Fall Floral

The jacket was passed along!  It's that time of year when I can get away with wearing some of my lighter coats, so I'm trying to make the most of it.  It's also the time of year when I have fewer days that I can wear non-boots, so I try to take advantage of those, too.  I'm hoping to avoid tights as long as possible.  My unofficial goal is to make it through November, but I don't know if that is going to happen.  Rumor has it that some snow made an appearance yesterday around 2am.  I was asleep, so I'm going to pretend it's not true.

Oh, and another reminder that next week is all about the leopard print!  I'm excited to announce that Brynn will be co-hosting the theme week, and you can link up with us on Friday!

My TOPIO collage is growing....  Be sure to stop by Sarah's Real Life to find other participating bloggers.

Jacket: Relativity
Scarf: H&M
Sweater: Gap
Skirt: Target
Shoes: Born

Stripe Week - Skirt

Get excited - it is STRIPES WEEK!

A pretty decent percentage (no, I didn't do the math) of the tops in my closet are striped, but I'm a firm believer that stripes should not be limited to the torso.  A black and white striped skirt is a very versatile piece, so I was happy to add this one to my closet in the spring (for only $7)  It's safe to say this will be a staple going into the fall and winter, as well.

This jacket is another item I'm feeling pretty smart about.  I bought it back in 2011 on super clearance, and it was a total impulse buy.  Now camo is having a moment and an almost identical jacket is going for $78.  I'm going to pretend I'm a visionary for buying my jacket 2 years early.

Come back every day this week for another outfit featuring stripes!  I'm going to try to challenge myself by doing different color combos, but you may see black/white again, because it's just so easy!  You should also stop by A Journey in Style to see what Kate is wearing.  Then remember to link up with us on Friday!

Jacket & Skirt: Old Navy  (similar)  (similar skirt)
Top: J.Crew Factory
Shoes: Born

Pinned It & Did It - Dots and Florals

When I pinned the J.crew version of a floral dress with a polka dot cardigan, I didn't have a floral dress. Then I found this beauty at Dillard's. Then I was perusing Pinterest one morning when I didn't know what to wear, and saw my inspiration. Brilliant.  

Go check out the other Pinterest inspired looks over at Style Journey.  I'm also linking up with Agi for Tres-Chic.    

Dress: Gibson& Latimer
Cardigan: Old Navy
Belt: Limited
Necklace: Charming Charlie
Shoes: Born

Leopard Skirt Remix

 

It's Friday!  It's been a busy week, with something going on almost every evening.  Mostly just catching up with friends that I've been neglecting while I had family in town and then was gone on vacation.  It's all good, I just don't really know when I am supposed to go to the grocery store.  Maybe next week sometime.

This outfit was inspired by a guest post I did for Work Clothes, I Suppose last week.  As I was putting together my remix collage for this skirt, I realized I had never worn it with pink, and isn't that the most obvious pairing ever?  I actually started the day with my shirt tucked in, and then got tired of fighting with it.  I'm just not meant to tuck my shirt in most of the time.

Anyway, here are 8 other ways I have worn this skirt.  

Go check out the other remixers at AJ Wears Clothes!

Cardigan: Marisa Kristina
Top: Gap
Belt: Old Navy
Skirt: J.Crew
Shoes: Born

Timeless Polka Dots

Are you ready for an epic remix post?  Because if my memory is correct, I've had this skirt for about 15 years.  I really wish I could find a picture of teenage Andi in it, but for some reason, I didn't take pictures of all my outfits back then.  I remember mostly wearing it with my favorite hot pink tank top and a gray cardigan (and probably some awkward platform flip-flops by Steve Madden).

I bought this at Express in (I think) 1997 or 1998.  That was back when they always had an additional 50% off clearance merchandise.  Pretty sure this skirt set me back $15.  People talk about cost/wear, but I'm talking about cost/year and we are at $1.  Seriously, probably one of my best shopping decisions ever.

Here are 12 other ways I've worn this skirt over the last year-ish:

1,2,3,4

5,6,7,8

9,10,11,12

Shirt: J.Crew factory
Belt: Old Navy
Skirt: Express
Shoes: Born
Purse: thrifted

Southpaw Problems

Day 16, Thursday: Something difficult about your "lot in life" and how you're working to overcome it

I'm left-handed (very, very, very left-handed).  Honestly, I'm sort of proud to be a lefty, but there are some major obstacles.  Most right-handed people don't even realize how many things are specifically designed with handedness in mind.  Just a small list of my many troubles over the years:

• Scissors - using right-handed scissors is THE WORST!  The thumb-hole angle is all wrong and is pretty painful to use for very long.  I have a pair of lefty scissors that I got when I was in elementary school and I am very protective of them.  

• Sports - maybe I'm just uncoordinated (probably the case), but it was very difficult to learn sports when pretty much all of the coaches were right-handed.  In PE class, we all had to perfect a right-handed lay-up, even the lefties!  Not fair at all.  Equipment is also harder to find and usually more expensive.  A few years ago, I was interested in learning how to golf, and I had to buy a set of lefty clubs online, because I couldn't find any in stores (and I couldn't borrow any from all my righty friends).  In college, I played intramural softball, and I didn't have my old lefty mitt at school.  They said they had extra equipment available, but they didn't mention that the only lefty glove was no longer laced together (and also smelled funky).  I couldn't catch anything! 

• Writing - even if you find a lefty notebook (which I used all through school), writing is still a mess.  I don't hook my hand over the page like some lefties, so I almost always had ink stains on my hand and smeared writing on the paper.  In high school, my English teacher decided that we needed to hand-write our papers for a few months, instead of typing.  I still don't know the purpose of this other than to make my life miserable.  I frequently got points docked for sloppiness because the ink was smeared.  I wonder if life is easier for left-handed people who live in "right-to-left language" countries.  And don't even get me started about trying to write in a 3-ring binder! 

• Eating - at sit-down meals, I try to sit on the left end of the table, but it doesn't always work out.  When my neighbor and I inevitably bump elbows, everyone always blames the lefty.  

• Basic items - again, you've probably never noticed this, but several basic household items are made for right-handed people.  Can-openers, measuring cups, pencil sharpeners, tape measures. Even a plain old sauce pan is designed to pour out of the left side, meaning I have to use my weaker arm, or twist my left arm awkwardly to pour anything.  

• Desks - those stupid desks that pretty much make up every classroom from middle school through college.  There was usually 1 lefty desk in each classroom, but more than 1 lefty student.  True story, during my accounting final in college, I was sitting at a righty desk, and twisted sideways in the chair to write my answers.  In a moment of frustration (and back pain) I sat back regularly and propped my right elbow up on the desk, not realizing the catapult situation that would happen.  My calculator and pencil flew across the room.  So embarrassing.  I should have told that story the other day.  

• SAT/ACT discrimination - I hope this isn't a common occurrence.  When I went to take these big important tests, they corralled all the left-handed kids into a group.  I assumed they would take us to a magical room filled with left-handed desks.  No.  They took us to a dark, creepy room in the basement that still had long table desks.  It was pretty unnerving.  I maintain I would have scored higher if I had been in a normal room!  

So there's my big sob-story.  I try to make the best of it, and most of the time, it's not a big deal, but I like buying lefty-specific products when I see them!  Rumor has it that left-handed people have a life expectancy 9 years shorter than right-handed people, so that's sort of unpleasant.  It's probably because we have higher stress levels trying to work around this crazy right-handed world!  I also read somewhere that lefties have smarter kids, which I completely believe (my mom is left-handed, too!).  

close-up to prove the polka dots are stars

It's also Third Thursday Threads time!  The theme for this month is WORKWEAR, which is super easy, because most of my outfits are worn to work.  My office is pretty casual, so I decided to pick one of my dressier recent outfits.  I also learned that I shouldn't stand in front of red brick when I am wearing a coral cardigan, because it will look very orange.


Blouse: Alfani via Macy's
Cardigan and Skirt: Old Navy
Belt: Chinese Laundry via TJ Maxx
Shoes: Born via Dillard's

5 Days, 5 Ways - Red Pants

When I think about pants, I don't usually include jeans, so I very rarely wear "pants."  For the purposes of the 5 days, 5 ways project, my jeans get to be pants.  Otherwise, I would have to skip this day.  I got these a few days after Christmas, and I have worn them quite a bit.  I am looking forward to some warmer weather looks, once spring arrives:

Here are my 5 ways:

1/2/3/4/5

And now for a nostalgic story about red jeans from 10+ years ago:  
Many years ago, I bought a pair of red jeans at Abercrombie & Fitch.  I think I was a junior in high school, and we were doing a college visit at KU.  After lunch, we got to wander around Lawrence for a bit, and I was very excited about my red jeans.  I think my friends thought I was weird, because colorful pants weren't really common at that point.  I loved those jeans, but then a wardrobe catastrophe struck.  Someone in my house was going to run a load of whites, and added bleach to the washer, but then promptly forgot about it.  Then I decided to run a load of all my dark clothes, not knowing about the bleach.  Needless to say, most of my clothes were ruined, including the jeans.  About a year later, I was visiting my sister in Illinois and I found the exact same red jeans at the Abercrombie Outlet.  Score!  Unfortunately, they didn't fit quite the same as the originals, but I still liked them.  I should really dig through my old photos and find evidence of these jeans.  Maybe I will have to bring back "Throwback Thursday" one of these days. 

Outfit Details:
Sweater: Limited
Tank: Gap
Jeans: Old Navy
Shoes: Born

Weekend Recap

 

Take One, Pass It On Item:  bubble necklace from last Monday's post.
**Today, I am copycatting Kate's look from early December.  It's kind of exciting when I have the exact same item as another blogger, because it's very easy to get inspired.  Don't be surprised when I pass along this cardigan and copycat her again next week.

***I also need to get a better plan for taking photos at work, or figure out how to avoid taking photos at work.  These are not great!

Well, it's Monday again.  I swear, it's like it happens every week.  I had a pretty good weekend.  John and I finished painting our hallway bathroom (updates on that later).  I met a friend for lunch, and then we had some other friends come over for dinner and an epic game of Catan.  On Sunday, we had church and then met up with John's parents for lunch.  I also got caught up on some basic household tasks, like laundry and dishes!

I'd say it was a pretty successful weekend.  Did you do anything fun?

Cardigan: Old Navy
Necklace: Charming Charlie
Top and Jeans: Gap
Shoes: Born

So Long, Sweet Summer

 

Growing up in Kansas, people would often say something like "If you don't like the weather here, just wait 5 minutes and it will change!"  People in Nebraska and Indiana say this, too.  In Waiting for Guffman, the mayor of a small town in Missouri mentions the same saying, but thinks with hard work, he believes they could get that down to 3 or 4 minutes.

I'm beginning to wonder if this is a saying everywhere.  Do people say this in Michigan?  Texas?  South Carolina?  Probably not in Alaska or Hawaii, right?  Is this a saying where you live?  I'm just curious if all the states think their weather is more ridiculous than everywhere else.  We all want to be special, I guess.

I think it is safe to say that summer days are gone for this year.  I really do love the fall, but winter always makes an appearance too soon.  I'm half hoping we have another mild winter, but just harsh enough to kill all the bugs.  We had a very buggy summer and I'm not down with that at all.

Cardigan: Old Navy, dyed by me
Top: Sunset Rd.
Pants: Gap
Shoes: Born

Dress to Skirt to Dress

Remember when I chopped this purple maxi dress into a skirt?  Well, apparently I wanted to still have a purple dress, because I was inspired to make it into a dress for the day. 

Dress: Gap (refashioned by me)
Cardigan: Loft
Belt: from another dress
Shoes: Born
Necklace: inPink

Give a Little Bit

Marisa Kristina Cardi, Old Navy top and skirt, Born shoes

At some point, I decided I would host my first giveaway whenever I got to 50 followers.  Well, on August 18th, this finally happened!  Then we went on vacation and life has just been crazy, but I am keeping my word, even if it is a month late!

I was shopping with a friend last week and we wandered into Charming Charlie (Have you been there?  It's fabulous!  Oh, and this is not a sponsored post at all, I'm just gushing on my own).  I picked up this necklace for myself, but then remembered I was supposed to do a giveaway.  I almost bought 2, but then I decided that was ridiculous and I would just buy one for the giveaway.

Thank you all for reading my silly little blog.  It has been almost a year and I still get so excited with every new follower and comment.  I mean, I started this blog as a creative outlet for myself, but the community of bloggers just makes it a lot more fun! 

I wish I could give you all a new necklace (or a new car), but I am not Oprah, so we have to settle for 1 winner this time.    Enter using the Rafflecopter widget below, and I will pick a winner next week.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Closet Ultimatum #2-3 - White Skirt and Printed Top

This outfit is a 2-for-1 closet ultimatum deal!  I know that 2 wrongs don't make a right, but I was hoping that 2 closet orphans might make an outfit.

Top:  this is from Ann Taylor a few summers ago.  I think I wore it quite a bit that first summer, but it has mostly been forgotten in my closet since then.  I really love the print, but I think the black border on the top just lays funny on me.  I would say I love this shirt, but I'm not "in love" with it.  When I got home from work, I wondered if a different skirt would make a difference, so I grabbed my trusty black pencil skirt.  I don't know.  I'm still not convinced I should keep it  What do you think?

Old Navy Skirt, Loft flats

Skirt:  I got this at the BR outlet in Kansas City in the spring of 2011.  I'd had a white A-line skirt from Gap, that I bought for my high school graduation reception.  That skirt was fantastic, but it was starting to look a little worse for the wear, so I bought this one, and got rid of the old Gap one.  It didn't take long for me to decide this was a mistake.  The Gap skirt was just way more flattering.  I think the gathers on this skirt makes me look bigger and I don't need that at all!  I've actually worn this skirt a few times over the summer, but haven't taken outfit pictures on those days.  Maybe because I don't feel cute in it?  Funnily enough, I actually think it looks pretty good in the pictures.  Naturally, I turned to Pinterest for inspiration and found this picture of Kendi.  So, I pretended it was fall and pulled out my boots and a cable knit sweater, while hoping John wouldn't get home from work while I was in my fall outfit.   It's not quite perfect, but I think there is possibility.

Old Navy sweater, Wanted boots

So, what do you think?  Are either of these keepers, or do they belong in the "sell" pile?

Top: Ann Taylor
Skirt: Banana Republic
Shoes: Born

I'm linking up over here today, as well as the usual places!

Circle Skirt

It was really windy the day I wore this.  I went to Target after work and totally pulled a Marilyn Monroe in the parking lot, only I didn't look glamorous and flirty.  I looked ridiculous trying to keep my skirt down.  I keep accidentally wearing flowy skirts on windy days.  I need to remember to look at the wind forecast when I check the weather each morning. 

Tank top: Banana Republic
Belt: Limited
Skirt: Autograph New York
Shoes: Born