Lightening up my winter wardrobe

If you guys have been following me for a while now, or you just know me, you know my wardrobe consists of a lot of black and neutral colored pieces year round. I have been seeing a lot of pastel colors lately and I think its a nice way to not look so harsh in the winter time when you have to be layered up in a million different layers and it's freezing cold! I was kind of inspired by my last post, which was a thrift store sweater haul. I found a bunch of light colored sweaters and turtlenecks when I was at the thrift store and it made me want to get a bunch to layer underneath cute coats. I recently ordered my favorite grey trench coat in a light camel and a blush pink color and it also gave me inspiration to put together some outfits with a little bit of light in them! I wore the same pair of jeans in all 6 looks to show you guys that you can still wear light-wash denim in the winter and how it will add to lightening up your outfit! This coat is on my love list at the top of my blog and it's always on sale! It comes in a bunch of different colors and it is a must-have for fall and winter! Here are some of the outfits I came up with and links to cute pastel pieces at the end!

Thrift Store Sweater Haul

One of my favorite things to do is go thrift store shopping. I picked that up from my Mom and Grandma, who I used to go with when I was younger. It's definitely not for everyone, but if you have patience and don't mind searching for things, it can be a really great way to save money! I think it makes your style unique and really makes you get creative and think outside the box when you are shopping in a thrift store and not a perfectly staged and merchandised store where everything looks good. One of the best things to get at the thrift store are turtlenecks and sweaters because there are certain styles that are so classic that something like a black turtleneck is never going to go out of style and always looks so chic. I have really been wanting some new long sleeves to layer under jackets, but Christmas is coming up, so I have been trying to save money for gifts! I typically go to Value Village, I feel like they have the best stuff! They were having a sale on all green tag items for 50% off, which was great because I ended up getting 5 really nice sweaters for under $25. I think one of mine was $9, which was kind of expensive for the thrift store, but I really loved it and that is still less than what I would spend on a less quality one at one of my go-to stores to shop at. They had SOOO many plain sweaters like these! I even found a light blue chenille one, which is really on trend right now! Plain sweaters like these are always something I grab for to layer under cute jackets or just to wear over leather leggings or tucked into high-waisted jeans with a cute belt. Here is a little try-on of all the sweaters I picked up. I hope it gives you some inspiration of what to look for at the thrift store!

Gift Guide for Father/ Father-In-Law

Probably the hardest gift to buy in my opinion! I am going to include some good ideas for things that I have bought for my dad over the past few years and a few others that I think just think would be great gifts. Another thing you could do if you have siblings, is go in on something big together! Some ideas for this would be: a new BBQ, smoker, or cool fire pit for the deck or patio. Some people are anti-gift cards because they think they are not thoughtful, but I personally LOVE getting gift cards. A gift card to a fancy restaurant that your Dad has never been to or a stay at a hotel for a weekend getaway with his significant other would be a great idea too if you don't think any of these gifts would suit him. If he is a sports fan surprise him with tickets to a game that he maybe wouldn't spend the money himself to buy tickets for! Okay, let's get into the gifts!

1. Sports gear. I feel like anyone's dad would love a sweatshirt, zip-up or hat from their favorite sports team!
2. North Face -- Always classic and will last for years
3. Nike polo -- Always a good idea because they are so dang expensive, but great for work or golfing
4. Headphones -- I picked ones with good reviews that were under $100, but you could always split a really nice pair with a sibling!
5. Slippers -- Always nice to have a new pair!
6. Cooler -- I wanted to include this fancy Yeti one, but you could always do something less expensive
7. New gym bag -- Something no one really likes to buy themselves, but is always great to have a new one
8. Nike workout gear -- My dad always love getting new workout clothes like these
9. Yeti Tumbler -- These are amazing and make great gifts because you might not want to spend $50 on a water bottle or coffee cup for yourself, but they are worth the money in my opinion
10. Hotel Collection robe -- I included this on my women's gift guide too and last year I got my mom and dad matching white ones to have at their cabin for when they get out of the hot tub! Something about a white robe just makes you feel like you are at a spa or on vacation :)
11. Steamer -- I think most guys I know don't enjoy ironing things so these just make getting the wrinkles out so much easier! A travel one would be nice too if your Dad travels a lot or doesn't have a lot of storage space! 

Gift Guide For Your Mother/Mother-In-Law

Hey guys, sorry it has been so long! The fashion posts will be back soon-- I promise! My room that I use to take all of my pictures and everything is being occupied right now as my in-laws have been staying with us. Anyways, I have been seeing a lot of gift guides lately, and I thought I would do a gift guide for something that I find a little bit more challenging than gifts for my friends or husband. My dad complimented me a few months ago after his birthday saying that I always give the most useful gifts. That meant a lot, because I find it a lot harder to shop for parents or grandparents or even in-laws! I always like to put a lot of thought into gifts and I'll be doing another one of these for your dad/father-in law soon! I kept most of the gifts under $100 and I separated the women's one into two categories: gifts for the fashion-forward mom and gifts for the more practical mom. Here is what I came up:

1. Classic Sunglasses
2. Classic Leather Jacket
3. Designer Costume Jewelry
4. Nice Travel Tote
5. Cosmetic Cases
6. Kate Spade Wallets
7. Classic Trenchcoat
8. Black Heeled Boots
9. Rain Boots

1. Fitbit
2. Luggage
3. Slippers
4. Facial Brush
5. NutriBullet
6. Northface Jacket
7. Sorel Boots
8. Matching pajama set
9. Oil Diffuser
10. Hotel Collection Robe

Tip: I am big into presentation for gifts and using things like cute baskets or bins from Home Goods or TJ Maxx makes any of these gifts so much cuter and you can usually get them for only a few dollars more than you would spend on wrapping paper or a gift bag!