Favorite things

sweater, skinnies: H&M
shoes: Target
necklace: InPink (giveaway win)
Guys, like me introduce you to my new favorite outfit.

It seems like every season I have one or two outfits or pieces that I wear constantly on repeat. I only post them here once, because it would be boring to re-post every time I wore it, but trust me when I say I'm probably wearing it at least once every week or two. This fall/winter, I'm re-wearing this.

The sweater and skinnies were actually copycat purchases. My sister Anna was wearing the sweater at our last family gathering, and I am not lying when I say that I nearly snuck into her room at night to steal it. Fortunately, there was one (ONE!!) left in stock at my H&M. Major score. And I've been wanting a pair of olive skinnies ever since I saw Audrey wearing them. This was only compounded when my friend Hayley rocked a pair one casual Friday.

So I wore this to work one Friday, and I wore it again with my moto-esque ankle boots to run some errands. And again to run errands. And I've basically been lounging in this sweater nonstop in the evenings...Now I'm wishing the store had had two in stock. I'm getting the feeling I might wear this thing right out!

What favorite pieces are you wearing on repeat this season?

Psst. If you live in/around Columbus, or plan to be in the area before February 2014, be sure to enter my super-awesome spa-day giveaway! Mani, pedi, facial AND browshaping could all be yours! Enter here.

Outfit win.

dress, necklace: The Limited
blazer, wedges, belt, tights: Target
This outfit features several of the items I bought during my previously mentioned shopping spree. The dress, the tights and the shoes are all new, and let me tell how much I am loving these shoes: A LOT. Seriously, they're my new favorites. They're closed, so I can wear socks and keep my feet warm. They add height, so they give me the appearance of being classy. And they're wedges, so I can actually walk in them without wobbling. Ladies and gentlemen, it's the trifecta.

The dress is pretty great, too. This photo is of an outfit I wore to work; I wore almost the exact same thing to Thanksgiving festivities. (The Thanksgiving version featured black tights and no blazer or belt...gotta love Indian summer days!) Anyway, I got a lot of compliments on this dress from my family. And the best part? I bought it on clearance, when The Limited was having a 40% off storewide sale, so it only cost me $20. Ultimate win.

Re-shoot

T-shirt, shoes: Old Navy
skirt: secondhand
necklace: Forever 21
If I were a serious, full-time style/fashion blogger, I'd be too embarrassed to tell you the truth about this outfit. But I'm just some chick who uses her little corner of the internet for pictures of her clothes and DIY projects. So the truth is, I actually wore this outfit back in June, never photographed it, then re-created it to take photos like two months later. Oops?

I wore this to a quadruple-birthday party; four of our friends have birthdays within a week of each other, so we usually celebrate with one big party. The bright pink skirt, seemed perfect for a nighttime soiree. I couldn't figure out how to style this skirt, so I went with the classic add-a-white-T-and-go method. Never fails!

(P.S. That third photo up there? It was supposed to be my "model" face. I'm so cool.)

Update: My friend Kathryn was observant enough to remember that I wore my pink flower clip thing in my hair at the party. Seeing as how I'm a horrible perfectionist, I had to say something. I may or may not Photoshop the flower into these pics and repost them, haha. Thanks for the reminder, girl!

Groovy, man

This is my lame attempt at the 70s thing. I'm not normally one to follow trends—I prefer to just wear what I like—but I was bored the other week and thought I'd give it a shot. Plus, it was probably the last chance I'd get to wear these wedges (temps went from 90s to 60s overnight!) and they really complement the 70s feel, so I think this was a good outfit overall.








polo: Target
jeans: random sale at OU
shoes: Old Navy
necklace: Tiffany & Co
When I say I got these jeans at a "random sale at OU," it's only because I have no idea what to call the sale. It wasn't a sample sale, per se, and it wasn't exactly a consignment or thrift situation either. What happened was, one of the on campus groups (rugby team maybe?) somehow acquired all these name brand clothes. Victoria's Secret, American Eagle, Aeropostale, a bunch of random jeans brands, etc. And then they sold them to students for way less than the retail price. It's sounds shady, but I'm guessing they were overstock items or they were somehow not quite up to standards for retail sale.

Either way, it results in a great place to find some nice basics. Like wide-leg flares. Three years before they really came back into style. I like to think I was just ahead of the trend when I bought them, but like I said, I usually just buy/wear what I like. Whether it's in style or not.

When it rains, it pours

Hackneyed and overused sayings aside, isn't it the damn truth? It's a good thing I'm doing the Financial Diet, because if I weren't budgeting my money right now, I'd be in big trouble. Well, I'm already in a little trouble...yesterday, I was told my car needs a new clutch entirely. Yeah, that runs about $700-$1,000. I actually refuse to believe the mechanic, I'm fairly certain he took one look at me (i.e., saw I am female) and decided to take the simplest and most profitable avenue. Sexism sucks.

Good news is, my parents have a really reliable (and honest!) mechanic, so I'm going to take my baby to him and see if we can't find a more feasible solution.

Then I got home and saw a doctor's bill in the mail. Which I shouldn't be getting, because I asked my doctor to code the visit in such a way that my insurance would cover it. And he said he would. Ugh. So now I have to make a million phone calls to avoid paying that bill.

So for today's post, I decided to put up an old outfit (and I mean old--look at how short my hair is!) that reminds me of cheerier times. Nothing like some bright yellow to bring some sunshine into your life, right?

shrug: Burlington Coat Factory (came with this dress)
tank & shoes: Old Navy
skirt: thrifted

I don't like to wear much jewelry in the summer. It makes me feel weighed down. Anyone else ever feel like that?

I also don't like to cook much in the summer, if you haven't noticed by the lack of food posts. But to help me curb my spending during my Financial Diet, I've made some weekly menus and grocery lists. I think this will help me cut down on waste (oh, there's that two-week old produce I was going to make _____ with!) and on buying extra stuff that I don't really need. So look out for more food posts in the next few weeks :)

And finally, I want to say hello and welcome to my new followers! I promise, I don't usually complain nearly this much.

(...I just went back to link this post to the dress that this shrug came with, and I realized that I've worn almost this exact same outfit before! I wore it here with different shoes and a belt. Does it count as remixing if most of the outfit is the same? Ha!)

Halfway there!

Yup, it's day 25 of the 30x30 challenge. I must say, I'm pretty surprised that I've made it this far without too many struggles. Of course, there are a few pieces I haven't even touched yet, so I'll have to make sure I work those in. These shoes were one of those pieces, but I got 'em today.

Just for the record: I love these shoes. I don't care that they make me nearly six feet tall (I'm 5'8" in bare feet). I say, tall girls should be able to love wedges and heels too!

items: 1, 25
necklace: DIY'ed bracelet: don't remember ribbon belt: came with a shirt I don't even have anymore

I've decided to go back to posting three shots instead of just two. It gets hard to pick just two images if you have a lot of really good ones!

Oh, and rest assured, folks: I ordered a new tripod on Amazon the other day. Should get here soon, I hope. The best part? It's a big-girl tripod. The kind that stands 50 inches tall and all that. Not the bendy Gorillapod I used to use. It was nice, but it limited my locations to places that had something for it to grip onto. When I get my new tripod, I'll be able to shoot anywhere!