30 Ways To Wear: Navy Floral Kimono #30wears

After Monday's Ways To Wear post, I'm sharing another one as part of the monthly 30 wears series.

Each month I look through my blog archives of daily outfit pics (I have over 8 years worth!) and share with you something that's reached 30 or more wears, to give you some outfit ideas and inspiration for how you can wear something similar in your wardrobe. I started doing this monthly challenge after seeing The True Cost documentary which I highly recommend watching if you haven't already!

This month, it's this beautiful Cotton On navy floral cocoon kimono!

30 Ways To Wear: Navy Floral Kimono

I've been wearing this kimono on frequent repeat recently as it was so close to 30 wears and I wanted to get it there before the cooler autumn weather set in in Brisbane. Even with isolating at home since March, I managed to hit my goal. I do wear this kimono a little in the cooler weather anyway as it's really like a giant blanket, which has made it perfect for these isolation / working from home in isolation days!

Cost Per Wear

Just like the last navy kimono I hit 30 wears with, this was another pregnancy purchase back in January 2016. It's just a floral print instead of the geometric print of my other kimono, and a cocoon style. It was originally $39.95 at Cotton On, reduced to $3 on sale at the outlet. I couldn't say no to that! At 30 wears that brings the cost per wear down to 10 cents a wear, which I'm really happy with. It's definitely been a valuable addition to my wardrobe.

Navy Floral Kimono With Yellow Tops

I really like blue and yellow together, and as you can see from the mix of yellow tops here this navy kimono works so well with any shade of yellow, from pastel to mustard!

Navy Floral Kimono With Black

Black and navy are another colour combination I like to wear. The neutral colours look lovely together, as you can see by how this kimono works well with the different amounts of black, like a maxi dress, tank or skinny jeans.

Navy Floral Kimono With Pink and Purple

Pink and purple are other colours that go so well with navy. I like wearing pink with this kimono as it matches the pink in the floral print, even if it's something as small as adding a pink bag to my outfit. With purple, just like with pink, any shade seems to work really well with this kimono - as you can see with the darker purple jeans, the brighter purple bag, and the lilac tee.

Floral Kimono With Prints

I've tried print mixing with this floral kimono a few times, with mixed results! While none of these outfits are ones I'd repeat again, I do think stripes and florals are always a fun mix, and maybe I just haven't found the perfect stripe to pair with this kimono yet!

Navy Floral Kimono With Green

This is a colour combination I wasn't too sure about a few year ago, it's only recently I've been trying navy and green together. In fact some of these outfits were my first few attempts at the navy and green combination! Olive green or a true bright forest green both work equally well with this navy kimono.

Navy Floral Kimono With Grey

A grey tee is a wardrobe staple for me and something I wear frequently. I've perviously shared 30 ways to wear a grey tee, and a kimono is a frequent go-to topper for me over a grey tee to stop an outfit looking too plain. This kimono certainly adds a lot of print and colour to a basic grey tee!

Navy Floral Kimono With A Baby Bump

This kimono was an early third trimester pregnancy purchase and I enjoyed wearing it in that final trimester! I had a third trimester capsule wardrobe I stuck to in my last pregnancy and I found kimonos like this one really helped change up my outfits a little so it didn't feel like I was wearing the same thing over and over. A kimono is a fun topper over a basic maternity tank, and it always fits no matter how big the bump gets!

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Navy Floral Kimonos Under $50:

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More Outfit Ideas:

For more outfit inspiration and ideas, you can view all 30 ways I've worn this kimono in my blog archives, or browse the complete 30 wears series.

Similar Posts In The 30 Wears Series:

• 30 ways to wear a printed leather jacket
• 30 ways to wear a classic denim jacket
• 30 ways to wear a floral kimono
• 30 ways to wear a purple cardigan
• 30 ways to wear a cream jersey blazer
• 30 ways to wear a camel trench coat
• 30 ways to wear a grey maxi cardigan
• 30 ways to wear a navy printed kimono

Linking up with On Mondays We Link Up, Ageless Style.

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22 Ways To Wear A Grey Tee: Weekday Wear Link Up

For today's Weekday Wear Linkup I'm sharing a bright and colourful outfit I wore to work from home, and sadly the last wearing of this grey tee, so I'm looking back at the 22 wears I managed to get from it!

What I wore:

Jacket: Cotton On 'Gemma' cocoon kimono in Laos blossom navy print
Necklace: Uniquely Made with Love Sea Change necklace
Tee: Atmos&Here grey v-neck tee with rolled sleeves
Pants: Sass & Bide The Winning Day Lovestate Jeans in magenta
Shoes: slim navy and pink Havaianas

Why I wore it:

I adore this tee - so much so that I bought it in three colours! I have a burgundy one, this grey one and a black one. The black one has already left my wardrobe, I was hoping to get this grey tee to 30 wears but this last wear just confirmed to me it's stretched out just like the other black tee, sadly!

The super soft and stretchy fabric has elastane in it, which while making it very soft also doesn't survive a lot of heavy duty washes (and during breastfeeding a while ago I had to wash everything at 60℃, breastfeeding mums will know the pain!). This tee was frequently worn then but seemed to be coping much better than the black one and keeping its shape well. Until I realised I was constantly tugging and pulling at it all day, even though I wasn't doing anything too adventurous and just working from home. I'm sad it's left my wardrobe after just 22 wears, but it did last longer than the black version and it was my own fault not caring for it properly!

Issues with the tee aside, I really liked this outfit! In the cooler morning and with a video call booked in for work, I swapped my usual stay at home loungewear for this slouchy tee and the colourful but cosy floral kimono. I love how the navy with the pink flowers went with the magenta skinny jeans!


Last worn: floral kimono, beaded necklace, grey tee, Havaianas, Sass and Bide magenta skinny jeans.

Other ways to wear: floral kimono and maxi dress, grey tee and maxi skirt, Sass and Bide magenta skinny jeans and blazer.

Perfect for pregnancy: floral kimono at 39 weeks, grey tee in second trimester.

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22 Ways To Wear A Grey Tee

Much like the time I showed you 30 ways to wear a (different) grey tee, I wear this a lot with denim! I was hoping to hit 30 wears with this tee but it was just too annoying to wear - I like comfortable clothes, I don't like to be pulling or fussing with what I wear! I also don't like worrying about the neckline creeping down when I'm on a work call!

I got it on sale for $17.46 from The Iconic, back in 2014 when I could never resist an Atmos & Here sale at The Iconic! It's definitely my most worn of the three colours I have this tee in, even though it didn't hit my goal of getting worn 30 times. It works out to 79 cents a wear, which isn't too bad, but I really wish I'd got more wears from it!

Here are some of the ways I styled it over the years:

Grey Tee and Blue Denim

The most classic outfit you can ever have - a grey tee and blue denim. Shorts jeans, a grey tee works in all seasons. And you can always add a necklace, bag or kimono (or all three!) for a little extra colour.

Grey Tee in Monochrome Outfit

Such a simple way to wear a grey tee - just add something black like a skirt or jeans, and you have an easy monochrome outfit. Adding a bright necklace or bag is a good way to introduce a colour pop if you don't want to stick to just black and white.

Grey Tee and Colourful Pants

Of course it's not just blue jeans a grey tee works with! I liked wearing this grey tee with my more colourful jeans and pants, the neutral goes with any colour.

Grey Tee and Print Mixing

Taking advantage of this neutral grey tee as the base of an outfit, it lets me add in brightly coloured scarves and even a little bit of print mixing! From the subtle striped cardigan and leopard scarf, or the bolder chevron jeans and magenta skull scarf, the grey tee is a great backdrop for a mix of prints.

Grey Tee and Maxis

A grey tee is as much of a staple in my wardrobe as maxi skirts. It's an easy outfit for a warmer day, this grey tee goes with any colour or print of skirt. I've even layered it over a blue maxi dress before too, as you can see at the bottom there.

If you're looking for more outfit inspiration, check out 30 ways to wear a grey tee here, or all the posts in the 30 ways to wear series.

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Grey Tees Under $50:

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Weekday Wear Linkup #68

Welcome to the Weekday Wear linkup! A linkup for you to share your weekday outfits - whether that is office wear or stay at home mum wear - if you wore it on a weekday, you can link it up!

Guidelines:
1. Please link to a specific outfit post, not your blog homepage.
2. Link back to this post so others can find the link up.
3. Follow your host Away From The Blue on Bloglovin, Instagram, Twitter, Facebook or YouTube.
4. Add up to two posts and be sure to visit and comment on as many other posts as possible to get some weekday outfit inspiration!
Optional: tweet the post you linked up with the hashtag #weekdayWearLinkUp so I can retweet!

Subscribe for The Weekday Wear Linkup reminder emails

Email Address 

Linking up with Confident Twosday, Turning Heads, Fashion Frenzy, Style On The Daily, Style Six, Thursday Moda, Fashion Files, Chic and Stylish, Fancy Friday.

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Wardrobe Tour and How I Store My Handbag Collection

No outfit for today's post! Instead I'm sharing something that's frequently requested, what my walk in wardrobe looks like, and how I store all my bags!

This will be a short post as it's mostly a video that you can see here:




Having a walk in wardrobe was a dream nice-to-have for our new house, and while I was annoyed that the company our builder used to make the wardrobes refused to work with me on a custom one, I did have a lot of fun planning out my own without their help!

To keep things simple I went with Ikea pieces - the Pax and Brimnes wardrobes. Although I manged to both: create the room wrong on the Ikea tool so that none of the pieces I wanted would fit; and then create the room correctly, and still pick the wrong sized pieces. Thankfully both things noticed before purchasing the pieces but sadly in the second case not noticed until after mum and I had loaded up the trolley with about 40% of the incorrectly sized wardrobe in the warehouse section of the store...

With my uncle kindly installing the wardrobes though once I bought the right pieces it was smooth sailing from there, and I had a lot of fun putting everything in its place once the wardrobes were up! When we turned the spare room in our old townhouse into a nursery I had to split all my things across multiple wardrobes and storage boxes, and put all my bags in boxes under our bed, so having all my clothes and accessories for all seasons in one room is so exciting for me! Definitely one of my favourite rooms in our new house.


This room has a place for everything and it's so easy to keep it tidy and organised, I've even used this room to film a few more videos for my Youtube channel too. I'd like to make a few changes to it, like a plant or something colourful to fill that space, and simplify how I store my necklaces a little. It would be good to do another wardrobe inventory too now I can see everything at a glance.

Of course I love that I can just open up the wardrobe and see all my beautiful bags in one place - handbag lover heaven!

(My bag collection has expanded a little since this video was filmed too 🙊)




Note: I'm lucky enough to be able to work from home and so isolate at home with my family and my admittedly large handbag collection. If you are in a similar situation and want to give back, you can find some ways to help others during the Coronavirus crisis here. If you're an Aussie who needs support, there are various services available.

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Weekday Wear Link Up: Tee Dresses and Rebecca Minkoff Micro Bedford Bag

I've found an outfit uniform for the rare times I have to leave my house to get the essentials, and I'm sticking to it! One pair of shoes that never go in the house, a bag that is also outdoor use only and not touched otherwise, no accessories other than my usual bracelets that never come off, and a dress so that when I get home I can just throw it in the wash. Plus it feels nice to dress up a little for the rare occasions I do get out the house!

Luckily I have a few dresses to wear so it won't get too boring on the blog...

What I wore:

Dress: Atmos & Here Willow printed tee dress
Shoes: New Balance white and blue sneakers
Bag: Rebecca Minkoff Micro Bedford zip satchel in twilight

Why I wore it:

This tee dress is a favourite and was on frequent repeat when I first got it. As my son got older though I realised that maybe anything shorter than a maxi was a bit of a struggle to wear around kids, and it hasn't gotten a lot of wear recently. I last wore it on an anniversary weekend away with my husband, last year! It always makes me smile when I wear it so should definitely be worn more - even if I need to keep it to days like this where I'm not out with the kids!

I headed out early, as I had to go to the doctors, get pet food for the dogs and get groceries. I figured it was best to do everything at once to minimise the amount of time I was out! Thankful that hubby is working from home too so I can leave the kids with him.

I really liked the little Rebecca Minkoff micro Bedford bag with the colours in the print of the dress. This bag just happened to be the one I'd worn out a lot as I was frequently wearing it as the newest addition to my handbag collection, and it as things began to change I realise it didn't make sense to keep changing bags as often as I usually do, to avoid spreading germs around.


Last worn: floral tee dress, New Balance sneakers, Rebecca Minkoff micro Bedford.

Other ways to wear:  floral tee dress worn as a top, Rebecca Minkoff micro Bedford and shorts.

Perfect for pregnancy:  floral tee dress in second trimester.

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Story Time: My Coach Wallet Broke!

A bit of a diversion from coronavirus, sharing the story of what happened when my coach wallet broke last year, and when going into the store to get things fixed was still a possibility. All the Coach stores in Australia are now closed.

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What I wore:

Dress: Cotton On 'Tina' white striped tee dress in Lissy black / Gardenia
Shoes: New Balance white and blue sneakers
Bag: Rebecca Minkoff Micro Bedford zip satchel in twilight

Why I wore it:

Exactly the same outfit as the one above with a small modification - this dress is striped instead of a floral print 😂

Wore this to go grocery shopping, just 7 days after the outing above, but things had changed so much! There was a limit on the number of people allowed in store, there were big plexiglass screens around the cashiers, and I discovered that it's not possible to both load groceries out of the trolley onto the belt and pack them into bags at the other end of the checkout at the same time, since the cashiers aren't packing bags any more. I think I'll get better at it as time goes by, although I'm kind of hoping I don't have to get used to it for too long!


Last worn: striped tee dress, New Balance sneakers (above), Rebecca Minkoff micro Bedford (above).

Other ways to wear: striped tee dress and leggings, Rebecca Minkoff micro Bedford worn two ways.

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Tee Dresses Under $50:

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How You Can Wear It: 

A tee dress is such a comfortable, easy outfit and perfect for early autumn days like these when it's not too cold. For a sporty look (or if you have a knee injury like I do!) you can wear a pair of sneakers. Makes an even more comfortable outfit!

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Weekday Wear Linkup #67

Welcome to the Weekday Wear linkup! A linkup for you to share your weekday outfits - whether that is office wear or stay at home mum wear - if you wore it on a weekday, you can link it up!

Guidelines:
1. Please link to a specific outfit post, not your blog homepage.
2. Link back to this post so others can find the link up.
3. Follow your host Away From The Blue on Bloglovin, Instagram, Twitter, Facebook or YouTube.
4. Add up to two posts and be sure to visit and comment on as many other posts as possible to get some weekday outfit inspiration!
Optional: tweet the post you linked up with the hashtag #weekdayWearLinkUp so I can retweet!

Subscribe for The Weekday Wear Linkup reminder emails

Email Address 

Linking up with Confident Twosday, Turning Heads, Trend Spin, Style On The Daily, Style Six, Fashion Files, Fancy Friday.

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Denim Shorts, Printed Kimonos And V-Neck Tees With Micro Bedford Bag

I have a pretty basic casual stay at home isolation style, but when I do leave the house I'm taking the opportunity to wear one of my beloved handbags and kimonos. Even if I feel a little over dressed!

What I wore:

Jacket: Cotton On 'Gemma' cocoon kimono in Laos blossom navy print
Tee: Jeanswest essential v-neck tee in elfin yellow
Shorts: thrifted Jeanswest distressed denim shorts
Shoes: New Balance white and blue sneakers
Bag: Rebecca Minkoff Micro Bedford zip satchel in twilight

Why I wore it:

Wore this to visit the doctors, before they had moved to telehealth appointments. I've been at this doctor's surgery for over a decade, so it was nice being able to talk to a trusted medical professional about everything that's happening and the best ways to keep the kids safe. It was a strange experience with waiting in our car before being called in to go through to the doctor - the waiting room has been striped back to just a handful of chairs for social distancing!

Wanted to be bright and colourful so tried this pastel yellow tee with the navy floral kimono. I really liked the combination, even if I did really feel like a necklace would have been the final finishing touch! (I've mentioned before due to how often the kids and I play with my necklaces I don't feel safe wearing them outside the house, trying to minimise how many times I touch things and reduce the risk of transferring germs).

I did accessorise with the Rebecca Minkoff micro Beford bag - it's so cute in navy and goes with everything, which is helpful as it's one of the two "outdoors" bags I have, again to try minimise the germs!


Last worn: floral kimono, yellow tee, distressed denim shorts, New Balance sneakers, Rebecca Minkoff micro Bedford bag.

Other ways to wear: floral kimono and jeans, yellow tee with olive, distressed denim shorts and printed tee, Rebecca Minkoff micro Bedford bag with green.

Perfect for pregnancy: floral kimono at 39 weeks.

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Handbag Reveal: Rebecca Minkoff micro Bedford Bag:

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What I wore:

Jacket: The Kindness Collective 'Kaleidoscope Dreams' printed kimono
Tee: Spectrum basic v-neck tee in washed lilac
Shorts: Jeanswest Sara distressed hot short
Shoes: New Balance white and blue sneakers
Bag: Rebecca Minkoff Micro Bedford zip satchel in twilight

Why I wore it:

I felt that the kids needed to get out the house so we took Cooper on a short walk around the neighbourhood. Since hubby has been working from home as well, whenever I have needed to go out for groceries they have stayed home with him, and the schools are closed so there are no other outings and they needed to get out. It was good to see something outside our fence, and while we did see people out as well we kept a safe distance, with social distancing in place.

I felt a little overdressed for walking the dog, especially with the matchy-matchy purple tee and purple printed kimono, but when we saw a few neighbours outside too I was glad I'd changed out of my loungewear!

I only needed my phone and keys but brought this little Rebecca Minkoff micro Bedford bag along anyway as it was a good excuse to give it another wear. Cooper being chased by the kids all day every day now means he doesn't need as many walks as usual, and my knee injury means I can't walk very far anyway, but it was still good to get outside the house.


Last worn: purple kimono, lilac tee, black denim shorts, New Balance (above), Rebecca Minkoff micro Bedford (above).

Other ways to wear: purple kimono and maxi dress, lilac tee and stripe skirt, black denim shorts and scarf, Rebecca Minkoff micro Bedford worn two ways.

Perfect for pregnancy: lilac tee in second trimester.

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Printed Kimonos Under $50:

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How You Can Wear It:

A printed kimono is a fun finishing layer with a staple shorts and tee outfit. It's a great way to add more colour and print. You can try contrasting colours like I have in the first outfit, or be a little more matching like in the second outfit.


Linking up with Mutton Style, Glass of Glam.

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Striped Tees and Shorts To Stay At Home - Weekday Wear Link Up

Usually in April I'd be wishing for the autumn weather to finally arrive, but I'm not complaining that the temps are still in the 30s (86 F) as it means I can dress super simply at home, in just shorts and a tee. The boys are enjoying being able to play in our back yard during our isolation so much too!

What I wore:

Tee: thrifted navy stripe Coca-Cola logo tee
Shorts: Jeanswest Sara distressed hot short
Shoes: slim navy and pink Havaianas

Why I wore it:

Simple shorts and tee outfit for a hot day! I had a zoom call with some Insta ladies in the morning that was fun, before I had to quickly sign off when a tradie arrived at the house. We had a driveway visit from people with gifts for the boys as well. It was so funny, me asking them if the boys could come out the house (to stand 1.5 meters apart of course!) and them asking us if we were okay with that! We are all figuring out social distancing still.

It had been a bit of a stressful week with working at home and looking after the kids, so I was really looking forward to this day where I didn't have to work and could just teach the kids and relax and play together. Hubby went and did the grocery run too so I didn't have to deal with that stress!


Last worn: coca cola logo tee, black denim shorts, Havaianas.

Other ways to wear: coca cola logo tee worn two ways, black denim shorts and kimono.

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The Bag I Would Be Wearing If I Wasn't At Home:

If I wasn't at home all day I think I'd be wearing this cute little Rebecca Minkoff micro Avery bag with these outfits! I miss wearing my handbag collection, but aside from the two bags I was using when the new social distancing / stay at home rules came into effect I've left my bags untouched in their cupboard. I don't see the point in getting them out just to snap a pic and put them back away!

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What I wore:

Necklace: Happiness Boutique turquoise and coral pendant necklace (C/O)
Tee: Atmos&Here navy stripe v-neck tee
Shorts: thrifted Jeanswest distressed denim shorts
Shoes: slim navy and pink Havaianas

Why I wore it:

Wore this to work from home. I've mentioned before that I've stopped wearing necklaces outside - I like to play with them when I'm wearing them and frequently touch them - not a good idea when I'm out grocery shopping and touching all the things and then transferring that to my necklaces! But for a day at home I figured I could accessorise a little. Both the boys and I like playing with this necklace!

My mother in law came over for a visit - despite the "stay at home unless essential visits" rules and my in laws being in the at risk category. I did try protest. We are following all the advice and staying home, as are all of my side of the family, except those who are the real heroes, the essential workers.

Kept it simple with the striped tee and denim shorts - easy and comfortable and a bit more appropriate for having someone over than the pyjamas I wore to work from home the day before 😂


Last worn: navy stripe tee, stone pendant necklace, distressed denim shorts, Havaianas (above).

Other ways to wear: navy stripe tee and olive shorts, distressed denim shorts and kimono.

Perfect for pregnancy: navy stripe tee in third trimester.

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Striped Tees Under $50:

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How You Can Wear It:

Shorts and a tee is a staple outfit for anyone on a warm day! It is such a simple stay at home outfit too. A striped or printed tee adds a little more interest to this classic outfit combo.

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Weekday Wear Linkup #66

Welcome to the Weekday Wear linkup! A linkup for you to share your weekday outfits - whether that is office wear or stay at home mum wear - if you wore it on a weekday, you can link it up!

Guidelines:
1. Please link to a specific outfit post, not your blog homepage.
2. Link back to this post so others can find the link up.
3. Follow your host Away From The Blue on Bloglovin, Instagram, Twitter, Facebook or YouTube.
4. Add up to two posts and be sure to visit and comment on as many other posts as possible to get some weekday outfit inspiration!
Optional: tweet the post you linked up with the hashtag #weekdayWearLinkUp so I can retweet!

Subscribe for The Weekday Wear Linkup reminder emails

Email Address 

Linking up with Confident Twosday, Turning Heads, Style Six, Fashion Files, Thursday Moda, Chic and Stylish, Lizzie In Lace, Red Carpet Style, Fancy Friday.

Follow Away From the Blue on:
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How Things Have changed (And What I've been Buying!) : Isolation and Working From Home With Kids

With the schools closed, working from home and parenting and teaching a 4 and 5 year old, things are a lot different now than they were at the start of the year! If you're coming to my blog just for an escape I apologise for how much this post discusses the impacts of the coronavirus! I am trying to keep it outfit focused and make this my regular break into fashion and frivolity, but the truth is the virus has impacted life so much.

I'm sharing two outfits I wore back when I was working from home while the schools were open, so I did the school run. It was a crazy week with a lot of unknowns in Australia about if and how school would continue, so I wanted to be comfortable and wear things to try cheer me up a little as I worked from home and counted down the hours until I could pick my boys up!

Also thought I'd share with you what I've been buying lately. Definitely no fashion spending - aside from the two things I mentioned in this post - but a lot of things to prepare for home isolation with kids. We are in a new world where I have to ensure my kids are learning at home every day as well as working from home myself 3 days a week. I'm blessed to still have my job, but the juggle is hard!

What I wore:

Tee: Life Church Online "Come change the world with me at Church Online" tee
Skirt: thrifted Billabong 'Don't Think Of It' bikini red printed maxi skirt
Shoes: slim navy and pink Havaianas
Bag: Balenciaga first bag in 2006 Blue India

Why I wore it:

For over 9 years now I've been volunteering at Life Church Online. We have a great group in Brisbane that meets up to stream the service together, and every Sunday night I hop online to help at another one of those services. With the news about churches needing to close, and understandably no more Brisbane catch ups, I wanted to wear my Church Online tee. Faith over fear I guess! And a reminder to myself that no matter what is happening in the world, some things like God's love and my regular Sunday online services, stay the same!

Wore my red maxi skirt with this as it was a bit of a cooler day and this felt more comfortable than jeans for working at home during the day. It, along with the turquoise Balenciaga first bag, were easy ways to add more colour to the black and white tee too.


Last worn: red maxi skirt, Balenciaga first bag, Havaianas. First time I've worn the church online tee on the blog.

Other ways to wear: red maxi skirt and scarf, Balenciaga first bag and pencil skirt.

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What I've Been Buying For Home Isolation:

I've been buying a lot lately. I'm an emotional shopper and while I'm not splurging on fashion items or stockpiling food, I'm thinking about what could be 6 months at home and how we will amuse and teach the kids in these times. We don't often do screen time, just a weekly family movie night and maybe a Daniel Tiger or Bluey episode once during the week, so I have been looking for things other than apps. As a bonus, most of the items I'm sharing are from local Aussie mum owned businesses, so your purchase helps their family as it entertains your own!

Little Birdie Books

Fun book boxes with activity and game ideas (and all the materials you need!) based on the books in the box. You can buy one off book boxes or subscribe to get a steady stream of books and activities. Started by two Aussie mums and speech pathologists, the books and activities are aimed at helping your kids develop essential skills. You can see what I got in a previous box in my YouTube review. I learnt about this company after friending one of the founders on Instagram.

Keeping Kids Busy

This company had been on my radar for a while - a local Aussie mum takes all the guesswork out of travel (or isolation!) by packing a bag filled with activities to keep any age kid entertained. Low mess but high fun bags. My boys got these as bumper "party bags" from my parents after we had to cancel my son's birthday party when the government social distancing restrictions came into place. The things in the bags are still being played with now, just today even. Found this company through a Facebook group, and you can get 15% off this weekend with code EASTER15!

Kids Craft Box

Another Aussie mum owned business, based in WA, who ships a box of crafting materials and activities across the nation, with different themed boxes available. She has special discounts on her Instagram page often, and has a sibling box option to reduce costs which is what I bought for the boys. I "met" this lovely lady through YouTube a couple of years ago.

Messy Play Kits

My kids have been going to these messy play sessions since they were tiny, and now you can order a box of messy play activities to entertain the kids at home! Janelle is a local Aussie mum who is diversifying her business and offering do it yourself packs instead of hosting the big parties she usually does. I'm so glad to have connected with her through playgroup, we have tried a few of her activities we've seen at the sessions at home too over the years!

Activity Books

From anywhere I can find them in stock! Think sticker books, Easter themes, puzzle books and educational workbooks or wipe-clean books. Kmart had a good range but I know stock is really low at the moment.

Printables

There are a few educational sites around with freebies at the moment due to the virus, where you just print the activity pages you think would be helpful for your kids. Some are even created by teachers, for teachers. You could also ask your child's teacher for some ideas if they haven't already provided some. Queensland Education department has a good list of sites too.



There are no affiliate links in these product suggestions and this post was not sponsored in any way. I'm just trying to be supportive and share a list that's useful for a parent if they find that like me, all my time is filled with working, playing with the kids, or worrying about what activities to do with the kids next. I've been visiting fashion blogs less as a result of trying to come up with a learn at home plan for the kids but I'm trying to continue my two posts a week goal here.



Also, if you're an Australian parent, Triple P Parenting (Positive Parenting Program) is now free and has a helpful module, guide and tips for parenting during COVID-19.

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What I wore:

Tee: Life Church Online "Go online reach the world" graphic tee
Skirt: Jeanswest Luxe jersey maxi skirt
Shoes: slim navy and pink Havaianas
Bag: Balenciaga first bag in 2006 Blue India

Why I wore it:

A very similar outfit to the one above, another Church Online tee with a maxi skirt. I like the "go online, reach the world" message on this one as it's so true! And I'm so glad for the internet at a time like this, and technology to keep in touch with all my family despite the travel restrictions.

Stuck with the same bright Balenciaga first bag as I thought the grey tee and black maxi skirt needed a little extra colour, even with the yellow print on the tee. It was clear this would be my kids last day at school and kindy for a while, so that was bittersweet when I picked them up at the end of my work from home day.

Last worn: black drawstring maxi skirt, Havaianas (above), Balenciaga first bag (above).

Other ways to wear: black drawstring maxi skirt worn two ways, Balenciaga first bag and shorts.

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How You can Wear It:

A graphic tee is a simple outfit choice with a maxi skirt - and so incredibly comfortable for working from home, while being presentable enough for any video calls!

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It will be a very different Easter break but no matter what you are wearing: stay safe, wash your hands and stay home as much as you can as you watch your church Easter service online.


Linking up with Mutton Style, On Mondays We Link Up, Runway Monday.

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