Inspired By | Embroidered Patches

WhatIWore: I’m not sure if it was during my days as a brownie scout or later in life, but somewhere along the way I’ve become a patch collector! Most of mine are from state parks or breweries, but I have others that I’ve picked up just because they were cool or have been given to me by friends or family. 

For the longest time, they were just piling up in my bedside drawer until I noticed how the cool girls were sewing them onto jackets. I was hesitant to do the same, but I finally decided mine would look good on my olive green army style jacket (I have another one I like that will stay plain!)

When I think of a patched military jacket, my mind usually goes towards the counter culture vibes of the late 1960s and protesting the war and then to the 1980s and the punk scene. I can’t claim to be a hippie or a punk (I mean, I do have my elementary school Presidential Physical Fitness patch on there after all!) but I do think my end result is undeniably cool! I’ll show you in an outfit post this week!

My favorite part of this look is how it’s so customizable. Maybe you have a patch collection or maybe you want to start one with patches that inspire or describe you. There are hundreds of places to buy patches online - these are from amazon and etsy, but be warned - once you get looking, you’ll fall down the rabbit hole! 

What I Wore | Comfy Cozy

WhatIWore: Good morning all! Hope you had a nice weekend. I’m throwing things back to last Thursday for today’s post. Here’s what I wore for a quick visit to a branding and marketing class at IU that a friend of mine teaches. I love being on campus and with students! This particular course was in the newly renovated Kirkwood Hall, which is home to the new School of Art + Design. I’ve been hearing about these plans for over a year and it’s really amazing to see everything come together so quickly! 

When: October 13, 2016

What:
Shades: Karen Walker
Sweater: ModCloth (last year)
Maternity Dress: JCPenney
Tights: We Love Colors
Bag: J.Crew
Booties: Rag + Bone

Where: On campus visit

I’m all about this type of cozy yet pulled together type of outfit - it’s perfect for a crisp and gray morning. Everything is knit, so it’s got the comfort factor, but it’s not yoga pants, ya know? It’s kind of hard to put into words, but do you ever have those days when the thought of wearing pants feels far too constricting? Even when I’m not pregnant I feel like that some days! PANTS. That’s how I felt the morning I wore this. Also worth mentioning - the dress is navy and gray stripes and I’m wearing it with black tights and boots. I felt the combination of the dress with the bluish toned gray sweater was enough to balance out the tights that don’t necessarily match. I also think this dress will be cute with an olive jacket and booties for a little more of a casual setting! 

Wild One

WhatIWore: As I mentioned yesterday, we’re doing our annual family trip to the woods soon and in preparation I picked up a few new things for Felix from Old Navy (today’s post sponsor!) He’s pretty well set with long pants and boots for the season (his cargo pants were a birthday gift from Nana and we got the boots about a month ago (which he also wore here), but he needed a few warmer pieces to round things out. When I saw this buffalo plaid vest, I loved it, but my practical momsense had me wondering - would he actually wear it? Without a fight? 

So I asked him! Do you like this vest? Would you wear this sweater? To my surprise, he gave me a very clear ‘yes’ at the store and getting him dressed in these pieces went equally as smooth! 

We also got a few long sleeved tees with a woodland theme (this raccoon one and this wild one) along with a licensed IU tee because we have homecoming this weekend. (Felix is newly obsessed with spotting the IU logo and yelling IU! IU! at the top of his lungs. Adorable.) I picked up a knit hat too, but he was all ‘no no no’ when I tried getting it on this morning. Maybe when it’s chilly enough, he’ll give in! 

I should also fess up that had some ulterior motives with these photos…. along the lines of our family Christmas card! Adam is such a talented photographer, which means he’s usually not in the photos, but Felix makes for a handsome little family ambassador, right? These pictures capture his spunky and mischievous personality so well. Plus with less than three months before baby girl arrives, I’m taking care of anything I can, while I can. Also, never got around to Holiday cards last year, so I feel like I’m ahead of the game now. And yes… he’s clutching onto a box of Tic Tacs for dear life. A handy example of my parenting “whatever it takes” philosophy. 

Today’s post has been sponsored by our long time partners at Old Navy (including a gift card we used to purchase these pieces). From now until October 16, use code THANKYOU to save 30% off your order!

Inspired By | Fall Weekends

WhatIWore: We’re gearing up for our annual family trip to a state park in Southern Indiana. It’s not exactly camping (we stay in cabins), but we still get to feel like we’re roughing it a little bit. We spend most of our time around the campfire, at the playground or taking hikes! It’s ideal for a small child (heat, running water, private bathrooms!) and a six months pregnant mama. 

We’ve been making this trip (almost!) every year since Adam and I met (his parents have been coming for 40+ consecutive years!) and it’s where we were engaged back in 2009! Lots of good memories and many more to come.

We might be a tad early, but I’m really hoping to see some pretty fall foliage! Some years the trees are already bare when we show up and sometimes we’re in tee shirts and shorts until bright green leaves. And always mid-October! You never know what you’re going to get! 

To get in the mood (and to figure out what to pack), I’ve been playing around on Pinterest and digging up fall time imagery. I see Bean boots, buffalo plaids, jeans and knit hats in my near future! And wait until you see what I’ve picked up for Felix!