Fashion Blogger vs Minimalist

Can a fashion blogger be a minimalist?

Yes or No?

Why or Why Not?

What does minimalism mean to you?

In Need of Fashion Advice

I would like to think that I am a giver of fashion advice rather than someone who needs it.

... that being sad, I need to put this on my list... not the list of things I need, but on my list of things that I would like to purchase when I have some money (by that time I am sure the list items will have changed/be obsolete... fashion and fads... I hate that I love chasing you.)

Enough rambling....

Everyone needs this, don't they?

One thing I miss about real tv. TLC's What Not to Wear. I LOVE Clinton and Stacy. I love the outfits. The shopping. The makeovers! I love it all!

PS... I would love to come play in your closet or go shopping with you!!! I can help organize/get rid or I can help add to and play up your current wardrobe.. I LOVE to shop and I am good at it. I have been known to dress everyone!

Things I want for My Birthday

Tummy Butter... for stretch marks. I read on a forum that this stuff works.. WHO KNOWS! Have you tried it?

This picture on a canvas of like 16 x 20 or whatever size is around there.

These boots....








... or the similar ones from Shi by Journey... Brown size 10

This purse...

















...or this one...

These jeans...

A sewing machine...

This book...

There are so many fun things that I would love to go buy.... if only I had the money for it.

Disco Dancing... Shoes - DIY

Yes... My name is Jenna and I am addicted to shoes. I never have to worry about them fitting over my chest. Or my bottom being too small. (Yes I have no butt and my bottom is too SMALL for things. I think it makes up for my generous extra on top.)

Shoes fit. They just fit... yes they can be narrow or wide and yes they can be the wrong size but it is different then when clothes don't fit.

I saw these shoes from Christian Louboutin.

And of course I wanted them but not the $1400 or something price tag.

So I put a bottle of glitter, some modge podge, an old disco ball, some E6000 and a pair of thrifted Merona shoes to work.

What did I find???

Some sparkly fun shoes. Apparently these are blogger shoes. By that I mean shoes only a blogger can appreciate. Have you noticed that you are willing to wear crazier things since you joined the blogger world? I know that I wear things that I wouldn't have worn before I started reading other fashion blogs. Seeing other people wearing more outrageous things makes it seem more normal for my everyday life.

Interested in shoe DIYs. I saw a fun one over with Sydney over at the rabbit-hearted girl. Check it out here.

Magazines and Busty Girls

I am starting to think that no one that works at a fashion magazine is busty. (I think the article that triggered this rant was about holiday dresses in a recent Lucky issue. Not that they are the only ones. And not that I don't like Lucky because I do. Check them out. ) Why would they tell a busty girl to wear strapless anything otherwise?? I mean there are ALWAYS exceptions as there aren't RULES anymore. (IMO) But large breasted girls don't suggest strapless to other large breasted girls.

Buy Here

I am sorry but being busty and strapless is not normally a good combination.  
(Unless they are perfectly perky.. not often... or fake... making them perfectly perky.)

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Big busts and strapless means a lot of tugging, pulling, readjusting, and sometimes duct tape. (I wouldn't suggest the duct tape.) Trust me I know. I have tried strapless bras.. semi EXPENSIVE ones even to no avail. It is hard to even FIND a strapless bra in my size without ordering online and I mean COME ON clothes are hard enough to order online and they have a LITTLE forgiveness sizewise. (I don't often succeed with blind online ordering either.)

Buy Here

Dresses that would be more appropriate? My suggestions...

A halter with a thick enough strap for a halter bra... very lifting.

Buy Here

A tank dress with thick enough straps for a supportive bra and with as much or as little coverage as you would like in the cleavage area.

Buy Here

Buy Here

A wrap dress... much more figure flattering overall with enough coverage for a good bra and the option to layer a cami under for more coverage if necessary.

Buy Here

Images Borrowed from Nordstrom.com

Figure Fixers via Lucky.com

I thought these were good suggestions. At least for the minimizing your bust section...

Figure Fixers

Do these tips work for YOUR body type? If yes or no... why or why not?

Basics - New Tshirts

In looking into my closet for basics to see I have and what I need to make my closet better and easier to work with, (See more here.)  I see that I have a need for a GOOD basic tshirt.

I currently own and like the Mossimo Vneck Tshirts. I am in the market for a good basic tshirt.. preferably vneck.

Any suggestions? What are your favorites?

DIY - Tuxedo Chain Jeans

A cute & simple DIY would be a pair of tuxedo jeans. Add ribbon to the sides of jeans.

Can you glue chains to the side of jeans to make like these Diesel jeans?

Early Christmas

 

 

American Eagle Slim Boot Jean

I just got these for Christmas... and for the few hours that I have worn them, I am loving my new American Eagle Slim Boot jeans.

Add another pair of AE jeans to my favorites list. Check off a pair of bright wash on my wants list. 

More Items for My Wishlist

Melie Bianco Amelia

Buy Here

Diba Boots

Brown... Size 10
Tignanello Purse

In Clay

I love purses and boots... just saying.

Camera Battery

Camera Remote

Camera Lense
(Thanks to early Christmas you can check the lens off my list!)

And taking pictures of said purses and boots... and my Peyton Monster.

More with Less?

I have been reading the interviews over here from the Project 333 people.
The first link is to the interviews of Project 333 members. The second link is to the rules of Project 333.

How much do we need to live with?

I am not saying that I am in line with the Project 333 people because I am not. I am just looking into the way what they are doing is affecting my thinking and life. I have mad respect for those who can and do live with 33 items.

I have been talking and thinking lately about how many things we need in our lives. As a new mom, I realize that most of my time is going to taking care of my little girl. I also realize that I spend A LOT of time putting things away.

My closet... minimal... NO!

Due to breastfeeding, I have been limiting my wardrobe quite severely. I have so many items that I love that I don't want to ruin. In doing this, I am realizing how many items I have that I don't even wear and how many items I have built up as a work wardrobe. I realize that a lot of people cross items into work/casual/play categories and I do this somewhat but at the same time, I don't have much need for dress pants when I am not working. I also can't normally get away with jeans in my work life. I will admit that I am a denim girl at heart. If I had the opportunity, I would live in denim 80-90 percent of the time. In the summer I need some shorts (I am not as in love with jeans shorts) and there are a few days here and there where I want to dress up a bit more but the majority of the time I don't wear anything other than my jeans. To me, that means that I should look into downsizing the other non denim clothes in my life (for now, as I am not working).
At some point I am sure I will go back to work, so my question is, do I keep said dress clothes? I apparently don't buy too many FAD clothes as most of the dressy clothes that I have are already several years old. I have pants that I purchased in high school that I still wore for work this last year. Do I keep them? Sell them? Store them? Do I try the box them up out of sight for a certain amount of time and see if I need them?

I have been feeling really good about getting rid of the excess items in my life. I have a LONG way to go and I don't think I will ever have a clutter free life. (I love to many creative outlet hobbies.) If I were honest about it though, I could get rid of a lot of hobby items too as they don't get the love that they should either. Once a year for a pair of ski boots? Once a year for a baseball bat? A volleyball? They sit in a bright red garbage can in the garage the rest of the time. I am going to call them decoration. My husband calls them, "in the way".

Part of this declutter thinking has lead me to more thoughts about what I purchase... I will be posting about this soon.

Accessory Switcheroo - glassesusa.com

What is one accessory that you would like to switch up to fit your style but it gets too expensive?

Prescription glasses of course! Those of us who are a little blind, moi, love to have options for those days when we don't want to wear our contacts. I have options in my contacts (brown or brilliant blue) why not my glasses. Now I am able to add more style to my necessary accessories by changing out my specs to go with my mood. This is great since I have been spending more time in my glasses as a new mom. Sometimes it is easier to just head out the door in my glasses and sometimes it is just tough to find the time to put in my contacts... without poopy fingers. Eww... I know. I love that my new glasses allow me to wear see when I am not wearing my contacts without giving up style.

Who doesn't love to switch up their glasses when they switch up their style. I love to be a little bit rocker, a little bit casual, a little bit sparkly, and a little bit redneck/tomboy in my style among other things. (Just to clarify a bit - redneck equals my rubber boots... real rubber ones not the Hunter ones or the Burberry ones, jeans, Cabella's fleece, camo gloves, Jeep baby paraphernalia, Carhart hat, camo/orange diaper bag.)

This is me as a new mom... no makeup and undone hair.

I have wanted a new pair of glasses for a while but I have not been able to afford the hundreds of dollars to buy them. When I was approached by glassesusa.com to review their glasses, I was super excited. After looking at their site, I realized that a person didn't need to go to an eye doctor to spend hundreds of dollars on glasses. They just need a current prescription to get their cheap eyeglasses. I headed to their site and chose my poison. Their virtual tool helped me get an idea of what my choices would look like on me and away I went. Discount eyeglasses, cheap designer eyeglasses, designer prescription glasses what a deal! What a steal! 


They also carry Nike prescription glasses, cheap prescription sunglasses, cheap eyeglass frames, and cheap reading glasses.  This allows you to spend as little or as much as you want and get what you want.

I was really happy with the service that I got ordering my glasses and I was pleasantly surprised with how quickly I received my glasses. When I am looking to purchase a pair of glasses with prescription lenses, I will definitely be heading back to glassesusa.com. 

If you are interested in purchasing a pair of glasses that allow you to not have to choose between style and sight, (Those of us who interact with you i.e. meet you on the road appreciate you being able to see) head on over to glassesusa.com to try out their virtual tool (all you need is a straight on headshot) to see which glasses will fit your style or styles. Be sure to use the code Blog10 to get 10% off your eyeglass purchase.

*These glasses were provided to me for review by glassesusa.com

Wanted - More Shoes & Boots

Yes.. I am addicted. This is what happens when I can't shop.

It's a good thing these shoes from Lulu's don't come in my size.

Dollhouse Heels here

Charles Albert Boots Here
 

But these do.

I am so addicted to boots.. and shoes.. but mostly boots.

American Eagle Jeans

Buy Here

Buy Here

Buy Here

One of each? Or two?

American Eagle... Yes PLEASE

I will admit that I have several items from American Eagle that I have had for YEARS...


...my winter coat.

A teal and blue plaid hooded bundle of wool goodness... which is dry clean only and I spilled ketchup on this weekend. Thankfully not the carpet in my truck but come on!

My FAVORITE pair of jeans. I have purchased this pair again on ebay because they don't sell it again. As I am wearing both of those pairs out (holes galore) I need to find me another pair (and the money to buy them!)

Three more of my semi favorite pairs of jeans. Yes out of 20-30+ pairs of jeans I own about 4-5 pairs of AE jeans. I don't think I own more than 2 of any other brand.

A tshirt that I thrifted, a bracelet and a sweatshirt that I was gifted round out my AE love items that have survived YEARS!

Next item needed.... these boots.... santa... are you listening??? Reading???

PLEASE!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Neeeddddd boots!

Buy Here

Lands End Really?

I don't consider myself to be a Land's End kind of girl...

but I might reconsider for this...

Buy Here on Sale!!!!

What do you think? Are you a Land's End fan? Would you wear this?

Old Navy Coat

I really want to try this Old Navy jacket!

More Info Here

I swear it used to come in yellow and they don't have that listed anymore. BUMMER!

I LOVE hooded jackets.

DIY Sneak Peek

I wore this jacket like this... and not many times more so I thought it was time for a DIY with it. Stay tuned for pictures!

Talbots Shopping

Several months ago, I won a rather significant gift card via a giveaway on Fashion Therapist's blog.
If you aren't familiar with her, you should go check out her site. She is one fashionable lady.

When I won the gift card, I was pregnant so I wasn't able to properly spend the money. I did scratch my shopping itch mid pregnancy by ordering two items from a super clearance section of the Talbots website.

I purchased a button down shirt and a terry dress. Both of these items were pretty basic but they filled a need in my closet (really they scratched the shopping itch. I have yet to wear them, although I have yet to return to most of my weardrobe post pregnancy. The fit is almost there, but I don't want to wreck anything.)

Last weekend, I decided it was time to look into spending my gift card. I looked up the nearest store and headed there with my husband and little girl. (Her FIRST trip to the mall... WAHOO!!!)

After wandering the store to get back into the shopping swing, I took a few items into the dressing room. I must admit, nothing was fitting the way I wanted it to. After a little bit more wandering, I took a few more items into the dressing room.

I selected two sweaters with my money.

Click here to purchase

Click here to purchase

Both sweaters are SUPER comfortable and I can't wait to have a reason to wear them out.

There was also a belt and a sequin tank that were in the running.

More info

More Info

I could have sworn this belt came in black... maybe? And OH the LOVE for this tank top... I WANTED this BAD.

I was interested in seeing more of their purses and boots. I was disappointed with what was on hand in the store. I may have gone the boot route if they had them in store to try on.

I had my eye on a skirt... oh the bling... but I knew I had no place to wear it. 

More Info

Thanks for the gift card Talbots and Fashion Therapist!!!!

Trying Trends and Throwing Them Out

This is where I have been lately.  Meet my little girl.

Does anyone else have a problem with skinny jeans?
Let me elaborate. Does anyone else have a problem with skinny jeans on THEM!

 image borrowed and I don't know the source (Please let me know if this is yours)

  image borrowed and I don't know the source (Please let me know if this is yours)

I love to see the trend on all the cute little girls. Ok, not even the little girls. Mostly on the girls that aren't top heavy. Being an apple shape with most of my weight is in my lovely ladies on the top half, I have found that I am not able to make skinny jeans work for me in a way that I am happy with. I have tried them with heels, flats, tucked into boots, and many other ways. I just don't think they do anything for me. (I think this is the reason I struggle with leggings as well.)

I feel massive amounts of frustration in this as I would LOVE to be able to find a way to pull off this trend. I just don't see it happening. I have decided to sell my worn once? twice? Seven 4 All Mankind distressed skinny jeans. I will be posting them in my closet shop soon.

I will be trying to work more outfits with STRAIGHT jeans. I think that is as close as I can work with. I hope to make straight jeans work as I would like to add a pair of boots to my closet soon. (This is a big deal to me as I am a BOOTCUT girl. I think most if not all of my jeans are bootcuts.)

Lately, I am enjoying feeling and looking at my clothes, but I refuse to wear most of my good stuff. I don't want to get spit up and poo on them. (Newborn in the house.) I don't want to stretch them out trying to breastfeed. I just can't imagine dirtying some of the items in my closet. I am hoping that I grow out of this at some point. Or I will not be wearing my clothes that I LOVE very often for the next like 5-7 months. UH OH! That means like 12 months of hibernation for some of my favorite pieces.
Why does this happen? I feel that the reason is this fashion that goes in and out so quickly. By the time I buy a piece and wear it long enough to realize that I LOVE said piece and would like to purchase another of the same item as a backup/spare piece it is already not for sale. That is sad because a lot of the pieces that I wear are pretty basic. I mean I have some stand out items (I hope to get a post on them and one on MY basics soon.) but most of my pieces aren't THAT expensive. I don't own any designer pieces but I LOVE the pieces that I have.

At times like these, I am glad that I don't do extreme purges of my closet as I can wear some of the items that I consider throw away pieces. Pieces that although nice and wearable, I don't LOVE so if I wreck them I am not going to shed tears.

At the same time, I am trying to go through my house/closet and purge some of the items that I don't love/need/want. I hate that I spend so much of my time putting things back in their places or trying to find places for items. I would like to be able to do a basic clean up and be done. That makes me wish that I had a minimal approach to my closet and life. NOT SO!

Can't win for trying right?

I so want to try this!!!

image via distinctly desiree

I LOVE this girls style.

I hope you don't mind that I am using your image and linking but I must say you inspire me.

P.S. This is one of those skinny jeans rockers!!! GRR!!!

Denim Shirts

Is anyone else NOT feeling the denim shirt trend? Maybe it is just that I don't love the boring blue wash that most of them are in? I am not sure, but I am just not digging them.

For Sale

I added these boots to my other shop blog.

 

I wish I was getting new boots, but I am not. I am still not working. If you see something you like in the shop but don't like the price, make me an offer.