Comfy and Cozy

Hi everyone! I have been on a hiatus for a while. I have been working on a few projects like redoing my daughter's room, a cool DIY at West Elm( I will tell you about later), sledding and making my house a winter wonderland. Also, my youngest brother came home from Habitat for Humanity over Thanksgiving. I loved spending as much time as I could with my family over the holiday. Lately, this is as fabulous as my fashion has been because it has already snowed 3 days here! My beanie and Sorel boots have been an intricate part of my wardrobe. My style lately has been more about warmth and comfort. I promise I will be stepping it up soon!

Mossimo Textured Beanie Hat, H&M Sweatpants, Sorel 'Joan of Arctic' Boot, Gap Vest- Similar

Linking up at Monday Mingle, Funday Mondays, and The Style Record.

Here's my sledding race with my little man.

A Few of my Fall Favs

Hey everybody, I hope you are having a great week. This post has a few of my fall fav's. First, is my fair isle sweater that I thrifted for $1.99. This screams fall and winter because it's warm and cozy.  Second, my Sorel Slimpback boots. These boots are lined and great for cold, rain, and snow and very stylish distressed look. I am so glad I read the reviews before I order them, because these boots have a small shaft which is great for me. One tip, when looking for Sorel boots, is look at Sorel.com because their sale section is fabulous. I did my research and they offered the most reasonable prices. Last for my fav's, I love knee high or over the knee socks. One of my favorite brands for these type of socks are Free People, but the price point is a little high at $24.00.  So, my solution has been leg warmers. instead of wearing them outside of your boot, wear them on the inside. The leg warmers allow me to adjust for the look of over the knee or at the knee. I have found a great selection of leg warmers at Marshall's for $4.99.

Fair Isle Sweater- Similar

Sorel's Slimpack Riding Boot

Do you have a fall fav?

Linking up at Monday Mingle, Style Elixir and Visible Monday.

Are you Leather or Lace?

Hi everybody, I hope you are having a great week. The weather seems to be changing very quickly. Before I keep applying layer upon layer- because I can not stand being cold, I wore this outfit combining my H&M leather skirt and Tildon lace shirt. Style often portrays your personality. Leather is material that represents tough and strong, while lace represents sensitive and feminine. Combining these materials, they greatly compliment each other. But if you think about your personality, would you consider yourself lace, leather, or a combination of the two. I am definitely a combination of the two. I think my exterior portrays tough and determined, but on the inside I am very sensitive.

 Tildon lace shirt - Similar, H&M leather brown skirt- Similar, Steve Madden Leopard Heeled Flats- Similar

What would you be leather, lace, or a combination of the two?


Linking up at the Pleated Poppy, Monday Mingle, and Style Elixir.

Spotting Talent

Hi everyone, sorry about my hiatus. I have had some technical difficulties, but I have couldn't wait to get back. Today is my son's birthday, I can't believe my sweet Harrison is seven. Man how time flies, I try to cherish every moment I have with my rugrats. Last week, my kids and I stopped at a pumpkin patch and my daughter snapped these photos for me while we were there. My daughter Carter is eleven  and often takes my pictures for me. I feel like she has a great knack for photography. I told her last year, I thought she should sign up for her yearbook to take pictures. It was to late for her to sign up, but this year I am happy to say that she is on the yearbook committee for photography. I spotted her talent a while ago. For a novice, Carter has a sense of lighting, background, closeups, and an awesome sense of style. For this post, you guys know I have a great love for animal print, so these H&M dalmatian print skinnies I thrifted are a great addition to my closet for fall.  I paired them with my "Oxblood" H&M sweater, which is a color that stayed around from last fall.                

Thrifted H&M dalmatian print pants- similar, H&M cable sweater- Similar

What color are you most excited about this fall?

Shedding my Skin

Hi everyone,  I hope you guys are having a great week. I can't believe it's already October and fall is in full force. My favorite thing about fall is the layering. Layering for me is accessorizing with my scarves for some extra warmth for those chilly mornings. I recently added this H&M snakeskin scarf to my collection of animal print scarves. This outfit has actually has been my go to outfit lately because these Rubbish moto leggings are so comfortable. I have had many people ask me if they are jean material, but they are comfortable cotton. I love incorporating animal print into many of my outfits, so I am excited this week to be participating in 'How I Wear My Animal Print' over at Adrienne Shubin's The Rich Life on a Budget.

H&M snakeskin infinity scarf- Similar, Black cowboy boots - Similar
 Rubbish Moto Leggings - Similar,

Do you have a favorite animal print?

Linking up at Monday Mingle and Style Elixir.

If you haven't yet voted in Voiceboks 2013 Top 50 fashion/beauty bloggers, I would really love your vote.

Click here to vote!

Graffiti

Hi everyone I am so glad the weekend is here! But for us, it's one of those weekends that you know is going to be so busy that you won't feel rested on Monday. Maybe if I get a chance I will be able to work on a DIY or two. This post features my Topshop Graffiti print dress. Besides the fabulous cobalt blue color, this dress makes me feel like I am wearing a piece of artwork. I first spotted the dress in the Savvy Trends on Nordstrom's website. I was bummed to find out that many of Nordstrom stores only carry Topshop online, not in stores. After stalking this dress online, it went on sale and was mine. The only problem was the dress was about 4 inches to long. Nordstrom doesn't provide free alterations to sale items, but they do give Nordstrom credit holders an alteration credit.(Which was news to me!)My tip for the week, if you buy something and invest the money you want it to fit you correctly, so always spend the extra money for alterations.

Topshop Graffiti Dress- Similar,  Chinese Laundry -Easy Does It Flat

Linking up at The Mrs. & The Momma.

For VoiceBoks 2013 Top 50 fashion/beauty bloggers contest each person can only vote once. So, if you voted I really appreciate it and if you haven't yet I would really love your vote. Have a great weekend!

Click here to vote!

Plaid Modified

Hi everyone, I hope everyone is having a great week. I want to share a few things.  For the last two months, I have starting running. Prior to having kids I ran, but I must say now, as a mom, I love the 30 to 45 minutes that I get for myself. Even when I am so tired, after I run I feel like I have so much energy. My brothers and I use the Nike + app, which allows us to provide challenges to each other and win medals. This is fabulous because I am only a little competitive.(Sure!) My poor brothers are the most laid back people and think I am a little crazy with all my smack talk, but man has it motivated me. If you don't have a running partner this app is the next best motivator. So, if you wonder where I have been, it's running like a champ.  In two months, I have run a little over 100 miles. Next, I am excited to say that I have been nominated for Voice Bok's Top 50 Moms Who Blog About Fashion & Beauty Contest. The blogs that are in this contest are fabulous, so I am excited to be included.  I would love for you to vote for my blog and you can vote by clicking below the icon, where it says vote here. You can vote once a day and the contest lasts for 38 days. Now for this post, plaid is a trend continuing this fall. I love plaid, and when I came across this little number at T.J Max, I knew it was for me. It actually seems the plaid was tie dyed with bleach. This would be a great DIY with you husbands old plaid shirt in the closet.

F21 Faux Leather Pencil Skirt- Similar

Would you say that you are competitive?

Linking up at Monday Mingle,  Style Elixir, and The Pleated Poppy.

Click here to vote!

The List, by I-Ella

Hi everyone, I hope you had a great weekend. One highlight from my weekend was when I received my gift package from The List, by l-ELLA. The List is a monthly subscription program where members receive a gift bag of new designer goodies (clothing, handbags, shoes and/or accessories). Also included are various free beauty product samples.  I was offered a chance to review one of their gift bags and was immediately thrilled with their in-depth style profile. It gave me the opportunity to relate my personal style and I couldn't wait for the experience.  I must say, this gift bag nailed my style which is hard to do with my funkiness. Here is how the process works:

1.)  Members choose a gift bag (Starter, $59 (+shipping));  SoHo, $129 (+shipping);  St. Barth's $389 (shipping included))

2.)  Complete their style profile including such information as your age, style (are you Upper East Side Princess or a SoHo Chic), and other information. This process is so in depth, down to your daily skin process to shoe size. They even want a photo that shows your personal style.

3.)  I-ELLA then puts together a fashion gift box of designer items and free product samples. Some designers on the past have included Gorjana-Griffin, Linea Pelle, Sam + Lavi, Kara Ross, Smashbox, Chanel Nail Polish, and many more.

4.)  I was totally surprised by my package in the mail!

My fabulous Wren Brocade Pants and Armour Lipstick

Each gift bag has a theme and mine was selected as 'Sex and the City Style'.

 The personal letter in your gift bag breaks down all of the designer items and their retail value. The gift bag I received was the "Soho" at $129.00 and the value of all of my items was $283.00.Each bag will contain 3 – 5 items with 1 – 2 being featured designer pieces.

 Each item has came individually wrapped and honestly I tried to unwrap them slowly like Christmas, so I could enjoy the moment!

 This this theme is based on Carrie Bradshaw 'Sex in the City' as she is a writer. They sent me a Caroline Gardner Notebook. The theme for next month is 'October Surprise'. Here is the link for next month gift items.

 Other items in my gift bag included my Armour Lip gloss (love, love), Blithe&Bonny soap, and Herban Essentials Lavender Towelette.

Lastly, my most favorite item is the Wren Brocade Pull on Pants that fit me perfectly.  (items that do not fit can be exchanged) 

My favorite part of the gift bag was the quote by Carrie Bradshaw which said, "Don't forget to fall in love with yourself first."

So, if you are interested in getting a special gift bag personally made by your by your own personal stylist then check out this out  http://www.i-ella.com/thelist/.

Linking up at Monday Mingle and Style Elixir.

All views in this review are the opinion of the author.Expressive Style will never accept payment in exchange for a review, but will accept a gift bag at no cost to provide honest opinions on the box.

These boots were made...

Hello everyone, I keep thinking things are going to slow down, but no so much! I did get a chance this past weekend to do a little shopping with my friend and our daughters. While shopping I found these Steve Madden Creation Boot. Over the knee boots are a big trend for this fall. These boots just hit me over my knee cap, so that are not considered over the knee, but they are exactly what I had in mind. I tried many pairs and styles on and you know exactly when something fits in your style. This boot seems to fit better around my skinner leg and these will go with everything. You guys might actually get sick of seeing them. This day I had a great sales lady, not to pushy, brought me many styles and let me decide. My friend on the other hand had a very pushy sales lady, I felt like she wanted that sale and said everything looked good. Luckily my friend and I had each to her to give our honest opinions . I usually buy a new pair of boots for the fall and I am very happy with my purchase!

Steve Madden Creation Boot,

F21 gray skinny jeans- Similar, H&M Chiffon Top

What kind of boots are you wanting to buy this fall?

Linking up at Monday Mingle, Style Elixir, and  The Pleated Poppy .

Sweatpants to work?

Hi everyone,I hope you had a great weekend.  While I was at the pool I received an email from Pinterest letting me know that something I pinned was on sale for 50% off. I didn't know that Pinterest provided this service and I was pretty pumped. I will definitely be pinning more items, how cool to know exactly when they go on sale. Last Thursday, I was having on of those I want to be comfortable at work days. Actually, lately I seem to be all about comfort and style. These sweatpants were my first H&M online purchase and I couldn't be happier with them. I am normally not a sweatpants gal, but I was drawn to the textured two toned material. So, off to work I went with them paired with my Zara heels.

H&M Sweatpants, Mossimo tank- Similar,  Zara ankle Strap pumps- Similar,

Did you know that Pinterest offered that service?

Linking up at Monday Mingle, Style Elixir, The Pleated Poppy and Transatlantic Blonde .

Frugal Friday - DIY Reupholstered Chairs

Happy Friday! I hope everyone enjoys their long weekend. I think we will definitely hit the pool, since these temperatures are hotter than ever. This past weekend, I came across these four cloth chairs for $50.00 at the thrift store. I actually have been wanting chairs similar to these, but I didn't want to pay an arm and a leg for my kitchen, where they will get spilled on. When I was at the store, I told the sales clerk they were great. She said, "they would be great if you could reupholster". I thought well I can't, but at 50 bucks I could give it a try. I definitely didn't like the original material on it, but they were solid and sturdy. I am so pleased with how they turned out and if you want to reupholster a chair maybe then this DIY will help.

Materials needed for this project are scissors, material(you will need to figure amount), staple gun, staples, nail head studs, hammer, tape measure, screwdriver, patience, and time.



First measure your chair seat and back to figure out yardage. I needed 5 yards. Lay material flat and cut pieces for seat and back of chair.

Second, cover the material over the seat. Make sure the material is tight and lined up with your pattern. First, staple the sides and trim as needed. I did not take off original material. I think that is getting way to crazy for a beginner.

Third, for the front of the chair I pulled the fabric over and stapled. For the chairs legs, I used a screwdriver to push the material up evenly.

Fourth, pull the material down tightly to cover the staple. Staple the material on the bottom.

Fifth, starting the back of the chair. Staple the material to the bottom of the back. Then, staple the material as seen in the photo. You want to make sure that you leave the longest piece of material to  fold over.

Sixth, the sides were the part of the project that took the longest. You will need to fold over material and hammer in the nail heads. I made sure these went through the wood, so they were secure enough to hold the material. I used 12 nail heads on each side. Also, cut over the excess material, so to get rid of the bulkiness.

I also added two nail heads to the front of the chair.

Lastly, I reapplied the black material that came with the original chair. It gives it a finished look and hides at the staples and material.

The first chair took the longest, but after I figured out the steps, each chair took a half an hour. These chairs are my favorite new edition to our house. My kids enjoyed doing their homework here this week. Well, as much as kids love homework.

Have you ever tried to reupholster? Have a great weekend.

My Go-To Piece

Hi everyone, I hope your week is going well. I don't know about you guys,  but I already can't wait for the three day weekend. This past weekend I worked on a DIY, so be sure to look for it this Friday. My post today features my H&M animal print pencil skirt. I loved the combination of two different animal prints, leopard and snake skin, with a worn look. I am sure you guys know this info, but in case you haven't heard H&M now has online shopping available for the U.S.  I am really excited about this! I paired this skirt with my favorite AE chambray shirt.  Someone once told me that a necessity in a closet is a great white collared button up,  I think for me it's a chambray shirt. It's always my go to piece especially for fall.

What is your go-to piece?



Linking up at Monday Mingle , The Pleated Poppy, and Style Elixir .

Bootielicious

Hello everyone, I hope you are having a great week. This post is dedicated to booties. Probably not the kind you are thinking about, but the shoe. I am so happy that this trend is continuing this fall. Booties are very versatile and can be worn with almost any outfit. One difference I have noticed in booties this fall, from previous seasons, are the shaft tends to be shorter. The top of the boot shaft hits right at my ankle. I snagged these cute Mossimo booties from Target for $9.99. These booties from Steven by Steve Madden are almost identical looking, but not in price. Definitely check out Targets' clearance shoes, many of them are great for fall. Not sure again why these are on sale in the store, but regular price online. Have a good rest of the week.

Mossimo Karis Studded Wrap Ankle Boots

Do you like to wear booties or prefer another style of boot?


Linking up at The Pleated Poppy, Style Elixir, and Transatlantic Blonde.