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.

Elf Shoes

Shirt - Macys; Skirt - NY & Co (thrifted); Tights - Hue (Macys); Shoes - Chinese Laundry (thrifted); Belt - Dots

Hubs and I are goofy.  His nickname for me is Goose.  Because I'm a silly Goose.  We like to IM each other 'I love you' through other words that would look like you were saying 'I love you' if you whispered them.  Olive Juice.  Elephant Hues.  Elf Shoes. 

When I brought these shoes home from the consignment shop, Hubs asked me why I brought home Elf Shoes.  I love these olive green boots!!  And I love you, too, Hubs!

Surely Inspired

 Shirt - Style & Co. (Macy's); Skirt - Spiegel; Shoes - Mossimo (thrifted); Belt - Target; Necklace, Earrings & Ring (Macy's)

Everytime I think of pairing blue and yellow together, I think of one of Surely Sonsi's first posts.  And, every time I put on this skirt, I definitely think of her, since she recommended this skirt based upon the red one she owned.  If Kate Spade was my inspiration yesterday, I guess Jessica is my inspiration today.

FInd Your Inspiration

Shirt - Steinmart; Pants - Macy's (free); Shoes - Payless; Belt - TJ Maxx

I saw a dress from Kate Spade this summer in navy and lime and white, which I loved, and I've been dying to try the combo myself.  What better way than with Sophie's favorite print??  You can't really see in this photo, but the pants are polka dotted, too.  I'm so glad this turned out the way it did!  If I could do it again, I would not do the belt, though.  It gave me a weird shape, especially from the side.  Next time :-)

Girly Girl

Shirt - Ralph Lauren (Macy's - FREE); Tank - Macy's; Skirt - Macy's (FREE); Belt - NY & Co; Shoes - Clarks; Necklace - Premiere

Except for a short period in my life, where Curt Cobain was big and men's flannel shirts and Chuck's were my closet staples (who DIDN'T go through a phase in High School?), I've always been very feminine in the way that I dress. I've always been into makeup.  But I've never considered myself a 'girly girl'.  Feminine, sexy, but not girly.  I hate pastels, I hang mostly with guys, I'm an engineer for Goodness Sake!  However something about this pretty uber-girly floral that made me use my rewards dollars to make it my own.  And I couldn't help but pair it with the pink tank and green skirt.  Husby told me I looked like a flower.  And surprisingly, I was okay with that.

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)

Been a Long Time

 Shirt - Matthew Morrison (Macy's); Skirt - Spiegel; Belt and Bracelets- Thrifted; Boots - Charlotte Russe (thrifted); Earrings - Steinmart

I've been a bad, bad blogger.  It's been weeks.  But a fabulous new promotion led to tons of extra responsibility and a trip to corporate headquarters for training.  And NO time for blogging.  Now that life is back to normal, I'm back to getting my pictures taken in the morning :-)

Dress - NY & Co (thrifted); Sweater - Target; Shoes - Payless; Necklace and Bracelets - Thrifted

There is a preview of 'Hall Pass' where Jenna Fisher is wearing a dress much like the one I'm wearing.  In fact, when I first saw the preview I thought 'I really love that dress'.  So imagine my elation when I was perusing through my local Plato's Closet and saw a dress from NY & Co, in my size (for $8), with the same print and pallette.  Of course, fate had brought us together.  The dress is light enough to be worn in summer, but the color pallette also lends to its ability to be worn with tights and boots in the fall.  Bonus!

Donna Reed

Shirt and Skirt - Thrifted; Ring - Steinmart; Shoes - TJ Maxx; Bracelet - Old Navy; Necklace and Earrings - Premiere

I felt so fashion forward when I got dressed this morning when I put this skirt and shirt together.  The pop of green with the black & white.  The tiny black embroidered flowers on the skirt with the polka dots on the shirt.  And I got so many compliments on it, I knew Kasmira would be proud of me, even if my pattern mixing choices were excpetionally 'safe'.  I'm growing :-) The silhouette made me feel very feminine and the look was classic Donna Reed  No, I did not scrub any toilets, or even don yellow rubber gloves the entire day.

Shirt - TJ Maxx; Skirt - Old Navy; Shoes - Thrifted; Belt - Calvin Klein

I was in love with this shirt from the moment I saw it.  And was so disappointed when it ripped down the seams of the back as I leaned forward at my desk to type.  Shredding of the sheer material is more like it.  I was so sad.  But I am determined to turn this into a positive.  The sheer tie front is still in tact and my closet is filled with vests of many variety.  Let's see what I can come up with....

New 'Do

Skirt - Macy's (FREE); Shirt - thrifted; Shoes - Jessica Simpson (thrifted); Belt - NY&Co; Cardi - NY&CO (thrifted); Ring - Steinmart; Earrings - Chicos; Necklace - Premiere

While my new cut felt drastic to me, it doesn't look that different in this photo. The major difference, aside from 4 inches in length, is the feel. No more fuzzy ends, more thickness...it just feels healthier. And, I was able to get my hair in a condition I was willing to go to work in without touching a heating tool or stylig product (other than my hair dryer). That is a big bonus and saved me about 15 minutes. For a non-morning person that is HUGE. However, a few weeks into this haircut, and I'm ready to go shorter.....

As for the clothes....this picture doesn't do this outfit justice. I fell in love with the thrifted $2.00 tank top because of its floral pattern in muted tones. And I loved the contrast of the black and white striped back (probably should have gotten a back shot). But lately my handsome little boy had a great desire to become a part of the picture process. Hubs and I sneak into the dining room while he's enthralled in Mickey Mouse Club House and try to quickly pose and snap before the boy rushes in and stands next to me with a smile and a head tilt and a hand on his hip. Its freakin' adorable, but makes for rushed blog shots. Hubs is Graphic Designer, but there's only so much photoshopping-of-boy-out-of-picture that he is willing to do for MY hobby.

B-52 Bomber

Shoes, Belt and Dress - Thrifted; Earrings - Premiere When I woke up this morning, my hair was kind of standing up all over. I kind of looked like a lion. But somehow that made me think of rolling my hair in the above pictured 'do. It turned out better than I had envisioned, and I felt like a 40's pinup girl. Like I should be painted on the front of a WWII bomber. Too bad the belt literally fell apart throughout the day - the faux leather began crumbling off of it. That's what you get with thrifting. Sometimes you find amazing gems that become wardrobe staples (like the shoes). Sometimes they fall apart after one wear. At least it was only a dollar.

My Blue Heaven

Skirt, Shirt and Boots - Thrifted; Cardi and Earrings - Steinmart; Belt and Ring - NY & Co; Necklace - PremiereI've been in love with cobalt blue lately. Any way I can incorporate it into my outfit, I do. This outfit was my Blue Heaven.

Shirt and Belt - NY & Co; Pants - Thrifted; Shoes - Stuart Weitzman (thrifted); Ring - Macy's

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.

Let the Sunshine In

Dress - Lands End (gift from MIL); Belt - Thrifted; Shoes - Jessica Simpson (thrifted); Necklace - ME; Earrings - Steinmart

This dress was so comfy, it was like wearing jammies to work. I see myself wearing this dress a lot. For my first attempt, went with the red and blue, but I'm excited about adding some yellow, or lime to it for this spring. Thought I'd try safe and toned down for the first wearing. I'm finding that my favorite gifts lately are gift cards. Used to hate them, cause I thought they were the cop out gift for those that lack imagination. Now I love them, cause they let me shop guilt free. Hint, hint Hubs.

Skirt - Spiegel; Sweater - Style & Co (Macy's); Shirt, Necklace and Belt - JC Penny; Shoes - Rampage (Macy's); Earrings - Chicos

This was the first wearing of my long-searched for yellow pencil skirt, but the last wearing of one of my favorite memory pieces. These pumps were purchased when I got engaged to wear to my bridal showers. I was in a very classic black & white phase at the time (with a lot of polka dots) and I wore these shoes to nearly every event for the wedding outside from the actual ceremony. Problem is, they kill my feet. They are a bit too big, not being available in half sizes, and the cut of the shoes is a bit to wide for my average width feet. I spend so much time fighting with them to stay on that they hurt my arches. By lunch time at the office, I was barefoot under my desk, only walking when absolutely necessary, cause the thought of putting them back on made me cringe. Not the kind of shoes to wear when you're trying to get your step count up. I recently gave these shoes to the Lovely LaraTelena. Hopefully she can make them fulfill their shoe destiny. I'll post any pics she sends me. Hint, hint, Lara.

Ode to a Grecian Urn

Dress and Boots - Thrifted; Sweater and Leggings - Steinmart; Belt - TJ Maxx; Necklace - ME; Ring - Steinmart; Cuff - Premiere

There are two color combinations that I try to stay away from; red, white and blue, and red, white and black. One evokes images of fireworks and the other newspapers. Regardless how trendy my red, white and blue attire, I still feel like the schoolteacher with american flag vest or redneck with flag bandana on. Red, white and black, however makes me feel EVERYONE else. It makes me feel like the old me. The me whose idea of being wacky was adding a bit of red to my black and white outfit. The me whose wardrobe consisted of 95% white and black. But I was losing track of what white and black was - Classic. I can wear the color combinations of the general public and still feel like me. I don't have to sacrifice my style. I loved this outfit and what it stood for. Plus, it was super comfy.

Shirt and Pants - Steinmart; Shoes - TJ Maxx; Belt - NY & Co; Ring - Steinmart; Belt - NY & Co; Earrings - Chico's; Necklace and Bracelet - Premiere

I have a serious problem. I went to a jewelry party last night and knew the name of nearly every item that the girls had on or the rep showed us. Without looking at the catalog. I apparently have an obsession with premiere jewelry. It was easy to restrain myself last night as I realized that everything I wanted, I already own.

I love this shirt for its conservative, yet sexy look. Everything of importance is covered, but the sheer sleeves and peek-a-boo shoulders are spicy. I love the flowy sleeves which give it a bit of a Grecian feel. Husby said that my outfit was plum-tastic.

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.

St. Patrick's Day in May??

Shirt and Skirt - Steinmart; Belt - JC Penny; Shoes - Madden (thrifted); Cardi - TJ Maxx; Necklaces - Premiere; Ring - Steinmart

Looking at this outfit makes me realize that I am super behind in my blogging (as I wore this outfit on St. Patty's Day) but that I also look really good in green. There was something so glamorous and Madmen-eske about this outfit. I also have this tank in blue...I think I'll be trying out a variation of it shortly.

Rating - Two Thumbs Up

Tealy, Tealy Good

Skirt - thrifted; Shirt - INC (Macy's FREE); Shoes - Stuart Weitzman (thrifted); Ring - Steinmart; Bracelet - Premiere; Necklace - Me

I felt much better of about the brightness of this outfit, probably because I was toning the skirt down with a solid navy shirt, but mostly because I was able to wear my $4 Stuart Weitzman Goodwill shoes (which are incidentally incredibly comfy). I love them and any day that I can wear them is a happy day for me. I actually altered the outfit a bit right before I ran out the door. It was cold so I added a navy cardi, which gave the outfit a bit of 50's flair. I decided to go with it and tucked the shirt into the high waisted skirt and belted it with a navy wide belt. Even happier with it that way.

Rating - Two Thumbs Up

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)