Category: fashion

Buy 1, Give 1

~ jen ~ Leave a comment

It’s that time of year where temperatures start to dip in most of the country, except Southern California where in Chino Hills it was like 85 degrees today! I’m kicking off the annual Buy 1, Give 1 where the purchase of a hand-knit infinity scarf provides another hand-knit scarf donated to a homeless of refugee shelter. In the past I’ve chosen homeless shelters in Utah and Virginia and a refugee shelter in Texas. This year, we are planning on visiting Dave’s family in Salt Lake City so I will probably give the donations to the Road Home again.

buy 1 give 1 infinity scarves charity homeless refugee shelters

buy 1 give 1 infinity scarves charity homeless refugee shelters

Scarves are a wool blend and come in basically any color! They are $31, you can purchase here in my Etsy shop or you can always contact me.

Thank you so much for your support!

buy 1 give 1 infinity scarves charity homeless refugee shelters

Twins

~ jen ~ Leave a comment

Tessa is at a really fun and funny age right now. She’s always making us laugh and always let us know what she’s thinking, aka she’s kind of the little boss around our house 😉 People always say we look a like so when I got this crushed velvet dress we decided to match for a Sunday.  I love the age she’s at now and the last FOUR years have flown by way too fast, I know that sounds cliche but I  wish she could stay little forever. I love having her around the home being my little shadow.

velvet party dress

velvet party dress

velvet party dress velvet party dress Women’s velvet party dress from ToSave, an e-commerce site. I also had my eye on some of their other random products like baskets (for the never ending flow of toys), a bike phone bag and a camera bag (for my hobbies I don’t do enough of;)

Fall y’all

~ jen ~ Leave a comment

Growing up in Southern CA, I never was really aware of seasons until obviously moving to Utah for school. Since then, we’ve lived in cold climates, snow, extreme cold and extreme hot. I enjoy fall when the temperatures drop a little, the breeze picks up and evenings are so cool and pleasant. My favorite falls were when we lived in Virginia and the trees and changing colors were unreal! Today was the first day in LA area that it felt a little like fall, and only in the morning. This weekend brings another heat wave, ha, ha!

CA fall  fall outfit Tobi fall outfit Tobi sunrise necklace

fall outfit Tobi

CA fall

CA fallCA fall pumpkin patch

We’re looking forward to the fun things that fall brings besides maybe a small drop in temperature – dressing the kids up for Halloween and the upcoming holidays. This is the first time in our 11 years of marriage that we’ve lived in CA and it’ll be so nice not to have to travel far or in poor weather to be with family!

Wearing: grey cardigan / sun necklace / black top / birkenstocks / denim / Dr. Scholls leopard flats / lularoe leggings / thank you to Tobi for partnering on this post and for having affordable clothes that fit my style 🙂

The Perfect Day

~ jen ~ 3 Comments

What would your perfect day look like? Mine would definitely involve family, food and relaxing! Here’s what I would potentially plan:

8 am – wake up! Luckily for me, the kids usually get up around 8 to 8:30, I usually get up a little earlier so I can be ready for the day before they get up. Tessa also hasn’t really slept through the night since our Utah/Idaho trip 3 months ago so I would be thrilled if we all slept until 8!

8:30 – gym!  Dave and I have always enjoyed working out together (cycling, running, indoor soccer, lifting weights, circuit training, etc.) and usually don’t get to anymore besides Saturdays.

Beach – now that we’re close to the ocean again, any perfect day would definitely include playing and relaxing at the beach. I would also love some authentic hole in the wall Mexican restaurant to get take out to eat at the beach 🙂

 perfect day proverb band

perfect day proverb band

2 pm – this has been nap time for the last basically 5 years! Tessa recently stopped napping so now I would use this time for errands, shopping, or maybe a baseball game!

5:30 pm-dinner and dessert – I would probably pick Mexican or Thai food followed by dessert at Salt & Straw or Donut Friend. After driving back we’d go for a nice long walk in our neighborhood with Bruce to enjoy the sunset.

perfect day proverb band

perfect day proverb band salt and straw

8 pm- bedtime for the kids and Dave and I (and Bruce!) watch a movie, Netflix, catch up on our TV shows or read while listening to music.

10 pm- my bedtime! I love my sleep and enjoy being well rested every morning.

These are my favorite beach items and I have my favorite work out clothes on a later post. These photos are some things I would wear on a perfect day, a comfortable outfit for sunny CA.

Pocket T Shirt (old from gap) // Skirt from Target in store //  Sandals (they’re cork and SO comfortable!) // gold bracelets c/o Proverb Band (minimal and perfect, also promoting values I love: love and peace)

perfect day proverb band

perfect day proverb band

perfect day proverb band

5 ways to increase your self confidence

~ jen ~ 6 Comments

No matter who you are, there are always situations where you may wish for a bit more self confidence. I think I was pretty shy as a child and learning to speak to adults and really anyone is something I learned a lot on my mission. While I’m not the most self confident person in the world, I do feel that with practice, I’m able to talk to basically anyone. Here are 5 things that have helped me:

1.Firm handshake – a firm handshake can convey that you are a strong and confident person. You don’t need to use a death grip when shaking someone’s hand but you should also try to avoid the ‘dead fish’ handshake.

2. Good posture – body language says a lot about you and your personality. Standing tall can make you feel and appear more confident even if you are feeling nervous. Pull your shoulders back because you are in charge.

3. Have a quick look to appear ‘put together’  – Doing something small can often help you feel more ‘put together’ with your best face forward and more confident. This doesn’t mean you have to be extra fancy or wear a lot of make up. Often looking your best can help you feel your best. I find that small things like having my nails nice or painted, I feel more ‘put together’. Other small ways to look and feel your best include brushing your hair, adding an accessory like earrings, putting on a lip color, cleaning your shoes from any scuffs, etc.

4. Whiten your teeth – smile with confidence by using a teeth whitener. My favorite is the teeth whitening system from Smile Brilliant (save $25 with code ‘jamtartmd25’). The trays are custom fit to mold to your teeth. It comes with whitening gels to use in the trays followed by a desensitizing gel. To see my previous results, click here.

5. Pretend that everyone likes you – whether it’s meeting new people or giving a presentation or speech, pretend that everyone already likes you and are friends.With this mindset, you can overcome hesitation, fear, or nervousness. Chances are that they like you anyway!

5 ways to increase self confidence

5 ways to increase self confidence

Romper from Carissa Miss, an awesome apparel shop where 100% of the proceeds goes towards the National Footsteps for Fertility grant.

Shop Spotlight: Roolee Boutique

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As you may know, I love online boutiques. Online shopping is so convenient to shop from your own home and I’ve enjoyed finding boutiques via social media. Today, I’m spotlighting Roolee Boutique, which actually has a brick and mortar store in Northern Utah in addition to their large online presence. I look for shops that have items that fit my style, has modest options, and affordable. Here are a few of my favorite items:

Blush sweater and mustard skirt $40

Denim dress $58

Embroidered dress $71

Fringe bag $45

Pompeii maxi dress $50

Relaxed coal dress $43

Embroidered dress $60

Summer Sunglasses

~ jen ~ Leave a comment

One thing I rarely ever splurge on are sunglasses. I feel like while there are classic, timeless styles, there are trends every year that I like. Luckily, there are places that make super affordable pairs. The sunglasses may not last more than a few years, but I don’t mind since that style or trend may not be very popular the next year anyway. I currently have like 5 pairs of sunglasses none of which were over $15. I also like having multiple pairs in case we take Dave’s car somewhere I know I’ll have a pair in his car.

I like classic brown tortoise shell glasses, the trendy polarized look, aviators, leopard print and gold frames. I love my most recent pair with pink lens. You can save 10% on any Poppy Apparel item with the code ‘jen10’ (their sunglasses are in the $10-$30 range).

summer sunglasses poppy apparel

summer sunglasses poppy apparel

 

Bright White Memorial Day

~ jen ~ 6 Comments

I’m thankful today to celebrate and remember those who have died to allow use to enjoy the amazing freedoms of this country. We have many freedoms and rights that citizens of other countries do not have. Sometimes I feel that politics (especially in a two party dominant country) can be divisive so I’m extra grateful we have days like today to remind us that we are all Americans.

Today is celebrated in lots of different ways – the beach, vacations, family time, etc. We don’t have anything special planned today as Dave is going out of town tonight for work in Phoenix. Something I always love about Memorial Day (and the other American holidays) are the flag decorations that dot the neighborhoods and businesses. The Red represents ‘valor’, the White ‘innocence’ and the Blue ‘vigilance, perseverance and justice’.

There’s an old saying that you can’t wear white until after Memorial Day – not sure where this originated or if it’s truly observed! I tend to wear more black and gray but also love white. For a lot of people, Memorial Day also signals the beginning of summer and summer colors. Here are some of my white picks:

WHITE WEAR MEMORIAL DAY

I’m happy to partner again with Smile Brilliant who help you achieve your best smile from the comfort of your home! I first used their custom made teeth whitening trays in December and had a great experience. The whole process is easy to follow and use. Smile Brilliant is offering you $25 your whitening trays with the code: jamtartmd25 . With this code you can receive their teeth whitening system for lightly stained teeth for $104!

You can also win $50 off a teeth whitening kit by entering this Rafflecopter giveaway. Contest ends 6/5/17 and winner must use discount code by 6/23/17.

WHITE WEAR MEMORIAL DAY SMILE BRILLIANT TEETH WHITENING

dress/Birkenstocks/Converse/nail polish/pineapple top

 

 

//www.smilebrilliant.com/widget/blog74676

Shop Spotlight: Soel Boutique

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I’ve been following Soel Boutique for a while on Instagram and I love their selection of timeless and trendy pieces. I love finding boutiques and shops that feel like my exact style, like a place where you feel like you wish you could buy every single item they sell! In addition to women’s apparel, they sell shoes, bags, jewelry, gifts, children and home items. They have a brick and mortar shop in Provo and I’m bummed I didn’t have a chance to go when we lived in Utah. Here are some of my favorite items:

Orchard Street Dress ^ (this looks SO perfect for the summer!)

Marketa Blouse ^

Tanya Top ^

Kalyn Top ^ (I especially love the tie on the sleeves!)

Lianna top ^