Its been a while!

I have made it my goal to post each Wednesday till I get going on blogging a bit more. And then life happens, and I find it is Friday and I still haven't made my weekly post. Maybe I need to utilize my calendar alerts on my iPad better!

Today's post is BOOTS BOOTS BOOTS! *said in the bubbly voice of the "boats, boats boats!" girl on HIMYM*

So lets talk boots! I  purchased these super lovely Frye Martina Short Boots in Whiskey over the summer, at a fantastic price so I was set as far as short leather boots went.

The only, and I mean ONLY gripe I have with these boots is they scratch like MAD! Like, I bump a box at work and there comes a new scratch! I suppose as they get more scratches & worn they still will look great though!

Then I got these booties from Old Navy, and normally I find their items to be cheaply made & cheap looking these days, however I have loved these booties & $2 I paid for them after promo's and Gap Rewards, I have gotten my money's worth out of them & they still are going strong! Sold out at Old Navy or I'd link them!

So I had been eyeing Hunter Original Tall Rain Boots for a few years now, but never took the plunge. The other day though however, blogger ShopDandy posted about a good sale that Piperlime was having. Normally their Hunters are excluded from some of their promo's (like the 30% for new customers for sure) but their sale this past week was 25% off purchases if you spent $200 or more. Plus each purchaser is entered into a drawing for their Luxe Vintage event. Some items that could be won would be a Chanel bag, Louis Vuitton Speedy, Hermes, etc. OMG fingers crossed I win lol! I almost never win anything & I enter drawings like a crazy lady! Anyhow, back to the subject at hand! Hunters are generally around $148 so I had to locate something else that I needed to get that total up to $200. I am selling a bunch of stuff on Ebay so I took the plunge and added the DV by Dolce Vita Myste tall suede boots @ $160  I had been eyeing for a bit to my cart. Using the 25% off discount, plus ebates (sign up on my ebate link for great discounts!) I ended up spending $200 for two pair of boots! Awesome deal & I love them both! 

My one comment on the Hunters... they do run a little bigger so if you are half size, you may want to size down. However I am an 8.5 in some brands and 9 in others and I went with an 8, and they do almost seem a hair too small so be cautious! I think they will work for me though. 

I feel like my boot wardrobe is almost complete and I know some of these may seem pricey but I plan to keep them & not have to buy new ones each season! If taken care of properly I imagine I won't have any issues having these in my fall/winter wardrobe for years to come. 

I do feel like I am going to need a pair of black boots that I enjoy as well and then I have been kind of lusting over these lovely rain boots Chelsea Rain Boots by J.Crew........ maybe I should spend my birthday money on them? 

What is on your fall boot wish list? Obviously I do have some wish listed items I didn't blog about, but mainly because I know it will be a long time before I can afford them..... I definatly would love some Joie boots, Tory Burch leather boots etc. 

Thanks for reading! 

Hello Fall!

Its been a time of hayrides, visiting a pumpkin patch, and for me fall means eating all things pumpkin and drinking all things pumpkin spice! The last few days have been a bit rainy here in northeast Ohio but prior I would say it has been one of the nicer falls, with lots of sunshiny days. The other day Madewell was having a fall sale, with 30% off of their sale items. Whenever Madewell has one of these sales, I always have to check them out! They don't have the sales that often. I ended up picking up the most beautiful dark cabernet colored leather handbag! I can't wait to use this baby. I figure it will just be an early birthday gift to me! The top one is the one I got, but I love the english saddle one too! Since I purchased they also came out with a really pretty green, but I can't really see myself using that color.

Madewell Berliner Tote

The second item I purchased, I felt like I was taking a chance on. I have been wanting to jump on the coated denim train, but unsure where to purchase from. Madewell had a pair of coated denim leggings both on sale & then with the 30% off I decided to bite. I did call to make sure I could return if they didn't fit, as sizing is always hard. I could return, so I ordered them. I got my usual size and the leggings arrived tonight. With trepidation, I opened the bag & went to try on. As soon as I got them on I was in love! Not in like, in LOVE! They are a pull on style, and it might sound weird but they have an elastic band in the back waistband and I think that helped to get a nice snug fit, without being too tight. Thankfully a perfect height for no muffin top & honestly when people say things "Fit Like A Glove" they could have been describing what it is like to wear these. I will have to come back to update after wearing for a day as to how they wear and if there is any sagging that goes on. They do contain some elastane so hopefully 2% is enough to give them shape thru the day. I will probably cry if they get really super saggy! 

Madewell Coated Leggings

So far I have been very happy with all items I have purchased from Madewell. Good quality and good fit so far! 

I tried the leggings on with a white tee that I picked up at Old Navy for $3.99. I don't know how long it will last, as Old Navy items are really hit or miss but if I can get a few wears out of it for $3.99 I guess I will be happy! 

Old Navy Linen Blend Tee

For cooler weather I will add either a sweater or a light jacket to the ensemble. I will try and update how the leggings do after I get a chance to wear them & hopefully update with a photo of me so you can see what a more normal sized person looks like in them compared to the size 000 models that most companies are using. 

Thanks for reading! 

            

I feel like I haven't kept my end of the bargain......

And told you all where to find awesome clothing items for even more awesome prices. So here are some of my tricks!

Poshmark:So I saw a pair of J.Crew Pixie pants and got the chance to try them on during my last visit to the J.Crew store. I really liked them, but wasn't sure how they would wear on me (would they stretch out during the day, would they go with my tops, etc) so I did not want to spend $98 on them. The dark heather grey color I wanted wasn't on sale on the website either so I didn't think I would end up getting them anytime soon. Then I decided to look on Poshmark. Found a pair, new without tags (had only been tried on) and was able to get them for $40 shipped! Making them a very nice deal! I think I am going to love these pants, they feel like a dressier version of leggings. I also really wanted to try another pair of Pilcro and the Letterpress jeans. So I did find a pair of new without tags Pilcro Trousers and those were $31 shipped, which is also an excellent deal on jeans that normally run over $130. It is also a great place to sell your gently used or new items that you can't return. I have sold a lot on Posh. They do take 20% so price accordingly. But Poshmark makes it very easy by sending you a shipping label so all you need to do is pack & ship.  Katzchen80 That is my closet on Posh if you want to follow me.

This is what the Pixies look like in black. 

Another trick is to follow couponing sites on Facebook such as hip2save, Mint Arrow and I know there are a ton more, but I really like these two. hip2save has everything from toys, to food items etc that she posts about. Mint Arrow is more fashion & baby items. A little higher end from time to time. I didn't end up purchasing, but Mint Arrow posted a deal Monday about half off Hobo The Original wallets which would have been an awesome deal as Hobo wallets are fantastic! 

Last little bit of advice is to just wait! With the coupon sites, yes if you see a good deal you often need to jump because it won't be there long but for the most part my approach to good deals is just to wait it out. The cycle most stores have before they post a percent off or move things to the sale section is pretty quick so if I see something I like, I stalk it for a while until it get's a percent off that can be applied or it gets moved to the sale section. Of course, by that method you can sometimes miss out on an item, but I always figure there really isn't anything I "HAVE TO HAVE" so badly I can't afford to miss it. Doing this, I have often ended up with items I wanted from day one but ended up getting for half the price or more. Patience! 

Thanks for reading!! 

Day to Night Series with Walking In Memphis In High Heels

I was so flattered to be accepted to pair up on Laura from Walking In Memphis In High Heels blog for her Day to Night series. Laura is seriously the sweetest lady, so pretty and love her style. She and her husband are expecting their first baby, a little girl. Couldn't be happier for them, check her blog for her story and to check out her lovely style. 

Walking In Memphis In High Heels

Laura styled a jean jacket for this post with a gorgeous red dress, styled for evening. I styled it with some leggings and tennis shoes to show how it could be worn for daytime.  As a mom of a busy 4 year old, it is awesome to have versatile items and casual, but cute outfits for running errands, taking Myles to preschool and play dates at the park.

My jean jacket is from The GAP, leggings are Lauren Conrad from Kohls, handbag from J.Crew (their perforated Downing tote), snood scarf is from J.Crew, sweatshirt tee is also from J.Crew as well as the Vintage '83 Nike tennis shoes.

Thanks for checking out my blog! Please follow me on Instagram and follow my blog for more posts about fashion on a budget, family, food and faith. 

Pilcro Hyphen

If you are like me, and have been on a search for the perfect boyfriend fit jean, search no more! I took a chance and ordered the Pilcro Hypehn deconstructed jean when Anthropologie had their 25% off sale. Never had tried on the brand, didn't know if the size I ordered would work. But Oh My Gosh! I love them! Fit perfect, didn't lose their shape in the rear end region during the day and were oh so comfy to wear!

Here are two photos of me in the jeans, first look is with a jeweled J.Crew baseball tee, J.Crew Factory herringbone vest and booties from Old Navy. Second pic is from the same day, but with the J.Crew quilted puffer coat as the weather dropped in temp a lot during the day! I submitted these to a contest that Anthro is running on Instagram. Winners of the contest get to model in a holiday photo shoot. Wouldn't that be fun? Obviously not holding my breath!

Vacation Happened!

It was lovely to visit the ocean for a week and enjoy some relaxation, although vacation with a toddler sure is not always the most relaxing! Life after vacation was busy trying to get back in the swing of things. Almost there! The cooler temps have had me reaching for all things cozy! Sweatshirts, boots, scarves and vests will be on a lot! Speaking of cozy, I went out this morning in search of some leggings and ended up with a velour track suit! Hello 1999! Hopefully it isn't too out of date, because I am sure I will be wearing it endlessly around home and the park with my son. I plan to wear it with a pair of Nike shoes I scored on sale from J.Crew.

Juicy Couture for Kohls

Juicy Couture for Kohls

Vintage Nike Air Pegasus for J.Crew