Here are a few trinket ideas for the lovely ladies on your holiday list this year who seem to have it all and definitely deserve it all.  From faux fur details to glittery baubles, these gifts and stocking stuffers are the kind of things they’ll want to receive and all for less than $100.

Velvet Bow Scrunchie

Luxe Faux Fur Robe with Hood

Agate Coaster Set (4)

Lacquer Metallic Square Tray 

2019 Desk Calendar   (I love a fresh, pretty calendar for the New Year! I often save my favorite prints from old calendars to use in frames and collages around the house)

Gold Stacking Ring Set

Kate Spade NY Belt Bag

Cozy Leopard Print Slippers

Monogram Mugs (These are my all time favorite! I’ve both given and received these as a gift and love them.)

Ombre Faux Fur Throw (Another favorite! You can never have enough of these throws. One for every room in my opinion.)

Faux Fur Fingerless Gloves 

Multistripe Socks

Monogram Wrap-Around Ring

Lip Gloss Set

Faux Fur Earmuffs

Have a fantastic gift you’ll be giving your BFF this holiday? Please share!

XOXO,

Emily

It’s that time of year! School events, special dinners with family and friends, Santa adventures and holiday celebrations galore. As we prep for these special moments, I’m also planning the kids’ outfits. I don’t typically buy an entire new outfit for these kind of occasions, but they’ve outgrown most clothes from last year and are in need some new sweaters, pants and dresses to outfit them for the season.

Enter KIDBOX, a personalized style box filled with on-trend kids clothing that’s delivered to your door. When I learned about KIDBOX, I was instantly intrigued. I loved that it was a convenient way to discover new clothes for my little ones, at a significant discount (you know I don’t like paying full price!) and without a shopping trip required. 

KIDBOX offered me a chance to review their Limited Edition Special Occassion Box, filled with clothing geared for the special events of the season, and I was thrilled to put it to the test. Honestly, I’m a little particular when it comes to the quality and look of the clothes my kids wear. Could I really let someone else choose clothing for my kids that I, and most importantly, they, would like??

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Before we get into my review, here’s how the shopping process works:

• You fill out a brief survey about the child you’re shopping for which includes some fun personality questions. You also can share what you want or don’t want see if your box. You can get really specific, if you want, or in my case, I shared my kids’ favorite colors, but decided to leave it open to the discretion of my stylist!
• Delivery fun! Each box is filled with 6-7 items chosen by a stylist and based on your completed survey. 
• Pay for what you love. If you love one item, keep that and return the other items with a pre-paid shipping label. Love everything? Keep it all at a major discount. The baby box is a total of $68 and the boys and girls boxes are $98 each.

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Teddy and Sloane were so excited to dig into their very own boxes. Teddy loved the handsome navy toggle sweater and cozy corduroys which is an “old man” outfit I would typically purchase for him (nice job, KIDBOX stylist!). His box included two sweaters, including this cool antler head black crew neck sweater, three pairs of pants (including Paper Denim & Cloth skinny black jeans) and two knit tops perfect for layering with the sweaters. His Thanksgiving and Christmas outfits are set!

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Sloane’s box included a 7 For All Mankind brand outfit (the jeans and top alone would cost more than the total price of her box). Also included: a dress (which she put on right away), two pairs of stretchy leggings, Disney-branded Minnie Mouse top with a matching legging + skirt combo and a fuzzy pink purse. She promptly stuffed the purse with her My Little Ponies collection and requested to wear her new dress (two days in a row!). 

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We didn’t forget about little Sebastian! His box included some “street style” baby pieces including four adorable onesies, lightening bolt printed pants, a Mickey Mouse pajama set and a beachy tunic (perfect for that post-holiday warm weather trip). 

Five Reasons to Shop From KIDBOX

1. No subscription required. You order when you need new clothes. No need to worry about joining and cancelling a subscription by a certain date to avoid unwanted charges and unnecessary shipments.
2. Shopping for a cause. If you decide to keep the entire box, KIDBOX will donate to a child or family in need. You get to choose, from a list of charities, where KIDBOX will donate on your behalf.
3. Access to 120+ premier brands at a super discounted price. While I’m kind of a control freak about the styles and brands I buy for my kids, it’s refreshing to relinquish the decision making to a pro stylist. I was surprised to see familiar designer brands (like 7 For All Mankind and Paper Denim & Cloth) and excited to be introduced to cute new brands.
4. Convenience! A few minutes is all it takes to complete a survey and order a box that has enough separates to mix and match and create many outfits. All from the comfort of home. 
5. A new take on gifting. Not sure what to gift the kids in your life? Looking for a gift for your bff’s first child? Ordering a KIDBOX is a fun way to surprise a little one with a variety of clothes and accessories to wear now and later. If you’re always looking for a new “gift” idea, this is one to add to the list!

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SHOP HERE! Get your shopping done for the holidays early and make sure to have some new outfits for those special events. Use code StyleDujour to save 15% off your first box.

It’s safe to say KIDBOX is Style DJ- and kid-approved on our end. Have you tried KIDBOX before? If you give it a try this holiday season, please let me know what you think! (And remember to save with code StyleDujour). 

XOXO,

Emily

*This post is in collaboration with KIDBOX. All thoughts and opinions are entirely my own.

Working out after baby…I’m not quite there yet. Even after my third, I haven’t mastered a regular exercise routine while juggling motherhood. And you know what. That’s OK. I’ll get there. Eventually. 

There was a time I was so committed to working out that I swam laps at the gym by 6 a.m. or spent a good portion of my Saturdays running. There was even I time that I ran the Chicago Marathon. The picture is proof! 

With the ebb and flow of pregnancy and postpartum healing, a steady workout rhythm isn’t quite there yet for me. But there’s no doubt about the mood-boosting feeling I get from exercising and how it positively impacts my day. 

So back in July, I jumped at the chance to try out a class through Fit4Mom. As it turns out, it’s the nation’s leading prenatal and postnatal fitness program to support every stage of motherhood. With two little kids and a third on the way at the time, this felt like the perfect way to ease back into a group exercise class. At nine months pregnant, I attended their Stroller Strides class for a month. (Here are my thoughts the morning of my first class).

Here are three things I loved about the class as a pregnant mama:

1. Kids are welcome to join! In fact, they play an integral part of the one-hour class which includes a combo of strength training, cardio and core workouts while entertaining your tot in tow (in a stroller, of course!) with songs and interactive activities. Child care has always been a workout obstacle for me, whether I wasn’t crazy about a gym’s child care option or they simply didn’t have one, so bringing my child to a workout class made it that much easier to get my butt there. 
2. The class caters to all fitness levels. I hadn’t worked out in months (and then some!) when I attended the class this summer. Plus, I was carrying an extra 30+ pounds of baby. Yet, I felt like I could participate in all the activities and the instructor always had an alternative exercise.
3. The class is all about positivity and encouragement. I left every class feeling uplifted. Plus, it was a bonus to connect with other mamas of young kids. 

I’m now eight weeks post-partum and ready to continue Stroller Strides with my littliest one in tow. As a new mom (again), I’ll share an update in a Part 2 review later this fall on my experience with the class.

For you fellow moms out there, do you follow a regular exercise routine? If so, what works best for you?

XOXO,

Emily

This post is sponsored by Jambu. The opinions shared in this post are genuine and my own.

It’s officially fall and boot season is in full swing.  Tall and heeled boots are easily one of my favorite styles, but it’s hard to ignore the versatility of a flat ankle boot that I seem to see everywhere from my fall magazines to the blogs I follow.

You may think that a flat boot feels less elevated compared to a heeled bootie, but a leather boot with high-end detailing and a pointy toe can make you feel just as pulled together, in my opinion.

My friends at Jambu are known for making comfortable boots for women and they gifted me a pair of their new “Rimini” flat-heeled booties to style and try.

These are my first pair of flat-heeled ankle boots, but it’s clear that they can be styled for any and every occasion.  Honestly, since I’m chasing after kids all day and juggling a newborn, the flat heel makes it easy for me to slip on and off and keep up with my crew, but the stud detailing and pointy toe make me feel more pulled together than a basic shoe.

Like Jambu’s other boots and booties, these “Rimini” boots have the super soft Memory Foam foot bed and rubber bottom sole making them a comfortable shoe to wear from day to night.

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My day-to-day style is on the casual side, but I have a couple special occasions coming up so I tried these boots with textured tights and a tweed mini dress.

I plan to wear these booties in other casual ways like with a midi skirt and a tucked in sweater or with high-rise skinny jeans and a blazer. I think these booties will easily become wardrobe MVP of the season!

In addition to these Rimini booties, Jambu has so many cute new boots and shoes for fall, in all heel styles and colors (Did you see how I’m wearing their tall leather boots in my previous post?!)

Tell me, have you tried a pair of flat ankle boots? If so, what’s your favorite way to style them?

XOXO,
Emily

Fall officially kicks off in less than a week (September 22) and I’m ready to embrace all the autumn layers and incorporate some of this season’s trends into my day to day looks. Last week, I rounded up five of these trends in the fashion spotlight for this season including the classic animal print, leopard. From faux fur coats to accessories like my Urban Expressions handbag or a belt, I love how leopard easily adds a splash of character and polish to a simple jeans + tee look.

GIVEAWAY!

To celebrate the start of a new season and to thank you all for following along, I have a couple fall accessory giveaways planned. First up, one reader will win this “Marguerite” handbag c/o my friends at Urban Expressions in their choice of color/print (there are six colors) including leopard. Make sure to follow me on Instagram so you can enter when it kicks off tomorrow on Tuesday, September 18! A winner will be selected and contacted this week. Good luck!

XOXO,

Emily

With the change of season (and my new post-prego frame), I’ve been eager to swap out my summer slides for fall layers, boots and blazers.  My inbox has been a flurry of fall fashion trends, and while I can appreciate the latest haute couture looks, I rounded up five trends for fall that I personally connect with as bold yet classic, and wearable day to night.

Here’s how I’ve worn and will wear these “trends” this autumn and where you can shop these looks for less.

Logos Everywhere

“Logo is a go-go this fall! From tights to bags and everything in between, designers’ logos were front and center on the F/W 18 runways. The iconic Dior Saddle Bag (pictured) has been particularly popular among the fashion set, resurrecting to fame again since those Carrie Bradshaw days of the ’90s.” – Who What Wear, “6 Fall Trends I Can’t Wait to Wear“

Side Note: I have a small and well loved collection of designer logo handbags I’ve slowly added to my closet since I purchased my first vintage Fendi bag (pictured above) when studying abroad in Rome. Since then, I’m always on the treasure hunt for new designer bags, mostly vintage and pre-owned.  I can vouch for the incredible and authenticated bags you can find from online sites like Tradesy, The RealReal and Ebay to add these classic bags to your closet at a fraction of the price you’d pay at the store. (Stay tuned: I’ll reveal the newest site I discovered for scoring unique, pre-owned designer goods. If you’re always on the prowl for a vintage or pre-owned designer treasure, you won’t want to miss this!)

Mad About Plaid

“We’re falling for autumn’s essential statement print: plaid. It’s timeless and goes with everything (trust us!) Wear it dressed up with a blazer for work, or dressed down with jeans for a cozy day at the coffee shop.” – ModCloth

Tweed Remix

“The uptown staple gets an edge thanks to modern cuts (hello, boxy crop top and jean-style jacket) and patchwork details.” – Glamour, “Remixed Tweed,” September 2018

The Cat’s Meow

“With high-brow styling (a pussy-bow here, a slip dress there), these are bold and elegant.” – Glamour, “Refined Animal Prints” September 2018

Tickled Pink Fuchsia 

“If you want to give the browns, grays, and darker hues of autumn a break, reach for the color that was seen all over the fall runways and fashion week—fuchsia pink. Fashion girls can’t seem to get enough. Don’t want to wear the hue from head-to-toe? Opt for a blouse, skirt, or shoes paired with neutrals.” Who What Wear, “6 Fall Trends I Can’t Wait to Wear“

What are your favorite looks for fall that you can’t wait to wear this season?

XOXO,

Emily

Something old. Something new. Something borrowed. Something blue.

We’re not planning a wedding for this life milestone, but this saying popped into my mind as we put the finishing touches on our neutral nursery for Baby this weekend. The majority of the furniture and decor for his room we “borrowed” from other rooms in the home. This includes newer pieces we bought in recent years for Teddy and Sloane’s nurseries and older items we purchased or inherited from family.  We invested in a new rug (Rugs USA) and mid-century modern dresser, and navy blue (one of my favorite colors) pops up as an accent color against the fresh white and ivory hues.

Here’s a photo preview of the space we created for our Baby Boy and read on to see our top list of names (only a couple days left to decide!)…

The only detail left to prep is deciding on a name! Our list of names we both like currently includes Sebastian, Luca and Lincoln (plus a couple others we individually love). We’ll just have to wait until we meet him to know the best fit. 

The nursery is ready, our hearts are open and we’re ready to welcome Baby into the world. <3 Thanks so much for following along as I shared my pregnancy journey the last nine months. I can’t wait to introduce you to the newest member of our family very soon.

XOXO,

Emily