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Mad Style // Beach Style

Paddling season is up and running with the third race of the season happening tomorrow. One thing the paddling season brings are those at the beach all day kind of days.

Summer is upon us and in California we have been having some great weather, but we also get a huge marine layer in the am, June gloom and eventually wonderful warm nights. So what should a girl pack for a whole day at the beach? I am talking waking up at 3am and not getting home till 6pm kinda beach day. I know, not your average day at the beach, but they are the best!

These are my favorite essentials for spending a day at the beach with my paddling ohana and getting a work out in while I am at it!

Inspiration:
(once the sun comes out)

I love this...hat, chambray cover up and a comfy pair of shorts = perfect.

The faves:

*At 3am I have got my leggings and big jacket on. I usually stuff my feet into my comfy uggs, grab my beach bag and go. There is no time for hair, so I almost always have a hat on.

Jacket: Patagonia Down Sweater Full-Zip Hoodie
Leggings: Lululemon Wunder Under
Bag: Roxy Start Stop Bag
Hat: Rip Curl Island Fever Trucker Hat

*We race in the mornings, so it is still cooler with the marine layer, but I always make sure to have sunscreen on, along with my favorite bathing suit top. We are all about cross and racer backs when it comes to tops.

Bathing Suit: Patagonia Print Kupala Top
Towel: Land's End Dot Beach Towel
Sunscreen: Neutrogena Suncare

NAC surfing in Santa Barbra, CA:

Photo Credit: C. Silvester

*After our race it is all about showering off and getting some food before the guys get back. The sun is usually out by now and it is warming up so I love an outfit like my inspiration above or a good sundress. Fun sunglasses are a must.

Sandals: Rainbows - Expresso Leather
Chambray Shirt: J. Crew Selvedge Chambray
Sunglasses: Sabre
T-Shirt: Rip Curl X Heather Brown Tee Into the Sea
+ my fave pair of denim shorts!

Photo Credit

Now after completing this Friday's favorites for the beach, all I can think about is August! On my birthday, I will be off to Hawaii for a full 10 days...GET ME THERE!

Happy Friday!!!

Falling For Friday // 3-1-13

Hello March, Hello Spring. Since winter is coming to a close and we are heading into spring, longer days and lots of flowers...I thought I would share my winter favorites, what I love about the transition from winter to spring, and my excitement for spring today on Falling for Friday!

1 // 2 // 3 // 4

I loved this Winter!

cinnamon pinecones.

beanies, boots and scarves.

peppermint mochas.

camping and bonfires.

home, cozy, blankets.

crisp morning walks.

1 // 2

Crazy about for Spring!

roses.

maxi skirts.

iced tea.

camping and the beach.

being out in the neighborhood.

morning light through the window.

1 // 2

This winter has been good to me, as it is every year. Such a busy time of year with all the festivities, but always a favorite, because I get to hibernate and get cozy with a fire.
What is not to love?

I like the changing of the seasons and even though we don't get extreme weather here in California, the one thing I love most is watching the seasons change here. The subtleties in the air, the turning leaves, new growth, and the smell...each season has that smell, when you first walk out your front door in the morning. Right now we are getting crisp nights, mellow mornings and sunny days...there is still that quietness of winter, but a new light coming through the window that only means warmer days ahead. My roses are/were trimmed back, and I am already seeing tons of new growth.

Spring means getting back into it, starting anew, and finally getting more sun in my life. I am always ready for the longer days...they are my favorite. The lighting at this time of year is amazing, as if it knows we need to be woken up, but does it ever so softly, slowly preparing us for the harsh light of summer. All the flowers and the birds start to come out, and I start to get back out on the water more. It is a good time to appreciate what I had been missing while in hibernation.

Happy Spring!

The Wardrobe Code - The Closet

So this is a review of the third and final part to my journey with Nicole of the Wardrobe Code in her Becoming You Style Camp. Click image below for more details!

Part 1 - My Style Muse Board
Part 2 - The Outfits
Part 3 - Closet Organization

I love to be organized and have a place for everything so this part of the journey got me pretty excited. I knew my closet was unorganized, not at its most functional or did my clothes that much justice, but I was not really worried about it. Now, after having my closet organized in this fashion for a couple of months it just makes like so much easier and it makes so much sense!

Nicole's strategy and ideas for your closet are easy, realistic, logic and make your life so much easier! She will work with you and your individual situation with in her guidelines and help brainstorm with you great ideas that work for you and your closet.

My situation prior to The Wardrobe Code "Becoming You" style camp:

A dresser - sorted by tops, shorts, pants, etc. (i.e. most of my closet and a total mess) and 2/3 of our hanging closet - jackets, sweaters, nice tops (totally under utilized). That is about it.

This photo was taken before I got rid of anything and organized it, but after I had moved things around in between my dresser and hanging closet...this was my wardrobe before.

My situation now:

Dresser - casual clothes (pjs, workout clothes, sweatshirts), bigger accessories (like bags and hats)

After some rearranging this dresser was working out much better for me

2/3 of our hanging closet - my main wardrobe, hanging accessories (belts and scarves), my shoes

After - organized and installed rods to display belts, tights and scarves

Accessories Drawer - jewelry, headbands, sunglasses (these were kind of everywhere before)
***I don't know why I didn't think of this one before, my mom had a jewelry drawer when I was younger and I loved it...so much fun to try it all on...now I get to do the same thing, but I am dressing up for work instead.

This drawer was kinda a knick knack drawer before...love it now for my jewelry!

Follow along at Nicole's blog for more wardrobe and closet tips - really great stuff always happening over there.

Enjoy!

Brickyard Buffalo // #buffstuff

Have you heard of Brickyard Buffalo, yet?

If not, I say get over there and check out the deals they have flying this month.

Brickyard Buffalo

They feature all of our favorite artists in the handmade biz with deals on the most "to die for" items. Lots of savings...but the deals only last so long! They have a countdown and only a limited run of each product, so get them while you can.

Each month they have an editor of the month that has picked out some of their favorite deals to feature on Brickyard. This month the lovely, Casey Wiegand is their guest editor. What a fun gig!

Casey Wiegand

I have decorated my office with some of my favorite Buff Stuffs. My latest purchase is this Love Tree print by Plum Street Prints. It is the perfect gift for someone you love too. Other Buff Stuff you will find in my office are the Dream Big print by Small Fry, the Remember print by River and Bridge, and the Navajo Pillow, in black, by Little Boston Print Shoppe. The Little Boston Print Shoppe's latest deal sold out in less than half a day! Not that it surprises me...I love her hand printed pillows!

Love Tree print

Dream Big print, Remember print, and Navajo pillow

I heart my new office!

If you like what you see here...definitely check out Brickyard Buffalo! A current deal that I am crushing on is this brass locket necklace by Brooklyn Rehab. Lots of fun designs to choose from like Abe, Lucky Horseshoe and my personal favorite, Aztec.

Aztec locket deal happening now!

Enjoy!

The Wardrobe Code - 30 Days of Outfits

Remember My Style Muse Board in this post?

Well this is what came of it...my wardrobe transformed into something I love, a work of art and something that channels the things I want to say about myself. Authentic, casual, stylish, with a little bit of edge, and a feminine touch.

I spent all of January working with Nicole, of The Wardrobe Code, on my wardrobe (part 1) and closet (part 2 - coming soon!). If you are looking for some virtual coaching on your wardrobe...check out The Wardrobe Code's Becoming You: Personal Style Camp for more details! It is well worth the investment, because investing in your wardrobe is investing in you.

Part 1 - The Wardrobe - One of my homework assignments was to create outfits for 30 days (a whole month of outfits!). Here are a few of my favorite outfits I have come up with through my journey with The Wardrobe Code!

Red Cords: Mossimo, Target. Black Wedge Sneakers: Xhilaration, Target. Gray Sweater: Conversation Pieces.

Jeans: Jolt Jeggings, Nordstrom Rack. Flannel Top: Urban Outfitters. Scarf: Conversation Pieces.

Pink Cargo Jacket: Urban Outfitters. Grey Feather Top and Jewelry: Forever 21.

Black Leggings: Lululemon. White Top: Delia's. Cargo Jacket: Hurley.

Jeans: Mossimo, Target. Sweater: Urban Oufitters. Leather Jacket: ASOS.

Black Booties: Rebel, Delia's. Flannel Dress: Patagonia. Sweater: TNA.

Learn more about Conversation Pieces in my post here!

Stay tuned for the second segment of my Wardrobe Code journey - The Closet!

Enjoy,

Channeling My Muses

I have been working with the amazing Nicole Longstreath of The Wardrobe Code on my wardrobe for the past few weeks now and I have already found some amazing results. I can tell this is just the beginning of a very fun and successful process! I highly recommend her!!

I first heard Nicole speak at Craftcation last year and have been following her ever since. I love that she supports thrifting, being yourself, accepting your body type and not getting caught up on what is trending at this very moment. She is the perfect mentor for younger girls looking to tighten up their wardrobe/style, the artist who wants to be professional, yet creative with her wardrobe, and women of any age looking to revamp their wardrobe. She is realistic and fun...this is not TLC's What Not To Wear (although I do love that show), where you have to get rid of your whole closet and start over (Thank goodness!).

My homework for this week was to make a "My Style Muses" board on Pinterest. I was really excited about this little piece of homework because 1) I got to use Pinterest, 2) I got to have fun finding my Style Muses, and 3) it really helped me see what I am looking to channel in my own wardrobe.

You can check out Nicole's Muse board on Pinterest and this post on her blog explains how to choose style muses and what to do once you have.

I may have gotten a little carried away but, you can check out My Style Muses board here. For now here are a few of my favorites from the list...

My Blogger Style Crush
Casey Wiegand

Photos property of Casey Wiegand

Casey Wiegand blogs at The Wiegands and creates at A Little Artsy, she is truly inspiring and has amazing style to boot! She is one of my favorite bloggers to follow.

My Celebrity Style Crush
Kirsten Dunst

First of all I love her name (Kirsten was my first American Girl doll as a little girl). Second of all, I have loved her ever since seeing her in Little Women (a favorite holiday movie in our household) when I was a little girl. I love her style in almost every one of her movies and her very own casual style!

Enjoy finding your style muse!

The Latest...

....from Mad Dream Design.

I have been working on these for some time for Jimi's sister and was finally able to finish and give them to her this weekend! This weekend got me really excited about a certain direction I am going to be taking with my shop to get her started. I am looking forward to sharing that with you soon! These are a Sneak Peak:

The Arrow Drop Earrings by Maddie Dierkes of Mad Dream Design

All I have to say is... Simple. Elegant. Classic.

Another little Sneak Peak:

I have found some great inspiration and ideas for my blog from the No Brainer Blog, by Hayley Morgan, at the thetingtwig.com! If you are a blogger, or are looking to start a blog, this is a great book (so far!), and I highly recommend taking a look at it. It offers great insight on how to give your blog a cohesive brand or direction through your own voice. You will start to see a few changes around here, starting in the new year, just because of this book!

Enjoy!

Bomber Lovin'

At NAC we are sponsored by Bomber Eyewear. Jimi and I basically live in these sunglasses. They are sporty, lightweight, stylish, and comfortable! Better yet, they float, they are polarized and are extremely flexible. They are also, conveniently, very reasonably priced and are rather durable.

Here are some lifestyle shots where we are sporting our Bombers. Jimi loves the Stink-Bombs and my personal favorites are the Sake-Bombs! Check out more Bomber products here! Enjoy!

Ozzie sporting Kelly's Gomer-Bombs

Sake-Bombs

Great for paddling!

Great for backpacking!

Bomber Lovin' in Hawaii

My new earrings...

...from Rellas Bellas. Chevron...what more can I say?

Check out more fun fabric accessories at her shop on Etsy or follow along at her blog!

Pure cuteness, Enjoy!

Getting in my Pinterest fill...

Today I am a bit obsessed with the home decor category of Pinterest. I want it all for my own home, but if I were to have it all style would be lost, because I am never able to decide on just one style. At my house each room seems to be different and I have that constant feeling of clutter. I think it is safe to say I need more white in my life and that I need to simplify. It is on the to do list. For now I am just going to drool all over my keyboard, gawking at these gorgeous finds! Check out the rest of my finds on my Pinterest page! Enjoy!