Friday, May 29, 2020

Currently Loving .185


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Happy Friday! I hope y'all have had a great week! My girls technically finished up their school year last Friday but we are still doing some Zoom meetings with their teachers this week. Even though the school year didn't end like we all wanted it to, I'm really proud of how hard my girls worked at home! This was definitely a challenging experience for all of us but we did it! Now it's definitely time to bring on some summertime fun. 

Today, I'm sharing my weekly roundup of what I'm Currently Loving! These weeks picks included lots of skirts and dresses, two of my very favorite things to wear during this time of the year. When I'm not in my workout clothes, I love throwing on a dress to feel instantly put together!
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Which of this week's picks is your favorite?!

1. L E O P A R D  S K I R T | Like I mentioned above, I have been loving skirts and dresses! I bought this skirt is the midi length version and it's such a good buy. I think I love this mini version of it even more! It would be so cute with a white tee and sneakers. The fit is true to size, however, if you are in-between sizes, I would recommend sizing up.


2. B A G | A neutral bag is my go-to in the spring and summer! I really love straw bags so much because they go with everything. I love this one!


3. T A N K | I am currently wearing this tank! It's so soft and so comfortable to wear. I purchased it to wear as a workout top but it would also be super cute with denim shorts. Sizing is kind of hard to figure out but for reference, I'm typically a size small and then six was the best fit for me.


4. G R A P H I C  T A N K | How cute is this graphic tank?! I really love it! It would be super cute paired with bike shorts or a denim skirt. You could also wear it for working out. Under $13!


5. B A B Y D O L L  D R E S S | I have been really loving baby doll styles this season! It takes a simple dress or tank and makes it feels more feminine. This cute tank dress is $15 and comes in several other colors, including black. 


6. N E C K L A C E | Coin necklaces have really caught my eye in the last few months! I really love them for layering with other necklaces. This pretty rose one is on my wish list!


7. W H I T E  D R E S S | A white dress is missing from my wardrobe and I think this one might be a great option for adding to my closet. I love the eyelet fabric and the cut of this dress! It's also super budget friendly.


8. D E N I M  S K I R T | A denim skirt is definitely a spring and summer must have for me! I wore a denim skirt at least once a week last year when it was warm outside. The one I have isn't available anymore but this one from my favorite affordable denim brand is! It's super similar to the skirt that I own and love.


Thanks so much for visiting! I hope you have a great weekend!

Friday, May 22, 2020

Currently Loving .184

style on a budget, nc blogger, north carolina blogger, spring style, currently loving, what to wear for spring
Happy Friday! Today, I'm sharing my weekly roundup of what I'm Currently Loving! I love my weekly trip around the internet to share some of my favorite things with y'all. I'm just really hoping to put on a cute, spring outfit and enjoy some sunshine this weekend! It's been raining for days!
style on a budget, nc blogger, north carolina blogger, spring style, currently loving, what to wear for spring
Which of this week's picks is your favorite?!

1. R U N N I N G  S H O R T S | Okay, let me be clear, I don't use these shorts for running but I am sure they are excellent for running. In the spring and summer, I live in running shorts, I do exercise in them; I'm just not a runner. But, I also really just like to wear them when I want to be comfy. I tried this pair and I don't think I can ever wear a pair from a different brand. They are so comfortable! For sizing, go up one size for the best fit. I just ordered my second pair!


2. H E A D B A N D | I'm loving this pink headband! I wear headbands all of the time plus I share them with my girls. Well, my older daughter snapped my favorite pink headband in half so I have been looking for a replacement and this one might be it! So cute!


3. D E N I M  S H O R T S | When I'm not wearing running shorts during the summer, I'm definitely wearing denim shorts. This is my favorite affordable pair! They fit so well and I really like the (mom appropriate) length. I would recommend sizing up one size for the most comfy fit.


4. S A N D A L S | Hello, perfect leather sandals! I love a good pair of slide sandals, especially for throwing on quickly during the summertime. This high quality pair is from one of my very favorite brands (that's doing great things in our world)!


5. S W I M S U I T | I own this swimsuit in solid black and it's incredible! It's the suit I styled in the fourth outfit in this blog post. It's affordable and a great choice for a day at the beach... or just lounging in your inflatable pool in the driveway!


6. T E E | I haven't met a floral graphic tee that I didn't love! This budget friendly tee is probably going to be making it's way into my shopping cart.


7. D R E S S | I love a good black dress! This one is $20 and a great blend of cotton with modal (super soft and sustainable fabric). Dress it up or down!


8. E A R R I N G S | I love hoops and wear a pair almost everyday but I need a smaller pair for everyday wear, especially when I'm at home. I love this cute pair!


Thank you so much for visiting! I hope you have a wonderful weekend!

Wednesday, May 20, 2020

Four Ways to Style a Leopard Kimono

style on a budget, leopard kimono, nc blogger, north carolina blogger, spring outfits, summer style
Happy Wednesday! Over on IGTV, I'm sharing four ways to style a leopard kimono with my friends Joanne of Fabulously Average and Jen of The Treasured Life! Below, you will find all of the links to the looks that I put together. Some of the pieces I have aren't available anymore so I have found super similar items that you could use to recreate the look. A leopard kimono is such a versatile piece for your wardrobe. I will be living in mine all spring and summer!



Which outfit is your favorite?!

O U T F I T  O N E
leggings, gray tee, sneakers, and crossbody bag

style on a budget, leopard kimono, nc blogger, north carolina blogger, spring outfits, summer style


O U T F I T  T W O 
denim shorts, white tee, sandals, and black tote

style on a budget, leopard kimono, nc blogger, north carolina blogger, spring outfits, summer style


 O U T F I T  T H R E E
t-shirt dress, sandals, and crossbody bag

style on a budget, leopard kimono, nc blogger, north carolina blogger, spring outfits, summer style


O U T F I T  F O U R
swimsuit, white denim skirt, sandals, and straw bag

style on a budget, leopard kimono, nc blogger, north carolina blogger, spring outfits, summer style


style on a budget, leopard kimono, nc blogger, north carolina blogger, spring outfits, summer style

J E W E L R Y  +  A C C E S S O R I E S


Thanks so much to stopping by! Enjoy your day!

Instagram Roundup .208

instagram roundup, style on a budget, nc blogger, north carolina blogger, spring outfits, what to wear for spring
Hey y'all! I hope you are having a great week! Earlier this week, I shared our Kitchen Refresh Part Two. In that post, you can see how budget friendly kitchen transformation! It feels like a brand new space and we did it all for under $300! In other news, this is the last week of distance learning school assignments and I'm pretty excited about it. I'm so thankful for all of the hard work my girls teachers have put into doing school at home but I'm really looking forward to less Zoom calls and more playtime for all of us! The silver lining of distance learning has definitely been the time that I have intentionally been able to spend my girls, especially one on one. I have loved being able to be a bigger part of their education, after all I did go to school to be a teacher! But, teacher other people's kids will always be so much easier than teaching your own for me!

Today, I'm sharing my weekly Instagram Roundup, including my outfits from last week. I'm really missing last week's weather because it's non-stop rain all week here and today is pretty chilly, especially for me! Somewhere between 72 and 85 is my perfect kind of temperatures... and sunny!

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I am loving this leopard kimono... stay tuned today for a style session!


instagram roundup, style on a budget, nc blogger, north carolina blogger, spring outfits, what to wear for spring

Layered necklaces, until further notice.


instagram roundup, style on a budget, nc blogger, north carolina blogger, spring outfits, what to wear for spring

Throwback to the last time I actually curled my hair. Currently rocking my natural waves and weird buns!


instagram roundup, style on a budget, nc blogger, north carolina blogger, spring outfits, what to wear for spring

Yep... this kimono again. It's going to get a lot of wear this spring and summer!


instagram roundup, style on a budget, nc blogger, north carolina blogger, spring outfits, what to wear for spring

And... the pieces from last week's leopard shorts style session


Thanks so much for visiting! Have a great day!

Monday, May 18, 2020

DIY Kitchen Refresh Part Two

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Hey y'all! I hope you had a great weekend! We spent our weekend celebrating Olivia's eighth birthday and finishing up our final kitchen refresh project. Okay, I saw final but I can't say I won't find another kitchen project! If you want to check out part one of our kitchen refresh, go back and read this post. I answered all of your questions about cabinet painting and changing out our recessed lighting above the sink to a pendant light!

Okay, let's start with the before. I said this in my last post but this kitchen has been one of my least favorite rooms because of the cabinet color. The color just made our space look so dark! Well, we totally solved that problem by painting the cabinets. Now, that we have had them painted for a few weeks, it's just so hard to imagine what they actually looked like before. Living with the painted cabinets and using them like normal, I can definitely tell you that the paint we used it great. I have been able to wipe them down and even scrub off a spill with no issue. 

B E F O R E

diy, kitchen refresh, painted cabinets, home project, nc blogger, north carolina blogger

A F T E R

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I love walking into my beautiful white kitchen now! It just really feels like a brand new space. But, there was still one thing I wanted to fix. The material that our bar is constructed out of is just very low quality. It was also just put together really poorly because you could always see the seam where they put the two pieces of material together. My kids always sit there for breakfast + lunch and of course, they are always kicking their feet and bumping into the bar. Well, that seam would literally move and push in... I can't believe that whole thing never just fell apart! For years, I have wanted to do something about it. I had this idea to cover the bar in beadboard probably three or four years ago but I didn't think it would look good with our original cabinet color. After painting the cabinetry white, this seam on the bar bugged me even more since the rest of the space looked so good. 

Friday morning, I shared my design plan with Josh and by that afternoon, he had the supplies to make my vision come to life. Goodbye ugly seam and hello more durable (and beautiful) bar! Josh will tell you that was a very mathematical project and one that I'm glad he did because honestly wouldn't have had the patience to do it myself. He bought two sheets of this beadboard at Lowe's, wood glue, finishing nails, and putty to complete this project. He measured everything out and used a saw to cut the beadboard to fit the space. He attached the beadboard with wood glue and nails then used putty to fill in some gaps. On Sunday, he went back and painted the beadboard with two coats of the same paint we used on the cabinets. 

B E F O R E


A F T E R

diy, kitchen refresh, painted cabinets, home project, nc blogger, north carolina blogger

I absolutely love how it turned out! It makes the bar look so much better and it's so much more sturdy + durable! We also added the beadboard to the side over by the door as well to complete the transformation. I shared this project on my Instagram Stories yesterday and several people asked me about the missing the outlet at the end of the bar. This was something we went back and forth about but ultimately decided we could live without it. We were going to cut the beadboard to accommodate the outlet but I thought it would give us a much cleaner look without it. For safety, we had to cap the wires in the outlet so that they wouldn't touch each other. We have seven other outlets in our kitchen space so I don't think we will miss this one at all. I'm glad we decided to ditch the outlet! I'm so happy with how our kitchen refresh turned out and we did it all for under $300!

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Let me know if you have anymore questions about this project. I'm happy to help!
Thanks so much for visiting! Have a great day!

Friday, May 15, 2020

Currently Loving .183

style on a budget, nc blogger, north carolina blogger, spring style, what to wear for spring, currently loving, mom style
Happy Friday! I hope you have had a great week! My youngest daughter is turning eight tomorrow! We have a birthday parade planned for her and I'm honestly really excited for it and so is she. I think one of my favorite parts of this season is the ways we have all gotten creative and birthday parades are one of my favorite things ever. Why weren't we always doing this?! Birthday parties just stress me out, especially as an introvert. But, I really love birthdays and I love to celebrate them. A birthday parade is something that I hope never goes away! I'm excited to celebrate Olivia and I just can't believe that she is already eight years old. But, I'm so incredibly proud to be her mom!

Today, I'm sharing my weekly picks for what I'm Currently Loving! I have been sharing this weekly posts for years. This is the 183rd post in this series! That's a lot! I really love putting these posts together week after week. It's so fun having a place to share my favorite finds!
style on a budget, nc blogger, north carolina blogger, spring style, what to wear for spring, currently loving, mom style
Which of this week's picks is your favorite?!

1. S W E A T E R  T A N K | I am currently really loving sweater tanks! I love the way sweaters fit and this continues my love for sweaters through the warmer weather. I love the style of this one! I have been wearing the sweater tank that I currently own with high waisted denim and layered necklaces. I think I need to add this one to my closet too!


2. C U F F | I love this cuff! It's from ABLE, one of my very favorite companies. I love their mission:  "ABLE is an ethical fashion brand that employs and empowers women as a solution to end poverty. We’re deeply devoted to quality – both in the products we make and the quality of life we aim to provide. We invest in, train, and educate women so they can earn a living, break the cycle of poverty, and thrive." 


3. B A G | I already own a super similar bag and I carry it all of the time. This style just matches all of your spring and summer outfits! It's also a budget friendly find!


4. N E C K L A C E | I have really been loving coin necklaces lately! I love this compass one! I've also linked (below) a second, even more affordable option, that I love too.


5. S N E A K E R S | These sneakers have appeared in my Currently Loving posts multiple times but they are worth sharing again (...and this probably won't be the last time)! They are the most comfortable sneakers. They are so great to wear with everything but especially shorts, skirts, and dresses! The fit is true to size.


6. S K I R T | I've already ordered this leopard print skirt because I'm kind of a leopard skirt collector. This one is budget friendly and about $20!


7. D R E S S | Everyone needs a little black t-shirt dress in their closet. On days when you want to be comfy and put together... wear a t-shirt dress! Add a denim jacket and a cute pair of white sneakers (see above) for an instantly put together yet comfortable look!


8. S H O R T S | Disclaimer: this shorts are expensive. But, they are worth purchasing if you live in denim shorts in the summertime, like I do. Think cost per wear. I love the fit of this pair! Stay true to size if you want a fitted look or size up at least one size for a more relaxed, boyfriend fit.


Thanks so much for visiting! I hope you have a great weekend!