Collecting All The People You Love To Sing You A Song

I spent forever last night trying to put together an outfit. I think I am just having one of those uninspired streaks. I hate everything I try on, and I have trouble coming up with new combinations. It will pass! And I did finally come up with something I loved…



I forget I have this skirt. Why are some wardrobe elements prone to being forgotten? My theory is that it is a staple, and staples are boring.





My feet are not actually as small as all that, these shoes are just shaped in such a way they make me look like I have Barbie feet.



I am mostly posting this close up for Hillary and Alannah, who will both appreciate it!



That’s a limited edition Tokidoki for Lesportsac bear, a Tokidoki key chain and a kid robot munny on a clip together. I wanted it to be a wee bit over the top. Success.

So I’ve been wearing two different earrings (well technically two different earrings and one cuff). I seem to be the only one on board with this style choice. Nathan is not a fan, and co-workers are not big on the look. But I like it. I can’t even pinpoint why, other than it’s different, and not too outrageous and I love earrings. I only made one of each of these. The double ball earring I have worn every day with one hoop or another and I always wear the cuff (which I know is hardly visible, but there) on the same ear as the double earring. So basically only the left side changes. I don’t know. I like it.



Blouse, Wal-Mart
Skirt, Target
Bah, LUSH
Bag charm, various Kid Robot and Tokidoki charms
Shoes, vintage
Earrings, self made

Sure I Know It’s Apocalypse, But Can’t It Wait Till I Kiss Your Lips

(I know I skipped “Struggle to Fit Into Your Skinny Pants” last Friday. I did so for a multitude of personal and messy reasons that I won’t go into here, but I apologize, and I’ll be back to that this Friday)



I am in kind of a “situation” with the bottom half of my wardrobe. I have one plain black skirt. One pair of black pants, and that’s about it. Oh, jeans, but Monday- Thursday those do me no good. My black denim leggings have finally reached a point where they are worn out enough they are not fit for work wear and I just have not managed to replace them yet. I know some of you have suggested thrifting and I am willing to give that a try, but so far I have not had the time to do so (the time you have to put into thrifting to find one decent pair of well fitting work pants, in my experience, is substantial. I might get lucky and find a pair first stop, but I’m not counting on it.)



So I’m mostly looking at wearing dresses right now, and I do love dresses, but I also get tired of the same ones pretty quick. In Fall and Winter it’s so much easier for me to trick them up. Different jacket, different tights, over the knee socks, all kinds of things. In Spring and Summer I find it harder, but I am willing to see what I can do.



Today I wanted to carry this bag from Morocco, because I don’t carry it as often as I’d like. That’s sort of what brought the whole situation to light, because I had a really hard time styling this with a dress. In fact, as you can see, I didn’t. I went with the one black skirt. The bag just seems to have so much to say on its own and I didn’t want to drown it out with a floral or other print.

How do you trick up your dresses in Summer? Outside of shoes and jewelry, what am I not tapping into?

Tee, American Apparel
Skirt, Target
Clogs, White Mountain via Amazon
Bag, Morocco, via Laura C
Necklace, self made from thrift store and craft store parts

A Million Ancient Bees Began To Sting Our Knees

I don’t know why I feel the need to mention it every time, but I do! This is my Blogs First Dress. I remember buying this at Urban Outfitters YEARS ago. It was on sale, it had originally been like 60 bucks, you know how they do over there, and it was reduced to like 30 bucks. That was still a lot for a dress, but I bought it. And I have never regretted it. At this point it is full of picks and runs, but the pattern of the fabric makes them pretty much unnoticeable. I can’t believe how well it is holding up to be honest!



Every time I wear it, I try on several different jackets and cardigans, and I almost always end up with this one. The floaty-ness of the cardigan and the floaty-ness of the dress just go really well together.



I am in love with those clogs. I admit, it is possible I have made a bit of a fashion misstep with them. Sometimes I look at them and think they are the height of style and so cute and sometimes I think they are just this side of the geriatric wing of the hospital. But the truth is, either way, I love them.



They are much more comfortable than I could have hoped for and if I could afford to I would turn around and order the tan color right now. I actually had a hard time deciding between the two in the beginning and went back and forth over which pair would go with more things, but in the end I felt it was six of one, half a dozen of another and ordered the black.



What do you think? Are you on board with the return of clogs? Are you only on board with some styles (like the gorgeous Jeffery Campbell Charli-C high heeled ones), or all of them? Did you wear them in the past? (When was the last time they were popular, the nineties?) I know I have had some before, and I know that a lot of people will say that if you wore it the first time around then you are too old for it the second time around and to those people I say “Please go see Ms Wendy B, so she can set you straight.”

Cardigan, Alternative
Dress, Urban Outfitters
Bag, LUSH
Watch Necklace, Fink Gifts art Etsy
Clogs, White Mountain via Amazon

I Don’t Actually Listen to Metal

(So many entries for the giveaway. So many lurkers coming out. I love it!)

This is one of my favorite looks. An over the top vintage metal tee and skinnies.



If I’m not sure what to wear, I choose this.



It’s a great fall-back outfit for me. I wore the same outfit two days in a row actually. On day one, the day pictured, I wore it for girls night at a piano bar with Erin. (And to be honest I swapped those heels for flats before I left.) The second time, the next night, I changed the shoes to grey ankle boots and added a cardigan and scarf for a trip to the cinema to see Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince.



That shirt is actually realllllly gross when you look at it.



Love Love love these and they were so cheap for handmade!





So I liked the look of these shoes, I did. And if life were more like a NYLON fashion layout I would have been comfortable wearing them to meet Erin, but as life is not a NYLON shoot, I felt like they took the outfit just a little bit over the top, even for me.



But they looked really good in photos, so I left them.






Tee, Vintage
Pants, Target
Shoes, Target
Bird Skull earrings, Moon Raven Designs (mrd74) at Etsy
Bangle, Target
Razor blade bracelet, Love Erin Designs @ etsy
Necklaces, self made
Sunglasses, Target

This Was Mostly About the Shoes, Really.

When I got home last night and set about taking pictures in the back yard it just didn’t go well. You’d think after all this time I’d be able to get a good shot easy as pie, but yesterday I ended up cutting off my head in all but one picture. Such is life I guess, and really it’s not such a huge tragedy. This outfit is not anything new, I’ve just changed up the accessories I choose.



I got these little tassels from a jewelry supply just to make earrings from. Most of the time the less than basic supplies I buy, I buy because they inspire me, and then I figure out what to do with them once I get them. But these just wanted to be earrings from the start.



I have been searching for a cool pin for ages. I love the way Tina and Kasmira wear them, but I wanted to make sure I found one that was right for me. Vintage, maybe a slight military feel and cheap, in case it turns out I’m not such a pin wearing girl after all. At all of 3 bucks, this double lion head pin fit the bill just fine.



Unfortunately the picture that best captured the pin, also best captured my biggest problem with that purple jacket, which is that it picks up every piece of lint, dirt and dust within a 10 foot radius. If anyone has any suggestions on how to deal with that, I’d love to hear them!

Another less than 5 dollar vintage piece…



And now for the shoes. It was mostly about the shoes.

As you know, my husband and I are feeling the economic crunch. One or both of us has been unemployed since last November. That’s a long time. And as a result, we are pretty broke. And I need new jeans (I promise, I am going to get to the shoes!). Because we are broke, I’ve been trying on jeans at thrift stores, Ross, and second hand stores. And as I’m sure you can guess, I am having a really tough time finding a pair that fits both my behind and my needs. And it is really starting to get me down. After a particularly brutal fitting room session at Ross, I wandered into the next door Payless. Where I planned to try on shoes (which I do sometimes just for fun), to boost my self esteem a bit. Because shoes pretty much always fit.

And there they were. Alice and Olivia. Marked down to $15 for $38. And so ridiculous. Unnecessary. And stunning.



And I never ever would have even considered them at $38. They are just not practical. But at $15 I had to have them. Irresponsible, a bit, sure. But all in all a $15 splurge is something I can live with, and the results? Well. They were totally worth it. I felt so pretty and tall and thin and funky all day.



So thank you Alice and Olivia, you made my day.



Jacket, Target
Tank, Target
Pants, Wal-Mart
Shoes, Alice and Olivia for Payless
Lion Pin, Vintage
Buckle bracelet, vintage
Earring, self made

Old People Hated It

The old people at Luby’s hated this outfit. I had one of those really strange experiences where I got a ton of dirty looks right in a row and all I did was walk from my table to the bathroom and back. They were either not a fan of the outfit or me in general; and I am a nice girl, so I blame the outfit.



I liked it though.





I got this pendant at a second hand store, and I love it. But a quick search of Etsy reveals that there a ton to choose from over there, some are even sterling silver. There are bronze ones, pewter, bones resin. There are all shapes too; humming birds, ravens, and sparrows. So if you like it I encourage you to have a look and support the hand crafted community.



It’s such a striking piece.



Yes. These make my ankles hot in June. I just stay indoors.







Now a question for you readers. If you were to choose, would you rather win a really nice, expensive scarf, or a new pair of jeans? I need to get back to the sponser soon so pipe in now!

Dress and belt, Target
Shoes, Jeffery Campbell
Necklace, second hand store
Earrings, Wal-Mart

I Can Totally Get Away With It.

So I think I’ve mentioned it before but I am not a fan of people claiming that they love something but “can’t get away with it”. I dislike it because I feel like you should like what you like and wear what you want. I’m not taking about wearing things that are unflattering, or not right for your body type. I’m talking about being brave, stepping outside of the box and having fun.

However, I will accept that not everyone can get away with this dress.



The top is a floral linen.


The bottom is a tribal cotton.


The zipper is gold and aqua.


I can get away with it, and I will. :D

I adore this dress.




When my husband was helping me out of it (undoing the hook at the top) he commented on how well made it is. The top is boned and the bottom is beautifully gathered.

I did wear a wrap at the office.


And a bib at lunch.


I just felt so pretty and curvy and fabulous all day. The skirt swishes in the best way.

I also wore this beetle pendant. I got the pendant at the craft store this weekend for $3.99! All I had to do was throw it on some chain. How perfect does it look with this?


I also wore my signature turquoise bird.


FABULOUS wood and leather platforms.




And an amazing leather bag from my trip to Mexico last year.

Dress, Tracy Feith for Target
Cardi, Alternative
Sandals, MIA at Urban Outfitters
Beetle necklace, Self made
Turquoise Bird necklace, Love Erin Designs
Handbag, Cabo San Lucas, Mexico