sweater: Forever 21
khakis: Old Navy
boots: Madden Girl via Famous Footwear
necklace: gifted
I had intended to make today's post my January clothes budget recap (to link up to Fran's Budgeting Bloggers series, but this week month kind of got away from me. Spoiler alert: This sweater is in the recap. Spoiler alert #2: I spent every penny of my clothes budget, and then some, at Forever 21 this month. I'm a little embarrassed about that fact, but also not at all embarrassed because I needed a lot of sweaters and now I have them :)
Anyway, I guess I'm adding "write a January budget recap post" to my already miles-long to-do list for this weekend. I'm doing two interviews for a Columbus Bride story, writing another story that I've finished interviewing for, going to the climbing gym with Matt and his aunt to show her the ropes (AAAAHH I'm sorry, I'm sorry, terrible puns are my kryptonite). I also have to start my taxes, work on some photos for said Columbus Bride stories, do some general wedding prep and go to a meeting on a photography project I'm involved in. And finally, I have plans to hang out with my friends Chasity and Kate; the three of us (and Matt) are going to a show on Saturday, and then just us girls are getting together Sunday to watch Super Bowl commercials and do some wedding crafting. Sheesh. It's gonna be one of those "I need a weekend after my weekend" situations, I think.
How are your weekend plans shaping up? Hopefully you'll have a little more downtime than I do!
P.S. I totally forgot to talk about my new backdrop! Here it is :) I love it. It's been such a boon to both my blog photography and my budding semi-professional shoots as well. This was my second outfit shoot with it, and clearly it's a lot harder to figure out if my feet will be cut off when I don't have a point of reference at the bottom of the frame. I wound up repositioning the camera to get my feet in the shots, but I ended up not liking any of them anyway. Womp womp.
sweater: The Limited via Discount Fashion Warehouse
sleeveless collared button-down: New York & Company
khaki skinnies: Old Navy
boots: gifted (Old Navy)
necklace: giveaway win
Yeesh. End of January, where did you come from? I feel like lately, I think that every month will be easier than the last...only to find out that it's not. "Oh, once the holidays are over, things will settle down." "Oh, once I finish these photo shoots, life will be calmer." "Oh, once this freelance deadline is passed, I'll have some free time." But then I realize that after the holidays, and the three newborn photo sessions, and the writing deadlines, I'll still have about eight bajillion wedding crafts to finish. So...June? Yeah. Once June hits, I'll be able to take a breather. Possibly.
In other news, these are the last indoor photos you'll see with my curtains and a bar cart as a background! I used some Christmas money and a gift card to buy what essentially is a beginner's indoor portable studio. There's a lovely white backdrop, and a mediocre light kit. It's great in that it has two umbrella stands and a naked bulb stand, but it's not so great in that you can't really angle the umbrella lights...you can only adjust the height. Still, for a first set (and for how little I paid), I can't really complain.
The new setup means my newborn photo sessions went wonderfully; I have two of them finished and am just trying to find time to upload the photos to my portfolio site. I'll be sure to share a link when I do because these kiddos are ADORABLE. I love babies. Especially tiny little newborns. They're so precious!
Anyway, yeah. Tangent much? I have no idea what I really wanted to say about this outfit/life in general this morning. Other than maybe, is there anything easier than throwing a collared shirt under a sweater and adding a big necklace? I am digging this look lately and I swear I wear some variation of it at least once a week. Yeah nope, still super random/tangental. I'm trying to get back into the habit of waking up early to do some yoga and mini projects (like more frequent blog posts, ahem). Sooo my coffee hasn't quite hit my brain yet, I guess? Yeah, let's go with that.
blouse: The Limited via Discount Fashion Warehouse
khakis, necklace: Old Navy
blazer, shoes: Target
A lot of people consider Friday the 13th to be bad luck. I used to be one of them, right up until the most recent Friday the 13th. It was six months ago, and I was asked the most important question of my whole life. And of course, I said yes. Ever since Matt decided to propose on a Friday the 13th, I've claimed it as my own personal good-luck day. Take THAT, superstition!
Okay no joke, that whole paragraph right there was just an excuse for me to let off a little excitement at this little milestone. My friend/coworker/bridesmaid, Hayley, commented that it seems like it's been much longer than six months. To which I replied, "That's probably because I have the whole wedding planned already." And while that is an exaggeration, it's a slight one. We've tackled the venue, the officiant (aka Matt's brother-in-law), the caterer, the photographer, the videographer (aka my office's video intern from last summer), the DJ/photobooth, the cake baker (aka Hayley, who grew up decorating wedding cakes in her mom's bakery), the dress, what the attendants will be wearing, and some of the minor decor details. All that we really have left is:
- making sure the bridesmaids/groomsmen place their orders
- picking out Matt's tux
- finding my undergarments, shoes and veil (the latter of which I will probably DIY)
- engagement photos (courtesy another friend/bridesmaid, Emily)
- DIYing the save-the-dates
- DIYing all the flowers and the centerpieces
- DIYing the invitations
- write the ceremony
- buy attendants' gifts
- GET FREAKING MARRIED ALREADY :)
Ugh. I hate when I start writing a post with intent to talk about something, then go off on a tangent about wedding stuff. I can't help it; I'm a woman obsessed. #sorrynotsorry
It's just as well, I suppose. These photos didn't turn out so great, but I really liked the outfit and frankly, my re-shoot list is way too long to add this outfit to the queue. C'est la vie!
You read that right! This should be (oh man, I sure hope it is) the last batch of indoor shots for the season. Of course, this is Ohio, and it's also the weirdest/coolest spring we've had for a while, so I had to throw that parenthetical question mark in there. Le sigh.
sweater and necklace: Express via Discount Fashion Warehouse
khaki skinnies: Old Navy
boots: Target
These were taken during a cold snap that happened just after the first real taste of warm weather this year, and I was not exactly pleased to be donning boots and a sweater again. The above photos might be all smiley, but this is how I really felt:
I can't help it. I'm cold-blooded. I need the sun and the heat.
I've been dying for nice weather even more than usual over the past week and a half, because I finally got my scooter running! That is, I found a guy who was able to get it running for me. If you're in Columbus and you need a recommendation for an honest, fast, reliable scooter or motorcycle repair guy, hit me up. I'd love to give him some more business.
Anyway, I've been scooting around town for absolutely everything possible since last week, including commuting to work. Yesterday I took it on my longest ride yet: Nearly two hours of running errands on OSU's campus and in Grandview and Upper Arlington. So far I've only hit a top speed of 50 mph, which is plenty fast enough for me, thanks. (It's a 150 cc, and the speedometer indicates it can go up to 80, though I suspect there's some sort of regulator that would probably cut me off around 60 mph or so. Since it's not legal for highway driving, I really don't see a need for ever going over 50 mph.) I mastered my balance and driving into head- and crosswinds fairly quickly, and now am working on perfecting my turns. And of course, here's a photo from the day I got her back from my repair guy:
I named her Perdita, because her fancy matte black and white paint job makes her look a little like a dalmation. Also, she's purdy :) Suffice to say, I'm absolutely in love.
When I first started blogging, I tended to wear a lot of neutral colors. Black, gray, white, beige...that was my comfort zone. Every once in a while, I'd throw in a pop of red or yellow. Now, I'm mixing colors and patterns with the best of them. I might stick more to the "safe" zone of color-/pattern-mixing, but I still do it.
Usually.
sweater: New York & Company
blouse: Express via Discount Fashion Warehouse
khaki skinnies: Old Navy
boots: Target
necklace: Jane.com
Sometimes, it's kind of nice to go back to my roots, so to speak. Though even this outfit is a far cry from the black shirt/khaki pants combo I would have been wearing three years ago, when I first started brainstorming the idea of a style blog. The pearls! The stars-as-polka-dots sheer blouse! The layering! The khakis-as-skinnies-tucked-into-boots! I would have worn none of it, I tell you.
Except the sweater. That baby was purchased nearly three and a half years ago, when I first entered the professional world and needed a business casual wardrobe, stat. New York & Company, you've done well for me.
Oh, and if that last photo looks different, it's because it is. Slightly. I played around with sharpening the image in Photoshop's RAW editing mode before using the sharpening actions I've mentioned before. (My original post on sharpening photos is pretty poor; it's little more than a link to these three pages. I'm going to do some more research on sharpening in the RAW editor, then I'll come back and do a comprehensive post on the whole shebang. So...stay tuned!
sweater: The Limited via Discount Fashion Warehouse
khakis: Old Navy
Boots: Target
necklace: Etsy
Given the stupid-cold temperatures lately and the fact that "business casual" generally tends to frown upon sweatpants, I've been re-wearing a lot of the same warm outfits lately. So while this sweater/khaki/boots combo was shot nearly a month ago, I've worn it at least three times since then. Honestly? I'm not even going to pretend that I care. Comfort > new outfits.
Matt and I went to go see American Hustle last night, thanks to a BOGO movie ticket deal we got in the mail. (Also: Free popcorn and parking, woot!) It was pretty good, but not in the way I expected it to be. I also had a hard time seeing J.Law as anyone other than J.Law with a Jersey accent, which was pretty unfortunate. She had some good moments, though. Matt said he had a hard time seeing anything other than Amy Adams' sideboob, which was abundant. Hey, who can blame him?
And tomorrow we're doing another sort-of-cheap date night: Dinner at the Refectory (that awesome restaurant where we went for our five-year anniversary), thanks to a gift card Matt's sister and brother-in-law got us for Christmas. I'm pretty stoked.
But tonight? Tonight is even more exciting, kind of. We're going to sign a contract with our wedding venue! I'll share more details in a post next week, along with a little catch-up on where we are in the planning process. (I'm thinking I'll do some sporadic "Wedding Wednesdays" posts. Man, I love me some alliteration.)
t-shirt, Old Navy: Old Navy
polo, heels: Target
necklace: InPink
bracelet: don't remember
So the title of today's post applies to several things. First and foremost, I survived my sister's bachelorette party! It was so much fun, and well worth the time and effort I put into making sure it would be a great night for everyone. Fortunately, the bride-to-be survived as well ;)
I also survived that wicked cold that's been plaguing me for the past week or two. Only I found out yesterday that it wasn't a cold, it was my first-ever sinus infection. Let me tell you. Sinus infections are the absolute worst. Give me the flu any day; at least that's usually over with in a day or so.
Anyway, I'm on antibiotics and my way to recovery. Which is fortunate, because from now until the end of August, I have another bachelorette party, three weddings (two of which I'm a bridesmaid/maid of honor in), a sister's 21st birthday (not the one who's getting married, haha!), and a trip to Cedar Point. Bring it on!
If you know anything about me, it should be that I'm terrified of bugs. Anything with more than four legs pretty much freaks me the heck out. Spiders, centipedes, nameless insects that creep into your kitchen and startle you by sitting menacingly on the wall above the fridge when you're trying to unwind with a good ep of How I Met Your Mother. Needless to say, the latter manifested itself last night.I just happened to glance into the kitchen when I saw it. Not 20 feet from where I sat was this disgusting little thing with a flat, half-inch long body. Just chilling on my wall like it belonged there. Like it knew I'd be cool with an extra roommate. No. Thank. You. So after a cool shriek (I'm so laid back, I know), I tiptoed into the kitchen to find the spider spray. You know the kind, it has a spray with a range of five feet so you don't have to get too close to the abomination that's invading your space.First shot. I missed by about six inches, underestimating the force of the spray itself. Second shot, nailed it. And the damn thing fell, still wiggling, behind the fridge.
shirt, khakis: Old Navy
vest: thrifted
shoes: TargetNot entirely sure how I feel about this vest. I liked it a lot when I bought it for 50 cents at the thrift store, but the front panel is made from a semi-itchy wool blend that stretches up behind my neck. And after seeing it in photos, I don't think I like the color combinations that much either. What do you think?But wait! The bug story isn't over. I won't go into the agonizing detail of the next 15 minutes, but they definitely involved me crouching in the kitchen with a flashlight, trying to peer behind the fridge and spray a bug that just would not die. It had to be some mutant thing that was half-immune to poison. I got the little creeper eventually, though. Then I had to wash my wall, because you know something? Spider-poison stains paint.
Oh boy. We're about to have some crazy weekends ahead, I can say that much. Sometimes, I'm a bit Grinchy. The hype and chaos of the holidays always leaves me feeling exhausted. And who wouldn't, when every December weekend has a party or two, and Christmas travel involves going from Columbus to Cleveland to Akron to Columbus to Findlay? (For you non-Ohioans: That's a lot of driving.)But at the same time, a little bit of my Grinchy heart melts when we finally get around to putting up the Christmas tree. Something about decorating the tree, listening to Frank Sinatra's Christmas album, always gets me. That's on the agenda for this weekend and to be honest, I'm quite looking forward to it.
shirt and khakis: Old Navy
collared shirt: New York & Company
shoes: Payless
necklace: The LimitedI've been on a real kick with layering collared shirts lately. I don't know why, but I feel like this is just the perfect look—clean and put together, but not stuffy. It's like an instant touch of class, whether you're wearing slacks, a skirt or even jeans. Kind of the same way a blazer can make jeans and a graphic t-shirt look stylish. Wha-bam! Instant style.And now, I need your opinion. Would you all rather see a Fiscal Fridays post tomorrow, or a recipe/food post? Can't decide...
I've been slacking. With the blog, with my freelance work, with my social life...a lot of things, really. For a while, I was blaming it on working three jobs. That's a great excuse to pull back on other areas of life, in my opinion. But now that I'm back down to two, I either have to start blaming it on something else (granted, I do have seasonal depression, which is another fantastic excuse), or step it up and start getting with the program.See, my dear bloggy friend Sydney wrote an amazing post about living with purpose. And I realized that I needed to take a page out of her book. From little things, like waking up when my alarm goes off instead of hitting snooze for 30 minutes, to big things, like cleaning the house (hey, dusting/mopping/scrubbing the toilet are big things to me)...I need to start living my life again, instead of drifting through it. Especially at this time of year.
shirt, flats: Target
button-up layering shirt: New York & Company
khakis: Old Navy
necklace: The LimitedSo I'm going to start planning my outfits better. (Better being a relative term...I usually decide what to wear that morning, standing bleary-eyed in front of my closet. Not the best method at all.) I also want to start thrifting more, which means I need to spend less of my Financial Diet allowance on eating out. I want to start working out again, and planning meals better, since I usually just eat whatever I can find during the week when Matt's traveling. Last night's dinner? Eggs over-medium with some leftover French bread that was in the fridge. Not a real dinner. I want to start posting every weekday again.So thanks, Syd, for giving me some inspiration! I'll let you all know how it goes :)
Running a bit behind this morning, so I have just a couple quick photos to post, and some shopping tips and info for y ;)First, the shopping. I have a promo code for you to use on eShakti! Buy some cute clothes for you or get a jump start on your Christmas shopping with the promo code EMMA0811. That will get you $20 off your purchase now through December 31!Want $50 to spend on whatever you like at The Limited? Of course you do. Click here to enter! Giveaway ends TONIGHT at 11 pm EST, so hurry up!
sweater, scarf-turned-belt, cords: thrifted
lace shirt: Forever 21
cami: Old Navy
shoes: TargetI had to adjust the second photo a bit more than the first to show the detail of the shirt. I swear, I've never once been able to photograph this lace shirt well! The photo gods must dislike it. Too bad, photo gods, because I love this shirt!I'm slowly but surely bulking up my thrifting skills and thrifted clothes. My goal? To create an entirely thrifted outfit before the end of the year. Looks like I have some serious $1 holla shopping to do!Disclaimer: I am an affiliate of eShakti, so I get perks when you use that promo code. And even though I said it on the original post, I'll say it again...The Limited compensated me for this giveaway as well.
You ever take outfit photos and love the clothes, but hate the way the photos turn out? So you decide to re-wear that outfit again at some point, to reshoot the photos? That happened over the summer for me with this outfit. Only I never really got around to reshooting the outfit, so I had to modify it a week or two ago when the temps were in the upper 70s, not the upper 90s. But I still like the overall look and, let's face it, I'll probably rewear the original outfit come spring or summer anyway.
shirt: Old Navy
vest: New York & Company
khakis and shoes: Target
necklace: The LimitedExcept, these photos didn't really turn out so well either. That fence behind me is on the south side of the yard, and while I really want to get it in some of the photos (because fences are cool), the south side of the yard always has the most sun in it...so it always winds up giving me some crazy glare. Bummer.In other news, I have Saturday off! And nowhere to be! So I'm going to get some to-do list items checked off. Like getting my bridesmaid dress for my friend Tiffany's wedding next year (yay!!), doing some freelance work and finally getting around to that dang curtain tutorial I keep promising. Hooray for a smidgen of free time!
