Shabby Apple Giveaway

I've mentioned my unadulterated affection for Shabby Apple a couples times here on the blog. I love them. Love. Them. Maternity clothes, swimsuits, pretty dresses. Oh my!

One of my very favorite dresses is a Shabby Apple that I get compliments on every time I wear it no matter what I wear it with. Tights? Check. Bright cardigan? Check. Turquoise cowboy boots? Check.

So, in short, I love them. And being the totally rad company that they are, they asked if I wanted to do a giveaway of a $50 giftcard to one lucky reader of Gnome Sweet Gnome. I know, right?

All you have to do is take a look at the site, tell me what you would spend your giftcard on and please stop by & "like" Shabby Apple on Facebook (an awesome way to be the first to hear about new styles & sales).

Here are a couple of my favs:

Really, there is something out there for every style, every body, every person. The giveaway will stay open for one week (Oct 17th-24th) & remember to comment here with your favs, "like" them on Facebook, & good luck! (And, sorry, it's open to US residents only)

WEEK 2: Skirts & Dresses

I have always loved skirts & dresses. Love them in all their forms, but I've had a hard time integrating them into my "non-Sunday" wardrobe & REALLY want to. Plus, it's HOT in the summers here & there just isn't much in the way a long shorts that don't look frumpy on me.

GOAL: So, for week 2 I wore only dresses & skirts everyday. I don't have a ton. I mostly wear dresses/skirts to church so some of them are just too dressy for weekly wear & a fair bit of them aren't really nursing friendly. Basically, I had to great creative!

Here's what I wore each day this week (I had 2 on Saturday because I had a bridal tea party & then a "cleaning" outfit):

CONCLUSION: It was fun to try & integrate what I have into a more casual style. I felt prettier, tried more "style-wise" in 1 week than I had in months, & I am totally into wearing dresses/ skirts weekly from now on.

So, what about you guys?
Are you weekday dress wearers?
Any tips or favorite skirts/dresses that can be worn in lots of different ways?

P.S. Here's WEEK 1 goal!

Wardrobe De Lincoln

I got an email just the other day complimenting me on Linc's clothes & asking where I buy them (seriously, thank you so much, that made my day). It's just SO nice to hear it because I do really think about how I dress my kiddos in general but I am no fashionista.

I just wish I had an easy answer for my blog friend & for you guys. A lot of the brands that I would love for Linc to wear are just WAY TOO expensive (like here & here too) for clothes they'll grow out of in a few months.

So, I get thrifty & have a couple favorite places I get clothes too. Here are a couple rules I follow when dressing Linc:

1. Let them be comfy! I just believe in letting bambinos be comfy while they can- especially pants.

2. Simple onesies- I tend to not love most baby clothes with saying & cutesie animals on it. I gravitate to the simple plain shirts, patterns animals, & stripes.

3. Make your own- Iron-ons, embroidery, paint, dye, fabric markers- all great ways to make your own cute shirts.

4. Thrift stores & sales- I know thrifting is not for everyone but the cutest clothes I've bought (especially stripe-y pants are from thrift stores) & I always keep my eye out for sales.

But as for stores, a couple of my favorite places to get clothes for Linc are at H&M, one of my favorite "expensive" brands, Zutano, now has a collection at Target & I've actually been impressed with BuyBuyBaby. I can also usually find a couple things at the classics Gap (though, again, pricey for baby clothes when not on sale) & Old Navy.

So, thank you for your nice comments on this kiddos clothes, but really, I think it's just because the kid in them is so darn cute- he really makes the clothes!

Maternity Clothes

Oh man, maternity clothes are SO MUCH cuter now days- even since I was pregnant with Syd and Rob.

Here are a couple of my recent favorites:

1. Shabby Apple has some adorable maternity dresses. This one is my favorite.

2. Don't care what you say, I love me some skinny jeans even when I'm gonna be huge!

3. I love that they have gathered sides to add more belly room, rather than empire waist shirts (plus I love me some stripes).

4. Forever 21 even has some maternity clothes, but they are a little "blah" if you ask me.

5. Old Navy has some pretty cute ways to stay warm.

Any other recommendations for cute maternity clothes?

A whole outfit of gold!

You guys, I love gold so much. I mean, for reals.
I decided that I could probably wear a whole outfit made of gold & be happy.
What do you guys think?

1. Gold American Apparel leggings
2. I Heart Guts shirt (I've loved them a LONG time)
3. Old Navy sequin beach bag
4. Gorgeous glitter silver earrings
5. Way-outta-my-price-rang gold j.Crew skirt
6. Gold boat shoes from Old Navy (still love these too)
7. Piped glitter belt from j.Crew
8. Adorable gold glitter feather headband from etsy

Floral Dress

Oh man, I am SO loving these pretty floral dresses, especially for a summer Sunday. #1 is my fav.

#1, #2, #3

Eyeliner

I've been digging this thick liquid eyeliner with a relatively fresh face look lately:

I'm not sure I can pull it off with my squinty eyes but I'm sure tempted. Someone teach me!

My new favorite liquid eyeliner? Stila Liquid Eyeliner

Not-public Public Shirt

Does anyone else have THAT SHIRT? The one that you probably shouldn't wear in public anymore, but you do anyway.

Well, this is mine:

It's so old & washed that it's SUPER thin & I'm pretty sure it's a man's undershirt.
It's fraying along the collar, has a yellow stain on the shoulder.
And I bought it long, long ago from a thrift store- so it could be ancient for all I know.
But it's so soft. So comfy. So cute (in my eyes). So, I still wear it.

And I call this phenomenon a "not-public public" item of clothing & I'm pretty infamous for it. I have "not-public public cardigan" & a pair of "not-public public boots" too.

Am I alone here?

Gold Boat Shoes

Oh my... I am in love with these gold boat shoes from J.Crew:

I saw a girl wearing them the other day at the bookstore & was FLOORED by how cute they were!

And just look at these adorable kid version from OldNavy:

If I can't have a pair (I can't justify $100 on them) then Syd's gotta have a pair!

SpiritHoods

Ummm.... you guys can feel free to call me crazy, but I want one of these SpiritHoods SO BADLY. Ridiculous price ($129), but it's just about the coolest hat/scarf/glove set I've EVER seen!

They have them for women, men. or kids:

I seriously want/am in love with the red wolf one (Incidentally, Vanessa Hudgens has one).

Seriously you guys, aren't they adorable?

Bathing Suit

Bathing suit season is thankfully far off & Provo will be cold well into June (I know it sucks). But I am loving this one:

Vintage & gorgeous, not $148 gorgeous, but gorgeous nonetheless.