Sometimes a girl just needs a dose of fast, frugal fashion. That’s why I love Marshall’s. Today, I stopped in for a quick look around and left with Kate Spade wedges, a darling dress for Lola, and slip-on shoes for my husband from retro chic label Penguin. And still I showed a considerable amount of restraint, […]
Style Secrets: BeautyMommy Caitlin Skidmore
I am so inspired by Caitlin Skidmore of Greater Than Rubies, and I know you will be, too. In 2012, she was so moved by the poverty she sees every day in her job as the coordinator of a poverty assistance program in North Central Texas that she gave up shopping. For a whole year. Twelve months without a […]
Mom Style Secrets: BeautyMommy Kristina Clemens
After years of shame and denial, I am ready to come clean on a painful subject. I am not crafty. Well, I am, but not in the good way. 😉 I have a stylish mom who can sew and knit beautifully and a sister who has refinished her own furniture and created gorgeous projects for […]
One Stop Shopping: Fall Wardrobe Finds from J. Crew
Occasionally, I like to challenge myself in some way. Usually, it is with shopping. Fortunately, I’ve never been one to let myself down. Just last week, for example, I found 2 pairs of Kate Spade pumps on clearance at Marshall’s. And they were in my size, which is totally optional but fun fun fun when it […]
Mom Style Secrets from BeautyMommy Amber Wagner
I am so intrigued by the way other women put themselves together, especially while leading remarkably busy lives. Amber Wagner redefines busy. She is a fashion designer based in Napa Valley, California. Her swimwear line, Mia Marcelle, offers minimal yet sophisticated styles with exotic details and prints. Oh, and she’s also a mom of 6. Yes, […]
The BeautyMommy Guide to Summer Sales
I’ve been shopping a lot lately. Occupational hazard. Also, I really really like it. Today, while visiting my in-laws in Illinois, I blazed a trail through the entire Cherryvale Mall, husband in tow, on a mission to check a few items off my back to school shopping lists. And, if I happened to stumble upon […]
The J. Crew Cheat Sheet: What to Buy This Summer
Who doesn’t love the artful layering and unstudied elegance of J. Crew. It’s irresistible. Fortunately, the styling secrets of the J. Crew catalog are relatively easy to master. Here, 3 pointers for pulling off the signature look: 1. Bold Lips: A bold lip on an otherwise bare-ish face is a trademark of the brand’s style. […]
The Boden Cheat Sheet: What to Buy This Summer
If the Anthropologie catalog evokes dreams of travel to unnamed, yet always exotic, locales, the Boden catalog makes me long to be a hip urban mom in London, taking the tykes to the Victoria & Albert or to tea or to any of the other fantasy London locales that non-Londoners dream of. The brand combines classic quality […]
Fall Fashion Finds: 5 Dresses Under $50
People think I wear dresses because they are so feminine. And yes, that’s part of it, but also, there’s the laziness. Dresses are easy. There are times, and I hope I’m not alone in this, when we just need to pop on a dress and be done with it. Those times occur frequently in my […]
Capsule Wardrobe Essentials: The Little Black Dress
Yes, the little black* dress is a cliche, but for good reason. It’s so ubiquitous that we often downplay its significance, but there is perhaps no item in a woman’s wardrobe that combines glamour and versatility as effortless as the LBD. And fortunately, unlike a few of the items on this list, a perfect little […]