thoughts and whatnots: 7.30.17

gray jersey dresses: one  |  two  |  three

blog love:

• Obsessed with Anne's clever (and adorable) birthday cake party animal toppers. 
• My mom got me a Cricut for Christmas but I haven't had much of a chance to use it. But Katy's fun customizing fabric with a Cricut tutorial has me wanting to bust out my Cricut and the sewing machine!
• Are you an introvert like I am sometimes struggling to make it in an extroverted world? Then I highly recommend reading Nicole's recent "How to make it as an introvert in an extrovert's field" post. 

on teal and polka dots:

• on the blog: The girliest of outfits. 
• on instagram: Pretty view from 39,000 feet. 
• on pinterest: I think I could eat the whole pan of these chocolate deliciousness. 
• coming up on the blog: A special edition of Monday Musings, my July budget finds, and the latest edition of dressing the bump: the second trimester. 

favorite sales:

• I feel like I'd be remiss if I didn't include some Nordstrom anniversary sale finds. Here's my picks for clothing:
• this gorgeous navy lace sheath dress with elbow length sleeves that is the perfect knee length.
• an olive green diamond quilted jacket perfect for those (eventual) chilly nights ahead - love the checked detail cuffs!
• a pretty scallop edge sweater that comes in a bunch of different hues - my favorite is the blush. 
• My picks for accessories:
• the perfect cognac tote complete with an accent black stripe, 
• a long filigree pendant statement necklace that comes in silver, gold or rose gold (I want all three!)
• a simple, but classic silver mesh strap with a rose gold face watch. 
• My picks for shoes:
• these darling scallop edge burgundy suede flats (that come in a bunch of other colors if burgundy's not for you), 
• these fun black with embroidered green, pink and red floral smoking flats, and
• these lacy cutout split v-shaft gray suede booties. 

whatnots:

• what I'm reading: I finished Adriana Trigiani's "The Shoemaker's Wife" in the airport so I picked up Elin Hilderbrand's "Here's to Us" to read during one of my (many) layovers on Wednesday. 
• what I'm watching: We cut the cable at our house a few years ago, so I enjoyed watching reruns of Chopped, Full House and Golden Girls at the hotel. 
• what I'm crushing on: With the arrival of my new sofa for my craft room/guest room, I've been trying to figure out how best to style it. Maybe something a little glitz, with bold prints like this cream fringe throw, a fun blush faux fur throw pillow, a couple of black and white ikat pillows, some sparkly gold sequin pillows and this black and white tribal lumbar pillow? 
• what I'm looking forward to: After the whirlwind of this past week, I'm looking forward to a quiet Sunday at home. My grandmother passed away last Friday. Monday I caught a very early flight from Panama City to Atlanta to Detroit to Kalamazoo to arrive in time for the viewing. The funeral was Tuesday and Wednesday I flew home, but my flight in Detroit was canceled, so I had to fly to D.C. to Atlanta to Panama City adding about seven hours to my travel time. I didn't home until 9 at night (my first flight was at 7:30 a.m.), then got up and worked the next day. All completely worth it, but this momma is tired!