Quick Question

Does the brightness of the photos on this blog look okay to you, or are they too dark?  I ask because when I blog at home everything looks great, but at work they appear way too dark.  I could just be my monitor, but I thought I would check and see it if is just me or not.  Thanks!

Lumberjack Tights

Okay, okay... so a real lumberjack wouldn't really wear these, but that's what I think of when I see the bold red & black plaid!  I got several compliments today and was told I must be sassy.

I am linking up to wear*it wednesday today.  Thanks girls!




Shirt:  Express
Jacket:  Forever 21
Skirt:  Express
Tights:  Dilly Dally's
Boots:  Forever Young

Colorful Feet

I liked this outfit well enough, but decided that it really needed some fun shoes to give it a little extra oomph.  I'd say it worked!  I got several compliments today on both my shoes and my necklace.  I found the necklace on eBay for around $1.50 - can't beat that!

Tank:  Kohl's
Cardi:  Target
Pants:  The Limited
Necklace:  eBay
Belt:  Hubby's closet (it's his old Boy Scouts belt!)
Shoes:  Damita K

Kids These Days

I almost feel like this outfit walked out of a Hot Topic, but not quite that punk/goth/emo-y.  It reminds me of the fact that I really want to dye my hair crazy colors but can't because I have a real adult job. Blah.  At least I can have some fun with clothes.

Dress:  Kohl's
Cardi:  Old Navy
Belt:  Asos
Tights:  Savers
Boots:  Steve Madden

Muted

I bought this shirt on eBay - no idea what brand it is.  I really like the pattern, but the colors are a bit more muted than what I usually wear.  I am also not used to a cowl neck.  I'm thinking that I will send it to the donate/swap pile because I don't think I will wear it enough to justify the space in my closet.

Shirt:  eBay
Cardi:  Target
Pants:  Express
Shoes:  Mudd

Day in SLC

A few weeks ago I was looking around the internet trying to find cheap things to do, and I discovered that the Utah Museum of Fine Arts has a free day every third Saturday.  Last week was the day, so hubby and I trekked down to Salt Lake.  We aren't usually museum type people, but it was still fun.

This guy was my favorite in the whole place:

Outside with my coat, and a bit of plaid overload:

My wonderful, handsome hubby who takes most of my pictures for me:

After the museum we drove around the Avenues, an area of SLC with lots of fancy old houses.  We just haven't spend much time there, and I love looking at old houses.  Then we went down to Gateway (fancy outdoor mall) and ate dinner at Z'Tejas.  I had shredded beef rellenos and their signature mojitos and they were delish.  Then we had an hour or so to kill at the mall, where I wandered around stores like Anthropologie, Forever 21, and Urban Outfitters that we don't have up north where I live.  I didn't find anything to buy though.

Finally it was time to go to our concert - the other reason we were in SLC that day.  We finally got to see Lady Gaga!  I bought tickets ten months ago and it has taken forever to get here.  Before the show I adjusted my outfit a bit, but I forgot to get a picture.  I tucked my shirt into my skirt, and hiked my skirt up to where my belt was to show off a bit more leg.  I didn't feel too crazy since there were girls wearing just tights and a leotard.

Scissor Sisters opened and they are an awesome band I discovered a year or so ago.  They played my favorite song, Any Which Way, which was so much fun.  Then we had to wait an hour for Lady Gaga to come on, which was irritating, but at least she put on a good show once it finally started.  I am a big fan of it actually being a show, not just a concert.  I was also impressed with the message she tried to put across:  believe in yourself, love yourself, and accept other for who they are too.

On me:
Shirt:  Banana Republic Outlet
Skirt:  Express
Belt:  Asos
Tights:  Dilly Dallys
Boots:  Forever Young Shoes
Earrings:  Icing
Coat:  Rue 21
Purse:  Miche

On hubby:
Shirt:  JC Penney
Jeans:  Express
Tie:  JC Penney
Boots:  Corcoran

Layered

This outfit felt very layer-y for some reason.  I'm going to blame it on the skirt's ruffles. 

Tank:  Old Navy
Cardi:  Old Navy
Skirt:  Old Navy
Tights:  Savers
Boots:  Soda

New Patterned Tights

These are some of the tights I got at a local discount store.  They had several very fun colors and patterns, each for only $4.  They are the same brand (I forget the name) that the tights I bought from Savers were, so I knew they fit.  And even though they are lower quality, they will work for me for now.

The color in this picture is awful, but it was a bad time to be taking photos and this is the best I could do.  The tights are much more purple than they appear in this shot, and the shirt is a very bright lemon yellow.

Tank (purple):  Express
Tank (yellow):  Express
Cardi:  Target
Skirt:  Express
Scarf:  Jinky's
Tights:  Dilly Dallys
Boots:  Steve Madden

Necklaced

I love when things can be used for multiple purposes.  Take this belt - it's really a necklace!  At the moment it's also in pieces because it fell apart in two spots last time I wore it.  Luckily it will be easy to fix when I have a minute.

Shirt:  Express
Sweater:  Express
Pants:  Express
Belt/necklace:  Target
Shoes:  Mudd

St. Patrick's Day

Plenty of green in the closet for this holiday.  This belt is really fun, but it is much too long.  I have to use creative knotting every time I wear it!

Collared shirt:  Express
Shirt:  Old Navy (embellished by Mom & me)
Pants:  Express
Belt:  Thrifted by Mom
Shoes:  Mudd

Trying for Color

I really like the purple and turquoise together, but the scarf doesn't seem to go.  It does have a bit of black in the pattern but from far off you can't tell and it just doesn't seem to blend in.

Tank:  Express
Cardi:  Kohl's
Pants:  Express
Scarf:  Mom's closet
Shoes:  Paprika

Moms are Awesome

I bought this shirt at Target on clearance for $2.50 months ago because I loved the bright color and pattern.  I wore it once and did not love how the neckline stretched out as the day went on, so that at the end of the day everyone could see the goods if I bent over just a little.  Enter Mom:  she hemmed up the straps for me and now it's perfect!  I really ought to practice my own sewing skills one of these days...

Shirt:  Target
Cardi:  Target
Pants:  Express
Shoes:  Mudd

Something Different

I tried something new (for me anyway) with this outfit - a cardi over a mock turtleneck.  I actually like the proportions, but the black pattern in the shirt seems jarring with the rest of the outfit.

Shirt:  Express
Cardi:  Target
Skirt:  Old Navy
Belt:  Target
Tights:  Savers
Boots:  Miss Me

New Stuff is Fun to Wear

I decided to intersperse my old photos with some new ones.  You can tell by my hair. 

My mom found this shirt on clearance at Kohl's and bought it for me.  It has really cute detail at the neckline - little pearls that have been sewn between gathers.  She gave it to me right in the middle of my 30 for 30, so by the time I got to wear it, it had been sitting in my closet for weeks. 

Shirt:  Kohl's
Cardi:  Target
Pants:  Express
Belt:  Downeast Outfitters
Shoes:  Mudd

Catch Up

I still have some outfit photos from several weeks ago that I am going to post so that I can get back to current stuff.  It's finally getting warmer and winter outfits are going to look a bit out of place soon.

As much as I hate losing an hour of sleep, I do like daylight savings.  More after work time for photos and walking the dogs. Honestly, I wish it was daylight savings all year long.  Now let's just hope I can get up in time for work tomorrow.

Shirt:  Kohl's
Jeans:  Old Navy
Hat:  Down to Earth
Scarf:  Jinky's
Boots:  Soda

Brr... It's Cold Outside

Today I was mostly trying to stay warm with a cozy scarf over a cozy sweater.  Well, in actuality the sweater is pretty thin, which is why you can see my tank top showing through, but it is warm nonetheless.

Tank:  Target
Sweater:  Express
Pants:  The Limited
Scarf:  The Limited
Boots:  Miss Me

Denim Jacket

New item:  denim jacket.  I don't think I've had one of these since elementary school.  I've seen lots of bloggers making them look cute, so I decided I needed to try one out in my wardrobe.  I think they look best with skirts or dresses, which are probably the things I wear least.  I have been meaning to work on that though...

Sweater vest:  Express
Jacket:  Old Navy
Pants:  Express
Shoes:  Mudd
Scarf:  Jinky's

Mock Turtleneck Sweaters

I bought several mock turtleneck sweaters a few years ago.  They certainly work fine as a sweater, but now that I've started remixing they have become a bit more difficult to work with.  I don't have a lot of ideas on how to layer well with them, but I'm trying to work with what I have on hand.

Sweater:  Express
Vest: Target
Pants:  Express
Belt:  Asos
Shoes:  Mudd

30 For 30 Recap

The challenge was not nearly as hard as I thought it would be at the start.  It definitely stretched my skills, but I think it was a worthwhile experience.  Now I look at how many clothes I have in my closet and wonder what I am going to do with them all!  I also think I have drastically improved the quality of my photos.  Mostly thanks to hubby being willing to get some outside shots, but I've also learned how to manipulate them better, thought I'm sure I have plenty of room to improve still.

There were a few things I would do differently.  At the last minute I swapped a pair of jeans out for my denim skirt, which left me almost nothing I could wear my Nikes with.  I should have swapped them out too.  I also wish I had picked more fun shoes.  I really started to miss heels and brightly colored footwear.  I think I should have included another top or two and cut down on my bottoms so that I felt like I had a bit more variety.  My skirts and pants are all very neutral colors which felt very monotonous, but that's more of a problem with my wardrobe in general and not my 30 picks.

I have come up with a couple of goals out of this.  First, I want to add more color to my closet.  As mentioned above, I have too many neutrals.  Second, I want to add pattern.  Almost everything I own is solid, or close enough to make no difference.  Last, I don't want to pay full price for anything!  I don't do this much anyway; I am usually scouring the clearance racks.  But now I want to work on my thrifting skills, and visit some consignment stores to see what I can find. (My mom will be so proud.)

I would love some feedback from all you out in blogland.  Below is a photo recap of all my outfits, and a survey.  Would you be so kind as to tell me your favorites?  Pick as many (or as few) as you'd like!

Create your free online surveys with SurveyMonkey, the world's leading questionnaire tool.

Thank you so much for your input!  Now, I had a few photos that I hadn't posted before I started to challenge, so I have those lined up for the next few days.  I need a break!

Day 30!

Today is the debut of outerwear on my blog.  I don't usually take pictures with my coats and jackets because they aren't really very exciting, and generally don't match what I'm wearing.  I plan to change that in the future, assuming I can find some killer thrifty deals. 

Today was just warm enough that I could wear a heavy jacket instead of a big coat, and I had the perfect one sitting in my closet.  I think it adds a lot to the outfit today, because otherwise it is kind of boring.  I guess I ran out of steam at the end.  Or possibly I just wore my most boring picks least, and since I was trying to get more wear out of each item I ended up with all the boring stuff together.  Thank goodness for accessories!

Tank:  Target
Cardi:  Target
Pants:  Express
Jacket:  Forever 21
Scarf:  Jinky's
Belt:  Grandma's closet
Shoes:  Mudd

Day 29

Both this shirt and skirt had only been used twice so far, so I decided to get one more wearing out of them.  I thought it was weird that I hadn't worn the shirt much because it is one of my favorites!

Sorry for the less-than-stellar photo today.  I had an appointment to get my hair cut right after work, and got home after the sun was gone.  My hair just keeps getting shorter for some reason - hubby mentioned it when I got home.  BUT it should be really easy to do, and nice and cool for summer, and in winter, well... that's what scarves are for, right?

Shirt:  Banana Republic Outlet
Skirt:  Old Navy
Belt:  Target
Tights:  Savers
Boots:  Soda