White

Two summers ago, I was searching frantically for a white blazer, and I finally settled on this one from Banana Republic. A few wears later, I realized why having a white blazer was stupid. Having ANYTHING white that is dry clean only is just an accident waiting to happen, especially with kids. Plus, I bought it when I hadn't really figured out the differences between the different blazer shapes (and I STILL haven't really figured it out yet) but I feel like the cut of this one looks too business suit-jacket-y for my casual lifestyle.

I'm on the hunt for another white blazer with a more casual cut, though seeing that my budget is kind of tight (less than $300 to last me through the end of the year), and with white being such an impractical color with two young kids, the search is low on my priority list. I'll keep my eyes open for good deals though!

Blazer: Banana Republic
Top: BR Factory Store
Jeans: J Brand Lovestory
Shoes: Target
Necklace: F21

One blazer, 8 ways

This blazer has quickly become my favorite blazer in the whole wide world. I first saw it on Kendi when she featured it as part of her Styld.by Gap collaboration, and Fran and I were talking about how cute it was and how much we both wanted to buy it. And buy it we did! It's always fun to get more styling ideas for items in my closet, so I was really excited to partner with Erika, Anne, and Fran to show a couple different ways to wear a bright blazer.

Fran (1, 2) | Erika (1. 2) | Anne (1, 2) | Kimmie (1, 2)

Right now, the blazer is on sale for $57 with an additional 40% off (code GAPSALE, ends 5/19) bringing it down to less than $35, and there are plenty of sizes still available!  I'll admit that it makes me *slightly* sad because I spent $45 on mine, and I hate when something goes even further on sale after I buy it :( But I don't feel like going through the trouble of buying another and then returning, so I'll just be content with spending a little more on something that I love.

They also have a yellow version that I was originally tempted to buy, because I've been on the hunt for a yellow blazer, but I found one in store the other day and it was BRIGHT HIGHLIGHTER NEON yellow, which is not exactly very flattering, so... no thanks.

Hope you guys have a good weekend!

Blazer: Gap
Dress/Shoes/Belt/Necklace: Target

Mellow Yellow

I love bows on clothes, but they always end up untying themselves halfway through the day (or within two seconds if I'm holding a child that likes to kick). Then there's the fact that bows photograph wonky. Maybe I should just swap this one out with a normal belt next time I wear this skirt.... but I do love bows so maybe I won't.

I mentioned this already in my closet holes post, that I've been on the hunt for a full mustard yellow skirt for years after seeing E from Academichic's yellow skirt from Antropologie. So far, I've been unsuccessful in finding the exact skirt on eBay or finding a similar yellow skirt from another retailer. I've even tried finding yellow fabric so I could make it myself but have not been able to find the right shade of yellow in the right fabric. I've kept my eyes peeled every time I go shopping for a hint of yellow in the skirt racks, so when I was at the Banana outlet a few months ago, I was immediately drawn to this bright yellow skirt. I did a little happy dance when I found it in my size AND marked down to $13! It's not what I was originally looking for, but I think that if and when I find that full mustard yellow skirt, it will be different enough from this one to justify owning two yellow skirts.

ETA: OMGGGGG I just found the Anthro skirt on ebay!!!!!! I know I've been on the hunt for this skirt forever but kind of wary of spending $55 on a used skirt (the Buy it Now price) so I'll sleep on it and hopefully it won't get snatched up by someone else in the meantime.

Linking up with Marionberry Style's Trend of the Month link up. Go check out all the other bloggers wearing yellow!

Tee: Target
Cardigan: The Limited
Skirt: BR Factory Store
Necklace: Macy's
Flats: Target

My secret to getting discounted Fryes

I know it's almost summer and no one is thinking about buying boots right now, but I do get a lot of questions about my Frye boots. Specifically, "What is the best way to save money on buying Fryes?"

Right now, I have a total of 5 pairs. Two were purchased at Nordstrom Rack at a major discount, one pair was purchased second-hand from my dear friend Caroline, but the other two pairs (the Melissa Button and the Carson Pull-On) were purchased after careful deliberation, price-comparison, and lots and lots of waiting.


Frye Melissa Button | Frye Carson Pull-on
If you don't have a specific style in mind, I'd recommend checking 6pm.com. They carry a lot of less popular styles and colors at a pretty good discount. Free shipping, too! But for the more popular styles and colors, the pricing is usually pretty consistent across different retailer websites. Normally I'd wait for good coupon codes, but almost every sitewide code I've seen has excluded Fryes.

Last year, I decided to purchase my Carsons during Ebates.com's birthday sale when they were offering 14% cash back, which meant that even though I paid full price for my boots ($350) on the now defunct endless.com, I was able to get $50 back in cash back from Ebates, bringing the total down to $300.

I just got an email today saying that Ebates is again offering 14% cash back again on select websites (Nordstrom, Shoes.com, Macy's, Piperlime, and more- see full list here), and it would be a perfect time to buy things that are excluded from normal coupons.

I realize 14% doesn't sound like very much, but saving a few bucks is better than nothing, especially when you can't use other coupon codes.

For those unfamiliar with Ebates, you can create an account here, and then every time you make an online purchase, just navigate to the retailer on the Ebates website, and make sure you click through the link they provide. It will provide a tracking ticket so they can track your purchase, and you'll get an email after your purchase letting you know that you earned cash back. Every three months, they'll send you a check in the mail or through PayPal for the cash back you've earned, as long as it's over $5. If it's under $5, it will roll over to the next payment period. There have been a couple times where I did not see the cash back within a few weeks, and all I had to do was email Ebates with my order confirmation and the date that I purchased it, and they were able to credit my account. Super awesome customer service!

If you're in the market for some new Frye boots or fancy designer items that are normally excluded from coupon codes, I definitely recommend using Ebates as an alternative way to save some money! :)

What would I would buy if I didn't have a budget?

Frye Paige Stud: $388 - 14% Ebates (54) = $334

Frye Veronica Slouch: On sale at Piperlime for $290 - 14% Ebates ($40) = $250

Frye Harness 12R: $258 - 14% Ebates ($36) = $222

And my non-Frye boot picks:

Kate Spade mikas pond crossbody: $158 - 14% Ebates ($22) = $136

Jimmy Choo Whirl Ballet Flat: $495 - 14% Ebates ($69) = $426

Chloé 'Marcie' Calfskin Leather Crossbody Bag - $550 - 14% off Ebates ($77) = $473

Miu Miu Bow Ballet Flat: $440 - 14% ebates ($61) = $379

Disclosure: I used a few affiliate and referral links in this post, clicking on them may provide commission to me. I am in no way affiliated with Ebates or the other retailers listed. Thanks!

Nautical

I should change the "Blog every day in May" challenge to "Blog every few days in May." I just can't keep up. I didn't really care for the last few prompts (including today's), and I didn't want to post meaningless content up about topics I felt indifferent to. Yeah, like pictures of my outfits are waaay more meaningful (insert rolly eye gif here).

Anyway, what's new since I posted last week? We celebrated both our kids' birthdays with a joint party over the weekend. My son is turning four in a few days, and my daughter will be turning one just two days later. My daughter was a cranky crying mess for the entire party because she was teething and nervous with so many unfamiliar people, but we still had a good time. I know everyone always says it, but I really can't believe how fast time flies and how fast my two babies are growing up. No longer babies, but a preschooler and a toddler now!

Holding hands, it melts my heart.

This upcoming weekend we'll be taking their birthday pictures at one of those mall picture studios. We had gone a few weeks ago but I stupidly scheduled it during L's naptime, so she was a cranky crying mess (I swear, she's not always like that!) and we didn't get any good shots. I wanted to re-schedule something in the morning this weekend, but since it was a Groupon, and the Groupon expires in a few days, there were barely any appointments available to choose from. Hopefully we'll be fine for the afternoon slot I got. Now I just have to plan what they'll wear...

Blazer: Forever 21 (hand-me-down)
Tank: Forever 21
Jeans: Old Navy
Boots: Payless
Necklace: Forever 21 (worn backwards)