Mood Board Monday - Midnight & Violet

It's Mood Board Monday!

For my second edition, I'm featuring a mood board I created withthe color combo midnight blue and violet.



Below are the sources of my inspiration...

Top (from left to right):
1. Baby Leg Warmers Gray with Blue and Purple Argyle, by BarefootClips, etsy seller
2. Kimchi Blue Printed Empire Halter Tank in Purple, Urban Outfitters
3. Liberty of London Blue, Purple & Red Toddler Swimsuit, Target
4. Tissue Pom Kit shown in Boysenberry, Navy & Grey, by prosttothehost, etsy seller
5. Lucienne Bracelet - Navy blue silk rose with frosted purple beads, by EternalEden, etsy seller
6. Print Color Options Blue Jay & Eggplant (my fave is 'Keep Calm and Blog On'), by KeepCalmShop, etsy seller
7. Fountain in Midnight Wallpaper by Amy Butler (my inspiration for this whole board!), for Graham & Brown

While this color combo could be viewed as dark or become overwhelming, I love the way it's used above and actually find the berry tones to be romantic yet cheerful. Although unintentional at first, I also really like the accent color of grey that appears in many of these images.

Hope you feel inspired to consider this combo in your own little crevice of the creative world.

Lovin' Liberty of London for Target

I am lovin' the new Liberty of London line at Target! It was released this weekend, but of course by the time I went to my local Target on Sunday it was already terribly picked over and my favorite dress from the TV commercial was nowhere in sight. That dress would be the one below, which I went home and immediately ordered online.

The Liberty of London for Target® Ruffle Halter Dress in Multi Color Sixty Print

I thought it would be the perfect dress to wear in Mexico in a few months...

Since I'm also a BIG FAN of peacock print and the rich teal-blue color I also ordered the number below. The Liberty of London for Target® Halter Maxi Dress in Turquoise Isis Print

I thought this would be a nice evening dress to wear to dinner at the resort.

I could really go crazy with all of the great patterns found adorning the abundance of cute home decor, bedding, dining, bicycles and little girls' clothing items they have online. I particularly like a few home items, like these and this and this, but I did use some self-control and haven't made a purchase outside of the apparel realm (yet).

The girls' clothes were too adorable to pass up though, so I also ordered these two items early for our niece's 3rd birthday in May...

The Toddler Girls' Liberty of London for Target® Mark Romper in Pink

And the Toddler Girls' Liberty of London for Target® Swimsuit in Pink

Good thing I don't have a girl of my own yet or I would have to get more closets!

If you are curious, you can even find your "patternality" here on Facebook. I just found out that mine is "Maddsie Green"...

There is one caveat to this vibrant collection. Just as I believed with last year's Orla Kiely collection, less is more when it comes these trendy patterns. However, being that the entire Liberty of London collection is almost sold out online and hard to come by in stores, getting your hands on enough to "over-do-it" in your home or wardrobe is virtually impossible :-) So check it out online and grab a piece of the collection while you still can!

I've got sunshine, on a snowy day.

After a snowy, slushy walk home from work tonight, I curled up to read my new issue of Real Simple magazine. I didn't make it past the first page, when I was smacked in the face by a Target ad featuring this "frugalista find"... a cute white & yellow striped springtime trench.

Merona® Women's Striped Long Trench Coat - $39.99

Immediately to my online shopping cart it went!

I got sidetracked from my magazine at that point, and started snooping around and found these bright, shiny rainboots. My trouble trying to fit into those pricey Hunter boots has been well-documented over the last year (here, here, here and here), but none fit. So for almost 1/6 of the price, I think I'll try to fit these cute little boots over my calves.

Women's Zetta Solid Rainboots - $19.99

And while I'm on my yellow kick...

This summer vacation will be spent with Dave's family at the lake, so I'll need a modest yet flattering swimsuit to wear around the in-laws. It might look a little matronly at first, but I like the throw-back vibe.

Merona® Women's Bandeau Shirred One-Piece Yellow - $34.99

Plus, I think the model is missing a few of the necessary curves, or outright thickness needed to make this style look right. No worries here though ;-)

So there you have it! My impulse dashes of yellow I will soon be adding to my wardrobe courtesy of Target and inspired by Real Simple. And all for under $100!

Hurry-up spring, I'm ready for you!

Winter Finds (Plus, the Real vs Fake Debate)

In honor of the newly fallen snow on the ground, I thought I'd highlight some my favorite winter finds over the last week or so.

First of all, I did go on a hunt for felt Christmas decor at my parents house, as previously discussed, but I didn't come back with much. However, when I returned I did order an amazing needle felted ornament online to perfectly commemorate 2008! It's from Etsy seller feltcafe:

I'm in love and cannot wait to receive it... GObama!

Next I splurged on some duds to keep me warm in the windy city.  The first one being The North Face Metropolis Jacket I bought in brownie. A serious splurge, but I found a great 20% off coupon code and bought it off Moosejaw. I figure with a 4 block walk from the loft to the train and another 4 blocks from the train to work each morning & night, I think I deserve it! Today was my 2nd day wearing it to work and in my mind it already paid for itself as I battled the wintry mix this morning.

I love it because it's long enough to cover my legs and with boots will protect most of my pants from the black sludgy aftermath of the snow storm. Speaking of boots, I also purchase these The North Face Boots and am eagerly awaiting their arrival:

You know, it's funny the things you get excited about when you commute by public transit as opposed to via a heated car :-)

I also grabbed a couple cute sweaters to wear to work from Anthropologie and this is my fave, the Pick-And-Choose Cardigan in grey! (sorry I can't grab the image for the post!)

So, now I feel really selfish about all the things I purchased FOR ME when this is the season of giving. So I'll move to something a little more green... both responsibly and literally! 

I have been going back and forth in my head, and out loud with my new husband, about getting a Real Tree versus a Fake Tree this Christmas. And just as I was debating the look, the cost and the carbon footprint that both would leave, a great blog i follow posted this today. So decision is final, it's going to be real this year! Now I'm trying to convince Dave to drive out to a tree farm to cut down our own (I really, really want to do this!) or to just go pick one up at a tree lot.  To me, that loses a little of it's luster, but I'm not sure i'll win this battle considering all of the driving back and forth to STL that we have been doing lately, and will be doing thru December.

Oh well, Tree Lot or Tree Farm, I can't wait to wear my new outerwear & sweater out to grab a wonderful Christmas tree and to be able to decorate it with my awesome new ornament!