As I approach this Mother’s Day…I can’t help but feel…exhausted. Lordy. Right? I’m trying to be more creative in what I say right now, but y’all. I am raising a spirited and strong willed little gal who is about to turn 3. Right now we try to make it through the day with more fun than struggles, but it’s tough. She’s smart and doesn’t miss. a. beat. And doesn’t forget a thing.  Which keeps me on my tippy toes, you guys. BUT…look at this sweetie…I mean. Again with the rollercoaster, motherhood.

So, needless to say, along with the tired right now is coming the panic of “I’m out of outfit ideas!!” Uh…I’m trying to remedy this with caffeine, trust me. But somedays I look at my closet and just wish I hadn’t made that promise to myself to not wear PJ’s to drop off. Doh.

Enter a cool pattern combo to the rescue, though! Just in the nick of time. Animal print and stripes meet causal/everyday…

The Outfit Combo Break-down

Stripes: classic and preppy and French and lovely.
Animal print: fun and funky and cool but could get out of hand if mixed with the wrong element(s).
The combination: the stripes balance the animal print and vice versa, right? I especially love this combo with a classic navy/white stripe and leopard print shoe, but you could play around with other color choices, too. I threw in the new favorite denim cutoffs for an edgy/causal feel to the ensemble that is right in my comfort zone. This outfit could easily work with boyfriend jeans, a denim mini skirt, or even the perfect overalls (you know it), but could also be taken to the office with a nice slim cropped pant. So many options. Note: Be picky about your animal print shoes though. I like to stick with a small leopard or cheetah type print to mix with stripes…large animal prints just get too busy and can look cheap.

Of course, Sienna is sporting her animal print, too (I could not resist putting her in this adorable romper!) And both go well with an insanely cute daisy patch…for real though.

And gah…this last photo. I cannot help but think of the day not too far away where I will walk with her up to her first day of Kindergarten and it snowballs from there…all the way up to the day of her first college visit (because I can’t even think of actually moving her off to college). Bucket of tears. She tests me to the limits right now with her strong will, but she is my munchkin, my buddy, my friend. I want to do all I can to help her keep that strong will….which will take her boldly into womanhood.

Outfit Details

On Laura:

Top – Old American Apparel, but I wish I had a more classic cotton top like this one from Nordstrom.

Shorts – Rag and Bone The Cutoff – Adore. I cannot say enough good things about this pair when it comes to fabulous cutoffs. I avoided premium brand for shorts for forever. So glad I have these now. I sized up one size because I always do in shorts, but I wish I had at least tried my regular size for comparison. These do stretch out some with wear, but I don’t mind that in cutoffs like I do in regular jeans. (size 28 for reference)

Boots – Old Nine West, but I lurve these and these if you want more of a heel are so so rad!!

Earrings – Express Textured Double Diamond Dangle Earrings – My new faves from Express. Lightweight and fab without being too much bling.

On Sienna:

Romper – Gap Safari Animals Two-Piece Romper – SO adorable. The peach with the animal print is so good. Sadly, selling fast. This dress looks nothing like the romper, but OMG I’m dying over it. SO cute.

Sandals – Salt Water Classic Sandals – Polled my friends and their favorite toddler summer shoes and these were at the top of the list. Good to know I invested well. I love the navy to go with everything, but the metallic gold is super fun, too!

Flower crown – courtesy of the amazing Franny, Posy’s trusty assistant/daughter. But if you want one that doesn’t wilt, this one from this adorable Etsy shop is super cute!

Shop Favorite Animal Prints and Stripes

Hoping you mamas who are also in an outfit slump find something interesting here. Have you tried this combo yet? I was maybe a little too excited about how these patterns came together. #graphicdesignnerdforever Let me know if you do! As always, would love love to see it over on Instagram (follow me @elletrain and tag your photos with #myeverydayedit)

Off for more coffee…

L

Again, amazingly sweet photos by Posy Quarterman. Thank you thank you for these.