Fashion Selfies: Winter 2014/2015

Here's a little round up of my favorite looks so far this winter. For more AquaSeventy6 fashion selfies visit me on instagram.

Summer Fashion As the Season Winds Down

While the warm weather will stick around for a few more months here in the Sunshine State, summer vacation is quickly coming to an end.  It's both a curse and a blessing.  I will miss waking up AFTER the sun has come up, our weekday trips to theme parks and water parks and staying up past midnight without counting the number of hours until the alarm goes off. I dread packing lunches, morning traffic and afternoon pick-up line.

But, I am excited to get back to a routine at home and work. Hubby will appreciate the return of regular visits to the grocery store, as well as not having to dig through the laundry baskets for a pair of matching socks. I will be able to dedicate more time to blogging and you will get to see more of my handmade goodies.

In the meantime, I wanted to share with you some of what I've worn (#wiw) over the last few weeks...

For more #WIW and #OOTD (outfit of the day) check out my insta.  There's a link on the sidebar.

Ahoy There!

Who is ready to hit the beach? Here's a little nautical beachwear look to inspire you!

Jumpsuit Love

I've been madly in love with jumpsuits this season! Unlike more classic warm-weather looks, I know jumpsuits are a trend that comes and goes. But, because they are so cute and comfy I will take advantage of the trend for as long as I can!

My daughter (resident AquaSeventy6 fashion icon) got a fab new jumper in her Easter basket this Sunday, and she rocked it that same afternoon.

She paired it with a white racerback tank and her white Saltwater Sandals.  So. Freaking. Cute!

Jumpsuit: Old Navy   Shoes: Amazon Tank: JCPenney

I love this look so much I designed a grownup version!

Have you rocked the jumpsuit this season?  Tell me in the comments!

Ready for Spring!

Last week was Spring Picture Day at my daughter's school.  I'm totally digging the outfit she picked out and I wanted to share!

The maxi dress is from Target (this season), the denim jacket is from Gap Kids (thrifted) (here is a similar one), the bracelet is from Black Market Minerals and the sandals are from Rack Room Shoes (last summer).

Here is how I would recreate this look for me:

Are you ready for Spring?

Fashion Selfies: I Heart Boots

Boots are the only reason I tolerate cooler temperatures.  I literally go from flip flops to boots and back each year. 

I have found some fantastic boot deals on Amazon over the last few months, so I have been able to finally replace the ones that have seen me through several seasons both here and in VA.

Here are some of the ways I've worn my favorite boots in the last few months:

Here I am with a striped tube dress from Forever XXI (clearance), a denim jacket and leggings from Express (several seasons ago) and my new boots I got on Amazon!  This was before dinner last weekend with a friend I've had for almost 30 years!

Here I am at Disney's Wilderness Lodge Resort celebrating my 38th birthday in the same boots, wearing a Target sweater dress, leggings from Ross, and a belt that I got in NYC several years ago!  (Check out my MagicBand)

Again at Disney in the same boots (can you tell I love them?!), a dress I picked up at a little shop on King Street in Charleston this New Year, and OLD (but still in amazing condition) leggings from Express (2006?)

This was several months ago on my way to a yummy dinner with hubs and the kids.  I am wearing another pair of boots from Amazon, a dress from Forever XXI (2010), my 2010 NYC belt, a cardigan from Nordstroms (also from 2010), and tights from Ross. 

Finally, this look was inspired by my newest Pandora station "The Devil Makes Three" Radio.  Here I am in cowboy boots I bought on King Street in Charleston (2009?), jeans and a black long sleeve tee from Ross, and a belt I got at a thrift store in Richmond in 2012.

How do you wear your boots?  Do you love them as much as I do?

A HUGE Score and a Mustachio Apron

I know it's late!  Who blogs at 10 p.m.???  Ummm, I do!!

I spent the day doing some back-to-school shopping with the kiddos, thanks to a nice gift card my wonderful mother-in-law sent them.  Then I did one of my ALL TIME favorite things....I went thrifting! 

I didn't exactly MEAN to buy anything.  I just walked into the shop to browse and kill time, and then I saw it. The sign.  It said "All clothing $1."  Say WHAAATTTT?

I decided just to peek in the woman's section. The first thing I found was a pair of gray Liz Claiborne dress slacks, in my size.  Right next to it a pair of taupe NY & Co dress slacks (also in my size!)  I found a couple of pencil skirts, a GORGEOUS button down black midi skirt, a beautiful navy Isaac Mizrahi dress, and a Simply Vera Wang top.

I was about to walk to the register when I saw a rolling rack with some newly placed items.  I found my daughter 3 cardigans, two from Gap and one from J. Crew.  My biggest find??  A pair of LIKE NEW Banana Republic jeans in hubby's size.  Keep in mind, these are $1 each!  ONE DOLLAR!  My grand total??  $14...CHA-CHING!  That was less than what I spent on ONE long-sleeve hoodie for my son at Kohls!

I don't have any pics of my score to share with you tonight. Half of the items are in the wash, and the other half are in a bag to go to the cleaners, but I will post some as soon as I can.

I'm not going to leave you with out any pics, though.  Here is one of 6 aprons I made for my friend who's hosting a mustachio baby shower. 

Enjoy!

Click here to see where this and my other posts are linked

DIY Fail into DIY Score: "Zikat"

Happy Sunday!  Last week I went fabric shopping for the first time in months.  I came across this gorgeous fabric by Alexander Henry:

Zikat

I was lucky enough to find it NOT on sale.  (Why it is lucky to find something at regular price?  Fabric stores tend to mark their items at around 30% off, and then publish coupons for 40% or 50% off that you can only use on regular priced items.  For example, it's currently on sale at Joann for $10.99/yd (less than 16% off), but with my 40% off coupon, I was able to snag it at $7.79/yd.)

When I got home, I knew I wanted to make this print into a maxi skirt (for me!) but then I remembered that I had only bought 1.25 yards of fabric of each of the 6 prints I had picked out.  (When I spend forever and a day waiting at the cutting counter, I tend to do the math in my head and get scared to blow my entire budget just on fabrics, so sometimes I don't buy enough, especially on designer prints.  Blah!)

I still attempted to make myself a maxi skirt, but my hips protested.  They insisted that I needed at least another half quarter yard to make it a maxi skirt and not an elongated pencil skirt! 

No problem!  I cut off a few inches of elastic at the waistband and trimmed some inches off of the length, and voila!  A perfect "Zikat" maxi skirt for my mini-me in a cast.

 

Not only does she rock this look out, she balances extremely well on one foot so that mommy can get a good pic!

She wanted the same Katniss braid I had done for her when we saw The Hunger Games a couple of weeks ago.  Love it!

And, here we are together.  (Excuse the grip I had on her arm, her leg was getting tired from standing so long and she thought she might fall!)  Of course, I had on ZERO accessories.  Isn't there a saying about the cobbler's son going barefoot?  In my case the cobbler is barefoot.

So what do you think about my daughter's $8 fashion statement??  Tell me in the comments!

Click here to see where this and my other posts are linked!

My Not-So-Strange Addiction

I'm totally addicted...so much so that I haven't allowed myself to give in out of fear there will be no turning back.  This is the 12-step kind of addiction. The kind that will require going cold turkey if I don't control it here and now.  What am I talking about??

Polyvore!

Ever since I discovered that I could make my own fashion boards it's pretty much all I ever think about!  Granted, I've only made four sets since I opened up my account.  But that, my friends, is by choice.  I must ration the fashion.  (yep, I'm copyrighting that!)

I posted my first board yesterday.  Here are a couple of other sets I've put together in the last few days:

Polyvore

Doesn't this make you want to have lunch on the pier?  I wish I had a pier nearby!

Polyvore

Earth tones with a hint of blue-green...this outfit almost makes me want to work outside of the home. I designed this with Sunday Mass in mind (plus tights!). I have similar boots, skirt and earrings, just need to hunt for a few more accessories to complete the look.


Do you have a Polyvore addiction?  If so, follow me! 

My Fun Valentine's Day Date

Yesterday was Valentine's Day.  For the last couple of years, Hubs and I have forgone traditional "gift exchanging".  Sure, occasionally we give each other a little present on Mother's Day or Father's Day, and Santa always brings a little something for Mommy and Papi.  But, for the most part, we tend save the money we would have spent on a gift and go out to a nice dinner instead.  We are foodies...

Since we live so far from our relatives, and can't exactly see spending more on a sitter than what our kids would spend at a restaurant, our "date nights" usually consist of a party of 4.  Believe it or not, we LIKE it that way!

Even so, it is always nice to be able to spend a little QT without the kiddos.  We decided that instead of a fancy Valentine's Dinner, we would have a yummy Valentine's lunch.  We had been wanting to try this new restaurant that the paper and friends have been buzzing about, and this was the perfect opportunity.  After all, it was our 20th Valentine's Day together!

Let's rewind a bit...

For the last few months, I have looked like a bag lady from morning until 5pm, which is when I shower and put my PJs back on.  I'll admit, this winter weather has me in a fashion RUT!  It doesn't help that we have to be out of the house by 7:30 every morning, and once you hit your "mid-30s", lip gloss and a pony tail just doesn't cover it....ANY OF IT.

So, yesterday morning I decided that Hubs could take the kids to school while I prettified.  I was at a loss for what to wear, and that is when I remembered my clothing board on Pinterest.  The fact that it was going to go up to the 60s was a big deal!

I was inspired by this photo:

Polyvore

Here is my recreation:

I found all of the elements (the cheetah print shoes, the brown slacks, the white top, the cropped denim jacket, the wooden bracelets and the beaded necklace) right in my closet!  HOORAY for inspiration!!

I decided to pull my hair down from its perpetual pony tail and curled it a bit for volume.

I felt like a million bucks!

The drive to the restaurant was BEAUTIFUL:

We were pretty early, so we popped in to some amazing neighborhoods and drooled over their million dollar mansions!

When we finally sat down for lunch, what did we see? One of our favorite wines on the wine list!  THIS is exactly why we don't do gifts.  This wine was a gift to both of us!

This afternoon ranked in my top 2 Valentine's Days.  The weather was perfect, the food was yummy, and I had the best company!

How was your Valentine's Day?  Tell me in the comments!

Getting Ready for the Holidays!

Has it been a week since our last post???  Forgive us!  The holidays do this to us! We still love you all though!! Our Facebook page is a bustle of activity, so if you miss us as much as we miss you, become a fan!

I (Yvette) celebrated my first Thanksgiving in Virginia.  We don't have any family nearby so we decided, for the first time ever, to go out to eat on Thanksgiving Day.  We made reservations at a staple downtown restaurant and got gussied up for the big night.

I busted out a dress I got last year at a little boutique called TARGET! 
Paired it with some textured tights, a bow belt from XXI and Rocket Dog suede heels from DSW.
The silver cuff was a birthday gift from my friend Luana.

I recruited my 11-year-old son to take my pics!

Dinner was great and the next day, while hubby made a turkey, the kids and I decorated for Christmas.  For the first time in about 5 years we decided to buy a natural tree, but since we will be in and out around the holidays, we opted for a table-top size.  This is much different than our 8-9 foot trees from years past.

It is only big enough to hold our most special of family ornaments!

How was your Thanksgiving?  We'd like to know!  Tell us in the comments.

Last FFFC Feature and a Peek at Our Halloween...

Sorry that we haven't been around in a few days.  We had a fun and busy Halloween and finally got our items shipped down to South Florida for our first Holiday Show.

Last week we announced our final Fabulously Frugal Fall Fashion Challenge: The Anything Goes Challenge.

Today we are featuring the one reader who participated in EVERY SINGLE CHALLENGE!





AnhKay, rocked out every challenge using items from her closet and her Anything Goes looks were our FAVORITES!!  You can read more about AnhKay's fantastic fashion sense on Glass Slippers on a Budget and You Know You Want It!

Here's a little peek into Yvette's first Halloween in Richmond:

 Here are my kiddos showing off the trick or treat sacks I made them. Woot!  My son definitely got into the Dracula spirit with his serious expression!

Here is my candy corn witch showing off Mommy's first attempt at making a costume.  Pretty cute, if I do say so myself!

How was your Halloween?  Tell us in the comments!