the MRS. & the MOMMA: 7 Questions With The Daily Dani

Happy Thursday! Today, Dani from The Daily Dani is visiting The Mrs. & The Momma. Her effortless California style is fun eye candy and definitely lends some inspiration when picking out what to wear. I love her advice below for dressing for the weather!

1. What have you learned from blogging? How has your style evolved?

As far as fashion is concerned, I think the biggest lesson that I've gotten from blogging would be the concept of a remixable wardrobe! Before I began blogging, I was a serious shopaholic, and I don't mean that lightly! I spent every dime I had and made on clothes - but I hardly knew how to wear them! The pieces I was buying were great, but they weren't necessarily right for my body type, and they tended not be remixable with anything else in my closet! Blogging (and Kendi!) has taught me to buy pieces in classic cuts and colors that can be layered and remixed with the rest of my wardrobe! Leave no cardigan unturned!

{One cardigan - Five outfits!}

2. Who are some of your icons...style?....blogging?
Rachel Bilson and Lauren Conrad are the fashion loves of my life. Always have been, and I bet always will be! Both of these ladies have impeccable street style and an incredible mix of high- and low-end pieces! I also have a lifelong soft spot for Mary-Kate & Ashely Olsen, though their style is less wearable for my everyday life.

The lovely ladies I'd currently classify as my blogging icons would probably be Kendi, Kelsey, Emily, and Sarah. Kendi (Kendi Everyday) inspired me to begin blogging, and has honestly given me tips to shopping my closet that will change the way I dress forever! Kelsey (snappy casual) has also been one of my favorites from the beginning - she is another awesome remixer, and I love how open and honest she is about her life with her readers. Emily (Cupcakes & Cashmere) is probably one of the first "professional" bloggers, and her fashion-forward yet easy-to-relate-to style explains why! Sarah (Raving Fashionista) is one of my more recent finds, but there is something about the way she brings fashion trends to the life of a real-world woman that is completely entrancing!

3. Besides family, what is your biggest passion?

As much as I'd love to say fashion (and believe me, style IS one of my passions), I've come to the realistic discovery that I have a passion for helping/teaching/working with children. I began babysitting as early as I could (I was 12 the first time I watched a baby!), subbed at preschools when I was still in high school, and have now been working as a preschool teacher for almost 6 years. There's something so interesting about the way a child develops in the first 5-6 years of their lives, and there's also something incredibly rewarding about being a part of it. Starting in the fall, I am planning to further my education in the direction of becoming a speech therapist to work with children who have communicative disorders.

4. Do you have a certain song(s) that gives you chills when you hear it? And/or movie?
I'm kind of a music maniac, so about a million songs come to mind! My absolute favorite song in the world is Walking In Memphis, the Lonestar version. Totally random, I know. There's just something about it that can honestly make me happy no matter where I am, what I'm doing, or how I feel before or after I hear the song. It's my happy place.

(Seriously, though, I just had to stop typing and watch this entire video. Smile!)

I also love a million movies! I think I'd say, if we're talking chills, that A Little Princess (the 1995 version) will always captivate me. It makes me cry tears of sadness and tears of joy, still, as an adult, almost 20 years later! Love it! Check out this awesome musical remix of sounds from the movie!

5. What is your #1 piece of style advice for Spring/Summer?

I suppose the advice I have isn't spring/summer specific, but I think this is super important for seasonal dressing: Dress for the weather! I read an article on little tips to increase happiness, and this was one that really hit me. How many times have you not worn a jacket because it didn't "go" with your outfit, and you spent the entire day cold and miserable? Or have you ever really wanted to wear that new pair of jeans you couldn't resist, only to spend the day boiling hot and desperately wishing you'd just thrown on that old skirt of yours? Honestly, you can make a fashionable outfit out of anything - comfort is key!

6. What is your favorite item of clothing and why?

This is such a hard question! I used to have a favorite, perfect-fit-right-off-the-rack jeans - my Hudson skinny ankle jeans - but they are currently out of commission thanks to the hole I wore into them! I've also remixed my J. Crew buffalo check shirt so many times that it should be my favorite, but... I think my favorite is my Minnetonka moccasins! I'm a sucker for anything Native American-inspired. I wear them all the time, they (or their identical predecessors) have traveled with me all over the world, they are super comfortable, go with almost anything, and just make me smile!

7. What is your favorite punctuation mark? (I know this is a silly one, but my husband and I just had an in depth convo about punctuation...mine is an ellipsis.)

pinned a cool photo of a little ampersand statue that reaffirmed my affinity for the symbol.