I was not intending on taking outfit photos the day I wore this. Christian and I had a bunch of errands to run in the morning and after having an overindulgent lunch at Chili's (to use my free birthday dessert!) we decided to take a long walk in the park. It was too pretty to not snap a few photos so you get to see a super simple outfit and no makeup. Jeans, tee, cardigan - done! 

It was a PERFECT Fall day so we ended up staying over an hour just walking around and chatting. Simple pleasures. A nice change from sitting on the couch on my computer all day. We were also having a nice laugh watching the park rangers go around the parking lot giving people tickets if they didn't have a park sticker. We don't live in town anymore so we actually bought a non-resident sticker so we could continue to come to this park. 

Tee: A New Day via Target

Purple Cardigan: Max Studio

Jeans: Current/Elliott skinny jean in Love Destroyed

Bag: Purple Prada Cahier in Viola (Rebag via Vestiaire Collective)

Sandals: Ancient Greek Sandals 'Apteros' in Crosta Wine (bought in Athens)

Stud earrings will always be my earring of choice because they are so easy to wear and sleep in without worry. I'm notorious for wearing the same pair for weeks on end but thanks to Aurate I've been swapping out my earrings more often because I've grown a small collection of cute pairs from the brand. 

With many of Aurate's earrings you can buy singles or pairs which makes it super easy to customize stud earrings for your tastes. They have a new diamond moon, lightening bolt, gold letters, birthstones and more! All can also be made in yellow, rose or white gold so there truly is something for everyone. I bought a Pearl and Gold Bar Duo Stud Earring in rose gold so I could swap out one of my pearl studs for added interest.  Such a fun addition to my jewelry box. 

This order was the first time I chose items that weren't in stock at the time of purchase. This means that I got to follow along the progress of my earring being made! Aurate doesn't keep a ton of pieces on hand so that you don’t pay for extra inventory costs and they produce less waste. I got emails throughout the whole process so I knew when to expect my jewelry.

Status emails from Aurate

Since my jewelry collection is growing it may be time to figure out a new display solution. Currently I have a wooden jewelry box my grandpa made where I store old pieces. I also have a clear plastic tray organizer with multiple boxes so I can grab my most worn pieces with ease. For some of my bigger necklaces I have a really cute wall hanger that my Mom made with fun knobs on a piece of teal painted wood, similar to this piece. I did get Aurate's Travel pouch for when I go on longer trips and want jewelry options, super convenient!  How do you store your jewelry?

I was going to wear the pearl studs for my brother's wedding reception last month but there was a delay in shipping due to a hurricane and they didn't arrive in time. I opted to go for my fun rose gold Sensu Ear Jackets from Aurate along with my pearl necklace instead!

He got married in a small ceremony last year so this year was technically the reception. I wore the same dress to his small scale wedding but wasn't about to not wear it for the big gathering! To make it different I just switched up my accessories. Easy peasy!

Dress: Ba&sh "Perla" dress in Green Light c/o Shopbop 

Shoes: Nicholas Kirkwood Lola pearl sandals (Net-a-Porter) 

Bag: Purple Prada Cahier in Viola (Rebag via Vestiaire Collective)

Simple Pearl Necklace c/o Aurate

Sensu Ear Jackets c/o Aurate

Opal ring + bracelet: Grandma's

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

The past two weekends I've had some good quality time with Layla! 2 weekends ago a friend came over and wanted to see her so I stole her from my cousin for a sleepover. Then this past weekend my cousin was going to a wedding so I took her overnight again. She also got to hang out at my parents' house for a bit. All the field trips!

She always enjoys coming down the road to our house because she can run around our backyard smelling all the new smells. On the way to my parents' house for a labor day get together we made a pit stop for outfit photos and a quick sniff for Layla. She was dragging me all over the place hunting for who knows what. Dogs are so funny.

I rarely wear this kimono for outfit photos because it just doesn't photograph that well, but I think these came out pretty good.  Whenever I wear this, which sadly isn't very often, I'm reminded of the infamous Extreme Cheapskates episode I filmed with Lydia in 2014. It still amazes me how people think shows like that are real. Spoiler: they are not. 90% is fabricated. They approached Lydia to highlight her "thriftiness" and then made up pretty much every segment of the show to make her look like a crazy person. 

Kimono: Sonnetts Design - Rhode Island (Goodwill Outlet)

Bodysuit: Who What Wear x Target

Jeans: Current/Elliott skinny jean in Love Destroyed

Espadrilles: Sam Edelman 'Lars' (Net-a-Porter)

Sunglasses: Chanel

This outfit is called - I wanted to wear things I haven't worn in a while. All these pieces haven't been getting much love lately. This is partly because I haven't been going anywhere and because I wore some of them a LOT when I first got them so I end up passing by them. When it comes to the Ancient Greek Sandals that's because I have 10 pairs....whoops! The only piece I'm still unsure of is the shorts. They just seem a little too big, especially in photos. But they're comfy and keep me cool on hot days so I keep them around.

Top: Mexx (Coco's on the Green)

Sparkle Shorts c/o Banana Republic Factory at Clinton Crossing

Sandals: Ancient Greek Sandals 'Athena' (Gilt) 

Bag c/o Orox Leather Merces Petite

Sunglasses: Ray Ban 'Emma' (Marshall's)