I’ve seen a lot of inspiration lately for wearing white and gray together; more specifically, wearing a gray t-shirt with white pants and accessorized with cognac shoes, belts, purses, etc. I wanted to accessorize this outfit with cognac, too, but I ran into a few issues. First, you couldn’t see my cognac belt with my shirt untucked. Unfortunately, this t-shirt is too tight for a half tuck, AND my torso is too short so the proportions were all wrong. Second, the only cognac bag I have is huge and falling apart, which is not what I felt like carrying around to lunch and during errands. So I decided to switch it up and make it my own. That’s the point of inspiration photos, after all. A point that took me a while to realize, I’ll admit. Instead of cognac, I decided to accessorize with my favorite floral flats (that have a lot of gray in them) and my cobalt blue purse. The result? Well, as you can see, it looks pretty good!

One of these photos is not like the others. I had some extra time to take photos and the sun kept going in and out of the clouds, so I tried a few different shots. I didn’t get too many like the one below before the sun came out again and produced harsh light. But this one was alright, so I kept it.

 Tee & Sunnies: Target | Jeans: Old Navy | Shoes & Handbag: Target | Bracelet: Old Navy | Charm Necklaec: Target | Layered Necklaces: Claire’s

This is a slight variation on this outfit I wore a few weeks ago: same shorts, same sandals, different shirt but still with stripes. I wanted something comfy to wear home for the weekend while still looking stylish for a family get-together, so this was it. I added the flower clip for a pop of color, and because it’s just super cute.

I love visiting my family, especially when we have so much to celebrate. During this trip, we celebrated a few birthdays, my baby cousin’s graduation from college AND his engagement to his girlfriend (welcome to the family!), and best of all, I got to spend quality time with everyone. I spent the last few years commuting to the eastern part of the state for school so I never had a lot of time to travel to the western part of the state to visit my family. I’m so glad that I can go visit them more often now that I’ve completed school. I try to make it home about once a month or so because my family is very important to me. I also love it when they come visit me and I can take them to all my favorite restaurants, or go a Durham Bulls baseball game, visit one of the many museums, or to the Duke Gardens (my mom is a horticulturist so she LOVES plants), or shopping at the mall or the many boutique stores we have. One thing is for sure: it’s always a good time!

Maybe this a blooper? I dont know, I actually think it looks fine!

Top: Banana Republic | Shorts: Gap | Shoes: X-Appeal | Sunnies, Necklace, Flower Clip, and Handbag: Target

I must have unknowingly had this outfit by Audrey in mind when I went shopping and purchased all of these pieces, so I guess that makes me an accidental copycat. Coral is in this summer and I’m glad; it’s one that I’ve always thought looked good on me! I’ve been wanting a lighter denim jacket, and I just happened to try this outfit on in the store and loved it. The flowy top is light and summery, the coral color is in, and the jacket is the perfect complement.

I had planned to wear a hat and my glitter sandals with this outfit – I’ll save that outfit for another post – but I wore this one to the grocery store and my feet ALWAYS get cold at the grocery store so I wore flats. They also look great with the coral pants so they were naturally a great choice.

Blouse, Jeans, & Denim Jacket: Gap | Flats: Target | Necklace: Banana Republic | Bracelet: Old Navy

Linking up with A Pocketful of Polka Dots | Penniless Socialite

This past weekend was one of the best that I’ve had in a long time. I had a friend date on Friday where we had dinner, drinks and saw a movie as is our tradition; then on Saturday, I had a lovely brunch with a friend I haven’t seen in a few weeks; all ending with Nick and I grilling out and got a lot of yard work done.

We ended up having an impromtu fiesta for two with grilled steak fajitas and a delicious black bean and corn salad. We ate outside on our deck, which we haven’t done in a long time. It was the perfect little fiesta!

We grilled the fajita veggies (red, yellow, and orange peppers along with a white onion) in the cast iron skillet on the grill and they tasted fantastic.

Our black bean and corn salad was thrown together using black beans, corn, a diced jalapeno, a small can of rotel tomatoes, and diced red onion. We also threw it in the cast iron skillet and it turned out really well with the perfect amount of spiciness.

On a separate note, I haven’t done much shopping these last few months, but I really wanted a new denim jacket that is much lighter than my current one. While I was out, I picked up a few extra tops and a pair of coral pants, because they’re all the rage right now. I’m sure you’ll be seeing both of these outfits show up on the blog in the near future.

Dressing room photos from Gap

What I like most about this top is that it’s knotted in the middle, hiding my “problem area” (my tummy).  I try really hard to practice self love and appreciate my body for what it is and all of the amazing things it can do, but I am only human; I fall victim to society’s often unrealistic standards of beauty from time to time. It doesn’t help that I’ve gained some weight over the past year or so when I was in grad school, so most of my pants are a little snug. A knotted top like this one lets me to take my mind off of my body while I work on my fitness. I also really like that there are both horizontal and vertical stripes in one shirt. That makes it so much more fun!

I see this outfit as being a good base because there are a lot of ways to wear it for every occassion. I can wear it with heels and a cute clutch for a night out; I can switch out the pants for shorts and a hat and wear it to the farmers’ market or a daytime festival; I can wear it with black trousers and a blazer for a more polished look; it’s basically perfect!

I’ve already worn this outfit several times, most recently on a friend date to dinner/drinks and a movie. Two of my friends and I have a tradition where we get together at least once a year to watch a horror movie, a tradition that started with the Paranormal Activity movies. We went to see Poltergeist and, to be honest, we werent impressed.

Here’s the fun blooper: I don’t know what I’m doing but it looks like a move from my BodyFlow class during the Tai Chi portion, where we hold our energy ball in front of us.

Top: Gap | Jeans: Banana Republic | Shoes: Old Navy | Vest: Ross | Sunnies: Target

Linking up with Fizz & Frosting | Still Being Molly | More Pieces of Me | Trend Spin Linkup | Not Fancy, Just Life