A quickie

shirt: Old Navy
vest: Forever 21
capris: The Limited
shoes: Buckle
belt: Target
necklace: Express
Not much time for chats today, as I'm off for a haircut and a quick moral-support-slash-getting-my-hand-crushed-while-a-friend-gets-a-tattoo sesh. But I have about five outfits to post (including this one) before I can start posting ones shot with my new camera, so I wanted to get this one in the can :)

I've had this idea of a black vest/black shirt combo in the back of my head for a while. The reality of it turned out a lot less awesome than I anticipated, unfortunately. I guess that happens to all of us, right? C'est la vie.

Good choices

vest: thrifted
cami: Old Navy
jeans: Target
heels: Franco Sarto via Marshall's
necklace: old, don't remember
bracelet: H&M
I wore this for a night out on the town with my friend from work a few weeks ago, back when weather was warmer and less rainy. It was her birthday, so she and I, and a few others, all raged appropriately. Or inappropriately, depending on how you look at it.

Just before I walked out the door, I took off those 4-inch heels and threw on my leopard-print flats. In retrospect, it was the best decision I made all night. I am a bit awkward in these heels when I'm sober, and I knew there'd be a good deal of walking involved. I was right.

Hey, so did you enter my giveaway yet?

The little things

shirt: secondhand
vest: Forever 21
pants: New York and Company
shoes: DSW




I like to stop and take a moment to appreciate the little moments in my life. Like relaxing on the couch after making a delicious meal from scratch, watching Jeopardy and Wheel of Fortune with Matt. We like to shout out the answers together in a little friendly competition. I know, we're old people. But still. Sometimes it's the best part of my day :)

I'm feeling a lot better (if you hadn't noticed). Thank god...it's just so great to be feeling like myself again!

Anyway, any opinions on these shoes with this outfit, guys? I'm not sure if I like the gray with the black. Also, these shoes don't really fit so I'm kind of prejudiced against them, haha.

Shoe woes

shirt: Old Navy
vest: thrifted
skirt: The Limited
heels: DSW
necklace: Forever 21

Oh, these shoes. I love them, but I also kinda hate them. I bought them to wear in my sister's wedding next month, off the clearance rack at DSW. They felt a teensy bit too big...but I figured a size 10 really wasn't that much different from a 9.5, and there weren't any smaller sizes left, so I just went for it. For $30, it didn't seem like a big deal.

Except the damn shoes just don't fit. Now, I'm pretty terrible at walking in four-inch heels to begin with, so when they're ill-fitting it's an even worse scenario. I've stuffed lamb's wool into the toes, added a heel insert and a stuck in a ball-of-the-foot-slidy-preventer-thing. And while they do technically stay on my feet, I have to walk reeeeeeeally slowly in them.

I figure, for the wedding it won't be a big deal. All I have to do is walk semi-slowly down the aisle, stand up there for a bit, then walk semi-slowly back down (with a groomsman to support me, no less). After that it's just posing for photos, then I can kick these puppies off and switch to some comfy flops. It's a shame these don't fit better, though. They're pretty damn cute.

Monday already?

Wow. I had one of those weekends where you get so much done, yet you still find plenty of time to just kick back and chill. I think waking up super early during the week has gotten me into the habit of being able to wake up slightly earlier on the weekends, which makes me more productive. I used to sleep in until 11 or noon on the weekend, because during the week I didn't get up until 8. Now, I get up at 6:30 and "sleeping in" until 9 or 10 is more than enough.

Because I'm sure you're all fascinated by my sleep schedule. Anyway.







shirt, heels: thrifted
vest, necklace, bracelet: Forever 21
khakis: Old Navy

Hm. I guess I don't really have much else to say this morning. I have to go pack my breakfast and lunch and dig up a tomato plant to give to a friend at work. My garden's coming along really well, I think. Can't wait until it actually starts producing some edibles :)

More weekend, please

Yet again, the weekend is over far too soon. And it was a good one too, full of sun and pools and shopping. Matt and I even made it down to the climbing wall and got a few routes in. I was pretty behind my game, though. It's been a while since I've been out. And we had dinner with Matt's family Sunday night. That's always fun :)

But perhaps the highlight of the weekend was finally getting a new mattress! The one we've been sleeping on is actually almost 20 years old. We upgraded to a queen from a full, too. I know it's only six inches bigger, but it makes a heck of a difference! I slept better last night than I have in ages.







shirt: secondhand
vest: New York & Company
capris: Old Navy
shoes: Target
necklace: The Limited

I don't know why, but I tend to wear this shirt with vests. Maybe it's the crazy-high shoulders on it. I always think it's cute, but then I chicken out at the last second and cover it up. Hm.

You know, I really want to go crawl back into our new bed right now. Getting up for work this morning was definitely more painstaking than usual...

First world problems

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Firsts and lasts

So Sunday night, I go to write and schedule a post to go up this morning. Because I'm starting my new job today (eep!) and don't want to risk missing my bus because I'm busy blogging. Which is totally something I would do. Anyway, I was completely startled to see Blogger's new format. It's very...interesting. Other Blogger users out there, what do you think?




shirt: Old Navy
vest, necklace: thrifted
jeans: Guess via Macy's
flats: Target
bracelets: gifted and don't remember
So this is my last long-hair photo. It's also the outfit I wore to my last day of work at the magazine. Not gonna lie, smiling for these photos was pretty rough...I only had these two out of about a dozen that turned out decent. It was a really great job, and I'm going to miss it and my coworkers (especially them) very much. But at the same time, I'm so excited for my first day at the new job, too! It's going to be great :)

In other news, I just started reading The Bloggess' book, Let's Pretend This Never Happened. It is so. Freaking. Hysterical. Thank you, Jenny Lawson, for existing. You are a true entertainer.

Creepy crawlies

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: Target
Not 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.

Nightmares and hand-me-downs

Every once in a while, I'll have a few days where I just have the craziest nightmares. Zombies, loved ones in danger, apocalypses, dying, serial killers, etc. You name it, I've probably had a nightmare about it. And Sunday night/last night/this morning have been doozies. Usually I just wake up, see that Matt's still there next to me, and feel better. But he left for South Carolina for work this week and won't be back till Thursday. Here's hoping Spazzy will help keep the bad dreams at bay. (She likes to sleep in the bed with me when Matt's not around. It's cute.)

Anyway, no one wants to hear about my awful nightmares. So changing the subject. To clothes yay!









shirt: secondhand from Joanna
vest: thrifted
slacks: New York & Company
shoes: Target
necklace: gifted from Matt
bracelet: Forever 21

This is the second of three shirts that Joanna of Fabulously Average sent me when she cleaned out her closet. (See the first one here.) The third, sadly, is too tight across my shoulders. I'm actually super disappointed about this, because it's an adorable zebra print short-sleeve blazer thing, and I am so in love with it. I've considered wearing it and just taking the risk of straight-up Hulking it and ripping open the back seam...but I decided not to risk ruining such a great piece. So instead, I'm sending it along to another blogger just as soon as I finish cleaning out my closet. (Loren and Ally, I have piles for both of you! Don't worry, I haven't forgotten!)

Anyway, I'm legit in love with this shirt as well. The tall sleeves kind of worried me at first, but I decided to just go for it and I'm glad I did. And between those, the vest and the semi-top-knot, I feel kind of like the quintessential style blogger in this outfit. It's kind of funny, but when I really love what I'm wearing, and I know it looks good on me, I stand a little taller. Walk with a little more strut in my step. It's a good feeling.

Oh, and don't forget to enter my giveaway courtesy the lovely Raych of Marriage by Design! This necklace is absolutely gorg, so go here to enter.

The blahs

I wore this to work last Friday, or maybe it was the Friday before. Either way, I was feeling much better when I took these photos than I am today. I just want to change into some comfy sweats and go back to bed for a few hours. I don't know if it's seasonal allergies or a regular cold, but I feel awful!

But enough pity partying for me. I have my awesome leopard print flats and a nice, yellow, cheery shirt to counteract the bad vibes I imagine I'm giving off. Fake it till you make it!








shirt and vest: thrifted
jeans: Silver via Macy's
shoes: Payless
necklace: The Limited
lipstick: Red by Mary Kay
I don't know what's up with my hand in that last photo, but I can at least explain the face. It's supposed to be a kissy face. Which I'm apparently bad at. But I love my red lipstick so much, I just can't help but make horrible kissy faces every time I wear it. Oops.

What's that? You love that necklace from The Limited? Why thank you. You could get your very own (or anything else from the store, for that matter) if you enter and win my giveaway for a $50 gift card to the store! Original post here.

Take two

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 Limited
Except, 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!

EBEW: Thrift edition!

I'll admit I was a little nervous when I heard that Everybody, Everywear was doing a thrift edition. Yes, I love a good thrift store find as much as the next girl. But I never seem to have the time or the patience to really go out there, find the best ones in my area and dig through the racks for those hidden treasures.

But then I remembered this vest. It was the first thrifted item I ever bought. I got it from a Plato's Closet (technically a consignment store, but I won't split hairs) back when I was in my late teens. So this vest is pretty old, as clothes go, and I still love it. It's great for layering in the winter OR the summer, as you can see here.

vest: thrifted
shirt: Old Navy
capris: Target, maybe? They're new, but I forget already :(
shose: Target
necklace: no idea

This is probably my favorite thrifted piece for sentimental and practical reasons. I used to only wear it one way--with a cream-colored short-sleeve turtleneck sweater and khakis--but lately I've been mixing it up with other shirts, camis, jeans and Converses. (It's hard to tell in the photos, but it's a dark brown, so color matching isn't always easy.) But I always manage to make it work, I think.

Head over to EBEW to check out other peoples' thrifted treasures. Do you have a favorite thrifted item?

Work work work work work

Can you guess what's on my mind lately? Yep. Work. And money. And how there never seems to be enough of it in my bank account. So, I've decided that once this 30x30 challenge is over (today is day 28!), I'm imposing a new challenge upon myself. It's a financial diet, if you will. I can't reasonably cut out all spending, and to be honest, I wouldn't want to. I take the term "retail therapy" very seriously. It's sad, but shopping genuinely makes me feel better when I'm in a bad mood. Which, given my history through high school and college, explains why I'm so broke now.

But I'm trying to remedy that, particularly because next tax season is probably going to kill me. Or come close. It's my first year filing taxes as a non-student, and I'm earning some decent money freelancing on the side, which I don't get taxes taken out of them. So I'm going to owe good ol' Uncle Sam a pretty penny come April. So I'm trying to plan ahead! Yay, me!

So what does that mean? It means I'm looking for a part-time job (which will bump my employment up to 1 full time job, 1 freelance job, 1 part time job and 1 blog that's kind of like a job, only I don't get paid--yikes). Free time? Who needs it? Well, I do, but if I have less of it, maybe I'll shop less.

And when I do shop, it will be exclusively at thrift stores. If I want to splurge, I may buy something handmade on Etsy. But no full-price anything. Until...well, until I can't do it anymore. I'm aiming for a minimum of one month, but if this goes well, I'm going to try to stretch it out for the rest of the year. *gulp*

Okay, enough whining about money woes. Here are some fun photos! (Wow. That even rhymes. Ew.)

items: 4, 5, 9, 27
bracelet: street vendor @ Short North Gallery Hop
necklace: Claire's, about 5 or 6 years ago

Is this a pretty close copy of this outfit? Maybe. But it's the end of the challenge and to be honest, I'm running out of ideas. I can't wait to get my whole closet back! It will feel like I just went on the biggest shopping spree ever!

There I go again, talking about shopping. Ugh.

So, today's post has some homework. And you thought you were off the hook, with it being summer. Well, the school of VM never takes breaks! Muah ha ha ha!

Seriously, it's fun stuff.
- Enter my giveaway, if you haven't already. Ends Friday!
- If you have an account on 20 Something Bloggers (20SB), you should vote for me for the August featured blogger here. First person to vote for me gets a vote FROM me for their blog in return ;)
- If you have tips for saving money or whatnot, share! I need all the help I can get, haha.

Also...I don't say this enough, but I love you all. Really. Each and every one of you who reads this: you are awesome. And thank you. *muah*

I don't like spiders

They scare the living bejezus out of me. Doesn't matter how small they are, the second I see one, I start to panic. (This extends to most insects and centipede-like creatures. Ew.) So when I saw a spider floating gently down in front of me on its little web of fear in the middle of my photo shoot this morning, I got a little uncomfortable. Fortunately, he was small enough for me to take care of the situation...but unfortunately, he was big enough to interrupt my photos. Hence the strained looks and the peering at the ground, haha.

items: 12, 20, 27
yellow shirt: thrifted
necklace & knot earrings: The Limited

Ok, so I cheated just a tiny bit on my 30 items here. But it's for a good reason...Everybody Everywear! This month it's yellow. I don't own much yellow at all...I think it makes my skin look funny sometimes. But I have a few shirts, so here's my yellow for the month :)

In other news...still looking for 2-3 guest bloggers for early August, when Matt and I go to NYC. Email me at verbal{dot}melange{at}gmail{dot}com if you're interested!

Update: I have all my spots filled for vacation time. Thanks, guys, for the responses! If you want to guest post for me at some random time, you can still shoot me an email. I love connecting with other bloggers!

In other other news...have you entered my givewaway yet? Time's running out! (Ends Friday evening.)

This post has no coherent message.

Today is one of those days where, if I weren't doing the 30x30 challenge, I would have thrown on a T-shirt and some slacks and posted photos of a backup outfit or what I made for dinner last night (tacos, by the way...yum). But instead, I stood in front of my closet for ages, lamenting the lack of colored shirts in my 30 items, and threw on...two T-shirts, some slacks and a vest. What an improvement.

items: 5, 6, 9, 23, 28
necklace: The Limited

Wearing three shirts wasn't exactly what I had in mind today, but what can I say? I like to layer. Good thing the office is kept approximately cold enough to freeze water. I exaggerate, but not by much. It's cold.

In other news, I have had that stupid credit report commercial song stuck in my head all dang morning. You know the one..."free cause that's how it ought to be my brother / credit cause you need a loan for one thing or another..." I could go on. I know the whole thing. And it's driving. Me. Crazy.