fall is here: frocktober recap

Autumn is...

birthday month pumpkin spice cutesie baby pajamas decorating hay rides kettle corn weekend trips sweater weather burnt orange scarves plaid changing leaves crisp mornings harvest festivals the state fair thanksgiving fireside evenings pumpkin patches pumpkin everything s'mores camping apple cider harry potter butterbeer baby's first halloween movie nights scented candles couch cuddles 

tights & boots spices hot drinks cozy socks caramel golden days

And... it's Frocktober. 

Oh, how I love this season. I am so excited to introduce William to all of the wonderful things about Fall. I know he won't remember his first Fall in the world, but I sure will. We're planning his first Halloween costume, we've decorated the house in Fall leaves and pumpkins, and we've had Autumnal candles burning for weeks now. I took him to his first pumpkin patch and I bought as many Octoberesque things I could find during Old Navy's baby sale. I just love this month. 

Of course, over the past few years this blog has been all about Frocktober. The collage above is a little recap of last year's Frocktober dresses. It was by far my favorite year to date. I had so much fun going through my closet to find things that could work as maternity wear, and being pregnant in the Fall and Winter is the best. Sweaters and leggings galore! 

I haven't officially posted anything about it here on the blog (I've obviously been a bit lax on here since Will was born), but I've decided not to do Frocktober this year. I still love it. But as it came closer, I realized that the thought of it was causing more stress than excitement. I am enjoying being a mom so very much, and my daily uniform is random and messy and wonderful. I want to focus this October on the many Fall firsts of my little boy. I know I will eventually get back to my creative style, but for now my heart is elsewhere.

For those of you who don't know about my Frocktober, you can read more about it here. As I said, the collage above is my Frocktober 2015 challenge. You can also check out 2014, 2013 and 2012. My main motivation for participating in Frocktober has always been to challenge myself to find new purpose and appreciation for what I already have - avoiding shopping for the month and bringing new creative life to my dresses and other accessories. It has been so much fun having other ladies join me in the challenge - the Frocktober Sisterhood is my favorite. If you'd ever like to join (it's not too late!) my challenge to you for the rest of October is to not only be creative and innovative with your existing closet, but to also try to avoid purchasing new clothes. Think outside the box. Have a clothes swap with friends, or go thrifting, or consider using your clothes budget to purchase from a company that gives back - like Krochet Kids intl. or another cause that really speaks to you. Take the month to be intentional with what you wear and how you wear it. It's such a great challenge and I have always had a blast doing it. 

I am hoping to still do a few special style posts this month in honor of Frocktober, perhaps on some great nursing mom dress options. I hope you all have a superb October, and enjoy all of the best things about this season!

#frocktobersisterhood

sweater dresses {frocktober, day 7}

Leggings: Pink Blush Maternity

I've been living in leggings and stretchy dresses. While I'm technically participating in this "challenge" called Frocktober, I actually think it's much easier to wear dresses at this point. 

I'm borrowing an extravagant amount of maternity clothing from my sister-in-law, and she included a few tank top dresses/stretchy bodycon dresses from Forever 21 (one of which I wore last week). They're amazing. I would have never tried wearing them before, because they're so fitted and would hug me in all the wrong places. But when you've got a belly goin' on and just want to be covered from head to toe in comfy elastic fabrics, they're the best. You can layer them over leggings or wear them with jeans like a long tank top. They're the greatest non-maternity item I have at my disposal. They're so comfortable, and so inexpensive. 

So there ya go. Some maternity tips from yours truly. Cozy sweater dresses, maternity leggings and stretchy bodycon dresses are what dreams are made of.

our color story

valspar paint colors: new penny / woodlawn colonial / midnight bayou / sweet currant
shop: peacock pillow / lantern / marquee / starburst mirror

One of my favorite blog posts that I came across this summer was over at A Beautiful Mess, and it was about choosing a color story for your home. While you may feel a little bit hippy saying "my color story" out loud, I've always found that feeling a little bit hippy at times can be good for the soul. And for the humor. Besides that, creating a color story really has been a fantastic way for us to plan ahead and dream about our home together. 

My husband and I have vastly different decorating styles. I'm not sure he really has a style, per se, but he likes anything that's of good quality - which to him generally means it's made out of dark wood. I feel a manic desire to paint anything that's wood, so we're already starting off on a rocky ledge of conflict. That's where the color story comes in! This summer we spent a day date browsing the paint aisle at Lowe's and choosing our favorite colors. We then put them all together, narrowing them down until we had a handful of colors that we felt represented our vision.

Now, when we're shopping or painting or trying to make various choices for our home, we have this color story in the back of our minds. It's not to limit ourselves, but to focus our decision-making and design. As far as decorating goes, I like to color outside the lines. Having a color story that we were both involved in creating helps me to recognize and appreciate Dusty's input and to bring him into the process of my mind a little bit. It also gives me a reason to say, "look at all this dark wood! Now let's bring the rest of our color story in here...by painting that table...or that chair..."

As I was putting together the little color story collage above, I was realizing how incredibly different it is from anything I'd have previously imagined. Figuring out the color and feel of our home has been such an innovative process. It looks pretty cozy, yeah? I can't wait to see how it all comes together!

baby boy style

We all know that having a baby girl is when the truly ridiculous, adorable and fabulous baby clothes come into play. Playing dress up with a little girl is what dreams are made of. The accessories alone are enough to make anyone squeal. I think I've always thought of little boy clothes as being made up of blue and green t-shirts with cartoonish animal figures on them with phrases like "mom rocks!" (which obviously is a true statement). Overall, boy clothes err on the cheesy side, with the accessories starting and ending with bow ties and old man hats.

BUT WAIT.

I have discovered, with the help of besties and blogs and online shopping, to my great excitement and relief, that boy clothes are amazing. They're insanely cute. I may be biased, but Will is seriously going to be the cutest little tyke in the history of miniature plaid button-ups. To share my dreaming and scheming for my bebe's future style, here are some of my favorite online finds this week!

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I'm a little bit obsessed with jumpers/one-pieces. Especially the black star-spangled one, which says "the moon is made of ice cream". Yes, little darling, it sure is.

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Will already owns the most incredible pair of mint green pants (and a gaggle of other adorable treasures) thanks to my best friend Becky, who was the only one who knew our baby's gender ahead of time before our gender reveal! I definitely think we need to keep the color wheel going and get him some pants in green, maroon, blue, grey...

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Not but seriously. This is just a pocket version of my husband. That is adorable.

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One of the things I'm most excited about is that we're having our little boy in December (fingers crossed - could be January!). All of the cozy winter clothes and accessories are going to be so much fun! The textured cardigans! The beanies! The elbow patches! The faux-shearling-collar coat!!! Dear goodness.

1st row: 1 // 2 // 3 // 4 // 5

2nd row: 6 // 7 // 8 // 9

wearing cross stitch

Blouse (shop!)/Shoes (old): Ruche

I haven't done a real outfit post in a while, but I've been feeling more inspired lately to actually get up and get dressed. During the week, anyway. Mostly because my job requires it, but also because I'm starting to enjoy dressing up my ballooning baby bump. We took these photos after dinner, so I kind of think this baby bump is part baby, part food baby. I love them both very much.

I haven't purchased any actual maternity things yet (although I was recently gifted two maternity dresses which I love), because I'm really looking forward to trying to utilize what's already in my closet. I think it's going to be a fun challenge to wear an assortment of my normal tops, skirts and dresses to accommodate the growing of a human. I must confess, though, that this beautiful blouse wasn't already in my closet...because I just bought it from Ruche...but it's not a maternity top, so I think it still counts. :)

This blouse is easy, breezy and beautiful and has the prettiest lace. The colors are so bright, and the floral pattern is actually detailed to look like cross stitch. I personally adore cross stitch patterns, so this vintage-inspired top was calling to my chic old lady style. 

Loving Lately:

• THESE, because I would like to be the head of the Bringing Jellies Back committee. I'm going to need them in every color, please. Especially the glitter.
• Making big house decisions. It can be overwhelming, but it's so rewarding and so exciting to see each tiny bit of progress. Follow me on Instagram to see the updates on #CasaSchan.
• Rifle Paper Co. Wallpaper. I understand it's impractical but so pretty.
• A Beautiful Mess. Obviously this blog isn't new, but I've been crushing hard on it lately, especially for their DIY/home posts.
• The band RHODES. They have barely any music on Spotify, but I could listen to them all day.

the best bubbly

July 15th, 2015. 16 weeks. 

I think I'm trickling into the zone of dressing in "maternity style" now. I haven't gained a single pound yet, but my body has been shifting and changing and it's weird. It's rather miraculous and the strangest of things, to see my stomach rounding out and to feel the different muscles and to look at myself changing daily in the mirror. I only have one pair of pants that still fits me (darn you skinny jeans), and since I'm still in that is she pregnant or did she just eat at Chipotle? phase, I've been reaching exclusively for my flowiest of blouses and elastic-waist skirts and shorts, both for comfort and for a little bit of camouflage. Not that I want to hide that I'm pregnant, but there is a tiny bit of vanity involved I think. I either want to try and suck it in, or push it out as much as I can. The in-between can be a little bit tricky.

No matter what, I am overjoyed to be experiencing every single bit of it, including these awkward phases. I swear I've been feeling little baby flutters the past few days. Sometimes when I'm sitting really still, or when I first wake up in the morning, I feel these gentle butterfly wings in there. Every once in a while it'll be a kitten paw pushing, or it'll feel like I've just swallowed the best bubbly. It's impossible to tell whether these flutters are real or just a daydream (or gas), but even if they're in my mind, praise the Lord, they're my favorite make believes.

style crush: blake lively

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So two weeks ago my husband and I went on a little date to see Age of Adaline. I think my crush on the star of that film, Blake Lively, began somewhere around the time she married Ryan Reynolds. I think they're adorable. I have little to no experience with Blake as an actress, because I never really watched Gossip Girl and I was a much bigger fan of Lena in the Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants saga. I think the majority of Blake's career has kind of slipped past my radar. But there was something about the Adaline story and character arc that I couldn't wait to see. I knew Blake would rock it, because she has this natural knack for ethereal beauty and transcendent style. While watching the movie, I totally believed that she had been living eternally youthful for decades. I could hear it in her voice and sense it in the way she carried herself. I thought the movie was stunning and I honestly can't wait to see it again. Granted, it has its flaws - a hefty handful of them. But the clothes, the timelines, the love stories. I'm all about them and am now all about Blake Lively.

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As much as I love the style of the titular Adaline in Age of Adaline, Blake Lively's real life red carpet and street styles are always gorgeous as well. Last year she created the website Preserve, which is a digital magazine and one of a kind shop filled with handmade items all chosen by Blake. I'm personally obsessed with these hand-painted vintage boyfriend jeans after seeing them on her Instagram (here and here), and it's pretty fun to dare my future self to spend the $500 necessary to buy a pair of them. (Spoiler alert: my future self never does). I'm starting to wonder if I could find a way to DIY them...

While the site has high-priced clothes for men, women and children alike, it also has a whole "under $50" section and a pretty wide variety of price points. Either way, it's a site that's full of inspiration and I love her more for it.

Blake also had the most fantastic maternity style of anyone I've ever seen.

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So without any further ado, proceed to swoon over Blake's beautiful clothes and have a very happy Monday. And if you haven't already, indulge in a weeknight viewing of Age of Adaline, because it's fun and sweet and quite sincerely lovely.

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*see all style crush posts*

remix: horse print

Original posts left to right: 1 // 2 // 3 // 4

This silky horse print top was my first purchase from Modcloth. It was on sale for like $8, and I decided to take the plunge and buy it (along with this necklace and this dress). It was one of my first online purchases, before I became quite addicted to online shopping while living in Virginia.

I'm actually surprised how much I ended up liking this shirt. It's very silky, so I wasn't sure how I felt about it at first. I almost always end up wearing it tucked in to a skirt or underneath a dress. It layers really nicely. I think it's the print itself that I like the most. I'm such a sucker for animal prints, but this one is neutral enough to wear it often without too much repetition.

(See all of my remix posts).

style crush: lily james

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Unfortunately, Lily James and I got off on the wrong foot. She entered Downton Abbey at a time when the show had cruelly devastated me, and her arrival as the new flirty and rebellious Lady Rose did not aid in fixing my shattered heart. Through no fault of her own, I broke up with Downton and we went our separate ways.

Lucky for Lily and I, we've been granted a second chance. Spring is full of her lovely face, because the arrival of Disney's star March movie means the arrival of Lily James as Cinderella. 

Of course I am wholeheartedly committed to a certain other Cinderella adaptation, ahem Ever After, but let's remember that love doesn't deplete - it multiplies. There is always more room for more love and magic in the world. 

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Here are a few of my favorite details about Lily James:

She was born the exact same day as my husband. April 5th, 1989. Fantastic people unite. 

She is British. Extra points for everyone who is British.

Her name is the same as Harry Potter's parents. R.I.P. Lily and James.

She began her acting career in 2010! She is the Bambi of Hollywood.

She smiles and laughs with her mouth open a lot, and it's really endearing.

She looks completely fantastic and natural in both blonde and brunette hair, which I find as rare a quality as being a unicorn. 

She is a unicorn.

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I suppose I would call her style classic exquisite. She exudes royal femininity with the long, sweeping gowns and classic silhouettes while also embracing some fantastic lace and embroidery (give it up for that chameleon-covered dress above - I want it). It's easy to forget that she's my age (younger, actually), but that girlish charm certainly serves her well. I think she'll make an excellent Cinderella. I cannot wait. 

I know she's dating Matt Smith from Dr. Who, but I quite enthusiastically wish she was actually in love with her Prince Charming co-star Richard Madden. I have a problem separating fantasy from reality. 

But really, lookit.

If this isn't actually Cinderella and Prince Charming, then I really don't know a dang thing. And I might be okay with that. Delusions, continue. 

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See Cinderella March 13th! I'll see you there.

green hair don't care

Dress (remixed 1, 2, 3, 4): Modcloth, Sweater (shop!): Gap

This past October, I created a to-do list for my 26th year of life. It's filled with silly and serious dreams and goals, and one of them was to dye the ends of my hair purple. Because why not?

I dyed my hair tips red last year, and after it inevitably began to fade to a golden blonde I began to think about other fun colors I'd like to eventually try. Purple won out in the end. I loved the dark purple, but after a few weeks, it began to turn into this strange, mermaid-inspired teal green. I'm not gonna lie, I wasn't bothered by it. I was totally fine with the seaweed locks, and even found a kindred spirit (Elizabeth over at Delightfully Tacky) with teal hair in the blogosphere. 

A week or two ago, though, I had a friend tell me that she really didn't like it. That it was probably time for it to go. It kind of took me back a little bit, because I somehow still manage to be surprised when people don't think the things I like are as awesome as I think they are (like my gold-capped molar, like my autographed Orlando Bloom headshot, like the Renaissance Festival...). Maybe I'm just super weird in a million different ways. But I reacted differently to the criticism this time around. I didn't shy back or try to people please or become embarrassed that something I like might be weird or nerdy or whatever else. I just said, "Oh, I like it!" and the conversation moved on. 

It wasn't a particularly life-changing moment, but it did cause me to think a little bit. Why do I make the choices that I do, in style and otherwise? Who are they for? Because if they're for me, then I can proudly wear that green hair don't care vibe and be unashamed by my loud galaxy-print dress and my gold molar and my handcrafted dragon statue made by a woman dressed like an apothecary's wife. I've been told by many various people over the course of my life that I am weird. That I'm nerdy, or "homeschooled". I have never been able to figure out the reasons for saying those things in a hurtful way, especially when the words are spoken by friends. What are they hoping to gain? My embarrassment, an apology, a change of personality? Who knows. 

I think it's really hard to be confident. I often find myself feeling out a group before voicing my opinions. Sometimes I even nod in agreement or change my answer based on the dialogue of others. Not about big things, of course, like God or Harry Potter. But the little things often slip away, out of cowardice and self doubt. I know I'm not the only one who does this, but it often leaves me feeling really frustrated with myself. Sometimes I'll blurt out the truth to my husband after we've been hanging out with friends, because it has been proven over the course of our relationship that he will love me in all things, to the bizarrest degree. I wish I could feel that strong all the time. 

I chopped my hair off this week, and the whole evening I was trying to decide why I was doing it. Was it because I had already been thinking about it, because my hair was dry and brittle from the dye? Or was it because of that friend's comment? I'm not sure. Either way, I love the new haircut and it feels much happier and healthier. And perhaps it's the first step toward that dream of a pixie cut. 

At the end of the day, I want what I do to be for me. Not in a selfish way, but in an intentional way. I wear the clothes that I do because I love the way I feel in them, and I love the creativity inherent in putting together unique combinations and in utilizing my clothes in new and unexpected ways. They're small but freeing choices that I'm proud of. I don't think there's any one secret to not caring what other people think - I think I'll always care. But I also think that I can practice confidence and claim joy. Those are worthy pursuits. So is Renaissance Festival pizza. Everyone else is just missing out.