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: A Summer Skirt Look

I LOVE skirts. But for some reason, skirts don't typically end up in my closet. I confessed in this post that I had never owned a pencil skirt before!!! Because my lifestyle is so casual (3 young kids), I think I tend to shy away from skirts because I feel like they are "too dressy." However, last year I purchased this cargo-type skirt at Loft and I really love it! It totally fits my casual lifestyle and is a great alternative to shorts in the spring and summer.

I can just throw on this skirt with a  casual tee and sandals and I am just as comfortable in it as I would be in shorts or jeans. Plus, it has pockets so that's always a HUGE plus!! If you're looking for a casual skirt, here are some great options:

Once in awhile though, I am glad I have my pencil skirt for more dressy occasions. But you know me, I can never go toooooo dressy! In this post, I dressed down my pencil skirt with a denim vest  and casual wedges ~

Here I dressed down the same skirt with a simple graphic tee....but I did add heels and bling, though...FANCY, right??!!!

Skirt: c/o Shabby Apple (exact)

Get Your Pretty On Tee - proceeds from the sale of this shirt go to the Pretty Strong foundation to help women undergoing cancer treatment. Click HERE for the shirt (TONS of options!)

I absolutely love this skirt from Shabby Apple! Their quality is top notch and they have the most ADORABLE skirts and dresses! You can see all of my Shabby Apple faves in this post.

Click here and use the code BLUES for 15% off all Shabby Apple skirts and dresses!

The more I try skirts, the more I warm up to them. Are you a "skirt person??" What are your favorite types of skirts? Here is more summer skirt inspiration!

Follow A Little Bit of Cheer's board Summer Skirts on Pinterest.
 
Join Carrie here tomorrow when she talks about summer layering. I can't wait to see her look! Don't forget to enter the raffle for a $75 Gift card!!

Entry-Form


Don't forget to follow A Little Bit of Cheer on Facebook HERE

I'm on Instagram now! Yippeee! Follow me HERE

Follow any of my boards on Pinterest HERE 

Follow me on Bloglovin' HERE  

See where I link up HERE

Create28: Remixing a Summer Piece

Remixing is one style trick that allows you to extend pieces throughout seasons and create new looks easily. Although I like to remix my pieces, I can sometimes have a creative block and get into a rut where it is way too easy to grab the same few items over and over again. If I take a few moments and plan ahead I am more likely to remix my looks. My example of remixing is my little striped dress. I do believe that a black and white striped dress can be a great staple in your wardrobe, I have yet to find one that I like. It's one of those elusive pieces for me. Since blue has become a go-to color in my wardrobe I'm using a white and blue striped dress as a basis for my remix.

After starting with the basic dress, I simply looked in my closet for a piece that would allow me to remix the dress and create a different look. The blouse I chose has the same basic colors but an opposite print. Since I'm remixing, I thought I would add a little pattern mixing too. Creating visual interest and variety continues to keep your wardrobe fresh.

By adding an untucked blouse and belt, the dress takes on a whole new look. It appears to have a look of a jacket and gives a professional flair to the ensemble.

Next, I simply removed the belt and tied the shirt tales to create a put together look with a more casual vibe.

dress/ON {similar, similar} blouse/the limited {similar, similar} shoes/dsw {similar, similar}

I kept the accessories minimal for this look because there is a lot going on with patterns, belting and tying. I actually tried to add a necklace but it just looked out-of-place.

This is a three-fer type of look. Using two pieces and a few accessories, three outfits were created. Did you notice the shoes remained the same? This was actually a really simple look and I'm sure you can do the same by just perusing your own closet a little bit.

One of my blogger friends, Alex {Undergraduate Style} created a board for remixing. Hope you'll check it out for more inspiration.

Follow Alex Welch's board Remixaholics on Pinterest. 

 Tomorrow Whitney's here with her favorite jewelry. She's a Rockbox girl and should have some lovely pieces to share. Please keep reading to see our favorites and most clicked from last week...and be sure to enter the giveaway at the end of the post! Last week our link-up grew! We were excited to see it grow. Feel free to spread the word to your friends, too. We loved seeing your looks on Instagram too. #Create28Summer Looks. We each chose a favorite look from the link-up last week. Here's our reveal our favorites and the most clicked. 

Sandy, at Sandy a la Mode, you stole our hearts with a picture perfect look and that baby...we were just gushing! Morgan, at Pampers & Pearls rocked the crop top and culottes with confidence. Jess, at Elegantly Dressed and Stylish pulled off all white with perfection. Good job, ladies! Hope to see you back again this week. The most clicked was Katie at The Mishaps and Mayhem of a Solitary Life. She also rocked the all white with a little pop of color in just the right way. 

 

It's time to share your looks from last week. Link 'em up ladies! We can't wait to see your lovely looks! Be sure to scroll all the way down to enter the giveaway, friends!

An InLinkz Link-up

   

Entry-Form

Where I'm linking up.