Onward

losing my balance. kinda sorta.

As you read this post, know that I'm in super chilly Minnesota for my cousin's wedding. I don't know that the temperature has gotten above zero all day. Or even this week, for that matter. So, I'm layering and staying inside, on the couch, under plenty of blankets. Pretty groundbreaking game plan, huh?

At least I'll be toasty warm!

If you read a lot of fashion/style-based blogs, you'll see that many other bloggers have rounded up their favorite (or least favorite) outfits of the year, and/or are blogging about their New Year's resolutions. While I'm not going to round up the past year in outfit posts (you can search them by month to the right, or by label down on the bottom of this page), I AM going to state that for 2014, I really want to grow my blog. Grow my readership, grow as a blogger, grow as a "writer," and force myself to grow when it comes to styling outfits, putting myself together, and grow up when it comes to my closet. I'm trying to put my foot down when it comes to buying cheap clothes that don't wash or wear well, and stock up on quality basics - pieces that I'll have for a long time and are timeless. 

I know I've mentioned this before, but I'm really going to try to focus on quality over quantity. Now, know that that phrase means something different to everyone, and it's not going to happen overnight, but I am RESOLVING to give it my best effort! I'm not perfect, and I won't be able to kick my habit (finding clothes on sale gives me such a rush) right away, but I really want to fill (ok, first empty/get rid of/pare down, and then not completely refill, but somewhat fill up) my closet with nice (possibly luxurious!) pieces that I love, and am truly excited to wear*. 

So, that's my blog resolution for 2014 - GROW.

GROW. GROW. GROW.

Wish me luck!

this is my red peacoat. you know, for when it's cold out

When I was packing for this trip, I had the hardest time deciding what to bring. I wanted to bring really warm clothes (below zero temps, my friends), but in looking at a lot of my sweaters, I wasn't excited about wearing them. In fact, I was, not disgusted, but a bit annoyed with myself. I kept asking myself "Why do you still have this if you don't ever want to wear it? Or it's so itchy that you can only wear it for a few hours? Or only fits when you're feeling really skinny?" It motivated me to want to go through my sweaters (again), but as I still needed to pack, get ready for bed, and get a good night's sleep before a day of travel, that will have to wait until I am home again. I'm going to have to ask myself the tough questions, be honest with myself, and get rid of some oldies. But, I think I'm ready!

Baby steps, my friends. Getting rid of some sweaters = baby steps. And getting rid of more stuff = more and more baby steps that combine to make several larger steps (right? I'm no math expert, but I think that's how it works).

Baby steps for a New Year :)

polka dot blouse: Kohl's

sweater: American Eagle

jeans: Kohl's

shoes: KMart

peacoat: gift (Old Navy)

linking up:

Walking in Memphis in High Heels, The Fashion Canvas, and The Parlor Girl for Trend Spin Link Up

Mr. Picks Mondays: Belated Black & White

I realize this latest installment of Mr. Picks Mondays is a few days late, but, as Wednesday was Christmas, my schedule has been all sorts of catawumpus. I've been thrown out of wack - having time off from work has allowed me to take a nap (almost) every day, lounge, have long lunches with old friends, and snuggle with my pups in the middle of the day. 

Let me just say, I'm loving having a few extra days off.

My Mr. pulled this out of the closet for me to wear. I'm really trying to "winter-ize" my white pants and wear them into winter, but they are such a mental hurdle for me! I just want to wear them with loose & flowy summer tops and sandals. I KNOW it's possible (and even chic!) to wear them in the winter, I'm just having a hard time making myself comfortable with it. Any tips?? And also, I tend to spill anything&everything on white pants, so, there's that...

Actually, let me clarify what I said above ^ My Mr. chose the polka dot top and white pants. I added the blazer, shoes, and the striped top underneath for some black & white print mixing - adds a bit of dimension, dontcha think? ;) 

polka dot top: thrifted

striped top: Express

blazer: thrifted (Target)

pants: Old Navy 

flats: Kohl's

linking up with...
Simply Lulu Style for What I'm Loving Fridays
Two Thirty Five Designs for Casual Friday Link Up
Style Elixir for Friday's Fab Favorites
Simple Sequins for Fashion Item Friday

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

Purple Pants, Polka Dots, and a(nother)...Bulldog Shirt?

Cali loves blog pics. but mostly shirts with her silhouette on them

I think the title of this post really says it all. The only thing I didn't mention up there is that these purple pants are my only pair of coated/waxed denim, and I wore black boots.

This bulldog shirt was another Black Friday find. I spotted it at J. CREW Factory weeks ago but didn't pull the trigger. But when I popped in on Black Friday Thanksgiving Night, only a few shirts were left, and only one in my size. 'Twas fate, my friends, 'twas fate. Oh, and isn't this polka dot cardigan fab? You know I luuuurve me some polka dots, so really, 'twas a no-brainer - and I'm a fan of those, especially when it comes to shopping. 

However, when I showed it to the Mr, he said it looked like something I already had. 

I asked to clarify:

"Something I already have? Or something I would wear?"

His response:

"Something you already have."

"Oh, honey, I sure don't have a black & white polka dot cardigan in my closet. 

However, this one will fit right in..."

shirt: J. CREW Factory

cardigan: J. CREW Factory

pants: Kohl's

boots: KMart

linking up:

here, here, here, and over here

check 'em out!

30 for 30: (No Day 24) Day 25 & Day 26

Day 24 

was another sweatpants day, simply because we were packing boxes/moving boxes/moving furniture/unloading boxes/unloading furniture/unpacking boxes all day. 

Aaah, the life of a fashion blogger - not always so glamorous ;)

Day 25

Sequins, polka dots, boots, a sweater, and my sweet Cali girl in our new home.

My idea of perfection.

Day 26

You'll have to trust me that in person, this dress does NOT make me look an inmate like the picture seems to do. Maybe it's the braid in my hair...? I really like this dress, but it just doesn't photograph well, which is a HUGE bummer, since, y'know, I like to take pictures of my clothes and post them on the interwebs. 

In other news, that dark square up above is my newest pair of tights. My new fleece-lined tights that I'm obsessed with. Everyone should own a pair of these. 

Fleece-lined tights for EVERYONE! 

They are the key to world peace, solving world hunger, and global warming, I just know it. 

Because, really, you can't wear these and not be cozy, 

and warm, 

and feel all warm and fuzzy inside.

#trustme

So Sweet

I call these my "ballerina shoes," simply because they're pink, have a bow, and a slightly boxy toe-shoe shape. However, I do not have to tear them apart, lace them up, and they do not make my toes hurt and bleed.

I made these bracelets a few months ago. By made them, I mean I bought the beads and the stretchy string, then strung them together, then threw them on my wrist.

Before Halloween I attended a Dessert Party hosted by the collegiate members of my sorority, Zeta Tau Alpha. This event is an annual fundraiser, and the proceeds go to benefit Breast Cancer Education & Awareness, Zeta's national philanthropy.

I sported my event t-shirt from 2009, when I was one of the girls hosting the party, but subtly covered up with a cardigan and a scarf, but still showing my Think Pink! support :)

shirt: Zeta
sweater: thrifted (Kohl's)
scarf: gift from my sis-in-law
pants: Ann Taylor LOFT
shoes: Coldwater Creek

linking up here

30 for 30: Day 12 (and some new schtuff)

yes, that is Turbo's tongue in the lower right - it's a very long dog tongue

Here is the new coat I mentioned the other day. Fancy, huh? I'm a HUGE fan. I was really drawn to it initially, then "hem-ed" and "haw-ed"over it while I perused the rest of the store. 

"Is it ME?"

"Is it too trendy?"

"White? In the winter?" 

(It comes in navy, too. So that added another 30 minutes to the decision making process)

But as you can see, I overcame all of those objections and got the coat. I've been on the hunt for a new, shorter coat. I've got a red peacoat, which I love, but it's very dressy and comes to my knees; a knee-length purple down coat, and several fleece jackets from The North Face/Columbia. I was looking for something nicer than my fleece jackets, but shorter, more casual, and not quite as heavy as my other coats (that's a lot of criteria!).

I love this coat for many reasons:

1) it fits my above criteria

2) it's got (faux) leather sleeves, which is SO on trend for this year. AND, who doesn't love (faux) leather?

3) it's two-toned - do YOU know anyone with a two-toned coat? I don't.

4) it dresses up jeans, but not TOO much

5) it was provided to me courtesy of Aéropostale, as one of their VIPs for this season

Needless to say, I'll be wearing it a lot this winter, until we hit below freezing temps for weeks at a time.

YUCK.

this pink peplum top really doesn't photograph well, does it?

I matched the pink polka dots in my pants to my top

 

Yes, that is a bulldog. On a pair of socks. They are my (2nd pair of) bulldog socks. I love them.

I can't find this sweater online (boo), but it's much prettier in person - the pink is not as blinding, I promise. I'm envisioning it with leggings (most likely these, also from Aéropostale), boots over my new bulldog socks, a large cup of coffee, and a good book (currently I'm in the middle of 2 books, and 1 audiobook)...

For something similar to this sweater, imagine:

this Sheer Striped Knit Sweater, mixed with this Marled Slub-Knit Sweater, topped off with this Sheer Ribbon Yarn Sweater.

A scarf with hearts, that masquerade as black polka dots. Could this scarf be any more darling? I think not. Can't wait to wrap myself up in it - it's nice, and big, and square-ish-ly shaped, without being too heavy, although it does have a nice weight & bulk to it. Good job, heart/polka dot scarf.

And the gray infinity scarf I wore the other day, that my husband said I didn't "NEED", is here.

Aéropostale keeps hitting it out of the park - keep it up! Can't wait to see what else they've got in store!

Hooray for the weekend! Any fun plans in store?

linking up this BRIGHT top [that looks neon in these pictures] over here

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