Parisian Chic

dress/Zara (similar), boots/Aldo (similar - on sale!), tote/Madewell, necklace/Etsy, jacket/TjMaxx (similar)

Sorry for the image overload on this post, but these are some of my favorite pics that Schmoo and I have taken so far. That, and I'm just a little *obsessed* with this fantastic Parisian inspired dress I recently picked up at Zara. Seriously, I feel like I belong in France when I wear it. I probably bought way more than I should have at Zara's semi-annual sale, but I justified it by buying only staple pieces that you can wear the crap out of (except for this necklace, which reminds me of candy and was too good to pass up.). Speaking of, you'll probably be seeing this dress a lot more frequently...so get ready. ;)

What staple pieces do you have in your closet?

xo, grace - @thegracemattei

Buggin' Out

shirt/H&M (sold out but found here), necklace/F21 (similar), jeans/UO, blazer/H&M (similar), shoes/Sole Society (similar), clutch/ASOS (similar)

I'm pretty much terrified of any and all kinds of bugs, but for some reason I'll wear them on my clothing. Funny huh? Found this moth shirt and bracelet in the same week and couldn't resist; it was clearly DESTINY.

In other news, it's already getting back to the early 80's here in Phoenix, and people are starting to dress for Summer. Did I miss something or is it not even February yet? Gosh. February is going to be a pretty busy month around here...Daniel and I will be celebrating 2 years of marriage (!!!), Valentine's Day, his 25th birthday, and my parents are coming to visit! Basically I'll be going broke. ;) 

What are you looking forward to in February? Can you believe the first month of 2015 is almost gone?!

xo, grace -@thegracemattei

Feelin' Fuzzy

sweater/Nordstrom Rack (similar), shirt/TjMaxx (similar), jeans/UO, bag/Anthro (similar kiiiind of?), shoes/Nordstrom Rack (similar)

The past couple weeks we had a freak cold front in Phoenix, where it dropped down to like 32 degrees at night and stayed fairly chilly during the day. That being said, I took all these photos in cozy sweaters and whatnot, and now it's back to being in the seventies. I feel like a fake!

I know, not really much of a complaint right? Poor me, nice weather in the Winter. Don't get me wrong, I'll take it over freezing temps any day, but sometimes a girl just needs a reason to wear a fuzzy sweater, am I right?

In other news, my sisters are coming to visit me this week, and I can't waittt! Reunion! It's been over a year and a half since the last time that we were together, and it seriously can't come soon enough. Christmas was only a few weeks ago but I'm already in need of another vacation...go figure. ;)

What are you excited for this week?

xo, grace - @thegracemattei

New Year's Eve Classic

dress/HM (similar), shoes/TjMaxx (similar), clutch/ASOS (similar), watch/F21

Guys, I had an epiphany the other day as I was in the dressing room, trying on a full fledged gold sequin dress. I don't look that good in sequins. They make me look weighty. And in fact, I'm willing to bet that most women who are over the age of...hmm, say 14 - and weigh more than 90 pounds would agree that they aren't exactly the most flattering thing.

Now, while I can FULLY appreciate some sequined glam in my life, I'm just deciding to play it cool this year for New Year's Eve. Instead of going all out for a piece that I can really only wear a few times at most, I decided to keep it classic. I found this simple sheath dress from H&M and knew that it would look great paired with a few metallic details. Timeless, sophisticated, and sexy, this look is one that I'll be repeating all throughout the year.

How about you guys? Going all out in sparkles this year, or keeping it classic for New Year's Eve? I'd love to hear!

xo, grace - @thegracemattei

Winter Wish List

1 / 2 / 3 / 4 / 5 / 6 / 7 / 8 / 9 / 10 / 11

With Christmas only a week away at this point (!!!), I decided to share a couple of things that were on my wish list this year. While I know that the saying goes "tis' better to give than to receive," we all know that it's still pretttttty fun to receive...#amiright. So that being said, here's hoping I get a couple of the things on my wishlist this year! I'm currently into chunky knits and cozy sweaters, leather clutches, and lotssss of minimalist rose gold jewelry. Also, I'm loving a good dark lip lately. Can you tell?

Now I know that Black Friday and Cyber Monday can be great times to buy all your holidays gifts (and stock up on a few goodies for yourself, right?), but another great way that I recently discovered to save some extra cash during the holidays (or anytime really) is Raise.com. What's awesome about them is that you can buy giftcards to tons of awesome stores and restaurants...at a discounted rate! It's basically like getting extra cash in your pocket for no reason, and who doesn't love that. Plus, the best thing about it? If you get a giftcard for somewhere you don't like this Christmas, you can sell it to Raise for cash! Goodbye unwanted giftcard, it's time to #treatyoself.

I know personally that I've definitely wished that I could get discounts on gift cards before, so this is pretty much like a dream come true for me. I for one wouldn't mind getting a few giftcards to Nordstrom or TJMaxx....hint hint mommmm.

What stores would you love to get a gift card for? What's your favorite item on the Winter wist list? I'd love to hear!

xo, grace - @thegracemattei

All Bundled Up, Nowhere to Go

These were some of my favorite shots that we took in Denver. While we were there, I was given the only opportunity that I'll have all Winter long to actually bust out a legit coat (although, I am a baby when it comes to the cold). This one in particular was a beautiful wool DKNY coat that my friend let me borrow just for the chilly occasion...lucky me. :)

The architecture in Denver was truly beautiful; there are so many state and capital buildings that it's almost like the Washington DC of the west coast. It was so interesting to me, because there really is nothing like that in Phoenix; there certainly is no shortage of beautiful architecture in Denver, which makes for great blog pictures.

I'm really excited for the month of December bc it's finally starting to get chilly and feel like the holidays. My classes are almost over (!!!), which means I'll have more time to devote to blogging, and I've officially almost finished all of my Christmas shopping. Now if only I could come up with a list of my own...any suggestions on what I should ask for?

What's on your Christmas list this year? I'd love to hear!

xo, grace - @thegracemattei

Overcoat/borrowed! (similar), tote/Madewell, boots/Aldo (similar), shirt/Anthro (similar)