With a 9-5, fashion blog, and newly established jewelry business, I’m often asked how I manage. The truth is…I just make it work, even if that means sacrificing my house (it seriously looks like a cyclone went through it), sleep deprivation, and a neglected husband. These things are terrible, I know, but I want to be completely honest. I’m hoping to correct these bad habits over time and at the top of my list right now is to spend more time with my husband. So important!
Break a Bad Habit in 30 Days or Less
In January of 2016, my health wasn’t the best and from that point on things kind of fell apart. I was always tired, required a lot of sleep, and started gaining weight. This resulted in late nights, sleeping in, driving to work instead of taking the bus, and then getting to work later than I’d prefer.
So, if you haven’t caught on, I’ve developed some really bad habits. The above might seem trivial, but it’s impacted me in a big way and I’m positive if I can correct one thing the rest will follow. Sometimes you just need a little push to get started, then once the momentum starts you’re on a roll. Whenever I start something new, it’s much easier than I thought it was going to be!
My plan to break these habits is to get up earlier so I can be tired earlier. In theory, if I change this one thing, I will be able to go to bed on time and wake up early which allows me to take the bus and start work on time. Win-win!
Now, if only starting it was that easy.
Blouse: Who What Wear | Denim: J.Crew | Necklace: Loft (old) | Ring: Happiness Boutique c/o | Boots: DSW | Purse: Marc by Marc Jacobs (similar) | Lipstick: Burberry (color Bright Plum #49) c/o
Break a Bad Habit in 30 days
- Start small. No goal is too small. I believe making small improvements can have big outcomes.
- Write it down. Track the days that you achieve your goal and the days you don’t. Work to improve each week. Plus, later you can look back and see how easy it was to start your good habit!
- Make it visual. Create a vision board. Bringing it front and center makes it hard to ignore.
- Don’t be hard on yourself. If you don’t achieve your goal this week, reassess and break it up into smaller chunks. As long as you’re not giving up, you are on the right track.
What bad habits are you trying to break? Share in the comments.
Photos by Hello Rigby
Trending: The Slit Sleeve
Spring/Summer 2017 is all about warm weather and a statement sleeve like the bell sleeve, cold shoulder, off the shoulder, the slit sleeve – there really is a sleeve for every style preference. I challenge you to incorporate one or more of these styles into your warm weather rotation!
I recently picked up this slit sleeve blouse. It’s a great choice for anyone who doesn’t like to show a lot of skin. With its barely-there slit, you can be trendy but not over the top. What’s also great about this top is the flowy material and ruffle hem. On paper, this top kinda sounds like a hot mess but is actually well executed.
Last spring, I was introduced to the Who What Wear Collection collaboration with Target. This collab is ongoing and is filled with on-trend pieces at affordable prices (see my other WWW outfits). Oh, and how cute is this Ted Baker bag?! It was a birthday gift to myself. I wanted to represent now that I am a cat momma of two.
How to wear the Slit Sleeve?
The slit sleeve can work for most, if not all occasions. For an off-duty look, wear with jeans and your most comfortable ballet flats. For your 9-5, find a silk or flowy blouse to wear tucked in a skirt or pant. Once evening comes, slip into a cocktail dress with slit sleeves and meet up with your girlfriends for happy hour.
Will you be wearing a statement sleeve this season? Which one is your favorite?
Shop the post:
Blouse: Who What Wear (now on clearance for $7.48)| Jeans: AG | Necklace: Monifa Kincaid Jewelry c/o | Watch: KLASSE14 c/o (use code laceandpearlsblog to receive 12% off your order) | Shoes: Jessica Simpson (similar) | Purse: Ted Baker | Lipstick: Lancôme Matte Shaker Lipstick c/o
Photo’s by Luba Kochubey Portraits
5 Items You Need For Spring!
According to Phil, winter ain’t gone quite yet! But that should not stop you from planning for Spring. To get started, I recommend looking at your favorite retailers and fashion experts (bloggers, celebs, and magazines) to determine the trends (bell sleeves, cropped pants, and off the shoulder blouses). While I am all for trends, I prefer the classics. This is why I am recommending five items you need for Spring. The best part is you might already own some of these items. If not, they are inexpensive enough to pick up pretty much anywhere.
Five Items You Need For Spring!
- Something Blush. I am a girly-girl through and through and I can’t get enough blush in my wardrobe. It’s just so feminine and romantic. It’s also a good transitional color that works now and later. I picked up this gorgeous blush tote and these shoes . I am still on the lookout for a faux leather jacket and some other blush items.
- A Military-inspired jacket aka “the anorak or utility coat”. Such a classic and always on trend. You can opt for the more traditional anorak style or a cute shrunken blazer like the one in this post. What I like about this classic is you can dress it up or down (wear with pants, shorts, dress and skirts) and it’s also another great transitional piece. See how I styled this trend here, here, and here.
- White Denim. This trend is here to stay and becoming the new normal. Do yourself a favor and pick up several pairs, I would opt for a skinny, distressed and a cropped pair. You can also wear this look year round.
- Ruffles, on ruffles on, ruffles! Ruffles are in full bloom this season as they should be. They are one of my favorites. If your style is girly, stock up on this trend and incorporate it in your tops, blouses, jacket, and skirts. See my ruffle outfits here, here, here and here.
- Seasonally appropriate makeup. Around this time last year, I started rocking a bright lip. My go to was Purity Persimmon and Smokin Hot Pink. Have fun with your lip color and be sure to update your nail color in brighter shades
Blazer: Target Who What Wear Collection | Blouse: Nordstrom (similar)| Denim: Loft (similar) | Purse: Margot via Marshalls (similar) | Necklace: Stella & Dot | Booties: Bare Trap (similar)| Lipstick: Bite Beauty (similar)
📷’s by Luba Kochubey Portraits
8 Wardrobe Tidying Tips That Will Change Your Life
This post is an update to one of my first posts. I have wanted to expand upon it since wardrobe organizing is a lifelong passion of mine. So much so that I feel like I could have written The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying. I have always curated my wardrobe by only including the things I love and keeping my wardrobe tidy.
Back in the 2000s my mom coined the term “the heap” to reference unwanted items that I got rid of. Whenever we would go shopping she would say things like “I can see that piece ending up in the heap in a few months”. Lol. Over the years, I grew tired of wasting my money and now make it a point to ask myself if I will still love it in 6 months. If the answer is no, then it has to stay at the store. I had to really crack down to avoid my hard earned cash from becoming disposal income.
Getting back to the purpose of today’s post, I have always preferred less clothing in my closet; quality over quantity. Unfortunately, in 2013 I went a little crazy with the spending. Shopping became my outlet for stress and I ended up buying a lot of stuff that I didn’t need.
I’m definitely not an impulse buyer, but sometimes I still buy things that I don’t love or use. What I enjoy most about fashion is using what you already have and incorporating some new items while finding creative ways to re-wear what you already own. You’d be surprised by the outfit combinations you can come up with when you have a limited selection. Having only the best items will save you time and eliminate the age old “I have nothing to wear”.
Now that I’ve wised up, I have even toyed with the idea of going minimal. But after much thought, I decided that full blown minimalism is not for me. I still love the idea of a capsule wardrobe or small wardrobe. With that said, here are eight tips for organizing your closet.
Wardrobe Tidying Tips
- Clear out your closet and begin with a blank canvas. Try on everything and throw out the items that you don’t love.
- Make piles for donations, stuff to sell, and another for repairs and dry cleaning.
- Move all off-season clothing to another closet or store it under the bed. I use containers similar to these to store my clothing and keep it dust free.
Selling Unwanted Items
- List your clothes on online consignment shops. I sell my stuff to ThredUp (see my post on this brand here & here) and TheRealReal (designer items only).
- Curate your own shop of gently used items on PoshMark. I recently became a user of this platform after hearing so much about it. If you aren’t familiar with PoshMark, it is a platform that allows the seller to list their goods (via their phone) and sell their stuff directly to the buyer. For the most part, the platform seems to work well. PoshMark does however, collect a small fee for the sale and shipping. The prepaid labels make selling easy. I would describe PoshMark as the modern day equivalent of Ebay for fashion lovers, but don’t expect to make a lot of money. I found that most buyers are looking for a deal and pay little to nothing for high-quality items. Buyers are able to bargain too. PoshMark is definitely in the buyer’s favor. Once basic fees are deducted it can be hard to make much money. I would recommend listing a few items and if your experience is good, list some more.
- Sell your stuff on Ebay. If you don’t mind the legwork of photography, creating listings, shipping costs, payment fees, and driving to the post office, Ebay is another good option. However, I much prefer leaving that work to the online resellers.
- Donate your items.
- Sell or trade to your friends/coworkers. It’s much easier to part with something when you know it’s going to a good home.
Now make room for the new! What tips do you have for wardrobe tidying?
Blazer: Target Who What Wear Collection | Tee: J.Crew (similar) | Necklace: Loft | Ring: Madewell (sold out)| Denim: Madewell | Shoes: Paul Green| Purse: Marc by Marc Jacobs (similar) | Lipstick: Bite Beauty
📷’s by Luba Kochubey Portraits