I'm Thankful for...Jessi

Taking over today is my gorgeous friend, Jessi, of Haircut and General Attitude.  She is one of my favorite people in the blogosphere - she is sweet, has a great sense of humor, and an awesome style that features lots of stuff our grannies would wear, but in the most modern way imaginable.  Besides, we're both vegetarian and hate cold weather.  I think we may be soul mates.

Outfit Details:

Jeans - ModCloth

Sweater - H&M

Vest - JCP

Bag - Target

Booties - Forever Young

Necklaces - Local Boutiques

 

Hey loves! I'm Jessi and I'm super excited to be borrowing Kym's blog for the day while she's vacationing.  Me and Kym go way back.  Well, kind of.  We've just been bloggy friends forever :)  She's the best.  We bonded over our many similarities and crappy weather.  And every time I come here I leave laughing!  I love that!

Anywho, today I'm sharing an outfit fit for Thanksgiving Dinner.  Something totally comfortable but with dressed up details.  I love the idea of wearing a stretchy sweater like this one to hide the little gut I'm sure to get from all that food ;)  The vest adds some more detail (and more tummy-coverage) and the little bit of bling on the collar is my favorite! Add a little jewelry and some fun heeled booties, and I'm ready to feast!  Oh, and the hair totally fits the Thanksgiving theme, right?  I mean it looks kinda pilgrim-y to me...

Well, here's to a fulfilling Thanksgiving for all!  As a fellow vegetarian I won't be having any turkey but I'm sure I'll devour my fair share of mashed potatoes and pumpkin pie!  Mmmm....

Please note that this is a scheduled post, so if I don't respond to comments, it just means I'm probably enjoying life outside of the internet.  Whatever that's like.

Sir Mixalot

{similar dress | similar jacket | ON vest | similar boots | fossil watch | asos bracelet}

I am so glad that the mixed media jacket has made a comeback.  I was all over it the first time around in the early '90s (with staggeringly unfashionable results), but unlike bike shorts and slap bracelets, I'm still into the trend today.  After snagging this sweet vegan leather jacket at TJ Maxx (I wish you could feel it; it's like buttah), I decided that with a little help she could easily masquerade as the beloved jacket of yore.  And since I had already done this with a denim jacket, I threw the same vest over this one and called it good.  As you can clearly see, my imagination knows no bounds.

How do you feel about this trend?  Should it stay in 1992 with crimped hair and wigwam socks or are you as excited about its return as you were that time your mom finally caved and got you those totally awesome Z. Cavariccis?

Linking here today.

Extraneous Additions

{ON vest (similar), tee, shorts | target shoes (similar) | fossil watch | gifted necklace, earrings (similar), bracelets}

Whenever it's summer, there usually comes a point when I'm thankful for the days cool enough to wear layers.  Don't get me wrong - summer is my favorite and I kind of love hot days, but I think we can all agree that being creative with a tank, shorts, and sandals can only go so far when it's 93 degrees outside.  So when it's a cool 70, I feel really grateful for the chance to gussy up my outfit with some extraneous item of clothing.  Over the weekend I took advantage of the 75 degree day to add a totally non-essential vest to my ensemble.  Cool-hot days and unnecessary accoutrements; it's the little things that make me happy.


Linking today.

The Wall.

{ON vest (similar) & tee | target jeans | payless shoes (cute option) | asos necklace | gifted bracelets}

I think this wall may just be my favorite wall ever.  I love that it's made of brick, and that the paint covering it is so old and weathered that it's peeling away in huge, lovely chunks, giving way to small peeks of the original beauty hidden beneath.  The wall has taken on an aged patina, revealing colors that only the passing of time can create: the red-brown of the crumbling bricks flecked with moss and weeds as it's slowly reclaimed by nature, the faint seafoam green a hint of a paint job long forgotten, the peachy off-white that's been neglected so long it's barely still capable of maintaining contact with the structure; even the runny, ruddy rust stains add a modicum of beauty to this debilitated delight.

...and that's what being a blogger will do to you.  You think things are going pretty well and then one day you realize that you've written an entire post about a wall.

Let's party.

Mixed Media & a Giveaway

{h&m jacket | ON vest (similar) | target sweater (similar) & shoes | UO jeans | handmade hat | diy necklace}

I decided to try something a little different for this outfit.  I've been seeing a lot of what I've dubbed "mixed media" jackets around.  You know the ones - jacket part is one material, the sleeves are another.  Since I haven't owned anything like that since I was 13 (oh, I was so cool - denim jacket with leather sleeves AND matching jeans with leather chaps on the front), I decided to make my own.  It's simple, really.  Throw on a jacket, add a vest. Bam. Done.  I still can hardly believe it's back in style.  If only I'd had the foresight to hold on to an item I bought in my tweendom from a store called, of all things, The Circus (really).

And now, on to the giveaway.

So, I have a $30 gift card to JunieBlake that I'm not going to use (please note that the gift card is good for 2 more weeks; it expires on April 11th).  Since I don't want it to go to waste, I thought I'd hold a quick, flash giveaway so one of you can snap it up!  Entries are really easy, but you'll need to act quickly because the giveaway will only last through the weekend!  It starts now and ends at 12am Monday, April 1st.  Good luck!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Linking up here today.

All Buttoned Up & a Giveaway

(My eyes aren't really closed here.  I promise I stayed awake during this entire shoot).

{kohl's sweater (similar) | ON jeans & vest (similar) | steve madden boots | target & ON scarves}

Happy Daylight Savings time!  I don't know about you, but I'm pretty excited to have a little more sunshine in the evenings (but really who isn't?).  Plus, after an annoying snow storm on Friday, the weekend actually kind of started to feel like spring.  A decidedly confused and schizophrenic spring, but I'll take it.

Anyway, it was nice to be comfortable while outdoors for a change.  A buttoned up vest over a thin sweater paired with double scarves had me nice and comfy cozy for a date night consisting of a trip to the thrift store, takeout from Moe's, and snuggling on the couch to watch Seeking a Friend for the End of the World.  

In other news, I'm participating in a group giveaway over at Penniless Socialite.  It's got lots of awesome stuff; you should totally enter. 

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Linking here today.

Snow Disappointing

{target sweater (similar) | ON vest & tights | h&m shorts (cute option on super sale!) | steve madden boots | f21 necklace (similar)}

So, I was about to publish a whole post about how disappointed I am that just when it warmed up enough to melt the skanky snow that's been hanging out for the past few weeks, it goes and snows again.  Like, on the very same day that the other snow finally vanished. But January is a tough enough month to endure without me chiming in to complain about it.  So for a little change of pace, I bring you My List of Positive Things About January:

Positive Thing About January #1:  It's still Christmasy.  My house looks like Santa's workshop for at least half of January (ok, usually a little more).  I just love the fun decorations, and it's still kind of sort of acceptable to have them up throughout the month.  Come February, that crap won't fly.

Positive Thing About January #2:  It's chilly enough to consider purchasing these.  Anyone own a pair?  Good?  Bad?  Ugly?

Positive Thing About January #3:  Sometimes the snow has little ice crystals sitting on top of it = nature's own glitter.  As a female who enjoys sparkly things, I appreciate this.

Positive Thing About January #4:  I get to wear lots of cozy layers.  I know I complain about the cold, but I admit that about 3/4 of the way through summer I'm really missing the option to top my outfit off with a thick, chunky scarf, a cool pair of boots, or an oversized cable knit sweater.

Positive Thing About January #5:  The cold weather provides a perfect excuse to snuggle up on the couch, whip up a batch of hot chocolate and a big bowl of popcorn, and guiltlessly enjoy hour after hour of Shameless on dvd.

*Also, I'm a finalist in a creative photo contest.  If you're the voting type and you'd like to help me win, please click here and then "like" my photo.  Big virtual hugs to all who do!*


Find me here today, too.

Nifty Knits

{marshalls dress (similar 1, 2) | ON vest, giveaway win from City & Burbs | target belt | steve madden boots | asos socks | oasap ring, c/o (similar) | diy scarf (similar)}

You guys, I can't help myself.  I can't stop wearing big, cowly, chunky knit infinity scarves.  Don't believe me?  Proof here, here, here, here, and oh yeah, here.  Though my time in Florida did give me a forced reprieve from wearing the thick, cozy things, I'm pretty sure spending two weeks apart from them only served to transform what was previously a mild fixation to a full fledged can't-leave-the-house-without-one, it's my grown-up-security-blanket type obsession.

So...to whichever genius pioneered the idea to take an ordinary winter scarf, and ingeniously connect the ends to turn it into a circular shape that could be loosely wrapped around the neck in the chicest way imaginable, well sir or madam, my hat's off to you (and then promptly back on again because, damn, it's getting cold!).

(I'm linking up with these ladies today)