General Fashion

Fashionable winter coat under $100

 in General Fashion  tagged coats / fall 2018 / outerwear / outfits / winter 2019 by

comfortable affordable winter coat boots cozy winter coat under $100 fabulous cold weather boots winter coats under $100affordable winter coat fashionablefashionable affordable winter coat

fashionable winter coat under $100 / wearing: ivory CZ earrings / sunglasses / lipstick / plaid winter coat (under $100) / long sleeve black tee / blue scarf (under $100) / bold ring (under $50) / holiday nail polish / black handbag / black skinny jeans (use code CATHY30 to save 30% off) (see original review here) / faux fur boots (under $150) /

I was so excited when I bought this fashionable winter coat under $100. It’s a classic plaid pattern with a modern silhouette. I love how it drapes, plus it’s super cozy! So, when I picked up these fun winter boots, I thought I would wear them together. Ooops!

It is entirely possible I need to make sure I look in the mirror before I leave the house. When I looked at these photos on my laptop, I wasn’t thrilled with the pairing. I love these boots, but not with this coat. I also love this coat, but not with these boots. I should have worn my charcoal booties with the coat, and my black cardigan sweater with the boots! Ugh, hindsight is 20/20.

What I did learn from this pairing, is that although they don’t match, both of these items are comfortable. These boots will be fabulous next February in New York for fashion week since they have a lug sole and a fun faux fur trim. This coat will be cozy in New York too-just paired with different shoes. haha

I plan to wear both pieces quite often over the course of the next few months. They are fun pieces to add to my winter wardrobe, too bad I didn’t look in the mirror before leaving the house! haha

I wore this outfit the other day while strolling Santana Row with my friend Dawn from Fashion Should Be Fun. It was fun to see all the holiday decorations while dressed for winter. I love that the weather has cooled down, and that we can all wear our warm clothing now!

Shop my fashionable winter coat under $100 outfit:

Have you ever gotten dressed, left the house, and realized what you wore wasn’t working?

Thanks for stopping by!

XOXO

Cathy

fashionable winter coat under $100comfortable fashionable snow boots

10 cozy sweaters under $150 to wear now

 in General Fashion  tagged fall 2018 / sweaters / winter 2019 by

10 cozy sweaters for winter and fall

Cozy sweaters  under $150 to wear now from top left: ivory and black sweater / grey turtleneck sweater (under $50) / rust turtleneck sweater / light beige turtleneck sweater (under $50) / grey sweater / blue and black sweater (on my wish list!) / black and grey sweater / grey and ivory sweater / grey v-neck sweater (designer deal!) / ivory cardigan (under $50) /

It’s getting so chilly outside, we all need a new, cozy sweater to wear now! For the fall/winter 2018/19 seasons, there are a few sweater trends to watch for, which can help us all decide which style sweater to invest in this season.

The runways in New York showed us collegiate style sweaters with striped v-neck’s, argyle,  and v-neck cardigans. Designers also showed over-sized, turtleneck sweaters, and 1980s throwback styles. These are all fun styles for sweaters, and thankfully there are a lot on the market this season priced under $150! Love!

I love all of the cozy, over-sized turtleneck sweaters this season. They are cozy and chic at the same time. Since sweaters can be costly this time of year, especially if they are designer, I found 10 fabulous sweaters under $150 around the web, which fit perfectly into the current trends, and assembled them into this post. I hope you love them!

Shop sweaters under $150 for fall and winter:

What is your favorite sweater trend this season?

Thanks for stopping by!

XOXO
Cathy

How to stay sane during the holidays

 in General Fashion / Shopping  tagged holidays 2018 / tips by

how to stay sane during the holidays

photo credit: Her Creative Studio via Style Collective /

The holiday season is upon us, so now is the time to get organized so we can all stay sane during the busiest time of the year! If you are like me, you have holiday activities already popping up on your calendar. To top things off, you might be hosting a holiday event at your house, plus, you have a ton of shopping to do! Also, if you run your own business, you might be in your fiscal fourth quarter and have year-end financials to reconcile; as well as other loose ends to tie up. It can be hectic this time of year!

The best way to stay sane during the holidays, and to stay on track in order to get everything done during the holidays, is to get organized and have a master plan now. In addition, it’s important to schedule breaks in your schedule and add in some relaxation time!

Without further ado, here are my tips on how to stay sane during the holiday season, and just have fun!

  • Plan your calendar. Make sure you schedule everything that has to do with the holiday season clearly on your calender. You can use a paper planner, or an online planner; which ever makes your schedule crystal clear to you and anyone in your family involved. Also, be sure you are including food shopping. It is good to shop for food 1-2 days ahead of time if you are hosting an event.
  • Order a main course ten days in advance: For Thanksgiving, we usually order our Turkey from the butcher or supermarket about ten days before the day we want to pick it up. This is important to do in order to ensure there is a bird reserved for you ahead of time. We do this for Christmas too with a ham. Whatever your main course is, reserve it ahead of time to make sure it isn’t sold out when you get to the store. It’s nice to have things reserved in your name.
  • Buy groceries two days in advance. For Thanksgiving, buy your groceries on Tuesday. This way, if you forget something, you can still go back on Wednesday to pick it up.
  • Shop when the stores open: Never go to the mall or the store in the middle of the day during the holidays. Always go right when the store opens in order to avoid crowds. This may mean waking up before the rooster on a weekend; but it will make your whole day less stressful, and much easier.
  • Keep your lists in a safe place: I use an excel spreadsheet for holidays gifts and shopping lists. I keep it in my cloud so that I can access it from my laptop or phone. This is handy because you never know when you need to reference your list when you are on the go. Plus, paper lists can get lost.
  • Schedule me time: The holidays are crazy! Be sure to schedule at least one day of relaxation so you can regroup and refresh your body and brain. You will thank yourself!
  • Workout regularly: If your workout routine gets off track, you get off track. Stick to your regular workout schedule and don’t let anything get in the way; unless there is a medical emergency-then please, skip spin.
  • Run errands in the morning: Try to schedule your errands before noon, this way you can get everything done in the morning and then relax and enjoy the rest of your day. We are all more productive in the morning, so it’s the best time to get errands done!
  • Make a budget and stick to it: Plan out how much you are going to spend on every single holiday related expense-then, stick to your budget! This will keep you from overspending and you won’t have to stress out about the holidays during the holidays; you can enjoy them! It makes January easier too, because you don’t have to worry about huge credit card bills arriving in the mail that you can’t afford. When in doubt, stick to your budget!
  • Shop early: Don’t wait until the week before Christmas to buy gifts. Try to get as much shopping done before Thanksgiving as possible. This will allow you time to enjoy the holiday season, and wrap presents in peace.
  • Shop online: If you already know what you need to buy, buy it online. This way you can avoid the crowds and carefully watch your budget. Look for free shipping coupon codes, and special discount codes, starting the week before Thanksgiving. Black Friday isn’t just one day now, stores are starting to offer deals a week or more in advance; so take advantage of them. Be sure to keep checking out my holiday gift guides for online shopping guidance and ideas!
  • Have fun! It’s the holidays. Don’t let your busy schedule and long to-do list get you down. If you are organized and stay on track, everything will fall into place.

That’s it! If you stay organized, on budget, and on track, you are sure to keep your sanity intact this holiday season! Love that!

Do you have any tips for staying sane during the holiday season? Please leave them in the comments below!

Thanks for stopping by!

XOXO
Cathy