Welcome 2018!  Hello my friends, I have missed each and every one of you.  What a journey the past year has been and I am forever grateful for you and all the sweet comments, text, emails and calls while you patiently waited for me to come back.   I am so glad to be back to blogging and have truly felt all your love while I have taken this little break.  Maybe someday I will write more in details as to the past year, but for now, I am just glad to be stepping back into my blog that I so dearly missed as well as all of you.  So without further ado here we go....

Dog and Boy  has been on my radar for some time now.  I love a great scarf and these did not disappoint.   Made of a silk and cotton blend they are soft and luxurious to the touch and the oversized scarf lends itself to endless possibilities of styling.  This particular scarf, The Muses is fun with its pinks and grays; throw in a few spots and it was perfect for me.  Dog and Boy Scarfs are more than just a fashion accessory, they are a piece of art, a journey into your creative imagination and inspiration.   Never shy to pattern mix, I was quick to add the playful pattern of my scarf with this bright striped sweater and my Clare V Leopard Sandrine.  

Happy Wednesday!

It has been a while since I shared a pattern mixing post.  Today I mixed some of my favorites.  Leopard (of course), gingham and army green.  It was such an easy outfit to pull together. 

Throwing patterns together comes pretty easy for me.  I hear all the time from my friends and followers; "I just don't know how to put it together".  I did an full post dedicated to just this and you can read my entire pattern mixing post here.  I really enjoy when someone shares with me how they stepped out of their comfort zone, even just a little with their outfit.  What are some of your favorite patterns to mix?  I love gingham and leopard together, and I love florals and stripes!  To me, fall is the best time to mix patterns.  You have the option for so many different types of layers, it makes it easy to pull a super fun outfit together. 

Jackets season is here and if you don't own a green utility jacket, you should.  Lightweight and versatile, this jacket is so easy and fun to wear.  My first love  of a season will always be summer, but fall is a great follow up!  I love the crisp mornings and cooler evenings.  The weather tends to bring more socializing in the neighborhood too.  We all gather in driveways sometimes with fire pits, other times to play games! Last Friday we played Jenga with a few cocktails and friends and had so much fun!

Neck scarfs are trending still and I couldn't wait to have a little fun with pattern mixing with this floral scarf and stripes.  Florals are a fall must this season too. Adding a scarf can take your outfit from ordinary to polished.  Don't be afraid of white after labor day.  Paired with the right fall ensemble it looks great.  I stacked some fun bracelets added my GiGi NY cross body, monogramed of course and I'm ready for some Friday night football!  

Happy Monday.  If there is one thing I enjoy and to me that is creative thinking.... it's piecing outfits together from your own wardrobe.  Sometimes I start with one items such as this jacket, and other times it all starts with bracelet or bag.  There is something so clean and refreshing to an all white outfit.  Of course, I had to add pops of blush pink! Next week is the first day of summer and I will be ditching jeans and jackets I am sure, but in the mean time I am still enjoying the light layers.  What's the weather like where you are?  Are you still able to layer, or are you in the less is more stages of dressing? 

When layering in late spring, try to layer in a sense that you may remove one item and still have a great look.  In this case, I could remove either the jacket or the scarf and still look polished and put together. 

Happy March!  It's a busy month full of birthdays for me.  Two of my boys, one grandson, and my best friend all have birthdays this month!  Eekkkk......  Time seems to be just flying by and temperatures are a bit unpredictable.  Jackets are a great addition to your outfit.  This army green utility jacket is lightweight and extremely versatile.  Paired with my Madewell striped shirt dress and this super fun bandana scarf, I loved the casual feel the jacket added to my outfit.  I paired my Clare V Sandrine bag adding leopard as a fun neutral to spice up my outfit a little.  This look would also be fun paired with a pair of converse sneakers, or even a open toe leather sandal.  I wish these cream J Crew mule slides were available this year in more options but I linked to a similar pair of cream mules.  These tassels on my mules kind of remind me of I Dream of Jeanie's shoes; she had little silk mules with tassels on them.  

I cleaned out my closet recently of anything and everything I didn't wear or use.  It was a slow start but once I got rolling it was pretty easy to make decisions to get rid of things.  Walking back into a clean closet with items that I really wear and love feels so good.  It is a rewarding feeling and allows me a better ability to pair up items for great outfits.  I have always loved shopping my closet and sharing my outfits with you without ever having to make new purchases to stay current on trends or styles.  Shopping smart and buying items that are both functional and versatile makes for a good investment.  

Put me in pink and I am going to shine.  It's just a fact.  This Express Portofino shirt is awesome and on sale right now.  I paired it with my Ann Taylor windowpane slacks with of course a pop of leopard.  I shared a peek of this outfit on my instagram and facebook earlier this week and received a lot of comments about pattern mixing.  I shared an entire post on pattern mixing you may read here.  I love a pattern challenge if you will call it that.  Mixing patterns really is easy.  If you are new to pattern mixing, or afraid of it then start simple.  Take your solid color item in your outfit and add one item that is a pattern.  Remember the color wheel rules... I shared that post with you here.  One thing to remember is sizing your patterns.  Don't put two small scales together just like you wouldn't put two large scale prints together.  Balance them. 

Style Tip:  Pocket placement on your jeans and slacks can make an huge impact on your shape and appearance.  Be sure to always check out your bum in the mirror to determine if they make your butt appear bigger, or flat.  

 Depending on your shape, choose a smaller print for the top if you are busty to not accentuate it.  Like wise if you are broad in the hips or thighs, use patterns that are smaller as they look best on the bottom half.  The exception to this is an extremely large print could be worn on your pants or skirt if the cut of the clothing is appropriate.  An A Line skirt, or a wide straight leg trouser is a good example.  Bottom line is...you know your body shape and what works. If your smallest part of your figure is under your bust line, then find items that draw the eye to this area with a fuller skirt.  Pair a cute cardigan with a belt and position the belt under your bust line.  Trust me it works!   This will make you look bustier if you already are so just know that. 

Man these brutally cold days are torture on outfit pics!  Good thing it's warmed up a bit!  For me, putting together an outfit for Valentines Day is like riding a bike.  If there's pink involved it's gonna be simple! The Blush Moto jacket is getting heavy rotation and for good reason. It goes with just about anything I pair it with.   Adding camo to the Valentines Day outfit to roughen up all the pink gives this outfit a gold star in my book.   I pulled out my trusty hot pink ray ban mirror sunnies too!  How cute is this lips scarf?  I snagged it at the end of last season but I linked to a few others.  

Style tip ~ When mixing prints remember to use a larger print with a smaller print and leopard is always a neutral. 

So I have to tell you guys I recently jumped on the snapchat train.  I wasn't totally sure I wanted to add yet another social media to keep up with.  You can follow me at lisa.murie  anyway, I did and at first had not a clue as to what to do.  Then my son (after laughing at me) gave me a brief tutorial and sent me on my way.  I am sailing along trying to remember to snap things before it's over rather than when it's too late and I get a call from my son telling me to step up my snap game.  He said we were lame!   Lame!!!!  So I am stepping up my game and let me tell ya... it's pretty fun!  Now grant it, I am not snapping every minute of my day like some gals are doing but I at least feel good I am remembering to snap at all!  Do you snapchat? follow me here >> lisa.murie  

Happy Monday!  While the East coast is being slammed with terrible winter weather I feel it would be ridiculous to complain about how cold it was last week.  The snow has pretty much melted away and we expect above freezing temperatures this week.  Yay!!  This cozy sweater is  perfect in so many ways.  It is a thick heavy cotton with a drape front.  The back is long.... really long for a cardigan.  When you don't want to wear a coat this is perfect for those days you are in and out of your car and stores and don't want to lug a coat.  You can expect to see this in heavy rotation.  If you follow me on snapchat .... follow along to see what The Blog Guild is up to and for behind the scenes shenanigans; my snap name is >>(lisa.murie) you probably have already seen me wearing this a lot! 

Happy New Years eve my friends! I appreciate each and every one of you for being here and sharing this journey with me.

I rounded up my favorite outfits from the past year. Starting with last January on a chilly day and then we move into some of my favorite outfits where I really started to experiment with colors and pattern mixing. There was my favorite color pink throughout my spring outfits; let's not forget the all white outfit that I just loved with just a pop of color. I then headed into summer with plaids and stripes sharing some of my favorite looks from my trip to sunny southern California. August was a memorable month with the launch of The Blog Guild and our launch party. Fall came late and there was plenty of time to transition sleeveless outfits and white denim and I shared both of these looks with a few fun outfits on the plaza. With fall came my wool hat. Then came capes, and me mocking old western movies feeling like an extra on the set.

If there is one thing I can tell you that is a constant on my blog it would be the color pink, and pattern mixing. You can bet that if I can mix the patterns I am going to try the outfit. Sharing style from my perspective and helping you think outside of your wardrobe box to try new things has been my mission from my first outfit post. Trends will come and go and you not always following them is a good thing. Style will always be a quality you possess from the inside out. It's a way to say who you are without having to speak a single word.

Green With Enve

Polka Dot Portofino 

Spring Sweater 

White Out

Pink Suede Shoes 

Tunic Love 

Pink Shorts 

Traveling the Pacific Coast Highway 

Los Angeles Murals 

The Launch Party 

Neon Pink Tassels 

Black and White 

Blush Moto Jacket 

Hot Pink Statement 

How to Wear a Plaid Poncho 

Casual Vibes 

Monochromatic Flutter Top