#OOTD

The Mister and I had a day date the other day that consisted of heading to WPI for their homecoming football game. Even though it was raining and cold, I still got the chance to dress chic and warm!

#RHOWPI

Sweater | H&M | White button up | WalMart* | Necklace | Charlotte Russe | Skinnies | Forever 21 | Oxfords | Charlotte Russe

What is it about an umbrella and a trench coat that makes everything look ten times chic-er?!

Close up (aka a shameless selfie) of my sunnies (Forever 21) and necklace!

** Pro tip - I am constantly buying my basic clothing essentials at WalMart simply because of the low cost of things. If I need things like a any sort of solid colored button up and/or any sort of solid color tank top I always turn to WalMart especially because those types of things are usually covered by some other article of clothing. Moral of this story - Don't pay a lot of money for basics!!

Summer Favorites

Happy September everyone! With fall (and Halloween related posts) looming upon us I think it's high time to wrap up the summer.

Beauty - 

I discovered the magic of cream based makeup applied by a Beauty Blender this summer. I found a new (to me) beauty guru on YouTube, Nicole Guerriero, who has a highlighting & contouring video in which she uses drugstore products on one side of her face and high end products on the other side of her face. IMO by the time she was done I could not see the difference. With that, I went right to my local CVS and picked up all my supplies (minus the Beauty Blender, you can find that at Sephora). You can find her video here.

Fashion - 

Rompers, jumpsuits, short shorts, menswear...these were a few of my favorite summer things. Also, this was my first summer with a very active child (last summer he was just learning to walk). So I developed a new appreciation for flats. I rocked a pair of black Forever 21 sandals literally all.summer. Note to self for next summer - stock up on cute sandals and flats! I will always look back fondly on the summer of 2014 as the summer of the onesie.

Fitness - 

I am happy to report that after my beginning of the summer injury I have finally lost the last of my baby weight. Although my body will never be the same as before (that's what tummy tucks are for) I have a new found appreciation for the human body and am in the best shape of my life. Coming off such a great summer of fitness I decided to parlay that into getting my Spin instructor certification! I am so excited for a new chapter in my life (and fitness) and I am looking forward to kick ass via Spin bike!

Mom Stuff - 

We went through two types of flotation devices for Cy this summer. One of them was a life vest with an Orca fin on it (so cute) which Cy hated and a Puddle Jumper (which we discovered by the end of the summer) that he (and we) loved. The Puddle Jumper is well priced and Coast Guard certified. It's also not super bulky which I think is what Cy's problem was with his Orca vest. 

My favorite blog post of the summer was a #TBT post where I wrapped up our Disney trip. I love going back and reading this post every so often. It quells the "Disney vacation itch" for a little while. 

My least favorite blog post of the summer was my Science of Twitter post. Although I liked the idea of this blog post, I feel like it came off all wrong. One day I will do a rewrite. 

Fall Fashion Haul

During my fashion pop up shop on eBay, I sold a few items. Naturally, I turned right around and restocked my closet with some basics and layering pieces for the fall/winter.

This summer, I really tried to incorporate more color in the my wardrobe -

#NailedIt

So, I am now ready for some black, whites and neutrals to infiltrate my repertoire. Luckily for me, during my shopping trip I managed to snag not one, but two buy one get one free deals. One at Forever 21 and one at Charlotte Russe. 

I found an amazing pair of corduroy, houndstooth slacks that I can not wait to pair with a blazer and some oxfords or loafs. My "free" item was this adorable sweater. Is anything anything better than a big comfy sweater to wear once the weather gets cool? I also got a $7(!) "leather" pencil skirt that is not pictured but I can't even imagine how many outfits I am going to be able to create with that beauty.  

I always tend to gravitate towards basics and jewelry at Charlotte Russe. So I picked up two (BOGO) pairs of ankle length black leggings (a must have for any winter wardrobe IMO) and a long sleeve white bodysuit that I can't wait to layer with some sort of fluffy winter wear. I always gravitate towards white in the fall/winter more so than in the summer (opposite of the out of date Labor Day "rule") as summer white tends to always look bridal to me. 

I blogged about my winter wardrobe essentials earlier in the year. Take a look there for more fall/winter wardrobe inspo. 

Happy (fall fashion) hunting!

July Favorites

Since it's still (somewhat) the beginning of August, I thought I would do a July favorites wrap up -

Sunnies -

I got two new pairs of sunnies in the month of July that I am absolutely obsessed with. They were (of course) a Forever 21 purchase...

#CatEye (#RBF)

#Aviators 

Products - 

I had been a Jergens Natural Glow fan for a very long time...until I realized it had parabens in it. (#Yuck!) After that realization, I was on the hunt for a new self tanning lotion. I am more of a gradual self tanner type of person as opposed to a straight (orange) self tanner. With all of that being said, I found this lovely product...the smell is great, it does not make you orange, it is absolutely a gradual tan and there is no yucky ingredients in it! #Win

Amazon.com

The other product I am obsessed with this month is a body spray from Bath and Body Works...every so often (and especially in the summer) I will use a body spray instead of a full blown perfume. This smells amazing and is very light...perfect for the warmer months!

Favorite #OOTD - 

My favorite #OOTD/N of the month is my dress from Rent the Runway...

The mint shoes...the dress..... #ToDieFor

Favorite blog post -

My favorite blog posts this month were my wedding recaps....it was so nice to reminisce and go through all of our pictures...

Getting Glam/Send Off

Ceremony

Formal Photos

Costume Change & Cocktails

Reception 

Wrap Up/Vendor List

Least favorite blog post -

I hated this blog post probably about a week after I wrote it. I feel like I ranted way too much. Alas, you live and learn and I am sure this won't be my last "least favorite post."

http://ddelightful.blogspot.com/2014/07/food-fitness.html

#OOTD

Deets - Shirt | WalMart (!) | Shorts | JCPenny | Belt | H&M | Sunnies | Wet Seal | Shoes | Steve Madden | Bangles | Forever 21 

#OOTD

#BirthdayPartyChic

Deets - Romper | H&M | Shrug | Cohoes | Sandals & Bangles | Forever 21 | Calves | Spin class @ The Edge

*I am going to be wearing this romper all summer. I already have a million outfit combinations conjured up. And p.s. it was only $17.95!!!! #SummerSteal #RunDontWalk

#OOTD

Outfit Deets - Sweatshirt | CatVersusHuman.com | Shorts | Khols | Shoes | ShoeDazzle | Bag | H&M

#OOTD {Mother's Day Weekend Edition}

Saturday #OOTD - 

Deets - Blazer | H&M Conscious Collection | Bodysuit, Sunnies & Shorts | Forever 21 | Shoes |ShoeDazzle | Bag | Dooney & Bourke

Sunday #OOTD - 

Deets - Shorts | JCPenny | Shirt & Belt | H&M | Necklace & Shoes | Charlotte Russe

#OOTD

Deets || Dress | Sandals | Bracelets | Forever21 ||

Headband | Love Culture ||

Vest | Sheinside.com

#yolo

#OOTD

#OOTD - Shirt | Sheinside.com | Shorts | Nordstrom Rack | Shoes | Forever 21 | Legs | Spin @ The Edge

#OOTD

Happy Sunday everyone!

Navy Blazer | Forever 21 | Sweater | Forever 21 | Leggings | Love Culture | Boots | Love Culture | Bag | H&M

I sure do love me a teased bun and some polka dots...

Jammies | Victoria Secret

Dressing For Women vs. Dressing For Men

When I am outfit planning, my first thought is always Who is my audience? Back when my style and fashion sense was in it's young and formative years (which is a nice way of saying I didn't know WTF I was doing) I dressed a little bit more provocative. Now, don't get me wrong...if you're going to flaunt it, it may as well be in your early twenties BEFORE you have a baby. I have to work pretty hard nowadays to look somewhat similar to my pre baby body, so I am glad there is photographic evidence to look back fondly on.

Evidence - 

#ILoveBackSeats

Disclaimer - I reserve the right to still dress with the slightest bit of provacative-ness for Halloween

My style has evolved from dressing to impress men (ahem, slutty) to dressing to impress women (aka - more sophisticated and fashion forward). There is something so much more satisfying about impressing a women with your outfit than impressing a man with your outfit. You see, men are simple creatures. They have no clue if you are wearing Louboutins or some tacky strapy sandals from Payless. A women however can see a Red Bottom coming from a mile away.

Obviously I am still into graphic tees! I wonder if that will go away with my twenties though? That's what I love about style and fashion..it's always evolving. I know I will look back on some of these outfits and cringe. Most likely at some of the cat-centric outfits...Just kidding, I will never stop being a crazy cat lady.

Musings + #OOTN

You'll have to forgive me for my lack of blogging the past few days. I am still recovering from my sickness and things have been crazy around here!

The Mister and I had a date night last night at Foxwoods. It was so much fun! We did a little bit of walking around the shops as well as some gambling. And by gambling, I mean putting a fiver in the slot machine at the bar and drinking for free. We also had some cocktails and sushi. It was glorious not having to rush to eat because a certain 19 month old was getting antsy.

There was also a candy store at Foxwoods with all kinds of cool stuff. A lot of their "novelties" had the word "lick" on them. So I assume when Miley is at Foxwoods in a few weeks that she will be heading to that store to pick up some wares...You heard it here first! Also, they had bacon flavored toothpaste that I am regretting not buying...

#BaconLover

And here are the deets about my #OOTN last night - 

Shirt | Forever 21 | Glasses | Wet Seal | Jeans | JCPenny | Shoes | Cohoes

I posted this last night on Facebook, but I got this shirt for two reasons - 1. Because my brother really is a Brooklyn hipster and 2. Because Cy loves him some Elmo! 

Right turn alert - There is this new reality show on USA called Chrisley Knows Best. It is my new favorite show of the week. It follows a wealthy Atlanta family's life. Two parents and their 5 kids. I will spare you and not try to explain the show to you in words. Here is the preview - 

It's such a good show. And I aspire one day for The Mister and I to be parents like The Chrisley's. Aka - wealthy, southern and sassy! :) I also have a fascination with Atlanta. It's obviously started with The Housewives (thanks Bravo!) but continued because of all the House Hunters episodes and other Atlanta based reality shows. It just seems like such a cool place to live. 

xoxo

Closet Essentials

One of my friends had a blog request last weekend. She requested that I offer some tips on closet organization, what to keep/what to throw out, wardrobe staples etc..

So, I got right to work figuring out how to convey what my technique is...and then I realized..I don't really have one! To be honest, I look at myself like a drag queen...meaning, I only get dressed up when I get paid to...meaning, I really only wear cute outfits when there is a meal and drinks involved!(#StayAtHomeMomProblems) When I know I have an event coming up, I usually start thinking about my outfit close to a month in advance. I usually start with shoes and work my way up. Once I wear said outfit, it doesn't really get worn again. This is why I shop so cheaply. There is no way I can spend over $50 on a dress that I will only wear once.

I hate to admit this, but my wardrobe organization is less than stellar. Because The Mister and I share a closet, things are kind of chaotic. Once we get a house and I can permanently put up some organization structures, I am sure things will be better.

#WardrobeWishes

With all of that being said, I still managed to gather some key wardrobe tips and essentials that I still follow among the chaos...

1. I always switch my winter and summer wardrobes at the beginning and end of seasons. I can not concentrate on putting outfits together in the summer if I have sweaters in my drawers still.

2. Speaking of seasonal wardrobes, I am always sure to leave some summer sundresses in my winter wardrobe to take advantage to pairing them with tights and a blazer.

3. Invest in good blazers. A blazer is the only article of clothing that I will spend over $30 on (besides shoes). I have a navy one, a black one, two white ones (summer and winter) and a zebra printed one.

4. BLACK FLEECE LINED TIGHTS. Enough said.

5. I am the opposite of a hoarder, I have absolutely no problem getting rid of things, clothes included. So, my rule of thumb is that if I haven't worn something (usually a dress) in 3 months, to the Salvation Army it goes.

 

6. Winter shoe essentials - Suede lace up black wedges, black combat boots, black pumps and a pair of oxfords (nude or black). The two pairs of shoes that I wore the most this winter were my black wedges and combat boots. I can not stress the importance of a good pair of combat boots to get you through the winter in a chic way.

So, I hope this helps. I think once summer rolls around I will be a bit more motivated to really overhaul my wardrobe and get some sort of organization situation happening. Until then, Happy Shopping!!

Packing for Vacation

I put out a request on the Decidedly Delightful Facebook page for blog requests. I got one for packing for vacation. I used to be a chronic over packer. But, when we decided to go to Disney, and I knew we were going to be flying, I made sure that in the year and a half I had to plan, I got my packing act together. Here are my tips and tricks to avoid over packing --

1. Count out exactly how many outfits you will need and only bring those outfits - I know this sounds pretty basic but this was something that took me a long time to figure out. For Disney, I know I needed to pack two outfits per day. We were there for 8 nights and 9 days. For the two days of travel (there and back) I only had one outfit but every other day I had two. This also includes pajamas and bathing suits. Do not second guess yourself and start adding other articles of clothing in the suit case. Add what is on the list and add the exact number of outfits you need...no more, no less.

2. Figure out your outfits ahead of time - If anyone saw my "Disney Wardrobe List" they would have thought I was crazy. All of my outfits were planned out on paper down to the accessory and undies. I did this by using Pinterest, Polyvore and my own creative mind. This was a year and a half in the making. The best way to prevent over packing is to pack on paper first.

3. Consolidate pants/shorts/skirts - For our Disney vacay I only brought two pairs of shorts, 1 pair of leggings and one pair of jeans. I mostly wore sun dresses and switched between my two pairs of shorts and jeans for my other outfits. That was the easiest way for me to plan outfits...Pick out three bottoms and match different shirts/shoes/accessories to them.

#SamePantsDifferentOutfit

4. Be realistic about what shoes you will wear - For me, shoes have always been my downfall when it comes to packing. For Disney, I brought one pair of wedges that I wore on the plane, black sandals, sneakers, and two pairs of Toms. I had to be realistic about the fact that I probably would not have been wearing heels to walk around WDW. When The Mister and I went on our honeymoon (WDW and Puerto Rico) I brought so many pairs of heels with me that I NEVER ended up wearing. This time around, I made sure that I matched every outfit to those three pairs (sandals & Toms) of shoes.

5. Ziploc bags are your friend - All over Disney vacation blogs there is a packing tip that I found the most useful out of all of the tips I came across. Put each and every outfit (down to the accessory) in its own Ziploc bag, label it and pull out one Ziploc bag/pre made outfit a day. This was my most important step to avoid over packing and I will never pack for a vacation again without it. It took the guess work out of "What am I wearing today?" I would simply just pull out an outfit for day or night and I had everything I needed in said bag. This is actually also a stylist tip. All those cool outfits that you see celebs wearing while they are at the grocery store? They were most likely put together by their stylist and sent to their house in separate outfit bags.
                             

What are some of your favorite packing tips?

#OOTD

I filmed yesterday therefore I was camera ready and in a cute outfit. So of course, I HAD to do an #OOTD blog post. This is actually the second time I have worn this dress (the horror!). Usually I don't like to be photographed in the same thing twice. But I have this rule that if I wear it for a different season, then it's okay. Basically meaning that I have to drastically change the look. PS - Fleece lined tights changed my life and my winter wardrobe. If you don't have a pair please run (don't walk) to your nearest Target and pick some up.

Dress | AliExpress.com | Fleece Lined Tights | Target | Shoes | Cohoes
Blazer | Forever 21

The last time I wore this dress was in Disney World. I paired it with some Minnie ears and my one of a kind hand painted TOMS. I should do a blog post on those one of these days. I have two pairs and they got me through my whole Disney vacation and are now lovingly displayed in my craft room. They were one of the best purchases EVER.

xoxo

#OOTD

For those that don't know, #ootd means - Outfit of the Day. I filmed yesterday and I mentioned a little bit about what I was wearing but I thought I would also include all the deets here. 

Outfit Details - Blazer|Anne Klein (consignment shop), Turtleneck|Target, 
Pants|Love Culture, Boots|Love Culture #ootd

In January, I went with some friends to a "private shopping" experience (dahhling) at a consignment store in Providence called Into the Wardrobe. In the throes of Prosecco and trying on clothes, I spotted this truly UH-may-zing Anne Klein blazer that literally fits me like a glove. And, I love me a good blazer. During the fall/winter I am ALWAYS in a blazer. I think it's all the years of watching Keeping Up With the Kardashians and idolizing Kris Jenner (don't hate) and her menswear style. I mean, I wore a bedazzled bow tie to my rehearsal dinner...

#bedazzled