EBEW: Gingham and Green

Everybody, Everywear always reinvigorates my passion for sharing my outfit. I love seeing the different ways everyone takes an idea and runs with it.

It was decided that this month would be devoted to green. Well, naturally. Green is perfect for March - it makes me think of fresh grass coming up through the snow, cold and muck of winter. And it, of course, runs perfectly with St. Patrick's Day!



Top: Shirley of Atlanta, FREE, Inherited from my boyfriend's grandma's closet
Skirt: Waterville, FREE, Inherited from my own grandma's closet
Boots: Sofft, Thrifted @ Value World, $6.20
Belt: Forever21, $2.50
Necklace: Bought at an estate sale, $1
Glasses: SEE Eyewear
TOTAL (not including glasses) = 9.70

I love the idea of combining pieces I've been given from my boyfriend's grandma's closet and my own grandma's closet. We all know I am a thrift lover but there is also quite a sweet spot in my heart for pieces that belonged to those I love. Even if they're not always something I would have picked for myself, I always keep everything I am given and make it work in one way or another.


Ignore that shoebox. Oops!

I paired these two together because I like the idea of a loose blouse with a more fit skirt. I don't know if it transitioned into photos as well as I would have liked but that is ok. It probably looked fresher this morning without my wrinkles and bumps. Real girls have wrinkles at the end of the day though, right? :)




I've actually wanted a green gingham shirt for as long as I can remember... which dates back to seeing the most amazing Anthropologie green gingham shirt on their website a while back. I still dream of owning that shirt one day but, in the meantime, this one will do just fine.







I added in some green eyeshadow (ok, you can't see it here but I pinky swear I was wearing it) and a crazy thick gold necklace and called it a day. I'm keeping it pretty simple these days.

Now head on over to Everybody, Everywear and check out how everyone else wore their green today!

Valentine's Day: Red and Pink, of course!

Happy Valentine's Day, my sweetie pies! This just so happens to be one of my favorite holidays... ok, who am I kidding... I think I have expressed my love for every holiday to you guys. I will say, however, that Valentine's Day is especially near and dear to me because my boyfriend and I began officially dating on Valentine's Day ten years ago. Yep, he asked me to be his lady on Valentine's Day. Sweet and sappy - just how I like it. :)

Floral Skirt: INC, Thrifted (Value World), $3.10 

Red Blouse: Sears (vintage), Thrifted (Value World), $0.80 

Pink Blazer: Dialogue, Thrifted (Value World), $3.80 

Socks: Old as dirt 

Pin: Made by me! 

Boots: Fashionbug.com, $15 

Glasses: SEE Eyewear

Truthfully, I was already planning on wearing red and/or pink today to celebrate the holiday of love. It just so happens that Everybody, Everywear coincided this month with the holiday and the theme was red and pink. I've never worn the two together but have been admiring the combination from afar as quite a few fashionable ladies have been rocking the look lately. Always into trying something new (at least when fashion is concerned!), I gave it a go.





I would certainly say that my combination is a bit more reserved than most. I love the pairing of a vibrant light pink with a prominent red but felt like that may have been a little too wild to wear to work, even for me. Nah, I kept my red bright but added a pink that was close in color to the red and topped it (or, bottomed it, I guess) with a floral skirt that captured both colors.

I can't resist a great tie neck blouse. True story. It is closing in on my gingham obsession but not is not quite at that level yet. (And, yes, that is a cat toy on the ground. Just keeping it real for all of you.)


I made my pin the night before. It was something I have been thinking about doing for a while now but just haven't put into action. Finally decided to get off my duff and just do it... so I did. And I love it. And I have ideas swirling around for more. Here is to making it happen in 2012!

And now a little sap for the road... I was wearing these socks the Valentine's night that my boyfriend and I became a couple. Yeah, they're pretty old and they are pretty worn (you're not seeing the giant hole on the bottom of my left foot...) but they have a soft spot in my sock drawer and heart. :)

Now, go on, get out of here and go hug the person, animal or thing you love. Valentine's Day may be a "made up holiday" but I'll take any reason to tell those I love that I love them - how about you?

EBEW: Black and White

A cool and easy black and white mix today. Quick separates, quick photos, long day. Sometimes that is just how it rolls, right? I'm sure you understand.

I convinced my boyfriend to snap a few quick photos of my outfit today... nevermind our super dim glow lighting. Ah, apartment life. :)



Dress: Leslie Fay, Thrifted, $1.80
Blouse: Old Navy, $7 (clearance)
Booties: Sofft, Thrifted, $6.20
Bracelets: Forever21, Old
Glasses: SEE Eyewear

This is probably the first and the last time I will wear this dress. I never tried it on when I bought it as I was at one of those thrift stores that doesn't have dressing rooms. Yeah, one of those. Anyway, I clearly misjudged it because it's rather large on my frame. The bottom is ok but I was swimming in the top without this blouse over it. It's too bad because I do love me a good vintage Leslie Fay dress. :)







As I mentioned yesterday, I'm dressing in black and white all week. I was inspired by today's Everybody, Everywear but it's also, hands down, my favorite color combination. It is so easy and always looks good!

Hopefully you'll stay tuned to see how I rock out with my black and white out the rest of the week... or, um, something like that. :-)

Everybody, Everywhere: Colored Tights

Fashion blogger confession: I only own three pairs of colored tights. And I use "colored" as a loose term - I own this purple pair, a light grey pair and olive green sweater tights. They're very neutral with the exception of the purple. Colorful tights seem like a huge standard in the fashion blogging world. Prior to becoming a reader, I had never seen many "unusual" tights out and about. I thought I was pretty cool buying this purple pair 2+ years ago, but apparently I am still a freshman at colorful tight wearing. :)


Jacket: Arden B, Won in giveaway!
Tshirt: Old Navy, $7 (on sale)
Skirt: Worthington, JCPenney, OLD
Tights: Kohl's, OLD
Shoes: Steve Madden, Marshalls, OLD
Glasses: SEE Eyewear

After doing a bit of a closet cleanout/unpacking my winter items over last weekend, I have been making every attempt at wearing things I don't wear very often from my closet. To say that my closet is filled to the brim would be an understatement. I need to pare down more but I'm having a hard time letting things go. To rectify that, I am wearing pieces I don't wear very often to discover why and hopefully give some of them up.


This jacket is one of those items. I always get so many compliments on it when I wear it but I have a really hard time styling it. I think the color is what prevents me from wearing it often... it's hard to pair things with a metallic lilac color. Any ideas for me?


I was a little worried this might be purple overload when I put it together this morning but when I got told I looked "like a rockstar" at work that worry flew out the door. My work girls are good to me. :)


Check out the rest of the folks who styled up their colorful tights today! After checking just a few of them out so far, I am realizing I would love to add some rust, hunter green and mustard colored tights to my collection!

Everybody, Everywear: DIY

Oh, hi! You've probably (maybe?) been wondering where I've been... well, between being sick last week and having a family member pass away, there was little room or desire for blogging. Honestly, you didn't want to see one little part of me. Everything was a big 'ol mess. My eyes were red, my nose was red, everything was disheveled.

That being said, I put forth at least a little bit more effort today. Yes, I do love me an Everybody, Everywhere day. This one was no different - DIY day! I initially had a more labor intensive DIY planned but I don't think I need to get into why it was not accomplished (see above). Instead, I took an easier approach...


Note: This is where you pretend like you can not see my kitty hairs and fuzz on my dress. Please also pretend that the pin on my necklace is sitting properly. Thank you. Forgive me, like I said, it has been a long week.

I'm not going to divulge my original DIY plan as I plan on still putting it into action at some point. So, when push came to shove last night at 10pm, I had to rack my brain for another quick idea. Luckily, I had just recently pinned this image of gorgeous necklaces made by Elva Fields to my pinterest account. Seriously, have you ever seen prettier jewelry? I LOVE these necklaces! Plus, I knew it was the perfect thing to put together quickly - great beaded necklace + my favorite pin? Done!


Dress: Karen Kane, Thrifted, OLD
Blue Tank: Poof!, TJMaxx, OLD
Necklace: No tag, Thrifted, $7
Pin (on necklace): Gift from Mom
Shoes: Naturalizer, Thrifted, OLD
Glasses: SEE Eyewear

I also really like that this outfit is a collection of old favorites. One of my favorite (and most comfortable, by far) black dresses, favorite pin (a gift from my mom from one of our favorite local stores) and favorite red shoes.






Did I mention my cat loves these shoes too? They've been graced with kitty claw and teeth marks but I'm not ready to let them go. I figure it isn't as noticable from far away... right?...


Want to see some more fashionable DIY? Click on over to Everybody, Everywear below!

EBEW: Colored Pants

Colored pants. They're a pretty big deal right now but I can't say I am 100% on board. I love the idea but have a hard time following through on the actual look when it comes to actually doing it. Pants have never been my favorite thing. Regardless, when Everybody, Everywear put out the call for colored pants, I answered!



Gingham Top: Old Navy, $19.50 on sale (free to me w/ gift card)
Silk Tank: Casual Corner, Thrifted, OLD
Green Cords: J. Crew, Thrifted, OLD
Necklace: Thrifted, $1
Bangle: ?, OLD
Sandals: Mossimo, Target, $7.48 (on clearance in store)
Glasses: SEE Eyewear
Purse: Jessica Buckle Tote, c/o HandbagHeaven.com

Yes, I followed through and brought my kelly green J. Crew (thrifted, J. Crew, mind you) corduroy pants to blogtown. I've had these for a while now but never seem to wear them as much as I probably should. Everybody always loves them when I wear them and how could you not!? They are such a happy color! A happy color is enough to put a smile on any face.


I have to admit, even with a lot of crazy business going down at work this week and especially today, I remained pretty cheerful. I attribute this to a good mix of happy colors. The green, of course, and this fantastic gingham button up that I lusted over the second I saw it on the Old Navy website. I knew it had to be mine!


I kicked it up another notch with some chunky gold jewelry. This outfit was actually a little casual feeling (at least for me) for office wear during the week so I thought the jewelry might help take it to the next level. Not the fanciest outfit I have ever worn, but it worked!

And how about my $7.48 sandals? I love when the shoes I really want go on major clearance. Thank you, Target, thank you very much.


AND, goodness, how about that sun today!? Sunny outside to match my sunny exterior! :)

An EBEW/30x30 Smackdown... or something. (11/30)

Today's topic? Pattern mixing. It is something I am quite fond of really and I feel like it is a really easy way to maximize your closet by having just a few pieces but creating numerous looks! (Shameless past print mixing promoting herein ends. You are welcome.)

Now, pattern mixing within my 30x30 pieces wasn't a stretch whatsoever. I always make sure to include some patterned pieces because A) they are fun and B) my closet is so full of them, how could I not? I pretty much live for florals and bright colors during the summer. I love these pieces apart but together they're even better...


Dress: Liz Claiborne, Thrifted, $2.60
Gingham Top: IZOD, Thrifted, $4.99
Flats: Mossimo Supply Co Odell Ruffle Flats, Target, $6.48 (on clearance in store)
Glasses: SEE Eyewear
Diamond Studs: Gift from my boyfriend
Flower Hair Pin: Handmade by me
TOTAL: $14.07
Oh, mama. Floral and gingham, be still my heart. Ever since I laid my eyes on this gorgeous match up of gingham and floral from 9to5Chic I have been dreaming of ways to recreate the look myself. There was no time better than now as both of these items are part of my 30 for 30 pieces and it is Everybody, Everywhere pattern mixing day.


I kept the look pretty simple other than that... I'm not usually one to add on a lot of jewelry when I'm wearing a "louder" outfit. It's just how I roll. I was actually feeling under the weather this morning so I opted not to blowdry my hair but instead threw it up (aka pin obsessively and spray a lot) in a baby bun and added a felt flower I made a while back. I think it complimented the outfit pretty nicely, don't you?


Looking for more pattern mixing inspiration? Connect with other lovely bloggers today (and anytime!) at Everybody, Everywhere! Did you pattern mix today? Link up at the site!

Nifty Thrifty (7/30)

So I was doing my usual blog reading at lunch today and discovered that it is a Nifty Thrifty day over at Every Body, Every Wear. How did I miss this?! Lucky for me (and you, maybe?), I am wearing my most favorite recent thrift find... actually, two of them...


Dress: Liz Claiborne, Thrifted (Value World), $2.60
Belt: J Crew, Thrifted (Value World), $1.60
Bracelet: Gift
Shoes: Mossimo Supply Co Oldell Ruffle flats, Target, $6.48 (clearance in store)
Glasses: SEE Eyewear
TOTAL = $10.68

I know you just saw this dress a few days ago but I thought I would show off the back of it now. It was a blazing hot day so I figured it would be perfect to keep my cool while I was at work - where it fluctuates between being freezing and being hot (don't even ask me how that works).


Ignoring my horrible posture in this picture, what do you think? The low back of this dress border lines on being inappropriate for work but I decided to hell with it today. The temperature warranted it.


My other nifty thrifty piece? This amazing yellow skinny belt that I picked up from one of my local Value World stores. Yes, J. Crew for $1.60 can be possible, ladies and gents. You just have to look! This belt looked virtuously unused when I bought it... I was actually even pretty shocked that the thrift store had not priced it higher than this.


I think the two go pretty well together, don't you? It didn't occur to me to pair them up until last night when I was putting my clothes together for the next day. So happy I chose to wear this today so I could participate in Nifty Thrifty Thursday!



Now shake your tail feather on over to Every Body, Every Wear and check out all the other great Nifty Thrifty submissions!

Every Body, Every Wear: LACE

Guys, I have a confession: I am exhausted. I feel like the past two months have ran me ragged and the effects are beginning to show. Why am I telling you this? Well, because I feel like my outfit is lackluster today and I took the photos in literally two seconds. I'll be a better fashion blogger tomorrow maybe. :)


Tank: Old Navy, $5 ($5 tank sale)
Lace Top: Tagless, Thrifted, $2.99
Wide Leg Pants: Max Studio, Thrifted, ?
Shoes: LEI, Sears, ?
Necklace: Candies, Kohls, $13
Glasses: SEE Eyewear

This outfit didn't have the flow I imagined it having when I put it together late last night. I never seem to learn my lesson about picking my clothes out right before I go to bed. I'm sleepy. I'm in a hurry. It doesn't turn out well.

Despite that, how are you feeling about this hot pink lace top? I actually snatched it up this past weekend while on a mini pre-birthday shopping gander through Salvation Army. Neon and lace? Sign me up. It reminded me of the Christopher Kane Spring 2011 collection that I was drooling over not too long ago.



This necklace was one of the few things I have paid full price for in probably... well, a very a long time. I bought it last Christmas to complete an outfit that I knew would not be complete until I had this necklace. I've worn it twice since. Oops! Attempting to get more use out of it has proven tough but I'm trying... I kind of like how it adds a new level of pink craziness to this outfit. I actually got the comment at work today that I looked like a pink explosion. I'll take it.


Finally, can I have a moment of silence for one of my favorite pairs of shoes? Yes, I seriously wore these like this today. Ha ha. I couldn't help it... I had to give them one last wear before they are retired. I made the mistake of leaving them on the floor, out of their box, the last time I wore them so my sweet cat had himself a nice little treat overnight. So sad. So sad.

Everybody, Everywhere: Floral

I was really excited when I found out that the Everybody, Everywhere item of the month was florals. I own a lot of floral pieces but I've owned this blousy, vibrant colored top for a little while now and hadn't given it much use. I'm a huge fan of floral designs that feature black as a background color. I think it gives the floral that much more pop.


Floral Top: Apparenza, Thrifted, $1.50
Green Skirt: No tag (?), Thrifted, $7.50
Leather Belt: Chic, Thrifted, $1.00
Shoes: Highlights, Payless Shoe Source, OLDDDD
Glasses: SEE Eyewear
I should mention that this skirt is part of a set. I bought it (and its matching jacket) at this price when I went thrift shopping with Suze a couple weeks ago. The jacket is crazy cool but didn't look quite right on me. Suze tried it on and it looked great (especially against her red hair)! I think she even had a little DIY action planned for it, so stay tuned for that!


Speaking of red, check out my legs. Yes, I sat outside for 1.5 hours yesterday and got third degree burns. OK, OK, maybe they're not that bad, but still super red and painful. Long story short, my building was evacuated and I spent some time in some sun without sunblock. I usually carry Neutrogena's spray SPF in my bag but have been naughty about applying it and carrying it with me lately. NEVER AGAIN.


I was really excited when I noticed this top looked perfect against the kelly green skirt. I think I haven't worn this shirt much because it needed something more fun than black pants to pair it with, you know? And, actually, all of the skirts I bought that thrifting day with Suze will look pretty with this top. Love that!


Lastly, an oldie but a goodie! I don't think I will ever buy a brand new belt in my lifetime because I always find great ones at the thrift store! And for $1.00 or less! And real leather! How can you beat that!?

Well, I'm off to check out what everyone else is wearing for Floral Day! Why don't you join me? Click on the button below to check out how lots of other bloggers rocked the floral look today...