Four Spring/Summer Staple Shoes And Their Dupes

April 16, 2018

I do a refresh of my staple shoes every few years and I recommend you do too! If you choose the right basics you can get amazing shoes that will last you season after season and still look stylish. Classic silhouettes with some fun current details will take you far and when something is too trendy for you to invest in, a good knockoff does the trick!

1.2.3.4.5.6.7.8

When choosing your staples for the season you want neutral colors and simple styles. An everyday heel, a mule, some cool flats, and a sneaker will take you through pretty much every situation and outfit you'll need shoes for day-to-day. Then you can get one or two really fun extra pairs to round it all out but we'll get to that later.

1-2: An easy and casual heel like this is a complete must-have. It instantly dresses you up without being too fancy and a neutral color like this will go with everything you own. Say hello to looking adorbs and v cool on date night or friend night or tbh whenever you feel like wearing them.

3-4: Hello being the chicest one in the room! These mules have been in the spotlight for a few years now and they're not going anywhere so I really think investing would be worth it, but they're so expensive! So I get it. These Target bbs are an amazing knockoff (I love them and own them). Mules can be worn to anything. Literally. They are perfect with a pair of jeans, with a cute little dress, with some fancy pants, with a chic lil' midi-cocktail dress moment. Anything. You need these.

5-6: Free People does it again. These flats are the cutest. Your outfit will be instantly elevated to a cooler level when you put them on. If you're not tryna spend that much, the new Target knockoff is the perfect solution. Comfy flats with a modern upgrade. Yas.

7-8: Sneakers are almost on the way out of the spotlight but that doesn't mean that you don't need a pair for brunches, or errand days, or for days that you just need to be comfy! I'm loving these Steve Maddens (I own them in black and blush they're so comfortable) and these Payless bbs are a perfect match!

I hope you find this list helpful! Tell me what the new staple shoes are in your Spring/Summer wardrobe. I want to know!

What's In My Bag?

April 02, 2018

Hey! Today I wanted to share the essentials I carry with me that help me get through the day! It's a "What's In My Bag Challenge" post. You ready? Leggo:

Wallet. I have three wallets of various sizes that I circle through depending on the day and what I'll be doing. First is this giant Kate Spade with a zipper all the way around. The exact wallet I own is a few years old so the exact color isn't available now, but the style is called Cameron Street Lacey. There's tons of space for everything I would ever need and then some!

Next is another Kate Spade, the Cameron Street Stacy. It's open all the way around with just one snap to keep it closed. Stacey is a little sleeker and smaller, but still has more space than I need.

Then there's this little baby I picked up at the Nordstrom Anniversary Sale last year. It's a small card holder that fits the few cards I need in a day, my ID, and some cash. Perf for going out or running to the store and slipping it in a pocket.

Lippies. Carmex is my number one holy grail product. I have about eight floating around my house and bags at any given time. I like the Strawberry flavor in Carmex, but classic is always nice too. I love the two balms pictured above as well. The Burt's Bees Flavor Crystals and the Kiehl's Lip Balm #1. The Burt's Bees balm has sugar crystals so it's like a lip scrub in a tube! The Kiehl's is super moisturizing and smells amazing. My favorite lipstick if I want some true color is the Charlotte Tilbury Matte Revolution in Amazing Grace. I'll dive deeper into lip products and makeup in general in a different post. :) Stay tuned!

Keys. I got this keychain at a Toss store in San Francisco a million years ago and I LOVE it, but they don't offer it anymore. I couldn't find my cablecar design on the company's website either, but this heart is a cutie!

Phone. For cases, I always go with a Sonix. Sonix cases have always done a great job of protecting my phone from any damage (knock on wood) and they're super cute. The rose-gold phone grip is by PopSockets.

Mints. Trader Joe's Ginger Mints. You're welcome.

Notes. I always keep paper and a pen with me, you never know when you'll need them! I like to keep my Liberty London planner, but when my purse isn't big enough I keep tiny pretty notebooks at hand. My Liberty planner is actually from the Liberty store in London, but Anthropologie has a similar one! I couldn't find my exact current small notebook on the Paper Source website (it was from a local Paper Source store in Chicago), but here are some other cute ones!

Mist. I was introduced to this Mario Badescu Facial Spray by Valeria Lipovetsky and it's honestly amazing. The spray is so refreshing and wonderful. I love to keep it in my bag as a refresher throughout the day. (Also I'm going to link Valeria's YouTube because she is inspiring and lovely.) I also love The Organic Pharmacy Rose Facial Spritz as mists go.

Clean. These Moist Towlettes by Herban Essentials are so insanely useful. Keep them around for your hands, your face, a dirty bus handle...anything. You never know when you will need one, they smell heavenly, and they're all natural.

Sunnies. I always like to keep a pair of sunglasses handy. This pair is by Diff and I'm in love with the vibes.

So what did you think? Let me know on Instagram or Facebook the essentials you loved and what you thinking I'm missing! I love to try what you all recommend for me.

First Blog Post: Eeek!

March 08, 2018

Hi! I am seriously, seriously, SO excited you're here and reading this. Welcome to the blog! Yay!

My poor bb bangs didn't stand a chance against the Chicago wind.

Halfway through the shoot I had to take off the heels and switch to these tennies. I had to! Both are very me though. Gemini Things.

I have been thinking about starting a blog for forever (like the last ten years!) and it was finally time to stop waiting for everything to be perfect and to just go for it! So here it is. :)

I want to share everything in my life with you: fashion, beauty, home decorating, cooking, politics, feelings, self-esteem, body-image, self-empowerment, crafting, art, TV shows, family, musicals, auditions, flowers, friendship, new songs I've learned on the ukulele...everything! Hopefully you'll like it! Hopefully you'll also want to engage, discuss, be here, teach me things, and be best pals!

So hello, it's nice to meet you! I'm Katie Yeilding. I like fashion, body positivity, musicals, beauty, pizza, music, candles, flowers, lists apparently, and so much more. I'm an actress living in Chicago (for now!) and I run a clothing business with my Momma! I have an amazing boyfriend, an amazing family, and amazing friends who will all be featured here sometime. For now though, this blog will be about you getting to know me!

First things first: I always have music playing. Music makes more sense to me than anything else (that's why I love musicals because not expressing your emotions through song doesn't compute). Because of this, I will embed a song at the bottom of each post that sets the mood. The songs may have lyrics that are applicable or just have a vibe that I feel is right. No matter what though you can always scroll down and press play before you come back up to view the full post!

I so rarely see a body like mine in the media attached to a happy, strong, sexy, cute, fun, flirty, and confident girl. When big girls are portrayed it's someone crying in the corner talking about how hard it is to lose weight or they're just a punchline. So many of us are more the former girl than the latter and that's what I want to start putting out into the world!

There's a lot I want to accomplish with this blog, but mostly I want to make you smile and feel bold and beautiful.

So let the fun begin! I am so so so so so excited.

Screen Shot 2017-10-11 at 10.44.13 PM.png