Visible By Default

I was so sleepy yesterday morning that I didn't know if I would be able to manage being visible too.  Luckily I found this shirt in my laundry basket.  Hopefully the sequins and animal print balance out the jeans and t-shirt and make this whole outfit loosely work appropriate.

Eek, too much flash.

I don't think I looked this makeup-y in person.

Shirt, thrifted; jeans, Miss Tina, Walmart; belt, thrifted; shoes, Merona, Target; necklace and earrings, handmade by me.

After work Stephen and I went to my mom's house so he could help her replace a rotten spot in the floor.  By the time we got home I was far too tired for blogging, so I'm a day late in Visible Monday.

You can see all the lovely ladies who were Visible on the proper day at Patti's Not Dead Yet Style blog.

Super Dots

I have two exciting tidbits this morning, and I don't know which should lead.  I dyed my hair this weekend, and now I have super hero hair.  I am very happy about my super hero hair.  Why go normal red when you can go "no-one-understood-me-until-I-went-to-Xavier's-School-for-Gifted-Youngsters" red?

I had a world-changing epiphany this weekend: animal prints are the polka dots and stripes of nature.  I'll give that a minute to sink in.  Now go forth and start wearing stripes and polka dots and animal prints together.

 

Shirt, H&M, thrifted; slacks, Younkers; belt, Walmart; shoes, Walmart; earrings, handmade and gifted (thanks Chenille!); bracelet, Claires; pendant, gifted (thanks Stephen!).

Unfortunately you can't see quite how lovely and red my hair
truly is.  Trust me!

I experimented with dots and animal yesterday, and I declare that experiment a success.  Today I am tired and wanted a zero effort version of dots and animal.  I like how this one turned out too.

 

Dress, thrifted; belt, thrifted; shoes, Merona, Target; earrings, So & So; pendant, purchased in Cozumel; bracelet, Claires.


I can hardly wait for Everybody Everywear tomorrow.  I have my nautical outfit picked out, and, though EBEW is not a competition, I already know I'm going to win.

The Poor Girl Eats Well book has only 5 days left on Kickstarter, and Kimberly's fundraising goal is within reach with just a little more help.  If you haven't already checked out the Poor Girl Eats Well blog and Kickstarter page, do it!

Like every Monday, today is Visible Monday.  My hair and dots make me feel wonderfully visible!

Out of the Habit

It amazing how habits carry us through so much of our lives.  Our habits help define who we are.  Sometimes that is a good thing, sometimes it's a bad thing.  Lately it has been more bad than good for me.  I need to shake things up, evaluate and prioritize what I am doing and why.  I have loose ends to tie up and new paths to figure out.  That's my May challenge.  More details to come.

Now, onto the clothes.  As I mentioned over the weekend, my mom and I found a pile of clothes at a church rummage sale on Saturday.  We hemmed and altered most of what needed it yesterday, so now I have a bunch of new (to me) clothes to play with this week.  I'll be wearing my weekend thrift finds as a mini-challenge this week.

 

Today's dress reminds me so very much of a nun's habit.  It gives me a real twisted thrill to be dressed (sort of) like a nun.

Dress, Old Navy, thrifted; shoes, Montego Bay Club, Payless Shoes; earrings, Claire's; necklace, thrifted; bracelet, gifted (thanks Mom!).

 

My poor toes are looking 80% less horrid this week thanks to Jill Ashley at Michelle James Salon.  They would be looking even better, but the dogs stepped on one toe and tore it up, and I accidentally kicked my mom's tennis shoe and broke a nail.  My mom doesn't even have big shoes.  How did I break a nail?

Be sure to check back throughout the week to see the other lovely finds from thrifting/ rummaging with my mom.  It will be fun to thrift all week.

Also, today is Visible Monday at Patti's Not Dead Yet Style blog.  Be sure to check out the other visible ladies today!

Everything's Coming Up Roses

This dress is a perfect example of why I unashamedly shop at Goodwill.  I like a lot of what it has going on including the colors, pattern and flow.  I'm not crazy about the length, so you can anticipate some hemming in the future.

Dress, vintage, thrifted; belt, thrifted; shoes, Dexter, Payless Shoes; earrings, So & So, etsy; necklace, handmade by me.

 

The dress is greener than it looks in the photos.  It is closer to the color of the belt.  

Today is Visible Monday, so check out all the loveliness at Not Dead Yet Style.

Mud Bugs

Crayfish, crawfish, crawdads, whatever you call them, two things are true:  I am allergic to them and I think they're adorable.  I know, I have a weird sense of adorable.  When I saw this pendant at a consignment store recently I knew it had to come home with me.  It may be a crayfish, it may be a lobster, but it is definitely mine now.  I like that the crustacean design is etched in the crystal.  It is subtle but fun.  I love offbeat jewelry like my cicada earrings, octopus pendant or chili pepper necklace.

 

Shirt, Younkers; skirt, Coldwater Creek, thrifted; sandals, Clarks, Younkers; belt, I don't remember; earrings, Claire's; bracelet, thrifted; pendant, thrifted.

 

I found the skirt and bracelet at the same consignment store as the pendant, and they were each only $1!  Nothing beats a good deal.

 

Make sure you check out other bloggers' gorgeous Monday outfits at Not Dead Yet Style's Visible Monday!

Girl on Fire

I devoured the first two Hunger Games books a few years ago, and I had the third book on reserve at the library before it even came out.  That being said, I'm kind of afraid to watch the movie.  I'm afraid of being disappointed.  I'll probably rent it once it's out on DVD, but I'm not rushing to the theater to see it.

 

My outfit today is inspired by Katniss, the girl on fire.  I really like how it turned out.

 

Dress, Speed Control, Ross; tank, thrifted; belt, thrifted; shoes, Montego Bay Club, Payless Shoes; earrings, Claire's; necklace, etsy.

I don't feel like I could be much more visible than I am today, so I am linking to Visible Monday.  Check out Patti's Not Dead Yet style blog for the other eye-catching ladies there!

Tomorrow is Everybody, Everywear: Pastels!

Casual Friday, Visible Monday

I'll admit it.  I wore this outfit on Friday.  I've been under the weather since last Wednesday, and I'm just now getting these photos posted.  Hopefully the lovely Patti will let it slide this time.

 

This is another outfit I'm loving on a day I'm not feeling.  I'm still feeling under the weather.  I opted for a casual Friday look with jeans.  I almost never wear jeans.  I just prefer dresses.  Stephen has commented that I mostly have two speeds of attire: dresses and sweat pants.  It's rare that an outfit like this falls somewhere in between.

 

Plaid shirt, thrifted, tank, thrifted; belt, thrifted; jeans, Miss Tina, Walmart; flats, X Appeal, Rack Room Shoes; earrings, Claire's; unicorn pendant, ebay; bracelets, handmade by me.

 

For more eye-catching outfits, visit Visible Monday on the Not Dead Yet Style blog.

(In)Visible Monday

Today is Visible Monday, but I didn't feel like being visible.  I am having one of those days where my self esteem is just not in a comfortable place, and my stress level is through the roof.  How do I get visible and invisible at the same time?  I decided on this dress.  It is also convertible to be worn as a skirt.  I like it because it gives me all of the colorful visibility I could want without feeling exposed.

 

This dress is one of the outfits I wore for engagement photos with Stephen.

Mabe pearl pendant and mother of pearl earrings.

 

It's funny how the mind works.  On Friday I felt like a curvy hottie, and today I feel like a bit of a blob.  My body hasn't changed in those few days, but my mind is in a different place.  I suppose I didn't hurt that Stephen spontaneously told me I looked great in my dress Friday... though he still questioned my devotion to the rainbow shawl.

Engagement pic.

I am finally self-aware enough that I realize that feeling like the Incredible Hulk doesn't mean I am the Incredible Hulk, but it doesn't really help with how I feel in the moment.  I am working on loving myself unconditionally.  It seems like the right thing to do to love myself as much as I love my dogs.

This weekend I didn't get as much done as I had hoped I would.  The house still looks like a bomb of clothes and papers exploded in pretty much every room.  I managed to get the dogs washed and a mountain of laundry reduced to a few stray bits.  I also switched my shoe closet into summer mode.  I am sad to put my boots away but ready for sandals.

Last night I made a big batch of spaghetti and meat balls, so we will be eating that for the next couple days.  Yum!

Scores and More

Here are some of the highlights of my trip to Iowa.

Espresso machine. My dad
was getting rid of it.

Pendant watch from my dad

Tragus piercing (My mom
got a cartilage piercing too.)

Ring from my mom

Born shoes: $11.36

Necklace and earrings made by me

$6 fur coat.  I gave it to my friend
Angie.

Modeled by Gypsy the hairless cat.

Leopard and mesh tights only $2 a pair.

Swallow buckle belt from my mom.

I picked this outfit last week, so I didn't have to think about what to wear on my first day back to work and life.  My favorite component of the outfit is the shoes.  The shoes make this outfit.  They are from Target.  They were $8.

 

 

Shoes FTW.

My shoes make this Visible Monday.  Check out Not Dead Yet Style for more visible ways to start the week.

I'm making an Italian-inspired chicken and white bean soup for dinner tonight and tomorrow night.  I slow-cooked the chicken last night, so it should be tender and the broth should be flavorful.  I picked up some turkey bratwurst to grill later in the week.  I love it when I can look forward to tasty food.