My Style: Style Remix with a ‘Fancy’ Tulle Skirt

Last month, I started a new series based on some feedback on my PocketfulofJoules Instagram account. A very sweet Instagram friend sent me a DM saying how much they enjoy seeing different ways to style the same items over and over again as inspiration for their own looks. (Psst…you can find a bunch of these saved under the “OOTD Breakdown” highlight on Instagram). So, I thought it would be fun to start highlighting some remixes here on the blog.

You can find my previous post here:

For today’s highlight, I’m going to focus on remixing a ‘fancy’ tulle skirt.

Rather than wearing an extravagant skirt once for an event and then shoving it into the back of the closet as something that is too festive for daily life, I like to wear them year-round!

Let’s take a closer look at how I have styled three ‘fancy’ tulle skirts.

This first skirt is a blue tulle + moon and stars skirt I purchased secondhand, but was originally from Anthropologie. The top left look is how I styled the skirt for a day in the office, followed by a work holiday party (December 2022). The top right is my sisters, mom and me at the Taylor Swift Eras tour (May 2023) and I paired the tulle skirt with a thrifted sequin tank top for the perfect “Midnight’s Era” outfit.

Both the bottom looks were for chilly outdoor events — it’s nice to feel a little extra sassy when you’re freezing your butt off! The outfit on the left is from an outdoor holiday event in December 2023. And the outfit on the right is an extra bundled up version from when Jack and I went exploring in NYC for his birthday trip (February 2024).

While this is a fancy tulle and sequin skirt, I was able to take it down a notch for work by pairing it with a denim jacket. It was also great for outdoor events, because I could easily layer it over a pair of fleece-lined tights and boots.

Here are two other tulle skirts I own and wear regularly:

Once again, an easy way to neutralize the dressiness of a more formal skirt is to add denim — whether it be an embroidered jacket, denim blouse or a classic denim jacket, it helps the skirt easily sneak into everyday life.

Adding a solid top and a cardigan is also a simple way to dress-down a skirt. You can play with the colors on whatever you have in your closet and you’ll be surprised at how many combos you can find. Last, for the weekend (or a trip to Universal Studios), just add a graphic t-shirt!

I hope you like this new series and please let me know if you have a particular item you want me to highlight for you!

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Our Favorite Banana Chocolate Chip Muffins Recipe

Source: Photo by Yasin Aribuga on Unsplash.

I just made another batch of these and thought it was a perfect time to re-share the recipe since I’ve made a couple little improvements!

Each week, we buy a bunch of bananas at the grocery store. Most days, Travis packs one in his lunch… but occasionally there are 2 or 3 looking overripe sitting there staring at me on Saturday morning. Which is when I pull out my trusty Banana Chocolate Chip muffins recipe and throw a batch together.

I’m not even a big banana person, but a warm muffin right from the oven with a little slap of butter on it is pretty delicious. We’ve been making these since 2020 (Quarantine Baking: Banana Chocolate Chip Muffins) based on my sister’s recipe and over the years I’ve made a couple recipe tweaks, so now they are completely irresistible!

Ingredients:

  • 1 ¾ cups flour
  • ½ tsp cinnamon
  • ½ tsp baking soda
  • 1 tsp baking powder
  • 2 eggs
  • ¾ c sugar
  • 2-3 overripe bananas
  • 3 TBSP vanilla or coconut greek yogurt (you can also use sour cream if you have it sitting around)
  • ¼ c canola oil
  • ½ tsp vanilla extract
  • a couple handfuls of DARK chocolate chips

Step 1: Get ready for yum.

Preheat oven to 355 degrees and wipe some canola oil around your muffin cups (or use muffin cup inserts).

Step 2: Combine dry stuff.

In a smaller bowl, combine flour, cinnamon, baking soda and baking powder.

Step 3: Combine the wet stuff.

In a larger bowl, combine eggs and sugar. Mix until creamy. Smush the bananas out of their skin and mash them into the mixture with a fork. Really get in there and squish them and mash them and stir them around. Add yogurt/sour cream, canola oil, and vanilla extract. Stir until mixed.

Step 4: Mix everything together for a banana muffin party.

Add the dry mixture to the wet mixture (that’s why you used a bigger bowl) and mix everything together. Add a couple handful’s of dark chocolate chips. Put equal-ish portions into your muffin cups.

Step 5: Bake

Bake for 20 minutes. Check to make sure they are done by inserting a knife into the middle of a muffin or two. Let cool for as long as you can stand smelling the banana chocolate chip goodness, then cut in half, stick some butter in there and enjoy!

This makes about 12-16 muffins. Once completely cool, store in a Tupperware and enjoy all week. (Pro tip: Do not put the lid of the container on until they are completely cool, or else they get weird and mushy on top.)

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Low Buy July: How Did We Do?

I posted back on July 3rd that our family was planning to do a “Low Buy July” due to the fact that we had a one-two punch of my husband’s work slowing down as a result of the Port of Baltimore tragedy and Jack breaking his arm and needing emergency surgery. With a stampede of bills around the bend, we decided to tighten the reins and cut back as much as possible.

While it wasn’t a full spending freeze, we did make a few adjustments for the month, including: avoiding our trigger stores where money just gets sucked out of our wallets, ignoring all those ‘sale’ emails unless we really truly needed something, eating at home more often (no lunches out at work, coffee stops or random ice cream treats), and trying to eat through our current supply in the fridge/freezer/pantry. In addition to this list, we also made sure not to re-order things until we are FULLY out of them (rather than stocking up on low beauty supplies, home needs, etc). I also paused a couple of our non-essential subscriptions, such as my Peloton app.

While it wasn’t the most fun month, we did a pretty darn good job! However, those hospital bills keep coming. We have received 6 bills so far for everything from emergency room fees, surgery, anesthesia, and more. Thankfully, most of them offer interest free payment plans, so I’ve divided the payments into three months to help with cash flow. We are also hoping my husband’s work picks back up soon, which would be really helpful.

One more big bill is around the bend – I see it in my Carefirst EOB list, but haven’t gotten the invoice yet – so that’s like a shark just stalking me until it shows up at my door. All in all, it looks like an extra $6,000 in medical bills that we were not expecting this summer.

Which means… we are doing Low Buy August too.

And yes, we have medical insurance (thankfully!), but with a high deductible plan… hence, the $6,000 in out of pocket payments.

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