Bump Style Peek: olive maxi + guitar print button-down {17 weeks}

Hello friends! How is your week going? This pregnancy is progressing at warp speed and I'm feeling pretty good (knock on wood!). Jack finished painting and prepping the nursery (a pale creamy grey green - could I be more predictable?) and built a beautiful feature wall using old salvaged barn board we picked up for a project a few years ago. I'm loving the cozy rustic vibe and now I'm working on decorating ideas to keep with that theme. We also ordered all of our Ikea kitchen cabinets and Jack has been a busy bee assembling them all with plans to swap the old for the new in the next month or two. To say our household is a bit chaotic at this point is an understatement! But it's exciting to have the looming due date as a goal point to be ready for. We also went through our pre-natal classes and they were excellent (we took them through The Nest Family Centre - I love classes and workshops and constant learning so I feel more relaxed already knowing what's ahead!

I've officially popped which means I'm looking for comfort and ease every day without sacrificing frumpiness. Jersey maxis continue to be a go-to and this button down top was an experiment from my usual cardigan. I love my cardigans but I needed a casual work alternative. I like the look but I think next time I would do a thin belt on the empire waist...it's just missing a touch of definition I think.

guitar print button-down top - Old Navy (in-store only)

olive maxi dress - Old Navy (similar here)

necklace - Forever 21 (old)

bronze flats - Coach via Winners (old)

Would you believe that next week we find out the gender? Eeeek!! I'm so nervous and excited, I'm really a planner so I want to know the gender so I can do some more prep and also call them by their name and bond pre-delivery. 

(BTW - I'm actually 18.5 weeks but my blog posts are a little behind hence the timing difference. If you follow me on Instagram, you can get more current bump style updates :)

Hope you're all having an amazing week!!

ps: Google Reader is shutting down soon, so if you'd like to continue to get Lather.Write.Repeat. updates directly in your reader - follow me on Bloglovin'!

 

Bump Style Peek: apricot cardi + black maxi dress {16 weeks}

I think this apricot/dark peach colour may just be my fave of the season (watch for a few more items in upcoming posts!). I'm not in love with pastels overall as a spring/summer colour trend but I can get behind some bright sunshine-y shades! Last year I was really into the bright coral and I think if work within the same palette, you can mix and match without worrying about 'what goes together'. Case in point - my apricot cardigan, pinkish-coral necklace and bright coral flats. This is a good wardrobe tip as well,  if you love oranges or greens or blues...they often work well together - just give it a try!

Maxi dresses....oh how I love you. I always really liked you since I'm tall but being pregnant has me gravitating toward this easy piece on a daily basis. A soft, knit maxi dress that drapes and swirls around your body making you feel easy and bohemian, free and still covered up = awesome. Have you been feeling the maxi dresses lately? I love how mainstream they've become and how many selections there are.

apricot cardigan: Gap (buy here)

black maxi dress: Loft (old)

long beaded necklace: Stella and Dot (buy here)

coral flats: Hush Puppies via Shoeme.ca (buy here)

In other news, we are nesting big time! We've cleaned out the to-be nursery room and Jack has patched and painted it. I picked out a soft grayish-white and I'm thinking grey/cream/navy/coral for the colour palette...it's going to be 'rustic' themed and gender neutral. Any other ideas?

Plus, we bought out new Ikea kitchen last night! After 3 long trips working with the online kitchen planner, we finally pulled the trigger and now have...oh about 643 perfectly flat packed boxes sitting in our spare room. Awesome and overwhelming at the same time! 

What's new in your world? Hopefully you're enjoying this gorgeous weather we're FINALLY having if you're in Winnipeg.

Bump Style Peek: striped top + skinny olive khakis {15 weeks}

Happy Friday friends! How are you doing? I'm doing great this week, compared to a not-so-great last week.  The sun is finally shining here in Winnipeg, it's the weekend and I'm feeling healthy and well-rested. Please excuse the focus on these pics, I'm not sure what went wrong there!

Apricot/light coral is by far my fave colour of the season (watch for it in upcoming maxi dresses, cardigan and shoes - I may have gone a little crazy), but I find it so warming to my colouring. What's your fave colour of the season? This striped top is from ASOS Maternity and I was really hesitant about ordering it, since the sizing only goes up to UK18/US14 (I'm normally a UK20/US16 in the CURVE line). But the extra room alotted for maternity was just right. I paired it with my olive khakis and I love the sweet + neutral combo. True story - many moons ago I tried on a pair of Old Navy Rock Star jeans and found they just didn't fit me right. So I stayed away from them for a long time before finally caving and trying on these Rock Star khakis. Well I LOVE the fit so it just goes to show that you should always always try things on. You never know what gems you'll find!

striped top - ASOS Maternity

skinny olive khakis - Old Navy Rock Star

suede loafers - JCrew (old)

In other shopping news, I was crushed to stop into local mall Kildonan Place for a visit to Long Tall Sally...only to find it was CLOSED! Arg. I hate it when that happens. They were my go-to place locally for adorable size 11 shoes.  Do you Winnipeg ladies have any other suggestions for shops with extended shoe sizing? :(

Have an amazing weekend everyone!!! Especially here, where we are FINALLY getting our double digit temps!

Bump Style Peek: bright tunic + black leggings {week 13}

Happy weekend everyone! I hope you're having a good one. Things are good over here as I move into my second trimester. 

But can we talk about pregnancy dressing for a minute? Let's just say this is opening up a whole new style challenge for me. Everything is getting a bit bigger due to pregnancy bloating (yay!) and baby growth in general. My pants still fit but I can't handle the waistband pressure all day at work so I've made the leap to some comfier bottoms. 

After a day trip down to Grand Forks last weekend, I have a few new items to tide me over for a while. This Target tunic is not maternity but I bought it one size bigger and it's a gem: a nice comfy elastic waist and plenty of room for a growing tummy. The leggings are from Target as well and well....let's just say they were SUPPOSED to be full length but they've ended up more like crops. Oh well, hazard of being tall! I have a feeling this is going to be a bit of a uniform going forward....

turquoise printed tunic: Target

maternity leggings: Target

white cardigan: Gap (old)

suede loafers: J.Crew (last season)

leather braided belt: American Eagle Outfitters

Truth is, this is a lot of the types of clothing I usually wear - since I'm an apple body shape. I've been doing a deep dive into my closet this weekend to figure out what will work going forward and what needs to be packed away in hopes of fitting again one day!

Do you mamas out there have any advice or recommendations for me when it comes to pregnancy dressing? I'd love to hear your tips and tricks!

Cobalt layers, yoga challenges and fear

What a month! Just when you think things are going to slow down...well, let's be honest - they really never do right? Not if you want to make time for all the things you love on top of all the things you HAVE to do? 

I'm doing the 30-day Detox Yoga Challenge at my studio and with frigid -30 temperatures, bundling up after dinner to head out into the cold has not been the easiest. But I feel a heck of a lot better because of it. Let me clarify - I'm not doing all 30 days - my goal is 3 days a week for the month. But I've been surpassing that because it makes me feel so good. I go to bed dead tired but feeling good about the small things I'm accomplishing to feel healthy. I've already planned to drop down to a twice a week pass post January and keep it going. 

I haven't been taking many outfit photos lately..but one thing that's been on my mind is furniture. For those of you who have followed me for a while, you know that once upon a time I painted vintage furniture. Well it's fallen aside lately and I recently offered to do a piece for a friend's wedding social draw not only as a gift to her (because she's lovely and deserves it) but because I wanted to motivate myself to get creative. So I've been wandering through my furniture archive in the basement trying to get inspired by a piece, a colour, a finish, a design....fear is holding me back from getting started. But I will push through the fear...(like I did with hot yoga :) and I will push myself just a little further in this life. Something I can look back on with pride.  

So I want to ask you friends...what do you do to push yourself? How do you make sure you don't just 'sit still' in life?

cobalt dress - ASOS Curve (on sale here)

grey cardigan - Gap (buy here)

scarf - gift from my mom from Italy

necklace - local boutique

tights - HUE (from The Bay)

booties - Steve Madden via The Shoe Warehouse (old)

I'd love to hear your thoughts on getting motivated....

Have a lovely week and thanks for being here!

Spending and Style Resolutions for 2013

 

Can you believe it's 2013? Time flies by so fast and all I can do is shake my head. Where does it all go? We had a very busy holiday season over here - lots of back to back huge family gatherings, mounds of fantastic food and plenty of lovely treats and gifts. We're so blessed as far as all the loved ones we have so close. Even though it was hard on my introvert side to be so over-scheduled, I chose to focus on the positives and use up my energy for the precious time we had together. Then I slept for 4 days straight....ha!

Looking back on the year, there have been some high highs and some low lows. I'm happy to move into a bit of a fresh start. Have you made resolutions? These aren't super specific, but I've put together a few intentional plans to help guide my spending this year:

1. Allow myself to indulge in the things that bring me joy and improve my health. I really love restorative yoga classes but they come at a price and I always feel guilty about the cost. I'm going to let that go...it feels good, it's good for me and I can afford it if I make certain budget choices.

2. On that note, I'm going to really concentrate on buying less. Don't get me wrong, this shopaholic will never go cold turkey but I'm going to have to really love it to shell out the money.  It's got to be figure-flattering and decent quality. Some things to help me along with this are disabling all the sale emails I receive (except from a couple of favourites), shopping less often and sticking to a monthly budget.

3. I used to really be obsessed with prints when it came to clothing. I felt they better camouflaged my bits and bumps. But truth is, a closet full of prints gets dated really fast...so I've been moving towards more solid coloured pieces I can mix and match together - then leaving the prints to scarves and other accessories. I still have plenty of print in my closet - but now I'll have more timeless pieces mixed in. (see outfit below for an example!)

4. I'm going to consciously work towards some major goals. Jack and I married in our 30's with all kinds of money stuff going on with each of us. Having someone else in my accounts scared the crap out of me! We finally sat down and made a plan to join our money, set goals and start saving together, as a couple. It feels good to make the commitment and I like having a partner to do it with.

oatmeal cardigan - Gap

cream top - Old Navy

turquoise scarf - Winners

navy knit jeggings - American Eagle

brown boots - Famous Footwear

Some other things I hope to do in 2013 that are not specifically related to money include....

• Get back slowly into furniture painting - I'm starting by working on a donation piece for a friend's wedding social raffle
• Clear out extra clutter in our house, so we'll be in a better position to sell next year
• Swap some of my coffee for tea
• Add leafy greens and new veggies to my weekly grocery list
• Go for a swim a couple of times a month
• Remember to tell my friends and family how much they mean to me whenever I can :)

How about you friends? How will you be guiding your life, home spending or style decisions this year?

Wishing you love and happiness for the coming year! Thanks for still reading, I'm glad you're here.

Curvy Fit Review: American Eagle Knit Jeggings

 

When I find something I love...I have an instinct to want to share it. Especially when it comes to clothing items for my hard-to-fit body. If I'm struggling - odds are someone else is too, right? Well I decided to go a little more in depth on some of my purchases and share more details with you - so you can get a better of sense if this is an item that might work for you. Sound cool? 

Well I'm starting with the American Eagle Knit Jeggings. You've seen me in these before, but here's some more info on what I like about them (and why I own them in 3 colours - ha!). In the actual AE store, the jeans and pants only go to size 14, but online you can order most styles in 16, 18 and XXL. They are by far my favourite denim for quality to cost ratio. Plus their styles are super modern and I don't get that excess bulk in the thighs, hips or butt that sometimes come with plus sizes, these are more of a juniors cut larger.

 

These are the burgundy (or oxblood if you're feeling trendy) colour. I also have the navy and charcoal. They are a true jegging, thicker than a cotton legging but much thinner than denim and softer. They have side seams, back pockets and a front zip placket, just like denim. I wouldn't feel comfortable in a shorter top with them but they're perfect with tunics, long shirts and slouchy cardigans. I invested in a few pairs because my office is not very denim-friendly except on Fridays. So I wanted some subtle colour on the bottom but I can't stand dress pants. Just not for me.

I have a few pairs of AE's skinny jeans in size 16 but for these knit jeggings, I sized up to an 18. I have a small hip/waist ratio, so I needed the bigger size for the bigger waist. If you're more of an hourglass, a 16 would be just fine. The material is very stretchy and comfortable and maintains it's shape fairly well throughout the day (no huge butt or knee bagging). These are 'long' length and as you can see they just hit my ankle, granted I'm 5'11" but be wary of length. I've washed AND dried my knit jeggings and they really don't shrink much at all so super easy maintenance.

knit jeggings - AE (buy here)

denim t-shirt - Old Navy (buy here)

camel cardigan - Gap (buy similar here)

brown suede loafers - JCrew (buy here)

necklace - Target

A few final notes on shipping - you can order from the AE website and I always watch for free shipping weekends and discounts (sign up for emails or check the site often) to keep my costs down. They're currently offering free shipping + 40% off everything! You pay a small amount of duty on your order and I've never had to pay customs fees, but my orders are usually less than $50 or $60. The downside is if you have to return something, it can't go back to the store. You have to mail it back, which usually costs under $10 and is returned to a Canadian address. I've returned items and it takes about a month to get a refund to your credit card.

Hope this helps friends! Let me know if you like the more detailed reviews and I'll keep them up. Or if you have any other questions, don't be shy and drop me a line. Have a lovely week!

Style Peek: striped tunic + chunky cardigan + charcoal leggings

 

  

striped tunic - Old Navy (buy similar here)

oatmeal cardigan - Gap (buy similar here)

grey leggings - Hue (buy here)

necklace - local boutique Silver Lotus

It is absolutely, ridiculously, bone-chilling frigid outside. That is why I wore this grown-up version of pajamas all weekend long. The striped tunic was a $13 score off the sale rack at Old Navy and it's perfect for layering over tights, with a chunky cardigan to pull it together and make it extra cozy. This is probably one of those shapes 'they' would recommend against for my body type....but at the end of the day, I'd rather be comfy - wouldn't you?

Style Peek: oversized citrus sweater + skinny jeans + tall boots

  

 

 

citrus sweater - Eileen Fisher (purchased on Ebay)

dark denim skinnies - American Eagle (buy here)

tall black boots - Long Tall Sally (buy here)

chunky wood necklace - old

scarf - gift from my mom from Italy

Two things I'm loving right now are the slouchy/oversized look and asymmetrical hemlines. Please, please, pretty please oversized trend don't you ever go out of style! It's so relaxed and comfy and allows me to hide my not-so-favourite parts and show off my favourites.  I wasn't a fan of asymmetrical at first, but I find it breaks up the shape nicely on this sweater so it's not just one big square.

How about you friends? Are you a fan of either trend?