Re-branding of Belle On Trend!

I am going to use this post to brag a little about my good friend, Katie Arnold Carter. She is incredibly talented, and she has created my business cards for Belle On Trend! Check her website out here, and prepare to be amazed!

A special shout out goes to my mom: she bought me this Kate Spade business card holder for Christmas. I just sort of laughed because I am a teacher, and why would I need business cards? But, she said it was for the BLOG!  Duh! But at that point, I was just beginning, and I had no idea people would actually want to know about the blog and care for a business card.

Back to the brains of this operation: Katie.  Katie has been besties with my sister, Anna, for over 2 decades. I grew up with Katie as an "extra" big sis. Her resume is incredible: Katie has designed for Old Navy, Juicy Couture and Abercrombie and Fitch, to name a few of the companies lucky enough to employ her.

She had me create a Pinterest board so she could better come up with a design for Belle On Trend. I pinned-- you guessed it-- a lot of bows, glitter, sequins, monograms, Lilly Pulitzer and all things girly and/or Saint Mary's College related. Katie then took over and turned my vision into reality.

The bells are perfect for my Twitter and Insta icons. These banners are perfect for my blog, Twitter, and my *brand new* Facebook page! ("Like" it, if you have a chance!)

One of the most amazing pieces to her creation was this Lilly Pulitzer-inspired design (below). She texted me one afternoon and simply asked, "what's your favorite flower and animal?" I had no idea where she was going with this, but I answered dutifully. "Gerber daisies and Anna and Shawn's dog, Cooper!" From there, Katie painted a Lilly design with Gerbers and Cooper!

I am telling her she needs to get it to Lilly for their use. It's incredible! It is everything I imagined and more. (See Cooper there between the N of on and D of trend?).

We used Moo.com for my business cards. Let me tell you: I will never buy business cards from another company! The quality, presentation and customer service (not to mention affordable price!) at Moo are so great! They send you a pack of their various (blank) business cards (free of charge), and from there, you can pick out which one you'd like to go with. I chose the "green" business card. You can also have as many backs as you want for your cards. I had 8 different backs, with the Mary Fremeau and glittery bow front. I just put my cell phone number and email address/website on the front.

I've talked to so many awesome women after Pure Barre classes who I've wanted to tell about my blog, but it's always so hard to quickly spell out "Belle on Trend" to someone and to remember, too, without writing it down. Having business cards will make this so much easier! Also, Mike won't have to be my constant "hype man" everywhere we go because I can just hand out a biz card if someone asks about the blog! :)


I am so grateful to Katie for her expertise. She is a true master of her craft and can create anything your heart desires.

So... what do you think!!??
xxoo
Mary

Date Night Look & Early Christmas Gifts!

If you're anything like my husband and me, your date nights can range from burgers and fries at Beef Shack (yes, it's as amazing as it sounds!) to a fancy restaurant downtown and everything in between.  Some nights we are eating Aurelio's pizza and hitting up the Penrose Brewery in jeans and ND gear, yet other nights you'll find us being fancy at Fiora's in downtown Geneva. With such a dichotomy of date ideas, I sometimes struggle with what to wear on a Friday or Saturday evening with my hubs.  I wanted to share a few "sure-fire" ideas that are both affordable and re-wearable for work, too!

Lips: MAC Brave Red 

Friday night we tried a new restaurant, The Burger Local, in Geneva.  I love any excuse to wear sequins (duh), so I decided to upcycle a look from last year with my new navy Winnie crops and nude pumps.

Here is a fabulous alternative sequined top (my J. Crew Factory sequined shirt is from 2013 Christmas) from H&M for under $40. 

Underneath the sequins, tame your look a bit with this chambray button-down. You will wear this shirt over and over again-- under jumper dresses, tucked into patterned skirts and standing alone with statement jewelry. Trust me! For $34, you'll get extensive wear out of this shirt. 

I went with the Winnie pant in navy on the bottom, but if you like the H&M sequined top, I would pop the red or pair it with the black Winnies. At $36, I can't express how vital these crops are! They look awesome with pumps, flats and booties. They're slimming and work very well with a flowy top or with a fitted oxford tucked into them. 

My sister and I both own these Corso Como nude pumps. I highly recommend them for a polished finishing touch to your date night outfit. I don't like super high heels, as I am all for comfort, so these are the perfect height! 

After our meal and amazing drinks at The Burger Local, we headed home to have our tradition of opening gifts early. We have done this for the past two Christmases together because we travel to Ohio and Michigan over the holiday, and we like to exchange gifts at our home (besides, we have  A LOT of presents to bring home, so get ready, family!). Mike is an amazing gift giver and got me fabulous surprises! He knew I was obsessed with the BCBGeneration nude and black Darron pumps, so he went out and got the glitter version for me! (PS: they're now only $49!). I am soooo excited to wear these! 

He also surprised me with this cozy Lululemon Scuba hoody! SO essential for the walk to Pure Barre! (Thanks to Lauren K. for wearing this to PB and allowing me to copy her! haha!). Mike picked this up for me and hid it in his closet a few months ago, but here is a similar Scuba hoody! 

(Alex and Ani stackable bracelets: here). 

I surprised Mike with this Penrose Brewery tee shirt. (I think this was his favorite gift from me!). We absolutely love Penrose. If you live anywhere near Geneva, you MUST try it! First of all, the employees are super nice. They're extremely knowledgeable, too (take a tour of the brewery!). Penrose doesn't serve food, but you can BYOF and eat there! There are board games and picnic table style seating. It's easily our favorite local spot! 

We're just 4 short days away from Christmas, and I am getting so excited to travel home to see our families! Where are you spending the holidays and with whom? Safe travels, loyal readers! 

xxoo

Mary

Glitter is My Favorite Color

There is nothing that makes me happier than a fully glittered shoe, pant, skirt, top, purse or cell phone case. 

Actually, fully glittered ANYTHING pretty much makes my day. (Shout out to my girl, Julie, who loves all things glitter as much as I do! Pictured below at her bachelorette party!).

Find Julie's sequin and tulle dress, here. 

I never thought it was possible to wear a fully sequined shirt to work until I gave it a spin last year. I wore this J. Crew sequined top (pictured below) with a nice pair of Gap khaki pants and a chambray collared shirt underneath. I knew I had nailed my outfit when my sweet coworker and BFF, Sarah, told me that it was "her favorite outfit I'd ever worn." SHE knows her stuff, so this was a huge compliment.

Here is a fabulous alternative (from Banana Republic) to my older J. Crew Factory shirt.

Also, can we please talk about this amazing (pictured below) fully-sequined bronze blazer from B-rep? I am so impressed by the current Banana pieces for the holiday season!

I recently became obsessed with finding these glitter Ann Taylor gold pants (below). I blame Maria for this (haha), but they really are beautiful. However, there was no sign of them at the Naperville or Geneva Ann Taylor, and they were totally sold out online. I was so sad!

[Addendum: I was just searching again while editing my post, and I see that Ann Taylor has one size left in the sequin pants! See them here! Sadly,  not my size, but maybe they're yours!]

Until, however, my dear friend, Jamie, came to the rescue. She'd seen similar ones at Target back home in Ohio and picked up a pair for me.  The best part about a sequined pant or skirt is that all you need on top is a plain shirt. It can be plain black (to contrast the gold or silver) or white to embrace a "winter white" look.

Here is a phenomenal option of sequin leggings from Nordstroms.

The Target ones are not available online, but you can find them in the junior's section of your local store. 

I have also been totally melting for these fully sequined skirts.

These two are under $50 from Mindy Mae's Market, an online boutique that has amazing deals and trends. I have purchased two idiom tee shirts (gifts for my sis and bestie) from MMM, and the shipping is extremely fast and FREE!

Check out the great $49.99 price tag on this gold stunner.

Shop this beauty, here.

My dear friend, Mandy, sent me these great skirts from Banana the other day.

I foresee many a NYE being celebrated in this one!

Currently, Banana Republic has a 40% off sale happening! Scoop this up for December 31!

This bronze sequined skirt looks perfect with a cozy, chunky sweater. 

It is demure enough in this bronze color to be worn to work. 

J. Crew Factory never lets me down. This gorgeous skirt is $70 currently and available online. 

If you don't know if you could be as daring as fully sequined pieces, I challenge you to add in a little sparkle in a more subtle way. I wear this skirt (below) so often! It is about 3 years old, but J. Crew Factory just re-released another design of it, here. 

Julie, Alison and me! 

This pleated skirt with a ruffle is another fantastic alternative to fully sequined. You can step cautiously into the realm of sparkle with this one.

Add a statement necklace to your simple top (crisp, collared shirts or chambray work wonders paired with sequins, too), and you have the perfect outfit!

My advice for fully sequined skirts is to stay at pencil fit and knee length to avoid looking to "clubby."  I, for one, can no longer rock my fully sequined Express mini skirts of my days at Fever or Tao Night Club in Vegas :-)  Plus, it adds class and sparkle simultaneously to your look.


How do you incorporate sequins into your clothing regime?
xxoo
Mary

Travelling for the Holiday(s): What to Pack?

We are lucky enough to travel home over Thanksgiving to see my family in Youngstown, Ohio. My sister (and her baby bump), my brother-in-law, their dog, Cooper, my husband and I will be taking off (road trip!) for Ohio Tuesday after work.  When it comes to winter travel, packing is often the most arduous part, particularly if it's unseasonably cold (or warm!).

Above: Cooper on our road trip last Christmas.

In order to make packing for your trip a little easier, consider these hints:

First, decide what your main events will be, and choose the outfits for those.

For our Thanksgiving trip, I know on Wednesday I will be meeting my best friend's new baby, Miura. One of my favorite "dressier" sweatshirts is this J. Crew crewneck sweatshirt with the ruffle hem (below).  The best part is you can layer any color underneath the gray. J. Crew Factory just came out with a sequin hem crewneck sweatshirt (picture below) that is equally adorable (mine is last year's).

At my first dress fitting in February with Mandy, Beth and Anna!

We will be hosting Thanksgiving dinner at my mom's on Thursday. I am going to incorporate some sparkle into my outfit because to me, when is a BAD time to wear sequins? ;-)

Above: at Penrose Brewery with my girls Mandy and Kelly. 

My shirt is old J.Crew Factory; however, you can find similar ones here and here. 

Friday is my 10-year high school class reunion. I will be wearing this black lace Lilly Pulitzer dress. (Below). Here is a great alternative (mine is a few years old).

Saturday we are celebrating Thanksgiving with my dad's side of the family in Findlay, Ohio. I plan on wearing my new tartan scarf from The Initial Co. and styling it something like Courtney did on her website!

They are all sold out of this fabulous scarf at the Initial Co., but here it is on Tuckernuck's website! The best part of this tartan scarf is that I can wear it with so many different colors. 

Once you know the main components of your itinerary, you can pack with much more ease.

Also, pack shoes or boots that are multi-purpose; it's better if your shoes you bring can be worn dressy or casual.

Similar Tory Burch Reva Ballet Flats here.

Sofft brown booties, here. 

After you've compiled the "main" events' clothing, decide if you'll be working out on your trip. If so, you'll need the appropriate shoes and work-out garb.

We are going to Pure Barre in Youngstown (taught by one of my former dance teachers!) on Wednesday, pre-Turkey.  I'll try to hit up my mom's Pilates Reformer a few times in the basement, too (the operative word being TRY-- hehe).  Similar capris: here. Tank top here! Sticky socks: found here.


Finally, think about your down time and what you'd like to wear during those hours. When I am home at my mom's, my best times are sat snuggling on the couch in comfy pajamas with a glass of wine in hand. I love my mom and step-dad's fireplace. To me, their fireplace indicates home, holidays and family (and the fact that my mom keeps her house at approximately 40 degrees Fahrenheit-- haha!).

Furthermore, consider the drive or flight to your destination. On Tuesday, I will be leaving directly from work to scoop up the hubs and head down to Chicago to meet Anna and Shawn.  Typically, my travelling uniform is Lululemon Wunder Under pants and a Saint Mary's tee shirt.

Loving this adorable new SMC tee-- there's a sale on the Saint Mary's College bookstore site: $10 off any $50 purchase and $25 off $100! 

Don't forget your festive jammies!

There's a 50% sale going on currently on J. Crew Factory online. Time to stock up! 

These are my favorite buffalo plaid jammie pants from J. Crew Factory-- and they are on sale for $21!


And the best "short trip" bag I've ever owned is my Vera Bradley large duffel bag. It is the perfect size for 3-5 days and traveling by car.

Where are you headed this Thanksgiving? May your travels be safe and your Thanksgiving meal be filled with family and love.

xxoo
Mary