Flirting with Pink.

As with other fashion trends, I found my way to flirty off-the-shoulder tops much later than most.
But you know what they say... Better late than never!
The first time I laid eyes on this gorgeous fuchsia off-the-shoulder top, I knew I had to have it. It looked so fun and happy; great for a mood pick-me-up. Also great for those days when you want to look cute and sassy, but you could use some room in the tummy area. Hey, we've all been there. I'm currently feeling that way after some weekend fun. 

I was a little nervous about how the elastic would "sit" on the body of a normal non-model gal, but my worries were for naught as I found that it looked and felt great. No pinching or squeezing. I wore it to a barbeque and was comfortable all day. And it turns out that my sister-in-law was just as in love with this top as I was. Instead of welcoming me with "Hi!", she exclaimed "CUTE top!" 
Love it. :)

Shop this darling top on Catch Bliss's website here.

Pink Off-The Shoulder Top c/o Catch Bliss Boutique (exact here)
Black camisole- The Limited (exact here)
Dark wash skinny jeans- Forever 21 | Almost exact here | Similar here and here
Tory Burch inspired sandals | The real deal here and here | Love these versions here, here, and here    
Clover necklace c/o Regina Pierallini (no longer available) | Super cute look-a-like here
Pyramid cuff c/o Erika Lehman for Stella & Dot | Adore these similar ones here and here

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Yellow Blazer and More Stripes.

Although some of my outfits are planned beforehand, most of the time I grab-and-go pieces in the morning and hope they look good when I put them together. Because I know my closet like the back of my hand, this usually works out pretty well.
The only catch is that I tend to get in "moods" and wear similar-looking outfits all week. I think part of it is that my brain isn't functioning at 100% when I choose my outfits in the A.M. So I try to quickly style a version of something that I know worked earlier in the week.
All-in-all, it's not a bad rule of thumb to keep in your back pocket.
When in a rush, just wear you know works, or at least a similar version of it.
Easy outfit planning in a jiff!




Navy striped dress- Forever21 | Very similar black, blue | Great navy versions 1, 2, 3 | Great black versions 1, 2, 3 (Plus!)
Yellow blazer c/o Teodora B | Similar 1, 2
Navy bow flats- DSW (Aldo brand) | Cute versions 1, 2 | My personal fave!
Gold belt- Forever21 | Similar 1, 2, 3 | Love this Kate Spade one
Necklace c/o Blossom Jewelry Design on Etsy
"Olivia" rose gold/white watch c/o Wristology (exact) | Use code GORGEOUS20 for 20% off!
Pyramid cuff c/o Erika Lehman for Stella & Dot | Super cute look-a-like

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The Perfect Summer Cardi.

The outfit below was brought to you by a 20 degree drop in temperature overnight.

One second it was 80 degrees and the next it was 60. I realized that I needed to dress accordingly if I had any hope of being comfortable all day.

Adding this cute plaid Catch Bliss cardi to my outfit totally did the trick. It's amazingly soft, the print is chic, and it's lightweight-- the perfect spring/summer cardigan to have on hand! And I have to give it bonus points for the compliments it received from my co-workers. :)

Beige top- Forever 21 | Similar 1, 2, 3
Cami- The Limited (exact) <-my all-time favorite cami!
Lightweight plaid "Katelyn" cardi c/o Catch Bliss Boutique (exact)
Pants- NY& CO | Similar 1, 2, 3
Belt- Forever21 | Similar 1, 2, 3
Watch- Anne Klein | Almost exact  | Similar | Love this version
Pyramid cuff c/o Erika Lehman for Stella & Dot | Super cute look-a-like
Pearl Necklace c/o Blossom Jewelry Design on Etsy
Pumps- Target | Similar 1, 2, 3

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A Striped top, Green skirt, and Some Soul-Baring.

As a perpetual over-thinker, I've spent the past week wondering how to appropriately address my decision to return to blogging. A million questions have been spinning around my head. 

Should I make a blog post about my reasons for coming back?
Should I explain what I missed about the blog and feeling connected?

Should I just get back to blogging as if nothing happened? 

Should I be embarrassed that I looked indecisive? Am I being judged for it?
Was the blog ruined? Could I even go back?

And as with a lot of things in life, I have come to a very prolific conclusion...I don't know the answer to all of those questions. But I will try to explain a little bit about what I did realize:

After agonizing for months and then finally making the decision to stop blogging, it felt like a huge weight was taken off my shoulders. Not having the blog to work on, I had free time again. I began reading for fun. I watched an entire Spanish telenovela on Netflix and my Spanish improved somewhat (Gran Hotel, for anyone interested). I stayed off social media on some days and it felt great. I didn't take photos of myself and my outfits and it was freeing. I didn't care as much about what I wore and what I looked like and I felt empowered. 

But then something unexpected happened: the novelty of all of the above eventually wore off. I couldn't believe it. I was so sure that I had made the right decision, and now my favorite hobby and something that had helped define me was gone, of my own doing.
I missed spending time planning outfits, styling, and thinking of designs, patterns, and fit. I missed connecting on social media. I missed discussing great finds. But most of all, I realized that much of the time I thought I was going to save NOT blogging was being spent wishing that I had the blog up and running again... because I missed you, I missed feeling connected, sharing, and poignantly, I missed having fashion and style in my life.
So once again the soul-searching commenced.
Clearly, I do a lot of soul-searching, you guys. ;)

And what I found after Soul Searching Round Two is that yes, I have changed. But my blog is still a part of who I am and what I want to continue doing. I will say, however, that my gut instinct was correct in that I needed change. Maybe I just needed a break. Maybe the blog didn't feel like me because I didn't post much about anything except outfit photos. Maybe I needed to use my own voice a bit more (like I do on Instagram). Maybe I could give the blog a small facelift. Maybe I could expand my posts to include Q&A sessions and other types of posts.
The point is, there are so many possibilities!

I hope you continue to join me in my journey, friends.
And if you're just here for the outfit pics, that's okay too. :)

Striped top- gifted | Similar 1, 2, 3 | My fave
Green pencil skirt- The Limited | Similar 1, 2 (Plus!) | Love this one
White blazer- H&M | Similar 1, 2, 3, 4
Black flats with gold chain- Target | Nearly identical | Love these gold-accented ones 1, 2, 3
Pearl necklace c/o Blossom Jewelry Design
White & rose gold watch c/o Wristology (exact) | Use code GORGEOUS20 for 20% off
Pyramid Cuff c/o Erika Lehman for Stella & Dot | Similar



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:)

Nearly three months have passed--

and I still think about you guys and the blog every.single.day.

I've given myself room to breath and spent time soul searching and exploring; 

yet the truth remains that I miss it, I miss YOU. 

For those following me on Instagram, this is not new news, as I announced it last week. 

But I figured I should make an official blog post about it too. :)

Stay tuned, beautiful friends!

Sending you so much love and light. <3

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Change.

I don’t remember exactly when the thought creeped into my head. But I do know that it was some time ago and it went something like this: 

What if I quit blogging?

So the thought sat simmering in the back of my brain and was occasionally the topic of conversation when I discussed life goals with my husband or close friends. For months on end nothing changed. I blogged when I had time and didn’t blog when I was busy. Every few weeks I would have a great idea or feel very inspired and the frequency of my posting would pick up. But the feeling that I kept coming back to was that, in the end, it felt empty and I constantly felt rushed to get content up on the blog. 

And if I was being completely honest with myself, I would admit that some time in the last year or so my blog had stopped being a good representation of who I am, how I wanted to spend my time, and the values that I upheld.
I didn’t want to live my life behind a screen. I didn’t want to miss out on real life because I was too busy documenting it, even if it was just the outfit that I wore that day. I didn’t want to constantly be connected to Instagram, Facebook, e-mail, or the blog.

Quite simply, it was a hobby-turned-into-a-second-job that I no longer wished to prioritize over many other aspects of my life. I would be remiss to not mention that I also became increasingly tired of myself. I was tired of taking pictures of myself, looking at pictures of myself, and writing about my outfit choices. In a world of 'me me me', I didn't want it to constantly be about me. That's not the energy that I wanted to put out into the world. It's just not who I am.

The hard part is that I think if I had the time, my blog could have the potential to grow with me and change into something more than just daily outfit photos-- to be much more representative of who I am now, compared to who I was four and a half years ago. (Seriously, I have so many ideas!) But the truth is, the older I get, the more I can accept that there are only 24 hours in a day-- and eventually, we have to prioritize what matters to us more now and how we want to spread those 24 hours now. It doesn't make sense to keep the blog on life support, just in case one day I have the time to dedicate to it and revitalize it. If that day comes in the future and it feels 'right', then I will consider getting back to it then. But for now, here we are.

Needless to say, after months of contemplation, I have finally come to the peaceful conclusion that I must turn over this chapter of "Hello, Gorgeous!". I'm not entirely closing the book-- because, really, who knows what the future will hold. But I am being honest with you and letting you know where I am right now and how that will affect this blog. After this post went live, a few of you asked if I was keeping the blog up for outfit inspiration/etc and the answer is YES. Because I'm not fully "closing the book" , I intend to keep the blog up and all of my social media accounts open. You know, just in case. :)
I am so incredibly grateful for all the good that this blog has brought to me (and hopefully to you). I appreciate every single visitor that stopped by, and every single comment, e-mail, and other communication that you sent my way. From the bottom of my heart, I truly appreciate your endless support and love and I thank you for having a part in my journey.

I want to close this post by telling you about one of the coolest things that I have had the privilege to be a part of. On Wednesday of last week I was interviewed by one of my good friends for her new podcast: Mama Bear Dares-- an incredibly wonderful podcast that focuses on positive and inspirational content for mothers and women as a whole. Although I was initially nervous when she asked to interview me, I jumped in with both feet and we got real deep, real quick, and had an blast doing it! We talked about so many things that I have never had the chance (or maybe the guts) to talk about on here, including: disordered eating, body image, finding your own style, embracing change, and finally, some of the reasons behind my departure.
So if you're interested in any of those topics, I really encourage you to check out the podcast. I simply went to the Podcast app that comes standard on my iPhone and searched for "Mama Bear Dares". You can also download the podcast on iTunes here. My episode is episode #15-- but the other episodes are just as good too. Trust me, you'll be hooked instantly!
Tesi and Leslie, the awesome hosts behind Mama Bear Dares, are also hosting a pretty sweet giveaway: a 30-minute Skype styling session with me! :) Instructions on how to enter are included in the podcast. Take a listen and show them lots of love-- they truly deserve it! 

You can find Mama Bear Dares in the following places:

iTunes | Facebook | Twitter | Instagram


Thanks for everything, friends. You are all so freaking gorgeous, inside and out! <3

Pop of Red.

They say that red is a 'power color'

and I have to agree because the red/navy/grey combo below definitely gave me an extra pep in my step!

Red sleeveless top- H&M | Almost exact | Similar 1, 2, 3, 4
Grey blazer- JCrew Factory | Love these ones 1 & 2
Navy slacks- NY&Co | Similar 1, 2, 3, 4, 5
Navy pumps- Target | Similar 1, 2, 3, 4, 5 | Love these Mary Janes here
Skinny gold belt- Target | Similar 1, 2, 3
Gold rhinestone watch- Fossil outlet | Great versions 1, 2
Necklace c/o Sira & Mara

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