Monday, May 31, 2010

Tote Winner

Number, 24, the lovely Erin (ahahahaha yay Erins!)

Give me shout with your address, girl, and I hope you enjoy it!

xoxo
Other Erin

Thursday, May 27, 2010

I Said “Pretend You’ve Got No Money”

May 27

I made a promise to my husband today that when I washed my hair tonight I would actually blow dry and straighten it. Because I know he doesn’t love it up and my Spin Pin addiction has gotten a bit out of hand. But the good news is that it has been great for my hair because hey! No heat styling when I wear it up!

Nathan said “Do some Looking Into The Future Shots”. I said “Some what?” He said “You know….look off into the distance, the future”. So I did...

May 27

LOOK at me ponder, you guys. I am doing some SERIOUS thinking.*

May 27

More pondering…I was probably thinking about my BFF caffeine.

May 27

Proof I can look at a camera when I want to.

I have tomorrow off and am looking forward to a 4 day weekend. I am hoping to get the house clean tomorrow and then spend Saturday watching DVDs , eating cheese popcorn and avoiding outside.



*By which I mean I was thinking about the egg salad I made for lunch. It’s a mustard based recipe with a dash of light mayo, and I use whole grain bread, so it’s figure friendly and a nice change from my usual lunch which for about three weeks has been a piece of whole grain bread with peanut butter, a small piece of cheese, an apple, a boiled egg, and grapes. It was great for a while but right about yesterday I had had ENOUGH.

Blouse, Target
Pants, Forever XXI
Sandals, Target
Bag, Nordstrom Rack
Talon necklace, Talonalia
Coral necklace, self made
Earrings, self made

Summertime, An The Livin’ Is Easy

I have had several offers in the past to do giveaways from corporate sponsors, but none of them have ever worked out. Sometimes it’s a company I would never shop with. Sometimes they want my readers to jump through hoops to win the prize. And sometimes they want me to wear and review an item I just can’t see myself ever wearing.

But this week I got an offer to run a giveaway so easy I almost can’t believe it. maurices has offered me this adorable tote to give away to one of my readers and all I have to do is tell you about the great promotion they have going on this weekend.

This weekend, when you spend $60 at maurices, you'll receive a FREE tote or pair of sunglasses.

SU_1004p facebook tote

And all YOU have to do to win one of the totes is to comment* and tell me what your favorite summer accessory is. It just so happens that this give-away is perfect for my blog, because my favorite summer accessories are totes and sunglasses. I have to wear contacts in order to wear sunglasses and they are both expensive and uncomfortable, but sometimes it is so worth it. Nothing makes me feel more glamorous than a giant tote bag, a flowy dress and a giant pair of shades!

It’s a quick one! I’ll draw a winner Monday!

*be sure I can contact you! Leave an e-mail address or check back Monday!

Tuesday, May 25, 2010

Never Was A Girl With A Wicked Mind

May 25

Ahahahahaha. That is so an Official Fashion Blogger Pose. I think it's in the handbook. I never got a copy, so I can't be sure but you know, I'd put money on it. It's ridiculous, but it captures my hair pretty well. That's all Goody Spin Pin, friends. I am so in love with those things. I have not worn my hair down in 5 days.

May 25

I wasn't even going to take photos today, but Nathan said “That's a shame, that's a really good outfit” and changed my mind. I'm really glad he did. I was not impressed with this outfit at all before I saw the pictures, but looking at them, I realize that it actually looks really good. I look polished, and tall and lithe. And my hair looks really pretty, which is good to know, because I was under the impression it looked kind of lame and I was phoning it in a bit.

May 25

I also don't totally hate the pants anymore. I am easily influenced by your comments and you said they looked good and like magic, they did!~

May 25

And look how perfectly the earrings go with that top! Wha-BAM. Awesome. And that is why you should take photos even if you are not all that impressed with your outfit/hair/choice of accessories, because maybe you're more impressive than you think, fool!

Blouse and Cardigan, Target
Pants, Forever XXI
Pumps, Isaac Mizrahi for Target
Bag, Nordstrom Rack
Earrings, self made


Sunday, May 23, 2010

The Dreams That You Dare To Dream Really Do Come True

(Thank you so, so much for all of your support. You really backed me up and it made me that much more confident in my choice to slow it down just a bit knowing you'll all still be here. Thank you, thank you, thank you.)


So, Nathan and I live in a Duplex with another guy. We all get along. We have two separate apartments, but only one address, one mailbox. No “A” or “1/2” separates our address from his. As a result, anytime something gets delivered to “resident” there is an unspoken challenge to see which one of us can be the laziest about getting rid of it. The logic being that if my NAME isn't on it, it's not really my responsibility. Phone books are an especially challenging item to ignore as they are so big and bulky, but as evidenced by the fact that when we took our photos today, we totally missed THIS:

May 21

Big orange plastic bag full of phone book, Nathan and I ate dedicated to making a good run of ignoring this one. I'll let you know how it turns out, I suspect I'll crack first.

May 21

I really liked a couple of things about my look this day. One was my hairstyle. It looked so fancy and amazing. It's the same side braid I always do, sans bump, and rolled into a bun.

May 21

I was really pleased with how it came out, but I did have a couple problems with it. The first being the way it highlighted my gray. Now I've been at peace with my gray hair for a few months now. Nathan mentioned at some point he kind of liked it. But this picture made me feel like maybe it's a bit out of hand. I don't tend to look as old as I am. I like that. This makes me look older. I colored it this weekend, or Nathan colored it for me anyway. Not that there is anything wrong with gray hair, it just didn't feel right for me anymore. The other problem was that it hurt. I had a pin in there wrong, and it pulled so much I eventually had to take it down and just wear it in a braid. I'm pretty sure I found a solution though,. We stopped at CVS on the way home, and they had one of the elusive Goody Spin Pins in stock.

spin pin

Oh. My. Goodness. These are amazing. No pulling, and for serious realsies, the two spin pins hold my hair as well as 20 bobby pins. It's amazing. I am super impressed. I looked for them online at first and honestly, most places are either selling them in a bundle with other products, or charging so much for shipping it costs more than the pins, which I got for under $4.00 at CVS. I can't recommended them enough. Amazing little things.

May 21

The other thing I was wanting to talk to you about was my necklace.

May 21

It was made by fellow blogger Katie, over at in my own little universe, and I bought it in her etsy store of the same name. Katie has been invited to come to the MTV Movie Awards Gift Lounge, which will giver her an opportunity of a lifetime, to get her pieces in the hands ,and on the bodies of, celebrities at the event. The only glitch is that she needs to not only come up with 100 pieces to give away, she also has to come up with an event fee of $5000 and pay for travel expenses. I believe in supporting not just our fellow bloggers, but artists in general. If you feel like you can help, Katie is taking contributions on her blog. I am not in a place to be able to give myself, so I wanted to offer her my support by sharing her story and asking you guys to help if you can. Any little bit. I think she only needs a little bit more help, and she has been working SUPER hard. You could literally be making someones dreams come true.


Tee, Target, customized by me
Denim leggings, ANA at JC Penny
Leather bow flats, Target
Bag, Nordstrom Rack
Necklace, My Own Little Universe at Etsy

Thursday, May 20, 2010

Because Wearing Black is Mysterious, But It Didn’t Impress Her Mother.

spin

Hey everyone, I'm going to slow everything down here on WWWYG for awhile.

I'm NOT quitting, but I really do need to slow down and have fewer posts per week.

I know that the blogs that are the most popular are the ones that update daily, heck, my favorite blogs are almost all updated daily. But I also know that I need a break. I used to get immense joy out of blogging, but right now I feel mostly pressure (all from myself, none from you, my lovely readers, who bring me so much joy with your fun comments and insights).

I’m not inspired by my wardrobe. Thrifting is no longer fun; it’s frustrating, mainly because it’s my only option right now. I’m not having fun pressuring myself to update every day. I am putting too much importance on not wearing the exact same outfit this week that I wore last week. I’ve updated lately with some things I felt were lackluster at best and just this side of lazy. So I’ve decided to only update when I feel like what I am wearing is worth blogging about.

So for now, I’m most likely going to be blogging about 2-3 times a week versus the 5 you are used to. I’m sure that when my life calms down and things get back to normal that blogging will be as much fun as it used to be, and I’ll ramp it back up to 5 a week. I do love it. And I love YOU. My readers and my regular commenters make my day most days, and I cannot thank you enough for that. I hope you’ll stick around.

20100410_erin_1233

Photos by Colleen Yancy

Monday, May 17, 2010

Long As God Can Grow It My Hair!

(This is a repost! I've had a couple people ask how I make my bump, so I'm reposting this blog from way back when for them, I know my hair is longer now and the bangs are gone, but the process is the same! Hope it helps. XOXO)

*You need Hair Spray and bobby pins. I use up to four bobby pins. More than that looks a little cluttered. And a lot of hair spray. It needs to be the kind that does not get flaky or white bits when you comb through it.

You need hair spray and bobby pins

Grab a small section at the front of your hair (I include a little bit more than my bangs) and hold it STRAIGHT UP. Spray it from the front AND the back, and then hold it upright until the hair spray dries. Then let it fall.

Grab a small section from the front of your hair...

Reach up and sort of "stir" your hair, like you are washing it.

'Reach

Now spray the hot mess that made.

Spray the hot mess you made


We are getting close!~ Reach back with one hand and gather the hair and place the first pin in. Keep pinning until it feels secure.

Reach back with one hand and gather the hair together

But like I said, more than four will look sort of cluttered...

I use up to 4 pins

Spray it again. YES, again.

Spray it. Again.

TA-DA!~ You're done.

DONE.

*you can view bigger pics by clicking on through to the Flickr set, which also has instructions.

I Woke Up Today A Song Was Swimming In My Head

I had a great weekend. I got to see old friends and eat good food. That’s all I ask, really.

Friday night we never did watch any of those movies. We got distracted by the Discovery Health Channel, which was running Hoarders and Addicted. It’s like a train wreck and we couldn’t look away!

May 17

We did manage to watch Fantastic Mr. Fox last night though, and it was delightful! A Wes Anderson picture through and through. Our favorite line was “No you’re not, you’re disloyal.” I am a huge Jason Schwartzman fan, and his delivery through the whole film was spot on, but that line was priceless.

May 17

I can only handle so much fun though, and last night I was exhausted! I decided to make a ramen pancake for dinner because they are so super easy*. But when I went to get started I discovered we were out of ramen. I didn’t even know that could happen. I mean, we always have ramen. Last week there was a paper bag on the doorstep and they asked us to fill it up for the food bank and set it back outside, which I did, and I guess I gave the food bank all of the ramen. I tell you what, we are going to the grocery store today, because when you don’t even have ramen, you don’t have much, now do you?

May 17

No worries, it ended up OK, because we did have Colby jack cheese, tortillas, salsa and green onions. So I made a quesadilla. Not the height of nutrition, but adding salsa and green onions to the cheese before you cook it makes it a super good treat.

*Boil a packet of ramen noodles and drain. Beat one egg with the flavor packet from the noodles in a bowl. Add the noodles to the egg bowl and mix together. Add the ramen and egg to a hot skillet (sprayed with whatever) and cook until the egg sets and the ramen get brown crispy bits. Easy peasy. I also like to add mushrooms, green onion, shredded carrot or whatever else I have. If you want to sauté veggies in the same pan, you can, and then just add the ramen and egg on top of that! It’s a super cheap dinner (we split one pancake) and it’s a great way to use up veggies.

Tee, American Apparel
Skirt, Target
Boots, Target
Belt, Vintage, Thrifted
Necklace, self made
Bag, Mexico

Friday, May 14, 2010

Don’t Tell Me That You Didn’t Try And Check Out My Bum

(I know I know, same artist two days in a row, but I’m just on a Kate kick.)

This is a bit of a departure for me. These are People's Liberation jeans Nathan thrifted for me a couple years ago, and I normally reserve them for around the house wear, because, well, I’m not much of a “flare” girl. But last night as I was drifting off I saw them draped over the end of the bed and thought of this shirt. They are totally meant to be together.

May 14

This look has such a fun 1970s feel to it, but without being too costume-y.

May 14

It’s comfortable, and with the wedges, the jeans don’t feel nearly as frumpy as they normally do.

May 14

Besides the flare, the other thing that makes these difficult for me to style is the pocket.

May 14

I just lucked out in that the colors work well with this blouse.

May 14

We have three movies at the house from Netflix right now, The Imaginarium of Dr Parnassus, Where The Wild Things Are and The Fantastic Mr. Fox. I anticipate the most stressful portion of the evening will be deciding which one to watch! I think I am going to vote for Fantastic Mr. Fox to start, it looks so well done!

And tomorrow I have friends coming into town. I met them online and have known them since the late nineties, and have never met some of them face to face. I could not be more excited!


Blouse, H&M Garden collection
Jeans, People's Liberation, thrifted
Wedges, Me Too via Nordstrom Rack
Bag, Mexico
Earrings, self made

Thursday, May 13, 2010

Everyone Thinks She’s A Bit Of Alright, But I Think That She’s Not So Nice

I look like I am sleeping in all my pictures today, and I pretty much was. I am starting the day with a double dose of caffeine in the form of a Red Thunder (Aldi’s version of sugar free Red Bull) and a Diet Dr. Pepper. I have had a raging case of insomnia for…oh ever. At least a year. I wake up around 3 AM and am awake until about 6:45 AM and then my alarm goes off at 7:40 AM. I don’t drink caffeine after noon most days, only if I am absolutely desperate or it’s the weekend. So it’s not that. I’m 99.99% sure it’s just a nasty combo of stress and anxiety, but who knows!

May 13

Today is sort of an ode to things I couldn’t REALLY afford, but bought anyway, and ended up really redeeming themselves in the cost per wear category.

May 13

I bought that dress for my birthday dinner this year, and while it was only about 18 bucks, I really couldn’t afford it at the time. It turned out to be a great “investment” though. I’ve gotten tons more wear out of it than I could have guessed. Speaking of 18 dollar dresses. A good indication that your dress was only 18 dollars? A super uneven hem. A good indication that you don’t even CARE? You are me.

May 13

Of course that Wendy B piece wasn’t cheap! I did sell stuff to raise the money, but honestly the smart thing to do would have been to sell the stuff and keep the money. But the joy that piece brings me was worth both the things I sold to get it, and the money I should have saved. I will have it forever and consider it both a signature and go-to piece. It makes any outfit extraordinary as soon as I put it on.

May 13

I’ve had these awhile and when I got them I paid full price for them from a Victoria’s Secret catalog. I mean, really? Who does that? I mean, you know like 99% of that stuff is going to go on sale, but you know what? I watched and I never saw these on sale so I win. My instinct was right. And if you did see them on sale keep it to yourself, and allow me my belief in my small victory. I cannot imagine my summer wardrobe without these sandals. I wear them all the time. They are flattering, slightly edgy and really well made. And comfortable, which in the end, is what matters most!~

What are some things you maybe should not have bought, but did? Did they work out? Do you have treasures you couldn’t really afford but bought anyway?

Dress, Target
Belt, swap
Bracelet, I am too lazy to look it up, but some online store I was largely disappointed with.
Sandals, Victoria’s Secret
Isabella Wolf Fang Necklace, Wendy Brandes

Wednesday, May 12, 2010

Spanish Weeks in My Disco Casino

May 12

Am I a tad overdressed for work? Maybe. But I don’t care. This Tracy Feith gets almost no wear because it’s so fancy and I have not had anywhere to wear it, and it’s so pretty and fun, I wanted to wear it anyway!

May 12

I wore the patterned version of this dress to work a couple times last summer, with a cardigan or shrug, so why not the LBD?

May 12

I kept it more casual with flat sandals, casual bracelets and a tee underneath. I really would have preferred a heather grey tee, but it turns out I don’t have a crew neck one! Who knew? It seems like something I would have. I kept it fancy though with that necklace, which used to be this earring from Forever XXI…

August 20

But in gold. I bought both back in the day and I adore them, but they are kind of heavy so I can’t wear them for too long, or out dancing. And they are so pretty I wanted to get more use out of them, so I decided to make the gold ones into a necklace.

Sometimes, Nathan seems like he expects me to do another pose or two, and I just don’t have anything. I’m not a natural poser. I don’t really ever know what to do, and I rarely feel comfortable with my choices. I mostly feel like a dork the whole time we are doing photos. Today I didn’t know what else to give him, so I gave him this:

May 12

And then we were done.

I missed the train on Dress Your Best over at Academic Chic, but you guys are looking great and I am enjoying it (I can read you in my Google Reader but I can’t comment, it’s frustrating). I hope to get in a marathon commenting session tonight!


Tee, Target

Dress,Tracy Feith for Target

Sandals, Reports via Zappos

Bracelets, self made

Necklace, made from a Forever XXI earring

Bag, Steve Madden


Monday, May 10, 2010

Whip It, Whip It Good.

Awww. Crackers! I found these pants Saturday for 7 bucks off the sale rack at Forever XXI. 7 bucks is about what I have to spend and I am desperate for black pants so I picked them up. They are a bit long and had some odd motocross type detailing at the knees, but I figured I could rock them. Now that I see them in the harsh light of day they just look really ill fitting. Baggy all around. Nuts.

May 10

It’s not quite tragic, but it’s not good either. And having them tailored would cost more than I paid for them*.

May 10

To be honest, I’ll probably just keep wearing them because I am really low on options at this point**. I’m sure they will work better paired with a longer shirt to hide all that bulgy mess. Or I hope so at least!

May 10

Oh my gosh. So we moved to a new suite (again!) at work and it is freezing in here all the time. We have 3 thermostats, and all the dials are shoved as far over as we can get them, but the AC just won’t quit. We even blocked off all the vents, but we can still hear it behind there, rushing, trying to get at us and freeze us to death. My hands ache it’s so cold! I’m drinking my green tea hot instead of iced! In MAY!

May 10

So basically I still need a jacket pretty much every day. I’ve got a blanket I can wear at my desk, and a ratty old company sweatshirt I cut open to make into a cardigan, but both of them leave fuzz all over everything so I try and avoid using them unless I have to. I know my boss has complained to the building management and asked them to take a look at it and I sure do hope they get it fixed before I end up with frostbite and out on workman’s comp!

*Tailoring is a great thing, and I am an advocate, but it can also be expensive.

**I know several of you suggested thrifting and I can’t remember if I ever responded. I am totally in agreement that it’s a great option when you are broke, but you have to have time. And for something like dress pants, perhaps considerable time, and I just find I have very little lately!

Jacket, Forever XXI
Tee, American Apparel
Pants, Forever XXI
Clogs, White Mountain via Amazon.com
Necklace, self made

To All Those Questions, I Have No Answer

I had a pretty good weekend. The weather was really nice. I am going to really miss being able to wear these shorts come Summer temps. They are super comfortable and flattering, but way too short to wear without leggings or tights.

May 8

I kept it pretty low key. I am normally really excited about getting dressed up at just about any opportunity, but lately I’m aiming more for comfort than anything else.

May 8

Friday we made chicken tacos the easy way, with a rotisserie chicken someone else cooked! Plus sautéed onions, flour tortillas, sour cream, cheese, guacamole…see? Not eating super low fat maybe, but super tasty, yes! AND I was really proud of myself because I wanted 4 tacos and ate 2. I also skipped the chips and guac as a dip altogether, which wasn’t easy since Nathan was making them look pretty good! We watched “Sherlock Homes” and I really enjoyed it. It was basically my ideal Friday night. I’m a stay in on Friday kind of girl.

May 8

Saturday I had brunch with a girlfriend and then later we grabbed a pizza with some friends. Sunday we cleaned house and right about the time I was set to kick back and enjoy the day, make dinner, paint my nails, all that kind of stuff, I got into a war with my stomach. My stomach won. It was not pretty. But I’m feeling better now!

How was your weekend? I hope at least some of you managed to be cooler than me and GO OUT a bit.

Tee, Cardigan, Leggings and boots, Target
Shorts, Old Navy
Bracelets, self made
Bag, Steve Madden

Friday, May 7, 2010

There's A Possibility I Wouldn't Know

(My office has had a change of policy and we are no longer allowed access to blogger, wordpress or typepad sites, so I will be doing my blogging at night and my blog reading and commenting in marathon sessions 3 or so nights a week. I don’t like it. Commenting and reading your blogs is one of my favorite things, and helps me get through the day, but I also do not argue their right to block said sights.)

I was home sick yesterday, and I feel very much like both my outfit and my face today say “I was home sick yesterday and I don’t really feel like being here.” Such is life.

May 7

I don’t think I’ve worn that tee on the blog before, have I? I got it for my birthday, and it is so soft it feels like vintage. And I love the boxy cropped shape of it.

May 7

I tried to keep it from being narcolepticly boring by wearing some cool accessories.

April 4 (Easter Sunday)

May 7

OK. So let’s talk about Struggle to Fit Into My Skinny Pants.

I’m not doing well. I’ve really struggled both last week and this week. I’ve had some things going on in my personal life that have been really bringing me down. I’ve had trouble just getting out of bed most days. And I feel terrible because this week I am giving you much the same update as last week, which is “I did not do well, I’ll try again” but I can’t lie to you about it, that’s not the point. And I know that you know I am a real person and I have more going on than personal style blogging.

I am hesitant to get into the details because, well, this is not that kind of blog. I come here to have fun, and I assume you come here for the same reason. I don’t write this blog to hash out my deep personal feelings or to get all Debbie Downer on you. So I’ll just say, I’m struggling with some things. It’s making me very tired and very prone to eating Mac & Cheese. I hope it gets better soon. Because those pants are not getting any bigger.

Tee, Forever XXI
Denim Leggings, ANA by JCPenney
Sandals, Victoria’s Secret
Bag, Steve Madden
Earrings, self made
Bangle, vintage
XOXO bracelet, gift
Beaded bracelets, self made