5 WAYS I KEEP COZY IN THE FALL AND WINTER

Fall is my favorite season when it comes to fashion, but where I live it quickly turns into winter! We get lots of snow and chilly weather, along with dark evenings. It is so important to keep your home a bright and cozy atmosphere year round and it becomes even more important during these darker, colder months. I wanted to share my favorite ways that I stay cozy and enjoy these months!

Such an inexpensive way to freshen up you home. I usually just head to my local grocery store or Trader Joe's and get whatever is on sale. I like to match my home so I usually go for neutral, lavender, blush, or greenery. Roses are always my favorite, but since they don't last forever I try to just stick to what is reasonably priced! I pull off all of the leaves on the stems (it makes them last a little longer) and put them in vases around the house. Tip: go to the thrift store, they have soooo many glass vases for a couple of dollars and you can even spray paint a mason jar with chalk paint for a more rustic look!

I never had a robe until a few years ago and I use it sooo much in the fall and winter! I wear it over my clothes when I am cold and just hanging out watching TV or doing chores around the house. Something about a big fluffy robe just makes me feel like I am in a hotel or something. Another one of my favorites would be matching pajama sets. I looovveee these. They are such a great gift to give someone too because usually people don't spend money on pajamas. I have had all of mine for years so they are a good investment as well. It's nice sometimes to actually look cute instead of my usual pajama outfit of sweats and a hug t-shirt!

I mentioned this on my Instagram a week or so ago, but I have recently switched over from coffee to tea because coffee was breaking out my skin really badly. I have fallen in love! It's so much lighter on your stomach and I can get away with drinking a few extra cups without feeling really jittery. This is the best way to start my day on a cold, fall morning! And why not drink it out of a cute mug too? My favorite teas recently have been: Celestial Tea Sugar Cookie Sleigh Ride, Vanilla Breakfast Tea and Chai tea. I put Califia Farms vanilla almond milk creamer in them all and it's sooo good!

Any excuse for extra throw pillow and blankets! This instantly makes any room feel so much cozier. A faux fur or shag rug would also be a great idea, but I have a 90 lb dog that gets wet and muddy outside and I know he would destroy one. I love having extra cable knit or fur blankets laying around all of the beds and couch, they are a nice touch for guests too!

Probably my favorite way to cozy up my home by making it smell good! I have recently tried to switch over all of the scents in my home to more healthy ones. The Illume brand has really great candles that smell amazing and have pretty good ingredients! I think most are made with essential oils and are soy based candles. I love my oil diffuser too and peppermint is probably my favorite scent to diffuse! It smells really fresh and delicious. Another thing you can do too is go on Pinterest and find different combos of oils that you can mix with water and make room sprays with to spray on all of your linens and around the house. I have a coconut lime one that was made locally and I am so sad I am almost out! I always like having my house smell good, especially for when guests come over! 

5 COZY AND COMFORTABLE COATS: CAPSULE WARDROBE

Something that I always look for in my clothing is comfortability! I like to be comfy in the clothes that I wear, and be able to move around and not look or feel awkward when I am moving around in it.  I went through my wardrobe and wanted to show you guys my favorite 5 comfortable coats that will keep you stylish and cozy this fall and winter! If you read my blog posts or follow my Instagram account, you know that I always try to follow a somewhat capsule wardrobe and stick to a pretty basic color palette. I wanted to show you guys how I style mine and linked exact or similar ones! Hope you enjoy :)

   

   

CAPSULE WARDROBE STAPLE: TURTLENECKS

I decided to make this a series called "Capsule Wardrobe Staple" and show you guys how I wear whatever piece of clothing it is. I like to think of my style as "wearable" for the most part. I am a pretty normal, everyday girl who likes to look somewhat in style, but I really like to be comfortable and wear easy outfits. Turtlenecks are one of those staples for fall and winter that are so warm, but they look so chic and really make your style look sophisticated. They are also really easy to wear and timeless, which I appreciate because it justifies buying them when you know you can wear them for many years! I have 4 turtlenecks, but you could honestly just have one or two and create the same amount of outfits. I have a greenish/sage one, charcoal gray, black and white striped and a tan/brown one. Depending on your style, you can figure out what will match with the majority of your wardrobe. Costco doesn't have clothes online, but I just saw at my Costco they have turtlenecks for $12.99 right now in solid colors! I'll link some affordable turtleneck options first, but here are the looks I came up with:

    Turtleneck, distressed boyfriend jeans, wool coat, black heeled booties

    Turtleneck, black skinny ankle jeans, leather biker jacket, black heeled booties

   Turtleneck, faux fur jacket, black skinny jeans, chunky buckled boots

   Turtleneck, black leggings, pointy-toed boots (any color or pattern)

   Turtleneck, faux fur jacket, mom jeans, black heeled booties

 

   Turtleneck, distressed boyfriend denim, black combat boots

 
 

   Turtleneck, black leather jacket, mom jeans, black heeled booties, black hat (fedora or floppy hat)

Links to cute jackets to layer over similar to mine:

LAYERING YOUR SPRING/SUMMER CAMIS INTO THE FALL

As you guys may have noticed, I try to follow a somewhat "capsule-style wardrobe". I have some fun and more trendy pieces, but for the most part I stick to solid, neutral colored basics, lots of black and white. I find that this really maximizes the amount of times I can wear a certain item and the number of different outfits I can come up with. I honestly think that one of the reasons why I love this and love bargain shopping is because I am such a problem solver and I feel like it gets my brain working :) It's like trying to put together a puzzle out of my wardrobe and I LOVE that. I wanted to show you how you can layer with your spring or summer camis and tanks in the fall. I have been seeing this trend for a while and rather than go and buy something new to create this look, I tried to see what I could come up with in my own wardrobe. I used 3 of my satin camis: one with lace and two with ruffle details. I really wish I had a sweater material one, I saw a picture on Pinterest of a blush colored one over a white t-shirt and it looked so good! These are the outfits I came up with:


First, start with one of these:

1. White tee, silvery satin cami, light-wash mom jeans, heeled black bootie

2.  White t-shirt, black ruffle cami, light-wash mom jeans, black heeled booties and a leather jacket

3.  Light blue t-shirt, black lace cami, black skinny jeans, black and silver belt, black moto boots

4. Gray turtle neck, black lace cami, black skinny jeans, black pointed boots

DIY CHALK PAINTED PUMPKINS

If you are anything like me, you are really particular about colors when decorating for the holidays or seasons. I think once I have kids I might be a little bit less OCD about this, but for now I really like decorating with neutral colors for the holidays. I have seen a lot of rustic fall decor on pinterest and some of the home decor accounts I follow on Instagram, but a lot of the decor is so expensive. So, I decided to do a quick and easy DIY project with my favorite color chalk paint. The kind I used is Americana Decor Chalk Paint in Primitive. It's an off-white color, almost a little taupe and gray. In my opinion it is the perfect color! I have almost white walls so it is just the slightest bit darker than those. I used plastic pumpkins I picked up in the dollar section at Target for $3 each so that I can reuse them for many years, but you could also just do this with real pumpkins. I didn't use any sort of a primer or anything and used a sponge-type brush to paint it on. You can do more coats if you like, but I just did one because I like the distressed look. I included a few other things I painted with this chalk paint too! It's seriously the best color! I had a dark brown metal mirror that I was sick of and some really cool giant candle holders I picked up from Goodwill that I used as wedding decorations. Enjoy!

6 STYLES OF SHOES YOU NEED THIS FALL

Alright, so I kind of hinted at the fact that I wanted to do a post strictly on shoes (boots, mainly) in my 5 fall pieces that you need, so here it is! You clearly don't actually NEED any of these, but if you are a fashion lover like myself, this might help narrow down your shoe hunt and think of ideas to put on your wish list! I live in Washington state, where fall=rain and sometimes snow, so I tend to wear boots almost every day in the fall. Something that keeps my foot up off the ground a bit so that I don't get soaked! Here are my favorite styles of shoes right now:


1. Flats

Pointed toe or a loafer style are my favorites right now. These can easily be worn into the Spring as well and maybe the other seasons depending on where you live

2. Chelsea boot

A classic. I picked up my Chelsea boots from Plato's Closet for $10 last year and love them so much! You can get them flat to the ground or with a heel. The great thing about these is that they are almost always on trend and can go with so many different outfits. Might be one worth splurging on if you think you can keep the same pair for a few years! My dream boots are the Alexander Wang Spencer Studded Boots, but they are also $800!

3. Wet/cold weather boot

Very necessary if you live in a colder climate like I do. Again, these might be something worth splurging a little on because they will last years if you go for a more classic style and neutral color palette!

4. Printed boot

Definitely a HUGE trend this season! One of the best ways to style these in my opinion is just a plain white t-shirt and your favorite black skinny jeans! I love the simplicity of the outfit and then a statement shoe.

5. Buckles/studded boot

Pick whether you are more of a silver or a gold girl (or one of each) and then get yourself a cool pair of these statement boots! I love chunky hardware and anything with studs or big buckles! These can totally change up your outfit and I get a lot of wear out of mine. I always go for flatter boots in this category so they can add some character to my casual, everyday outfits!

6. White sneakers

Such a wardrobe staple for any time of the year. My favorite style is something similar to the Stan Smith Adidas classic shoe. You can wear it with leggings and a plain oversized or mens sweatshirt or dress it up with leather leggings and a leather jacket. I scored mine from Target a few years ago on clearance for around $6!!

CAPSULE WARDROBE STAPLE: BOYFRIEND BLAZER

Hey guys! So, as much as I live in the color black, I surprisingly don't have many black outerwear pieces and I have been looking for the perfect long black jacket that will keep me warm in the Washington weather this fall and winter! I found the perfect one in store this week from Target (you guys are probably getting sick of my Target obsession, but they are just too good). It's from the "a new day" line that they have come out with and if you are going in person you can find it near the dressier section. This jacket is so well made and only $39.99 (and I bet if you wait a little bit they will have an outerwear sale at some point and can probably get it for 20% off). It is honestly one of those pieces that I know I will keep in my wardrobe for years to come! It is such a timeless style and you can wear it so many different ways! Also, it does run a little big (especially since it is a boyfriend fit) so size down! Here are a few ideas of how I styled it with pieces I already had in my wardrobe:



1.  Simple, neutral colored t-shirt, mom jeans and black heeled booties

 2. Band tee, black skinny jeans, printed booties

 3. Black turtleneck, distressed boyfriend jeans, black slip on loafers

4. Grey tank top, black skinny jeans, black belt, white sneakers

5. Striped dress shirt, black and silver belt, black pointed toe booties, black jeans