Here & Now {Guest Post}

Hi there. I'm taking a little impromptu vacation with my hubby so while I'm gone, I have one of my favorite down-to-earth bloggers filling in for me. Without further ado, here is Jessica.

Hello Happy Medley readers! I am Jessica from Here&Now where I blog about my daily outfits, adventures in building a stylish wardrobe (aka shopping), and of course my fur baby, Doug the Pug. I am so excited to be joining you guys over here!

It is that time of year... I am over my Summer clothes, and drooling about the new Fall collections popping up on shelves everywhere... what's a girl to do!?

Shop smart for transition pieces... items that can still be worn in hot weather (who wants to wait to wear new purchases!?), but will get plenty of love come cooler months as well... when shopping for end of Summer/Fall clothes, think about items that layer, have classic color palettes, and are easily mixable into what you already have in your closet....

just that easy huh!?

Well here are some of my tips, and outfits for your inspirational pleasure 

(oh and almost all of these items are at amazing price points... who wants to only get 1 or 2 items off of their Fall wish list... let's stock up!)

{Fall Florals: skinny floral jeans}

{Now}

floppy hat + tank (tied at waist) + cross-body bag + funky bangles + lace up wedges

{Later}

open sweater + tough cuff + fringe purse + low booties

Yes, florals were big for Spring/Summer and (if you can believe it) are continuing will full force into Fall. Pick up a pair of skinny floral jeans in more muted colors and enjoy remixing them with easy basics and full of personality accessories

{Hot Dots: Polka dot dress}

{Now}

jean vest + gold bangles + green shopper bag + gold sandals

{Later}

colorful scarf + neutral clutch + basic booties

Polka dots... get ready to see them everywhere. Polka dot pieces from Old Navy to J.Crew are already selling out quickly... so go ahead and jump on the trend, it's here for another season. Polka dots can be playful with a jean vest and girlie flats. Or toughen them up with chic booties. Go a step more and pair your dots with a on trend green army jacket or be super brave and try them with camo!

{Pop of Peplum top}

{Now}

classic sunnies + monogram necklace + neutral bag + jean shorts {splurge // save } + leopard sandals 

{Later}

crystal necklace + men's style watch + funky clutch + faux leather skirt + leopard heels

Oh have you heard of this little piece, it's called a peplum... and it is hot hot hot! Peplums popped up on tops, skirts, and dresses in late Spring and are continuing their trendy up-swing into Fall. My favorite way to wear a peplum top now is with laid-back jorts and cool-girl details. Come fall I can't wait to pair peplum tops with a fuller skirt and spicy accents (à la the ever fashionable Blair of Atlantic-Pacific).

I might be a little biased, but I think all of these items are closet workhorses... and hopefully I can purchase a few smart transitional pieces of my own (got my eye on that polka dot dress!)

What pieces are you eyeing?

Come visit me over on Here&Now anytime!

xx

Jessica

Confession

dress:Calvin Klein, shoes:Guess, belt:Old Navy

So I have a confession to make - I lost my camera. 

Yes, I know, it is the single most important piece of equipment for a fashion blogger, well, besides the computer itself. I cannot find it and that's just not cool. I have been switching purses a lot and putting the camera from one into another every time. 

This time, it's not in any of my bags or in the car, or anywhere else.

Therefore this outfit is from last year taken by my hubby with his phone camera. I love the outfit and I LOVE this black dress, which by the way, I wore today with different accessories. But you will never know because, you guessed it right, I could not find the camera.  

So if you see it, let me know OK? Thanks

The Best Grilled Cheese Panini

I'm already munching on it. Quick take a pic so I can have my food.

I had a dream. One of many food dreams. I had a dream that I was eating the best grilled cheese sandwich in the world (I guess that's what pregnancy does to me). So I started researching how to make the best grilled cheese sandwich because let's face it - it's all in the cheese. 

After few blogs, Foodnetwork shows and cooking books I found my cheese. Muenster cheese. 

I can't pronounce it correct because it sounds like monster.

OH MY GOODNESS! This cheese is like a piece of heaven on Earth. 

I give you my very own take on the whole grilled cheese thing. And let me tell you, it's better not have anyone around when you are eating it. You wouldn't want to share.

At least don't have any hungry pregnant women around you - they do not share their food. 

Take it from me. Da pregnant one.

Ingredients:

2 slices of deli cut Muenster Cheese

2 pieces of Wheat Bread

1 medium yellow tomato

3 thin slices of Canadian Bacon

butter

Preparation: 

Cut tomato into very thin slices and preheat the panini maker. Non stick skillet will suffice if you don't have panini maker.

Put slices of cheese on both bread pieces and pile on tomatoes and Canadian bacon in the middle. 

Lightly grease the cooking surface with butter and set it on medium heat. 

Make sure the cheese is nicely melted and hot all the way through. 

I know you are hungry but give it some time and don't rush the perfection. 

Check on the panini or turn it over, if you are using skillet.

I sliced up more tomatoes for the side because they are from my aunt's garden and 

ohhhh so deliciously sweet.

Ta-Da! 

Go ahead enjoy it. I won't look.

{Headband}

As I said earlier, I will try to keep up with DIY projects and post every other Friday. So I was excited to get started and kind of went all the way on this one. It cost me more then usual because I mostly buy very cheap stuff. This time I wanted to make a present and bought some of the nicer accessories. You can make this any color and mix and match, but I wanted something a little sophisticated and grown-up.

 Here is it!

You will need:

Black Chiffon - 1rd x 1/2 yd

Felt

Hot Glue Gun

Scissors 

Black Headband

Jewelry Accessory

Start out buy cutting the same size circles out chiffon. Let me tell you - chiffon is pain in the neck to work with, so stack the pieces and cut about 3-4 at a time. You will need 8-10 circles.

Prepare your headband and the jewelry button.

Fold is circle in half by placing a very small amount of glue and then again. You will get folded quarters, but for every fold to stay in place you need to hot glue them.

Start centering the pieces around the middle of the circle felt you cut out. 

Glue the quartered circles unto felt by placing four in each row.

Repeat until you reach the desired amount of layers. I made two layers

Cut the edges of the chiffon very carefully making a nice circle, then burn the edges just a little. Be careful not to burn wholes into the chiffon.

Glue the middle press tight on the middle for about 30 seconds. Then hot glue the felt unto headband and if you have black felt, you are done. I didn't want the beige felt to show, so I covered it with another piece of chiffon. You very own, custom made head piece is done! 

Enjoy!

Favorites

top: Loft, skirt; J.Crew, shoes, clutch: H&M, umbrella:Zest UK

I think every girl has a pair of shoes that just make her heart jump, or a dress that just hugs those curves in every right place. Well, I love this pair because first of all, they have an awesome pinky-peach color. Second, they are so soft and comfortable that I want to wear them all the time. The only thing that I hate, is that they are suede and get dirty ohhhhh so fast! So lesson of the day? Don't wear them when it's raining or you see a humongous black cloud on a horizon. Yeah, that didn't happen but it made for a perfect outfit.
I think. Don't you?

P.S. I know I had a lot of skirt outfits lately but let's save pants for cold winter. 

Thanks for reading!