The Good Kind of Black & Blue

By now you all know about my obsession with wearing the color blue. If you don't, now you know, I LOVE it! All shades of it, and truly any combination of it. What you may not know is that my second favorite color to pair blue with is black. When I was younger I always thought you can't pair brown with black and as far as black and blue were concerned, those were the color of bruises and not good fashion color selections. Well, rules were made to be broken and brown and black look beautiful together in my opinion (who started that rule anyway?), and so do black and blue! 

On this day I co-hosted Kaitlyn's baby shower and decided to wear this blue midi skirt I picked up back in early 2015. It's truly still one of my favorites and although the online shop I bought it at is long gone (anyone else miss Piperlime?), I will continue to love and wear it until it goes out of style. I decided to add a classic black tank, strappy black heels, and a maroon bag to dress up my pairing and also to give it an unexpected pop of color. In the end, I added a gorgeous statement necklace to take this look up a notch.

Tank: TSF box Service // Skirt: Piperlime // Shoes: JustFab // Bag: E Street Denim // Necklace & Cuff: c/o Park Lane Jewelry // Ring: Vintage // Watch: Movado 

What is your favorite color combo? Do you ever pair black and blue together? 

Blush, Black, & Blue

I was never the girl to wear all black outfits. OK, maybe back in my cocktail waitress and bartender days, but not because I chose to style an outfit that way. About eighteen months ago when I started going blond ombre (again), I began loving black tops more then I used to. Maybe my darker hair always got lost and that was the issue, but having blond ends really does make wearing black clothing that much more fun. Perhaps that's what is meant when they say blond's have more fun! The hair color makes your darker colored clothing pop. But I've gotten off topic a bit, let's bring it back to the point, shall we? ;)

I have been wearing much more black in the past year and even though I am a huge fan of styling black on black, I love a good color twist. I just adore the color pairing of blush, black, and blue. I styled a bodysuit with high-waist denim, all in black, and then loaded on the two other colors. Blush in the bag, lip color, and scarf, blue in the shoes, jacket, sunglasses and scarf. In the end this outfit felt chic to wear yet super comfortable for a night out or a relaxed date look.

SHOP THE LOOK: 

As a side note, I never thought I'd be the girl who wears high-waist denim and bodysuits. Especially at the age of 38, but here we are and I make no excuses...I love and wear them both quite often! How and why did I avoid this combo for so long? It is super flattering on my mid-section (fellow mommy's out there can I get a holler?!) and the bodysuit allows a flawless tucked in look, minus the bulkiness. I have no problem admitting I currently own four bodysuits that are in constant rotation. 

Bodysuit: Express // Jacket: Pepe Jeans (similar) // Jeans: Express // Shoes: c/o JustFab // Bag: Express // Scarf: c/o J.Jill // Earrings: Box of Style // Necklace: Lili Claspe // Sunglasses: Rayban // Watch: Movado // Tassel Bracelet: Box of Style 
Are you a fan of this color combo? What color do you love wearing the most based on your hair color? Thank you so much for stopping by the blog today! xo

Casual Weekend Wear

This past weekend I snuck away to the family lake house in Wisconsin. Whenever life gets a little too busy, you can usually find me and the family there. Something about everyone being together, the blue of the lake, the lush green of the trees, and the ever so fresh air just makes my body get to this further relaxed state. Plus, we usually make stops at our favorite local shops and coffee spots so that makes it just that much better!

On this day, I made my first trip out to Boxed and Burlap in Williams Bay. You guys, this place is amazing! It is a coffeehouse, garden center, and studio space all in one. I had my first ever iced lavender latte and an almond-pistachio muffin, and I have been having dreams about that muffin ever since I ate it. Yes, it was that good (as was the latte)! But, I digress..

SHOP THE LOOK: 

This was a gorgeous 59 degree day, and I was happy to be outdoors with the sun shinning and no coat in hand. I decided to pair my favorite pair of high waist denim with a graphic sweatshirt, all white Chucks, and a neutral fringe bag. Nothing is more classic weekend wear then a good o'fashion casual pairing! 

Sweatshirt: Old Navy // Jeans: Express (similar) // Shoes: Converse (similar) // Bag: Rachel Zoe // Sunglasses: Ray-ban 
Where do you sneak away to when life gets super busy for a quick break?  What do you think of this pairing?

Best of 2016: Lisa's Style

How has another year already gone by? I don't know about you, but this year was slow at first, and now seems to be moving at lightening speed! As many blogging years prior to this one, I feel like my style has continued to change and grow. I kept my classic wardrobe staples and mixed them in with a few items I added along the way. (Sure, let's pretend it was only a few new items!) ;)

This year, like all before it, had some great highs and great lows on a personal level. The first six months of this year were the most difficult. I can't count the number of times I was beyond stressed out and cried for so many different reasons during that time. Life happens, you know? Then June hit, and you guys I kid you not when I say the last 6 months have been the best months in the last 10 years of my life! I so needed a good year and I gladly took 1/2 of a truly great one. Thank you to all of my friends and family that have been there for us this year, we are so blessed to have you all in our life. 

Now, back to fashion. Here is a look back at my favorite looks of 2016:

January 

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February 

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March

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April

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May

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June

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July

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August

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September

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October 

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November 

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December

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Which is your favorite outfit from above? What to see more "best of" looks? You can find my best outfits of 2015 here. Make sure you stop back tomorrow to see Kaitlyn's favorite outfits of the year!

Recipe: Birthday Cake Pancakes

OH MY YUM! I found this recipe in Taste of Home: Fun Food Magazine, and altered it to be gluten free. You guys, this one is a must make! I would highly recommend this as a dessert idea that will steal the show. Here is what you'll need:

Ingredients:

1 cup pancake mix

1 cup yellow or white cake mix

2 large eggs

1 1/2 cups plus 1 tbsp. milk, divided

1 tsp. vanilla extract

3/4 cup vanilla frosting

1/4 cup sprinkles

additional sprinkles

Directions:

1. Whisk pancake mix and cake mix. In a separate bowl, whisk the eggs, milk, and vanilla until blended. Add to the dry ingredients, stirring until moistened. Let stand 10 minutes. Fold in 1/4 cup sprinkles.

2. On a lightly greased griddle over medium heat, pour the batter by 1/4 cupfuls to create six large pancakes. Cook until bubbles on top begin to pop; turn. Cook until golden brown. Repeat using smaller amounts of batter to create pancakes of different sizes.

3. Microwave the frosting and 1 tbsp. milk, covered on high until melted, 10-15 secs. On each of the large pancakes, layer smaller pancakes in decreasing order of size with the smallest on top; drizzle with frosting. Top with additional sprinkles. 

I hope you guys try this recipe. It is one of my families favorite to date! 

Blog of the Month: Ruby Tuesday Matthews

I love following some of my favorite bloggers not only on their blogs and Instagram, but also on their Snapchat accounts. You get an entirely new insight on their daily lives and what they are really like. Ruby of Ruby Tuesday Matthews is one of those people. We are obsessed with her style, gorgeous photography, effortless fashion sense, and when watching her on Snapchat, you can't help but think we should all just be best friends IRL! ;)
Ruby is an Australian blogger and mother to an adorable son named Rocket (how cute is that name?!). Between her Aussie accent, her bubbly personality, and watching her juggle all aspects of her life, you can't help wanting to see more of her. She keeps it super real and talks all about motherhood on her snap, which we love. 
Check out a few of our favorite photos from her blog below:

Who are some of your favorite bloggers? Any Snapchat accounts we should be following that you can't live without?