for a casual summer afternoon, out to dinners with Jeff, and even for a bachelorette party! It also travels really well and has been to Italy and Thailand with me! This particular one is old, but there are lots out there with similar concepts - a jersey material makes it super comfy, and the elastic waist (versus a zipper or buttons) makes it really easy to slip on and off when you have to go to the bathroom - especially when you've had a cocktail or two! I used to have a romper that had a couple of buttons on the shoulder I had to undo for a bathroom break, and I would literally get trapped in it! With a stretchy romper though, the only issue you have to worry about is it stretching out a little and showing more cleavage as the night goes on ;)
Are you a romper girl too? I linked up some similar options below!
