Can you believe it's already September tomorrow? CRAZY! This month was another well behaved month thanks to June being a slow work month. I budget based on what I make 2 months ahead. So what I make in June I use in August. Everything has a job so it's easy for me to stay on target with my budgets.
However, I do have a sponsored post with Aurate coming up next month so I was able to choose some items. I bought my Mom some earrings and then one earring for myself (as well as a pair that I got for free with the order.) So far my Mom's piece is the only thing that has arrived, the two for me will arrive mid-September.
I also made a pre-vacation purchase for Disney using some blog money. I randomly saw a cute pair of vintage-style Disney shorts on Instagram and decided to do my own search and found these adorable Disneyland mickey embroidered pocket shorts. I ended up with 2 pairs because I originally bought a size 12 brand new with tags and they were too big so I had to size down to a used 10. Unfortunate the new ones didn't work, but at least I still got a pair! If you are interested in a pair I am normally a 2/4 or 26/27 in denim and bought the size 10.
THE (modified) RULES
- Be mindful of purchases
- Quality over quantity
- Basics are best
MY PROGRESS
Clothes:
- mīere the label Women’s Cotton Knit Sweater in Terracotta ($68.87 including shipping)
- *NEW!* Vintage Disneyland shorts with embroidered Mickey pockets ($20 via Poshmark, used ad money)
Basics:
- FRAME Denim Le Skinny de Jeanne Crop in Sunnyside ($30 via Poshmark, retail $189, $18.67 after ad money)
Shoes:
- Splendid Harvest Mules in Tiger/Cheetah Print - also here ($25.80 via eBay, retail $118, used ad money)
- Teva Original Universal Sandals in Boomerang Pink Lemonade ($42.50 via Shopbop, used partnership money)
Handbags:
- Prada Cahier in 'Viola' purple via Vestiaire Collective ($1488, used bag savings account)
- None yet
Activewear/Swimwear:
Gifted from Brands:
- Vintage Emerald Cut Ring - London Blue Topaz c/o Aurate ($50 after gifted amount)
- *NEW!* Infinity Hoop Earrings - Yellow Gold c/o Aurate
- *NEW!* Pearl and Gold Bar Duo Stud Earring - Rose Gold c/o Aurate
Spent in August: $0
Spent in 2021: $209.66
Spent in 2021 Counting Prada bag: $1,697.66
An outfit featuring a nice mix of old and new. The sweater tank has been seen MANY times on the blog but I think it's time for a refresher for those that have missed the original story. My late Grandmother - Dad's Mom - made this sweater for my Mom many years ago, I would assume when I was a baby. She also made them for my 3 aunts. My Mom had two because she asked her to make a second in a white/cream color, she still has that one. It was passed on to me back in 2012 and became a Summer staple. I love that whenever I wear this sweater it brings me closer to her (she passed away right before I turned 13.)
These Zara shorts are also a pretty old item - bought in 2012. I'm pretty sure this is one of my most worn tank/short combos. They go so perfectly together. When paired with my new purple Prada Cahier the purple flowers on the shorts pop even more!
You can never go wrong with a pair of Ancient Greek Sandals. This time I wore the Faye embellished sandal, a pretty apt choice now that I'm writing this blog post. My middle name is Faye, after my Grandmother who made the sweater! How funny that I chose this particular pair to wear. Must be a sign.
Sweater: Made by Grandma
Shorts: Zara
Sandals: Ancient Greek Sandals 'Faye' embellished sandal (Net-a-Porter Sale)
Ring: Vintage Emerald Cut Ring with London Blue Topaz c/o Aurate
Necklace: Shashi Princess Leia Necklace c/o Shopbop
Bag: Purple Prada Cahier in Viola (Rebag via Vestiaire Collective)
Sunglasses: Gucci Aviators (bought in Italy)
As the weather gets warmer, I'm all about less is more when it comes to clothes, and jewelry. That doesn't have to mean fewer pieces thanks to thin stackable rings from Aurate! I'm excited to finally be breaking out all my Summer pieces like denim shorts and lightweight dresses. And the clothes I bought last year and didn't get to wear much.
Mostly I'm excited to start cycling through my collection of Ancient Greek Sandals. We all know my obsession for the brand runs deep. I now own 11 pairs, we'll see if I can resist adding a new style this Summer. I intended to wear a pair with this outfit but Christian persuaded me to switch to another favorite pair of sandals - my Lanvin studded sandals! I wore the black version instead of my multicolor suede pair.
If I had more places to go this Summer I would finally try out Rent The Runway's subscription service to go all out on the fashion front. It would be a nice change after rarely getting dressed this past year and a half. But we all know I'm still a homebody at heart, so it won't be worth it for me, ha ha! At least I can take advantage of their clearance section with items that have been retired from renting.
How dreamy are these photos? The day we took the photos, cottonwood was in full force making it look like it was snowing. The wind aided in their spread across our favorite park. Have you ever experienced these seeds blowing off their trees in the wind where you live?
Dress: Edun Fuchsia printed silk dress (eBay)
Sandals: Lanvin studded leather 'City' sandal (The RealReal)
Sunglasses: Ray Ban 'Erika' c/o Shopbop
Bag: Marc by Marc Jacobs 'Perfect Purse ostrich-effect PVC' (Net-a-Porter sale)
Stackable Rings, Simple Pearl Necklace & Pearl Earrings c/o AUrate
As I've said a couple times in passing, haircuts were the first thing on our list after being fully vaccinated! We had our second shots at the end of April and scheduled our haircuts for the first Saturday after it took full effect. I haven't had a haircut since before our honeymoon in 2019...YIKES! Normally I go once a year and by the time the year mark rolls around I'm getting frustrated with the length of my hair. Waiting the nine extra months was a little crazy but since I wasn't going out anywhere why risk getting a haircut until it was safe to do so.
Christian goes more often than me, obviously, but I think his last cut was September 2020. We masked up and went to our usual salon. It was so nice having someone else wash my hair for a change and I left feeling a few pounds lighter!
After my fresh cut I had to take outfit photos. Why waste styled hair, right?
Cardigan: Max Studio
Tee: J.Crew
Pants: G.H. Bass c/o Clinton Crossing
Sandals: Ancient Greek Sandals 'Clara' Sandal c/o Shopbop
Necklace: AURATE X KERRY Lioness Pendant c/o
Bag; Bought in Venice
*This post was made in partnership with Responsival. Thank you for supporting brands I feature*
Name a better gift for Mom than beautiful gold personalized necklaces! They can be made special in so many ways with initials, birthstones and zodiac signs. You can personalize them for your Mother's birthday or even with your/all her children's birthdays. AU-Rate has plenty of options to choose from! If you're not a birthstone or initial fan you can just choose any of their pieces and select your Mom's preferred color - gold, white or rose! It's impossible to not be able to find the perfect piece of jewelry.
Aurate also released a new collaboration with Kerry Washington last week called The Birth of Mother featuring beautiful organic pearls and seashell motifs. Order by May 5th for regular shipping and May 7th for overnight to get your gift in time (in stock items only, not made to order.)
If your Mom isn't a jewelry lover there are plenty of other options to make her smile! Mine will never say no to a beautiful candle, my favorite brand to splurge on the past number of years has been Voluspa, but I also discovered L’or de Seraphine last year! Both are a bit on the pricier side, but when it comes to gifting - go for the high end!
For the Mom with a sweet tooth you could bake her something yourself (check out my baking posts to see what I've made lately) or order her a fancy dessert she wouldn't buy for herself! Maybe some Ladurée macarons or Dō cookie dough! You could even find a local donut shop that makes over the top donuts! Around here we have Donut Crazy!
Side-note: How beautiful is this london blue topaz and diamond ring from Aurate? I had to buy it when I saw it matched one of my favorite necklaces that my Grandmother handed down to me.
Double V-Neck Cashmere Sweater: Calypso St. Barth 'Gylden' (Gilt)
Floral Jeans Target Flipside Denim
Sandals: Zigi Soho Velvet Floral Embroidered Open Toe Mules (TJ Maxx)
Bag: Marc by Marc Jacobs 'Natural Selection Mini Messenger Bag' (Saks Fifth Avenue)
Sunglasses: Gucci Aviators (bought in Italy)
Blue Topaz & Diamond Necklace: hand-me-down from Grandma
Ring: Vintage Emerald Cut Ring with London Blue Topaz c/o Aurate
