Hello, Warmer Days!

My last post was so wordy that I'm compelled to write only a couple of sentences in this post:

I am SO happy that warmer weather is finally here (to stay, I hope!)!!

Did I just jinx us?

;)

Peach blouse (Exact old; Similar here,  here, here; Love these sleeveless options here,  here, here)//

Wine red pleated skirt c/o Teodora B. (Exact here)//
Wide stretch belt (Exact old; Similar here, here, here (just turn the buckle to your back) )//
Nude pumps with ankle straps (Exact here; Almost exact here; Similar here, here, here, here)//
Champagne pearl cluster necklace & Gold crystal bow bangle c/o T+J Designs (Exact here and here)

Yellow blouse (Exact old; Absolutely in LOVE with this one here; Other cute versions here and here)//
Multi-color printed skirt (Exact old; Love these options here, here, here)//
Pink pumps (Exact here; Similar here, here, here)//
Tres Medallion necklace c/o Accessory Mercado (Exact here)

Blue sleeveless top (Exact old; Similar here, here, here, here)//
Dusty pink blazer (Exact old; Similar here, here, here, here)//
Skinny Dress Pants (Exact here; Similar here, here)//
Blue pumps with bows (Exact here; Similar here and here in various colors; Other cute blue pumps here and here)//
Necklace (Similar here and here)//
Rosette cuff c/o Sira & Mara (Exact here)

Red top c/o Jane (Love these versions here, here, here, here)//
Beige pencil skirt (Exact here; Similar here, here, here)//
Leopard print pumps (Exact old; Similar here, here, and love this animal print pair here)//
Snake skin bangle watch c/o Bauble Boutique (Exact here)

10 Things I've Learned As a New Puppy Mom (+ Work Wear, Lately!).

When we first told our friends and family that we got a puppy, most people responded with excitement and the usual "Ahhh I can't wait to meet her!!".  But, there were a few people who were more skeptical about our new bundle of joy.  They asked questions like "who's going to watch her while you're at work?", "How are the cats going to react?", and "Are you sure you're ready to take on a puppy?"
We had, of course, thought through the majority of the issues that we would be faced with.  We knew that taking on a puppy would be challenging (but, so rewarding!) and that it would change many aspects of our lives.  In fact, one of the reasons that we decided to take Lucy in was because we craved a little bit more responsibility.  We wanted to learn to cope with and enjoy taking care of another living being (cats don't count because they're so easy to take care of!) and to learn to become more flexible.  Really, we wanted to take on the responsibility of something other than just the two of us.

Given that we took a week to "prepare for puppy" before we adopted Lucy, we were pretty set when she arrived.  And thankfully, she has turned out to be a pretty flipping awesome dog!  She fits right in with our little family and it's so fun to be able to do things with her and to take her places.  However, I will say, that raising a 10 week old puppy (now 12 weeks) definitely has its challenges!  In fact, I may now be one of those skeptical people whose first question to those considering adopting a puppy is "Are you sure you're ready to take on a puppy?"

So, because most of my days lately have been filled with puppy-duty, I thought that I would share a few things that I've learned so far.  Just in case one of you gorgeous gals is considering getting a pup and you've never had one before, here are some things that you may encounter:

10 Pieces of Advice For New Puppy Parents 
(from a new puppy mom!):

1. PUPPY CARE-  You will have to find some sort of 'puppy care' or arrangement for your new babe, especially if you work during the day.  Even though pups can be crated, they can't be crated for an entire day.  Their little bladders can't hold it for more than a few hours and they really need to get out and get exercise.  They are growing, after all!  We had a few unforeseen issues in the puppy care department.  But, we were lucky enough to figure something out with a few of our (very amazing) neighbors. 

2. MORNING ROUTINE- You will go in and out of the house approximately once every 20 minutes (while you're trying to get ready for work) and stand there (for at least 5 minutes each time) while trying to convince your puppy to do their business outside and not inside your home.  Plan your "getting ready in the morning" routine accordingly.  AKA- Get up at least an hour and a half earlier than you normally get up.  I now know that my morning routine will never be the same.  From a fashion standpoint, it's much harder to plan a fashionable outfit when you have a curious puppy to keep busy.  I hear that this interrupted morning routine will get better once she's potty trained.  Let's hope it does! ;)

3. POTTY TIME- The phrase "go potty" will become deeply ingrained in your mind.  Those two words will become the most used words in your vocabulary and you may start saying "go potty" while you dream at night.

4. TREATS- If you're using treats to potty train your puppy, you will find treats in every pocket of each clothing item that you own.  Embrace those little suckers.  

5. KONGS- If you buy a Kong, you will be so thankful that you may consider writing the Kong company and its creators a letter of deep appreciation.  Kongs have seriously saved meal times for us.

6. TOYS- If your puppy is a biter, you will have to buy a slew of toys for her to play with.  These toys will be your saving grace.  Always have one around to be able to quickly stuff in her mouth, in case she starts chomping on you.  Puppy teeth hurt like a mother!

7. PLAY PEN- Unless you want your puppy to roam the entire house (and leave you little 'treats' every which way), you should consider buying a play pen to contain her.  This will help save your sanity.  

8. LEAVE NOTHING IN REACH- If it's within her reach (more specifically, on or close to the floor), she will claim it as her toy and chew it up.  You will have to find a place up high for every single thing that is close to the ground.  This includes everything on your coffee table and all of your shoes and purses.  Clothes that hang on coat racks are also game.  And be prepared to find your puppy with a completely unrolled roll of toilet paper in the bathroom.  We've had to take our TP off the roll and put it up high. 

9. POTTY PATTERNS- Here we are, back to the potty subject!  You will pick up on your puppy's need-to-go-potty patterns.  I'm actually surprised on how fast we have picked up on Lucy's.  Two important 'potty times' to remember is that they will need to go out as soon as they wake up and about a half hour after they eat or drink water.  

10. DISCIPLINE AND LOVE.  This one was a tough one for me at first, but, puppies need to be disciplined.  If you expect to have a well-behaved dog, you can't just give in every time that they give you puppy eyes.  Otherwise, that little pup will overrun your house and you won't know what happened until it's too late.  So, say "No" and mean it, and set some ground rules.  That being said, these amazing animals are so filled with love and they want to please you-- so, love them hard and enjoy the new little love in your life!

Any good puppy advice that y'all have for me?  I'm all ears!

And for those who didn't come here for puppy talk, here are some looks that's I've worn to work lately. ;)

Peach blouse (Exact old; Similar here,  here, here; Love these sleeveless options here,  here, here)//
Seamless cami (Exact here)//
Printed skirt (Exact here; Cute version here)//
White pointy toe pumps (Exact here; Similar here, here, here)//
Necklace (Similar here and here)//
Rosette cuff c/o Sira & Mara (Exact here)

Leopard print blouse (Similar here; Similar here, here, here, here)//
White ankle pants (Exact here; Similar here, here, here)//
Gold cap toe pumps (Exact old; Almost exact here; Cute pair here)//
Pearl necklace c/o Avery Lane Boutique (Exact Sold Out; Similar here, here) 

Dana dress c/o Catch Bliss Boutique (Exact here)//
Black peplum jacket (Exact old; Similar here, here, here)//
Black opaque tights (Exact here)//
Pink pumps (Exact here; Similar here, here, here)//
Chunky pearl necklace (Exact old; Similar here)//
Skinny black watch (Exact old; Similar here, here)

Crochet top (Exact old; Very similar here; Cute versions here and here)//
Ivory collarless jacket (Exact old; Similar here, here, here)//
Red skinny pants (Almost exact here; Similar here, here, here)//
Nude pointy toe pumps (Exact old; Similar here and here, and love this pair with ankle straps here)//
Earrings c/o Blossom Jewelry Design//
Rosette cuff c/o Sira & Mara (Exact here)

Short sleeve cheetah print top (Exact old; Similar here, here,  here)//
Green blazer (Exact old; Similar here, here, here)//
Skinny Dress Pants (Exact old; Similar here, here, here)//
Gold cap toe pumps (Exact old; Almost exact here; Cute pair here)//
Champagne pearl cluster necklace & Gold crystal bow bangle c/o T+J Designs (Exact here and here)

Caroline top c/o Sugar Love Boutique (Exact here)//

Cropped red blazer (Exact old; Similar here, here, here, here)// 

White pencil skirt skirt (Exact here; Similar here, here, here)//

Black opaque tights (Exact here)//
Black round-toe pumps (Exact here; Similar here, here, here)//
Crystal frosting necklace c/o T+J Designs (Exact here)//
Skinny black watch (Exact old; Similar here, here)

Meet Lucy!

This weekend has been all hustle and bustle in our household.  

It wasn't just the normal let's-catch-up-with-all-the-chores-we-missed-from-the-work-week.  It was more of a holy-crap-we-got-a-puppy-and-this-changes-everything type of weekend.

Yup, you read that right-- we got an (unexpected) puppy!!

Lucy is a rescue that J's mom took in over last Easter weekend.  She's a Shorgi (Shih Tzu/Corgi Mix) and she won our hearts over the second we saw her.  Given that we don't have a dog (I've actually never had one), we spent the past week preparing for her arrival, buying all of the necessary things, and puppy-proofing the house.  I finally picked her up and brought her home on Friday. 

I'm happy to report that she's been an absolute delight and we are all adjusting well to our new dog, human, and cat-filled household.  The cats are, of course, taking a little longer to adjust than J & I. ;)  But, they've actually reacted to her surprisingly well.  I think they're mostly annoyed with Lucy's rough puppy-play.  

But, overall, everyone is happy and we are thrilled to be in the doggy club! :)

Welcome to our home, Lucy!  

We love you already! <3

____________________________________________________________________________

And of course, here are a handful of outfits that I've worn lately!

Kendra tunic c/o Catch Bliss Boutique (Exact here)//
Nude pumps (Exact here; Similar here, here, here)//
Tres Medallion necklace c/o Accessory Mercado (Exact here)

Kendra tunic c/o Catch Bliss Boutique (Exact here)//
Nude pumps (Exact here; Similar here, here, here)//
Tres Medallion necklace c/o Accessory Mercado (Exact here)//
Yellow cardi (Exact old; Similar here, here, here)

Navy printed blouse c/o Flourish Boutique  (Exact no longer available;  Love these printed tops here, here, here, here)//
Navy blazer (Exact old; Similar here, here, here, here)//
 Mint skinny jeans (Exact old; Similar here, here, here, here)//
Striped flats (Exact old; Similar here, here, here)//
Fancy Nancy necklace c/o Accessory Mercado (Exact here)//
Bezel Venus Flytrap bracelet c/o Accessory Mercado (Exact here)//
Grey watch from Groopdealz (Exact no longer available; Similar here; Other cute options here and here)

Riley Boyfriend Maxi c/o Catch Bliss Boutique (Exact here)//
Wedges (Exact old; Similar here, here, here)//
Anar Lace Earrings c/o Bauble Boutique (Exact here)//
 Turquoise tile bangles c/o Trade of Hope by Dawn (Exact here)

Top c/o Flourish Boutique (Exact no longer available)//Seamless cami (Exact here)//
Dark-wash skinny jeans (Exact here; Similar here, here, here, here)//
Ivory blazer (Exact here; Similar here, here, here, here)//
Nude pointy toe pumps (Exact here; Similar here and here, and love this pair with ankle straps here)//
Bombolulu earrings c/o Trade of Hope by Dawn (Exact here)//Yasi crystal cuff c/o Bauble Boutique (Exact here)

Kinsley top c/o Sugar Love Boutique (Exact here)//
Seamless cami (Exact here)//
Striped blazer (Exact old; Super cute versions here, here, here, here)//
Dark-wash skinny jeans (Exact here; Similar here, here, here, here)//
Black flats (Exact old; Similar here, here, and LOVE this pair here)//
Saphire grey glam necklace c/o T+J Designs (Exact here) 

Pointedly Perfect top c/o Flourish Boutique (Exact here)//
Ivory blazer (Exact here; Similar here, here, here, here)//
Skinny Dress Pants (Exact old; Similar here, here, here)//
Nude pointy toe pumps (Exact here; Similar here and here, and love this pair with ankle straps here)//
Scarf (Gifted; Cute options here, here, here, here)//
Earrings c/o Blossom Jewelry Design 

Short and Sweet.

After a delicious Easter dinner and some lovely family time, I'm ready to put on some comfy clothes and relax for the night.
So, I will make this a very short post and just say: here's some work-wear from the last couple of weeks!
Hope you had a wonderful weekend, Loves! :)

White/cream blouse (Exact old; Similar here and here; Love this short-sleeved version here, and these shells here and here)//
Striped blazer (Exact old; Super cute versions here, here, here, here)//
Red ankle pants (Exact here; Similar here, here, here)//
Leopard print pumps (Exact old; Similar here, here, and love this animal print pair here)//
Leopard print belt (Exact old; Similar here, here, here)//
Crystal bouquet necklace c/o Sira Mira (Exact here)//
Skinny grey watch (not shown) (Exact old; Great options here and here)

Black sleeveless top (Exact old; Similar here, here, here)//
Red printed blazer (Exact old; Similar here)//
Beige pencil skirt (Exact here <-- Beware, this particular H&M skirt wrinkles like CRAZY; Similar here, here, here)//
Black opaque tights (Exact here)//
Pointy toe black pumps (Almost exact here; Similar here, here, and a gorgeous pair with ankle straps here)//
Crystal frosting necklace c/o T+J Designs (Exact here)

Briella Dress c/o Catch Bliss Boutique (Exact here)//
Black cardigan (Exact old; Similar here, here, here, here)//Black opaque tights (Exact here)//
Black round-toe pumps (Exact here; Similar here, here, here)//
Skinny black belt (Exact old; Similar here, here, here, here)//
Skinny black watch (Exact old; Similar here, here)//
Earrings c/o Blossom Jewelry Design

Unfolding Petals dress c/o Flourish Boutique (Exact here)//
Yellow blazer c/o Teodora B. (Exact here)//
Black opaque tights (Exact here)//
Pink pumps (Exact here; Similar here, here, here)//
Neon statement necklace c/o Accessory Mercado (Exact here)

Introducing the Hello Gorgeous/Avery Lane Boutique Look of The Month!

One of my favorite things about being a style blogger is having the opportunity to be involved in fun and creative collaborations with some pretty marvelous boutiques.  Today, I am beyond excited to tell you about a brand new monthly collab that I'll be featuring with the fabulous Avery Lane Boutique!  The fantastic thing about this collaboration is that that you'll get to see it on the blog and take part in it!  

So, what exactly will be happening?  

Each month, I will be teaming up with Avery Lane Boutique to handpick an exclusive "Hello Gorgeous Look of The Month".  The looks may have themes, will always be budget-friendly, and they will, of course, be gorgeous!!

The best part is that the entire look will be available for purchase through shopaveylane.com!  

I hope that y'all love this collaboration as much as me-- Lord knows *this* girl is giddy!

To start off the "Hello Gorgeous/Avery Lane Boutique Look of The Month", this month's theme is a "Wear-to-Work/Wear-to-Easter-Dinner" look.  Of course, some of you may not celebrate Easter.  But, a classic blue tweed and pearls can be paired with a blazer for a chic work look and the it can also be easily transitioned into an Easter dinner/bridal shower/baby shower and other day-time celebration look.  

I promise that I'm not being biased when I tell you that the cut and material of this dress is absolutely exquisite.  And would you believe me if I told you that you could get this beautiful dress and the pearls for around $50?  Well, you can!  Right here.

Enjoy! :)

Blue for You dress and Pretty in Pearls necklace c/o Avery Lane Boutique (Exact pieces here)//
Black opaque tights (Exact here)//
Black round-toe pumps (Exact here; Similar here, here, here)//
Skinny black belt (Exact old; Similar here, here, here, here)//
Skinny black watch (Exact old; Similar here, here)

Blue for You dress and Pretty in Pearls necklace c/o Avery Lane Boutique (Exact pieces here)//
White blazer (Exact here; Similar here, here, here, here)//
Black opaque tights (Exact here)//
Black round-toe pumps (Exact here; Similar here, here, here)//
Skinny black belt (Exact old; Similar here, here, here, here)//
Skinny black watch (Exact old; Similar here, here)

Blue for You dress and Pretty in Pearls necklace c/o Avery Lane Boutique (Exact pieces here)//
White blazer (Exact here; Similar here, here, here, here)//
Black opaque tights (Exact here)//
Black round-toe pumps (Exact here; Similar here, here, here)//
Skinny black belt (Exact old; Similar here, here, here, here)//
Skinny black watch (Exact old; Similar here, here)

One Pant, Three Ways.

I remember the exact day that I bought my first pair of skinnies.  It was July 2006 and skinny jeans were just starting to break into the average person's fashion comfort-zone after years and years of flared and boot-cut jean domination.  I decided to try on a pair of skinnies at Express, thinking that I probably wouldn't like them too much.   

I reluctantly pulled them on, and voila!  
It's as if a dream that I didn't know I had was just realized.  

That might seem dramatic, but it's totally true!  Given that I'm short and petite, almost every pair of pants that I ever bought had to be altered and shortened.  Needless to say, I always dreaded buying pants because having to tailor every pair was really not feasible at the time--especially on a college student budget.

With skinnies, if they were a little long, they could just bunch up around my ankles and they would look fine.  And if they were short, well then they looked like cute ankle pants.  I realized that I may never have to get pants altered again.  Shut.the.front.door!

The next best thing that happened in my skinny pants journey was that I found a pair of perfectly fitting skinnies made out of dressy pants material (perfect for work!).  This little bit of heaven was from The Limited and I proceeded to buy them in every color that they offered.  Which brings us to today-- one day after I online binge-shopped on my favorite Limited pants.  To be fair though, I wear these skinnies so much that I've worn them out and the color is starting to fade.  And after three years, they've truly stood the test of time.  Plus, look how many different ways they can be styled!

So... my little shopping spree is justified, right? ;)

Black & White chiffon top c/o Catch Bliss Boutique (Exact here)//
Ivory blazer (Exact here; Similar here, here, here, here)//
Skinny Dress Pants (Exact old; Similar here, here, here)//
Nude pointy toe pumps (Exact here, here, here, and love this pair with ankle straps)//
Mint statement necklace (Absolutely love these options here, here, here, here, here, here)

Mayla tank c/o Catch Bliss Boutique (Exact here)//
White blazer (Exact here; Similar here, here, here, here)//
Skinny Dress Pants (Exact old; Similar here, here, here)//
Skinny gold belt (Exact old; Similar here, here, here)//
Gold cap toe pumps (Exact old; Cute pair here; Love this one here and this slingback here)//
Yasi crystal earrings, bracelet, snakeskin bangle watch and c/o Bauble Boutique (Exact here, here, and here)

Hot pink chiffon blouse (Exact here; Great options here, here, here); Love these sleeveless versions here and here)//
Skinny Dress Pants (Exact old; Similar here, here, here)//
Leopard print flat (Exact here; Similar here, here, here)//
Leopard print scarf (Exact gifted; Cute ones here, here, here)//
Skinny black watch (Exact old; Similar here, here)//
 Earrings c/o Blossom Jewelry Design