guest post: we live upstairs

Hello lark&lace readers! My name is Leah and I blog over at We Live Upstairs. As an avid reader of E.M.'s blog, I jumped at the chance to author a guest post for her while she's doing amazing things in China, and I'm excited to share with you today! A few short weeks ago, I had the busiest weekend of my life. My birthday (and subsequent party), my fiancé's college graduation (and subsequent barrage of visits [both expected and surprise] from family members), and our anniversary were all back-to-back in the same weekend in December. And I don't know about you, but when I have some sort of event to attend, I like to put some effort into my outfit; it makes everything that's going on seem that much more special. So, as to not drive myself completely insane amidst days of pre-family house cleaning, gift buying, and party planning, I decided to choose one piece out of my closet to build three outfits around. That way, I at least had some direction and wasn't falling into a blind panic as family members walked in the door.

Dress: Vintage; Shirt: Vintage; Blazer & Tights: Target; Shoes: Shoes of Soul; Necklace: Old NavyThe piece I chose is a white, collared shirt with polka-hearts. If you look through any of my outfits, it will only take you seconds to see how much I love a pattern, and especially how much I love to mix them. I kept it fun for my birthday party with a patterned blazer from Target and a black velvet dress. This look was three layers deep, but it was ridic cold outside and I didn't need a coat!Dress: Old Navy; Necklace: Old Navy; Socks: Target; Shoes: UO We all know graduations tend to be dressy events, and quite a few of Matt's family members were visiting for the occasion, so I wanted to wear something classic and feminine- a wrap dress! I'm so glad I invested in this dress; I can style it so many different ways and I know I'll have it for years to come. And again, I kept it "me" with a pattern and some knee socks.Sweater: Thrifted; Skirt: Vintage; Socks: American Shoe; Shoes: Vintage

This last look is what I wore for mine and Matt's anniversary dinner at the end of the weekend. He picked out the skirt (usually I don't seek others' opinions on what I wear, but I wanted to be sure to wear something he likes for this occasion) and I added one of my favorite sweaters and more knee socks : ). 

And there you have it, a sure-fire way to stay sane throughout a jam-packed weekend! Thanks for letting me share today, and thanks for having me, E.M.!

Love, 

Leah

Thank you so much Leah for stopping by! To all of my readers, please check out her blog, we live upstairs. She's always wearing something adorable!