Affordable Faux Leather Jacket for Date Night

October 16, 2017 by Virginia 10 Comments

You guys…this faux leather jacket is sooo amazing! I’ve been looking for a quality affordable faux leather jacket for so long and last Friday I finally found it! Lately my work life has come to dominate everything (which is the opposite of what I’m trying to teach with this blog!) so a week ago Friday when the stars aligned and God gave me the combination of only one class that day and a 3-day weekend ahead, I took my husband’s advice and went to the mall for the first time in over a month! It was hard to block out the ever-present-to-do-list and casually walk through stores but it was SO needed. I was rewarded with this great find on my first stop!

This affordable faux leather jacket is such great quality and the fit on me is amazing. I’ve tried on leather jackets at Zara (more expensive) that I liked but didn’t have quite the right vibe and real ones at Wilson’s Leather, but this one takes the cake. Just to make sure, I went to all the other stores in the mall that might have a faux leather jacket and tried any and all other options on for size and quality. None could compare. The faux leather is soft and buttery and for $50, it’s such a steal. When I went to check out the clerk said he had sold 3 already that day so I knew I better grab it before it was gone!

I wanted to photograph it right away but I told myself to hold my horses. I’ve been dealing with a lot of anxiety lately because I’m not getting any down time. My blog is supposed to be a way for me to find balance but when you’re up until 12 or 1 AM trying to wrap up lesson plans and then getting up at 4:30 AM to blog, something just has to go. Last week I chose to relax and take a breather rather than use my 3-day-weekend to rush through a post and add to my stress. It was the right decision but I was really glad to find time this week to shoot this date night outfit with my new favorite jacket.

It’s important to make time for date nights and mall trips if it means giving yourself a breather. What do you do to take a breather? Let me know in the comments below!

*This post does contain affiliate links, which means that if you click and/or make a purchase through these links, I may make a small commission. For more information, see my privacy policy. Thank you for supporting the retailers that make this blog possible.

Get the Look:

Faux Leather Jacket, H&M.
Sequin Tank, Old Navy (old). Similar.
Skinny Jeans, American Eagle.
Leopard Pumps, Nordstrom. Similar here and in widget below.
Necklace, Forever 21.
Sugarfix by Baublebar Earrings, Target.
Tori Burch Three Strand Logo Bracelet, Tradesy.
Black Quilted Bag, Amazon. Similar here.

Clickable Outfit Widget:

Thanks so much for visiting!

-Virginia

Patriotic Outfit for 4th of July Celebrations

July 3, 2017 by Virginia 17 Comments

Happy 4th of July friends! Man, I gotta tell ya. There is NOTHING like experiencing the fourth of July in New England! As a Social Studies (particularly a Government) teacher, I get especially geeky about how historical everything is in this area. I shot these photos of my patriotic outfit after we celebrated “Freedom Sabbath” and decked out our local church in red, white and blue! Everyone dressed up in their own patriotic colors and we celebrated the freedom we have in Christ, along with the freedom we have to worship. What’s crazy awesome is that my church is over 300 years old and Sam Ward (Governor of Rhode Island, delegate to the Continental Congress, and one of the founders of Brown University) was a member of our Congregation! He died of smallpox during the Continental Congress, only three months before the Declaration of Independence was signed. Be still my little historical heart!

As I said in this post, I adore the 4th of July. Some of it could be because I grew up in the Midwest where we celebrated our freedom as a community (with fireworks!) and a lot of it probably (yes, definitely) has to do with being a Government teacher for ten years. Even though I’m no longer teaching government, there will always be something special for me about red, white and blue!

In recent years, patriotism in our country has suffered. I’m not here to lecture on this or to excuse our country for the things we’ve done that are wrong, but there is something to be said for our having freedom as a foundational principle. We have our issues with freedom at home, for sure, but I taught Comparative Government. We studied places where bloggers were blacklisted, journalists murdered, and people jailed or murdered for practicing their own religious beliefs. Call me old-fashioned, but I am thankful that freedom is “in our blood” as a country and true patriots will love their country enough to fight to keep it that way. I’m a patriot (don’t worry Seattleites, not that kind of Patriot!) and so on the 4th of July I don’t just celebrate being able to barbecue in the backyard (though I do love that…) but the kind of country that is willing to stand up against tyranny today as in 1776, at home as we have done abroad.

The photo of the canon above was taken across the street from our house. Our whole town decks out for the 4th of July, with bunting on every public building and the streets downtown lined with flags. Last week, we had a Summer Pops Concert in our local park and at the end, when the orchestra played the National Anthem, the entire place (over 1,000 people) stood and sang the national anthem together. It was moving. Patriotism is not dead in New England and I’m proud to be part of this kind of community!

Enjoy your holiday with family and friends, experiencing the freedom we have to do so! Most of the items I’m wearing in this patriotic outfit are from previous seasons, but they are classics to have in any closet and some of you may even have versions of these already. If you’re still trying to think of a patriotic outfit to wear tomorrow, pull out a blue top and some white shorts or skinny jeans. Then, grab some patriotic ribbon and use that as the finishing touch! That’s what I did! My trick to tying in more of a color (in this case, red) to an outfit is to wear it as a lipstick and add a ribbon to your hair! Try it!

Happy 4th of July! Thanks for visiting! (Check out this post or this post if you need more outfit inspiration!)

Get this Patriotic Outfit Look:

Blue Lace Peplum Top, Forever 21 (0ld). Similar | Similar | Similar
White Skinny Ankle Jeans, LOFT (old). Same Brand | Similar under $50
Red Ankle Pumps, DSW (old). Almost Exact | Very Similar
Ribbon as headband, Walmart.
Crystal Statement Necklace, Shinymix.com (old). 40% off at Shinymix through the 4th with code: July4
Ray Ban Original Aviators, Rewards Points! (also here)
Stila’s All Day Liquid Lipstick in Beso, Sephora.
Corley Earrings, c/o Kenda Scott. Also here.
Baublebar Ice Lateral Ring, Baublebar (old).
Rachel Double Ring, c/o Kendra Scott (old). Similar.
Michael Kors Two-Tone Darci Watch, Areatrends.com. Also here

Multicolored Midi Skirt for the Classroom

June 5, 2017 by Virginia 43 Comments

Well friends, I am FINALLY able to bring you this amazing multicolored midi skirt! I missed last week’s post because of a combination of insane schedules (hubby/photographer is going back to school + working full time), crazy weather and photo mishaps. I am trying not to let myself get discouraged about blogging but it sure felt like last week was doing its best to blow that out of the water.

My husband and I thought we were escaping the rain by moving from Seattle to New England but we apparently brought it with us. Our Property Manager said that this was the rainiest May we’ve had in a long time! It has been pouring down rain every day for the last few weeks! When there was finally a reprieve, Jeremy and I ran out to get photos on our way to church and realized the camera battery was dead! Ugh! We shot photos with my phone instead. Then at home I realized that a smudge on the lens made the photos all blurry!! By the time the weather improved, it was almost time for this week’s post. Anyway, life has been tricky lately and the dark weather hasn’t helped. That’s actually why I’m really happy to be sharing this gorgeous multicolored midi skirt perfect for the classroom.

(when you live in a small town, friends driving by honk at you while you’re taking photos!)

As soon as I saw this multicolored striped skirt on Shein, I knew I had to have it! When I first started teaching I thought that, to be taken seriously, I had to wear dark clothes with collared shirts. Sometimes I do, don’t get me wrong! When I got more comfortable in the classroom though, I started letting my personality shine through. Not only did I feel more comfortable, but there’s just something about a pink and yellow and orange striped skirt that makes me happy! Just looking at the pictures of this multicolored midi skirt makes me grin!

This skirt is perfect for the classroom because:

It’s not too short! In fact, it’s longer than I expected and may actually be a little too long for me.
It is comfortable.
The multicolored stripes allow for so many different coordinating colors for tops and accessories!
It’s bright and fun.

Now, I love more than just the skirt in this outfit – though it is indeed the star of the show. So, quickly – this jean jacket is my most favorite ever. A few summers ago I tried on every jean jacket I could find at the mall and this one was, by far, the most comfortable. Snag it when it goes on sale, you wont’ regret it!

I purchased these lasercut block heel booties from one of my favorite websites with the hope that the quality would be worth it. They’re definitely not Vince Camuto Tarita quality, but they quickly became my new favorite shoe! The design is beautiful and the block heel is super comfortable. I love these because they go with everything and I can wear them all day!

Lastly, when I first shot this look (with the smudged cell phone!) I also wore my rose gold sunglasses for under $15. When I re-shot the look, I forgot them but I wanted to mention them anyway!

So, there you go. Grab this multicolored skirt before it sells out – it’s the perfect teacher skirt for the classroom (and would be great for summer!). If you’re a teacher, make sure to check out my last post on the Top 5 Places to Shop for Teacher Clothes! Also, when life throws bad weather, crazy schedules and dead batteries, just go with the flow and give yourself grace. That’s what I’ve been trying to do lately!

Thanks so much for visiting!

-Virginia

Get the Look: Multicolored Midi Skirt

White Tshirt, Forever21.
Mutlicolored Midi Skirt, Shein. Size up! (I am usually a S/M and I ordered L). Similar in widget.
Jean Jacket, J.Crew Factory. On sale!
Lasercut Block Heel Booties, Jane.com in Taupe. Almost exact here and wedge version here. Vince Camuto versions in widget!
Pink Tassel Earrings, Baublebar (old). Most similar here. Under $15 version here! Tons more in widget!
Elisa Necklace in Iridescent Drusy, c/o Kendra Scott. More in widget below.
Michael Kors Two-Tone Darci Watch, Areatrends.com.
(Pink Mirrored Aviators, Amazon.com.)
L’Oreal Lip Paint in Spicy Blush, Ulta.
Chloe Dupe Two Tone Saddle Bag, Shein.

Clickable Outfit Widget: