Striped Sundress and Straw Hat

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(Sorry about the blurriness of some of these photos!! David does an amazing job, and I am so grateful for him. But I am still figuring out the fullest potential of the functionality of my camera, and then translating that knowledge to him, too. So, if anyone has tips for me to better the clarity consistency of photography with a Nikon -I have the D3300 model, please do share your photography tips!!)

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Dress (direct from Billabong here)
Denim Jacket
Straw Hat (only $12 on sale!)
Sandals
Dome Satchel Handbag
Nail Polish: OPI – Passion
Lipstick: Revlon – Sassy Mauve

Hello, lovelies!

How was your weekend? In my previous post, I broke up my post into three sections: the look, the latest, and the life… so here goes….

The Look
It’s no secret that the Nordstrom Anniversary Sale is going on, and this is such a cute sundress that I scored on sale from Nordstrom. I actually had my eye on it for a few weeks before I bought it, just to see if it would go on sale. It did, and I bought this comfy, stylish and perfect, summer go-to dress for about $20! Typically, I online shop at my usual suspect, favorite stores by first browsing through new arrivals, then pinning what I like and instead of buying on impulse, I wait a bit before making purchases. The browsing satisfies my shopping lust, the pinning keeps me organized and remembering what I adored, and the waiting keeps my budget [somewhat] in check. When I wait a few days or even weeks, I risk losing out on something I really wanted, but that rarely happens, and I usually end up saving a lot of money because retailers constantly have great deals and sales.

I adore this striped sundress because it’s perfect for a casual daytime look. It looks great layered with a sunhat and a denim jacket. I should also mention that the straw hat that I have on is a hat that I bought from Von Maur at regular price, then it went down by $6 less than a week after I bought it. I saved my $6 (cause, hey! that could be a latte!!) and called Von Maur’s customer service for a price adjustment. Meaning this simple but darling straw hat was only $12! It’s all about smart, by being timely, shopping!

The Latest
In my last post, I talked about my frustrations with this national battle of the social issues in America. Since I shared a lot in my last post, I’ll spare the length here. But I have to mention that I greatly appreciate the supportive and insightful comments left by many of you. I’m glad that so many good people exist and together we can use our goodness to overwhelm the bad. MLK Jr. said, “Darkness cannot drive out darkness; only light can do that. Hate cannot drive out hate; only love can do that.”

The Life
The best way to be on the up and up of my daily ventures is by adding me to Snapchat, search my username: PrettyPerfect89. I had a really great weekend or rather, week! The fun started on Tuesday when myself and another mom friend of mine took our daughters to Six Flags Great America. It wasn’t too busy, so we rode a bunch of roller coasters, such a blast! Thursday, a friend invited me out boating and a huge group of us partied on Lake Michigan all afternoon and into the evening. Summertime boating days are the best! Friday through Sunday flew by and were spent on date nights with David, patio chilling with friends, and working on some room decor projects. I’ve been building a pretty awesome gallery wall above my desk and I can’t wait to share it! That’s all for now…

How was your weekend? Up to anything exciting now that we are in the heat and heart of summer? Have you landed any awesome finds while shopping lately? What about sharing some of your favorite shopping tips?

With Style & Love,
♥
Amber

39 Comments

  8. Lovely dress from Billabong! I haven’t shopped that brand in years. Looks like I need to check them out again! When my boyfriend takes my pics, we use a D5200, so same brand as yours. We always shoot in aperture mode, away from sunlight, ISO no lower than 640 (at dawn) or ISO 100 in natural light and aperture no lower than 2.8f. I hope that helps a little! That’s what works best for us :)

    http://www.thebeautybeau.com

  11. This is such a cute summer look, Amber! I love your new dress, it looks so good on you and you’ll get plenty of wear, since it’s such a staple piece (great deal!). I like your shopping strategy on minimizing impulse buys, which can be SO hard when there’s a sale going on especially! I also have to point out that I adore your hat and love the way YOU look in them, you have the perfect face shape for so many different styles! As I shared in your previous post on the topic, I couldn’t agree more with you referencing MLK, he was such a wise man and his words are so very relevant today. Thanks so much for sharing, beauty, and I hope you’re having a great start to your Monday so far!

    XO,
    Jalisa
    http://www.thestylecontour.com

  17. That striped dress is so perfect and such a steal! I’m definitely the same about shopping too. Sometimes some new arrivals go on sale too if ya just keep a close eye on them! I think your photos turned out well. Wish I can help you, but we use a Canon and I’m not familiar with Nikon’s functions. But if this helps, sometimes some of my blurry photos can be saved by adjusting the sharpness on Lightroom. Seriously, Lightroom has been a life saver!

    http://www.rdsobsessions.com

  19. Amber you look adorable… the little dress is sweet… and I like the jean jacket with it xox

    I continue to pray for the people who have been affected by all the pain… I also pray we use love to get through it all and not hate xox

    (I think David is doing a great job, maybe it is me but the pictures look clear to me)

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