Yellow Bellied

Cardi - Old Navy; Dress - Target (thrifted); Belt - Target; Tights - Hue; Shoes - Clarks

I learned some things about these items in my closet today.  I learned that these booties don't look so hot with these light yellow tights.  At least on my legs.  I learned that the purple is such a contrast that I need something with it to transition to the yellow.  I learned that this dress is much better looking on me in the summer when I'm a bit tanner.  I learned that these tights are more orange than yellow.  I also learned that I need to wear some sort of necklace witht this dress.

Overall, on of my least favorite outfits.  I'll try again tomorrow.

Strawberry Wine

Shirt - Macys; Skirt - Old Navy; Shoes - thrifted; Ring - Steinmart

I was told that I looked like Lucille Ball at work today.  And within 5 minutes, also told that I looked like a strawberry. While one is clearly more flattering than the other, I love this shirt because of its different polka dots.  It's hard to see here,  but the cherry (or strawberry) red  blouse has black polka dots all over it.  I love the combo.  I guess plaid and polka dots won out today.

This skirt has been in my closet for some time, but I was getting exceedinly bored with the boringness of it.  Joann Fabrics to the rescue.  A couple yards of decorative black lace and I've got a new much more interesting skirt.  I think I'll be doing this to more skirts....

Plaid, Check, Polka Dot, Stripe

Which is the pattern that you like?  This is a ditty played between cartoons on Disney mornings which my kids love, and my daughter utililzes whenever she helps me decide what to wear.  She helped with both of these outfits.  While polka dots usually win out with Stinkerbell, these two days, she picked plaid and stripes.  I had to agree with her :-)



Tunic - BDGB (thrifted);                Dress - Old Navy (thrifted);
Bangles (thrifted)                                  Cardi - Target;
Boots - Charlotte Russe - (thrifted)          Shoes - Madden (thrifted);
Necklace, Earrings and Ring - Steinmart    Necklaces - Express and Premiere
Belt - NY & Co                                                        



Pretty in Plaid

I was in a lumberjack kind of mood this week. Here are a few ways that I styled my plaid camp shirts into business casual attire.

Shirt - Target; Cami - Old Navy; Skirt - Macy's; Belt - Thrifted; Necklace - Macy's; Shoes - Payless

Right: Shirt - Target; Cardi - NY & Co (thrifted); Skirt - Gap (maternity); Necklace - JC Penny; Shoes - Madden (TJ Maxx)

Take On Me

Shirt - Old Navy (thrifted); Pants - Gap (maternity - gifted); Earrings - Steinmart; Ring - NY&Co; Shoes - Nine West (thrifted)

This is not an optical illusion.  This is not a graphic editing trick. My shoes have lips on them.  Not just lips, magenta and blue lips.  These shoes make me think of the 80's and, more specifically, the A-Ha video for Take On Me.  No, I don't think there were any crazy colored lips in that video.  I just said it made me think of it.

This shirt is another on of the freebie's I took a chance on in the Plato's Clearance grab bag event.  A chance well taken, as I think it is very flattering.  And I discovered this weekend as I was packing for a camping trip, that I don't really own any khaki's or jeans that aren't maternity.  Not because regular ones don't fit me.  But because I rarely wear either.  I was gifted a bunch of both from my bestie's older sister who also has freakishly long legs and I never really saw the point of buying non-maternity ones since I don't wear them enough to warrant.  Plus, all her stuff was from the Gap, and who makes better jeans than the Gap??  I wear them proudly.

Inspiration

 Earrings and Necklace - Steinmart; Shirt - Ann Taylor (thrifted); Skirt - Old Navy (thrifted); Shoes - Madden (thrifted); Belt - NY & Co (thrifted); Bandles - Macy's; Necklace and Earrings - Steinmart

This is probably one of my favorite outfits in quite a long time.  I love these colors together.  And, oddly enough, I got my inspiration from these earrings. 

I've had these earrings for year but never really thought about them much or looked at them too closeley.  They are hematite chandelier with jewel tone accents (sorry, hard to see in the picture), and as I was putting away another pair of earrings the night before this picture was taken, I noticed that I really liked how the mauve and teal looked together.  Voila, outfit inspiration.

Floral Affair

Dress - Dress Barn; Cardi - Old Navy; Necklace - Premiere; Shoes - Payless

Purple and green are two of my favorite colors....so whenever I find things that pair them together, I get really excited. I LOVE this little number from Dress Barn, and also love my cardi, but after seeing these pictures, the un-cinched cardi over the dress with same-material belt don't do my silhouette justice. This outfit may be making a repeat performance soon with a better execution.

Shirt and Shoes - thrifted; Skirt - Old Navy - Thrifted; Earrings and Necklace - Dress Barn; Bracelets - Macys and thrifted

It never occurred to me that olive and teal would look so good together until this shirt. And I LOVE IT!! Then, of cours a few days after wearing this outfit, Kasmira did a post on 'Tealive' posting her 5 outfits of recent history wearing the same combo. So maybe I didn't stumble across it, and was really subconciously inspired by Kasmira (as I cyber stalk her on her blog daily). Either way, it's great and I love it and I'm sure I will be pairing these together a bunch, especially in the fall. (Thanks Kasmira!)

Dye Job

Dress - Macy's; Shoes - TJ Maxx; Necklace and Earrings - Dress Barn; Owl Ring - Bakers

This post is a rarety. It's comprised of two outfite with NOTHING thrifted. This is so not me. I wore the red white and blue number for July 4th (yes, I'm a month behind in my blogging) and and the other was just a want-to-be-comfy day, so my fave flats and shirtdress. And holy wow...I knew my hair needed to be cut, but didn't realize how badly I needed a dye job!!
Dress - Target; Shoes - Old Navy; Bracelet - Premiere; Earrings - Steinmart

I like to call this outfit the Reverse Dorothy. I like it.

Farewell Old Friends

Shirt - Gap; Skirt - Old Navy; Shoes - Payless; Belt and Ring - Steinmart; Necklace - Premiere; Earrings - Macy's
Shirt - Gap; Cardi - Kohls; Skirt - JC Penny; Belt - NY & Co; Shoes - Thrifted; Necklace - Me

I couldn't decide in or out today. While my silhouette looked better head on with the skirt inside the high waisted skirt, the pleats on the skirt cause it to pooch out a bit in the area where I actually do have a pooch. So, my profile looked better when the shirt was untucked. I never did manage to decide, switching between the two looks every time I went to the bathroom. Ah, indecision.

Skirt - NY & Co; Shirt - Gap (thrifted); Jacket - Steinmart; Shoes - Payless; Belt - Thrifted

I retired two of the shoes pictured in this post after this week. The snakeskin sandals, while super hot, were a bit too big and the constant rubbing and shifting of my feet inside them was so very painful. The teal lovelies, I actually shed a bit of a tear for. I have loved these shoes for so long and have put up with the excruciating pain that I felt at the base of my big toes because the peep toe scraped the nail beds at just the perfectly horrible spot. I had to finally give up the ghost. I promised Hubs no shoes that couldn't make it through a day at the office, so bye-bye small instruments of podiatral torture. You will be missed. By me, not my feet.

Comfy Sexy

Cardi and Shirt - Old Navy; Pants - Style & Co (Macy's); Shoes - Steinmart; Belt - Thrifted; Necklace - Premiere; Earrings - Lia Sophia (gift from MIL)

This outfit is pretty basic. Nothing out of the ordinary and super comfy. Great outfit for work and school. That's about it.

Sweater - Steinmart; Skirt and Tights - Old Navy; Boots - Macy's; Belt - Dots; Earrings - Chico's; Necklaces - Premeire

Husby went so far as to call me sexy in this outfit. He told me multiple times that I looked really good. I guess he must like this one :-P This is one of those way-after-winter-on-the-clearance-rack-for-$3.50-becuase-it's-the-last-sweater-in-the-store finds. And it is the only sweater that I didn't pack away for the summer because it's warm yet light weight enough to slap on over a tank while sitting by a fire drinking a beer with my neighbors. This is my new go-to sweater.

Happy Mother's Day!

Shirt and Pants - TJ Maxx; Cardi and Earrings- Steinmart; Shoes - Old Navy; Belt - Thrifted;

Necklace - Premiere; Owl Ring - Bakers

I generally shy away from the Junior's Department. Firstly, I'm plus sized, and Junior's Clothes typically run smaller, meaning an XL would make me look more like a wrapped sausage than a woman. And secondly, because I have had two children which have left me with an excess of skin and fat in the belly region that Junior's shirts are often too short to cover up. This floral sheer gem is technically Junior's and passed the belly test on both ends. I love how the flowers are so bright and varied that I can dress it many ways. This day I went dark, but I could easily go pink or lilac or even yellow with ease on a more springy day. Although technically Spring, the record rainfall in my town this month has really got me down and it's tough to pull off the brights just yet.

You'd better pay attention. Mr. Owl is watching you. Dress - Liz Lange Maternity (thrifted); Belt - Steinmart; Necklace, Earrings and Ring - Various Anniversary gifts from Husby

I LOVE these jewelry items from Husby. They are bold, yet neutral. They are statement and classy. The only part I regret is that I feel that the shells are only appropriate in the spring and summer. Maybe I'll get over that. But for now, I'm just happy that their season has returned. The dress is a maternity dress that I just cannot retire, because of the gorgeous color. And since I discovered that my 70's hooker clogs of the previous post match it exactly this resolve is further reinforced. Happy Day in extreme maternity comfort.

Things that suck in the transition of pregnant to mother, that No ONE bothered to tell me:
1. You are no longer able to proudly display your big fat belly.
2. You feel guilty about everything non vegetable that you put in your mouth.
3. Feeling the kicks. God, I miss feeling the kicks still. It's like you lose a part of you.
4. You lose the comfy excess and stretchyness of Maternity Clothes. You don't realize how much you hate zippers and buttons until you spend 5 months in expandawaist maternity pants.
5. You have to worry whenever you sneeze if it's going to be a sninkle. (tinkle + sneeze)
6. Freaky crazy big, milk engorged, painful breasts. Then, you fall in love with them, right before you stop nursing and lose them.
7. Post freaky crazy big, milk engorged breasts that you now need to fold up into a braziere.
8. Three other things that I can't remember because my babies ate my brain cells.

But GOD, I love those beautiful babies. Happy Mother's Day!

Double Duty

Skirt and Shirt- Old Navy; Cardi - Gap; Belt and Shoes - Thrifted; Jewelry - Premiere

I'm so far behind in my blogging that I thought I should start doubling up outfits in my posts. This first outfit was quite a gem, inspired by Christmas Wrapping paper. I found a swatch of wrapping paper when I was looking for tissue paper for a baby shower gift and was taken aback by the striking contrast of the gray and tan/gold. I found the closest thing I could in my closet, and I love the color contrast. The skirt, however has had better days because the next immediate washing contained a blue crayon and the skirt is no longer. I do have some gray pants, though....

Sweater - Gap; Skirt and Shoes - Thrifted; Belt - NY & CO; Necklace - JC Penney

I LOVE these shoes. I kinda felt like a 70's streetwalker in them at work this day. Not it a bad way, though...in a good Jodi Foster Taxi Driver kinda way. The shoes are one of the few open toed shoes I have that don't hurt the nail beds of my big toe, so that was a plus. And the colors are so on trend right now, I'ts easy to find things that go with them. They'll be making many appearances once the weather decides to stay consistently warm. And I've decided to eliminate the ratings....lately everything has been two thumbs up, which is great, but not very informational and just seems like I'm tooting my own horn. I'll still use the ratings when Husby does not like my outfit, or if I dislike it myself, but for outfits we both like, I'll just refrain.

For those of you that read me on a regular basis, thanks for your patience. This quarter is exceptionally rough, with me taking classes 5 days a week and working full time. I can barely remember my keys, let alone to blog. But we take pictures every morning, and I'll keep plugging on when I can grab a few minutes.

Holy Brightness, Batman!

Cardi - Old Navy; Tank - Steinmart; Pants - Style & Co (Macy's - FREE); Shoes - Vera Wang (Kohls); Belt - Thrifted; Necklace - Steinmart

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When I had to retire my emerald green cardigan because of wear and fading, I searched high and low for a replacement. This old navy cardi was the closest that I could come up with, but when I got it home and started pairing it with things, it's really more limey than emerald. With the weather just starting to warm up, but our city ensconced in rain, I tried to bring some sunshine into my life with this lime/teal combo. My coworkers had to wear sunglasses to be around me.

These Vera Wang pumps are part of a new trend in my life. They are an item that I had in a bag to give to Goodwill cause I hadn't worn them in years. I pulled them out of that Goodwill bag so many times to wear them, that I've decided to keep them. A similar thing happened to the yellow floral cardigan that I wore yesterday for Easter at the In-laws. I packed it in the Goodwill bag because I had only worn it once and just couldn't figure out how to style it. But thanks to my favorite bloggers and their color inspirations, when I was going through the bag to itemize them for the tax man, I rescued it with a 'What was I thinking?'. I guess one woman's garbage can be her own treasure after all :-)

Rating - Two Thumbs Up (if you aren't blinded)

It's Easy Being Green

Sweater - Gap; Skirt - Macy's (FREE); Sandals and Belt - Thrifted; Bracelet - Old Navy; Ring - Steinmart

I woke up this morning lackadaisical about everything. I didn't want to put any effort into getting ready, so I gave myself a baby-wipe shower in lieu of a real one. I didn't feel like getting dressed so I grabbed the first thing that caught my eye in the closet - green skirt - and picked the easiest color to style with it - black. The belt was a last minute addition, cause I felt like the sweater was a bit too shapeless and this yellow belt hasn't gotten much play in the last year. I am pleasantly surprised with how it turned out.

Rating - Two Thumbs Up

Bumble Bee Tuna

Shirt - Steinmart (FREE); Skirt - JC Penny; Cardi - Steinmart; Shoes - Payless; Tights - Old Navy;

Ring and Short Necklace- Premiere; Earring and Long Necklace - Me

I love this shirt and the uneven seams and 'shredded' appearance. It is so different. I had to do a little convincing of my sister to try in on in the first place. She bought it, but didn't ever wear it before she lost the weight. This is the inaugaral weariing of this shirt, which is quite a nice addition to my spring wardrobe. If only Spring will decide to get here!!!

Ahhh the shoes. Being a Shoeie (like a foodie), I'd have a hard time choosing my favorite pair. These, however would be on my sort list. They are super cute, the ruffles are adorable, they are comfy, and my nostalgia for the style of yesteryear keeps a warm place for any T-strap shoes.

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Rating - Two Thumbs Up

Dusty Blue

Shirt - Steinmart; Sweater - Thrifted; Skirt - Old Navy; Boots - Marshalls; Tights - NY & Co;

I am in LOVE with long sweaters lately. I've thrifted two recently, this dusty blue number being the second, and I just can't get enough. I even find myself putting them on over my jammies at night to snuggle on the couch with the kids before bedtime. And making pancakes with them on in the morning...or taking the dog out so that others can see them too. There is something so comforting about them, and yet so stylish, especially when I match with a belt and some boots.

Rating - Two Thumbs Up

That 70's Librarian

Glasses - Banana Republic; Shirt - Old Navy; Skirt and vest - Thrifted;

Boots - Marshall's; Ring - Steinmart

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I'm so far behind on my blogging of outfits. I forget how this outfit made me feel, so it wasn't stellar, but it wasn't bad, either. I looked like the college student that I am.

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The problem is that, being almost full time in school and absolutely full time at work is normally ok. But when you add in extra pressures of taking over for a co-worker who left for maternity leave, as well as being pulled into some project management duties because of problems with invoicing I'm barely treading water at work. And when I'm not working, I'm not on my computer (taking a break now at 10:32 pm on a saturday from invoice reviews) so my blogging has sufferred. I know I don't have many followers, but those of you that have blogs are being visited by me, I'm just not really able to make comments...I'm doing outfit pic drive-bys when I have a second to breathe. The good news is that despite the less than stellar economy, I got another pretty nice raise this year, so my efforts aren't going unnoticed.

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Rating - Two Thumbs Sideways

Boudoir Chic

Skirt and belt - JC Penny; Lace Top - TJ Maxx; Shirt - Style & Co (Macy's);

Tights - Old Navy; Necklace and Ring - Steinmart; Earrings - Premiere; Shoes - Madden (thrifted)

When I got dressed this morning, I was a bit apprehensive that this outfit may be a bit to sexy for work. But, seeing as all of my naughty parts were sufficiently covered and I was in love with the outfit, I threw caution to the wind. And I'm so glad I did. I felt a bit more than the appropriate amount of sexy at work (which made me even more productive) and got tons of compliments on the outfit. Plus, this necklace, one of my favorite statement pieces, making an appearance always makes for a great day. AND, the proportions were just right, making me look long and lean(er).

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Rating - Two Emphatic Thumbs Up

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This outfit also got me thinking about my newly developed clothing worth theory (which is helping me curb my spending). Before I buy something, I always try it on and then try to put a monetary value on how much I like it. I liked this shirt $10 worth. THEN I look at the price tag. This shirt was $11. But its originality, both for my closet and in general, gave it an extra worth buck and I bought it. But how do I come up with this worth?

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Easy. I divide the amount I paid for the item by the amount of times I expect myself to wear it. If I can think of enough outfits off the bat to bring it's worth down to $2-$3 per wearing, I'll go ahead and purchase. Then, once it is in my closet, I try to wear it enough to bring that value down to $1. If I wear this $11.00 shirt 11 times, then I've suceeded in my challenge and adequatley valued it's worth at purchase. Currently, it's at $5.50. I've more than succeeded for the skirt, earrings, belt, necklace and shoes :-)

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I know, it borders on the ridiculous, but I am an engineer after all. Math is a part of nearly every thought I have.

Primary Resolution

Shirt and Tank - Old Navy; Skirt - Macy's (FREE); Tights - We Love Colors and Old Navy;

Shoes - Liz Claiborne (Steinmart); Belt - Thrifted; Ring - Steinmart

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Ignore everything from the shoulders up. I had a client workshop this day, followed by a class and Husby wasn't up when I left for work in the morning, so this picture was taken after 14 hours of being worn, as was my makeup and hair. I felt like I might have been a bit over the top when I left the house this morning, but the slew of compliments, coming from total strangers, ensured me that I was right on the mark. I loved how colorful this all was and look forward to wearing this fabulous yellow, red, green and blue floral buttondown in other primarily wonderful ways. Plus, this outfit was really comfy, so the 14 hours were pretty bearable (for my body at least...my mind was a different story.)

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I'm going shopping this afternoon with my best friend and her mother for her birthday. She's the type of girl who, although absolutely gorgeous with a fabulous figure, is so critical of herself, she never buys clothes because she never feels anything looks good on her. I am going to do my best to help her see in the mirror what I see every day. But I have to be strong and not shop for me.

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The prayer of the shopaholic - 'Lord, grant me the restraint to enter one of my favorite stores and refrain from buying things that I really want but do not need, and the wisdom to tell the difference. Amen'

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Rating - Two Thumbs Up

Valentine's Day Blues

Shirt - Jones New York (Macy's); Vest - Tommy Hilfiger (Macy's FREE);

Skirt - Old Navy; Tights - We Love Colors; Boots and Bangles - Macy's;

Scarf - Steinmart; Belt - Baby Phat (thrifted)

Wow, the way I'm standing in the first pic makes me look really wide! Note to self...never stand that way again!

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Happy Valentine's Day, my lovelies! I'm about a week behind in my posting, but thought I'd skip ahead to show what I actually wore on Valentine's Day. I centered the outfit around the vest I got for FREE with Macy's rewards dollars this weekend, which just happened to have red in it, so fortunately for me I did dress for the occasion. I've generally shied away from Tommy stuff because it's just so darn expensive - too expensive to be worth it. I also shy away from red-white-blue clothing cause it's a little too 4th of July-y for me, but I was drawn to this vest because it was a cardigan vest (something totally new to my closet) and I liked how the gray was worked in. I had no trouble building the outfit.

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I'm also excited to showcase my new hair. I have really limp flat hair on the left side of my head and thick bouncy hair on the right. Why shouldn't my hair be as lopsided as my boobs? I finally went to a real hairdresser to get it trimmed up. It was my friend Jenna's sister Lizzie, and it was the first time in my life that I told a hair dresser my struggles and they gave me exaclty what I needed to fix them! I am so happy with this cut. It's technically kind of an emo cut -lots of short layers on top- but it gives me the lift and body and dimension that I need all around. SO HAPPY!! Now, if only my bangs would grow a little faster!

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Rating - Two V-Day Thumbs Up!