What I Wore | Beach Blonde

WhatiWore: I’m baaaacck! At least I’m trying to get back into the swing of taking outfit photos. A change in location (and the extra hands of family around) has been so helpful in getting back outside and into the groove. I promise you if I was in Indiana right now I wouldn’t be excited about posing in the freezing cold! But here’s what I wore for a beach walk in Florida! 

If you’re not on Instagram or Facebook, the first thing you’re probably thinking right now is OMG YOU’RE BLONDE! I started the transition in late December and am getting closer and close to where I want to be with it. In the past it’s always taken me a while to adjust my wardrobe to “fit” a new cut, and the new color is challenging me in the same way. 

When: March 13, 2017

What: 
Shades: Karen Walker ‘Super Duper’
Mixed Striped Long Sleeve Tee: J.Crew Factory
High Waisted 4″ White Shorts: Mossimo from Target

Where: Anna Maria Island Beach

Secondly - I had a baby! She’ll be making some cameos in the next few posts too! I’m biased but she’s sooooo cuuuuuutttte! Physically, I’m taking my time getting back to my pre-baby body. I’m about ten pounds from that now and all of that weight is in my top and middle (hence the shorts! Flaunt what you’ve got!) With a really curvy shape (read: giant boobs) plus the blonde hair, sometimes I feel a little too… sexy? I don’t know. It’s not something I aim for in day to day mommy life so I feel like I need to compensate for the bigger chest and blonde locks by going a little more on the modest side? Dressing this temporary body doesn’t come with a game plan other than easy access for nursing. 

What I really want to say is that I feel pretty good, but still struggling a little with a different body to dress and I think it’s completely normal to have some issues with the adjustment. I was so flat as a teenager and wished for bigger boobs and now I wish I didn’t have such huge knockers to contend with!  You can love your baby and your body and still have times when you need to work harder emotionally to keep the self esteem up. Whenever a moment of doubt creeps in (it’s bound to happen!) I just remind myself - I’m so proud of my daughter! I’m so proud of myself!!! I MADE THAT BABY!!! WITH MY BODY!!!  

What I Wore | Las Palms

WhatIWore: Greetings from sunny Florida! Today I’m really excited to show you my first self made look for this trip from the mini collection I created last week! Let me tell you a little more about it…

When: March 13, 2016

What:
Shades: ZeroUV
Top and Skirt: Self Made
Sandals: Clark’s

Where: Dinner at a beachside restaurant

The fabric is actually from the upholstery section and it’s definitely heavier than your average apparel weight fabric, but it has a nice hand to it and I like the body it gives to my circle skirt. If you’re search for it, the official name is ‘Las Palms’ by Nate Berkus from JoAnn’s. I skipped a pre-wash and it’s probably the kind of garment I would have dry cleaned vs. throwing in the washing machine. I also had precious little yardage (in fact, I went back twice to get more!) so I didn’t want to deal with shrinkage. The salvage says it’s dirt resistant (it is intended for furniture after all) so I’ll report back to you on that one! 

The top was sewn from Simplicity 1371 by Cynthia Rowley. I made a slight alteration in cutting the center front (on the fold rather than in two pieces) and I didn’t do the ruffley thing they have on the pattern cover. I made a size 14 (sewing patterns sizes run different from ready to wear!) It fit great without any alterations! I lined the top with a cute white on white polka dot I had laying around. 

On bottom I made a simple circle skirt and cut it as long as my fabric would allow. The waist band is an easy straight cut piece of fabric that laps in back to button.  (I used some vintage buttons I had in my stash on both the top and skirt!) 

To accessorize I kept it really simple - some super retro cat eye sunglasses (they remind me of Barbie!) and a neutral pair of sandals. 

I like how these two pieces almost look like a dress but can be worn interchangeably with other shorts and tops too. More than anything I love the print! I’m really looking forward to wearing both all summer long!

What I Wore | The Outer Banks

WhatIWore: The furtherest point east of our nine day roadtrip was the Outer Banks of North Carolina - a spot we loved so much that we plan to return year after year. The weather was perfect - cool and sunny and we spent two full days soaking up the sun (errr.. shade - I was definitely more comfortable under the umbrella). I’ll be posting a vacation recap this week (hopefully) with all of our recommendations, but I can easily say that was the best week’s worth of food of my entire life. Now - to the beach! 

When: June 16, 2014

What:
Hat: Self Made (similar)
Scarf: Vintage Givency (garage sale find)
Cover Up: J.Crew (30% off with code HISUMMER)
Bathing Suit: Victoria’s Secret

Where: Beach near Southern Shores, NC

A quick note about beach wear - nothing I’m wearing is technically maternity because… ugh… maternity swimsuits do not float my boat. Instead I opted to go with a mix and match set from VS that worked with my current bra/bottom sizes and added a medium J.Crew cover up. I felt like a babe and it was so nice to get a little tan on my belly!