Freeing My Mind With Free People

You know I try to be a positive person in life. I pray, I make time for my family and I try to hustle when it comes to my business. I believe (as cliche as it may sound) that you get out of life what you put in. However, as balanced as I try to be, it REALLY irks me when people try to take advantage of a situation. 

Two Friday's ago I was headed home from a client meeting on 77 South, when I watched a bolt fall off a hauler truck and hit my window. I looked up at my windshield to assess the damage and realized not only was my front windshield shattered in the upper passenger side window but that the bolt was still laying on the hood of the Stormtrooper. 

My eyes immediately refocused on the hauler truck it had fallen from and I proceeded to flag down the driver. As we pulled off the highway I took a photo of the bolt still laying on the jeep. When we stopped I explained to the driver that it had fallen from the top of his tall tailgate and returned the bolt to him. I also at that point asked for his insurance information and to speak to the owner of the company. 

I spoke to Andre, the owner of the Excavating & Hauling company on the phone and he assured me that we would rectify the situation. However, after weeks of getting the run around from the company and their insurance, it became painfully obvious to me that my windshield was not going to get fixed... at least not by them. 

After coming to terms with what goes around comes around, I've decided to let karma work it's self out and get the window fixed myself. I mean who has time to sit around and wait on dishonest people? I've got blogs to write. 

Thus, to take my mind off the vile words I could name call (can you tell I'm really hanging on to this one?) I've decided to share this perfect spring transition look with all of you! 

I'm freeing my mind with this adorable Free People embroidered dress and blush booties from Chinese Laundry. I chose to pair this look with my favorite Page 6 fringe earrings. I get so many compliments anytime I brake them out. Plus, who doesn't love a great bag to complete a pretty seasonal look? 

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A Meaningful Monday

Normally Mondays got us like, ugh!

Today, however, isn't just any other Monday. It's MLK Day. A day for us to remember that all things are possible and it's a reminder for us to be open and accepting of each other.

Hopefully, you had today off. If not here is a great casual look that is sure to brighten your day! I love this cold shoulder lace up sweater from Express. It comes in the prettiest shades that will take you right into spring and it's ON SALE!

With a lace-up sweater like this, you can keep the accessories light. No need to go overboard. A simple Kendra Scott pendant necklace like this is subtle and keeps the look light and airy.

I've paired this look with my favorite Just Black jeans and Chinese Laundry booties. I know you guys see these booties on me all the time, but they legit go with everything. If you could only have one neutral bootie in your closet, this is it!

Another great piece I can't get enough of is a neutral clutch. I always say to invest in bags and shoes because good ones will last forever.

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Puffers and Pearls

I can't believe it's Friday already! I haven't even packed yet and I leave TODAY for Connecticut to choreograph for Miss Connecticut USA!  

It's legit 3:45am and I am tiptoeing around my house writing this blog and packing! 

Fun fact that you might not know about me, my first major in college was theatre! I loved everything about the theatre from performing to production, so with my pageant history and my background in dance with the NBA & NFL, I found myself a nice little side hustle with Five Crown Productions as there show director and choreographer.  

Anyway, since it is 12 degrees outside currently and it is only making it up into the 30's today for much of the country, I wanted to share a great casual look with you for your weekend or your upcoming travel. I wore this cozy puffer vest on our trip to Asheville last week and it was a hit. 

I've linked the pieces you can get online below, however, there is a new version of this top out now which you can get here, and the adorable pearl clutch is available in-store only at Banana Republic. 

I'll have more up this weekend about our trip to Asheville and our tour of the Sierra Nevada Brewing Company which was a blast! 

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Great Grays

I said it yesterday during my #TryOnTuesday session at Fab'rik Birkdale, "Winter is here for the long haul".

It's 30 degrees outside and much of the United States is in a "deep freeze". I mean for God sakes, it snowed in Jacksonville, Florida today! Break out the cute long sleeves and coats because we are in the heart of sweater weather.

I found an adorable gray off the shoulder sweater yesterday at Fab'rik (which you can still see on the highlights in my Instagram stories) and it made me think about how grays are the perfect neutral for this time of year.

I've put together some great simple sweaters that will go with anything in your wardrobe below. They are easy to wear and will look great with a pair of jeans, booties or over the knee boots. It's all about styling, styling, styling! 

I field a lot of questions from you guys about how to style an outfit and if you ever get into a bind please email me! I have been around fashion, design, and stylist my entire life and it is the heart of why I started my blog. Don't get me wrong, I LOVE RADIO and I'm not going anywhere, I just missed my roots. 

This whole look is from Page 6 (use the code LauRen20 at check out for a discount) They have a local and an online store and have some really great finds! The jeans and booties in this blog are also available in the links below. If you can only get one piece from this outfit the booties are it! They are available in a ton of colors and are so chic and stylish and will go with pretty much everything. Plus they will add a subtle pop of color to any look. 

Unfortunately, the faux snakeskin clutch is no longer available however I've found some great replacement pieces and ordered another one myself. You can never have enough snakeskin! 

Happy Shopping!

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Affordable Hump Day!

Today was a CRAZY day! If you follow me on Instagram and Insta stories then you know what Maney, Roy and I have been up to the last few days. Well, this morning a local news station wanted to come interview us last minute but after 3 am wake up calls all week I was less than cute today. I rolled into work this morning with no makeup, in a simple sweater and circle scarf.

I had about 15 mins to get my life together before the cameras arrived. I took my scarf off, shook out my ponytail and ran to CVS to grab some last minute makeup. Luckily I had a House of Harlow necklace randomly in my purse too.

See I typically roll to work super casual and get ready for my shoots and meetings when I get home around noon. I won't be doing that anymore. Lesson learned.

Anyhow when I did get home today and officially got ready to take on the world, I came up with this little number.

I'm pretty obsessed with these Page 6 jeans by Just Black , they are the MOST comfortable! I layered the top with a long white tee I found on sale at Anthropologie and the maroon long sleeve crop is from Target! Then I grabbed a Page 6 necklace I had laying around and my sunglasses and I was on my way.

I wanted to share this look with you because it was really affordable. The biggest investment with this outfit is the boots, but they go with everything and they are adorable! Plus, you'll get so much use out of them this fall and winter!

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Fri-Yay!

Happy Fri-Yay!

Here's to the end of a busy week! I know I'm not the only one ready to celebrate the weekend. As I stood in line for my Starbucks this morning I took a good look around and it was apparent that my line neighbors were ready to party too.

Even though I have a HUGE weekend of work in front of me, I am really looking forward to hosting Grave Digger's Ball this weekend. Tomorrow I will be running all over the place putting the finishing touches on my costume for the concert.

The Grave Digger's Ball is a big tradition in Charlotte. It is a halloween concert that everybody and their mother's dress up for. I can't wait to share my outfit with you tomorrow, but for now today's threads will have to do!

LauRen: Fri-Yay layered sweat shirt, black distressed stretch denim jeans, blush Chinese Laundry peep toe booties by Kristin Cavallari , blush velvet clutch with fringe earrings.

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