FASHION FRIDAY: SASSY SUIT

Happy Fashion Friday jet setters!  Hope you all have some fun plans for the weekend...and Happy Father's Day to all of the dads and grandfathers out there!  Today's post is all about my love for the jumpsuit (a favorite of mine), and this sassy printed one for under $35 at H&M was just too good to pass up!  I added a hat (bad hair day), a cardigan, a clutch and some sandals for church, but can't wait to wear it again for a date night with some high wedges and maybe a jean jacket. It's comfy and loose (two mom-friendly qualities), and looks like you spent a lot of time picking out an outfit, when it's just one piece and go!  Gotta love that!

Jumpsuit: H&M

Cardigan: Forever 21 (old, similar)

Sandals: Forever 21

Hat: Urban Outfitters

Clutch: c/o Vera Bradley

Bracelets: BaubleBar

Ring: Banana Republic

Sunnies: Chloe c/o Mills at Jersey Mall

A NIGHT OF INDULGING!

Talk about a night of fun!!!  Well that's what this mama got to enjoy a couple of weeks ago for an event called "Indulge" at The Mills at Jersey Gardens in Elizabeth, New Jersey.

 I got a fabulous invitation by the stylish and adorable Corine from Complicated Mama to join her and Sheila from Pieces of a Mom to a "Moms Night Out" filled with shopping, drinks and food.  I was in heaven!!!

The Mills at Jersey Gardens was recently taken over by Simon (who happens to own beautiful malls all over the country) and got a face lift that is worth checking out!  The Mills at Jersey Gardens is New Jersey's largest outlet mall with more than 200 stores, including some of my favorites like Saks Fifth Avenue Off 5th, Neiman Marcus Last Call and Century 21 to name a few!

This was my first time meeting Corine and Sheila, and the three of us hit it off and became instant shopping buddies, running all over The Mills at Jersey Gardens to see what great stores were there.  We were all wowed by the incredible deals, and endless supply of gorgeous stuff, and we were in and out of dressing rooms all night.  It was so much fun trying on sunglasses, shoes and handbags (and getting to do it without the kiddos in tow was even better)!!!

I left with some great pieces like this Rebecca Minkoff tote, Chloe sunglasses, Steve Madden sneakers for me and Penguin sneakers for my hubby...all for way under what you would pay in retail stores!  

The Mills at Jersey Gardens is an absolute shopper's paradise!  Remember you only pay 3.5% sales tax...so what are you waiting for?  Check out The Mills at Jersey Gardens today...chances are, I'll probably run into you there!! ;-)

FASHION FRIDAY: HERE WE SNOW AGAIN!

It's the first day of Spring today and Old Man Winter is preferring to stick around!  That's right...more snow today!!!  When will it end?  We snapped these pictures a couple of weeks ago and I didn't know if I would ever post them because the weather was warming up and it seems Spring was coming, but with this forecast...I thought why not?  At least it's supposed to warm up tomorrow!  These are also the first pictures I've posted on the blog with my new bangs.  I wanted to do something different and thought I'd give them a shot.  I'm not too sure how long I'll keep them though because I have curly hair and they are very high maintenance!  (they also look a bit messy here as I was wearing a hat) Anyway, hope you all have a great weekend and see some sun wherever you are!

Top: BB Dakota via Lord & Taylor
Leggings: Forever 21
Coat: Zara (old)
Hat: Purchased in Iceland
Boots: Rachel Zoe
Necklace: Stella & Dot
Bracelet: Sira & Mara
Sunnies: Italia Independent

FASHION FRIDAY: ADDED COLOR

TGIF!!!!!!!!  So happy it's the weekend!  Today's outfit is pretty basic, sort of my "momiform" of what you can find me in on a daily basis running around with two little ones- jeans and a comfy top.  I always tend to gravitate toward black, but here I added color by way of some new pieces I got from the Stella & Dot spring line.  Added color can help make an outfit pop, it can add new life to an outfit you've worn a dozen times, and it helps make your mood pop too, especially with the winter we've been having!  The good news is, Spring is just 21 days away and I'm sure I'm not the only one who is looking forward to it!!!!

Top: Lucky Brand via TJ Maxx (similar)

Jeans: Forever 21

Booties: Nine West

Bag: Michael Kors via Marshalls

Necklace: Stella & Dot (email me to order)

Earrings: Stella & Dot (email me to order)

Sunnies: Dolce Gabbana

FASHION FRIDAY: KRAZY FOR KIMONOS

I've said it before, and I'll say it again...I am "Krazy" for Kimonos!!!  They are lightweight, great for travel, perfect to wear with a shirt and pants or over a bathing suit.  I got this kimono recently from one of my favorite boutiques at the Jersey Shore, Foolish Ginger- located in Asbury Park, New Jersey.  I love the colors and the pattern, and I know this will be on heavy rotation heading into spring and summer.  On another quick note before I go, I wanted to say that I am looking forward to this weekend, as I will be meeting other New Jersey bloggers at a brunch on Sunday!  I'll have more details about it next week.  Happy Friday!!!

Kimono: Foolish Ginger

Top: Marshalls (love this)

Leggings: LOFT

Booties: Rachel Zoe

Clutch: Deux Lux

Sunnies: Dolce & Gabbana

Necklace: Sira & Mara

Bracelet: Sira & Mara

#SISTERHOODOFTHETRAVELINGNECKLACE

Last Friday I told you guys about Sira & Mara and the story behind the #sisterhoodofthetravelingnecklace.  I wore it last time with jeans and a sweater.  So today, I wanted to pair the necklace with a dress since it is so pretty and fancy.  I will be wearing this dress (that I scored for $24.99 at TJ Maxx) on Valentine's Day when we go to a a co-worker's vow renewal.  I won't wear it that day with the necklace because I am going to ship it onto the next sister :(...but, that is the fun of it!!! I can't wait to see how the next ladies style it!

Dress: Jessica Simpson via TJ Maxx (available here)
Tights: Hanes
Necklace: Sira & Mara
Clutch: Stella & Dot (similar)
Bracelet: Stella & Dot (love this)
Shoes: Just FAB

FASHION FRIDAY: SIRA & MARA

For those of you who read this blog or who follow me on Instagram, you know that I am a HUGE fan of Sira & Mara.  Sira & Mara is a fantastic online accessories boutique that sells everything from pretty necklaces, to fun bracelets, scarves and leg warmers.  The motto of the company is "Accessories that break the rules, not the bank!"  And, as a mom of two who loves to shop and loves to wear stylish things, that definitely is something I like!  I mean really...who doesn't love to wear on-trend accessories that you can buy ranging in price from about $5.99-$21.99???  But, the real reason why I continue to shop at Sira & Mara is because of the owner and founder Sandy Bodeau!  Now, Sandy and I have never met in person, we've only become friends through Instagram (which may sound crazy), but we've really connected and continue to do so almost every day.  Sandy has a special way about her that she loves to connect with people and she makes her customers feel like friends, not just people placing orders online from her website.  I only know a little bit about Sandy's story, but it is truly amazing.  She moved here less than a decade ago from Spain with only a few hundred dollars in her pocket, but she had a vision and she had a dream and that was to create Sira & Mara.  And since then she has worked so hard to make her business become a success.  She mostly uses social media outlets like Instagram, Facebook and Twitter to promote her line instead of marketing.  She is dedicated, she is kind, she is compassionate, she loves her family and her friends, and she has a really big heart and soul!  That's why I really love wearing her stuff!  I wear it with pride!  I get compliments all of the time from people asking me where I got my necklace from.  I'm always so happy to introduce them to Sira & Mara, and they're always excited to know that they can get the beautiful jewelry without burning a hole in their wallet!  I hope to meet Sandy one day in person because she is just AWESOME!!!

Now onto this gorgeous necklace!!!  There's a really fun story behind it!

The other night I got a package in there mail from Sandy with this necklace and a letter inside to me and two other fashion bloggers (Lauren McBride and Theresa Millio).  Sandy wrote that this necklace never actually made it into production for Sira & Mara, but she loves it so much that she wants to share the love by letting us "borrow" it and wear it before finally mailing it back to her.  She calls it the #Sisterhoodofthetravelingnecklace!!!  I mean, how fun is that?  I can keep the necklace and wear it as many times as I want to before mailing it off to Lauren, and Lauren to Theresa.  Here I paired it with a new fun and colorful aztec sweater, boyfriend jeans and booties.  I think I want to wear it with a dress next because it is just so stunning!   Anyway, I just had to tell you all about Sira & Mara, Sandy Bodeau and the fun story behind today's post!  Hope you all have a great weekend, and I'll catch up with you here on Monday!

Necklace: Sira & Mara (not available, but love this and this and this)
Top: Forever 21
Sweater: Katherine's Boutique
Jeans: Forever 21
Booties: DV by Dolce Vita via Marshalls 
Bag: H&M
Sunnies: Marc Jacobs (old, similar here)