Falling Into Gingham

September 18, 2017September 17, 2017 ~ leightonmichele ~ Leave a comment

Dress: Similar Cardigan: Same- only this years version Shoes: Princess Dreams

I have a confession to make. You’re totally going to see this theme throughout my next several posts, but I am totally feeling a European flair for my outfit themes this fall. Every combination I tend to lean towards right now has some element about it that makes me feel ready to just hop on a plane (or should I say aeroplane) and go spend the next six months in Europe. While picking up and leaving for Europe unfortunately is not an option, I have most definitely been enjoying coming up with combinations in my wardrobe that make me feel as though I were heading off to see Buckingham Palace of the Eiffel tower or any other European attraction that I am dreaming of seeing.

While this outfit definitely has a summer flare to it, the cardigan helps it transition towards fall, and truthfully, while fall is on its way, it is still pretty warm here in the Midwest and the thought of fully transitioning to sweaters makes me break out in a sweat! To start the transition to fall though I am trying to begin adding layers and a light weight cardigan like this one is the perfect answer! I can wear it in the mornings or evenings when it is cooler, but by midmorning I can throw it over my shoulders like this to wear for the rest of the day! What are some of your favorite combinations for fall?

Xoxo, Leighton Michele

Staycation

September 4, 2017September 4, 2017 ~ leightonmichele ~ Leave a comment

Dress: Same Shoes: Similar Earrings: Same, but different colour

Happy Labor Day everyone! It truly feels like we should just be celebrating Memorial Day, not already Labor Day! Where has the time gone? Truthfully, I don’t even feel like I’ve had a chance yet to get to enjoy summer and it is already over. How does time do that? The good news is though, at least in the Midwest (especially in Kansas) we still have a good month of warm weather left to enjoy before it is time to go into full fall mode, though I definitely intend to start utilizing some cardigans more often in the next few weeks. Anyways, on to my staycation for this three day weekend!

While I definitely am experiencing the travel bug, I knew that it was not realistic to try to pull a three day vacation financially this time around. (Thank you car probs and school bills, lol-and more on school in an upcoming post!) To make sure I have a fun and relaxing weekend though that still felt like I had a chance to get away, I decided to give myself a staycation, so here is how I was able to come up with some fun things to do as well as some ideas for local readers to do themselves!

While a fully lazy weekend can be nice, I knew I didn’t want to spend this weekend just lounging around and watching Netflix, so I decided to look up several things in my city that I have either enjoyed in the past or have always wanted to try and put together a sort of game plan for the weekend. I have not done nearly all of this on the list, but I like keeping the list going for future ideas or for if something were to fall through I have a back up plan.

Drive In Movie:

I am lucky to live in a city with one of the few remaining drive in movie theatres, and if you follow me on Instagram, you know that I went last night with a group of friends! I had never been to the drive-in before, but let me tell you, last night will definitely not be my last visit! It felt like taking a step back into time to sit outside watching a movie, eating candy and hanging out with friends. To make it even more enjoyable, they played old cartoon adds before the movie started!

Bicycling:

My city offers bicycles that you can rent for a cheap price and use for the day while checking out all that our city has to offer. It is a fun way to get to see our more artsy district at a slower pace and hey, you even get exercise!

Food Trucks:

Ok, this one is definitely now a favorite of mine. We have a local “pop-up park” downtown where there are often food trucks that you can eat at, including one that is a double decker bus turned food truck! It was actually at this pop-up park where I took the pictures for todays post, the colours are so fun and bright and at night they have lights strung up to light up the area.

Swimming:

I totally did this one with my family this morning. My neighborhood I live in has a community pool for the residents, but the local water parks are also great options! After all, this is one of the last chances to catch those rays of sun before the weather turns cold.

Coffee Shop:

I totally have a favorite local coffee shop. It is a hole-in-the-wall kind of place that just has that perfect artsy vibe and to make it even better, all the proceeds go to help rescue girls from human trafficking. I spend every Saturday morning here and many week nights, but Saturday mornings are my favorite to go because it is nearly empty and so quiet/. Stay tuned for some fun pictures that will feature this coffee shop in an upcoming post!

Go On A Scavenger Hunt:

Downtown has so many fun artsy statues as well as historical and not so historical landmarks that it makes the perfect place to hold a photo scavenger hunt! I’ve had several friends do this and it is definitely on my bucket list!

Visit a Local Park:

Most cities have a wide variety of pretty local parks. I love going to them with a friend and just walking around while catching up. You not only get some great exercise in and vitamin D, but you get to spend some quality time with someone you love.

Try a New Recipe:

I am actually doing this one this afternoon! I have been wanting to make some brownies, so I am actually planning on spending this afternoon with my grandma making brownies and then of course, eating them! Holiday weekends are the perfect time to experiment with a new recipe because everyone is in the mood for some yummy food and you won’t have to eat it all by yourself.

How have you been celebrating Memorial Day weekend?

XOXO<
Leighton Michele

Floral and Stripes

August 11, 2017August 10, 2017 ~ leightonmichele ~ Leave a comment

Raincoat: Similar Striped Tee: Similar Rainboots: Same Rainboot Bows: Similar Necklace: Similar (and on sale!)

Hey everyone!

I had a blog post all set to go with my end of summer bucket list, but with the weather we’ve been having lately, sharing this cute rainy day look from this past spring seemed more fitting. Every day here in the Midwest for the past week and half it has been in the upper seventies to lower eighties and overcast with rain in the evenings. My raincoats have been on repeat, and this one is one of my favorites! What has the weather been like in your corner of the world? Anyone else been experiencing unseasonably cooler weather?

Xoxo,

Leighton MIchele

Summer Days

July 25, 2017July 24, 2017 ~ leightonmichele ~ 2 Comments

Dress: Vineyard Vines (same) Sperry’s: Similar Earrings: Kate Spade (similar)

Happy summer everyone! It has been forever since I posted, but I had to take a break from blogging the first half of this summer due to the fact that my photographers (aka my family) have been too busy to take any pictures for me and I’ve been so busy myself. Summer is definitely in full swing here in the Midwest though, both with activities and the heat. The past week and a half it has been over 100 degrees nearly every day! Weather like this has me wanting to stay cool, whether that is by being indoors or near water.

My summer dress I’m wearing here has been the perfect casual choice for so many reasons this summer. Whether paired with my Sperry’s or cute sandals, it has the ability to be both dressed up or down, or even double as a pool cover up for those poolside parties that have a way of popping up this time of year.

How has your summer been going?

Xoxo,

Leighton Michele

Guest Post from Coral and Charm!!!

May 5, 2017May 5, 2017 ~ leightonmichele ~ 1 Comment

Hey everyone!

I have been so excited to share this post with you! When I first started blogging one of the first blogs I started reading and found so inspirational was Coral and Charm by Camryn. It still is one of my most favorite blogs that I read. Camryn’s posts are always so uplifting and she shines Jesus in such a beautiful way. She is an inspiration to me as a fellow blogger and I know that she is an inspiration to so many other women. Last March I asked her if she would be interested in coming over and sharing a post with all of you, and I was so excited when she said yes! I love her idea of Jesus hour, it makes me want to be more motivated to actually get up in the morning and spend more time with Jesus instead of pushing snooze as many times as I do. And honestly, all of her ideas on how to enter a new season are so good and have me ready to go implement all of them right now! Anyways, please hop on over and check out her blog linked both above and below and I promise you’ll quickly find yourself clicking over often to read whatever her latest post is!

-Leighton Michele

Hey friends! My name is Camryn and I am a twenty-something living in the sweet state of Mississippi as newlyweds with my high school sweetheart. Loving JESUS, tacos, and Gilmore Girls. I work in marketing by day so I can blog by night over at coralandcharm.com (come say hello!) and I am so excited to be here guest posting today! So refreshing to get a chance to jump in here to Leighton’s sweet space and talk about SPRING.

I’m a sucker for a new year, new month, new season, etc. There’s something about being able to start fresh that gives me an extra ounce of motivation and inspiration. And so I think it’s important to grab hold of that feeling as the flowers are blooming and the sun is back (praise!), to dig into finding what matters in order to start this new season on purpose. So here are a few things that help me start fresh well:

1. Jesus Hour. I talk about this a lot because it’s been EVERYTHING for me this year. My early morning quiet, coffee, and the Word. We can’t find purpose unless we’ve been in the presence of the purpose maker. And so I will always be a cheerleader for you to do what you need to do to know Him more. He is what matters!!

2. Taking stock. In order to know where you want to go, you have to know where you ARE. And you can’t know where you are unless you know where you’ve been, right?? (Still with me on this?! LOL). I find it helps set me up for success if I take the time to access the goals I’ve accomplished lately, to see what it is I’m doing well and what it is that I might need help on. Taking stock of my past few weeks shows me the map I’ve been creating, to help me decide if I’m moving forward in the right direction.

3. Decide what is your “On Purpose.” Write down 3-5 things you want this season to be about: More time with family, finally finishing that book proposal, drink more water, start taking art lessons, read through the whole New Testament, etc. Post it somewhere where it stays front of mind, and try and do 1 thing a day that is moving towards those “On Purpose” moments or goals.

4. Give yourself grace! Take a breath and enjoy this season. Work hard yes, but don’t forget that there is glorious in the mundane. To start fresh well, you’re going to need decide ahead of time that it’s OK to need more grace or more help or more time.

You’ve got this friends!! Cheers to starting fresh well this Spring.

xoxo

Camryn

Raincoat Weather

May 1, 2017 ~ leightonmichele ~ Leave a comment

Raincoat: Same (and on sale!) Shirt: Similar Shoes: Stuart Weitzeman Corkswoon (Similar) Earrings: Same in Navy

This past weekend it rained like crazy here in the Midwest, which had me pulling one of my favorite rain jackets back out. I love the wide stripes of this jacket, it gives it such a fun, nautical feel. It is the perfect jacket for either dressing up or down. Saturday I mostly just kind of chilled out not doing a whole lot other than running some errands towards the end of the day, but yesterday more than made up for how chill Saturday was! I have a dance recital in two weeks and we had tech rehearsal in the afternoon. I am getting so excited to dance on stage again, but it is also bittersweet since this is my last recital.

What did your weekend look like?

Xoxo,

Leighton Michele

Caught My Eye

April 19, 2017 ~ leightonmichele ~ Leave a comment

This past week and weekend have been so much fun filling it with making memories with my family. As you know from my post on Monday I spent the weekend up in Kansas City with my family finding out that my cousin is going to be having a baby girl this fall and celebrating Easter with them. Then on Monday my cousin from New York stopped by to visit for a couple of days! It was so great getting to catch up with her and spend time making memories, even for just the few hours we had together (I had to work during most of her visit 😦 ).

Also, it felt sooooo good to get home from work today and pull on this dress from last summer. It is just so comfortable and light weight. I also love that it is so easy and you don’t have to think a lot to figure out how to wear it. you just slip it on and put on some earrings in the color pop you’re feeling and boom, you’re ready to go! (Or relax, which I am totally doing right now!

ONE: Toddler Olympics

This adorable video showed up in my newsfeed on facebook this past week and I loved it! I mean, the Olympics are always fun, but when you have darling babies competing? It truly doesn’t get any better. Seriously, stop reading and click the link and go watch it!

TWO: Bead Drop Earrings

Bead drop earrings are everywhere this season and are such an adorable fashion statement. I picked these up from Francesca’s in both navy and red and am already dreaming of all the other color combinations. I wore the red ones to work today and received so many compliments on them. They add the perfect pop of color and make a fun fashion statement without being “too much”.

THREE: Lemon Cardigan

This lemon print cardigan from JCrew is just too adorable for words. It would look darling both for work or a casual night out with friends. I would personally wear it with a white tee shirt, denim shorts and cute wedges for a night out, or pair it with a black pencil skirt and button up for work. The versatility alone would make this cardigan a wonderful addition to your wardrobe…. let’s get real, I’m just talking myself into this one as I write about it…. 😉

Hope you’re having a great hump day, it’s time for me to go get ready for dance class!

Xoxo,

Leighton Michele