Summer Essentials: Wish List

        We are gradually getting to the end of the summer and the summer heat has been intense this year. I have been enjoying the summer by rotating summer fashion essentials from my closet; shorts, cotton tops and lots of button up shirts. Every season, I do a wardrobe/closet edit and fill any void I might have by sourcing affordable pieces. My wish list serves as a shopping guide for me each season.

Summer Essentials: Straw bucket Bag

         Bucket bags are making a resurgence in the form of straw bags this season as I have been seeing online. We all know that straw bags or raffia bags have been summer staples for years and the vibes or elevation that they bring to summer outfits cannot be underestimated. I styled a straw bucket bag with my outfit in this post here. In my opinion, this season's straw bucket bag trend is going to check all the marks and a lot more for that trendy Fashionista. Happy viewing, happy shopping.

Summer Style: Lace dress + Straw Bag

 

        My obsession with lace dresses this past Summer was real however these dresses have just been laying low in the closet all these years and not new purchases. Since this past summer was really hot, it was a no brainer to live in these dresses. This piece right here was purchased about three Summers ago from Boohoo.. I styled it with an orange color scarf and a pair of crisscross mules and a straw bag which is always my favorite accessory in the Summer. There is just something about straw bags and accessories that make summer outfits pop. Scarfs have also become my favorite accessory too. Thanks so much for reading.

Lace Dress      Bag     Scarf

The new must-have Accessory

       ϻasks are the number one accessory we just can't leave home without these days because their importance in limiting the spread of the Covid-19 virus cannot be overemphasized according to the CDC. Lately, I found use for my old scarfs by converting them into face masks like I did in these pictures. There has been so many videos made on how to convert a scarf or piece of cotton fabric into face mask without sewing and if you have not yet seen any of the videos, just do a Google or YouTube search. In this outfit, I'm wearing a chambray (light denim) dress shirt over a pair of denim shorts and a pair of slides which has somewhat become a summer uniform for me. Whenever I'm not in a cotton top and denim, I'm usually in a cotton or linen dress. For me, comfort is key this summer and since we are not going anywhere anyways, I put comfort over style. I completed the look with the hobo straw bag and I love the simple, natural look it gives to the whole outfit. This outfit can be worn to the grocery store on a hot summer day and is even great for just lounging around in the house or sitting on the porch. I hope you have found multiple use for your scarfs also this summer. Stay safe and sanitized and thanks so much for reading.

Denim Dress            Bag          Mask

Summer Style Inspiration: Neon + Tie-Dye

        𐌽ow that we are finally out of quarantine and ready to go out into the world (with social distancing and good hygiene of course) we might need some inspiration to get our fashion game going again considering the fact that we have been lounging at home for weeks in sweats and comfy pants. This neon tank top   similar here paired with tie-dye shorts and another style similar here makes a great outfit to wear to the park on a hot summer day. For a little warmth, complete the look with a white linen blazer and accessorize with neutral color straw bag and colorful slides. Happy styling and stay safe and sanitized.

Summer in my Front-tie Shirt

 

       ዙow is everyone doing? Summer is here friends! I'm so excited about the beautiful weather though I know that this summer is one like no other; for one, there is nothing much to do with everyone being in quarantine. We all have to find ways to do the things that make us happy while we fight this pandemic. For me, writing (blogging)  is helping me a lot because it is very therapeutic for me. Also, I still try to dress up even when I am home. This outfit is what I wore recently to stay home and it's actually a DIY front-tie shirt. I took an old oversized button white shirt from the closet, knotted it in front over this pair of denim and accessorized with white square toed mules and a straw bag.

              

                                                        Shirt            Shoes            Earrings

                

Summer in style: Graphic Tees

   ऽo, we all know all that has been going on in the United States this summer and no, I am not talking about Covid 19, the ongoing pandemic. I am talking about the protests and civil unrest following the murder of George Floyd by a Minneapolis police Officer. The incident happened here in my city and really hits home for me. I know the whole world was enraged at what happened and rightly so. We all have to condemn evil when we see it. We can all lend our voices to this national dialogue but must do it in a peaceful and civil way. I have not been able to attend a peaceful protest but can lend my voice and support to a peaceful dialogue. While you think of other ways in joining this national dialogue to end Police brutality and Racism, you can enjoy these looks I put together here. Thanks so much for reading.

Woven Bucket Bags

The "Bucket Bag" is still such a huge trend and this unique bag is more trendy now because of another trend; woven, wooden or straw bags. These trendy, organic and natural material (straw, wicker, bamboo, wood) bags are great for the environment and they come in different styles that can go with almost any outfit; gone are the days when straw bags were reserved for only the beach and picnics. If you love this unique shape of bag, check out the selections below.

Neon Styling for Summer

If you love the neon trend but need some inspiration on how to put looks together this summer, stay tuned on here because you'll get styling tips for every occasion or event you want to dress up for. This style/mood board is for a casual style; a look you'll want to wear to a backyard or garden party, a summer wedding; indoor or outdoor or even to any party or blogger's event. For this look, I started with a neon blouse and you can use the set above for inspiration and use any neon blouse or top that you like. If you are interested in this particular high neck satin blouse, check it out here. I paired the blouse with a brown color ruffle, asymmetrical skirt and then completed the outfit with beautiful summer accessories; a basket bag, snake print high heel sandals and strawberry statement earrings. Happy viewing, happy styling

Styling a knit dress all through summer

Hi everyone, I hope we are all doing great. It's been raining a lot here in Minnesota and the amount of rain we have had so far is quite unusual for spring time. There has also been unusual rain and flooding in the south and I pray God to comfort all the victims at this difficult time and I thank God for preserving the lives of many that were in the path of the storm; it could have been worse. I know there has been substantial loss of property but all those can be replaced. It's our precious lives that matter most. Please, let's remember everyone in our prayers.

White tunic + White Denim

The Memorial Day holiday is the unofficial start of the summer and now the holiday is over, we can rightly say that summer is here, (unofficially, that is) It is time to get out the summer wardrobe and accessories and what color symbolizes summer the most other than white? There is something very cooling about white color attire especially if the white outfit is made from natural fabrics like linen and cotton. I love to wear whites in the summer and I plan to wear lots of white outfits this upcoming summer too. One of my easy casual white pairing is a white tunic over white denim pants. It is my alternative to wearing a white dress in the summer and easier to run around in when running errands. In my outfit above, I threw on a white color tunic over a pair of denim pants and accessorized with a straw bag  and bow flats. 'very easy, breezy outfit to enjoy the hot summer weather. Thanks so much for stopping by.

Whites, tan and florals; my favorite Summer Pairing

Summer is around the corner and it's time to start switching out the wardrobe, if you live in a four seasons area like I do. One of my favorite color pairings to wear in spring time is tan, white and florals. I love the color combination because it is crisp and fresh and signifies a transition outfit for spring. The tan (beige, khaki, camel) color symbolizes winter that is just passed and the white signifies summer that is coming up. I also love to add florals to this color pairing and the florals symbolizes spring which is the current season. And let's not forget the straw bags; definitely not too early to start styling them.

How to style a mustard color sweater for Fall

Mustard, yellow or gold color is one of my favorites to wear in the fall season. It is one of the dominant colors of fall along with burgundy or wine. Mustard color is a very rich luxurious color and clothing items in this hue usually look expensive. The most obvious pairing for mustard color is with denim or blues. In early fall, I like to pair this color with egg shell white, beige or tan as in this previous post here and in mid fall, I like to pair it with dark blue or black denim. For this look, I paired my mustard color cropped sweater over an off white tie waist pants on a not so cold fall morning. The linen pants was purchased from LOFT last summer and it is super comfy. Although the fabric is most suited for summer, I knew the off white color would be great to style in the fall season. I completed the look with a pair of multi color tassel earrings, tied a colorful scarf on my dark brown straw bag and wore a pair of leopard prints slingback flats. The weather was beautiful and not so cold so I could go about my daily errands without an extra layer. How do you style your mustard color pieces? Happy Friday 😀  

Floral tulle lace dress + Straw Clutch

Hi everyone, happy Friday 😀 I hope the week has been going great for you. This is a very quick post here showing this tulle dress I wore for Mother's Day this year and also to my friend's 40th birthday celebration a couple of weeks ago. I wore a similar dress last year to a different birthday party and I blogged about it here This dress here along with the blue color piece are the only tulle dresses I own. Remember when tulle skirts and dresses was a huge trend in 2015 and 2016? I loved the trend so much and looked out for a grown-up way to wear it since it was more popular with the millennial and twenty-somethings 😂 I got my wish in this dress; very chic and fun in my opinion. I accessorized the dress with a straw clutch from J. Crew Factory which has since sold out and this lovely pair of wine colored sandals from Go Jane. The sandals are so comfy, chic and affordable that I purchased them in the champagne and purple color. What plans do you have for the weekend? 'like I mentioned in my previous post, Ill be busy organizing my fall and winter closet for myself and other members of my family. Thank you so much for stopping by here; have a blessed weekend.

Plaid Dress + Satin Slides

                                           

Happy Thursday Beauties; I hope the weather is beautiful wherever you are because it's been raining steady for over two days in my neck of the woods. The forecast says the rain would end tomorrow and behind the rain comes low temperatures. This weekend the temperature is going to dip to the 40s and that's cold even for this early in fall. This weekend is also the official start of fall so, I can say that fall is definitely here now. It's time to get out all the outer wears; sweaters, jackets, boots, scarves, gloves...you name it 😌 Although I'm excited for fall fashion, I'm not too excited about all the work I have to do in re-organizing my closet. If you do not see any new post on here in the next few days, just know that I am busy somewhere in my closet 😂

The Denim Jacket: A Closet Essential

So, fall is upon us, no kidding. It's starting to feel like fall in my city and the trees are starting to lose their leaves and change colors. I have started to pull out my outerwear one by one from my closet and the first grab was this denim jacket. I know this is a closet piece that every one should own; men and children too. It is so versatile and can be thrown over any outfit; dresses, shorts, pants and skirts and it is also a perfect layering piece for early fall or any time there is a significant drop in the weather. I also take a denim jacket with me whenever I travel by air or by road and if you don't own one yet, I say you should. There are lots of affordable styles in the stores or if you need a good vintage and affordable denim jacket, you can stop by your local thrift store and stop by the outer wear aisle; plus the cost of dry cleaning, you can get a great denim jacket for about $15.

Stripped top + White oversized denim

Happy Monday Friends 😀 We are almost at the end of summer (how sad) I've been busy enjoying the last days of summer with the kids and we just got back from our last family get-away for the summer and I'm now trying to get the kids ready for their first day of school which is after the Labor day holiday. Labor day is actually the unofficial last day of summer and they say no white outfit after the Labor day holiday and I say; "I don't care! haha! 😂 We all know those rules don't work anymore. Anyway, I wore this outfit weeks ago and just decided to blog it real quick this morning. I got this JCrew off the shoulder top last year and it actually had about one inch straps attached to the neckline which I cut off. The reason I cut them off was because I found them annoying whenever I tried to put on the top like putting my hands in the wrong hole and then finally getting it right and the straps falling off my shoulders over and over...have you ever experienced that with some off shoulder tops? 😜

BEAUTY Graphic Tee + Yellow Pants

Happy Friday Friends 😀 As the week rolls by fast to the weekend, it reminds me that we are getting closer to winter day by day. I don't mind fall season because the weather and the fashion is just right but the cold winter days and heavy jackets do not get me excited right now 😀 Anyway, I'll do my best to enjoy this summer while it lasts although it does get too hot and humid mot times which is the reason I do not wear this white graphic tee a lot. It is my absolute favorite tee. Aside from the fact that it is very soft and comfy, it has my name inscribed on it; yes...B-E-A-U-T-Y and in very beautiful graphics too. I got the tee from my now turned instagram friend Brenda who does a lot of branding on clothes and fashion accessories. She is so creative and talented and she is a Christian woman too and a "Mommypreneur" (entrepreneur) I got a couple other tees from her that are just as chic as this one. I got the tee from my now turned instagram friend Brenda who does a lot of branding on clothes and fashion accessories. She is so creative and talented and she is a Christian woman too and a "Mommypreneur" (entrepreneur) I got a couple other tees from her that are just as chic as this one which I previously blogged about here and here. Her website seems to be under maintenance at this time but you can check her out on her personal page @b.r_e.n_d.a and on her business page The book Lifestyle Boutique.

Mustard top + Khaki Pants

It's been very hot and humid in the twin cities and I have been living in sleeveless tops and shorts and cropped pants. I am so tired of this heat wave already! 😓 Did I also say I have been glued to my straw bags? I just love the natural feel of straw bags and the cool vibes it brings to summer outfits. I wore this outfit a few days ago to watch a play with my kids and it was a day I did not want to be outside because of the high humidity. Knowing that it was going to be cool in the theatre I had a denim jacket with me which I did not include in the pictures. My tie waist khaki pants and top is from Loft and my sandals are from DSW. I think it is about time I retire this particular straw bag; It's been in heavy rotation since last summer. Right now, I'm kind of longing for Fall. I'm so tired of this heat wave already. I hope you are enjoying great weather wherever you are. Thank you so much for stopping by here.

Create your own Vintage: My white lace sun dress

We all know vintage is any thing or piece that is old but has great value and there are ladies that are exclusively into vintage fashion. They seek out old period/vintage pieces to put together a unique style. If done right, that sense of style stands out any time. Well, I do love vintage pieces too but I'm yet to focus exclusively on creating a vintage style for myself. What I focused on however, was styling this old lace dress for this post. It is a dress I have had for years and it is actually my "weight-checker" or my "weight piece." And by this I mean, I keep some pieces in my closet; pants, dresses and tops that I use to check my weight gain. If they don't fit right, then it is time to hit the gym! Lol...😂 I think this method is just better than obsessing over numbers on the scale. I do use the scale too now and then and then, there is the "waist-measurement method," where you use a tape to measure your waist line...😂 Oh, this is not a fitness post; that would be dealt with at a different time...