favorite outfits of 2014

hot n cold |snow-bo | my favorite casual outfit | smitten pinspired style: mustard scarf | that's so 70's | my new favorite outfit | wind blown one year | a good week ahead | green + leopard | a neglected favorite a whim | the perfect LBD | trick or treat all new favorites | coral blazer | blanket scarf tips | refreshed
When I was scrolling through my archives to pick my favorites, it wasn't hard at all. All of these outfits stuck out to me because I remember feeling completely confident in them, like I could take on the world (ok maybe not the world, but for sure the day). If I had to pick my favorite outfit of the year it would be a close tie with 'all new favorites,' 'trick or treat,' and 'my new favorite outfit.' Which is your favorite? 

refreshed

Shirt: Goodwill $4

Sweater: Old Navy (on sale) $12 [here]

Pants: The Limited (50% off + $20 off coupon) $20 [here]

Boots: JCP $45 [here]

Scarf: Ebay $4

Total Outfit Cost: $85

Wednesday before last, I told y'all how I had been in a funk lately.  I let a weeks worth of bad sleep and some medicine affect my mood and ultimately my days.  Well Wednesday night, I went to bed early, and I told myself I wasn't going to let myself be affected like that.  I needed to have control over my mood, nothing else. 

In the last year, I must have forgotten that I'm a morning person.  I always have been, and apparently that has yet to change.  I know, I'm rare haha.  For the month of December I'm on the dredded Tuesday-Saturday 9-6 shift that no one in the office likes.  Even though I was getting up an hour later for work, I was still tired around the same time every night.  Thursday morning I decided to wake up 45 minutes early.  I took a long bath and listened to worship music (Kari Jobe station on Pandora), I washed and blow dried my hair, look a little extra time on my makeup, and overall, just got ready slowly and peacefully.  Then I ate my breakfast and read God's word.  It was just what I needed.  I felt so refreshed to start my day. 

I want to be able to start all my days like that.  It may not be for everyone to wake up early, but for me, it obviously works!  Sure, I may have to fight myself to get out of bed early in the morning, but if it's going to make me in a better mood in the long run, I'm all for it.  This will also help me with being more intentional in seeking God.  I will admit, I don't read the bible like I should.  I'm going to make it a priority to wake up early to spend time for myself and for my God.

What do you do for yourself when you're feeling in a funk? Do you take time for some self care?

    

the most wonderful

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Scarf: Ebay $12 [similar]

Blouse: Target (30% off) $16 [similar in long sleeve]

Cardigan: Old Navy (sale + super cash) $13 [here]

Jeans: Old Navy, gift carded [here]

Boot Socks: Payless $4

Boots: JC Penney (on sale + 15% off) $45 [here]

Total Outfit Cost: $90

I hope you all had a great Christmas! I sure did! Christmas morning I was the first one up (always), so I had my coffee and waited on everyone else to get up. My sister, her boyfriend, and my husband took forever to wake up! I unsuccessfully tried to wake them multiple times haha. When they finally got up, we first opened presents. I thought I was going to be smart and let the dogs into their stockings first so that they'd chew on their bones and leave us alone. Well, Charlie grabbed her entire stocking when we gave it to her and brought it to our bedroom! It was hilarious. I guess she didn't want to share with my parents' dogs. My parents' dogs had no interest in the bones we got them. After presents, we ate my mom's traditional breakfast casserole! Mmmm. It gets better every year. Then, we had to take pictures in our matching PJs (another tradition of ours). Then, Larry and I went to his Granny's to spend some time with his family. We ate lunch with everyone, and then we played white elephant. I ended up with my own gift so I was happy. ;) Later on, we headed back to our house and we put Larry's present from me to use! I got him an electric smoker, so we smoked a turkey. I'm usually not big on baked turkey, but smoked? It was GOOD. Mom also made my mawmaw's cornbread dressing recipe and I made my aunt's green bean casserole recipe. So we ate good for supper! My sister and her boyfriend left the next day, but my parents stayed with me until Sunday night (Larry went hunting this weekend). So the Wallace household is empty now after a week full of guests! So bittersweet!

making our house a home | christmas 2014

 

Is Christmas really here?? ALREADY?? As excited as I am, I'm not ready for Christmas to be over! I love all of the time spent with family, good food, good laughs, and beautiful decor! Christmas may be over after this week, but I promise you that my house is staying decorated like this throughout January!

Tonight we are having Christmas with my dad's family, tomorrow with my in-laws, and then Christmas morning with my mom's family. My heart will be so full in the next few days! As we open presents with our families, we need to remember that we have already been given the greatest gift of all- our savoir, Jesus Christ! We can't forget that HE is the REASON for SEASON! Merry Christmas All!! 

ugly christmas sweater

Sweater: Garage Sale $0.25

Legging/Pants things: Walmart $12

Boots: JCP $45 [here]

Total Outfit Cost: $57.25

 

It's that time of the year... ugly Christmas sweater time!  Is it just me, or is it kinda annoying that the whole ugly Christmas sweater thing is super in right now, so when I (whom frequents the Goodwill) go thrifting specifically for an ugly Christmas sweater, I can't find one! Grrrr.  I actually found this one last summer at a garage sale.  I had no ugly sweater parties planned at the time, but I thought it would be a good idea to go ahead and buy it anyways.  Last year for our work Christmas party we decided to make it an ugly Christmas sweater party, but instead of wearing my garage sale find, I decided to be a little crafty, and I made my own. This year, I wasn't feeling so crafty.  So a year and a half later I got to finally wear my ugly sweater!  I think that I'm going to start collecting ugly Christmas sweaters in the summer so that I can actually find them! (and don't you take my idea! ;) haha 

all black on + a lil cobalt and mustard

Top: Le Tote (first month free) [similar] Legging Pants: The Limited (sale + $20 coupon) $20 [here] Heels: Target $22 [here] Cardigan: Zara $10 Necklace: Le Tote (first month free) [similar] Total Outfit Cost: $52   When I originally thought up this outfit I thought I would pair it with my striped skirt, but once I put it all together, it just wasn't working. Luckily, my favorite pants weren't far (ya know, on the ground in my closet... oops) so I grabbed them for a quick fix.  Some days the outfits in my head win, some days they loose. I'd say I won this time though because I actually like this outfit much better than with the skirt!   I hate to write such a Debbie downer post today, but man, I have just been in a funk this week. I was sick with a sinus infection last week, so I called into work Friday and went to the doc. They gave me antibiotics, a steroid pack, nose spray, cough syrup, AND a shot. I feel much better (other than this itchy cough that the cough meds don't help), but the antibiotics and steroids are just seriously messing with my sleep! I hate that even though I'm better that I have to finish them off. Last week I couldn't sleep because of the sickness, this week I can't sleep because of the medicine! So annoying! Especially coming from someone who thoroughly enjoys her sleep at night. I hope that this funk ends soon because Christmas is almost here, and I don't want to be the Grinch!

trimmed in leather

Cardigan: LeTote (got my first month free) [here] J. Crew Tee: Bargain World Thrift Store $2 Pants: The Limited (50% off + $20 off coupon) $20 [here] Boots: old Scarf: Ebay $15 Total Outfit Cost: $37   This cardigan is another fabulous item Le Tote sent me! I fell in love with it the moment I put it on. I considered keeping it, but then I looked at the price online and I could never ever ever justify almost $70 for a cardigan. So sadly back to Le Tote it went. :(   I've had so much fun styling all of the gorgeous things Le Tote has sent me. And it helps with not having to think much about what you're wearing for 3 out of the 5 work days. They send you 3 clothing items and 2 pieces of jewelry, so I'll style each clothing item 1 way, making 3 outfits for the week, then I just wear stuff out of my own closet for the other 2 days! I've gotten 3 totes from them and so far I am 9 for 9 (clothing only) with liking what they send me and 8 for 9 with fit (one dress was too short).

wish list

  I've been sick with a sinus infection, so I've been spending a lot of hours on the couch. So I figured I'd share my Christmas list with y'all!    {Taylor Swift 1989}: We listened to the whole CD a few times in the car during my bestie's bachelorette party, and I've decided I've GOT to have it!   {Victoria's Secret gift card}: I really need some new bras!! But I'm just too cheap to spend my money on them, so a gift card would come in handy.   {Kate Spade Cedar Street Maise}: I've worn my Michael Kors purse for over a year and a half now, so I think it's time for a new purse!   {Kiss Instawave Automatic Curler}: I saw Ginny's tutorial/review on this and I gotta have it.   {Moccasins}: Not exactly sure if these are supposed to be slippers or flats, but they look super comfy and cute.   {Michael Kors Watch}: Not something I necessarily need, but it would be real purrty on my wrist.   {Bootie Slippers}: I got some a few years ago for Christmas and I love them, but I've washed them one too many times now so the inside is all messed up.   {X ring}: I spotted a ring like this at Dillard's a few months ago, and I've been smitten ever since.    {Keurig 2.0}: Brew for one or brew for all... need I say more?    {Weekender bag}: I've been using a $4 Vera Bradley dupe for 4 years now because it's just the right size for me, but I'd love to have a bag made out of a better material instead of cloth.   {Steve Madden Leopard Flats}: The leopard flats I have currently are falling apart! These would be the perfect replacement. I swear I've been eyeing them for years.

our wedding, part VI: us

Alright guys, I gotta admit that I am completely embarrassed at the fact that I am just finishing off posting our wedding photos!! We've been married a year and a half now, so I could've just not posted them, but I really wanted to document them and show them to all my blog friends (family and fb friends have already seen them all!). Plus, it was fun looking back on these pictures again (not that they aren't all over our house ;). I will try to post the last part (the reception) sometime soon.. hopefully that won't take me another 8 months! haha!

blanket scarf tips

Gap Dress: Plato's Closet $12

Leggings: Old

Booties: Plato's Closet $12

Scarf: Ebay $12

Earrings: Forever XXI Old

Total Outfit Cost: $36



Ohhh the coveted Zara tartan scarf. I would never pay such a crazy amount for a scarf, but I did find mine on Ebay! When it comes to searching for a designer piece on ebay without the designer price (aka the same thing from China but without the designer tag), you've got to think outside the box. To find this scarf, I didn't just type in the search box "Zara tartan blanket scarf" because when I did, all I found was people selling it for triple what Zara even sold it for. Obsurd. I can't remember what exactly I searched to find this one so cheap, but it was probably something like "plaid blanket scarf" (because who knows what "tartan" is anyways). I also change my search to sort by price + shipping: lowest first. I did the same thing when the J.Crew bubble necklaces were in style. Most people paid $30 for it... I paid $7 on Ebay. From China.

When I got my scarf in it was SO much bigger than I expected it to be. Like they weren't lying when they called it a blanket scarf, because guys, it's actually large enough to be a blanket. I was considering selling it and buying the Target version instead, but then I saw @stylethislife on Instagram say that she cut hers in half... brillant! I was hesitant, but I was going to get no use out of this scarf at the size it was. I live in Louisiana, it just doesn't get cold enough for all that.

So, shown below, I cut my scarf in half along the diagonal. The edges came frayed already so, I'm not worried about the frayed edges from cutting it. And if it does get pulled and messes up, I always have the other half!

Another thing, if you're like me and just realized this week that Christmas is just 2 weeks away... yes TWO... omg... you better get to shopping! I have a few people left on my list, including my husband. I bought his big present (which eeeek, he has NO idea what it is! so exciting!), but Santa hasn't bought him any stocking stuffers yet! My husband has a HUGE sweet tooth. Huge I tell ya. Like the man can't go to the gas station without walking out with at least a bag of gummy worms.  Yahoo! Style has some great gift guides you can check out. I will personally be looking through the sweet tooth gift guide for the hubby. I'm sure he will love me for it.

And if Santa is looking for some ideas for me... (hint hint LARRY)... he should take a look at the cold feet gift guide. It's got a ton of cute socks to keep your toesies warm. I don't know why, but fun socks has always been one of my favorite gifts! (I gifted the leopard ones above to myself last year ;)

I leave you with my favorite of Yahoo! Style' gift guides... the co-workers you love to hate gift guide 

. I hope it leaves you with a good laugh to get you to 5:00 on your Friday! (#15 is the best :P) Happy weekend!

I was selected for this opportunity as a member of Clever Girls and the content and opinions expressed here are all my own.

short sleeves in december & firmoo glasses

American Eagle Shirt: Goodwill $3.50 [similar] Scarf: Target (clearance) $3 [similar] Gap Jeans: Plato's Closet $12 [similar] Chucks: Gifted [here] Glasses: c/o Firmoo [here] Total Outfit Cost: $18.50

 A couple weeks ago Firmoo reached out to me and asked me to write a review on a pair of their glasses.  I was super excited, and of course said yes!  Firmoo is an online glasses company that I wouldn't have known about if it wasn't for blogging.  I've seen quite a few bloggers write reviews for them before, and now I'm getting the chance to!

Last time I got new glasses (about a year and a half ago) I went to almost every place in town that sold glasses.  It seriously took me like 2 months to pick out the perfect pair.  So now when I was going to have to pick out a pair of glasses online, I didn't know how in the world I was going to make a decision!  On Firmoo's website, you can upload a picture of yourself and virtually try on glasses, but I was lazy and didn't.  Instead, I knew I loved the pair of glasses I currently wear, so I just picked out a similar shape.
Placing my order was super easy.  It said that it would take approximately 2 weeks for them to process my order. That seemed about normal and the same as if I would have ordered glasses from my eye doctor.  Then the next day I got an email that my order had shipped!  So in only 3 days, my glasses arrived in my mailbox!
For such a great price for a pair of frames (these are only $39), they are really really good quality. My current glasses are Gucci and are much much more expensive, and I honestly don't see any difference in the quality of them.  I think Firmoo is a awesome company that provides great glasses at a great price, but I can't say that I'd order glasses online again.  I'm super picky with glasses (hence it taking me 2 months to pick out my last pair), so I like to see what they look like on before purchasing them.  I have a wide face so it's hard to find glasses that fit right.  These glasses fit pretty good, other than the arms are too long so they poke out behind my ears to I can't wear them and lean my head up against the couch.  So if you don't mind ordering your glasses online, I do highly recommend checking out Firmoo! Right now they are offering your first pair of frames for free- see here!

Disclaimer: I was provided these glasses free in exchange for a review, but as always, all opinions are my own. Thanks!