If you've read my blog over the last couple of years, you've probably heard me complain about my birthdays, so get ready for a doozy. It's been a very busy week and to be honest, I haven't handled it well...at all. My homeschoolers started public school for the first time ever, the movers came with boxes full things and there were some painful memories stirred up, and just as the movers arrived, my youngest made a tearful call and I spent 30 minutes trying to calm her. I tried all the wonderful adive about how everyone is scared on the first day of school and how this will make her a better person, because she'll be able to help the new kids next year since she knows how hard it is to be the new kid, but in the end I resorted to bribery (cupcake dolls are back and I'll have one waiting for you in the car if you can just buck up and make it through the day) and it worked in two minutes better than all the previous 28 minutes of love, encouragement, and good advice I threw at her.
And then there was my birthday, I'm 36 now. It coincided with my yearly Dr. visit, at which I had hoped I would hear that I'm in perfect health, but instead was told that I need another test and probably to enlist the help of a naturopath for some holistic solutions to some minor problems. My spouse also received a report that some aches and pains he's been dealing with need further scanning and scrutinizing. All of this happened in the same week and most of it happened on the same day.
While I tried to take my own medical news in stride, getting his news crumpled me to a sobbing heap on the floor. What a week indeed. Fashion hasn't even been on my radar. I'm hopeful that some good news is on the way from all these Dr visits, and that we'll soon get everything unpacked and settle ourselves into a routine. Tonight I'm on my way to my support group meeting. I haven't been in about a month, which may have contributed to the way I handled this week.
Every year for my birthday I do something I've always wanted to do. This year for my birthday, in light of all these changes and stuff making me worry, I've decided fight for my life. I was always fighting for the best possible life I could have, trying to be my best and do my best. And when life knocked me out, I stayed down...for a while. This year, on my birthday I've made up my mind that I can't go back to the way things were and I can't predict how things will go, but I love my family and my friends. I decided this year, that it's time to get back up again and keep fighting. It's time to stop looking back and to finally let go. There's still happiness out there, good moments to share and good memories to make, and instead of cake, I think I'll have a slice of that instead.
Saturday, August 19, 2017
A Birthday to Remember
Monday, August 14, 2017
Kokeshi Kawaii
Going totally without a pattern this time and it actually went pretty well and pretty quickly. I tried to use all the things I've learned from my past mistakes and managed to complete this skirt in only a few days. The fabric is an adorable kokeshi print that I picked up while shopping in the fabric district of Tokyo. I even had enough left over to make a simple elastic skirt for my girls to share. They were big collectors of kokeshi dolls while we were overseas, and I rather liked them myself, so this is a bit of a souvenir for all of us.
Sunday, August 13, 2017
Keep Your Shape with a Loose Top
I'm venturing out of my comfort zone again and trying to find the best way to style a baggy sweatshirt top. For the challenge, I chose this loose rose printed crew neck with three quarter sleeves. I loved the bright pink and the nice print on the front, but very, very loose. In order to keep some shape and not be swallowed up by the top, I went with some form fitting high waist shorts by Forever 21.
Shop the look:
Irisie Women Loose Rose Printed Crewneck Three Quarter Sleeve T Shirt
Forever 21 Shorts from ThredUp. Use my link to sign up and get $10 off your first order.
Bell Flats by Report
Saturday, August 12, 2017
Olive's Dress
A quick post featuring the dress I chose as Olive's Dress in our Miss Peregrine ensemble. I'm still working on getting pics of us all in costume, but this dress worked fabulously well. even if you're not planning on using it for cosplay, it's still an adorable dress. I'm wearing a size small and it's a great fit, so I'd recommend sizing up one from your normal size when ordering. This dress is very lightweight and lovely, though the fabric is a bit fragile, so be careful of snags.
Shop the Look:
Tassel Tie Neck Pink Floral Dress- $44.99 from: The-Other-Sparrows.com
Fox Crossbody bag- $9.24 from: RoseGal
The Zest is History Heel in Burgundy- $44.99 from: ModCloth
Wednesday, August 9, 2017
One Last Blondie Style
On one of my mornings as a blonde, I snapped a few pics on my way out to work. I forgot to post pics, but I really, really liked this outfit. This was a wear-to-work outfit for a casual Friday. It is head to toe thrift shopped and probably cost me a total of $25. So, the good news is that I saved a ton of money. The less than good news is that I don't have tons of shopping info. I've done my best to find look-alikes though. I love mustard yellow and my favorite thing to wear this color with is black and ivory stripes. Tip of the day* I always wear a long flowing tunic or draped cardi with my skinny jeans to create a smoother line.
Tuesday, August 8, 2017
How to Wear Camo
Before this week I owned exactly zero camouflage prints. Zero. About eight years ago I got a pair of camo pants from my local thrift store for free. They were going to throw them away because they had no button, so I offered to take off their hands rather than see them end up in the dumpster. They were in great shape except for the button, so I sewed on a replacement and proceeded to wear them until they fell apart. And that was it until I saw a friend and fellow blogger a couple of months rocking a vintage camo jacket and making it look ever so chic and feminine. You can read her post and view her pics here. I loved the look so much, it got me thinking about adding a little camo to my wardrobe again and I thought this cute little Irisie tee for $10.99 was a great and inexpensive way to start.
I know the typical thing to do when wearing camo is to pair it with neutral shades--either white, black, or blue jeans. That's what I did with my camo pants, may they rest in peace. Now? I prefer to rock the color palette a little harder. Rather than keeping my main pieces neutral and simply adding a colorful or printed accent piece like a purse or shoes, I decided to go with this burnt orange corduroy skirt. I love all those outfits that I posted up top, they're pretty brilliant examples of camo done well, especially with all that print mixing---it's fabulous! And I'll definitely be trying a few more outfit styles with this top, but for now I'm leaving the neutral zone behind :D
Shop the Look:
Irisie Women Camouflage Print Summer V Neck Short Sleeve T Shirt $10.99
My skirt is old. Similar Skirts are, Top: Flirt Alert Faux Suede Mini Skirt & Bottom: Breathtaking Tiger Lilies Midi Skirt in Orange from: ModCloth Use my link and get a sign on bonus from ModCloth.
Thursday, August 3, 2017
With a Yellow Bow on Top
It's finally here! The Cactus Dress I've been drooling over for at least 18 months, maybe more, has arrived and fits like a dream; I love it! It is such a darling dress. The skirt and top are lined, but it's still a bit sheer, so flesh toned undies are a must :D I chose a size small and it fits very well, maybe a little bit of wiggle room, so be sure to read the size info on the website before buying. It buttons down the front and of course the bow unties. There is also a zipper at the side. It's short and lightweight enough for summer, but so easy to layer up for cooler months. This is going to be my go to work dress this fall with teal tights and a cardi.
Shop the Look:
Shop the Look:
Self Tie Cactus Print Buttoned Dress- $25.80 from: RoseGal.com
Monday, July 31, 2017
Emma's Dress
The season of blonde hair is officially over. I really enjoyed it and may go back to it one day, but, for the present, I have to get my driver's license renewed and these photos last for eight years now instead of four. I don't want to have to answer questions about why my picture looks so different from my real hair color. In the mean time, I decided to wear this gorgeous mint dress from The-Other-Sparrows.com. I bought the dress for one of my girls to wear when she dresses up as Emma from Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children, but since it is an adult size, I thought I'd wear it before I have to tailor it for her size. I order sundresses from this site in a size Medium so I can get a little extra length out of them, but this is my first time ordering a dress from their "Girly Clothes" selection. I think this line fits truer to size. If they had had one in stock, I probably could have ordered a small or extra small and had plenty of room. The dress is lined and comes with a belt, but has no zipper. I pulled the dress on over my head, stretching the elastic waist. The material is a light weight textured synthetic fabric. I could see this dress getting snags or holes very easily. However, it is a very lovely dress and I'm a little sad to hand it over, but maybe I'll get it back one day.
Shop the Look:
Tie Waist Mint Dress from The-OtherSparrows.com
Dolce Vita Heels & Matryoshka Purse are old
Sunday, July 30, 2017
Hot House Dots
Another lost post about a trip to my local greenhouse or "hot house" as my dad calls it. Just out on a warm day buying a few flowers to plant around the house. I haven't worn this dress much; it was so very bright I was at a loss as so how to style it. Pairing it with a neutral denim jacket and neutral metallic sandals really helped to tone down the color and now I love it!
Shop the Look:
Denim Jacket from Old Navy
Sandals from Target
Yellow Dot Dress from The-Other-Sparrows.com
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