“Time to go back to school”

I have some very exciting news to share: I got a job!  Starting in a few weeks, I’m going to be working as a media specialist (librarian) at a magnet middle school.  The position only goes until the end of the school year, but it puts me in a very good place to get a permanent position in the next school year.  I’m so excited, and a bit nervous too!  I’m not sure yet how it will affect my blogging.  I plan to continue posting at the same rate, but I probably won’t be able to comment on other blogs as often as I have in the past.  I’m going to be diligent in setting aside some specific time to devote solely to blogging, so hopefully I can stay on track.  Also, I’m planning on buying a lap top, which will help me stay on top of things.

It was spring break at the college that I work at this week, so I got up the courage to take pictures in a semi-public place, this neat H2O sculpture (see how they look like atoms? or whatever the proper term is) by the science buildings.  I got a few strange looks from professors, and one guy on a golf cart asked me what I was doing.  I just said that I was working on a project, which is the easiest answer to give when on a college campus, and we got into a friendly discussion about cameras.  It felt so empowering to take pictures where people could actually see me, as opposed to my usually habit of finding deserted and empty areas.

These are my new Gap curvy jeans, and I am in love.  I altered the leg to make them into straight-legged jeans following my tutorial.  I’m planning on nipping in the waist a bit too, just so they can fit without a belt.  They’re so soft, and the dark premium denim wash is gorgeous.  A word of warning though – the dye on washes like this will rub off on things like light colored purses.  Usually it’s easy to clean off.

Do you feel awkward taking pictures of yourself where others can see you?

Blouse: Ann Taylor LOFT (thrifted)
Cardigan: Ann Taylor LOFT
Jeans: Gap Curvy (altered by me)
Shoes: Born Codder
Purse: Morelle Truffle
Short Pearls: Coryell Design
Long Pearls: Garage sale
Cuff: Via Classy Consignments

Quote: No Talking, by Andrew Clements

“Painting little pictures”

On Saturday, I went to the Gasparilla Festival of the Arts in downtown Tampa.  I always love to go every year.  It’s a great place to meet up with family and friends, enjoy the fresh air and see some art.  This year, it was held at the recently renovated Curtis Hixon Park.  There were so many fantastic places to take pictures, but somehow I got distracted and this was the only shoot I got of my outfit.  I decided to dress lightly and comfortably.  The weather has started to turn warm, and my cashmere cardigan was actually a bit too hot at times.  Still, I was comfy overall, and it was great to finally wear my Keen sandals again.

La Gran Arepa

One of the things I really look forward to at the Gasparilla Art show is the food.  I always get the same two things every year.  I start with an arepa, pictured above.  These amazingly delicious things are essentially fried corn bread pancakes with mozzarella.  So. fantastically. yummy.  After I walk around for a bit, I always get some ice cream.  They have a booth that takes a frozen ice cream bar (I chose cappuchino yogurt), dips it in melted chocolate, and then covers it with sprinkles, peanuts, or crushed oreos (I chose the later).  I didn’t manage to get a picture of the ice cream, because I started eating it immediately.

I honestly wasn’t that impressed with most of the art at the festival this year, but there were several booths that caught my eye.  One was a local artist, Nested Yellow.  They sell gorgeous, nature-inspired jewelry on Etsy and at Tampa Street Market locally.  I definitely plan on buying from them soon.  There was also The Piper Sandal Company, which is a family owned small business that has been hand-crafting leather sandals since 1971.  The sandals are gorgeous and made of high quality leather, and they will replace the leather straps for free when they wear out.  At $119, they’re a pretty good deal.  I also loved Marie Pierre Collection jewelry, which had some stunning silver cuffs.

Do you like to go to local arts festivals?  What is your favorite aspect?

Cardigan: J Crew (via eBay)
Tee: Gap (via Revolve)
Jeans: Express (altered by me)
Sandals: Keen
Bag: Angry, Young and Poor
Necklace: Garage Sale
Bangles: Jill Popowich

Quote: Anatole over Paris., by Eve Titus

Shopping Plan: Week 5

This week marked the beginning of a new month, which meant that I had another  $125 to spend for the month of March, in keeping with my Great Shopping Plan of 2010.  I didn’t really do much shopping this week, because work kept me extremely busy.  But I did manage to get a few lovely things.

Ruffled Socks: Ozone (via Village Shoes)  $5, after coupon
Tights: We Love Colors, scout green, won on Fashionable Academics

Gaps filled: um, legwear in fun colors?

Okay, these two really don’t relate to anything on my gaps list, but I love them none the less.  Village Shoes sent me a $10 coupon for my birthday last month.  I wasn’t ready to shell out for a pair of shoes yet, so I bought these awesome ruffled socks.  I love the pale pink-purple color, and I think they’ll be a lot of fun to wear.  I won the tights over at Fashionable Academics, and I think that I am now completely sold on We Love Colors.  These tights are soft, thick and beautifully saturated.  I adore the Scout Green color, and I can’t wait to incorporate them into an outfit.

Gap  Curvy Jeans, $52 after discount

Gap filled: Dark wash jeans hemmed for flats

I began to realize this week that I really, really needed to get a pair of dark wash jeans that I could hem for flats.   I always have trouble finding denim secondhand, so I decided to go to the mall.  Gap just recently starting carrying premium denim, and they have a fantastic promotion going on right now.  If you bring in a pair of old jeans, they will take them and recycle them into insulation, and give you 30% off a new pair of jeans.  For each pair you bring in, you get another 30% off.  I had an old pair that was not longer flattering on me, so I traded them in for these Gap Curvy jeans, which fit me fantastically.  I still have to hem them, but I’m so glad that I finally have some jeans for day when I don’t feel like wearing 3″ heels.

So I spent $57 this week, leaving me with $68 for the rest of the month.  I’ve still got some birthday money left too, so I don’t think it will be too bad.

Shopping Plan: Weeks 1 & 2

February 1st marked the beginning of my Great Shopping Plan of 2010 (which is really just a budget, but calling it “Great Shopping Plan” makes it seem so much more fun).  At this point, I’m allowed to spend $125 a month on clothes, focusing on (but not limited to) shopping local, second-hand, and handmade.  I also created a list of 50 wardrobe gaps to concentrate on this year.

So how did I do the first two weeks?

One of my favorite places to shop in Tampa is Revolve Clothing Exchange.  As I’ve mentioned before, you can bring in your clothes that you don’t want anymore and get store credit for items that they accept (thus the Exchange part).  I had a nice bit of store credit after a recent closet cleaning, so I got a few things.

Gap Denim Jacket  $12 (free with store credit)
Gap filled: Structured Jacket

Sparkly Rampage Vest  $10 (free with store credit)
Gap filled: Sparkly Awesomeness

Salmon tank: The Limited $4
Blue tank: Target $4
Seafoam cami: Old Navy $6

Gaps filled: Layering tanks/camis

Okay, I realize that Sparkly Awesomeness wasn’t technically on my gaps list.  But I have been wanting something sparkly for awhile, and this vest is just so awesome and unique (and polyester-free!) that I had to go for it.  This counts under my provision of buying things that I love.

Since February is my birthday month, Anthropologie sent me a lovely coupon for 15% off my total purchase.  Armed with a bit of early birthday money, I went to my local Anthro ready to shop.  I ended up being a bit disappointed, because several of the items I really liked had more than 50% polyester content, which is unacceptable to me, especially at Anthro’s price point.  I’ve always loved Anthro for their quality fabrics, and it really concerns me that they’re starting to use more and more polyester, yet still charging the same prices.  If I’m going to spend $88 on a blouse, it better be cotton, modal, silk or linen.

Anyhow, gripes aside, I managed to find some gems:

15% b-day discount included)
Catch and Release Scarf: $28
Road Tripping Belt: $33
Blouse: $34 (on sale)

Gaps filled: Blue scarf, waist cinching belt

I really love the things I bought.  I’ve been eyeing this belt since it went online, and I really needed a black waist-cinching belt.  I’ve also really been wanting a light blue scarf, and this one is really cozy and delightfully unique.  The blouse doesn’t really fill any gaps, but it looks gorgeous on, and will definitely be a staple in spring and summer.

So, everything I bought at Revolve was on store credit, so it doesn’t count against my budget.  I spent $95 at Anthro, and $50 of that was birthday money, so only $45 count against my monthly budget of $125.  That leaves me with $80 for the rest of the month.  Not too bad.

ETA:  Because some were interested, the items that I skipped out on at Anthro were the Rivers Rise Top and the Percussive Cardigan.   It really is a shame, because both items looked gorgeous on, but I just can’t stand the feeling of polyester against my skin.

“I’d make a few changes”

I just got this denim jacket last weekend at Revolve Clothing Exchange.  I’ve been trying to find the perfect denim jacket for awhile now, and I had some store credit, so I figured I’d go for it.  I don’t really think that it’s “the one”, but it fits well (as opposed to my old one, that was way too tight in the shoulders), so I’ll try it out for awhile before deciding if I want to invest in one that I like more.  I will definitely need to modify it by adding some pockets though.  It just feels weird to me to wear a jacket without pockets.

I bought this Boden skirt during my shopping ban last fall.  It’s actually the same design as one I already had, but instead of being one size too small, this one is one size to large.  It’s much easier to alter garments that are a bit too big for you, so I took in the waist and hemmed it about five inches (post coming on that soon!).  I might still take in the waist a bit more, because I’m not completely happy with where it sits right now.

I decided to wear my Fluevog boots with this outfit, because a) it was too cold to wear pumps and b) I like how it matches one of the colors in the skirt.  I’m still not quite sure what I think of flat boots and skirts though.

I have to admit, while I love how each of these pieces looks on their own, now that I see the pictures, I’m not crazy about how they all looked together.  I’m not sure exactly what it is that turns me off.  Maybe if the jacket had been a bit more cropped.  Or if I had tucked in my blouse.  Or if I had worn heels instead of flats.

What do you think?  How would you style this outfit differently to make it work?  Or do you think it’s fine as is?

Tee: American Eagle (thrifted)
Jacket: Gap (via Revolve Clothing Exchange)
Skirt: Boden (via Ebay)
Tights: Hue
Boots: Fluevog Heather
Scarf: Target
Purse: Vintage (via Advintagous )
Earrings: Efy Tal

Quote: If I Ran the Zoo, by Dr Seuss

ETA: The boots I was wearing in today’s post were Fluevog Heathers.  This is unfortunately a discontinued style.  I found mine by searching on Ebay for “fluevog boots”.   I saved the search, so that Ebay would e-mail me new items that fell into those search terms every day, and after watching for months, I finally managed to snag a pair in my size.  Fluevog has a pretty good range of sizes, but since these are discontinued, it’s really a matter of watching and waiting.  If you click on this link you can see all the boots they currently sell.

“Bright like green”

I knit this sweater last year, but recently I’ve been struggling with how to style it because it always looks a bit slouchy and casual.  But this was the weekend, so a little bit casual was okay.  For this outfit, I layered a long-sleeve green tee underneath, and folded up the cuffs over the sleeves of the sweater.  Because the colors are so similar, it looks more like one piece.  I decided to wear a green necklace to keep with the theme, and then threw in a bright yellow purse for a little extra color.

This outfit was really soft and comfortable, and it was perfect for getting things done around the house, as well as spending time with the family.  The only problem I had was that the elbows of the sweater kept getting stretched out, but I think a fresh wash and blocking should fix that.  For non-knitters out there, blocking is when you shape a damp knitted garment and pin it into place to make it stay that way.  Usually I only block garments the first time I wash them, but sometimes it helps to do it again.

I’ve got an interesting trick for how I made these cuffed sleeves work.  Initially, I didn’t like how the inside seams were showing when the tee was cuffed.  But then I realized that the cuffs were the only part showing, so I turned the layering tee inside out, so that the right side of the garment would show when the sleeves were cuffed.  It might sound a bit odd, but it worked in this case.

I am so in love with this vintage purse I got on Etsy recently.  I’ve never had a frame purse before, and I love how easy it is to snap it open to pull something out, and then snap it closed again.  And I love that it’s roomy enough inside to hold all of my everyday items.

I also used this outfit to premiere my latest Etsy purchase, these gorgeous earrings!  I’ve been loving the look of long, silver feather earrings, but I wanted something that was a bit more modern and less organic.  I wanted them to be long, but not too long, and to have a good bit of movement.  These fit the bill perfectly, and I love them!

I love that almost every accessory in this outfit is from Etsy.  What has been your favorite Etsy purchase?

Sweater: Handknit by me
Long sleeve tee: Gap (thrifted)
Jeans: Express
Boots: Dansko Nena (eBay)
Purse: Advintagous
Necklace: Pixisette
Bangles: Jill Popowich
Earrings: Wear-thou

Quote: One, by Kathryn Otoshi

“Smart people are those who have asked lots of questions”

In my high school days, I was drawn to preppy styles.  I liked button-down shirts and polos, even though a majority of my wardrobe was jeans and t-shirts.  I’m not that into the prep-school look anymore, but on occasion, I like to take cues from it.  When I saw this lovely striped cashmere sweater on Ebay selling at a mere $20, I couldn’t resist.  I’ve already planned several outfits with it.  It’s delightfully soft and quite flattering.

Because I didn’t want this outfit to be an overload of blue, I added the goldenrod brooch and bracelet to break things up.  I definitely need to get a lot more brooches.

What styles were you drawn to in high school?  Do you still like them now?

Sweater: J Crew (Ebay)
Camisole: Gap
Skirt: Ann Taylor LOFT (Ebay)
Tights: Hue
Shoes: Dansko Sally
Purse: Morelle Charlotte
Brooch: via Revolve
Earrings: Modern Bird
Bangle: Vintage (via Sherry’s Yesterdaze)

Quote: The Rag Coat, by Lauren Mills

“Drank a glass of hot tea with lemon”

Yes, I realize that this is a painfully dorky picture.  But can you see what I’m pointing at?  I could believe my eyes.

Ice.  In Florida.  At noon.  OMG.  I’ve never seen an icile in Florida before, so I was so incredibly excited when I saw this in a parking garage on campus, that I realized I HAD to take my pictures next to it.  I know, Floridians are a bit silly.

It’s been so delightfully cold in Florida lately.  I’ve been drinkning ginger peach tea with honey and lemon pretty much non-stop.  I will have to say though, I need some more wool in my wardrobe.  Wearing the same two wool cardigans and two wool vests on a daily basis is starting to feel too repetitive.

Isn’t this brooch lovely?  I got it at Revolve Clothing Exchange during my shopping ban, and this is the first time I’ve worn it.  I’d really like to start wearing brooches more often.

Coat: Colebrook (garage sale)
Dress (as skirt): Express
Long sleeve tee: Apt 9 (Kohls)
Vest: Gap (garage sale, re-conned)
Purse: Morelle Oyster
Tights: Target
Boots: Dansko Nena (Ebay)
Scarf: Bought in Chinatown, NYC
Brooch: bought at Revolve
Earrings: Modern Bird
Headband: Target

Quote: Joseph Had a Little Overcoat (Live Oak Music Makers), by Simms Taback

"At least try to act cool"

This beautiful Boden sweater vest was one of the last items I purchased during my recent shopping ban.  And I adore it.  More and more I am falling in love with Boden and their beautiful, colorful clothes.  But they’re so expensive that they’re often out of my price range.  However, I’ve found that buying them second-hand on Ebay can work, if you’re willing to be flexible.  Once I’m in a better place financially, I plan on buying a lot from this company.

This vest had perfect timing too, because only a few days after I got it in the mail, Florida began experiencing a cold spat (meaning temps in the 40s, which is really cold for us).  Nothing like a cozy wool vest to keep you warm when the temps drop.

I wore this for a trip to visit family on the weekend.  I wanted to be warm and casual, but not frumpy.  Flats are a must for chasing after toddlers.

And here you can see the detail on my Fetching mitts.  I knitted these a long time ago and they continue to be excellent at keeping my hands warm on chilly days.  I actually don’t own a pair of leather gloves, mostly because I rarely need them.  Still, I’d like to change that, when I can find a pretty pair that’s affordable.

Oh, I’ve realized now that canvas does not keep your feet warm.  I ended up changing into leather boots later that day to keep my toes from freezing.

Coat: Target
Long Sleeve: Gap (garage sale)
Vest: Boden (Ebay)
Jeans: Express
Shoes: Converse Chuck Taylors
Scarf: Kohls
Bag: Timbuk2
Mitts: Fetching (handknit by me)
Ring: from my mom

Quote: The Homework Machine, by Dan Gutman

"It was a bright, sunny morning"

You know it’s finally starting to actually feel like winter when you can wear boots several days in a row.  Even if it got too warm by the end of the day to wear this coat.  At least Florida is finally getting  some lows in the 40s and 30s.

I realized after taking this picture that I unintentionally echoed a previous outfit with this combination.  I guess I just really like the way this brown and white striped shirt looks with grass green.

I’m trying to take more detail shots right now, so that you can see some of the smaller elements that get lost in a lot of pictures.  Like this beautiful necklace that I bought at a garage sale back in November.  It’s become one of my favorites, and I frequently get compliments on it.

Coat: Target
Long sleeve: American Eagle (thrifted, Second Image)
Striped Tee: Gap (via Revolve)
Jeans: Express
Boots: Dansko Nena (Ebay)
Scarf: Bought in Chinatown
Purse: Morelle Oyster
Necklace: Garage sale
Earrings: Sara Westermark

Quote: The Velveteen Rabbit, by Margery Williams