Creativity as a Muscle

The pieces for this outfit just came together, and I have to say, I really love the result. The more I wear this skirt, the more ideas I can come up with for it - creativity at its finest. Don't they say creativity is a muscle? And the more you use it, the better it gets? Truer words have never been spoken, my friends.

I picked up these shades before I went to Florida for the 4th of July. Festive, no? Needless to say, I love America - if you didn't already know...

shirt: Old Navy

skirt: J. Crew Factory

shoes: Old Navy

necklace: Old Navy

sunglasses: WalMart

Minted

I don’t know what it is about my mint jeans, but every time I wear them, without fail, I spill something on them.

Coffee.

Lunch.

Bug guts.

Margarita.

They’re almost as much of a magnet for spills and stains as white pants.

Or maybe I just notice stains more on these pastel pants than, say, dark wash jeans.

Whatever the case may be, I wore this outfit.

I wore it to work. I wore it to a jobsite.

I wore it to see a friend. Wore it all day long.

Have I mentioned before that I really like this top from Eddie Bauer? I have the same one in purple, and I can’t help but wish the store had had 18 more colors to choose from…probably would have bought them all…

shirt: Eddie Bauer

pants: Lauren Conrad via Kohl’s

sandals: WalMart

Mr. Picks Mondays: Peppy in Peplum

The Mr. selected this striped blue peplum dress for me to wear (apparently he prefers that I wear blue striped dresses). This dress came with a skinny yellow belt, but in an effort to be more creative and not wear it EXACTLY as prescribed, I went with a brown belt and sandals, and mint jewelry. 

Peplum is great for many things - it’s sweet, a wee bit flirty, and expertly hides the evidence of a few too many breakfast burritos that one may or may not consume...

dress: Target

belt: thrifted

Cleopatra sandals: consignment shop (Candie’s via Kohl’s)

Mr. Picks Mondays: Shades of Blue

I found this gem (haha, get it?) of a pair of kicks at ARC last week.
they're navy blue.
they are bedazzled.
and I'm obsessed.

I've done some shopping in the past few weeks - I've been pretty very successful at Old Navy, ARC, and Aéropostale (don't worry - those goodies are coming your way!). This shirt was a thrifted find at ARC, as are the shoes. The Mister picked out the button-up for me to wear, and I added the rest. 

Navy blue is my new obsession, so any time I can wear navy, or add it to an outfit, I have been. Probably more than I should (is every day too often?). I even scored a navy blue peacoat at Old Navy that I just loooove. I've been hearing that "navy is the new black," and I like to think that I'm ahead of the curve, having always liked it - both parents proudly wore Air Force Blue (growing up it wasn't called navy blue, it was AIR FORCE BLUE). Hey, I even have a navy blue car now ;)

shirt: thrifted (Hollister) sort of similar below

blazer: Aéropostale

scarf: Aéropostale

pants: Lauren Conrad via Kohl's sort of similar below

flats: thrifted (Adrienne Vittadini) sort of similar below

SHOP THE LOOK - OR SOMETHING SIMILAR...

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

Mr. Picks Mondays: Black Friday Swag

Late on Thanksgiving night, I left the comfort of my warm house to pick up my friend, Amanda, to do some Black Friday shopping. We had BIG plans: we were going to hit up our local outlets, stop at a HUGE outdoor mall, check out Kohl's, maybe go to Target, and see what other places were open for the day that has now become  than Thanksgiving: Black Friday.

However, for all of our plans, bottled water, and coffee in travel mugs, we didn't make it past the outlet mall. After waiting in lines at several stores, and power-shopping & power-trying-on through several others, we made our final purchases and called it a night. I was home, snuggled in bed by 2:30.

This lacey sweater/sweatshirt was one of those final purchases. I picked it up at rue21 - don't think I've been in to one of those stores in a very long time, but good thing we went in that night morning. I found this lacey sweater/sweatshirt and another striped cardigan. I modeled my purchases for my Mr. later that day (after much-needed sleep), and when it came time for him to pick this week's Mr. Picks Mondays, he picked out this lacey sweater/sweatshirt & my mint jeans. He knows me too well - he knows that new clothes burn a hole in my closet and I just can't wait to wear them! 

I've got some more Black Friday swag lined up for you this week - find any great Black Friday or Cyber Monday deals you couldn't wait to wear?

lacey sweater/sweatshirt: rue21

mint jeans: Lauren Conrad via Kohl's

boots: Rackroom Shoes

scarf: made by me!

linking up over here & here (for the first time!) today

Mint, meet Python. Python meet Mint AND 30 for 30: Day 5

I wore this outfit a few weeks ago, back in October. I saw this lady on Instagram wearing mint pants and a leopard top. Now, I DON'T have a leopard top, but I DO have a python print top. So, I substituted the python for the leopard. And was pret-teeeeeee pleased with the results. This is something I would never have thought to pair together. 

Where do you get your outfit inspiration? I've started taking screenshots of some outfits on Instagram so I can look back and be re-inspired when I'm picking out my clothes.

Day 5

this is a wool sweater. I was "shivering." you know, cold weather & a wool sweater go together like peas & carrots

I thrifted this sweater a few weeks ago at our local Habitat for Humanity. It's from GAP, and is VERY warm, since it's made of wool. Almost too warm - I was warm (and a bit too itchy) all day, even with a soft tank underneath. I like the fit (the boatneck collar *swoon*) and the color of this sweater, but am hesitant to wear it again until it's REALLY cold, so I don't overheat walking from the copy machine to my desk. Also, I think the person who had this sweater before me folded it in half longways - the middle puckers just a wee bit where the fibers "cross." 

Or did you not even notice until I pointed it out? ;)

linking up over here

Purple & Gray, Purple & Mint

 

This was one of those outfits that just came to me when I was standing in my closet in the morning before heading to work. It was like a lightbulb went off, and I grabbed purple, purple & gray. Like I mentioned before, I do better when I pick out my clothes the night before - there's less of a hurried scramble in the morning to get dressed & ready, and out the door (my brain seems to work in slow motion before my first cup of coffee has been digested). However, this must have just been one of those lucky days, I guess ;) 

It was lucky in that we went house-hunting with our realtor, and fell in love with the second house we looked at! We did check out other ones just to make sure, but, this house is 

THE HOUSE. 

I'm hesitant to share too much until we actually close, but please keep your fingers, toes, and all other appendages crossed for us! We're very excited to be taking this big kid step and purchasing our own home - we're definitely ready! (and tired of paying someone else our rent)

Hope you've had a great weekend - our Saturday was spent being so lazy and enjoying each other's company. It. Was. Perfect. Now, to be productive today...

shirt: Target

blazer: Aeropostale

scarf: gift

jeans: GAP Outlet

booties: Old Navy