Zebra day

It's the last day of the ABC Challenge!  I can't believe it is over.  I jumped in kind of late, since I was also doing the Winter Challenge, but it has been so fun to follow along with the prompts for each letter, and see what other bloggers come up with.

So, Z is for Zebra!  I have exactly 1 Zebra print item in my closet, and it is a strapless maxi dress.  Not the best for a rainy February day.  Since I'm on a shopping break, I couldn't go out and buy something new to wear, so I had to get creative. I folded my dress in half to make a skirt! 

At first, I had it so the bottom of the dress was my skirt, but then I flipped it, so the top of the dress is forming a little cuff at the bottom.  I liked it better this way, plus now I can use the pockets!!

I felt a little lumpy, with so much fabric folded and bunched around my waist.  I also had to be careful about the inner layer shifting too much, and sneaking out the bottom.  Overall, I felt a little ridiculous throughout the day, but I think it looks pretty cute in the pictures.

Special thanks to Kayla for hosting the ABC challenge.  It has been tons of fun, and I've found some great bloggers to follow! 

Sweater:  Express
Cami:  Gap
Skirt (dress):  Old Navy
Boots:  Target

Y is for Yellow

The ABC Challenge is drawing to a close, and Y is obviously for Yellow!  I really love this color, but I have to be careful, because sometimes it doesn't go so well with super pale skin.

I wore this on Thursday, which felt like a Friday.  Mostly because a meeting that we always have on Fridays was moved to Thursday.  Then, just to add to my confusion, John and I went to a movie last night.  

FYI, popcorn and Milk Duds are not the dinner of champions.  Not that I had that for dinner, I'm just saying.  Ok, I might have.

I'm so excited for the weekend!  I don't have any big plans, but am just excited to have some free time.  I'll probably get caught up on stuff around the house.  Maybe even go to the grocery store.  Do you have any exciting plans?? 

Tank, Shirt, Cardigan:  Gap
Jeans:  Old Navy
Boots: Wanted via Piperlime

Lady in Red (x3)

I wore this outfit with the Bloggers do it better challenge in mind, but then I decided to use this outfit instead.  Today's ABC challenge is "X for x2", which works out perfectly!  Here's how I recently wore my red skirt: 

Shirt:  Loft
Sweater:  H&M
Skirt:  Gap
Tights:  Steve Madden
Shoes:  Gap
 
And here's two other ways I have worn this skirt.  Apparently, I think it goes well with gray!  Maybe I'll branch out in the future and try it with another color!

Full post

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Short Skirt, Long Jacket

I guess my skirt isn't that short, and my jacket isn't that long, but the jacket is longer than the skirt, so I'm going to say it counts.

I wore this to church last Sunday.  It was pretty cold and snowy outside, so I basically decided to wear sweater material from neck to toe.  Sweater, sweater skirt, fleece-lined tights.  Perfect!

I'm so glad I made this skirt!  I'm linking this up to the U for Unexpected day over at the ABC Challenge.  Upon first glance, this isn't unexpected at all, but when you realize the skirt used to be a sweater, I think it qualifies. 

I'm also linking up to Bloggers Do It Better, over at Pretty Shiny Sparkly.  This is my first time participating in BDIB!  Have I said how much I love all these link up challenges??

Coat and Sweater:  Gap
Skirt:  Kenneth Cole Sweater refashioned by me
Boots:  Bare Traps via DSW

T is for Tomboy

Today's theme is T for Tomboy.  As a kid, I was a total tomboy.  In 5th grade, my best friend and I had a pact that we would NEVER EVER wear the color pink.  Needless to say, I have broken that rule. 

 

I was surprised when I looked in my closet for tomboy inspiration that I didn't have much to work with.  I thought about stealing one of John's ties, but I don't know how to tie a tie, and he was already at work.  A sweater vest was my next best idea.  

 

Go check out some other tomboy looks here.

Shirt:  NY&Co
Sweater Vest:  Gap
Jeans:  Old Navy
Boots:  Wanted via DSW

Wearing the Pants

I recently realized I haven't worn pants since I started this blog.  I just really prefer dresses and skirts, I guess, and jeans, but those are in a different category.  So, without any further ado, here's evidence that I do, in fact, own pants:

It's also "S for Sheer" day over at the ABC challenge.  I don't have very many sheer items, so I mostly had to pick between this shirt and one other.

I felt a little boring, so I grabbed my hot pink scarf to add some color. 

Go check out the other S for Sheer looks here. 

Pants:  Gap
Top:  Sunny Leigh
Scarf:  Charming Charlie
Socks:  Gap
Shoes:  Guess

Romantical

The theme for today is Romance.  I think a dress with ruffles and pink polka dots is appropriate.  I got this dress a few years ago at (you guessed it) the Gap.  It was on sale, and I was convinced before I even tried it on.  I then found out that my sister thought it was one of the ugliest dresses ever.  Of course, I ignored her opinion and bought the dress.

About a year ago, my dress was on an episode of Law and Order.  You know how there's usually a random person who finds the body at the beginning?  Well, there was a couple on a date, and the woman was wearing this dress.  I immediately emailed my sister to tell her. 

I've generally worn it with neutrals, like gray or brown, but recently I've tried bright cardigans with it.  I think it's okay, but the turquoise and light pink reminds me a little too much of early 90s interior decoration.    

Dress and Cardi:  Gap
Belt:  American Apparel
Boots:  Wanted via Piperlime
Necklace:  gift (from China)

Keep it Simple

Today's ABC challenge topic is "Q for Quick and Simple."  This is the outfit I threw together last week when I overslept and had about 10 minutes to get ready for work.  When I'm in a hurry and need to look put-together, I usually grab a dress.  It's a whole outfit already!  Then I add a cardigan, maybe a belt and I'm good to go.

Go check out the other looks here.

Dress:  Target
Belt:  Francescas
Cardigan: Gap
Tights:  Target
Shoes:  BCBGeneration

Pleat Repeat

Didn't I wear this skirt last Monday?  Yes, I did.  But, the ABC theme for today was Pleats, and this is one of my few pleated items.  Last week, I kept it simple and classy with all black, so today I had a little more fun.  Inspired by Kendi, I put my striped sweater and purple-y tights with my purple skirt. The cold and snow means I will be wearing boots most of this week.

I'll be honest, I really loved this outfit.  I kind of felt like a teenage rock star.  Maybe that's not a good thing, but I enjoyed it quite a bit.

I was looking at my list of labels, and I realized I haven't worn pants on the blog yet.  And then I realized I almost never wear pants.  I mean, I wear jeans, skirts, and dresses.  I have pants, I just apparently haven't worn them at all in the last few months.  Maybe I should try that sometime...
Go check out the other pleated bloggers here. 

Sweater:  Old Navy
T-shirt:  PacSun
Skirt:  Gap
Tights: Steve Madden via DSW
Boots:   BareTraps via DSW

Spooky Scary

It's the last day of the Winter Challenge!  Good thing the ABCs of style are still going, so I won't have to make my own clothing decisions for a couple more weeks. 

Today's prompt was to wear something that scares you.  This was the most difficult day to figure out for me.  Here are 3 of the ideas I had:

1. Buy some spider jewelry.  Get it, because I'm scared of spiders.
2. Dress up like a zombie.  See reasoning of #1.
3. I was complaining to John about how I didn't know what I was scared of wearing, and he suggested that I let him pick out my outfit.  Yep, that's pretty scary.  I can think of 2 times where he had significant input into what I was wearing.  Both times, it was so ridiculous that I had to pose for pictures holding a shotgun.  I told him as long as his suggestion was work appropriate and did not require firearms as accessories, I would go along with it.  He forgot, so I was left to my own devices. 

So, this morning, I had about 20 minutes to get ready for work and I had zero ideas of what I was scared of wearing.   Here's what I came up with:

This purple velvet blazer has been in my closet for probably 7 years, and I have never worn it. This is also my Closet Orphan, for the ABC challenge.  I got it for about $5 when Macy's bought out the Lazarus department store and everything was like 90% off.  I don't know if I am scared of wearing it, as much as I just didn't know what to wear with it.

The plaid top is pretty new.  I found it over Christmas break when I was shopping with my sister.  I really like it, but it reminds me too much of my high school uniform.  I need to get over my fear of plaid, pleats, and polo shirts one of these days.

And finally, my "real" fear:  skinny jeans with flats.  I generally reserve skinny jeans for wearing with boots.  I think 2 or 3 times, I have worn non-boots, but always with a 3in or higher heel.  I see other people wearing flats with skinny jeans, and I think it is cute, but I just am not sure I can pull it off.

I've also had "Werewolf Bar Mitzvah" stuck in my head all day.  Cracks me up!

Go check out what other bloggers are scared of wearing here.  
And go check out other closet Orphans here.

Blazer:Jones New York
Top:  Talbots via Marshall's
Jeans:  Old Navy
Shoes:  Gap

Fallin'

No, it isn't fall.  I'm not listening to the Alicia Keys song.  I actually just fell down this morning.  I was about 8 feet away from my office door, carrying 4 bags (purse, laptop, lunch, workout clothes) when my shoe revolted against me and I completely crashed to the floor.  I hit a cubicle wall pretty hard before I landed, but I am happy to say it did not fall over.  That would have been embarrassing!  Not that falling wasn't embarrassing enough, but I was able to pretty quickly assure my boss and co-workers I was fine and head to my office in shame.

I'm actually surprised this doesn't happen to me more often.  Contrary to popular opinion, I am not actually very graceful.  My husband threatens to get me a Humpty Hat every winter.  According to the website, you should wear it when you are doing winter sports.  I think I should just wear it year round for walking places.

Anyway, I was trying to do the "Dress Up a Coat" challenge a day early, but when I saw Kayla's inspiration post, she really meant that you should add something to your coat to make it dressy.  I thought she just meant to dress up and include a coat.  I'm going to just go with it and pretend I followed the rules.  I'm sure no one will care!

In conclusion, perhaps I should never wear these shoes again.  I thought they would be good, because the platform would be more comfortable than a regular heel, but if they are going to throw me to the ground, I might just have to pass.  They aren't really cute enough for me to put up with those kind of shenanigans. 


Go check out people who actually followed the instructions to dress up a coat HERE. 
I'm also linking up to the ABCs of style with my (P)leather jacket and suede shoes - L is for Leather

Sweater, Skirt, Shoes:  Gap
Jacket:  Relativity
Tights:  Target

Bright and Sunshiny!

More outdoor photos!  This is what I wore to church on Sunday.  I pretty much always wear bright colors, so this day of the challenge was NO PROBLEM!  I felt a little too springy in just the sweater, so I threw the scarf on to add some extra color and feel a tad more appropriate for January  (even though January is feeling more like March or April--AMAZING)  

 Cardigan:  NY&Co
Scarf:  Gap
White Tshirt:  Loft
Black Cami:  Gap
Skirt:  Calvin Klein
Tights:  Target
Boots:  Bare Traps via DSW

Go check out some other Bright Colors HERE. 
I will also be linking up to The ABCs of Style later this week for Neon and Neutral day.

Big Hair

This is what I wore on Saturday evening for dinner at my in-laws' house.  For some reason, my hair was about double it's usual size.  I felt kind of like the before pictures in commercials for anti-frizz products.  The only difference - I kind of love it. 

Also, I got to take some pictures outside!  They look so much better than my indoor pictures, so I hope I can make this a more frequent occurrence.

I'm still doing the Winter Challenge, but did not succeed at getting ahead of the game this week, so I'm wearing my Decade inspired outfit today and will post this evening.  I'm also joining up with the ABCs of style, so I'm going to try to incorporate both, when possible.  Today is K for Knits, so this outfit works!

Shirt and Sweater:  Gap
Jeans:  Old Navy
Boots:  Wanted via Piperlime

Trendy Tangerine

Another day, another challenge!  Today the idea is to Embrace a Trend.  I pretty seriously considered a backwards cardigan, but then I remembered that I have a few meetings today, where I would actually have to see people, and I didn't want to be laughed out of the conference room.  So, I took the easy way out, and went with the Pantone Color of the Year! 

I bought this shirt and cardigan last spring on the same day, but have never worn them together.  I think I like it!

Aren't you proud of me for wearing different shoes?  Although, these are probably even more frequently worn than the gray boots.  Maybe tomorrow I'll branch out into a different color of shoes.  It's just tricky during the winter!

And just for fun, I turned my cardigan around to try the backwards look.   

I don't know.  It's okay, but probably not something I will do very often.  I think a longer cardigan might look better.  Maybe with a dress.  What do you all think?

I'm also linking this up to the ABC challenge, for W is for Wide Leg Jeans day. 

Shirt:  Loft
Cardigan:  NY&Co
Jeans:  Loft
Shoes:  Gap