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Nikki by example - Just a girl trying to lead by example
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  • Health
  • Motherhood
  • Travel
  • Extras
    • DIY
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  • About Nikki
    • Our DIY Wedding
Fashion

Summer Whites

June 25, 2015 by Nikki 1 Comment

Summer Whites | NCsquared Life

The thought of wearing clothes right now is almost painful because of the heat wave. I’m lucky in that I get to stay mostly inside where there is air conditioning and cold drinks. In the event I have to venture out, it’s 100 degrees in the shade so I’m drawn to tank tops, shorts/skirts, and sandals. And white is perfect for summer! I wore this outfit to eat delicious tacos for dinner at one of our favorite taco joints, NanaTaco.

Summer Whites | NCsquared Life

Summer Whites | NCsquared Life

Summer Whites | NCsquared Life

Oh, look what we have here: Nick has decided to make an appearance on the blog again, and he’s wearing summer whites, too! Nick wore this outfit to work with a tie and nice shoes, then changed into a pair of casual shoes when he got home.

Summer Whites | NCsquared Life

Summer Whites | NCsquared Life

Summer Whites | NCsquared Life

Summer Whites | NCsquared Life

Summer Whites | NCsquared Life

Hers – Blouse: miami via Francesca’s | Shorts: Gap | Shoes: impo via Ross  | Sunnies & Handbag: Target | Necklace: Banana Republic

His – Shirt: Slate & Stone via Trunk Club | Pants: Banana Republic | Shoes: Clae via Trunk Club | Sunglasses: Oakley (prescription)

Linking up with Mix & Match Fashion | The Tiny Heart | Tucker Up | Walking in Memphis in High Heels | I do deClaire

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Reading time: 1 min
Fashion

Outfits that Never Made the Blog

June 24, 2015 by Nikki 2 Comments

I’ve never had a good plan for taking pictures of my outfits. To be completely honest, I still don’t but I’m closer to figuring it out now that I’m not commuting every day or out of town for weeks at a time. I’ve read that some bloggers will plan their outfits on the weekend and take their photos in bulk. I’ve tried this and it gets exhausing for me. Some bloggers are able to take photos the morning or evening they wear them. I’ve kind of tried this and wasn’t at all consistent, but I feel like I’m in a position to give this a more successful attempt. In the meantime, I’ll share some outfits that never made it to the blog, mostly because I was never able to take “good enough” photos of them. The good thing is that I *did* actually wear all of these outfits. Enjoy!

1. This one never made it to the blog because I didn’t think it was good enough. I wore it to work over the winter while I was a graduate research assistant. I think what turned me off to it was that the front of the white blouse lays funny in the front.

Outfits that Never Made the Blog | NCsquared Life

 

2. I’ve worn this outfit (or some variation of it) so many times that there really isn’t any excuse for not getting good pictures. I probably didn’t think it was good enough for the blog either, even though it totally is. This was back when I felt immense pressure to “dress for the blog” instead of dressing for me. I’m getting much better at dressing in what I like instead of what I think will look good on the blog. Anyway, It’s a floral skirt from Old Navy that is really pretty and feminine and comfortable.

Outfits that Never Made the Blog | NCsquared Life

 

3. This is actually the Part 2 to my Birthday Outfit Part 1 post. I turned 30 last year and to celebrate, Nick and I had a nice spa day in the morning and then went out to a fancy dinner that night. I wore this dress for dinner, and we were going to get pictures before we went out but it never happened. I hadn’t planned on wearing the wrap or the black pantyhose, but it was so cold out that I didn’t have a choice. I don’t know what I was expecting though, because my birthday is in December! *Please excuse any mess or four-legged furbabies in the background!*

Outfits that Never Made the Blog | NCsquared Life

 

4. Okay, full disclosure: I haven’t worn this exact outfit yet. BUT I’ve worn the pants with a different shirt for a date night and it was sooo cute that I’m determined to get photos of it for the blog, so please stay tuned. However, it was this outfit that I put together in the dressing room that convinced me to take the plunge and purchage these pants, since they’re slightly out of my comfort zone.

Outfits that Never Made the Blog | NCsquared Life

 

5. This was an outfit I wore several winters ago! In fact, that shirt was in my very first Stitch Fix box. I think I’ve gotten rid of the blouse and the boots since then, but this was a really cute outfit that warmed up a cold day.

Outfits that Never Made the Blog | NCsquared Life

 

6. Another winter outfit that I probably felt was too plain for the blog. But I’m coming to terms that I have a really simple/somewhat minimalist sense of style and that’s okay. This is an outfit that was put on repeat that winter so, again, there’s no excuse to not have gotten a good photo of it.

Outfits that Never Made the Blog | NCsquared Life

 

7. Chambray and orange, it’ll never be wrong.

Outfits that Never Made the Blog | NCsquared Life

 

8. This was a spring break outfit two years ago. I did wear this blouse/cardigan combo with white jeans, but I like the casual feel of the darker denim, so maybe I’ll break this one back out and wear it again soon.

Outfits that Never Made the Blog | NCsquared Life

 

9. I wore this to a concert one evening, and the crop top was way out of my comfort zone but I went for it. The outfit is really cute but the skirt was really uncomfortable so I got rid of it.

Outfits that Never Made the Blog | NCsquared Life

 

10. Now we’re going old school. This was when I first started grad school in the fall of 2013 and decided to start style blogging. I didn’t have a nice camera, all I had was my old iPhone 4 – I’ve since divorced Apple and have a happy marriage with my Android devices – but this was my real life and were real outfits that I wore!

Outfits that Never Made the Blog | NCsquared Life

Outfits that Never Made the Blog | NCsquared Life

Outfits that Never Made the Blog | NCsquared Life

Outfits that Never Made the Blog | NCsquared Life

Maybe I’ll eventually get it together and take really good quality of some of these and repost them. But until then, I hope you’ve enjoyed getting a peak of the outfits that never made the blog!

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Reading time: 3 min
Fashion

A Dress to Honor Friends

June 23, 2015 by Nikki No Comments

A Dress to Honor Friends | NCsquared Life

2008 was a really good year for me: I had graduated from college, got a pretty good job, and met & moved in with a girl that would become one of my best friends. She taught me to a lot of awesome things like how to appreciate a glass of wine, the importance of quality friendships, and being brave enough to follow your dreams. I’ve always planned to go graduate school, but it wasn’t until I watched Maria face all of her fears and complete a graduate program that I was inspired to finally achieve my own goals of earning a higher degree. Now that I’m all finished, our other friend, Karen, is starting her journey through graduate school.

A Dress to Honor Friends | NCsquared Life

All of that to say that I wore this dress to a party in honor of Karen starting graduate school. It was hot as all get out that day so I wanted to be covered as little as possible, so I wore this cute little dress. I can’t believe I haven’t shared it on the blog before because it’s a nice go-to. It’s casual enough to wear to a party but it’s nice enough to wear to a nice event (which I did several summers ago: I wore it to an anniversary event for the organization I worked for). The only problem I have is it often feels shorter than it looks, so I get a little self-conscious.

The dress is from Ross, which I find to be less expensive than TJ Maxx or Marshall’s. Even so, I don’t shop there very often because I like to take my time to look everything over and I rarely have that kind of time. But I got it a long time ago (at least 6 years ago) and it’s still one of my favorites.

A Dress to Honor Friends | NCsquared Life

A Dress to Honor Friends | NCsquared Life

Here’s the fun blooper: Cleaning off my sunnies is hilarious!

Blooper: A Dress to Honor Friends | NCsquared Life

Dress: BeBop via Ross | Hat: Banana Republic | Shoes, Necklace, & Sunnies: Target 

By the way, I’d like to wish my mother a very happy birthday today! She’s the best and I love her very much. Happy Birthday, Denise (aka mom)!

Linking up with Mix & Match Fashion | The Tiny Heart | Tucker Up | Walking in Memphis in High Heels | I do deClaire | The Pleated Poppy

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Reading time: 1 min
Fashion

Making it Your Own

June 16, 2015 by Nikki 4 Comments

Making it Your Own | NCsquared Life

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!

Making it Your Own | NCsquared Life

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.

Making it Your Own | NCsquared Life

Making it Your Own | NCsquared Life

Making it Your Own | NCsquared Life

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

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Reading time: 1 min
Fashion

A Slight Variation

June 15, 2015 by Nikki 2 Comments

A Slight Variation | NCsquared Life

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!

A Slight Variation | NCsquared Life

A Slight Variation | NCsquared Life

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

A Slight Variation | NCsquared Life

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

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About Me

Hi, I’m Nikki. This is where I blog about my life and personal style. I’m a wife and mom, public health professional, sushi lover, wine enthusiast, and coffee snob. Welcome to my little corner of the world where I try to lead by example!

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