Life Is Better At The Beach

After 9 months of not having a week off from work, I'm FINALLY taking a vacation! My husband, Mike, and I are packing up the car and road trippin it to Cape Cod. It's been about three years since we last visited... but I'm looking forward to reading a book on the beach, eating lots of crab and getting my R&R on!

 Of course, I'll be sharing pictures of my excursion when I get back, but in the meantime, I'm leaving House Of Jeffers in the hands of some pretty amazing ladies.

Be sure to check back next week for guest posts, or follow me on my social media accounts to see what I'm up to.

Happy Fourth Of July!

xo, Jen

Tangerine Dream

While mint is having its moment, I think summer's unsung hero is tangerine. While I'm not a fan of the fruit, I am in favor of it's long lost cousin, the Creamsicle, and wearing one of the most sunniest of shades since Roy G. Biv was a wee little guy.

Orange, corals and tangerine all look fab against sun-kissed skin, and complement other sprightly shades like red, gold, white and of course, green. Orange also has a retro, mod vibe to it that reminds me of those groovy pant suits from the 70s. Flower power!

How are you incorporating orange into your summer wardrobe? 

Summer Denim Days

High-waisted shorts are letting me channel my inner Daisy Duke this summer. With temperatures in the 90s, you won't catch me wearing long pants any time soon. However, either I should be doing the hustle or maybe in this outfit, hitting the boardwalk at the Jersey shore. Either way, let's dish on why high-waisted shorts should be in your summer wardrobe.

First, who isn't a fan of making their waistline appear smaller? High waist pants give the illusion of having a smaller waist due to their masking capabilities.

Second, they have a 70s feel to em - love the nod to bell bottoms I get with a high waisted jean.

And third - high waisted shorts look effortless paired with a button up or simple, basic t-shirt tucked in. Plus, since crop tops are HUGE this season, high waisted shorts can hit right at the belly bottom, essentially where a lot of crop tops hit as well, so you don't have to show too much of your stomach if you don't want to.

Everybody wins!

If you're anything like me, you were out this weekend enjoying the first official weekend of the summer! That means lounging outside, and letting it burn like Usher. You can't see it that well in my photos, but I definitely have a slow burn going on on my back and arms. Beauty is pain, I guess.

Outfit Details

Plaid Tie-Front Top - c/o Wet Seal / Wet Seal Almost Famous Flower Print High Rise Short - c/o Wet Seal / Kelly & Katie Cuff Sandal with Metallic Accents - DSW / Leather Belt Cuff - (old) / Turquoise Ring - gift from my parents / Peace Sign Ring - old / Leather Satchel - Zara / Round Frame Sunglasses - Urban Outfitters

In Between The Lines

Outfit Details:

Striped Crewneck Tee - Gap / Pleated Wave Skirt - c/o Sugarlips (last year) (similar style) / Olivia + Joy Affiliate Satchel - c/o / Studded Lace-Up Gladiator Sandals - Mia Shoes purchased at Marshalls #fabfound  (similar style) / Leather Studded Bracelet - Gap / Studded Friendship Bracelet - Etsy

When it comes to fashion, I ignore rules.  Say, for instance, the one about matching your shoes and your handbag. Who came up with that ? What's the point? I think we need some organized chaos in fashion, and I guess my way of doing that to wear accessories that completely clash with each other... like my Olivia + Joy Affiliate Satchel. Obsessed with it's purply-blue goodness! 

While this outfit is basic, it's a perfect example of how basic pieces in your wardrobe can be played up with accessories... or studs.

Lately, I've been living for the weekends. I feel like I have so much I'd like to get accomplished, and I'm my most productive on the weekends when it comes to getting some Jen-oriented projects done. Plus, I leave for Cape Cod in two weeks. The last time I went on vacation was in October when I visited family in England. Can't wait to hit the sand with a good book! 

Mani Monday: Butterfly and Rose Nail Art

I've been painting my nails with a lot of neon colors nail lately, but one of my favorite shades is a peach coral color by Forever 21's Love & Beauty line. As a base coat, it's perfect for adding designs to because it really lets the nail art stand out.

For today's Mani Monday, I created a nature inspired manicure with roses, flowers and butterfly wings. This was my very first attempt at roses and the butterfly wing, and I have to admit, I'm in love with the way this mani turned out.

To create rose nail art:

• For the thumb nail art, I painted two coats of the coral polish, and let it dry for 10 mins. Then, I used complimentary colors in pink and purple to create the roses by making unsymmetrical circles for the roses, and a green color from Ulta to accent the flowers with leaves. 

• Once the roses were dry (20 minutes), I took my Art Club Nail Art Duo Pen and drew accent marks in Black to create depth to my roses.  Finally, I used my Winstonia dotting tools I purchased on Amazon to make white polka dots.

The butterfly art... not so easy. If you'd like a video tutorial on how to create this mani, let me know! 

Workwear With Flair

The word "workwear" creeps me out, and kind of makes me sad. I immediately think if pleated trousers with stiff dress shirts and old lady heels. I avoid anything that remotely looks close to something a secretary would wear, and instead,  go for dresses in bold prints that aren't too crazy, but let me be me at the office. One major tip I can give you is invest in shoes for work. All you need are three basic choices:

• Nude (to tone down prints)
• Black (goes with everything)
• And a bold color of your choice that you can utilize for color blocking, or to amp up solid color dresses.

Since I work in a corporate setting, I have to dress the part. The dress code at my job is business casual, and while you all know how much I loathe dress pants, I get around the restrictions that workwear can sometimes bring by finding pieces that represent my personality, but in a modest  clever way.

Cut It Out

I have to admit that I was a little weary of cut-out dresses. Am I too old to wear a dress that exposes part of my mid-section? Perhaps. But, the Aztec print on this Charlotte Russe dress was screaming "Who cares? I'm an Aztec print, darn it! You know you want me... "

Having a part of my body that I normally don't show off being exposed took some getting used to. But, when I wore this dress, it happened to be 89 degrees out - so there was my excuse.

And if I happen to head to an outdoor concern this summer, say, one with Adam Levine and a band called Maroon 5, which I might have tickets for to see in August, I just might wear this dress in the off-chance that Mr. Levine sees me, and my midriff, in the crowd.

Dance it out, ya'll.

Outfit Details:

Cut-Out Aztec Print Dress - c/o Charlotte Russe (similar style) / Mini Blake Bag - Rebecca Minkoff / Ghillie Wedge - c/o Charlotte Russe (similar style) / Vintage Heart Necklace / Dual Tone Spike Bracelet - c/o Ettika, Part of the House Of Jeffers bracelet stack / Henri Bendel Bow Bracelet (similar style) / Gold Knuckle Ring - Urban Outfitters

Weekend Wears: Summer Sandals

Fact: We all need to wear shoes, and for many women, they practically live in heels.

Reality: I ain't one of those women.

While it's undeniable that wedges and platforms go hand in hand with being a woman, I can't wear them everyday. Sure, heels look better with some outfits...

But in the summer, I can't wear 4-inch shoes all the time... And I don't want to. While I understand they're part of the blogger uniform, I do happen to value my comfort. On the weekends, you'll barely find me wearing heels as in reality, I just wanna relax.

My summer sandal collection runs the gamut from basic black to colors that taste the rainbow with studs, metals and flourishes in tow. Just as functional and stylish if you ask me!

Sometimes, comfort trumps fashion, and in this case, these summer sandals have just as enough pizazz as heels!