What I've Been Wearing

It's been awhile since I've posted an outfit post, and I have tons of images from past months that haven't made their way to anywhere other than instagram. So I thought that I'd share a few of my favorite outfits from October (seriously it's November already, how did that happen?!). And later in the next week or so, I'll share some outfits next to the lovely fall colors (I found trees who's leaves turned pink!).

I got this gorgeous raw silk scarf in my Noonday Collection bundle, and I'm sooo glad that I did. It's large and warm, and many days I have it on my lap as a blanket while I edit photos. It looks nice wrapped like a regular scarf, but it looks so gorgeous and "fancy" worn like a shawl and belted. And shhh I'm wearing leggings as pants. *gasp*

Scarf: Bombay Raw Silk scarf // Bracelet: La Noche bracelet // Earrings: Metallic Pearls earrings

Have I mentioned before that pattern mixing is one of my favorite things to do? For those of you who are a little unsure about pattern mixing, the best way to start is with shoes. The two patterns aren't touching, but wearing two patterns like this, automatically makes a outfit look more pulled together. And these shoes are super awesome, and I can't wait to fully introduce you to the amazingness that is The Root Collective. All of their shoes are fair-trade and handmade by an incredible man in Guatemala. I got a special pre-release pair, but you get to purchase your own pair in just a few days when The Root Collective launches on November 9th.

Earrings: Annie's Feathered earrings // Bracelet: Metallic Pearls bracelet

Now allow me to reintroduce you to another wonderful company called Sevenly. I've mentioned them before, so if you've been following the blog for any time you've probably seen me wear one of their shirts. Every week, new limited edition designs are introduced and $7 from every purchase goes towards a new cause every week (anything from clean water projects, homeless care, life saving medicine, to autism). I've been following them for the past 2ish years, and I've loved seeing how they've grown and changed and how many people they're reaching with their awareness and funds.

Shirt: Be The Change // Earrings: Annie's Feathered earrings // Necklace: Metallic Pearls necklace // Bracelet: Very Versatile bracelet

Happy Noondayversary!

Today is the date that I officially joined Noonday Collection last year. I can't believe it's been a year already. I am more in love with this job and company than I was when I started (and I didn't think that was possible). It's been a year full of things that I never would have expected when I joined. I remember being so nervous on my group interview call with Jessica. I was shaking and could barely speak and I was pretty sure she was going to email me and tell me that I wasn't a good fit for the company. But then shortly after our call I get this email from Jessica,  

"I loved hearing what God has done with your heart through "7". And I LOVE how you are stepping out in risk even with your "shyness". You are an obvious woman of influence and I would love to have you join our team! Your world will be rocked- and you are going to rock so many worlds by creating pathways out of poverty for the vulnerable AND opening eyes in your own community."

And she's right, my world has been rocked. And that shyness, it's not so present anymore. I suppose that's how life goes when you decide to jump on board with what God is doing. He starts to mold you into the person He's made you to be, and it's not quite at painful as you once thought it would be. In fact, it's actually fun.

Honestly, I started with Noonday because I love fashion and jewelry (oh my goodness do I love jewelry. I have way too much), and I really needed to make some money. My photography business was bringing in next to nothing. If I'm being brutally honest, the artisans lives were secondary. And I was selfish. I didn't think I had the capacity to love people halfway around the world that I seemingly had nothing in common with. But since spending so much time immersing myself in their stories and the stories of the other ambassadors, I've begun to see the common human thread between all of us. We all have stories that are worth fighting for. We all have a Creator who loves us immensely, and no less than He loves anyone else just because of where and how you live your life.

When I joined Noonday, I didn't really expect all of the growing and learning and friendship. I just expected to sell jewelry. The group of ambassadors has definitely been an added bonus and huge blessing. For the most part, a lot of the women are in completely different life stages than me (married, kids), and I think that every young woman in her early 20s needs a group of women who are older than them, encouraging them through life. Because of them I feel more confident, educated, and just really more myself. So thanks ladies for all that you do! I can't wait to hopefully meet you at the conference in January.

Noonday Collection is still extremely new in the Lehigh Valley (and actually PA). For those of you that don't know, I was the first ambassador in PA. That means that there are sooooo many people out there who have yet to know about Noonday. And I want to change that this year. Which means that I'd love to partner with you (whoever you are), to bring Noonday and it's stories into your homes and churches and coffee shops and share it with your friends. If you've been hearing me talk about Noonday for a year now and you've always thought you'd like to do a show, now's your time. If you just heard about Noonday today, now's your time to host a show too. (did you know that when you host a show you get free jewelry?)

If you want more info about hosting show, send an email to: laurapensack@gmail.com

And the winner is......

LAURI TRIPALDI!!!!!!!!!!!


Congrats Lauri! After I pick out your item from Harvest Star, I'll deliver all of your lovely prizes to you.

It's my birthday and I'll give gifts if I want to.

So today is my 24th birthday. Yea I don't really know how I feel about that. I'm like a real adult and stuff now. This pretty much sums up how I'm feeling.

 

 So to make my birthday more fun and enjoyable, I'm going to give away gifts. Because giving gifts makes me happy. Gifts may just be my love language. I'm giving away 4 of my favorite things to one lucky person that will be chosen at random.

1. A $25 Noonday Collection gift voucher, because you all know by now how much I love Noonday Collection. It's the perfect combination of fashion and helping people. I love that purchasing jewelry can literally mean redemption and dignity for others.

 2. The Unmarried Couple by Maysie Greig. This has been by far one of my favorite books I've ever read. It was written in the 1940s and it takes place in England. The main character, Kathleen, decides that she doesn't want to continue along with her mother's wishes of climbing up the social ladder, so she runs away from her wedding to a Count and stows away on an old Dutch barge that's right outside her hotel. On the barge she meets a handsome Australian man who is an heir to an ancestral home in England, but when he finds her on his boat he thinks that she's a jewel thief. She doesn't want to return to her old life so she plays along. The end up pretending to be a married couple to spy on his cousin who's trying to steal the inheritance. The characters are hilarious and all of their lives seem to cross in some crazy way. I found myself laughing out loud so many times during this book. I don't know if it was supposed to be such a funny book when it was written, but when it's read today it's quite humorous. I wish someone would turn this book into a movie. The main character Kathleen would definitely be played by Anne Hathaway.

 3. Two Alter Eco Dark Chocolate Quinoa bars. Oh my goodness, this chocolate is the best I've ever eaten. And it's fair trade so I'm pretty sure that makes it even better.

 4. A random item from my favorite antique store, Harvest Star. My aunt has been working at this store for quite some years now and I love getting to spend time there browsing through all of the booths full of vintage and antique items (that's actually where I first discovered the fantastic book above). So once a winner is chosen, I'll head over to the store and pick out an item just for you.

 To enter the giveway just do whatever options you'd like in the Rafflecopter widget below. a Rafflecopter giveaway

And thanks for making my birthday go from the above gif to this one:

Noonday Ambassador Style.

It's time for me to start blogging again. It's been far too long. For the whole month of September, a bunch of Noonday Ambassadors are taking part in a style contest over on Instagram (you can follow along by searching the hashtag #ambassadorstyle). So of course I'll just on any opportunity to come up with fun outfits and photograph them. Last week's challenge was pretty simple, we just had to wear our favorite pieces from the new fall line (which in my case is practically everything). I wanted to share 3 of the outfits that I came up with this week with you guys.

 Day 1.

What I'm wearing: Falling Muskisa Necklace, Chasing Triangle Cuff, and Metallic Pearls Necklace Chambray Shirt (old navy), Skirt (gap) Shoes (similar)

 Day 2.

I love that my puppy wanted to join in on my picture taking. Her little face in the window just makes me so happy. 

What I'm wearing: On the Mark Necklace, Metallic Pearls Earrings, Delta River Bangles, Saigon Color Dipped Bangle, Tasseled Bullet Bracelets Shirt (Loft similar), Skirt (vintage)

 Day 3.

What I'm wearing: Picked Plum Scarf, Soleil Earrings in Rose Gold, Shirt (old navy similar), Pants (old navy similar), Shoes (target similar)
 P.S. this outfit won the week's challenge. So now you can find my picture on the Noonday instagram and the Noonday Facebook page. And I won a free pair of earrings. How fun!

shoes.

This video just makes me happy for so many reasons. I love color and design, and getting a glimpse into the designing of these shoes makes me want to be a shoe lover. Shoes have never really been much of my thing, but this video may have just turned my subtle dislike of shoes, into a hint of love. Now if only it were easy to afford a closet full of awesome j.crew shoes. :)

Little Black Dress Challenge - Days 4-7

I seriously love doing these kinds of fashion challenges. It's good for my brain. I used to think that I couldn't be as creative with limitations, but know I know that's totally not true. Some form of limitations, whether it's in the space I'm photography or the number of clothes I can wear, really helps my creativity thrive.

DAY 4:

I wore all Ethiopian jewelry in celebration of the news that the co-op that works with Noonday was able to hire 25 new women to work for them! That means, 25 women making their way out of poverty, getting the proper medicine for HIV, and families that will now have enough food and be able to send their kids to school. I love world change!
Cardigan- Banana Republic
Tshirt- Sevenly
Jewelry- Bethe Rope Necklace, Two Coins Necklace, Bullet and Bead Hoops, Very Versatile Bracelet, Tessa Bracelet

DAY 5:

It was finally starting to get warm. The winter just felt like it was never going to end. Spring is most definitely better than winter.
Skirt- Target (like years ago)
Jewelry & Accessories- Wildflower Belt, Breezy Ikat Scarf, Tassel Earrings, Sseko Sandals

DAY 6:

Today's outfit was pretty simple. I wanted the Noonday "arm party" to speak for itself. It's definitely fun to see just how many of my bracelets I can wear at once.
Shirt- Old Navy (similar)

Jewelry- Stacked Arrows Necklace, Beaded Statement Bracelet, Gypsy Stack Bracelet, Pelotas Bracelet, Brightly Wound Bracelet, Penelope Bracelet by 31Bits

DAY 7:

I was most definitely tired of wearing this dress by day 7, even though I could probably come up with at least about 4 more outfits. I'll definitely be doing this challenge again sometime in the future.
Skirt- vintage (I got it in a bag of clothes that my aunt's friend gave me just because. how fun is that?!)
Cardigan- Gap

Jewelry- Minted Necklace, Olivia Necklace, Tessa Bracelet, Trio of Bangles