Weekend Recap: Saturday and Sunday, May 30 and 31, 2009

Seriously, ya'll, where does the weekend go?

I find it unbelievable that it is already 9PM on Sunday. Here's a quick recap of my unbelievably fast weekend.

Sweater: The Limited

Tank: Banana Republic

Jeans: Express (Mia Ultra Skinny)

Earrings: New York & Company

Bracelet: Hematite Magnetic Therapy bracelet (Beyond Jewelry)

Shoes (that you can't see!): Reefs

I spent Saturday morning at the totally fantastic SupperThyme, making our meals for the next two weeks. If you follow me on my other blog, you know I hate to cook, so SupperThyme is a God-send for me. Knock out two weeks worth of cooking in a single morning and someone else cleans up the mess? Sold! The only drawback is it's a tricky thing to dress for - you need short sleeves so you don't get your clothes dirty, but the place is frigid as a meat case. Hence the short-sleeve mohair sweater.
























Dress: New York and Company
Cardigan: New York and Company
Belt: The Limited
Shoes: Shi
Ring: Forever 21

Saturday afternoon I went to the Indianapolis Symphony Orchestra with some girlfriends. This was another tricky wardrobe situation. The performance started at 5:30 so it didn't seem to merit getting really dressed up like I would for an 8PM performance, but it wasn't exactly a jeans situation either. I compromised with a jersey-silk dress and a cardigan in case it got chilly.

What situations do you find tricky to dress for?





Today we went to the early service at church because I had a full day of house cleaning and other errands to do before my sister's visit tomorrow! We also managed to squeeze in an hour at the pool with friends.

Dress: The Limited

Belt: Guess where - The Limited

Shoes: Impo (via Belk's)

Bracelets: Gifted

I've had these slingbacks for years and they are some of my favorite summer shoes. I just love the little flowers and I always get compliments on them, so it's a good day when I wear these babies!

Do you have a pair of shoes that always make you feel sassy?

Friday, May 29, 2009

Sweater: New York & Company

Tank: Target

Jeans: Old Navy (diva skinny)

Scarf: Gift from Mom and Emily

Bracelets: New York & Company

Earrings: New York & Company

Wedges: Baker's Shoes

I have been on the hunt for a pair of skinny white jeans for the last several weeks. Kimberly of Fab Finds Under $50 did a post recently on white pants for the summer - including a pair of skinny white jeans from Old Navy! With that in mind, I headed to a near by ON after work yesterday.

They didn't have the white denim in the store (only online - boo!) but they were having an additional 50% all their clearance, including these super cute skinny gray jeans. I never really got into the colored denim trend but for $4 I thought I could give these a shot!

I'm in the office alone on Fridays so I thought I'd get a chance to clean a bit (which if you will recall, was my plan last Friday, too!). I paired the jeans with a tank top and then threw on the oversized sweater for modesty in case anyone happened to come in and also because it was a bit chilly out this morning.

I opted for the scarf over a necklace because the big sweater needed something bold to balance it out. The scarf was a gift last fall from my mom and my baby sister. I mentioned how I'd been looking high and low for a zebra print scarf with no luck. A few weeks later while on a family vacation to Florida we went to the mall and next thing I knew the two of them are grinning like the Cheshire Cat and handing me a shopping bag - TADA! My very own zebra print scarf. It makes me smile all day every time I wear it.

Do you have a favorite piece of clothing or an accessory that always makes you smile?

Thursday, May 29, 2009

Vest: Ann Taylor Loft

T-shirt: Gap

Jeans: Express

Necklaces: The Limited

Ring: The Limited

Shoes: Michael Shannon

I got this vest on super clearance ($3.99!) from Ann Taylor Loft a few weeks ago. I played around with belting it but couldn't find a combo that I was really happy with. I have about a dozen thick belts but realized that my skinny belt collection is rather limited. An excuse to shop? We shall see....

So instead I piled on three necklaces and a big fat ring. Looking at the picture now, I wish I had added a bangle or two. I tend to under-accessorize because I'm always afraid of looking over-accesorized. That's something I need to work on.

I layered on three long chunky necklaces and I have to say I was very pleased with the result. Wearing all that metal around my neck made me feel a little bit rocker-ish.

Wednesday, May 27, 2009

Dress: Express

Tank: New York & Company

Necklace: The Limited

Shoes: Nine West

Bracelet: NYC street vendor

Lola: Tennessee puppy farm

Hope you guys like dogs, because this girl didn't have time to crop pictures tonight. Lola looks like she wants to join in the dressing up fun, doesn't she?

I got this dress a few years ago during the Express Box Sale - for $7.99. If you shop at Express, you know their dresses start at like $69.50. I consider that a steal!

I love to wear dresses and be all girly but I hate to show my knees. I'm just not a big fan of the way they look in a dress. But the short person in me knows that it's the best length on these stubby little stems, so I try to overcome it. (A tan might help!)

Love #1

I have been stalking these two dresses since they came out last month. They are just a little less than half off online now, but I still haven't pulled the trigger. I don't need either one, I just want one (or both!) really, really badly.

I am obsessed with animal print lately but I'm not sure if I can pull off the zebra print on a dress. The floral is a safer bet and probably more appropriate for the office (with a cardigan, of course!).

So far resisting the urge, but it's getting harder. Maybe if a coupon magically appeared in my inbox overnight? You hear me, Limited? Need.coupon.now.

Tuesday, May 26, 2009

Top: H&M

Tank: New York & Company

Jeans: Express (Mia Ultra Skinny)

Shoes: Nine West

Bracelet: Ann Taylor Loft

I had a visit to the doctor this morning so again I had some specific requirements for this outfit. I won't go into the details of what they were (hello, TMI!) but trust me, this fit the bill.

I wish I had taken a detail shot of the sweater but I was in a bit of a hurry. It's ribbed, alternating a bunch of little ribs that make up bigger ribs. It's pretty interesting detail in person. This getting ready in the morning deal is a lot more time consuming than I remember it being! Hair, make-up, outfit, walk the dogs, take my pictures. Whew! I'm tired before I even walk out the door to go to work!

Weekend Recap, May 23 & 24, 2009

Dress: New York & Company

Necklace: New York & Company

Shoes: Payless

Scarf: The Limited

I had big plans to get up early on Saturday and head to the first farmer's market of the summer, but my love for sleeping in won out in the end and I got up too late to squeeze it in. We had plans to see Night at the Museum 2 with a bunch of friends, followed by errands at the outdoor mall near the theater. It was hot as blue blazes this weekend but I'm always cold in the movie theater so I had to plan accordingly. You can't go wrong with a summer sundress for staying cool and I toted along a fun purple scarf to wrap up in during the movie. Easy peasy.


Top: The Limited

Cami: New York & Company

Jeans: Express

Shoes: Ann Taylor Loft

Earrings and Ring: New York & Company

Lola and Oliver still aren't too sure about this whole morning picture taking routine. They are always trying to jump on me or get in the picture. A little spoiled perhaps?

Sunday I worked in the infant nursery at church so I had to be wash-n-wear (for the inevitable spit up), dangle-free (no jewelry for grabby little baby hands) and still church appropriate. I felt springy and bright in this outfit, although I had to button up about two minutes after walking in the nursery door. Apparently baby hands also like to peek down semi-low cut tops. Note to self: Next time wear a turtleneck.

Friday, May 22, 2009

Top: New York & Co

Pants: Express (Stella skinny jean)

Shoes: Victoria Spenser

Necklace: The Limited

My plan for today was to give my new office space a thorough cleaning. It has been vacant for three months and I don't think anyone has dusted it that entire time. I am also itching to reorganize the entire supply area, as it was 'designed' by men and makes absolutely no sense at all. Bless their poor hearts.

So I knew I needed something I could move in, that would keep me cool and would be easy to launder if I got super dirty. A cotton tank and faux wrap shirt fit the bill. Add a little bling to make it less plain and I was ready to rock'n'roll.

Except of course, I didn't even make it over to my office until the last 10 minutes of the day. You know what they say about the best laid plans and all....guess I'll have to plan another 'cleaning' outfit for Tuesday.

Thursday, May 21, 2009

Top: The Limited

Pants: The Limited

Shoes: Steve Madden via Endless

Earrings: New York & Company


As most of you already know, I am headed back to the office after a wonderful two years as a telecommuter. No more yoga pants, tank tops and hoodies for me! I am rediscovering my work wardrobe one day at a time.

The fashion blogs in my sidebar have inspired me to look at my clothes in a different way, to experiment, take risks and try new things. I love seeing how other lovely ladies shop on a budget and put their own unique flair to the current trends. Now that I have a reason to get dressed every day, I thought I'd join the fun.


As I was getting dressed this morning, I realized that I rarely ever wear navy during the fall and winter, but I wear it all summer long. These Steve Madden pumps are super comfortable, despite their four inch heel. I wish I had them in more colors!

I love the way these gold earrings echo the flower pattern in the top. I felt a little naked today in the jewelry department. Normally I would have put a cute gold bangle or two with this, but since I am still in training I didn't want to annoy anyone with jingly-jangly jewelry. Starting tomorrow I'll be off on my own in a separate building, so I can wear as much obnoxiously loud jewelry as I please!

See Sara Organize

Mel over at Melissa's Oklahoma and Nic from Domestic Sophisticate have both recently posted about how to organize jewelry collection. And since I have quite a large collection, I thought I'd share how I keep it under control.

I love the look of hanging necklaces from a peg board, but I've got so many I'm afraid I'd pull it completely out of the wall! Also, I get pretty anal about things tarnishing or getting dusting, so I prefer to keep everything pretty well protected.

I keep all of my earrings, flexible bracelets and shorter necklaces in small plastic craft baggies. You can buy 100 at Michael's or Hobby Lobby for less than $3.00. I put each piece (or set of earrings) in it's own little baggie like this:


Then I keep them all organized in plastic tackle boxes that I got at Wal-mart for $5.97. You can also use the bead/craft keeper boxes from Wal-mart, Hobby Lobby or Michael's. I like having each piece in its own little compartment so I can see everything at a glance. I group things together to make them easy to find - one box for all my gold jewelry, two for my silver and two for colorful pieces. This makes it super easy to find exactly what I need quickly when I'm getting dressed.


My bigger necklaces pose a bit of a problem since they don't fit in the tackle boxes. I use the larger plastic shoe-box size bins for these. Again, each one gets its own baggie (the sandwich size ones) and then I divide them into four bins - silver, gold, colorful and my current favorites. Obviously the current favorites one changes a lot, but that way the ones I'm obsessed with are always on the top! It's really easy to just grab a box, poke around and come up with exactly the thing I needed to complete my look.


Currently I keep my bangle bracelets in trays like this one, grouped together by color. Although for this one I am considering securing a towel rod to the closet wall and hanging these. I don't have quite so many of these and I wear them often, so I don't worry about them getting dusty from disuse. If I actually do it, I'll let you know how it turns out!


So how do you organize your jewelry collection?