September 2014 Purchases

Since it was my birthday, I let myself go a little over budget. I ended up getting the polka dot sweater free as it was an incorrect shipment from eBay. The Loft moto jacket is probably my favorite find -- followed by the Tracy Reese skirt from Anthropologie. This is my second skirt from her, and I love both of them.

Tuesday, September 30, 2014

Today is the day of wearing dyed things and free things. I got the earrings and cuff for free from Chicos with a combination of a BOGO 50% sale on jewelry, a $25 off $50 coupon, and my birthday gift certificate. I rather like the two, especially the earrings, being lovely bling without weight. I think the longer earrings look good with my edgier haircut. As for the outfit, everything here was dyed (or, in the case of the flats, painted) except the skirt. I rather liked how this pulled together. This skirt isn't DYT, but I think the beautifully cut jacket and the tank with the horizontal lines make it A-OK on the top.
Swirl Paisley Pencil Skirt, Talbots; Ruffle Tee in Kelly/Apple Green, Talbots; Waverly Jacket dyed Black, J.Crew via eBay; Jewelry, Chicos.

Monday, September 29, 2014

Today I went with this faithful skirt from Talbots. I hadn't tried red with it really, so I went with a very vintage red jacket. This was a very cute look. I went minimal on the jewelry and just went with flower earrings.
Summer Floral Pencil Skirt, Talbots; Vintage Stripe Tee, J. Crew; Red Jacket, Christopher and Banks; Jewelry, Shopko.

Sunday, September 28, 2014

Today I walked on the wild side of orange with this sweater and this adorable skirt that I am already in major love with. I dyed this sweater orange from a nondescript beige, and I really like it in the new orange. (The orange stripe tee didn't actually show under the sweater, so I wasn't being too crazy with pattern mixing here.) I even added the orange pumps I painted. Yowza!!
Tracy Reese Colorblock Skirt in Orange, Anthropologie, Crochet Stripe Tee in Orange Crush, Talbots; Crochet Cardigan in Orange Crush, Eddie Bauer; Jewelry, Coldwater Creek.

Friday, September 26, 2014

I have really enjoyed this neon pink linen sweater. Unfortunately, the ever loving and kind and service oriented BHW washed this for me when we got back from Peru, and it kind of ruined it. Luckily, J.Crew's legendary customer service came through and they replaced it for me for free. So I can still be neon. Yeah!
I'm wearing the flower bib necklace I made earlier this year using a tutorial from the Bromeliad blog. This is made up of eight .99 cent/free shipping pins from China wired together with bit of chain leftover from a necklace I shortened. I thought it went well with the overall pink.
Stretch Denim Jeans, Coldwater Creek; Textured Charley Sweater in Neon Azalea; Jewelry, Designed by Denée and Talbots.

Thursday, September 25, 2014

I have really put myself on a strict buying budget. Really. That said, I got a lot of $15 - $20 - even $30 birthday gift cards from some of the stores I've purchased from in the past. I used most of them without spending much of my own money.
For this I had to add a bit of my own cash, but I couldn't resist this Anthropologie skirt on sale and with the birthday gift card. I like it here with a turquoise tee and with my Loft waxed cotton moto jacket (also purchased with a birthday gift card) for the chilly morning.
My fan fringe necklaces aren't really type 4, as they have gold fittings, but frankly, I like them with so many things that I just keep wearing them.
Tracy Reese Colorblock Pencil Skirt in Orange, Anthropologie; Tee in Turquoise, Talbots; Jewelry, J. Crew and Talbots; Waxed Cotton Motorcycle Jacket in Black, Loft; Jewelry.

Wednesday, September 24, 2014

Well, today I am emulating this outfit from The Classy Cubicle. I decided that since I have this sweater, I may as well wear it. I don't have the full skirt she has.
As is the case with many J. Crew sweaters, this was a pilly mess after wearing it.
This little bracelet I got for free from Banana Republic by combining a rewards with my birthday coupon. I am rather enamored of it. The sad thing was that I had to look long and hard at Banana Republic to find anything I wanted even for free. That store is pretty monochromatic and dreary right now.
Hot Pink Pencil Skirt, Talbots; Charley Sweater in Polka Dot in Kelly/Navy, J. Crew Factory via eBay; Jewelry, Banana Republic

Tuesday, September 23, 2014

Today I went with the quick outfit fix of skinny jeans and a sweater. I've been rather too lazy to do much more.
Alisha NYDJ Jeans in Fuchsia, Nordstroms; Fish Merino Tippi, J. Crew; Jewelry, Shopko.

Monday, September 22, 2014

Today I went with a lace skirt and my linen whale tippi. It was Monday. Enough said.
Linen Whale Tippi Sweater, J. Crew; Travelers Tank in Navy, Chicos; Eyelet Square Pencil Skirt in Green, Talbots; Jewelry, Banana Republic.

eBay Adventures

J.Crew Collection Cashmere Polka-Dot Sweater in Green Atlantic $268

J.Crew Factory Intarsia Charley Sweater in Polka Dot in Kelly/Navy $80

So I've been selling quite a bit on eBay -- all of my gray and brown things -- and using the proceeds in purchasing the odd thing here and there. A couple of weeks ago I saw that some one had listed the J. Crew Collection Cashmere Polka-Dot Sweater in Green Atlantic, which I've always had a crush on, brand new with tags for 29 dollars. Of course it didn't stay that low, but I ended up getting it for $71 dollars shipped, which was a steal considering that it was originally $268. I was excited to get it in the mail.
Imagine my disappointment when I opened the package and found that I had received the J. Crew Factory remake, cheap and itchy, instead.
What's up with these sellers? Do they honestly not know the difference, or do they think that the buyers are that naive? Anyway, I immediately opened a case for a full refund, and after waiting until the last day before I'm supposed to contact eBay to start a claim, the buyer suddenly refunded me in full. No message, nada. So -- am I just supposed to keep this? I'm not the least bit in love with it -- it's majorly itchy.
I have learned my lesson though. If something seems to good to be true, it probably is.

Sunday, September 21, 2014

I wore this quick outfit to the Ogden Temple Dedication service at our stake center. I picked two of the merino wool tees up at Costco, and I really like them. They're very comfortable, and the color is quite saturated and rich -- richer than it looks here on my monitor. I think every Sunday service should be just as long as the dedication -- 1.5 hours is just right. I know, evil me. I used both of my Venus Flytrap necklaces to add some bling -- perhaps I should have added some length? Everything is so difficult when you're always in a rush.
Raj Paisley Pencil Skirt; J. Crew via eBay; Merino Tee in Red, Costco; Jewelry, J. Crew Factory and Talbots.

Saturday, September 20, 2014

I wore these orange jeans with my beloved Tresco Floral Liberty shirt and a white tank to man the hugging booth for Mormons Building Bridges at the Provo Pride Festival. Yes -- I was a living rainbow. I changed into a simple white sweater for the white-out football game afterwards. BYU played Virginia, and ended up winning the game by 8 points. It was a full day!
Skinny Jeans in Red Pepper, Boden; Tresco Floral Liberty Perfect Shirt; J. Crew; White Tank, Chicos; Harry Mason Earrings, Gift from the BHW.

Friday, September 19, 2014

You know, before doing Dressing Your Truth, I really loved this ikat blouse from Chicos. I still like it, but the blush has gone off the rose, I think. I have noticed that Chicos clothes are the ones I tend to get tired of the quickest. Anyway, I still like it enough to wear it today with simple stretch jeans.
Stretch Jeans, Coldwater Creek; Ikat 3/4 Sleeve Tee, Chicos; Jewelry, Chicos.

Thursday, September 18, 2014

I picked this stripe sweater up from the Talbots 80% off sale. I had to size down to a petite because all of Talbots shirts have run incredibly long this year. I'm wearing it here with a white skirt I got from Macy's. I seriously love this white jean skirt -- it has hidden elastic in the waistband and a lot of spandex so it gives off the look of white denim but is very comfortable and unbelievably soft. It's a little wrinkled here from sitting all day. Hmmm...my stance here is a little crazy. I may be favoring my hurt toe. I stubbed it way back in July when I was hiking Machu Picchu, and the toenail just came off last night.
White Denim Skirt, Macy's; Stripe Sweater in Red/Indigo, Talbots; Jewelry Designed by Denée.

Wednesday, September 17, 2014

Today I went with a fuchsia stripe shirt from Boden, cobalt ankle jeans, and my trusty J. Crew Fan Fringe necklace. I know this necklace isn't type 4 because of the gold, but I love it to death anyway.
Boyfriend Jeans, Tommy Hilfiger; Long Sleeve Breton in Magenta/Ivory, Boden; Jewelry, J. Crew and Zales.

Tuesday, September 16, 2014

I've had this skirt and this shirt for ages, but I've never tried them together before. I rather liked how this came out. This skirt is not quite type 4, but the bright pink shirt on top worked out, I thought? This necklace is very old but went well here.
Trail Stripe Skirt, Talbots; Button-Up in Dragonfruit, Shopko; Jewelry, Coldwater Creek and Designed by Denée.

Monday, September 15, 2014

Today is Monday. That pretty much explains everything, including this outfit which was none too inspired but extremely comfortable. I wore flame orange jeans, shoes, and scarf with a cobalt tee.
Skinny Jeans in Red Pepper, Boden; Merino Wool Tee in Cobalt, Costco; Silver Stripe Scarf in Coral, Chicos;

Sunday, September 14, 2014

Today I had the great opportunity to sing in the choir for the 153 stake regional conference. They had all the ladies wear either purple, yellow or green tops to give the effect of a beautiful garden. I went with my highlighter yellow cardigan. It was an amazing experience to sing with a choir that large for a full crowd in the Marriott Center with two apostles and broadcast all over!!
Seasonless Wool Pencil Skirt in Black, Talbots; Microfiber Tank in White, Chicos; V-Neck Cardigan, DYT; Jewelry, Talbots.

Saturday, September 13, 2014

Today I attended the Affirmation Conference in SLC. It was beyond amazing -- I felt the spirit so strong and the feeling of LOVE there was palpable and impressive. I knew from previous experience that I often get cold at conferences, so I went with this coated cotton motorcycle jacket that I just picked up at Loft for $50. This jacket was a bit pricey, but it was love at first sight. It's actually not nearly as cropped on me as it looks on the model -- I'm a lot shorter than she is. It looked great over my golden sunflower toothpicks and a cobalt v-neck tee.
Toothpick Jeans in Golden Sunflower, J. Crew; V-Neck Merino Wool Tee in Cobalt, Costco; Coated Cotton Motorcycle Jacket in Black, Loft; Jewelry, Harry Mason Earrings, B-Day Gift from the BHW.

Friday, September 12, 2014

Yes, today is my 50th birthday. I embraced it by wearing leopard (and because it was Leopard Pride day at school). I added a red scarf to bring some color up by my face.
Of course my ever loving BHW had to throw a surprise party for me which kept me in suspense all day. BHW, you are the best!!!
Leopard Sweater, Chicos; Red Scarf, Nordstroms; Denim Stretch Jeans, Coldwater Creek, Jewelry, Designed by Denée.

Thursday, September 11, 2014

BYU football fans remembering 9-11

This is what I wore today -- I wanted to be a little rainbow-ish as I was going to the Affirmation Parent Welcome Meeting tonight.
Is this type 4? Probably not, but I do love this shirt.
Liberty Perfect Shirt in Tresco Floral, J. Crew; Halogen Ponte Pencil Skirt in Mustard, Nordstroms; Jewelry, Gift from the DD.

Wednesday, September 10, 2014

You know, I'm just not all that great at taking pictures of myself. Today I am walking a bit on the wild side. That said, I am wearing the montagne pencil skirt with some zebra and black. This zebra necklace is very cute (picked up on eBay for $10) but it suffers from upsidedown flippage. Is that such a thing? If it is, this necklace has it. Anyway, this skirt is quickly becoming a favorite. I LOVE the big elastic waist on it -- it is sooooooooo comfortable.
Tracy Reese Montagne Pencil Skirt, Anthropologie; Joseph A V-Neck Sweater, Macy's; Jewelry, Coldwater Creek and Talbots via eBay.

Tuesday, September 9, 2014

In this rather blurry shot you will see my outfit of the day. This purple sweater is actually a much brighter purple than it appears here in these pictures. I do love and adore this stripe skirt -- it's like wearing a t-shirt all day long.
Stripe Ponte A-Line Skirt in Indigo and White, Talbots; Microfiber Tank in Cobalt Blue, Chicos; V-Neck Cardigan in Violet, DYT; Jewelry, Macy's and Designed by Denée.
A note on the necklace: Can you keep a secret? This isn't really a necklace. It was part of a chain belt that someone was throwing away (the front part was pretty hideous) this is just the back chain part that I removed. I rather like it!

Monday, September 8, 2014

The weather here has been rainy this past week, so I thought it would be okay to pull out the cords. These cords were originally a kind of taupe color as seen here. I dyed them black in the great dying experiment back in June. They came out quite well, and they are still as comfortable as can be!! Win win. Anyway, I'm wearing them today with a white and black shirt and adding some red for accent.
Boyfriend Cords dyed Black, Eddie Bauer; Boy Shirt in Snowcat, J.Crew via eBay; Jewelry, eBay and Designed by Denée.
A note on the necklace: This is just a cheap imitation bubble necklace from China. What I do like about it is that it is set in silver rather than gold.