New Hair = Lots of New Styles to Try

You may know from our Instagram account that I went and chopped off 7 inches of my hair last month. I love long hair, and I have generally gone between this length and extensions over the past 9 years. Having said that, I've never had this length hair with no bangs so this time when I went for the big chop, I decided to continue to grow my bangs out and have lots of layers added too. Not your everyday lob, folks! ;)

With a new do comes so many new styling options. My hair stylist told me to use a root lifting product (I am loving this one) and a round brush to get a great deep side part look. So, this was my first attempt at that. It's a bit tricky, as I usually air dry and then curl my hair later in the day, but I love how it turned out! I can't wait to see what else I can come up with style wise...



As far as my outfit goes, this is very typical everyday wear. I need to wear outfits that can easily get from day to night and everything in-between (dance class, room mom party prep, playing and cooking, then off to Kaitlyn's for party prep!). I guess you would call this my sweats alternative as I can sit on the floor and play as well as be out in public and feel put together in it.

Top: Target // Jeans: 7 for all Mankind // Boots: Dolce Vita // Bag: Rachel Zoe // Cuff: Lili Claspe // Bracelet: Lokai // Watch: Fitbit // Blue Ring: House of Harlow 1960 // Love Necklace: XO Veronika // Midi Ring: Shop Lately // Gold Rings: Urban Outfitters 

What do you think of my new hair? Any suggestions of styles I should try out next?

Because Kaitlyn MAXImized Her Easter

Having been a married woman for 9 months now, I think one of the more challenging aspects can be figuring out how to incorporate both families into holidays equally. On Easter Sunday we made the rounds starting with my Grandpa's in the morning, his parents for dinner and over to my house for dessert. 

My husband and I are lucky because our parents live about 2 miles away from each other so it makes it easier to MAXImize our time with everyone (I couldn't resist) but it also usually makes for a very busy, albeit, wonderful day. 

And what a gorgeous Spring day it FINALLY was in Chicago! Being blue-eyed, blonde and fair-skinned, I did manage to score quite a sunburn but after months spent inside by the fire on the couch, looking like a lobster for a day feels glorious.

(had to take advantage of an Angelina moment, obvi)

Dress: H&M // Jacket: J. Crew (similar) // Sandals: Piperlime // Sunnies: Target

 Ring: Lili Claspe // Earrings: Kate Spade

How did you spend your Easter?

Because We Enjoyed Blogger Brunch (Part 1)

We recently attended a lovely Sunday brunch (#bloggerbrunch, that is) hosted by Mary of Sportsanista. She said the idea came to her after she thought about how often we all converse regularly via Instagram, our Blogs, Twitter, etc but don't see each other nearly enough in real life and we couldn't agree more. 

It's so easy to leave a complimentary comment or send an e-vite for an event, but it's important to find the time to slow down and chat about the world outside of our digital footprints…we quickly realized how much we all have in common (besides a passion for fashion) such as the men in our lives rolling their eyes when we ask them to take ANOTHER outfit photo or hope they can see the need for that non-functional sequin pillow (yes, NEED). 

Blazer: Target (Swap w/ Lisa) // Shirt: JC Penney // Jeans: Old Navy // Belt: GAP // Shoes: Converse
 Bag: Windsor (Swap w/ Lisa) // Bracelets: c/o It's a Bling Thing // Sunnies: Target // Rings: Francescas,  Lili Claspe

We are already looking forward to the next get together…There was mention of pasta + wine, so I'm pretty sure we won't have trouble finding room in our schedule :)

Dress: Because I Shop Too Much // Jacket: c/o Just Fab // Boots: c/o Sole Society // Necklace & Rings: T+J Designs 
Bag: c/o Funky Pretty by Design Dahl // Sunnies: Prada 

Check back on Monday for photos of the "could this be any cuter" brunch set-up Mary created just for us!

Because Kaitlyn Went to a Bachelorette Party!

Dress: Golden Tote (swap w/Lisa) // Jacket: Target (similar) // Scarf: Walgreens (crazy, right?) // Booties: ℅ Just Fab

Bag: ℅ Just Fab // Bracelet: Forever21 // Rings: Lili Claspe & T+J Designs

For a day that's filled with so many different activities, it can be hard to know what to wear. This was a a nice afternoon with a chilly night ahead and bachelorette plans included chocolate tasting, spa treatments, dinner and late night drinks. 

So, I went for casual chic with the (perfect) twirling dress, a scarf for warmth and stashed tights in my purse in case things got crazy (which isn't rare in this city!) BTW, I'm officially in a love affair with these booties -- Is that weird? They are amazing ;)

Here's a few shots from the day. The group was a good mix of family and friends and it was really nice getting to know everyone…even nicer that our bonding started with endless kinds of chocolate. I might be lying if I said there wasn't any plate licking…

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

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...

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 ;)

Neil Pili  (photos) and Matthew VanGronigen (video)

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

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

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:

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! 

(Kaitlyn, Kristin, Jennifer, Lisa, & Lindsay)

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

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?