August Budget

Each month as a sit and recount my purchases I have the same two thoughts - "I got that many things?!" and "Am I forgetting something?"

One might think that I could have the decency to not only recall what I have decided to spend my money on, and furthermore, actually wear those things. Yet, a number of these items have yet to be worn, let alone make it to the blog.

Let's recount: M.I.H. Jeans. Loved them on Meg, so when they were on sale and she texted me the link, I bought them, and haven't worn them yet, though they did just arrive on Tuesday.

Things from Banana Republic. Friends and Family Sale + credit card rewards = me feeling like I have an obligation to buy things. I haven't worn any of these pieces yet.

Coco's on the Green fill a bag sale. I went on pretty much the last day, but still managed to find a Milly skirt (and I even found a picture to include below!) therefore, to make my $10 bag feel more worthwhile I scrounged up three other pieces I didn't necessarily need (not pictured). Haven't worn anything yet.

Roundabout summer clearance sale. I always manage to find something, this year it was a floral Equipment blouse. I'm feeling like I need to cool it with the floral tops, I'm probably reaching 20 by now. I did wear it! It will be on the blog next week.

Old Navy green shorts. It hasn't been much a shorts summer for me, but again, I've been envying Meg's green shorts, so I got them. Worn once.

Loft silk square scarf. I wore this out of the store, and it's probably gotten the most use of any of these things, haha.

Old Navy Shorts, free after rewards
Banana Republic Factory Knit Top, $5 after rewards
Banana Republic Factory Cherry Blossom Top, $5 after rewards
Banana Republic One Shoulder Top, $6 after rewards
Equipment Floral Blouse, $24 via Roundabout
Loft Square Silk Scarf, $10
M.I.H. Tomboy Jeans, $55 via The Outnet
Milly Linen Skirt, J.Crew Peplum Top, J.Crew Cotton Scarf, Loft Cardigan, $10 via Coco's on The Green

Gifted Items
Hobbs Dress
JORD Watch

Sunflower Field

Connecticut is home to several farms with sunflower fields. I know the ones which get the biggest draw are Buttonwood in Griswold, and Lymann Orchards in Middlefield (they do have a maze which would probably be really fun), however why drive an hour for sunflowers when there is a huge field just a few towns away in North Branford? This field might not have a website or even an active Facebook page, but it's there all the same. Stopping for a visit was on my list of things I wanted to do last summer, however, here we are, last week of August this summer, and I finally made it!

Sunflowers might not top my list of favorite flowers, but to see the field, bright, seemingly endless yellow stretched out - I certainly have an appreciation for their beauty.

           

The Rundown

Maxi Dress ASOS similar
Mules Madewell
Round Rattan Bag Etsy
Straw Boater Hat Hinge similar
Necklace "Greer V" Gorjana similar
Fatima Bracelet c/o Gorjana similar
Bee Ring Kohl's similar
Gold Wrap Ring Gift from Meg
Sunglasses "Meteor" Ray-Ban c/o TJMaxx

Linking up with I Do deClaire's Confident Twosday

and

Sandy a la Mode's On Trend Tuesday

Connecticut Blogger Brunch

In a few weeks I will hit the nine year mark for this blog. In 2011 I met other Connecticut bloggers for the first time, which is when I met Meg in person! Since then the CT blogger community hasn't been particularly strong, so I was very excited when Nonee created the Connecticut Blogger Collective and put together an amazing brunch to bring 25 local bloggers together!

The brunch was held at Heirloom Market in Weathersfield, a charming location I'd never before visited, but I loved their private event setup and the food was all so delicious! Nonee did an amazing job with the tablescape with floral arrangements from Eddy Farm.

It was so nice to talk with other bloggers about the way blogging has been evolving over the years and how best to make an impact. We talked a lot about Instagram and even spent some time looking at each others feeds and giving constructive criticism.

It makes me so happy to see a Connecticut blogger community growing after all these years and I hope to have many more future opportunities to socialize, collaborate, and learn from these amazing women.

                  

The Rundown

Florence Broadhurst Japanese Floral Dress Kate Spade ebay

Heels "Reverse" Charles by Charles David similar

Snakeskin Box Purse c/o Vintanthromodern similar

Necklace The Cavernous Jewelry Box

Sunglasses "Cinque Terre" Kam Dhillon c/o Coastal

Nail Color "Zip Me Up" Essie

Linking up with Pink Sole's How I Spring

and

Oh To Be A Muse's Lookbook Linkup
and
By Lauren M's Mix it Monday

First four photos are by Jessica Meade

A Very British Affair

Thanks to Hobbs for collaborating on this post!

If you didn't catch my post yesterday, check it out here - and spoiler alert - the british womenswear brand Hobbs now has a gorgeous flagship store in Greenwich, CT!

Hobbs was kind enough to lend me another piece to style, and I know, I'm super boring and literally chose the same dress in a different print and fabric! It's just such a classic silhouette, and one I know works well for me. Honestly, I was really undecided about which dress I wanted to keep, but my love of stripes ultimately won out.

I can not believe this is the last weekend of August! Even though August is a long month, and there is still mostly all of next week, this is the last weekend. I have no plans other than avoiding stores, because I simply can not do anymore shopping this month. (If you can do some shopping, then take advantage of 20% off everything at Hobbs right now!) Currently I'm feeling really anxious, as our lease is up this month and we have not found anywhere new to live. Even though we got the okay from our landlord to go month-to-month ages ago, I just really had thought we'd be moving soon and of course have my future dog all picked out. Alas, we have not found a house we (I) are willing to commit life savings and the next 10 years to, and pet friendly rentals in our budget are full of cringe worthy kitchens and gross carpets - there are some things I'm simply not willing to compromise on!

If there is one thing I'd like to do this weekend, it would be to find a way to relax and actually enjoy it, rather than my usual approach of doing something which should be relaxing but then feeling guilty the entire time. What do you do when you want to destress?

      

The Rundown
Belinda Shirtdress Borrowed from Hobbs
Sandals Franco Sarto via TJMaxx similar
Micro Perry Satchel Rebecca Minkoff c/o Shopbop
Silk Scarf Loft similar
Straw Hat Kate Spade Outlet similar
White and Rose Gold Link Bracelet c/o Jeweshop
Sunglasses Ralph by Ralph Lauren similar
Nail Color "Zip Me Up" Essie

Linking up with Jeans and a Teacup's Flasback Friday (one year ago today)

From London With Love

Thanks to Hobbs for sponsoring this post!

The British womenswear brand Hobbs, which has been around since 1981, finally made its way across the pond last year in a standalone store in the Westchester New York mall, and just this past March opened their first US flagship store in Greenwich, Connecticut.

I was so delighted when Hobbs invited me to come visit the beautiful new Greenwich store, which is warm and bright; accented with large ornate mirrors, a faux fireplace and some very inviting couches by the shoe section (with the most adorable throw pillows!) And while I'm talking about the shoes, it's worth mentioning that Hobbs actually started out as a shoe brand before encompassing all womenswear, so they have their own shoe factory in Italy.

Hobbs pieces are rich with color and pattern, but also have bit of a timeless feel to them. While I shopped the store I noticed some fall pieces filtering in, but of course stuck to summer dresses that could transition, as you know I like to embrace summer until the very end!

Which isn't to say there aren't some very delicious fall preview pieces on their website right now - I'm looking at you, ruffle sleeve sweater!

Hobbs also does a special collection each year in collaboration with Historic Royal Palaces, it's almost like being able to wear a little bit of British royal history!

I should also mention that right now you can get 20% off everything at Hobbs, and if you can't make it to the Greenwich location, you can of course shop online!

Hobbs is located at 243 Greenwich Ave, Greenwich, CT 06830 and 125 Westchester Avenue, White Plains, White Plains, NY 10601

        

The Rundown

Joyce Shirt Dress c/o Hobbs
Huarache Mules "Camila" Rebecca Minkoff similar
Pink Bag "Penny" Coach via ebay similar
Blue Teardrop Necklace c/o A Jewelry Crush
Pearl Anchor Bracelet Made by Me similar
Ring Gorjana via TJMaxx similar
Chevron Ring Etsy via Silver Canyon Jewelry
Bee Ring Kohl's similar
Sunglasses "Meteor" Ray-Ban c/o TJMaxx
Nail Color "Zip Me Up" Essie

Stylin' in St. Louis's Spotlight Linkup

and

Elegance & Mommyhood's Thursday Moda

Hobbs provided me with this dress for the purpose of this post. As always, my views and opinions are my own. Thanks for supporting the brands who support Chic on the Cheap!