Sometimes I like to pick a color and come up with a monochromatic outfit. It's easy to do when you keep buying all the same colors, ha ha. I always love a good cashmere sweater and this one from alice + olivia is so fun, I love the elbow patches.

Sweater: Alice + Olivia cashmere sweater with elbow patches (shop more Alice & Olivia sweaters), Pants: abercrombie + fitch corduroy pants, Mules: Franco Sarto 'Dolly' (shop more mules), Bag: Tommy Hilfiger bucket bag (shop more bucket bags), Sunglasses: Gucci

This is what I wore to our family Thanksgiving last Thursday. Normally I have two Thanksgiving outfits because we celebrate with Mom's side on Thanksgiving and Dad's side on the weekend. But this year due to scheduling issues we just had one celebration at my Mom's house with bits of both sides of the family.  I decided to wear my burgundy velvet pants of the occasion and paired them with my crazy Saint Laurent patchwork blouse. It goes with everything!

Blouse: Saint Laurent silk patchwork blouse (shop more blouses),Velvet Pants: Elie Tahari 'Shea Velvet Pants' (Shopbop), Heels: Coach 'Nacie' (shop more Coach shoes), Simple Pearl Necklace c/o AURate, Sunglasses: Gucci, Italian Leather Bag: shop mini bags

Whenever Christian gets his haircut we make it a morning of fun. On this particular Saturday we were out bright and early at 8:30am for his appointment with Cassie at H Salon (she cuts my hair too, but I go a lot longer between cuts.) After he was all spiffed up we headed over to Terrain to check out their holiday displays. Terrain is one of my favorite stores, even if I can't afford to shop there. We did pick up a frosty fern for $10 and I splurged on a couple candles for $20.

After Terrain we headed to Mecha Noodle Bar in Fairfield for some delicious ramen! Sooo good! I would eat here all the time if I could. Their chicken ramen (Shoyu Paitan) and red oil dumplings are my favorite!

Sweater: Everlane "The Wool-Cashmere Oversized Cable Turtleneck" (shop more turtleneck sweaters), High Waisted Jeans: J Brand 'Maria' High Rise in Supreme (shop more J Brand), Boots: White Mountain lace-up boots (shop more boots), Bag: Dark Purple Chloé Faye (eBay), Sunglasses: Gucci aviators in tortoise

Happy day after Thanksgiving! I hope all my American readers had a great holiday and ate lots of turkey (or no turkey if you're vegetarian!)

This month I added a few pieces to my closet but paid $0 out of pocket! Love when that happens.  Last week Everlane surprised me with a $20 credit and since I couldn't decide between two pairs of jeans ($30 difference in price, haha) I decided to just go for a plain v-neck tee.

I also bought a couple things during Shopbop's Buy More, Save More sale with my store credit from my partnership with them. They should arrive on Monday, hopefully they both fit or I'll be sending them back....sad. It took me HOURS to decide what to get. Funny how even when something is "free" you second guess all your decisions. I had so many things in my cart and Christian helped me whittle it down to boots and a sweater. I'll be on the lookout for a few of the other things I wanted to actually go on sale (more than the 20% off I would have gotten if I bought 4 of the things I wanted)

I still haven't made my Net-a-Porter sale purchase but I will probably buy something next month at the end of the sale.  Right now I have about $75 in Paypal thanks to Ibotta and Survey Junkie and should have a payment from RewardStyle on the way as well. That'll help soften the blow if/when I splurge on something.

UPDATE: Sadly had to return the boots as they were a lot chunkier than I expected and I didn't like how they looked on my feet.

THE (modified) RULES

1. Be mindful of purchases 
2. Quality over quantity
3. Basics are best

MY PROGRESS 

Clothes:

1. Autumn Cashmere Landscape Cashmere Crew ($240, retail $440, Christmas + ad money)
2. Sandro burgundy double breasted blazer ($36 via Roundabout Resale, retail ~$500)
3. Massimo Dutti white wool blazer ($19 via Roundabout Resale, retail $130-$250)
4. Rag & Bone 'Jackie' purple leather trimmed wool jacket ($32 via Roundabout, retail $495)
5. eight sixty floral camisole dress ($7 via eBay, used ad money)
6. Joie 'Johnesha' black polka dot tiered dress ($39.99 via Marshalls, $398 retail)
7. Edun red printed silk dress ($25 via eBay, $500+ retail) 
8. *NEW!* Splendid Duke Striped Pullover ($0 c/o Shopbop, on sale for $47, retail $148)

Basics:

1. J.Crew Tissue Turtleneck ($5, retail $30, used gift card)
2. J.Crew Ribbed flare-sleeve turtleneck ($8, retail $45, used gift card)
3. J.Crew Midrise skinny jean in velvet ($10, retail $80, used gift card)
4. AG Jeans 'The Evan' pleated linen pant, Sulfur Harvest Olive ($39 @ Marshalls, $178 retail) 
5. Splendid Arabesque Cargo Short in Antique Military Olive ($29.99 via Marshalls, $108 retail)
6. *NEW!* Everlane Cotton V in Heather Gray ($0, after $20 credit)

Shoes:

1. Lanvin Studded Suede 'City' Sandals ($60 via The RealReal, $790 retail, used ad money) 
2. Lanvin Studded Leather 'City' Sandals ($60 via The RealReal, $790 retail, used ad money)  
3. Ancient Greek Sandals 'Apteros' in Crosta Wine ($158 in Athens, used ad money)
4. Ancient Greek Sandals X Gas Bijoux 'Stephanie Charms' in Natural/Red Charms ($254 in Santorini, used ad money)
5. Sam Edelman 'Gigi' ($12.49 via DSW)
6. Restricted Memo Flat ($12.49 via DSW)

Accessories:

1. Mini Leather Bag (25€ in Italy, used ad money)
2. Olive Leaf + Branch + Pearl Necklace ($50 in Santorini, used ad money)
3. DSW Backpack (free with purchase)

Gifted from Brands:

1. Simple Pearl Necklace c/o AUrate
   

Total spent in November: $0

Total spent in 2019: $245.46

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

Today let's talk about the Shopbop sale which just started around 7am! Both Shopbop and East Dane are having their Buy More, Save More Sale where you can get up to 25% off full price items and 75% off sale items! Make sure you shop by December 2nd as the sale ends at 11:59pm on the 1st!

MY SALE PICKS

Random selection of pieces you'll see below! Shop the sale here!

I always have a Shopbop wishlist going thanks to their hearts system so it was super easy to keep an eye on pieces I wanted to check out during the sale! I'm all about finding designer pieces at a great price and sales are the perfect time! Here are some of my picks and a bunch of pieces under $100 (before the discounts.) There are still some splurges in here, but the holidays are the time to treat yourself - and others - right?

I wrote this post before the sale started so some of these items may be excluded from the sale. Hopefully not many!

Sweaters

We all know I have a sliiiiight sweater obsession, so obviously new ones will be at the top of my shopping list! I'm actually on the hunt for a nice dark brown sweater since that's a color I'm lacking in my closet. And I'm all about a novelty knit with a quirky print. I also have a bunch of basic Vince sweaters because they have some great colors and silhouettes that are always in style.

Jeans

You can always use more jeans, and why not use the sale as an opportunity to stock up on your favorite designer styles. I've been waiting for a good sale to add a couple more pairs to my wardrobe. Currently I'm in need of another mid-wash jean and something non-skinny that I can wear on days where I want a bit of a looser fit.

Dresses

One of my best friends is getting married after the new year and while it would be more prudent to wear a dress I own I can't help but drool over other options. I might also want to add more everyday dresses to my closet because they're so easy. Maybe a nice new sweater dress or a Summer dress for next year.

Shoes

Is there such a thing as too many shoes? I don't think so! There are so many options you can pick up during the buy more, save more sale. A pair for everyone!

Handbags

I don't need any more bags, but that doesn't stop me from drooling over them! Shopbop has everything from mini bags and crossbody bags to totes and backpacks!

Bottoms / Jumpsuits

I want to start wearing more non-jeans as bottoms so I've been on the hunt for some nice pairs of pants and shorts. Apparently I have a thing for green bottoms for Summer. I also have quite a few jumpsuits on my list, it must be the prints (and simplicity of styling.)

Outerwear

It's been a couple years since I bought a new coat so now might be the time to add another to my rotation. I think I only have 3 coats, which is small for a place that's below 30 degrees for at least 4 months of the year, usually more.

A couple weeks ago I jetted off to Disney for five days of fun with some friends. We planned this trip at the beginning of the year (March!) when Disney World announced the opening for Star Wars Galaxy's Edge.  Sadly Christian couldn't come because he was already using his allotted days off for our honeymoon. Don't worry, we're hopefully going to Disney (and Universal) in May!

November seemed like the best time to go because the initial opening crowds for Star Wars would have slightly dwindled and we could celebrate the Holidays by going to Mickey's Very Merry Christmas Party!  We also knew that EPCOT would be having either their Food & Wine Festival or Festival of the Holidays! When dates were announced I was excited to read we would be there for Food & Wine.


Last year my friend and I went to EPCOT 4 times during our stay so we could get the Annual Passholder cutting board but this year we only went for 1 day so I had less time to try foods and had to be much more strategic. Here's what I tried this year as well as a few tips to get the most bang for your buck!

1. Download the WDW - Food&Wine app to keep track of everything you want to try and have tried! Before our trip I wish-listed everything I wanted to try so I wouldn't have to think about it while in the park. (this is not an official Disney app)

2. Buy the Festival gift card. I find it helpful to buy the special festival gift card on a wrist coil. You have to load it with at least $15 but we all know if you're going to eat around the world you'll spend at least that! Plus they always have a cute design, this year it was Remy. (Last year they had 3 separate Remy designs so I had to buy all of them!) It's a great way to control your spending because you can load it with whatever your budget for the day.

3. Pace yourself. If you can spread this out over a few days of your trip, definitely do! Park hop back to EPCOT once you're done at another park for a few bites. If you only have one day don't try to eat too much or you won't be able to enjoy what you do have.

4. When you're with a group you might want to share bites with others so you can sample even more! If 2 or 3 people want to try the same thing why wouldn't you split it so you have room for even more snacks? And, if you happen to really like it, go back to get a second if you're still hungry at the end of the day!

What I tried

The Donut Box

I had already had breakfast earlier in the morning but when my friend had time to kill while waiting for the other 2 members of our group (who decided to sleep in) I wanted to try the Strawberry-dusted yeast donut holes! It was $4 for 4 really big donut holes so we split them and it was the perfect portion.

Spain

Spain had this dish last year and it remains one of my favorite bites of the Food & Wine Festival. It's the Spanish-style Paella with Botifarra and Roasted Chicken for $5.50. The portion size is great for this price and it was delicious and flavorful!

China

Another repeat from last year was the Chicken Dumplings with Chinese Slaw for $4.95. The dumplings were delicious but you only get 2 for the $5 so it's not that big of a portion. I was going to try the black pepper shrimp with garlic noodles as well but figured I should try something different instead.

India

When we arrived at the India booth I decided to be brave and try the Korma Chicken with cucumber tomato salad, almonds, cashes and warm naan for $5.25.  I say "brave" because I'm not a big fan of saucy foods (yes, even pasta.) But the flavor was amaaazing and I really enjoyed it!

France

This is not part of the food festival but every time I go to EPCOT I have to get some chocolate ice cream in France. I'm not lying when I say this is my favorite ice cream anywhere and it's totally worth the $5 for a single scoop. Every time I'm always tempted to get a french macaron with ice cream but I just can't quit my go-to.

Festival Merchandise

I was going to try not to buy any festival specific merchandise apart from a passholder pin and regular pin but they had some ADORABLE Mickey and Remy mugs in the Passholder merchandise section. They also happened to be 25% off (plus my 20% off passholder discount) so I couldn't resist!

What I wore

I wore my Passholder tee from 2018 because how could I not?! The perfect shirt for tasting around the world. It was a chillier - and windy - day so jeans were necessary. I also had my Mickey Sweatshirt on to save me from freezing.

Graphic Tee: EPCOT Food & Wine Festival Passholder Tee, Jeans: FRAME 'Le Skinny de Jeanne' (Shopbop), Sandals: Ancient Greek Sandals 'Athanasia' in Croc (Moda Operandi)