simple sunshine

top - old navy on sale! with code ONSAVE | skirt - forever 21 (similar) | shoes - old navy (similar, splurge, love these)

A little bit of sunshine goes a long way!   I made it to Thursday thanks to a bit of sun I caught on Tuesday.  What a gorgeous day it was.  I took these shots at the nearest park by my office.  This is where I usually go to take my snaps during work hours.  It's really nice to get out of the office and I have a good half hour mostly uninterrupted (I get the occasional curious passerby).   I was lucky to find a mostly shady spot that wasn't overrun by children!   

Tonight is our first Pub Show with my dancers.  You guessed it, we're dancing in a bar.   This year we have a big initiative to be more visible within the community and really promote our classes.  It should be really fun - or, it could be a huge disaster.  Hopefully the latter but I'll let you know 

How is everyone's week?  Any big plans this weekend?

florals & eyelets

dress - gap (on sale! with code TREAT) | hat - bcbgeneration | shoes - forever 21

Hope everyone's week is off to a great start!  I wore this gorgeous dress on Easter Sunday and it was a huge hit.  My grandma even told me I looked like the "new princess" which is the upmost of compliments.    Some thought it was vintage and no one could believe it is made out of sweatshirt material.   I am considering going back for the other colors because I know I will live in this dress.   

I tell ya, Gap is really hitting the mark with their new arrivals.  I've been a bit of a Gap/Old Navy fan-boy, though.  

In other news we are gearing up for our recital in a few weeks and the competitive team is getting ready for heavy competition season and Nationals in Montreal!   I'm so excited to go and hopefully I'll have a little time to see Montreal.  

Anything exciting coming  up for you?  

snakeskin

top - old navy (similar) | pants - old navy | shoes - chinese laundry (similar) | bag - michael kors (similar in the monogram)

Happy, happy Monday!  

Hope everyone had a great Easter weekend.    We, once again, had an incredible weekend weather wise.  YAY! I actually got a little sun burnt, I've never been so stoked for pink skin in my life.   The sun was just glorious.  

Let's chat about my top - I'm always hesitant to style it.  I don't want to look like a cougar or anything ... I always think it's too vavoom, or something.  But, I rather love it with the white boyfriend pants.   

How was your weekend?

springing for skirt weather

The past few days here have been less than ideal weather wise.  After the perfect week of spring/summer it's a huge bummer.   I know it's just temporary and tomorrow it'll be back in the 50-60's again, still this is making me long for all my dresses and skirts.   

Isn't it funny to look back to last season?  Not only do I see trends that are relevant again (ankle straps, mixing prints, etc) but it's so fun to see how different I look.   Blonde, long hair; seems like ages ago.  

Do you ever look back through old blogging photos?  It's definitely interesting and fun to look back and see your own evolution. 

summer like

hat - american eagle (similar) | cardigan - old navy (similar) | dress - h&m (similar, love this) | bag - the swim outlet c/o | converse

For the past few days here it's been feeling so much like summer.  More summer than spring that we all joke Rochester skips spring all the time.   The rain has been so on and off I wasn't sure if I'd have any outfits to share with you but I was lucky that the sun came out Friday when I sported this look.  I scored a full casual week at work so wearing a dress on a Friday with my new favorite sneaks was a no brainer.    I have literally been living in these puppies! 

I will also be sporting this adorable tote everywhere!  The Swim Outlet is gearing up for summer with their new lines of suits and accessories.  When they asked me to pick a suit or beach item I immediately gravitated towards this tote.  The perfect summer bag for the beach, park, day trip, you name it!   I love the summery colors in the tribal design.  

I hope you all enjoyed your weekend! 

weekend inspiration

1 // 2 // 3

The token look for me in spring is easy and loose fitting layers.   

These are my favorite looks from Pinterest this week 

A week at AT40BF:

Testing out light wash jeans

Inspiration to wear spring dresses for work and play

A workout you can do anywhere during the week

Enjoy your weekend, friends!

spring dresses - 2 styles, 2 ways to wear

I don't know about you, but as soon as the sun comes out and the snow melts I'm all about dresses.  I love dressing them up for work and dressing them down for the weekends.  Dresses are such an easy style.   

For work I love a simple sheath, nothing is better and it transitions very well to afterwork activities.   Keep your accessories simple for the office and use your shoes as your pop piece. 

An easy blue and white striped dress with a fun little flair is perfect for weekend activities or errands. Throw on your favorite kicks and a bold bag and you're ready to tackle that to do list!

look 1

blazer | dress | shoes 

look 2

dress | jacket | sneaks | bag

Linking up with Shanna today 

here comes the sun

top, jeans & shoes (similar shoes) - old navy | bag - target (similar)

Another busy weekend over - happy Monday!! This weekend I had planned a lock in event for the dance school.  We had the kids make up their own parts to a big figure choreography, I held a Frozen sing-a-long and we did crafts!  A great way to spend a gloomy Saturday afternoon. 

These snaps were shot Sunday.  We actually had a beautiful 55 degree sunny day and even though I hate direct sunlight in outfit photos it is hard to complain when the weather is too perfect for words.  

How was your weekend? 

Spotlight Link Up - Florals

anorak - target | tee - gap | pants - target, last season (similar) (love these!)| shoes - sole society, last season (similar) | bag - target (similar)

 How is everyone's week going?   I'm so happy to be co-hosting the Spotlight Linkup with Elle and Jacqueline today!!   If you aren't familiar with their blogs, go check them out!  They are very stylin' ladies - I mean, Elle and I styled the same pattern and look at that dress Jacqueline is sporting.  So chic!
The responses are still pouring in from my post on Monday about pulling back a bit.  I'm already feeling much less stress and anxiety about this blog.  A lot of you wondered how I'm actually doing all of this in the first place!
Well, my secret is taking my outfit photos during my lunch break at work.   It actually helps break up my day, keeps me away from the mall 5 minutes down the road, and is bit of creative thinking.
I'm still working out the details of when I'll post, how often, etc; but, I'm trying to keep it stress free.  Awareness is everything and so far I'm feeling much better.  Thank you ALL!  I love you guys! 

Shop more Florals below! 

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spring trend - ankle straps

1 // 2 // 3 

4 // 5 // 6 

My favorite part of a new season is all the fresh styles.  I know I'm not alone here.  One trend that popped up last spring was ankle strapped sandals and flats.  They're back and in full force.   Flat ones, wedge ones, fat heels or spikes.   I actually went and purchased #6 shown above.  I couldn't resist the mid wedge heel and the delicate colors.   I cannot wait to style them with boyfriend jeans, dresses, skinnies and a tunic - you name it!  

Are you going to scoop up a pair for yourself?  

I also want to say thank you for all of the sweet comments on yesterday's post.  Your never ending support is what keeps me going here! xoxo

real talk - teal talk

jacket - old navy | shirt - j.crew factory (similar) | pants - old navy | booties - forever 21 

Hi there friends.  You may have noticed I've been kind of off the map for a week.  Sorry I didn't warn you but I had a mini freak out/melt down and it just kind of happened.   First, the weather wasn't warranting outfit photos and I'm tired of freezing my bootie off.   I also thought since I had been in such a depressive state that I shouldn't come on here and post because I really had nothing good, nice or friendly to say.  

March is a very busy month for me.  I already wear many hats; the day job hat, the irish dance teacher hat and the style blogger hat.   There are changes and transitions going on in my day job.  They're good changes but transitioning from the old into the new has taken a toll on me this week.  There are people that I worked with that are mean and nasty and took out their anger on me.  You can tell me all day that it's not personal, but it is.  So there is that.

My dance studio is a huge part of my life too.  I not only teach Irish dancing but I'm co-owner of the business and it's a lot of work outside the studio.  Right now we are discovering the reasons why we aren't growing and trying to adjust the way we do things so that moving forward we can grow.   Fortunately for the dance school, being a single adult I have the free time to do so.  Unfortunately for me and my social life that means I have to make a LOT of sacrifices.  One of them being this blog.  

I hemmed and hawed over just stopping this operation altogether.  I thought, well it really doesn't take up that much time but on the flip side it's a huge stress knowing I have to get a post up or edit photos, comment, etc.  I'm so thankful to all the friends I've made who've helped make this a warm and friendly place to live on the internets.  All the support from other bloggers and readers over the past year has been literally amazing.   

I won't stop blogging; but, I will be taking a step back.   I've taken something fun and creative and made myself crazy trying to build a workhorse.  I am never going to be that kind of blogger.  I don't have the time in my day to seek out new blogs to comment on, post on social media every hour, publicize myself daily.  I have come to the harsh reality that this will just be a hobby because I love it.  I LOVE sharing styling tips and what I wore with all of you.  I love taking and editing the photos and have learned SO MUCH about it along the way.  I love seeing all of you even if it's within the 13" screen of my MacBook daily.   I just need to take a slight step back;  be more relaxed and part time.   I need to know, for my own sanity, that if I miss a post on a Wednesday the world will be OK!   Take a bit of the pressures off so that I can re-focus.  If it turns out I'm able to stay sane and do this as I've been doing - great!  

So, happy Monday friends.  I hope last week treated you well and that spring has finally arrived for you too!