A Dress as Comfy as a Sweatshirt

It's funny how you can change your mind over time, no matter how long or short the passage.

Merry Christmas!

This month has been pretty hectic, but I didn't want Christmas to go by without wishing everyone a happy holiday.

Here's a look at my Christmas outfit (a bit toned down for work). I've been living in this holly garland for most of the month.

Tights That Change Colors?

What color do these tights look like to you?

When I found them in the store, I was sure they were dark green. I didn't have any green tights, so I bought them and put them away while I waited for a chilly day to wear them.

Well, that day finally came this week, and when I pulled my new green tights out of my drawer, I was a little confused.

The green tights that I had bought somehow looked navy. But when I put them on and looked at them in the mirror, they looked green again. Then I put my shoes on, and what do you know--the tights changed back to navy.

All this flip-flopping from dark green to navy reminded me of peacock feathers, which inspired my accessories.

I like the outfit I put together regardless of the color of the tights.

But I still haven't figured out which hue I'm wearing. Is it green? Or is it navy?

Outfit details
Dress from Anthropologie (old; similar from H&M, similar from Target)
Tights from Target (in assorted colors, including dark green and navy ::wink::)
Shoes from Go Fish Clothing (old)
Purse, vintage, thrifted
Headband from Icing (old, similar)
Temporary Tattoo from Etsy shop Pepper Ink

What's Black, White and Red All Over

The outfit I wore over the weekend to the St. Pete Indie Market, that's what!

Matt and I checked out the once-a-month makers faire on Saturday, and there were so many cute, handmade, and vintage items. I walked away with a working pocket watch/locket necklace from Lauralie Bradford, one of my favorite local jewelry makers. You can check out her shop, The Genesis, on Etsy.

Here's the necklace:

I got this classic-looking dress recently because I had nothing like it in my wardrobe. Although I've only been wearing it with red accessories so far, it's a versatile piece that I'll be able to change up frequently. Versatility is what I seem to be gravitating more toward lately.

Outfit details:
Dress from Old Navy (color sold out online)
Flats from Charlotte Russe (old, similar)
Belt and Sunglasses from Target (neither available online)
Purse from Urban Outfitters (old, similar)
Hair Bow from ModCloth (freebie)
Ring from Topshop (old, similar)
Zodiac Necklace from The Alchemy Shop
Moon Necklace (gift)
Spike Necklace from Forever 21 (old, similar)

This post contains Urban Outfitters, ModCloth and Forever 21 affiliate links, and I will be compensated if you click on them and make a purchase.

Watercolor Warblers for Work

Starting the week with some alliteration--woot!

The first time I posted about this dress (One Bird, Two Birds, Pink Birds, Blue Birds), I said I was looking forward to wearing it a lot.

Well, this is how I styled it for work recently. This time, I couldn't resist wearing accessories in my favorite color, mint, to bring out the blue birds in the print.

Looks like Cleo is a fan, too. :)

Have a great week, everyone!

Outfit Details:
Simply Be Dress
Target Tights
Kmart Shoes
Urban Outfitters Purse (old)
Charming Charlie Necklace (in stores only)
RRKK Ring via Etsy

Photos by my sweet fiance, Matt

This post contains Urban Outfitters affiliate links, and I will be compensated if you click on them and make a purchase.

Flouncy Floral and Ruffles

When I looked through these photos to pick out my faves, I was surprised at how much I look like my mom in this first picture.

Growing up, I was always told by relatives that I was a spitting image of my dad. But the tables seem to have turned somewhere along the way, and I'm totally channeling the maternal side of my family tree.

I wore this outfit on one of my first days at my new job, and I liked how flattering the dress-cardi-tights combo turned out.

I'll definitely be repeating this look at the office!

Outfit Details:
Simply Be Dress (out of stock)
Kohls Cardigan (old)
Target Tights
Urban Outfitters Shoes, Purse and Ring (all old)
Old Navy Necklace (old)

Photos by my sweet fiance, Matt

This post contains Kohls and Urban Outfitters affiliate links, and I will be compensated if you click on them and make a purchase.

Blurry Bike Blues

Just a quick post today. Partly because that's all I have time for, and partly because I don't have many photos of this outfit.

My fiance, Matt, usually takes my outfit photos because he's the sweetest ever, and we use my Nikon D40. Well, Matt recently found a pretty sweet deal on his own Nikon D3100, so we used that to take these photos.

Apparently though, there's a learning curve because many of the pictures we took ended up blurry. He's been practicing with the camera so we get better shots next time.

Outfit Details:
Ride Here, Right Now Dress from ModCloth
Urban Outfitters (old)
Torrid Belt (old)
Payless Shoes (old)
Target Purse
Fossil Bicycle Charm (old, similar options via The Find)
Argyle Gifts Spoon Ring

Photos by my sweet fiance, Matt

This post contains ModCloth, Urban Outfitters and Payless affiliate links, and I will be compensated if you click on them and make a purchase.

Nautical Downpour

Here are more rainy pictures from my outfit photo day over the weekend.

I wore this nautical-inspired dress to a wedding a couple years ago, and it had since gotten lost in the sea of clothes that is my wardrobe. When my closet exploded recently, this dress was one of the fabulous items I rediscovered. I wore this outfit to work on one of my first days.

Outfit Details:
Jason Wu for Target Dress (old)
Calvin Klein Cardigan via Ross Dress for Less (old)
Charlotte Russe Shoes (old)
Payless Purse (old)
Ring (gift from Matt's mom)
H&M Umbrella (old)

Photos by my sweet fiance, Matt

And just for kicks, here are a couple photos from that wedding in March 2012. Matt was a groomsman, and my hair was its natural color! :)

This post contains Payless affiliate links, and I will be compensated if you click on them and make a purchase.

How to Make Cute Twirling Fruit

The Cutest of the Fruit Dress from ModCloth is one of the items I put on my March Wish List that quickly made it to my March shopping list.

I love fruit prints for summer, and this one has all my favorite fruits (minus strawberries). Once it arrived, I was super impressed with the flattering fit, as well as the twirling potential of the skirt.

Speaking of twirling, did you know ModCloth is having a "Twirl Around the World Contest" through March 31? Snap a photo of yourself twirling in your favorite spring ensemble and upload it to the Style Gallery or post it on your Instagram account with the hashtag #modtwirl, and you could win a $350 gift card. Videos will also be considered on Instagram. The contest ends March 31 at 10 a.m. PT, and one Instagram winner and one Style Gallery winner will be chosen that day.

Here's my twirling photo:

So, you might have noticed my blogging absence for the past week. Since I started my new job, I haven't found a good blogging schedule. I decided I'd take all my outfit photos over the weekend, write up all the posts, and then schedule one for each day of the week.

Well, as you can see from these photos, picture day found Tampa drenched in rain, so I had to take many of my outfit photos inside. Bummer. I much prefer the natural light and surroundings of the outdoors. Fingers crossed for next weekend.

Outfit Details:
Cutest of the Fruit Dress from ModCloth
Old Navy Cardigan (old)
Target Shoes (old)
Urban Outfitters Purse (old)
Revolve Clothing Exchange Earrings (local)
Petit Point Ring (handmade locally)
Fossil Strawberry Charm (old, similar)

Photos by my sweet fiance, Matt

This post contains ModCloth and Urban Outfitters affiliate links, and I will be compensated if you click on them and make a purchase.

Indiska Dress and Closet Explosion

Several things to talk about today, you guys, and there's good news and bad news.

Let's start with the good news: I got a job! I'm working for The Tampa Tribune/TBO.com as a web editor. I started Thursday, and although I don't really have a desk/office yet, I'm super pumped to be working full time again. The team I'm working with is awesome, and everyone has been so welcoming. Win!

Now, let's get to the bad news before I move on to talking about my Indiska dress, which is why you're really here and what I promised in the title of this post.

My closet exploded, and I don't mean in a good way. A good way would be that my clothes somehow multiplied and I had double the outfits. No, I mean my closet exploded in a bad, super frustrating, spend-all-of-Sunday-fixing-the-mess way. :'-(

See those two brackets at the top of the photo that are angled downward? Yeah, those are supposed to angle upward. The weight of my clothes was too much for them, and the shelf they were supporting came crashing down at some point on Friday when Matt and I were both at work.

I didn't realize what had happened until Saturday morning when I tried to open the door and couldn't get in. Matt and I had plans that day, so we couldn't work on repairs until Sunday. I had to pull out all of the clothes and purses that had fallen, and then we had to go to the hardware store to get new brackets.

Matt spent the afternoon installing five new brackets and re-positioning the shelf.

Then, I had to put all the stuff back. One of the worst ways to spend a Sunday!

The only positive that came from the closet explosion is that I've rediscovered items that had gotten pushed to the back of my closet. Hashtag bright side.

Matt and I had planned to take a few outfit photos on Sunday, so I could post what I had worn on my first two days of work, but we had to put that on hold. Maybe we'll get to it later this week.

Instead, I'm sharing photos that we took a while back that, for whatever reason, haven't made it on the blog.

If you've read my blog for a while, you might notice that I sometimes reference a 2011 trip to Finland. One of my college roommates is from Finland and still lives there. After college, she came back to the states a couple times to visit, and in the fall of 2011, I decided it was my turn to visit her. We had an amazing time, and I returned to Florida with lots of Nordic trinkets and clothing, including this pink floral dress from Swedish retailer Indiska.

I so wish we had Indiska in the states, or at least that they shipped to the U.S., because I would shop there all the time. The clothes--especially their dresses--are so easy-breezy with a bohemian vibe. The word "Indiska" in Swedish means "Indian," so that gives you an idea of the styles you'd typically find: a perfect blend of Indian and Scandinavian.

Outfit Details:
Indiska Dress (old)
Target Tights
Payless Shoes (old)
Target Purse
Charming Charlie Necklace (in stores only)
The Native Source Ring

Photos by my sweet fiance, Matt

This post contains Payless affiliate links, and I will be compensated if you click on them and make a purchase.