I'm Fallin' For You!

I decided to go super casual for my visit with my sister and niece today so I went with these super stretchy cropped jeans and white tank.  The whole thing felt so plain-jane so I grabbed this t-shirt scarf I made a few months back. 

While going up the walkway to the front door I tripped and biffed it big time.  Clumsy isn't a word I would use to describe myself, but I felt like such a klutz as I was falling toward the cement.  My sister lives on a pretty busy street and while I was laying on the ground (thankfully behind a hedge) I kept thinking "Maybe I should just stay here for a minute so that anyone that might have seen me fall will be way down the street by the time I get up." 

The teal and white striped shirt I used to make this scarf had become a little warn looking over time.  I liked the colors but couldn't see myself wearing this shirt any longer in its current state.  I made the scarf in early March and in late March, Indiana at Adored Austin posted this tutorial.   Coinsindence or another case of great minds thinking alike?

Thankfully, I was mostly unscathed by the fall.  I scratched up my knee a bit and chipped a nail (really frustrating).  My sister had a beautiful shiny teal nail polish and a sharpie handy so guess who has a new leopard print manicure?  I dabbed a bit of the teal polish right over the chip and no one is the wiser - except for those of you that are reading this of course!

Outfit Details
White Tank: Gap Outlet
Jean Cropped Pants: Gap
Shiny Sparkly Sandals: Bass Outlet
Scarf: I Made It! (out of an Old Navy t-shirt)
Bronze Bracelet: Cookie Lee
Turquoise Earrings: Cookie Lee

Wear No Black Week: Day 5 - Fit to be Tied

Day five of the Wear No Black Week challenge hosted by Urban Darling.

 

I started the day in denim and this brown ruffle detailed top.  I spilled something on the front of the shirt causing a grease stain.  I went in to the kitchen at work and attempted to get the stain out by putting a little water and soap on the spot.  Within a few moments there was a wet spot (basically, the size of the lower half of the shirt).  Thankfully the black hole known as my trunk had a spare shirt, a tie-dyed shirt, so I decided to go a little more casual than normal rather than wearing a soaking wet shirt.

Last summer a load of white clothes was infiltrated by a black sock and the load was washed on hot.  I won't name any names or point any fingers but most of the load was this terrible color, dingy, grey color and a few of the items had big splotches of grey. This top was one of the victims.  My sister had plans to tie-dye a few things so I brought along this shirt.  I was really pleased when we untied the shirt and looked at the pattern and the vibrancy of the colors.   

Have you done any refashions on items that were damaged in a wash-load gone wrong?

Outfit Details

Brown Ruffle Front Shirt: Down East Basics

Tie-Dyed Tank: Old Navy -- dyed by me!

Denim Crops: Gap

Brown Wedge Sandals: Bass Outlet

Abalone Shell Necklace: Cookie Lee

Wear No Black Week: Day 3 - Gingham and Pearls

Day three of the Wear No Black Week challenge hosted by Urban Darling.

I think I've mentioned before that I need to a) clean my closet, b) pick out my outfit the night before.  No surprise, I haven't done either yet.  This morning I was running around my room looking for a specific skirt and could not find it anywhere.  That meant that the outfit I had in mind was scrapped and I had to come up with something entirely different.  I COULD find the white pants and I just went with it from there.  I really love the feeling of this light-weight gingham top and thought it would be a fun match.

Still avoiding black, I reached for these red, white, and blue wedges my sister gave me a while back.  Look mom, I'm pattern mixing!  I thought the plaid with the gingham was a little whimsical so I went with it. 

Outfit Details
Blue and White Gingham Top: Old Navy
White Ribbed Tank: Old Navy
White Wide-Leg Pants: Gap
Red, White and Blue Plaid Wedges: Gap via my sis Erica (thanks again sis)
Pearl Necklace and Bracelet: Cookie Lee

Not So Sure...

The jury is still out on this dress.  It was a great deal (we're talking less than $5 at one of those crazy Gap clearance sales) so it was too hard to pass up.  I've been toying with the idea of disassembling this dress and turning it into two pieces - a tank and a skirt.  I think both might be more flattering if they were separate.  I'm still unsure of what I'm going to do with this one.

Do you remember a few months back when I mentioned that we had a Style Dial party with my friend Amy from The Stylist Online?  I found out that I'm a #2 on the Style Dial and that means that my shoulders are narrower than my hips.  It is recommended that I avoid drop waists or wearing belts around my hips - wearing a belt on your hips can create the illusion that your hips are wider than in reality.  This dress definitely has a drop waist and the white belt was hitting my hips.  Despite the fact that I was ignoring two major pieces of advice, I kinda like the way the dress looks in the photos.  It didn't look nearly as frumpy as I was afraid it might - it can feel a bit like a potato sack while wearing it.   

Any thoughts?  Should I leave it a dress or create two pieces out of the dress???

Outfit Details
Red Tank Top: Merona via Target
Blue Pin Stripe Dress: Gap
White Woven Belt: NY&Co
Red White Blue Wedge Sandals: Gap via my sister Erica (Thanks sis!)
Necklace: Cookie Lee

It's All About the Shoes

I'd like to welcome Spring to Northern California.  It may not have hit 80 degrees in Auburn today but it did hit 80 in Roseville where I spent most of my day. So without further ado, I bring you... an outfit post!  But first I'd like to show you to my new little rays of sunshine.

Last weekend I went in to Off Broadway Shoes in Citrus Heights to check out the selection.  I was specifically looking to replace a pair of black wedges that I got rid of at the end of last summer.  The pair that I really liked was not available in my size.  I looked through the clearance section and these shoes immediately jumped out at me. I tried them on and loved them but I was trying to stay focused on what I'd come for.  It was hard to leave them behind, especially because they were 1/2 off of $49.50.

The next morning I pulled up Kimberly's Fab Finds Under $50 and guess what I found - Summer Must Have: Yellow Shoes.  A whole post dedicated to the awesomeness of bright yellow shoes!  That was enough of a sign for me.  Did you know that you can get a $5 coupon for signing up to receive special offers from Off Broadway Shoes? I signed up, printed my coupon and went back for these super lovely, yellow, Steve Madden wedges.  I got out the door for a little over $20!!!

This outfit was pretty uneventful but I've mentioned in the past, I like keep it simple the first time I wear an exciting new thing. Just a little black and white with a sunny splash of yellow!

Outfit Details
Black Cropped Pants: Larry Levine via Ross 
White T-shirt: Gap
Lovely Yellow Wedges: Steve Madden via Off Broadway Shoes
Necklace: Cookie Lee

Denim Talks

Every gal knows that the pair of jeans you choose for the day sends a message loud and clear.  I've heard that the average woman owns eight pairs of jeans... So essentially that is eight different messages a gal can convey with her denim.  We all have our going-out jeans, the yard-work jeans, work-appropriate jeans, and the list could go on and on. 


The pair I wore to work this morning were a pair of cropped denim that I've wore here.  By the time I got home they were stretched out to point that I just didn't want to take a picture of them (my small weight-loss caused these pants to be way too baggy - not complaining).  I had a very small window of time between getting home from work and hurrying off to my Friday evening activities and I knew I wanted to change my jeans before rushing out the door. 

On the left side we have a pair of ripped boyfriend jeans from Express.  I love these jeans so much that I bought two pair... that's right, TWO pair of the exact same jeans!  When I bought these I was down 20+lbs and I loved the fit.  They were a weekend staple for most of last year.  I saw a picture of myself in these jeans around Christmas (after the 20lbs found me again) and I was super unimpressed about the way they looked.  They are still a little too tight to comfortably wear out but I thought I would post pictures showing the contrast between the look of one pair of jeans versus another.

Now I'll tell you a little about where I was going.  I was headed up to my high school alma mater to assist with judging cheerleading try-outs. Whenever anyone asks me to help with try-outs, clinics or anything related to cheer, I always jump at the opportunity.  For me, cheerleading helped to bring me out of my shell, it gave me confidence to stand in front of others, and I have life-long friends from the experience.  I know how much of a positive impact it had on my life so I look forward to being a part of that positive impact on other young women's lives!

The community where I grew up is mountain-casual (as in if you wear khakis, your family asks you where you're going all dressed up). Jeans were a no-brainer for judging try-outs but like I needed to decide what message I wanted to send with my jeans.  I went for the ripped jeans first to try and make the outfit a little more casual and youthful.  I didn't want to wear anything too stuffy but I also didn't want to look like an unrelatable thirty-something.  In the end I decided the ripped jeans were just too tight and I wouldn't be comfortable sitting there for well over three hours.  I went with the DKNY jeans from my Macy's shopping spree.  They are still super comfortable and felt like a better option for the long night.

While sitting there watching all of these young ladies, the importance of first impressions kept coming to mind.  There were some very talented ladies but the amount of effort (or lack there of) put into their looks was often distracting.  I had a few arguments in my own head over whether their appearance or their talent should have more impact.  In the end I think talent should be the strongest of the two, however showing up with a disheveled appearance (messy ponytail, wearing a thin ribbed tank top with bright pink bra straps showing, or wearing a pair of dirty white shoes) makes me wonder if you can clean up for events, games and competitions.  As a representative for the school, I do think that there should be a certain amount of effort put forth and pride shown in appearance.  I don't intend to come off as shallow by sharing this opinion and I really hope it isn't taken that way.  There were a few ladies that were very beautiful but looked as if they had just rolled out of bed - boo.  On the other hand, there were a few ladies that may not have worn any make-up, but they took the time to put on a clean, unwrinkled shirt and pull their hair back in a clean manner- yay!

I guess I just want to relay the message that when you are trying to win someone over (try-outs, interview, etc) it is important to put a little bit of time and effort in to your appearance.  If you aren't going to step it up when you are trying to persuade someone to chose you for the team (or job), when will you?



Outfit Details
Black Cable Knit Cardigan - Gap
Striped Tshirt - H&M
Ripped Jeans - Express
Jeans - DKNY via Macy's
Black Tall Boots - Bass

Modern Dance

The last two outfits were so stream lined and had such a trimming effect.  Today's outfit was the polar opposite.  I guess I had the urge to wear something warm, schlumpy, and non-revealing... and I hit every one of those marks spot on! 

 Have you ever put on an outfit and known that it really did nothing for your figure but forged on anyway?  That is what happened this morning.  I've been dying to wear this sweater (another of the Macy's purchases from mid-March) but the weather has been too warm.  It was supposed to hover in the low 50's today so I figured I'd be alright to throw on a huge fun sweater.  Plus the front of our office (where I sit) gets much cooler than the rest of the office.  I don't know that I'll repeat this outfit, but it worked today!

I spent a few years in college as a dance minor.  I took classes every semester and loved (almost) every minute of it.  My freshman year in college I took my first modern dance class.  My friend and I would get cramps from trying not to laugh during our class. Most of the time I felt like I was doing a Zena, Warrior Princess reenactment.  A few years later I took another modern class.  I almost lost it the day the instructor brought in a bunch of drummers and we were all told to move however we felt inspired.  The only thing the drummers inspired in me was ab contractions from hysterical laughter.  I had to dig deep for my inner Saturday Night Live character to get through that class.  I literally pretended like I had an audience and had to let them do the laughing for me.

Isadora Duncan

Doris Humphrey

Ruth St. Denis

You may ask why I kept taking modern classes if all I did was make fun of it?  It forced me to step out of my comfort zone.  I like the safety of choreography, I love the discipline of ballet, I felt comfortable with the predictable beats used in jazz.  I truly believe that if you want to grow, you have to step out of your comfort zone.  Modern pushed me WAY out of my comfort zone... and that is why I kept going and laughing.

Most of today, I felt like the pioneering ladies of modern dance above.  With all of the flowy fabric I was wearing, I couldn't resist pretending I had my own drummers in my living room while I was taking photos today.

Outfit Details
Maxi Dress: Gap
Pink Layering T (I promise, it is under there): Gap
Cream Sweater: One A via Macy's
Boots: Aerosoles (gift from former coworker)

Monday, Monday

Oh Monday, you got me this time!  My dog decided to get up and shake around at 4:30, 5:00, 5:30 and then 3 minutes before my alarm went off.  I got caught in a time warp while trying to figure out what to wear. I didn't have any time to stop for caffeine on the way to work. And then I got a migraine half way through the day so I left work early, climbed in to bed and slept it off.  My head is still sore but I think I'll survive. 

The last time I wore this sweater was a Monday as well. Nothing like a loud sweater to try to pep up a Monday - only it didn't work this time!

I think this cheetah print sweater was made for this skirt. The outfit felt a like what Betty Paige might have worn if she was a conservative librarian. The white shirt felt a little bright under the sweater but I wanted the option of being able to remove the sweater if need be... we were expecting weather in the low 70's today and I didn't want to be stuck roasting away.  Check out Jessica from Surely Sonsy to see another take on animal print... This gal knows how to rock a pencil skirt like no other!

I would also like to welcome my bare legs to 2011. Thankfully my legs weren't quite as pasty white as I feared they might be.  My bare legs thought they wanted nylons for split second today but then they remembered the post we read on Facebook pertaining to an overheard fitting room conversation.  My friend heard a sales gal tell a younger woman that she should wear nylons under a cute sun dress and my friend was appalled at the advise. The debate over bare legs versus nylons took off from there.  What do you think?  Are Nylons off limits to ladies under 60?

Outfit Details
Cheetah Cardigan: FWM via Freestyle Clothing Exchange
Skirt: Sunny Leigh via Macy's
White T-Shirt: Gap
Quilted Slingbacks: Anne Klein via TJ Maxx
Wide Elastic Belt: New York & Co

Ch-Ch-Changes... Bring it on!

Oh, is the suspense of waiting for the haircut photo killing you?!?  So as not to get out of order, I'm posting Friday's outfit first.  This is what I wore to work and then to get my hair cut. 

Bust A Move

What is the first thing you reach for when there are limitless options in front of you?  What do you yearn for after only have access to 30 items for a while?  Apparently the answer is jeans and a white t shirt and the most comfy sweater you own.  I know, not the most original.  And what do you do after you put on that outfit, you work on your stellar dance moves!

#22 - One Ouftit, Four Looks

Items 18, 24, 30

#21 - No Snow :o(

Items 5, 21, 22, 28

#15 - A Pile Of Clothes

Items 6, 19, 23, 28

#13 Will You Be Mine?

Items 8, 11, 21, 26

#12 Ranch Dressing

Items 5, 12, 23, 30

#9 Did Just Fine

Items 3, 18, 22, 28

The verdict is still out on this skirt.  I picked it up at the Gap for right around $5 so it was I was willing to try it out for that amount.  I really like the color but the cut is a little strange on my body.  The skirt will get at least one more shot during the 30x30 - with only 30 items in the mix I can't vote this guy off the island just yet.  This skirt may be scrambling to form an alliance with another piece of clothing in the near future though!

#8 Continued

#7 is Heaven and Everybody, Everywear - Blazer Edition

Howdy folks!  Here we have not only outfit #7 but another addition of Everybody, Everwear featuring the blazer.


Items 8, 20, 23, 29



And Now We Arrive At # 5

Items 5, 23

I call this look the get-up-and-go look.  Nothing special.  Bordering on scary if you get too close.
This is what happens when you:

• have been out WAY too late (aka 2am) the night before with an incredible group of friends
• had six additional people staying at your house and a shower just didn't fit in the time frame (yes, I admit I left the house without showering)
• had to leave the house by 7:30 (did I mention I got home at 2am?)
• have to go cheer on your man playing in an annual flag football game where you will be out in the damp cold next to a river

You might be wondering why I'm not wearing shoes in the outfit and that is because I'm a dirty cheater!  I woke up with the intention of wearing one of my two pairs of boots.  I grabbed them and then stopped and remembered that I was going to watch a football game in a park in the middle of nowhere and I wasn't sure if it was going to be icy.  Twisting an ankle wasn't on the agenda so I grabbed my running shoes.  I also wore my event sweatshirt to show support for my man.  Does it make cheating less offensive when I admit it right away? 


I noticed that Molly over at Leaving the House in THIS?!? chose to include a pair of Converse Chucks to her 30 for 30.  If there is a "next time" I will be including a super casual pair of shoes that I can wear in a fashionable way.  Where I live and the type of weekend events I have weren't really in my consideration while I was choosing my 30 items and it bit me in the bum.





Annual Black & Blue Bowl
Hangtown #43 vs. Santa Rosa #50

Regardless of the cheating, I had a great time at the game, wonderful time seeing friends that I don't get to see all of the time, and enjoyed the beautiful weather out at the game.

Outfit Details

Jeans: Limited

Top: Gap

Hat: a vendor at Jack Russel Brewery (gift from a friend)

Shoes: I'm too embarrassed to include

#4 Is Down To The Floor



Items 16, 24, 30