“Cool as a cat”

Posted on September 6, 2010 by Diana

Oh how I missed these black capris! I haven’t completely gotten back to my regular size yet, but I’ve lost just enough weight so that these fit again, albeit quite snugly. I just adore the look of a slim fitting cropped pant. Combine that with some lovely drapey Anthro tops, and I’m set.

I’ve started parting my bangs to the side like I used to do, and I think I like this version of my hair better. It’s nice to be able to switch it up when I want to.

Because life is keeping me super busy (which I don’t mind, because I absolutely love my job), I’m cutting back to posting five days a week. It seems to be a more manageable schedule for me, and allows me to enjoy blogging without feeling stressed out about it. For now, the schedule will be:

Sundays – Shopping Ban (and sometimes Link Love)
Mondays – Outfit
Wednesdays – Etsy Love
Fridays – Varies, but usually something related to Craftiness or Sustainability
Saturdays – Bento Box

If I can get to a point where I feel comfortable going back to seven days a week, awesome. For now, this is what seems to be working with the shrinking amount of free time I have available. After all, I still need to enjoy life outside of work and the blogosphere as well.

Blouse: Anthropologie
Cardigan: Anthropologie (via eBay)
Capris: Erik Stewart (thrifted?)
Flats: Easy Street
Purse: Morelle Oyster
Cuff: via Classy Consignment

Quote: Bring on that Beat, by Rachel Isadora

“We did nothing at all”

Posted on August 16, 2010 by Diana

On my last few days of summer, I’m craving simplicity. Short, t-shirts and sandals are pretty much all I want to wear. I wore this outfit this past weekend, and today I go back to work. I guess I wanted to get as much mileage out of my summer casual clothes as possible, since this week it’s time to go back to professional wear. It’s been a great summer, but I’m looking forward to having structure to my days again, as well as a reason to get dressed up.

Tee: Outlooks (via Revolve)
Shorts: Ann Taylor LOFT (thrifted)
Sandals: Clarks Rime (6pm)
Purse: Morelle Charlotte
Bangle: Garage sale
Earrings: Wish by Felicity

Quote: The Cat in the Hat, by Dr Seuss

“Tweetily-tweet”

Posted on August 9, 2010 by Diana

I think it’s true what they say about haircuts, that they usually look better about two weeks after you get them. I was feeling a bit frustrated with my new hair cut when I first got it, but now it’s really starting to grow on me (no pun intended).

My jewelry was quasi bird-themed with this outfit. The cuff has engravings of birds on it, and the earrings are shaped somewhat like feathers. And I even found a blue jay feather on the ground while taking these pictures. I used to love collecting feathers like this when I was a kid, and I fancied myself quite the birdwatcher. I even made a “camouflage” cover out of an old green wool blanket, thinking that the birds wouldn’t notice me if I cut holes in it and watched them from underneath. Needless to say, that idea didn’t work very well, especially in the Florida heat.

Tank: Soma (thrifted)
Cardigan: J Crew (via eBay)
Shorts: Ann Taylor LOFT (thrifted)
Sandals: Clarks Rime
Earrings: wear+thou
Cuff: Vintage via Sherry’s Yesterdaze
Purse: Morelle Charlotte

Quote: Jazzmatazz! by Stephanie Calmenson

“We never catch butterflies”

Posted on August 2, 2010 by Diana

(my camera battery died in the middle of this shoot, so I only got two photos)

This outfit may look familiar. That’s because I wore a variation of it just a few weeks ago. There have been a lot of repeat outfits this summer, and I’m okay with that. If I had a larger space for storing clothing, I might have a greater variety of outfits. I have a small closet, and the heat limits what I can wear even more, so there are repeats, and that’s fine.

With blogging, I’ve become a lot more conscious of where items of clothing come from, and I’ve begun to happily notice that a majority of my wardrobe is second-hand and/or handmade. When I had my shopping ban (as opposed to shopping plan) I was only allowed to shop at non-second hand/handmade locations once a month. I got rid of that restriction with the shopping plan, but honestly I still haven’t bought much that was new and mass-produced. Most of the times when I go to the mall, I end up not finding anything that I really love, even when I’m more than ready and willing to spend money.

All of this fits in with my sustainability focus, because when you buy second-hand, you’re keeping clothes from going to the landfill, and reducing the amount of new clothing that needs to be produced. When you buy hand-made, you’re supporting small businesses and helping artists to earn a living. Being green can be a beautiful and stylish thing.

Shirt: St John’s Bay (thrifted)
Shorts: Ann Taylor LOFT (thrifted)
Sandals: Clarks Rime (via 6pm)
Scarf: Vera (vintage via garage sale)
Cuff: via Classy Consignment
Earrings: The Peach Tree
Purse: Morelle Charlotte

Quote: Fancy Nancy: Explorer Extraordinaire, by Jane O’Connor

“Comic, tragic or melodramatic”

Posted on July 22, 2010 by Diana

This outfit has me believing that tunics and leggings may be my favorite look ever. Comfortable, effortlessly stylish, practical: this combination has all my favorite elements. In fact, wearing this outfit inspired me to re-con my tunic that I posted on Tuesday. I’m definitely on the lookout for more fantastic and stylish tunics, and I’m also taking a look at my closet for ways that I can re-construct some of my garments to make them work with leggings.

The only thing that I don’t like about the leggings/tunic combo is that it can be a bit limiting. Sure, you can wear different colored leggings. You can layer cardigans and scarves (when it’s not 90 degrees outside). You can change some accessories, add belts, necklaces, boots, etc. Well, maybe it’s not that limiting after all. I guess I just find it harder to accessorize when it’s so hot out. I’ll have to challenge myself to find lots of ways to remix my tunics.

What about you? Do you love leggings/tunic combos in the summer?

Tunic: Forever 21 (via Revolve)
Leggings: Target
Sandals: Dansko Sela (via eBay)
Purse: Morelle Truffle
Cuff: via Classy Consignment
Necklace: Kira Ferrer

Quote: Sylvia Jean, Drama Queen, by Lisa Campbell Ernst

“The rain on the window woke me up”

Posted on July 12, 2010 by Diana

We had a very rainy few days last week here in Tampa. As in raining on and off all day, for three days. It was dreary and grey and dull. So to counteract the weather, I decided to wear some of my brightest colors in a nice, summery combination.

I generally prefer vibrant and saturated colors over dull ones, but in the summer, I like colors like this even more so. Something about the hot weather, the sun (when we have it), the humidity. I just can’t stand wearing dark or dull colors when it’s hot out. Plus, bright colors always seem to be a good mood booster, and with the dreary weather we were having, I needed all the boosting I could get.

Do you ever wear certain colors or items to improve your mood?

Tank: Target (via Revolve)
Cardigan: J Crew (via eBay)
Shorts: Ann Taylor LOFT (thrifted)
Sandals: Clarks Rime
Necklace: Kira Ferrer
Purse: Morelle Charlotte
Bangles: Jill Popowich

Quote: Daughter’s Day Blues, by Laura Pegram

“Everything in French sounds fancy”

Posted on July 8, 2010 by Diana

How do you make a 3/4 sleeve cotton and cashmere tee work in the heat of summer? Pair it with shorts and sandals! I was determined to wear this lightweight tee, despite the fact that it’s in the 90s everyday now. I realized that if I balanced out the longer sleeve length with shorts, I could wear it and still not be overheated. The head scarf was mostly there to add a nice pop of color. It also brought out the color of this gorgeous nail polish, which I’ll be talking about more tomorrow.

For some reason, I always feel very French when I wear this striped tee. I’m not really sure where the association of stripes and France began. The head scarf added a nice Euro touch as well.

Do you see stripes as French, Nautical or both? Or something else?

Shirt: J Crew (via eBay)
Shorts: Ann Taylor LOFT
Sandals: Born (via eBay)
Purse: Morelle Charlotte
Scarf: Vintage
Cuff: via Classy Consignment
Earrings: Efy Tal

Quote: Fancy Nancy, by Jane O’Connor

Nail Polish: No Miss Manalapan Melon

“Oatmeal and apples for breakfast”

Posted on July 5, 2010 by Diana

I’ve pretty much decided that variations of this outfit are my uniform for this summer. It’s so hot in Florida right now, that anything other than shorts or dresses is just uncomfortable. Normally, I tend to lean more towards dresses, but for some reason, all I want to wear this summer is shorts. Maybe it’s from seeing how Anna Paquin makes short shorts look amazing as Sookie Stackhouse. Or maybe it’s the fact that yoga has really been making my legs feel stronger. Either way, this summer is all about shorts for me.

I recently tweaked my blog layout a bit to allow for larger images. Since photos are a very important part of my blog, I thought it made sense to change things up so that they would be more prominent. Do you like the new sizes? I’m going to be working on a major blog redesign soon, and this is one of the things I’m considering as I plan it.

What’s your summer uniform?

Cardigan: J Crew (via eBay)
Tank: Old Navy
Shorts: Ann Taylor LOFT (altered by me)
Sandals: Columbia
Purse: Morelle Charlotte
Necklace: Love Spell Jewels
Earrings: Garage sale

Quote: Do Like Kyla by Angela Johnson

“A manner serene and sedate”

Posted on June 3, 2010 by Diana

I normally don’t wear outfits with a lot of black, but these capris just looked so right with this blouse, that I couldn’t pass up combining them. I tried to keep the outfit from being too morose by adding a bright green cardigan and red shoes. I think it worked out just fine.

My blouse is the only item in this outfit that is actually vintage, but I love how the whole look has a vintage feel. Somehow it has a “Betty Draper at a summer picnic” feel to me. But without all of Betty Draper’s drama.

I used one of Sally of Already Pretty‘s tricks with my cardigan. It’s a crew neck, but I didn’t like how that looked with the collar of this shirt, so I secured the corners of the cardigan with fashion tape to create a faux v-neck.

How do you create vintage looks with a mix of modern and vintage pieces?

Blouse: Vintage via Sherry’s Yesterdaze
Capris: Erik Stewart
Cardigan: Ann Taylor LOFT
Shoes: Born Codders
Purse: Morelle Charlotte
Earrings: Garage Sale

Quote: Don’t Bump the Glump!: And Other Fantasies, by Shel Silverstein

“Bouquet is fancy for a bunch of flowers”

Posted on May 27, 2010 by Diana

On Monday, I showed a remix of my red and blue Boden dress. Today, I’m remixing my multi-color floral print Boden dress. The bright green cardigan makes for a fantastic bit of color, and brings out the greens and blues in the print. My linen purse keeps with the cool summer vibe, and my faithful Dansko Novalees make for comfortable and stylish footwear.

Now that I’ve been working as a media specialist for a few months, I’ve come to realize that some of my shoes are more (or less) comfortable than I thought. Being on my feet for a good part of the day has shown me that several pairs of shoes need to have the toe boxes stretched, because after a few hours, my toes feel painfully cramped. My Dansko wedges have been quite surprisingly comfortable. Even though they are taller than most of my heels, the wedge is much more supportive, and even after wearing them for eight hours, my feet don’t really hurt that much. These are going to be my summer staples once again.