Blog of the Month: Lake Shore Lady

 
Our March blogger of the month is a fellow Chicago lady...a Lake Shore Lady, to be exact ;) Lauren is not only super sweet (AND super stylish!), but so down to earth and approachable, making it very easy to fall in love with her blog. She certainly knows the way to our hearts by sharing delicious (and easy to make!) recipes and detailing her yoga journey which has led her to the path of teacher training (this story, I'll be following along with for sure...that's on my list for 2016!) She makes you feel like “having it all” is an attainable goal but also shares her personal struggles along with all of the photograph-able moments. P.S. Did you guys know she’s also a classically trained singer? 
#SquadGoals.

Here are a few of our favorite recent posts from Lauren:

Zucchini noodles with turkey meatballs

5 Healthy tips for 2016

A dress, a cocktail and a fireplace

Ginger garlic salmon with cauliflower rice

A new adventure...

We are lucky to be surrounded by so much inspiration in the Chicago blogger world! 

Who inspires you?

Blog of the Month: Oomph.

There are style bloggers and then there are HAWAII style bloggers who make us Chicago ladies feel all the jealousy when we look at their feed. Exhibit A: Rebecca of Oomph. From selfie stick shots on the beach in Oahu to nature shots that make you want to book the next flight out, she certainly gives us the travel bug and allows us to live vicariously through her warm life ;)

You may remember that Rebecca interned for us a few years back but since then, we have enjoyed keeping up with her adventures like training for the marathon and great ways to stay in style on a budget. Stop by her blog and start daydreaming about the next time you say "aloha"...

Who are your favorite style bloggers?  We would love to add some to our list!

Taking Inventory, Ring Inventory That is!

I posted this photo on my personal Instagram and Johanna of 101 Things I Love commented "I know you have more rings then that!". She is correct! I just wanted to show off my great find for my dresser top, but yes, I have more rings then that indeed. 

A few days later that got me thinking, how many rings do I have? I rotate my jewelry and keep the ones I'm currently wearing on my dresser top, but I never have them all out on display at the same time. This helps me get ready for the day and by rotating them I feel like I have new jewelry all the time. So I began taking some of my favorites out, which led to the photo below. 

Some of these are cocktail jewelry, some are fine jewelry (gem stones and/or diamonds). 

Here is the official ring collection:
Up first, my fine jewelry. These all go to my children one day and I couldn't be more happy about the fact that I have items to pass down.

Up next is my costume & vintage jewelry. These are all rings with a value of $100 or less. Some I've even made myself over the years!  I will admit after taking this photo I found 6 more rings that I did not include in this photo. I'll add them to my final tally. 

Lastly I have my statement rings that are too big to fit in my ring holders. Love me a great statement items so it's only natural I scoop up statement rings too.

In the end the final tally is (drum roll please) 106 rings! OK, that's a lot of rings, I agree, but this collection is almost 20 years in the making. 

Have you ever taken inventory of your possessions? 

Is there anything you want to see me tally up next (bags, shoes, other types of jewelry, clothing, etc)? 

Let me know! 

Blog of the Month: Pretty Little Fawn

Our April blogger of the month is Courtney from Pretty Little Fawn. Not only does she have a style aesthetic all her own but she also exudes cool on multiple levels, as she grew up working as an actress in Los Angeles (See her in Unfriended which hit theaters last week).

Here's a little bit about Courtney:

"I started this blog in 2011 as a way for me to not only share my outfits, but for me to share my finds. I'm an avid thrifter, vintage shopper, estate-saler and online shopper. I use as many means at my disposal to not only find unique pieces, but pieces well within my small budget.

This blog is a way for me to express, explore, and evolve my style. I really have never been able to specifically pin-down exactly what my style is, but I'd say it's somewhere between a vintage cowgirl and the clothes your grandma keeps in the attic. If that doesn't make sense to you - don't worry. Doesn't make sense to me either, but it's the best I can do."

Get inspired by Courtney's style:

Which style bloggers do you follow daily?

Taking a Masculine Turn for Spring

One of my favorite pairings is to take a super girly item, like this wrap dress, and style it with more masculine pieces. By adding a faux leather biker jacket and buckle boots it gave the look the perfect amount of edge I was looking for. Women's fashion is really taking a masculine turn for Spring and it's right up my ally. Most of us have been doing this for years, but this year it is super on trend. Which means finding (and shopping) for androgynous types of clothing items is going to be very easy. SCORE! ;)

I decided to continue the gold from my boots by adding two beautiful gold jewelry pieces from my most recent RocksBox shipment. Don't forget by using code "sadbblogxoxo," you can get your first 30 days for free! I finished the look off with my favorite neutral bag and was good to go for a night out with my handsome hubby.

Dress: Urban Outfitters // Jacket: Sheinside // Boots: c/o JustFab // Bag: c/o Sole Society // Necklace & Earrings: RocksBox (use code sadbblogxoxo to get your first month FREE!) // Sunglasses: Prada // Phone Case: Kate Spade 

I love this dress so much! It was perfect for my date night and just love the light gray color.

What do you think of this pairing?
Do you ever mix masculine items with girly ones to get an edgier look?

Blog of the Month: The Fashion Philosophy

If you're looking for a little wardrobe and lifestyle inspiration, we've got a philosophy you might want to adapt. Erica is high on our list of "I want what she has" when it comes to clothes and personal style. Not only is she naturally beautiful but she has a fashion sense all her own. Her individuality shines through perfectly undone ensembles, leaving her looking effortless and leading us to believe she actually DID wake up like this.

So, who is she?

The Fashion Philosophy, is Erica Lavelanet (otherwise known as @ericalave), born n' raised, New Yorker, and Wardrobe Stylist, who plans to save the world one Sheer Layer and Leather Pant at a time. Brooklynite, and Style Savant who believes in the power of Faux Fur and Stilettos, will never underestimate the savoir faire of mixing and matching, and who just can't say no to anything high waisted. Yoga enthusiast. Wine and Stinky Cheese Connoisseur. 

Are you gushing over Erica's closet yet? Who are some of your favorite style bloggers?