Fashion Forward Fridays: Aw Else Boutique

All photos provided by Aw Else Boutique.

Happy Friday, everyone! I am very excited to introduce Aw Else Boutique to you all today for Fashion Forward Fridays! Aw Else Boutique is located in Greensburg, Pa, but for my readers outside the Pittsburgh area, not to fear, Aw Else has recently launched their online shop and it's sure to please. So everyone, please continue reading for an inside look at this fabulous little boutique!

Danielle Shaffer, who owns Aw Else Boutique, runs the shop Monday through Saturday. The boutique carries Big Buddha Handbags, Cinda B, Sorrelli, John Wind, Lancaster Paris, Chrysalis, Pouchee Purse Organizers, Lolita Wine Glasses, Aroma Decor, and Bridgewater Candle Co. Aw Else's mission is to indulge the women of the community with a relaxing and fulfilling experience. Danielle and her staff invite you into their ladies boutique with an encapsulating, contemporary ambiance, and their goal is for every woman to feel like the "Glitterati." 

Danielle says that, "One heart at a time, we're making a difference in women's lives by bringing a little bit of New York, Las Vegas, Los Angeles and some international style, right here to Greensburg! We can help you look fabulous for special occasions and everyday wear." Aw Else Boutique, also known as AEB to their loyal fans, is the premier fashion accessories destination in the area. AEB provides personal service to the style-minded woman who is shopping for jewelry, handbags, and accessories to complete her own unique look.

So be sure to indulge yourself in a little shopping (in person if you're near Greensburg) or online for those of you further away! With the fabulous designer fashions and select styles at Aw Else Boutique, you're sure to find something you love and be the "Glitterati" of town!

Aw Else Boutique | Facebook | Twitter | Instagram | Online Shop

This is a partnered post but all opinions are my own.

Chels Wears: Pinterest Inspired Vintage

Today I am linking up with H&K Style Journey for the weekly link-up, Pinned It Did It. With the other two Pinterest inspired posts I did, I didn't do a fashion pin so I figured it was time to do so. After not feeling like getting dressed at all since I was working from home and didn't have anywhere to go, I decided to turn to my style board for some inspiration and this pin was the only one that seemed like a good idea with a limited amount of effort needed.

Left: Original Pin | Right: Me

Sweater: Vintage | Leggings, Scarf & Leg Warmers: Walmart | Wedges: Kmart

As you can see, I went brighter with my color choices and wore thick leggings instead of just tights. I feel like I look like I'm going to a PITT game or something with the color choices but that's okay. This sweater was actually my moms from way back in the day and it is the most comfy sweater I own. Thanks, Mama! This look was super comfy but with the wedges made me feel dressy, so I was still in a work mode while staying low-key overall. What do you guys think of this look?

Firmoo Giveaway Winners: Alyssa Dreliszak, Sara Strauss, Danielle Wallace, Ellen Ross and Holli Tonini. - Congrats! And thank you to everyone who entered! Winners, please email me at chelsandthecity(at)gmail(dot)com to claim your prize.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Bad Things Happen When You Wear Sweatpants In Public

If you guys know one thing about me, you know that I think wearing sweatpants in public is a sin. I don't care if you're not wearing makeup, your hair is looking a hot mess or there is a stain on your shirt, but if you are wearing sweats in public (or GOD FORBID pajama pants) I will be secretly judging you. I have come to terms with the ideas of wanting to be comfortable and that sometimes jeans are just a tough decision to make, I get it, I wear leggings in public which I realize makes some people judge me. So while I understand why you would wear them in public, I cannot bring myself to do so.

You can blame Stacy and Clinton. Or the strict dress code that Ellwood City school district established during my freshman year of high school. But honestly the last time I remember wearing sweats in public was on the way to the WPIAL Fastpitch Softball Championship in my sophomore year, and we lost. See, bad things happen. So I should have thought of all these things on Monday.

Monday morning, my brother needed me to follow him to the mechanic to get his car fixed so he would have a ride home and not have to wait there while they worked on it. No big deal, and since it was early when we had to leave the house, I thought to myself, "It's okay just wear the sweatpants because no one is going to see you and we're coming right back home after dropping his car off, you can just get ready for the day when you get home." However, Eric and I decided to go through the drive-thru of McDonald's on our way home for breakfast. Still thinking, no big deal, it's a drive-thru, the only person seeing me in sweatpants is my brother and I wear these around the house, no problem.

Problem...bad things happen when you wear sweatpants in public. If you're around Erie during this time of the year, you know that no one cares about plowing the roads until there's some "serious snow" on them, meaning apparently at least eight inches. Well, on our way to McDonald's I started to break early for a red light, knowing that the roads were getting snowy, but got caught on some ice and hit the car in front of me which was already stopped at the light. Don't be worried, everyone is fine, the accident was more of a love tap between our cars. I happened to be driving a Suburban though so there was less damage on my end, considering Suburbans are ridiculously large vehicles, made for inclement weather. Way to suck in this incident though, Chevy.

Anyway, if you've ever been in any kind of minor traffic incident you (should) know that you have to get out of your vehicle, make sure the other car's passengers are okay, take pictures of the cars and area, get local police to report it and swap insurance info. The woman I hit kept saying she didn't know what to do because she was never in an accident before, yet, I have never been in an accident either and still knew what to do. Isn't this part of driver's ed? Anyway, multiple people saw the pants of shame. I guess this is karma for spreading hate for public displays of sweatpants for the past ten years, but let this be a lesson to you all. Wearing sweatpants in public leads to bad things, even if they're the "nice" sweatpants you got from your graduate school.

Don't forget today is the final day to enter the Firmoo glasses giveaway!

I'm picking 5 random winners at midnight so be sure to enter while you still can.

Blossoming Women Conference: Coming in April to Pittsburgh

I am excited to share with you ladies today about an opportunity coming to Pittsburgh that is sure to benefit some of us, the Blossoming Women Conference! On April 18th, the conference will take place at the Pittsburgh Airport Marriott Hotel in Coraopolis, Pa. The Blossoming Women Conference is hosted by LaTersa Blakely, an author, speaker and life coach for women and at risk girls. While LaTersa is the main contact person for this event, as well as one of the speakers, she will join three other women, Michelle Gill Newton, Tamara C. Gooch, and Leslie Reichert, in the hopes of helping to empower professional women, entrepreneurial women and mothers to realize their potential and know that they are enough to turn that potential into a positive career move.

I Am Enough is the theme for this event which plans to promote the skills needed to balance work and family life, the tools needed to grow as an entrepreneur, and live a more healthy lifestyle all around. This seems like a lot to take on, but based on the histories of the four women speakers it sounds like this is shaping up to be an exciting and transforming event. There will also be a vendors area where attendees can browse for inspirational books and CD's, and snag some relaxing goodies for themselves.  For more information, to read up on the speakers backgrounds, and to see what all is in store for the Blossoming Women's Conference, feel free to browse the event's website.

If you're already sold on this Conference and ready to go, follow along with the ladies on Twitter with #IAMENOUGH2014 and sign up by registering online with the link below. As a Chels & the City reader, you will be given a special discount offer for the conference with the code latersa at checkout. Hoping that this is a beneficial event for the women of Pittsburgh and to see some of you there!

Blossoming Women Conference | Registration | Volunteer | Sponsor | Vendors

Discount code: latersa

This is a partnered post, I was contacted to promote this event, but all opinions are my own.

Fashion Forward Fridays: Wearing Fur Vests

Happy Friday, everyone! For today's Fashion Forward Fridays, I want to talk about wearing my current favorite trend, the fur vest. And while I do not promote the idea of wearing real fur, there are plenty of places that make beautiful pieces that are sometimes better looking, and they didn't have to kill an animal to be made. Alright, PSA over, let's get down to how to style this new trend with three looks I created on Polyvore.

This first look is along the lines of the most common way I've seen women wearing their vests. And this is probably the one that I would try out first, if I could just decide on which vest to buy already! I like how the vest easily ups the "style factor" of this otherwise basic outfit.

This second look, is a bit '80's rocker, but I like it. Glam '80's rocker, haha. I like how bold this look is and think it'd be a great look for going out on the town and you'd still be able to keep warm with this crazy weather without a coat.

Finally, this is probably my favorite look. It's a bit daring for daytime, but I like that it's also girly and fun. And mixing the two tough and different animal inspired pieces, with the super feminine skirt is so chic to me.

What is your favorite way to wear the fur vest?

Also, don't forget to enter the Firmoo giveaway - I'm picking FIVE winners on the 27th!

Chels Wears: Firmoo In Red (& A Giveaway)

Sweater & Bracelets: Charlotte Russe | White top: Kmart | Pants: delia's | Shoes: KANDALS | Necklace: Urban Outfitters

You guys! It was a balmy 40 degrees here yesterday afternoon! It quickly went back into the teens in the later afternoon, but around lunchtime, when we took these pictures, it was 40ish. It was rainy and warm(ish) so I was allowing my ankles to see the light of day and went with a little cuff to my red skinnies. Have I mentioned how much I love these pants? They are seriously my favorite. If they weren't so obviously bright red, I'd probably try to get away with wearing them even more than I do.

Today's outfit was entirely based around my new glasses from Firmoo. Now, I know I have mentioned my love for glasses recently and being given these bright beauties in the mail was exciting. I actually do not like the color red, but every time I wear it I'm told it's "my color" so why not look my best, right? I'm slightly disappointed in the size of these frames, for some reason I thought they'd be a bit larger, which has become more of my style, but I still really like the way they look on me. And if you're not looking closely, the red sides would surprise you, which is always fun for me. These frames are also extremely comfortable. For someone who loves glasses but does not wear them on a daily basis, it's sometimes hard for me to adjust to wearing them, but I had no problem with these frames like I have had with some others.

And for those of you who are looking into getting some new frames, here's your chance to win some! Firmoo is giving FIVE of my readers a pair to have, you only have to pay for shipping! Not a bad deal when it comes to how expensive glasses can be. So check out the frames Firmoo has to offer and good luck in trying win a pair for yourself!

This is a sponsored post, I received these glasses as a gift, but all opinions are my own.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Chels Wears: The Blues

Scarf & Chambray: Walmart | Ring: Charlotte Russe | Vest: Boscov's | Pants: Target | Shoes: Kmart

I'm not sure if you can tell by my total lack of enthusiasm in these photos or by my multiple shades of blue, but I'm so over winter. Eric and I took these pictures on the front steps of the house, notice all that show around my feet? Yeah, we don't usually use these steps, just wanted to show you the amount of snow we've got in the past week. I've had enough! On the bright side...29 days until spring.

To be real honest, the only reason I needed to leave the house yesterday was to grab a couple ingredients from the grocery store for our dinner, so we're lucky I even have real pants on. Those of you who know me "in real life" know that I never wear sweatpants in public, and it's so awful right now, I almost broke my own rule when I went to return movies to Family Video last night. But, I just couldn't bring myself to do that, so pulling on jeans real quick felt like a serious chore. 29 days, 29 days, 29 days, 29 days...

Stay tuned.

photo by Hannah | design by me

The summer before my senior year of high school I decided to totally redo my bedroom at my parents' house. The whole works; take down old wallpaper, paint all the walls, rip up the carpet, etc. And one thing I did that was admittedly very juvenile, but is still one of my favorite elements of the room whenever I go back home, is write inspirational quotes on my closet door. 

This quote is one of the biggest on that door and has stood out to me my entire life. The class of 2010 at Seton Hill chose it as their "class motto" and since MJ was the president of that class, he gave quite a few speeches with this quote at the center. Now, this quote still holds true in me. Over the weekend, I decided to take the first few steps in directing my future. And while I won't be announcing what I'm in the process of doing just yet, that's my perfectionism talking, I'm excited that a dream of mine is becoming a reality and I can see it really taking shape. Going along without a set path is scary, frustrating and exhilarating. I'm keeping my hopes up, but with reality in the front of my mind. I'm planning for April to be about the time of the "big reveal" and I'm hoping you'll be excited when I let you in on it all.

Stay tuned.

Fashion Forward Fridays: Warby Parker is my Valentine

Photos provided by Warby Parker.

When I was contacted by Warby Parker to do this blog post, I almost leaped from the couch. I have been eyeing up this company for as long as I can remember. (Eyeing up, haha, puns.) When I was in 4th grade, it felt like all of my friends were getting glasses, and because I've always been excited about accessories, I always wanted them too. I don't think I realized until 8th grade (when I actually needed to get glasses) that most people didn't like hearing the news of, "You need glasses." How many times can I say glasses in one paragraph, geez.

Anyway, for today's Fashion Forward Fridays feature, I'm pleased to present, Warby Parker. This is an independent company that delivers right to you, which allows them to cut costs that boutiques cannot guarantee. They also donate glasses to people in need around the world. You buy a pair, they donate a pair. Nothing feels quite as good as knowing the company you're supporting is using all their resources to do good.

Currently, Warby Parker is introducing their Spring 2014 Collection as well as their Palm Canyon Collection for a limited time. The Spring Collection features eight new shapes and six new colors, while the Palm Canyon Collection is simply, their most-loved frames (Winston, Duckworth, Preston, and Wheeler) in a Palm Springs palette of mesquite, acacia, ironwood, and sand. These are my favorites from both collections, Palm Canyon on the left, Spring on the right.

Screenshot of my virtual try-on of Burke: Tennessee Whiskey.

If you're still skeptical about buying glasses online, here's some peace of mind for you. Warby Parker has a Virtual Try-On feature (shown on me above) to their website that allows you to upload your photo and see what the glasses would look like on you. But if that's not enough, they also allow you to pick five pairs and send them to you at no cost, to try-on and wear for five days and then send back. Then you can order which ones you felt best in, through their Home Try-On option. And those of you lucky enough to live in these areas, they also have some brick and mortar stores. Seriously, they've thought of it all. Be sure to check them out!

Follow along with Warby Parker: Facebook | Twitter | Tumblr | Instagram

Hope you all have a fabulous & fashionable Valentine's Day! 

This is a partnered post but all opinions are my own.

I'm Not Here & Welcome New Friends!

Screenshot of my post on Sarah's blog.

Hello everyone! I am guest posting over on Sarah's blog, Coming Unstitched, today, while she enjoys her first few days of mommy-hood. You might already know Sarah, or remember her from when she guest posted here during my Fashion Week. Anyway, check out my post over there. I created three style boards on Polyvore for Valentine's Day, inspired by three classic romance movies, each one from a different decade. I'm pretty proud of it, so please head over there and let me know your thoughts!

As for those of you who are over here visiting from Sarah's blog, welcome!

I hope you stay a while and get to know me and begin following along with Chels & the City.
 I suggest checking out some of my latest posts and heading over to my About page to learn more about me and this little space of the Internet. Hopefully you like what you see and we can be friends!

About | Why I Blog | Facebook | Twitter | Pinterest | Bloglovin

Chels Wears: Lips & Love

Sweater: Old Navy | Blazer: Boscov's | Lips Scarf & Black Skinny Jeans: WalMart

Red Heels: Wet Seal | Bow Ring: Charlotte Russe

Guys, I cannot pay attention about what to write because I keep staring back at the TV because of the Olympics. They make snow look cool and fun to play in! Except then I go out and realize that they must be freezing over in Sochi. Anyway, I think I like the winter games more because I actually watch more of the events, but that is the only reason I like winter haha

This outfit is, quite obviously, Valentine's Day inspired. And yes, there are shoulder pads in this blazer, because I don't mind a strong looking shoulder. Thank you Lady Gaga for bringing back the large shoulder look. Also, I bought these heels in Georgia in 2009 during a Habitat for Humanity trip. What? Yeah that happened, and I love them. Also, lips on my scarf? Yes, please - how could I not make this Valentine's outfit with great love-based items like these in my closet? How are you all dressing for the season?

Valentine's For Yourself!

1. Keys To Your Heart Pillow from ModCloth

Cute phrase, cute graphic & how do you show yourself love more than taking a nap.

2. Blossom & Beautiful from Bella J

Fabulous facial cleanser products from a great company focused on empowering their customers & making 100% natural products.

3. Nichola Pumps from ShoeDIVA Boutique

How gorgeous are these shoes!? I want them soooooo badly.

4. Endless Love Engraved Midi Ring from Urban Outfitters

Such a cute ring and you should always show endless love to yourself, this gives you a little reminder!

5. Water Bottle by PINK from Victoria's Secret

I honestly have gone through hundreds of these water bottles. I cannot live without them!

6. Hugs Keep Us Alive T-Shirt from Threadless

I'm in love with this tee! Such a cute graphic and can easily be styled.

7. Write That Shit Down Notepad by JulieAnnArt

These notepads are so handy. I love Julie and all of her products. She's such an inspiration.

8. Committed: A Love Story by Elizabeth Gilbert

This book is fabulous for you marriage skeptics! I read it over the summer and loved it. It is sort of the sequel to Eat, Pray, Love and I cannot recommend it enough.

I'll admit. I do like Valentine's Day. Not the over the top, guys going crazy to impress their ladies kind of Valentine's Day, but the showing others you appreciate and care about them type of day. Every year I send some girlfriends a Valentine and give my brother and parents a little something, and of course MJ always plans something special, which I don't mind being spoiled with, but the most important person to show love to, honestly, is yourself. Single or not, it's always good to put yourself first some times and Valentine's Day is the perfect time to do so! So with that in mind, these are some of my picks for how to treat yourself this Valentine's Day. Enjoy!