Happy almost Fall! This time of year is full of gifting opportunities for my family. We have my wedding anniversary (plus my parents' and my brother's,) my birthday, my Mom's birthday AND my sister's birthday (tomorrow!) Christian's birthday is in the mix as well.

 

I have been featuring Aurate on the blog since 2018 and have yet to be disappointed in a purchase. I am definitely a fan for life. Whether your loved ones like classic diamond necklaces, bold necklaces, birthstone jewelry or simple rings, Aurate has you covered! They even offer different shipping options. If you're buying gifts you can request each item be packaged separately. If you're purchasing for yourself or want to be environmentally-friendly you can choose their Sustainable packaging, just a pouch to keep your pieces safe in transit.

 

I always have a hard time buying gifts for my Mom because she has everything she needs or wants. Jewelry is always a good choice - you can never have too many options! I've also gotten her fancy candles and random knick-knacks from Home Goods. One year my brother got her a pasta maker attachment just because he thought she would have fun with it. This year I went with adorable Mini Deco Triple Hoop Earrings (top left earrings in the photo below!)

 

Christian and I are celebrating our 3rd anniversary so, if we were going by traditional gifts, we would get each other something leather. Crystal is the "modern" third anniversary gift but I think leather is better. My parents celebrated their 39th anniversary earlier this month which means lace (or coral/ruby if you go in between 35 and 40 year gifts.) Christian and I don't generally do big gifts for our anniversaries but I think it would be fun/nostalgic to start going through the traditional gifts. Do you go by the traditional gifts for your anniversary or do you go with the flow?

 

In honor of our anniversary I got myself this vegan leather travel pouch for my Aurate jewelry. Now it will house all my gorgeous pieces for easy viewing and access, can't wait to fill it up with more! I chose the super pretty seafoam color but they also have green, terracotta and blush! They actually just introduced black and taupe earlier this week!

 

Sweater Dress: Miss Selfridge (Lord & Taylor)

Sandals: Ancient Greek Sandals 'Athanasia' in Croc (Moda Operandi) 

Bag: Dark Purple Chloé Faye 

Earrings: Aurate Gold Twist Huggie Earring 

Necklace: AURATE X KERRY: Lioness Pendant & old chain

I bought this dress - for a STEAL on eBay - at the end of October and it was killing me knowing I would have to wait until next Summer to wear it. Then I remembered I had my trip to Disney a couple weeks ago and knew it would be perfect for my day at Animal Kingdom! I'm a major Disney geek so naturally I have Disney-related tees that I wear to all the parks but for Animal Kingdom I usually go for some sort of animal print and in this case a patterned Edun dress.

I hope all my American followers have a great Thanksgiving (and possibly long weekend if your employer is nice!)

Dress: Edun red printed silk dress (eBay), Sandals: Ancient Greek Sandals 'Athanasia' in Croc (Moda Operandi), Mickey Mouse Bag: Coach x Disney 'Patricia Saddle in Glove Calf Leather with Mickey Ears' (Coach Outlet), Magic Band: It's a Small World

While I know we all have having to wear sleeves in Summer, sometimes it does get a little chilly at night at the beginning or end of the Summer months.  I've gotten together with a group of bloggers and we're all styling denim jackets for Summer! I went with the obvious - a cute, breezy dress and flat sandals. Perfect for any occasion from a barbecue, walk on the beach or keeping warm in the freezer section of the grocery store!

Check out my Instagram tomorrow to see everyone's looks!

Denim Jacket: Mudd (Kohl's), Dress: ELLE Poppy Zip Up Dress (Kohl's),  Sandals: Ancient Greek Sandals 'Athanasia' in Croc (Moda Operandi)

These jeans are at least 12 years old. The holes have gotten bigger but they're still perfect for those hot days where I feel like wearing jeans but want a breeze. Paired with a fancier top and sandals its a bit more "dressed" than "distressed" 

Top: Natalie Martin 'Jackie' tank (Roundabout), Distressed Jeans: American Eagle, Sandals: Ancient Greek Sandals 'Athanasia' in Croc (Moda Operandi), Frog Necklace: giveaway win

Earlier this month I went shopping with my Mom. I was only intending on buying new dishes but ended up with a pair of shorts and a pair of pants as well. The dangers of Marshalls, ha ha! I had been wanting a couple new pairs of shorts to add to my Summer rotation and this pair by Splendid are perfect! They're a really soft linen blend and have the fun paper bag waist detail, just on a smaller scale.  They do wrinkle fast so I look a bit disheveled in the photos, but what can you do?

Floral Tee: Urban Outfitters, Short: Splendid Arabesque Cargo Short in Antique Military Olive (Marshalls), Sandals: Ancient Greek Sandals 'Athanasia'  in Croc (Moda Operandi), Bag: Marc by Marc Jacobs 'Natural Selection Mini Messenger Bag' (Saks Fifth Avenue), Sunglasses: Gucci, Necklace: BubuRuby



Alsooooo, for you ice cream lovers out there - I was introduced to a new brand this week, Art Cream Ice Cream! They sent me a couple of their ultra-premium ice creams - made with clean ingredients and certified organic milk and cream from a herd of cows in Wisconsin. The brand was founded in 2018 and they focus on happy cows, happy people, quality, community support and creating art!

The ice creams are produced in small batches in “normal" flavors like Chocolate and Cookies & Cream (their best-seller,) plus creative options like Saffron Honey Lemon and Cardamom; 9 tasty options as of right now.

What I love about this brand is the mix of art and flavor. Each flavor has a different container with a painting created specifically for that flavor profile. As a graphic designer I really appreciate this approach to packaging, it makes them so much more fun and unique!

My verdict: Both the Indonesian Vanilla Honey and Cookies & Cream were really good! I think the Vanilla was my favorite, super refreshing. I personally like a higher cookie concentration in cookies & cream but it was delicious as well.  The ice cream is also nice & smooth, no grainy texture that you sometimes get with store-bought.

Select stores in CT, MD, NJ, NY, VA and DC - soon MA & PA - carry the brand for $8.49 a pint. I’ll definitely be trying some of the other flavors this Summer!

P.S. My ice cream scoop is the Midnight Scoop. I got it through Kickstarter 4 years ago, it's amazing! 

For some reason whenever I wear these pants I feel like wearing other animal prints. In this case the cheetah print blouse from Equipment and 'croc effect' sandals from Ancient Greek Sandals. This was worn on a day where the temperature dropped just enough for me to be able to wear pants. I've been getting a little tired of the heat and only being able to wear shorts so it was a nice change. But this shirt and sandals still kept me airy and cool. Any look is made better with a leather handbag, so that’s how I finished off my look.

Blouse: Equipment 'Reese' in Cheetah/Cat Print (eBay), Snakeskin Texture Jeans: Jolt (Marshalls), Sandals: Ancient Greek Sandals 'Athanasia' in Croc (Moda Operandi), Merces Petite Bag c/o Orox Leather Co.,  Sunglasses: Gucci