Skimp or Splurge?

Last week, I saw this beautiful open cardigan by Joie on fellow blogger Christine Andrew.  #Need.

I loved it. I wanted it. I saw the price tag. I passed out.

Maybe it's just me, but I can't fathom paying $448 for a sweater.  I love high-quality pieces that I'll use forever, but that price was way too steep.  So when I was perusing Target last week, I noticed they had sweaters on sale.  Then I spotted this beauty - and immediately couldn't believe how similar the sweaters are!

The Target sweater is thick and is surprisingly higher quality than their stuff normally is.  Bonus: it's only $29.99!  Target is also currently having a sale on sweaters.  They're buy-one get-one 50% off (and be sure to check Cartwheel for coupons, too - I got an extra 10% off).  So I ended up with that sweater and a faux fur vest (I can't find the one I got online UPDATE: the vest can be found here!) for about $40. Booyah.

So, which one would you get?  Would you splurge on the the by Joie or go with the Target sweater?

New Music Monday

Happy Columbus Day! Hopefully, some of you are enjoying a day off from work. I'm not, but that doesn't mean I can't fill the day with beautiful music. 

I discovered You+Me just recently. You+Me is a collaboration between pop star, P!nk, and Canadian singer/songwriter Dallas Green, who performs as City and Colour. They wrote and recorded their entire album, rose ave., in six days (oh, how I wish I was that talented), and it will be released in full tomorrow on iTunes!

If you're drawn to beautiful harmonies and a stripped down, not overly produced sound, you'll love You+Me.

You and Me is the first release from their album. Hope you enjoy it as much I did!

Kelley's iPhone Dump

Happy Friday, everyone! I thought I'd be lazy and dump some iPhone photos here for y'all.  Zach and I have been all over the place recently and we finally have a full weekend home together this weekend.  Praise Jesus, hallelujah (now you're singing Black Widow, right?).  Here's what's been going on in our world recently...

We were in Mentone, Alabama, a few weekends ago for our sweet friend Alice's wedding. Here's my backseat driver.  My passenger seat driver had abandoned his duties (aka: fallen asleep).

This is my new favorite neutral nail polish: essie's "BBF Best Boyfriend"...

Isn't this little cottage where we stayed in Mentone adorable?  It was perfect. We even talked about renting it again for a week-long mountain vacation. (Sidenote: We found out at the wedding that the cottage is actually owned by one of our friend's grandparents.)

This was the view from the wedding.  Absolutely breathtaking...

Obligatory selfie. Please note the small child attacking the tree.

October 1 was the start of Domestic Violence Awareness Month.  The First Lady of Alabama, Dianne Bentley, held a candlelight vigil on the Capitol steps. All of the state buildings are lit up purple for the cause.  It was a completely moving program...

Domestic violence awareness and prevention is one of the First Lady's platforms and she is extremely passionate about it.  Check out the hashtag #DBversusDV to see more of her work...

And I'll leave you with this gem.  That's me making my brother love me.  It's working.

Tonight, we're heading to Art in Concert featuring the Pine Hill Haints and the Owsley Brothers.  Zach and I both love bluegrass and folk music, and Maeci shared this article about the Pine Hill Haints on her FB, so it should be a fun night.  If you're in the Montgomery area, you should come check it out!

Hope y'all have a great weekend!

Oversized Plaid Scarf + Sneak Peak

Last week when Fran posted about this scarf, I knew I had to rush over to Target to get it!  I've been loving the trend and wanted to make sure I had one when the temps started to dip.  What's even better?  It was cool enough this weekend to wear it!

Me and my friend Katie (aka "sister")

Even though we're die-hard Bama fans, we couldn't pass up going to the Auburn vs. LSU game and tailgating with friends! Notice how I am not wearing anyone's colors :)

That's me in the center! So, you get a better idea of the scarf.

I really love the scarf!  I can already tell it's going to be a staple this fall and winter.  It's big and oversized, the colors are wonderful and it's super warm!  I could actually use it as a small blanket if I really wanted to.

The best part?  It's only $16.99!  So get ya'self one.

So I'm still working on a few tweaks to our living room, but here's a sneak peak at our layered rugs...

Hope y'all are having a great week!  We're halfway there folks.

Personal Styling Without Obligation

Well, we have been MIA for awhile now. I have been home about one day a week for the last three weeks due to work travel (and I leave again today!). So, it's been a crazy month. 

But, I'm here today to tell you about a new obsession of mine. Have you ever longed for a personal stylist without the obligation or awkwardness of buying what they pick out for you? Well, look no further than Keaton Row.

Via

My friend, Alexia (shout out!), introduced me to the free service. Basically, you fill out a style profile and they match you with a stylist. The stylist puts together several looks for you based on your preferences, and you can pick and choose what you want to buy. The stylist then gets a commission from the retailers, so there's no obligation for the client!

All of the clothes/shoes/accessories come from Nordstrom, Shopbop, asos, and Les Nouvelles, so there are tons of options and lots of price points and name brands. 

My stylist, Melissa, has put together several looks for me already, and I've purchased a few items that I really love including this little number...

Via

And, for those natural fashionistas out there, you can apply to be a stylist with Keaton Row and start getting paid for what you love to do!

So, check it out. Like I said, there's no obligation. And, you can get $25 off your first purchase of $200+ with the code REFERFRIEND25.

Let us know if you sign up, and tell us all about your stylist!

This is not a sponsored post. I just love Keaton Row, and I thought you would too!