IT'S MINE

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Love comes in many forms and fashions, and for a limited time so does the look of Diet Coke. There is beauty in diversity, and soon, for a limited time, you will be able to take your pick of 12 oz. Diet Coke glass bottles that are each unique in their own way just like you and me. Diet Coke is has been my go-to soda for years. It's the only soda I crave, and I love that I don't have to feel guilty about the calories. Everyone's Diet Coke experience is unique to them, and I'm showing you mine through my other love, fashion, as part of Diet Coke's IT'S MINE campaign.

I gravitated toward this bottle because of how vibrant it was. It looks as if it's dripping wet from a rainbow, and so I immediately thought of this chiffon dress I have. It embodies the abstract art of the bottle and the silk chiffon moves effortlessly in the wind. I can't wait for spring and summer so I can wear it as a dress alone, but for now I have styled it with a long white sweater to create the illusion of separates. 

One color that I am looking forward to wearing more of this spring is lavender. I know that pale pink seems to be the "it" color, but in keeping with the pastel trend, lavender is more complementary to olive skin. And just like I love the specs of lavender in my floral blazer, I loved the hue on the Diet Coke bottle too.

But the reality is it's still winter, so one of my go to outfits is this rust, knit turtleneck paired with classic jeans. This bottle of Diet Coke feels SO me because it too has this rusty hue along with mint green. It's almost like an old lucky penny you always keep with you. If you come into my home you'll find these colors everywhere. 

So, what bottle is uniquely you? Share how you would put together your own IT'S MINE look with Diet Coke in the comments below and you could win your very own Diet Coke IT'S MINE style kit including a unique IT'S MINE bottle and one of my wardrobe must-have's for the ultimate look. The content will be open until February 10, 2016. A winner will be declared in the comments below on February 11, 2016 at 12pm MST and notified by email. 

Photos by Rennai Hoefer.

CLASSROOM VALENTINE'S DAY

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This year is Elle's first year celebrating Valentine's Day in school. I'm so excited for her, but Valentine's Day is a lot different than it was when I was growing up. Usually you would get a ton of candy and some fun cards from friends, but her school has asked us not to bring sweets. So, in lieu of candy I found these plastic macarons on Amazon.com. You can buy six for $7.99. I bought stick-on-earrings and stickers for the boys.

For her cards, Minted had the perfect Valentine's Day card that let me personalize it with her name and add a photo of her on the back. For three year olds a photo is such a great way for them to know who their Valentine is from since they can't read. Here's to hoping these go over well.

ELLE'S NEW ROOM

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When we moved into our new home last August I was 8 months pregnant with Levi and exhausted. The last thing I could think about what decorating a house, but I knew that making a special space for Elle was a priority. After all, she was going through just as many big changes as we were and trying to comprehend it all at the age of 3. She would talk about her "old house" and sometimes cry saying how much she missed her polkadots (I would start crying too). Her old room had rose gold dots on the wall, and it was her comforting, safe-have. It was all she had known up until now and it was gone, so I knew I needed to find some time and energy to make a cool, new place for her to love.

Elle said she wanted her room to be pink, so we compromised with pink, black and white. I love girly things, but used my editing eye to balance the feminine color with timeless black and white. I took to Pinterest, and I started pinning all sorts of inspiration. You can check out the full Pinterest board here: http://www.pinterest.com/alexandraevjen/girl-room-w-land-of-nod/ 

One of the first things we did was upgrade her to a daybed from her toddler bed because Levi would soon need the crib. I chose a white IKEA day bed that turns into a two person sleeper in the anticipation of slumber parties. With a pink ruffled duvet cover and a ton of throw pillows it became the perfect mix of girly and modern. We painted half her wall black similar to a wall we had in our old house. I toyed with the idea of the other half being gold, but I couldn't find gold interior paint that I liked.

Land of Nod was our one stop shop for all of the bedding and curtains. I couldn't resist the gold geometric lamp and the striped rug either.

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She had an IKEA bookshelf in her old nursery, and we painted the back of it black to help tie everything together. He brother has most of the baby books now, but I know over the years her book collection will grow and maybe we'll even start to see Seventeen Magazine on the shelves. 

Some items that I included in her room that were Pinterest inspired were a woven wallhanging, a steer skull and a gallery wall. I also couldn't resist putting in a cool pendant light instead of a ceiling fan. I found this one on Wayfair for $219. You can always just put a portable fan in the room for hot nights, right? =)

Now that the room is complete Elle doesn't mention her polkadots anymore. Instead, she jumps off her big girl bed, reads stories under the covers and sleeps soundly in her new house. I love being in her room almost as much as she does. Thanks, Land of Nod, for making great products for parents and kids to enjoy!

Photos by Rennai Hoefer. 

PINTEREST LOOK FOR LESS

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Life's a bit crazy these days, and sometimes I have to remember that simplicity is best. The simple, tomboyish look below (pinned over 4000 times) is a perfect example of how sometimes less is more. The striped tee and jeans are comfortable and relaxed, but the sleek details of the watch and the patent leather oxfords pull the look together. This look also showcases the power of a simple red lip. A tiny pop of color like this really can go a long way. Grab the entire look below for under $130 and top it off with your favorite black blazer. Easy.

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Pinterest Look for Less #7

FASHION TERMS YOU MAY NOT KNOW

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Fashion week (or month, should I say) is right around the corner. Prepare your thumbs for lots of scrolling through somewhat blurry but oh-so-chic runway shots and perfectly captured street style snippets. This would also be a great time to buff up on your fashion literacy. Fashion truly has it's own language, and it can be quite daunting and confusing at times. From those hard to pronounce french terms to slang that changes just as frequently as the collections themselves, it's hard to know it all. 

When I first began attending fashion events I was terrified of mispronouncing a word or being lost in the jargon. There have been many times when I've had to Youtube a designer's name to make sure I'm pronouncing it correctly or quickly Urban Dictionary a term. No shame! I've found that learning this new language is all in all quite fun. Here are a few terms to test your knowledge.

Bespoke - Bespoke is just a fancy way of saying "custom-made". The term usually refers to custom mens suits, but all you have to know is that the customer gets to personalize everything down to the stitching and hardware. 

Capsule Collection - You'll hear this phrase quite often. Brands like Tommy Hilfiger and Calvin Klein have come out with capsule collections that are in theory, wardrobe essentials. The pieces are often quite timeless and can easily be mixed and matched with one another. 

Frow - This one's simple. Fashion insider lingo for "front row". Example: "Did you see Anna Wintour sitting next to Beyonce in the frow last night?" 

Haute Couture -  Most of us know that haute couture translates to "really, really fancy and out of our price range", which is pretty much correct. But what does it actually mean? Haute couture means "high sewing". Haute couture shows happen mostly in Paris and for a collection to be considered haute couture it must meet the standards of the Chambre Syndicale, a Parisian regulating commission. Requirements include that the ateliers have a full time staff of 15+ people, design custom-made garments for clients, and present collections twice a year showing at least 35 looks ranging from day to night.

Lamé - Lamé is a particularly shiny fabric made of woven metallic threads. Most commonly found in silver and gold, you will see this fabric used in lots of dresses and skirts. 

Minaudière - You know those darling little evening clutches which look like little acrylic boxes? Usually adorned with jewels or the like... well, that's a minaudière! The perfect accessory for your next soiree. 

For more fashion terms, download the Fashion Dictionary app from this blog post. 

Photos by Nick Duplesis; Styling by Alex Evjen, AVE Styles