MEGAN AUMAN

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8 ways to wear an oversized cardigan

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how to wear an oversized chunky cardigan: eight outfit ideas to try

Anyone who knows me knows I can’t function without an oversized cardigan. Whether I’m hanging out at home, hopping on an airplane, or even out shopping with friends, you’re unlikely to see me without a chunky cardigan. I’ve amassed a pretty solid collection of these cozy sweaters over the years, and thanks to the current obsession over hygge (the Danish concept of coziness) it’s safe to say we’ll be seeing the even more cardigans this year. Of course, an oversized cardigan doesn’t have to look schlubby. Read on for eight of my favorite ways to rock a chunky cardigan:

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simple chic style: floral blouse and bib necklace for spring

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simple and chic spring style: floral blouse, statement necklace, and boyfriend jeans // click through for outfit details

I’m in San Francisco this week, and while the temps might be a little cold for California standards, it certainly feels more like spring than it does back home in Pennsylvania. And that definitely has me feeling pretty excited for spring style, especially new spring florals that I can layer under my favorite Contra Collection bib necklaces.

1/ silk printed blouse // 2/ boyfriend jeans // 3/ contra bib necklace // 4/ crossbody bag // 5/ mixed metal stacking rings // 6/ ankle booties

Be somebody’s Ann Perkins.

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a virtual fist bump // be somebody's Ann Perkins

Anyone who knows me knows that I’m a huge Parks and Rec fan. Growing up, I basically was Leslie Knope. And if I hadn’t gone into art, I definitely would have gone into government. (Ok, let’s be honest. There’s still a chance of that happening. When I turned 35 last year, I celebrated it as my presidential birthday.)

And while I identify most with Leslie, I feel so strongly towards many of the characters on Parks and Rec. However, there was one character that I never really got. Ann Perkins. I never really thought much about her, and truthfully, it didn’t really bother me when she left the show. (Other than being sad that Leslie was sad, of course.)

But all that changed in the aftermath of the election. As I watched so many of my friends turn to despair, I felt the need to rewatch the Recall Vote episode of the show. In that episode, Ann and Ben form the “Leslie Knope Emotional Support Task Force” with the goal of helping Leslie get through the recall vote. And after Leslie loses and Ben fails at his job (almost letting Leslie get a tattoo), Ann is the one there to remind Leslie of what makes her great and motivate her to get working again.

And for the first time, I truly understood the point of Ann’s character.

There’s no shortage of products floating around the Internet with the phrase “Be the Leslie Knope of whatever you do.” But in the days after the election, as I watched the passionate, driven women I admired falter, I came up with a new rallying cry.

“If you can’t be the Leslie Knope of whatever you do, then be somebody’s Ann Perkins.”

And for the next few days, I ran around the Internet trying to be the best emotional cheerleader I could be. I left comments, hearts, and fist bumps on Instagram. I wrote emails and tried to motivate others as best I could.

In that moment, I realized that the Leslie Knopes of the world (myself included) need an Ann Perkins to pick them up from time to time. And so I tried my best to be everybody’s Ann Perkins.

Which is why it gave me all the feels when Jill shared this blog post about the impact of my email in the days after the election. Jill took my call to arms about the importance of teaching art to heart, and started teaching workshops making fabric banners. Inspired by a how-to on creating protest banners, Jill realized that making fabric banners was a simple yet powerful way to unlock others creativity.

As weeks slid into months after the election, I had almost forgotten my mission to be somebody’s Ann Perkins. As I found my footing, I reverted back to my more typical Leslie Knope self. But Jill’s blog post reminded me of my mission to be somebody’s Ann Perkins and actually made me feel like, if only for one person, mission accomplished.

how spending a year painting rekindled my love for jewelry

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how spending a year painting rekindled my love for jewelry // one of a kind Contra Composition necklace on an original painting - both by Megan Auman

If you’ve ever waded through the archives of this blog (though I don’t blame you if you haven’t, there are a LOT of posts) or if you’ve been following me online for a while, then you’ll know that a few years ago, I took some time off from designing jewelry to experiment with painting.

While my decision to play with painting coincided with some deep loss in my personal life, it also reflected a bigger challenge I was facing: I’d lost my passion for designing jewelry.

For years, I’ve struggled to find the balance between making my production jewelry line and making something that feels like art. In the early days of my business, I’d spend hours in the studio, creating new jewelry and experimenting with new metal work. But as my business grew, my focus became much more on managing the business than on making work that felt like art.

When I started painting again, I was freed from many of those pressures of running a business that had been heaped onto my jewelry line.

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real world look: jeans and a moto jacket

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casual edgy style: jeans and moto jacket

Normally when I do a real world look, I do something similar to an outfit I’ve worn in real life. But in this case, this look, styled by Gina from On the Daily Express, was just too perfect not to recreate! It’s a seriously easy look to pull together that’s a little bit edgy and a lot stylish. Perfect for the weekend or even a casual date night!

1/ v-neck t-shirt // 2/ leather jacket // 3/ distressed jeans // 4/ contra pendant // 5/ crossbody bag // 6/ curve post earrings // 7/ suede booties

how to wear a maxi dress in winter

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how to wear a a maxi dress in the winter: add a cardigan, boots, and tights // click through for outfit details

We tend to think of maxi dresses as the ultimate summer staple, but if you love maxi dresses like I do, you don’t have to put them away for winter. When layered with a cozy cardigan, boots, and tights (if need be), a maxi dress can totally work for winter. And of course, I’ll always top mine off with a bold statement necklace. (Because for me, no outfit is complete without one!)

1/ chunky cardigan // 2/ maxi dress // 3/ contra bib necklace // 4/ droplet bracelets // 5/ wedge booties

my go-to outfit: elevated winter edition

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chic casual winter style: jeans, boots, necklace // click for outfit details

This is the time of year where my style tends to get a little lazy. My general rule of “must wear jeans to the studio” starts to get relaxed in favor of cozy sweatpants and snow boots. Which means now is a good time to revisit my go-to outfit in a way that’s elevated for chic winter style.

I’ve shared my go-to outfit here before (jeans, ankle boots, a cardigan, and statement necklace) but this version swaps the cardigan for a slightly more structured jacket and the ankle boots for something taller. (Mostly because I’m loving the shade of grey of these boots.) It’s an easy update to my regular look that will hopefully help me make it to spring!

1/ black cami // 2/ felt jacket // 3/ straight jeans // 4/ bold contra necklace // 5/ mixed metal stacking rings // 6/ knee high boots

simple and chic professional style: floral blouse and statement necklace

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simple and chic office outfit idea: floral blouse and statement necklace // click through for outfit details

I know that today is the first day back at work for many after the holiday break, so I thought I’d share some office outfit inspiration. (I was actually back to work for a full day in my studio yesterday, but since I can wear sweatpants to work, it’s not really the same.) This look continues my obsession with layering a bib necklace over a floral top, and the entire look is simple chic without being stuffy.

1/ floral printed blouse // 2/ slim leg pants // 3/ contra bib necklace // 4/ faye satchel // 5/ curve post earrings // 6/ leather pumps

8 ways to wear an amulet-style necklace

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8 ways to wear an amulet-style necklace // click through for outfit ideas

When I saw that Refinery 29 identified oversized amulet-style necklaces as an upcoming trend for 2017, I swear I did a little happy dance. Not surprisingly, this maximalist jewelry designer is beyond over the minimal trend. And since I’ve been obsessing over amulet-style necklaces for the past year or so (they’re a major part of my Contra Collection), it seems only fitting to kick off 2017 by sharing eight ways to style them:

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