Middle of Somewhere

August 4, 2014

Boho with Bleuberry Toast

I am so in love with the faux-fall weather we have been having lately. Almost every night the clouds roll in, the lightning strikes, and most of the time we even get a little bit of rain. As much as I love the summer, I think fall has become my favorite season. Just wait until I blow up your blog feed with pictures and mention of green chile and you’ll see one of the biggest reasons I love the fall. I also love fall fashion! I always look forward to adding some pieces to my every day outfits that are more appropriate for cooler weather, especially ankle boots! I was never really a big boot person until ankle boots and booties became more popular. I jumped on that bandwagon and don’t ever plan to come off.

Enough about boots… the star of this show is really this statement necklace from Bleuberry Toast. The owner of this fabulous Etsy shop, Jordan, makes and sells one-of-a-kind jewelry pieces that are total show-stoppers. When I received it in the mail, I immediately knew I wanted to pair it with a neutral outfit to let the necklace do all of the talking. Jordan has so many beautiful pieces to choose from! Some of my other favorites include the Bleuberry Flower Necklace and if you’re really feeling adventurous, the Mint Julep Collar Candy. If you are looking for a unique necklace or some wrist gems to add some sparkle to your arm party, look no further!

Wearing:

Apt. 9 Mixed Media Tank (on sale for $12!)

Gap Sexy Boyfriend Jeans

Target Booties (dying to splurge on these Sam Edelman booties)

3.1 Phillip Lim for Target Purse

Wrist Gem c/o Bleuberry Toast

Necklace c/o Bleuberry Toast (find your favorite piece here)

Baublebar Cuff (similar here and here)

China Glaze Nailpolish in ‘Re-fresh Mint’

Linking Up With: Style To Inspire, Monday Must Haves, Let It Shine, Mix It Monday, Social Media Mixer, Confident Twosday, Trend Spin Link Up, Tremendous Tuesday, The Creative Closet

Hope you all have a great start to your week! Make sure to check out the Rafflecopter below to get your entries in for my 1K Instagram giveaway. You can also head to my Instagram (@lindsayrutland) for more information!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

August 2, 2014

Packing List: The Bay Area

Yesterday, I created a guest post on Jessica’s blog, bedknobs & baubles, sharing my five travel essentials for the Bay Area (San
Jose and San Francisco).
As I shared on her blog, Northern California is
a really important area for me. I was lucky enough to live there for about 3
years while attending graduate school, and look forward to each and every time
I am able to go back to visit. San
Jose has a special place in my heart because that is
where I lived and was able to make so many new friends, who I still keep in
touch with to this day. San Francisco
stole my heart from my first visit there. It is such an amazing city because
every time you visit, you can find a new neighborhood to explore that is
completely different from the next. I always try to pack clothes that can
transition from one activity to the next and are comfortable enough to walk
around and explore in all day.

1. SF
Giants Hat: Because
you can’t make a trip to SF without making sure to catch a Giants game.

2. Gap Boyfriend Jeans: Boyfriend jeans are the perfect transition piece to wear
during the day or to dress up at night with a blazer and heels for a nice
dinner – preferably a nice Italian meal in North Beach!

3. Rebecca Minkoff Purse: You can’t go wrong with a lightweight crossbody bag while
sightseeing around the city all day.

4. Steve Madden Slip Ons: Comfortable walking shoes are a MUST, especially when
braving the hills of San Francisco.

5. Old Navy Cardigan: The weather can often be random and
unpredictable in the Bay Area, so I always make sure to have a cardigan or
light jacket on stand by, especially in the summer time.

My husband and I are planning a trip there later on this year, and I am already looking forward to it! Some of these items will definitely be in my suitcase. A big thank you to Jessica for having me guest post on your blog, I had a lot of fun putting this list of essentials together. On that note, I hope you all have a wonderful weekend! Make sure to check my previous post for my 1K giveaway, featuring a few of my favorite things.

Image via: bedknobs & baubles

July 30, 2014

Summer Vibes + A 1K Giveaway

Remember when I said in one of my posts last week that it was one of my favorite outfits to date? I think this one may be giving the white jeans/stripes/utility vest a run for it’s money. Insider tip: you can always tell the outfits I love the most by how many pictures are in a post. I wore this outfit out to dinner with my family over the weekend. And yes, I wore jeans despite it being 100 degrees out because I am crazy like that. I wanted this adorable White Plum blouse to stand out, and in my mind there is no better way to do that than to pair a fun top with dark denim. I just love the Southwest flair and pom-pom details on the sleeves of this top. If you follow me on Instagram (@lindsayrutland), you will know that I had a fantastic mail week last week, so I couldn’t wait to pile on my new goodies. This was the maiden voyage of my Love Always nameplate necklace and I know it is going to be an everyday staple for me from now on. You can get your own name plate from Love Always, or any other pieces from their jewelry line for 15% off with the code MOS at check out.

Wearing:

What a Gem Blouse c/o White Plum (now on sale!)

Gap Always Skinny Jeans

Kohls Wedges (old, loving these and these)

Target Crossbody (would love to splurge on this one)

Free People Sunglasses

BTB Earrings

Love Always Triangle Bangle

Love Always Cursive Nameplate Necklace (only $85 with the discount code MOS)

China Glaze Nailpolish in ‘Re-Fresh Mint’

Linking Up With: Stylish Tuesday, Trend Spin Link Up, Style Sessions, Mix It Mondays, Let It Shine, Spotlight Weekly Link Up, Simply Just Lovely, Summer Style, Style Confessions, Fab Favorites

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Now for the fun part… I recently reached 1,000 Instagram followers and wanted to offer a little giveaway to my readers. When I found BTB (@BTBjewelry) on Instagram, I fell in love with their shop and especially the earrings I am wearing in this post. I wanted to give one lucky winner a few of my favorite things, including the Blinging Beauty Earrings from BTB Jewelry, an Essie nailpolish in the shade Go Ginza, and a $10 Starbucks gift card. The giveaway will begin at 12am on July 30th and will end at 12am on August 8th. I will verify all entries, so please be honest. The winner will be contacted within 48 hours after the contest has ended. Good luck and thank you for participating!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

July 28, 2014

Stripes 3 Ways: Part 3

And so we begin another week. I am a firm believer that we should all have a better balance between weekdays and weekends. 5 days on and 2 days off does not seem fair, now does it? Well, given that it is Monday, I am here with another post and excited to share my third and final outfit from my Stripes Three Ways series. Last Friday, these looks were shared on The Village, which was a really fun article for me to write. In today’s outfit, I wanted to dress up my Le Breton top a little bit more, and I knew that this gorgeous Luxe Statements necklace would do the trick. If you are looking for a great statement piece, you have to check out Lilia’s shop. Not only does she offer beautiful and affordable jewelry, she is so sweet and wonderful to work with! And all I have to say about this skirt is… POCKETS! Such an unexpected surprise that I love on skirts and dresses. I have had this skirt for about 5 years now, and am so glad I held on to it! Like a striped tee, it is the perfect basic that can be worn so many different ways and is one of the more flattering skirts I have found for my body type. I am usually intimidated by and generally stray away from skirts because the length can be tricky (either too long or too short for me), and I have a hard time finding tops I like enough to pair them with. Anyone else have this problem? It’s always nice to know you’re not the only one with a certain fashion related problem. Hope you all have a great start to your week. Don’t forget to check out my previous post to enter to win a $250 gift card to ASOS.

Wearing:

Le Breton Tee c/o Pop Basic

Elle Skirt (old; similar here & loving this floral version)

Forever 21 Blazer (great options here & here, or splurge on this)

Mimi Necklace c/o Luxe Statements

Express Heels (old; cute options here, here, and here)

Linking Up With: Tremendous Tuesday

July 23, 2014

Stripes 3 Ways: Part 2

Happy Wednesday! I feel like this week’s posts are a bunch of firsts for me… Monday I wore shorts in my post (which is actually pretty shocking if you know me because, as previously mentioned, my legs are not my strong suit!). Today, I am wearing WHITE jeans. I always used to give my best friend a hard time for her love of white jeans, shorts, etc. and look at me now (hi Melinda if you’re reading this!). This is honestly the first pair of white jeans/pants I have ever owned. Two years ago I bought a pair of white jeans from Gap. Immediately after the purchase my mom, sister, and husband convinced me that I wouldn’t make it a day in white pants without getting some kind of stain on them… graceful, I know. Ever since I returned those jeans, finding a good pair of white pants have been on my mind. Enter, once again: Gap. These boyfriend jeans have the perfect amount of distressing on them and are so versatile! I am surprised how comfortable I feel in them, and don’t have to worry about every little bump and imperfection showing through the material. They are on sale right now, so if you’re looking for a pair of white denim make sure to check these bad boys out. I hope you all are enjoying my three part series, as I had a lot of fun styling this tee in different ways. On an unrelated note, I recently reached 1,000 Instagram followers, which I am clearly really excited about! I am going to be posting a 1K giveaway soon, as well as a giveaway tomorrow to ASOS with some other fabulous bloggers.

Wearing:

Le Breton Tee c/o Pop Basic

Michael Kors ‘Bradshaw’ Watch

Stella & Dot Necklace

Benevolent Jewels Initial Necklace

Ash & Willow Double V Ring (use code BARutland for 10% off your order!)

Warby Parker ‘Crosby’ Glasses

Linking Up With: What I Wore Wednesday, Weekly Favorites, Spotlight Weekly Link Up, Simply Just Lovely, Summer Style, Tres Chic Fashion Thursday, Friday Frills Link Up, Fab Favorites

July 22, 2014

Stripes 3 Ways: Part 1

Monday again… I am off to a late start on this post and I hope that is not a sign for how the week to come will go. I find it even harder to get back into the swing of things when I have had a great weekend, and I’m sure I’m not alone in that. This week, I am really excited to share a three part series with you! I was asked to be a guest writer for the Fashion section of The Village, which will go live on Friday. Being such a new blogger, I am honored and thrilled to be asked to be a part of such a cool online community. I decided to showcase one of my new favorite tops three different ways, and of course wanted to give you guys a preview leading up to my article. Madeline from Pop Basic was kind enough to send me this long sleeve tee and let me tell you, it is the softest and most comfortable shirt I have come across in a long time. It is light weight enough to wear throughout the year, and I am looking forward to wearing it even more often (read: probably once a week) as the weather cools down. I apologize for the squinty eyes in these photos, the weather was being very New Mexico… cloudy, yet sunny, and pretending like it was going to rain. I was obviously not prepared for this! Anyway, stay tuned for Part 2 on Wednesday!