COBALT + GRAY

OUTFIT DETAILS: cobalt top | gray jeans | michael kors bag | sunglasses | similar wedges 

photos by sara walk

Cobalt has always been one of my favorite colors, but for some reason, besides a recent pair of shoes, my closet was completely cobalt free. So when I saw this top during the Nordstrom sale, I had to snag it. And even though prices have gone up, it's still a good price, and it's the perfect loose, flowy top that is easily dressed up or dressed down. 

We're off to San Diego today for a little getaway while Philip works -- B learned to swim without floaties at my parent's house last week, and Fos graduated to a puddle jumper floatie (instead of a baby inner tube), so they're both obsessed with swimming right now. I see lots of pool time all weekend while daddy works. Make sure to follow along on Instagram (@merricksart)! 

Happy Thursday!

LITTLE BLUE SWING DRESS

OUTFIT DETAILS: merricksart for golden tote swing dress || tieks, c/o || similar bag (under $30! || urban outfitters sunglasses || michael kors watch || similar necklace

PHOTOGRAPHY BY JANA LAURENE

As we head into spring around here (sorry all you people who will still be dealing with snow for the next four months) dresses become my go-to.  Swing dresses are one of my favorite dress styles to wear because they're so comfortable, and can easily be dressed up or dressed down. Throw a swing dress on with wedges and a statement necklace for date night (like I did here), or dress it down with a simple pair of leopard flats. I even styled one with a high pony, sandals, and my denim jacket tied around my waist that you can see here. The options are endless, and you look put-together no matter what!

And the best part is that they're super easy to make. Find the Perfect Summer Swing Dress sewing tutorial right here!

Happy Wednesday!

BLACK AND BLUE (AND A GIVEAWAY!)

old navy tee (on sale right now for under $10!)

gap jeans (similar)

similar ankle boots

urban outfitter sunglasses

sassy steals dylan bag, c/o

I've been on a cobalt blue kick the last few months, so this bag was an absolute no brainer. And as it turns out, cobalt goes with pretty much everything. Although I wore it with neutral black, white, and denim here, I've also successfully worn it with red, brown, white, pink, olive green, gray....and the list could go on. It's also one of those year round bags that works for any season! 

Want one for yourself? Well, today is your lucky day because Sassy Steals is giving away one of these bags (in the color of your choice -- there are 5 colors to choose from!), and giving you a cute "Sassy" tee! 

Enter to win using the Rafflecopter widget below, and good luck!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

DIY FRIDAY: SCALLOPED HEMLINE REFASHION

scalloped hemline top, made by me (tutorial below -- similar here and here)

dittos jeans (similar here)

dolce vita wedges

lily jade bag

gorjana necklace and bracelet

michael kors watch

I don't know what it is about scallops, but I just love them. They're a simple little detail that changes the entire look of a piece, and they're so whimsical and unexpected.

I've been wanting to make something with a scalloped hem for myself for a while, and when I ran across this sweatshirt dress at Target a few weeks ago, it was perfect for an easy refashion. And it turns out that doing this kind of hemline is super easy!

Click through to see the full tutorial!

BLUE DREAMSICLE

photos by sara walk

Here's a happy story for your Tuesday morning. Embroidered dresses are flooding the internet like crazy, right? Well, I'm completely obsessed with every one of them. I can't get enough. So a few months ago I pinned this image of a gorgeous embroidered blue dress, and since I couldn't find a dress source, I decided to just make one. There was basically zero chance that I ever would find a fabric similar to it, but I'm a crazy optimist. So, you know...I held out hope. And then, not two weeks later, I walked into Old Navy and this blue embroidered beauty was hanging on the rack -- the dress gods were clearly on my side. It was a little short for me, so I sized up three sizes to make it knee length, and then used this tutorial to resize the sleeves and shoulders to fit. And now my embroidered dress dreams have come true. 

Sadly this dress is out of stock at Old Navy, but I've rounded up a couple of my favorite sort of similar embroidered dresses below! Click the images below to shop them!

_________________________

old navy dress (sold out, similar here and here) (refashioned using this tutorial)

similar bag

sam edelman heels

kate spade watch (similar)

old navy sunglasses (similar)

necklace c/o lisa leonard 

COBALT POP

photography by sara walk

A little white dress has become a summer staple for me, and I'm loving finding ways to wear this dress, both dressy and casual. I hadn't thought about wearing it with a super bright color though until I picked up these blue Steve Madden pumps at the Nordstrom anniversary sale. I love an all neutral outfit with a pop of color, so these blue pumps were just the thing to wear with my little white dress for an unexpected dressy look. Add a few little gold details and the outfit was complete!

How would you wear a pair of bright blue shoes??

__________________

refashioned dress (tutorial here), similar here

steve madden heels via nordstrom (on sale!)

lulu*s bag, similar here (on sale!)

OUR FOURTH OF JULY WEEKEND

This shop is part of a social shopper marketing insight campaign with Pollinate Media Group® and Fruttare, but all my opinions are my own. #itsallgood #pmedia  http://my-disclosur.es/OBsstV

Over the last few years, the Fourth of July has become one of my very favorite holidays. I don't make a big deal of every holiday, but there are a few where I like to dress up, make special food, and do holiday specific activities. This year we invited my sister, Janssen, and her family, and my parents to come celebrate with us for the weekend, and we did all of those things and then some.

Between the famous Huntington Beach parade, two beautiful mornings at the beach, lots of good food (including a BBQ in my backyard and homemade triple berry pie for dessert), fireworks on the beach, dinner downtown at our favorite italian joint, and lots of family time, we had an amazing weekend. Also, I could have slept for two days straight after all of that and still been tired. But it was worth it.

Before the weekend, we stopped in at Target and picked up a few essentials -- matching striped shirts for the boys, s'mores ingredients, and some strawberry and strawberry with milk Fruttare bars (which can also be purchased at most grocery stores nationwide).

On the morning of the parade, we packed up a cooler and brought along the bars, which were the perfect treat to help cool us off when the sun came out from behind the trees and we all got super hot.

That evening, we hung paper stars (tutorial here) from the twinkle lights and had an outdoor BBQ. It was perfect weather, the setting was magical, and I fell even more in love with outdoor entertaining.

We ended the weekend with s'mores, sparklers, and lots of giggles from two little cousin friends.

It was the perfect weekend! Happy birthday, America -- we sure do love you!