Playing Catch Up

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Is anyone else getting tired of this bi-polar weather?!  I know I am.  I'm so ready for Spring to arrive and the wind to go away.  

The last couple of weeks I've been going non-stop.  Kids have been busy in their swim and gymnastics lessons, the house is always a never ending job and of course I've been working on hard on making my new online boutique a success.  Plus my son and I just celebrated out birthdays.  Still can't believe my baby is no longer a baby but he's turning into a very well behaved and smart big boy.

Since last year for my birthday didn't turn out as I planned (we all remember my kitchen flooding and having to cancel my trip to New York), so this year I made up for it!  This year a small group of my closets friends and I got together for brunch.  I mean what better way to start your birthday off than having mimosas!  We followed it up with a trip to Nordstrom Rack where I was able to score 2 new pairs of heels (which I'm anxiously waiting to wear.. stupid weather!).  And you can't end a fun morning of birthday/girl time without getting your nails done.  But of course we didn't end it there!  I've been wanting a new tattoo for awhile and finally decided, what the heck, it's my birthday!  Sadly since I was having such a great time I didn't get very many photos.

Triple Berry Mimosas... yes please!

My tattoo artist was so amazing I almost fell asleep in the 15 minutes it took to get my tat.  No pain at all!

Not the greatest photo but the tattoo says "Not all who wander are lost" with a few birds.  Get my polka dotted top at: http://www.eightelevenboutique.com/item/polka-dotted-love 

My sweet husband bought me these beautiful Alex and Ani bracelets!  Seriously how lucky can I get!

All my gold Birthday goodies!  I think it's safe to say I have an obsession with gold!

Of course nothing can be complete without the perfect outfit!  The next two outfits are pieces from my online boutique and I seriously can't get enough of them.  I love how pretty and soft they both are.  And not to mention easy to accessorize and dress up!  

Top/Eight-Eleven Boutique | Clutch/Hazel & Olive - sold out
Shoes/Ivanka Trump

Top/Eight-Eleven Boutique | Clutch/Hazel & Olive-sold out
Jeans/Charlotte Russe | Necklace/Premier Designs
Boots/Francescas

Have a great rest of the week and please feel free to check out my online store at:
www.eightelevenboutique.com
and add yourself and friends to my online Facebook Group.  Help pick out what should be stocked and get a first look at all new arrivals:
https://www.facebook.com/groups/1521424654826035/?ref=browser

The Eight-Eleven Boutique

I've been a little MIA lately, but only because I have been busy turning my dreams into a reality!  This past weekend I finally launched my new online clothing boutique.  This is something that I've longed to do for the last several years.  With the support of my husband, family and close friends it's now a reality.

For the next couple of months, I probably won't be posting as much as I'd like and that's mainly due to the time I need to spend on making this a success.  And I don't want to take away my time with my family.  After all that's one of the biggest perks of owning your own business, I get to make my own hours and it'll leave me with plenty of time to still spend with my family!

I've had some people ask me, "Why the name Eight-Eleven?".  Well this has special meaning to me.  When I first started looking into what I wanted to name my boutique, I knew I wanted something personal, but not too personal, unique and catchy.  One night my husband and I were relaxing and throwing around ideas when he suddenly blurted out 8-11.  I almost instantly wanted to cry because it was beyond perfect!  Those two numbers hold a lot of power for me, 2008 my son was born and in 2011 my daughter was born.  What better way than to show my love of fashion and the love I have for my children than by naming my business after them!

I hope that my fellow bloggers can help me by going to www.facebook.com/theeightelevenboutique "like" and then share.  I'm hosting my first giveaway once I hit 500.  I mean what's better than winning a box of chocolates and a gift certificate?!

Here are just a few of my favorite items that I currently have for sale!  And if you're interested I'd love to work with you!  Just email theeightelevenboutique@yahoo.com

The Hills Jacket: http://www.eightelevenboutique.com/item/the-hills

Off the Grid Tunic: http://www.eightelevenboutique.com/item/off-the-grid

Laced Up Blue Tunic: http://www.eightelevenboutique.com/item/laced-up

Vogue Navy Top: http://www.eightelevenboutique.com/item/vogue

The Runway Tank: http://www.eightelevenboutique.com/item/the-runway

Prima Donna High Waisted Maxi Skirt: http://www.eightelevenboutique.com/item/prima-donna

Spring Fling Peplum Top: http://www.eightelevenboutique.com/item/spring-fling

Sweet Love Shorts: http://www.eightelevenboutique.com/item/sweet-love

American Honey Lilac Off the Shoulder : http://www.eightelevenboutique.com/item/american-honey

On the Fringe Denim Shorts: http://www.eightelevenboutique.com/item/on-the-fringe

Quarter to Five Floral Romper: http://www.eightelevenboutique.com/item/quarter-to-five

Open Season Cardigan: http://www.eightelevenboutique.com/item/open-season

Keeping Warm and Dreaming

Have you ever sat back and just smiled?  That's how I've been feeling lately.  2016 has already started out strong for me and my dreams are starting to become a reality.  For years I have been an avid fashion lover who loves boutiques.  I've found several that I truly love and think they are amazing.  And as the years have gone by my love of fashion has grown more and more.  I started dreaming of owning my own boutique, being able to personally choose what I want to carry, help others shop for just the right item and build a business that one day my daughter will hopefully take over.

After 3 years of wishing, dreaming and thinking about I'm so excited to make this turn into a reality.  With an amazing husband by my side, I have been working hard on finalizing my plans to open my own online boutique!  I know it won't always be sunshine and roses and that there will be a lot of hard work involved, but in the end I know it will all be worth it.  I wanted to share this amazing news with my fellow bloggers and I greatly welcome any help and advice you would like to share!

Now that winter has finally set in (and I'm already looking forward to it leaving) I've really been breaking out the layers.  And my blanket scarves have been my saving grace a lot lately.  Especially since I can bury my face in it while I'm outside!  But out of everything I'm wearing I have to gush over this tunic/dress.  On me it's more of a tunic since I'm tall, but even if it was a sweater I would still be obsessed with it.  First the color is a nice neutral so I can wear it with just about anything and secondly, its beyond soft.  Between how soft and warm it is I could probably wear this everyday!

Keeping my outfit neutral I paired it with a simple pair of skinny black jeans and these ultra soft OTK boots.  Sometimes you just need a simple color palette and some nice warm layers!

Tunic - Taylor Monroe (sold out) | Vest - Marshalls/similar/similar

Scarf - Merchant 31 (sold out)/similar

Jeans - Charlotte Russe | Boots - Hazel & Olive

Winter Tones

Winter has finally arrived here in Ohio.  We've had a few flurries here and there, but now we actually have snow on the ground!  My son loved having a "snow day" yesterday and I was happy they had a delay this morning.  I have never been a morning person, so any chance I get to sleep in I take it!

Something about this color combo just screams winter.  All the light tones just work so well together.  This top from Maurices is insanely soft and flattering.  Plus I love the little pockets in the front.  Pairing this my white jeggings make it the perfect winter ensemble.

Now this scarf is amazing.  Last month I threw a Christmas party with some of my favorite ladies and we had a White Elephant party.  Long story short, my friend, Taryn, received this scarf that all of us were drooling over.  We all asked Meagan, who bought the gift, where she got it from.  Can you believe it's from Barnes and Noble?!  Its a warm, chunky cable knit scarf with to large pockets on each end.  It's perfect to warm your hands, hold a book or anything else that you want to have on hand.  They are currently sold out online, but if you're lucky you can find one in stores.

Tunic/ Maurices | Jeans/ Modern Vintage | Scarf/ Barnes & Noble

Boots/ DSW-similar

Mixing Prints

Hello Monday.  Where did the weekend go?!  I spent mine pretty much being lazy with my nose glued to a new book series I found.  I did manage to carve some time out for the gym and attended my son's swimming lessons.  But since I managed to catch this annoying cough that won't go away, I pretty much just vegged on the couch and read!  

How was your weekend?

Last year I really got into mixing prints.  When I first saw my fellow bloggers doing it, I'll admit it scared the crap out of me.  I love how it looked on them, but I was always afraid I'd end up looking like Jim Carey in Ace Venture Pet Detective!  You know the scene I'm talking about, he's wearing the tutu, board shorts and printed shirt!  But as the months wore on, I finally got the hand of it.  And I have to admit it's not scary at all.  I have a few people who've mentioned they could never pull off this look or mix prints, because they don't match.  But I'm here to say that you really can do it!

The key to mixing prints is to first off, make sure there's a similar color palette.  This outfit has blueish grey and black in both items, my top and scarf.  But if you look here and here you'll see again that the mixed prints I'm wearing have a similar palette.  But you can also have fun with it.  Mix polka dots and lace, leopard print and plaid.  The one thing I love about fashion nowadays are there are no rules.  Play in your closet and just grab and item you love and see what new and fun ways you can wear it!

Top/ Hazel & Olive - similar | Ponco Wrap/ Taylor Monroe - similar 

Jeans/ Charlotte Russe | Boots/ DSW - similar