love stitched

i am blogging over at love stitched today but i am also sharing a similar post here because you should really be introduced to brittany, her blog and most of all her fabulous etsy shop.

i've been a contributer for brittany's blog since the spring and love the wide range of topics on her blog. you are likely to find something interesting there every time you return. not only is she a successful blogger but she also runs her etsy shop love stitched. each item is handmade with great care and love. a few weeks ago we came up with a little collaboration in order to showcase some of brittany's shop items in a different way, so that customers could get a better idea of how versatile her line of accessories truly is.

since we are sure you will fall in love with her items by the time you've read this post and looked at her shop (go, look now!) ;) there is also a generous 20% discount code at the bottom of this post you may use on your entire order!

after brittany sent me a lovely package i came up with a few transitional outfits that will help me adjust to the cooler temperatures of fall, my favorite season.
i'd been eying up this wonderful sophia shabby rose trio headband for a while so I was happy to incorporate it into a few different outfits.

isn't the headband gorgeous? i love the muted gray color because i can pair it with just about anything and the black elastic is super comfortable to wear. i am always worried when headband elastic is very tight because it ends up giving me a headache. not with this one. it is nice and soft and has just the right amount of stretch. i like to wear headbands across my forehead so that's another reason i can't stand when they're too tight. who likes to walk around with an indentation on their forehead all day long?

brittany also sent me the gold branch dangle earrings which i love and wear almost every day. you can see me wearing them here. to top it all off i got one of the limited edition anthropologie inspired ruffle flower rings. isn't it so cute?

check out her packaging too. it's so pretty and perfect for gifting.
so thank you so much brittany, i love it all :)

and this is how i'll be wearing my shabby rose headband this fall...

... with my favorite pleated skirt, a light sweater and a jean jacket. 

... with muted pastels and rain boots.

... with a little bohemian inspired outfit because headbands somehow make me feel like a flower child ;)

... with one of my most favorite combos: plaid shirts and boyfriend jeans. 

which outfit is your favorite? and what are your must-have items for fall? 

brittany is graciously offering a 20% discount on all orders from her store with code: CREATIVE

headband, ring and earrings c/o love stitched

style files: oh my pleather!

pants: hallhuber (similar), sweater: only (similar), shoes: aerosoles (similar), bag:

have you jumped onto the pleather/leather/liquid leggings train yet? 

i'd been wanting to try a pair for a while and then when my mom came to visit in may she brought these with her without even knowing I even wanted them. thanks mom! 

so i've had these for a few months but it's simply been way too warm to wear them. another reason to wish for fall? i think so.

i'll be wearing them a lot since they are just as versatile as regular black leggings but add a little bit of an edge to an outfit. looking at the pictures I feel like I should maybe hem them just a tad so that they truly end right above the ankle. what do you think? 

will you be wearing any leather this fall? 

hope you had a fabulous weekend :) 

diy: t-shirt make-over part I - sequin collar t-shirt

over the next few weeks I will feature a series of t-shirt make-over tutorials using basic white t-shirts. each week I will show you a different way to add a little something special to a plain white tee.

this week's make-over is a super easy one using some stretchy sequin trim to embellish the collar of a t-shirt. no sewing skills needed! 

you'll need:

a white v-neck shirt (i used fruit of the loom men's shirts in size S) 

1 yard of gold sequin trim (the stretchy kind) mine is from wal-mart

thread in the same color as your trim 

white thread

a needle

place the end of the trim where the collar makes the v-shape. start carefully hand stitching it in place starting from the back and leaving some extra to tie it off with. go around stitching the trim to the collar until you come back to the v. i mostly just went through the holes in the sequins and it's not noticeable at all. overlap the ends slightly and cut your excess trim. make sure to stitch the end well so that the elastic part won't unravel. 

i also folded up the sleeves and stitched them in place with some white thread. that's of course optional.

to wash i would recommend turning the shirt inside out and air drying or drying on a low temperature setting in your dryer. 

now wear it! best of all: no necklace needed. 

style files: chambray, cords and boots

skinny cords: jcrew, white tank: zara, chambray shirt: jcrew (similar), boots: thrifted (similar), watch: michael kors (similar), bracelet: gift, branch earrings: c/o love stitched

the weather here in pa has momentarily cooled down just a little bit. we are back in the 80's now but had a pretty cool day on saturday. it was honestly fine by me since i'd been dreading the outfit posts a little bit lately... i am mostly a shorts and t-shirt kind of girl when it's super hot outside and that's not necessarily anything to brag about on here. wink wink...

so instead of the heat we got a nice little glimpse at what fall is going to be like and i started outfit planning in my head. can't wait to get my scarf collection out again!

the chambray shirt that has seen lots of wear through spring and summer is also going to be a go-to piece in my fall wardrobe and so are jcrew's toothpick cords. here i paired them with some nicely worn-in boots and a simple white tank. i stayed comfy and warm all day but was able to shed a layer when the sun peeked through in the afternoon.

i will definitely be wearing lots of different variations of this outfit in the fall.

what items from your summer wardrobe will help you transition into fall?

style files: dear baseball tee...

jeans: american eagle, tee: target, shoes: , watch: michael kors, bracelet: lisa leonard

yup, that's a style files post friends ;) keepin' it real here on the mama front.

that is also me bright eyed and bushy tailed at 9 am, heading to breakfast with my two favorite guys, hair begging to be washed and in the most fantastical bun ever created... 

and how great is it that baseball tees are apparently all the rage these days? because this puppy was right on top of that big pile o' laundry waiting to be folded. one day. maybe? 

happy weekend! may you cross off many things on your to-do list or simply sit in the sun with an ice cold glass of your most favorite beverage. ahhh summer...

Giveaway: Floral Infinity Scarf

oh, i am so behind on everything blog related. we got back home around 9 pm on wednesday after being delayed for hours and yesterday was spent unpacking, cleaning the house and weeding my overgrown vegetable garden. buuuut, i promised this giveaway and so here it is :)

i brought you back this lovely scarf by danish fashion and accessories brand "pieces". it is yellow with a pretty floral pattern and made of a light cotton. it's an infinity style scarf and drapes nicely.
to see more pictures of how i am wearing my scarf go here and here.
pieces make lovely scarfs and i am also a fan of their leather belts. everything is affordable and you lucky US ladies can even shop a selection of their items on ASOS now :))

this giveaway has ended. please check for a new giveaway in the upper right corner of the blog.

so, to win this beaut all you have to do is this:

to enter you must be a gfc follower of the forge and chose one other way to subscribe. Leave me a comment saying how you follow and also leave your email. (if you don't have gfc just choose two of the other options to follow along)

for additional entries you may:

subscribe via email 

follow via bloglovin'

like the forge on facebook

follow the forge on twitter @theforgestyle

follow on instagram @theforgeblog

leave a separate comment for each one you do! 

tweet about this giveaway and leave me the link in your comment

@theforgestyle is giving away a floral infinity scarf and you should enter too http://tinyurl.com/c6nv6b8 #giveaway #freebie #win

pin this giveaway to pinterest and leave me the link in your comment

enter @theforgestyle #giveaway and #win this floral infinity scarf http://tinyurl.com/c6nv6b8

post this giveaway to your facebook page and leave me the link in your comment

that's a total of 9 entries per person. just leave a comment for each one that you do.

i will draw a winner via random number generator on august 10th. 

US residents only (sorry everyone else) 

good luck :) 

this giveaway has ended. please check for a new giveaway in the upper right corner of the blog.

style files: chambray on denim

jeans: replay, shirt: jcrew, tshirt: gap, scarf: pieces, shoes: mootsies tootsies, watch: michael kors 

while you're reading this i am probably hiking around the alps somewhere with a 23 lbs toddler strapped to my back. but that's a great work out right? right! 

happy friday and have a wonderful weekend. i'll be back next week to let you know the condition my sore muscles are in...

style files: coral ankle pants love

pants: f21(similar), t-shirt: gap (similar), belt: ON, shoes: graceland, sunglasses: , watch: michael kors, necklace: parallel world designs on etsy, lipstick: maybelline forever fuchsia, nailpolish: essie tart deco

just an outfit post today. these pants are the most comfortable pants i own. the little man is sleeping and i am trying to catch up on some bloggy business. i am enjoying the peace and quiet i get at my parents house because i don't constantly have another project staring me in the face. unlike in these pictures, today is a rainy day making the humidity almost unbearable and clouding my mind... oh welcome back writers block!

stripes and a how-to for braided bangs

jeans: ae, striped top: f21, tank: zara, wedge sandals: graceland, watch: michael kors

not ok: 

the weather since we got here... no real summer in sight!

writing all these blog posts in my head during the few minutes it takes me to fall asleep at night and wake up in the morning and always being too tired to actually take down some notes, then of course forgetting everything.

being away from the hubs for another 3 weeks.

having to wake up at 6.45 am every morning due to my own personal (and very cute) alarm clock.

all this delicious food that constantly screams "eat me!"

having to drive a manual for the first time in years tonight - not looking forward to that.

totally ok:

several wonderful and lovely emails i've been receiving from you guys - wow, i really appreciate those :)

going to yoga and pilates class with my bestie tonight

all this delicious food that constantly screams "eat me!"

a bang braid on bad hair days

the little man's rad walking skills

seeing the huge smiles on my family's faces every day, mostly due to the little man of course

watching euro cup soccer games every night

taking walks through the fields

and for all of you who'd like to know how to braid your bangs:

1. part your hair pretty far on one side (whichever side works best for you)
2. select three strands of hair to braid with and do a reverse/inverted french braid where you simply braid the hair under instead of over and keep adding hair in mostly from the top of your head
3. important: don't braid too tightly! keep that braid low on your forehead as you go
4. pin somewhere by your ear or finish off braid and tie with a skinny hair tie
5. i also use some hair spray to control fly aways
6. practice, practice, practice! 

it's really super easy but it may take you a few tries to get it right. i seriously wear the bang braid all the time now, especially on a bad hair day when i don't get to wash it. 

instagram fashion round up

sorry for a no post yesterday. the hubby had a couple of off days, the first in a few weeks and we spent the day at a baseball game and then picked up my mama from the airport yesterday.

i thought i'd share some of my outfit shots from instagram today. can you tell i have a thing for stripes and polka dots? and how about that essie tart deco nail polish - the perfect peachy color for me. i wish i had time and most of all a photographer on hand to take more pictures for outfit posts but a lot of the time i don't. these are the instagrams i take everyday so you also get the evidence of the days i spend at home, in sweats, chasing after a toddler and wishing i had time to take a shower. not very glamorous, just keepin' it real folks.

if you want to follow me on instagram, i am @theforgestyle

speaking of that toddler, he is having a birthday this weekend and we are in full on preparation mode over here. i will do a post on his party next week.

until then i'm wishing you all a wonderful weekend :)

style files: pastel blue paper bag skirt

paper bag skirt: vintage (thrifted), tshirt: tresics, wedges: mootsies tootsies at kohls, watch: michael kors, nails: essie tart deco

so i had a really great weekend that included

thrifting

lost of sunshine 

a slight tan due to that sunshine

logan making such progress in the walking department

rolling around in freshly mowed grass

making $80 selling clothes and a few other things at a yard sale

yummy summer food like corn on the cob

an ikea shopping trip 

ice cream

a nice talk with the sister-in-law

the hubby coming home from his week long road trip

a movie night

yard work

and best of all, getting everything ready for my mom's visit this week :) 

style files: striped maxi dress

dress: tjmaxx, jacket: zara, shoes: chloe, earrings: bought in germany, lipstick: maybelline fuchsia fever, watch: michael kors

what a busy week we've had. sometimes i feel like i don't even know where the time went. i cleaned out my closet and donated about 3 big bags of clothes to goodwill. there is still more stuff i want to get rid of but for now it's a good start. i organized everything i kept but that's a whole other post on its own...

the weather finally came around again too and we are in for a gorgeous weekend. my brother and sister-in-law are coming over tonight because they won't be able to make it to Logan's birthday party next weekend. yes, next weekend my little baby turns one!!! i doesn't even seem real to me! 

last year at this time i looked like this YIKES!! 

tomorrow i'll be doing the same thing again as well, going to pike days yard sales all day and hoping to score some goodies. 

i'm looking forward to next week with 4 amazing off days for the hubs, a baseball game, my mom coming in from germany and a birthday party on sunday. and now i'm off to ikea.

yes, life is good :)