Blog Change-over Reminder

Hey Everyone, just a reminder that I am now posting over at my new and updated blog Denim & Dots!

Be sure to check out today’s post, Old Navy Top Picks

As of tomorrow, any visits here will be automatically directed over there.

Please be sure to subscribe to the new blog if you want to continue to receive email updates, and click on the link provided there to follow the new blog on Bloglovin’

Thanks so much!

Blog Revamp and Happy Hour

Happy Friday to you all!

So I have some exciting news to share! I’ve decided to revamp my blog, including a new name, address, and look. I realize this will be kind of a pain at first changing over, but I really think it is for the best in the long run and I sincerely hope you will stick with me through the changes. In light that the blog has become mostly style blogging, I’ve decided to rename after 2 of my favorite things, “Denim & Dots” – hope you all like! The new blog address is denimanddots.com  and you can pop over now to check it out, although I won’t officially be making the change over to blogging there until Tuesday. For those of you here for the food, don’t worry, I will still be doing some of that too, I just decided some changes were in order given the way my blog has evolved and I wanted a fun new name that reflected that. My recipe index needs to be reworked a little to update the links, but it will be there too!

What does this mean for you?

1. If you are a Facebook follower you won’t need to do anything except know that as of Tuesday you will be seeing Denim & Dots in your feed instead of LowcarbHighstyle. Same thing, different name.

2. If you want to get an email notifying you about new post you will need to resubscribe at the new blog, my apologies for the inconvenience

3. If you are a Bloglovin follower, you will want to use the Bloglovin button provided to follow the new blog, except for a few posts reminding you about the change over, you won’t be seeing feed from LowcarbHighstyle anymore

4. I know it is a little bit of trouble, but if you have me on your Blogroll, please take a second to update my blog info – many thanks for your support!!

5. I will be setting up a redirect so if you visit LowcarbHighstyle you will automatically be redirected to Denim & Dots

Thanks to you all for your loyal following!

Now onto the fun stuff…

My brother-in-law, Anthony, came into town late Wednesday night so yesterday we planned a fun happy hour with friends on the rooftop of the downtown Seattle Hard Rock Cafe. It is a gorgeous venue, with beautiful views, and we had a fabulous time! I dressed up a bit because after happy hour I was headed to the 5th Avenue Theatre to see Rent, which was also fabulous. “Take Me or Leave Me” is one of my favorite musical songs ever, and the cast did a great job.

I wore my favorite long red maxi skirt that you’ve already seen a few times, but kept it a little more casual by pairing with a basic white tank, a chunky necklace and a some gold gladiator type sandals with a small heel.

How are you wearing maxi skirts this year?

Skirt – Halogen (similar), Tank – H&M, Necklace – Gift (similar), Shoes – Nine West, Bag – Ferragamo (similar)

Hope you all have a fabulous weekend!!

Orange & Blue

Hey Everyone! Hope you all made it through another Wednesday.

My day was actually pretty good. After an intense 8 minute workout at Crossfit, I got ready to go to lunch with my friend, Julie! I eat lunch at home most days so it is always a nice treat to go out with fun company. Even better, we went to Nordstrom, which honestly puts a smile on my face no matter what – so many pretty things to look at! I even got to go to Nordy’s a second time this evening with Michael to pick up a jacket he was having tailored, and while we were there I found an awesome little straw hat that will be perfect for some upcoming trips we have. Pretty fabulous day for Amy!

I recently ordered this royal blue “Bubble Necklace” from ebay that I really wanted to wear – it is a knock off of one from J. Crew that costs $150. I don’t have that kind of budget so this one suits me just fine at $13.99 instead. Yay! I’m already trying to decide which color to order next… I’m thinking white.

I decided to show it off over a basic orange tank, and then paired with white jeans and my Payless shoes that are still going strong. I swear, if you ever come across a printed shoe that includes most of your favorite colors, don’t hesitate to get them. Even better if the cost you less than $20. I ended up adding my striped blazer for the evening as it got a little cooler.

Jeans – Ann Taylor (similar), Tank – Loft (similar), Blazer – H&M (similar), Necklace – Ebay, Shoes – Payless, Bag – Kate Spade

 

Neon!

Hope you all had a fabulous weekend! We had a really hot one here, well, hot for Seattle anyway. We spent the weekend having fun with my cousin, Tami, and her boyfriend, Kevin, who are visiting.

Saturday we headed out to the wineries in Woodinville to do a little tasting…

Followed by a stop at a good friend’s BBQ and then dinner out. Sunday we went to brunch then spent the afternoon enjoying the sun on our terrace. Tami and I may have also watched 5 hours of reality television…

For today’s post though, I’m showing you a neon pink t-shirt, 2 different ways.

The first outfit I wore to dinner and a movie a month or so back, so I dressed this shirt up a bit by pairing with skinny jeans, a blazer, cage sandals, and a sparkly necklace.

Jeans – J Brand, Shirt – Loft (similar), Blazer – H&M (similar), Shoes – Franco Sarto (similar), Jewelry – Premier Designs

For a cool, casual look today I simply paired the same top with a pair of white denim cut off shorts, did a little half tuck with the shirt, and added some sparkly sandals and a long necklace.

Would you wear a color this bright?

Shorts – Old Navy, Shirt – Loft (similar), Shoes – Steve Madden (similar), Jewelry – Premier Designs

Arugula, Feta, and Watermelon Salad

As previously mentioned, my cousin, Tami, was in town last week and we did some grilling for dinner, per usual. I made a delicious salad for an appetizer that I adapted from a recipe in this month’s InStyle magazine. I loved the sweet fruit, with the salty cheese, and little bit of peppery arugula, so tasty!

Ingredients:

Large container of watermelon chunks, or cut one up yourself

About 5 cups of arugula salad

About a 1/2 pound of feta, cut into chunks

For Vinaigrette:

1/2 cup olive oil

Juice of 1 lime

2 Tbsp champagne vinegar

1 shallot, minced

1/2 a jalepeno, seeded and minced (recipe originally called for 1 serrano chile, thinly sliced but I couldn’t find any)

1 tsp dried thyme (recipe originally called for 1/2 Tbsp fresh thyme chopped)

1/4 tsp sea salt

 

Directions:

Mix together all ingredients in a jar or dressing bottle and shake vigorously.

Put arugula in salad bowl and toss with dressing until lightly coated.

Put arugula on salad plates, and top with chunks of watermelon and feta.

Drizzle over all with more dressing.

 

That’s it, here it is!

Pattern Mixed and Chanel Inspired

Well today I’m posting 2 outfits because I wanted to participate in 2 different blogger challenges. I was planning on getting one of these done over the weekend, but I ended up having to go out of town, no big deal, everyone needs 2 outfits for a Tuesday : )

I really enjoy doing these challenges because they force me to think outside of the box and create outfits I might otherwise not have tried.

First challenge is over at Marionberry Style , where it was recently announced she is expecting her first baby, congrats Marion! I’m sure she will have plenty of gorgeous maternity outfits to share with us, but tomorrow she is hosting her trend of the month challenge: Pattern Mixing. When she posted this I was actually excited because I had this idea for pattern mixing in my head for awhile, I just needed a push to do it. So my apologies if you are tired of my red, white, & blue, but I just couldn’t help myself. I went ahead and mixed a navy and red patterned skirt, with a navy and white striped shirt. I think stripes are one of the easiest things to pattern mix with, you just need stripes that pull out a color in whatever other piece you are wearing. Be sure to see how all the other bloggers mix their patterns tomorrow!

Skirt – Sisley, Shirt – Old Navy (similar), Shoes – Target

Now for Rich Life on a Budget’s and Everything Just So‘s “How I Wear My: Chanel-inspired Look”, I loved the idea of this challenge, but was trying to figure out how I was going to do this outfit for the Summer. I decided pearls definitely needed to be included, then I just started kind of pulling things out and trying different combos until I came up with this. Lace, bows, a denim pencil skirt, and a flower pin with the pearls pull it all together into a modern but ladylike, Chanelesque look. I sometimes forget how much I love a looser blouse tucked into a high waisted skirt. Stop by tomorrow to see how everyone else finds inspiration from the great Coco Chanel!

Skirt – Loft (similar), Blouse – H&M (similar), Shoes – Enzo Angiolini, Necklace – Premier Designs, Flower Pin – H&M

New York through Now

Sorry for the lack of posting, I thought life would go back to something closer to normal after the wedding, but it has been the opposite of that! But I have a post with lots of stuff today to make it up : )

As previously mentioned, we flew to New York for my sister in law’s wedding that took place on July 21st, and just got back this past Monday. It was a beautiful day, every detail spectacular.

For the rehearsal dinner, I wore a dress I picked up at Express earlier this summer, that came with a belt in the same material, so to mix it up, I took that out and replaced it with a fun skinny green belt.

Dress – Express (similar), Belt – Old Navy (similar), Clutch – Express, Shoes – Louboutin

The wedding day started nice and early, and we were getting our hair done so I decided to give some clip in extensions I had a picked up a shot. They are real hair so you can curl and straighten them, and easy to put in – a fun way to change things up! I got them at Sally’s Beauty Supply for about $130 dollars. See here.

I was in the wedding party so wasn’t able to get a lot of pictures, but I did get this one with the bride and groom! She was radiant!

The morning after the wedding there was a brunch, to which I wore a cute sundress I picked up at Marshall’s for $14.99 – it has little sailboats on it! I paired with my new favorite shoes, a gold wedge I picked up for $20 at Kohl’s.

Dress- Marshall’s (similar), Wedges – Kohl’s (similar), Necklace – Premier Designs

We finally made it back to Seattle, and for a day of running errands I wore green polka dot shorts that I adore, and paired with a royal blue top – I really like the green and blue combo! I decided to add just the front clips of my extensions for a little extra length in the front where my hair refuses to grow – you will probably be seeing that a lot!

Shorts – Old Navy, Top – Ann Taylor (similar), Shoes – Kohl’s (similar), Bracelet – Premier Designs

And finally, on Thursday night I was very excited to have my cousin, Tami, in town and staying with us so we went out for a bit! She is coming back with her boyfriend this Friday as well for a longer visit and I can’t wait! (I also made a great dinner on Wednesday night for her, will get that posted sometime soon)

I wore a dress that I was fortunate enough to get handed down to me from my MIL this past trip. It is a gorgeous Michael Kors tank dress with an assymetrical hem. Perfect for a warm summer night out. I added a metallic belt and black wedges. This was the best pic I could get, not sure why my face is so shiny!

Dress – Michael Kors (similar), Belt – Loft (similar), Wedges – Target

Happy Monday, I’ll be back tomorrow!

Nordstrom Anniversary Sale Picks!

The best sale of the year has come along, get some of these great items while you can! And remember, Nordstrom has free shipping with no minimum.

My favorite purchase this year was this gorgeous leather jacket for $229.90, worth every penny. Looks like it is only available in pink now, I got the black, but I can tell you it was a hard choice to make. If you are looking for a softer color, this is truly stunning.

I also fell in love with these polka dot jeans, a steal on sale for $39.90. They run big, I ended up with a size 2.

Can we talk about how cute this jacket with faux fur collar is? Would be goreous over a silk blouse and skinny jeans with boots. $79.90

You all have seen me wear my leather pencil skirt quite a few times, and Halogen has a slightly different version out this year that is stunning. Almost $100 savings at $149.90.

Want something to snuggle up in this Fall? How about this adorable tunic. I like this with a more relaxed fit, the Medium worked best on me. $45.90

Love this gorgeous floaty blouse that comes in a ton of colors for $37.90.

I can’t wait to pull out last year’s Tahari cape for the Fall, and this year’s version is just as beautiful. $119.90

I love a knit blazer, all the comfort of a sweater, but a more p0lished look. This one comes in a number of great colors for just $38.90.

What did I miss? Any great finds you want to share?

5 Years

Hey Everyone, back from New York, and while the wedding was fabulous, today will be a bit of a sad post. I promise to return to regular, happier posting tomorrow.

I found out Sunday morning after the wedding that someone who is a big part of my life lost his son in the tragic shooting at the theatre in Denver, and it is just so sad to see a family you care about have to go through something so terrible. My heart goes out to all those affected.

This comes right at the same time I was thinking about what to post for the 5 year anniversary of my best friend Jenn’s passing.

It is yet another reminder of how fragile life can be, and to take advantage everyday to do the things you love, spend time with the people you love, and make sure those people know just how important they are. You never know the last time you might get to give them a hug.

Jenn, there isn’t a day I don’t wish you were still here. I wake up and see your picture on my nightstand, see the crest you stitched above my vanity, see the picture of us dressed as an angel and a devil for Halloween in college, in the frame you made me, but more than anything you are in my heart, my memories, my stories, and will continue to be a part of my life no matter how many years go by.

If you knew Jenn, please feel free to share a memory or thoughts here or on her Facebook page, I know it brings comfort to her family to be reminded how many lives Jenn touched and the happiness and laughter she brought to people.

(Below is a picture of my wedding bouquet with our sorority pins together on it, a little reminder of Jenn there with me all day)

Guest Post from Everyday Polished

Happy Friday’s Eve to you all! I’m having a great time here in New York, gearing up for my sister-in-law’s rehearsal dinner tonight, and then the big day on Saturday!

The gorgeous Stefanie of Everyday Polished was kind enough to volunteer to do a guest post for me while I’m running around here. She just started her blog in April, and I’m glad to have found it because she puts together some adorable outfits (see my fav post so far here, so many great ideas for my pink blazer!), finds amazing bargains, and I look forward to following for inspiration – be sure to check it out!

Hi everybody! My name is Stefanie, and I’m guest posting from Everyday Polished at http://everydaypolished.blogspot.com/.

I’m a teacher, and I spend a ton of money on dry cleaning during the school year. During the summer, I really try to keep me wardrobe as low maintenance as possible without living in sweatpants. My secret to still having a fun style while keeping it comfy and casual is fun color-blocked colors and unique jewelry. In my outfit below, I take a simple t-shirt from TJ Maxx and pair it with a fun colored necklace. This outfit is comfortable, fun and machine washable!

What I’m Wearing:

Mustard T-Shirt: TJ Maxx- $6.50

J. Crew Necklace: Via eBay – $17.50

White Jeans: Ann Taylor LOFT Signature Straight -$69.50 (sold out online, but available in stores)

Flip Flops: Banana Republic 2009 – $19.50

Thanks to Amy for letting me guest post and I hope everyone has a great summer!