Blueberry Pie Refashioned Frock GIVEAWAY!!!!

Blueberry Pie Refashioned Frock GIVEAWAY!!!!

Vintage Wedding Refashioned Frock GIVEAWAY!!!!

Vintage Wedding Refashioned Frock GIVEAWAY!!!!

Manly Office Wear

The more engulfed in my new position I become, the more I find it important to have clothes that are professional looking and comfortable at the same time. I have a few Polo's hanging in my closet ready for our various golfing trips, but they don't get much wear outside of the course. As I stood in my closet contemplating what to wear I couldn't help but think, why don't I wear these more often? The reason they work so well on the golf course and at the country club is because they are conservative and comfortable and they look professional. The trick now, is finding ways to work them into my day-to-day wardrobe. This shirt is a polo I bought at Target for $2. Oh the love of a clearance item. It is a little baggy in the front which is great for the course, but makes me look a bit boxy in terms of normal wear. I decided that the only way to wear a baggy shirt is with a tighter fitting layer to help even out the appearance. This sweater was a great choice from there. When a local clothing store was going out of business, I took advantage of their 75% off everything in the store and stocked up on all of the cardigans and sweaters they have to offer. I had worked for the company for a few years so I didn't even try most of it on, I just grabbed everything and ran. I was a little disappointed to discover that some of their material choices had changed, meaning their clothes ran a little smaller. Since most of the items were sweaters, the small size works just fine for layering and I've been able to wear them all even still. The tightness of this cardigan ( I couldn't button it up even if I tried) worked well with the loose-ness of the polo. Adding a few colorful pieces seemed like the next logical step. I completely believe in taking 'manly' pieces of wardrobe such as khaki's, polo's and button downs and adding a little feminine touch to make them professionally girly.

These shoes were my first pair of boat shoes for the season. I just loved their color and couldn't beat their $10 price tag. This was their third wear out of the house. The first weekend I got them I wore them twice in 2 days and was so astounded by just how comfortable they were. What didn't astound me however was the hole that was beginning to form in the corner. Because I had worn them for those few days I didn't feel right about returning them, and I hope I will be able to find some way to repair them. The leather ties was just too strong for the material and seems to have ripped out. I'm hoping to add a few extra stitches and get them back to new. I'm not sure my efforts will be worth it. Even with the hole, their comfort is undeniable, and the pink is such a great color that I continue to wear them. A manly blue outfit needs a touch of pink in any form you can find.

Rock It Piece

After the lovely Tina over at T minus, T plus (http://tminustplus.blogspot.com/) started talking about accessories that are a bit harder to wear, but worth the challenge, I decided to break out some of my own pieces that need a little extra help "Rocking It". This necklace is another Lia Sophia find. I just loved the brown stones next to the royal blue beads, but ordered the necklace out of the catalog without ever getting to see it in person. The color's are just as beautiful as I had expected, and I love how Lia Sophia always uses circles to add a little bit of pizazz. What I didn't love however was the odd length of the necklace. It is too short to be a longer chain necklace and too long to fall like a typical necklace. I knew when I put this shirt on though, that the lower V neck would work well with my necklace. My brown trousers and flats are a weekly favorite of mine. I have to be ready to jump up and move at any time and the comfort these pants and shoes offer, with the professional look, just can't be topped. I put the necklace on one of the first clasps making it shorter than usual, but it fell just perfectly along my tank top line.
Tina's right. We all have some sort of accessory in our closet that may need a little extra attention, but what better challenge is there than to take pieces you aren't necessarily sure of how to wear and make them work!

Wedding Photo

Our friends who got married 2 weeks ago got just a few of their wedding photos back. How cute are they?

Monday Heels

I was feeling a little spicy when I got dressed on Monday. After a long weekend in heels and running around, I spent all Sunday in sneakers and cleaning. Come Monday I was ready for my weekly heels! These blue wedges fell into my lap, (or onto my feet if you will) on Friday before the bachelorette party. I had some time to kill before our reservations and wandered into a nearby Payless. I was looking for some new flip flops to replace last years faded ones, and found these beautiful shoes on sale! I slipped them on and was amazed at how comfortable they were. They felt as if they weren't meant for walking, and saw I paid the $15 and wore them to the party!

Come Monday I was ready to pull them out again for their second wear, the first to work. I was comfortable all night at the martini bar but wasn't sure how they would work for the constant up and down that work can bring. They did well by me and I almost forgot I was in heels! Besides the shoes, I had no idea what I wanted to wear, so I pulled out my May Inspiration calendar, ( thank you Kim!)(http://www.fabfindsunder50.com) and saw that Monday was a black and white, Chanel inspired day. Black and White worked perfectly with my shoes and helped me to find some inspiration while getting dressed. The skirt is a sear-sucker looking pattern with little black stripes running up and down the length. I've worn it so many times and it continues to work so well. Last season it hardly ever saw the light of day, but this year it comes out almost bi-weekly. Don't you just love how season to season different pieces can go from being an optional item to a necessity?!

Wedding Extravaganza!

The last few weeks have been full of wedding activities for Johnny and I.


Two weeks ago our friends got married. It was a gorgeous day, a beautiful ceremony and such a fun wedding! I had bought a few different dresses for this wedding season since I have so many different weddings, most with the same group of friends. Because the wedding was on a Friday evening, I decided that my new brown and pink satin dress would be perfect. I added the pink cardigan last minute since it was starting to look like rain. The dress moved so beautifully on the floor as I danced, and was extremely comfortable, that is until the champagne kicked in and I got to some serious dancing. Strapless dresses just aren't made for jumping up and down so I made do with one hand on my chest holding on for dear life, and one hand in the air.

One of our best couple friends is getting married in a month. Because much of their family is from out of town they decided to have the bachelorette party on a Friday, the shower on the Saturday and the bachelor party on that saturday night. That made for a very busy weekend for Johnny and I. The bachelorette party was so much fun! The bride is not much of a drinker, or a part-ier. Honestly our scene is more of a campfire and some jokes, maybe a few beers, but for the special occasion the 11 girls headed to a local martini bar.

We spent the night having girl talk across the table and laughing about how alike each of our respective men were, even if they've never met.

I happened to have two showers on Saturday morning. My cousin's soon to be wife's shower was held from 9-12 and our friend's was 1-4. I needed to wear a dress that would be appropriate for both showers and would help get me through the day. This was a $20 find at a local Burlington Coat Factory. The material is stretchy helping to make it comfortable, and with a simple black cardigan I was able to get the outfit to work for both events. Our friends are having a small wedding with just one bridesmaid and one groomsmen, so we all volunteered to help out. I love planning parties so I had no problem making centerpieces, moving gifts and helping to host the day.

Saturday night was one of my best friend's birthday. I was secretly hoping she would cancel last minute, because I was so exhausted by the time her party came. Two long days in heels meant that come Saturday night, I couldn't even get my feet in heels. Some black sandals made for a comfortable evening, and a great summer dress with that same cardigan helped to keep me warm and it continued to get later and later. I ended up having a lot more fun than I had expected. My quick hour nap between showers and parties helped, but the flat sandals really helped. It was a great weekend full of girly fun.

Professor Plum

Professor Plus caught my eye for my next day of themed wear. Purple is a color that has begun taking over my closet so it was an easy choice for which character I wanted to embody. In the spirit of teachers everywhere, I decided that I wanted to make a plan suit a little funky. A little crop black jacket and my black pants became a professor appropriate suit, while the purple shirt and shoes helped to compliment each other and my inspiration. It seemed like the perfect chance for my new glasses to make their way into a picture.

These shoes joined my closet a year ago, and have gotten a ton of wear. The little bows sewn right in the fabric add a sweet detail which I think helps to make the bright color a little less harsh.

One of my favorite things about the board game character was his monocle. My sisters And I used to use the plastic rim around soda bottles, squish our eyes around the pointy circles and call ourselves intellectuals. Since my co-workers would think it a bit odd when I arrived to work with plastic circles in my eyes, I thought that my circle brooch may be a good replacement. The brooch is a series of shiny small circles that are piled on each other giving it a bit of design. Years ago when I was working retail, the company I worked for started putting pins, brooches and clips, on all of their sweaters. That of course meant that we would spend half of our shifts collecting them from the floor and looking for their rightful sweater. More often then not we could never find an empty sweater and the brooches would be left in our junk drawer. A number of months later, we split them up and each took a few home. I have never found much use for my small collection, except for using them as hair pieces, but as they seem to be making their way back into style, I want to try to find more uses for them.

After a long day at work full of meetings, appointments, and errands after work, the picture didn't get taken until later in the evening, which clearly helped none for the lighting of the photo. A tripod and a blank wall are in order for me.

Colonel Mustard

When I heard that there was a Clue theme running ramped through the blog world, I couldn't help but jump on board, and fast! Clue is my all time favorite movie. It was a favorite of my mothers and I remember spending rainy afternoon giggling at the cast, imagining myself dressed in the perfect Mrs. White Veil and an exaggerated feather much like Mrs. Peacock. I enjoy all 3 of the endings each time like it is my first time watching the move. Even as an adult, I spend each week contemplating the possibility of spending my weekend watching the movie, but have found that I am too much of a scaredy cat to enjoy the movie alone at night.

For my first character I wanted to embody Colonel Mustard. Because the first day of my theme week fell on a Monday, I knew it was my only chance to wear heels. These Steve Madden's are a favorite pair of mine. The lovely Johnny gifted them to me our first Christmas and I spend each week restraining myself from wearing them every day. For a Colonel outfit however? Perfect. Last week was not only my Clue week, but also the week my computer blew up, and my finals week, which is why my post is a bit behind. I packed some flat shoes to wear after leaving work so I would be concentrating on my last minutes studies and not on any blisters.

The vest is an old favorite of mine too. When I bought it about 4 years ago, the two girlfriends I was with both looked at me and said in perfect unison, " Really?" I got the point,vests weren't really in and what would I wear it with? Even still I couldn't pass up the $5 deal and 4 years later find so many occasions to pull out this piece. A Colonel seemed like the perfect chance. In the movie, the character wears suspenders and while I couldn't commit to such an accessory choice, I decided the vest was a nice alternative.

When my sister joined the Marines, her recruit asked me when I would be enlisting. My answer was simple, " Would I be able to shoot guns in heels?" He laughed, and with that he had his answer. These shoes give me the best of both worlds. If the Marines would allow me to wear these perfect booties with my camouflage, I would gladely enlist. Okay, well maybe the footwear isn't the only reason I wouldn't join.... Thanks Sister for filling the family quota :)

Yellow Bow shoes

I purchased these shoes at Target a few months ago for $6. I loved their color, but I didn't love their bow. I was hoping it would grow on me and so I've worn them a few times since than. My concern though, is that the bows are just too big. I can't help but feel as though the bow sometimes shouts louder than the outfit itself. After some close examination however, I discovered that the bows were sewed on and held on by only 2 strings each. I simply cut the strings to see what was underneath.

I love the simplicity of the crossed straps and think that they will be much more flexible for my work wardrobe. I can even see myself wearing them much more willingly to church, and maybe some upcoming showers. I think a little clear polish where the bows were removed will help complete the shoes and make them looked a little polished. I kept the bows of course. Now that they are gone, I find myself almost feeling like the shoes are missing a little something, which is probably why the original company added the detail in the first place. I kept the bows just in case I change my mind. Maybe I'll even make some hair pieces from them. The yellow is an odd color to be so close to my hair, but I'll try anything once:) So what do you think? Keep the bows off the shoes or glue those puppies right back on??

Swine Flu

I had two doctor's appointments last Monday. My early morning was some blood work at my Endocrinologists followed by a completely unrelated appointment with my primary to listen to this chronic cough I have had for a few weeks now. The cough isn't rough, and it doesn't come often but for a bit each morning, and every night I have this rough inability to breathe. I thought it deemed an appointment. When I walked into the Endocrinologists bright and early, I was greeted by a sign, " Due to recent flu activity if you are suffering from any cough we will need you to wear a face mask". Which is how I ended up with this...

For my entire appointment I had to keep this on. Even though my cough came around before the swine flu broke out, and despite the fact that at 7 am I was the only patient in the place! As I was leaving the office, some ladies who were entering gasped and separated fast all while staring at my face. " My goodness!" The only lady exclaimed. I was embarrassed! Imagine if I was really sick! I explained to them that I had to wear it because of my cough and it had nothing to do with the swine flu. I was completely not contagious. Even so, the ladies sat on the other side of the waiting room and looked as if my fingers were turning green and falling off. Long story short, after a trip to my primary, they gave me the verdict. Allergies are causing my early morning coughs. All of that for some allergies. Geesh.

Lazy Saturday with my SJP heels

For our lazy Saturday I wanted to be comfy, and I always want to be chic. Ever since gaining a better understanding of color schemes thanks to academichic.com months ago, I find myself using those practices every day, not just on day's I get dressed for work. Johnny and I had some errands to do which included lunch and shopping so I knew jeans were a must, plus my favorite boat shoes and I worked up from there.

It was a friends' birthday that night, as well as being a CD release party for another friend. I headed to the bar for the CD release party which started a little earlier before crossing the street to a different bar for my friends' birthday celebration. I haven't had a chance to wear these shoes outside of my living room just yet and was excited for the chance. I got these shoes from Kmart a few months ago. They are almost identical to the heels that Carrie wears in the Sex and the City movie, and besides that I loved how they instantly added some flare to a girly floral outfit. I don't have any floral outfits just yet, but I loved the shoes enough to cuff the jeans throw on a simple top and call it a party!

Because it was my shoes first trip out of the house, they made plastic noises with every step I took which was horribly annoying. Luckily, with the CD release the band's music was louder than my shoes, and by the time I got to the birthday celebration everyone in the bar was too drunk to notice. I hope that with a little more wear the shoes will stop smelling and sounding so new, and cheap for that matter. I suppose this calls for a little vacuuming in heels...

Put yourself in her shoes

Because Johnny works for a local radio station, we often have weekend events to attend. A few weeks ago he mentioned that he would need to do some video taping and picture taking for a local event going on to speak out again sexual violence against women. I agreed to go and had no idea what I was getting myself in to! He wasn't too familiar with the event himself so imagine our suprise when we pulled into the parking lot to see hundreds of big burly men wearing high heels! The event is sponsored by a local non profit group and thousands of shoes are donated each year from local shoe shops for the men to wear. The men pay a registration fee which includes a donation, and the cost of renting the high heels and a t-shirt to wear. After a few speeches and some publicity shots, the men are off! Well off for a mile walk around the city that is. Johnny had planned on being there to take pictures, until the radio dj who was also walking informed him otherwise. I volunteered to be in charge of photos, partly because I love taking pictures but mostly because I couldn't pass up the opportunity to see Johnny in some patent shoes. There were white go-go boots, and dainty champagne slip-ons, there were hot pink pumps and red mary-janes gallor. The scene was humorous, and the cause was important. As the men walked up and down the city sidewalks cars were honking and people were asking what they were walking for. I couldn't help but wonder how many passer-byers who didn't ask thought that the men were walking for gay rights. It wouldn't be a far assumption, it was about 250 men walking in high heels! Around the last few yards a lot of the men started to limp a bit, something my stiletto wearing behind found quite entertaining. It was a great cause and it made for some wonderful pictures! What a great thing to raise awareness for. Awareness of women's abuse, and of just what it takes to walk a mile in a women's shoes.

Jumping on the Band Wagon

I finally gave it a try. The belting around the body that is. Belting around the top of the waist, the smallest part of your body, has been a trend I have seen on many fashion bloggers, but I just haven't been able to jump on the band wagon. Often times, I've found that by belting I'm adding emphasise to my wider hips instead of my smaller waist. This shirt however intrigued me and I couldn't help but to give the look a try. The shirt has a long tie in the back and with some belting advice from the academichic girls, I gave it a try.

I loved the look in the end. With some simple jewelry the whole outfit seemed to come together. The flowy shirt and black pants were comfortable, perfect for a busy day in the office. My necklace, which I've termed my ' gypsy' necklace is also a Lia Sophia find, and always makes me feel a little sassy.

The shirt has only been out of my closet once before. I received it as a gift from my mother 2 Christmases ago, but its longer shape, and large belt just doesn't flatter my figure well. I find it tends to make me look a little pregnant, especially with it's back bow and the sewed on belt. By adding the cardigan and tying the bow all the way around my body however, I found that the look was much less maternity and much more serious office worker.

Queen of the Stone Age

* Sad News* My work computer completely crashed early this week. I had two outfits waiting to be posted saved on that computer and sadly those photos died along with the hard drive. Being without a computer at home means my sole posting and blog reading occurs at work between busy spurts. I shall be computer less for a few more days which means no posting. I'm still getting dressed in the meantime and still taking pictures so you'll need to excuse the large amount of posts that will follow as soon as I'm welcomed back to 2009.

Holes in the Pockets

This face says it all...

I got a Promotion! Things at work have been going fantastic. I had caught wind that a ' title' was coming my way and that was exciting enough. When we sat down to our meeting this week and they announced that they wanted to give me a whole new position complete with a title, a pay raise, a new desk and an employee I wanted to jump out of my seat and cheer! It's always nice to feel like your hard work is being respected and appreciated. Of course I'm still in school until next week so between working harder for longer hours during the transition, interviews all day long, studying for finals all night I am falling asleep before I make it to my bed most nights. That means that I'm behind on my DVR episodes of Deadliest Catch.

This new job has left me feeling a much stronger urge to dress more professional each day. I've always dressed in office attire but I feel a need to dress for lots of meetings, conversations, paperwork and running for building to building.

My boat shoes have brought me great comfort in the last few weeks. I wear at least one pair of these a week, and they are just so comfortable. I don't have any awkward rubbing which means I can think about the task at hand instead of the twitching coming from my heel.

These pants almost make it into the ' donate' pile every time I wear them. They were a great find at $6 at Old Navy but with their first washing they shrunk just enough to make them high waters, kind of. They just graze the floor when I stand barefoot but when I put shoes on, they are given just the extra lift from the floor that causes them to sway above my ankles with every step. So annoying. Even still, they are my only navy pants and even with the holes in the pockets I can't seem to part with them. Especially now when my life seems to be going crazy I can't help but to hold on a little tighter to my old favorites.