a bachelorette party

When you are expecting, things that were previously a part of your social life are not quite the same.

Say, for example, a bachelorette party. A friend of mine is getting married Memorial Day weekend in Texas, and we won't be able to attend. Her bachelorette party, however, was being held in town where I live, so I was able to go. And this is what I wore.

You might be thinking "That doesn't look like typical bachelorette party attire, Annie." And you would be quite right, my friends. Normally, I'd wear something a bit different (most likely a party dress and heels), but I attended this party during the day, right after a snowstorm. Hence, the layers and the boots.

Additionally, the bride and other party-attendees had ordered matching tank tops in dark purple and lilac, but I declined, as nobody wants to see this girl squeeze into a party tank top at the moment. So, I wore a basic black tank dress, black fleece-lined tights, rain boots, a dark purple cardigan and a lilac scarf, so I wouldn't be TOO out of place.

While I didn't attend the entire party (a Friday to Sunday event, with one evening in Denver, one in Northern Colorado, hotel rooms, and lots of champagne), I did attend Saturday day for a scavenger hunt around town in a party bus and a stop for delicious local lunch. Then we showered the bride with gifts, and while everyone else took a power nap, I went on home to lay low and watch some Netflix in my pajamas. It was a win-win in my book - I celebrated the bride, got to be comfortable, and got home at a reasonable hour, 3 of my favorite things!

black tank dress: American Apparel via sorority recruitment (non-maternity)

purple cardigan: Ann Taylor (non-maternity)

lilac scarf: gift

black fleece-lined tights: Kansas City Kitty (non-maternity)

rain boots: gift

plain & fancy

Whenever I wear this jacket, I try to pair it with something very feminine. I do this simply so I can find the perfect balance between a utilitarian/"rugged" (but nor really) look and a more softer, more girly one. And this outfit does just that - lacy tee, fancy shorts, fancy jewels & an olive green field/utility jacket.

Ta da!

Oh oh, and, you guys, it's Fridayyy. Cheers to the weekend!

lace shirt: gift

shorts: Ann Taylor Outlet

jacket: thrifted (Land's End)

sandals: WalMart

statement necklace: borrowed from Rocksbox

(use the code sweetbananiexoxo for a free month of jewelry rental)

peony bush: my backyard

linking up:

Sydney Fashion Hunter

can't win 'em all

This outfit looked so much better in person. Like, 100 times better in person. Trust me. It (and I) photographed terribly. Is it all the black? All the dark colors? The stripes? The fleece-lined tights? The cold? Maybe it makes my face puffy?

I just don't know. But I do know this is clearly not a great outfit. I look a bit shapeless and that's not doing me any favors. But, in the interest of real style and transparency, here's what I wore! And as great as some looks were earlier this week (here and here, oh, and here), this one just isn't competing. 

But, I'm a real person, with real style, and a real life, and a real job, and real wrinkley dogs, and sometimes, my real outfits aren't so great. *sigh*

linking up with:

Style Elixir

dress: Target

cardigan: Ann Taylor

fleece-lined tights: Target

boots: c/o Aéropostale

the sweater saga, part 4 + sweater #13

part 1

part 2

part 3

of my Sweater Saga

So maybe I've got a backwards American dream - I don't want a bigger house, I don't want a bigger car, or a bigger yard, or a bigger kitchen, or even a much bigger closet space.

We purchased a new (to us) car about a year ago, and we had a discussion about a 10% car - we shouldn't buy a car for specific functions that we will only do about 10% of the time (i.e. driving to the mountains, hauling, home improvement projects). That led us to my little Saab sedan. In the past year, there have been 2, maybe 3 times, where I've said "I wish I had a bigger car, like an SUV or truck, for this." One was getting beadboard home from The Home Depot, another was driving in the snow - specifically getting over a small drift in the road. Turns out, my little car does great in the snow, but lacks clearance. But if the weather and roads are that bad, I probably don't need to be going anywhere, anyways.

I've started applying the 10% idea in a lot of other areas: recently, my in-laws came up for a belated Christmas celebration and we broke out our electric turkey roaster, making the total number of times we've used it 3. For us, that's a 10% appliance. It’s nice to have, but rarely gets used in my kitchen.

We don't even inhabit all of our house - with extra bedrooms, an extra bathroom and a half, and a basement and garage, we've furnished spaces. Sometimes I think our house is a 10% house, at least for now. 

to be continued...again...

shirt: Ann Taylor

sweater: thrifted (GAP)

velvet pants: J. Crew Factory

necklace: WalMart

boots: c/o Aéropostale

purple + blue

It's difficult to see in these pictures, but my shirt, sweater, and vest are different colors. The shirt and vest are navy blue, and the cardigan is dark purple. I think this is the first time I've paired these two dark colors together, and I like the dark, mysterious & wintery look that resulted.

There are obviously many ways to pair colors - complementary, analogous, and warm & cool colors. And then there's wearing colors that are the same saturation - dark blue and dark purple. mint and baby pink. mustard and burnt orange. You can pull off any color combination, as long as the colors are the same "depth." It makes a look more cohesive and intentional, instead of "I got dressed in the dark." Not to say that you CAN'T pair different color saturations (and you should!) but sometimes the best color combinations come from neighboring colors on the color wheel, but in the same tone.

Really, though - try it sometime: deep jewel tones, pastels, navy and purple, forest green and deep red (Christmas colors!), and let me know how it turns out.

shirt: thrifted (Target)

cardigan: Ann Taylor

vest: Old Navy

jeans: thrifted (Old Navy)

shoes: DSW

necklace: from my Grandmother

black and blue

Looks like I've worn this exact same look before (here - this past winter). But with different shoes.

Guess I liked it so much I had to repeat it...

or I can't figure out what else to wear this top with. The fit is boxy, so just any bottoms won't do.

*sigh*

Any ideas?

shirt: Ann Taylor

pants: Aéropostale

wedges: Target

Cheese & Wine

Waaay back at the end of May/beginning of June, we went on a fancy date night to celebrate our 2^nd wedding anniversary. We went to a local wine and cheese place (The Welsh Rabbit)  - I was in wino heaven. D isn’t much for wine (he prefers beer), but I think he even enjoyed himself a teeny bit. He ordered a glass of a sweet white before moving on to a cider, and I had a flight of Austrian wines (Vienna, here I come!). And we also tried a variety of cheeses. Really, I think we tried at least 6. If not closer to 8. And all sorts of meats and salamis and crackers and other good eats.

After we were full of cheese and wine and meat and bread, we wandered around downtown and I picked up another Pioneer Woman cookbook (her first one – the only one I was missing). We then went to a new-ish whiskey bar and met a friend there for a drink. This girl steered clear of the whiskey (shots of Fireball are the only whiskey I’ll partake in) and had a refreshing Moscow Mule instead ;)

the far left was D's sweet white - the remaining 3 my Austrian flight

cheese. bread. meat.

peplum top: Ann Taylor Factory

faux leather jacket: Miley Cyrus & Max Azria via Plato's Closet

skirt: Aéropostale

sandals: Shoe Carnival

2 Basic Ingredients

 

 

  

 

 

These two outfits each contain two similar ingredients: a chambray, and polka dot pants. Yet, very different outcomes! It's like when you make banana bread, but instead of adding bananas, you add zucchini, or pumpkin. Similar inputs, change up a thing or two, and voila! A different, yet equally delicious outcome.

Have I mentioned that my chambray collection has really grown? We're talking upwards of 5 shirts...not to mention a dress...and a skirt. Don't judge - they go with everything!! So, I find myself reaching for them all the time . And if I'm shopping and see a wash or fit that I don't have, it doesn't take much for it to come home with me. Sorry not sorry?

on the left:

chambray: thrifted

pants: Ann Taylor LOFT

scarf: thrifted

sandals: Target

on the right:

chambray: Kohl's

sweater: Hollister via Plato's Closet

pants: Old Navy via Plato's Closet

flats: thrifted