Did someone say Fiesta?

Living in Texas Cinco De Mayo is a pretty big DEAL-or maybe it's like that everywhere?!  It is a great excuse to consume margaritas and tacos (my two favorite things in life).  In honor of the 5th I

NYE

I am almost a month in on this NO SHOPPING gig and luckily Christmas came at the perfect time.  My boyfriend did an amazing job taking mental notes of my ever growing wish list.  I have been talking about and sending not so subtle hints to him for months now about this H&M sequin set, In my mind it was what I wanted to wear for NYE.  Right before Christmas we had firmed up our NYE plans with our favorite couple friends and I was just racking my brain with what I would wear for the occasion.  I took to pinterest and started looking for inspiration, I have so many cute sequin ideas, but just could never find something I was in love with, so imagine how excited I was to unwrap a sequin top and skirt!!

Now for the outfit planning...I had the main part but just needed to accessorize.  I went to polyvore and played around on their outfit creator.  I tried to uses items that I have or are similar to what I have in my closet, and I am super pleased with what I came up with.  What do you think?  Its glam and girly, now if only I had a super cute Kate Spade Clutch...don't worry I have a DIY for that coming soon!

NYE by ameliablake featuring high heel shoes

H M midi skirt
$39 - hm.com

Kate Spade high heel shoes
katespade.com

Kate spade purse
renttherunway.com

Kendra scott earrings
neimanmarcus.com

Party hat
partycity.com

Nars cosmetic
net-a-porter.com

Deborah Lippmann glitter nail polish
gilt.com



Love Always,

Amelia B.

I'm a Maxxinista to the Max

Let's face it, I love designer fashion but I do not have the funds to support my high end taste.  I have over the years crafted a set of skills where I can literally spot designer finds at discount stores almost immediately.  I get told all the time that I have a 6th sense for sniffing out these amazing deals.  I would say it's more my love of shopping and making several trips to these stores that pays off.

This entire outfit (minus the kendra scott) I found at TJ MAXX, all on clearance.  I couldn't get over this AMAZING Nanette Lepore dress that I found at about 75% off.  I love the feminine lace mixed with bright Pink and purple.  I paired it with these glittered Kate Spade shoes that just so happened to match the Kate Spade bag that I found a few months prior.  I got this entire outfit for under what I would have paid for just one of these items full price!  Designer look for less!  My tip for shopping Marshalls, Last Call, TJ Maxx, etc is hit them often and if you see something you love you have to decide right then and there if its worth getting because chances are someone will find the deal as good as you do and snatch it up!

On a side note, I was just notified by TJMaxx that I won their weekly contest!  That means a $50.00 gift card straight into my wallet!!  I am so excited to have been selected out of all the entries, and I will immediately be picking out my next must have find ASAP!  So a HUGE thank you to TJMaxx for picking me as a winner!!

Outfit Deets:

Dress: Nanette Lepore, similar
Shoes: Kate Spade
Bag: Kate Spade (no longer available), similar
Necklace: Kendra Scott
Earrings: Kendra scott


Love Always,
Amelia B.

DIY Circle skirt mini

I am not quite ready to welcome fall as you can tell with this super summery floral fabric I found at Hobby Lobby.  I wanted to make a midi skirt but clearly I under estimated the amount of fabric I would need so from midi to mini it was.  I did a really poor job of documenting a "how to" but all you need to do is find a circle skirt pattern (pinterest) and find your measurements.  Just to give you an idea.  I am 5' 7" and my pattern length was 24in.
I love how it turned out and am over the moon with how girly it is, I want to twirl in circles but that won't be happening since I do not want to provide a show for my neighborhood.  Even though Fall is swiftly approaching I am going to hold onto these warm Texas days for as long as I can.  I like sandals and girly dress, not ready to embrace tights, boots, and layers!

Outfit Deets:
Skirt: DIY
Shoes: Target (onsale)
Top: forever 21 (old), similar
Necklace: Kendra Scott (onsale)
Bag: Tory Burch (no Longer available)

Love Always Amelia B.

A Party Dress without a Party

I fell in love with this dress many months ago.  I was so sad when it was sold out at Nordstrom, but when I set my mind to finding something I tend to find it (even if it takes me 6 months).  I searched Amazon, Dillards, Poshmark and finally found it on Ebay for over 65% off the retail value.  This made me a little hesitant but my desire to own this dress won out and I bid on it and won! I have worn it only a few times because I couldn't find a pair of shoes that I liked, in my mind I was thinking something bright and pink. Working next to DSW pays off, especially when you can hit the clearance rack once a week to scoop up the best sale.  I scored these Barbie approved shoes for almost 75% off retail price, which I couldn't pass up!!  Now if only I had a party or some place to actually wear this super cute dress besides the office!

I am also linking up with Sarah from Tucker up for the Lovely Lookbook this month.  I am 5' 7" and this dress is a size 8P I can wear anywhere from a 4-8 it just depends on the cut (I even try on petits).  I bought it a little big (because I couldn't find a 6) and I am happy I did because the petit made it fit a little better on me.  I tend to gravitate towards a fit and flare style dress as it gives me the illusion of a smaller waist while hiding my hips and thighs.  I feel like I have thick thighs so I try to accentuate other parts of my body that I really like and this dress with bright pops of color draws the eye to other places.  I feel like this style dress is good for all body types as it's not restricting, I think that is the thing I hate most about clothing is it feeling tight.  When I feel restricted I instantly don't feel confident, if you're not comfy how can you look confident?

Happy Tuesday, I hope everyone has a great short week!

Outfit Deets:

Dress: Eliza J(No Longer Available),In love with this one, love

Necklace: Harlow( Kendra Scott)

Earrings: Forever 21 (really old), Similar

Belt: Target

Shoes: BCBG via DSW

Love Always,
Amelia B.

Linking up With Tucker UP

Pattern mix up

Ryan thinks its really funny to take these not so fabulous photos of me, but since I am pretty goofy anyway I let it slip into a blog post, plus Ryan says they are his favorite so I let him have one!

I have been seeing this dress all over the inter webs, and I have been on the fence for the entire summer.  When it finally went on sale I decided to snag it up, and when my package arrived it did not disappoint.  I love the light weight gingham fabric and the fact that this is loose fitting perfect for these high temps we have been having lately.  I wore this to the movies this weekend and decided to pair it with a striped sweater.  I swear theaters are like sub zero in the summer, I have grown accustomed to layering all my outfits, it makes it easier to transition from sub zero inside temps to ten million degrees outside.  Since I had already added the strips why not throw in some polkadot Keds.  All I am missing is my signature leopard print.

Random story about Keds and my childhood,  growing up I had really narrow feet (still have really narrow feet) and I had the hardest time finding shoes.  I remember the only shoes I could find that fit me were white Keds, and being in 1st and 2nd grade I was not happy about this.  I started to hate them begging my mom to let me get anything else, until they came out with a splatter paint pair which I thought was basically the best pair of shoes ever!  Anyway once my feet became a more normal size I got to be like the cool kids and wear Nike/Reebock etc.  I ended up hating Keds, refusing to ever wear them again.  Funny how many years later they seem to be making a come back and now I have 3 pair..including a white pair.  I guess my mom was on to something, because they seriously fit like a dream and are super cute, especially the Kate spade collaboration pairs, I keep seeing so many that I want to own!!

Outfit Deets:
Dress: Asos, Asos (similar and on sale)
Sweater: Ann Taylor Loft (old), Similar, Love
Necklace: Kendra Scott
Earrings: Forever 21 (old), similar, would love these
Shoes: Kate Spade for Keds (DSW has these on the clearance racks right now 40% off, couldn't find a link for them), Similar, Love

Love Always,
Amelia B.

birds of a feather...

Here is another outfit that you can easily take from the office to a dinner out with the boy, or drinks with the girls.  I really love this skirt it makes me want to twirl around, but in these heels I would likely fall and cause a scene!

Once again L. Mae boutique nailed it with an ultra feminine skirt that I paired with this breezy white top from Forever 21.  I like skirts that have color in them, it makes it easier to pair it with a solid top (especially a top you already have in your closet).

Its almost Friday!  I hope that you all have something fun planned for this weekend!

Outfit Deets:
Top: Forever 21 (old), similar, love
Skirt: L. Mae Boutique
Earrings: From a local boutique (old), love these
Necklace: Kendra Scott
Heels: Prada (via DSW) no longer available, budget friendly

Love Always,
Amelia B.

Red, White, and Blue

Happy Hump Day!!!

This past week while cursing through instagram pictures I stumbled upon the cutest boutique L. Mae Boutique.  What made it better was that they were having a 1/2 off sale!  So instantly I filled my shopping basket with skirts and dresses.  I finally decided on 3 dresses a gorgeous white floral print fit and flare dress (to come in a later post), this red number, a green dress, and lastly a skirt with cute birds on it.

Well my package arrived yesterday and it did not disappoint... ok well it did for all of 2 seconds when the green dress I ordered was out of stock, but the sweet note saying they will honor one item from their shop 1/2 off made up for it.  The dresses and skirt were even better than I had imagined, the details were right on point and the hand written note just put this mail day up there with the best ones.

I decided to style the red, white, and blue dress with a white striped cardigan and some comfy flats for work, an outfit that I could easily transition into a dinner or night out with friends.  Plus I always get cold so having a cute sweater is always a necessity for me!

Outfit Deets:

Sweater: Ann Taylor Loft (very old), similar, similar
Dress: L. Mae Boutique (sold Out), love this, love this
Necklace: Francesca's Collection (old), similar, Love this
Earrings:Kendra Scott (on sale)
shoes: Cole Haan (old), similar, love
Bag: C.wonder (sold out), similar

Love Always,

Amelia B.