Styling my new $35 dress

Here's the deal... good fashion does not have to come at a high price. The other day I ran into a big box retailer for some pasta sauce... and there it was. Leopard print, denim, and the cutest impulse buy you'll ever see. Say hello to my $35 dress.

The coloring on this leopard print dress is so rich - a super lux brown. The dress is denim, structured and hangs so well. Puff sleeves, zips in the back, and POCKETS! Seriously gotta love that! Here's the best part - this dress comes in sizes 0 through 26W. This is quite possibly the perfect fall dress.

Today on the blog, I'm showing you 4 easy ways to style this $35 dress.

First, I took this season's hottest trend - the lug sole boot. This dress hits right above the knee which makes it so versatile to style from sneakers to boots... And this dress is HOT with a cute pair of lug sole boots. Staying simple with a little edge, I threw on a crossbody bag and I'm ready to rock.

Next, I threw on a pair of black tights, cute ankle booties, and my belt bag. I tamed down the edginess and created a cute and sophisticated look.

Next I'm going casual. Throwing on some sneakers with an oversized demin jacket. This look is beyond easy and pumpkin patch worthy.

Finally I'm throwing on my favorite fall sneakers with a leather bomber jacket. Effortlessly cool... I love just how easy it is to style this dress.

To recap... this amazing versatile dress is $35. Seriously! This dress runs true to size - I'm wearing my typical size 4. One more thing - when styling this dress (or any dress) don't be afraid to mix affordable pieces with investment pieces. This not only makes your outfit more interesting, but it makes your style uniquely you.

Happy shopping!

Remember to check out my Instagram @smalltownme

Love Emily.

Adding a Touch of Halloween

A couple weeks ago I shared all the fall goodness I brought into our home. Well, our house is still EXPLODING with pumpkins, but a fun Halloween vibe is definitely noticeable in each of our rooms. Today on the blog, I'm talking about how to add a little Halloween whimsy to your home fall decor.

Right around October 1, I bring out all my Halloween decorations and add them to the fall pumpkin decor already set up around my house. Just a small touch of Halloween whimsy can transform an entire area from fall to spooky. One easy decoration I love using are fun Halloween plates. My plates come in a four pack, which makes them easy to spread out around my kitchen. Also - they are super easy to store as they don't take up much room. For My other Halloween decor I find in stores, in the clearance section after Halloween, even garage sales. Since I'm adding Halloween whimsy to my pallet of pumpkins, my decorations can be super random while still looking put together.

One fun DIY I did was purchase a Halloween lace tablecloth on clearance. I cut the fun spiderweb material the same size as my fall table throws. With almost no effort, I was able to transform my accent tables to a fun Halloween showcase.

Below are photos of some areas in my home where I transformed my fall decor into Halloween goodness with very little effort.

I always try to add a meaningful touch to the holiday decorations around my home. On my Halloween tree, you will find ornaments made out of old photos of me and my kids dressed for trick or treating. The three trick-or-treater figurines represent my three boys. I'll also frame pictures of my kids dressed up and nestle them around my Halloween decor. Family memories are some of my favorite things around the holidays.

I hope this gives you some ideas to spookify your home this Halloween. Remember to keep a look out year round for Halloween decor - the holiday comes and goes so fast, it's nice to be able to decorate your home on a budget.

I've linked some of my favorite Halloween decorations to help get you started.

Happy decorating!

Remember to check out my Instagram @smalltownme

Love Emily.

How I decorate for fall

Today's the last day of September... how's your fall decorating coming along? My house is EXPLODING with pumpkins, and I'm loving it all. My fall decorations bring change into our home... school has started and with that a new fall routine. The weather is getting crisp, and our warmer clothes are coming out of hibernation. Hues of brown, orange, and red can be seen throughout our house. Today on the blog I'm going to share how I bring fall vibes into our home.

During the first week of September, my pumkins come out. Every Year. they bring fall whimsy throughout my house, and help set the tone for this major season change in Minnesota. For the next 3 months, my house will be sprinkled with these rich fall colors, and my pumpkins will set the stage for the holidays to come... Halloween and Thanksgiving.

To say I have a lot of pumpkins can be a bit of an understatement. I guess you could say they are a bit of a weakness, but I want to make sure they are sprinkled throughout the main areas of my house because these pumpkins will set the tone for fall. Acting as my base, I will simply add to them with the upcoming holidays... but let's save that for another blog post. Today, it's all about the pumpkins!

Decorating an entire house can be a daunting task. It's fun to decide where to put this or how to decorate that... but it takes time. Here's the deal - time is valuable... especially what you're a mom of three. A couple years ago I created a decorating book where I take pictures of each area in my house that I decorated. I do this for every holiday. When that holiday rolls around, I flip to that section in my book and recreate the holiday goodness. What used to take me a weekend of decorating now takes me an afternoon. Sometimes I still move things around... buy new decor that I need to find a place for... but the main guts are in this book. Each year I go around and update my pictures, keeping my decorating journal up to date.

I love this book because it is literally a build-it-yourself kit. You pick out the binder and whatever page layouts you want. There are even precut papers you can add to empty area. This makes it so easy to lay out entire rooms and table the specific holidays. I also added tabs to keep each holiday seperated. This line even has a punch so you can cut your pictures into the exact size you need. So easy and the book is guaranteed to turn out cute. My decorating book is linked above.

So take out your pumpkins and get your home ready for fall. Be sure to take pictures of each area in your home to make next year's decorating a breeze. I've linked some of my favorite fall decorations to help get you started.

Happy decorating!

Remember to check out my Instagram @smalltownme

Love Emily.