Pantone Color Challenge - Cypress

One of my favorite link ups each Fall and Spring is the Pantone Color Challenge week that Heidi of Literate and Stylish and Marissa from The Modern Austen host.  While I don't do outfit of the day posts every day anymore I knew I'd want to play along for their Fall 2014 Pantone Color Challenge week at least once or twice!  The color of the day today is cypress so it was a given that I'd be wearing my favorite cypress colored pants (well ok, they're more olive than cypress but I think they work!)

Sorry for the poor picture quality, I went with simple office selfies on my cell phone this morning! Anyway, I just love these pants that my very sweet friend that I met on Instagram sent me.  I've talked on the blog before about my awesome friend Janice (her IG handle is @janhalfsweet - check her out, her girls are so cute, her Emma is super close in age to my Ollie) and how she has very kindly sent me some items that no longer worked for her.  My favorite item from her is still these pants.  They fit me so well right now and I just can't get enough of this color.  The zipper detail - which you'll see more of in a separate picture - is so fun on them too!  I would say these pants are in pretty heavy rotation for me right now, as soon at they're clean I wear them again!

Sweater - St. John's Bay (JCPenney), Gingham blouse - Old Navy (thrifted)

Pants - Old Navy (from the sweet @janhalfsweet), Boots - Target

Jewelry - Mode Boutique (Premium Outlets) 

I took a quick close up of this fun necklace too.  At the mom blog event they were giving out coupons for free earrings at a newly opened up boutique called Mode, so of course we had to stop and get the earrings.  I dug through and found some cute ones and they had this matching necklace for only $4.00.  So of course I had to get that too!

So there's my cypress look with a bit of mustard thrown in too for fun.  I really like all of the Pantone fall color choices this year, they're really nice shades.  I'm not sure if I'll have a chance to link up any other day this week, although Friday's cognac is another one of my favorite fall colors, so I might have to try for that one!  What do you think of this year's Pantone colors?  

Check out Heidi and Marissa's blogs for other Pantone inspired looks!

Acai and 33

TGIF my friends!  We have made it through another week again!  I'm so excited today - my shower with my girlfriends is tonight.  I'm sure that will make the day drag a bit.  I love my families and those showers were fun and wonderful, but there is something about time with your closest friends you know?  I've been craving a night like this and I'm just so excited to hang out with my lady peeps!

Today's color for the Pantone color challenge is Acai - a nice shade of purple.  I wore the perfect outfit to my shower and Josh Groban concert last weekend and had every intention of using it for today but I never took the time to actually photograph it!  Blogger fail.  So, I chose to style my super comfy purple leggings for today instead.  The Pants Monkey said I looked cute this morning, so that's always a win.  And, I have had this shirt for a couple of months now but haven't shared it on the blog yet, so that's something too I suppose!

The button sweater is the gray one I was talking about earlier this week that I picked up at the swap.  And it may be my new favorite thing ever.  I don't know that I'll need to wear it all day, but it was below freezing this morning and the striped shirt is thin, so I needed the extra layer!  It's supposed to actually be pretty nice out later today though, so maybe I will be able to shed a layer!

 Sweater - swap

Striped shirt - Zulily

Leggings - Simply Vera, Kohls

Necklace - Stella and Dot with MMD buttonflower

Boots - Target

Bag - 31 Gifts

And of course, Friday is the day we count weeks and so we're at 33 weeks today, so there's my 33 week bump.  I'm trying to no longer panic over how much time is or isn't left.  We've made good progress at home and we still do have some time left.  And that's all that matters at the moment.  This weekend I'm treating Mr. Monkey and myself to a break, we're going to take some time for ourselves on Sunday, getting breakfast out somewhere and maybe just being lazy with movies all day.  We try to take a day and do that every Fall and I feel like we need a day like that before the baby comes.  We've been working hard on baby prep and house projects in addition to our regular jobs and our music group and it can get a little crazy sometimes.  So I'm quite excited for a "me and him" day!

And that brings us to the end of the Pantone Inspired Fall color challenge week!  I had a lot of fun!  I haven't decided what outfit this week was my favorite, but I loved all the colors, that is for sure!  Make sure you head to Heidi's blog to see other how other bloggers styled Acai today!

Carafe

Day four of the Pantone color challenge and going strong!  Today's color is "carafe" which was decided could be a shade of brown or olive or green.  So I went for a combo platter and used kind of all three.  And I have to say I'm kind of in love with this outfit.  It feels very me even though it's using a bit of maternity stuff. And can I say how excited I was to find this plaid skirt at the swap that actually fits??  Elastic waistband for the win once again!  This is the first bit of plaid I've been able to wear in a while now and I'm so happy, I've missed my favorite pattern!  This skirt should work for me after baby too, I think it's going to be a new favorite!

In other news, today is the last day of our CSA share of goodies for the year.  I'm so sad.  I have had so much fun with all the different veggies we have received and I'm so proud of us - well mostly of Mr. Monkey - for trying out fun, interesting and unique new recipes using the items.  We really ate well these last few months!  I am looking forward to doing this again next year - and using the items to make baby food for our little guy too!

Sweater - Liz Lange, consignment

Shirt - Motherhood, thrifted

Skirt - Swap

Boots - Target

Necklace - Stella and Dot 

Back to the color challenge - the word carafe makes me think of coffee, as in a coffee carafe, so I guess in a way I dressed up as my favorite beverage today.  Think that would pass for a Halloween costume?  I kid.  I think I need to drink a little more coffee, that's what I think!

Head on over to Heidi's blog to check out the other Pantone inspired outfits or to add your own!

Koi

It's Koi day for the Pantone Fall Color Challenge - which as I said yesterday I actually struggled with a bit, but I made it work!  I had a 25% off deal on Cartwheel for one Liz Lange maternity item from Target, so I bought this cute maroon and orange polka dot t-shirt last night - which you totally can't see the polka dots, though I got a close up in a picture further down.  Then I pulled out this fun scarf I picked up at the two birds garage sale last year.  Added a warm sweater from the swap this weekend because it is chilly and it slushed outside this morning and I'm good to go!

I really do love orange hues, I don't know what it is.  I have said time and again it never used to be my favorite color, but in the last two years I've really grown to love it and find myself grabbing more and more of it!  It is definitely perking up a gray day today!

 T-shirt - Liz Lange, Target
Sweater - swap
Pants - Liz Lange, Target 
Scarf - two birds garage sale
Shoes - Steve Madden, thrifted

You still can't see the dots real well when I take off the sweater.  So, I took a looking down at my bump shot and then you can see the dots.  And you can now see what I see when I look down.  I can still see my feet if I lean over the bump a bit more, but to look straight down, they're definitely gone!

What do you think about orange?  What is your favorite color for Fall?

Make sure you check out Heidi's blog today for more Pantone Inspired outfits!  Click the link below!

Turbulant

I'm not going to lie - I don't love my outfit 100% today.  I thought this sweater would be just a wee bit longer.  Oh well, pregnant ladies are like the only people for whom leggings are acceptable as pants I think, so I guess it's all good.  I don't have to go into the clinics today anyway!  I'll just be comfy here at my desk where no one can see me!  But anyway I'm getting off track. Today's color for the Pantone color challenge is Turbulence - which is best described as kind of a slate gray.

I own SO much gray you guys.  I don't know why.  It's not the happiest color ever.  I just gravitate towards it.  I even told the girls at the swap on Sunday that I just always flock to gray and guess what, I even brought home a gray sweater from the swap.  Not the one I'm wearing today, but one I'm sure you'll see soon.  I'm not allowed to buy anymore gray though I have decided!

 Sweater - Oh Baby by Motherhood via consignment
Leggings and boots - Target
Necklace - Stella and Dot

I'm excited about the color for tomorrow - it's a shade of orange and if you've followed me for awhile you know I adore orange - but I'm facing the challenge of not sure what I have in my closet that will work for me at the present moment given this lovely bump and all.  I'm going to maybe have to get creative!  But it will happen!  I'm always up for a challenge!!

Make sure to hit up Marissa's blog and see the other Pantone inspired outfits!

Vivacious

Welcome to Monday everyone.  Does anyone else feel like they need a weekend from their weekend?  Uffda, it was a busy one here!  It was all fun stuff, but it just was so full!  Anyway, I'll get to that in a minute, but today starts a fun new fall color challenge with Heidi of Literate and Stylish and Marissa of the Modern Austen.  I had a lot of fun with their spring Pantone challenge, so when I saw they were doing a Fall one, I was totally on board.  Today's color is Vivacious - which is kind of a magenta.

My magenta is a bit more on the muted side of things today, but I think it's somewhat close.  And it's giving me an excuse to wear this shirt I picked up at Erin's clothing swap yesterday.  It was a great swap - first one I've ever been to and I was so excited to bring home a bunch of goodies that will work both while I'm still pregnant and for after as well!  And I was able to unload a bag of my own things too, so that was really quite awesome!

 Striped shirt - swap
T-shirt - Mossimo, Target
Pants - Old Navy maternity
Necklace - Charming Charlie
Booties - Target

The rest of the weekend was busy with my baby shower with Mr. Monkey's family - his aunt truly outdid herself I swear, our theme for our nursery is Dr. Seuss and she found the cutest decorations and favors I've ever seen.  I don't have a ton of pictures, but I'll try to remember to post a couple of the ones I got here once I get them off my phone!  Then Saturday night my mom and I went and saw Josh Groban.  We had awesome seats and he is always amazing.  I could listen to him sing the encyclopedia and still be entranced.  I managed to get one semi-decent picture, but the lighting in the arena wasn't the best.  

He's amazing.  End of story.  And yesterday in addition to the clothing swap we celebrated the Pants Monkey's mom's birthday.  We had a nice yummy dinner and a fire in their fireplace - it's getting cold here folks.  There was even a little white sleet or snow falling as I drove to work this morning.  So. Not. Ready.  

Check out either the Modern Austen or Literate and Stylish for more Pantone color inspired outfits - or to add your own - this challenge goes all week long!