Will Bake for Shoes

Outfit
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- Weekend

Pink Rose

Posted on April 7, 2016by Brandy Saldana

Denim Jacket Kut from the Kloth via LE TOTE | Pink Edaline Silk Tie Blouse Joie (similar here) | Pink and Navy Floral High Waist Skirt Express (here) | Grey Maise Cross Body Kate Spade | Blue Patent Peep Toe Wedges Kate Spade | Le Rouge 205 Fuchsia Irresistible Givenchy (here) | Rose Earrings Forever 21 | Crystal Gem Bracelet Noir Luxe and Gold Spike Bracelets via LE TOTE | Pink and Blue Galaxy Case iPhone 6 Speck | Switching from winter wear to some florals for spring. I spotted this skirt on Pinterest and kept an eye out for it on Poshmark. I scored it along with another Express skirt in a sweet bundle deal. I haven’t worn the other skirt on the blog yet, but it is black and white hounds tooth print. The Joie top seemed to be the perfect color match with the pink roses in this floral skirt. It ties on the front, but having it tucked in hides that fun detail. This top fits me a little big, which is why it was tucked in, but that means it will be making its way to my Poshmark closet pretty soon.
I am really excited to be wearing to be taking out my colorful pieces for the warmer seasons. Dressing up during the spring and summer weather makes me feel a lot more inspired than winter or fall. There is a lot more variety of clothing and there’s just something about getting dressed in the morning that feels different lately.
I am looking and picking up some fun pieces for summer and will be checking out Shopbop and Bloomingdales since they have some pretty awesome sales going on now (yay for the Friends and Family sale!) Enjoy 25% off at Shopbop with promo code INTHEFAM and 25% off at Bloomingdales when you use the promo code BLOOMIES. The Shopbop sale ends April 7th and the Bloomindales’ sale ends April 10th. Get to shopping before you miss out!
I’ve been back at backing these past couple of weekends, but nothing I have made has felt Instagram or worthy of being captured on film despite being tasty. I have a few baking projects in mind, and I am optimistic something delicious will be shared on the blog soon.
Hope you are having a great week so far!

Weekend

Cabin Fever

Posted on March 30, 2016by Brandy Saldana

Black Hooded Coat Express (similar) | Blue Flannel Button Down Express (similar) | Black and White Checkered and Houndstooth Print Blanket Scarf Express (similar) | Dark Wash Skinny Jeans Madewell (similar) | Black Rain Boots Loeffler Randall (on sale here) | Pom Grey Beanie via POPSUGAR
Back in January, Armando and I made our way to Lake Arrowhead. We mentioned to a friend that we wanted to go on a weekend getaway somewhere close to snow before the end of the month and it just so happened they owned a cabin, had it listed on AirB&B and would be restocking it and doing some maintenance and we could stay at a discount provided we helped with cleaning and some chores.
It felt like it was meant to be. The cabin was super-cute and reminded me of gingerbread house. I packed clothing I could layer just in case there was snow. I was getting over a cold, so staying warm for that reason was also important. Armando and I enjoyed waffles for breakfast at Lake Arrowhead and we drove through the mountains to get to Big Bear Lake. Along the way, we stopped to ride some inner tubes down some hills at a place called Snow Drift. Traffic to Big Bear Lake was pretty bad, so we would stop every now and then to take photos of the breathtaking scenery along the mountain road.
I wore my new plaid flannel button down from Express that I had been wearing nonstop throughout winter along with my blanket scarf and coat. I was really excited to be wearing my new Loeffler Randall boots I scored from Poshmark using funds I had from a few sales. Don’t let the gold buckles fool you, these are rain boots and have been my go-to shoes during the times it has rained in the Bay Area. I was ready to drink some hot cocoa in this outfit and walk around some fresh-fallen snow. We made it to Big Bear Lake, which was completely frozen. It was so pretty and a nice weekend escape.
Armando saw and touched snow for the first time on our drive back to the Bay Area on Sunday. I am so glad he did and hopefully we can build a snowman next time! I am really proud of how these photos came out, so I hope you liked my cabin-ready look. even though Spring has started, I want to finish sharing my Winter looks before going into dresses and floral prints. It’s still pretty chilly in SF, so until next time!

Outfit
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- Work

Classic

Posted on March 22, 2016by Brandy Saldana

Belted Trench Coat Viktor & Rolfe x H&M (similar) | Denim Button Down Banana Republic Factory Store | Statement Necklace Urban Gem via Rockbox | Black and White Checkered Blanket Scarf Express | Grey Tweed Pencil Dolce & Gabbana (here) | Viva La Gem Kate Spade | Crystal Bracelet LE TOTE | Gold Leather Wrap Bracelet and Grey Studded Leather Wrap Bracelet E. Kammeyer Accessories | Nude Campy Mary Jane Heels Manolo Blahnik | Le Rouge Brun Creatéur 103 Lipstick Givenchy | Right before Daylight Savings ended, I had Armando take a few shots after work. I am so glad the sun sets a lot later, giving us more opportunities to get an outfit shoot in after work, but I think I am not the only one who feels Day Light Savings needs to end for good.
On this day we took photos, it was grey and misty, but it feels like the perfect setting for a classic trench coat and wool pencil skirt. My trench is an eBay find from 2012 and the Dolce & Gabbana wool skirt is a Crossroads Trading Co find. The skirt is one I bought right around the time I started working in my current position. It felt like a good investment piece, but not one I ever reached for. I am glad it has finally made its debut and I fully expect to wear it again. It is a versatile piece and can easily be dressed up with a silk blouse and leather jacket for a night out.
It should come as no surprise that the shoes are my favorite part of this whole outfit. These nude Mary Jane style heels are by Manolo Blahnik and the style name is Campy. I found them on The Real Real for an amazing deal and these just might be my go to nude heels for work from now on. I had a Carrie moment when I discovered these and love the round toe over the pointed look. They are really comfortable and classic. I appreciate great shoes, and The Real Real has some pretty amazing pieces for reasonable prices.
I am almost done sharing my winter looks and am ready to transition to Spring outfits so stay tuned for that!

Outfit
...
- Work

Winter Blues

Posted on March 14, 2016by Brandy Saldana

Black Princess Coat Steve Madden | Black and Blue Wool Dress Alice + Olivia (here)| White Portofino Button Down Shirt Express | Grey Maise Satchel Kate Spade | Belted Black Suede Booties Nine West | Le Rouge Carmin Escarpin 302 Lipstick Givenchy |
I have been a little MIA on my blog, and most of my social media accounts, and that has been true for this past week in particular. I spent last Monday attending a Bikram Yoga class and left work early on Tuesday to bathe in some epsom salt and nap in order for my body to recover.
I spent the rest of the week coming home from the office to practice my design skills on Adobe InDesign. I drafted how a new website should look, one that I am working on as a project for work we hope to launch at the end of April, and also worked on adding some design elements to my resume. The rain has left me pretty uninspired when it comes to what to wear, but luckily Armando snapped this outfit in January before any storms hit.
This wool print Alice + Olivia dress has made its appearance on the blog before, and this time I layered a white button down shirt underneath and wore tights and suede booties. I opted to wear no jewelry to let the print make a statement. I love the print of the dress and I have it listed on my Poshmark closet, but it is a piece I picked up at Crossraods Trading Co that I am not in a hurry to sell because it is pretty versatile, which is a plus for Winter dress. I feel I’ve been wearing the same thing lately because of the rain, but this dress can have a turtle neck or long sleeve black sweater underneath, or a cardigan over it.
We have some dry days for the coming week, and I am already planning my next outfit. I have a couple of shoes I’ve been wanting to wear, so stay tuned for those!

Outfit
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- Work

Butterfly on my Right Shoulder

Posted on March 2, 2016by Brandy Saldana

Leena Dress Diane von Furstenberg (here) | Teal Patent Heels Giuseppe Zanotti | Avery Saffiano Leather Cross Body Rebecca Minkoff via ThredUP (similar) | Multi Color Bracelets Forever 21 | Le Rouge 205 Fuschia Irrestible Givenchy (here) |
It’s already the beginning of March! I recognize February is the shortest month, and we had an extra day this year, but it is now March!
I haven’t featured this dress on the blog since I wore it with boots and leggings, but this is the second time in the last 6 months that its made its way out of my closet. I feel it is better suited for a art gallery opening than a day at the office because of its abstract print and large kimono-inspired sleeves. It makes a pretty big statement, so I don’t feel I can easily wear all the time. I found this lovely DVF dress through Bonanza, but have seen it appear on The Real Real. If you are in live with this (and fit in a size 2) I have a dress listed in my Poshmark closet as well.
The colors on my dress can let me experiment with shoes and accessories. I had a pair of pink heels I thought of pairing with this look, but my lipstick choice and bangles helped highlight the pink colors in this dress. I played around with the blue/green tones and decided to use my new Rebecca Minkoff Avery cross body bag I found using thredUP. The condition of the bag was like new and I scored a great deal on it through thredUP since I had store credit and a discount code to use. Having the app notifies you of flash promo codes for the day, perfect if you are on the fence about buying something. (Make sure to have push notifications on for the app!)
Notice anything different about my heels from the last time they made their appearance? They are protected thanks to Clickless High Heel Protectors. The covers slip on at the back of the heel and can protect/prolong the life of the heels and reduces the clicking noise. They are also claimed to make the heels more comfortable, but I am not too convinced by that since these heels were already comfortable to begin with. I received these high heel protectors to try out from Clickless and there are 4 sizes in each pack and available in 3 colors (beige, black and brown.) I love the sound heels make when I walk down the hallway, but I am sure my coworkers would appreciate if that echo could be reduced. I am still trying them out so only time will tell if they can prolong the life of my heels.

Have you tried heel protectors? Let me know because I am interested in knowing if there is a difference in comfort and in sound for you.

Food

Mornings with Modern Oats

Posted on February 29, 2016by Brandy Saldana

I’ve never been the biggest fan of oatmeal. Despite knowing the health benefits it can have, I’ve always found the taste either bland and kind of a boring way to start the day.
A few months ago, Modern Oats sent me some of their oatmeal to try and I now wonder if everything I knew about oatmeal was a lie! Modern Oats was founded in 2013 with the goal to “Change people’s perception of “old fashioned” oatmeal.” Besides their focus on taste, Modern Oats oatmeal is gluten-free and and contains Non-GMO Verified oats and artisan selected fruits, nuts and seeds.

To sample, I was sent Chocolate Cherry, Mango Blackberry, Apple Walnut, 5 Berry, Nuts & Seeds and Goji Berry. I was not expecting the fruit in the oatmeal to taste as good as it did. My experience has been that the fruit bits in oatmeal tend to be really small and taste like they have been preserved. The fruit really stood out to me and added enough sweetness to the oatmeal. The Nuts and Seeds flavor did not come with fruit, but I added some fresh strawberries and it totally made my morning.

I enjoyed all of my Modern Oats samples at work. I feel like I am always in a rush in the morning and prefer to sleep an extra 10 – 15 minutes instead of making myself breakfast. I loved that these were conveniently packaged to be a portable (and recyclable) bowl. I kept a few at my desk and used the hot water dispenser in the kitchen to fill the cups before enjoying. My favorites among these samples were Goji Blueerry and 5 Berry.
Each container has a recipe to create 2 oatmeal cookies. While I didn’t have a chance to bake any since I really enjoyed eating these for breakfast, I would like to try making cookies out of the Apple Walnut and Chocolate Cherry flavors.

Since these were really easy to prepare, and tasted really good, I would not hesitate to purchase these to keep in my cubicle and as part of a future camping or hiking trip. Modern Oats proved itself to be the perfect, healthy, anytime, anywhere snack. Their new flavors sound intriguing, Coconut Almond and Vermont Maple, and both sound like they would make delicious oatmeal cookies.

To try Modern Oats, you can search for them using their store locator or order from Amazon. let me know if you have tried Modern Oats and what your favorite flavor is!

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I received samples for review from Modern Oats. All opinions expressed are my own.