RAINY DAY WOMAN

Not a whole lot going on here, but it's kind of funky all the same. It was wicked raining this morning while I was getting ready - thunder and all. But, if that means spring, bring it on! (I'm sure I will recant that comment in the coming weeks).

But, anyway, I've got my Bitten by SJP button-down ($10) with a pair of Tommy Hilfiger boyfriend jeans that I got last weekend at Goodwill for $4. I hemmed them a bit, so that I didn't have to roll up like 12' of denim. Now, they need some serious distressing. The wash is just a bit too BH90120 right now. I started to distress them last night, but was politely asked to stop cheese grating my jeans while watching Burn Notice. Apparently, I was causing some sort of noise violation during TV time. Fair enough. None the less, my cheese grater ( I have one specifically for distressing denim) and cheap single blade razor (does anyone actually use these to shave?) are patiently awaiting these jeans. There may even be just a tee weeny bit of bleach in their future...

Finishing touches: bad ass 90's belt from mom's closet and my sweet 4- inches- of- freedom booties. Have a great weekend,all!

TOTALLY WORTH THE INVESTMENT

Alright ladies, time to get a little personal. Of all the sales I rummage through and coupons I clip just to get the BEST deal around, there are some things worth the splurge. As you know, one is a great haircut and the other is a great bra. Nothing makes expensive clothes look cheap like the wrong undergarment. And of course, the reverse is true. A great bra can seriously up the ante of any great fitting top, no matter what the price point.

A couple of years ago, a local lingerie shop opened for business. It's owned by a mother and daughter, which I think is super cool, and they really know their stuff. While the bras are a little more expensive, it shows in the quality. I have been completely converted and could never buy another Target or cheap department store bra ever again. If you have never been professionally fitted, it may very well change your life! We tend to forget: an underwire should be COMFORTABLE, people! The process can sometimes be like buying jeans, you have try on LOTS of options before finding the PERFECT one, but once you do find the perfect one, you're set. I personally have fell head over heels for Betsey Johnson bras. The fit is so superb, it's like it was made just for me.

In the true spirit of things, there is, of course, a great sale to be mentioned. For all of you locals, Jezebel's Boutique is having a HUGE sale and fitting event today and tomorrow. I highly recommend checking it out. I promise you'll never be the same.

JEANS AND A T-SHIRT

I know, I can barely believe it myself. I'm so not a jeans and t-shirt kind of girl. But, I guess there's a classier way to do everything:

I was up super duper late last night, so needed something comfy and quick. The old standby AA tee and my new wide leg denim trousers from JCPenney for $10 were the perfect choice. I bought these ankle boots in college at an actual Candies store. Do those even exist anymore? I've gotten so much wear out of them and have actually had them re-heeled three times. The belt was scavenged from my PopPop's basement several year's ago (there's always tons of goodies down there) and the scarf (Nanny's) was laying on my dresser this morning, so I just threw it on for a little color. I think it works.

Hopefully, I'll get more sleep tonight, but if not, the weekend is just one day away...

ROCK CLIMBING

What a pretty day to play outside! I had a doctor's appointment this morning and took advantage of my few moments of sunshine to grab these picks. It's still a little brisk, but the sun feels good.

So, I just realized that writing a daily style blog totally busts you when wearing the same pants two days in a row. I have no shame...

Here they are again - my black Target skinnies! Today, they're paired with one of my two rock tees (Jimi Hendrix tee, Charlotte Russe, Sale $10), my NY & Co velveteen blazer found on super sale for $21, an inherited scarf from my Nanny, and a pair of Minnetonka moccasins ($37). Everyone should have a pair of moccasins. They're the perfect alternative to sneakers. Or slippers, for that matter.

I think it's time to wash my jeans. They're getting a little stretched out in the knee area. Maybe if I just walk straight-legged the rest of the day...

WHO SAYS CAPES ARE FOR SUPERHEROES?

Fun stuff today. Lots of old paired with some new. My black skinnies (Target, $27), printed chiffon blouse (Ross, $7), and Payless heeled oxfords are reworked with this super cozy, capety (my husband doesn't believe this is a real word - his instincts may be right) sweater, once again pulled from the Sears clearance rack for $10.49. And of course, the infamous topper. Feeling a little Parisian today.

But the best part:

I've been wanting a cape for some time now. Not only because it's something different, but because it's something that is totally functional to wear over thick winter blazers, dolman sleeves and of course, capety sweaters. So, when my mom pulled this beautiful red wool cape out on Sunday, I could feel my face just light up. It is an incredibly well-crafted piece of my grandmother's that my mom brought home for me. I put it on today and felt great. A little superhero maybe, but a lot fabulous definitely.

MONDAY MOTIF

In college, I had a film professor who's number one rule for film-making was "Once, a mistake. Twice, a mistake. Three times, a motif." In the spirit of his words, I am creating my own little Monday motif with my $8.99 Sears dress. For the third Monday straight, I'm mixing it up once again. This time it's layered over a pink and white striped Gap button-down (sale, $11) and cinched with a wide Converse belt (Target, sale $5). It's finished with black HUE tights and my Payless heeled oxfords. Hmm...what can I wear it with next week? Happy Monday!

HEAD CASE

Like everyone, I go through style phases quite often. But, one phase that I frequently come back to is the hat phase. When I was younger, I wore them all of the time. (Please excuse the ridiculousness that was the 90's in that last photo.)

I loved hats, which I think really tickled my grandmother. She came from a generation where you had a hat for every occasion, including no occasion at all. One of my favorite things to do was raid the many, many closets in her big, old farmhouse and try on all of the hats. They were amazing, and all stored with such care in their original hat boxes.

A few years ago, my grandmother passed away and I was lucky enough to inherit a few of these treasured pieces. Unfortunately, until now, I wasn't in much of a hat phase or I probably would have been more diligent about laying claim to more of them. Sadly, I'm not even sure where many of them ended up. But, I did walk away with some great relics and finally re-discovered them last night. But this time with a re-discovered fondness for head wear.

I've been thinking about building more of a hat collection since I've been so attached to my tweed Gap hat this season. So, I remembered about the beautiful hat boxes that I have laying around and dug in. This is what I came out with:

Imagine my excitement when I uncovered a couple of these styles that have been so popular lately. My favorite right now is the black fabric floppy-brimmed fedora, complete with hat pin (upper left corner). I had NO idea that I had this one. The funky white wool fedora is pretty sweet, too. I think I'd need a pretty special occasion to flaunt this one. And if I'm ever invited to a Oompah-Loompah polo match, this brown bubbly hat with the polka dots AND netting will come in perfect! The fur beanie is amazing and truly spot on right now. And I will definitely be sporting the burnt orange brimmed knit hat soon. The cream beret is one of three. The others are navy blue and brown. The brim is pretty wide, so it was a little tricky to figure out how to get it to sit on my head correctly. Aren't they all so much fun? I'm so lucky to come from a long line of such stylin' ladies. What's your favorite?

Now, off to watch the Oscars. Enjoy the rest of your weekend!

EARLY BIRD

Few things beat an early Sunday morning breakfast with good friends! We were up and at 'em at 9:30 this morning with some good chow and great company to start the day. And since I couldn't wait to wear one of my newly discovered hats, here it is:

The hat is one of the uncovered wonders of a previous generation, paired with a scarf of my Nanny's that my mom gave me yesterday. As usual, I'm wearing an American Apparel tee ($22), Limited jeans from TJMaxx ($13) and a cardigan from BonTon ($10) worn purely for functional reasons. I can't wait until it's warm enough for a tee only.

GETTING A LITTLE FOCUS

Yay! I finally got a tripod!

Up until this point, all of my photos have been taken in the exact same location everyday. There's a very good explanation for this: I didn't have a tripod and that location is next to a large window and more importantly, just far enough away from the DVD rack which contains a shelf at the perfect height for self-portraiture. Unfortunately, because my x-ray vision is just not what it used to be, I couldn't view anything in the camera before shooting, including the focus. So, it's pretty much been a crap shoot - literally.

Until now...

Now, I can take pictures here (please ignore the crap under the table):

And here:

And all over town! But I haven't gotten that far yet... YET. Just wait. The fur vest was a gift from my parents a few years ago. It's a little big, but it works perfectly just wrapped and secured with a belt (from my mom's closet). Just a long sleeve Target tee underneath and my new wide leg denim trousers from JCPenney for $10, which I got a couple of weeks ago during my clearance rack raid. Of course I had to hem them a few inches, but they're very soft and have a nice drape to them.

Highlight #2 for the day? Got my tax stuff prepared for my mom - the bean counter and incredibly generous person for graciously crunching our numbers every year. 2 incomes + 2 home-based businesses = no tax fun. Thanks, mom!

And, I got to see the 'rents today during a short jaunt to the countryside for an old friend's birthday. Now, completely exhausted and off to bed. G'nite!

CATCHING UP: BLOG AWARDS

Earlier this week, Danielle over at Fell 4 Fashion tagged me with this awesome award. Thanks, Danielle! Now, it is my turn to pass this along to a few faves of my own.

In no particular order, I would like to pass this award on to:

Tamia at The Style Sample She has such an awesome sense of style and an even better sense of humor - which is just as important in my book!

Karla at Karla's Closet I only wish I had been this cool in my teens! She has such an edgy, yet sharp look. Very inspiring!

Bare Foot in Boots at Passion for Fashion She was one of my first followers and she's putting together and very inspired blog herself.

Thanks ladies! I hope you enjoy your awards.

In other business: Last month, my wonderful mother-in-law and blogger extraordinaire (seriously, her blog is AMAZINGLY well-researched and so passionately written) Louise at Months of Edible Celebrations gave me my very first award. I was still new to the blogging thing and was quite a slouch about posting it. Isn't is pretty? I'm going to tuck this one away for a rainy day.

Writing this blog for the last month has brought me great satisfaction. I love and appreciate the fact that there are people out there that enjoy what I have to say about the things that interest me the most. In addition to the writing, I am forever amazed at other bloggers' masterpieces. Everyone brings something different to the table and it has provided hours of entertainment and tons and tons of inspiration. So, keep reading and keep writing, everyone!

Tweed.G.I.F.

Is anyone else thankful that it is FINALLY Friday? It's been a week. Need more sleep.

I'm feelin' the slouchy menswear thing today. Started with my favorite tweed Gap hat ($9.50), then added one of the greatest sweaters I own. It's super soft and has that sweatshirt appeal without being quite so casual looking. I picked this up at JCPenney, but waited several weeks for it to go on sale. Seeing as how everything there goes on sale at least once a month, there's no reason in the world to pay full price! So, anyway, I waited for the sale and then used a coupon on top of that, so I walked away with it for $18, half of it's original price! The trousers are Gap (sale+coupon, $35ish) and go swimmingly well with my $6.74 Target shoes from a couple of weeks ago. I dig it.

I've also figured out how to post larger pictures and how to modify the Blogger template to better fill the screen. God bless the internets. Happy Friday, everyone!

BABY'S GOT A NEW PAIR OF BOOTIES

I think I'm in love. Heart palpitations? Check. Sweaty palms? Check. Weak in the knees? Check. Yeah, I'd say it's love. But aren't they dreamy?


Last week, I was sooooo lucky to be one of five winners of Lucky Style Spotter's "Under $100 Contest" and received a shopbop.com gift card for $100. Thank you sooooo much for everyone who rated my outfit and thank you Lucky Style Spotter. I got my gift card last Thursday at about 9:15AM and placed my order on shopbop.com at about 9:17AM. I don't mess around.

Shopbop.com is a really great online boutique that carries lots of designers and really unique pieces. It's also quite out of my price range and $100 doesn't go too far. Naturally, I went straight to the sale section and ended up with these most AMAZING Jeffrey Campbell booties for $22.50 (after redeeming my prize). They were regularly $175. They are now my most prized pair of shoes. And I love them :)


With my extra 4 inches of pure bliss, I was feeling a little bad-ass this morning. Hence, the cargos (Gap, sale $25) and studded belt (Express, sale $10). I tried to keep the rest pretty simple with just a lightweight Target tee. I feel so fabulous and loving it. I had to laugh, though, when my husband suggested that I not wear them because it's snowy/sleety out. "Hahahaha," I said. "You don't take newborns out in the snow, do you?" No, these rode to work securely tucked away in my "I (heart) Shoes" bag and were changed into once safely inside. The ole' Mister Rogers switcharoo.

So, I beg the question...


WHO'S

SHORT

NOW?!

Okay, still me, but whatever...

ON THE RISE

Winter is falling from the sky once again today. Boo... So, just trying to keep warm and comfy while counting down the days until spring.

I'm having a love-hate relationship with my skirt today. Love it when I'm standing ... still, that is. Hating that it seems to be made for someone with a lot less curvy action in the skirt area. Last night, I chopped about 7" off the hem and may have gone too far. This is why friends don't let friends hem clothing after 11pm. Measure twice, cut once. Measure twice, cut once. And then, walk around in it before cutting once. Oh, well. I suppose it works with super dark tights.

The best part is that this is the third time I've owned this skirt. I first bought it in white when I worked at the Gap in Santa Monica. Then, I hemmed it. Then, I physically grew out of it. Next, I bought the same Gap skirt in dark blue at Plato's Closet. Then, I hemmed it. Then, I bleached the crap out of it. Then, I mentally grew out of it. This time, I bought it in yet another size for $10 at a second-hand store. Then, I hemmed it. Then, ... well, you get it...

Anyway, check out my awesome jewelry:


These are my 2 most special pieces - made by my mom with turquoise that we bought in New Mexico en route to Los Angeles when I was in college. Love, love, love them!

As far as the rest, AA tee, Target sweater (gift), Kohl's boots ($27), HUE tights and the Gap skirt from hell.

OH, SNAP!

I can't believe how cool this is! Check out glamour.com's Slaves to Fashion blog. Thank you so much for choosing me!

Click image for larger view.

BRIGHT SUNHSINE-Y DAY

Today, I'm definitely one of those people you want to shoot before you've had your morning cup of coffee. The sun is shining so brightly, which makes me a very happy and chipper little bird! It's so bright, in fact, that my camera didn't even use it's flash this morning, which made taking pictures more fun since I didn't have to wait for the flash to recharge between each shot. Whee!

Then, I got to work and enjoyed a nice hot cup of coffee. And THEN, my husband called to tell me that UPS came and brought my NEW SHOES! So, yes, new shoes is most likely the root of my elation, especially because they are new shoes that I bought with my gift card that I won last week. But the sun certainly ups the ante...

Monday is a 2-job day, so it's a long one. My second job is a no-jeans gig, so I generally end up wearing a dress, which suits me just fine. This is the same dress that I wore last Monday, just remixed a little. In case you've forgotten, the dress is from Sears for $8.99 (how could you forget that?) and today is paired with a black and white striped turtleneck from Ross for $2.99, thrown over HUE tights with my flat fringy boots (Kohl's, sale $26.99) and topped off with a vintage scarf from my grandmother, Marnie.

The scarf adds the perfect hit of color and though you can't really see it in the photos, it even includes my favorite. I'll give you a hint: It rhymes with custard mellow...

NEW DRESS NIGHT...

Another treasure from last weekend's shopping trip: this floral frock that I am loving. It's so fun to get dressed up and go out for a nice dinner. It doesn't happen too often, so I like to go all out when it does.

This is another dress that I tried on two different times in December and January, but with no place to wear it, decided against the purchase. But, like most of my purchases from Sears last weekend, it was only $8.99 and this time was a no-brainer. Especially because I was looking forward to having something new and dressy to wear out this weekend. And the best part? It fit right off the rack with NO hemming!

Had to keep it wintry with HUE tights and the first pair of stilettos I bought as a post-college adult. The first in a chain reaction since! They are so cute: black velvet peep-toes with a satin bow. I'll have to get a better picture of them in the future. And the finishing touch is the vintage black velvet clutch from my grandmother's collection. I've had it for over two years and this is the first time I've actually used it. It's perfect, though.

Hope you all had a wonderful V-day weekend!

FELINE FRIDAY

Working that retro-inspired look today. Once again, I had to dress from the bottom up, starting with a pair of "sensible" patent flats bought on sale at JCPenney for $8 and paired with my JCP skinny jeans for $25. Next up, yet another mustard yellow top. I just can't seem to get enough of it! This is from last weekend's shopping trip and was a great find on the clearance rack at Sears for only $8.99!


I love the detailing on this blouse. The boxy pleating is so reminiscent of art deco architecture. It is actually a very similar design to the old hardwood bedroom furniture I inherited from my grandmother. Very cool. Then, I set it all off with a leopard cardi I bought several years ago at NY&Co.

Today's the hubby's birthday and I'm very much looking forward to an amazing birthday / Valentine's day meal tonight at the most FABULOUS local restaurant - Kelly's. And of course, I have a new frock I'm very much looking forward to debuting for the occasion. Whee!

One last thought: All of you shopaholic ladies out there, go check out "Confessions of a Shopaholic." It's a huge break for a very beautiful and special funny girl: Krysten Ritter. Be sure to check her out!

SHOT THROUGH THE ARSE!

Hehehehehe... I totally made myself giggle out loud last night while laying in bed, thinking about what I would blog about today. Come on. I know I've got some Bon Jovi fans out there that can completely appreciate my dorkdom.

Anyway, this is me today...


My awesome banner day yesterday took a little bit of a dip at about 2:15PM when I became the proud recipient of a cortisone shot to the hip. Not fun, kids. Especially, when you're left with the comforting words of "Put some ice on it, take ibuprofen, and it will probably feel worse before it gets better." Awesome.

So, needless to say, today is a sneaker day. And I'm totally sitting at work in yoga pants as well. Just don't tell anyone. Of course, I'm wearing a trusty AA t-shirt and this cool double-breasted grandpa cardi from Target. I think I actually paid full price for this, but I KNOW I used a gift card to make the purchase. HA!

And, in keeping with the shooting theme of things, I pulled out the revolver necklace that so often kind of creeps people out. Hmmmm ... I don't get it.

Oh, well. It's probably all for the better anyway, seeing as how it's soooooo windy today that Dorothy and Toto are probably three-quarters of the way to OZ by now. And hopefully by next week, I'll be able to painlessly sport those killer platforms I've been dying to wear! Now, I just need someplace to go...

IT'S A BANNER DAY!

Man, oh, man ... they don't get much better than today. First of all, I love my outfit today and found some great treasures last night to add to it. More on that in a minute. Secondly, I saw this beautiful rainbow this morning on the way to work. It's not a great picture. It was taken out of the driver's window from the passenger's seat, while leaning over my husband who was kind enough to drive very slowly until I got my camera out and snapped the picture. What a guy! Thirdly, the temperature today is supposed to be a record high (almost 60F) - yay! And lastly, I WON SOMETHING! ~ Thanks to all who voted for me. ~ And ... it's not even noon.

Now, on to the good stuff ...


Today's all about really simple pieces spiced up with a few special details. You'll recognize my favorite Gap hat (sale, $9.50) and black skinnies (Target, sale $27), paired with a gray button down from Steve and Barry's SJP collection ($9.99) and my new shoes from Saturday's shopping extravaganza (Target, $6.74). I don't know what drew me to these shoes. They don't really seem like my style and they're kind of ugly in that updated old lady kind of way, but for some reason, I really like them. Maybe it also has something to do with the fact that if I bought one pair of shoes on sale for $6.74 and one pair at regular price for $29.99, then it was more like I bought 2 pairs of shoes on sale for only $18 each. I don't know - I can rationalize my way out of anything.

Because it's soooo warm today, I was able to break out a lighter jacket. It was a Christmas present from my mom which she secretly bought at Gap after I pointed it out one day. And even better, she only paid $16 of its regular $88 price tag, because she's awesome and I learned from the best.

Since I was in that updated old lady kind of mood last night, I went fishing through all of the fun jewelry I inherited from my grandma Marnie and found this really kitschy kitty cat pin. Added to that is this really pretty locket bracelet that I picked out of my Nanny's jewelry box a couple of weeks ago. Both are priceless pieces, even if they're not worth anything at all.

And another shot of my ugly shoes :)

Hope you all have as great of a day as I'm having!

ANOTHER DAY, ANOTHER TEE/ JACKET COMBO

I'm starting to think I should have called this blog "Ode to the T-Shirt." I think I wear one at least 3 days a week. What can I say? They're comfortable, go with everything and it's the perfect way to keep things looking casual for my oh-so-casual job.

Once again, mixing up the faves: my knit non-leggings pants (NY&Co., sale $30), my slouchy Target boots ($27), the most amazing military-inspired BRIGHT YELLOW jacket (The LOFT, sale $30) - this might actually be my FAVORITE piece right now, and I'll give you three guesses where my t-shirt is from. Seriously, I'm not going to tell you...

Hump day's only one day away! Enjoy your Tuesday.

MOD-DAY

Ah, Monday. Or should I say Mod-day? Today, I'm debuting a couple of my weekend purchases. I tried on this knit dress from Sears in December, but decided it wasn't worth the $50 price tag (a little out of my price range for something so simple). So, you can imagine my elation when I nabbed it for $8.99. I'm pretty sure it was the last one in my size, and it wasn't in it's proper place, so I really had to rummage for it. Sears - 0. Me - 1.

I did immediately replace the boring black belt it came with with this old white leather belt from my mom's closet. A little more interesting I think. I've tried to pop the dress a little more by throwing it over my new purple HUE tights from the clearance rack at Bon-Ton for $6.30. Unfortunately, this picture doesn't show just how purple they really are.

Now, my preferred footwear with this would be the killer 5" platform, peep-toe booties I just got, but because I'm dealing with a nagging back/hip/leg injury thing (and I'll admit, they're not really practical for work), I opted for the "sensible" choice and wore my black and white tweedy ballet flats (Target, $10). There was definitely some inner conflict over this one. I'm not a big fan of any injury, but the ones that impede my choice of shoes just really peeve me.

But, seeing as how the warm weekend has melted about 80% of the snow and I can see the grass and our car is now red again (as opposed to the salt-coated white color it's been since December), I really can't complain too much. Happy Monday, kids!

ALL HAIL THE SHOPPING GODS!

So, 99% of the time, I hate this time of year. I'm sick of the cold, there's no more major holidays for a while and spring is still several, SEVERAL weeks away. And to add insult to injury, all of the stores have all of their spring clothes out, just rubbing it in my face. But there's still that 1% of the time when I love this time of year. Today was that day. End. Of. Season. Sales. And today, I hit the mother load.

Here's a quick run-down on my purchases:
1 pair of wide leg jeans: 9.99
+ 1 denim skirt: 7.49
+ 1 dressy dress for V-day / my hubby's b-day: 8.99
+ 1 amazing black dress that I admired back in December, but it wasn't on sale: 8.99
+ 1 yellow bib-front blouse: 8.99
+ 1 sparkly, pleat-front skirt: 8.99
+ 1 geometric print chiffon skirt: 5.99
+ 3 pairs of HUE tights: 18.48
- 1 denim skirt I returned 2 hours later: -7.49
+ 1 circle print, high-waisted pencil skirt: 13.19
+ 1 pair of open-toed platform booties: 29.99
+ 1 pair of maroon heeled loafers: 6.74
+ 1 bottle of Liquid Drainer Max Gel: 3.49

... for a GRAND TOTAL of: $124.04 (Wow! That's even better than I thought!)

Just to put things in perspective: If I had paid regular price for all of these items, the GRAND TOTAL would have been $401.47. Patience is a virtue.

LOSING MY HEAD

So, I somehow managed to cut my head off in all of my pictures this morning. I'd like to think it is because I miraculously grew 3 inches overnight, but most likely, it's due to the fact that the zoom on my camera was on a little and I didn't realize it. Bummer, dude. I will say, though, it is a rather literal depiction of how I've been feeling this week - my head is just not all there. I've forgotten a dentist appointment and a meeting and have yet to get the appropriate amount of sleep all week. All I can say is TGIF!

Anywho ... I digress.

I love this concoction. So much so, that I wore it last Friday, too. But I was out of town and didn't get a chance to document it. Along with my ever-present black knit NY&Co. pants bought on sale for about $30, I've got my old standby boots from Target ($17.50). On a side note, I wear these pants a lot and would just like to clarify that they are NOT leggings. They have a zipper AND pockets! Just wanted to put that out there. :)

Now, the tops are a little more special. I'm introducing the second addition to my new rock tee collection: a Jimi Hendrix tee found on the clearance rack at Charlotte Russe for $10. Worn over it is one of the most divinely-fitting blazers I own. It's this gorgeous plum-colored velveteen that has such a rich look, and I snagged it for a bargain at NY&Co. It was only $21! A mere FRACTION of it's regular price of $78. I was just downright giddy when I bought this - love the 70's rocker feel it adds.

Now, if I can just keep myself together until the weekend... Happy Friday, everyone!

WHAT A BETTY

It's been a bit of sad week here, as I had to say good bye to one of the special women in my life. My Nanny. She may very well be the one who passed down the great love of shoes I so possess. And my mom always says that she was very Jackie O back in the day. But, of course, she was much, much more than the clothes on her back and the shoes on her feet, and she will not soon be forgotten. I'll always love my Nanny.

WHAT'S YOUR VICE?

I bought this jacket last spring on a clearance rack at JC Penney for $30 and haven't worn it very much. I have this weird complex where I feel like a linebacker in jackets, yet I can never pass up buying a jacket that fits really well. I think I may have had a breakthrough this week. Now, I'm digging the jacket. I will say, though, when I wear this blazer with the sleeves rolled up, all I can think about is the flashback episode of Friends where Chandler and Ross are in their Miami Vice/Flock of Seagulls phase and continually and quite dramatically push up their rolled blazer sleeves throughout the entire scene. Cracks me up every time.

As for the rest of the outfit, I'm just remixing my favorite pieces - American Apparel tee, ($22 - this is the third one this week! AND I'm SOOOO excited to have randomly walked into a local shop on my way to lunch yesterday to find that they sell my FAVORITE AA tee - The Deep V. Yippee!), my faithful black Converse skinnies (Target, $27) and my Payless heeled oxfords from last season ($25, I think). And because it just feels like a hat day, my favorite H&M beanie ($7).

It's still bitter cold today, but looks like the weekend is going to be a beaut! Can't wait!

THE FONZERELL-A

Hehehe... I've been wanting a fitted motorcycle jacket for a while, but just didn't want to shell out a lot of money for one. Especially knowing that until I can afford a luxe leather version, I'll have to settle for a cheaper one that I won't wear ALL the time, as I would it's more expensive counterpart. So, given the above, I would NEVER pay $72 dollars for this faux patent leather biker jacket. HOWEVER, I would totally pay $7.20 for it as I did the other day at Kohl's. Score!

It's a little over the top, but it's great to jazz up a jeans (The Limited via TJ Maxx, $13) and t-shirt (American Apparel, $22) kind of day. I played down the toughness a little with a delicate locket that my Grandmother bought me on my 18th birthday and my black and white tweed ballerina flats from Target ($10 - worn a la Mister Rogers, of course, since it snowed a little last night).

Now, sit on it. Varoom...

THREE FOR TUESDAY

I just couldn't stop layering this morning! Well, actually I couldn't stop layering last night when I decided what I would wear today. If I made these decisions in the morning, I would never get out of the house on time. But, I have to admit, even with three shirts on, I'm pretty darn comfortable.

My favorite long sleeve tissue weight tee from Target ($12) is layered under a chiffon, chain print blouse from NY & Co., but bought at Ross for $7. I bought it way back in August at an equestrian-inspired moment and haven't worn it until today. Then, I decided that I hate the puff-sleeves on the blouse, so they must be covered at all times. Enter sunshine cardigan (BonTon, sale $20). The jeans are SUPER stretchy, therefore SUPER easy to wear (JCPenney, sale $20) and fit nicely into my OTHER Target boots ($28).

It was definitely a "shopping in the closet" kind of day, hoping to find something great that has been long-forgotten. I managed to unearth a few goodies, but decided that I still need to do some mid-winter shopping. Hmmm ...