My Faves for an Active 4th of July

With the 4th of July hovering dangerously close (I can smell the barbecues now!), anyone with a patriotic bone in their body is looking for their own way to show their country they are ready to celebrate it's birthday in style! (Happy Birthday USA!) Since Independence Day is also my husband's birthday, I will likely be whipping up some casual birthday treats and celebrating at home with him and the baby. This will lend itself to a more casual look for the day, but that doesn't mean I am not prepared for something a little more fancy... but chances are my biggest plans for the day will be a little bit of walking and a whole lotta taking care of the babay. So since I am keeping it casual, I thought I would share my faves for whatever you're doing to keep fit for the 4th!

C9 by Champion Sports Bra,  Beyond Yoga Essential Legging, Tek Gear Performance Skort, Gaiam Radiance Yoga Mat, Nike Academy Soccer Shorts, Nike Flex Running Shoes, Camelbak Eddy Water Bottle    

 

Outfit Post: Apple Picking Finest

So I was recently contacted by BostInno to whip up a look for a Fall Activity, one of my favorites being Apple Picking. It's such a fun and typical New England type thing to do, that I thought it was an excellent opportunity to show one of my favorite types of looks... the casual haha. Thankfully, the man was game for an impromptu Fall Fashion photo shoot. Let me know what you think!

Labor Day Weekend, a Wedding, the Cape and Love

Labor day weekend we say goodbye to Summer but this past weekend, the man and I headed down to the cape to say hello to celebrating love and marriage! Our good friends, Noah and Elise, had a vow renewal at the Red Jacket Resort in South Yarmouth. Last Winter, they eloped ever so romantically, had a beautiful baby daughter and decided that this Summer they would invite everyone to celebrate the marriage in style. The man and I were both in the wedding party so we were on the go but we made it special by having a little quality time with each other exploring and also having a fabulous time with our friends together. It was a fantastic way to send the Summer out in style!

Mayur by SNS Jewelry Studio necklace (#SNSSTUNNERS) popped with my Joe Fresh Smocked Blouse and Giant Vintage Sunnies

Maxi-mizing my Summer with Karen Kane

You might remember the dress I wore for my birthday date, that sassy tie dye maxi dress? Well, that was the first maxi I ever had the opportunity to rock... I am pretty short, 5'2" on my best day, so maxi dresses aren't what I gravitate towards for Summer wear until I met the dresses from Karen Kane. They were kind enough to share that sassy birthday maxi with me as well as this super funky tribal print maxi dress. After wearing these super comfortable and simply adorable Made in the USA dresses, I am a convert. I kind of don't care that I am short and you know what? I wore flat sandals with this tribal print dress... because I am standing tall and proud err short and proud! Please do me a favor and check out Karen Kane's dresses. I am already on the lookout for my next addition.

• Tribal Print Maxi Dress c/o Karen Kane
• Jean Jacket by GAP (similar)
• @PrimandPropah Necklace from Survival of the Hippest
• Fedora Hat from Consignment Shop (similar)
• Black Patent Sandals by Sofft (similar)

Where is your favorite place to buy dresses?

Work From Home Style, Keeping it Real

A couple of months ago, my company moved me out of the corporate office that I was working in on the daily and to my home "office". Office is in quotations because we sort of had an office area that quickly became a real life office when I moved to home. One of my co workers who also works from home gave me some advice. She said, "Amanda, make sure you get up and get ready just like you were going to work. Keep a routine." I totally agreed with what she was saying and started off with a bang. I was flying out of bed, showering, getting "real" clothes on and working at the desk all day. Fast forward to a couple of weeks later and the "real" clothes turned into comfy sweats and t-shirts. I justified this by saying "hey Amanda, no one is going to see what you're wearing, why not be comfortable?" Makes enough sense, right? Well, it doesn't take long before you start to feel schlubby. The man would come home from work and while he would never say anything, I imagined him thinking what a schlub I was. Then I went to the Blog Better Boston Style Summit and was really excited to put makeup on, do my hair and wear cute clothes. When I mentioned this to a couple of gals and we chatted about it, I was inspired to make it my part time job to look cute and also comfortable for my full time job... and I asked other bloggers to give me their take on the same! Check out how I keep it real, while working from home, after the jump.

Outfit Post: Rainy Day Style

This past Friday my cousin celebrated her 30th birthday! YAY 30's! We were getting all set to go to a nice dinner and then it started to rain. It was no surprise, really. It had been raining all week and the weekend was looking to be the same way... but I have never let a little rain stop me from trying to bring it with ma clothes. Plus, I have been wanting to take my new Nanette Lepore platforms for a spin ;-). Rainy day style, coming right up!

Outfit Post: Super Bowl Sunday Dress Down

Super Bowl Sunday is one of those special days each year where we as Americans do our darndest to make the yummiest food that's the worst for you and all tune in to watch commercials er rather a football game together. There is not need to look fabulous. There is no need to dress up but that doesn't mean you can't pull together a casual cool. I cooked* most of Sunday for a party we were going to so didn't really have the time to pull together Super Bowl Chic, but rather I dressed it down for a drive to New Hampshire. You'll probably remember this flannel from a previous DIY and was featured on Boston.com's DIY's to Try in 2013, so naturally I am pretty proud to rock it again. Check out the rest of my look after the jump.