Birds, Flowers & a Boho Top

 

 

Flowers and birds.  They are like peanut butter and jam of nature, don’t you think?  This whimsical, floral, boho inspired top is another Winners purchase, much like my gingham, high-waisted shorts featured last week.  I like pieces that can take me from work, to mom life, to out for drinks with friends.  Realistically my wardrobe budget is modest for the most part, $100/month for make-up & clothes, and I love getting pieces that I can see myself wearing repeatedly and then balancing that with fun, novel and more trendy pieces without a high price tag because it probably won’t be in my closet for years to come.  Winners is a great place to find trendy, cute pieces without breaking the bank.  Anytime I find myself in there, I seem to end-up coming out with something I like but it wasn’t always like that.  I used to walk away with NOTHING 99% of the time and I’d envy everyone who had success there.   A few things I’ve learned about shopping in Winners:

• Go without kids.  I know this is difficult when you have little ones, but shopping for myself with kids just doesn’t work for me.  There is no time to just look in the mirror, to browse, to ponder. 

•  Go when you have time.  An hour at least!  I used to do the, “I’ll just zip in for a few minutes” and that store is WAAAAAY too big for a few minutes.

• Don’t go with an agenda.  This is completely opposite of how I shop in general.  I have a list and I tackle it.  The thing is Winners has random stock and though my list is in the back of my head, to avoid silly impulse buys, I go to look and see what I can find.  If you NEED a specific item for an event and you need it now, hit the mall or a department store.   There is an expectation to this rule, if I need/want a purse I may just go look at the purses.  If I need some items for the kids, I just look in the kids section.  If I am looking for decor, I go there to look at decor for the most part.  

•  It’s okay to walk away with 1 or 2 things, or NOTHING.  Sometimes we are sad to have spent our precious time and walk away with nothing.  BUT don’t buy stuff just because it’s on sale or you have time.  So many people have items that they “kind of like” or they “kind of fit”.  I must really like something to pick it up, or I’ll take it home and ponder it there, but if it’s not me I ALWAYS TAKE IT BACK because that $50 can be spent later something that I absolutely love.

 

I wore this outfit in early spring to work and then came home to help Anya with our newest project, learning and exploring about birds in our neighborhood.  We made our own bird feeder using a milk carton, paint, and string but we were also lucky enough to be gifted a couple of bird feeders by a community member.  We love watching birds come into our back yard each day and we try to figure out what birds they are.  My mom and dad had a blue jays bird nest under their deck and A. spent a lot of time observing them each day.  I love taking time to learn new things alongside my children.

 

 

I can’t believe August is literally just a few days away.  Don’t forget to link-up with the Continental Drift on Aug. 1^st.  We are talking about books we’ve been digging into but you can link any post including fashion, crafts, travel, life, etc.  Have a great weekend everyone!

 

High-Waisted Shorts Two Ways

Hello Cutie Shorts! 

Seriously how awesome are high-waisted shorts?!?  Currently I am into everything high-waisted, pants, bikini bottoms, skirts, you name it I love it.  Is it just the trend or is it the fact that I am getting older? Yep 36 as of a couple of weeks ago, and things just don’t stay hidden like they used to.  Either way, I am in love with these babies.  I snagged them up at Winners for 24.99 and I knew they would go from office, to drinks, to lunch, to shorts on the beach without a beat skipped.  Today I am showing you how I wore them while visiting in Victoria, BC a couple of weeks ago.  If you haven’t been to Fisherman’s  Wharf you are absolutely missing out.  It’s got the cutest little houses on the water, trinket shops, and the best fish and chips around (and this is coming from a girl who doesn’t even like fish & chips).  You can easily walk it from downtown Victoria, in 25-30 minutes, and along the way you get to explore the beautiful walk along the ocean, as well as take in some Victorian sight along the way. 

 

I also wanted to show you how I would dress this outfit up for a lunch date or even a summer evening dinner by adding a chunky necklace by H & B, some heels and a sleek/sexy bodysuit.  Confession Time!  My bodysuit gives me a wedgie.  It’s super annoying.  My solution has been to tuck it in but not button the bottom up.  It still gives me that sleek look I love, without being uncomfortable or picking my butt.  LOL!  

 

What's your favorite summer day to night look?