No one can argue that leopard is here to stay, AGAIN. I feel like it's become a staple, and a neutral, in my closet. From dresses, cami's, flats, booties, clips, and belts, leopard can be worn and incorporated into so many outfits without much fuss. This dress was passed down to me and it's been on REPEAT again and again. Over the summer, I wore it as a beach cover-up, see here.
Today I am sharing with you three new ways I've been wearing it.
#1 Leopard & Leggings. This is my teacher, on the go outfit. My life right now is 80% teacher practical, easy to move in and at a quick pace. I chose to wear a black cami under the dress so that I can bend without a worry. I do plan to add a black bralette, I already have a white one, from Belong Lifestyle to my wardrobe. They have a cute one that is a super comfortable bra, with lace, so it doubles up as a perfect cami for lower necklines. I also went with leggings so that I can crawl around with my littles at work, and this dress is on the short side, see below the SEXY look. For added warmth I love a good cardigan like this crochet one. It's an oldie but a goody, but I'll link another favorite below.
# 2 Leopard dress, jeans & white blazer. What is there not to love here?!? Tuck in the dress into your favorite high waist jeans and it's like a totally new piece of clothing. I love how the white blazer is in stark contrast to the darker blue jeans and leopard. It's totally fresh, polished and chic, at least I think so. I polished off the look with my favorite pumps and computer laptop. This is a my casual Friday and drinks after work outfit. Let's just say TGIF!!!
#3 Leopard dress. I would be lying if I said that I didn't feel sexy in this little number. I wore it to our anniversary dinner a couple of weeks ago and felt like a million bucks. As the evening got a little chillier, I threw on that crochet duster cardigan again, and I love how it elongates me (I am pretty short so that's no easy task). I finished the look of with my favorite chunky H & B necklace, heels, and a clutch. We ran into some friends who were sweet and took some photos of the both of us.
We have a pretty chill weekend planned, some painting, visiting friends and curving out a little family time. I'll be honest, I am having a hard time finding balance between my new job and home, but I am also extremely happy when my head hits the pillow at the end of each long day.
August is like a long Sunday for teachers. You know it's coming, you don't want to admit it, but every time you turn around there are reminders that summer will be over before you know it. Usually, this is true for me as well but this year our August was so jam packed that it was hard to find the time to really dwell while being so excited for life that was happening in that moment. So lets take a look at the Krienke Top Five of August 2019.
# 1 Gem Lakes at Narrows Hills Provincial Park
The Gem Lakes are one of those naturally breathtaking places. There are 7 lakes in total, that were all carved out by glaciers in the last ice age. The hike around these lakes is a mere 5.5 km but don't let that fool you, because it's a fairly difficult trek as the path weaves through the forest and around the lakes, leaving you short of breath at times. Along the hike there is much to do and see, from picking berries, meeting other hikers, watching people fish from their canoes, and stopping to enjoy the many look out points along the way. At the end we looped back to the first lake where we had a BBQ and went for a dip in the clearest water I've ever seen in Saskatchewan. Next year we are even thinking of going camping in a tent for a night at this location and enjoying it in new and different ways. If you live in Saskatchewan, this is a MUST do and see.
#2 The 3rd Annual Roffey/Krienke Family Summer Extravaganza
We love all of our friends but the Roffey/Krienke summer get-together has become a tradition. Our two families settle in for a couple of days of shenanigans, visits, and all things that are fun. This year included yard sized Jenga, wings night at the golf course, the girls annual fancy lunch, beaching, boating, a lemonade stand and drinks by the fire. It's definitely become one of our top favorite summer traditions.
# 3 Alen the Teen
We now, not officially, but have a kid that is learning to drive! Yup, I took Alen for a little drive around Candle Lake. I trusted him so much that I even let the girls buckle up in the back. If you are new around here, Alen is my nephew, and I often refer to him as the child who first showed me what unconditional love for a child meant. His annual visits are now going on year 13 and it's scary to think that they might eventually stop. Until then, we love when he comes and we try to squeeze as much fun as possible with him over the short time we have with him. This year that included boating until it was way past sunset so he could do all of his favorites (the kid is a natural). We also went berry picking, played new games, watched a movie and shed some tears, went to the movie theater to the Lion King and did a little bit of shopping. Oh, and we got some nice photos of the kids with my mom and dad. Score!
#4 Kid Free Week!
For the second year, my girls went to British Columbia to visit my sister and family. All three kids flew back together and the girls came home by themselves. Here is a media post summing up how I feel about it,
Today my children came home after a week in Victoria with my sister and her family. You guys, my heart is so full knowing that regardless of the distance that separates us, that my girls have a deep connection with them . These trips encourage them to build lifelong bonds with extended family and to feel like they have a support system much larger than just Logan and I. I also am grateful that when they go there they make connections with extended family,Smilja Fazlagic, thank you for always loving them and showing them a great time. Family and friends are our best assets. 🥰
#5 Wedding Anniversary
16 years ago we said "I do". Since the girls were gone we took the opportunity to celebrate by spending lots of time together. As I've mentioned before we don't do gifts, but rather focus on quality time and making new memories. This was also our third year since we decided that we would take turns planning our anniversary date. The rule is we just have to do something, but it doesn't need to be fancy. If you followed along on IG stories, you know it was a 2 day event, starting with a river run, followed by 9 holes at a local golf course. PAUSE. Bragging break. I got my first par and I finished all 9 holes by myself and without playing best ball. Disclaimer. By the end of the round I was so over it! LOL. We explored the riverbank with our pups, went to Black Fox Distillery to pick some lovely gladiolus and have a drink, grabbed some gelato from Beppi's, and ended the evening off with dinner at Una Pizza & Wine, followed by another river walk. All I really need and want is to continue to grow and evolve our relationship, and we can't do that if we aren't spending quality time together.
And since it's Friday and I usually do Fashion Fridays, here are three of my favorite August outfits. If you are interested in more cute summer outfits check out this jumpsuit, chambray maxi dress, and some pattern mixing here!
Hello friends! I am back with my first day of school outfit. I figured those signs that the kids have make them look so darn cute so I thought maybe it would help me out too. Hahaha. #itsnotjustforkids
Speaking of being/acting like a child. Did you do a back to school clothing shopping adventure? We did not and actually I don't make it a big thing for my girls either. If they need clothes we buy them, if they don't we just wait until they do. This is probably because it wasn't a part of my childhood so to be honest it's not something that dawns on me as a thing to do. This year I did take the girls shopping but it was mostly because they were going to visit my sister and they needed new clothes as they just grew and grew and grew over the summer. My Halie, my first born, my 12 year old is wearing size 8.5 and 9 women's shoes!!!!! STOP growing!!!! (for the record I wear a 7.5 or 8)
Anyway, even though I didn't have this back to school clothing adventure, I love picking out what I am going to wear to school. It's the anticipation of seeing everyone for the first time in a couple of months and truly wanting to put my best foot forward. This year I am at a brand new school, in a new position, so I really wanted to dress nicely but also not overly dressy. Most people in the last four years have seen me presenting, so heels, pencil skirts, blazers, etc. I love all of those things, but I am in a school that requires me to be on the move, where families aren't necessarily walking through the doors wanting to see someone who they can't relate to, so I wanted to showcase my more casual, daily lifestyle wear, while also staying professional. I am actually really huge on professional dress codes, and though you can be more casual at times you still need to present yourself as a well put together, professional person. Since the first day was just our staff, doing some team building, professional learning, and since summer is still here, I decided to layer one of my favorite jumpsuits. I love how a classic white tee looks layered under a jumpsuit, and I added some fun boho jewelry to my look. These earrings have been on repeat ALL summer long. They are lightweight and just make a statement on their own. I also traded in my heels for some flats so that I can put on lots of miles during the day.
Don't forget a healthy snack to keep me going. My favorite is a good old green smoothie to get me from lunch to supper.
It's been a fantastic first week but it's been busy. Through that busyness it's easy to lose sight of things that are truly important. I was so glad that I put a visit to my grandma's as a priority in my life this week. I hadn't seen them through the summer much because we were at the lake, and so going into this week of work I knew that if I truly wanted to make that happen, I would have to write it down and make it a non-negotiable. That day it trumped by workout and you know what, I am glad it did.
How did you get ready for the first day of school as a child? If you have children, do you have any special traditions with them?
Lately I’ve been pulled towards crafting.Growing up I never considered myself a crafty
or creative person.I am not really
sure where this narrative of myself came from, but I think it’s closely related
to my once limited definition of “creativity” and how I closely linked it to
just drawing.Of course, I no longer
hold those beliefs and I associate creativity to a number of different ways to
express and create ideas and thoughts.I
started scrapbooking in my late teens and well into my twenties and LOVED
IT.I made several books and have
several unfinished ones as well.I have
the most beautiful baby book documenting our oldest child’s first year of life.However my second child’s book has been abandoned,
and that’s one of my greatest regrets honestly.Why?Because it’s hard to
remember all the tiny details after so many years have gone by, and with Halie
I was able to document it all.Enter mom guilt.I am sure many of your reading this have this
same experience between your first and
second, or third, children in some way or another.As life became busier and busier, and I threw
myself into other wonderful pursuits, my work, running more and training more,
doing my masters and enjoying being a mother, something had to go, so this creative
outlet slipped away.
I’ve often talked about this blog being born out a desire to
be creative with my clothes.So when I
did my very first GYPO style challenge several years ago, I became interested
in using my creativity with my clothes.I found a new and not overly time-consuming way to create.But lately I’ve been drawn to more “project”
type of creativity.I generally don’t
like long term projects but prefer short and quick little things.I am someone that strives to get a check mark
and cross it off my list, so quick gratification is important.My first little project were these paddles
for the lake to showcase our house number.I had a pretty clear idea of what I wanted and I quickly sketched it out
and explained to my dad and my husband how I wanted the paddles to look on our
cabin.Their job was to figure out how
to make a notch in the paddles so they could crisscross and I went to work on making
the design come to life.
This is what I needed:
Chalk pain in white and dark blue (I got them from HomeDepot)
Sand paper (I bought a variety pack, you don’t need much)
Brushes (Home depot)
Painters tape
Artminds Varnish (this is the thing I researched the most.I went with this glossy one that was created
SPECIFICALLY for outdoor protection as I would be having it outside through all
the harsh winters, hail and rain)
Pain the paddles white x 2.Let the paint dry between each coat, approximately an hour.I choose to paint them white first to give
them a good solid base, like a primer.
When the paddles were completely dry, I measured and marked
the design that I wanted to paint the blue.
I then painted the arrows with two coats of blue.I didn’t take the painters tape off between
each coat and that worked out well for me, but I did both coats within one
afternoon.
I bought the house number at
Michaels and used Crazy Glue to stick it on.
Once everything was dry, I varnished the paddles with two coats. They recommend that you let them curate for three weeks before putting them outside but I didn’t follow those instructions and the paddles have had no damage through the summer rains and wind. They look perfect!
That’s it!
I’d love to hear what your own creative outlets are in the
comments below.Thanks for stopping by
today.
I am in a fashion slump to be honest. I find myself here every summer, mid-summer,
because to be honest my wardrobe at the lake is the same most days, denim
shorts and a tee, bathing suit and cover-up, leggings and sweatshirt with
either flip flops or my converse shoes.
That’s basically on repeat everyday and I find it difficult too justify buying
anything new or super cute because I don’t really have anywhere to wear
it. I also take a lot of lake showers
and live with my hair up. I love this
and honestly don’t have any desire to change it up or wish this time away.
What I wear every evening by the fire.
That begin said occasionally, on a cool and cloudy day, I just feel like I could use a good scrub down, to do my hair and to put on a pretty dress. 😊 I am currently really craving a date night, under the city lights, all dressed up and having a delicious cocktail on a fabulous patio, like Drift in our city. Since that isn’t going to happen, I was searching through my photos from Mexico way back in February and I stumbled upon these pictures which totally match my current daydream state. This was my 2018 summer dress that I wore all the time and I still love it. I love the fluttery feel of it, the slightly teasing cold-shoulders, and the belt that adds just a little boho vibe and the added flower in the hair making it a perfect summer edition. I went on a mass spring/summer purge this year, but this was a dress that has stayed safely in my closet and is completely wearable to work, with a cardigan or my kimono over top.
Cheers my friends and enjoy the last weeks of summer. Don't rush it or wish it away, just bask in its warmth.
What season do you find yourself struggling the most with in
terms of your closet or fashion?
