Beautiful Blogger Award...

Many Thanks to the beautiful Kayleigh of Fashionably Later for giving me this award. Kayleigh is truly an honest-to-god trooper. She has been through so much in the last year-plus, and she is handling it all with dignity and grace -- even if SHE doesn't think she is.

Here are ten (hopefully new) factoids about myself:

(1) I know the lyrics to almost any song (especially from the 80s and 90s) on the radio. Until you ask me what those lyrics are -- then my mind goes blank. I can only recall them while singing along.

(2) I am afraid of the dark. And any creatures with more appendages than me: spiders, octopi, squid, etc.

(3) Despite being an English major and *knowing* good grammar and spelling, most of my emails and facebook/blog posts (except on this blog) are riddled with bad punctuation and no capitalization. It's not that I don't know any better, I just don't care.

(4) In light of the above, I am FOREVER seeing signs with misspellings and incorrect punctuation in places of business. And it seriously irks me to no end. I mean, seriously people, can't you take the few extra moments to have someone look it over? It gives me a poor impression of your business when I see that!

(5) I grew up traveling a lot. I have been to England, Ireland, Mexico, Canada, Italy, and many of the states in the US.

(6) I have the sense of humor of a pervy 13 year old boy. If there is any way to twist a statement to make it dirty, my mind will do it. I think this stems from growing up with an older brother who would do so with anything I said, so I just started running my thoughts through a filter before I spoke. Now my filter works on overdrive.

(7) My favorite ice cream is lime sherbet. Sadly, I rarely see it in the ice cream shops. Rainbow, check. Orange, check. Raspberry, check. Why not lime? *le sigh*

(8) I wish I could look as put-together as many of the bloggers I read. They make it look so effortless and natural. Meanwhile, I struggle to piece together interesting outfits, and I feel like I usually look too piecemeal and like I tried too hard.

(9) I desperately want to lose some weight, but I hate working out, and I have little willpower to control my eating. I know these are excuses, but I have yet to figure out how to get over my biggest hurdle: myself.

(10) I am a people-watcher. So is my dear fiance. Whenever we go to the mall, if we are sitting in the food court, we can hold an entire conversation without ever looking at each other. For me, I think it stems from the fact that I was *thisclose* to being a Psych major in college -- I am intrigued by why people behave the way the do. For him, I think it comes from his Anthropology/Sociology background.

I'm not sure how many people I am supposed to tag for this, so I will just name a few:
Sal of Already Pretty
Jenny of Closet 365
Allie of My Wardrobe Today
Taylor of Taylor Wears Everything
Andie of What Andie Wears
Sher of Fashion After Forty
A-C of Law School Fashionista

Dress Your Best: Butt...

Day 5 outfit for the Dress Your Best Challenge:



Tshirt: Pixies concert Tee
Jeans: Calvin Klein
Shoes: Etienne Aigner
Cuff: The Icing by Claire's
Earrings: Black Coral from Curacao

Closeup:


Remember when all of my jeans died and I scored not one, but three pairs of awesome jeans? These Calvin Klein's were one of the pairs I brought home from my haul. These are definitely not sitting or eating jeans, but these are most definitely booty jeans!
I have always loved having a larger-than-average booty. A little junk in the trunk, if you will. Growing up as a dancer, I could totally shake it. Being on the hip hop team I was a part of this past year, my badonkadonk helped me show everyone that I've still got it! My fiance loves to climb the stairs behind me, just for the view -- and rarely does he do so without copping a feel. ;)

While I did wear a rear-end flattering outfit to work (something involving a pencil skirt -- I don't recall what exactly, since I was too exhausted to snap photos) I thought it would be more appropriate to celebrate my arse in these jeans, in a more casual ensemble. What does it say about me that I had no qualms about showing off the girls at work, but calling attention to my rear assets made me a bit nervous? Hrm...
Either way, thanks be to the bootay!

Giveaway...

Paper Platypus is a company that makes BEAUTIFUL paper flowers. Use them to decorate your home, or place a customer order for wedding decorations or placecards. You can order a variety of flower shapes and request them in a wide range of colors.
Personally, if I win her giveaway, I am hoping to use her gorgeous flowers as placecards/decorations for my upcoming wedding!
Check out her blog or her etsy shop!

Dress Your Best: Neck...

Day 4 outfit for the Dress Your Best Challenge:



Top: Burlington Coat Factory
Jacket: Nordstrom Rack
Pants: Lane Bryant
Shoes: Etienne Aigner via Rack Room Shoes
Earrings: Claire's
Bangle: Claire's?
Necklace: bought from a friend
Cami (unseen): Old Navy

Closeup:


For many people, wearing a turtleneck or other top with a high neckline means that none of their actual neck is shown. Oftentimes, it creates the illusion that the person's chin rests directly on their clavicle.
I love that I am able to wear high-necked tops and still have some of my actual neck able to be seen. There is something a bout a long neck that makes me feel a little more graceful. Dare I say swanlike.

Ironically, the day I decided to celebrate my neck was the day it decided to fail me. I have suffered on and off for a few years from muscle spasms in my back that make it extremely painful to turn or tilt my head to the left. Thankfully at this point I know fairly well how to treat it myself, but of course, on the day I decided to dress for my neck, it decided to pay me back by being stiff and painful.

No worries, neck.
I still love you, and I will nurse you back to health.

Dress Your Best: The Girls...

Day 3 outfit for the Dress Your Best Challenge:



Dress: H&M
Shoes: Vera Wang for Kohl's
Belt: TJ Maxx
Earrings: Claire's
Necklace: made by me

Closeup:



Sal always says that cleavage is never, ever, ever appropriate for the workplace. And 99.9% of the time, I agree.
However, on a day when I am celebrating the girls, I decided to go for it.
Normally I would wear a cami beneath the dress, but I knew I had no meetings today and wouldn't be interacting with clients. For just sitting at my desk, I figured I could deal with a little cleavage.
Of course, when I went to my hair appointment later, my hair dresser told me I was dressed like a St. Pauli girl, and the poor college kid sitting in her chair before me couldn't look me in the eye on his way out.
Oopsie!
But I guess that attests to just how awesome my ta-tas are!

I don't have amazingly huge breasts. I wear a B-cup, and sometimes I don't even fill that out. When I was younger, I absolutely despised my flat chest, and was mortified to have to go to a bra fitting. I remember being 11 years old, and my dance teacher told my mother it was about that time, as the studio was cold, and well, you know... I just never saw the point of needing a bra when I had nothing for it to hold up.
Then I discovered padded bras. Something that would GIVE me a little something up there. For several years, padded bras were my savior!
Fast forward to recent years, when I have put on some weight, and wow! The first place it went was to my chest! As I said before, I still don't have the kind of knockers that are gonna rival Dolly Parton. But in being smaller boobies, they have stayed seriously perky over the years, and mine are still right up there where they started while several friends' larger gals are already heading south.
Mine are like goldilocks and the three bears -- not too big, not too small... but just right.

Dress Your Best: Small Waist...

Day 2 outfit for the Dress Your Best Challenge:



Top: Marshall's?
Cami: Old Navy
Pants: Marshall's?
Shoes: Madden Girl
Necklace: Bought from a friend's jewelry party
Earrings: black coral from Curacao, gift

Closeup:


OK, kids, let's not kid ourselves -- I'm not a tiny gal. I used to be, but these days, I am smack-dab in plus-sized territory. But yknow what? That's ok. I still have a curvy figure and a tiny waist. And it's that tiny waist that I'm celebrating today.
Even when I was super-skinny, I have always had curves. I didn't necessarily have much up on top, but I always had hips and a little waist -- and I always loved that about myself. It makes me feel extremely feminine. I have an hourglass shape, which makes me think of the glamor of years gone by. Had I been around back in the 30s and 40s, I could have been a hollywood star on the soundstage of an MGM musical. I have just *that* kind of waistline.

This may not be the most exciting outfit I have worn on this blog, and I know I just wore this top about a week ago -- but I received several comments about how tiny it makes my waist look, so I figured it would be the perfect top to wear for this day, showcasing and celebrating just that.

Dress Your Best: Eyes...

Day 1 outfit for the Dress Your Best Challenge:



Top: H&M
Sweater: H&M
Pants: NY&Co
Shoes: Sam and Libby via Marshall's?
Earrings: Claire's

Closeup:


One of the body parts/areas I really love about myself are my eyes. My eyes are mostly blue, with a gray tone and little touches of green. I love that my eyes turn more gray when that color is predominant in my outfit or green, likewise. I love that whenever I have been crying, my eyes turn a bright aqua blue. (I may be an ugly crier, but at least there's still something beautiful there!)

When I was little, just a toddler, I used to love making faces with crossed eyes. As everyone's parents have said at some time or another, my mom used to say "don't make that face or it will stay that way!" Who EVER believes that? Well, I do -- it happened to me!
Once I was making a face with crossed eyes, and I had some sort of muscle spasm or something -- and one of my eyes was STUCK. I actually had to have surgery to fix it! I am very lucky to have nor only normal, but truly lovely eyes today. I always had perfect vision growing up, but these days I do wear contacts. It's a small price to pay for the wonders my eyes have let me see throughout the years.

Totally unrelated side note:
Are there any bloggers in the OBX area?

Green with Envy...

This is the last outfit I wore before embarking on the Dress Your Best challenge. Those posts will be coming soon, I promise!



Dress: Anne Taylor Loft
Shoes: Steve Madden
Earrings: Claire's
Bracelet: Old Navy

Closeup:


I saw this dress at Anne Taylor Loft when I went to buy the petal cardigan worn in this post. I loved the color, but also knew there was NO WAY I was going to be paying full price for this dress. (I love Loft's styles, but their prices are rather high for me. Luckily, they have good sales, and often, and they email out great discounts all the time!)
Well, the day after buying the cardi (50% off all sale items!) I got an email about 40% off all non-sale items -- SCORE! I instantly knew I would be swinging back to the store for this little number!

I just LOVE the color (green is my fave!) and the detailing along the straps and waistband a perfect. I can wear this on its own, like I did for its inaugural wearing, or I can throw a belt around it for more waistline definition. I think the options are endless for dressing this baby up or down.

I'm Dressing My Best...

"So often, our focus when getting dressed in the morning is how to minimize or downplay aspects of our bodies that we’re just not crazy about. Does this skirt smooth my hips? Does this top hide my tummy? Do these pants make my thighs look slimmer?
But what would happen if you inverted that thought process? What if, instead of dressing to mitigate your so-so, you dressed to highlight the parts of your body that you love most? What if, for a whole week, you committed to self-consciously dressing your best bits?"
-the lovely ladies of academichic



This week, May 10-14, is Dress Your Best Week -- and yours truly will be participating!

Here are the 5 body parts I have chosen to highlight:
1. my “girls”
2. my curvy waist
3. my long neck
4. my boo-tay
5. my eyes

Now, because my posts are often a day or two behind when my outfit was actually worn, there is still a backlogged post or two in store before the Dress Your Best posts will display. To clear any confusion, I will post which day of the week I wore an outfit and which body part is was intended to highlight.

If you haven't already signed up to participate, I urge you to!
Too often we ladies dress ourselves to hide flaws instead of celebrate beauty. Let's embrace our fabulocity!

Artists Can Color the Sky Red Because They Know it's Blue...

I used to have oodles of red pieces in my closet because someone once told me red was my color. Lately, though, I have realized that I actually have very few red items, so I have been trying to keep an eye out for things in that punchy color.



Top: Anne Taylor Loft, thrifted
Pants: NY&Co
Shoes: American Eagle for Payless
Cami: Forever XXI?
Earrings: black coral from Curacao, gift
Necklace, made by me

Closeup:


I love this necklace. Like seriously, when I whipped this thing up, despite having initially made it as a Christmas gift, I knew it would be mine. I think it may be my favorite of the few pieces I have made so far -- I'm darned proud of it.

I also really love this top. I think it was my first Anne Taylor Loft purchase, and I was smug to have bought it thrifted. It is so soft and comfy, and the wrap styling really makes my waist look tiny.

Finally, I really love these new shoes! Payless had the end of the BOGO deal this weekend, so despite trying to save money, I decided to head in there (hey, I need wedding shoes, right?) I wasn't able to find a second pair to BOGO these with, but these were so cute and cheap that I snatched them up anyway.

It's such a happy feeling to be wearing several pieces that you really love.

Take a moment to view the link about the earrings I am wearing. It is really fascinating to me to read about the black coral and the man who makes this jewelry.

The One that Started It All...

I can probably point to my purchase of this dress as the awakening of my fashion revival. Before buying this dress, I was in a serious rut, buying only things that were comfortable. I was utterly upset over my ever-growing weight and body, and shopping for clothes and looking nice was at the bottom of the totem pole that was my list of priorities.



Dress: NY&Co
Shoes: thrifted
Belt: NY&Co
Necklace: thrifted
Bracelet: gift
Earrings: from a stand in the mall, gift from fiance

Closeup:


When I spotted this dress in the store, I knew it would feel good with its soft, comfy fabric and its lack of waist restriction. I tried it on on a whim, and I totally fell in love with it. Suddenly my perspective on clothing completely changed -- I can buy cute clothes that make me look and feel good!
This was about 2 years ago, and I still really love this dress.

Have you ever had any fashion epiphanies?

May the Winds of Destiny Carry You Aloft to Dance With the Stars...

I have coveted this cardi ever since I first saw Hillary wearing it. Gray has quickly because my favorite neutral-of-choice, and I absolutely love the floaty petals.



Top: Marshall's?
Cardi: Loft
Skirt: NY&Co
Shoes: Vera Wang for Kohl's
Earrings: Laila Rowe

Closeup:


I haven't worn this skirt in a while because I had it in my mind that it had gotten too snug and was uncomfortable. However, after buying this cardigan at Loft's amazing sale over the weekend, I thought the softness of the sweater and the kinda-sorta edginess of the snakeprint in the skirt would be a perfect pairing. Surprisingly, when I put the skirt on, no snugness at all!
I wonder why I had that in my mind.
Does that ever happen to you?

Purple Nurple...

Kimberley's Outfit Inspiration Calendar called for a color mix of magenta, black, and white. I'm not sure if this is magenta, but it's about as close as I could get.



Top: Marshall's
Skirt: NY&Co
Shoes: thifted
Earrings: Old Navy
Cami: Forever XXI
Bracelet: gift

Closeup:


Last time I wore this skirt, I mentioned that I never know what other colors to pair it with besides purple and white. Well, black might not be a huge step, being that it's a neutral, but sometimes I work best in baby-steps.
I bought this top probably about 4-5 years ago, and I have always loved how the wrap detailing nips me in at the waist. Sadly, it's age is showing and the poor guy is pilling badly.

Does anyone know how to de-pill a knit top? Or how to prevent it from pilling further?

Lizzie the Lizard...

While this top photographs a little "expectant mother," in person, it wears beautifully blousy.



Top: H&M
Skirt: D'Rae's Closet
Shoes: NickelsSoft, thrifted
Cami: Forever XXI
Scarf: Icing by Claire's
Earrings: Claire's
Lizard Pins: thrifted, originally earrings, altered by me
Nail Polish: very old

Closeup:


These awesome lizard brooches were originally a pair of earrings. One hung by the head, and the other by the tail. Oh, how I wish I'd snapped a picture of me wearing them as intended before altering them into brooches. Really, they were totally hilarious.
I don't often wear yellow gold. It's not a color of metal that I think suit me. However, while I love metal-mixing on other bloggers, it's not something I've mastered yet myself, so I steer clear for now. Instead, I own just a few yellow-gold-colored pieces, just so I can accessorize with awesome stuff like these brooches.

I decided to give myself a home mani-pedi, since I have been in desperate need of one for months now. In an attempt to save money still for the wedding, I opted to give myself a manicure, and I decided to use this purple polish that has been in my collection for years. Seriously, y'all, I have had this bottle since high school? middle school maybe?
Dear fiance pointed out his concerns about makeup that was that old, but I assured him this rule didn't apply to nail polish. Which of course, got me thinking -- so long as it's still the proper texture to be used, DOES nail polish "go bad?" I was shocked that this bottle was still usable, but until he said something, it never entered my mind that it may be bad for me...
What say you?

Blurple...

Years ago, my best friend bought herself a new car. All of the lights on the dashboard were this blueish purple that we had never seen before.
We dubbed this color "blurple."

Behold my blurple dress:



Dress: NY&Co
Cardi: Marshall's
Belt: NY&Co
Shoes: Payless
Earrings: CATO
Necklace: Laila Rowe

Closeup:


(images are fuzzy again today. apologies!)

This outfit is, in essence, the total negative of my Pop of Blue outfit from last week. In that outfit, I wore all neutrals with a pop or two of some color.
This outfit, instead, makes me look like I was attacked by a rabid bag of Skittles, but yknow what? I love this outfit! I did add in some neutrals with the belt and shoes, but really that was the safety rope that kept this outfit tethered to the side of good fashion -- another color and I may have been eligible for clown college.

Do you prefer neutral outfits with a pop of color or colorful outfits grounded by neutral?