first of fall: frocktober!

Autumn is...

birthday month pumpkin spice 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 halloween movie nights scented candles couch cuddles tights & boots spices hot drinks cozy socks caramel golden days

And... it's Frocktober. 

Happy first day of Fall, friendlies! 

This season is starting off quite well. I am 26 weeks along today, and my baby and I are sharing a pumpkin spice latte to celebrate. Of course, he has no choice in the matter...but I've got to start him early on the finer things of life.

And, of course, Frocktober -- which will be in full swing starting next week! The collage above is a little recap of last year's Frocktober dresses. It was probably my favorite year so far. I was able to remix a lot of my favorite dresses into completely new outfits. Last year was such a year of growth in all areas - career, marriage, family, life goals. Looking back on last October brings a lot of those things to mind, and I can't believe we're nearly a year past it!

For those of you who don't know, Frocktober is my month of dress-wearing. An entire month of dresses! Read more about it here. As I said, the collage above is my Frocktober 2014 challenge. You can also check out 2013 and 2012. This will be my fourth year embarking on this personal style adventure - and, admittedly, the most challenging yet! October will be weeks 28-31 of my pregnancy, so utilizing my existing wardrobe is going to be a pretty tight fit. 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. I'm going to do my best to stick to it.

If you'd like to join me, I would be more than happy to induct you into the lovely Frocktober Sisterhood. My challenge to you for the month 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. 

Follow along with me starting October 1st! And definitely let me know if you're joining me in the challenge.

#frocktobersisterhood

october awaits

Today is the last day of September!

I could not be more excited for October. I love October. It encompasses a lot of fun things for me -- fall, pumpkin and caramel treats, my birthday, cooler weather, my birthday (it's important). And, of course, Frocktober!

I would love to have you join me this year for a month of wearing dresses. Gather up that resolve and commit to revolutionizing the way you see your wardrobe. Frocktober is a style challenge that's fun and enlightening and will open your eyes to the clothes you have and should love wearing!

October, here we come!

#frocktobersisterhood

fall is for frocktober!

Autumn is...

birthday month pumpkin spice 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 halloween movie nights scented candles couch cuddles tights & boots spices hot drinks cozy socks caramel golden

And most of all, it's Frocktober. 

Happy first day of Autumn, friendlies!
This time of year is especially dear to me since living in Virginia -- now that we're back in Arizona, this season will look quite different. No changing leaves, the weather isn't crisp or cool yet.
Of course, all that really means is we'll have to be more creative in appreciating this season. We'll have to go visit a pumpkin patch, go to a fair, bake some homemade pies, visit Starbucks way more often (done and done). 
And, of course, Frocktober -- which will be in full swing starting next week! 

For those of you who don't know, Frocktober is my month of dress-wearing. An entire month of daily dresses! The collage above is my Frocktober 2013 challenge. This will be my third year embarking on this personal style adventure!
If you'd like to join me, I would be more than happy to induct you into the lovely Frocktober Sisterhood. The Frocktober challenge is mostly just to encourage you to experiment with your wardrobe, stretching your remixing abilities and inviting you to see your closet with brand new eyes. Even if you're active or you normally wear jeans to work, there are plenty of ways to utilize your dresses for more than just fancy-wear. And Frocktober will show you those ways. 

Follow along with me starting October 1st! And definitely let me know if you're joining me, and feel free to borrow my Frocktober Sisterhood pin for your blog if you have one!

#frocktobersisterhood

catching up

Dress (remix)(shop!): Modcloth

Today is the very last day of Frocktober! (in other words, happy halloween!)

I will be posting the last few outfits in the next few days.
My halloween-themed post will be up later this afternoon, though! Can you guess what my husband and I dressed up as?
Last year our church's harvest festival and trunk or treat was actually on Halloween, and we dressed up as Carl and Ellie from UP, and it was so much fun. Obviously my costume must incorporate a dress... so we decided to stay in the cartoon genre. We chose one of my favorites! Mostly because of the great voice work, and the fun soundtrack, featuring mostly Elton John songs... have you guessed it yet?

a little bit of purple, a little bit of sparkle

Dress (remixed)(similar, similar): Ruche

Day 17: This outfit was one of those providential combinations that happens when two things happen to stand out to you when you're browsing your closet.
Most of the time I randomly pick out a dress, and throw the additional pieces and accessories together later on. This time, I went to the very back of my closet and pulled out this old cardigan -- I've had it for years. It was a gift from my cousin, and I had to be somewhere between 10-12 years old. I thought it was the most amazing cardigan ever created. It was bejeweled! And I mean, it was the 90s for heaven's sake. I was wearing glittery lip gloss when she gave it to me. (Ok, fine, I was probably wearing glitter lotion, too.) How much better could it get?
I went through many phases of trying to decide whether to keep it or not -- was it okay to be bejeweled? Is it in? Is it out again? Who knows.
As I pulled it out, this Aztec print dress was hanging on my closet door, and the two met and decided to get along. I had nothing to do with it.

Then, crazy on top of crazier, I noticed a hint of purple in the Aztec pattern that I had never noticed before. I felt a sudden jubilance, because I have a very sad collection of very few scarves (meaning, like, 10 or 12 which is most definitely a #firstworldproblem) and I didn't think any of them would match this pattern-happy ensemble.
Luckily for us, that little bit of purple saved the day.

Day 18: I'm sneakily including this outfit as well, because a.) I need to catch up on Frocktober posts and b.) it's a frumpy day/after dark photoshoot.
I try to always get a few outfits shots before dark, but this particular day was a busy one, and I had to work late while my husband went to a few meetings that evening. It was a messy bun day where all I wanted to wear was pajamas, so I settled for one of my oldest, softest dresses and my cozy polka dot sweater from Francesca's.

in the woods

I love gifted clothes. I love the thought of picking something out specifically for someone else to wear. 

Likewise, I love when people pick out things specifically for me to wear!

Clothes and accessories, like jewelry, are somewhat personal - so when someone takes the time (or happens to have a flash of ohmygosh they would love that! while shopping), I really appreciate it and tend to treasure it. 

Occasionally I even do so if I don't even like the item that much...which probably isn't the greatest thing to do, but I can't help but be grateful and appreciative of such a sweet gift, even if it isn't necessarily my style or something I would have picked out for myself. 

That is not the case with this Anthropologie fox top, however!

I would have absolutely picked this out for myself, and I couldn't even wait to wear it until after Frocktober.
My husband's brother and sister-in-law saw it in Anthropologie and knew I would love it!
I built a dress outfit specifically around this shirt, and it happened to also include the fabulous orange tights my best friend got for me, too!

Top (shop!): Anthropologie, Dress: old/gifted, Earrings (shop on sale!): Ruche

I love the scoop/button-up back, and it comes in some really cute alternative critter-themed prints and colors!
But of course, foxes are my favorite. :)

aztec appetite

Dress (shop!): Ruche, Skirt: J. Crew

It's totally a week for the Aztec print.

I got these dresses for my birthday, and I dunno about you, but when I get new clothes I have to wear them at once. If I could just make an outfit change every few hours or so, that'd be ideal. 

This is the second Aztec print dress I've worn this week, and I'm currently wearing the third!

(And I mean, look at all the Aztec items at Ruche. So hard to choose!)

I'm normally attracted to bright colors and crazy patterns, but this black and white version is absolutely fantastic. It may be my favorite, against all color-loving odds. 

Tucking a dress into a skirt is one of my favorite ways to remix all the dresses in my wardrobe!

The quality of the dress is wonderful, as it's fully lined and a tad stretchy. Plus the little keyhole detail in the front is so fun. I'll definitely be wearing this baby on the regular.

Dustin and I were kind of unintentionally matching in black and white yesterday, so I couldn't help but want to get a few pictures of us on this bright green hill.
The leaves are finally beginning to change, and the weather is finally cooling down (too late for our trip to DC, which was 90 degrees!) to an appropriate October climate of 60-65 degrees.
Thus, Fall is moving in, and bright green hills are quickly going out of style!