Happy first day of Fall everyone!  I do have a fall-themed post planned for this week, but today I wanted to remind you all of my giveaway and my online party I've got going on this week.

If you read my post a little over a week ago, you know that I've become a bit Paparazzi obsessed this month.  I mean, how can you not be curious about quality jewelry for $5?  Paparazzi believes that all women should have access to fashionable and affordable jewelry.  It is all nickle-free so you don't have to worry about breaking out while you are wearing it.  They have looks that are great for the work place, date night, girls' night out, and even those weekend looks of yours.

Need to know more?  Come join my Facebook party to get even more details about Paparazzi AND have a chance to possibly win MORE free items on Friday, September 26th at 7pm CST.  

And, if you haven't yet, you need to enter the giveaway.  It ends TONIGHT at 11:59 PM CST.

Enter for your your chance to win THIS!

Want to join the party?
Click here to join!

Hope to see you all Friday night!

Ah, dresses.  Some women love them, some women hate them.  I used to be a dress hater, but I have come to love certain types of dresses, and those are what I stick with.

I am a big fan of the maxi dress and the shirt dress-both of which you can belt.  I also love dresses that have empire waists.  If you get the right kind of dress, you can style them many different ways, thus making a really awesome closet staple.

You need 3-4 good dresses in your closet that you can use for various occasions.  Don't know where to start?  Let me tell you....

Dresses

• Solid Neutral Colored Dress
• Solid in Neutral OR a Secondary Color
• 1-2 printed dresses 

Solid Neutral Colored Dress

Most women take this opportunity to buy the LBD (little black dress).  Just like every lady should have a nice set of pearls, every lady should have a nice little black dress in her closet. However, if that isn't your style, then opt for a different neutral color like grey, tan, or white.  

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Solid Dress in Neutral or Secondary Color

This is where you can choose your favorite color to wear and buy a dress that will express some of your personality through color.  Here is an excellent way to style those chiffon dresses we keep seeing with the ruffles on the front.  I would probably wear this in the fall, but think if what you could do with it for the spring and summer? 

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1-2 Printed Dresses

I know what you are thinking, just hear me out!  Stop being scared of prints!  I, too, was once scared of prints, but there really are some good prints out there.  They won't all make you look scary.  If small prints feel safe to you, then do that.  If you like big, bold patterns, well more power to you and I want to know your secret!  I don't think the dress below is a horrible print.  In fact, I think the purple cardigan and the belt calms it down quite a bit.  They say accessories can change an outfit!

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The one thing I really want you all to take away from this series is that it is okay (and crucial) to get out of our comfort zones.  Once I started trying new things in the clothing department, my confidence has been steadily increasing.  When I can actually pull off an outfit that I styled in my head, it makes it even better.  Don't be afraid to try new things!  I promise you-it's worth it!

Sooo.  HI!  Here I am.  I know its been awhile, and my absence was kind of unintentional, but kind of not.  More on that later...Like as soon as I finish writing this post, I will start writing an explanation as to why I basically fell off the planet. Anyway...

Today I am re-capping my May purchases for you.  I'm still new at this monthly budget/shopping thing, but I think I am getting a bit better as the months go on.  I didn't spend  a whole lot of money this month, but I am pleased with what I got.  I ended up buying some jewelry this month and some make-up, which is kind of out of my norm, but I got really excited about the stuff, so I went for it.  So glad I did!

Kohl's and Target got my money this month, but I also won a $30 store credit to InBloom Boutique!  I bought something from them that is totally different for me and I can't wait to wear them!

Items I Purchased: 

Distressed Boyfriend Shorts

Crew Tee

V-Neck Tee

Brown Sandals 

Black Sandals

Linen Pants (I purchased these in coral, but it appears they are sold out of that color now.)  

Crochet Swing Tank

Monthly Budget: $150

Spent: $136.06

My favorite purchase this month was the shorts.  They are amazing!  They are a 4 inch inseam instead of the usual 3 1/2 and I am convinced that extra half inch makes a difference.  I will be buying another pair of these shorts-I love them that much.

The linen pants are exciting, too!  However, they have to make a trip to the tailor so I can have about 5 1/2 inches removed off the bottom of them so I can wear them.  Even if I wore wedges, they would still be too long for my short self. 

That's all for now! As usual, I am linked up with Franish for Budget Bloggers! 

The third piece of clothing I am going to talk about today is a piece that some women just skip right over when building their wardrobes from scratch.  I know that I don't have too much variety of this one piece, but I am working on trying to find the right style for my body type. 

I have a love/hate relationship with skirts.  I love my maxi skirts!  I love pencil skirts, but fear I am too short for them.  I do not like super-short skirts as the backs of my thighs have seen better days and I really don't want to torture anyone else with that.  I also have a thing for leopard print and polka dot print skirts, so you have been warned before you go and check out the Pinterest board. 

I will be the first to admit that I do not actively seek out different types of skirts to wear other than maxi skirts.  It's a comfort thing.  I like how I can style maxi's and they work well with my body.  The great thing about today's wardrobe staple is that it isn't the kind of skirts you have in your closet, it's the color and the print.

Here's what you should have in your closet in the way of skirts: 

• 1 neutral colored skirt
• 1 solid colored skirt in another neutral or a secondary color
• 1-2 printed skirts 

That's not too hard is it?  

Find what types of skirts work best for you and then make sure you have the color and prints covered and you will be good to go in the skirt department of your wardrobe! 

Neutral Colored Skirt

Much like pants and tops, you need to have a neutral colored skirt (or two) in your wardrobe.  Remember that neutral colors are black, white, grey, and tan respectively.  Length is up to you, but I always say to make sure you are comfortable in what you are wearing.  Here's a fun way to style a black skirt: 

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Solid Colored Skirt in Neutral OR Secondary Color

The choice you make here really depends on what your life is like.  Work all day in a business setting?  You may want to grab another neutral colored skirt.  If your work place is open to color, then find a skirt in your fave color and rock it.  Don't work but run around with the kiddos all day?  Get what you want! 

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Patterned Skirts

There are so many patterns out right now to choose from that you are bound to find something you love and that looks good on you.  Go with what speaks to you.  I love polka dots, but they have to be small to medium sized dots.  I am not fond of the ginormous ones.  They do nothing for me.  I also like small floral prints, leopard print (duh), and skinny diagonal stripes like the skirt I bought here.

source And that is the skinny on skirts!  Start small at first and then build up to those bolder prints and colors.  As you have seen here today (and as you will see on the Pinterest board) there are many ways to style skirts. They are a great piece to have in your wardrobe and they come in an array of colors and prints, so you can't really go wrong with them.  Check out some of the other styles on our Pinterest board below and tell me your thoughts on skirts in the comments!

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Here I am-finally getting around to writing this next wardrobe staples post on pants.  A couple of weeks ago we talked about tops and, I must say, you all responded to it much better than I had anticipated, so, thank you!  Keep sharing and spreading the word!  It's working, ya'll!

So, anyway...pants.  Despite the summer-like temps here lately in the Midwest, I am still going to talk about them because they are a necessity.  I know-you are probably like, "How hard is it to buy pants?  You just get them."  Oh no, my loves.  You do not just go get a pair of pants....you get a wardrobe staple.

Let me break this down for you: 

Pants

• Jeans in a medium to dark wash
• One pair of neutral colored pants (black, tan, grey, etc.)
• Either another pair of neutral colored pants OR a pair of pants in a secondary color

Jeans

Gotta have at least a pair of jeans in your wardrobe.  I prefer dark jeans simply because I think they make me look thinner and more seems to go with them color wise.  There are a plethora (ha-see what I did there?) of ways to wear dark jeans, but my fave way to style them is like this: 

This will take you to the pin.

Neutral Colored Pants

I like to refer to these as "interview pants."  Back in the day, I had about five or six pairs of these.  In black.  Different styles, mind you, but all the same color.  Try to break it up a bit.  If you already have black, pick you up a grey pair or a tan pair.  It doesn't hurt.  You would be surprised what you can do with grey and tan pants. 

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Pair of Neutral or Secondary Colored Pants

This is where you can get a little expressive with yourself if you would like.  Try on some colored bottoms.  I love the maroon, teal, and plum skinny jeans I see all the time.  However, I am not running to try on skinny jeans, so, I opt for leggings.  Comfy, stylish, and cute?  I'm in!

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I took the time to load up our Pinterest board with some style ideas for you to get the creative juices flowing like I did the last time.  You will see that at the end of the post.

I also wanted to take a moment to kind of apologize for my hiatus last week.  The weather was so great last week that I felt compelled to enjoy the sunshine.  I spent most of the time playing with L, reading, and working on the yard.  It was great!  Did I miss blogging?  Yes, but, I needed the break.  It was nice to recharge, but hopefully now I will be back to my regularly scheduled blogging program.






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