Hello Again, Friend Of A Friend

It feels like forever since I've done a regular outfit post. I've been taking pics though, so I have a few ready to write. I keep thinking I am going to get used to the new schedule, but the new schedule changes every week. Not in a bad way, I don't dislike it, but I am having a hard time figuring out when and where to see friends. I have Fridays and Saturdays off. But which days I work open and which days I close fluctuates each week. The truth is there is so much to learn at Buffalo Exchange and even though I anticipated that, it's still draining. It's not just the hours that I'm adjusting to, it's the physical aspects (hours on my feet after hours on my bum for years and years) as well as the learning. Learning makes you tired! I had forgotten just how intense mass amounts of new information can be. I've done my register training. That was in all honesty, the scariest thing for me. And I'm doing pretty well on it. My Buy Counter training has slowed down to make room for that, but I'm not concerned. It will pick back up again. It's an ebb and flow. A give and take.



That cammo jacket was a much more versatile buy than you might think. I find myself wearing it with any and everything and I get tons of compliments on it. It's just a touch better on me than an army issued one because of the fitted waist (which is achieved by drawstrings inside, and to keep them at the same place I adjusted it once and then sewed them down so I never have to think about them again) and the light fabric. And that TIKKR watch? People ask me about it all day every day at work and I am always sure to give them the full lowdown on it. I hope they are going right home and ordering one, because it's so fun.



It's getting warmer. Which means I'm getting lazier with my hair and I'm wearing it in a topknot 8 times out of 10. I am planning on getting a haircut this weekend actually (Nathan is going to pay for me to get a REAL big girl haircut at Toni and Guy!). I'm planning on having the "U" shape put back in the back and the dead ends trimmed and...well, that's about it. I still like my hair long. I still know it would have more body and look more flattering shorter. I still don't care!



I mean look how cute! Who wouldn't want to wear a cinnamon bun made of hair on their head all day every day? And with my spin pins it's so easy!

Jacket, Old Navy
Dress, Forever XXI
Boots, Dr Scholl's via Zappos.com
Watch (and new pink band!), courtesy of TIKKR

I'm Fierce And I'm Feelin' Mighty

After Day 1 my feet were like "Eh, we don't feel so great but it's not so bad." But after Day 2 they were more "We hate you, please die". Oh my gosh. I am so glad I have today off. My co-workers promise my feet will adjust. Let's just hope they do it fast!



I had an exciting day though, with my fist training session behind the buy counter. I learned a lot. I spend most of the day right now working the floor, which means direct interaction with customers and lots of back and forth between the dressing room and racks. SO MUCH FUN. I seriously get paid to talk to people and handle clothes.







Plus I had a co-worker remark that she noticed that I was doing really well, and that my customer service skills are excellent. Feedback from managers is nice, sure, but feedback from fellow staff members is priceless. I don't mean to gush (OK, I do) but I have at least 3 moments every day where I just take a deep breath and breathe it all in. I am so happy. I don't remember the last time I was this stress-free. I'm focused when I'm there, and I don't have to struggle to pay attention, because I'm interested. It's interesting.



Jacket, Old Navy
Smiths shirt, Everything English
Shorts, Wal-Mart
Tights, ?
Boots, Docs, thrifted
Watch, Swatch
Bead bracelet, self made

Day 15 (3 + 18 + 7 + 20)

+ + + =



Oh no, my friend, your eyes do not deceive you. Those are bare legs, right square in the middle of my Winter 30x30. Welcome to Texas.



I didn't plan for this weather. Not that I'm complaining. I have 15 days left. And it looks to be warm for most of those. Most of my outfits were planned around tanks, or strappy dresses and sweaters, sweaters, sweaters. I'm not a bare armed kind of girl. I'm a little nervous. But it's cool. I got this. Or at least that's what I'm telling myself.



Cardigan, AA
Tank, Urban Outfitters
Skirt, Old Navy
Boots, Doc Martens
Earrings, savagesalvage

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

Your Father Cracks a Joke And In The Usual Way, Empties The Room

I have wanted to wear this outfit for at least a month.



Two things conspired against me. 1. The weather. It’s been very cold and I’ve been reluctant to wear dresses. And 2. That jacket was stuffed into a box last Spring and when I took it out it was unreasonably wrinkled. I could not even conceive of trying to iron it. The thought made me feel defeated before I’d begun.



Well, the weather finally warmed up, and I finally bit the bullet and bought something I’d been wanting for a couple of years…



Joy Mangano's My Little Steamer® Go Mini Hand Steamer. Guys. I cannot rave enough about this. I hate to iron. HATE IT. So sometimes I just never wear things. Because the thought of ironing them just turns me right off. But this is so easy to use. I got the tiny version, because I want to take it with me to the Texas Style Council* in March. I can use it to freshen up my daily outfits, but it is also going to be wonderful for making the clothes I bring for Fridays’ swap look much nicer so that someone else can take them home and love them. Wrinkly sad looking clothes are never good news at a swap!



I steamed this particular jacket twice, because it’s such thick fleece and it was so wrinkly, but even that was super easy. Just run the steamer up and down the garment while pulling at the bottom. That’s it. Easy Peasy. Seriously. Consider ordering one of these if you hate ironing as much as I do. I steamed a wrinkled Sonic Youth tee in like 90 seconds. BOOM. I would never have ironed that. I'd have rewashed it.



The affair with The Little Wooden Staircase continues, LWS continues to not give me what I need.

*Have you signed up yet? It’s only $45, and it is going to be AMAZING. I’m planning for one of the most fun and friendly weekends of my life! You should too.

Jacket, Old Navy (hand me down from Lara B)
Dress, Target
Tights, Target
Boots, Sperry (Give away from Between Laundry Days)

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

And Later On I’ll Cry My Stupid Eyes Out

Eh. I was not happy with how this turned out. I was excited because it was finally cool enough to wear this jacket that Nathan bought for me, but I had already planned the rest of the outfit. I should have taken a minute and reconsidered my options, and chosen something more suited to the jackets style, OR waited to wear the jacket until I had time to plan around it. But…I didn’t. And this was the result.



It’s not horrid. It’s just not my best effort, which is a shame, because I love the jacket. The jacket is ill-suited to the dress, and the dress and boot combo would have looked better with taller socks.



It’s OK. They can’t all be winners!

Jacket, Target
Dress, Target
Tights, Old Navy
Socks, Target
Boots, Target
Bag, LUSH fashions

Everything Looks Better When The Sun Goes Down

This was like an outfit equivalent to comfort food. I wore the dress and shoes yesterday,and when I woke up today I was not feeling so great. In fact I felt so bad I just added tights, a tank and a cardigan and went for day 2 in the dress and shoes.



And as lazy as the outfit was, and as boring as it kind of is, the lines are very flattering. I feel great in it. And I get around not quite being able to button the dress by adding a cami and pretending I layered for the look.



At least I hope I get around it.

I finally remembered to get a picture of this adorable gold filled safety pin earring! Too bad I forgot to close it before I did!



Isn't it adorable though? The seller normally sells pairs but listed a single for me as soon as I asked about the possibility.

I ended up feeling so poorly I lasted all of an hour and a half at before coming home, where Nathan is feeding me broth and crackers and Sprite. I’m sure I’ll be on the mend by tomorrow!


Cardigan and Dress, Target
Tights, Old Navy
Shoes, Aldo
Bag, thrifted
Safety pin earring, BBJUD at Etsy
Necklace, Moon Raven Designs at Etsy

You're All I Need, Your Loves a Drug, Your Loves a Drug

(Colleen sent me some more pictures last night so I hope you don’t mind if I post just a couple more later!)

My friend Catie gave me some free passes to a movie and we went to see Date Night last night. Go now. It was gustbustingly funny. I laughed out loud and hard for the first time in ages and it felt really good. Tine Fey, Steve Carell, Mark Wahlberg, James Franco and Mila Kunas all gave really standout performances.



I might have maybe just worn these same pants yesterday. Let’s just say I didn’t, how’s that? “Pics or it didn’t happen”, right?



I still have that sleeveless shirt/ short skirt combo hanging in my closet, lol. But the mornings continue to be pretty chilly, so I have not been brave enough to wear it yet. It’s OK, really. Soon enough it will be blisteringly hot for months on end, and I am not trying to rush that.



I briefly considered whether it was actually OK to wear two different shades of blue suede in one outfit. But only briefly. In the end my only real crime is that I am all but begging it to rain, am I right? And I think it just might.

I remember one of my sweet readers saying that she had this shirt and she removed the bow. If you are still reading, I’d love to hear from you again! I’d remove it, but it looks like it will leave an empty fabric loop just hanging there. How did that work?



I am ashamed to say I have needed to replace that watch battery for months and months now. I finally did on Monday. I have missed it so much. And with all the Alice buzz* right now, I thought it would be cute to wear it with my bunny. And I love the bunny with florals anyway because it make it look like he is spending his day happily hopping through a field of flowers. Cheesy, I know. But it's the little things, right?

* We still haven’t seen it, we have made plans a couple times but stopped short of actually spending that much money. 3D is expensive, and I’m cheap.

Cardigan and Blouse, Target
Pants, Forever XXI
Shpes, Old Navy
Bag, GAP, hand me down from Erin
Bunny necklace, gift from Mikal
Watch necklace, finkgifts.etsy.com

Ballerinas That Have Fins That You'll Never Find

A while ago, my office-mate, Lauren, came in wearing this amazing, architectural grey sweater. It was love at first sight. Lauren is a lot like me when it comes to a bargain. She has a bit of the Bargain Tourettes, and in less than 3 minutes, she had told me what brand it was (French Connection!) how much it was originally sold for ($148!) where she had gotten it (Overstock.com) how much she had paid ($23!) and sent me a link to it. In less than 5 minutes, I had tried her sweater on, decided what size to order and ordered one for myself.

I then proceeded to beat myself up about not pausing to think about it for a few days, and feel guilty about the impulse purchase (I really have to focus on controlling those). I also forced myself to forget about the previously unexplored by me wonderland that is Overstock.com. Oh my goodness. Someday maybe I can go back there, but for now, it’s wonders must be forgotten, and they were many. And just because it’s on sale does NOT mean I am saving money, am I right?

But anyway. Here’s the sweater.



It’s gorgeous. But I have to be honest, I find it hard to style. Dark wash jeans, black pants or a black skirt is about as far as I think I can take it, because the sweater its self is so much to take in, so much design, that I need to keep everything else toned down. You know how much I love to over accessorize, and that would really do a disservice to the design of this sweater. It has great details on the arms…



And even around back…



It came with the original $148 price tag attached, and Lauren says they do that with all the Overstock items. It was fun to see that knowing what I actually paid!



I kept it super simple with just some crystal bullet casing earrings from Prairie Oats…



Sweater, French Connection via Overstock.com
Skirt, Target
Tights, Old Navy
Boots, Steve Madden
Bag, Nordstrom Rack
Earrings, Prairie Oats at Etsy

Look at Your Paycheck…Where’s it All Goin’? To Jerks Like Me, Who Spend it on Nothin’

Hey kids!~ How are you today? Fabulous, I hope!~

Today, for Stay Fabulous or Get Slapped Friday, I decided to be bold, to take a risk. Because taking a risk is Fabulous. I decided to dip my toe in uncharted waters, and wear double denim. Now here is the thing. ..I’ve been anti-double denim for as long as I can remember. No discussion, just “NO”. But I feel like it’s everywhere now!~ And when Wendy asked for photos of people wearing double denim for her blog I thought “Why not”.

So here I am.



NOT BAD, am I right? I feel a little odd about it, but overall, I think it’s good. I don’t think you look at it and think “Texas Tuxedo” but Ladies and Gentleman that is EXACTLY what it is.



I think maybe I should keep my mind open to the whole thing. Pairing this jacket with dark denim jeans not only works, but opens up a whole new section of my wardrobe to wear it with. It takes it from a work piece to a weekend piece and even an evening out piece.

I even carried a denim colored bag.



And because being Fabulous is not something that is limited to the ladies, a rare appearance of the man in my life…



This is a pretty classic Nathan look. A band or vintage tee, skinny jeans, and a jacket. The jacket was our friend Bill’s University Choir jacket, and came with a tux, but Nathan gets the most use out of the jacket.



Fierce.



We can’t remember where I got this tee, but we think I got it online. It was before they got back together for the tour last year (which, if you missed it, I am sorry, it was an experience of a lifetime). Nathan went to see them twice on that tour. He flew to NYC to see them play in, what 2008? And then they hit Dallas last year and we went together. I have to say I’m not a huge MBV fan as far as recordings go, but live, there is nothing, and I mean nothing, like the experience of seeing them play.



Those are my favorite man shoes of EVER. They are classy and rock and roll in equal measures. They are apparently not the most comfortable shoe ever, but why should we be the only ones to suffer for beauty, ladies?

Stay Fabulous this weekend, kids, and have a good one!~

On Her:
Jacket, Forever XXI
Blouse, hand me down from Berry, Target
Denim Leggings, ANA at JCPenny
Shoes, Old Navy
Bag, Dior
Necklace, Wendy Brandes Jewelry

On Him:
Tuxedo Jacket, Secondhand
My Bloody Valentine Shirt, Gift
Jeans, ODYN (procured at Buffalo Exchange)
Zippered Ankle Boots, Thrifted
Belt, Aeropostale
Swatch Watch, Gift