Tara Colleen: December 2014

in the buff

Happy New Years EVE!!!!!!

i hope you all have incredibly fabulous plans, because i totally plan on living vicariously through them. i for one, will most likely be sound asleep hours before the countdown begins, but you know #mommyproblems. should i actually have somewhere fabulous to go, this would be my look du jour. i know everyone thinks of the new year as a time to sparkle and shine, ie: throw some glitter on it, but sometimes i think a little bling goes a long way. don't get me wrong, i love a sequin mini as much as the next girl, but with risk of showing up in the same dress, i opt for separates on occasions such as these. and the best part? i saved my $$ and shopped my own closet!! that's the thing about dresses, once you've worn it, its done, its been seen. sure you can style it with a new shrug or switch up your heels, but the options are limited. with separates, you can mix and match and change it up a million different ways and no one will be the wiser, it can always be fresh and new! so cheers to the NEW!! year that is!! may it be the best one yet!!!

"we cannot start over, but we can begin now, and make a new ending"

ALL IMAGES MARIE RODRIGUEZ

lace tee + midi skirt via styleXchange // shag queen sweater NastyGal

necklace BaubleBar // clutch TJMaxx // booties ShoeMint // sunnies MinkPink via House of Sage

pretty tough

bye bye Mondays . . . . well for 2014 at least!

i know i'm not the only one, but i don't totally hate Mondays the way the rest of social media seems to. yes it signifies the end of the weekend and the beginning of the work week, and perhaps if i had a "big girl" sit at your desk kinda job, i would feel differently, but Mondays are my day to get life back in order. and as someone with a mild case of OCD, i rather enjoy putting everything back in its rightful spot. my laundry is fresh and folded, the kitchen is spotless, for that glorious 2 hours during nap time, all of the boys toys are put away, it really is a beautiful sight!! so cheers to you Monday, thank you for getting my week off to a well organized, sparkling clean week!!

another reason i love Mondays, is because im back at it on the blog with you guys!! with everyone in the festive spirit, this peplum screams Christmas to me! which is why I've worn it like 3 times in the past 2 weeks, but always styled slightly differently. for the holidays, i do tend to embrace the prettier side of my closet and glam it up a bit, but for my everyday style, i love a little drama and a lot of edge, so for today's look, I've paired down the pretty with a little ripped action. i just love a good pair of shredded skinnies, and ag does a rip right! i totally need to have a few inches taken off the bottom, but I've been too busy wearing them out, that i haven't wanted to part with them just yet. maybe once the bump is too big to button, ill take them in for a hemmage. best part about both these pieces . . . . they were total fab finds!! isn't that why we all scan the boutique section of tj maxx and marshalls?? i get so excited to find my fave brands at 1/3 of the price, especially when they're still current "on the rack" items. i can't tell you how many times I've walked into a store to find the same item i just purchased at full price! oh yea, it makes me pretty proud of my savvy shopping ways. my heels are an oldie, but a goodie from ShoeMint, and seriously guys, if you haven't shopped the site, you need to head over there ASAP! so many of my fave pairs are from there, and if you time it right, you can always snag them on sale! (plus, there's no need to sign up for the monthly membership, any and everybody can shop thanks to their new policy!)

i wish you all a wonderful Monday!! and if you are sitting at your desk, hating this day, just think Friday is only 4 days away!!

"dream big, sparkle more, shine bright"

ALL IMAGES MARIE RODRIGUEZ

top Dolce Vita via Marshalls // denim AG Jeans via TJMaxx // heels ShoeMint // clutch styleXchange

yoko

Happy Monday!!!!!!!!!!!

im still slightly anxious that we only have 3 more days until Christmas, but I am taking today to make my list and check it twice. luckily, my MIL is the sweetest and offered to watch the boys, so I have an entire day to myself to head downtown and enjoy all that my pretty city has to offer!! I plan on sipping my latte with a view, enjoying a nice lunch, taking a stroll through the market . . . all the things that seem impossible with 2 crazy boys in tow. (my fellow moms, I know you feel me!)

there's no sign of snow for us this year, but we have been enjoying plenty of 60 + days, which has me keeping my kimonos in strong rotation! I snagged this beaut from Vestique, one of the newest boutiques to hit King Street. the black fringe is EVERYTHING and I love a pretty pale pink. I also picked up these skinnies while I was there which can also be seen in last weeks post HERE. as I said then, they're insanely comfortable and I wear them at least once a week, so im pretty sure you'll be seeing plenty more of them!! (tip to my fellow pregos, find a pair! Flying Monkey is the brand and I've worn their jeans through all 3 of my pregnancies, and at 6 months, im still able to button them which is pretty much a miracle) so, you know I have an obsession with tees, and it's fun to add an extra something to a kimono, so I layered this black and white graphic and then dressed it up with these grey "shoeties". yoko sunnies for the win and im out ladies!! time to drop of my munchkins and enjoy a "mommy's day out"

"make time for yourself, YOU are so important"

ALL IMAGES MARIE RODRIGUEZ

kimono Vestique // tee styleXchange // skinnies Vestique //

shoeties ShoeMint // sunnies Fantaseyes // earrings Jewelmint

product of the 90s

I may have been born in the 80's, but I grew up in the 90's and its pretty funny to see the trends come back around. remember when grunge was all the rave? and doc martins were like the coolest boots ever?? i don't know how far I've come, because I still have an overabundance of plaid and chunky boots will always be cool in my book! so of course, when I saw this tee, I just had to snatch it! the big block lettering and football sleeve are so on point and I don't need much of an excuse to embrace my inner "clueless" and take it back to the good old days. if you lived it, or have ever seen the movie (who hasn't?) you know that layers are a must! and while they might not have been "coat-slinging" in my day, we were definitely tying one on for added grunge appeal. I paired this look with a chunky peek-a-bootie to keep in the vibe and some oversized sunnies, which are potentially more from the 60's era, but who's checking? all in all, i feel like the bad girl skipping class to hang out behind the bleachers! leather has a way of making me overly confident and way cooler than I actually am, but a girl can pretend, right?