30 for 30: day 19 + day 20

day 19

Cobalt & ikat.

And gray.

And dots.

And tassels.

So we have a bit of print-mixing going on here, but from a distance. And lots of neutrals, broken up by a fair amount of cobalt. Not my favorite look from this collection of 30 outfits (“collection.” sounds so fancy.), but not bad, either. Perfect for work, then seeing a girlfriend and playing closet. Then rolling on in to my parent’s house well after midnight…YOLO?

cobalt sweater: GAP Outlet

gray skinnies: c/o Aéropostale

ikat scarf: WalMart

flats: Target

day 20

This sweatshirt dress is such a favorite of mine (maybe most favorite?). The color, the fit, the warmth, the fact that I can easily dress it up or down, wear it with tights or leggings and boots, or bare legs and sandals.

However, as with all dresses, I find it difficult to style it differently (almost) every time I wear it. It’s not that I’m opposed to wearing the same outfit over and over again, but I do like to challenge myself to find new ways to wear my clothes. Then I can really maximize the use/wearing of items in my closet. I do this by changing out my shoes, accessories, jewelry, layers, and bags.

Sometimes I’m more successful than others.

All of that to say, I’m about stumped on ways to wear this dress differently than I already have – I’ve done sandals, tights and boots, and almost every scarf that would look decent with this all navy dress. Any more ideas?

sweatshirt dress: J. Crew Factory

scarf: gift (Old Navy)

sandals: Target

crossbody bag: thrifted

linking up at Elegantly Dressed & Stylish

Dots & Poppies

I came up with the idea for this ensemble ages ago. Then had to wait WEEKS for the weather to cooperate (it's currently cooler than 50 degrees right now. and dark. and rainy. which is FINE. however, I was hoping to spend all day today and tomorrow laying in the sun at a friend's pool. so, there's that).

And then, I waited WEEKS to post it here.

I know, I know!

Worst blogger EVER. 

To be honest with you, I haven't felt inspired/motivated lately. To blog, to play in my closet, to write anything, to impress you with my witty self. Part of it is I've been a wee bit busy - training for another half, booking flights to the Sunshine State, patio drinking, drinking Snapshots at New Belgium Brewery, and taking video of my handsome Turb rolling in the grass.

But part of it is I feel like I'm out of sorts, and this poor little blog gets neglected as a side effect.

Bear with me, if you will - that'd be great!

with my denim jacket. and my sweeties, of course

shirt: WalMart
sweater: J. CREW Factory
denim jacket: from a friend (Old Navy Outlet)
skirt: J. CREW Factory
shoes: Kohl's
neclace: Ann Taylor

Dots, Tweed, and...Python?

closeup of my print mixing madness

I wore this outfit several weeks ago when one of my best friends was in town. I took her for drinks with some work friends (after work, of course!), and really enjoyed getting to show her where I work and live and play.

I came up with this outfit several weeks before I wore it. I was trying to decide what to wear for something else (surprise), and somehow these 2 items ended up next to each other on my bed, due to my haphazard tossing and grabbing. When I looked closer, I realized they didn't look half bad together.  In fact, they were pretty interesting. And so, an outfit was born. However, this "ah-ha!" moment happened when there was still snow on the ground, so this wonderful combination had to wait for a warmer day. And I added the python print flats for kicks, since dots and tweed have the potential to be too cutesy ;)

shirt: Old Navy

jacket: Express

jeans: GAP Outlet

flats: WalMart

seeing [blue] dots

my photographer started doing weird things...

like making shadow puppets...

clearly not amused

I call these my "disco ball" earrings

Piggybacking off of my post from Friday, this is what I wore on Christmas. We had a quiet Christmas, just us two (four, if you count the pups), then had some friends over for dinner. We drank glühwein (a German spiced wine), ate yummy food, had delicious homemade Kahlua over vanilla ice cream (divine, I tell you), and played Cranium & Rainy Day Golf.

Maybe I'm just postponing boxing up all of our Christmas decorations, or that we've been busy every weekend since Christmas, OR that we just celebrated belated Christmases with both sets of parents this weekend, but I have to wonder, why is everyone in such a hurry to be done with Christmas (my mom and mother-in-law excluded - they left the trees & stockings up for us)? 

Seems like the preparation and anticipation and start in October (after Thanksgiving for myself), and come 26 December, as soon as gifts are exchanged and the eggnog all drunk up, decorations are put away and Christmas cheer has to wait another year. It seems almost taboo to think about it after that day, let alone talk about it to some people. It's on to the next consumer driven holiday, Valentine's Day (don't get me wrong, I like V-Day, but let's be real, folks - we can all be a little bit guilty of "BUY ALL THE THINGS!" during Christmas). I'd like to advocate for less consumerism and less hype about Christmas & peppermint mochas & stockings & who has the best lights or the best tree - isn't the point of it to celebrate Jesus's birth, and spend time with loved ones? This weekend with both sets of parents, and last weekend with my extended family really drove that home for me - it's about spending that special time with the people you love, not the gifts, or who spent how much money, or whether or not you got that ONE thing you REALLY wanted, but didn't really NEED. Going forward, I plan to be sure that my actions jive with the words I've just written - easier said than done, I know.

So, in the words of a wise man who called himself Dr. Seuss...

“And the Grinch, with his Grinch-feet ice cold in the snow, stood puzzling and puzzling, how could it be so? It came without ribbons. It came without tags. It came without packages, boxes or bags. And he puzzled and puzzled 'till his puzzler was sore. Then the Grinch thought of something he hadn't before. What if Christmas, he thought, doesn't come from a store. What if Christmas, perhaps, means a little bit more.”

― Dr. Seuss, How the Grinch Stole Christmas! 

My intent was not to offend anyone who loves the holiday season - these are just my thoughts & reflections

top: Ann Taylor

pants: Aéropostale sort of similar below

shoes: Kohl's sort of similar below

earrings: Kohl's

Stripes on Dots

I don't know that I would have ever done such "large scale" print mixing before I started this blog in March - I mean, my top AND bottom in different prints?! This is the girl who used to match EVERYTHING (by match, I mean shoes to belt to bag to earrings - and the. exact. color.). But, here it is!

Too much? Too risky? Or just right?

linking up with:

Two Thirty-Five Designs for Casual Friday

Still Being Molly for Funday Monday

sweater: Express

pants: Old Navy via Plato's Closet

boots: Rack Room Shoes