Espadrilles

One sure sign of spring for me is when I start to change out my shoes. Boots become ballet flats and espadrilles and closed-toed shoes open up. My first spring shoe purchase this year is this great pair of Castaner espadrilles from Gilt . (Here or similar here or here.) I rarely go out without heels on but these are a definite exception. I love these because I can easily slip them on to run errands and they are super comfortable.

I'm excited to wear these shoes with pretty much everything when running around this spring and summer, today I paired them with grey AG jeans (similar here and here) and my favorite camo jacket.

To top it all off, I pulled out my favorite Missoni scarf (similar here) before it gets too warm out to wear.

As it slowly warms up, I love being able to incorporate my new spring finds with my winter favorites!

xxoo jane

Tribal Scarf

For a recent dinner out, I kept it cozy and comfortable with this new blanket-scarf I found at a neighborhood boutique. (similar here, here and here) Because I wanted the scarf to stand out, I kept the rest of the outfit simple.

I paired it with this great pair of brown suede boots from House of Harlow. (similar here, here, here, here and here) and a casual Vince t-shirt that I found at Nordstrom Rack.

 

To finish it off, I added my lucite Tory Burch cuff (similar here) and a simple gold necklace. 

What's your go-to outfit for a casual night out?


xxoo jane

Camo and Creeks

One of my favorite places in SLC is the indoor/ outdoor mall, City Creek. As it's name implies, the mall is built around a creek that runs through the city. In the winter, the covered mall is a great place to spend time to escape the frozen landscape and in the summer, the roof retracts creating a gorgeous outdoor mall.

Luckily, the roof was retracted this weekend and we were able to spend some time walking around outside while popping into different stores.

I just picked-up this camo jacket from Old Navy and was thrilled to be able to wear it so soon! They have a vest too that I'm coveting and may have to go back for. I love that I can cinch the waist depending on what I'm wearing and the price cannot be beat! You can also find similar styles here, here and here.

I'm excited to pair this jacket with basically everything in my closet but for shopping, I wanted to keep the outfit simple so I paired it with black booties, pants and tshirt while throwing on a wool sweater to fight the chill. I added my favorite Alex and Ani ring (similar here, here and here) and Banana Republic glasses (similar here) to accessorize.

It's cold and windy again today so I'm so happy I was able to get out this weekend. Hope everyone is staying warm!

xxoo jane

Leopard and Leather

I'll try not to rub it in but the temperatures have been very mild out here recently. I'm not quite ready to shed the tights and closed toed shoes but I did manage to trade in my heavy winter coat for my leather jacket last night. It was great to finally wear something that complimented my dress rather than covering it up.

I love this J.Crew dress so much that every time they come out with a similar dress in a new pattern I have to snatch it up. The style is flattering and can really be worn so many ways. This dress is from years ago but you can find similar here, here, here or here.

My leather jacket is another fabulous Gilt find. It is from a few years ago but you can find similar here, here, or here.

To top it off I didn't want to add anything too busy, so I paired it with my simple dogeared necklaces. They were both gifts and mean so much to me; I love wearing them every chance I get. I'm wearing Pearls of Happiness and the old Enjoy the Journey necklace (similar here).  Dogeared has so many great styles that you can never go wrong either wearing them or gifting them!

What are you most excited to wear as Spring rolls in??

xxoo jane

Neon Round Two

I know we're all ready for Spring and I decided to kick it off a little early by bringing out my summery neon dress. And in order to stay climate appropriate I layered it up with a few of my winter staples.

The dress is a recent purchase from my local J.Crew factory outlet. I love the scalloped hemline because it feels feminine and the neon color gives it the edge I like. You can find it here and it comes in navy and a beautiful rose color too for a more classic look.

I paired it with my standard J.Crew black tights and H & M booties (similar here or here) and layered a lightweight J.Crew sweater over it (similar here or here). I like to buy my sweaters a size or two up so they are baggy and more comfortable which worked out perfectly here.

I can't wait to ditch the layers and enjoy the warm weather but for now, bright colors will have to do!

xxoo jane

Home Makeover: Headboards

Now that we have the space, I've been looking for simple DIY projects to take on. After we had the necessary furniture, I decided we needed a headboard to anchor the bedroom and figured this would be an easy project to tackle. I did some research, put together a list of the necessary supplies and headed to Home Depot to kick off the adventure.

At HD I grabbed a big piece of plywood and had the team there cut it down for me. The gentleman was nice enough to suggest that I cut up the leftover piece and I realized that I had enough wood left to make another headboard for our guest room (barring that this project went well). I grabbed a 2"x4" and had it cut into two pieces for legs along and picked up adhesive spray, a staple gun and some screws before checking out.

Note- the plywood worked out really well from a construction perspective but it did have a distinct freshly-cut wood smell that took a few weeks to dissipate. If you're sensitive to this I would consider another type of pre-fab wood.

Next, I headed to Wal-Mart to grab the other supplies. For the batting, I initially chose a thinner, weaker piece but on my second attempt decided to spring for the more expensive, sturdier batting and would recommend everyone else do the same. Instead of getting the padding from the fabric section I headed to bedding and grabbed the foam mattress toppers as they are much cheaper. Finally I chose a pair of curtains because the fabric was thicker and more appealing than any of the fabrics I'd seen. Plus, there were two panels so I was able to get two headboards out of one package (although it means we now have matching headboards). In total the two headboards cost $100.

The full list of supplies:

-Plywood measured to the width of your bed + 2" to cover any overage and the height (I recommend 18" - 24" for a queen and up to 36" for a king)
-Legs measured to the total height of the headboard, less 6"  (or a metal plate to bolt it to the wall but as we're renters, we couldn't drill into the wall and chose legs instead)
-Foam mattress padding- enough to double or triple up the layers; anything less will look cheap
-Batting to hold the foam in- the heavier the better or else it will rip when you are stapling
-Fabric of your choice
-Screws and screwdriver/ drill
-Fabric adhesive spray
-Staple gun with staples
-Optional for tufting- buttons, heavy fabric needle and wax thread

To begin, I laid out all of my items and charged my drill (the battery kept running out which was the biggest time-suck of this whole project)

I put the plywood on the ground, smooth side up and measured the legs to ensure the bottom of the headboard would line up just below the top of our bed in the end. I flipped it over and drilled in 4 screws to each leg as evenly spaced as I could eyeball.

I then measured out the foam to ensure that it would cover the headboard without any overlap. If you are cutting, I would recommend using a knife or box cutter to ensure a straight line. I covered the board with a ton of spray adhesive before quickly placing the first layer of foam down. I made sure to put the handcut edge at the bottom to hide any bumps. I repeated this process with another layer.

I laid the batting down over the foam, flipped over the headboard and began stapling. I started with the center of each side and pulled it taught before working my way out to each of the corners. I made sure to jump between sides as I stapled to ensure an even, wrinkle-free finish. In the end I just folded the corners back and stapled them like crazy with all of the left over fabric.

Note- this is the point when I drilled in the holes for the tufting. I measured the spacing across the back and drilled down through the plywood, foam and batting. 

To finish off the project, I repeated the batting process with the curtain fabric making sure to pull the fabric taught but still loose enough to avoid showing lumps and bumps. To check, I lifted the headboard every few staples to ensure the fabric was straight and not too tight. And I wasn't afraid to take out a staple if it was pulling too tight and creating bumps.

I love the final product and how cozy it makes the room feel! Plus I can always change it out without guilt since it was so cheap to make!

xxoo jane