Monday, September 30, 2013

Because Kaitlyn is Loving Army Green



























I remember being a freshman in high school and strutting around our downtown with my two best friends (because that's what you did on a Friday night) and one of them was wearing camouflage cargo pants from Abercrombie & Fitch. By the way, this was that girl who had stock in the store...she even refused to buy her underwear anywhere else...sigh.

At the time, I swore I would never purchase camo pants -- I just didn't understand the appeal because they seemed so masculine and "hard" looking to me. Fast forward to current day where I love mixing feminine and masculine pieces and can't get enough of army green so oddly enough, the camo print has become part of my regular rotation. If only the 15 year old me could see me now...

Blouse: JC Penney // Pants: JC Penney // Jacket: Forever 21 (similar) // Belt: Michael Kors (similar) // Shoes: DSW (similar)
Watch: Nordstrom // Bracelet: LOFT // Sunnies: Old Navy




Do you find you're more accepting of certain styles now than you were when you were younger?

Friday, September 27, 2013

Peaked My Pinterest: Healthy Chicken Salad


I have been on a huge Chicken Salad kick lately - It all started with amazing version I ordered at Jam N Jelly which was made with honey yogurt dressing and I'm not exaggerating when I say it was the best chicken salad I've ever had. 

Really though, the power of words does not do this delicious meal justice -- my cousin and I ordered the same meal that day and talked about it incessantly. I'm pretty sure the rest of our family that we were with was amazed that we were still talking about this meal an hour later...


I loved the idea of substituting mayo for Greek yogurt so I decided to try a similar recipe as an appetizer for our first block party and the recipe was a big hit!




I typically prefer green grapes, but for some reason, red ones always taste so good in chicken salad, right?



This food processor from the Pampered Chef is one of my favorite kitchen tools. It's great for chopping and so easy - you just drop in the ingredients and blades chop, slice and blend ingredients in seconds. The more you pump, the finer it cuts so this was perfect for the almonds and celery.



The dressing is the best part: Greek yogurt, honey & a little dijon mustard


 Thinly sliced apples can serve as the "base" for the salad - a healthy bite size snack




Do you have any great twists on chicken salad recipes? I'd love to try!

Just Because,

Kaitlyn

Thursday, September 26, 2013

Rocked it & Swapped it

This summer felt like a big tribute to neon with all of the bright colors everywhere and having lived through the 80's, we were big supporters of this movement :) 

Needless to say, we are big fans of this belt from LOFT because it adds the perfect amount of pop to an outfit whether it's a printed dress (Will we ever stop wearing leopard?) or a basic maxi
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Transition a yellow belt into fall by pairing with different shades of gray.

Shop the look:

Tuesday, September 24, 2013

Behind the Scenes: Fall Photo Shoot

We recently headed into the city for a Sisters Marie fall photo shoot. We worked with the very talented Neil Pili (yes, again...we love his work!) and we were thrilled with his new studio space. It's stunning with all of the exposed brick, a full (stocked) bar and comfortable yet modern seating areas (think West Elm meets Ikea).

We were also joined by a videographer (video coming soon!) who did some behind the scenes looks for us that we look forward to sharing with you.

Here's what we wore for our first fall look:



Jacket: H&M // Shirt: TJ Maxx // Jeans: H&M // Booties: c/o Just Fab // Bag: c/o Just Fab 
Watch: T+J Designs // Bracelet: Bauble Bar // Cocktail Ring: Elephant Gyspy // Small ring: Lili Claspe // Necklace: Threadsence

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Top & Skirt: Piperlime // Shoes & Bag: c/o Just Fab // Necklace: Clyde's Rebirth // Ring: c/o Sole Society // Bracelet & Watch: House of Gemmes // Earrings: c/o Lotus Blossom Design // Hair by Jacquelyn Marie

We have so much fun shooting with Neil...
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After the shoot, we headed over to a great bridge and graffiti wall for a few impromptu photos and video clips with both gentleman. Thank you both for doing this with us in the rain and putting your lives in harms way by standing in oncoming traffic for the sake of a great picture...THAT is dedication ;)

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Neil Pili  (photos) and Matthew VanGronigen (video)

We can't wait to show you the finished product! 

Monday, September 23, 2013

Because Attended the Chicago Bauble Bar Launch!

As two girls who think no outfit is complete without the right accessories, we were excited to attend the Chicago BaubleBar pop-up shop at the Sofia Boutique. Joined by two of our favorite fellow bloggers, Kristin Hassan & Linzeelu, we embarked on a girls night out and a car ride filled with hilarious quips about marriage and talk of our favorite fall fashion.


Here is what we wore:


Dress: LOFT (similar) // Chambray: Target (similar) // Booties: c/o Just Fab // Bag: c/o Just Fab 
Necklace: BaubleBar // Bracelet: BaubleBar // Watch: T+J Designs

 photo 0a5c0adb-d726-49e7-bbff-030b45197df7_zps1b51cc8e.jpg  photo jewerly_zps9266adab.jpg  photo 2f7fa149-9403-4f2d-87cf-948f8b5a9731_zpsc318f191.jpg
Top: Macy's (similar) // Shorts: Urban Outfitters (similar)  // Shoes & Bag: c/o Just Fab // Necklace & Earrings: c/o House of Gemmes // Watch: Fossil // Bracelet: Willow House Jewelry // Chain Bracelet: House of Gemmes // Rings: Lili Claspe 

Though we had a great time, we were a little disappointed there were only 2 tables of jewelry to choose from. We are big Baublebar fans (hence making the commute in rush hour to attend) so we were surprised to find such a small selection. The styles that were for sale were beautiful and great for the fall/winter season upon us. There were quite a few pairs of earrings we felt would be NYE worthy as well! 

Here are some of the beautiful jewels:
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We were super excited to run into Jennifer from T+J Designs there. Five bloggers and jewelry lovers alike makes for a fun night out! 
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(Kaitlyn, Kristin, Jennifer, Lisa, & Lindsay)

Sofia Boutique was set up and ready with fall trends all over the store.

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We had to stop ourselves from shopping for clothes multiple times, there was just too many great items for sale! 

Kaitlyn found a cute flower headband for sale. Wood nymph cute, no? ;)

Are you a BaubleBar fan? 

Have you ever been to Sofia Boutique in Chicago? 


Friday, September 20, 2013

Because Kaitlyn went to a Bridal Shower


I originally purchased this dress for my honeymoon but ended up running out of nights to wear it (first world problems, I know) but it ended up being the perfect choice for my friend's bridal shower. 

I love the flared shape of the dress and even though it's fitted in the waist, it's extremely comfortable (which was perfect for a bridal brunch with breakfast pizza and apple strudel. Are you salivating yet?)



 I'm  really enjoying my new haircut...I've been looking at pictures of the "long bob" for awhile now and while it's always scary to leave your comfort zone, sometimes it's totally refreshing to do something different. 

Blake Lively described her hair as her "comfort zone" and her "identity" which is how I've always felt about my go-to long waves but it always grows back and I love how a different hairstyle changes how I feel about my daily style - .Gives me additional motivation to dress with an edge ;)


Dress: LOFT (40% off!) // Blazer: Target  (similar) // Wedges: c/o Just Fab // Necklace: Target 
Sunnies: Nordstrom (similar) // Bracelet: BaubleBar

How often do you change up your look?