fall 2018

Falling into winter in ruffles

 in General Fashion  tagged chicos / fall 2018 / gabriela hearst / outfits / winter 2019 by

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wearing: silver disc earrings c/o Chico’s / fall sunglasses / lipstick / black layering tee c/o Chico’s (avl in several colors!) / burgundy ruffle cardigan sweater c/o Chico’s / third tier of convertible silver necklace (sold out, also love this one) / nail polish / silver and blue bold ring c/o Chico’s / black handbag / grey bootcut jeans c/o Chico’s (I’m 5’4″ for reference) / boots /

I love a good fall into winter outfit. The weather here in the San Francisco Bay Area has been swinging from low 80’s to low 70’s, with mornings and evenings dipping into the 50’s. This means we have to wear layers, or we will either freeze to death, or melt like the witch from the “Wizard of Oz!”

Chicos’ is one of my favorite shops for finding great layering pieces. I always love their layering tee’s, convertible jewelry, and outerwear. This short sleeve, ruffle sweater is fabulous for the weather right now. It keeps me cozy in 50 degree weather, and I can still keep it on during the day when the temperatures soar into the 70’s. It can be paired with a short sleeve tee, a 3/4 sleeve tee, or something heavier. I have been wearing it with a 3/4 sleeve tee or long sleeve tee. When winter hits, a turtleneck, or thin sweater will be fabulous underneath it. It’s a great fall into winter piece!

These jeans are super comfy too. They fit great in the waist and hips. I’m short, and sometimes I opt for petite lengths in my jeans. This pair is regular length. These jeans are great if I wear high boots or heels. I could probably use another inch on my boots for the jeans to hang properly. Mmmm, adding that to my shopping list! I wish I was just an inch taller, everything would fit better! Haha, do you ever feel that way?

If you read my post last Friday, you know I invested in a new laptop. I can’t even begin to tell you how luxurious it feels to be able to type freely on my new laptop. A keyboard is something to not take for granted! I’m working on a review of this laptop for you, so stay tuned for that before the holidays. I know it would make a great gift!

Speaking of gifts, Chico’s is currently offering their jewelry for buy one, get one half off. I’m not sure how long the promo will be in effect, so hurry over there now and grab some gifts for the holidays-and for yourself! I love their convertible necklaces, I can’t tell you how fabulous they are! It’s like nine necklaces in one. I’m always switching mine up. I own two of them!

Shop Chico’s convertible necklaces:

Shop my fall into winter outfit:

Are you thinking of gift shopping yet? Or is it just me and my early bird mentality?

Thanks for stopping by!

XOXO

Cathy

*thank you to Chico’s for partnering on this post. all thoughts and opinions are my own

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10 fall must-have’s under $100

 in Shopping  tagged fall 2018 / under 100 by

stripes fall 2018

10 fall must-have’s under $100: stripe blouse / bootcut jeans / bold gold earrings / (original outfit post here) / floral dress pictured below /

As the end of the fall shopping season winds down, and holiday gifts start filling stores, those of us who are still waiting for fall weather to happen, still need to shop! Of course, at this time of year we want to try and save as much money as possible for the upcoming holiday season. It isn’t just gifts we need to save up for, we need to buy extra food to feed guests, we need outfits for holiday parties, and we need to decorate our homes! Um, where is that money tree I ordered? I need to grow some $20 bills on it for the holidays! Ugh, but I digress. . .

In order to make the holiday season a bit easier on our bank accounts, it is nice to know we can find 10 fall must-have’s under $100. These must-have’s can easily be mixed with our current wardrobes; and they can be worn together for a whole new fall look! Love that!

Without further ado, here are 10 fall must-have’s under $100 we can all wear now.

  1. Black Cardigan: This black cardigan sweater is lightweight, yet still heavy enough to block the morning fog and keep us cozy in the fall season. It can also be layered with a tee on warm days, or a turtleneck on cool days. You will find yourself grabbing it almost everyday-I know I do! You can find this black cardigan online here, and my outfit post wearing it here.
  2. Fabulous Rain Boots: These rain boots are to-die-for and they priced sooooo far under $100 you will have money left for fancy holiday food to serve to your guests. Plus, you can wear them with boot-cut jeans. Love!
  3. Sparkle Earrings: Faux baubles are back! This is the beginning of the faux bauble trend, so it is great time to be an early adopter of this trend! With $100, you can buy four or five pairs! These earrings are great because you can rock them for fall, the holidays, New Years Eve, and well into spring. This is a great trend to hop on! Sparkle and shine!
  4. Statement Ring: This statement ring is priced under $30 and will show off your fabulous style this fall season. Since the fall season includes long sleeves, bracelets are hidden; so a statement ring is a must! You can grab one for yourself online here; and maybe snap up a second as a gift for the holiday season. It’s that good!
  5. Long Sleeve Layering Tee: We all need a long sleeve layering tee as temperatures start to drop. This one is made from extremely high quality fabric which can be washed over, and over, and over, without shrinking or pilling. I am addicted to mine! The price is right, so you can grab more than one and still stay under $100. Love that!
  6. Statement Earrings: Large, bold earrings are huge this season. If faux baubles aren’t your thing, this pair of lightweight and fabulous earrings will rock your world this fall. You can find them online here.
  7. Sweater Wrap: Temperatures in the fall season still hit the 80’s, so sometimes we don’t need a full a cardigan or sweater; a cute wrap will do just fine. This one is my go-to on warmer days when I want to look fall-ish, but it’s 80 degrees outside. Love it!
  8. Stripe Blouse: Stripes are a HUGE trend this season, so why not rock this trend in a blouse you can pair with jeans, black pants, or a pencil skirt you already own! You can see it at the top of this post. It’s my go-to when I want to look dressy casual. Love it!
  9. Floral Dress: This floral dress is priced under $100 and comes in two color choices. It’s flattering, comfortable, and affordable! When the weather cools down, you can pair it with a moto jacket-and you’re set!
  10. Bootcut Jeans: Gone are the days of torn denim. It’s so over. Jeans this season are cropped, wide-leg, classic fit, skinny, or bootcut. Rock the 70’s vibe with this sleek pair of bootcut jeans priced well under $100. They are my go-to jeans this season!

Everything mentioned above is not only priced under $100, I own it all! I always recommend products I use and love; so you can rest assured the money you save on these items, is also money well spent!

Shop 10 fall must-have’s under $100 in the widget below:

Thanks for stopping by!

XOXO

Cathy

affordable fall floral dress

Lightweight black cardigan and jeans for fall

 in General Fashion  tagged fall 2018 / gabriela hearst / outfits by

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wearing: blue and silver earrings / fall sunglasses / lipstick / ivory 3/4 sleeve v-neck tee / third tier of convertible necklace / lightweight black cardigan sweater (under $70!!) / split hem jeans (sold out, also love this pair) / holiday nail polish / green and silver statement ring / black handbag / charcoal western style boots /

Happy Friday! This week was quite hectic, and I am so glad we are close to the weekend! For the past several weeks I have been struggling with my laptop. The keyboard starting acting up, and certain letters would only work after the laptop had been warmed up; then they would stop working when the laptop had been on for too long. It was turning into a complete nightmare.

My laptop was only about eighteen months old, so for the keyboard to be shot, seemed unlikely. I tried everything. I scanned for some weird keyboard virus, I uninstalled and reinstalled my firmware, I ran diagnostics; the works! Nothing seemed to the work. The keyboard was just plain shot after less than two years.

The laptop I had before the one with the bad keyboard, had only been eleven months old when it died from spilled tea on the keyboard. Well, can’t blame the laptop for that! BUT, the one before that had all sorts of performance issues, Wi-Fi connection issues, and more. So I went through three laptops in four years. That was an expensive four years!

So, since my keyboard was on the blink, I decided to investigate the possibility of switching from a PC to an Apple machine. My husband recently made the switch at work, so I checked out his laptop to see if it would suit my needs. I asked my friends for advice, and I did a ton of Internet research. All roads were pointing to an Apple laptop.

Two days before I wore this lightweight black cardigan and jeans to the mall to purchase my laptop, I was dead-set on getting an Apple. Then, I changed my mind. I do a lot of “print screen” tasks, which is weird on an Apple, and I enjoy the ease of a SD slot-which Apple no longer offers; and I also love my Windows products. I am used to a PC, and I have been a Windows user since the early 1990’s. Why did I want to make the switch? Was it because all the cool kids use Apple? Was it because bloggers love Apple and since I blog I should too? I love my iPhone, but I can’t use it for heavy photo editing or writing; it just isn’t made for that type of work. So I couldn’t base a laptop purchase on my love for a phone. Then, I found an article online which was talking about Microsoft’s Surface Pro laptop. Oooh! This might be what I need!

The Microsoft Surface laptop offers a clean Windows machine without all the fluff that clone laptop manufacturers install on their PC’s. It’s pure Windows. All I needed to add was security software, and Photoshop; then I would be set!

So, I went over to my local Microsoft store, and purchased a new Microsoft Surface laptop. I am in love! It was super easy to set up, and has a really huge hard drive of 1TB. I’m able to work quickly, and store a ton of photos both on my laptop, and on my cloud. I can insert my SD card into the laptop and transfer photos easily, as well as use the multiple ports for other devices. This machine is a workhorse, and it is perfect for heavy, multi-media use. I love it!

If you are like me, and have been wondering about a new laptop, I highly recommend this fabulous Microsoft laptop. I’ll keep you posted on how it fares over time. It does have a three year guarantee, which costs a little extra, and it guarantees Microsoft will replace it if anything other than theft happens; so I know I won’t have to buy a new laptop for at least three years! That is money saved right there after the last four years!

Of course, you might be wondering why I am talking about a laptop with photos of me in a lightweight black cardigan and jeans! Haha, well, I was going to write about this comfortable fall outfit, but I went off on a little tangent about my laptop adventure. Perhaps it is because this is the outfit I wore while buying my new laptop! I know, it’s still random. Apparently my brain needs the weekend. Three cheers for Friday!

Shop my lightweight black cardigan sweater and jeans outfit for fall:

What type of laptop are you using? What do you like or dislike about it?

Thanks for stopping by!

XOXO

Cathy

lightweight black cardigan for fallblack cardigan and jeans for fall