Chambray Shirt: How to Rock It!

My bestest friend Gino is back today with a guest post detailing options for wearing a chambray shirt.  Gino is a stylist in New York City and is always my go-to consultant for all things style!

For me the chambray shirt is always a trend, and the number one reason is…..it is a great alternative to the denim jacket!  So whether you borrow your husband’s, boyfriend’s, your dad’s, your girlfriend’s, or you are looking to purchase, here are my favorite ways to see women wear the chambray shirt.

Chambray Shirt: How to Rock it!

Chambray Shirt:  Pair the shirt with floral prints, stripes, khaki, polka dots, navy, black, colored denim, and of course white.  If you mix with denim, dark denim or vintage washed denim look best to pair it with.

Treat it as a Jacket:  Use as a layering piece.  If you get warm (or have a little hot flash), it’s thin enough to toss over your shoulders or tie onto your bag.

Tie or Belt it:  Regardless of your natural shape, you can show off your curves or create some by simply leaving the last few buttons undone and knotting the shirt to show off/create your waist.  You can also button it down and belt it.  This can be worn over a dress, skirt or shorts.

Dress it up:  Take a fitted shirt or one that has some shape to it and pair it with a sequined skirt or shorts, or put a beaded trimmed tank/camisole under the shirt and mix with colored denim bottoms.

Mix it up:  You can create your own style by mixing with leather or suede, floral prints or stripes, or bright colors.

Be Adventurous:  I really like how designers and stores have used Chambray fabric in different shapes.  Here are some worth trying: sleeveless, ombre, and short sleeves.

You can make the look your own by adding jewelry, touches of color, a handbag or sunglasses.  I say have some fun by trying different ways to make the Chambray Shirt work for you!

Click here to connect with Gino the Stylist on Facebook!

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Healthy Snacks: Oven-Roasted Chickpeas

Oven-Roasted Chickpeas, Healthy Snacks by The Sweet Spot BlogI’ve been on the lookout for tasty, healthy snacks this summer.  For me, these snacks also need to be easy to make and portable.  That’s just how I roll these days!  I came across several recipes for oven-roasted chickpeas and decided to give them a try.

I love chickpeas  (or garbanzo beans) as an ingredient on a salad, in hummus, etc.  And they are a great source of protein, which I am always conscious of as a vegetarian.  I was excited to try them roasted.  These were very tasty and got the thumbs up from Bear and even Baby E!  She tried a few and kept saying, ‘More!  More!”  That’s my girl…..

Oven-Roasted Chickpeas

Ingredients:
1 can chickpeas
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 teaspoon kosher salt
Optional:  additional seasoning to taste  (Cajun or Mexican seasoning, or a blend of your own, see note below)

Instructions:
Preheat oven to 400 degrees.  Drain and rinse chickpeas well in colander.  Spread on a towel and allow to dry thoroughly before roasting.  Toss dry chickpeas in bowl with olive oil, kosher salt and additional seasonings if desired.  Roast for 30-40 minutes to desired crispiness.

Note:  These are great roasted with just olive oil and kosher salt. If additional flavor is desired a Cajun or Mexican seasoning would be tasty, or create your own from whatever is in the pantry.  I used a mixture of cumin, paprika and garlic powder.  Don’t ask me the measurements……I have no idea. You could also add a pinch of cayenne pepper.  I skipped that ingredient because I wanted them to be toddler friendly.

Enjoy!

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Simple Hostess Gift

Whenever I am invited to dinner at a friend’s house, I always like to bring a hostess gift.  My go-to hostess gift is a bunch of tulips in a tall tin can.

Hostess Gift

For the vase, I generally use a can from the vegetable aisle at the grocery store.  The long asparagus can is my favorite.  You can remove the label like I did for the photo above or leave it on for a more ‘rustic’ look.  If you try this one yourself, don’t forget to drop a penny in the water to prolong the life of the tulips!

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Five Click Friday: Summer Whites

Summer Whites, The Sweet Spot Blog

Happy Five Click Friday!  I have summer whites on my mind this week.  We’ve had a very mild summer until Monday when we went from nice, cool mornings with daytime highs in the mid to low 80′s (spring like weather for Texans!) to the high 90′s.  Hello summer!  So I might as well look the part, right?  I love white jeans, anything light and gauzy and a touch of something metallic.  I’m a Texan after all – we have to have a little bling!  Should have seen my hair and make-up in the 80′s…….

But back to the topic at hand – here are a few ‘summer whites’ ideas to get your weekend started.  Along with my peanut gallery commentary of course!

1.  CoH Emanuelle Slim Boot Jeans, Anthropologie  (just enough stretch in these to enjoy your summer, margaritas and all)
2.  Love Quotes Knotted Tassel Scarf, Shopbop.com (great summer scarf or wrap – throw on over anything)
3.  Embroidered Gauze Top, J. Crew (love me some gauze…cute with shorts, jeans, or the right skirt)
4.  Road Trip License Plate Clutch, Kate Spade (must have for Corinna!)
5.  Thora Sandal by Tory Burch, Nordstrom (have these in gold and love them – need the white too)

Have a great weekend and stay cool – it’s steamy out there!

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DIY Laundry Room Makeover

So this is not really a DIY laundry room makeover, but a DIY laundry closet makeover.  If you have been following this blog for the past few months, you know that I have been organizing my house one closet at a time.  Today I am unveiling my newly organized laundry closet:

DIY Laundry Room Makeover

I started by painting the closet walls a putty brown, to give it more depth.  Then I added a stainless-steel top over the washer and dryer to make folding clothes a breeze.  Next I installed three Elfa ventilated shelves to organize all of my laundry and cleaning supplies.  I even added a 3 1/2 foot hanging bar for drying undergarments.  Finally, I hung wall organizers on each side of the closet for short- (on the left) and tall- (on the right) cleaning implements.  For extra credit, I added a battery organizer!

DIY Laundry Room MakeoverThis DIY laundry room makeover was surprisingly inexpensive.  The stainless-steel folding table is a simple desk-top from Ikea.  The Elfa ventilated shelves were the most expensive from The Container Store, but the side, wall  and battery organizers were cheap finds at Lowes.  Now I do a little ‘happy dance’ each time I open the doors!

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