Moody Style: Chambray and Leopard

I can’t believe how quickly the year is going and that tomorrow is December 1^st.  I officially have to figure out what I’m getting people for Christmas and get my lists and budget together. Over the past few years, I’ve been pretty successful with setting a budget and really sticking to it. Here’s how I do it. I create a list of all of the people that I plan to buy presents for and I set a dollar amount as my overall budget.  Once the budget is set, then I look at my list of names and decide how much money I want to spend for each person.  I just make sure that the dollar amount set for each person adds up to my overall total budget.   The next step is brainstorming gift ideas within  the budget range that I set for each person.  And track the spending with an actual dollar spent column to make sure that if you go over or under then I can adjust the budget on someone else’s gift.  I also factor in a few extra gifts for random unplanned gift exchanges.  Once I decide to start shopping, then I head to the bank to take out cash for the overall total budget. I use only cash for my purchases to make it a little easier to track everything that I’ve spent. Do you guys set a budget for your gifts? Do you stay within your budget?  What are some tips that you use when budgeting for the holidays?

 {Shirt: Old Navy Classic Chambray Shirt;

Skirt: Old Navy High-Rise Twill Pencil Skirt;

Earrings: J.Crew Crystal Fiesta Earrings;

Necklace: J. Crew Crystal Fiesta Necklace;

Watch: Coach Boyfriend Bracelet Watch;

Bracelet: J. Crew Factory Square Stone Bracelet; Bracelet: Coach Bangles;

Shoes: Nine West Boots (similar here)}

Moody Style: A Little Plaid

I hope that everyone had a wonderful and blessed Thanksgiving – I know I did.  I ate way too much this past Thursday and I’ve been eating more than my share of leftovers ever since.  But you know what?  I wouldn’t have it any other way.  Spending the past few days with my family is something I always look forward to throughout the year.  

Did any of you do any shopping this weekend?  Did you shop on Thanksgiving Day or on Black Friday? I did a little shopping on Thanksgiving Day after my family and I went to the movies.  We figured that we would check out some of the deals at the local Walmart since we were already out of the house.  I was able to grab a few deals for myself and I managed to get some Christmas shopping out of the way.  As much as I was against stores opening on Thanksgiving Day, I enjoyed getting some shopping done late in the evening after dinner.  And by the time we made it to the store, the crowds were bad either.  We were in and out of the store pretty quickly.  Let me know what stores you made it over the Black Friday weekend.

{Sweater: J. Crew Merino Wool Tippi Sweater;

Scarf: Zara Checked Shawl;

Jeans: Banana Republic Dark Wash Skinny Jean;

Jacket: J. Crew Downtown Field Jacket;

Watch: Coach Boyfriend Bracelet Watch;

Bracelet: J. Crew Factory Square Stone Bracelet; Bracelet: Coach Bangle;

Shoes: Coach Fayth Boots (similar here)}

  

Moody Picks – Faux Fur Vest

A fur vest makes a statement on its own, so you really want the rest of your outfit to be understated and balanced to allow the vest to shine.  There are so many style options for a fur vest and some of the best ways to wear it is the simplest.  You can wear a fur vest to work by pairing it with a pencil skirt and blouse or turtleneck. Another way you can wear a fur vest is adding it to a knit sweater, skinny jeans and some leather boots for a casual weekend look. 

A couple of years ago, I was on the hunt for the perfect faux fur vest.  I was pretty happy when I finally found a couple of them that I love. Unfortunately, I’ve only been able to wear them each a few times because of our warm winters here in Florida.  Well, if you’ve been looking for the right faux fur vest, then look no further.  I’ve put together a list below of some great fur vests available at various price points.  Check them out and let me know what you think.

1 / 2 / 3 / 4 / 5

6 / 7 / 8 / 9 / 10 / 11

Here are a few more vests that are similar to the one in my latest Instagram post.

Foxidox 'Double Time' Vest

Guess Sleeveless Faux-Fur Vest

Via Spiga Faux Fur Vest

Moody Style: Cold Snap

We are finally getting another cold snap down here in Florida and I’m really looking forward to it.  I’m already planning out my outfits for the rest of the week as I type.  I know for sure that I’ll be pulling out all of my Zara scarves and wearing lots of sweaters.  We're expecting the coldest weather this season where the temperatures are being forecasted to dive into the mid 20s area wide.  This is a big deal for us down here considering today we reached a high of 81 degrees.  It’s crazy how the weather changes so dramatically. 

{Shirt: J. Crew Crinkle Check Shirt (same color here);

Vest: J.Crew Factory Novelty Quilted Puffer Vest;

Jeans: Banana Republic Dark Wash Skinny Jean;

Necklace: J. Crew Crystal Garland Necklace (similar here);

Watch: Coach Boyfriend Bracelet Watch;

Bracelet: J. Crew Factory Square Stone Bracelet; Bracelet: Jenny Bird Wala Cuff;

Shoes: Banana Republic Suede Slouch Boots (similar here)}