2013. with lemon.

henley blouse c/o LOFT. corey lynn calter muslin skirt. wanted sandals. pendleton canyonville tote.

in high school my friends and i frequented places like applebee’s for easy friday or saturday night dinners. a meal rang up at less than ten dollars, leaving extra money for a movie or a magazine at the bookstore.

in college i discovered hole-in-the-wall, mom-and-pop, and star-of-the-show kind of restaurants. these places had thick tablecloths, candlelights, and wine glasses. these places had water with lemon!

now you can get water with lemon almost anywhere. one of our favorite restaurants in town offers it with lime, orange, or grapefruit. in the back of my head, i remember that it’s just water, but i chuckle at how a very simple thing can appear quite posh.

this outfit was monday’s ensemble… with lemon. :o)

the look | blouse | similar skirt | similar sandals

2013. blackout.

ralph lauren sweater dress. italian scarf. merona tights. pour la victoire boots. pendleton canyonville tote.

if you peruse the blog archive, you’ll notice that i rarely wear black. my wardrobe is mostly blues, neutrals, and brights here and there.

before christmas, i found myself craving a simple black sweater dress. it had to be dark black (not charcoal), long (not short), and cute (not un-cute). my dream came true a few weeks ago when i snagged this dress at tj maxx.

have you ever gotten a good deal on an item from your wish list?

the look | similar dress | similar scarf | similar boots | bag

2013. orange crush.

merino boyfriend sweater by j.crew. pintuck silk tunic by alice + olivia. paige verdugo leggings. lotta from stockholm clogs. pendleton canyonville tote.

if you asked me ten years ago, “do you like orange?” i would have said, “ew.” if you asked me five years ago, “do you like orange?” i would have said, “sure.” if you asked me now if i like orange i would say, “YES!” it’s definitely a color i wear more and more over time.

after i wore the blouse to work, i found ink smudges on the placket from the rubber stamps i use to check my kids’ assignments. fortunately the stains came out with woolite and a teeny dot of dawn soap. yes, i put dishwashing liquid on a silk blouse. orange makes me brave.

the look | similar sweater | similar blouse | similar jeans | shoes | bag

2013. bookworm.

express tricot sweater (thrifted). LOFT skirt (found on ebay). tory burch reva flats. pendleton canyonville tote.

remember my navy polka dot skirt that ripped? i snagged a lookalike on ebay. awwww yeah!

i always know my bangs are getting long when michael tells me, “you’ve got helmet hair.” it was a fitting observation for superbowl sunday. i wore the outfit to the grocery store for football food, and today i wore it to school.

over the weekend i bought two new lipsticks (the coral shade is sienna by boots) and one book (the fault in our stars by john green). after super bowl sunday comes bookworm monday with a glamorous grin.

the look | similar sweater | similar skirt | similar flats | bag

2013. spotify.

betsy sweater by j.crew. dalmation print skirt (found on ebay). lotta from stockholm clogs. pendleton canyonville tote.

can you tell i love my pendleton bag? it’s big enough for a house (a dollhouse) and an army (a fleet of clipboards and books). i’m so glad santa got it for me. he’s got a good eye, that santa. :o)

i wore this outfit earlier in the week to school. we’re experiencing a warm spell which means skirts and sandals for everyone (well, at least for me). i love boots and jeans but i’ve enjoyed picking out different clothes. you can’t go wrong with lots of dots.

hope you have a great weekend!

the look | similar sweater | similar skirt | shoes | bag

2013. cross my heart.

cynthia rowley cardigan. silk dotty sunshade top by madewell. joe’s ponte skinnies. pour la victoire boots. pendleton canyonville tote.

i wore this outfit twice before winter break, and i wore it again on monday because it matched my bag perfectly. i like the cheerful pop of red against the grey, black, and brown. i could even swap out the red sweater for a yellow one. a good outfit lives on and on and on… at least until laundry day.

a lot of my friends have been asking about our wedding plans. they’re coming along (albeit tortoise-ly rather than hare-ly). i have my dress (it’s from j.crew of course), and we will likely pick out michael’s suit from there, too. i’m designing our wedding paper. the other details are up in the air, but i’ll share more soon. cross my heart.

the look | similar sweater | similar top | similar pants | similar boots | bag

2013. joie de vivre.

soft joie tee. high rise jeggings by paige. pour la victoire boots. pendleton canyonville tote.

oh, hello! welcome back to our regular scheduled programming (or blogramming). after spending most of my vacation using all the tissues in our house, i was ready to take on the world. i got a haircut, sang along to my favorite pandora stations, cleaned the house, and felt great. i wore this outfit yesterday to the grocery store.

santa brought me a B.A.B. (big awesome bag). you know i love pendleton and patterns. i guess he does, too. :o)

the look | similar tee | similar jeans | similar boots | bag

2012. miss america. 

vintage wool pendleton blazer. forever 21 tee. verdugo leggings by paige. lulu flats by j.crew. rebecca minkoff baby belle bag.

this isn’t the date outfit that i planned for M’s birthday, but it was the best a sick girl could do. early friday morning, i came down with a stomach bug, and coupled with a cold, i felt pretty awful. on saturday night, we went out for udon noodles (which calmed my tired, hungry tummy).

i wore the same outfit yesterday for our usual sunday errands. sometimes style isn’t about planning ahead or feeling inspired. it’s about taking what works and wearing it again.

on the bright side, i’m feeling good enough to bake a belated birthday cake!

the look | similar blazer | similar tee | jeans | similar flats

2011. give a little bit. 

vintage wool pendleton blazer. thrifted blouse. mossimo leggings. leopard flats by BCBG.

on friday night, M took me out for cheeseburgers and french fries. i wore the polka dot blouse to school with jeans, but i decided to pull a lindsay and sport leggings as pants.

i thrifted the blazin’ blazer a couple of weeks ago for the same price as a child’s lunch money. lunch money! it rivals the wool blazers at j.crew and fits like a glove (if gloves were jackets). the blazer came with a matching skirt which unfortunately had a large, irreparable hole. i can’t win all the time; it just wouldn’t be fair.

the look | similar blazer | similar blouse | leggings | flats