I See In Different Lights

I got this romper at Buffalo the other day (via Trade, of course!) and since I was meeting the girls (Katie, Tina, Julie and Elissa)after work, I knew I had to bring it in and show it to Elissa. Because Elissa loves me, but she hates rompers, and I love to tease her about it. She thought it was super cute, when she thought it was a dress. When she discovered it was a romper she rolled her eyes at me and gave up on trying to talk sense into me. I'm not easy to talk sense into.



I wore it three days in a row. No lie. Friday, Saturday and then to work on Sunday. I suppose I'll have it dry cleaned now, but there's a dry cleaner next to work, so it's not even really a bother. And three days wallowing about in silk and nothing else is worth a little dry cleaning bill if you ask me.



Elissa, you can borrow it whenever you want. <3



Silk romper, Eliot via Buffalo Exchange
Cardigan, American Apparel
Shoes, Collin Stuart for Victoria's Secret
Leather bag, Thrifted by Nathan
Ring and cuff, Moon Raven Designs at Etsy.
Sunglasses Forever XXI about 3 years ago. Maybe 4...

But trust me on the sunscreen…

I've love the sunshine, but the sunshine doesn't always love me. When I was younger, I did not really understand how important sunscreen was and I got a couple of really bad sunburns. I'm much more aware now, I never burn anymore. It's just a matter of remembering to reapply and being in charge of your own skin. In the words of the great Baz Luhrmann...

"If I could offer you only one tip for the future, sunscreen would be
it. The long term benefits of sunscreen have been proved by
scientists..."

Seriously. WEAR SUNSCREEN.

My t-shirt agrees, although it has a less serious way of saying it...







Tee, Nathan's
Shorts, Thrifted
Shoes, Worishofer
Bag, Buffalo Exchange

Day 5 (2 + 15 + 5 + 21)

+ +
+ =



Snow! Instead of just yucky ice. Snow is prettier, easy to walk in and all around more fun.





Gotta go! I hear the hot cocoa calling my name!




Hoodie, AA, altered by me
Tee, Target
Jeans, Target
Boots, thrifted by Nathan
Scarf, AA (circle scarf cut in half)
Hat, crocheted by Nathan
Gloves, Target

Day 3 (26 + 15 + 7 + 21)

+ + + =



I'm wearing black and grey today. I have been wearing so much color and I didn't want you guys to think you had gotten lost. It's still me. I still have a lot of black. (But I'm feeling more like branching out into color lately!)

One of the really sort of random and misguided fears I had about 30x30 was that I would have to remix my clothes in ways that were not very "me". Looking back I can see that that is a super weird thing to think, but I thunk it.



I had to go into work today! Nathan went outside to warm his car up and move it out of the driveway where it sits behind my car. Then I went and sat in my car for like 45 minutes to warm it up and try and defrost the ice off the windows. Nathan had done the "towel across the window" trick the night before the big storm, which normally works wonders, but this time...not so much. The towel was like "Look at me, I am one with the ice. The ice and I are the same." but that was not good for me. So I defrosted the window. For, I'm serious, like 45 minutes. And Nathan attacked the towel-ice-being with an old CD-R. Then I ventured out. Then I hit a couple patches of ice, right near stop lights that were turning red so I HAD to stop, and then I turned around and came home. Nathan managed to get me there...2 hours after my 10 AM call time and 3 hours after we started*(call time makes it sound like I'm in theatre, which I am not, but I do deal with people I am only pretending to like, so at least I;m still using my degree, right?). Then we were dismissed at 3:30. So. Not a long work day but for sure the 3 (me trying, Nathan getting me there Nathan getting me home) most terrifying car rides of all time. OF ALL TIME!!!!




*normally? A 10-15 minute drive tops.

Jacket, Target
Long sleeve striped tee, Target
Skirt, Old Navy
Leggings, Target
Boots, Doc Martens , thrifted by Nathan
Bag, Fossil
Scarf, AA
Isabella Wolf Fang Necklace, Wendy Brandes jewelry

There's A Little African Child...Trapped In Me

(I'm taking a sick day, scratchy throat. so I'm postponing the drawing for the ring a couple days at most. But I have this written so I thought I'd ho ahead and post it. Have a wonderful day!)

So, weekend and evening looks...I wear denim cutoffs over leggings or tights A LOT when it’s cool enough and the biggest difference between a work look and what I wore that night is really most often just a band tee. I love a band tee. I think they go with everything. Skirts, jeans, cut offs, whatever.

Anyway! Let’s have a look! Friday after work Nathan wanted to go out for Tex-Mex, so I changed my blouse for this tee:



I didn’t see “Get Him to the Greek” in the theater, and I didn’t even see it for a while after it came out on DVD. I had no idea. It is the funniest thing I have ever seen. I rented it, and loved it. And then I bought the DVD right before the holidays. I have watched it no less than 20 times since then. So naturally I needed to get a band tee for the band in the movie, Infant Sorrow.



I got a second pair of those jeans, because I have been living in them. When I first got them, I was skeptical I could make them work with anything but a tee, and I have plenty of those but I wasn’t sure what else I could do with them. I think the better question might be what can’t I wear them with? I almost wore them with a dress today but I stopped myself.



BOOM, peek-a-dog! Have I explained that window seat? We built him one in the old apartment and we had to make him one when we moved as well. It’s a piece of wood, with a bedpillow on top of it. It’s not classy, but we pull up those blinds when the sun is out and he sunbathes like a cat and sits up there and tells squirrels where they can go. And the mailman. And the neighbors. And any dogs that have the GALL to be walked through his yard.



Cardigan, Target
Tee, Infant Sorrow tee, Ebay
Jeggings, Target
Boots, Doc Martins, thifted by Nathan

Could You Hold Me Tighter, When Worlds Collide

Nathan and I went to a birthday party for a friend on Saturday and Nathan got dressed up. I did not. The dress code was as follows:

“Just dress cool. You are a grown up, it's a party and your photograph will be taken. You'll want to make sure everyone who sees your picture realizes what a fun and interesting life you lead ... so just wear that outfit.”

That is maybe the most awesome and open ended dress code I have ever seen. So I went casual. Nathan went fancy. And he looked amazing.



He graciously posed for the adorable photos for me.







He was hands down, the best dressed guy there, no vote necessary.

I on the other hand, wore this…



Which was not fancy at all, but which is actually pretty typical for me as far as weekends go.



But look! My hair was down. I’m still not a fan. I don’t get the appeal. But Nathan likes it.

On Him:
Blazer: Dior, from Buffalo Exchange
Vest: Standard Cloth, Urban Outfitters
Shirt: Merona, Target
Bow tie: gift from Bill Chandler as part of a tuxedo set he gave Nathan probably 10 years ago that Nathan has cannibalized in a million ways (He has found uses for everything but the cummerbund and the suspenders). It was his choir tuxedo from college (I also think it has been to Prague and back on choir tour, which is farther than I've traveled).
Pants: Gap 1969 corduroy
Shoes: Dr. Martens, thrifted
Hat: Urban Outfitters

On Her:
Sweater, Forever XXI
Tee, Hot Topic
Skirt, Target
Tights, Target
Boots, Aldo (I totally changed into the flat Docs before we left, chickened out of the pain. And I was glad I did. The venue was gorgeous, but all hard wood floors and almost no seating. I did not regret those flat boots one little bit.)
Bag, SR Squared by Sonia Roberts
Necklace, Moon Raven Designs

I Don’t Remember What You Look Like Anymore

I’m super excited by all the ideas you guys are giving me in the Moon Ravens Design giveaway comments. Some suggestions I’ve already started working on are:

More weekend/evening looks
Wearing my hair down
More pictures of my dog
And more “what’s in my bag” photos.

And I’ve discussed with Nathan your desire to see a guest post from him with his top tips for thrifting and I’ve started thinking about tips on how I find the things I do at Target and the like. So keep them coming!

My photos last Friday came out unintentionally kind of awesome. I love how dark and cold they look. Not the best look for fashion shots, I suppose, but awesome anyway.



I love the way the tree branches frame the shots.



I’ve been wearing these jeans (I know, they are technically jeggings, but I hate that word more and more) non- stop at home and I wanted to wear them to the office Friday. At home, I’m mostly wearing them with band tees, and incorporating them into work wear presented a bit of a challenge.



I decided to just embrace the pattern and push it even further by wearing it with another pattern. I loved the way the tank and jeans paired. Daring, but not TOO daring. Not something your average office worker would wear on a casual Friday but not inappropriate either.



And because I know you can’t actually see the top very well in my pictures (but I loved them so much I didn’t re-shoot), I adjusted this one until the background almost faded away for a better look…



I felt great in this. It was 100% ME.

Cardigan, Urban Outfitters
Tank, Urban Outfitters
Jeggings, Target
Boots, Doc Martins, thrifted by Nathan
Bag, LUSH

You Wanna Hear About The Deal I’m Makin’

I am, essentially, lazy. I know I need to buckle down and learn how to use the new camera. I do. And I will. It just may take me a while, because of the laziness. So for now I hope we can just make due with the OK photos I’m taking. Because well, that’s what I’ve got.



That denim skirt has more than earned its place in my closet since I bought it. I am not a big fan of jeans these days. I just don’t find them all that comfortable compared to dresses and skirts. But I do like denim. So I’ve worn this often. It won’t make it past Spring due to length (it’s short!), but now I know how much I like a denim skirt, so I’ll be on the lookout for a longer one when the time comes.



I feel like I’ve finally settled into a place where I can do cold weather dressing with ease. I know and understand the pieces available to me and am able to work with them. I filled all the major holes (this black cardigan being one, because I needed a way to winterize all my pretty tanks) and I understand which pieces play well together. Which means of course, it will warm up any day now.



I know I mentioned Nathan’s frustration with the sweatpants and pajama bottom wardrobe I tend to wear around the house (because of the sheddy little dog) and I am working towards fixing that. I hate to buy things for wearing at home because it seems like such a waste of money to me. So I’m trying to find things I can wear at home, that don’t show the dog hair so much that I can’t wear them out. Like the 5 Smiths tees I ordered from Everything English. All white. And the ridiculous grey and black tie dyed jeggings I got at Target yesterday. I am actually planning to wear those to work Friday. Because, I mean, black and grey tie dyed leggings. How cool is that? Very. And ridiculous. Cool and ridiculous are both things I happen to be very fond of.

I downloaded Picasa last night and so far I don’t hate it. I don’t love it as much as my old system but that’s life. I didn’t mess with it for too long so I’m not sure how well it will play with Flickr for uploading the photos, but so far so good. Thanks so much to everyone that offered suggestions. I’ll let you know what I decide in the end…

Outer cardigan, Urban Outfitters
Layering cardigan, American Apparel
Tank, Target
Skirt, Old Navy
Tights, Target
Boots, Docs, thrifted by Nathan

You’ve Gotten Into My Bloodstream

This is another Christmas gift. I choose this one at Nordstrom Rack. There was a lot of debate and back and forth. It wasn't cheap. So I needed to make sure it would be worth the investment. I had originally tried on another one (same sweater, same size, just not THIS sweater) and something seemed oddly unflattering about it. I still really loved it. I wore it around the store for a while. Eventually I decided I did like it, but something told me I might want to try on another. So I did. And this one was much better. There was something funky about the pockets on the other one. I’m not saying this one is the most flattering thing ever, I don’t think it is really. But I love it in spite of that. I love the colors and the shape and all the little details. I love that when I lose a button I can replace it with pretty much whatever I want. And I love the remixing possibilities.



I also love that I can pair it with that lace skirt. I find the black one almost impossible NOT to wear but the green one has been harder for me to style. I don’t think it comes across in the photos, but the sweater actually has little bits of sage green running through it (and pink, and lilac , and purple, and mauve, and grey and light blue and gold and more!).



Oh! And these photos are about a week old, so I forgot you hadn’t seen them yet, but check out those Doc Martin wedges. Nathan thrifted them for about 10 bucks. He saw them and made a mental note. Then he came home and asked what size I wore in Docs. A few days later he went back and as luck would have it, these were still there. They are in like new condition and the previous owner used an additional insole, so the original insole has not even shaped to another foot, meaning I can break these in as mine all mine. I love how they have sort of a “creeper” feel to them. And they are SO COMFY. It’s almost unreasonable.

I’m having a really hard time finding photo editing software I don’t hate. I normally use Microsoft Office Picture Manager, which I love. I don’t need much. I need to crop, I need to adjust the brightness levels and contrast and really that’s about it. I don’t correct flaws or edit backgrounds. My images are pretty darn close to their raw format. And I like them that way. I tried Photoshop over the weekend (free trial version) and I hate it. I also hate GIMP. Mostly I just want Microsoft Office Picture Manager back, but I don’t have Office on my new laptop and I cannot figure out for the life of me if Picture Manager is included in the home and/or student packs. The listings talk a lot about how you can edit right in Word, but I don’t need or want to do that really. I want to edit each picture QUICKLY and move on. If you have the home or student version of Office 2010, did it come with Picture Manger? Do they just not consider it important enough to list on the package detail or is it not in there? As much as I want to go back to it, I can’t see spending upwards of 300 bucks to get the full on version of Office with tons of stuff I’ll never use. I’m also open to trying something similar if anyone has a recommendation, but nothing web-based. Our internet connection at home just doesn’t support that kind of thing when we are both online.


Sweater Coat, Free People, Christmas gift from Nathan
Layering Cardigan, American Apparel, Christmas gift from Nathan
Tank, Urban Outfitters
Skirt and tights, Target
Boots, Doc Martins, thrifted by Nathan

And You Don't Give a Further Thought

I’m big on sweater coats right now. Since I live in Dallas and it never REALLY gets all that cold, I can wear them pretty much all winter long as long as I use a layering cardigan to block the wind. I find them to be quite cozy and warm. Nathan got me a couple for Christmas including this wonderfully happy number.



It’s not colors I’d normally choose but I’ve already found a few pieces I can wear it with. It so soft and stretchy and wonderful.



I got lots of compliments on it as well. My co-workers almost all commented on how pretty it is.



One of my goals for this next year is to be more aware when another blog has influenced an outfit or styling choice and document that more. I felt a little like I was channeling one of my new favorite bloggers in this outfit! Louise from Coffee and Cardigan. If you’re not reading her, I’d suggest you give her a try. She’s fresh, and real and honest and her eye for style is impeccable.



It’s not really showing up in pictures, but Nathan also got me a piece from my favorite Etsy seller, Moon Raven Designs. A tiny little solid gold hummingbird skull. It’s so delicate and pretty. It was a surprise gift and I was really impressed.

(photo from Moon Raven Designs)


I've worn it non-stop.

Sweater coat, Forever XXI (Christmas gift from Nathan)
Layering Cardigan, American Apparel (Christmas gift from Nathan)
Dress, Target
Tights, Target
Boots, Docs
Foks, celapiu at Etsy
Bag, L.A.M.B

Oh, Holy Night

(So I’m not super excited with how these pictures came out. It was rainy and I made due with the porch. But I’m going to share them anyway, because this blazer is so fantastic.)



This is what I wore to Christmas Eve services with Nathan’s family. Nathan thrifted that blazer, it is Nanette Lepore. I kid you not. It is velvet and cut so gorgeously. AND it fits perfectly.



Christmas Eve service at my In-laws church is “come as you are”. I love the sentiment. They simply want you to stop what you are doing, and come down to the church for a few moments. It’s simply communion, carols and scripture readings in a dimly lit sanctuary. It’s over almost too quickly. And since it’s “come as you are” there is no dress code. My mother-in-law usually wears jeans. But you know me. Any excuse, really.



And this pretty jacket just couldn’t wait to be worn. I love it. That man of mine continues to have the most amazing thrift-fu around.

Jacket, thrifted by Nathan, Nanette Lepore
Tank, skirt and tights, Target
Boots, Docs
Bag, Sondra Roberts
Necklace, Moon Raven Designs at Etsy