GRR...THESE PANTS

Today's outfit had to meet very specific criteria: A) No denim (I'm a glutton for punishment, and decided to pick up another WW meeting tonight, so it's another long work day) B) Must include sneakers and C) NO WINTER ITEMS

I have very limited choices for non-denim trousers. Three choices, to be exact, and one of those is wool, so they were out. These pants are from JCP ($20ish) and were bought on a whim for an interview. They fit kind of funky though and the one pant leg won't get off my darn sock! My husband suggested wearing jeans to work and changing before my second gig, but since I'm extremely stubborn and just a general pain in his ass, I immediately disregarded him. Hmm ... he may have had a point...

So, anyway, this is what it is: AA shirt ($22), black pants, a funky scarf (H&M $10) and my beloved gold Keds ($26). Added a little bracelet (Claire's, $5/3) for flair. Life will be so much easier when it's warm enough to wear skirts sans tights.

LONG DAY INTO NIGHT

This was yesterday's outfit. Sunday was our big Day of Fun and it was a late night. We went to see Gaslight Anthem in P-burgh. It was an AWESOME show. The guys were really fun and very energetic. Check them out here.

Before the show, we went to IKEA. It was very fun, but very packed. Just like EVERY time we go to IKEA, we spent about 2 hours wandering around the showroom, then 15 minutes running around the warehouse trying to find our goods, another 10 minutes of me convincing my husband that everything will indeed fit in the car (I'm a Tetris genius), and the longest 10 minutes EVER standing in line at the checkout ready to kill each other as a result of extreme exhaustion and hunger. I swear, it's really fun, though.

So, then we went to the show and as I said before, decided to drive home afterwards. I always wondered who the losers were who left before the encore. Apparently, they are people who have spent the entire afternoon at IKEA and still have to drive 3 hours to get home. We totally left before the encore :(

Then came the ride home. I promised that I would do my best to stay awake and keep my husband company the whole way back. And I did. Unfortunately, because we purchased 3 rather large bookcases at IKEA and had to put half of the back seat and the front passengers seat down in order to fit them in the car, I had to keep him company while staring at the back of his head for 3 hours. Every conversation sounded like this:

Husband:
blah, blah, blah, blah, blah...

Me:
HUH?

Husband:
BLAH, BLAH, BLAH, BLAH, BLAH...

And so it went for 3 hours...

So, yesterday, we did take a couple hours in the morning to sleep in a bit, then I had PT, then off to work and then work after work. I got this sweater on sale at Target for $15. It's so easy to toss on over all black, as I did. I added the blue beads (Target, 2 years ago) for a little color and my riding boots (Kohl's, $16). Works for me!

SUNDAY SAFARI

It's been a couple of days since I posted. On Friday, I took pictures, but the lovely sun blew them out so badly that I couldn't use them. But that's okay, because is was gorgeous! And yesterday, I wore a rockin' outfit (if I do say so myself) but got so wrapped up in the day's happenings that I forgot to take a picture. Oh well, that just means that I will have to wear it again very soon!

Today, we're going on a little day trip. It's going to be a long, long day with lots of driving, walking and standing, so comfort is number one. First up, IKEA. Yay! I mean, who doesn't love IKEA? Then, dinner with some friends and on to see a show tonight. Unfortunately, we'll be driving back after the show, which means we won't be getting back until 2 or 3 in the morning. I don't know why we insist on doing this to ourselves every time we go see a show, but as long as it's worth it, I don't care. Especially since my husband will be driving. I told him to come up with a list of things to talk about if he expects me to stay awake for the whole drive back. I see a couple LARGE coffees in my future...

Okay, on to the real reason you're here. It's not a stupendous outfit today, but it has to be functional. My super stretchy = super comfy jeans (JCP, $20), paired with my gold suede Keds (endless.com, $26), topped off with all thrifted finds: a short-sleeve sweat shirt (Lucky Brand, $2), an awesome safari jacket (Talbots, $2), and long gold chains ($2).

Now, if my driver (a.k.a. husband) would get his butt in gear, we can hit the road!

P.S. I hate the days when I have to wash my hair. It looks like butt. Grr...

HAVING A BALL

So, I've been having some back issues lately, caused mostly by the fact that I spend 75% of my life sitting in front of a computer. Add too much running and over stretching on top of that and you've got a lovely little clusterf*** of deeply rooted evil in the base of your spine. Fun... I've been going to PT for a few weeks now, which is very helpful, but the healing process is pretty slow. And patience is not exactly my forte. In addition to laying off the heels for a while, I've decided to replace my desk chair at work with an exercise ball. It's full of bouncy goodness and allows my butt the freedom to roll around to hit different sit points. The downfall is that every time I get up and walk away, my "chair" rolls halfway across the room. Oopsie!

Anyway, I digress...once again.

Today's outfit is a direct result of more digging around in the back of my closet. At 12:30 in the morning. I can't imagine why I'm tired. But, I think it was worth it. I bought this gauzy little number on clearance last year at Old Navy for like $10. And even though I swore off tights two days ago, I really wanted to wear a dress today, so I bit the bullet and pulled them out again. I tried to give the flowy dress more structure and sharpness by adding the black boots (Kohl's, $16) and gray belt (vintage, mom's closet). Yes, I think I like it.

WHAT DAY IS IT?

I've fallen back into the bad habit of not laying my clothes out the night before. Mostly due to the fact that I've been working on projects waaaaay too late. Then, I sleep in and end up throwing on anything I can find. For all of the 4 minutes of effort I put into today's outfit, I think I'm okay with it. The ruffled shirt (JCP, sale $7) adds a lot of interest, along with the argyle cardi (BonTon, sale $20). The black skinnies (Target, sale $27) are old stand-bys and my new favorite shoes, the gold Keds (endless.com, sale $26).

Hope this week goes fast! Who am I kidding - is tomorrow seriously Thursday already?! Visit from my little bro, IKEA, and Gaslight Anthem this weekend. (In between all of the work, of course.) Can't wait!

CONTROVERSIAL STRIPING

I'm pairing those controversial stripes again. Didn't feel much like a skirt this morning, so I remixed the cardi (Sears, $10) with a striped tee (Old Navy, $10) and flared jeans (Limited, TJMaxx, $13). I'm soooo sick of wearing tights and can't wait until it's warm enough for bare legs. Then, I get to blind everyone with my ridiculous whiteness. Mmm...can't wait. So, jeans it is! Finished it off with the new gold kicks (Keds, Endless, $26). I'm lovin' them!

P.S. I just realized that this entire outfit cost a mere $59. Go me!

BLACK AND BLUE

I can't believe it's Monday already. I probably say that a lot, though. We had wonderful company this weekend which was fun, but makes the weekend go too fast.

I wasn't very prepared today. I didn't select my wardrobe until this morning, which is a bad idea because I can barely function, let alone style. So, I went for old faithful - that darn $8.99 black dress from Sears. This is not how I intended on wearing it, but my initial thought looked awful, so with 30 seconds to spare, I threw on the boots (Kohls, $27), grabbed a giant wood cuff (Claires, $7) and ran out the door.

The earrings are new and I received several compliments on them. Wood earrings are a summer staple for me. I'm sure to get lots of use out of them. My previous wood earrings broke on the dance floor of a local dive bar. Sad, but at least they went out with a bang.

Anyway, for any locals, I got the earrings at Crushed Ice for $3. Sadly, they're closing up shop. But happily, everything is 40% off.

"See" you all Tuesday! Night!

GOLDY TWO SHOES

I'm so glad this week is over. It started Monday morning at 7:30am and didn't end until last night at 10pm. Way too many 12-hour days for a non-doctor. Bleh...

Anyway, I made it to Friday and this is what I wore. It was an extremely chocked full day of finishing projects at job #1, followed by a three hour meeting about 30 minutes away for job #2, so comfort was key.

In my quest for a pair of uber-comfy spring/summer shoes, I came across these Keds. This month's issue of Lucky had a feature on old school canvas tennies and I was super excited at the prospect of reasonably wearable stylish shoes. However, canvas shoes and I do NOT get along. I may as well strap pirahnahs to my feet, because that's what canvas does to me. So, you can imagine how stoked I was to find these perforated suede Keds on Zappos. And even better? They're this really cool, subtle gold color. SWEEEET! I loved them, but they were $50 and Zappos rarely has sales on current styles like this. I was so desperate for comfort, though, that I figured I would eventually get them anyway.

But, since I always think twice before paying full price (that's right, I rhymed), I used my good friend Froogle to scout out all of the possibilities. I simply searched for "perforated Keds" and to my sheer delight, Endless.com had the EXACT same pair on clearance for $26! AND they still offer free shipping and returns. Huzzah! So, seeing as how they only had ONE pair left in MY size, I totally jumped all over them. It was truly meant to be. I love it when that happens.

So, they came on Thursday and I immediately busted them out for wear on Friday. Just a side note, if you ever get a pair of Keds and they don't feel quite right, their insoles come out very easily. Once replaced with my own Dr. Scholl's for my annoyingly geriatric feet, it made ALL the difference and they fit like a dream. Now, I just can't wait for them to get all worn in and buttery soft.

The rest of the outfit is pretty simple. My husband thought the shoes were so cool and said I looked like a 70's mod girl (*blushing*), which then led to a conversation of when mod existed. And then, he told me not to quote him on my blog. Oops...

Anyway, black Converse skinnies from Target ($27), Bitten by SJP gray button down ($10), scarf from my mom, brought back from Germany when I was in middle school. And... more big hair.

If you read all that, thanks for hanging in there and have a stupendous weekend!

FLOWER GIRL

This may be a little hippy-dippy for me, but I'm lovin' it. Though I can't wait to wear this sundress as an actual sundress, I was more than happy to change it up a bit by layering it over a few basics. The sundress is Gap, thrifted at the local Goodwill for $3, worn over a Target tee ($12), HUE tights and Kohl's fringed boots ($27). I wanted to hem the dress, but instead decided to tie it in the front. Adds a little more interest and creates some fun draping at the bottom.

It's another gorgeous day in the neighborhood, just not quite as warm. I got to work from home, though, so I was able to shoot some pictures in the mid-day sun while walking Iggy. Isn't he so stinkin' cute?! He's stealing my thunder, huh?

On a side note, I've been curling my hair the last couple of days. It was kind of big and 80's yesterday, but once I got used to the volume, I really like it. Flat irons make the best waves. Who'da thunk it?

LINEN 'N THINGS

Apparently, yesterday was the new Memorial Day, because I wasn't breakin' all sorts of rules. It was super warm and wonderful, so I not only wore white linen pants (JCP, $18), but I even wore flip-flips (Old Navy, $5). Gasp! After years of living in nothing but nasty rubber flip-flops all summer, last year I decided it was time to start wearing big girl shoes. Thus, these are the ONLY pair of flip-flops I wear anymore. Instead, I loaded up on several pairs of cute metallic flat sandals.

At any rate, I tempered all of the summer wears with my comfy flannel (Target boys, $5). Oh, I can't wait for the warm weather.

Sorry for the late post. Super duper busy this week. I'm actually still working ... ugh...

SLEEVES ARE OVERRATED

Dude, I took 40 pictures of myself this morning. Narcissistic much?

Anyway, I stood in the dressing room for a good amount of time pondering the purchase of this sleeveless jacket and man, am I glad that I ended up going for it. The longer I stood looking at it, the more outfits I thought I could wear it with and I knew I'd regret not getting it. It was on sale at Sears for $25 (what's with the Sears run lately?) - but it wasn't on extra sale, which is why I thought about it so long. Yes, I am that cheap.

I can't wait to wear it with summer florals and over sundresses (hopefully soon), but for now, it's paired over an AA tee with Limited jeans ($13, TJMaxx) and finished off with a vintage scarf from my grandmother and tomato red patent peep-toe flats ($7 or $8, Ross). Adds a little "spring" to my step.

I threw on my bright green swingy jacket so that I didn't look like a complete Debbie downer on such an exciting(hmm...) holiday. Happy St. Patty's Day!

BLUE MONDAY

Is the weekend seriously over already? Here it is Monday and that means no jeans today. I wore this vintage navy blue dress a couple weeks ago and today I'm remixing it with a couple changes. I opted for no long sleeve shirt in an effort to will spring into existence. Things are warming up a bit, so I should be okay. Unfortunately, I was not willing to forgo the tights. Just a wee too chilly for that. And since I'm in all out flats mode, I paired the vintage gray belt with snake skin buckle with a cute pair of metallic bronze faux snake skin ballet flats from JCPenney ($5, I think - super clearance). I really do love this dress. It has such a cute shape and is very easy to wear.

Math equation of the day: T-4 = :)
Get it?

A LITTLE HELP FROM MY FRIENDS

So, with spring and then summer right around the corner, I'm on the never-ending, seemingly fruitless search for a pair of ridiculously comfortable sandals that are still edgy and fashion forward. And I'll never complain about a little height. What's the most comfortable brand of shoes you've every owned?

FANTASY VS. REALITY

Oh, what I wouldn't give to be able to wear these fantastic red pumps all day. With no sore feet. And no achy back. Oh, what a dream that would be.

But, I live in the real world. Wear it's cold. And I have to walk. So, I had to swap the dreamy heels for the sensible boots and gloves and then a coat to boot. The weekend looks like it should be nice, so I'll have to add a little spring color.

You've seen all these pieces before. They're good Friday staples: Gap hat (sale, $9.50), AA tee, Sears sweater (sale $10), NY&Co pants (sale $30ish), and those damn boots again! Ooh and fairly new gloves from Kohl's on super sale for $5 (reg. $22).

A sure sign of spring? All the morning birds. Check out this woodpecker from outside of our house this morning. Isn't he cute?

SHIRT TALES

Since I've started this little blog o' mine, I've been so much more creative with my daily style. Otherwise, it's really easy to find a few outfits that you love and wear them every week. I'm totally guilty of this. The other thing blogging has encouraged me to do is to reach way back in the back of closet and start wearing pieces that haven't seen the light of day in years, if ever.

This is one such item. I bought the shirt dress a few years ago at the BonTon for $9. I always felt a little pantless wearing it before, because it was a little small. Now, it fits much better and worn over a slip works pretty well. Very comfy and simple. It's cinched with the map belt from my mom's closet, worn over HUE tights with my new Candies boots (Kohl's, sale $16). I made the earring several years ago, but haven't worn them in a while either. I think I'm going through a turquoise phase again.

The only downfall is that after a day of sitting, the back of the shirt gets kind of wrinkly and the fabric is so lightweight that I have that constant, nagging feeling that I'm mooning the world. Perhaps I shall invest in some cute leggings for next time...

THE FRINGE OF SPRING

What a beautiful day today was! Almost 61F and sunny! I've got the fever...

Felt like a cute skirt ensemble today, so I pulled out my shortened JCP paper bag waist skirt (sale, $24), paired it with my ruffly tee (JCP, sale $8) and a belt from my mom's closet. You can't quite see it in the photos, but it has a map printed on it. It's really cool. I finished the look with black HUE tights, my peace sign necklace and my Kohl's fringed boots ($26). Unfortunately, I had to put a cardigan on in the office, but it wasn't picture worthy.

Ooh...and I got to wear my sunglasses today. Yay for sun and all things springy!

BOTTOMS UP

Well... I had to wear sneakers today. Just for the comfort - my feet were begging for sneakers. So, I had to work from the bottom up. It is almost impossible to keep sneakers looking chic and not come off as immature (in the way I used to wear them in college).

The sneakers themselves have a metallic gold stripe on them, so that helps. Instead of wearing jeans, I added lightweight wool trousers from Gap (sale, $30ish). They had a cuff when I bought them, but cuffs don't work so well on me, so they had to go. For a little bit of laid-back funk, I tied a gray Steve & Barry's button-down ($10) over an American Apparel tee with a few accessories - silver hoops (Macy's sale, $9), wood cuff (Claire's, $7) and my Respect bracelet (Macy's $5 - charity buy).

The sneakers are Saucony. I bought them in the early fall, so that I would have some nicer looking sneaks for occasions like today. They are regularly $50 at most places, but I scoured the internets until I found a better deal, which of course, I did. I ended up getting them at onlineshoes.com for $30. They must have been trying to deplete they're inventory a little, because it was completely random. I did the same thing with my Minnetonka Mocs. I saved about $15 just by doing a thorough search at all online retailers. If you've never used Froogle, you're missing out. It's Google's product search engine and will find your item from several retailers and you can see who has the lowest price. Froogle is your friend.

I look like I'm going to kick somebody's ass in that left photo, but it's just my tired look. The husband and I were up waaay too late completely engrossed in an ER marathon. Mark and Elizabeth's baby Ella OD'd on the other daughter's extasy (sp?). But, no worries, she's in the clear. Gotta love TV on DVD.

TINY (AWKWARD) DANCER

Oh, dear. These are some ridiculous pictures. All those years I spent dancing in my youth and this is the best ballerina I can do. I look like a deranged pit-sniffer. Oh, well. If nothing else, I hope they make you giggle.

Anyway, today has to be a non-denim day because of my part-time gig after my full-time gig. And all I wanted to wear today was jeans. Grr. So, instead, I paired a striped shirt (Old Navy, sale $10) - since we now know that stripes can be paired with lots of different patterns- with this cream crocheted skirt (Target, sale $11ish). I bought this skirt a couple of years ago and it has become waaaay too big for me. I love the fabric so much though, so it has spent the last year in my clothes-to-alter pile, and I finally got so desperate for a springy poufy skirt that I altered it. Once upon a time, the top of the skirt was fitted and then the bottom flared out. But, since I was hungry for a poufier look and was not about to take the time to take in both the crocheted fabric and the lining, I just lopped off the top 4 or 5 inches and added a casing, through which, I laced a sash that I tied in a pretty little bow. I still may end up taking the hem up an inch or two, but we'll see. That can be a slippery slope.

And since my back problem (the root of all of my hip and leg issues and bane of my existence for the last six months) is still on the mend, I kept it simple with a pair of patent ballet flats (JCPenney, sale $8).

Now, I must twirl and swirl my way back to work.

GREENDAY

Yay, flickr is doing its thing again! Here's the coat I wore yesterday. Very springy. Even a little tres chic, no?

I picked this up at TJMaxx last year for $30. I couldn't resist the bright color and the swingy shape. It's got that cute mod feel with the giant buttons, bell sleeves and big collar. It's the perfect early spring cover-up.

Enjoy the weekend!

SPRING IS IN THE AIR

What a beautiful day today! The car thermometer even read 7oF at one point. Oh, how I can't wait 'til spring!

Because of such sentiments, I wanted to feel a bit airy and colorful today. So, I dug out an oldie, but goody. Paired it with my black knit pants and because I swore I'd wear them all week, my new boots. I'm still head over heels in love with them.

The best part of today was my coat, but flickr is on the fritz right now, so you will have to wait until tomorrow for that one. Until then, get all the sleep you can, because tomorrow night, we'll be an hour short.

Night!

STRIPES AND STRIPES FOREVER

Upon returning home from a shopping excursion a few weeks ago, I was trying on all of my new pieces and put together this outfit. I very enthusiastically, yet unsuccessfully, tried to convince my husband that yes, you can mix stripes. I'm sure of it, because a while back, Lucky magazine did a feature on mixing patterns. But, he just didn't buy it.

So, THEN, the other day I was doing my usual blog-reading and saw that Kansas Couture wrote a blurb on stripes and posted this picture from the Michaels Kors Fall Runway show:

And, since we all watch Project Runway (my husband included), we all know that MK is nothing, if not a lover of all things chic.

So, HA! I win (not that it's a competition, but yeah, it is...)

From top to bottom: striped cardigan from Sears' clearance ($10), striped dress from JCPenney's clearance ($25ish), and bag and boots from Kohl's clearance ($26 and $16, respectively).

And did you notice? - No tights! I'm living dangerously today and laughing in the face of March. This may turn ugly...

ZIG-ZAGAMUFFIN

Today is a definite dress down day. After two days of tights, the lingering winter chill and an incessant back/hip/leg injury, I just wasn't feeling up to snuff today.

I spent some time last night playing dress-up with my new boots and some pieces I'm excited to where for spring. Just documenting a few ideas for future reference, (which involves taking pictures of numerous outfits to keep on file - kind of dorky, I know, but that's me - anybody else guilty of this?) Anyway, I came across this sweater that I haven't worn all season, and possibly all last season, too. It was just the piece I was looking for to throw over a t-shirt and knit pants. And, it looked pretty funky with my favorite hat. I bought the sweater on clearance (of course) at BMoss for $15, if not less. The tee is AA ($22), pants are NY & Co. ($30) and the boots are my new acquisition that I promised I'd wear ALL week ($16, Kohl's). And every casual day needs a pair pair of big silver hoops, just to up the ante a bit. Sorry the pictures aren't so great today - I was in a bit of a rush this morning. This is what multi-tasking gets you.

Things are looking warmer for the rest of the week. Yippee! I know spring is coming ... I can smell it.

INSPIRATION AND AN ITCHIN' FOR STITCHIN'

I can't believe I've been blogging for two months already! It's been a blast and I'm loving everything about it, especially all of the readers who find my blurbs interesting enough to read everyday and then take the time to leave friendly comments.

Before entering the "blogosphere," I spent all of my web-surfing reading celebrity-based sites. Not for the gossip so much, but because I just couldn't get enough style inspiration. I was constantly looking for new ideas and new approaches to personal style. And like any other addict, I was building an immunity to these sites and was jonesin' for something stronger! So, I started searching for a few good style blogs. I quickly came to the conclusion that "real people" style is far more inspiring than celebs.

After popping in and out of several sites, I stumbled across What I Wore. I was immediately hooked! Not only because the style is fabulous, but because the author Jessica is the bee's knees! Though she lives in NYC and works in the fashion world, she is completely down to earth and her content is totally accessible, no matter what your fashion caliber. Here's what Jessica says about herself:

Image Courtesy of What I Wore

"I'm Jessica Schroeder. I like thrift shopping, sewing my own clothes and styling them up. I take pictures of myself (almost) everyday." Check out her blog for more!

After reading Jessica's blog for the first time, I was immediately inspired to start my own!

Recently, Jessica has started featuring guest editors and outfits. I responded to her call for more guests and was flattered to be featured on her site yesterday! Another very cool thing Jessica has started on her site is a sewing class. I do quite a bit of sewing myself, but struggle finding the time to do it (total bummer!). Jessica has taken the time to break down her projects step by step and has even put together a video tutorial. Best of all, anyone is welcome to follow along. Visit her site to start stitching today! You'll even learn to draft your own pattern!

Special thanks to Jessica for her guest feature, kind words of encouragement, and endless inspiration!

TWOSDAY

My new boots, take 2! Today is COLD! But, I'm not letting it get me down, I'm still wearing a skirt! Just with 2 pairs of tights is all.

I bought the cord skirt at Target ($16?) a while back and always envisioned it with flat knee-high boots. And it's finally come to fruition! Yay! I picked up the striped scoop neck at Old Navy for $10, as well as the earrings ($2ish) and the cardigan is another great find off of the clearance rack at Sears ($10).

All in all? Decent outfit, decent day.

SOLEMATES

Do you believe in soulmates? How about solemates? I do. After admiring all of this season's oh-so-beautiful and oh-so-comfortable flat riding boots, I had finally conceded to the fact that I was just never going to find a pair that would fit me. I've tried time and time again, trying on every pair of knee-high flat boots I come across, but to no avail. My legs are not only short (petite boots, anyone?) but they are rather curvy. No bird legs on this girl, and that's okay because they do a pretty good job of getting from point A to point B (this mindset has been almost 3 decades in the making). But, can't a short-stemmed, curvy girl get some boot-lovin'?!

Then, at last ... there they were when I was least expecting! When I had finally stopped looking! And, what's this? They're 80% off? There is a god! One successful try-on and $16 later, we lived happily ever after.

Isn't that a great story? You have warm fuzzies, don't you? As you can see, I got new boots and they are just divine. Hope you like them, because every outfit for the rest of the week will be built around them. Today, I pulled out a vintage dress I bought almost a year ago. I hemmed it and then never wore it until today. I don't know why, either, because I think it's pretty cute. It's layered over a $10 Bitten by SJP button-down and hue tights. The bangles are from Claire's (3 for $5) and my mom made the earrings. The belt, which has a snake skin printed buckle that doesn't show up very well in the pictures, is yet another from my mom's closet - I almost feel like I should stop making them look so cute for fear she'll ask for them back!

It's cold as can be today (luckily I have new boots), but at least it's not snowing! For once, we've been spared...