Stripes and stuff-Part 2

Happy Friday! Although I must say I hope your Friday is a lot better than mine. I had a rough morning after driving an hour to take my oldest to an ENT appt and being stressed out the whole time and praying that I would make it on time to pickup my 3 year old at school. Well, long story short, I made it out on time but noticed my car temperature was extremely high while on the expressway. So I pulled over, waited for my husband and his friend, took his friends car and headed down to pickup my son. I was 20 minutes late and boy was I upset. He didnt notice at all, thank god! And the best part, my car needed to be towed to the shop because it was way overheated! Ugh!!! I hate car problems! Anyways, I just wanted to do this short post which is part of my last post, before the weekend. Here, I show you how to dress down an outfit with simply changing 2 items. I changed the striped blazer for a denim jacket and the heels for sandals and tada!!! Easy and comfy running errands outfit! Have a great weekend!!!

XOXO,

Isa

Top: The Closet Boutique

Jacket: LC by Lauren Conrad via Kohls

Shorts: Marshalls

Purse: Juicy Couture (old)

Sandals: Shoedazzle

Necklace: Beauty Mark Miami

Bracelet: Brina Box

Stripes...and stuff

It is a gloomy and rainy day down here. My alarm rang at 7am although I didn't believe it thanks to the darkness. And having to drop off the kids at school under rain was not fun! I have to be honest...I miss my boys when I drop them off at school, but only having one at home is so relaxing! Yes, I love them and miss them all the time but geesh, it's so different not having them all fighting all day long! It's awesome!!! LOL And any mother who tells me otherwise, is lying!!! So anyways, let's get into today's outfit details...Stripes were big in the summer and they will continue to shine throughout fall as well. Any striped blazer adds instant "chic" to any outfit. I chose my super comfy chiffon black shorts and a bright top to add some color. Don't over accessorize since the blazer is bold enough. With that said, I wore this simple tassel necklace and only one bracelet for this outfit. These pointed toe heels are great. Wear them with jeans, a dress, pencil skirt for work, and as I did, shorts, and they'll make any look a little more elegant. Can we talk a little about this handbag?! I purchased this Juicy Couture bag about 5 years ago while on vacation in Las Vegas. It's obviously in perfect condition since I hardly used it. I love it! It complemented the tassle necklace and shoes so well that I just had to bring it out! Which brings me back to what I've said in other posts...DO NOT disregard items you have shoved in the abyss of your closet just because you've worn them already or you may think they are 'out of style'. In the words of YSL..."Fashion fades but style is eternal".

Have a great Monday!

XOXO,

Isa

Blazer: Kensie via Hautelook (similar)

Blouse: The Closet Boutique-Miami

Shorts: Marshalls

Shoes: Zara 

Handbag: Juicy Couture (old)

Tassel Necklace: Beauty Mark Miami 

Bracelet: Brina Box

Fall Ready Maxis

Happy Monday and happy second week of school for all the kiddies! It was a tough first week getting everyone (including myself) back into the routine but we made it through well. I am happy to report that my 3 year old is adjusting amazingly to Prek3. He wakes up easily and happy to get ready to go to school. Walks holding his older brothers hand and kisses us all good bye and walks into his class like a big boy! I'm so proud! I am predicting next year won't be so easy with my "super attached to me" 3 year old. As we latins like to say, he has major "mamamitis". But I'll deal with that one when the time arrives.

Today, we're talking about summer maxis. We all think of them as a summer staple piece but why not a fall or winter piece? Where I live, summer is year round. So it makes it easy to continue wearing these summer pieces well into fall and winter! With a little addition of fall colors, these soft, flowing skirts can do you good all year long! This particular maxi skirt I chose is great because you can actually adjust the length by wearing it as a high waist skirt or you can pull it down and show a little more skin. I chose high waist since I am on the way shorter side! And how about that color?! Peach is so girly and fun! I wore this with a floral bustier back in May for my husbands birthday party and was the perfect summer outfit for those hot summer nights. Now, I want to continue wearing it well after labor day so I paired it with this black 3/4 sleeve crop top along with a little black clutch and these Gucci heels that are and forever will be my guilty pleasure! I got these a couple years back at the Gucci store in Atlantis (Bahamas), and I've been in love ever since. They were definitely a splurge but not so bad when it was really a little Blackjack fun that got me them! HAHA!!! So back to the maxis, don't shove them in the back of your closet! Add some fall touches to them, and head out the door!

Have a fabulous day!

XOXO,

Isa

Crop Top and Maxi Skirt: Love Culture

Purse: Vintage

Necklace: Shoedazzle

Shoes: Gucci

"Why fit in when you were born to stand out!!!"

Today I wanted to show you guys how to take a dress that you assume would be for a fun night outing to a comfortable and stylish look for daytime. I got this hi-lo dress at Love Culture last year to wear at night for a cruise. It fit the occasion perfect. It's tropical with the floral print and cool with the sweetheart neckline and also has an open back. Now I wanted to wear it a little differently so I added this denim shirt I had in my closet from Target, tied it at the front and then used these colorful sandals to complement the floral print. Let's not forget this gorgeous beaded shell necklace to finish the look! Remember not to rule out pieces in your closet that you might have already worn and think you have no use for. Play around with items you already have. Mix denim with anything! Dress down a dress you may think you can only wear with heels by adding some grungy and textured pieces. And most importantly, be confident when you wear it! Trust me, I get major heat (by heat I mean laughing) from my husband and his friends with some of my outfits because they have no fashion sense what so ever. HAHA But honestly, I just smile! It's my style, I feel comfortable in it, and I don't care if anyone else likes it or not! I do! And that's all that matters! Like the saying goes...Why fit in when you were born to stand out!!! 

Have a great Wednesday!!!

XOXO,

Isa

 Hi-Lo Floral Dress: Love Culture

Denim Shirt: Target

Necklace: Palest Pink (similar)

Sandals: Vince Camuto

Bracelets: Charlotte Russe and Beauty Mark Miami

Here's a (not so good) pic of the hubby and I last year wearing this hi-lo dress...  

Too Close To Home

Today I wanted to do something a little different. As a mother, I can't possibly imagine the pain of losing a child. We all hope to never be in a situation like that. But sometimes, we can't control what life throws at us. I myself have been in difficult situations with my children. My first born was diagnosed with Pyloric Stenosis three weeks after his birth. He underwent surgery and luckily, 9 years later, he is a healthy young boy. My third baby was diagnosed last year with a severe staph infection one month before his first birthday. He had 3 golf size abscesses in his neck which needed surgery to drain. He spent almost a month at the hospital. Only getting discharged 3 days before his first birthday and with a picc line inserted in his arm so that I could administer IV antibiotics at home. It was always a bump in the road. Every time he seemed to be getting better, then he would get worse. Another abscess would appear meaning the bacteria in his body would not go away. It was scary, stressful and frustrating because you have no power to make it better. Luckily, after much antibiotics and hospital care, the bacteria was controlled and completely left his body. Now he is a happy and very active little 2 year old. But throughout his entire stay in the hospital undergoing 3 surgeries, many IV's inserted and removed, many blood drawings and lots of other things that are just too painful to remember, he kept a smile on his face and would always laugh with his doctors. They could not believe how such a small little boy going through so much could possibly smile. I truly believe it's the innocent soul that is inside all children. Which brings me to the reason for this post.

As a Miami Native, I too was touched by a little girl named Bella. Her fight with cancer and her joyful spirit has touched everyone around the world. Reading her story, you cant' help but think why are we always complaining about our lives and why are we always arguing and fighting and blaming everyone and everything around us for our problems. Bella embraced what God gave her and was thankful everyday. I didn't know her personally but I think I can speak for everyone when I say, I felt like I did. Bella is no longer here on earth with us but rather looking over us and her story and spirit will forever live on. Her parents are truly an inspiration to us all because of the strength they have shown to the world in dealing with their little girls passing but I really just can't imagine the pain of losing a child. As parents, we all hope and pray we are never in that situation. 

Below is a flyer of some Live Like Bella events that are taking place. With everyone's support, we can do our best to try to control childhood cancer. It's a very sad problem but a very real one and I think if everyone lends a hand we can work hard to find cures and keep our children running and laughing on our playgrounds here on earth! Please see below and help in any which way you can!

XOXO,

Isa

www.livelikebella.com

www.facebook.com/livelikebella

 

LIVE LIKE BELLA!

Sweet Romance

I need to start off by apologizing for my lack of posts last week. I was preparing for back to school and unfortunately, I had no one to take pictures. But this week I do! And now that I've dropped off 2 of my 3 boys for a new school year, let's start the week off right with this refreshing romantic look. I love everything about this...the flirty skirt, the printed ankle strap pumps, the school girl collar, the vintage lace...and the list goes on! 

I'll be honest, I was hesitant  about these "skater" skirts. I always thought how adorable they were when I saw people wearing them but never gave them a chance because of the "fluff" they have. LOL These skirts are not made for us full figured bottoms! They tend to lift up at the back but with some little tricks up my chiffon sleeve, I managed to make it work. And now I love these skirts!

First, I wore the zipper to the side instead of in the back because the zipper made it a littler stiffer which caused it to lift. Then I dug through my drawers and found some all black biker shorts. Yes, biker shorts. Thin and light...I wore them underneath the skirt and adjusted the length to just under where the skirt fell on my leg and got rid of my worries of being "exposed". It kind of doubles as a skort!

This blouse ::sigh:: is pure perfection. It was the perfect complement to the skirt. The lace and collar make it so sweet and girly. You can also wear it with jeans and wedges for a more casual modern look (future post).

Hope the kiddos have a great first day of school and hope you are enjoying your back to school freedom! I sure am! 

Happy Monday!!!

Love, 

Isa

Blouse: Romeo and Juliet Couture

Skirt: Maison Blanche

Tear Drop Earrings: Beauty Mark Miami

Ankle Strap Pumps: Zara

Purse: Shoedazzle

Cat Eye Sunglasses: Isaac Mizrahi

Red Lip Colour: NARS Velvet Matte Lip Pencil-Dragon Girl (Sephora)

Transitioning Summer Heat to Fall Heat!

It's Monday! Yipppeeeee!!!! Said no one...ever! Unless of course you did an online order last week and your scheduled delivery date is Monday, then you have cause for dancing and singing. I personally love receiving packages. It brightens my day! LOL I'm sure there are many of you who feel the same!

So I wanted to discuss a little something that we're seeing everywhere: Fall trends! Now, I personally have a little problem with this. As much as I would love to dress according to each season, living in year round 80 degree weather makes it a little difficult. One big fall trend is bold outerwear. Outerwear here consists of a light cardigan. It doesn't even begin to cool down (to about 65-70 degrees) until about January). There are those rare and just about a handful of days that the temperature will drop to about 50 degrees or so but by noon it's 85 degrees again. So whatever layering you did, you better make sure it's easy to strip down.

I wanted to point out a few tips on how to transition summer into fall (and winter) while living in tropical climate:

1. Keep wearing those cut-off shorts. Replace the tanks with a light 3/4 sleeve sweater and trade the flip flops for some super sexy pointy toe flats (another summer trend that transitions well into fall).

2. High waist slouchy pants are basically the 'go to" item for 2013. Pair with a crop top (which, if worn properly, should only expose about an inch of skin or less), throw on a denim jacket and fold the sleeves up.

3. Wedges are never going anywhere! I wear my wedges year round. In this heat, you have no choice. Boots collect dust from year to year in my closet.

4. Flouncy a-line skirts paired with a cotton long sleeve tee (or a tank under a light blazer) and flats will keep you cool and trendy in any weather. Add some statement jewelry and ready, set...GO!

5. You can never go wrong with denim. I love my skinny jeans and always will. Pair with a chiffon blouse and some sexy pointy toe heels and stay cool.

6. Any leopard patterned piece works! Use it in different tones as well as the classic black and brown.

7. Black and white (or cream) is always classic and again works in any season.

8. Stay with those gorgeous floral prints (I love floral!), but pair with black, dark blues and any shade of green, which is a very big color this fall.

9. Sleeveless peplums are comfy and cool. Add a light chiffon scarf, some colored denim (pants or shorts) and again pointy toe heels.

10. And finally, mix it up! Pair some fun summer patterns with some classic fall patterns like houndstooth.

Here I put together some outfit ideas. I have lots for you this week so hope you enjoyed these tips on staying cool and trendy this fall!

Have a gorgeous and bright Monday!

Much Love,

Isa

 

Denim Vest: Charlotte Russe 

Tank: Old

Pants: Blu Pepper (via Hautelook)

Shoes : Guess (old)

Necklace: Palest Pink

 Sweater: Gap

Denim shorts: Zara

Wedges: ShoeDazzle

Necklace: Beauty Mark Miami

 Blouse: BB Dakota & Jack (via Hautelook)

Drawstring pants: Kardashian Kollection (via Sears)

Necklace: Beauty Mark Miami

Pumps: LAMB (via My Habit)

Lace cropped top: Bebe (Classic piece)

Pencil Skirt: Target (old)

Pumps: Zara 

Necklace: Ell and Emm

Sweet Hearts

Happy Friday! Although it's rainy and gloomy here in paradise, I'm still happy it's Friday! I wanted to end the week with a girly chic look so I went with these cute scalloped trim chiffon shorts and heart patterned blouse. As if it wasn't girly enough, the back is adorned with a big bow. So cute! I didn't want to use a statement necklace with this outfit so as to not make it too busy. I decided some long earrings would pair nicely and the focus would be the beautiful coral hearts on the blouse. Added a some more girly accents with this lace clutch and nude heels. Hope you all enjoy your weekend!!!

Much Love!

Isa

Blouse: Love Culture

Shorts: Marshalls

Earrings: Aldo

Shoes: Charlotte Russe

Clutch: Justfab

Sunglasses: Micheal Kors

Bracelets: Beauty Mark Miami