Meet George

Today is my older sister's birthday!  Happy birthday, Jenny!!!  To celebrate her birthday even though I am miles away, I decided to wear some bright, bold colors. 

Actually, that is a total lie.  I wore these bright, bold colors much earlier in the week and I wrote this blog post earlier too... One of the joys of using Blogger is that I can write posts far in advance and just schedule them to pop up whenever I want!  Do you feel lied to and deceived now that you know you are reading this on Sunday and I really wrote it last week?  You should.  I would, too, if I wasn't the person doing the lying and deceiving.  I still wish my sister a happy birthday, and that's the honest truth.



Cardigan: Bette cardigan in sky blue, Anthropologie 2011 (this just went on sale last week! Sold out online but perhaps you can snag one in stores...)
Skirt: It's Your Move, Anthropologie Summer 2010
Sandals: J. Crew summer 2010

 Anyway, as I mentioned, I wore these bold colors and George.  George is the little man hanging on the beaded necklace. I've had George for at least 20 years, maybe longer.  George is a triplet; he used to have 2 brothers that were earrings.  Unfortunately, I lost them eons ago.  George also had a woman. She was on a matching bracelet but about 6 years ago her skirt began to unravel and her bony frame began to scratch me up so I eventually threw her away (I'm pretty sure she was just jealous).  George is the only man that's stuck with me through the years and I am grateful to him for it.  He is stylish, portable, and quiet.  What more could a girl ask for, really?

Not sure where George came from (I'm pretty certain he was a gift) but I wear him from time to time.  I love how comfortable this skirt is!  Last year I bought it on sale at Anthropologie at the end of the season.  Because it is white, I rarely wear it but I am hoping to get at least 1 more wear out of it before fall sets in.

Fall Thanks

Remember when I mentioned Birthday Season is nearly upon us and I posted these cupcake cards?  Well, I also mentioned that my birthday happens to fall in birthday season. When I have some time in the summer, I generally start to stock up on birthday thank you notes to prepare for the main event.  If you want to be surprised by my birthday thank you note this year, and don't want to see it until it arrives in your mailbox, then stop reading now before you see the picture of it!

Last year at Stampin' Up!'s regional conference in Baltimore, I WON a stamp set from the Prize Patrol!  YIPPEE!  I was very excited as it was a stamp set I adored, didn't own, and probably wouldn't purchase because it is too similar to others I already own. The stamp set I won is called French Foliage. Believe it or not, I used every stamp in the set to create this card:



Cardstock: More Mustard, Soft Suede, Very Vanilla
Ink: More Mustard, Soft Suede, Cajun Craze, Peach Parfait
Stamp Sets: French Foliage, Curly Cute

 I love how realistic the leaves look in this set and I like the vintage-style post mark and french script. As this was a simple SIP card (Stamps-Ink-Paper... no embellishments) it took no time at all to reproduce a stack of these. The combination of fall colors worked well together.  While I've had the stamp set for nearly a year, this was the first time I used it!  I am certain I will use it more frequently in the future.  Here are all the images that come in the set:

Want to stamp some fall cards of your own?  Click HERE to shop Stampin' Up! Products now, and have them delivered directly to your door!

Awkward and Awesome Thursday!

Hello, Readers!  Happy Thursday!  Do you read Sydney's blog over at The Daybook?  If you don't, you should.  Basically because she is the most adorable person on the planet and will always put a smile on your face.  She has a weekly post on Thursday stating all the awkward and awesomeness from the week.  While I will not join in her weekly post, I figured I would give one a-go here, and maybe participate once a month or so (not that I don't have plenty of awkward things to say, but rather that I don't want to always post them!) 

Let's start, shall we?

Awkward:
~Walking across a smooth, flat surface and completely tripping over nothing.  This happens to me more often than it rightfully should.
~My bedroom has 3 huge windows that stretch nearly from floor to ceiling.  Yes, I realize that is awesome, not awkward.  However, the other day a neighbor had some plumbers over.  I was very intrigued by what was happening as the plumbers had plastic buckets in the front yard overflowing with water.  I couldn't tell where the water was coming from and I kept peering outside trying to solve the mystery.  I was examining the situation as I stepped out of the shower.  After a few minutes of spying, I realized if I could clearly see all the action going on in the yard in front of me, it is pretty likely that the plumbers could clearly see what was going on through my windows and perhaps I shouldn't stand naked in front of the tall windows in the middle of the day.
~My license is about to expire as I have a BIG birthday approaching.  Friday I went to have my new license picture taken.  For the new state license, citizens are not allowed to smile. It is very awkward standing in front of a camera and trying NOT to smile for a picture.
~My hair in the pictures below. I was running late for work and didn't have time to dry it, so in some of the photos it is still wet and in others it dried rather funky and became huge and poofy in summer's humidity.


This is the yucky wet hair I mentioned above





Cardigan and tank: J. Crew Outlet, summer 2011
Skirt: J. Crew, circa 2005
Shoes: Steve Madden, circa 2008
Necklace: Unknown... a gift from my friend, Jill!

Awesome:
~Last weekend my friend Katherine was in town.  We went to dinner, ate ourselves silly, and had a lot of laughs catching up!  I forget how much I miss that girl when I don't often see her.
~Work in the summer.  I know that sounds contradictory, as a BEACH in the summer sounds more ideal, but I love working in the summer when life can be flexible. I've been going into work early and leaving around 3:30 which makes me happy.  I don't have that luxury during other seasons when my job is busier!
~The Help.  If you haven't read the book, read it.  Then, listen to it on audio book (FABULOUS to listen to) and finally, see the movie.  So well done!
~DC Restaurant week.  It only happens twice a year and happens to be THIS week!  Many restaurants in the area offer a 3-course meal for $35.11- an absolute bargain.  This week I have been and will be hitting up a few tasty new restaurants.
~Birchbox.  Sara over at You, Me, and Anthropologie always blogs about her birchbox goodies.  I decided I couldn't live without it any longer, so I signed up for a subscription, too.  Look for a post about my first birchbox once it arrives in September!

Shoe Fettish

Typically around this time of year, I start to "collect" pieces for my fall wardrobe.  Once fall arrives, I slowly debut them to feel like I have many "brand new" items to last me through the season!  I rarely debut more than one new item each week, to keep from over spending and purchasing more new clothes.  I bought the Jenna Round Toe Pumps from Banana Republic a few weeks ago.  I was saving them for the fall, but decided, why the wait? (Yes, you caught me, I sang the Ingram Hill song, Why the Wait quite literally) I might as well wear them now to take them for a little field test, if you will.

A friend of mine was in town for the weekend and we met up for dinner.  I decided to keep the snakeskin print of the shoes the main attraction of the outfit, so I wore all back with just a pop of red on the belt.

Here's an up-close-and-personal view of the shoe, fresh from the box

Shirt: Banana Republic, circa 2009
Skirt: The Limited, circa 2005
Necklace: Express, circa 2004
Belt: Gap, NO IDEA.  The tag says 2001, but I've definitely only had it for a few years.  Perhaps a sister gave it to me?
Shoes: Banana Republic, Summer 2011

This is what my face looks like when I am surprised that I can balance on one foot.

What do you think of all the animal prints coming back into fashion this fall?

The Chosen One

No, the title of the post does not refer to Harry Potter (although, the Chosen One is on TV in the background as I type this) but rather a chosen skirt.   I am really trying hard this year to shop less for a variety of reasons.
1.) I don't make as much money as I spend and this is my get-out-of-debt year (I hope!!!)
2.) I like to travel and therefore need to stop spending so much money on clothes so I can spend it on airfare
3.) I have more clothes than most people on the planet
4.) I don't often get enough wear out of the fabulous wardrobe I already have (and easily grow tired of) so I need to learn how to shop my closet rather than shopping in stores.

Thus far, my self-imposed shopping ban is not going well.  I already wrote here about how I caved and purchased the Jenna Round Toe Pumps (look for a blog post featuring these shoes SOON!)  Time for another confession: Last week with a Banana Republic coupon code I caved again and bought these red Mad Men inspired pumps (I really, really DID need red heels- Emily, I know you are shaking your head right now but it is true).  My downfall is fall clothes.

About a week ago, I popped into the Anthropologie near my parents house with my youngest sister along for the ride. I truly was not planning on purchasing anything, just trying on a few things.  Since my birthday is next month, I planned to pick 1-2 things that I would purchase using my Anthro birthday coupon. Well, I saw the Colorblock Sweater Skirt, which to be honest, never once tempted me online.  Then I saw it in person.  LOVE.  Online, it looked too long and a bit uninteresting. In person, it is the perfect length for a shorty like me, super soft, and uber cute!!  Keep in mind it is a sweater skirt.  Made of wool.  I will not likely wear it before November, possibly even December depending on the weather.  Waiting until September to use my birthday coupon seems like a logical way to purchase said lovely skirt. 

Low and behold, there were only 2 left!  TWO! A wool skirt in August, selling out like hotcakes!!  I couldn't wait.  What if it is completely gone online and in stores by September?!?  To the register I went and now the skirt is mine.

Of course, as soon as I returned back home and visited MY local Anthro, there were TONS of these babies there.  No shortage at all. If they still have a few come September, I may return it and re-buy it with my birthday coupon.  I will definitely go that far to save $15! (Hey, that's $15 I can use towards the Noon and Night Dress which I also tried on and now completely adore!)

Speaking of Anthro's fall collection, the lovely Roxy from Effortless Anthropologie is running two, yes TWO, contests on her blog.  Both contest have an Anthro gift card as the grand prize.  Head on over to her blog to check it out!  Of course, you have to be a follower of her blog to enter, and if you are going to follow Effortless Anthropologie, you should definitely follow MY blog too, for referring you (Click on the link on the right to follow).  Likewise, if you WIN Roxy's contest it would only be fair for you to split your winnings with me so I can get some new treats from Anthro as well :)

Those Summer Nights

Friday I had a long work meeting and then went into Arlington to meet two of my favorite girls out for dinner and drinks at Arlington Rooftop Bar and Grill.  It was a HOT day but a nice evening for sitting out in the sun on the rooftop (although, I must admit we did get a bit sweaty and eventually moved our party inside).  We had a lot of laughs and were able to unwind after a long work week!  Here's the outfit of the day:

Dress: Anthropologie Fountain of Youth Dress, spring 2011
Necklace: Anthropologie, summer 2010
Earrings: Premier Designs
Headband: Ann Taylor Loft, summer 2011
Shoes: J. Crew, summer 2010

Irrational Fear

This evening when I got home from dinner, I had an email from my friend Amy that read "I was wondering if this applied to you" with a link.  The link contained this image (below) and it was so true, I had to post it on my blog right this very minute.

I can't even begin to tell you how much that applies to me!  Take last Friday, for instance.  I wore this outfit, and only went to work and then spent 5 hours sitting in the car driving to Pennsylvania.  What a waste of a good outfit that no one really got to see (except perhaps some co-workers, but I am not certain they all appreciate my fashion efforts...)


Dress: Anthropologie, summer 2009
Shoes: J. Crew, spring 2010
Cardigan: Banana Republic, circa 2008
Necklace: Lou Lou Boutiques, Spring 2010
Ring: Lou Lou Boutiques, summer 2011

 On a side note, my youngest sister snapped this photo and she told me I looked "very academic" standing in front of all of these books.  I don't know about that, but it is nice to have a different background for a change!