White Off-the-Shoulder Shirt & Weekend Recap

I have had absolutely no concept of time or days this week, but I'm writing this as I'm waiting in the airport to head back to Nashville with my brother and one of our friends to kick off CMA Fest week! I was in CT for a long weekend for my friend's wedding and had the best time! I got to catch up with people I don't get to see often and tore up the dance floor. Plus, I was able to get in some beach time and lots of playing with my niece and nephew. Which enters this shirt - the shirt that transformed me into a pirate ninja fighting off bad guys yesterday ;) 
It's been called the pirate shirt, the puffy shirt and the Caribbean shirt. Personally, I just think it's cute. It's perfect for this time of year because its super light weight and flowy so it works while it's still hot out but not dead of the summer hot. I dressed it up a little here, but I've also worn it with cut offs and flip flops to make it more casual. 

Outfit Details | Shirt: Chicwish (on sale!) | Jeans: J.Crew | Shoes: Nine West | Bag: T.J. Maxx, similar | Earrings: Macy's, similar | Watch: Kate Spade

DIY Halloween Costumes (+ #TBT)

If you're anything like me, you have waited until the last minute to plan your Halloween costume. I'm running a half marathon Saturday morning and kept using this as an excuse to put it off/find something in my closet that and call it a day. But then I decided to be somewhat creative and before I knew it I was armed with a hot glue gun and surrounded by fabric last night. I'll be sure to post pictures of the finished product :) 
I thought I would bring back the two costumes I wore last Halloween (yes, two. #overachiever) because they are definitely able to be created between now and Saturday! 
Costume 1: Pineapple
This quite possibly was the easiest costume I've ever worn and was probably the most popular! I even won an in-office contest with it! I happened to already own a bright yellow dress, and all I did was cut out green construction paper in the shape of big leaves and hot-glued them onto a paper towel roll. My genius mom (who definitely was helping me the night before Halloween, nothing like the last minute!) cut slits in the paper towel roll to create tabs that I then bobby-pinned to fasten the pineapple top. Brilliaint! 

Costume 2: Mermaid

This costume was a little more involved, but still pretty easy. I got a cheap strapless bra and hot glued seashells and beads all over for the top. For the bottom, I found a cheap teal stretchy pencil skirt and my mom helped me (no, she did it entirely) sew on some tulle and glittered fabric at the bottom the give an effect of a tail. If you don't want to get as involved as sewing, you can definitely skip that step and just wear a fitted skirt or maxi skirt! This was actually a couples costume, with the guy as a fisherman, which is also an easy last minute solution if you're looking for costumes for two! I'm still kind of mad I got rid of this one... 

What is everyone being for Halloween?? 

Pumpkin Patch

A few weeks ago, my roommate and I went to a pumpkin patch to be festive and pick up a few pumpkins for our apartment. The pumpkin patch was at a beautiful Botanical Garden called Cheekwood, and they are known for their display of mums in the fall. Well, turns out the second weekend of September is not only 80+ degrees here in Tennessee, but also pre-mum season. Lesson learned for next year! It was still really pretty, though! 
We took these pictures not noticing the shadows from the gazebo I was standing under, so they aren't the greatest, but they will do! These sleeveless sweaters (Sweater vests? How Chandler Bing of me..) have been really great this fall, where it's definitely still warm but my summer clothes just look ridiculous in October! Plus, I'm all about bringing the white and light neutrals into the fall. 

Outfit Details | Sweater (Banana Republic, similar here and here)  | Pants | Sandals (Target, not online) | Bag (Aldo, not online but love this) | Sunglasses | Watch | Bracelet 

I hope you all have a great week and thanks for stopping by! 

Friday Five

Happy Friday! It's been a pretty boring and uneventful week that consisted of working, running and sleeping. Exciting, I know. 
Kate Spade Home. If you missed my post on Wednesday (check it out here), you'll know that I am obsessed with the new home line from Kate Spade. Pink and polka dot furniture?! I'm in. 

Workout Leggings. I'm running a half marathon next weekend, and got these leggings from Old Navy on sale for next to nothing. These are my new favorite leggings to run in. I get 99% of my workout clothes from Old Navy and the other 1% from T.J. Maxx - Lululemon who? This particular pair is awesome quality and so cute, and they are on sale right now! Get. Them. Now. 

This Article. Speaking of Lululemon, you need to read this post. It's no secret that I am mildly obsessed with Nicole from Pumps & Iron and I was laughing out loud reading this. I have this thing against $100+ see-through pants that I will do nothing but sweat through (weird, I know), so I especially enjoyed it. 
Chicwish Skirt. How perfect is this skirt for the holidays? It's currently sitting in my shopping cart. To pull the trigger or not... 

Listening: Green Mountain State - Trevor Hall 
I hope everyone has a great weekend! Thanks for stopping by! 

Friday Five: #NSale

1 / 2 / 3 / 4 / 5 / 6 / 7
Surprise, surprise! Another Nordstrom Anniversary Sale post! While I seriously contemplated opening up a Nordstrom card so I could access the early access sale, I refrained and waited for this morning to snag some items from my (growing) wish list. After all, today kicks off my birthday weekend, so I couldn't not, right? 
Above are my top 5 (plus a few extras...) picks from the sale. In reality, I have about a top 50, but I narrowed it down for the sake of this post. Looking through the sale for the past week has gotten me so excited to dress for fall! Although it's a long ways away, and I am more than okay with that, fall is one of my favorite seasons to dress for.
I hope everyone has a great weekend! I am excited to celebrate turning a quarter of a century in Nashville! With 100+ degree weather headed our way all weekend, I have a feeling the majority of my weekend will be spent by the pool with a cocktail or two in hand :) 
Thanks for stopping by! 

Friday Five

In honor of my travels back home to Connecticut for the weekend, I thought I would round up my top 5 carry-on must haves. Which is kind of ironic, because I got taken aside to have my bags checked because the size of my lotions and shampoos were too big. Thank goodness for the nice TSA man who appreciated the fact that they were all less than half full. 
I travel with a massive Michael Kors bag I scored on major sale a couple of years ago and it is perfect to fit everything from my laptop to an extra pair of clothes (my mom taught me to always travel with an extra set of clothes, underwear and your toothbrush in case something happens to your luggage. As usual, moms are always right). Mine is cloth so it's nice to shove everything in, but I love the structure of this bag to keep everything in place throughout your trip. Everything I need somehow always falls to the bottom of my bag by the end! 
I am such a sucker for all the snacks at the airport stores - hello sweet tooth - so I always try and have a healthier option with me. I love the Kashi Chocolate Almond & Sea Salt bars and they are much better for you than the peanut butter cups I probably would have eaten instead :) 
I have a list of about 20 books I want to read, and never take advantage of my downtime by reading, but I always read in airports and on planes. I'm currently reading This is Where I Leave You, which is actually being turned into a movie! I had no idea when I started reading it. I was laughing out loud on the plane reading it, I highly recommend it. And having a trusty People StyleWatch with you can never hurt! 
My flight kept getting delayed yesterday (which led me to meet Garth Brooks' band, but that's a story for another day...) and the terminal kept changing. Luckily Nashville is a small airport so it didn't involve a lot of walking, but comfortable shoes are a must in airports. I love wearing my Jacks. They are easy to slip on and off at security and super comfortable for walking (or running) around the airport. 
By the time I get off the plane, my hands are always so dried out (yet my face is always so oily! Does this happen to anyone else?). I bought this CocoMagic Coconut Oil lotion at T.J. Maxx not knowing anything about and absolutely love it. It literally makes my hands feel like silk after I use it! I have a small version for my bag that I keep with me at all times. 
I am so excited to be home this weekend, I can't believe it's been since March and there was still snow on the ground! I feel like I just moved yesterday. I can't wait to see my family, friends and hopefully squeeze in a little time at the beach! Enough of this living in a landlocked state business. 
I hope you all have a great weekend! Thanks for reading! 

Chambray Romper

Excuse my 3 week hiatus, June has been a crazy month! I've had visitors in town since Memorial Day weekend and I've been non-stop! But after much demand, I'm back! And by much demand, I mean text messages from my mom :) 
I actually wore this outfit a few weeks ago to go to a winery and wine tasting at the Belle Meade Plantation down the road from my apartment. It is so pretty and we happened to be there the day of a wedding so we had fun watching the bride take some pre-wedding pictures. 
I got this romper on super sale from Old Navy a couple of  months ago and its so easy to dress up or down! I'm not going to lie, I was torn at first if I liked it or not. I was stuck between looking like a trendy mechanic or just trendy, but I decided to  keep it and I'm glad I did! 
This would also be a great option for 4th of July this weekend - I paired it with red lips to go out to dinner and out later in the night and with a few more red accessories, and not hot pink, it would be the perfect red, white and blue ensemble! I would recommend sizing down though. I am usually a medium in rompers, especially for the length, and I wish I got this in a small because it's so big in the waist. 

| Romper: Old Navy (not online), similar here and here | Shoes: Guess (old), love these and these | Bag: Target | Necklace: Vestique, similar here | Watch: Kate Spade | Bracelets: J.Crew & Rocksbox | Sunglasses: Loft |

Neutrals & Neons

So, I have a few confessions to make before this post goes anywhere. I have an obsession with white on white. I think I'm addicted to Target. And it's up for debate whether or not I have a shopping problem. With that being said, I went to Target last week during lunch to return something (of course) and came out with this clutch and these shoes. In my defense, the shoes were on clearance for $10. TEN DOLLARS. And I had been eyeing similar pairs for a while. 

Needless to say, I spent the remainder of the afternoon at work thinking of how I could work this clutch and these shoes into an outfit for a concert I was going to that night and viola. This was the end result. The night was kicking off Memorial Day weekend so white on white was even more appropriate! Even though I never really stopped wearing white.... I love the lace detailing on this shirt, I've already worn it a few times!

This gorgeous necklace, which I also mentioned here, is one of the Rocksbox gems I received and I have worn it so much. I still can't decide if I should just buy it because it's on the pricier side, but I still can't part with it just yet! Don't forget to use the code colleenbff103 at checkout or use this link for a FREE month of Rocksbox! 

Outfit details | Shirt: Francesca's (similar) | Jeans: Old Navy | Shoes: Target | Clutch: Target | Necklace: Rocksbox | Pink bracelet: Kate Spade (old) | Gold bracelet: J.Crew | Watch: Kate Spade