ABERCROMBIE DRESS  + JEANS, c/o 

This post is brought to you by CJ Affiliate's VIP Content Service. Thank you Abercrombie for sponsoring this post. While this was a sponsored opportunity from Abercrombie, all content and opinions expressed here are my own.

My very favorite summer look is an all-white monochromatic outfit. There's just something so crisp, clean, and simple about this summery pairing. The biggest rule when wearing a monochromatic outfit is to choose pieces with detailing so your outfit isn't boring. This gorgeous drop-waisted dress from Abercrombie instantly caught my eye with its lace-up neckline, eyelet sleeves, and pintuck detailing, and it's the perfect piece to use in a monochromatic outfit. Distressed jeans are also a great way to add subtle interest, and I love how the casual distressing contrasts with this preppy and feminine dress.

I don't know about you guys, but I shopped at Abercrombie all the time during high school and college. I hadn't shopped there in years, thinking there was no chance I'd find anything appropriate for an almost 30-year-old mom of three, but I was so pleasantly surprised to find that not only had they completely revamped their brand to appeal to a larger audience, but also everything was so tasteful and modern. When I picked up this dress and my jeans, I also snagged this classic button up which I can't wait to wear all summer with white jeans, denim skirts, or linen pants. I also love this chambray lace up top, this denim skirt, and I'm obsessed with this fringe jacket. Hop over and check out all their new arrivals right here!

photos by rad and happy

DRESS (similar here) ||  HEELS  ||  BAG  ||  SIMILAR SUNGLASSES

We're starting to get into hot summer days so summer essentials are on the brain. When it's a warm day, pieces that require no fuss and no layering are the most important thing for me, and today's outfit is made of just those kind of pieces: simple, pretty, easy to wear, and nothing extra required. Time to get ready for those hot months!

1. The Easy Dress. Summer dresses are an absolute essential for me. Right now since I'm nursing, I look for ones that button or zip up the front, so this chambray shirt dress was a perfect find. It's lightweight, but the chambray is nice and durable, and doesn't require any layering (I did wear a slip underneath just in case the side slits got a little high, but that didn't add any heat). Nordstrom always has such a great selection of dresses, like this tee dress that would look so cute with a baseball cap and sneakers. And this shirt dress that is so pretty and classic and comes in white, gray (my favorite), and olive. I rounded up more of my favorites below:

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2. Summer Sandals. No summer is complete without summer sandals. When I'm wearing a very simple dress or top, I like to add a statement shoe to take my outfit up a notch. The block heel is huge this season, and I love that it's a really easy and comfortable style to wear day or night. I instantly fell in love with this pair that has geometric cut outs because they're subtle, but also make a statement with that chunky heel and the cut-outs. Perfect with the simple chambray dress. But if you're looking for a lower heel, I love these ones that are perfect for running around during the day but still feeling a little special. These ones also have a low heel and the ankle wrap is so cute. Nordstrom has so many more gorgeous ones right here, and I linked to a few more of my favorites below:

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3. Shoulder Bag. During the summer it's more important than ever to be hands free so I can run and play with my boys. Having a small every day kind of shoulder bag is perfect for storing just the basics, and I love this neutral one from Kate Spade. It's the perfect size for holding my wallet, phone, and keys (and probably a pacifier), and it's the perfect neutral that will go with everything. I'm also loving this one with laser cuts that's under $50, and this one that comes in three gorgeous colors and is only $36! And there are even more below in the widget!

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thank you to Nordstrom for sponsoring this post  ||  photos by rad and happy

Happy Saturday! Are you guys following along on my instagram (@merricksart)? I share lots of outfits that never hit the blog, plus you can see a little more of our day to day life! 

Also don't forget that tomorrow is the last day of the Nordstrom Half Yearly sale! There are so many good things, but they're going fast. So hurry and grab those last things before they go back to full price. You can see all my favorites right here!

JACKET  ||  EYELET TOP  ||  BOYFRIEND JEANS (buy your normal size!)  ||  WEDGES  (so so comfortable, like walking on pillows)

I wore this outfit last weekend to the park. Momiforms are my speciality (aka pretty much all I wear these days), so I'm always trying to step them up a bit to be feminine, fun, or interesting while still being kid-friendly and comfortable. These jeans are my go-to and are so cute, and these wedges are insanely comfortable. 

GINGHAM TOP  ||  JEANS  ||  SANDALS

We celebrated Memorial Day this past week on Monday, honoring those who have fought for our country. So American flag colors it is! Also a gingham shirt is an absolute staple in my closet. Goes with everything, is easy to dress up or dress down, and always makes me feel put together. And this one is on sale for $30!

LACE TOP  ||  SKIRT  ||  HEELS (same ones here but they're unavailable in black. similar black ones here and here)

I wore this to church on Sunday and loved how the black heels and all white created a statement. Also San leaked through his diaper during the first hour of church so I got a little yellow stain right on the front, and then of course got asked at the last minute to stand up in front of the entire congregation and lead the music, ha! 

OFF THE SHOULDER DRESS  ||  SAN'S JUMPER

Since Philip had the day off of work on Monday, we headed to the beach as a family. It was perfectly warm and sunny with a little breeze, and this off-the-shoulder dress was perfect. It's only $24 and it comes in a bunch of colors!

JEANS  ||  SANDALS  ||  TOP (similar here and here)

I'm a huge donut fan so of course we had to celebrate National Donut Day yesterday with a trip to Sidecar Doughnuts. It was our first time and they were honestly the best donuts I'd ever had in my life. The raspberry was for sure the best! 

Also have you guys tried ThredUp? I wrote about here, and I just recently picked up this J.Crew top for $25. They have great name brands at much lower prices! 

Have a great weekend!

FIND MY OUTFIT DETAILS HERE

Now that San is almost three months old (anyone else think that went by really fast??), Philip and I are trying to get back in the swing of regular date nights. We feel so lucky to have a babysitter that we trust with San even though he's still so little, and also feel super happy that he takes a bottle so well. Both things make it so much easier to sneak away for the evening and focus on each other.

As long as we're not going out for spaghetti and meatballs (that's a stain waiting to happen), an all white look is one of my favorites for summer date night. I played around with a bunch of textures and slight color variations in this dressy date night look, and I love how it came together.

This is one of two looks I created with maurices this summer. I'm over on their blog today sharing tips on wearing white with kids, and how to put together a killer all-white look, plus sharing info on all the pieces I'm wearing. Head over and check it out right here!

Happy Friday!

Top: Central Park West  | Pants: Current Elliott Stiletto | Flats: Rupert Sanderson  | Nails: Essie O.P.I. Big Apple Red

I got plenty of use out of this top while I was pregnant, as seen here, and it still remains one of my favorites. While this black and white color combo is no longer available, I equally love this cream and white version, perfect for the warmer months. Paired with my favorite new flats and a classic red lip for a some Parisian/Audrey vibes.

The post Bits of Paris appeared first on Brooklyn Blonde.

Compensation for this post was provided by Huhtamaki Inc. for the Chinet® brand via AOL Media. The opinions expressed herein are those of the author and are not indicative of the opinions or positions of Huhtamaki Inc. for the Chinet® brand or AOL.

If there is one thing my boys love, it's a party. On any given day they're either dreaming up party ideas, pretending to host a party, or begging me to host a real party. And although I love a good party, as you probably know, I typically don't love parties when kids are involved since things are pretty much guaranteed to get messy and broken.

But since my boys asked so nicely, and I hadn't done any parties involving them for a long time, I gave in and agreed to host an end-of-the-school-year party. We came up with a fun theme -- the Finger Food Fiesta -- and together with Chinet® brand we made a festive and kid friendly party. My boys are happy because they get a party, and I'm happy because no dishes get broken during the party. I really like the Chinet® Classic White™ products because they're sturdy and strong so they can hold a lot of food without collapsing, they don't get soggy, and also they are clean and streamline unlike a lot of paper dishes.

Since we were doing a Fiesta, I wanted to add a fun little element to the Chinet® Classic White™plates, so I used colorful streamers, cut them into thick fringe, and hot glued them to the underside of the plates for a pinata-esque feel. It was such an easy project, but it totally dresses up a simple white plate and makes it super festive.

For the rest of the decor, we hung honeycomb balls in different sizes, I cut out little paper cacti and made a garland, and I bought mini cacti and transferred them to empty tin cans. Such easy and simple decorations, but they packed a big punch!

For food, since it was all about finger food, we made bit size nachos (recipe here), colorful fruit kabobs, and chips and guacamole. I also thought about doing little bite size corn on the cobs, but didn't get to it. Then we did water with limes and colorful straws, and mini churros for dessert. There are lots of other fun Mexican finger foods, so you could do lots more food! And since Chinet® brand makes square plates, I used those for our serving trays which makes cleanup a total breeze.

We had such a blast putting this all together and can't wait for the end of the school year to share it with our friends!

For more entertaining inspiration visit mychinet.com!