MENSWEAR MONDAY

I was feeling pretty tired and crampy this morning and really just wanted something pulled together, yet cozy and comfortable. It also feels more like late September than August, so something to keep me warm wasn't a bad idea either.



Because most of my wardrobe is currently residing in a giant pile, burying a clothes basket next to my bed, getting dressed is a little more challenging. I suffer from the whole "out of sight, out of mind" thinking sometimes. But, somehow, I managed to scrounge this together.

Not too many pieces - the waaaay too big trousers (JCP, $20ish) cinched with a Gap belt ($5) over a SJP grey oxford and finished with a pair of snakeskin flats. Oh, and my favorite handbag (Simply Vera, $29)!

I started my new part-time gig today, so I didn't want to wear jeans (though I was sure to ask if I can - and I can). These pants were the next best thing.

Still on the books today: meeting tonight, then the fair day #5. Burn count so far: 4, but only 2 have blistered. See you all tomorrow!

CALLING CARDS AND BIRTHDAY BOYS

With a super exciting weekend just around the corner, I decided to have a calling card made. Though, I guess technically, it's an email card since I opted to leave the phone number out. Either way, I think it's swell :)



In other news, today is Iggy Pop the Dog's birthday. He is 3 years old today. I guess that means that in dog years, he can legally drink now. Hmmm...

In celebration of his big day, we took him for a ride this morning and let him hang his head out the window. Needless to say, it was the high point of his day.

Here's one of my favorite "baby" pictures of him. Enjoy!

ONE PHOTO DAY

Grr...I'm still working out this whole indoor photo thing. It was also quite rainy today and I didn't get my pics in until later and also it was a crazy day.

I met with 2 clients before 10:30, then worked until 4 and then came home thinking we didn't have to go the fair tonight due to rain just to turn around and go to the fair. Whew!

I've worn all this stuff before, so I'll let you fill in the blanks :)
You might not recognize the boots, though. They used to look like this. I figured I was over the fringe and wanted a new look this year. For zero money, of course :)

DO YOU HEAR WHAT I HEAR?

Did you hear that loud squealing noise? That was summer coming to a screeching halt. I probably could've worn tights today and been okay. But I refuse to face that reality just yet.

I actually didn't plan my outfit last night and managed to not only be ready early this morning, but ended up really happy with what I pulled together. I haven't worn this shirt (Gap, $25ish) for a while and just felt like wearing it today. The skirt (The Loft, $10) is a piece that I feel iffy about on its own, but the belt (NY&C - long time ago, shortened a couple weeks ago) made it work so much better. Since I knew I'd be on my feet all day, I threw on a pair of tweed ballet flats (Target, $10).

Today was a great day. I just finished the fair day 1, so I'm a little tired. I'm getting soooooo excited for my weekend in NYC next week and am starting to freak out at how my time until then is getting really, really full. I'm feeling a little overwhelmed, but I'll make it through.

I'm learning so much about what I can do these days. Since I quit my job, I have had opportunities coming at me every week. Today, I just secured a small part-time gig that will make up the financial difference from quitting my job. So awesome! And it's all because I know people who are great people and I put myself out there. The best part, though, is that I didn't accept the first offer, which is something the old me would have jumped on. It wasn't exactly what I had in mind, so even though I risked losing the job altogether, I asked for what I wanted. And it totally paid off! So, stick up for yourselves, girls!

Now, I'm actually running the risk of being overextended ... I tend to do that. Prioritize, prioritize, prioritize.

AWESOME EIGHTIES JACKET

That's EXACTLY what my husband said when I was getting dressed this morning. No emotional attachment or anything - just, "awesome eighties jacket." Um, thanks...



I love this jacket in theory, but then I question it every time I wear it. It's the puff-sleeve thing. Then, when I got to work today, I decided that I was insane and it's awesome. Take that, puff-sleeves!

I had no intention of wearing a belt, but threw it on at the last minute and I think it made a WORLD of difference. Added just enough interest to bump things up a notch.

I also did my hair today. I really do love wearing it down, it just gets so hot when I'm drying it and ironing it. Once it cools off a bit, I'm sure I'll wear it down more often.

Outfit deets: Dress (Sears, $9), Jacket (B-Moss, $25), Belt (vintage, mom's closet), Sandals (Ross, $9)

On a completely unrelated note ... our new neighbors fancy techno music. Really loud techno music. The constant thump is driving me bananas. Will have to sic the Meatball on them.

THE CALM BEFORE THE STORM

As I said yesterday, I have a couple of very busy weeks coming up. Starting this Thursday until the following Thursday, the husband and I will be bonafide carnies. I grew up in a town that boasts one of the largest fairs on the east coast, and now I live in a town that has the only encampment fair in the country. Since I was 14, I have worked at one fair or the other (and sometimes both) for a good friend of mine making delicious apple dumplings and peach dumplings served with even more delicious ice cream. Mmmmm... It's a tough week, but someone's gotta do it.

Until then, I need to get as much of my own work done as I can. So, today was spent putting together an invitation order that I need to have ready by Friday. Eek! No biggie, really. I just throw on some SATC and turn into an assembly machine. I'll post a few pictures when they're done.

In addition to my own work, I decided to go work for yet another person on Friday. As long as I'm getting paid, I'm not complaining. THEN, I was called to cover a co-worker's meeting tonight ... which meant I had to get dressed. Oh, yeah - and I even managed to squeeze in a noontime run.



I'm loving this sleeveless jacket (Sears, $25) lately. It not only adds a little coverage to a tank top, but it adds a little edge to an entire outfit. It's paired over a white tank (Target, $6), my jersey skirt (Target, $20) and a catchy necklace (Kohl's, $11). I finished it with my studded snake skin sandals (Ross, $9). I'm really happy with the outcome!

Though I managed to stay quite busy all day, some of us were not nearly as productive...

What a load...

THRIFTED TREASURES

During my last jaunt to the Goodwill, I came across these gorgeous pins. They are 24K gold-dipped Maile leaves from Hawaii. Aren't they beautiful? Even better - I only paid $1.50 for all three of them.

I have quite a few ideas on how to wear them so far. The obvious being as pins on a jacket lapel or cardigan, but I've also thought of pinning (or simply threading them) onto a strip of leather for a funky cuff bracelet or necklace. Then, while watching SATC the other night, I noticed the fabulous Carrie wearing a knit beret with a small brooch on it. Wouldn't these be awesome pinned in a bunch on a pretty knit beret?

I'd love to hear how you'd style them up. Any ideas?

GIRL ABOUT TOWN

I had a ton of work and errands to do today, so I wanted to be up and out when the husband went to work. The weather is 20 degrees cooler than is was last Monday - can you believe it? Now, it's in the the low 70's. Guess that's all we're getting for summer.

Anyway, I digress ... in light of the weather and the busy-ness, I just wanted to keep it relaxed, but pulled together.



My favorite Wilco tee from the best concert EVER hadn't seen the light of day for months, so I threw is on with a pair of drapey white linen pants (JCP, $18). It doesn't get much more relaxed than that.

I threw the safari jacket (thrifted, $2) on for just a little more comfort and a hint of shape in the waist. Studded sandals (Ross, $9), silver jewelry and Ray-Bans were the perfect finishing touches.

I'll be working my tail off this week. I've got a couple of orders to get done before the the zaniness gets started. On Thursday, I'll be a carnie for a week. I'll tell you more about that later. And then, after the fair, I'm heading to NYC for a long weekend. Can't freakin' wait!

Happy Monday, all!

DIY: FIVE MINUTE FALL UPDATE

With the lack of shopping funds lately, I've been keeping a pretty solid thrifting list for the items I would like to update my fall wardrobe. As I go through all of my September issues, I mark anything that appeals to me and keep a running list with 3 categories: 1. things to look for at the thrift store 2. DIY projects and 3. new purchases (this is the smallest of the 3 lists).

This project is right off of list 1.

A navy blue schoolboy blazer was on the thrift list and I found this perfect, PERFECT vintage blazer at Goodwill last week for $4. It's really nice wool and completely lined. AND it fits like a dream - nice and tailored.



But the look isn't quite what I was going for ... it needed a little update. An update that would require nothing more than switching out the buttons

Among the many things I inherited from Marnie, her assortment of collected buttons reigns as the MOST useful. When projects like this come along, I simply dump them all out on the floor and sift through them, one by one.

I found EXACTLY what I envisioned. Destiny? I think so. Here's the final look.

A close-up of the front buttons (they actually match):

A close-up of the cuff buttons (perfectly mismatched):

What do you think?

SATURDAY STROLL

Saturdays are my early morning work days. I have to be there at 7:15. It was actually kind of dark when I woke up this morning. I think I would like winter a lot better if it weren't for the short days.

Anyway, when I got home, we took Iggy Pop for a walk and had a little impromptu photo session. Husband done good...



I'm remixing Marnie's old skirt already. I truly LOVE this skirt. The fabric feels divine, especially in the midst of the heat and humidity. It was styled up very simply today - black tank (Target, $6), vintage gold kissing turtles belt (ebay, $13), and gold t-straps (Kenneth Cole Reaction, 6pm.com, $40ish).

Can you tell I did like a million push-ups yesterday? My gym membership was free through my old job, so when I quit the job, I quit the gym. Now, I'm forced to find creative and cheap ways to work out. I've gotten hooked on OnDemand. Not exactly creative, but definitely cheap. I've found the Jillian Michaels "30 Day Shred" workouts and I love them! They're only about 20-30 minutes start to finish and they're a great workout. Today, I'm feeling a little hulked out.
hehehe ;)

I insisted that husband try to get an arty shot. He listened well, but most of the arty happened in Photoshop :)

Enjoy the weekend!

GOODBYE SWEET SUMMER

I can't believe it's already over. Parting is such sweet, sweet sorrow...



You're probably thinking "Whaaaaa...?!?!?! Summer ain't over!" Yes, Labor Day is still 2 weeks away, but when you live 4 miles down the road from one of the largest universities in the country, summer is over today. That's right, over the next 3 days, about 30,000 (no joke) eager-eyed college students will be infiltrating our lovely little town. Don't get me wrong, I love it here and I'm sure I wouldn't feel that way if the university wasn't here. But, oh, the summers. When everyone has cleared out and it's so peaceful ... you just can't beat it.

And this weekend's only the beginning of it. In 2 short weeks, our town will be invaded once again. But this time by 100,000+++ hard-core football fans. That will continue EVERY SINGLE WEEKEND in September and then several others throughout the fall.

So, yes ... summer is over.

I've got nowhere to go today really. Traffic is atrocious and the stores are even worse. Fun fact: during this week, our local Wal-Mart is the highest-grossing in the nation. Whaaa..??

Anyway, on with the threads. I actually just got dressed about an hour ago. Yes, that would be 5pm. I was busy making calls and doing computer work all day. And technically, Friday is my day off.

I picked up this sweet little number at Ross in the beginning of the summer for only $7, because the zipper was broken. No biggie. I finally fished it out of the notorious to-be-altered pile and fixed the issue, adding a red zipper. I even left it mostly exposed for some added interest.

Continuing my love affair with the oxford, I threw one over the dress, because seriously, where am I going to go where I need to be in full on body-hugging leopard. The shirt makes it a little Pretty Woman, no? It's sort of that "I need to borrow your shirt for my morning commute home" kind of sex-pot look. Otherwise known as the walk of shame, I guess.

But in this town, that's perfect.

FULL DAY THURSDAY

I'm home to grab a quick lunch before heading back to work. I've picked up a couple extra meetings today, which makes for a long day.

In the spirit of comfort, comfort, comfort, I threw on my DIY harem-y pants ($7) with a trusty AA v-neck ($22). Wrapped it all up in my faithful obi belt (Gap, gifted - $2-$3) and threw on my favorite studded sandals (Ross, $9). Just as I was going out the door, I decided to toss on the scarf (H&M, $10) - mainly to conceal the tatas.



The pictures are a funny color today. That's why you don't take pictures at 1:30 in the afternoon. Grr...

Of course Iggy Pop was THRILLED to see me home. It was short-lived, though. He's conked out now.

See you tomorrow!

FLOWER GARDEN

I LOOOOVE the way mixed florals look, but I've never had the right stuff to make it happen. Or at least , I didn't think I had the right stuff. (There's a possibility that you may have NKOTB running through your head now. If you didn't, bet you do now. Oh. Oh. Oh. Oh-oh ... the right stuff...)



Anyway, turns out both of these pieces have been living in my closet for quite some time now. The heat and a long day of work called for comfy, comfy cotton. This sundress is just that. It's from the clearance rack at JCP last summer for SUPER cheap and the shirt was given to me by my mom who picked it up second-hand.

Still loving the tied button-down over a dress thing. I just think there's something kind of understatedly yet sexy about it. I don't know...

Sorry to be so short, but the Meatball is patiently waiting for me to watch some ER. TV on DVD. That's how we roll.

READER SUGGESTION

See? I really do pay attention.

As you may or may not remember, I debuted this kick-butt DIY skirt last week. Well, one lovely reader made the suggestion of wearing it as a dress. So, now it is the dress, DIYed into a skirt, worn as a dress. Counter-productive much?

Anyway, thanks a bunch for the suggestion, Kelly (of blackdog finds - her new blog - check it out!), because it was perfect for the heat today!



Since the plaid can be a bit much, accessories almost need to work against it in order to hit the right note all around. With that in mind, I cinched it with my black obi belt, added my black wedges with a hint of metal detailing, and then finished it with wooden earrings and bracelets.

It was far too warm today to get anywhere near a hair dryer, let alone straightening iron, so it's slicked back and up. This is probably the next best thing to a buzz cut in the summer months.

On another note, it has officially been one month and one day since a quit my job. And I'm happy to report that all of the bills are paid and we haven't had to crack the ole' nest egg. AND I managed to pick up three more jobs today! Turns out I'm a big deal around here. (haha - I can barely write that without laughing!) Either way, that's something to happy-dance about...

P.S. Did you notice my new toe polish? Gross, I know, but I swear it's really cool! I was inspired by the one and only Glamourai.

PRACTICE MAKES PERFECT

Like a good little grasshopper, I seem to be preparing for the winter already. While I'm LOVING taking all of my pictures outside, it has occurred to me that at some point in the coming months, I will no longer have that luxury. Hence, the practice shoot.



And since I was feeling very secretary today, I opted for the bookshelf. We just updated our office this spring and I LOVE the look of this corner shelf.

I'm just workin' it at home today, then out for some errands, then an evening meeting. I kind of cheated a little and wore this for my meeting yesterday, but I only had it on for about 2 hours. No harm, no foul smell.

Both of these pieces are from the glorious Sears clearance rack this past spring. The top was only $10 and the skirt $13. Can't beat that. Add to it a $7.50 belt from Ross and $8 flats from JCP and you've got yourself a major steal.

Don't try this at home, kids. I am a professional.

500 BURRITOS IN THE HOT SUMMER

What a day! I work at 7am on Saturdays with 2 meetings back to back. The good thing is that I'm done by 11:15. The bad thing is that I'm way sleepy for the rest of the day. But I haven't gotten my nap in yet today, because we went to see 500 Days of Summer. Which was amazing.

Then, the grocery store, which I hate on the weekends. There's way too many people in low gear on Saturday and Sunday. I don't want to be in the supermarket (which is freezing cold) any longer than I absolutely have to. Then, we came home and made yummy, yummy burritos. Now, I'm pooped. Oh, and it's way hot out.

While I'm perfectly happy in the mornings, I am not particularly fast. It takes me a while to get up to full speed, so I usually end up repeating outfits to make life easier. I actually wore this on Tuesday, but never posted it.

I'm loving the oxford with a poufy skirt look. It's so chic and comfy. And I'm loving this version just as much. It's my wonderful DIY eyelet skirt paired with a pink pinstripe shirt (The Gap, $11) and cinched with a vintage belt that I found in my poppop's basement when I was in college. Because comfort is key on Saturdays, I opted for my red leather Clarks. Great choice.

Now that the workday is over, I can stop and smell the roses (hahaha). Or I can go lay down on a bed of roses...mmmm, nap time.

DIY: ADDING AN ELASTIC WAISTBAND

As you've probably noticed, I've been a DIYing fool the last couple of weeks. And man, have I missed it! That "pile" still has a TON of goodies in it. I'll be busting out another project tomorrow.

Until then, here's a quick tutorial of one of my favorite DIY projects. It's a super easy and quick method that renders awesome results.



Above is the before picture of my future poufy eyelet skirt that I picked up at Ross for less than $10. FYI, if I wanted to make this skirt from scratch, I couldn't buy the fabric for that little. Anyway, you can see it's kind cute on its own, but it hung too low and was too long, leaving me feeling the "stump and frump." The first step in this case was removing the zipper. Easy enough.

Second, I pinned the seam together where the zipper once was and sewed it up. Then, I actually used a ruler on this one. I measured 2.5" down from the original waistband, marking the measurement all the way around. Once all the markings were done, I put a quick basting stitch along the line. It's a good idea, especially because in this case, I'm working with both the eyelet and a lining at the same time.

Then, I cut the original waistband off about .25" above the basting stitch. Next, I flipped the skirt inside out and began the elastic casing by turning the edge down .25" and then down again 1", pinning as I went along.

Once the entire edge was turned under and pinned, I lightly ironed it, just to keep everything smooth. Then, I stitched the casing down, getting as close to the bottom fold without going over and leaving a 1.5" opening for the elastic. Using a nifty little tool (or a safety pin would work) on the end of the elastic, I guided the elastic through the casing. Once I had it through, I overlapped the ends about .5" and then stitched them together. Lastly, I stitched the 1.5" opening closed. And voila ...

... a poufy eyelet skirt.

This is the same method I used for the plaid skirt I wore yesterday, only with that one I was cutting the top of the dress off instead of a waistband.

I hope this is helpful! Think you could give it a whirl? If you have any questions, please feel free to email me!