Gingham Two Ways (and Inspiration!)

A while back, Merrick wrote a post about different ways to wear gingham. (Side note: one thing I love about blogging is the truly lovely people I've gotten to know and Merrick is one of them. She's ridiculously creative and inspiring with an ever-growing blog and some of the best remixing posts EVER but always takes the time to respond to my comments or interact on Twitter/Instagram. I'm a big fan!) I've always loved these checked shirts (and Jonathan does too) but I feel like I always wear them exactly the same way- layered with a cardigan or under a sweater. So, thanks to Merrick's ideas and a little inspiration of my own, I came up with two outfits that I actually really liked (and were a little different than usual.)

Skirt: Target

Top: Old Navy

Vest: Kohl's

Boots: Nine West

For a while now, I've been loving the purple/green (magenta/olive if you wanna be technical) color combination and this outfit just kind of leaped out at me when I was picking out my clothes for school the other night. (I really can't go to bed until I pick out my clothes for school, and every time I skip it I regret it big-time the next day.) Anyway, I know that with this necklace, a navy vest might have made things a little more cohesive but you know, the world will go on. Or maybe I just need another necklace. =)

Necklace: GroopDealz

Dress: Walmart ($3- holla!)

Top: Eddie Bauer (it was less than $7 at Sam's)

Shoes: Target

*I don't know why but every single picture I took made me look drugged, sleepy, or both. It was one of those "Did I look like that all day??" days. Sigh.

This whole outfit really felt like Merrick to me (always a good thing) and I hoped it would turn out as well in real life as it did in my head. This shirt is a soft flannel and, like I said, I always tend to wear these casually but I wore this outfit to church and if anyone thought I looked like a slightly blinged-out lumberjack they kept it to themselves. =)

Necklace: J. Crew Factory

Purse: Target (it's new and it was eight bucks! And it has a crossbody handle! And I love it!)

*Note to self- throw away old and disgusting welcome mat in the background.

So, that's it. I do love being inspired by others and remixing my clothes. I haven't been terribly inspired by a lot of what I'm seeing in stores lately and since we're going on a real vacation for spring break I need to be saving my money anyway. I know my husband is just heartbroken about it, but I guess he'll find a way to cope. =)

Ash

Linked up with Lindsey!