Minty Fresh & Sort Of Clean

We've been experiencing some hotter than heck days in Texas. When it is over 100 degrees for half the day, you tend to just stay inside and soak up the AC. Who cares if your light bill is higher for a few months, because you don't want to die before then by walking outside! And Houston is extra blessed because of the crazy humidity.

But that's enough complaining. Before I continue, though, I'd like to blame the heat and humidity for my lack of fashion posts. I just can't make myself take pictures outside when I am sweating within 10 seconds of walking out there. And y'all don't want me to do it before work, because my make-up gets put on in the truck. I know, safety hazard, blah blah blah.

Anyway, so I love this mint green blouse because it's so breathable for summer. It's light and airy and even pretty too!

In this first pic, I paired it with some Ann Taylor shorts for a quick and cute summer outfit for the weekend. I think this was a Sunday and I first had on a lace black skirt and then changed to shorts to bum around the house.

Note the stretchy headband and lack of footwear. I'm pretty sure I had just done a load of dishes and came outside to take a quick pic.

The next day, I donned my gray pencil skirt, fav summer blazer, and snakeskin heels for an easy breezy work look.

I love using 1-2 pieces from my Sunday outfit for a quick look on Monday. I just can't get inspired without help on Monday mornings. The weekend is over too quickly and my brain isn't functioning yet because I make my coffee right before I leave!

Y'all, this picture makes me laugh.
I mean, what on earth was I thinking when I looked into the camera like that?

"I know your deep, dark secrets, Mr. Camera"

haha.

Blouse: JC Penney, Blazer: Ann Taylor, Skirt: Target, Heels: DSW

Please ignore the fact that I need lipstick. Thank you.

Also, I hate lipstick. But I love lip gloss.

These are the earrings I wore on my wedding day! :)

Yay for love & dangly earrings!

Close up of this lovely blouse that I'm trying not to wear every single day.

But believe me, I totally want to.

Do you ever make it easy on yourself too and just grab a piece from Sunday to wear to work on Monday?

Sometimes I will even copy the entire outfit for Monday and just leave it at that. Please don't think I wear dirty clothes or anything, I only re-wear it if it was only worn on Sunday for a couple hours.

psbtw, It's good to be back! Missed y'all!

Lacey...Without Cagney

I'm not gonna lie. I used to hate lace. Even a few years ago, I only owned one piece of clothing with lace on it and it was a pretty black skirt with a lace overlay (I still have it, it's too pretty to ever give away!).

Until the past 6 months or so, I just thought lace looked either too 80s or too feminine. But then I realized that I like to look feminine and 80s fashions are totally back in and looking better than before and I jumped on the lace train.
Side thought...lace train...that brings crazy images into my head...an entire train covered in lace. hmm.

Once I got past my thing (fear?) with lace, I have been incorporating it subtly into my wardrobe. I still don't have tons of lace and I'm sure I never will because who wants a closet full of the same thing over and over? Not I.

Ok, so here's how I used this sheer lace top as a piece for work for EBEW.

LOFT blazer, Target lace top and tank, GAP jeans, Steve Madden snakeskin heels

jewelry from Francesca's Collection

I LOVE this seersucker blazer, the buttons are so cute!

And I will soon be wearing the top without the blazer for a night out because how cute is this look? I love it!

Oh yeah...sexy lacey shoulders are SO in, haha. :)

Make sure you check out how others are wearing lace over at EBEW.

Hair Care, Menswear, & A Paper Doll

Sorry for the extreme lack of posts lately. I am still trying to recover from being out of town and several family events. I think I will finally get a chance to breathe this week. Hooray for getting back into routines!

I just realized which FBFF post I missed 2 weeks ago! It was all about hair care!! And you know what, I want to post it anyway, so here goes...hey, it's only 10 days late!!!!

April 2007. My favorite haircut EVER.

1. How often do you get your hair cut?

I get my hair cut probably once ever 4 to 6 months. I'm trying to force myself to get a hair cut more often because I know my hair wants to feel and look healthy, so I'm trying to make that every 3-4 months. My problem is that I used to always want something drastic done in order to get a bang (haha) for my buck. But now I realize that if I like my current hairstyle, then why not just get a trim and a few more layers instead.

The best (hair) day of my life.

2. Do you go to the same stylist each time, try someone new, go to the
cheap hair cutting chains or live it up in a salon?

I used to go to Master Cuts a lot when I was in college. And I liked the services there; my hair cuts and color always looked good. I have tried them a couple times since I moved back to Houston and I haven't been too happy. I last went on the day of our engagement photos (Feb 2010) and told the guy I wanted sweeping bangs. He then proceeding to chop them at a very sharp angle and then blow my hair out to give me big Texas hair, ugh! I went home, straightened my hair, and pinned my bangs to the side. That's a good lesson for why you shouldn't get your hair cut on picture day!

I've decided that with so few hair cuts I get a year, that it's definitely worth it for me to spend a little more and end up looking great every time. I now go to an Aveda salon (Josephine's Day Spa and Salon for those in Houston) where the service is impeccable and you aren't allowed to tip. This makes it a lot easier when you are getting both your nails and hair did...it's always confusing to know which of the 5 people that helped you should get a tip and how much they should get. I try to go to the same girl but I've been to 3 different ladies there and have had a wonderful experience each time. I also love that they have Aveda products there and I always buy some during my visit.

3. Do you color your hair? How often? What’s your natural color?

I used to get highlights all the time. But I haven't done that in about 4 years now. I was tired of getting them redone or redying my hair to my natural color and my husband liked my hair better in its natural state of color anyway, so I just stopped getting them and saved myself some money. I've never dyed my entire head one color (except when going back to a natural look) and I'm thinking of trying a lighter brown shade for a different look. (Plus I am getting a few gray hairs at the crown.) My natural hair color is what you see now...dark dark dark brown.

August 2006. Short wavy hair with highlights

December 2006. Shoulder length hair with highlights.

December 2006. Hair dyed back to dark brown after lots of highlights.

4. The one thing you always do to keep your hair looking great is:

Not washing it. That sounds gross when you put it in writing, but my hair dries out if I wash it every day. When I had shorter hair, I washed it more often but I guess I just don't touch it as much when it's longer so it doesn't get greasy.

I also let it air dry most of the time so that I'm not over stressing it with a hair dryer and straightener too many days of the week.

I also use hair products sparingly. I don't use hair spray but my favorite products are Aveda Smooth Infusion Style-Prep Smoother to prevent frizz and Aveda Phomollient Styling Foam for a little body.

2005. Shortest haircut as an adult...donated that chunk to Locks of Love.

5. What hair trend do you love and wish you could rock?

I used to want to sport a really short layered do, and rock it for a few months. And when I was younger, of course I wanted to be blonde...every brunette thinks they want that at some point. But now I'm pretty happy with my hair. I like that I don't have a new, cutting edge, trendy hair style. I'd rather have hair that I can look back at in 20 years and not know for sure which decade I was living in because it looks timeless and flattering to my face. That's more important to me now.

Now that we've covered hair, let's get into a little fashion again. I haven't posted an outfit in a while, but here's one I wore last week.

My pants were a little baggy so I paired them with a fitted blazer, which I think creates a more feminine look for the menswear.

I'm really liking the menswear trend lately. And blazers are definitely one of my favorite accessories to jazz up an outfit a little.
I go through phases...one week, I'm all about cardigans, the next week it's blazers. Either way, I have to make sure I stay warm in my cold office.

No close up pics as I wasn't wearing any makeup yet!

I bet you're wondering where the Paper Doll part of this post is coming in and it's right here.

Have you met Elisa? (read as though Barney is saying that on How I Met Your Mother)

Well Elisa is letting the blogosphere choose her outfits for her. In other words, a real live paper doll for you to dress up, YAY!

See the outfit I chose for her here.

So what have YOU been doing the last couple weeks that I might've missed? Point me in your direction so I can catch up on all your doings.

Inspiration Look: Prep School

Another Inspiration Monday challenge with Two Birds. I just love these, don't you?! I really branch out on Mondays at the office now.

This week's look is super cute and also caters to the bloggers do it better: prep school challenge.

Hey, I can never pass up a 2 for 1 deal so of course I was going to participate!

When I got dressed this morning and pulled back my hair into a bun, I felt very androgenous chic. I'm not sure if that's a term or not, but pre-makeup, I really was feeling the men in menswear.

I decided that my preppy/menswear look needed minimalist accessories. I opted for some (fake) pearl earrings and the necktie was a great replacement for a necklace.

I've had this red tie that I have worn very little and immediately thought of when I saw the inspiration pic. That was the easy part.

I wore comfortable brown pants and very simple black flats to keep the look very clean and classic.

I have a white button up shirt with short sleeves but I really wanted to go with more color (go figure!) and decided to go with a pink shirt. Pink shirt and red tie?? What was I thinking?!?!

But seriously, who started that rumor that those colors don't go together? The right shade of any colors can be paired together and I LOVE red & pink as a pair, don't you?!

I am freezing every day in the office so despite the 80 degree weather in these pics, I wanted to be true to the outfit I wore all day and show you the cardigan I also wore. My friend Em calls these the Grandpa cardigans and I think that's so cute and true! They definitely remind me of Mr. Rogers.

I honestly don't think I would've worn the outfit without the cardigan. To me, it really pulled it all together. I felt like I nailed the preppy look while keeping some femininity in it as well. Would you agree?

Thanks for stopping by, neighbor. Now mosey on over to Two Birds and Bloggers Do It Better to see what the other participants are wearing! And hey, why don't YOU join in next time? I swear it's fun and totally helps you get dressed on time!

Outfit:

Target flats & cardigan, NY & Co pants, LOFT shirt

FBFF: Blog Pet Peeves

A little fashion first.

I've tried to incorporate more white from my closet into my outfits.

I am going to overwear this blazer this summer. It is so clean and crisp and the perfect summery piece for work.

Wearing: Ann Taylor blazer, Target checkered button down (on sale!), NY & Co. pants, Steve Madden snakeskin pumps

Francesca's necklace (yes, again, ok!), White House Black Market earrings


I like the look of the cropped blazer over the long button down shirt.
Layers are one of my favorite ways to remix my wardrobe.

Now on to the FBFF questions for this week.

From Katy at Modly Chic: "Blog pet peeves – This was inspired by a post by Beautifully
Invisible from a couple weeks ago entitled ‘The 10 things that drive
me crazy about your blog.’

Before you read it, list the 5 things
that drive you crazy about blogs you visit."

Pet peeves are funny. They are so specific to each person. I'm just betting there's something on my blog that is someone else's pet peeve. I'm going to read everyone's answers until I figure out what it is that may be bothering someone! :)

Before I continue this post, I must quote one of my favorite sitcoms.

Ross: What is Monica's biggest pet peeve?

Joey: Animals dressed as humans!!

Ross: That is correct!

Most of my pet peeves for bloggers will be from a reader's perspective since I haven't quite figured out how I want my own blog to look yet.

1. Misspellings. I hate seeing misspelled words in online articles, e-mails, and even blogs. I can't stand poor grammar either, but I get that spell check won't catch those mistakes on a blog. And as someone who studied French for years, I hate it when I see the word Voilà! spelled as Viola, which is a stringed instrument.

2. Links that don't work. What's worse than clicking on a link that doesn't take you anywhere?! You're thinking "Ooh, that's cute!" or "That sounds like an interesting article" and you start to click with your mouse and the URL is wrong or missing or extinct and then you're super disappointed. You're a little sad and a lot frustrated. I hate that.

3. REALLY blurry pictures. I know that sometimes you get desperate and want to use your phone's camera, but at least get someone else to take the picture if it's always blurry when you do it. I'd rather read an outfit description than see a super blurry picture. And I don't mean a little fuzzy, but super blurry. I'm sure I've violated this pet peeve of mine at some point and believe me, when I did, it really bothered me!

4. Blogs that are too busy. I have seen a few blogs where I have to highlight the words in the post just so I can read them. Or the design is just overwhelming that I don't even want to read the post. It makes me wonder if the blogger has even viewed their own blog. Sometimes I wonder if my blog background is a little too busy. Please tell me if it is!

5. No pictures. I am a very visual being and need to see pictures in a post! For fashion bloggers, that's not a problem. We often have too many pictures, haha. But i like to read other blogs as well and sometimes I want the insightful blogs or funny blogs to have a few pictures too. Just change it up a little so I don't get bored while reading.

Speaking of, here's a few more pictures for you.

I know I look cheesy but I'm attempting to model some of my clutches for my Etsy shop. What do you think?

Check out my Etsy shop. I'd love to hear some suggestions for a new bag.

Check out Modly Chic to read what other FBFFers' biggest pet peeves are.

And don't forget to have a beautiful weekend!

I'm A Soccer Aunt

I've recently had the priviledge of attending my nephew's soccer games. It is so cute to see those little 4 year olds, running around (sometimes the wrong way), and (trying to) stop or kick the ball.

To be honest, I'm not much of a soccer fan. I enjoy my nephew's games more than soccer games I've (not really) watched on tv. I think the only adult soccer games I've watched in entirety were when the U.S. was in the World Cup last year. Sorry to any soccer fans out there.

Anyway, being outside for these soccer games gives me a great opportunity to enjoy the warm weather here before it becomes unbearable. This means it's time for my legs to see more daylight in shorts, eek!

See? You CAN dress for the summer AND look cool. HA!

I'm constantly cold so I must always have a cardigan on hand.





Close up of my accessories. I can only wear the hat on weekends.

The I LOVE these earrings, got them on our honeymoon in Costa Rica last year. And I can't stop wearing this orange necklace from Francesca's. It pairs so well with everything!

shorts: Dillard's / floral tank, purse, hat: Target / cardigan: JCPenney / necklace: Francesca's Collection / earrings: Costa Rica

Inspiration Outfit: Floral Dress

Another week and another great inspiration outfit photo from 2 birds.

This week's inspiration look is this adorable floral ensemble and jean jacket on Nicole Richie.

I thought this was a floral dress but now it looks like a romper. Either way, I'm not wearing a romper. They would NOT be flattering to this pear shape!

I love love LOVE floral prints! I love little vintage-looking florals, mod chic florals, and big bold florals, they're all beautiful to me!!

You've probably realized that I wear most of my inspired looks to work, so I had to tame it down a little in order to be appropriate. But I wore it on Friday so I could keep it casual!

The spaghetti straps on the dress would be a no-no at work without the cardigan.

lots of skin showing from the front as well without the cardi

My puppies were camera shy this time. They were having too much fun sniffing around the backyard.

floral look: Target dress & cardi, GAP jeans (long & lean), UO shoes

James Avery necklace, Target earrings

Forever 21 belt

First time I wore these shoes from Urban Outfitters and I love them!

Nicole Richie has great style and looks super cute, but I like my look better...at least for me! :)

What do y'all think?



I'm also using this link for EBEW too, so be sure to check out other florals in the fashion blogosphere.

FBFF: Inspiration...a little late

Dude, this is embarrassing...I forgot to schedule this post so it would post automatically. And here it is, Monday, not Friday. Oh well, I'm posting it anyway.

So I guess you'll just have to deal with it.

FBFF time again. Which means it's also Good Friday AND Earth Day!

(or at least it was!!)

1. Which celebrity (celebrities) do you look to for fashion inspiration?

I really don't have a certain celebrity that I look to for fashion inspiration. I will flip through magazines and like some celebrity styles I see, but I am not following them and copying their every move or anything.

2. When it comes to your own personal style, what inspires you?

I'm inspired by many other fashion bloggers out there. When I'm looking in my closet, I will remember something I saw another blogger try and it will encourage me to try my own version of that.

I'm also inspired by new trends that look like they will stick around. I don't want to try every trend that is out there, but if I think it will stand the test of time or I just think it's super cute, then I'll take a stab at it myself. But I can also accept that not every trend will work for my body type and I'm perfectly fine with that!

3. How do you hope to inspire your readers?

With regards to fashion, I hope that I inspire my readers to have fun with colors and think outside of the normal outfits they create.

I also hope that I make people laugh a little when they come to my blog.

4. Outside the realm of fashion, who/what inspires you?

I guess it depends on what we're talking about here. This could really be anything.

If we're talking about crafts and sewing, I'm inspired by other crafty bloggers, as well as beautiful fabrics I see online and in stores.

If we're talking about life in general, then we could get really corny here...my husband, my family, and my friends.

5. Since Idol is ending...which songs inspire you?

I don't watch Idol. Sorry peeps if I disappointed you.

But I love music and many songs inspire me. Right now, I'm listening to the new Foo Fighters album. And I just went to an amazing concert recently of one of my new fave bands - Fitz & The Tantrums. LOVE them!

yeah, these are super boring answers. so now you're wondering why I even bothered posting them late...I don't really know.

but hey, here's a little outfit pic for you...

I'm trying to experiment with mixing patterns more often. I like how the repetitive subtle print of this navy tank works well with the colorful floral print on the cardigan.

Oh and I totally had 4 layers on above the waist...and they were not needed for warmth.

Cardigan: Old Navy. Navy print tank: garage sale. Black tank: Downeast Basics. Light gray tank, orange belt: Target. Jeans: GAP.

I don't remember what shoes I was wearing but you can't see them anyway.

I also find that after looking at these pics, I could really use a necklace.

So what inspires YOU?

FBFF: Rules of Engagement

FBFF topic this week is the Rules of Engagement.

Wait, isn't that a movie title or something?

Thank you, IMDB. It's also a sitcom we occasionally watch. Apparently people have told my husband that he looks like Patrick Warburton. I slightly see it. But it's more his sarcastic personality on the Rules of Engagement show that makes them so similar.

what do you think?

I think there's a little bit resemblance. But my man is definitely hotter. :)

Before moving on to our FBFF topic, here's a fun outfit I wanted to share.

Most of these pieces came pretty cheap at the outlet near me. Score!

shoes: naturalizer outlet /jeans; banana outlet / cardigan: old navy outlet /white tank: GAP outlet / scarf: LOFT / purple tee: Target

Well I'm not sure how qualified I am to answer the FBFF questions this week, but I'll do my best.

1. Guest posts are a good way to gain new exposure. What do you think is the appropriate way to go about securing a guest spot?

Well since I haven't actually secured a guest spot on another blog or even tried, um...I'm not sure. That's the answer you wanted to hear, wasn't it? Even though I haven't done it, I think the best way would be to approach a fellow blogger that either comments frequently on your blog or is a follower. To me, that would indicate that they already like you (*fingers crossed*) and will be more open to having you on their blog. I think that would be how I would approach it. And I'm sure there are other (better) ideas out there that I can try once I've done this a few times. Ooh, just had another idea...maybe it would be good to offer to have that blogger do a guest post on your blog as well, kind of like a blog swap.

2. Leaving comments is essential to growing your blog. But how can you leave a comment without coming across as ‘Follow Me. Follow Me!’?

Whenever I leave comments, I don't do so with the intention of gaining a follower. Maybe my partial intention is that the blogger will check out my blog as well, but even that isn't a given. I just like putting nice comments out there in the blogosphere and I know that keeping mine positive is also putting good karma out there for me. If that comes back and gains me a follower, then that's awesome. But if it doesn't, I am not going to start leaving malicious or catty comments instead.

3. We’ve all gotten a mass email at one time or another asking for blog exposure, a link exchange, etc… But the mass emails don’t work. How do you make your email stand out from the crowd?

Um, yeah...about that...I've never sent out a mass e-mail requesting blog exposure. I am still kind of new to blogging and I guess I just haven't done that because I didn't wanna come across as needy or whatever. But hey, if it's not considered needy, maybe I'll start doing it, haha!

4. In interacting with other bloggers where do you draw the line between seeking support and begging for exposure?

I can't really speak to this at this time because I haven't experienced this.

5. What’s one rule of engagement error you made and how have you remedied that?

Not trying to be conceited here, but I don't think I have made one yet. I love to have new followers on my blog, but blogging is just a fun outlet for me. I don't have an inherent need to gain tons of exposure at this time. Maybe this will change in the future, but for now, that's the kind of blogger I am.

Check out answers from other FBFFers on modlychic!