Let’s face it… denim is my life. As a stay-at-home mom denim is my go-to for a comfortable, casual yet stylish closet staple. At the end of the day I am not sure I need to sell you on the greatness of denim but I wanted to round-up my favorites all into one place. While I gravitate towards distressed denim there are so many great pairs that are not. Making sure you have both is key to ensuring versatility in your wardrobe.
I’ve rounded up my top 5 denim for value, quality and style. Most are under $100 and some are currently one sale!
Happy Wednesday Lovelies! It’s been a bit of a crazy week already but isn’t that how the week after a holiday goes?!? Today’s post is a two part post with this extraordinary VELVET BLAZER. Post number two coming later this week.
The concept of these two posts is to showcase how one staple investment piece (velvet blazer) can transition for casual to formal, be worn with what you already own and is worth the price tag. Not going to lie THISvelvet blazer is an investment piece but I promise it is well worth the cost (and I have linked several other options in varying price points). For many years I have admired those who felt confident enough to wear a velvet blazer, especially in a casual manner, and so this year I decided it was time for me to give it a try. I have had my eye on this J.CREW BLAZER for a while and knew it was a quality piece to add to my wardrobe. And I highly recommend you add it to yours ASAP.
Its Thanksgiving week.. and I can already taste the turkey. I’m totally obsessed with over-sized gray sweater so I wanted to share it ASAP. I am working on sharing content and outfits as soon as I get the photos back… I have a habit of harboring photos and then waiting forever to share and then all the products are sold out or no longer available. But times are changing… starting today.
Happy Wednesday- not to be confused with the title of this post.. it is not Sunday. It is still only Wednesday.
In effort to continue to be authentic and organic in this space I wanted to share a little about my life, here in Denver, as the wife of a husband who travels 100% of the time. When I say he travels 100% I mean he leaves on Sunday night and returns either Thursday night or Friday. On a good week Brendan spends three nights sleeping at home. As a consultant his job is dictated by the client… not his family.
Each Sunday I say goodbye to my favorite person. I get asked A LOT how I am handling having Brendan travel all the time and to be honest I am doing okay… but I miss him. Sundays are my least favorite day of the week. This lady lives for Thursday and Friday. While Brendan is gone, I go on about my everyday life—I a mother and toddlers are high demand—but my mind is perpetually on him and what he is doing… but in my heart, I’m okay with our situation. I am blessed and fortunate enough to stay home with Declan, to write a blog and pursue my passions and for those reasons I am thankful for Brendan’s job. In any relationship, each person has to learn to give a little and take a little and luckily we have found that perfect balance. Believe it or not this travel gig is not all bad; Brendan has learned the balance of work and family, I have deepened my love and appreciation for him; I value and cherish our time together; I am more thoughtful in my conversations and intentional with our time. And you know what…??? Declan gets a lot of one on one attention from both of us and I cannot see any downside to that.
So, I love these distressed denim jeans and I love this graphic tank… obviously! I know you have seen these distressed denim in a few other posts <here> and <here> but I love them that much. It is my goal to keep denim under $100 and these babies not only meet that criteria but they also have some really good distressing and I love how easy they are to wear with ANYTHING. This graphic tank was a sweet Target find and for only $12 I swooped it up ASAP. Plus it fit perfectly with the theme of this post and so I felt it was a match made in heaven. I will also pair this graphic tank with a lace bralette and denim shorts as the weather gets warmer. The graphic tee craze is a real thing and I feel like I finally found one I love.
LADIES!!!! Another fabulous statement necklace coming your way!!! This one is, also, a Target find! You know how much I love a good statement necklace and I can’t help but swoon all over this one! This duster length cardigan first appeared <here> in my Easter post but I literally wear it so often that it is only fitting it shows up again. It is currently on sale for $25 and it is a must have for spring and summer-I promise you will get a lot of wear out of it. These slip on mules are getting a lot of wear now that the weather is consistently warmer. I have linked a few pairs in a lower price range.
the truth in his travel
Declan and I have a routine and in all honesty our weekdays fly by while we wait for Dad to return. In the last two and half months I have learned that I depend on Declan just as much as he depends on me. The weekends have become the most important days and our focus to spend time as a family is of up-most importance. Brendan is an AMAZING father and his travel will never change that. Does it get lonely??? Yes, of course it does. However, at the end of the day I would not give back my personal growth as a mother and a wife for anything and therefore I would not give back his travel; it has taught me as much as it has taught him. I am strong and I can do this. But Sunday… I wish you were Thursday
Today I have written 4 separate posts and deleted them all. Here’s to the fifth one being the keeper!! It is colorful in it’s own right and I think you will see the chaos as you read on.
A few snipets of the previous 4 attempts:
Two months ago to the day I left London Closing the kitchen door for the last time- I literally stood in the doorway like I was made of stone unable to will myself to close it and walk away. It meant finality and I wasn’t prepared. I am not prepared. A running flashback of all the memories, of Declan playing in the garden, of Brendan and I eating dinner at the table, of our Thanksgiving, of everything we loved so much about this place. All went running through my mind and I am afraid to close the door and leave for fear it will never be the same.
. So much of our future seems to be dictated by our past. I remember, when I was younger, wanting to live my life in a proactive way and not a reactive way. Make choices and decisions because that is what I want not because of a past experience or something else tainting it. For example, red wine gives me a terrible hangover so I drink white instead- but I love red wine. But is that fair? I mean sometime we have to make mature adult decisions but sometimes I just want to make decisions without always weighing out every single potential outcome.
Recently I have been doing a lot of thinking as to what I see in regards to how the blog will continue to go. How do I create a more honest and organic impression on my readers and followers while maintaining my brand? How do I incorporate the other aspects of my life – my son, my husband, my love for cooking, my new fitness journey, my friends- into a blog that appears to be solely dedicated to fashion?? Any ideas?? No… perfect exactly where I am also!
Alert Alert- a different type of post coming!! In December Brendan and I traveled to Morocco for a long weekend. We left Declan in London with my mom (who graciously came out to watch him) and boarded a plane for Africa. I was so excited and anxious about getting away with Brendan and experiencing a new culture, country, continent. WOW. Was I in complete and utter shock upon touch down. Now, I have traveled a fair amount throughout my life but Marrakesh is like nothing I had ever seen.
I think this post is now about my inability to commit, focus and follow through with much. Honestly friends- I am a complete scatter brain. Anything and everything distracts me, I am constantly changing my mind, my emotions, my clothes, my outlook and my hand lotion. I am always thinking about something other than what I am doing or supposed to be doing. Hence the 4 attempts at a blog post. Now, I do think you see a few of these come to fruition in the next couple months; once I am able to focus and put pen to paper and write- but until then you are left with this mess!!!
This colorful casual comfortable look kind of feeds into my inability to get focused. I have been obsessing over gray tops but am so distracted by all the colorful chaos of springtime colors. Seriously, loving the bright colorful pops of this outfit but then I am drawn back to the basic neutrals of gray and distressed denim… its like I am chasing squirrels. ALL OVER THE PLACE. So, this top is super easy to wear, comes in a ton of colors and is very reasonably priced. Perfect for spring and cool summer nights. These distressed skinnies are a few seasons old but still a favorite pair of mine, so I have linked the closest pair I could find. I know my days of denim are limited so I am trying to wear as many as I can before the temps are in the 90’s here in Denver and these babies are keepers!!! These mules are the perfect transitional shoe, I know I talked about that in this post but I can’t stress enough how practical, functional and super cute they are. LOVE THEM.
This colorful clutch was a gift from my SIL from her Mexico travels. It is a handmade limited edition colorful clutch so head over to Erica Maree designs to snag one up! She has such beautiful, vibrantly colorful stuff you do not want to miss; especially if you are headed to the beach or sunny location! I have linked several others in similar style <here> and <here> but I would encourage you to check out her website! The necklace was a boutique purchase and I was immediately drawn to the colorful multi-strands… but don’t worry I was quickly running all over the store buying up everything I could find because I could not focus on any one thing. I have linked a few similar colorful necklaces <here> and <here>. I loved how this bag and this necklace were the perfect colorful accessories to jazz up my gray obsession.
*** I have been really loving smaller boutiques and pop-up shops so not everything I wear is linkable. I try my best to find similar items but I also need to stay true to me and wear what I love!!!***
colorful chaos
That is my life in a nutshell, friends. I start a task, find something new to do half way through, sit down to drink some coffee, run off to play with Declan, end up talking the dog for a walk and yet… still nothing is getting accomplished over here in my world. Kid you not, this post was started and deleted at least four times and this fifth one was a struggle. I try making to do lists but can never seem to finish them, I try setting reminders in my phone but then silence them…. I write and leave sticky notes around the house and Declan steals them… no hope people!!! Let me clarify and say I know the reality is that I have too much on my mind, too many moving parts and too few “life tools” to deal with it all. This is a self made problem and therefore only myself can come out of it. In all honesty, it isn’t all bad- I feel like each day I am learning something new about my life, or how to parent Declan, or which cosmetics I like, or which Sauviognon Blanc goes best with toddler food, how many times my coffee can be re-heated in the morning. You know LIFE. So, if you need me I’ll be over in my corner of the world indulging in my colorful chaos… come on over and stay a while.
RSVP’ing for a party of one. A pity party for one.
Friends life is challenging right now. I was not going to write about it but I had a coffee date on Friday and I was inspired to be real and honest… so here is your daily dose of Debby Downer from my little corner of the world. So, if this topic does not interest you I totally understand if you stop reading now…but if you want to continue along I hope to come out on the other end with a more positive and optimistic message.
So, I moved back from London and I was really excited to be coming home!!! And then reality hit and I felt like I had been hit by a truck; a very large loud heavy truck. And since then I feel like I take 3 steps forward and then 716 steps backward. It seems like life just keeps kicking me while I am down and I am not done with it. It feels like I have checked into the Pity Party Hotel for an extended stay… and it is not a comfortable place to reside. While it is much easier to set up shop here, in the dumps, it is likely to be extremely unsuccessful in the long run. But I just can’t seem to figure out how to get myself out; and that is the honest truth. I am stuck here.
I have moments and sometimes days of clarity where I manage to put it all in perspective where I feel like I am able to handle the wealth of emotions, life changes and challenges coming my way. But when it begins to fall apart it seems to REALLY fall apart. In isolation each event, emotion or challenge is minimal and can be handled effectively and efficiently. But when they all seem to happen at once I get sucked up in the negative of it all… I just can’t seem to stay afloat. More often than not I feel like I can barely keep my head above water; with finding a preschool for Declan (been rejected twice), prioritizing my blog, rebuilding a life in Denver, parenting a toddler, developing and nurturing new friendships, being a loving wife, managing our household while my husband travels 100% of the time and reconnecting with old friends all while trying to take a moment for myself. I am in WAY over my head. I am drowning in sea of self-pity.
How much more of a selling point do I need to make on this off the shoulder floral top other than to draw your attention to the print… I mean seriously!! I am in LOVE with it and it is even more amazing because it is a Liberty London print for J Crew. Two of my favorites coming together, again, to create the perfect spring off the shoulder floral top. The fit of this top is perfect but runs a little large so order a size down. I love the length on it which allows me to wear it with denim and shorts or skirts. Given this off the shoulder floral top is at the top of my price range for shirts I included a few at different price points <here> and <here>.
I was feeling “blue” so I paired it with this faux suede moto jacket and distressed denim to complete the look. My whole life has been feeling “blue” so it was an easy pairing for me. Both the fabulous jacket and denim are from Hailee Grace ( for all my Denver friends make sure you get in there as these are selling out quickly). This jacket is perfect for spring and compliments the florals I am seeing everywhere. The denim are an excellent addition to any wardrobe especially as we transition into spring.
Mules are H O T right now and I am loving this pair. Easy to slip on (literally) with any outfit. As the weather is continuing to get warmer I am wearing these more and more- especially when I have not had a pedicure but want a spring/summer shoe option!! They come in several other colors and I provided similar ones in a lower price point <here> and a high price point <here>.
leaving the pity party and staying afloat.
Well, I was thrown a life saver this weekend with a little get-away with the family. And more importantly I was able to spend a lot time processing and talking with Brendan who is feeling a bit of the same way. So while I have not entirely left the party I am no longer there alone and having some company feels really good. It is a learning process and I need to continuously remind that it is OKAY to have bad days. It is OKAY to feel like I do. Acknowledging that and being real about my feelings is the first step in getting out. Nothing can make it all better- nothing can take away all my challenges- and honestly I do not want that. The rest of the answers will come over time and I will continue to strive to be positive and remain honest…however, sometimes those are not inclusive of each other. But a friend at my party and breath of fresh air can make all the difference.
