Stripes & Turquoise!

August 12, 2013August 15, 2013 / Rubys N Purls / 21 Comments

Happy Middle-of-August Everyone! Who’s ready for crisp, cool weather, changing leaves and hayrides – this girl!!

Sweater – Target, Capri’s & SAK Purse – Thrifted, Canvas Shoes – old, DIY T-Shirt Bracelet – handmade

I picked up this striped summer-sweater at Target the other day for $5!! I love finding stuff in the Target clearance racks or their $1 section! I went with the small because the medium was just huge and didn’t fit right. Although with all the walking and running I’ve been doing lately, I’ve lost some weight and all my clothes are fitting better!

Please forgive the frizzy hair, when I left there were some loose curls, but overall my hair was mostly straight! This humidity is killer these days and its been raining and raining, come on fall!!

Sundays: What I Wore Sunday linkup / Sunday Style

Mondays: Funday Mondays! / Monday-Mingle / Visible Monday / My Style Monday / Color Blind- Thrifters Anonymous / Lowercase Letters- Miscellany Mondays / Covered in Grace- Monday Meet Up /Claire Justine oxox- Creative Mondays /Southern Sunflowers and Coffee Beans- Monday Mingle /Join the Gossip- Monday Morning Gossip /

Tuesdays: Real Girl Glam Link Up / Anything & Everything / Style Statement Tuesday / Style Sessions Contributor

Wednesdays: WIWW @ Transaltantic Blonde /Whatever Whenever Wednesday / Get Your Pretty On / Wardrobe Wednesday / Dress For the Day / My Whims Wednesday / Diaries of a Bargainista / Whatever Works Wednesday / What We Wore, Read & Made Wednesdays / Trending Pretty Wednesday / Random Wednesday @Shannasaidso / Wildcard Wednesday

Thursdays: Think Tank Thursday / Three-fer Thursday /Look What I Got! / #ThrifterThrusday / All Things Pretty Thursday! / MIX MATCH – Summer Style Linkup

Fridays: Casual Friday Link Up / Fridays Five / Fashion Friday @ All Things Chic / Favorite Frock Friday / Fridays Fancies / Fashion Informant Link Up / Style Me Friday / The Best of Friday Style Link-Up! / White Tee Challenge

Saturdays: Watch Out For The Woestmans / Weekend Recap / Sami’s Shenanigans- Weekend Update /

End of July Update….

July 31, 2013July 31, 2013 / Rubys N Purls / Leave a comment

Everyone having a great summer so far?! This one seems to be flying by for us.

Neighbors Crepe Myrtles

Dressing for summer weather while working in an office is always tricky. I mostly keep one of my lightweight scarves to double as a shawl or a lightweight cardigan that goes with everything. In summers past I’ve worked all day inside with only a short break outside during lunch, but this summer has been a little different! I’ve been taking summer classes at the University of Tennessee to further my education and since the university is only a few blocks from where I work, I can easily walk to and fro. Therein lies the dilemma, my outfits need to be office casual, lightweight and breezy enough for the hot midday sun, and easy to walk in. I’ve found that with a little planning and creativity I can easily pull this off with my current spring/summer wardrobe. I’m not exactly wearing my dressy office wear this summer but I’m not completely casual either – because in our office shorts are a no-go. Here are a few looks I’ve documented, not the basic pieces and the simplicity of each. The top look is what I’m wearing today, Silk Sweater and Navy Capri’s.

Capri’s and skirts have been in heavy rotation, but I’m also sticking with loose, billowy skirts instead of pencil skirts unless they have stretch to them (blue one above qualifies 😉 ). I’m also relying on more casual sandals instead of heels this summer too.

So I pass this view everyday on my walks…

and knowing I would be out and about in the rain at times, I purchased a cute, but very useful umbrella that I love. I thought it would be getting heavy use today because we were forecasted to get loads of rain but thankfully its held off so far.

If you didn’t already know, I’ve been mostly on Instagram this summer and am currently participating in the #30dayselfportraitchallenge with #abeautifulmess. Here are a few random photos from the challenge so far. Today was #day15 (or 15/30) so I’m are halfway there!

I hope to get back into blogging more in August, so until then. Hope your Hump Day is great!

Sundays: What I Wore Sunday linkup / Sunday Style

Mondays: Funday Mondays! / Monday-Mingle / Visible Monday / My Style Monday / My Style Your Style / Color Blind- Thrifters Anonymous / Lowercase Letters- Miscellany Mondays / Covered in Grace- Monday Meet Up /Claire Justine oxox- Creative Mondays /Southern Sunflowers and Coffee Beans- Monday Mingle /Join the Gossip- Monday Morning Gossip / DC in Style /

Tuesdays: Real Girl Glam Link Up / Anything & Everything / Style Statement Tuesday / Style Sessions Contributor

Thursdays: Think Tank Thursday / Three-fer Thursday /Look What I Got! / #ThrifterThrusday / All Things Pretty Thursday!

Saturdays: Watch Out For The Woestmans / Weekend Recap / Sami’s Shenanigans- Weekend Update /

Happy Birthday to Me & a Mid-Summer Update!

July 9, 2013July 9, 2013 / Rubys N Purls / 15 Comments

I do apologize for the silence over here, but what better day to update you than on my birthday!!

Happy Birthday to me!

Yep, I’m a year older today and this one started off kinda rough, but Caveman is an amazing husband & friend. He loves me through my rough patches and the good times too. I love that man of mine!!

Giving the double braided messy bun a try today!

So how’s our summer so far? Its been filled with lots of this…

Summer Squash from our Garden!

We have a lovely garden this year and every night Caveboy insists on staying outside until almost dark.

Evening bike rides!

We ride bikes, hunt worms, play Frisbee, catch lightening bugs and attempt not to melt in the 80%+ humidity!

And Frozen Yogurt Bars!

Our 4th of July was rained out completely, but the sun is shining today!! Yippee!

I attempted to get a decent outfit photo the other day but this is all I managed. I refashioned a tee that was an XL and swallowed me whole, into something that I could actually wear – you know, in public!

Refashioned Tee – free from conference, White Capri’s – Target, Sandals – gift from Mom last year, Purse – SAK (Thrifted)

I used my Anchor tee as a guide as I like the cut of the top. So I cut down the sides, cut off the sleeves and then cut them down too. I completely cut off the neck band and bottom hem too. I sewed up the sides, set in the sleeves again and just turned down the neckline once and then ran a straight stitch around it. I’ve never hemmed the bottom and don’t think I’m going to either but I would like to add elastic to the bottom 3 or 4 inches of the side seams so that there will be some runching and gather up some of the excess material. Refashioning this tee took about 30 minutes all told, but it was spread out over a few days. 😉

Hope you all are having a wonderful summer so far!! I can’t believe it’s half over already!!

Sundays: What I Wore Sunday linkup / Sunday Style

Tuesdays: Real Girl Glam Link Up / Anything & Everything / Style Statement Tuesday / Style Sessions Contributor

Thursdays: Think Tank Thursday / Three-fer Thursday /Look What I Got! / #ThrifterThrusday / All Things Pretty Thursday!

Saturdays: Watch Out For The Woestmans / Weekend Recap / Sami’s Shenanigans- Weekend Update /

WIWW: Denim & Sunnies

June 5, 2013June 5, 2013 / Rubys N Purls / 13 Comments

Happy Hump Day!!! This week is flying by at record speed! Whew, I can hardly keep up!

Denim Jacket – Eddie Bauer, Button-Up & Capri’s – JCP, Loafer Wedges – Target, Beads – Grandmother, Bag – SAK (Thrifted), Sunnies – RayBan

Despite the look of these photos the weather has warmed up here and it’s been nice and bright lately. It seems I’m never without my RayBan Aviators. I love these sunnies! I originally bought them for Caveman, but they ended up too small for him so I got to keep them instead!

When I was a little girl RayBan Aviators were all my Dad wore and I always wanted a pair of my own. I’ve had a pair or two over the years but always ended up losing them somehow. I’m cherishing these and many other things now that I’m older! 😉

Our summer is flying by & yes, I know its only begun; but I can’t believe it’s June already! Bible School is this week at our church and we’re helping out each night. It’s making for some very long days for all of us! These sunnies also help hide the tired looking eyes too!

Hope everyone is having a great week!!

Sundays: What I Wore Sunday linkup / Sunday Style

Mondays: Yo Lo Mondays! / Monday-Mingle / Visible Monday / My Style Monday / My Style Your Style / Color Blind- Thrifters Anonymous / Lowercase Letters- Miscellany Mondays / Covered in Grace- Monday Meet Up /Claire Justine oxox- Creative Mondays /Southern Sunflowers and Coffee Beans- Monday Mingle /Join the Gossip- Monday Morning Gossip / DC in Style /

Tuesdays: Real Girl Glam Link Up / Anything & Everything / Style Statement Tuesday / Style Sessions Contributor

Thursdays: Think Tank Thursday / Three-fer Thursday /Look What I Got! / #ThrifterThrusday / All Things Pretty Thursday!

Saturdays: Watch Out For The Woestmans / Weekend Recap / Sami’s Shenanigans- Weekend Update /

WIWW: Navy & Turquoise

May 29, 2013May 29, 2013 / Rubys N Purls / 18 Comments

MintNavy2_sm, Navy, Turquoise, Polka Dot, Gray

Sweater, Capri’s, Scarf/Belt – Thrifted, Pumps – Zapoos

I took these photos about a month ago using my Cannon EOS Rebel XT (yes I would love to upgrade my camera) & my “nifty fifty” lens, but completely forgot to post them. Since I’m planning to scale back on my blogging, due to my hectic summer schedule, maybe I’ll continue this trend!

I really enjoyed putting this outfit together. I’ve been adding this polka dot scarf/belt to lots of outfits lately. It just adds a little interest to an otherwise simple outfit. Its office friendly, but still trendy enough for me.