Sort of Making it Work

This is another one of those outfits that just sort of happened. For some reason when I opened my closet in the morning, I decided I wanted to try to incorporate this black lace top into my outfit somehow, and this is what I came up with. I only sort of thought that this outfit kind of worked, but a lot of people were very kind and commented that they liked it, so maybe it worked better than I thought it did :). Isn't that always the way?

Hope you're enjoying the gorgeous FEBRUARY weather we've been having! I have to say, even though we're not done with winter yet, it can continue to stay in the upper 40s and 50s for the rest of the season. That is enough of winter for me. Thank you La Nina, thank you for helping to stave off my typical Seasonal Affectiveness Disorder.

Shirt - J.Crew
Lace Top - Piperlime
Jeans - Gap
Shoes - Kate Spade via gift
Trench, Necklace - Old Navy
Shades - TJMaxx

It's Getting Crafty Up in Here

I saw this tutorial on I Spy DIY's blog, after discovering her blog through Pinterest. I loved the idea of making this bracelet. I've really re-discovered a creative, crafty side of myself. And though it was a lot harder than I expected, as well as a bit more expensive than I thought it would be, it was really fun and I am so happy that I figured it out. I'm looking forward to making my next one!

Materials - Michael's and JoAnn Fabrics

Mixing Brights Together

Ummm, so yes, I forgot to mention that I got my hair chopped. It was an early birthday present. And I love it - it is one of the best haircuts I've ever had. As soon as my stylist brought me back to the chair after washing my hair from its color treatment, I loved it.  For me, there was no better way than to ring in a new decade :).

This is one of my takes on yellow/turquoise/black. I'll be posting another look on this same color combo soon, but it may be a little anachronistic because it was done before the new haircut (like yesterday's post - this is what happens when you have little time to post but lots of pictures to use! :)). In the meantime, you can see how Elaine did this color combo too!

Shirt - Old Navy (who is kind of killing it lately - tons of cute stuff there!)
Jeans - J.Crew
Necklace - J.Crew via Ebay
Shoes - Target
Earrings - gift

What Happens When You Get Sucked Into Watching Movies on Weeknights

I am a sucker for movies on TV. Doesn't matter if I own it - I will still inexplicably watch it on TV, even if I have seen it a 1000 times before. I blame this habit on my father, who suffers from this same affliction and who has approximately watched "Shooter" on TNT about 5,000,000,000 times (how do I know this? Because I've been forced to watch it about 3,000,000,000 times whenever I am over at my parents' house).

So the other night, the terrible romantic comedy "When in Rome" was on FX. And it really is terrible. But yet, it is also really kind of cute. I blame this entirely on the cute-ness factor of Kristen Bell and Josh Duhamel. It would not be cute if they were not in the movie - it would just be plain awful. But somehow the two of them pull it off. Or else I just like awesomely bad movies and appreciate them for what they are.

Anyway, as I was watching the movie I really started noticing Kristen's outfits in the movie and realized how cute they all are and decided that I wanted to try to channel one of the looks into an outfit. So I decided to take this:

and turn it into this:

What do you think? Do you take inspiration from random movies that are shown on cable tv? 

Pants - Gap

Shirts - J.Crew

Shoes - Ross

Necklace - Etsy

#EBEW Happy Valentine's Day!

Whether single, married, dating, or engaged, I hope that you celebrated and enjoyed Valentine's Day! I loved the fun that was Everybody Everywear today - red and pink. I used an inspiration from one of my favorite sources of inspiration - a J.Crew catalog and added a touch of mint to the outfit.

J.Crew Inspiration Mint & Red

Happy Valentine's Day!

Shirt, Skirt, Cardigan - J.Crew
Belt - Madewell
Shoes - Urban Outfitters
Glasses - Ross
Earrings, Necklace, Bracelets - J.Crew, Jess LC

Celebrating Thirty Years

Source: iloveswmag.com via Lauren on Pinterest

Birthdays are so important. On our birthdays we celebrate being alive. On our birthdays people can say to us, "Thank you for being!" Birthday presents are signs of our families' and friends' joy that we are part of their lives. Little children often look forward to their birthdays for months. Their birthdays are their big days, when they are the center of attention and all their friends come to celebrate.

We should never forget our birthdays or the birthdays of those who are close to us. Birthdays keep us childlike. They remind us that what is important is not what we do or accomplish, not what we have or who we know, but that we are, here and now. On birthdays let us be grateful for the gift of life.

~ Henri Nouwen, Bread for the Journey, entry on February 13th 

Here's to celebrating thirty years of life thus far!! I have many hopes and dreams for this year (like maybe I can start becoming a real adult?) so am extending my birthday "day" into the entire year. Because why not? :) So happy birthday to anyone else who's birthday is today, to all my fellow Aquarians, and anyone who else who will celebrate a birthday this year. Truly, celebrate it!

Cold Weather Style

I have a hard time getting dressed for expected foul weather. This was the one day in Virginia's best winter ever that we had a day with "snow" forecasted. It actually seemed like it was going to actually do something but it never really materialized - just a sweet dusting.

BTW - Never underestimate the power of leggings. They have saved and helped many an outfit this winter. If I could wear them every day I would. Comfort and style = doesn't get any better!

Dress, Hat - Old Navy
Sweater - Gap
Leggings - Victoria's Secret
Scarf - Etsy
Belt - H&M
Boots - Hunter

Happy Accidents

This outfit was a happy accident. Seriously. I woke up as I do often these days from a night spent passed out on the couch (I can't help that it is so comfy and warm) with a small amount of time to get ready to go to work. I wasn't feeling like getting dressed up, but wanted to wear my new hot pink loafers because I think they are so darn cute. So I decided I would wear jeans and try to do a "denim-on-denim" with the polka dot chambray button-down. And then, because it was going to be cold, I decided to add a sweater and thought "why not play with pink?" so added this sweater. A pink belt, necklace, earrings, and one big flower later, and I had an outfit to run out the door in.

And you seriously get yourself to Target and find these shoes because they are on sale and you need to own a pair.

Shirt - Land's End Canvas
Jeans - Gap
Sweater, Belt - J.Crew
Shoes - Target
Flower - Etsy
Necklace - eek, not sure!
Earrings - Jess LC

Work Appropriate

How do you counteract the fact that you have to sit all day in a meeting with people who crunch numbers all day? Dress up in a purple skirt, leopard shirt and throw in a black blazer, some black tights, and black heels to make it work appropriate. And then take pictures of yourself when you get home, looking tired and worn out, in your room.

Dress, Skirt - J.Crew
Blazer - Target
Shoes - Urban Outfitters
Tights - TJMaxx

Channeling Mother Nature

One of my favorite inspirations for outfits is nature. When I came across this sunset driving home on Sunday, I had to stop my car and snap pictures of the gorgeousness. It literally took my breath away. It was truly a gift from God.

When I got home, I thought, "how could I channel that into an outfit?" So I decided to interpret the blue of the sky in the form of a sky blue tshirt, the black outlines of the winter trees in black jeans and highlight the clouds in a cream jacket and white belt. The scarf was the cherry on top that helped bring it all together.

I love it when inspiration strikes from unexpected sources. Usually it'll be some kind of color combination that catches my eye, like this sunset. What catches your eye? What was the most unexpected place you have found inspiration (other than Pinterest :))?

T-shirt, jeans - J.Crew
Jacket - Target
Shoes, Sunnies - TJMaxx
Scarf - Calvin Klein

Product Review: Hana Titanium 1.5" Flat Iron

A couple of weeks ago I was contacted by a representative from Misikko to see if I would do a product review for them. To be honest, I have received one or two requests in the past, but I've mainly turned them down, as I don't try to use my blog to receive free products - it is chiefly a creative outlet for me. But I've seen reviews of Misikko products on other blogs and I was curious to see if they lived up to the hype.

As soon as I agreed to do the review, I was sent an email with shipping confirmation and the works. No joke - one day later, the product was at my door. THAT was pretty impressive to me. And it was pretty big box for the flat iron I was expecting:

I got my scissors, cut the package open, and I soon saw why the package was so big:

There was a ton of stuff in there!

There were a couple of different pouches to hold the flat iron, an eye mask, some nail files, liquid eyeliner, lip gloss, hand sanitizer, a towel-esque thing, a cooling pad to sit the iron on, a hair brush, and (what I was most excited about) some Hana Shine Shield to use to protect the hair using the flat iron.

All of this was very impressive, but I wanted to see how the actual iron worked.  So I went through my normal hair routine. First, it was washed and conditioned and I applied some of the Shine Shield to my towel-dried hair:

Next I dried my hair completely, using a regular brush and hair dryer to get it all dry before using the straightener:

Next I sectioned off the hair so I could get it really straight and started to use the straightener. This was my hair after using the straightener on the "bottom layer":

The crazy top layer came down next and provided quite a fright!

But was quickly remedied:

I was really impressed by the results. This is the straightest that my hair has ever been - and that is saying something! My hair always has some sort of natural curl or wave to it, but this iron keeps it nice and smooth for days.  And the iron moves so smoothly across my hair - no hair catching in between plates or anything.

All in all, I was blown away by the quality of the Hana Titanium 1.5" flat iron. If you are in the market for a really good, long-lasting straightener, I would highly recommend them.

And thank you again to Misikko for the opportunity to review this product.