General Fashion

Cozy faux fur on a winter day

 in Bay Area Fashion / General Fashion  tagged casual style / gucci / jd williams / madewell / outfits by

casual winter outfit ideas affordable faux fur jacketfaux fur gucci marmont lady bag spring 2018 gucci marmont lady bag spring 2018 san francisco fashion bloggers

wearing: bold blue earrings / Bobbi Brown lipstick “Lilac” / cozy faux fur coat / light blue scarf / long sleeve tee / Gucci Marmont Lady Bag (spring 2018!) / boyfriend jeans / Chanel spring nail polish / lace up boots (on major sale!)

So, if you have been following me for the past few winters, you may have noticed I am huge fan of faux fur. I love how funky, faux fur jackets and coats can be. They really elevate an otherwise casual, everyday look into something fabulous.

I originally chose this faux fur coat to wear with an evening jumpsuit I plan to wear later this month for my wedding anniversary, but I couldn’t wait to wear it. It is so cozy, and it fits so well! Plus, the price is so affordable! Love that!

We took these pictures in Capitola before enjoying brunch at Zelda’s last weekend. It is one of our favorite beachside restaurants, and we ate such a yummy meal. I had the bacon and eggs scramble, which was delicious, and my husband enjoyed the Eggs Benedict. Normally when we eat at Zelda’s, I order the Eggs Benedict, so I can attest that it is quite delicious. These are definitely my two favorite brunch dishes from Zelda’s in Capitola. If you’re local, I highly recommend trying them out; and ask for a table by the window. The view of the ocean is beautiful.

After brunch, we listened to music by the beach at the veranda and watched people trying to ice skate on a plastic ice rink. Um, it didn’t look very easy, so we decided not to try it. Have you tried skating on a plastic ice rink before? How was it?

That afternoon we took the kids to “The Mystery Spot” in Santa Cruz. Now, this is total tourist attraction, which is purely for entertainment. The whole thing was designed for fun; there isn’t really a mystery. That being said, I don’t want to spoil it for you if you have not been there, and everyone has to go at least once in their lifetime! The kids had so much fun, and our tour guide had the best jokes. It was really a lot of fun!

This was our last staycation day before school started up again. Our weekends for the next few weeks are full of the kids activities; and then I head to fashion week! Whoo-hoo!

What are some of your favorite staycation activities where you live?

Thanks for stopping by!

XOXO

Cathy

affordable faux fur coatwinter 2018 outfit ideas

Goals for the new year

 in General Fashion  tagged tips by

photo courtesy of “Her Creative Studio” via Style Collective. 

Cheers to a new year! 2018 is here, and as much as I love making New Year Resolutions, often times I don’t follow through with them. I decided this year, instead of making a list of resolutions, I would make goals.

My 2018 goals are simple, and I believe they will be easy to achieve in the New Year. Without further ado, here are my 2018 goals:

Get outside more: I am homeschooling two of my three children, and I work from home. When I workout, I go to the gym. I need to try and get outside more by scheduling family hikes, outings, and the like; at least once per week.

Give my husband more attention: With three kids, their activities, and running my company, sometimes I fail to give my husband the attention he deserves. I am going to plan a date night once a month, and ensure he gets the attention he deserves!

Make more educational family time: We play games with our kids, and take them on excursions, but most of that time is fun time. I want to make fun time more educational. This means more educational-type excursions, and educational games. I want my intelligent children to be as well educated as possible. So far we have played writing games, and gone to a few museums; but I want to do more-would love ideas you have!

Get my fitness on track: I always have a strong workout plan which I adhere to religiously every week, season, and year. Last September I hurt my neck, and had to stop working out for several weeks. Then, I was able to start up my workout routine over Thanksgiving vacation. Unfortunately, I soon fell ill with influenza and was unable to workout for close to three weeks. I finally got back on track this week. My goal is to stay healthy and keep my fitness on track. I gained over ten pounds since September by not working out, so I really need to keep my schedule strict!

Diversify my blog income: So this is a question I get asked quite often; “How does your blog make money?” Right now, I have been making passive income by relying on affiliate income, banner ads, and brands who approach me for collaborations. It has been easy to run my blog this way; plus, since I have three kids and I home-school two, I am always really busy-so I always have had excuses for not going out there and cold pitching. But, it is time for a shake-up!

In 2018, I plan to use my corporate outside sales background to start pitching brands in order to expand my income possibilities. I have an action plan, and I have already started to implement it. Don’t worry, I am targeting brands I already love, and would be a good fit for this blog. I would never advertise something to you which I don’t already love, use, and would pay for myself. If you have questions about a brand relationship, or monetization of this blog in general, never hesitate to email me.

Stay away from “fast fashion:” So, I don’t think I need to delve too much into this. The last few years I have succumbed to the fast fashion temptation. Great prices, trendy items, designer look-a-likes; but my lifetime mantra has always been to buy the real thing. I have never purchased anything that isn’t real, because unreal items are sold by criminal organizations; but I have purchased fast fashion items which are inspired by the runways-I think you know the cheap stores I am referring to which can be found online, and at the mall. No more! I am staying away from cheap, sweatshop items.

Well, those are my 2018 goals for now. What are some of your goals for the new year?

Thanks for stopping by!

XOXO

Cathy

Teddy coat for winter

 in Bay Area Fashion / General Fashion  tagged coats / outfits / winter 2018 by

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wearing: mint green earrings / Bobbi Brown lipstick “Lilac” /  grey scarf / plush blue teddy coat (also online here) / black long sleeve tee / Givenchy bag / Dior nail polish / boyfriend jeans / lace up booties (on sale!!)

Have you noticed the teddy coat trend? This winter, one of the biggest trends in coats is the teddy coat! These are seemingly faux fur coats with short and tight “hair” which is soft, cuddly, and warm; just like a teddy bear!

There is something so comforting about a teddy coat, it really does offer instant familiarity; much like a teddy bear. When I first found this cozy blue teddy coat, I instantly felt connected to it; like it was something which had been in my closet for years, and was something I reached for everyday. If something calls me like that, I have to buy it!

I was originally drawn to this coat because the blue is a vivid hue which is part of the spring color palette. This prompted me to decide it was the perfect coat to purchase now, and save for fashion week in February. Well. . . remember how I said it seemed to “call” me? There was no way I was going to wait until February to wear this coat; it only took me two weeks to break down and wear it. So much for saving something for fashion week! haha

This teddy coat will definitely come with me to New York for fashion week, but I will continue to reach for it often before then! When I wear it at fashion week, instead of styling it casually for everyday wear, I will do my best to amp it up and make it worthy of the New York Fashion Week streets; promise!

I wore this outfit when I went out with my family to the Tech Museum before Christmas. My daughter took these photos while we were walking from the parking lot, to the Tech Museum. If you are local to the San Francisco Bay Area, I highly recommend visiting the Tech Museum in downtown San Jose. They have so many fun, and educational activities for kids! We have the annual pass, and find ourselves discovering new things every time we go. We also caught the new Star Wars movie there since the Tech Museum has an IMAX theater.

If you get carsick, I do not recommend seeing this movie in IMAX. My oldest daughter gets carsick, and didn’t fare too well during this movie. I still had the flu and I have to admit, I felt pretty seasick too. That being said. . .the Star Wars movie was amazing, and I highly recommend catching it! Maybe just not on IMAX. haha

Did you see “Star Wars: The Last Jedi” yet? If so, what did you think?

You can find my cozy teddy coat online here. Oh, and please stay tuned! You will see me wear it again at NYFW in February!

Thanks for stopping by!

XOXO

Cathy

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