Kaila Boots

I have to be honest, I don't love today's outfit. Johnny ended up coming down with Bronchitis Monday and has been stuck at home with a 102 fever. Poor kid. It seems as if the antibiotics aren't yet working either which makes it even worse. I worked until 8 last night and had only a few moments to run into my apartment to grab clothes for today before I headed to JT's. I'm pretty proud of myself for grabbing so many random pieces and being able to make it work, but I don't love the final product. The idea was there, the execution was not. I picked up these boots at Target the other day for a great $8. I thought they would be a great addition to my wardrobe and would offer a different option for some skirts when the weather starts to lighten up. I have the dark Frye boots that I love so much, but these are a lighter color and still a bit higher so I was able to justify them. Plus with an $8 price tag, I knew that if I only wear them 2 times it would be a sound price to pay. As soon as I looked at the label and realized that the boots were called Kaila boots, I decided that fate had stepped in and I had no choice but to buy them. When I put them with the brown leggings I was thinking warmth, but I should have been thinking too dark of a color contrast. I grabbed the jacket thinking it would help to break up the dress but I should have been thinking, it's too much of a different look grab a belt instead. Now I know for next time. I would like to mention that this dress falls a relatively 10-12 inches from the bottom of my behind. Somehow however, this photo proves my thinking that skirts and dresses somehow always look so much shorter on me than they really are. I guess that's part of being a women, finding your flaws and things you may need to cover or work around and work around them. The individual pieces work, but together not as well. Note made.

Anthropolification Boyer Cream Cardi GIVEAWAY!!!! GIVEAWAY!!!!

Anthropolification Boyer Cream Cardi GIVEAWAY!!!! GIVEAWAY!!!!

How does she do it? Creat such beautiful pieces and than just give them away?

Brittany's Baby Shower

The shower went wonderfully! Everyone had a great time, and we were really able to have a great afternoon party, in which the guest of honor was not present. We were able to record some Video's of my sister using I-chat the night before the shower, and than showed them at the party. We even figured out a few ways to play some games that included her videos and the guests so it was almost as if she was present. We decided to tone down the baby theme a little bit since there would be no pregnant lady present. We also asked that in Lu of gifts people send gift cards so that she can order anything still needed and haven't sent to her base in Japan.

I was determined to make sushi looking cupcakes and am really pleased with how they turned out! It was actually quite simple. I made a large vanilla sheet cake and let it sit over-night. It didn't necessarily need to sit out all night in the pan, but I wanted to make sure it was cooled down, and I was exhausted by the time the cake came out of the oven. Than I used a circular kitchen utensil to make small circles out of the cake. A cup would have worked as a cookie cutter, but we only had large mouth cups so I found a circular egg scooper of sorts in the utensil drawer. I greased it well and simply pushed it into the cake and scooped out the smaller cupcakes using a knife and some steady hands. The outside of the sushi was comprised of fruit-by-the-foot. I was disappointed to find that they no longer make plain grape ones, which would have been much more authentic looking, so I had to settle with the berry-punch mix flavor which gave a red and blue tie-dyed appearance. I cut up small strips, and wrapped them around the small cupcakes using some frosting like glue at the ends to hold them in place. Some vanilla frosting went on top of the cupcake. Originally I was going to use coconut to look like rice on top of the frosting, but wasn't unsuccessful in finding that as well on my local supermarket shelves. The cupcakes were topped with sprinkles and the occasional Swedish fish. I tried to make the sprinkles resemble different types of sushi, salmon and cucumber being my major thinking since I only had select colors to work with. They made a great addition to the theme of the party and they were so delicious. The whole project took 45 minutes to complete from the start of taking the cake out of the pan. A will be using this recipe again in the future and may modify it to fit some various needs. So simple and such a personal touch on the party.

The centerpieces were even easier to put together. My sister and I found some bunches of flowers at our local craft store on sale for 50% off. Thankfully,we picked great color themes since Valentines day was just a few weeks ago. We cut the stems down on the fake flowers making them individual flowers. I also found these take-out boxes at the local art store for $1.50 a piece. A shopping bag was placed in the bottom of the boxes to had a little height, the flowers were poked through the plastic bag, add a couple of fake green leaves and voila a completed project. We had ordered these Chinese looking magnet fans for a little Asian touch in the middle of the bouquets.

The table settings went over really well. Each guest got a rubber ducky to take home. We had two different types ( marine ducks and Asian ducks) and placed them alternately at each setting.Each guest also got a pair of painted decorative chopsticks. I had made a crossword puzzle all about Brittany, babies and Japan and placed those at each seat as well.

Everyone had a great time. With handmade cupcakes, centerpieces, decorations, and favors in total we only spent about $150. More than the cost however was the atmosphere we created and that was priceless for me to try to achieve. Brittany would have loved it if she could have attended. I took tons of pictures to send to here. We also had everyone hand write a message and some advice to her that will be included in her packages. She'll get the same favors everyone else got, and a diaper cake my sister and I made to complete the gifts. Only a month left until I become an aunt, and it will take about that long for the package to make it's way to Iwakuni. It was a little weird to be throwing a baby shower for my little sister, but I was happy to do it for her. I loved making all of the separate pieces for the party, and I love the support she feels now that it's over. That's why we did it in the end and that's why I would do it all over again. It's all about knowing that you are full of support, even if it's thousands of miles away.

Birthday Shoes

After a crazy Saturday morning with the Shower, I was really looking forward to a night out with my friends. Cassie's birthday was Wed so we had a bunch of our friends meet at our house and than head downtown. I haven't been out in awhile and was looking forward to getting dressed, but after such a crazy Friday night, sleeping on a couch Friday and than being up and busy all morning I wasn't looking forward to having to put much effort into my final outfit. I decided these shoes would be perfect for the occassion. A little punch and perfect with my dark Seven Jeans, and a great black shirt and it's instantly dressed up. I haven't gotten a chance to utilize my red clutch wallet since it came in. It is a bit small so I have to pick and choose when I use it. I had just enough room for my ID and my one house key, but with Johnny wearing jeans with big pockets, I didn't need to carry much else.

These shoes were a great $5 find at Charlotter Russe, and Johnny's sister ending up getting them for me when I proptly pulled out my credit card, while she was in the middle of ringing up a much pricier sale at the same store. What's $5 between sisters-in-law-kinda-ish anyways right? So in turn, the shoes were a gift, and one that I charish. I can't wait to find the perfect $5 to return the favor to her.

It was great to be together with all of my longest girlfriends and their significant others. Plus with a few other friends thrown in the mix, it was a perfectly wonderful rare occassion.

Goose Feather Vest

This weekend will be crazy. We're throwing my sister a baby shower tomorrow. She is pregnant and a deployed Marine in Japan, so she won't be attending the shower, but we still think it's important to get all of our family and friend's together to celebrate for her and to show her support. It has been quite interesting planning a party when the guest of honor will not be showing up, and it has caused us to get very creative with the game selection. We've decided to go much less baby, and more adult appropriate since there will be no pregnant ladies in attendance, so we're going with an adult Japanese Tea Party theme. I have to be honest, I will be glad when it's over. It has been a lot of planning and preparing and tonight will be no exception. My sister and I have a pedicure appointment and than it's right to making lasagnas and cupcakes, centerpieces and favors, game planning and diaper cakes and up early tomorrow for table setting and decorating. Tom morrow night is my roommates birthday party so our house will be full by 10 and than off to the local bars. Sunday some friends are having an adult dress-up Oscar party and with my tax appointment Sunday morning, this weekend will be non stop. I was ready for a dressed down day at work today, especially with so many errands to run as soon as I punch out. in all actuality, jeans, sneaks, t-shirt and vest is the common attire around here. We work in a plant and most of the staff come in comfortable clothes that allow them to work easily. I take advantage of working in the office and come in as dressed up as I can. Driving into work today I couldn't help but feel like a bit of a bum, funny when you consider that I was wearing the same outfit as my boss, but in a slightly smaller size. I'm glad I went with a warm sweater and comfy shoes. My head is running so fast tonight planning shopping lists and craft projects that I needed an outfit that could keep up today. This weekend promises to bring tons of wardrobe selections, and even more photos. It's funny to think that Tuesday will be my next relaxing day, with two tests waiting for me first thing after work on Monday, but for the first time in a long time, I just can't wait to get to the middle of next week. For now I'll plan and host a Tea Party and enjoy some much needed time with friends.

Pink Scarf

Today was a day of remembrance. It was the anniversary of Johnny's mothers passing, and also the day of the wake for a friend's grandmother. I couldn't help but to wear an outfit that would reflect the mood of the entire day. I wanted to add some color and my pink birthday scarf seemed like the perfect fit. Just as I was getting my favorite patent leather black shoes out, I stopped and decided to reach for my polka dot white and black shoes. I don't have a good close up of this pair but they are polka dotted in the front and the dots slowly become smaller and less frequent fading completely by the back of the shoe. Another great $10 Payless find ages ago. Plus the heel isn't too high and ticker which makes them extremely comfortable, perfect for long lines at funeral homes. In the end the weather prevented me from being able to attend the services, but the ensemble helped me mentally reflect on the day's meaning, with a little polka dot thrown in.

Black and Blue Polka Dots

I just couldn't help but to jump on the family color challenge, especially this week. With so much going on it was nice to not have to spend too much time worrying what to wear each day, since I had given myself guidelines. Blue and Purple, honestly are colors I would never put together intentionally, which is rather funny when you consider just how well they go together. This cardigan I got at Target on clearance a number of months ago has quickly become a favorite of mine and I'll always look for a good reason to wear it. Likewise these flats are one of my favorite pairs. Royal Purple has gotten my attention lately, mostly with the purchase of this great necklace.

I apologize for the crappy close-up. Again, I'm still working on my self photographing skills. I fell in love with a company called Lia Sophia this past summer. My roommate and I attended a jewelry party and next thing I knew we were hosting one of our own, and I attended 3 more hosted by various friends. It's all costume jewelry but it is all so well made. I've never been much of a jewelry wear-er which is why at first I wasn't going to attend the first lia sophia party. I soon fell in love however. Their pieces are absolutely wearable and made for the average women. Their brackets are largely stretchy which is perfect for my tiny wrists. I now have more jewelry than I have room for, and enjoy getting to pick out different accessories every day. I would recommend the company to any girl. The prices are just so reasonable, especially for the quality of the products. Plus as long as you have the receipt they all come with a life-time warranty. When one of my bracelets snapped sending pretty turquoise beads all over the floor I carefully picked them all up, and sent them in. I'm still waiting for my replacement but I have total faith that it will be coming soon. The necklace I wore today is one of my favorites called, " Empress". It was a special they ran for the winter season and the proceeds of the necklace went to an organization that helps provide clothes for battered women who are attending their first interviews. Every women needs to look their best to feel their best and every time I wear my necklace I can't help but think that I may have somehow helped to get a women back on her feet, plus I feel like such an empress myself.

Triad Outfit

If you haven't already visited the girls at academichich (http://www.academichic.com), you absolutely should. I have been faithfully following them for a few days now and just can't get enough. I love how they break down the basics of outfit wearing so simply with colors, and yet it has made me look at my closet in a whole new light. They have even inspired me to put together some pieces that I would normally never pair. Today's look is an example of that. They assign themselves an assignment for the week and I jumped on board with this weeks project, using triads and analogous colors.( Explanations can be found on their page). I was bound a determined to try something new and so as I stared into my closet last night I rotated the color wheel in my head. Purple, Orange and Green was where I settled and normally I would never intentionally put those colors together, but was astounded by how well they worked. I decided to use them all subtly since this is my first color experiment. In reality, the orange of the shirt isn't quite so bright but the flash reflected right off the wall making all of the colors pop. The color combination also gave me a great reason to wear my new brown shoes which have kept my feet happy and comfy for the last few hours. I'm so excited to keep seeing what great ideas these intelligent ladies have to offer, and I am even more excited to see how they can help to change the way I look at my entire wardrobe!

Let me take a second to confess a bit of a fashion secret I've been keeping for awhile. Years ago, I worked retail in our local mall. I loved the job, and I loved working with clothes but I had to stop because I would end up not taking any money home with me at the end of the week, but bags of new sweaters, shirts and shoes. In on of our summer shipments we got piles of tube tops. They were small stretchy pieces of material that were made specifically to be placed under shirts giving the illusion of a tank top almost. They cover your bra and a bit of your stomach but are never long enough to be seen under your shirt. I've seen them since in Walmart's and a few other retail stores and they are always just advertised as tube tops. Well a co-worker and I were talking about the lack of necessity for such an item when you could just buy a tank top for the same price. That is of course until a little light bulb went off in her head, "unless you wear them on your hips" . Voila, an instant shirt elongated. It's a huge problem ever girl has, your shirt just isn't as long as you wish it was or your jeans tend to hang a little low when you bend over. But why not wear these tube tops under the bottom of your shirt. That is ex actually what I now do, with my black one, my brown one and my orange one, shown in the outfit above. It is a great way to add a little pop of color to an outfit or the lengthen the life of a shirt that may have shrunk a little in the wash. When my co-worker got pregnant this little piece of fabric saved her life allowing her to wear her shirts for months longer than she would have been able to otherwise as her belly expanded. I'm sure we weren't the first to think of such a thing, but in the 6 years since I've worked there, I have never heard them mentioned again. I've never seen the tip in a magazine of online. It is a great idea that I think should be passed on by every girl to all of her girl friends. A cheap solution to a common problem. Every girls dream.

Cocktail Dresses and Jewlery Boxes

I have had random piles of half finished projects all over my apartment that have slowly piled higher and higher in the last few weeks. Since signing my new lease I have spent the last few weeks making lists of needed furniture and mentally planning how I want to re-arrange the furniture and where I want to put various pictures and items. After days and days and weeks of planning and listing, my creative energy needs to be forced into other projects, which is how I have found myself slowly drowning in " things I need to take 5 minutes to just finish" piles. Last night, with school being on Break for the week I took the evening to tear through as much as I could, and managed to get a ton done. It was a great DIY evening, and I feel like all of my slight changes made some major differences.

I've been on the look out for a better way to store my jewelry. I have a small jewelry box already but many of my bracelets and little trinkets don't have much of a place in the small space. I came across this used Jewelry Box at the local Goodwill for $3 and just couldn't pass it up. It clearly needed a little love, but with a $3 price tag, I knew I had some stuff in my craft box that would make this much bigger jewelry box look much better.

I started by getting out my necessary supplies. I have tons of Scrap booking paper, so I pulled out a few sheets of that, although standard card stock would work just fine as well. I also got out my scissors and some glue. With a few cuts, snips and a generous amount of glue, my new box looks better than it probably did to start!

I am still so astonished at how much better the box looks. The wood looks brighter and now I'm excited to start organizing some other pieces I have in my collection. I'm going to keep the other box to store my necklaces and plan to put my bracelets and other charms and earrings in this one.

I currently store my earrings in the cheapest, and most creative of fashions. I have a ton of " dangling" earrings that take up far too much room in small earring holders. I stopped at my local craft store and picked up one sheet of 8x10 plastic. You know those projects your grandmother has been making for years gifting tissue holders to all of your relatives for every holiday? That's the plastic "sheet"I'm referring too. I'm not quite sure what the proper name is for it, but they are 8x10 in size and look like plastic graph paper honestly. It is a bunch of little squares which are just perfect for hanging your earring from. I simply tack the plastic to the wall, using the holes already in the material and you have an instant holder. Plus they come in a variety of colors and run an average of about $0.50 a piece for one sheet. I stuck with the clear color and have used it for years. My friend decided to get a color that actually matches her bedroom and it instantly became a use able piece of art. Plus it really gives you a chance to see how all of your pairs look hanging making it convenient for picking out accessories.

I was in that same friend's wedding in October. Her colors were Red and White and I was so excited when she choose the dress for me. Each of the bridesmaids wore a different dress but all in the same apple color. What was even more exciting for me was that the dress was the perfect size right from the factory. It fit me well, and the length was perfect which is often very hard for me to find. Since the wedding, the dress has been hanging in the back of my closet. It is lovely, but I just don't have any purpose for a floor length ball gown. Even still I paid a good chunk of change for it, and hate to donate it with only 1 night of wear in it.

For that very reason I decided to get out my scissors and give it a little modification of my own. I figured it this way, the dress is getting no use now, and it will need to be donated. So why not make it a great cocktail dress in the meantime? If I hate it short, or mess it up, I'll donate it. If I love it I'll wear it and If I do nothing to it, I'll donate it, so really it was a great win win. The scissors came out, I did a little marking with a white color pencil and simply snipped away. I didn't even measure, and really I should have but I got pretty lucky.

The dress is now a great length and will look fantastic with a simple pair of heels and some well placed accessories. I have 3 weddings coming up this spring and I think this dress may need to come out for at least one of them. With a white half sweater I think the dress will be dressed down enough to make it not look like an obvious gown. I don't want to show up either the bride or her favorite ladies and so it's never really appropriate to wear the gowns anyways, unless you have a prom to attend of course. Either way, with the 3 minutes I spent cutting the dress I think it will get some use now. I happily put it back into my closet where it will wait for it's big reveal. Friends of ours are having an Oscar's party Sunday and we are all going to get dressed up for it. I may even bring it out for the baby shower this weekend. The colors are red and black so it could in theory work.

I think it's important to try to re purpose any items you have as best as you can, and my projects last night proved that you don't have to be creative to be good at it either! If you can steer some scissors in a relatively straight line you have a world of options at your finger tips!

P.S. Please excuse the mess in all of the photos. Because we are amidst the big move most of my stuff is in boxes that trail through-out the house. In approximately 1 1/2 weeks I will be re-settled into my place and everything will have a home making the pictures much simpler. Not as entertaining but much more appropriate!

Green heels with a yellow shirted pop

Please don't make me explain the horrible photo. The explanation is given in the post below. Even still, I was so excited to bring this dress out of the closet, and with a green shirt underneath to tie in the shoes and a yellow touch, I was able to wear my new shoes with some brown tights ( I really am trying to jump into the world of tights head-first). The outfit ended up being perfect for church and it got a ton of compliments. My long legs often make longer dresses look so much shorter, this being a great example. The dress hangs far from my crotch ( sorry for being frank) but with my knees so far from my behind, skirts and dresses instantly look much tinier making it sometimes hard to dress for conservative occasions, like church every Sunday. The tights however suddenly brought the illusion of my legs being much less exposed making the entire outfit perfect. Plus I got to wear my new shoes and I am always looking for an excuse for a great new shoe day.

Making the Bang Jump

I decided to do it. I cut my bangs. I am trying to grow my hair out and while it's in an awkward stage I thought I may be able to mask it a bit by cutting my bangs, something I haven't done since middle school. I was right too, a few snips by my hairdresser and it completely changed to look of my hair. Plus it made me feel better about they way it looks and gives me something to play with while I wait ( not so patiently) for the rest of it to keep growing. I tried to take a picture, and my old mirror showed all of it's faults once the flash went off. I couldn't help but to love the effect however so I decided to use the photo even still. The mirror was actually my Great Grandmothers and has endured much wear and tear through the generations, evident through the lens of my camera.

Yellow Beads

Johnny had an event downtown we needed to attend and I couldn't wait to figure out a great outfit to wear with my new black heels. I settled on this dress, one I normally reserve for the summer because it is made of cotton, very lightweight and gives of a comfortable feel more than a fancy one. Even still I decided that with a plain shirt and some black tights, plus a little pissaz in the way of a necklace and my great black shoes the outfit would work just fine for a Friday night bar. What I hadn't counted on was that by the time I would arrive at JT's house he would have passed out in bed and be impossible to wake up. So instead I climbed in next to him and slept through the event completely. I didn't mind, it was so cold out anyways and I enjoy the getting dressed more than the actual wearing of the clothes many times. Even still, without a great story of pre-Valentine's day drunkenness, I did learn a few things that evening. Photography is something that I have taken a great liking to in the last few years. Mostly people. I am not very skilled in the way of photographing landscape, but I love getting shots of people. Put me in a park for a day and I can leave with hundreds of great shots. Johnny hates getting his pictures taken and even still has allowed me to photograph him on a few occasions. I usually have to sneak them in but always manage to get some shots that even he is impressed with. My favorite people to photograph are my cousins. I used to nanny for them so I almost started my love of photography due in part to them. Lily is now 3 years old and Liam is a year and a half and the pictures I have of both of them can rival many pictures you see taken professionally. Despite all of their attempted photo sessions for the ever necessary Christmas cards, my Uncle and Aunt continue to prefer photos I've taken and so they can be seen in 8x10 versions and hanging through their house. Relative to that fact, what I've come to discover is just how bad I am at taking pictures of myself. They always say, those who can't do teach and this may be a great example of just that. Even angle I try to shoot at looks off, and while granted I am using my camera's self timer and placing the camera on tables, shelves, coffee tables, but even still I should be able to get a half-way decent picture of me looking straight on and smiling right? Wrong? The above picture is a great example. I didn't manage to get my face or shoes in the picture at all and yet it was one of the best I managed to squeak out that day. Because the lighting was so off it casted this horrible shadow on my arm which looks like a pit-stain. I had the same trouble the next day when trying to attempt a photo with my new green shoes. I think it's simply an art that I haven't yet discovered. I'm going to have to play with the lighting in certain corners of my apartment, and different settings of my camera to see if I can perfect the art. I have discovered, as many of you daily outfit bloggers have that you may put together some clothes and have a certain feeling about that outfit, and than after taking a picture of the outfit you realize that the feeling that the outfit gives off is totally different than you had expected. You can learn a lot when you get a chance to reflect on the entire thing and I hope to be able to find the perfect photography angle to do just that. Until than however, pit-stain shadows and poorly lite corners will have to do. Sorry

New Shoes

My intentions were pure. I need new lamps, especially since all of my current lamps will be moving out by the end of next week so I need to get serious and buy 2 stand-up lamps and 2 table lamps. So after work last Friday I decided to head over to the local mall to see what prices I could get on some basic lamps. Nothing decorative, just ones that will product light until I decide that I want something fancier. I should have known. I shouldn't have pulled into the parking lot, I shouldn't have put the car in park and I definitely shouldn't have gone into the store. How could I not wander out of Store A and into Store B, located right next store and displaying a great BOGO sign in the front. Payless has always been a weakness of mine, and Friday was no exception. I always look through my sizes, restricting my eyes to the lowest level clearance items and lately have found nothing that I liked. Friday was no different, until on my way out I found the cutest shoes ever! With a great $8 price tag I had to try them out, and than spend the next 10 minutes searching for the second part of my half of deal.

These were the second part of my purchase. For a great $9 price tag, I thought that the simple details would be a great addition to my shoe collection. I don't need another pair of black heels, but with the cut-outs on the bottom and the silver pipping I thought they would make a great pair to have. Plus with so many weddings this spring and summer I know that they will get tons of wear. I can already picture them with tons of my skirts for work so It was a worthwhile purchase.

These were my original find. I loved the colors right away. a pale, distressed green with two toned brown heels. I loved the double straps and knew that I just had to have these shoes. With both pairs being on sale I technically only paid $4 for these shoes, which will automatically make any pair even better. I wore them yesterday and they were great to wear. Comfortable, cute and they even got a few compliments of their own.

I had intended to head straight home but couldn't help but to stop at the local Goodwill which happened to be on my way home. The color of the week was Red so every Red item in the store was 50%. These shoes weren't red, but they did have a red sticker on them putting them at the half price sale. Would I have bought them if I saw them in a store? Not if they were $20. But with their price of $3 I couldn't say no. They will be great with some sweet skirts in the spring and perfect for office wear. They are so comfortable, and while they don't say much by themselves, they will be a great neutral answer to an outfit that won't need any extra umph. I tend to buy shoes that make statements on their own. I love a pair that if I walked into a room full of people naked, but wearing a great pair of shoes, oo's and aah's will come from the crowd before they even realize that I am stark nude. Of course I never plan on testing that theory, but it's one I secretly live with. Nothing it better than putting on a simple black top, jeans and a great pair of heels and suddenly being dressed up , feeling fancy and ready to go. These are almost the exact opposite of what I normally look for. People won't notice these shoes first, but that's what will make them perfect with my of my work pants, and even some of my crazier skirts. And for $3 if I only wear them once, I will still be getting my money's worth.

No lamps, but 3 pairs of shoes and for under $20. I still need lamps but I can't help but feel accomplished by my purchases, instead of disappointment by my lack of lighting. These shoes will shine on their own so who needs light anyways?

Heart shaped vest

Johnny and I had made some pretty clear rules for Valentines day, no gifts. We are considering taking a vacation together this summer to somewhere nice, with a beach so it made perfect sense that we would not exchange any gifts for Valentine's day, or our 2 year anniversary which comes up at the end of March in turn saving that money for vacation. Of course, I didn't want to let the day pass with nothing to give him. Especially when I considered how much money he would be spending on cooking us dinner for the romantic holiday. I consider myself pretty creative , a trait I get from my mother, so I knew that with a bit of time to think on it I could come up with something cute and cheap. Thus.. my love letters. I did some online searching and found some great famous love letters. Most of them weren't relevant to JT and I but I didn't manage to find about 5 lines that I loved. I printed them out on regular computer paper and added a fancy border and some clip-art hearts. One love line per paper. Than, I did a little clip art work on Microsoft Word and printed some great patterns. In fact I simple looked up, patterns in clip-arts search option and found some awesome prints. I expanded them to fill the whole page and got to printing. From there I took a template that I had found online, (it looked much like a lower case t). I did a little cutting, folding a gluing and with-in 15 minutes had completed 6 really great looking envelopes. I folded the letters and put one in each envelope and sealed the envelopes with a sticker of a candy heart. I wrote a little letter myself which was placed in the last envelope. Friday morning, before work I placed the envelopes all around the house. One by his wallet, one on the stove, one on his windshield ect. By 10 he had called to tell me how much it meant to him. That was what I was of course going for, but it didn't hurt that the entire project was free! And being homemade always seems to bring something a little extra to a romantic attempt. I loved the envelopes so much and am already thinking of other ways in which I can use them. Maybe making fabric envelopes for wedding shower invitations, or just to have on hand. What a great touch they would bring to an otherwise basic birthday card. My intention was to do something sweet for the love of my life, it just so happened that in the meantime I enjoyed a simple project that I will be adding to my Martha Stewart bag of tricks!

The Conservatory Overcoat GIVEAWAY!!!!

The Conservatory Overcoat GIVEAWAY!!!!

If only I could convince Johnny to take such romantic pictures! Maybe in such a special coat, he would make a few exceptions of his hatred for photos :) Fingers crossed!

If only I could be as talented as a seamstress as this lovely blogger. Than I could put my creative energy into productive outfit expanding tasks instead of making endless lists that get me no-where.

Layered Shirts

I've been really trying to look at the items in my closet in a different way that I do normally. I think after awhile when you see a certain shirt or pair of pants you begin to picture them with all of the things you tend to consistently wear them with, and than you find yourself falling into a comfortable rut. I've been trying to look at each piece individually and see what else it can bring to an outfit. That's what happened with my favorite yellow shirt, but completely unintentionally. I was folding my laundry as it came out of the dryer. I folded my blue pants and placed them on top of the dryer. I folded my neutral based flower shirt and put that on the pants, on top of the dryer. As I folded the yellow shirt it hit me, those three pieces look great together and I would normally never think to put them together. My pants are normally reserved for office wear, my flowered shirt is saved for weekend occasions like family parties and the yellow shirt is one of my favorite comfy shirts saved for layering under sweaters and jackets. I didn't have time to grab a necklace yesterday morning, and couldn't decide on the perfect shoes. I was running late, but I was really happy with my shirt choice and so I left with only 3/4 of an outfit. I was even intrigued when last night my professor told me "my shirt was nice". I had originally received this shirt as a Christmas present last year from my mother, and thought the material was great, but it hangs funny in the front. Combined with the empire look created by the brown floral ribbon on the edge it tends to make me look a little pregnant, a look most women who are not with child try to avoid. The shirt however may not give that as it's first impression, instead I have impressed upon myself that it does. When I mention that I fear it makes me look pregnant most of my friends and family have given me the puzzled look with the slight head tilt to the right, and a simple, " I guess , but I didn't until now." Lesson learned. Keep my mouth shut about my fears with certain pieces of clothing, and consider other uses for great pieces of wardrobe.

An Ode to my Patent Leather Shoes

The hunt started a number of months ago. I had seen a pair shoes in my Vouge, a great pair of black heels, complete with laces and great lines. I wanted that pair immediately, but I wanted no part of the $600 price tag. In fact I don't even remember the maker of my original love because I quickly dismissed it as a non-problem. The shoes weren't going to happen, especially with a price tag that at the time was more than my rent. When my Lucky magazine came that same week though, a payless advertisment caught my eye. It was the same style shoe, for much less and at Payless! I convinced my boyfriend for a nice stroll through the mall after dinner, and "oo let's see what's in paylesses new fall line". As I strolled through the 8 1/2 section and even the 9 section, my dissapointment came flooding. It was 10 minutes till 9 and I did the unthinkable in the retail world... I asked a clerk mere moments before closing. " Can you help me find a pair of shoes?" She seemed uneffected by my bad timing and listened intently as I attempted to describe my dream pair of shoes. All of the sudden a twinkle came into her eye, she said that she had seen them in the fall collection catalog, but they weren't in yet. But oh wait, a small delivery of some new shoes came in about an hour ago, let me see if they are in the back! As I paced infront of the door for the next 3 minutes, I did some quick budgetting, the shoes were going to be close to $40 and I hadn't expected to pay for them, but who really needs to eat anyways right? She came out carrying the box and moments after lacing them up I was head over heels in love. Even the other clerk came around the corner and was so excited with how great they looked she ran in the back to try on a pair herself! I looked into the box, the price tag read $27 and I jumped up and ran to the register. Johnny laughed at me, " I knew you were going to leave here with a pair of shoes no matter what you said". But how could I resist?

I rushed home happily thinking of all of the outfits I would wear my new best friends with and all of these months later still wear the shoes as much now, as I did that first week. These are my go to party shoes, they look great with a dress and tights and are the perfect addition to some otherwise dressed-down jeans. I wore them just last week to work. Here in the Northeast, the cold weather has caused sheets of ice to blanket any and every flat surface of the state. Our parking lot at work is about 7 layers deep of thick ice and most driveways are no different. Working in an office means that my shoes will be safe and dry under my desk, but when I made a trip to our warehouse, one of my co-workers looked at me with quite the expression, " What is on your feet?!" He exclaimed. Now I understand, heels are not typical wear for a manufacturing distribution warehouse, but I work in an office and these puppies were a perfect fit. I looked at him matter-of-a-factly," I wore my ice skates to work today."



As I was browsing through the line-up of fashion blogs this morning, I was happy to see the above pair shown on one of my favorite blogs, http://agirlsguidetoshoes.blogspot.com/ and was suprised to see a Steve Madden version of my payless shoes. They happen to be on sale this week for an additional 40% off bringing their current price to close to $50. Oh the joy of a great purchase. I'm sure the shoes are no longer available at payless because I did buy them back in August, but still it just reinforces how rewarding bargain shopping can be. Besides, if I actually had a pair of $600 shoes, I would be too afraid to wear them outside, and would infact probably never leave a carpeted room with them. My shoes have been out on the town on a number of occassions and really that's what shoes are for, being worn.

Dress or Pants...

Friday was such a hectic day. One of JT's best friends Jake, will be leaving for his second tour in Iraq this week. We had a going away party for him Friday, as well as a birthday party we had to attend, all of which were going to start an exact 30 minutes after I got home from work. I spent most of the day while at work flipping through my wardrobe in my mind deciding what to wear. I continued to come up with no good ideas. The car ride home I was decided that I was going to wear a dress or skirt of some kind. Work had been long and stressful and as the winter seems to drag on I can't help but get familiar of a fashion rut. I knew a dress would lift me right out of my mood. That is until I got home and spent the next 30 minutes amidst a major fashion crisis that resulted in an adult temper tantrum. Nothing I put on fit, everything was to thin or fit weird with the other layers. Nothing looked good, things were too daring and not cute at all. As time tick-tocked away I was getting more and more frustrated. I still hadn't eaten or even touched my hair and felt like putting on pajamas and calling it a night. I didn't of course, but I did go to a classic staple of mine. In disgust at my inability to be creative or to even successfully try something I put on my skinny jeans, frye boots, and white sweater. The best I could do was to put on my great "empress" necklace. I was able to shake my horrible mood as soon as we walked in the bar. We had a great time dancing, and chatting and spending some great time with an even better friend. The night wasn't about having the cutest shoes, or the straightest hair, and honestly most of friends couldn't have cared less if I did. The night was about celebrating Jake as a guy, and wishing him well. Later in the evening as Johnny and I did a little dancing I glanced into the mirrored wall on my right. Immediately I felt that ug feeling again. My height sometimes works against me , especially when it comes to making certain items look good and I started to get the feeling that I had been wrong in even my choice of " an old favorite". A quick shack of the head and I let it all go. Fashion, while fun is not what the night was about. It isn't what the day to day is about, it's about being a good person, a hard worker, having fun and being the best friend you can to the people who have always been an even better friend to you. Fashion just happens to add a layer to the onion skins of life, but the night was about Jake, and having a great time with him.

Stay Safe Jake!! We'll see you in a year!!

The Perfect Vintage Coat

My coat came last night! I was so excited to open the box, only to find that the company I had bought it from had wrapped it in leopard print tissue paper, perfect. The coat is prettier than I had hoped! It has such great colors and absolutely makes a statement. My dissapointment of course came when I put it on. The coat is big, almost too big. It makes me look like a giant box, especially since it hangs down to me knees. Not to be discouraged by a perfect vintage find, I immediately got out my thinking cap. I think this little problem will be easy to fix. It's going to require some snaps but I'm going to sew them onto the side of the coat so that the left side of the coat will stretch across my front towards my right side, so that it will simply snap closed instead of the buttons it has now. In fact it will look alot like how it sits on me in the above picture. In the meantime, I'm going to use some tricky wrapping techniques. I think a simple cream thick ribbon, some stratigically places safety pins and a pretty bow will make the coat completely wearable until I can get everything sewed and finished. The best part about the coat is how heavy it is. It is marked as "rain gear" on it's tag and I can understand why. It is so thick and heavy which makes it perfect for both fall and winter in the northeast. I would call it a great first vintage purchase.

Flight Attendant Jacket

At work yesterday in my new thrifted blazer, Eric asked if I was wearing a suit jacket. He somehow caught he. I responded with a simple

"technically it is a little boys suit jacket, but on me it's more like a blazer".

"oh, so it's a fashion thing than?" was his response. Too Funny.

What was even funnier was later in the evening when Mikay and I were in class and she mentioned that while she liked my jacket, I looked a bit like a flight attendant, something I hadn't thought of until she said that. It must have been a bit too matchy-matchy. I'm still holding out hope that the shoulders will stretch out and I won't have to cut and re-sew them. I don't have much time for complicated steps right now.

Blue Blazer

I can't be sure where many of the bloggers live, but what I do know if that so many of them often talk about their great finds in "thirft stores". Short of the goodwill, we are lacking in the thrift/vintage stores here in my town. As a result, the one's we do have often contain prices that are often as much or more than if you were to buy a new piece of wardrobe. Every summer I can get some great deals at various garage sales, especially in terms of antiques. Even still, I can't help but to make the occasional stop at my local goodwill and see what I can find. For the most part, it's a whole lot of nothing. I envy the bloggers who post getting 5 blazers in a trip, while I spend hours shiftting through old, poorely cared for, often overly stretched, dingy and unattractive pieces of clothing. Sometimes though, you can find that gem and that's why I continue to look. Secretly I love the challenge. I often shop smart when it comes to stopping into a thrift store of any kind. I will never pay as much for an item, as I would if it was full price. Bottom line. Especially with the types of things you find up here. They are often in need of a lot of washing and sewing before they can be deemed wearable. For that reason I almost never spend over $10 on any piece if they come off of a Goodwill, Vintage, or thrift store. When I walked through the store yesterday I was on a mission. Cardigans, Blazers or a small well fitted men's checked shirt. The blazers were what I would consider overpriced. At almost $15-$20 a piece, and most containing shoulder pads and being from the late 90's I was nothing short of dissapointed. I know that I could find a new fitted blazer at any great sale for that price. Same dissapointment with the men's shirts. Almost all of them were large sizes, and the smaller sizes were ill fitting, very baggy in the back. Clearly all owned by some beer belly carrying men. As I rounded the last rack in the men's section I came across the perfect find. It was placed haphazardly on the end of a rack. A blue blazer. There were immediately a few things to consider. First of all, this is anything but a women's blazer. In fact it is a large boys suit jacket from Lord and Taylor. I fell in love immediately. The advantage to being a smaller girl on top, with long arms means that a large boys size suddenly becomes a 3/4 length sleeve short blazer. With a price tag of $6 I couldn't say no. Especially after I put it on and it fit perfectly. I can't close it, but see no need to. The details on each of the buttons was just so intrigate. I loved the nautical feel of the jacket and excitedly held onto the jacket with both hands on my way to the register so that no passing mothers would see this as the perfect end for their son's easter outfits.

To make my find even more complete, I recieved my pursese from Ebay yesterday afternoon. The clutch is an even darker shade of red that I absolutely adore. It is smaller than I had expected but I can already see so many uses for it. When opened it has lots of pockets perfect for money and id, the ideal bar hoping accessory. The purse was even more than I had hoped for. Physically it is a bit small, but frankly I have no reason to carry as much in my bag as I do. It is a much brighter brown than it looks in the pictures and the material is just so soft. The downside to the entire purchase, besides that it took a full month for delivery is that the purse has a bit of an odor. It's a cross between varnish and nail polish remover. I'm confident the scent comes from being made and immediately stuffed and sealed into a bag made of cheap plastic before being shoved in a box for a month or so. It just needs to breathe. The scent was so strong however after I filled it with my daily treasures that I had to put it on the other side of my bedroom so it wouldn't disrupt my sleep. It's much better today and I know by tommorrow it will be gone. The inside pattern of the purse was the biggest suprise. A great light beige and green chinese pattern, appropriate since that's where it was shipped from. I love the contrast between the masculine brown leather and the airy light material on the inside.

I wore the blazer with pride to work today. I have already thought of a few different pieces I want to pair it with but for today, a yellow tshirt and marron scarf over some navy pants is the perfect combination. The downside however to buying boy's sizes, it the sleeves can often be too small. In this case the sleeves themselves fit just fine, it's the shoulders where I could spare a bit more room. Honestly I can't lift my arms in the air without a tight feeling on my shoulders, but how often does one really need to lift their arms? Well that's the thinking that convinced me to buy the jacket. Well the answer to that question is often. For instance when driving, and turning sharp corners, and re-doing the bulletin board at work, and carrying balloons, and reaching for the phone from the other side of the desk. Basically alot today. I'm considering making a few cuts in the shoulder seams. Luckily the material is so thick and made so well because it is an actualy suit jacket I'm pretty sure a few snips here that will allow movement in the arms won't have a negative effect on the style of the jacket, and won't cause any tearing or ripping. A few modifications, a few dollars and a great result.

Plaid Pants

As I searched my closet this morning in a crusty eyed haze, I decided that I need a warm feeling outfit today. Thus came out my pink and brown plaid pants.

I originally picked up these beauties at an H&M sale. They were $10 actually, and technically were "buy one get one free " so I also got a thick sweater jacket, making them $5. They are a great thick material with a satin feeling linning. I'm always on the look out for great work pants so when I saw these on the rack I crossed my fingers and headed to the dressing room. I loved them at the time, and they actually had similar one's with blue strips causing me to strongly consider pickign up both pairs and ditching the sweater all together. I have worn them all of 1 time since their purchase during the holiday's. I originally wore them with a pink turtleneck and while I got a ton of compliments on the shirt at the time, no-one seemed to notice that my pants were also of the girl-color variety. They are a great length, which is often hard for me to find ( especially in H&M) and they are thick enough to keep me warm. I've been avoiding them for awhile unsure of what to pair with them. In fact for a brief moment this morning as I stood in the bathroom in my pants and a bra i considered not wearing a shirt all together. I was running late anyways, I'm sure no one would notice right??

In the end I settled on a black shirt. I usually avoid black and brown together. They are two seperate colors and often clash. But I'm living on the fashion edge now, and I am quite pleased with the result. A white tank top to seperate the two strong colors. A matching pink bracelet and I am a happy office worker. And a very happy closet shopper.

Yellow Bracelet

YAY STEELERS! Dating a Steeler fan meant this year's superbowl was sure to be an adventure. We had a bit of a party with food and decorations galore. Johnny has been growing a mustache for the last few weeks in honor of Cowell, the last coach during the Steelers Superbowl trip. The 70s porn star look just never really grew on me, superstitions and all so I was secretly really excited for SUnday night to come knowing that the mustache would be gone for good. I appreciate the fan superstitions, as long as you change your socks and underwear, but I was still excited to see it go. In honor of the game JT's sister and I got some mustaches of our own which clearly helped Holmes making the game winning touchdown. Go MUSTACHE POWER!!! One of my best friends made an observation yesterday that made me giggle. As we studied yesterday morning she said, " you know why I love you Kayla? Because you are wearing, jeans and a football jersey with a matching bracelet". A lady is always a lady, even during a wing eating, picture taking, screaming game night.

Real Girl Clothes

Johnny and I had a quiet Saturday and that was exactually what I wanted. We got some very expensive and delicious Taco Bell :) and enjoyed some movie time on the couch. I couldn't help but turn on Music and Lyrics as soon as I saw it on demand. It was the movie he and I saw on our first date almost two years ago now. In fact we haven't seen it since. It was a great first date but I didn't pay attention for most of the movie that first time through. I spent most of that night trying to check him out using the corners of my eye. You know those first date feelings,( is his hand inching towards mine? I hope he doesn't hold my hand and get grossed out that it's a little sweaty. I shouldn't have worn this shirt, it makes me look odd ), they can get a little distracting during a cinematic adventure. We snuggled in, completely uncaring as to our hand location or sweat glands and enjoyed the movie. It was just as good as I had remembered, but my biggest suprise was Drew Barrymore's wardrobe. There is not an outfit she wore that I didn't want to somehow replicate for my own. All of her pieces were so well put together, and accessorized, and always looks so comfortable. I've always prided myself on being a bit of a comfortable chic dresser, well that's the look I go for anyways and Drew helped bring me some great inspiration. Especially with his weather, inspiration is a welcomed friend.

Sophie Fisher, Drew's character was often seen wearing scarves, in almost all scenes. She also had a couple of blazers. She managed to pair a light green blazer over a great red and white sundress and it changed the look of the dress completely. She showed up to the post-session event in the most gorgeous coat that unfortunately I was unable to find a picture of online, but that I would give my right foot to be able to find a duplicate of. In one scene she simply wore jeans, a stripped shirt and a loose shawl/sweater, three pieces that I have plenty of in my closet right now. I couldn't help but love her loose wavy locks, something my short hair won't accomodate. Simply put, he attempt to look effortlessly put together worked and made me want to start my great closet shopping trip.

In my favorite outfit, she wore a buttoned down shirt with a black vest over top. She had on some navy shorts, black tights and red mary jane heels. The look of the outfit was absolutely on point. Normally I stay away from shorts. Alot of people see long legs as an advantage they would like to share, but the major disadvantage is that manufaturors of clothes, do not market the long legged population, as we are not considered typical. For that reason many shorts I find tend to be very tight in the crotch area causing quite the problematic camel toe. The daisy duke look also left me with few longer short options, something my legs can handle. Anything I put on my legs will automatically look shorter than intended, which can be a very large problem for shorts. Even the longest of shorts make my pastey legs look scary and miles longer than they really are, casting an unpreportioned appearance. The look of longer shorts over tights though was one I really am interested to try. I think I will have to start my spring search for the perfect pair of shorts. Plus I figure I can take the tights off and have the perfect afternoon golfing outfit. Thank you Music and Lyrics for bringing me inspiration. Thank you for giving me some great outfit pairing tips and thank you for being the perfect backround noise to my first date. What can I say. I met JT and "POP goes my heart".

Opera House Glove and Caplet GIVEAWAY!!!!

Opera House Glove and Caplet GIVEAWAY!!!!

I can't help it. This gorgeous caplet and fanciful headband give me visions of balls and formal events. Dinners and dates. What a talented seamstress who offers such a wondeful opportunity. Keeping my fingers crossed!