Try-it-out Tuesday: polka dots & pups

     Smiling at other side of messy room = blogger talent

     Relatives gave me this necklace years ago for Christmas, and I never wore it. The dog reminded me of Spuds MacKenzie, and it seemed a bit too little-girly for me. For some reason I never got around to tossing it in my donations bag. Then, I decided last week that I wanted to try out wearing a scarf and necklace, and none of my other necklaces seemed right. Until I put on this necklace on a whim and it looked perfect.

 polka dot scarf, $4.99 on Groopdealz

pup necklace, gift

Ann Taylor top, passed down from E.I.

Doggy bone cutouts & a bowtie? Too cute ...

    I was lured into getting this scarf on Groopdealz due to the low price and free shipping. I do like that it's lightweight and crinkly, but I don't like that it was advertised as cotton, but seems to be more like rayon. I'm not a textiles expert, but judging from the loose weave, this isn't cotton at all. And, being the klutz that I am, I've already put a little snag in it. :( There's a reason that I don't buy scarves that cost more than $5 or $10 ...

Try-it-out Tuesday: animal and patchwork

D&Y scarf and Salt Works jeans, Ross

Ann Taylor tie-neck top, passed down by E.I.

Fossil "Kenya patchwork" belt, Goodwill, $2.99 (retail: $46)

     I continue my pattern-mixing experiments by seeing whether my belt and scarf will play nicely with each other. I think this looked better in my head - while I like the contrast from the belt, I also wonder whether it cuts me in half to have something light in the middle. 

     It's amusing to think that just about a year ago, I was just starting to understand the wonder that is a belt. A year ago, I also didn't own any scarves, much less one with several different animal prints. Katie of Hems for Her owns the same scarf, and I was inspired to take it out for a spin after seeing her style it here. (Thanks, Katie!) I'd also like to try styling this scarf with a necklace, as she did, but I decided to try out the scarf and belt business first.