REAL DEAL: Billowy Blouses with MILEAGE

Flutter sleeved billowy blouses are versatile and for the most part universally flattering. These tops can transform from day-to-night in a snap when paired with the right accessories and bottoms.

Anthropology probably puts out THE BEST most romantic and BEAUTIFUL fluttery tops, they also have the price tag to PROVE it. If you desire a gorgeous Anthropology inspired fluttery top you might find these similar options at Francesca's Collection pretty good stand-ins and MUCH NICER on the wallet!

Anthropology:                                     Francesca's Collection:

Ruffled Coral Top: $88                         Ruffled Coral Top: $34

Neutral Floral Top: $198                       Neutral Floral Top: $34

Teal Tie Waste Top: $158                     Teal Tie Waste Top: $34

Cobalt Color Block Top: $198              Cobalt Color Block Top: $34

Like the Look:                                  Like the Price:

Here are a few ideas on how to get the most mileage out of these tops. For day, pair anyone of these tops with distressed skinny jeans, riding boots, a simple watch and shoulder bag. CUTE! Switch it up for night with dark denim wide leg trousers, a sassy pair of coordinating platform heels, dangling earrings, a few chunky bracelets and a colorful clutch. To really mix it up and give these billowy blouses some EXTRA mileage, pair with a pencil skirt, tights, a cardigan and coordinating boots or heels for Sunday brunch or church. Talk about a top with mileage!

Rocking any one of these billowy blouses will make a lady feel SPECTACULAR no matter what time of day!

Which one is your favorite? My FAV is the neutral floral top by Francesca.

That's my Shiny ~

J

Shiny of the Week: New Foods & First Steps

We have had a great week, mostly hunkered down at home avoiding the cold and wet autumn weather. These moments snuggled up at home can be just as magical as the out-and-about days too!

We enjoyed lots of homemade yummy food. Including several new recipes like, stuffed acorn squash and eggplant parmesan (get recipe here). This was my first time cooking and EATING eggplant. It was a major success. All four of us DEVOURED this delicious veggie dish!

 

On a more exciting note, with ALL this time hanging at home (mostly in our sweats) our little lovely, 10 1/2 month old baby girl is full blown walking...... or running that is.

Literally, she went from taking a handful of steps between furniture to.... SQUATTING.....STANDING.... TAKING OFF!!

Love that go-getter girl!

I hope you had a SHINY week.... Happy Weekend.

That's my Shiny ~

J

Real Deal: Beautiful Edge

Got to love the juxtaposition of a feminine dress and a harder edgy leather motorcycle jacket. The trend of mixing hard and soft has been going strong for the last few seasons and I don't see it quitting any time soon. I think this inspiration look is perfect, a beautiful drapy dress, monochromatic tones, a fabulous jacket, LOVE!

Why not rock this look for a date night downtown. Soft enough to feel pretty and edgy enough to feel a little vampy. Ohh la la!!

Like the Look:

 

Jacket ~ Helmut Lang: $1,520

 Bootie ~ Camilla Skovgaard: $595.00

Dress ~ Helmut Lang: $255.00

Earrings ~ Made Her Think: $102.00

Damage: $2,472

Like the Price:

Jacket ~ ModCloth: $89.99

Bootie ~ Go jane: $26.80

Dress ~ Target: $24.99

Earrings ~ O.co: $18.27

Damage: $160.05

Now this is more than I would normally spend on an outfit. Particularly the jacket. But this jacket was so cute and STILL a great deal, I couldn't resist including it. What about that collar! Awesome!

Here are a couple more jacket options. One a little more affordable and one more similar to the original inspiration. Happy choosing!!

Gray Motorcycle Jacket ~ O.co: $39.99

Great jacket, GREAT price!

Shearling Jacket ~ ModCloth: $124.99

Little more costly, but love the shearling and this coat would be much more substantial as an actual coat for the fall and winter months.

That's my Shiny ~ J

REAL DEAL: Autumn Flare

Nothing is better on a cool day than putting on GREAT pair of flared jeans, heeled booties and a chunky sweater. This look is just as comfy and practical as it is stylish. But of course this inspiration look is FAR (and I mean FAR) out of my financial reach. With a little bit of hunting I scavenged a similar look for a MUCH more likable price.

I am LOVING the 70's silhouettes happening for this fall and winter. Flares are back and in a BIG way! Here is a favorite look of the HUGE trend this season.

Like this Look:

   

*look courtesy of piperlime.gap.com

Break Down:

Sweater: Marc by Marc Jacobs  -$248

Jeans: Current / Elliott - $188

Earrings: Hive and Honey - $16.00

Shoes: Restricted - $59.99

Damage: $511.99 YIKES!!

Like this Price:

Break Down:
Sweater: HM - $9.95

Jeans: Forever 21 - $10.50

Earrings: Forever 21 - $5.80

Shoes: Patsy Oxford bootie - $23.60

Damage: $52.15 YIPPEE!!!

That's just about a 90% price difference!

I know forever 21 might not be every one's cup of tea (see this post for more), but it is a great resource for trendy inexpensive clothing and accessories. I tried on these flares this past weekend and they are REALLY cute, I didn't pull the trigger on buying them yet because I had the kids with me and couldn't focus, but I will be going back to get these FOR SURE!

What fall trends are you digging? How do you score fashion deals?

That's my Shiny ~

J

Skinny Budget & Skinny Jeans: A weekly Series Kick-Off

Jeans can definitely be an article of clothing to invest in, however I like to play it safe with trends like extreme flare denim and skinny. It is hard to say how long these looks just might be around. Could be ten seasons could be one. Like skinnies, remember 3 or 4 years ago when skinnies first hit, I was definitely a naysayer and wasn't sure about this "trend" but just look, skinnies are still going strong (this season it seems that the ankle skimming skinnies are the stuff).

So, when rocking denim that might be on the trendier side I am a MAJOR deal hunter. I also have a VERY moderate clothing budget. Literally an outfit head to toe including shoes most likely is under $50. MODERATE! This is for a few reasons:

1. I ENJOY deal hunting

2. My family is on one income

3. We operate on a pretty strict cash budget

4. My Super Hero name should be The Incredible Body Morphing Woman (wait is that a Circus name? hrrmmm) . I am sure lots of you Momma's are in the same boat. Maternity to postpardum to the last days of breastfeeding when ENOUGH calories cannot be consumed in a day. Since Q's birth in late November I have changed 4 going on 5 sizes. Averaging a size for about 8 - 12 weeks. I'm happy to loose the baby weight, not so happy to NEVER have a consistent wardrobe.

I REFUSE to spend a substantial amount of money on clothes that don't fit for more than a few months. Just when you think you are "done" shrinking it is time for the cycle to begin again. So, I won't be buying ANY investment clothing (okay maybe shoes) until we are done growing our family, so for now REAL DEALS is ALL I can muster.

I have been about every size under the sun for the last three years, so my saving grace has been Forever 21's skinny jeans. I own a pair of their $10 skinnies in EVERY size! They are holding up great considering the cost (each size gets worn A LOT for those 8-12 weeks!).

Moral of the story, sometimes the deal is worth facing the blaring pop music, narrow isle, short skirt paradise while navigating a double stroller through the madness.

Because I am a girl who has ALWAYS and will always LOVE a good deal and because I like the hunt just about as much, I am going to be sharing some of that with y'all! Get ready for some weekly fun and some REAL DEALS coming your way!

That's my Shiny ~

J

EmPOWER'ed

This may seem like a contradiction or backwards to many, but being a stay-at-home Mom is one of the most emPOWERing things I have ever done! Don't get me wrong, I have MANY-A-DAYS consisting of wiping noses, tears and bottoms that might not feel so empowering but here are a few things that ARE emPOWERing to me about being a Momma!

First, CHOOSING to be a stay-at-home Mom is emPOWERing! Just a few short decades ago women stayed at home without option or choice, can you imagine? I can see how IMPOSSIBLE it would feel to be a mother with a grateful heart in that time, you would almost feel chained to your home and children. In OUR time as Mother's we are given so many opportunities, we can be working mother's, stay-at-home mothers, part-time working, freelancers, bloggers, crafters, Etsy sellers and oh'so much more! Having so many opportunities to be a Mother and to pursue our passions really provides us, the women and mother's of today, the option for choosing our Motherhood story and giving it our best!

Second, not only choosing to stay-at-home but getting an education and having AMAZING career experiences before making this choice. This was an important thing for me personally. Also, having a degree and a few years of relevant work experiences before being a full-time Momma has given me the confidence to know, REALLY know, that I am relevant and capable and VALUABLE at home OR in an OFFICE! Getting a formal degree may not be what accomplishes this for all ladies, but find your story, what provides you with the DEEP and I mean DEEP know that YOU, WHO YOU ARE is fantastic, indispensable and all around EXTRAORDINARY! Do what it takes to find the authentic person you are and DON'T LET HER GO!

Third, doing it the way I imagined. For me, I always had a picture of the kind of Momma I wanted to be. I think in some way we all do this, we take references from our Mother's and other Mother's who have influenced our lives growing up. We edit, pick and choose what we like and don't like and create our imagined Motherhood story. Many days can be frustrating BEYOND all belief especially when we are not being the Momma we imagined and it is usually a downward spiral, but look at the big picture. Are you being the Momma you imagined? If not, STOP, PUT on the BRAKES and change your course, BE THAT MOMMA! This is a constant up-hill battle (I NEED to do this AT LEAST once a week) but it is one that is worth WINNING!

Fourth, don't waste time. Our children are young once, we GET to do this ONCE! Don't waste time! So many of us say "oh I can't wait for...." in anticipation to get through a phase or to reach the next milestone but each phase of parenting and childhood is it's own big ball of challenge and AMAZING! Enjoy this phase and be in THIS MOMENT!

Are you an empowered Momma? What is your motherhood story?

That's my Shiny ~ J

*images found via Pintrest

Strawberry Cake with Love from Germany

This strawberry cake is DELICIOUS!! I made this recipe for Q's baptism this summer with strawberries that the kiddos and I PICKED FRESH! YUM!

I swiped this cake recipe from a google doc my Brother-in-Law's family started. His sister works as a house Mom in Germany for missionaries' high school aged children. One of her responsibilities is cooking. In Germany they do not rely on things like pudding or jello for fruit flavored cakes like we do in the U.S., sooooo... missing her Grandmother's strawberry cake, she found this replacement recipe. My vote is that this cake is a pretty fantastic healthier version that I WILL be making many more times in the future. Not to mention it's quite beautiful, PINK to be exact WITHOUT food coloring!

Strawberry Cake & Icing
Cake:2 Cups Flour
1 Cup Sugar
1 Tbsp Baking Powder
1 tsp Salt
4 Eggs
1/2 Cup Butter
1 Cup Pureed Strawberries, I used fresh picked hulled and tossed in my blender
1/2 Cup Milk

Icing:
1 Box powdered Sugar
4 Tbsp Butter (melted)
4-6 Tbsp Pureed Strawberries

Preheat over to 350. Butter or spray and flour 2, 9" round cake pans or one 9x13 cake pan. Set aside. Combine dry ingredients in a larger bowl. In a separate bowl, beat remaining ingredients together. Add to dry, beating with a wire whisk. Pour into prepared cake pans. Bake the cake for 30-35 minutes or until done when tested with a toothpick.

To make the frosting, sift powdered sugar into melted butter. Add strawberry puree to spreading consistency. Frost the cake and decorate the top of the cake with fresh strawberries just before serving.

I cut some fresh strawberries into quarters from the top down to the bottom and made little pinwheels or flower clusters on top of the cake.  I of course forgot to take a picture of this, sorry friends. I will get it for ya next time.

That's my Shiny ~

J