A Little Patch-y

After my decluttering session, my closet ended up with a definite shortage of sweaters, which proves to be a serious issue as the weather is rapidly declining.

In desperation of sweaters, I took to J Crew and found a sweater that was irresistible. Personally, I'm not a fan of v-neck sweaters and much as a crew neck, but this look was too enticing to not try.

The leather patches down the sleeve really makes the sweater stand out in comparison to others. Generally elbow patch sweaters are simply that, only on the elbow. But this sweater stretches the limits of patch length (and completely succeeds).

A fun way to make the sweater stand out more is to wear a colorful or bold pair of shoes. It really puts together the outfit and adds a little color to your day.

Do you have any sweater suggestions?

What to Do When the Farmer's Market Closes

Now that October is officially over, it means the end of the Farmer's Market season. While it does continue for a few more weeks, a lot of the produce stands and sweet treats go into hibernation.

This fall I began a habit of going on a morning Saturday run to the Farmer's Market to get an apple cider doughnut. Luckily, my destination is right on the lake, so I would watch morning rowing and sailing practice, too. Taking the time to enjoy the crisp air and fall-ish feel was really relaxing and ultimately a great way to start the weekend.

It became a big part of my routine, so it's going to be weird adjusting to not having my Saturday morning apple cider doughnut. Good thing I already found a substitute!

What are you going to miss about October?

The Art of Tidying Up

Cleaning and organizing your things can have a wonderful effect on your life. The things that really matter become more apparent and you realize that you don't need as many things as you originally thought.

In the book, "The Life-Changing Art of Tidying Up," author Marie Kondo explores how her technique for decluttering your life should be implemented into your personal, everyday life. Admittedly, some of her techniques seem a little far fetched like thanking your shoes for doing a good job when you take them off. But a lot of her suggestions are really worthwhile to try in your life.

For example, Kondo suggests situating your clothes in the drawer vertically so that you can see exactly what you have. Plus, you don't have to dig through all of those button downs anymore to find the right one.

Personally, reading the book finally served as motivation to give away all of the books and clothes that I don't use anymore. Now I don't have to deal with items that don't "make me happy" anymore while knowing that it now belongs to someone who needs it.

All in all, Marie Kondo's suggestions have made me more conscious of the items that I have in my life and whether they are truly "keepers."

What are your favorite "decluttering" techniques?

The Best Ballet Flats for Busy Feet

Finding ballet flats is one of the trickiest things to do, especially when you're constantly on the go. They sometimes hurt. They don't fit right and fall right off of your heals. And then of course, they look like you've had them since you were ten when you've only worn the flats two times.

My life has my feet constantly going in a range of weather, so I had (for the most part) given up on the idea of ballet flats despite the fact that I love the look of them. They always seemed like the lesser option when in comparison to boots, which offer warmer, dryer feet.

But the leopard print flats got me. I'd been loving the trend for a while, but never thought it was a good idea with how busy my feet stay. At beginning of fall, I decided to try out a pair.

Wow. In comparison to the other flats I've own, these are by far the most comfortable, most durable pair. And that's not even taking into account all of the options they carry.

The brand, Sam Edelman, also carries a really adorable pair of scalloped flats. I love the color "Desert Red Suede" because it adds a fun "pop" to any outfit.

What are your favorite flats?