Accessories gone WILD

This is my weekend purchase. I found this ring at Claire's. I have been looking for a fun statement/cocktail ring for a while. I love them! I have an issue finding rings big enough to fit my fingers. When I found this ring and it fit, I was sold! I couldn't wait one minute longer. I put back anything else I was going to purchase so I could buy this ring. I know, I know. It was a splurge at all of $8! Gotta watch every bit of my spending so we can get our house!!!!

Here is my rockin' new ring with my last purchase. Well ok, I think my husband bought them for me. I found these awesome shades at Fleet Farm. That's right... Fleet Farm. I find lots of interesting items there! I can't wait to wear these shades and my ring with my shorts this summer.

This is one of my two purses that I have been carrying lately. Purple Croc print... sounds yummy to me. I found this purse on sale at Herbergers. I carried it around for a while knowing that I loved the look of it. I showed it to my shopping companions. (My mom and sister) They were both SHOCKED to find that they liked the purse as well. We tend to disagree on anything fashion or shopping related. I guess if we all liked it that meant that I HAD to buy it. I have been interchanging this purse with the bag that my husband bought me for Christmas. I guess I like animal print in my accessories. I guess I like animal print.

Here's the purse that my husband bought me for Christmas. I have two GREAT purses right now, don't I?

Closet Shopping Tuesday

My outfit for Monday wasn't anything special. It was a warm, comfortable, casual professional outfit for a Monday. I was wearing my grey target sweater, my khaki Ann Taylor Loft pants, my black Sofft boots, and a green Old Navy vneck tshirt.

Too make this outfit something that I would like to wear again, I think I would add a button down shirt instead of the vneck tshirt. I think some color sticking out as tails and the collar would make it an outfit I could wear some more.

I must admit that I am sick of wearing my boots. I tend to wear them almost every day. I want to wear some CUTE shoes!

Tuesday's outfit was better! Last night I had a really weird dream about someone I don't need to be dreaming about and it made me wake up ready to start the day. Ready to get my mind on something else. So I tried something different out of my closet.




Blazer jackets can be extremely slimming don't you think?

Grey Vneck - Goodwill
Burgundy One Shoulder - DKNY via Herberger's
Black w/white pinstripe blazer - JCPenney's
Belt- Diesel via Marshall's
Shoes - Mossimo via Target

Catching Up #1

Here are some RANDOM pictures of my work outfit from Friday. Yes that is still me. I don't wear my glasses very often as I tend to think that I look kinda silly in them. (And I hate my sight being limited AND no sunglasses then!)

Casual Friday calls for denim.

Seven 4 All Mankind jeans
Black on black pinstripe Blazer - JCPenney
Purple Shirt - Kohl's
White Tank w/purple design - Old Navy
Boots - Aldo
Belt- Diesel via Marshall's

Yay for casual Friday and Yay for weekends.



Sorry about the face in the next one... I was making faces at my photographer aka my husband.



Honestly, I have NO BUTT! Premium denim does make up for that when I pull my jeans up and not pull down on them.

Catching Up #2

Here is the last springy look I tried before the MN weather went back to cold rather than warm.
I am enjoying adding skirts and dresses into my wardrobe. Black pants are great but I don't LOVE any of mine to the point that I get excited about wearing them. I do have some great crop pants and shorts that I can't WAIT to wear. Summer, where are you?

I saw some of the best pants today but I can't even go try them on! Shopping for a house can sure get in the way of a great wardrobe. I can't complain too much though. I have been enjoying wearing more of my wardrobe. I have been adding at least one new item to my wardrobe... ok never only one.. every week.

Purple Shirt - Old Navy
Black Tank - Old Navy
Pink Skirt - Merona via Target via Goodwill
Belt- Diesel via Marshall's
Boots- via DSW
Jacket - Columbia jacket liner
Fun knee high socks (pink and black athletic socks)(can't see here) - Target
Necklace - Target (fixed it!)

Getting Behind

Sorry that I have been on and off, I have been a bit busy with work and house hunting... I have some outfits to share when I get a chance to sit down long enough.

For now I am going to share my Claire's accessories find.

I must admit that I don't often wander into Claire's. Target often has the similar fun stuff and I am there more often. This weekend I ventured into Claire's with my sister and my two favorite nieces for a bit of wander shopping. (Honestly, my sister is TWILIGHT obsessed and looking for a Cullen cuff. She is addicted over 30. Apparently this trend has hit EVERYONE. {I LOVE her in spite of it... haha!}) Anyway, I ended up finding a few things that I liked but I restrained with only one purchase which I will try to get a picture of with my outfit this afternoon.

I did fall in love with the look of these.



For more than $18 I thought that was a little much for something that looked that uncomfortable but I was thinking there must be a more comfy plain alternative out there that I could "fix". Does anyone know where to find the crisscross strapped sandals similar to this that I could DIY?

Speaking of DIY, I am still working on a few projects and I hope to have something to showcase soon.

Black Day in a Good Way

Since I posted about my white Foxcroft button down the other day, it made me realize that I don't wear these shirts as much as I should. I have worn them a lot since I bought them but not nearly enough. I paired my black button down with one of my black pencil skirts. (I tried a new thrifted skirt first but it didn't work for me. More on my thrifted finds later.)

Black Button Down- Nordstrom's
Black Pencil Skirt - Marshall's
Black Tank Top - Old Navy
Belt- Men's tie in orange and blue
Shoes- Target? Payless?

Updated Blog roll

I know I have said this before, but I updated my blog roll.
Not like last time either. LAST time I THOUGHT I had updated my blog roll but it tricked me. Nothing really changed. Sorry for that!

It's updated.
See the fashion section on the left.

Fun Blogs to read

Spring/Summer 2009 Capsule Wardrobe - by omiru on Polyvore.com

If you haven't checked out Omiru's blog you should.
There are some really great outfit and packing ideas here.

New DIY earrings

These are the earrings that I made a couple weekends ago. I am trying to not BUY things. I have been limiting my shopping to thrifting and articles that I can make myself. TRYING!

I was busy with several DIY's this weekend. None of them got finished but I am working on them. I am reallllly excited about one project but I hit a snag and now I have to make some changes. Hmmm......

I will keep you updated if/when I finish any of them.

5'9" to 6'0"

I am one of those girls that enjoys being taller than people. I don't slouch because I am taller than the people around me. Granted I am not often the TALLEST person in the room, but I LOVE IT! I don't wear high heels in the winter. I keep it to whatever is on my boots most of the time. Summer time with less ice, heels it is. Today I brought out my teal platform wedges. I love these shoes. They were a Target clearance purchase last summer. I was buying shoes for a meeting/party for my husband's company. As it always works, I bought a another pair (full price from Target) for the meeting and wore these instead. I stood for hours in these shoes! I am not willing to give up comfort for fashion but I am all for searching high and low for the comfort I prefer. As an avid "What Not to Wear" watcher, I know that Stacy would not approve of using comfort as an excuse for dressing crappy but I think she would approve of comfort AND fashion. Right? Clinton Kelly and Stacy London ROCK!

Jacket- The Wilderness Golf - from a previous job as a bev cart
Teal cardigan - American Eagle
Teal button down - JCPenney's
Lime green tshirt- ??
Necklaces- 2 from Craig 1 made by me
Earrings - Made by me
Black Cords- Kohl's
Heels - Target (taller than they look in these pics - I am sinking in our back yard)

And you little dog too...

I have had these pictures waiting to be posted. I like the outfit but I look a little tired. Haha!
I must say I LOVE LOVE this white dress shirt! I got this shirt from Nordstrom's in Seattle, WA.
It is a Foxcroft shirt. It is a heavier material that hangs well every time. It is super comfortable, it never wrinkles, and it washes like a champ. I got the same shirt in black and I love that one too. I am going to buy more when I have the chance/money.

White Shirt - Nordstrom's
Black Shell Tank Top - ?
Black Pants - ?
Necklace - NY and Co.

Goodwill Hunting

So I had a little time to kill before a meeting. Is it my fault that there was a Goodwill store nearby. I tried to keep the damages to a limited amount and I am pleased with myself.
I found a few things. This dress I am wearing was one of my acquisitions. Since it is a little short to wear to work, I added the jeans... I mean it was for Friday! Jeans day is NOT to be wasted.


Items purchased:
Dress - $1.99
Tank Top - $3.99
Brown Skirt- $3.99
Pink Skirt - $.99
White Skirt- $3.99
Navy Blazer - $8.99
White Bow Tank Top - $0.99

Something like that. Hopefully I will have some pictures of the items soon.

Notice my new haircut? NOT in love with it. It's cute and all but not at ALL what I asked for.

Pattern Mixing

The girls at academichic have been playing with mixing patterns. This outfit was my pattern mixing try. I tend to lean towards solids or a single pattern in my outfit so mixing patterns is a big step for me.


Have you noticed my fondness for animal prints?

Cardigan - Marshall's
Black polka dot shirt- ?
Purple Tank- Old Navy
Black Pants- ?
Black Wrap Scarf- Herberger's

Be Back Soon

I promise I will be back soon. Time change and the weather are confusing me I think. I haven't felt good (aka taken pictures) and I have been busy, and out of town. Not a good combo for blogging.

I have at least one outfit post waiting in the wings.

Blog Awards

I am finally catching up with my FIRST blog award. I am sooo excited that Kyla gave me this award. I was worried that no one would EVER read my blog. I know that I smile every time I get a new follower or read a comment from one of my readers. I hope that I keep your attention and please keep your comments coming. I am now going to pass this award on to a few of my favorites. There are a lot of you who inspire me.

Lady D at Africana's Wardrobe Diary
Lady D was my first blog to read. She started me off in this blogging addiction.

The Girls at Academichic
I sure do enjoy "learning" fashion "rules" from these ladies.

Nic and Missi at Domestic Sophisticate
These ladies know how to be chic SAHM's. They inspire me to think that I will be able to be stylish when the time comes for me to have kids of my own.

Danielle at Fell 4 Fashion
I love her simple chic outfits. She makes it look easy to be fashionable.

Nina at Femme Rationale

Nina inspires me to try things with my wardrobe that I might not otherwise try. She is gorgeous!

There are so many more fashionistas that I look for in my daily reads. Please check out my blog roll on the left... soon to be updated AGAIN! to add more of these inspiring and fabulous women.

Nic and Missi at Domestic Sophisticate gave me this great award today. I appreciate it ladies!
I am going to pass this award on to:

Blue Collar Catwalk
Africana's Wardrobe Diary
Fell 4 Fashion
Femme Rationale
Unwise Pedestrian
Fab Finds Under $50
Bare Peppermint Fashions
Future Lint

Again there are so many women that I read and think of as friends and family. Inspire me!

THANKS!

Khaki Girl

I felt like a khaki girl today. I didn't get a lot of sleep last night so I wasn't in the mood to dress up this morning.

Cordouroy blazer jacket - Faded Glory JCPenney?
Vneck Sweatshirt - Maurices
White Strapless Shirt - Target
Pink Tank Top - Old Navy
Khakis - Mossimo - Target
Oxford shoes- Thrifted
Earrings - Claires (for my wedding)

That's right... I'm a khaki girl.

What I Wore - Animal Print

I love this jacket. It is sooo fun. I love pieces that allow me to pair
them with a pair of basic black dress pants and they ARE the outfit!

I also love that it is getting nice out! YAY for warm weather.
Watch it is going to snow again now that I said that.

Black dress pants - Gap
Red dress shirt - NY and Co.
Belt - Marshall's
Giraffe Jacket - Herbergers
Boots - DSW
Magnetic Bracelet - Land of the Loon Festival

Scents I Love

I love a fresh clean scent for my body spray or my perfume.

These are a few....

of my favorite scents...

This one being the TOP of my list!

I will wear a great guy's cologne given the chance but since I found Lacoste Touch of Pink. (Christmas gift from my brothers.) I don't mind wearing this awesome girly scent. It is a clean, simple, yet bold scent.

If you are looking for a new scent and you don't need a girly scent I would definetly suggest these perfumes.

1. Bath and Body Works - Rain Kissed Leave
2. Chanel - Chance (mine's green)
3. Lacoste - Touch of Pink*

Pink is it

Here's my stepping WAY out of my comfort zone outfit. Wait that isn't right. A lot of the skirt/dress outfits that I wore are out of my comfort zone.

I wore this last week for work. I didn't need to dress up this much but I like to dress up on my own terms. Even though I keep getting asked what I am so dressed up for. Can't a person just look nice?

I made the focus of my outfit this fun print blouse with a tie bottom. I added the requisite black long sleeve tshirt for warmth. My target skirt is something completely new for me. The brown tights are something new for me. I LOVE my new open toe boots.

Two Lips Shoes Sale!

Check this sale out right away... all TWO LIPS shows are on sale at 6pm.com for $19.95.
Someone needs to buy these (Blondie) and where them in honor of me!!! They even have my size!!!!!! I am soo sad. My husband said that I can't spend any money on clothing right now. (HA!)

One Jean Jacket - Cheap

I found this jean jacket last summer. Since my jean jacket purchase was preblogging, I thought I would show off my find as I wore it today. It seems like everyone is talking about the perfect jean jacket. I am very happy with mine!

I purchased this Ralph Lauren Polo jean jacket for about $5 or $8 at Goodwill. It will hopefully be a go to item for me in the coming months when it finally gets AND STAYS warm enough to wear it as a jacket. Today it is my cardigan. (I wasn't happy with any of the cardigans I tried first.)

This outfit is quite a switch. Yesterday, I was planning to wear a skirt or a dress for today but I waged war with a dooser of a headache last night and this morning I was too tired to fight together a new outfit. Here is my outfit instead.

the ruffle detail on my shirt and my black pearl necklace


the oxfords close up

Today:
Jean Jacket - Thrifted
Old Navy Blue Pinstripe Button Down
Old Navy White Tank Top
Maurices Khaki semi Cords
Men's Oxford Shoes - Thrifted

Sparkles

This outfit is becoming a GO TO outfit for me. These wide leg khaki trousers from Ann Taylor Loft are super soft and comfortable. The wide waist band does its job in making me look better at the top and the super long wide leg makes my legs look like they go on forever when paired with heels that you never see. Who wouldn't want a cardigan with 3 colors of sparkles on charcoal gray softness. When I pair my special cardigan with basics like a black tshirt, brown belt, and khaki trousers I feel put together business casual. Now if only I could figure out what to do with my hair!

Sorry the pic is blurry best I could do, but I am back! Busy weeks suck but they move faster!

Purple People Eaters... Guest Blogger

The surprise guest fashionista is here...

This girl is fearless in her style and she can be...

She is after all only 2!

Name: Jacey a.k.a Jacers a.k.a Jaceygaboogle a.k.a Gaboogler
(I like nicknames)
Age: 2
Birthday: September 29
Favorite Color: Purple?
Favorite Cartoon Character: Dora? Elmo?
Most Used Saying: What da Heck or Be quiet
Something you might not know about her: She cries when she gets told no. (Don't we all?)

Green and purple Friday socks for inspiration in fashion and music.


hair ties make rockin' bracelets

this is how a model poses

She has some style. When I was visiting for a long weekend, she could be seen sporting her green and purple Friday socks and her purple and yellow Saturday socks. These socks were the building block for her outfit, consciously or not. (Her mother and partner in dressing said she didn't even try. I think that just means she has style oozing out of the subconscious.)

Inspiration comes from all avenues in this crazy world.

What I learned from Jacey:

• Dressing from the bottom up such as your socks or some other similar fashion item perspective can turn out to be great inspiration for a whole new outfit you had never envisioned before.
• On color head to toe with a POP of color can tie together an outfit in the blink of an eye.
• Skirts over leggings are HOT right now.
• One unexpected item or color can make an otherwise boring outfit fun.
• DIY is hot right now. The green swirl skirt is a part of her grandma's dress from high school remade.
• Accessorize in creative ways.
• A smile can MAKE an outfit.

Thanks kiddo!