i am moving

i am moving to a different blog!  this is somewhat sad and exciting for me in ways that i can only attempt to explain:

why moving is sad:
- i have spent almost a year building this blog
- i finally have a "look" that i love
- i am a person that gets very attached to things and that doubts change
- i just got finished with the fall essentials posts and collaboration and i feel like i am abandoning the project {blog posts have feelings too lol}
- & i am am uncertain that i will have ANY readers, at all

why i am moving:
- it need a chance to start fresh
- i wanted to redesign my blog
- i want to focus on my life and more personal posts
- i want to take down my masks and be real for real people
- i still get to be inspired and hopefully inspire others
- my life has so much more to offer than this blog could allow
- i need to explore myself in every way possible
- & i really wanted to change the name of the blog {lol... but it's true}

the truth of the matter is, now that i have experienced what blogs are all about, i feel like it's time to start fresh and start new.  i hope if you are reading this you will take a look and give me some feedback.  i think this will really be good and really allow me to utilize this blog not only for the benefit of my reader but also for me.  this is not goodbye, it's a you-whoooo, i'm right here!!

i really think you should come with me, so i'll see you over there right??  :)

♥mackenzie

fall essential #10: oxfords

this is the 10th and final essential that jessica and i came up with for fall.  we chose oxfords because of our debate between flats and heels.  i originally had flats down as an essential because i wanted to make TOMS an essential and i knew that i shouldn't just limit the essential to that brand but when talking this essential over with jessica, she brought up a valid point: she only ever sees heels in fashion blogs anymore.  this was true, but i had a hard time picturing myself in heels in the fall because all i own are open toed heels and one pair of patten leather closed toed.  and to tell you the truth my toes would get cold no matter if i wore heels in the fall without pairing them with tights.

 

 

{under-shirt: New York, New York; feather sweater: New York, New York; skinnies: Express; oxfords: DSW; owl necklace: gift from a friend (Kohl's)}

 oxfords are sweet because they go with many outfits and give a great vintage feel! you can also wear them with or without laces and they still look great!  shimmie on over {i mean literally-not really ;) } jessica's blog today and look at her no-lace oxfords!! i know that for some committing yourself to wear shoes like this is tough but once you get used to them they are a great fall essential!

Oh my goodness!! this is our last post (i'm sorry it's so late, life gets in the way sometime)!! but not for good, just for this series!  so don't be a stranger and pop in anytime to see what's new in my life!! & i need to give a big shout out to my girl jessica tingle, for be a collaborator on this project and to inspire me to challenge myself with my style, i still don't think i'm fully mature yet, but with help from blogs and her, it's a work in progress!!  i've had so much fun with this!! i hope you all have enjoyed it as much as i have and i can't wait to start posting other series!!

until next time,

mackenzie

fall essential #9: a woodland friend

i love woodland creatures: squirrels, deer, birds, and especially owls!! and when i think of fall, i think of all the pretty trees in the woods at my nana's house and all of the lovely animals that call that place their home.  so if you are going to be dressed in your best for the fall season, you need to bring a woodland friend along for the trip!

{sweater: Etsy; skinnies: Express; oxfords: DSW}

i originally planned on wearing some owls for this post (i really love owls), but instead i found this awesome vintage sweater on Etsy with these lovely deer!!! i just love the ruffled collar and the deer just made me go over the edge and buy it!  of course i got a decent price, $15!  i bought the sweater from 15dollarvintage, where everything is $15!  anyways, woodland friends are great and everyone should have one!!

don't forget to check out jessica's woodland friend, here!!

♥ mackenzie

fall essential #8: a pop of color

 

number 8 of 10: a POP of color!  this is on the list because with it being fall time it's easy to get tied up in the neutral and greyish colors that are a little bit dull.  i'm NOT saying that these colors are bad, in fact they are some of my favorite colors, BUT sometimes it's nice to through some bright colors in your fall pallet!

 

 

 

{headband: made by me; white button up: The Limited; skinnies: Express; oxfords: DSW Shoes; green purse: Target}

pops of color are awesome and fun! so try some in your next outfit!  jessica's yellow scarf was a great addition to her outfit so make sure you stop by her blog to see her fall essential #8 ensemble!!  And the final two installments of this series will be posted on the same day!! so come back tomorrow and see what the last essentials for fall are!!!

♥ mackenzie

fall essential #7: the boot

boots are a must have for fall.  i'm sorry if you didn't know that, your out of the loop!! but that's why jessica and i are here!! we keep you in check!!!
boots come in all different varieties.  some various types i have come to love are: the combat boot, the knee high boot, the boot with a heel, the flat boot, the leather boot, the fabric boot, the buckled boot, and the cowboy boot!  there are SO many different kinds but the type i have decided to post about today are my cowboy boots.  i got my boots in a little buy one get two free boot shop in TN-- yes i did say buy 1 get 2 free, it's AWESOME.  so i ended up paying like $75 for a pair of almost $200 boots and my sister got some too!! anyways, moving on from that awesomeness, i paired my boots with my favorite peachy top, a ruffled cardigan with a belt, my skinnies, and a hand made headband that i crocheted due to my unruly hair.  i'm hopefully going to be making more and that will have it's own blog post!

 

 

{headband: made by me; vintage opal owl necklace: Etsy; coral top: Target?; ruffle cardigan: Francesca's; belt: Ruche; skinnies: Express; boots: Tennessee shop}

 boots are amazing and just citing where my inspiration comes from-- the little collage idea and the video came from jessica's post today-- she's awesome so give her post a look!! & leave a shout out or some boot love in the comments section!!

♥ mackenzie

fall essential #6: pattern

 

when in doubt-- slap some pattern on it!!! (yes i just said that)

polka-dot, stripes, paisley, cheetah, zebra, there are just too many to choose from!!  pattern is so much fun!!! pattern gives that extra sha to the bam of your ensemble! lol

it's pretty self explanatory, so i'm not going to lecture you on how to use it.  but i will caution you-- you can become over-cautious with pattern, and that's not cool!! in my outfit, i was pretty cautious but my friend here, dared to put paisley with stripes... and it TOTALLY worked.  so with this post i'm going to challenge you to be a little more like jessica and be bold and brilliant when it comes to your pattern!!

 

 

 

 

{scalloped polka-dot top: Sears; maroon undershirt: New York, New York; necklace: Aerie; skinnies: Express; shoes: a shoe store}

i hope you enjoyed today's essential! and remember dare to pair!! and check out jessica's blog post today!

♥ mackenzie

fall essential #5: tights

so the fifth essential is tights.  when thinking about making tights an essential i thought: it's cold now, i love color, and i miss shorter pants and skirts!  so that's where tights come in!! tights are a great way to make a spring-ish/summer-ish outfit into something very fall-ish!

 

 

 

 

 

{white button up: The Limited; necklace: Maurice's; short over-all's: American Eagle; gold tights: Macy's; heels: Kohl's}

for this outfit i layered a white button up with a tank top and through some over-all's on over my gold tights! i've had these over-all's since i was in 8th or 9th grade but i never wore them!! i could never find anything to wear them with and i was too insecure to try anything too different.  but i think i have somewhat matured in my style trends and i was willing to try something a tad risky.  i love how the tights turned out! i know they are loud and radical but you can also wear tights in a more conservative manner, maybe a more subtle color & oh and panty hose SOO count in this essential {a little shear never hurt anybody}!!

jessica also did a post today too!! so make sure you run on over and see her use of tights too!!

♥ mackenzie

fall essential #4: a scarf

it's fall. it's cold. you need a scarf!!!

the cool things about scarves is that they come in SO many different shapes , sizes, colors, textures, patterns, and can be used in MANY different ways.  they can be fluffy or thin, hole-y or dense, brightly colored or subdued, oversized or skinny, but most of all they are a great accent piece or finisher for any fall ensemble!

for this post, i demonstrated a very traditional way to wear a scarf, simply draped around the neck.  but jessica wore her circular scarf in a more radical way, draped around her shoulders and tucked in a belt like a cardigan! she is very innovative (but that's a side point-- make sure to take a closer at her scarf usage at her blog, here!)

 

 

{navy shirt: found in the closet; black scarf: chico's; brown fedora hat: target; skinnies (can you tell yet that i love them): Express; patten leather heels: some shoe store }

I am thoroughly convinced that there is a scarf for every occasion and outfit, so this is why scarves made the list for fall essentials.  they are functional & stylish, and therefore you won't regret adding a few to your closet!!!

how do you wear your scarf??  leave some scarf love below!! :)

and once again may i remind you to check out jessica's post for today too!!!

fall essential #3: the leather jacket

the leather jacket is a MUST HAVE because it's good for layering- and layering is always a good thing in the fall.  i LOVE me some leather jackets.  i used to be just into the hard core black leather jacket until a cashier at Wal-Mart told me i looked like i was going to go kill someone and they ask me to get some bad ones for them too.  LOL, i have been known to put up a very stern intimidating facade (trust me- not on purpose!!) but i never thought i would be considered the type to be on the hunt for corrupt  souls to burn like johnny blaze on ghost rider--- although i do own and know how to operate a dirt-bike. ANYWAYS, if you know me at all, this was not my motivation for that afternoon and after that whenever i wore my black leather jacket i would make an extra effort to put on a grin or big smile.  but now i own a tan one!! i first saw jess's (pictured above with me, but in the black jacket) tan one and had to get me one because she totally made the whole tan thing work AND tan tends to be a more softer color than black.    :)

 

 

 

 

 

 

{leather jacket: Elder-Bearman; skinnies: Express; sweater: American Eagle; clock necklace: Aerie; opal ring: Avon-passed down from my grandmother; burlap TOMS: Journey's}

sorry about all the pictures but there were A LOT of good ones thanks to jessica tingle!!  some other tid bits: i like weird sweaters and this navy one WAS NOT from this season.  that opal ring is Avon and it was passed down to my from my grandmother!! and guess what month opal is... October-the official beginning of fall!  i love TOMS--especially burlap TOMS! and pictured above is my lovely greyhound, Cammie whom my family rescued from the track!!  i know there is a lot of pictures and a lot of random information, but hopefully this post will not only let you in on how the leather jacket is an essential, but it will also let you see some of me being me too!!

check out jessica's post about her leather jacket and COMMENT!! please comment, even if you only want to type, something totally random!! i'm desperately trying to get to know my readers!!

♥ mackenzie

fall essential #2: an oversized something

 

next up on our fall essentials list is: an over-sized something.

this was one of my favorite essentials to do.  just because over-sized (oversized?... whatever) things make me feel warm and fuzzy inside.  i bought my grey cabal knit sweater at Plato's Closet as a sweater to wear to an 80's.  i went to the men's section picked this out as something "i would never wear again" item, paid $3 and something for it, and now it is something i LOVE to wear anywhere!!!

 

 

{grey over-sized men's sweater: Plato's Closet; clock necklace: Aerie; my favorite pair of skinnies: Express; black pumps: a shoe warehouse of some sort}

so in conclusion, i will never get rid of my men's cable knit sweater because it is pretty much the best thing fashion-wise that has ever happened to me and it makes me feel good to cuddle up anywhere i go!!  but really any over-sized top is "in" right now, so embrace the cuddliness and grab you one today! :D

& don't forget to head on over to jessica's blog to see her post on her over-sized essential! have fun with this one, it's simple and affordable!!

♥ mackenzie