In Spades

Style... in abundance

Life Lately

LolaIt’s been a while since I did a Life Lately post (5 months!) so I thought I’d share what’s been going on in my world.

This month we said goodbye to our sweet girl, Lola.  After 13 wonderful years, she crossed the rainbow bridge.  I won’t lie; it was incredibly hard and still is.  Sharing the news opened up so many heartfelt stories and responses from you.  I’m so grateful to be a part of an awesome community.

If you’ve been in my house, you know that artwork is not my strong suit.  I love and appreciate it, but have always been very bad about procuring and displaying it.  While walking the aisles of Target last weekend, I saw a woman carrying a large frame that looked identical to a Framebridge piece I have.  I beelined to the frame aisle and picked one up to display a photo of our sweet Lola.

It’s identical to the Framebridge one, great quality and only $18.

I also picked up this dress from Target’s collab with Christopher John Rogers.  It’s fun, flirty and has pockets (yay!) but I found it to run a tad small in the hips and it’s a bit restricting in the arms.

Want to know a secret for buying affordable designer collab pieces?  Stick to 100% cotton garments only.  They look and feel the best.  Trust me.

I’ve been doing a lot of journaling lately and realized my daughter’s baby book had run out of pages.  I picked up this one, which goes from pregnancy to 18 years.

What I love is that it has space for photos, blank pages and the questions are small and digestible.  There’s no pressure to document every tiny detail or write a dissertation.  I find the path of least resistance usually wins, and the ease of this baby book is awesome.

Finally, after hearing great things about Jessica Simpson’s autobiography I put it in my Target cart.  I’m only on page 70 but have laughed so hard and truly enjoyed her writing style.  Definitely recommend.

My 2021 Outlook

Vocabulary Boutique Super Chic EarringsNew year, new goals.

I witnessed something at the end of 2020 that can only be described as nothing short of magical.  A dear friend and small business owner asked for help in a very moving post.  Her community rose up with an incredible wave of support.  Check out the pièce de résistance here (wearing above).

It is this magic that I’m channeling into 2021.  While I still believe we have at least another 6 months of pandemic life, I am hopeful.  At some point this year I will travel again.  I will hang with large groups of friends.  I’ll bust out all the fabulous, ridiculous fashion.

I’m so inspired by stories of lifting each other up.  It’s a life mantra that I strive to practice daily.  Moving into 2021, I don’t have any massive goals or life overhauls planned.  But I do want to continue the momentum and consistency I was able to achieve in 2020.

I think the one good thing 2020 gave us was time to reflect.  Time to reflect on what matters most, what fuels us, and what we can do without.

Maybe it’s the new year, the dawn of the age of Aquarius or just breaking the Groundhog’s Day mold, but I feel so hopeful.  I think the world is on the verge of something great.  I’ve been doing a lot of reflecting on where I see myself in 5 years.  Will I still be blogging?  Could In Spades turn into a podcast?  A TV show?  Will I test my skills as a designer?

These are all very much on the table.

I hope you will join me for the ride.

Here’s to 2021.

Life Lately

6th Blog AnniversaryIt’s been a while since I’ve done a Life Lately post.  Since this will be one of my last posts of 2020, I thought it would be a great time to reflect on the last 12 months.
2020 Goals

I started off the year with some very specific goals.  With the exception of waking up early, I stuck with them all!

I have never posted more consistently on this blog in my life.  I maintained an average of 3 posts per week and did so despite shooting the least amount of content we ever have in the history of In Spades.  I’m so proud of this and had so much fun doing it.

I also exercised more this year than I ever have in my entire life.  Since getting a Peloton, I’ve only taken 5 days off from working out.  Who am I?!

Both of these things greatly contributed to feeling a sense of normalcy in a very abnormal time.

Pandemic Life

With my good consistency also came some not-so-good consistency.  I will of course blame the pandemic, but I drank more wine this year than I ever have.  I consistently went to bed later than I ever have.  Coming from someone who loves to be in bed by 9:30pm, that’s saying something.

I worry that my daughter watched too much TV this year.  Did she get enough mental stimulation?  Creative enrichment?  Did I do a good enough job as a parent for her this year?  For all the families out there juggling full-time work and childcare – I feel you.

At the start of 2020, I never would have thought one of my goals would be to “keep it together” but this year certainly proved to be a year of survival.

Fashion

This was a super weird year for many things, fashion included.  I vacillated between taking advantage of sales (hello, new denim) and purging a lot of my closet.  It became abundantly clear that we need so little to get by.  However, the emotional value that fashion provides for me remained constant.  Knowing that clothes are communal – and being greatly enriched by that emotional bond – I found myself wearing ridiculous outfits to the grocery store just to feel.

I did make some fun purchases, like these, in brown.

Pro tip: Nordstrom hides certain online items during sale season.  In order for these items to be viewable, you must have them saved in your Wish List.  I was able to score these at 50% off because my Wish List notified me they went on sale.  If you tried to search for them on the website, they were nowhere to be found.  Only people who had them saved to a Wish List could access them until Nordstrom opened them up to the public.

Moving Forward

I would be remiss not to mention how hard the world was hit this year.  I know I don’t need to tell you, but the physical, mental, emotional, financial and social impact our world experienced in 2020 was profound.

It is not lost on me that people lost loved ones, their livelihoods and more.  My heart goes out to all – not a single person has been immune to the effects of 2020.  I appreciate each and every one of you for coming back to read this blog, engage with me and share your thoughts.  I’m sending you all well wishes and hopes for a wonderful start to 2021.

Life Lately

Joie Spring 2019

Top // Shorts // Sandals // Sunglasses // Earrings (top, shorts, sandals 75% off!)

I thought I would switch things up from my usual What I’m Coveting Wednesday and share my life lately.

The past month has been absolutely bonkers.  While the world is far from back to normal, I feel like everything has switched into overdrive.  Work, kids going back to school and lots of reflecting seem to be the norm for a lot of people right now.

Fitness

I’ve managed to stay consistent with my workouts (check out my review of the Peloton here) which has definitely helped my mental clarity as much as my physical wellbeing.

I was talking to a friend about “the COVID 15” and how our bodies seem to react 80% to food (what you eat) and 20% to exercise (how you workout).  I’ve never been one to diet – I’ve done one juice cleanse in my life and that’s it – but am interested in following the Mediterranean diet.  This recipe by the Barefoot Contessa looks incredible.  Bonus points that you can make it 1 day ahead of time and pop it in the oven when you’re ready to eat.

Amazon Purchases

The what I purchased on Amazon blog post is quickly becoming a popular feature for many bloggers.  While I don’t do much shopping on Amazon beyond Kleenex and cleaning supplies, two of my best ever beauty finds are from Amazon.

These hair ties are the absolute best.  Hands down.  They never stretch out, can handle thick hair and are totally seamless so there’s no pulling or damage to your hair.

This curling wand is the best $20 I’ve ever spent.  I have it in both sizes (0.5-1 inch and 1-1.5 inches).  My ONLY complaint is that the wand is cylindrical – thick on one side, narrow on the other.  I wish it came in a non-tapered barrel.  The only well-reviewed ones I’ve been able to find have just one heat setting which isn’t ideal.  If you have a favorite 1 inch curling wand, let me know!

Fashion Finds

I’ve been thinking a lot about my closet and the pieces that are the best finds (like these sandals).  I realized that I have a lot of stuff that just kind of fits the bill.  I either gave up on finding the “perfect” piece or was too lazy to deal with returning something that worked but wasn’t perfect.

This, I realized, is the great conundrum of modern closets.  It’s the reason our closets are stuffed full.  The reason why we feel like we “don’t have anything to wear.”

My goal moving forward is to stick with only those pieces that check ALL the boxes.  If the sweater is beautiful but a tad itchy, than it’s not the sweater for me.

I did a big sweep and sent a box to The RealReal.  I listed a bunch of stuff on Poshmark.  And for anything that can’t be donated, I used the For Days Take Back Bag.

Are you cleaning your closet out during the pandemic?  Should I do a post on Capsule Wardrobes?

Shop the Post

Life Lately

Pangaia cropped t-shirtPangaia cropped t-shirtTop // Jeans // Sneakers // Sunglasses

I’ll be honest.  The past two weeks have kicked my butt.  I am SO ready for the weekend.

Instead of my normal Fashion Friday, a Life Lately post feels more appropriate.  There is so much in my head that I want to get down on paper… er, screen.

Workouts

I’m super proud to say that I have completed 90 consecutive rides on our Peloton.  Since it arrived, I haven’t missed a day.  It truly is my daily moment of peace, clarity and grit all rolled into one.

Once I reach my century ride, I’m considering changing up my schedule and working in the BBG program.  Cardio-wise I’m SET.  But I’m feeling the need for some strength training (even though I do work in an arm interval on some of my rides).  I really think it will be just what I need and get me to the next level on the bike.

What workouts are you loving right now?

Indulgences

The long coveted item that I teased on Instagram has finally arrived.  My plan was to post a review for Fashion Friday, but I haven’t had time to film.  Rest assured, it’s coming!

Speaking of cult items, I’m curious.  When something is super trendy, how do you react?  Are you intrigued?  Do you wait for the hype to die down before you really assess whether you’ll purchase?  Or do you avoid it altogether?

I never been one to follow the pack when it comes to fashion, but I can’t resist a piece that goes against the grain.  And this item I’ve been coveting for 3 years is certainly not conventionally “pretty”.  It definitely goes against the grain.

Fashion News

Transitioning to fashion that IS breathtakingly pretty, you must check out Valentino’s couture collection.  While Dior went miniature, Valentino went larger than life.  It was haunting, heart wrenchingly beautiful fashion.  I found myself sitting up taller, pulling my shoulders back and tearing up while watching.  It was 12 minutes of escapism; the silhouettes still flashing like vivid memories in my head.

I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again.  Pierpaolo Piccioli could not be a better choice for the house of Valentino.  I just adore him.

Just for Fun

If you’ve been following me for a while, you know I am a total nerd at heart.  Film is my other deep passion when it comes to creative mediums and action, adventure and sci-fi are my genres.

Each year my husband and I attend Comicon.  We cosplay, attend panels, take pics and bash around the Gaslamp like the eternal kids we are at heart.  Of course there will be no Comicon this year, but to commemorate the occasion I’ll be posting my favorite moments from over the years.

Join me on Instagram!