Fall transition

I got this dress this summer in NYC at a closeout store, the label says "Oleg Cassini Collection" but if that is true I would be shocked beyond belief! Anyway, I wore it a lot this summer and now that the weather is cooling off I figured out a way to take it into fall by adding a fitted long-sleeve top over it. As a bonus, it makes it work appropriate by covering all the cleavage this dress shows! I know its not the most flattering cut - the empire waist hits right at the widest point on my torso, but its really and truly as comfy as a nightgown while looking professional so I will continue to wear it occasionally. Probably pairing it with heels would slim out my silhouette but my feet were still sore from all the walking in 4-inch heels I did yesterday! I'm still obsessed with this flower fascinator from Target, I think I'll be wearing it a lot this fall!

:)

I got tons of compliments on this outfit all day - okay, okay, Melissa, you convinced me that a belt over a blouse is the way to dress up any outfit! I loved that this outfit was a nice bridge from summer to fall - yellow summer top, black accessories that moved it into fall. I even had someone post on my facebook page asking if it was me they'd seen in town looking so ladylike and retro! I really love my new fascinator - $10 at Target!

The necklace makes it!

I've had this top for awhile, but just haven't worn it much. However, I noticed that one of the necklaces I got at the famous Maurice's sale last week matched it perfectly! I think I'll be wearing it a lot more now! My husband and I went out for brunch and ran a couple errands the other day while the kids were in school and this was my date-day outfit. Love it! Straight cut dark wash jeans, high heels, cute purse cute top and matching necklace - what's not to like?

Church Outfit

Eh, this outfit was okay. Nothing particularly special. I was wearing a new fascinator that I made this week, but didn't get a good pic of it. Nothing too exciting going on with this ensemble!

Improved dress

I've had this Fashion Bug dress for a couple years, and it was always too long so I finally cut about 4 inches off. It was almost too much, but this is a much more flattering length for me. I have freakishly large calf muscles and so dresses that hit right at the widest part of my calves make my legs look super thick. (my calves are super-thick, but not the rest of my legs - they're just normal-thick! I often wear really high heels, partly to visually stretch out my calves) I really like this dress, I think its very flattering to my hourglass figure. I walked around all day feeling like Christina Hendricks! I wore a blue beaded necklace and simple threader earrings, it was extra fun picking out my jewelry today because I re-organized it last night - I now have a set of hooks on the wall above my jewelry box for long and bulky necklaces - I have them arranged by color and so its functional and quite pretty!

I got a haircut today, which I badly needed! I had been planning on letting my hair grow out into a shaggy, longer pixie cut - more Audrey Hepburn than Morena Baccarin. However, I have very thick coarse hair, and so it just takes too long to style at that length - its a lot of work to get it NOT to poof up during the day. So, the super-short works better for me. Ta-da!

LOVE this jacket

I got compliments on this outfit with and without the jacket. Without the jacket, I was told that I looked like I had just stepped out of Anthropologie - a store I looooove but can't afford (except for pieces from there I find at thrift stores). When I put the jacket on, people told me I looked hot! Funny, since it covered a lot more skin than without! I also had a fascinator in my hair, but had already taken it out when my husband took my picture. The skirt is from a little boutique on the Outer Banks that went out of business last year and I got the jacket at a wine festival where there was a leather shop set up.

UGH!

I wore this dress to work and when I looked at the pictures when I got home I was horrified. I definitely weigh too much to wear it right now. In fact, it looked so bad I cropped the picture so all you can really see is the top and my awesome necklace (one of the ones on sale for $1.99 at Maurices).

Easy day, easy outfit...

Why is it I feel the need to wear easy outfits days when I'm really busy (like yesterday) and days that are really easy (today)? Today I worked a half day, then came home and did our annual business taxes for the state we're incorporated in and the state we live in (six month extention, due tomorrow), then my husband and kids and I had a snacky-snack dinner and watched a movie. Other than having to do the taxes, it was a lovely day! Tomorrow I'll be back to rushing about as usual - Etsy shop, work, take my daughter to violin lesson, church activities. Whew!

So, this is a basic dress from Fashion Bug, my absolute favorite jacket, my faux suede studded purse and Seychelle heels again. I also wore my amber earings, one of my new bracelets that had some amber charms on it, and a fascinator. Every time I wear a fascinator, tons of people comment on it. I think they've come back into fashion, but it hasn't trickled down to my rural neighborhood yet so everyone is surprised by it.

busy day!

Today I had a dentist appt (UGH!), went shopping with my sister (YAY), then I needed to go to a PTA meeting for work. This little dress was perfect for all of them - everywhere I went people stopped me to tell me how cute it was. I got a fabulous new bracelet and a bunch of gorgeous necklaces at Maurices - they had an amazing sale where a ton of jewelry was marked down to $1.99 each - some of it was originally $20 or more! I also got some new sunglasses - aren't they faboo?!

Autumn Church Outfit

I got this sweater and this skirt earlier this week while thrifting, the skirt is just perfect autumn colors! I love how swingy it it, too. I liked the interesting neckline on the top, however its one of those sweaters that weirdly stretches throughout the day, so by mid-afternoon it looked awful and baggy. I don't know that I'll wear it again, but I think this skirt will go into regular rotation! I paired this outfit with a brown-and-cream fascinator and my amber earrings and I loved they way they looked with it! Also, my brown Seychelles heels and a faux suede studded purse.

Hmmmm....

I got several compliments on this outfit, but I'm not sure how much I liked it. The pink plus a cutesy sweater was almost too much, I think. My day turned out kind of craptastic, I went out to lunch with my mom and grandmother and my kids (which was lovely!) but when we came out of the restaurant it was pouring rain - which meant I didn't get to go to the outdoor quilt show I was excited about all week, and I didn't get to go for a bike ride, either. My mom and I went thrifting instead and I found NOTHING. What a bummer!

nowhere to go

Tonight I'm hosting a birthday dinner for my mom, so my family is coming to me. I don't think I'm going to leave the house at all today, so no cute outfit - I'm hanging out in a housedress. But, I will share with you a picture of a GORGEOUS vintage Lisner necklace I found at a fleamarket last week:
Google "vintage lisner necklace" and just look at a few of them! I love it - most are very sparkly and have leaf and/or flower motifs. Beautiful! I think I will definitely be looking for more Lisner pieces.

LOVE this dress

I absolutely totally adore this dress. I got it at a thrift store this week, I used to have a black/red/white Asian styled dress but it got so faded I had to get rid of it. Now I have another one, and I like it even better than the last! The brand is Beyerwear Too, which I have never heard of - but this dress is fabulous! I paired it with my black and white heels, a black camisole, and my black and red fascinator. Love it all!

I'm back!

So, I haven't posted in forever, and it can be boiled down to three reasons:
1- My husband was working out of state M-F every week from May-Aug. No one to take my picture each day!
2- Since my husband was gone, I've not had time to blog because I've been single-moming it.
3- I've felt really faaaa-aaaaaat lately and when I do get a picture taken, I totally cringe at it. It sucks. BUT, I'm going seriously hardcore on loosing weight now because we're having a photographer come do family portraits for us at our house in November and there is NO WAY I'm spending hundreds on pictures I can't stand to look at. So, I must get back to the weight I'm comfy at - which is sadly 25-30 lbs less than I weigh now. So, working out every day + super-light eating = cute Jen soon!


I liked this outfit, I felt like a bad-ass! And it is HARD to feel like a badass when you are a stay at home mama!! The top is thrifted and I can't remember the brand and its in the dirty clothes basket in the other room, where my husband is sleeping, so it'll just have to stay forgotten. The jeans were a lesson in why snobbery does not pay off. I needed a couple pairs of jeans to get me through till I can fit into all my faves again, and Monday (while the kids were in school) I decided to on an epic journey to find some. First, I hit the thrift store and tried on several "good" brands - Eddie Bauer, Banana Republic, Battery Park... and none of them fit right and/or felt good. Then I tried Target. I like their new style system - different cuts, different fits. However, even their "short" sizes were too long. I am NOT that short - I'm 5'4" - but even with heels I would have had to hem the pants. And what is the point of spending only $20 on jeans if you have to go home and spend time sewing them?! Finally, I tried on a couple pairs at Walmart and they were perfect! The faded glory $12 petite straight cut jeans were EXACTLY what I wanted. Go figure! I got one black pair and one dark blue pair. The boots are thrifted, too - I love a good 4 inch heel!

The picture totally washed out my face, which was a shame since I loved my makeup today! Do yourself a favor and go buy an eyebrow pencil NOW. They are amazing! I never used one because I have fairly heavy brows, but its so easy to get the perfect arched-look using the pencil! I love it!