jessica – Page 132

Brushstrokes

August 14, 2017 by jessica 3 Comments

We booked an April trip to London last week! I looked up flight prices on a lark and found round-trip tickets from Chicago for just $581 per person — which isn’t much more than a domestic flight! Plus, I had $500 in travel credits on my Capital One Venture card, bringing our combined ticket price to $662. It felt indulgent to add a European trip to our calendar so soon after purchasing a house (even at such a great price), but it’s really fun to have something to look forward to and there’s plenty of time to save up money for spending abroad. Let me know what we need to add to our must-do list! We’re such planners that we already have a Google Map started for the adventure! We’ll be there for ten days, so we can add a day trip, too. (Paris is tempting for a daylong jaunt, but since neither one us has been before, I’m afraid we’ll feel like it wasn’t nearly enough time.)

Weekend Reading:

Grace put together a list of blogging tips.
White ankle boots are perfectly mod.
Diptyque just released a New York candle.
Costume designers share tips to organize your closet.
Cj Hendry’s work looks like photographs of blobs of paint, but they’re actually colored pencil drawings.
Food styling tips to make your salad photographs look more appetizing.
Make fish tacos this weekend.
I’m obsessed with the sleeves on this sweater.
The interesting history of Kotex pads.
80 of the best online furniture shops.

Five Under $50:

Use code DRESSITUP to save $50 on these sandals, bringing the price down to $48. I bought the acorn color, which should be perfect for summer-to-fall transitional outfits.
The prettiest gold fringe earrings.
Pink ankle-length pants are the work staple you didn’t know you needed.
A flattering wrap dress that’s perfect for the weekend.
A floral blouse with an interesting twist detail at the neckline.

Earlier This Week:

I want the coat, the velvet platforms, and the faux pearl-encrusted bag. (At least the price point of the latter is reasonable.)
Style steals under $50 and under $100!
Five things we learned buying a house in an aggressive sellers’ market, and what we went through to snag our house.

photo via

Style Steals

August 9, 2017 by jessica 2 Comments

Under $50
H&M dress | Bauble Bar earrings | H&M shorts | Target sandals | H&M blouse

The Coveted

August 8, 2017 by jessica 5 Comments

August is such a weird month for shopping. I’m terribly excited about all knits and woolens, but I don’t want the warm weather to go away! I find myself scooping up deeply discounted dresses to wear these last weeks of summer (just ordered this one to try), while wish-listing beautiful fall items that are out of my price range (like this gorgeous coat). What I really need to do this month is cut myself off so that I can splurge in September on a piece I’ll wear throughout the season and well into winter.

Weekend Reading

August 5, 2017 by jessica 5 Comments

We’ve been living with mountains of boxes, rifling through them each time we need something. To say it’s frustrating would be putting it mildly! So, this weekend is all about unpacking and finding homes for our belongings, even if that home is Goodwill. I’m totally going to Marie Kondo this place and get rid of everything that doesn’t “spark joy” or serve a purpose. We have more stuff than I realized and when I want to tuck half of it away in the basement indefinitely, that’s probably a sign that I don’t need it at all. Other than that, we have a few home improvement projects to tackle, a chic ceiling fan to buy (do those even exist?!), meals to cook on the grill, and bike trails to explore around our new neighborhood.

Weekend Reading:

One of the best olive oil brands you can get comes from Costco. (This is the one we use most often and I can vouch for its quality, too!)
Exploring architecture’s influence on fashion.
The unusually popular summer travel destinations for residents in each state.
This slinky wrap dress is the most perfect item for the hottest days of summer.
I’ve linked to this before, but here’s where you can snag the jewelry cabinet I featured in my Instagram story Thursday night.
A new book shares what legendary authors preferred to wear.
Are you watching Netflix’s Glow? After reading this article on how the show’s makeup team nailed the 1980’s looks, I’m intrigued!
I tried this dress on yesterday and it’s so cute! I’ll be adding it to my wardrobe soon!
Your best lipstick shade according to your astrological sign. (I know it’s bunk, but they nailed it with Gemini and my love of bright pink shades!)
Traveling without an itinerary sounds like hell to me, but I realize that a lot of the best things that happen on vacation are the things that aren’t planned. Here are tips on how to break the cycle of over-planning before your next escape.

Five Under $50:

Nordstrom’s Anniversary Sale ends tomorrow, so now’s the time to snag any fall items you can imagine yourself reaching for throughout the season! I completely missed this top the first time around. Doesn’t it look great for pairing with jeans and ankle boots?
This satin pajama set is adorable, and I love that you can mix and match sizes for the top and bottom.
Tassel earrings are still going strong. Here’s the latest pair I’m crushing on. The cobalt blue is stunning!
A lightweight short-sleeve sweater with fringe trim.
These floral cropped pants look like they should be from Ted Baker!

Earlier This Week:

I only bought four things in July, but they really added up!
Coveting summer-to-fall neutrals.
A peek at our bedroom inspiration.
More weekend links over at Curated Couple! (This is where I’m going to put more of the home-related content as I figure out a good posting groove. I don’t want to inundate you with things here that aren’t style-related if you’re not interested!)

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