And We Listened To It Twice, Cause The DJ Was Alseep

I wore this blouse like 4 posts ago or something, but I don’t even care. I wasn’t even going to take pictures today, but then I thought, “Oh why not just be honest?”



And anyway, we don’t even have to talk about it. We can talk about other things. Like how a while back, Kelly reviewed an eyeliner called “Maybelline Unstoppable Eyeliner” and I thought to myself “Ok, self, we are going to try that.” And I did. And it WORKED. Which is remarkable. Because I have never had any luck with eyeliner. It ends up in my crease and about halfway down my greasy little face by 10 AM. But this stuff really works. I have nicely smudged pretty black eyeliner straight through when I wash my face. And to be honest, the next day. Because I don’t bother to use remover. I find the leftover bit means I have to smudge less. So take my word for it, if Kelly says it works, it WORKS.



Or else we can talk about how these pants are about 2 inches too big in the waist and I foolishly, FOOLISHLY went without a belt all day. I tugged my pants up all day long like a high school girl tugging her strapless dress at a dance. It was not awesome. But my eyeliner was!



OR we can talk about how REALLY, I should have washed my hair today, but instead I just dry shampooed it and then relied on my Spin Pins. Those things came in handy during the trips to Houston and Arkansas. I mean, I am not going to be bothered to try and straighten my hair in that kind of humidity. OK, maybe I did try once, but I learned quick.



Or we can talk about that vintage Coach there. My mom originally Ebay-ed it for herself, but then she didn’t get along with it. She has to have an organizer purse or things get ugly. Then she gave it to my sister-in-law Miranda who DID get along with it. And then it was passed down to me. I like that it reminds me of both Miranda and my mother. I like that we have all three carried it. And I like that it gets used. Because vintage things should be used until they can’t. Am I right? They should be cared for, but they should be used.

Blouse, Target
Trousers, Forever XXI
Jacket, Target (13 bucks, y’all, how many of you got one? I heard from several of you!)
Shoes, Report, via Zappos last summer
Bag, inherited from my Sister-In-Law, Miranda
Isabella Wolf Fang Necklace, Wendy Brandes

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

The Regular She’d Rearrange, The Girl Knew How To Chop and Change

I want to take a moment to gush about my husband. Saturday night we had a birthday dinner for a friend planned. We had been saving for a few weeks, as the dinner was at a nicer restaurant than we can normally afford. And all week I had been really excited about it. But Saturday I woke up in a funk and had a wardrobe crisis. I didn’t have anything new* to wear. I felt fat. And nothing I had felt flattering. My amazing husband understood. And he took me to Buffalo Exchange, and he gave me the last of his credit (I think I left him 6 bucks) and I got a new dress and a new bag. I am sure most of you can identify, but that new outfit gave me SUCH a boost of both confidence and mood. I felt pretty. And fun. And I cannot thank God enough for giving me a man who would make such sacrifices. It might seem small to you, but in a household where money is tight, and new clothes are a luxury, he gave his credit to me, even though it meant no new outfit for him.

I am not wearing the new dress here, but I am carrying the bag.



It is a beauty. It is leather and such a roomy size for a clutch. The colors are amazing.



It goes PERFECTLY with the dress, which I promise to wear with it soon. But I brought it home and of course, I had to see what else it went with, and this blouse was one of a few things.



I removed a big bow from the front of that blouse, because I always felt it interfered with styling. And because now I could, I added a lot of necklace to the look.



We are getting a lot of rain here right now, which is nice, but it meant we took the opportunity to get pictures when it came, right outside my office. I hope my co-workers missed the show.





*I am not ABOUT to wear that Zac Posen dress to a restaurant where people will be eating red sauce and drinking red wine. Not even almost.

Blouse, Target
Pants, Forever XXI
Pumps, Target
Leather clutch, Buffalo Exchange
Watch necklace and bat skull, Etsy
Beaded necklace, vintage

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

It's Time To Step It Up A Notch

I have a lot to talk about today, so if you are just here for the pics…skip to the end.

I want to start by mentioning a great project by some of the ladies in our community.

Basse Mode is a project to create a magazine focusing on what the creators are calling “low fashion”. I’m very excited about the concept. I cannot tell you how many times I have asked Nathan why there are no magazines that focuses on shopping and fashion for the middle class. I can’t afford 99% of the things in fashion magazines. Lucky, when they started, used to be much better about incorporating some affordable fashion, but I actually opted not to renew my subscription this year as more and more it was only focusing on high end pieces. Look, high end pieces are great. And they have their place. I enjoy reading about them and I aspire to be able to own some one day. But that’s not the reality for me now. Nor is it the reality for most of you. Here is a snippet from Basse Mode’s site:

“Basse Mode is a magazine built for normal everyday women. We know that the feeling of flicking through a glossy magazine can’t be beaten. However, all the magazines feature the same thing – unwearable looks, unaffordable clothes, and an emphasis on being and looking the same as one another. We want to condense all the brilliance that the fashion blogging world has to offer into something that we can put on the coffee table. That we can show off on the coffee table. A beautiful documentation of what real women wear, what real people think, and things that actually affect our lives. Nothing like this has ever been done before, but we think it could be brilliant.”

Pop over and take a look. Seriously consider signing up to contribute. I already have. I’ve got a link over in the side bar below my followers, and you can get that badge over at Basse Mode. If you believe in the project, I encourage you to get involved, and post the badge on your site.

I also want to talk a little bit about “Stay Fabulous or Get Slapped Friday”. There are not a lot of rules, OK? But there are a couple.

1. No slapping someone who has made an effort. Not everyone can be as naturally stylish as you.

2. I’m going to go ahead and state that slapping people at work or school is probably a bad idea. If you get into trouble, do not blame me.

3. Remember that the whole thing is just for fun. No hurting people. Faces or feelings. (Unless they have those sweatpants on that have something written across the bum, and then look, I totally understand. You can’t be expected not to over react to something like that. Especially if they are also wearing Uggs *shudder*.)

Guess what? It’s only Thursday and I’m already fabulous.



This is a Wal-Mart $14 dolla dress, just like the Chambray dress that you all loved so much last week, but different. I am feelin' just a little bit of pressure today in fact, because you guys loved that look so much.



This time, I just embraced the inherent country look of the dress and ran with it. I added the moto jacket to keep it true to my own style. I honestly don’t think I have much I can’t add a moto jacket of some sort to.



Even without the jacket though, the style of the boots keeps it from being too costume-y. I just love the cut on these dresses and feel it’s so flattering. It also came in a red plaid, and maybe blue plaid, but I find I do best with solids and black and white. I love a black and white print or pattern.



The belt was actually Nathan’s tweak. I wasn’t sure if I wanted to go with a vintage western belt of a plain brown belt. I had the dress laid out with a plain belt, and Nathan said “Why not wear a western belt?” and that clenched it for me. Then we had a look through his collection of buckles for the perfect one. I knew which one I wanted all along of course!~ Texas!



And to stay with the theme, a bat skull and a bullet on a chain.



I know I’ve preached this before, but if you don’t have a set of needle nose pliers, a bag of cheapie jump rings and some cheap chain…get some. It opens up a world of possibilities. On longer lengths of chain when I don’t even bother to add a clasp, since I know I’m only customizing the piece for one or two wears and then I will change it again.

Jacket, Alexander McQueen for Target
Dress, Wal-Mart (P.S. it's only $10 right now!)
Tights, Old Navy
Boots, Target
Belt, vintage
Buckle, vintage
Bag, Lucky “Stash” bag

Happy Birthday, Dear Alannah, Happy Birthday to You

Today is my BFF’s birthday.



She is the yin to my yang, my soul sister, my girl. We met…10 years or so ago? We met online, which I think used to have a bit of a stigma to it, but I don’t think does anymore. We met on a Tori Amos* message board, where we bonded over a shared love of Geri Halliwell and The Spice Girls. She is always there for me, she is on my side even when I am wrong. She is beautiful inside and out. She is smart and kind and she has great taste in music. I love you, Alannah, and I hope this is a wonderful year for you. Happy Birthday.



So I wondered why there was such a big size difference in this and the other blouse I have from the line, but according to the pic online, it’s because I’m doing it wrong. It’s much more fitted on the model online, but to be honest, I don’t think I would have liked it at all if it were all fitted like that. So I’m glad I got it oversized.



These shoes were a gift from another dear friend I met on that very same Tori Amos message board. I am 99.9% positive she got them on sale at ASOS, though. Back in the day when we were both much more flush we used to trade random fashion gifts overseas, things the other girl didn’t have access to, just for fun once in a while. It was really fun and I hope I will someday be in a place where I can do things like that again.



I honestly could not figure out what it was they expected me to do bra-wise with this shirt, because no matter what I tried, the straps peeked out. I don’t think you can really see it in any of the pictures, but I decided if they were going to show, they might as well look good and I went with a leopard print.



I always feel a bit weird without a necklace, so I tried to compensate with serious earrings. They are delicate, but crazy long. I made them sometime last year after seeing a couple movie stars wearing crazy long shoulder dusting earrings. They are cool, but the drawback is they sort of flow with my hair, which means I sometimes yank my earring when I flip my hair. Which hurts. But I’ll deal with it, because I really like these.

So, Wendy has been discussing the whole Double Denim/ Head to toe denim thing over at her blog. I firmly stated it was not for me. But then she asked for contributions for a future blog entry about it and I decided to go for it. It may not work. I may end up in the “don’t” column but come Friday I am going to give it a try anyway. It’s a pretty big deal, really, because I have been anti double denim for as long as I can remember. Wish me luck.

*I have to say, that while I still love her older stuff, I have not bought anything she has put out in years. I followed her To Venus and Back, but after that I sort of got off the ride. She got a tad too crazy for me along the line somewhere.

Jacket, Forever XXI
Blouse, Liberty of London for Target (recent)
Denim leggings, Target
Heels, ASOS, gift
Gold link bracelet, gift
Gold filled bangle, Etsy
Earrings, self made
Bag, Nordstrom Rack

Yesterday I Got So Scared, I Shivered Like A Child

Thank you so much for all your kind words yesterday. I am definitely going to keep blogging for now. I don’t ever want to be a downer, but life is pretty hard right now if I’m being honest, and I think you know I do tend to be honest. And blogging brings me a sense of purpose and joy. It’s fun. If it ever stopped being fun, or caused more stress than happiness, I’d reevaluate, but for now, it’s one of my favorite things about life.

Also, for those of you who specifically said you love seeing thing re-mixed, over at Weardrobe, you can click on any item listed in an outfit (down under the photograph), and it will take you to a page that shows you every time that particular item has been worn and how. I think that's pretty cool! For instance, here are the three ways I've photographed this dress.

As is this outfit. Unlike yesterday’s semi-tragic effort, I love this outfit top to bottom.



That is the right jacket, the right cardigan and the right belt. For today anyway. This only the third appearance for this dress on the blog, but I’ve worn it at least five times since I got it, and never the same way twice. It was a great buy. It’s so versatile and the fact that it is reversible just doubles the versatility!



I bought this belt at my birthday, specifically to wear with this dress, but once I got it home, I didn’t feel like it was working. Then I saw a couple of you guys wear it this way, with the buckle turned to the back, and viola! It’s perfect!



Nathan commented on how much all the color in this cardigan (technically, this color is listed as amethyst heather on the tag and up close it has purples, blues and pinks) adds to the dress. It really feels Springy when paired with this.



Sorry for the huge accessories pic, but I wanted you to see some things. The pattern on the dress, both of the new necklaces I’ve just made and MY GOOSEBUMPS. It was cold. So cold. The bullet? It’s a “Winchester” and don’t think I didn’t giggle at length when I saw that. If you are a “Supernatural” fan, you’ll get it. But no spoilers please for the current season! I watch it on DVD and am perpetually a season behind. I know I should catch up, but I miss it every year. It’s a bummer. Because I love me some Winchesters.


Jacket, Alexander McQueen for Target
Cardigan, American Apparel
Dress, Target (recent)
Tights, Old Navy
Boots, Vintage
Bag, Nordstrom Rack
Necklaces, self made

Take Your Body to the Floor, Your Disco Needs You

So this morning as I was walking up the stairs to the office I was thinking about how I basically wore these pants yesterday. I have two pair, so I didn’t literally wear the same pants*, but as far as everyone else is concerned, I might as well be. And then I started thinking about my collection of denim leggings. I have 2 of every kind I own with the exception of a blue pair I got a long time ago at Target. The only reason I have only one pair of those and not two is that they only had 1 pair left, and they never restocked.



That got me started thinking about multiples, because I also have this top in reds and pinks. And I have dresses I have in twos. And shoes. And two black leather biker jackets with spikes. And so I thought maybe I would talk about multiples today on the blog. And then I got online and you know what? Sal and Winona already covered it. Today. How strange is that? Talk about multiples!



What are your feelings on multiples? Do you buy things in multiple colors? Or multiples of the very same thing? Clearly my outfit today proves I believe in both!~



*I don’t wash my pants every time I wear them, heck I don’t wash them every 3 times. I wash them when they need it. But I still wear a different pair of the "same" pants if I am going to wear the “same” pants two days in a row. I’m not sure why other than to have something to counter with when a co-worker accuses me of wearing the same pants two days in a row. Not that that has ever happened, it is apparently just a fear of mine.

Jacket, Bona Drag, customized by me
Blouse, Wal-Mart
Denim Leggings, Target
Ankle Boots, Payless
Necklace, self made
Bag, Nordstrom Rack

Whatever You Do, Don't Stop 'Til You're Through

OH SNAP!~ It got cold again. Par for the course for Spring, I know, but the weather predictions have been off the last two days and it makes getting dressed a lot harder when you have no idea what to expect.



I think I might be under a dollar on the cost per wear for this dress now. It was maybe 20 bucks, and I know I’ve worn it that many times. It works for the office, it works for the weekend, it dresses up, it dresses down. I love it with no jacket and my snakeskin gladiator sandals when it’s warm, and with boots and a jacket when it’s chilly.



I feel like out of all of my dresses I get the most use out of the floral prints. I could never have enough. I find them so easy to wear and mix and match.



Our dryer is broken and my laundry has reached critical mass, so we are going to kick it old school style at the laundry mat tonight, only this time we have ripped a DVD (Up in The Air) and put it on the net book. We’ve got a headphone splitter and plenty of quarters. Should be a good time.

Jacket, Forever XXI
Dress, Target
Tights, ?
Boots, Vintage
Earrings, Forever XXI
Bag, Nordstrom Rack

It's Not Fair, You Say, I'm Square

I sincerely wish weekends were longer. It’s not that I mind working, it’s just that I really prefer doing whatever I want. Surely you understand?

I may have quit the Coupland book. I’m not sure. It was…OK. I wasn’t really excited by it at all, I didn’t look forward to stolen moments reading a few pages. It didn’t really draw me in. I didn’t mean to stop reading it, I just got distracted by something I found much more interesting …“Soulless (The Parasol Protectorate, #1)”. The Coupland Book is still sitting on my bedside table, I just haven’t read anything from it in a couple of days. Often this ends poorly for the book in question, and I eventually just admit I have abandoned it.



There seems to be something amiss with the autofocus on our camera. This cannot be good. My brother-in-law gave us this camera (Flickr tells me it is a Canon EOS Digital Rebel, and I have no reason not to believe Flickr). I’m not a big camera person, and I don’t really know anything about it other than it takes lovely pictures, but I know enough to know I can’t afford replace this camera with a camera of the same quality. I am assuming I can take it to a camera shop and have it looked at? It normally takes such wonderful pictures, I can’t imagine going back to the old point and shoot!



I'm not going to lie. This outfit is pretty boring. The Wendy Brandes piece saves it from being totally narcoleptic though, I love that about it. I can wear almost anything, and as soon as I add that necklace I feel so much more “me”. And I do love this button up. I’m not a button up kind of girl, but I really like the color, and I wanted a bit of plaid to get in on the trend. This one has snaps instead of buttons, a generous cut that doesn’t gape at the chest and little snap tabs so you can wear the sleeves up or down. The fabric is really thin and I am wearing a tank under it for the weather now, but in the summer it will feel like wearing nothing at all.

I don’t do reviews or anything like that much, but I do have to rave a moment about Maybelline’s new SHINE sensational gloss. I just love it. I have two different tubes (they cost all of 4-5 bucks a pop), Cocoa Fever (left) and Crazy for Caramel (right).



Both have a lovely sweet sent that matches their name. The Cocoa Fever is a nude shimmer with just enough color to make me look fresh. Not too much, not too little. The Crazy for Caramel is a sheer gloss with glitter and has no color to speak of outside of the glitter, but I love it on top of a MAC Lipglass to tone down that sticky, thick feeling. They also work really well over the Cover Girl Outlast Lipstains I've raved about before.


Button Up, Target (recent)
Denim Leggings, Target
Boots, vintage
Bag, Nordstrom Rack
Earrings, Target, refashioned by me
Isabella Wolf Fang Necklace, Wendy Brandes

To Cast Divine Arrows Into Her Soul

Nathan and I have been living in a very small space for a lot longer than we intended to for various (and largely irritating) reasons. But we make due. Honestly, I’m pretty proud of how much personality we fit into such a small space. I’m a bit of a homebody. I’d rather you come spend Friday night round at mine, eating take away, watching DVDs or listening to records than almost anything else, to be honest. And I’m very particular about the living room.

Until now, I have forbidden exercise equipment from this space. But last weekend, I admitted defeat. I have found one exercise, ever, that I don’t hate, and that’s my Tony Little Gazelle. Yes. It is. And last weekend I shuffled things around an already tight space to make room for mine in the living room. I’m not happy about the look of it. But I am past caring. I know if it’s in there I can make myself do it while catching up on Life Unexpected or the ridiculousness that is “The Secret Life of the American Teenager*. So my battle into taking better care of myself has begun. Portion control has been enacted, and the Gazelle is being used. I’m feeling good about it.



We went to two different Targets this weekend, armed with my birthday gift cards. As soon as we passed this display of tie dyed v-neck tees, I knew $10 would be going to one of those. In fact, I might go back for a back-up. I am a sucker for anything black and white and anything tie dyed, so this tee is just perfect for me. And you can’t beat $10.



I’m giving Douglas Coupland one more try. Everyone seems to just love him. I’ve tried two of his books** before and not finished either, so I am not sure WHY I am trying him again other than I got it at Half Price Books and it was cheap. I’ll let you know. It’s off to an OK start, but the Goodreads reviews indicate it might be all downhill from here.



I also picked up a plaid shirt and a great basic black skirt that is neither too long (and has to be hiked up to my boobs) or too short (and can only be worn with leggings). I was really excited by that find! And two tie dyed crew neck tees from the men’s department, which had much better color options than the ladies’.



The shopping ban is over, BTW. I cheated twice, right at the very end. Once on a pair of shoes last Friday, I saw them a week ago that day when I was spending birthday money and could not stop thinking about them. So I bought them and justified it as a birthday gift to myself. And a second time on Saturday when I was feeling sorry for myself (hey, it happens!) and bought a $5 Maybelline lipgloss at the CVS. It was worth every penny and it is the best lipgloss I have had in ages. I will probably go right back on a ban very soon, out of necessity and also just because it felt good to challenge myself. But I’m going to take a breather just for a minute. I feel pretty good about how I did.

(I've noticed a lot of comments about going out to look for things, and to help you know when you might be able to do that, I'm going to start noting recent purchases in the outfit details at the bottom. If I got something within the past couple of months, I'll note it as recent.)

*simultaneously one of the best and worst shows on TV. No one can act, not even Molly Ringwald seems to remember how, but the dramatic plots twists are delicious in their levels of ridiculousness, and we just can’t seem to stop watching.
**”Girlfriend In A Coma” and “Microserfs” I can’t even remember what I didn’t like about them.

Jacket, Bona Drag, customized by me
Tee, Target (recent)
Trousers, Wal-Mart
Socks, Payless
Shoes, Target
Necklace, self made from vintage and craft store parts
Cuff, Vintage, gift from Mikal
Bag, Nordstrom Rack
Book, The Gum Thief by Douglas Coupland