Professional and a Lovely Little à la Mode Link-Up

Monday just seems like an appropriate day to talk about work-wear, don't you think?  Often I find that my best inspiration for teaching outfits comes at the beginning of the week when I'm fresh and energized.  Last week I showed you a typical school outfit for me.  Today I'm featuring a slightly more professional look.

Truth be told, a lot of "professional" clothing feels too straight-laced for teaching.  Other teachers may disagree but I just don't feel relatable to students when I'm wearing a pencil skirt.  And I'm less apt to be walking around the classroom, helping students when I'm wearing 3-inch pumps.

One way that I do like to spruce up my work-wear, however, is by adding a blazer.  Blazers provide that extra professional touch but I still feel comfortable doing my job.  Patterned blazers, in particular are a fun way to to up the professionalism!  Here are a bunch of patterned blazers that would be great additions to your professional wardrobe (I'm particular to the plaid ones, this time of year).

I wore this particular outfit for the first night of parent-teacher conferences.  My outfit had to take me from teaching by day to talking to parents all night.  I was comfortable and I felt put-together for a crazy, 12-hour day!

What I'm Wearing:

Blazer: Macy's 

Dress: Banana Republic Outlet (similar, similar)

Necklace: Peach Jewel (exact)

Watch: JORD

Tights: Nordstrom (exact)

Booties: DSW (exact)

Now it's time to link up!

Hosted by :

Carrie/A Lovely Little Wardrobe : Bloglovin/Facebook/Instagram

Whitney/Whitney à La Mode : Bloglovin/Instagram

Casey/A Little Bit of Cheer : Bloglovin/Facebook/Instagram

Each week we choose a favorite...check out Carrie and Casey's blogs to see if it's you! Here was my favorite this week:

I can't get enough of Katie's pattern mixing!  I don't know if I would have thought to put these pieces together but I think they make for a perfectly whimsical outfit!

Now let's get linking! We like to keep things simple around here. Just link up your favorite posts--fashion, beauty, food, DIY, anything goes! Follow your hosts on social media, have fun and be inspired! Thanks for linking up!

<a href="http://www.alittlebitofcheer.com" target="_blank"><img src="http://i1212.photobucket.com/albums/cc454/pianoprincessdesigns/button%20small_zpsujefyz2q.png~original" alt="A Lovely Little À La Mode Link Up" width="125"
height="125" /></a>

An InLinkz Link-up

Where I'm linking-up!

Polka Dots and Leopard Print + Link-Up

Ahh, I had such a wonderful and relaxing weekend!  What about you?  On Friday I threw a monster-themed baby shower for one of my best friends.  The rest of the weekend I spent passing out Halloween candy and relaxing with my handsome guy.  My one complaint?  That the weekend isn't longer!  I'm not ready for it to be Monday just yet.

Although I suppose Monday feels a little better with the help of a cute outfit and some pattern mixing!  Do you have a better day when you feel really good about what you're wearing, too?

While my favorite pattern mixing combination is leopard print with stripes, this fun animal print paired with polka dots is a close second!  I think it's the ease with which these patterns come together that makes the combinations so great.  Especially when you're working with black and white stripes or polka dots, you don't even have to wonder if leopard print will go, it's a no-brainer (and let's face it, we all need those when we're getting ready for work on a Monday morning).

Are you interested in seeing a couple of other ways to pair polka dots with leopard print?  Head over to Carrie and Casey's blogs to see how they mixed their patterns today!

What I'm Wearing:

Shirt: Express (exact)

Cardigan: Target (similar)

Necklace: Amazon (exact)

Skirt: Land's End (similar, similar)

Tights: Nordstrom (exact)

Flats: LOFT (similar, similar)

And don't forget to link-up the remainder of your Create28: Fall Looks or anything else you want to show off below!

Hosted by :

Carrie/A Lovely Little Wardrobe : Bloglovin/Facebook/Instagram

Whitney/Whitney à La Mode : Bloglovin/Instagram

Casey/A Little Bit of Cheer : Bloglovin/Facebook/Instagram

Each week we choose a favorite...check out Carrie and  Casey's blogs to see if it's you! Here was my favorite this week:

My favorite look this week is from Dee of Shoes to Shiraz!  This post is full of cute fall outfits but I'm loving this blazer paired with plaid flats.

Now let's get linking! We like to keep things simple around here. Just link up your favorite posts--fashion, beauty, food, DIY, anything goes! Follow your hosts on social media, have fun and be inspired! Thanks for linking up!

<a href="http://www.alittlebitofcheer.com" target="_blank"><img src="http://i1212.photobucket.com/albums/cc454/pianoprincessdesigns/button%20small_zpsujefyz2q.png~original" alt="A Lovely Little À La Mode Link Up" width="125" height="125" /></a>

An InLinkz Link-up

Where I'm linking-up!

Create28: Aztec Pattern

I think I might have a thing for blush pink Aztec print.  But seriously, what could be better than a cute print in my favorite color?  ...Especially when it comes in cozy pieces like that scarf and this over-sized cardigan!

Really though, is this called Aztec print, southwestern print (like I called it last year), or something else?  In any case, I love it and I had been on the hunt for big, chunky cardigan in this print for over a year.  It's one of those pieces that I would see on other girls but just couldn't find the perfect one for my closet.  But then I found SheIn with cute, trendy pieces for the right price and this cozy sweater was delivered to my doorstep!

I do want to be honest about my experience with Shein, though.  While I love this cardigan, I was a bit disappointed with the company.  I ordered three pieces and sent two back because they felt as cheap as they had cost.  On top of that, the return process seemed a bit shady and return shipping wasn't free (a luxury that I have become used to).  I suppose you get what you pay for!

But let's get back to the outfit details!  My first inclination was to wear this cardigan over skinny jeans with a basic tee and flat booties.  But since Create28: Fall Looks is about pushing ourselves to be creative, I decided to try the chunky cardigan with a basic dress and all black except for my booties.  And I love the way the look turned-out...although I'm already looking forward to that cardigan and skinny jean combination!

You guys, we are almost done with another month of Create28!  Can you believe it?  I'm loving the looks that you are posting on Instagram (#Create28FallLooks) and I'm looking forward to another Monday link-up tomorrow where Carrie, Casey and I will each be featuring a "Pinned It and Did It" look!

What I'm Wearing:

Dress: Old Navy (similar)

Cardigan: SheIn (similar, similar)

Necklace: LOFT (similar, similar)

Tights: Target (similar)

Booties: Old Navy (similar)