Polka dots are always in

Posted on December 1, 2011 by Diana

As I’m getting out of my style rut, I’m looking around the blogosphere for inspiration. I went back this week to one of my old favorites, Fab Finds Under $50′s Inspiration calendars. A few days ago, the theme was polka dots, and surprisingly, there were only two options in my closet: this skirt, and a polka dot Boden blouse. Obviously, I went with the skirt.

I knew that I needed a short top if I wanted the proportions to look right, and this little cotton sweater was perfect for the job. However, being light grey, it can look a bit too casual and dull, so I dressed it up with these lovely turquoise accents. I’d forgotten just how much I love turquoise! I felt so “me” all day, and a lot of people complimented me on my outfit, both teachers and students alike. After taking such a long hiatus from really putting planning and effort into my outfits, it felt like a breath of fresh air. Goodbye rut!

Sweater: Gap (via Deja Vu Boutique)
Skirt: Thrifted
Tights: HUE
Shoes: Dansko Sallys (c/o Dansko)
Necklace: Express
Belt: Thrifted

For lack of a more interesting post title

Posted on November 14, 2011 by Diana

Currently have 0% post title inspiration, but I wanted to post anyhow, so here’s one of my outfits from last week. This is pretty typical work fair for me: dress slacks, Dansko Sally’s, nice top, nice cardigan. I think it’s the details and the colors that make this outfit special. Turquoise is definitely one of my favorite colors.

Outfits like this are so comfortable to me. I feel very “me” with the vibrant colors, the slacks mean that I’m not self-conscious if I have to bend down or stand on a stool, and it’s all still very professional. I definitely don’t feel that work clothes have to be boring, but I’m also a very practical person.

I wear this watch a ton, but I’ve never featured it on the blog before. When J. Crew first started carrying Timex watches, I loved them. However, their insane price tags kept me away. Meanwhile, my boyfriend acquired several regular (re: not insanely expensive) Timex watches. J. Crew’s beautiful watch bands went on sale, and now we both have gorgeous watches at a fraction of the cost. I decided to go for fun rather than practicality and got the orange band.

Top: Nordstrom
Cardigan: Bobeau (Nordstrom Rack)
Slacks: Gap
Shoes: Dansko Sally
Watch: Timex/ J. Crew
Earrings: received as gift

Outfit: 10-2-11

Posted on October 2, 2011 by Diana

Today was the first day that it really felt like Fall here in Florida. I know that we’ll have many more 80+ degree days before it really cools down, but this weekend, I was just relishing in the cool weather. It was the first day that I was able to turn off the A/C, open up the windows and enjoy the cool breeze. Fall is definitely my favorite season of the year. Winter is too erratic (in Florida at least), Spring is too short (it lasts maybe two weeks here), and summer is too blasted hot. Fall is cool and fresh and full of possibilities. It’s the start of a new school year (and work year for me), with new and old faces all mingling together. It’s the time to bring out your long-sleeved tops and jackets that have been sitting in a box in your closet since May. I love Fall.

So of course, I celebrated by wearing a cardigan that I haven’t worn in months. I’m not even sure if it’s ever made it onto the blog before. It’s super soft, with beautiful details, and pockets. I love a cardigan with pockets

I was having a good hair day today too. I really love how long it’s getting. Short hair was fun, but I think I really missed wearing it long.

By the way, this tree in my backyard always starts blooming right around the first week of Fall. All those little yellow flowers will soon turn into pink ones. It’s been in several of my outfit shots in years past (see here and here). I actually wrote a post about the tree last year. Happy Fall everyone!

Tee: Gap (via Revolve)
Cardigan: Bobeau (via Nordstrom Rack)
Capris: Levi Strauss
Shoes: Born Barcelona (via eBay)
Necklace: ??
Watch: Target

“For a time in utter laziness”

Posted on June 7, 2011 by Diana

I’ve been sick for the last week and a half with a nasty cold/cough. I spent most of my weekend in pj’s, lying in bed, drinking lots of tea, reading and napping. However, I did have to get decent to go to my nephew’s sixth birthday party, and by that point I was feeling healthy enough. I decided for a casual, comfortable outfit that still had a bit of chic to it. I was really bored with this brown and white tee, but when combined with an eggplant headband and yellow purse, it wasn’t quite so boring.

I’ve been so lazy about outfit pictures lately. I’ve had some cute outfits, but Florida has hit that ridiculously hot time of the year where you start sweating after being outside for five minutes. Most days by the time I get home from work, I just want to put on shorts and a tank top and cool down. Once school finishes up, I’ll have more time, so hopefully I can take pictures in the cooler mornings.

Tee: Gap (thrifted)
Jeans: Levis (thrifted)
Shoes: Keen Barcelona (eBay)
Bag: Timbuk2
Headband: sash from Boden dress

~John Steinbeck, Travels with Charley

“Living is simple”

Posted on May 9, 2011 by Diana

Right now, life is a crazy, hectic and over-stressed world, and I’m just trying to make it through it one day at a time. Nothing particularly bad is happening, there’s just lots and lots of deadlines as the school year winds down, lots of bored kids who don’t want to stay on task, and lots of stressed out fellow adults dealing with their own deadlines. I know that this just goes with the territory as the school year comes to a close, so I’m just taking it one day at a time.

At this point, I’m trying to keep the rest of my life as simple as possible so that I can really focus on the important things and not get bogged down by clutter. That includes physical, mental and emotional clutter. I took a bunch of stuff to Goodwill during spring break. I’ve started listing stuff I know longer use on eBay (if you’re interested, check out here. It’s just shoes right now, but I might add books and other misc later). I’ve been clearing mental clutter by cleaning out my inbox and cutting back on mailings that don’t interest me. I’ve been trying to deal with some emotional clutter by getting rid of items that I was holding onto because I was trying to cling to a part of me that doesn’t fit anymore. These items were things that used to be a strong part of my identity, but my identity has changed, and I think that they had simply become emotional weight that was bringing me down subconsciously.

I have a feeling that the tone of my blog is changing and evolving. I don’t really like to write short, frequent posts anymore (and it’s difficult to find the time). But I love to share with my readers (you!) and I love to express my thoughts and my journey through life in this blog. I think my posting style is going to change to longer, deeper, but less frequent posts. That’s just what works for me right now, and I think it’s best to go with the flow of how my life is rather than to stress myself out conforming to a pattern that doesn’t work for me. We’ll see how it goes

Tank: Ann Taylor LOFT (Revolve)
Cardigan: J Crew (eBay)
Slacks: Gap
Shoes: Dansko Sally
Necklace: Urban Outfitters

Quote: Living is Simple, by Switchfoot

“It’s all make believe, isn’t it?

Posted on January 17, 2011 by Diana

This outfit is a sort of make believe outfit, because I actually never left the house the whole day. I just put on the shoes for the pictures; the rest of the time I was wearing cozy socks and slippers. But I loved how the outfit came together, how comfy and chic it made me feel, so I decided to take pictures anyway.

I mentioned that part of my 11 in 2011 project is to make sure that I don’t put off doctor’s appointments. Last week I finally went to my primary care physician and got an antibiotic prescription for my acne. My doctor warned me that it would make my skin flare up before it got better. I didn’t take any other outfit photos last week because it was peeling horribly. This was the first day that it wasn’t painfully red and blotchy, so I decided to get pictures in. I’m still so glad I finally went to the doctor – it feels good to know that I’m actually doing something about my skin problems now instead of constantly complaining about them.

I came to a realization this weekend: I am a Maker. I love to make things; I love the process of creating something from a lot of little pieces and making something amazing out of them. Whether it’s a skein of yarn, random articles of clothing, some flour, sugar and butter. I just love to create stuff.

There’s something so soothing about the process to me. I was experiencing some anxiety this weekend – no real reason, I just sometimes get that way. I started playing around with my jewelry and ended up creating the necklace above out of a couple pieces I had that I didn’t wear often. Then I baked a batch of cookies. And all that anxiety disappeared. Creating is a beautiful thing.

Cardigan: Boden
Tank: Nordstrom Rack
Jeans: Gap Curvy
Shoes: Dansko Sally
Scarf: Beach Sarong (garage sale)
Necklace: DIY (originally from Etsy)

Quote: Marilyn Monroe

“Of Yellow Leaves and Gossamer”

Posted on January 10, 2011 by Diana

Well, one of my New Year’s Resolutions to take better pictures is off to a decent start. I decided to try shooting with a lower aperture and taking lots of shots. I ended up with quite a few that came out horribly, but I got a few gems. After adjusting the exposure and contrast, I ended up with some images that I’m pretty happy with.

I’ve also found a better solution for post titles. Goodreads has a quote search feature which is pretty handy, so I can search for keywords related to my post and then find appropriate quotes to go with them. This is much easier than what I was doing before, which was trying to keep a word doc of quotes from books I was reading.

And may I take a moment to lament the fact that Morelle closed her shop? I know it’s been months, but I still feel at a loss when considering getting a new purse that isn’t from her shop. Over half of my bags come from her shop.

Top: Anthropologie
Cardigan: August Silk
Slacks: Gap
Shoes: Dansko Sally
Purse: Morelle Slouch
Headband: Target?
Earrings: Wear-thou

Quote: J.R.R. Tolkien

Lazy Sunday

Posted on December 21, 2010 by Diana

Can everyone agree with me that lazy Sundays are pretty much the best days in the world? The one day every week where I can get up late, feeling well rested, and do whatever I feel like for the whole day. No deadlines, no huge responsibilities, just lazily doing the things I like to do. I realize that every Sunday isn’t like this for everyone, but on those days when they happen, they’re just blissful.

This past Sunday it was overcast and chilly all day. I didn’t want to go out, and I didn’t have any reason to, so I wore cozy, comfy clothes and had a fantastic day. This isn’t really an outfit I would wear out (layering shirts like this isn’t super flattering on me, and I only wear my Ugg moccasins indoors) but it was perfect for lounging around the house.

Here’s what I did:

Snuggled up with a warm blanket and read (Sucks to Be Me: The All-True Confessions of Mina Hamilton, Teen Vampire (maybe) and Travels with Charley in Search of America: )

Started a new crochet project (my own adaptation of Fluffy Bunny Slippers

Made some butterscotch and chocolate chip cookies (Yum!)

Long sleeve: Target (thrifted)
Tee: Spoon concert tee (American Apparel)
Jeans: Gap Curvy
Scarf: Target
Moccasins: Ugg Dakota

“A few days without my hilarious and witty conversation”

Posted on October 25, 2010 by Diana

Just a quick outfit post today. For some reason most of my photos of this outfit didn’t turn out so great. That drapey top is so comfy, and actually looks a lot prettier in real life.

Top: Old Navy (via rummage sale)
Jeans: Gap Curvy
Shoes: Courtesy of Dansko
Necklace: Garage sale
Bracelet: Garage sale

Quote: Angus, Thongs and Full-Frontal Snogging: Confessions of Georgia Nicolson , by Louise Rennison

“I will concentrate on my positive and not on my negative…”

Posted on October 11, 2010 by Diana

“…e.g. I will think less about my nose and more about my quite attractive teeth”*

*Note: I have no issues with my nose, I just like the quote.

It’s finally starting to feel like fall in Florida with temps in the *gasp* 70s. I was actually able to wear long sleeves and scarves this week. Of course, it warmed up by the middle of the day, but it’s nice to not feel drenched in sweat everyday.

Oh, did you happen to notice something new in this outfit? Why yes, that is a new yellow purse. Or at least, it was new a few months ago. It’s so beautiful, that I was scared to take it outside of my house. This outfit was it’s first official outing.

So here’s the backstory: back when I was underemployed, broke, armed with a master’s degree, and searching for a full-time job, I promised myself that whenever I got a (permanent) full-time job, I would treat myself to one of three things: 1) a watch, 2) a pair of Fluevogs, or 3) a new Morelle bag. I found out in June that I would get to keep my full-time job (which I love), but money was tight, so I had planned to wait until the fall to get my treat. Then, Morelle announced that she would be closing up her shop. And my decision was made.

Despite money being very tight, I ordered a yellow leather slouch from her. And it was over $200. Which I did not count against my shopping plan because it was special occasion. But let me tell you: this. bag. is. the. best. bag. ever.

I love it so much. The gorgeous yellow color, the soft leather, the roominess without bulkiness, the wrapped chain handle. It is pretty much perfection in purse form. I’ve treated it with water-resistant leather spray, and now that I’ve braved taking it out of doors, it will definitely be one of my regular purses. Love.