etsy ecstasy - summer scarf

with temperatures easily reaching 95 here on a daily basis, its hard for people to even think about wrapping up their neck.  the truth is, when the outside temperatures get that high, people pump their air conditioners to ridiculousnessly low temps so i end up freezing when indoors.  to remedy this change in temps i usually have a summer scarf close by.  

here a few summer scarves i am loving from etsy 

{click on the picture to shop}

gauze infinity summer scarf from CThandmade

spring scarf silk and cotton flower scarf from Dassi

gray turquoise floral lightweight infinity scarf from sweeney boutique

handwoven ikat silk summer scarf from sukan

silk kantha dots & dash scarf from leah lerner

and if you need a little help with different ways to wear your scarves, check out this great video.  

my top 2012 oscar red carpet picks

i will admit that i did not watch the oscars.  husband and i do not watch tv like normal peeps.  we are not connected to cable or even the basic 5 channels.  but i am connected to the internet at all times so i still get to look thru the red carpet pictures and have an opinion. 

and here is my opinion of top 5 the most stunning ladies from the 2012 oscars.

kristen wiig

i heart almost everything about kristen wiig.  if i could share a meal with one person in show business right now, it would be her.  i think she is the bees knees and could not have found a more flattering dress. 



Berenice Bejo

  

sarah hyland




nancy o'dell



michelle williams
it was a toss up between michelle and emma stone but i dont think i could get past the bow.  it worked but it was kind of awkward.  however, this little number is so classy and really fun at the same time. 



so there you have it.  i was going to do a list of 5 people that looked like they need to eat a cheeseburger but i am trying to be a nicer version of myself.  plus, im sure you all could figure it out for yourselves.  i bet a hot dog vendor guy would make a killing on the red carpet with all those starving women.  i joke, but its really quite sad. 

dont forget to enter the giveaway!!!

daddy mac will make you

remember kris kross? 

if you were even mildly cool in the early 90s then your answer is "yes."

they were pretty much only known for 2 things: 

1. their 1992 hit "jump" and
2. their fashion style which included wearing their clothes backwards. 

photo via

and now this trend has come full circle. 

   

photo from this time tomorrow.

i follow the delightful ladies over at delightful dozen where they gave several examples of the backwards cardigan.  of course some examples seem very stylish (like the one above) but some are just too awkward for me to enjoy.  given a certain body type, the back (or front turned back) usually looks amazing and interesting but the front around the neck looks uncomfortable.  not only does it seem to be choking the individual, but i can only imagine how uncomfortable it would be to have the tag rubbing against my neck all day long. 

with all that being said, i cant knock until i try it.  so, i will be going through my cardigans soon to see which one is least likely to try and choke me to death.  awkward or not, i will take a photo of the ridiculousness and post it here on my blog for all the judgemental world to see.  :)

i guess it cant be that bad though, even michelle obama seems to be getting her kris kross on.

photo via

what about you?  are you rebellious enough to wear your cardigan the wrong way?  we should have a national {meaning all the awesome peeps that follow my blog} kris kross awareness day.  everyone can look silly ... and empowering all at once.



maxed out

are you tired of the maxi trend yet?  not this girl!

one of my favorite fashion trends for this fall is the pleated maxi skirt.  maxi dresses and skirts have been "in" for a while but they keep making these skirts longer, flowier and pleatier {and yes, im pretty sure thats a word}. 

i stopped by f21 recently to find the perfect pleated skirt but i was having a hard time committing.

  maybe cause i really love this one:
   

via

i have always been a big fan of the super long dress or skirt ... even before it was fashionable.  i love being able to dress like a lady but not having to sit like one :) 

here are a few fall maxi looks im loving:

 

via

 

via

 

via

  

via

so i ask, do you love this look?  do you have a pleated maxi skirt?  if so, how will you rock it out for autumn?



summer lovin

two things i love most about the summertime this year ...

... this dress and mailey's new little brother!

when i walked in the door last tuesday evening, i was greeted by this little guy. he has no blood relation to mailey, but he looks like her mini me. we named him general omar bradley or the general, omar or obie for short. over the past year or so, mailey has really calmed down. she does a lot of laying around the house and backyard. omar is having none of that ... he hangs on her collar and just follows her around, playfully biting at her neck. we are having to get used to the constant "go time" attitude that comes with our little man.

as for this dress - i bought this for a backyard wedding and have fallen in love. i paid $14 at h&m and i have already gotten my monies worth. hello breezy cotton maxi dress ... and hello summer!!!

h-o-t

summer weather is officially here and there is no turning back.  as much as i have zero desire to get into a bathing suit, i do heart summertime dresses!  i just found zara.com that has some realy amazing summer dresses for great prices. 


frilled dress $39.90



ladybird dress $39.90



open work dress $59.90

 

printed dress $29.90

printed tunic $39.90

strappy dress $39.90

im pretty sure that some of these are a little young looking for an almost 29 year old, but a girl can dream :)

doce of 30: gangsta robot

when no one is home and i am completely awkward taking photos of myself, i end up with feeling really silly.  i mean, what if you looked out your window and this girl taking pics of herself in the backyard ... vain, party of one, your table is now ready!  

i got over it, sorta, and ended up with the combination of "gangsta robot"  

sweater:  dkny

tee:  husband

jeans:  target

boots:  dsw

its only lunch time and i have already had a great day.  i always love the 2nd saturday when its time to serve with love wins.  its amazing how God is using this group of people.  afterwards, we went on a prayer walk around the city of raleigh, stopping at key locations to pray.  i was told i cannot announce the location for downtown lifepointe yet, but i should be able to this week.  God is moving in this city and i feel so blessed to be a part of it!

You’re the God of this City

You’re the King of these people

You’re the Lord of this nation

You are

You’re the Light in this darkness

You’re the Hope to the hopeless

You’re the Peace to the restless

You are 

There is no one like our God

once of 30

SMILE its friday!!!

blazer:  kohls (lc)

blouse:  thrifted

jeans:  calvin klein

flats:  target

note:  i am pulling on my jacket because it was really cold this morning.  but it isnt showing on my face :)

diez of 30

sweater:  thrifted

button up:  hand-me-down

belt:  thrifted

skirt:  really old

tights:  ???

boots:  kohls (candies) 

im on my way out the door and i now have decided that i really dont like this outfit!  oh well, we shall see what the day makes of it.  

ps - i did try to smile this morning but ended up looking a bit special.  maybe i just dont have it in me this early. 

nueve of 30

introducing item #30 - this teal sweater i thrifted a month ago with the tags still on it :)

scarf:  kohls

sweater:  thrifted

pants:  old navy

shoes:  target

HAPPY HUMP DAY!

ocho of 30

necklace:  mommed

sweater:  dkny

dress:  target

tights:  kohls

boots:  dsw

seis of 30

white cotton shirt: ny& co

shawl:  virginia johnson

dress:  target ($5)

leggings:  walmart

socks:  target

boots:  kohls (candies) 

this is my "is it time to go in, im hungry" lean.  after consuming my banana and mayonnaise sandwich, im feeling much perkier!  

happy sunday to you and yours :) 

cinco of 30

t shirt:  husband's

button up:  hand-me-down

skinny jeans:  target

ballet flats:  american eagle 

bangs:   yours truly

guess who got tired of their hair today ... me!  yup, i now have bangs.  i forgot how bad my cow lick was.  but today, i like them.  lets hope tomorrow i can say the same.  

cuatro of 30

white cotton shirt:  ny&co. 

sweater:  american eagle (a long time ago)

skinny jeans:  target

boots: kohls (candies)

tres of 30

cardigan:  thrifted

pin:  sugar magnolia

 pants:  kohls

heels:  candies

dos of 30

necklace:  mommed

blouse: thrifted

skirt:  thrifted

boots: kohls

when i was picking thru the skirt rack at goodwill i came across this awesome green skirt.  i almost put it back until i saw it was part of an official girl scouts of america uniform.  FUN!  

uno of 30

blazer:  kohls (lc)

grey top:  gap ($3)

pants:  old navy

ballet flats:  old navy

im not a big fan of wearing only black and white.  this pop of red in the form of super comfy shoes made it tolerable.  also, this grey cotton shirt is comfy way to tone down a dressy blazer.  

on another note:  yay for tuesdays!  

after a good day at work, i went to starbucks to meet my future sister-in-law to catch up and talk about wedding stuff.  then, i left to go to my very first meetup group.  husband and i headed to tir na nog for beer and a bible.  it was really awesome to meet new people that are interested in talking about God over a guinness.  if you live near raleigh and your interested, join us tuesday 2/15. 

30 for 30 items

its that time again ... the winter version of the 30 for 30 challenge.

i almost backed out today because i had not put the least bit of thought into my 30 items yet.  at about 3:30pm i finally got motivated (thank you yummy coffee) and went thru my closet and figure out what i will be wearing for the next 30 days (starting feb 1st).  this time will be a little more challenging because i am dressing up more for work now.  its not that i will have a hard time with work outfits but i think it will be difficult to make use of dressier items on the weekend.


so here they are, in no particular order:

2 pairs of jeans

4 pairs of pants for work

1 sweater, 3 cardigans, 2 button ups, 2 cotton shirts, 1 blazer and 1 blouse

4 dresses

2 skirts 

2 flats, 2 boots and 1 pair of heels

i ordered these mustard flats from target today.  they should be here no later than the 8th.

im not really attached to these last two items.  i added them for weekendness but i may switch them out before tuesday. 

whew. and only 6 things are repeats from last time!

so there you have it folks, 30 items of clothing to remix into 30 outfits for 30 days.