Chic Decor for Mom on Mother’s Day

May 5, 2016May 6, 20162 Comments

*Disclosure: I partnered with Target and Stylinity for this post, however all opinions are my own.

Holy hiatus, Batman! It’s been nearly a month since I wrote a post on my blog. Goodness! So much has happened! A lot of it you can see on Instagram. I’ll try to update you with the rest in upcoming posts. For now, I want to share with you what I gave myself for Mother’s Day: A front door makeover!

Aside from fashion, a clean and somewhat nicely decorated home makes me super happy. With two kids in the house and a hubs with a crazy work schedule, the “clean and somewhat nicely decorated” part hasn’t happened. So, this was my attempt to get the “nicely decorated” ball rolling.

I’ve had a slight obsession with boxwood recently and recently stalked this boxwood wreath on the Target website. They never seemed to have it in store when I went, so I finally went ahead and ordered it.

Next step was prepping the door for its transformation. This was the door before doing anything to it:

Not too shabby, but a bit on the dilapidated side. Let’s face it – it needed a make over. So, off I went to Home Depot to find the paint. The selection was limited, but I ended up finding a nice black gloss paint that I thought would do the job. I also picked up a small roller and a brush with a small handle.

We already had white paint, brushes, and tape at home, so I started with the trim; which I painted a bright white so as to make the door “pop”. I also taped the door handle prior to applying the black paint.

Then came the fun part! The transformation. I took about a third of the paint in the paint can and poured it into a hand-held plastic container. I first hand-brushed paint on the entire door, focusing on getting the entire inside of each of the six panels. I then followed with a second coat over the entire door with a small roller.

It took longer to dry than it did to paint it! The process was fairly painless and super easy. I also picked up a new floor mat, so when it was all said it done, I had a brand new door and front-door decor!

The white trim can use a second coat upon hubby’s closer inspection, but otherwise, I’m super happy with the result. Obviously this involved work on my part, but it took a total of three hours total (at most, not including drying time) and was relatively inexpensive! Here’s a breakdown of what I purchased:

Paint for door: $8 for black gloss paint

Roller: $6

Brushes, trim paint, and tape: Free from previous jobs at home (took back the ones I bought)

Welcome mat: $12*

Boxwood wreath: $45

Total cost: $71

Shop all the products here.

*To save a little extra money with some Target coupons, click here!

This is a DIY you can attempt on your own and perhaps surprise mom with, OR, you could gift her a basket which includes all the brushes/paint/roller/materials and wreath and DIY with her to spend some quality time together! Either way, I think it would make an excellent gift, and something that is somewhat unique too. Dontcha think?!

Hubs and I have talked about a bedroom, basement, and closet/office makeover, so stay tuned for those! In the meantime, I wish all you mama’s out there an amazing Mother’s Day and to those of you who are not mama’s, wishing you a lovely time with the mother or mother figure in your life.

Until next time! Stay ‘Chic’!

Luxe for Less – Chloe Satchel

April 8, 201611 Comments

It’s been a while since I wrote a ‘Luxe for Less’ post. I used to write these a lot when I was a post-doc, but have written less of them since I joined faculty. Time is much more limited, which also means I have less time to peruse websites for great deals.

But, I found one recently, so I had to share it with you! A while back I found a Chloe Marcie look-a-like at Target, but it sold out so quickly that I didn’t have time to write a post about it! I’ve featured it on Instagram several times and have had a lot of interest about it. I was recently perusing online and found a Luxe for Less version to share!

For those of you unfamiliar with the Chloe Marcie satchel, see below. It’s a cognac, leather crossbody bag with intricate detailing. It’s wonderful. As a mom of two, a crossbody is the perfect bag to carry when I have my kids in tow. It frees up my hands, and if roomy enough, allows me to carry my wallet, kiddie snacks, pull-ups, wipes, and hand sanitizer. The list is really endless, but you get what I’m saying. Anyhow, my Target satchel allows for all that, and this Chloe satchel does too, but the price tag is a little scary. At least for this frugal fashionista. This Chloe satchel runs you a hefty $795 buckaroos. Ouch. That’s nearly a month’s worth of daycare tuition, so for the time being…no gracias!

Cue the French Connection satchel. It not only comes in this lovely, versatile cognac color, but in cream and black too! This satchel is not leather (save the animals!), has an adjustable strap to serve either as a crossbody or shoulder bag, and only wants 14oz. If you are shopping online or in-store and want to inquire about the bag, use the following codes: Online inquiries: LCS16_V30JG | Store Inquiries: #34211841.

What’s the best part?? They are only $42.50 a piece! Even better, if you shop through eBates, you get an additional 4% rebate. So, in all, a pretty great if you ask me! Happy Shopping!

$42.50

Oh, and don’t forget….please vote for me!! I have the opportunity to snag a spot on the cover of Redbook Magazine this fall. I’m super thrilled! But, I need your votes. You can vote once per hour on multiple devices! Please vote! Thank you!! http://bit.ly/1M3KHBJ

Until next time! Stay ‘Chic’!

Redbook Magazine Real Women Style Contest – I’m a Finalist!!

April 5, 2016April 5, 201614 Comments

Friends of Chic in Academia –

A few weeks ago, Redbook Magazine held a call for submissions to be considered for their annual Real Women Style Award competition. I submitted the following seven photos and guess what?! I’m a finalist! I am among 25 women being considered, and there is now a voting process to select this year’s Reader’s Choice.

I never imagined I’d be selected out of the hundreds – perhaps thousands – of entries submitted, but it happened! I am thrilled, but more so, excited to possibly have the opportunity share my thoughts about fashion and the professional woman on a larger platform. When I started Chic in Academia, I wanted to show the world that one could be a woman in academia and do all that academics do – nerd out, indulge in science, change the world one scientific discovery at a time, be professional, be a boss, etc – and still maintain a feminine identity. There appears to be a disconnect in many a workplace: a woman cannot be both fashionable and a superstar in her field. Especially in academia, paying attention to one’s attire might be construed as not paying enough attention to one’s science. Ruminate on that for a minute.

I don’t deem myself the best in my field. I am far from being the perfect or most successful woman in academia. But, I do my best and have achieved my share of success, all while wearing stilettos and bright colors to work. I get ready in 30 minutes or less every single morning and then turn my attention to science. The fact that I put some thought into what I wear every day, does not in any way distract me from my work or my science. My message to other academics and professional women was was: You can too! And you can also choose NOT too! But the choice should be yours. To quote the old adage, ‘don’t judge a book by its cover’. A fashionable woman does not a dud make. 😉

A second goal for this blog was to help demystify shopping and debunk the myth that high-end, designer fashion was only attainable if you had loads of money. My blog helps women shop for the items they covet at affordable prices by sharing information about sales, second-hand or consignment shopping, rebates, coupons, making cash from closet inventory. I focus on making fashion affordable and attainable for all.

And so, although it’s been a great journey thus far, I see this opportunity to compete for the Real Style Award as a way to share this with even more women! Women who may not yet know about my blog, but who could benefit from reading the information I share, or possibly even gain inspiration on a daily basis from the outfits I share on Instagram. So, if any of this resonates with you, I would be so grateful if you would take a second to vote for me: a real woman, scientist, momma, wifey, and sartorialist! Go to this link

Vote here!

to vote. You’ll see this on the website, but just in case, here are the photos I submitted:

Photos taken by (in no particular order): my hubby – Michael Frymark; Mariana Pimiento; Rachel Tindall, and Rachel and Noah Ray.

Thank you so much in advance and wish me luck!!!

To vote, click here:

Real Women Style Award

Until next time! Stay ‘Chic’!

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