inspiration Monday: bubbly

The inspiration: Elizabeth Olsen

My take:  

 Lily petite dress, thrifted

White House Black Market blazer, thrifted

leggings, Macy's

necklace, Nordstrom Rack clearance

bracelets, InPink and Macy's

Dr. Scholls Allycats booties, HauteLook

     This dress has been hanging on the "possibly donate" side of my closet, but I think it will be getting off death row. I just like the colors too much.
 

     Linking up with two birds inspiration Monday! Check out the other participants' creative intepretations here! :)

happy Monday

3 things that are making me happy lately ...

                                                                                       Source: amazon.com via Carrie on Pinterest

1. I gave the above book to a first-grader I know for Valentine's Day (because books make appropriate gifts for all occasions, right?) and I've heard that he can't put it down. Hearing that a kid is enjoying a book and reading it with lots of expression and even more laughter makes me smile.

2. I got my hair cut on Saturday. :) Kept a lot of length for my wedding hairdo.
3. A weekend full of aikido. After more than a decade of study, I've realized that I've learned and experienced enough to be teachable.

dainty little rings

     Blogging has helped me learn to love statement jewelry, but I always come back to simple, understated pieces. I'm thinking about getting myself some kind of ring to celebrate graduating (uh, yes, I know I should put that etsy-browsing time to better use by perhaps preparing for my oral exam ;) ). I like the idea of getting myself a little something as a reminder of accomplishments. When I earned my black belt in aikido, I got my ear cartilage pierced. I really like that I have a tangible, physical reminder of something I've achieved. However, since I'm not interested in putting any more holes in myself, here are some rings that have caught my eye:

   Gorgeous organic shapes - how fun would these be to wear stacked? ($34)

Source: etsy.com via Carrie on Pinterest

An itty-bitty leaf ($23):

Source: etsy.com via Carrie on Pinterest

Floral. Minimal. What's not to love? ($32)

Hydrangea petal ring ($35)

Source: etsy.com via Carrie on Pinterest

These remind me of raindrops ($29): 

Source: etsy.com via Carrie on Pinterest

Bees are whimsical and fun! ($24)

Source: etsy.com via Carrie on Pinterest

Last of all, at $269 this would be a total splurge (and couldn't be purchased right away), but I've always wanted a platinum ring:

Source: etsy.com via Carrie on Pinterest

February Freeze: peacock feathers, cloud 9

Matthew Williamson for H&M top (2009)

Michael Michael Kors zipper detail sweater, Macy's

White House Black Market blazer, thrifted

necklace, Forever 21

Sarah Coventry ring, random little kiosk

Beau jeggings, Ross

     This is what I wore to drop off the payment for the wedding officiant. The office does lunchtime weddings on site, and as I paid for the officiant, a wedding was going on behind the wooden partition. As  I listened to the judge lead a couple through the ceremony, I realized that I'm going to be doing the same thing in just about a month. It was an amazing moment for me - while I've been planning the wedding for a bit, it didn't seem real until right then. 

    This top is a February Freeze item, but I do like the colors (yes, I probably have said this about every February Freeze item so far). The ring is also another February Freeze item - the stone (it might be a watermelon rhinestone) is gorgeous, but the ring is so heavy duty that it's not quite adjustable, and tends to slide around on my finger. I used to refer to it as my cocktail ring, but I just don't get out for cocktails much, so I've decided to wear it anytime I feel like it.
    I think I'll be adding to my wardrobe wish list a pair of black skinny or straight leg jeans. Looking at the photos, I realized that a black pair of skinnies would have really pulled this look together. Honestly can't remember the last time I owned a pair of black jeans ... 

     

     Have a wonderful and relaxing weekend! :)

February Freeze: red + purple

JJ Basics cardigan, hand-me-down

shirt, India

Grane flare jeans, Ross

Carole quartz necklace, Nordstrom Rack clearance

Dansko sandals, Nordstrom Rack

      I used to send this shirt to the dry cleaners, until one day it occurred to me that probably
very few people in India dry clean stuff and I should chance hand-washing it instead. Now the bottom part is horribly wrinkly. It's almost as if those little red threads don't like water and shriveled up. Anyhow, the shirt counts as a February Freeze item but every time I do wear it I remember how much I like the color scheme. The flares are also a February Freeze item and I think this is my favorite outfit with them so far. 

 

     Totally gratuitous peek at my wedding shoes. I knew right away that I didn't want white or neutral shoes, and was excited to find these for $45 at 6pm.com. I'm already looking forward to adding them to my regular-shoe rotation after the wedding ...

take one, pass it on challenge: day 5

Velvet Heart tunic and skinnies, Ross

necklace, eBay

         I normally think of myself as someone with a decent amount of self-discipline. But it turns out that there are some things that just don't work for me. Such as mandating that I spend a set amount of time a day preparing for my oral comprehensive exam.

        I'm using the Pomodoro method of time management and I figured that five 25-minute stints, or about 2 hours of study a day, would be good. 
          First day: Accomplish the goal and proudly mark 5 xs in my calendar.

          Second day: 4 xs. Feel guilty about not getting 5 done, but just don't want to.

          Third day: Make up for second day but only get 3 xs marked for the day. Rather grumpy because motivation is down and stress and pressure is up.
           So, today is the fourth day and I'm not sure whether I should power through with this until I get used to it, or decide it's not working for me and go back to my usual (less organized) ways.
 

   And since Katie was wondering wht the necklace looked like up close: 

     Just realized that I messed up my TOPIO challenge since I wore this necklace on day 3, but didn't carry over anything from day 4 .... oops! 

Try-it-out Tuesday: rockin' the socks?

knee socks, Wal-Mart

dress, Macy's

      I am pretty sure that 35-year-olds are not supposed to be wearing knee socks. But then I spotted this pair for less than $3 at Wal-Mart, and figured, why not? This outfit kept mutating (red cardigan or linen buttondown knotted at waist? chunky pumps or sneakers? pink belt or no belt?)
     This post could also be titled, "for want of a shoe." I was excited to thrift these Dansko pumps, but like just about every pump I've met, I cannot keep them on my feet. Even with heel inserts and the socks, I feel like I'm about to walk out of them. I've heard that some folks put double-stick tape under their heel, and I'll try that before I send them back to the thrift store. So for practicality I went with the sneakers, which definitely don't go as well with the knee socks, but oh well.

      Does anyone else get blog fatigue? I've noticed that for the last week or so, I haven't been really excited about reading my bloglovin or Google Reader feed. Never thought the day would come ... but I guess the good thing is that it frees up some time to read books!  : D I'm looking forward to diving into Nova Ren Suma's "Imaginary Girls" next.

happy Monday, vol. 44

3 things that are making me happy lately ...
1. I successfully bid on and purchased on eBay a few brooches and clip-on earrings for the part-brooch, part-real-flower bouquet I plan to DIY for my wedding. Given that I've never made a bouquet before, this should be ... interesting. Not to fear, this is not going to turn into Bridal Blah Blah Central!
2. I got to taste a caramel apple for the first time this weekend. (I know, where have I been?)
3.  I'm reading and enjoying Anne Lamott's "Traveling Mercies." I picked it up at the library for a dollar, intending to pass it on to a friend who will enjoy it, and decided to read it so we could discuss it. Not the usual thing I read, but she makes some good points.

take one, pass it on challenge: day 4

   DKNY skirt, thrifted

jersey skirt worn as underlayer, Old Navy

graphic tee, Ross

JJ Basics red cardigan, hand-me-down

pearl and chain necklace, Forever 21

 

      Something bad: the photos do not do this skirt justice. It looks a lot cuter in real life, promise.
      Something good: the photos don't show just how wrinkly the skirt is.  When I thrifted the skirt, it had its brand tag but no care tag. I hand-washed it and ironed it on the lowest setting, but that didn't do much about the wrinkles.

      Something amazing: I'll be saying this in March! 

  

February Freeze: flare jeans

     iris silk top, thrifted

navy cardigan and necklace, Forever 21

Carole disk and quartz necklace, Nordstrom Rack clearance

Dansko "Sakura" sandals, Nordstrom Rack

     These flare jeans are my next February Freeze item. I've only worn them a few times since buying them a year ago; I love the fit and different silhouette, I'm just not sure how to style them for different situations. I think I'd have an easier time styling them if they were a dark wash, too.

     This is really what I wanted to wear, but I decided to save the quirky color combination for the weekend vs. a day when I needed to pop in at work: 

  Julie's Closet burnout animal print cardigan, Ross

take one, pass it on challenge: day 3

Lucky Brand buttondown

graphic tee and same ol' jeans, Ross

necklace, eBay

      I think linen buttondowns are better on the second day -- I think the rumples give it character. The necklace qualifies as a February Freeze item. 

Try-it-out Tuesday: take one, pass it on: day 2

Lucky Brand linen buttondown, Macy's, old

striped dress, Gap

belt in neon azalea, J. Crew Factory, $6.99

       
       My "pass it on" item is this dress, which I wore yesterday with a scarf.

      One of the great lessons I've learned from blogging so far is to look at my clothes from a playful and experimental viewpoint. I would have never bought a bright pink belt before (in fact, I hated belts in general!) and I would have never considered that a buttondown could be worn any other way than as is. Knotting the ends makes it look like a cropped jacket, which is exciting because I feel like I've added to my closet without buying anything new. 
     So far, we've learned that J. Crew Factory's neon coral translates to "traffic cone orange," and neon azalea translates to "Pepto-Bismol pink." These are colors I definitely wouldn't have chosen in the first place, but I think they will add some diversity to my closet, which is always welcome.

      Random news: something's in the air ... and while, based on the calendar, it would be fitting for me to say it's love, it's sadly an irritant of the plant-based variety.  All Monday I suffered from a perpetually itchy nose, slightly achy ear and throat, and propulsive sneezes. Fuuuun. I've been coddling my allergy with cups of chai tea with almond milk and sugar, extra doses of brownie double deckers, and dress-up time.  (Can I say that I'm already excited about next week's Try-it-out Tuesday's post? It may be completely age-inappropriate, but I enjoyed it anyhow.)

take one, pass it on: day 1

     This is my second year doing February Freeze, and I was thinking about ways to mix it up. Then Sarah of Sarah's Real Life shared her Take One, Pass it On challenge, and bingo! New approach, no effort on my part. ;) So this week I'll be posting 5 outfits that carry on one item from the previous outfit.

striped dress, Gap

scarf, Ross

Dansko "Calliope" sandals, 6pm.com

     I keep meaning to belt this shift, but it's so comfortable as is. I did decide to add a bow, though! Both the scarf and sandals qualify as February Freeze items. 
     

happy Monday, vol. 43

3 things that are making me happy lately ...

1. Baking chocolate chip-brownie double deckers on Thursday at a friend's request. One of my favorite parts of baking is getting to sample the batter! Of course, while I was sampling away, I remembered reading on the Internet recently that it's the raw flour in batter, not the eggs, that puts people at risk of contracting salmonella ...

2.Visiting the aquarium for the first time in years.
3. Receiving in the Saturday mail a sweet little package from Linda of  little tin soldier! It all started with me commenting on something polka-dotted she was wearing. I mentioned that I was adding polka dots to my thrift list. Linda was so sweet and offered to thrift me something! It's a gorgeous top and I'm excited about featuring it on the blog soon. :)

What's making you happy today? Please share. :)

echoes

 Blue Plate dress, Ross, old

Michael Michael Kors sweater and Style & Co. studded sandals, Macy's

earrings, Thai market in Seattle, gift

     The elastic in the sleeves and neckline of this dress has let go over the years, which means it can't be worn as is, but I like the print so much that  I'm hanging onto it for now as a layering piece. I love black, white and red, and now I'm starting to appreciate its cousin hot pink, black, and white - it's feminine but not fussy, cute but not saccharine. 
    These sandals also need replacing - I like that they're studded and have a small wedge, but unfortunately, they lack any kind of support (how do so many people wear shoes without a padded footbed?). Also, I never use the back zip closure since it cuts into my left ankle (but not the right, oddly enough). Now the sole is starting to fall apart, which means I need to save my pennies to get an equally cute, more comfortable replacement (I'd be happy to add these or these to my closet.) 
 

      Random news: I was texting a friend the other day to see what she wanted me to bake for our get-together, and she suggested "your brownies with choco chip cookies." Hmm. They sounded vaguely familiar ... I checked the Pinterest board I use to document recipes I've tried. Not there. This must have been baked before I started using Pinterest. At this moment, I'm kind of impressed that she remembers them years later, and anxious to find the recipe. If you type "brownie with chocolate chip cookie" into Google, you get, oh, a mere 3.15 million results, so I'll have to look through my paper recipe file to see if I kept a copy. My mom swears she had the perfect chocolate chip cookie recipe years and years ago, and then she lost it ... I hope my brownie-chocolate chip cookie has not met the same fate!
      p.s.:There are two types of echoes in this outfit: first,  the earrings are similar to the dress pattern, and second, I was inspired by Jen of Librarian for Life and Style, who paired black with her gorgeous pink dress.

February Freeze: orange

  Splendid top and Carole quartz necklace, Nordstrom Rack

Beau skinnies, Ross

cardigan and necklace, Forever 21

     My second February Freeze item is this orange top. It's cute, but like my first February Freeze  choice, the strange neckline means it hardly gets worn. It appears that the lesson for me when shopping is to not buy it if it has a strange neckline ... 

     Using Susannah Conway's Unravelling the Year Ahead planner, I picked a theme for each month. January's was "laying the foundation," when I focused on getting on track with healthy habits. So, basically, I  ate a lot of oatmeal (which I love) and resumed my regular schedule for physical activity.

     The theme for February is "acts of love, big and small." The focus is on taking care of myself and others better. To that end, I attended my first meditation class on Saturday,  because I've realized that establishing this as a daily practice is something I need to move forward in my life. Also, any $5 bill that comes my way is corralled in an envelope and headed to the bank to build up my savings.
      In terms of taking care of others, I'm trying to look more carefully to see what small things might need doing, and doing them without being asked. I think one of the things I love about having a little extra money is spending it on others, whether it's mochi ice cream for the Mr., pastries for the family, or little care packages mailed to friends or family. But since I'm not working regularly (I've been playing an economical grad student for the last two years), I've had to shift my mindset. What can I give? My full attention, careful listening, and thinking ahead about what needs to be done, and just doing it. I also enjoy cooking for my family because it makes me happy to see them enjoying a home-cooked meal.
     What do you like to do to show others you care?