Sunday, December 13, 2015

Working Wardrobe: Holiday Style + Framebridge


We've officially hit the time for holiday parties and special events taking over your calendar. Mikael and I had a busy week with our annual visit to the KC Repertory Theatre's performance of A Christmas Carol and my work's Christmas party. On this last Black Friday's shopping extravaganza with the in-laws in Sioux Falls, SD, I snagged this silver sequin skirt at Target. The maxi length and color makes it the perfect choice for any holiday get together. It's definitely a new favorite piece of mine and I will be wearing it several times this winter!

This week, I styled it to transition from work to evening. So I paired the skirt for work with a chambray shirt, vintage leather belt, and black tuxedo jacket. It's certainly not business casual, but the combination of chambray and leather help decrease the glamour so that it was work appropriate. For the evening, I switched into a fitted black button-down shirt and accented the whole look with a pop of red lipstick. Any necklaces or bracelets could have put the look over the top, so I just wore simple gold earrings and left all of the shine to the skirt.






This week, Mikael and I are closing on our house and we are so excited to get in there and begin decorating! In anticipation, I recently ordered two photo prints from Framebridge, an awesome online photo and framing website that easily prints your pictures and frames them in a glamorous setting. I chose a picture from my trip to St. John in the US Virgin Islands and a portrait of my wedding bouquet.


I've paired up with Framebridge for #frameyourfeed and set up a holiday discount on your next order! A framed photo is the perfect gift for your mom, grandma, bestie, or even yourself! Just use discount code HISTORYANDHIGHHEELSFYF for 10% off your first order.


Sunday, December 6, 2015

Holiday Gift Guide 2015


Holiday Gift Guide 2015


This year, I've perused the internet to find you the best gifts for your loved ones this holiday season - and all for under $100! These gifts are not just useful for every day life, but they are also sure to impress!

1. French Kitchen Marble Rolling Pin with Stand ($19.95) and Pastry Slab ($49.95) from Crate & Barrell - Ideal for your mom or mother-in-law!

2. Matte Chelsea Rain Boots ($68) in Sun from J.Crew - the perfect gift for your sister!

3. Bodum Copper Coffee Collection from West Elm (prices vary) - this is for your dad who obsesses over the best cup of coffee!

4. Colorblock Pom-Pom Hat ($34.50) from Loft - a gift for your bestie and one that's sure to keep her warm and chic this winter season!

5. Cotton Gingham Pajama Set ($69.50) from Loft - the cutest pair of pajamas that are great for all of the females in your life! These are definitely on my list!

6. W&P Design Homemade Hot Sauce Making Kit ($40) from Urban Outfitters - for your boyfriend who has to put hot sauce on EVERYTHING

7. Vintage Gold-Rimmed Cocktail Set ($80) from The Liquorary on Etsy - for your brother who's needing new cocktail glasses to replace all of those mismatched pints

8. Cozy Texture Throw ($59 - on sale for $39 now!) from West Elm - buy this for yourself, your mom, your dad, brother, sister, grandma, ... everyone! We've now bought two because of how warm they keep us on cold nights!

I hope this guide helps you find those final gifts for your loved ones! I'll catch you next week! Mikael and I are now in the midst of packing up our condo in preparation for the moving date in less than 2 weeks!

Have a great week!

Wednesday, December 2, 2015

Working Wardrobe: December 2


December is here and with it cold weather is definitely here. I love this month with all of the holiday cheer, fun events, winter decorations, and twinkling lights. Yet, it's been a bit bittersweet this year because of us selling our condo and moving into our new house so close to Christmas, meaning I can't really decorate for the holidays. But I'm doing my best to work around the limitations by bringing out our warm fireplace and new cozy pink throw from West Elm, which helps our place feel more suited for wintertime.

During these cold months, I gravitate towards richly colored sweaters in beautiful jewel tones. This cranberry-hued sweater is tunic length and a bit tricky to wear because it can easily look bulky. So I paired it with leather leggings that help reduce bunching and a structured gingham shirt underneath that helps create clean lines. I topped it with a fun belt to cinch in the sweater and add visual interest at my waist, drawing the eye to my narrowest point.

I hope you have a great rest of your week! Look out for my new holiday gift guide set to come out on Sunday!











Monday, November 23, 2015

Old House + New House

Hello friends! It's been a busy few weeks as Mikael and I have been navigating the world of buying and selling houses! No, we haven't switched careers to become realtors. We are in the midst of buying our first home! But in order to buy, we must sell and we are selling our beautiful condo downtown. It's a bit bittersweet as we love our loft and the gorgeous views it has in the heart of downtown KC, but we cannot wait to get into our new (old) place just a few blocks away that gives us more room. 

Our 1 bed, 1 bathroom 900 square foot condo was just listed on Friday and last week we were busy cleaning and decluttering. This came down to putting away all of my knickknacks, Mikael's hats, and going very minimalist. A photographer came last week to take pictures of our loft for our realtor, Tanya Fortman, and we couldn't have been more happy of how they turned out!







Just looking at these pictures, it's a no brainer for why we love this place so much. The open floor plan and the soaring 11 foot ceilings help the place feel airy and big, despite the smaller footprint of 900 square feet. We added a divider to split up some of the huge living space to create an office and guest area where we can use our inflatable mattress. Before I moved in, Mikael built me a custom closet from Ikea that holds nearly all of my clothes, purses, and shoes. It's here that we've made so many memories and it's on the rooftop just a few floors above that we got married. It's going to be hard to leave, but we are looking forward to moving into our new house in Old Hyde Park! If you're looking for a condo downtown with great neighbors and in a historic building down the street from Power & Light, the City Market, and the Crossroads District contact our realtor, Tanya Fortman! 

Now for our new house, which actually is a very old house. As I said, it's in Old Hyde Park and within walking distance to Union Station, Crown Center, Union Hill, and a Lamar's Donuts (Yum!). Our house was built in 1902 and is in the FourSquare style indicative of turn of the century homes. The house is filled with beautiful woodworking details, including an intricate staircase, hardwood floors, and a built-in hutch in the dining room. I fell in love with all of the original leaded glass windows on the first floor, ornate crystal chandeliers, and the exterior brick. It's a big house at 5 bedrooms and 3.5 baths and we can't wait to start renovating some of the rooms, including the kitchen and master suite. We're planning on detailing our inspiration, challenges, and progress on a new home DIY blog! I can't wait to share that with you once it is up!








So there it is - our new (old) house! We cannot wait to move in in a few weeks and get started making it into our home!

Have a great Thanksgiving with your family and friends! 










Wednesday, November 11, 2015

Working Wardrobe: November 10

j.crew top | target vest | forever21 jeans | sofft boots | zenni optical glasses | maybelline lip color

These past two weeks have been a whirlwind with Halloween, family visits, friend visits, and the World Series. Mikael and I have also been making some big plans for the future and I can't wait to share the big news soon! As its gotten colder, I've been fairly unwilling to wear dresses or skirts that don't go past my knees. Sorry guys, I just can't seem to manage to convince myself to give up my desperate need for warmth. But I recently picked up a new pair of black jeans - something I've coveted for so long. Black jeans just scream effortlessly cool and are the perfect transition piece from day to night. Plus since they are black, they can substitute for business casual pants in a cinch. (Ok, every day at my work!) I paired them with a dressier pink silk shirt with the sweetest of details for a feminine touch and a forest green military jacket.

I also just picked up a new pair of black chelsea boots from Sofft at Dillards! As I looked through my closet for closed toe shoes, it became fairly obvious how poor of shape many of them were in. It kind of was embarrassing that as a 26 year old, married professional I was wearing such worn-in shoes. These Sofft shoes are ideal for the fall and the rubber soles will ensure that they wear well. I'm so thankful I bought them!















Thursday, October 29, 2015

Working Wardrobe: October 29


Happy Thursday! I couldn't wait to share with you guys my updated hairstyle! Last week I went to my salon for balayage highlights. I was fairly nervous about taking the risk, but I felt like I needed a dramatic change from the constancy that had been my hair as I grew it out for the wedding. It's nice to have a shakeup in my routine and the blonder hair still shocks me every time I look in the mirror. Honestly, I still fear that the highlights are not ash colored enough and rather lean to the copper/orange side. It's then that I have to remind myself that my fears are not reality and to embrace the change that I've made! It's definitely a fun change and I love how it gives my look a bit of edginess.

This week it has gotten a bit colder so I pulled out my red and blue stripe shift dress. It is one of the most comfortable dresses I own made of a thick jersey knit - perfect for these chilly days. While mixing patterns can be a bit scary, I grabbed a scarf with a smaller pattern details so that it wouldn't clash with the larger stripes of the dress. I threw on a pair of knee-high equestrian boots and black tights to keep warm. Although the boots are a darker brown, ultimately I don't worry too much about the possibility of brown/black clashing. Sometimes those fashion rules are best ignored when it's just limited to accessories.

I hope you have a great week and I can't wait to share with you my costume for Halloween! Stay tuned!






Sunday, October 25, 2015

October Inspiration



We are fully in October mode and fall weather is finally becoming the norm. Halloween is just next weekend and the World Series is upon us (Go Royals!), so it is going to be a busy few days! Here is a few links that have been inspiring me this October! I hope you have a great rest of your Sunday!


I've been decking out my desktop and iPhone with all things Royal and these freebies are some of the cutest out there!

Oh So Lovely Blog: Freebies // Let's Go Royals


Just in case you haven't figured your costume out yet!




How cute and adorable are these?

Studio DIY: Pun-kins



These are currently on my shopping wishlist... I can't decide whether to get brown or black!




How yummy do these look? 




This was my hair inspiration for all of my hair changes last week! 




How adorable is this DIY? These would be fun as paper weights.

basteln malen kuchen backen: Painted Stones


These are the best, softest, and most delicious chocolate chip cookies ever. I added a pinch of sea salt and was seriously in heaven!




I've gotten back into painting this fall and I've loved finding inspiration in other artists work.

Elizabeth Lennie: Cherry Beach