12.28.12 Leather and animal print

Once agian i found myself in an animal print outfit. :) It proves true that I very much love animal print. This cropped cardigan is a fave of mine because of the colors used in it. It looks great with black, brown, or khaki bottoms. I went for a pair of faux leather pants to give it a little bit of an edgy feeling. And like i've said in the past, i seem to stick with a three color pallet scheme for the most part. Makes it very simple to put an outfit together this way.

12.13.12 Match your eyes!!

One of my tricks of the trade is to wear bright blue scarfs or tops in order to make my eye color stand out. I know this trick works for me and I would think it works for all eye colors. Try it out and let me know!!

12.12.12 Neon fun!!!!

Yesterday I was beaming just as much as my pants were from how fun my outfit was. The bright neon color of my pants and scarf made me so happy. Like always if you are going to wear something neon and bright like this, I would suggest grounding it with black. It keeps the outfit from going overboard and at the same time makes the colors in the outfit pop!

I began to notice that when I am putting together my outifits I typically stick to a 3 color scheme pallet. Unless you are wearing a printed piece that has more than 3 colors I would say this is a great piece of advice. It makes it easy to put outfits together when going by this rule.

Another rule of thumb for myself is that in the winter you must make sure that you coat/jacket matches as well. When living in a cold city you will be wearing coats a lot and sometimes you may never take it off throughout the night. So make sure to get a variety of great coats to complete your outfit. I have always taken advantage of Old Navy's outerwear sale that they have each year around thanksgiving time. Most coats are marked 50% off!! Also always look for winter coats when spring has arrived because you are more than likely gonna get a great deal!

12.1.12 Comfy party outfit

Leggings and tunics should be every girls best friend. I personally love being able to throw on a pair of leggings and a cute top to go almost anywhere. You can dress them up or down very easily. This particular evening I was going to a friends birthday house party. I wanted to look cute but didn't want to be overdressed for the occassion.

So I went with a pair of black leggings, a colorful top, and my favorite long black sweater. I would suggest everyone to purchase a black and brown sweater like this because it is incredibly versatile. You will find yourself wearing it all fall, winter, and spring. Also having belts that can be worn above your natural waistline is a great trick to create shape when wearing a long sweater and much more.

One of my favorite trends right now is wearing knee high socks under your boots that match the outfit somehow. My grey socks match my scarf and the grey strips on my shirt.

  I would also love to thank Kristin for being my fill in photographer for the night and getting down on the ground for these photos!! :)

11.30.12 Fave necklace

I had to share this photo of my favorite necklace!!! I suggest anyone that is shopping for jewelry to go to Charming Charlies when you know exactly your outfit. The store is amazing when you plan your outfit ahead of time for holiday parties, weddings, and such since you know exactly what colors your looking for. Even I, who loves to shop, finds it a little overwhelming when I don't know what color I am wanting.

Easy Fall Outfit

Easy Fall Outfit by fockeat featuring a knit cardigan

Fat Face knit cardigan
$67 - fatface.com

Slim fit jeans
udobuy.com

Durango low heel boots
durangoboot.com

Z Spoke by Zac Posen shopper handbag
fashion.ebay.com

11.9.12 Pretty in Purple.. :)

      I'm absolutely in love with this new outfit for so many reasons that I don't even know where to begin.

I think I will start from the top and just work my way down. The blouse...oh my gosh how I love this blouse. :) It has one of the most amazing patterns I have seen in a while and I just love all of the different colors within. Blouses that have this many colors are a great piece in your wardrobe because you can mix and match with so many different bottoms. You could wear pink, purple, blue, black, or white bottoms and it would look amazing everytime.

Next I will talk about my skirt. This pencil skirt is a cotton material which makes life so much better. LOL. It is not too tight and restricting and has panels and seams that contour your bottom half just great. Since the month said it was November I put on some tights to make sure I was nice and warm all day. Granted it felt like August this day but I still felt great since the tights aren't too thick.

Lastly to my shoes...since you all should know by now that I have this addiction I have a great selection of different colored heels to go with almost every outfit. So it only seemed right to throw on some shiny purple heels to go with my Pretty in Purple ensemble. And may I suggest checking out New York and Company if you are a fan of this outfit. A bonus is that they always have a sale going on.

11.2.12 HOTT Pink!!

Colored pants! Colored pants! And more Colored pants!! I have been a huge fan of pants in all different colors for a very long time. Before the skinny jean fad it was Express' Chino colored khakis I would rock all of the time. Here's a throwback collage to prove my love for colored pants. :) I had these pants in every color they made. hahahaha!

Colored pants are so fun to create outfits with. Back to my HOTT pink, black, and grey outfit tho... These pink pants are basically neon so I paired them with black to really make the pink pop. My black suede boots look great with a pair of knee high socks just slightly peeking out. Once I had the boots on I knew exactly what scarf I could pair with this outfit too. Yes my socks were the inspiration for my scarf choice. Gotta take inspiration from every piece in every outfit. :)

A simple black turtleneck sweater was perfect for the kind of weather we have been seeing these last couple of days. It kept me warm all day. I loved this outfit even more since I was able to wear it work and then also out for drinks with some friends. The pink pants and metallic scarf made it fun enough to wear out to the bar for me. 

So my biggest piece of advice for this post would be...buy Colored demin/pants whenever you find a great buy or pair. You will wear them all year around and be able to have so much fun creating outfits with them.  

10.25.12 Leather and lace

I've already told you about my love for lace so it shouldn't be a surprise that i'm wearing lace again. This time it's my tights that prove my love. :) Since my skirt is leather i wanted to soften up the edginess by wearing the lace tights and the bright pink blouse. I always have a method to my madness. I also love to have fun with my outfits and think outside the box. You always need to try new things and not be afraid.

10.19.12 Loungin around

Even if I'm just hanging out around my place I always like to look cute and be comfortable. These crazy leggings are great to lounge around in and also go out in. Putting these leggings with simple black pieces make them stand out more but also somewhat tones the outfit down. When wearing a long sweater like this one I typically always wear a belt as well. The belt creates shape to me instead of looking too bulky. I had bought this outfit in the summer but by throwing on the sweater and boots I can now wear it all year long!!!

Breast Cancer Awareness outfit

Breast Cancer Awareness outfit by fockeat featuring a pink blazer

Orla Kiely tie neck shirt
orlakiely.com

Jane Norman pink blazer
$50 - zalando.co.uk

Dolce&Gabbana straight leg pants
tessabit.com

Vintage bag
zappos.com

9.25.12 Gotta love lace...

Today's outfit was brought together by one simple similarity. Lace. My blue pencil skirt has a strip of lace down the sides and the moment I saw it I knew what shirt I could wear with it. My blouse which of course is from TJMaxx :) had the exact strip of lace across the chest. Mixing a solid skirt with a printed top always adds more to any outfit.

 
You can tuck your blouse in or leave it out. Both ways are just as cute, so whatever floats your boat goes. :)

One of my favorite items for the fall and winter besides scarves are TIGHTS!! All of the dresses and skirts you wear during warmer times can still be worn by just throwing on a pair of tights. I love getting mine from Target! $5 a peice for a ton of different colors. :)

9.20.12 who-dey all day everyday!!

Today I wanted to be comfy and casual at work so i went straight for a pair of black leggings. In my thoughts leggings are a girls best friend. You can lounge around in them or dress them up for any occasion. Here i picked a fun, blousy top to dress up this outfit for work. A great pair of brown boots then throw on a scarf and you have a perfect outfit. Simple but extremely cute and comfortable. :)

9.15.12 Sarah's Country Picnic Baby Shower

My inspiration for my sisters baby shower started with one photo. This photo is how Sarah and Scott told both sets of parents that they were expecting a bundle of joy. Once seeing the photo I just ran with the idea of a country picnic baby shower that was shabby chic with a gender neutral color scheme.

I hand made everything you see in this picture. The banner was very simple to make and can be done by anyone. I choose scrapbook paper that tied into my theme and colors. Once I had the paper I cut out pennants, wrote out the words needed, whole punched the corners, and then ran ribbon all the way through. The picture frames I bought in plain white but decorated them myself. Using sharpie paint markers I was able to create a frame that matches the decor of the nursery and decoration for the shower. Of course I wanted to display the picture that was my inspiration for all to see. I also hand made the pinwheels and had so much fun doing that. I just googled directions and found out how simple it really was to make my own instead of buying them. I was able to pick colors and patterns that would fit perfectly with the theme.

The beverage stand was a huge hit! With your choice of Lemonade, Iced Tea, Water or a Margarita people had plenty to choose from but not too much for me to handle making. I used the same paper as the banner to make small pennants on each beverage dispenser showing what each drink was. Mason jars were lined up in the center with yellow and green striped straws for each person to use for thier drink. As you see I had more pinwheels on the beverage table to continue to pull it all together. The pom poms were very easy to create and only 7 bucks for all three of them. I had glass pitches in the corners that were filled with fake lemons. These are actually pitchers that sit in my kitchen on a daily basis so no cost at all to me. :)  

A great diaper cake is easy to make, a great decorating piece, and a great gift all at the same time. The cowboy hat and boots were something that I wanted to showcase since they are sooooo cute. Once I bought them I knew they would serve perfectly for the cake topper. Using a receiving blanket to cover the center tier fits perfect and much cuter than just diapers. Setup right next to the diaper cake were large mason jars filled with lemon slices and daisies. I also used the same paper for the banner to tie small pennants around the mason jar. This might have ended up becoming my favorite decoration at the shower. I even took these home and have them in my kitchen as decoration for now. :) Lastly in this photo you will see the Apple Pie pops that were made as part of the desserts. These were a huge hit along with all of the food.

The Lemonade and Limeade cupcakes were absolutely delicious and went so well with theme and colors at the shower. Thanks again Amy!

The shower was a huge success and I even booked a party to plan for my moms friend from it. So keep me in mind for any kind of party you are throwing! I have a serious passion for party planning that I need to tap into more. :)