decorative cardigans

Dress/Shoes (shop!): Ruche, Sweater: LOFT

Mercy me, I love a good cardigan.
Actually, they don't even have to be good. They can be cheap and mediocre and I still like them more than many other articles of clothing.

The journey of the cardigan has been a jolly one. At first the word "cardigan" elicited visions of grandmotherly crochet sweaters, or even better, Meg Ryan from You've Got Mail. 
What a great movie.

Anyway.
The first person I met other than Meg who wore cardigans on the regular was a girl named Lauren, who I met freshman year of college. I thought it was cute and quirky, and then I realized that I was slowly becoming bewitched by them. They go with everything. They're comfortable, they make me warmer, and they come in all kinds of colors. It's like the next-door neighbor to a favorite pair of shoes.
Before long, we were browsing Target for new cardigans all the time. The first time I saw a patterned cardigan I thought the sky had opened up and bequeathed me a heavenly gift of polka-dot proportions.

I'm not sure when it began, but somewhere along the line, the cardigan snuck up on all of us and began to filter into the everyday woman's wardrobe. Not just the pixie-cut blonde types. Every style, every person, everywhere.

Honestly, this cardigan isn't even a cardigan.
It's a short-sleeved button-up sweater that is purely ornamental.
But that is how imbedded I am into cardigan culture - I wear them ornamentally now.

Frocktober day 1 has come and gone!
Will you join in on the challenge?

I love to see everyone else's Frocktober posts, and hope you'll join in (it's okay if you start a little late!). It's a great way to really dig into your wardrobe, and establish a new appreciation for your dresses and their endless versatility.
Plus, it's just a fun way to join in on the #FrocktoberSisterhood!

This little badge was created by Stephanie over at Anie Inspired, and Ruche is also hosting a Frocktober challenge for all the Ruchettes out there.
I was so excited to get this tweet from them this afternoon!

Make sure to tag any frocktober Instagram posts with #Frocktober and #FrocktoberSisterhood, and follow along with my Frocktober challenge here on the blog, and with @CaitSchan on Instagram. :)

flutter on by

I love Monday and Tuesday nights.
For the last few months, we've had two of our favorite friends come over almost every single Mon/Tues for The Bachelorette and SYTYCD (So You Think You Can Dance).
We order pizza, or make crepes, or grab ice cream, and/or make coffee and enjoy some quality television together.
The result is hours of fun conversation revolved around the dramatic happenings of a woman trying to find love and a group of dancers that just want to try and make their dreams come true.
We've had a blast. With the finale of The Bachelorette this past Monday, there was gasping, crying, screaming, laughing, throwing things. It was the best darn 2 hours of television I've ever experienced.
(And by the by, I was #teamChris from the very beginning!)

Dress: J. Crew, Necklace (shop!) (similar!)/Earrings/Shoes (shop!): Ruche
Bangles: Kate Spade

Yesterday's outfit was very minty fresh.
This dress was one of my favorite buys from our local J. Crew Outlet two years ago, our first year living in Virginia.
It has served as one of my favorite go-tos, and has encouraged my love for anything and everything mint in my life.

During Ruche's jewelry sale last week I snatched up one of the very last listings for this layered necklace!
It's absolutely perfect for this monochromatic look, and I can already see it's the beginning of a beautiful friendship.
(Especially since Ruche included a surprise pair of matching earrings for every necklace I purchased! They're the best! I would highly recommend scanning their jewelry section.)

After my husband kindly took these pictures for me out on the damp rainy asphalt, we wandered back towards our front door when we noticed all of our friendly butterflies happily grazing away at our front bushes.
There are literally hundreds throughout the summer, and I try never to take advantage of how beautiful they are to watch.
We spent the next 15 minutes or so just taking a few shots of our dear friends, watching them live their lives, just fluttering on by.

Our front door :)

monochromatic: blushing pink

I love a great monochromatic look.
There's something really bold about it - almost tantalizing, like it's against the rules somehow.
Kind of like my childhood leopard outfit debacle, it's usually a terrible idea to compose an entire outfit out of the same pattern or color.
But at some point, someone came along and proved that monochromatic can be absolutely fierce, stylish, and can accomplish a really unique fashion statement.

Mara over at M Loves M created a monochromatic outfit in blue, and she was actually the inspiration for my compilation!

If I was really dedicated, I would have donned some pink tights and pink shoes, but I think that would've killed the moment. And maybe scared the neighbors.
Being my first attempt, I settled for a pink and brown look, with the leopard watch as the accent pattern.
Leopard is my favorite.

Dress: Gifted/Kohl's, Sweater: Gifted/LOFT, Necklace: Gifted
Tights: Target, Shoes: Poetic License (on sale)
Watch: La Mer, Target (shop!)

I seriously could wear a cable knit sweater like this every single day.
Dress it up or dress it down.
So cozy I could sleep in it.
This entire outfit is made up of various gifted items. My birthday dress from my best friend Becky, this bright pink sweater from my mom, and the necklace for Christmas from my friend Allison.

Even from thousands of miles away, my mom finds ways to shop with me!
She sent me an happy box of new sweaters and accessories, just because. I miss mom and daughter times.

I'm spending the entire weekend reading and checking off my to-do list.
Friday was slow in coming, but now that it's here, I can't wait to get started on weekend projects!
I love how full of hope and potential the weekend is - most of the time, once Sunday comes, I realize I haven't done anything productive. BUT, it's always nice, on Friday, to wish and dream and plan all the cleaning, crafting, reading and daydreaming I'll be doing. :)