Happy Election Day!

long-sleeve t-shirt: old, don't remember
cami: Old Navy
cropped pants: New York & Company
heels: Target
necklace: Figleaf boutique
hair flower: H&M
So if you live States-side (and maybe even if you don't), you know that today is Election Day. I voted last week...early voting being one of the few conveniences of living in a swing state. I'm not too sure whether the convenience outweighs the incessant and annoying political ads that have been bombarding my shows and appearing on every billboard everywhere, but oh well. I'll take what I can get, I suppose?

In other news, I'm really, REALLY looking forward to a long weekend this weekend. It'll be nice to get the chance to clean my house, finish up a freelance project and still have time to chill. Plus, it's supposed to hit the low 60s this weekend...that's practically summer this time of year!

Today's fail brought to you by...technology

So I was super excited to announce the winner of the Jada's Jewels giveaway today...but it seems that technology has failed us. We're having some issues with Rafflecopter and the two mandatory entry methods, and with the whole sign-up-for-the-website-using-a-special-URL thing. I emailed the people who somehow managed to enter without doing both mandatory entries, and am still trying to figure out how Rafflecopter let that happen. (Franziska and Christa, check your emails por favor.) And in the meantime, the Jada's Jewels folks and I are working to confirm the website signups. So hopefully, I'll have a winner posted before the end of the week. Fingers crossed.

And since I don't want to completely suck this week (after a Pin-spiration Monday fail and completely forgetting to do my Food Fridays post at the end of this week), here's an outfit, too. Woo?






t-shirt: Old Navy
skirt: H&M
flats: Target
necklace: Figleaf
It's been getting a lot colder here the past week or two, so this outfit might be my last bare-legs/warm-weather one for a while. Super sad about that. While I love fall fashion (layering and boots and sweaters!) and other fall things (cider and chai tea and Halloween!), I really, really hate the cold. A lot.

But fall also means a new season of all my shows...I have quite a lineup this year. How I Met Your Mother, Modern Family, New Girl, Glee, Grey's Anatomy, all my favorite animated sitcoms like Family Guy, South Park, etc., and finally maybe a few new shows. The Mindy Project, anyone?

(Don't judge me by the vast amount of TV I watch. Usually I'm multitasking while watching. I work on blog stuff, or watch while eating dinner, or I hang out with the girls upstairs and we make a girls night of it. I promise, I'm not a total couch potato!)

One year ago

A year ago today, I took the leap with my first blog post on Verbal Mélange. But really, the blog started long before April 2011. I spent months stalking studying others' blogs. Figuring out what I liked. Trying to gain a focus. Designing a logo, which I promptly scrapped for the current design. And ever since, I've been continually evolving this project. So yes, I'm celebrating my one-year bloggiversary today. But VM is far from becoming a static project, with a single set anniversary. Here's to the next year to come :)




cardi: The Limited
shirt: really, really old...from Alloy maybe?
slacks: thrifted
belt, flats: Target
necklace: Figleaf
EIGHT THINGS I’VE LEARNED THROUGH BLOGGING

1. I can actually dress myself. That is, I’m completely capable of coming up with unique outfits most days (hey, we all do repeats…don’t pretend you’re not guilty). That was honestly one of my biggest worries about starting this blog; that I would run out of inspiration or steam after a few months.

2. How to thrift. A year ago, I would have never, EVER, gone into a thrift store with $7 and been able to leave with the makings of a few different outfits. Now? I think at least a third of my closet is thrifted. Helloooooo, money saved!

3. How to step out of my fashion comfort zone. Before I started blogging, I think I laughed at the colored pants trend. *blush* And honestly, I’m kind of ashamed to admit that. BECAUSE I LOVE MY COLORED PANTS. But really, it all goes back to the “don’t knock it until you try it” idea. And for the most part, I have fully adopted that as a mantra.

4. How to do the above, but still stay true to my personal style. (Because, as eclectic as it is, I do consider myself to have a “personal” sort of style.) There are some trends I simply won’t try. Not because I think they’re stupid (tons of people can pull off color blocking or peplum skirts with absolute grace and flare), but because they’re just not me. There’s a difference between trying new things and pretending to be someone else.

5. How to better manage my finances. I guess you could say blogging about my Financial Diet gave me a certain amount of accountability, even if I didn’t stay entirely true to the cause 100% of the time. Just knowing that other people were aware of what I was trying to do (and in some cases, doing it with me) helped me gain the financial structure that I was never able to obtain before.

6. Photography. I’m by no means an expert, and I still use a point-and-shoot, but look at those first indoor photos from April/May 2011, then look at the ones from this February/March. Dear God, those photos were so awful.

7. Sometimes, the best style bloggers aren’t the “famous” ones. When I started, I only knew the “popular” bloggers like Kendi, Jill, Sydney, Jessica, etc. etc. And while they are all lovely women, I’m sure, and I still read (most of) those blogs every day, I’ve discovered that in some cases, I like the lesser-known bloggers even more than the big-name ones. Which leads me to…

8. The blogging community is so incredible. For real. You guys bring a smile to my face on pretty much a daily basis. And the friendships I’ve established with a few of you is so incredible, and so real, it’s almost unbelievable. And even when I'm just sitting here talking about myself, like I have been with these lists this week, I've been learning about you guys through responses in the comments.

And you know something? I think that's my favorite thing.

P.S. Happy Easter, to those who celebrate it! I'm spending the day with my family, gorging myself silly on my younger siblings' Easter candy. Hey, those kids can't eat it all. I'm helping them...umm...prevent cavities. Yeah ;)

Favorite things: Fall/winter edition

When I first started the ol' blog, I did a "favorite things" post that featured an outfit with all of my current faves. It was very springy, and I definitely still count all those items among my favorites. (So much so that I often rewear that exact outfit over...and over...good thing I don't make a point to post every single day, haha!)

I thought it'd be kind of fun to do another one, this time featuring items I've been wearing all fall and winter. Well, mostly winter, since these boots and the shirt are still relatively new. But still.






shirt: H&M
jeans: Guess via Macy's
boots: Target
necklace: Figleaf in Athens
bracelet: gifted from my momma
lipstick: Cover Girl in Rich
Yup, safe to say I love every piece of this outfit, on its own and as a whole. I've practically lived in this striped shirt since I got it at H&M with a gift card that Matt's sister gave me for Christmas. And these cognac boots are something I had been lusting after for months, if not a full year, before I bought them. Yes, this outfit might look better with skinny jeans, but honestly, the Guess ones are so comfortable, I can't not wear them sometimes. And they're long enough! And they don't sag on my butt! For the record, that absolutely never, ever happens.

Oh, and about the lipstick? It's this line that Cover Girl has that doesn't make your lips dry out the way other lipsticks tend to do. I'm in love. I have three or four shades already, and I'm itching for more. I wear this Rich color the most though; it's the perfect shade of everyday red. Not to vampy, but just bold enough to be noticed.

(P.S. Don't forget to enter my vintage T giveaway! Ends today at 5 pm!)

The sniffles

When I get a cold, I don't get just a little case of the sniffles. I get a full-blown foggy head, sneezing constantly, chills, aches, fatigue, runny nose, people-are-afraid-to-be-around-me-cause-I-look-like-death cold. And wouldn't you know it...that's what's going on this week.

But since I took so much time off the ol' blog at the beginning of the month, I didn't want to leave you guys hanging without an outfit post. So I dug up this one from a week or two ago, when the weather was a little more pleasant and I was feeling a little more human.






button down: New York & Company
coverup: Figleaf boutique in Athens
skirt: H&M, thrifted
tights, boots: Target
necklace, bracelet: so old, I don't even remember
I think this definitely ranks as one of my favorite outfits of 2012 thus far. And even though these tights look pretty orange in the pics, I assure you all they are more of a rust color. Guess I'm still hanging on to that autumn palate, even though we're far closer to spring than fall (and thank god for it, too!).

Wedding weekend!

So after promising to post pics from the wedding, I realized most of them are out of focus for some reason. This is why I am not a real photographer, haha. I also noticed that I didn't take any photos of Matt and I together :( Luckily, my best friend (who happened to be the maid of honor) is a photographer herself, and she got a great one of Matt and I. What would I do without her?

Anyway, as promised, here's what I wore. I only took one photo, since I didn't want to be that awkward girl doing a full-on photo shoot at someone else's wedding. So I stole Emily for a minute, and she snapped this for me.


dress: JCPenney, I think?
coverup: Figleaf
shoes: Buckle, years ago
necklace: don't remember
For some reason, this coverup didn't want to stay centered over my chest, so I wound up with one side just kind of sticking out all night. Weird, but I really doubt that anyone noticed, so I guess it's not a big deal. Fun fact: I've worn this dress, styled in different ways, to nearly every wedding I've been to in the last three years. It's such a great dress...I just can't help re-wearing it! Plus, it's really twirly, which is awesome for dancing, haha.

So, here are the rest of the (somewhat blurry) photos!


The bridesmaids, with Emily at the front


Here comes the bride!


The vows were lovely


Toldja he looked so handsome :)


How adorable is this cupcake? (The wedding theme was sunflowers. Absolutely gorgeous.)


Me, Stephanie and Emily. The OU girls, if you will :)
Okay, okay, I'm done boring you with photos of a wedding where you didn't know a single person there. (Unless, of course, you actually know me/Steph/Emily in real life, in which case go check out my Facebook for more photos, haha.) Oh, and if you're wondering, Steph got her dress from The Cotton Bride. How gorgeous is that? Anyway, like I said, it was a wonderful wedding...so much fun! Congrats, Steph and Jarrod :)

Made it!

That's right folks, I am officially through my very first 30x30 challenge! I may have cheated a few times (bought a necklace, wore non-30 outfits in the evenings that I wore items from the 30 during the day, skipped days, added/subtracted items...haha) but overall, I'm quite proud of the accomplishment. And now, my closet seems 10 times bigger than what it did before the challenge, without even buying new clothes! That's fun.

items: 6, 15 17, 26
necklace: Figleaf
bangles: don't remember
bag: Boo Bags! giveaway win

I was originally going to wear jeans with this outfit to a cookout that our friend was having yesterday. But after snapping just a few outdoor photos in those long pants, I was sweltering, so I switched it up for shorts. Good call, if you ask me.

Oh, and this bag? I won it in a giveaway from Nick of Predictably Irrational. It's a Banksy print tote, and I absolutely love it! Very nice quality, very sturdy. I can tell I'll be using this bag quite a lot this summer! Nick is really creative with DIY-ing and makeover-ing making over items like Tshirts, too. (One of her more recent posts is a gorgeous Tshirt redo that is simply to die for!)

I know it's customary to do a 30x30 lookback at the end of the challenge. Well, I'm a somewhat traditional gal in many respects, so I'm busy compiling all my photos and thinking about what kind of reflections I want to...um...reflect upon. Stay tuned!

A giant thank you!

I realized that I've never really said this before, so I'm saying it now. A huge THANK YOU to everyone who reads/subscribes to/follows this blog. To the nearly 45 of you that follow me via RSS feeds, Google Friend Connect and Bloglovin', THANK YOU! To those who follow me on Pinterest, Twitter and Facebook, THANK YOU! And to those who just pop in from time to time, another big THANK YOU!

And, just so you all know, you can follow me through any of the aforementioned platforms via the buttons on the right ;) Okay, okay. I'm done with that. On to the clothes!

items: 3, 5, 27
belt: thrifted
necklace: Figleaf

This is actually the very first time I've ever worn a dress as a skirt. (It's this dress, if you were wondering.) And since this shirt is so see-through, I actually had to tuck the top part of the dress down into the skirt itself. So it's a little poofy, but I think the belt helps keep it in check. Personally, I love this style...it's like I just gained another eight or so skirts, without spending a cent! That's always a bonus, amiright?

Also, is Blogger being weird for anyone else lately? Deleting codes that are supposed to be in every post, not letting you center photos in WYSIWYG mode, etc?

A Close Call

I seriously cannot believe how much rain we're getting this year. It's supposed to be thunderstorms all week, and it rained or was otherwise dreary all weekend. Luckily, the mornings have been relatively clear so I'm able to get my outfit photos done. Thank goodness for small conveniences, I suppose.

I take that back. It's definitely thundering outside right now. And my camera battery is charging as I write, so I still have to take these photos. Aahhh!

items: 12, 18, 20

tank: Walmart

necklace: Figleaf

bracelets: various

I had to crop out my face in that closeup because I had this making a weird/worried look that was definitely not flattering. I don't like getting rained on! But I got the shots, at least. Not a moment too soon, either...the clouds are definitely rolling in quickly. I'm sure it'll start raining by the time I hit "post." The things I do for you, readers. Good thing I like you all so much ;) haha


On second thought, I'm really not a fan of these...they don't show off the outfit as much as I'd like. Maybe I'll get super lucky and it'll clear up this afternoon, and I can re-shoot them. Fingers crossed.

And sure enough...here's the rain.

30 x 30: day 1

Well, here we are! I'll admit I'm a little intimidated by this challenge...remixing has always been a basis of my outfit selection, but this is like extreme remixing. But I think I've got some good pieces (check out the 30 x 30 tab at the top for the full list) so we'll see how it goes!

items: 6, 22, 28
necklace: Figleaf

I've decided to stick with two photos in light of the fact that I'll be posting daily, including weekends. Plus, getting these up before work is a lot easier when I have fewer photos to sort through :)

Also, my bendy-flexi-tripod broke. I'm pretty annoyed, because now I have to drag a chair and my non-flexi-mini tripod out to my deck for photos. Lame. Amazon, here I come!

More thrift love

Remember those awesome shoes I mentioned? The ones I miraculously found at Rag-o-rama, just sitting on the shelf, waiting to be discovered? These are those shoes. And I love, love, love them.

Shirt: Old Navy
Jeans: Guess via Macy's
Shoes: Banana Republic via Rag-o-rama
Necklace: Figleaf

The funny thing is, they're four-inch heels and they're really not all that uncomfortable. Yet another reason why they're awesome.

I wore this Memorial Day weekend, when I went out to a party with my friend Jade. She took these photos; courtesy Jade L. White Photography.

Oversleeping

I'm running late today so there's not much time for chit-chat. But I do think it's funny to be posting a photo of me in a blazer in early June...suffice to say that when I wore this last week (or the week before?) I had to ditch the blazer for most of the day. But I just love the jeans-heels-and-blazer combo, don't you?

Blazer: Mossimo via TargetShirt: The LimitedJeans: Silver via Macy'sShoes: Franco Sarto via Marshall'sNecklace: FigleafWatch: Walmart

And before you ask: No, I don't know what kind of crazy dance move that is in the second photo :)

If April showers bring May flowers...

...then what do May showers bring? You're probably sick of me writing about the rain. Well, join the club. This has been the wettest spring I can remember. And here's another fun fact: we've had our heat on for most of this week. I keep double-checking the calendar to make sure it isn't still March, because it sure feels like it! Next week is supposed to warm up a bit, though it won't get any drier. Hey, I'll take what I can get.

Shirt: thrifted
Bermuda shorts: New York and Company
Shoes: Mossimo via Target
Necklace: Figleaf
Sunnies: No idea. Target?

Oh, so I have seen the sun this season, and here's proof! I wore sunnies! Apparently, they give me the kissy-face attitude that thus far has been lacking on this blog.

This feels like such a great spring outfit to me. Bright, bare arms/legs, peep toes. It has everything. Also, I love the color combo of light teal and faux-old gold. So pretty and feminine! Kind of wish I had different shoes for this, but I'm not sure what I'd wear. Any ideas?

One more, I suppose

I thought I'd give you guys an actual original post today as well, rather than just re-posting stuff that Blogger ate. Hey, I try to be a responsible blogger :)

Dress/tunic thing: Figleaf in Athens, OH
Tank: Walmart, I think?
Tights: No idea
Shoes: Mossimo via Target
Earrings: My friend's shop on Etsy

Sorry for not having the details on most of this outfit. The tank and the tights were both purchased ages ago, as was most of the basic half of my wardrobe...tees, tights, tanks, jeans, etc. But let me tell you all about these earrings. My friend Kree makes jewelry and sells it in her shop on Etsy. She names a lot of her jewelry after women in her life, and guess what she called these earrings? That's right. These are the Emma earrings! She gave them to me as a going-away present when I left Panera for my current job.

Kree's jewelry is always gorgeous and she uses really high quality materials. And she puts a LOT of time and effort into everything she makes. Go on, check out her shop! And if you live here in Columbus, stop by Accent on Nature in Grandview to see some more of her work.

(Thinking about asking Kree if she'd be interested in a giveaway at some point, maybe when I have a few more followers. Would you enter? Let me know!)

Rain, rain, go away

I know it's incredibly cliché to blog about the weather, but this has been the wettest, rainiest spring in my memory. I heard somewhere that it's a record-breaking rainfall this year, and I believe it. But today, it's downright cold out as well. I had to pull a sweater out of storage. It's May!!!

So, I decided to post one of my warmer weather outfits from the last week or so. Call it wishful thinking.

Coverup: Figleaf
Dress: H&M
Shoes: Payless
Bracelet: Canal Street in NYC

I like to say that this charm bracelet is Tiffany-inspired; I bought it on Canal Street in New York a few summers back. That's all I'm really going to say on that one, haha. Fig Leaf is a cute little boutique in Athens, Ohio. I bought this a few years ago though, and their stock changes pretty frequently. They always have cute clothes, though.

Alright. Sunny weather post is a go. Now, weather, get on my level!