30 for 30: day 11 + day 12

Happy Thursday - we're slowly heading towards the weekend. It's sure been a doozy.

I've got big plans to check out the Lilly for Target Line with some girlfriends first thing on Sunday morning, so the weekend can't get here quickly enough.

day 11

striped sweatshirt: Old Navy

leopard print scarf: WalMart

dark skinnies: c/o Aéropostale

metallic sandals: Target

day 12

dress: Lilly Pulitzer

ombre scarf: gift

faux leather jacket: c/o Aéropostale

tassel flats: Target

linking up this dress for the Trend Spin Linkup

and over at High Latitude Style

and at The Red Closet Diary

30 for 30: day 10

day 10

What's better than a black and white buffalo plaid flannel shirt? Wearing that shirt with a red and gray buffalo plaid blanket scarf. Not sure why I haven't paired these two together before, but I'm digging the print mixing and duplicate buffalo plaid (not quite sure what to call wearing two variations of the same print, one on top of each other...).

And yes, I know it's spring, but we've had a few chilly days sprinkled in with our 70 & sunny days. Such is life in the springtime.

white & black button up: Old Navy

black cardigan: Maurice's

red buffalo plaid blanket scarf: WalMart

gray skinnies: c/o Aéropostale

black ankle booties: Kohl's

linking up at A Touch of Tartan and I do DeClaire

taupe & gray

All of the taupes and grays.

All of the knits.

And all of the scarves.

This day was frigid cold, which called for a warm sweater and not one, but TWO scarves. I had a surprise coffee date with my best friend, and she kept gushing over my taupe and gray ensemble. And to be honest, it's something I didn't put much thought into, but I knew I liked both colors, and thought "They look decent in home decor, so why not on a person?"

And, ya know what? I like how it turned out.

However, I'm hoping I don't have to wear this heavy of a sweater (or two scarves) until next winter. Fingers crossed!

oh oh, and linking up all over the place:

Jersey Girl, Texan Heart

Cappuccino and Fashion

A Touch of Tartan

Stylin in St. Louis, Living in Color Style, and Coffee Beans and Bobby Pins

I do deClaire and Once Upon a Time & Happily Ever After

sweater: thrifted (GAP)

gray skinnies: c/o Aéropostale

striped scarf: thrifted

oatmeal scarf: handmade

ankle booties: Old Navy

Mr. Picks Mondays: Covering up (Some Overindulging)

the sweater-y knit of my maxi skirt

I don't know why, but I have a hard time with this skirt (and it's charcoal gray twin). They're both a heavy, sweater knit and have slits on one side. Easy to pair with boots, or even flats. Perfect for chilly weather, except for when there is moisture on the ground, as they kinda-sorta skim the earth, and I simply can't have the bottom 2 inches of my skirt soaked through. 

Maybe it's the fit? They've got an elastic waistband that can easily produce some muffin-top, especially in a too-snug top. Enter a chambray button up. Not too snug, still on trend, and perfect for after the holidays, when I've overindulged in treats & fancy beverages.

I realize the last time I wore this skirt, I paired it with this same chambray. So much for my remixing skills...

*shakes head*

Buttttt, totally different look this time! This time is more of a "wintery-fresh-with-boots" look, and last time was a "purple-y-scarf-and-blustery-bun" look...too much? ;)

chambray: thrifted

skirt: thrifted

boots: Rack Room Shoes

scarf: gift

linking up:

DC in Style for Monday Bloom

The Style Record for Monday Must Haves

Still Being Molly for Funday Monday

Fizz and Frosting for Mix it Mondays

Boxing Day

The outfit I'm featuring today is what I wore in our Christmas card this year. After celebrating Thanksgiving (round 2) with my parents, we stepped outside to take some pictures in front of our new house with the pups.

While the pups are darling, squishy, and oh-so-sweet (I'm typing this with both of them snoozing snoring under my desk), they don't seem to understand "posing" for a picture, so we had to cut the animal actors after just a few shots, and focus on us people actors.

My Mr. picked out his purple gingham-esque shirt & jeans, and I figured I should coordinate (I mean, Christmas card pictures - hellooooo!), so I threw on a chambray & a purple scarf. I went with the same color family, so we weren't TOO twinsie-ish...on Thanksgiving Day, we both ending up wearing plaid button ups...

Big thanks to my Dad for snapping our pics - he likes to pretend he's a professional photographer and *snap snap*

away ;) Some of them are a bit grainy, but that's what happens when you crop

BIG pictures down to a smaller size.

In other news, we celebrated a very quiet & laid-back Christmas at our house, just the two of us, plus 2 bulldogs. We had friends over for dinner, and then, I received the best Christmas gift today - I got to see one of my very best friends! 

She lives in paradise with her husband, and I don't get to see her nearly enough. We met up for lunch at a place where the husbands could be entertained while we caught up (for hours!) - Dave & Buster's. They flew back to Colorado for the holidays, and I'm so thankful I got to see her & her husband for just a few hours - I was on Cloud 9 as we drove home after our lunch date.

So, A, thanks for "kayaking across the ocean" so I could see you and hug you!

xoxo

great minds must think alike - we both wore slouchy sweaters, skinnies & VERY similar boots

In other other news, I'm being featured on Simply Lulu Style for this week's What I'm Loving Fridays Link Up, so be sure to check it out!

Christmas Card pictures

chambray: thrifted

purple scarf: gift

black skinnies: Aéropostale

boots: KMart

his outfit:

shirt, jeans & shoes: Kohl's

pink sweater & leggings : Aeropostale

boots: Rack Room Shoes

30 for 30: Day 8

my lovely moustache earrings

Before I started this blog, the above outfit is something I would have worn on a very regular basis. Jeans and an uncomplicated top. However, since I started my blog this past March, I like to think I've "stepped up my game." I wear less gimme outfits, and try to put more effort & thought into the outfits I put together, and subsequently post here on Sweet Bananie. 

But sometimes it's nice to revisit the basics :) 

Have I mentioned before how much I love this plaid flannel shirt? As much as I love my ankle booties.

My lovely scarf is new - it's from Aéropostale. I was asked to be a VIP for them again this season, and I happily accepted. I came home with this scarf, and my Mr. said:

"Really? Do you REALLY need another scarf?" 

and I replied:

"But this one is plain gray - I have a striped one, and a printed one, but not a plain one, so this one I needed. AND, it's an infinity scarf. So, I guess I did NEED it. Oh, and I got another scarf, too..."

I'll be showing off my new stuff from Aéropostale over the next few weeks - they include: a coat (!!!), a pink sweater, that other scarf I mentioned, and some sweet socks. 

Today I'm linking up with:

and at Two Thirty-Five Designs

Green & Neutrals-ish

I wore this layered look several weeks ago, before I started my 30 for 30 for the month of November. It's an emerald green 3/4 sleeve top, a down vest, a pretty ombre-esque scarf, that goes from light green/mint to peach and back, skinnies, and my tassled loafer-y flats. I love the color of this shirt, but needed a bit of warmth, so I'm really glad I had a plain white down vest to throw on for some extra warmth. The scarf added another dimension of being monochromatic (check out how many trends I've got going on!) I've had it in my queue for several days now, but remembered I need to share it with you so I can link up with Walking in Memphis High Heels, The Fashion Canvas, and Style Cusp, for their weekly Trend Spin Link Up - this past week was "jewel tones," so I thought this pretty green shirt fit the bill pretty well - dontcha think?

shirt: Old Navy

vest: thrifted (Aeropostale)

scarf: from my best friend's springtime trip to Europe

skinnies: GAP Outlet

shoes: Target

Orange-ish & A Tutorial (of sorts)

I don't own much orange (it's not a good color on me), so this coral-y/orange-y sweater is the closest to orange that I own (I know - these pictures make it look pink-ish, just trust me!). But I wanted to share so I could participate in this link up with Walking in Memphis in Heels, The Fashion Canvas, and Vodka Infused Lemonade for their weekly Trend Spin Link Up. The theme this week is black and orange (for Halloween, obvi). So, please excuse my dark and grainy pictures - the sun goes down so early (curse you, shorter days!)! But please appreciate my enthusiasm for blogging/Halloween/link-ups :) 

A for effort?

.......................................

Let's switch gears. Majorly.

If you have a scarf that you think would be just divine as an infinity scarf, look below for a few simple (REALLY simple) steps to make that happen. 

Place a rubber band around both ends of the scarf, so you have a large loop, and a little "tuft" for the ends.

Place looped scarf around your neck. I put the "tuft" at the nape of my neck.

Now make a figure-eight with your scarf, by crossing one side over the other.

Flip up the bottom of the eight, and place it around your neck. 

You should have 2 loops of scarf around your neck.

Fluff your hair. 

Adjust your scarf. 

Give yourself a pat on the back. Or a thumbs-up.

You have now made an infinite scarf a (temporary) infinity scarf! Ta da! 

I've found that the "tuft" is smaller (and thus, more manageable) when you use a thinner scarf. However, it's not impossible with a thick scarf - I would recommend wearing your hair down so you can cover up the "tuft." Or, become an expert at scarf arranging so you can cover it up with the 2nd loop :)

Ever tried this? I do it all the time! It's just a different way of tying a scarf. Tell me how you stretch your existing closet and wear things in a new way.

sweater: Target

shirt: WalMart

 (temporary infinity) scarf: thrifted

jeans: Trends

Boots: Kmart