We all have our problem areas. Too skinny legs. Thunder thighs. Knocked knees. My personal problem area are my arms. When I work out (consistently) they'll be the last thing to shrink. For the life of me I can't figure out a formula for ripped arms. With that being said,it's a trying task to find fitted items of clothing that fit my arms. Blazers are especially difficult, so when I find one that works,I care for it like a small child and make a mental and physical note of where I got the item. The right blazers don't come by easily for us plus sized girls,similar to the difficulties of wearing sky high heels. When we do find the right arm fit,the rest normally lacks in fit. Thankfully,I was able to score both fit and flare from this blazer I got from Forever 21. They have a wonderful assortment of fits and colors.




 My struggles have inspired me to look for some of the best (and cost effective) blazers and jackets. Below are some of the places I've found fantastic blazers for awesome prices. We are all shaped a bit differently, so when in doubt, find a good tailor. Keep in mind arm lengths and button placements. You too can perfect the #1 layering piece!


What are some of your problem areas? And where do you shop to have them looking their best? Leave a comment below!

Faithfully,
Brieana.

Good evening everyone! I just want to start this post off by saying I'm happier than a clam at this beautiful and breathtaking backdrop. I know most of us don't like the work of shoveling, slipping, and falling due to the snow, but I truly enjoyed the lazy Saturday I had watching it fall and then (dare I say) going out and "playing in it" later that evening. Of course, by playing in it, I mean shoveling all 16 inches, but those are the breaks when you're an adult. I enjoyed snowstorm Jonas, and as someone said to me today, "If its January 24th and this is our 1st snowstorm, we have a lot to be happy about." Truer words have never been spoken.


I own few tribal prints in my wardrobe, and one of the reasons for that is mainly because I always though they were too busy and I wasn't sure how to tone them down. I then learned that they didn't need to be toned down and that I should allow them to be its natural self. And breathtakingly so. I scored this wrap from Forever 21 Plus a while back. It has a fringe effect on the sleeves and its a very nice cotton blend. The wrap feature allows me to either wear it open or closed. Naturally, for this shoot, I chose closed. I love you guys, but tomorrow is my first day at my new job, I can't afford another cold!

These high waist pants are from an IG boutique that's no longer in business. I'm happy I was able to get them before they shut down. The marled black mixed in with the burgundy red creates a nice two toned look. This pants are awesome because they not only have a nice high waist, the only zipper on them is in the back, which gives an even more slimmed down and neat look.

The necklace is from one of my favorite jewelry small business, Lindo Jewelry. They also came with a matching pair of earrings,but my new 'do made them tough to see.

Did you step out fashionably during snowstorm Jonas? I'd love to see it! Comment below,

Faithfully,
Brieana

Besides my trusty ACER laptop,this evening I'm armed with some orange juice,NyQuil,and a word to battle against this sinus infection that's attacking my eyes and ears! Being sick sucks,but the fabulous must continue to slay. I can do all things though Christ who gives me strength. And today,I had a slew of doctor's appointments to get myself together. And it wouldn't be a sick day if I didn't do it in sweats! Today's outfit featured all of my comfy cozy items "thrown" together to create this easy,yet not so breezy (chest cold beware) ensemble.

Happy Sunday everyone! I come to you to day to boast the blessings of my mother's wardrobe and the opportunities I've been afforded to raid her closet day in and day out. I could probably do a whole post of things that have slowly migrated to my closet. She doesn't even remember they're hers half of the time. THANKS mom!

This sweater happened on a day of rummaging. It super comfy and I've done it dressed up and dressed down. One tip I can give for my budding fashionistas rummaging through a loved ones closet is to make sure its versatile. After all, if you're going to re-purpose mom's clothes, you may as well do it more than once!

I went for a minimalist look under the sweater, donning all black for the rest of the look. These caged heels are from my favorite shoe diva at Step N'Out On Faith Shoe Salon. These shoes have a a unique pattern and allow for the open feel, while still featuring a closed in toe, making them perfect for the colder winter weather. The patent leather jazzed up the ensemble a bit, and they are so so comfy!(believe it or not)  They run big, so I got them in my normal 8.5 shoes size (I normally purchase my heels in a size 9 to give me some breathing room).

I got this layered chain necklace from Step N' Out on Faith's partner in fashion on Main Street, Lindo Jewelry. What I love about this necklace is that it features a few different colors, making it very useful for my wardrobe. There's some silver, gold, and even a bit of bronze. They came with a matching pair of earrings, as many of her necklace sets do.



This neutral outfit is normally how I love to dress. Contrary to popular belief, blacks and neutral colors can pop just as much as a red or pink. How do you dress up your sweaters? Leave a comment below!

Faithfully,
Brieana. 

It's finally happened! A few inches of snow and ice in the Pocono have at last ushered our way into true winter fashion. I always laugh at the first snowfall because the conversations and Facebook statuses I hear and see are always amusing. 'Oh man, it's so cold outside'. Or even "It's a low of 10 degrees this morning.' I want to say to them, "Yes that happens in the winter."Those will be the same people who complain of the too humid weather. Be thankful for the highs and lows of his wonders and mercies. In the summer, I'll be happy to don my maxi skirts and gladiator sandals. In the dawn of winter, I'm just as happy to wear some great winter gear. I wouldn't want any of these things to take up dust.

The showcase item for this week's casual Friday are these one-of-a-kind glittering boots from Lola Shoetique. Speaking of taking up dust, I've been thinking about them since daylight savings when 4pm started to look like 6pm. They literally shine up the night and I'm happy I was able to unearth them from the piles of shoes I have to make this comfy cozy outfit. I got these some years ago, and only wore them once so they're in pretty god shape. They're a standard military boot that features lots and lots of GLITTER! I'm trying to calm down the adolescent fairy princess in me that got so excited when I first laid eyes on them a couple years back

Jail posing it! ;)

. What better way to be glamorous in the winter than with heavy duty boots covered in glitter?! *swoon*

On top I have a cropped sweater form Victoria's secret I also got a couple of years back. Everyone know Vicky's for their panty sales and bras, but in my heavier catalog shopping days, I was very surprised to know that they also sell some pretty good quality clothing items. They have everything form shirts to skirts to coats. (I'll get into that in another post) Another surprise is that their items go up to an XL in most pieces. This sweater was literally a grab it and go and it kept my outfit pretty chill, where the boots jazzed it up a bit.

Have you ever seen a trendy piece and said. "I don't know if I'm going to look good in that." WELL, later for that noise! As a treat to myself for losing a whopping 65 pounds this year, I ventured into the territory of distressed/ripped denim and I couldn't be happier. I got these from one of my favorite IG boutiques right now, Hautelifeplus. Word to the wise on these, they stretch to epic proportions! So order a size down because they're very forgiving to us sisters who are "hippier".

How do you glam up for the winter? Share a comment, quip, or picture below. TGIF!

Faithfully,
Brieana. 

Story time!

The other day I was having a conversation with my boyfriend, and he said a very profound thing to me. He said, as human beings we tend to worry about things and that's where we normally lack in our lives. One of the most popular things we tend to worry about are our finances. And I can say this for myself that money is one of the things I think about all the time. Am I going to be able to afford this? How much will that cost? And the most pressing question: Will I have enough? He continued on with saying that we need to operate in rest over things that we would normally fret over.


I didn't know then that this discussion would ring true for me in just a few short days. I'm a Supports Coordinator at the county mental health office in East Stroudsburg. I had gotten this job just 7 short months ago after a hiatus of not working full time. It was a long time coming, and I was so thankful and grateful to have one. On Monday though, exactly one month from my 25th birthday, I got fired.

YUP, you read it right. Fired. Me. In my 25 years of living, I had never so much as gotten suspended from school or a note sent home. And on Monday, I sat looking unemployment in the face.While I could get into that story, I'll save it for another time. And as I left my now, former place of employment, I did one thing; I adopted a state of rest.

I know what you're thinking: BUT WHAT ARE YOU GOING TO DO NOW?! And for a split second, I thought those same things. Where will I go next? Is this termination going to impact my ability to get another job? WHAT ABOUT THE MONEYYYYYYY?!

Fast forward 10 hours later, I had calmed down (even more than I already was, again Praise God) some more.  I placed a phone call to an outpatient clinic that I previously interned for when I was still  getting my Master's degree. I had built quite a rapport with the director and one of the secretaries there. During my conversation with her, she told me "You're always welcome here. He's available today if you want to come in and chat."

At this point, I still wasn't expecting anything, and I wasn't worried.On the drive there, the song "I Won't Go Back" by William McDowell was laid upon my heart. As I drove and listened to the song, the words "there's nothing to go back to." resonated with me. And I thought to myself, that while I would love to go back to my old job and explain that there must have been some kind of mistake, it wasn't worth it. The sense of calm that came over me as I left that place was one clue to that.

So I arrived at the clinic, with nothing in hand, again ready to tell the story of my departure from my old gig. After about 20 minutes of casual conversation and catching up, I was handed a job application. And coupled with this stack of paper were two simple questions.
1. How many hours a week are you going to work for us?
2. How soon can you get this back so that we can get you started?

It took me almost a full two hours later to process the roller coaster of the day before and this moment. Fired and then re-hired that quickly.So I essentially had one door slammed in my face, to be met with another door wide open and waiting. All of these life changes were possible because I never left the presence of the Lord. The peace that I felt during the most trying hours of Monday into the more triumphant hours of Tuesday was not my doing. For me, the type-A individual who likes to plan out breakfast to what pajamas I'm going to wear to bed, could never stay that calm. But in his presence, I was at rest. And what blessings awaited me! I say all of this to say that it's very easy to praise and adore the Lord when it's easy. It's easy to do when you're on top of the world. But what about when it doesn't seem so great? Will you stand firm?

Exodus 33: 14- And He said, "My Presence will go with you, and I will give you rest."
Proverbs 3:5-7- Trust in the Lord with all your heart, And lean not on your own understanding; In all you ways acknowledge Him, and he shall direct your paths.



Stay encouraged,
Brieana. 

Things I hated as a child: Cough syrup. Tea.Turtlnecks. My oh my how the times have changed. When I saw this maxi bodycon dress on Rebdolls I looked back on a time where I mainly wore joggers, Nike high tops and hoodies. My college days called for comfort and convenience, and those outfit staples made it easy for me to head the class in a hurry. At a time even earlier before that, I laughed because I would NEVER wear turtlenecks. They always make me feel like my clothes were "closing" in on me. I'm a self diagnosed claustrophobic and that was NOT okay. The same could be said of scarves and earmuffs.You get the point.

 Its amazing how things of the past always repeat themselves. As I look through look books and magazines I spy a lot of oldies from the 80's and 90's that made appearances in my mom and sister's high school yearbooks: mullets, shoulder pads, and increased use of floral patterns. I had never thought of a turtleneck as a fashionable things. But that's the things about fashion. Our perception can turn any item into a staple.




This dress is long and maroon just the way I like it. It camouflages my knock knees and its perfect for the winter weather. And true to Rebdoll fashion, they hug my curves.

What are some items you would have never worn and find yourself loving now?Leave a comment below!