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Disclaimer: I received a lolly watch with purposes of review. No further compensation was made. All opinions are my own and my choice to post was my own. Please see my policies for more information about how I approach sponsored posts. I’m not getting all the fun though… check below for a 20% discount that you can  use if you want a lolly watch too!

Curvy Girl Style Black and White

I don’t think black and white ever really goes out of style. But, seeing black and white designs becoming more available and getting the Fashion spotlight from Fashion bloggers, magazines, and the runway have made me super excited. I love black and white! This outfit has pretty much made its way into my weekly wardrobe I like it so much.

One way to make your black and white stand out is to accessorize with one or two brightly colored accessories. Don’t go overboard, but instead featured an item you really love. I paired my outfit with the bright yellow of the  Pineapple sentanite lolly watch.

Black and White patterned shoes to complement Fall's graphic black and white styles Black and white accented with bright accessories bright accessories to accent a black and white outfit

Excuse the silly poses in these photos. I was using my self-timer and running back and forth like an idiot hoping that the camera would focus. I seriously don’t know how so many people get great photos all by themselves! Maybe it is a practice makes perfect kind of situation?

Outfit details: I’m a walking Old Navy ad in this outfit. Shirt, pants, shoes, and necklace are all Old Navy from different seasons. The watch is a lolly watch. The red leather bracelet I received in a PNW Blogger goodie bag a long time ago and wear ALL THE TIME. The bracelet is from Flourish Leather.

Pineapple Lolly Watch // 20% Discount for Lolly Watches on A Well Crafted Party #sponsored

More About lolly™  Watches:

The thing that really drew me to lolly watch was that I a) sorely needed a watch and b) loved the bright colors and c) was happy to see that the watches were eco-friendly. I don’t always dress in an eco-friendly fashion… but, when I find items that are created with the environment in mind (recycled materials) then it definitely puts them a step up in my “wanna buy” list.

From the lolly watch website:

Made entirely from harvested sustainable softwood trees, the 5ATM water-resistant fashion watches do not contain any harmful elements and are hypoallergenic, giving you an entirely reaction free, comfortable experience.

Cool right? Wanna hear something even cooler?

The watches SMELL. Like, good. I didn’t read far enough into this part of the watch or didn’t remember when I received my super cool box with the watch inside. I wore the watch all day and kept smelling something sweet throughout the day. I finally thought, “maybe it’s my watch.” And, look at that, the watch smelled like pineapple. Sort of. I didn’t get pineapple so much as just a good-and-sweet-smell. I did think it was kind of genius though! The scent is very subtle as well so I didn’t have to worry about people sneezing around me. Each of the watches are said to have the smell of their watch name (ie Grape= grape scented purple watch).

Get 20% Off for a lolly™  Watch of Your Very Own:

lolly™  Watch is offering A Well Crafted Party readers a 20% discount on their lolly™ juice watches with the code: craftedparty20 . If you get one let me know… I’d love to see it on you and hear what you think of the watch! Oh, to make the whole thing even sweeter? Lolly watch plants a tree with each watch sold!

Want more curvy girl fashion and general fashion tips?

Stay tuned this month as I share lots of fashion related stories in honor of Portland Fashion Week!  I’m a member of the Portland Fashion Week Style Collective and am excited to share my experience and the fun. Portland Fashion Week begins Sept. 12. Tickets are still on sale and they start at just $20!

PNW Summer Toddler Clothes

PNW Summer Toddler Boy Clothing Style

Summer in the Pacific Northwest just isn’t the same as it is in other places that I’ve lived. It is chilly in the morning and evening. It gets HOT in the day time. We wear layers year round. We buy cardigans in Summer colors and hang them in our closets rather than storing them away with our winter wear.

So, when writing this post I was going to title it “Summer Toddler Style” until I realized that this would be WAY too much clothing for a lot of toddlers. I really was dressing my son for a Pacific Northwest Summer Toddler Style. (mouthful much?) So, if you are visiting the Pacific Northwest this Summer or live here year-round and need tips on dressing your toddler boy for the PNW Summer then this post will be for you.

toddler clothing ideas

I dress my son in a hat as much as possible during the Summer. Most of the year the sun is scarse out here in Portland. But, during the Summer it is shining bright. The sun protects his pale skin from burns (along with copious amounts of sunscreen) and keeps his eyes shielded some. I love the way this little blue sun hat makes his blue eyes shine. It is getting a tad small (bought it last year) which makes me sad. My baby isn’t a baby anymore.

Pacific Northwest Summer Clothing Ideas

 

PNW toddler style

I like jeans year round for this kid. He has plenty of shorts for when it is really, really hot. However, because we were heading down to the water where it is cooler, I dressed him in jeans and rolled them into a capri length. We paired the jeans with a grey and white striped v-neck (big so he has room to grow) and a pair of black sandals. Closed toe shoes are important for my little guy… he stumbles a lot still and the closed toe protects his feet better than opened toe sandals. The jeans are the complementary jeans from 7 for All Mankind that I talked about in my 7 More Days of Toddler Style.

Toddler Boy Summer Styling Ideas

His Outfit: (The following links only go to the store website from which I got the clothing items. Many are from different seasons and are no longer being sold. However, similar items can be found.) Shirt: Old Navy, Jeans (Complimentary): 7 For All Mankind, Sun Hat: Old Navy, & Sandals: Burlington Coat Factory

** This is not a sponsored post as I did not receive anything in exchange for this post. However, I did receive the jeans my son is wearing in the photos above complimentary for a different series I wrote this year. All opinions are my own.**

Planning what to wear to a bevy of wedding events is difficult enough without adding in the extra challenges of limited space and weight restrictions. I’m one of those people that will get EVERYTHING to fit into one bag rather than pay for extra baggage fees. In order to still be prepared for looking the part at all the wedding events and still being able to pack light, I’ve come up with a list of rules that I need to apply to my wedding trip packing.

Summer Wedding Travel Tips from A Well Crafted Party

Tips & Tricks for Women’s Travel Ready Wedding Attire

First, you will need all your every day clothing items as well as the specialty items for wedding events. At the wedding I’m attending next week I’ll need a special outfit for a bridal shower, rehearsal dinner, and the wedding itself. Second, you’ll need all the accessories that go with your outfits!

My Rules for Packing Wedding Event Attire:

1. Get more than 1 use out of EVERYTHING (unless of course you are required to wear a bridesmaid dress… that can only be used once for this particular trip!). Other than that though, it does not go in my bag unless I can wear the item more than one time.

2. Limit the heavy/large items. Normally I’d be looking to multi-purpose my clothing items by switching out the accessories. However, when traveling, I do the opposite. I try to cut down on the number of shoes, bags, and heavier jewelry items that I bring with me. Packing shoes/bags/jewelry that can be used with several outfits is ideal.

3. When in doubt— leave it OUT! I’ve gone on WAY too many trips where I didn’t even touch half of the items in my bag. I had thought “maybe” and left the items out. I’ve never once come across a time where I couldn’t make something else in my bag work or pick up a needed item for a reasonable price.

A Glimpse of my Suitcase:

Travel Attire for Women from A Well Crafted Party

I have several events that I have to pack for in my upcoming trip for my Sis-in-law’s wedding. Not only do I have to pack wisely for myself, but for my husband and son as well. We are TRYING to pack everything in one large checked bag that has a weight limit of 40 lbs. I honestly don’t know if we will be able to do it. But, we are certainly going to try! We’ll need outfits for 7 days along with outfits for three wedding events. Thankfully, there is a washer on the premises of where we are staying. So, we will be able to wash a few items if needed. Here is a quick glimpse of the items I plan on packing in my suitcase.

Vacation Outfit Ideas for Easy Packing

***The following product links may be affiliate links. (*) marks an Affiliate Link. Note: Links updated in 2024 are not exact matches, but as close as I could find. ***

Lightweight Summer Clothes for a week in Texas. I like having longer pants in case we go into restaurants or other venues that are COLD. They know how to use air conditioning in Texas. But, temps will also be in the high 90s for most of our trip, so I’ll keep all of my clothing thin and lightweight. I’m packing two pairs of pants, three tops, and two pairs of shoes for 7 days of wear (along with the special occasion clothing). Some days I will only be wearing an outfit for a short amount of time because I’ll be at wedding events that get different clothing considerations.

Clothing items for all of the above outfits (as close of finds as possible):

Pants:  Black Skinny Ankle Pants*,  Distressed Boyfriend Jeans * (capri length)

Tops: White blouse*, Pocket Tank*, Black Tee*, Chambray Shirt*

Shoes:  Grey Flats*Black Sandals*

Accessories:  Brightly Colored Earrings* or these earrings* are also so cute!,  Gold Bangle Bracelets*, Long Silver Necklace*, Brightly Colored Scarf*, Sunglasses*, my Oregon necklace* (I’ve gotta show the state love!)

women's wedding attire for traveling to a summer wedding

Wedding Event Outfits— I am attending a bridal shower, rehearsal dinner, and wedding during this trip. I am a bridesmaid so I have a dress and shoes already chosen for me for the wedding. The tricky part will be multi-purposing the items I’ve already packed along with a few dressier items to keep my baggage space in check.

1. Bridal Shower:  Pink Maxi Dress*, black sandals, brightly colored earrings, and gold bangles

2. Rehearsal Dinner: Black Cocktail Dress*Grey Heels*Tear Drop Silver Earrings*

3. Wedding: Green Bridesmaid Dress and grey heels

Hopefully you can visualize how I am reusing certain items to help with baggage space, but still feel like a put-together human on my trip. Check out my post on Travel Basics as well!

How do you plan your packing for an event-busy trip?