Boho Dreams

Do you ever have problems with outfit execution? I often find that outfits just don't look the way I'd imagined them in my head. 

When I bought this flowy, hi/low hemmed, sleeveless blouse (which I loved so much I bought in two prints) I imagined I'd style it in the kind of bohemian street style you'd expect to see from Nicole Richie:

I've always loved the boho look. As a 13-15 year old I mimicked and idolized the style of Kate Hudson's Penny Lane character in Almost Famous. On my curvy frame those loose, flowy styles don't always have the same effect. I wind up looking more frumpy than free spirited.  In the hopes of balancing out the volume of the shirt, I paired it with some fitted skinny jeans and brown flat sandals. 

The result was sadly a little more frumpy than boho, but at least the shirt was comfy and breezy on a warm day. 

I'm not ready to give up on this shirt, or it's black feather print cousin. I think I'll play around with the styling a little bit more. 

Outfit: Shirt: H&M similar from Evans; Jeans: Old Navy Rockstar; Sandals- ? via Marshalls similar from DSW

Help me! How would you style this shirt? 

Reluctant Bostonian

I don't think I can consider myself a blogger any more. I haven't posted on a regular schedule since last summer! Sometimes I'm just not into it. I get busy doing other things- my volunteer and organizing work, spending time with my man, diy manicures, watching marathons of The L Word on netflix... 

..and then I realize that it's been two weeks since I posted even though I have several outfit photos ready to go. These were actually taken about three weeks ago.

Outfit: Shirt and Jeans- Old Navy; Shoes- H&M

I want to thank everyone that has showed support for this amazing city I live in. It has been one hell of a few weeks. I know there are more horrific things going on all around the world all the time. I'm incredibly thankful to live somewhere where explosions and wild police chases are not the norm.

I didn't love this city when I moved here in December 2009. I figured I'd stay for 6 months, maybe a year, and then I'd move back to Austin, TX. Then I met Mike and made some awesome friends. I discovered the beauty of New England summers and autumns, and I fell in love. I stopped thinking about where I wanted to move next, and started thinking about which neighborhood I'd want to settle down in some day.

I'm proud to live here, and I'm not going anywhere anytime soon.

Black, white and purple

I took these pictures after work last week, before daylight savings. The light was low and they didn't turn out very well. I'm really looking forward to taking photos after work in the coming weeks and months. The days are only going to get longer from here and I couldn't be more thrilled!

My blog related goal for this spring and summer is to get more comfortable taking photos on my own in public. There are some beautiful parks and spots near my apartment that I hope to take advantage of, especially when the spring flowers start coming in.

Because otherwise, you're just going to get more sketchy looking photos from the alley behind my apartment building. And nobody wants that!

Outfit: Jeans- Old Navy; Blouse- DKNY via Gwynniebee; Shoes- Marshalls similar; Cardigan- Marshalls 

I've been wearing flats a lot lately. Having a two block commute I feel like it's easier to get away with footwear that is impractical for the weather. Regardless I can't wait to pack away my boots and enter flats/ sandals season!

What are you looking forward to wearing this spring?

An outfit, but mostly just cat pics

I finally got a new camera! It's my new job/ tax return present to myself. I decided a DSLR just wasn't realistic for me right now, so I upgraded to a nice point and click instead. I settled on the Nikon CoolPix L610. It might not be a DSLR, but with 16mp and multiple shooting modes and ISO settings, it is definitely a huge step up from my bare bones 10pm camera. My only complaint thus far is that it uses AA batteries and doesn't have the best battery life. 

Blouse- Evans via Gwynnie Bee; Cardi-Target, Jeans- Old Navy, booties- Minnetonka

Would you believe this picture was taken outside at 8pm? Amazing! It turned out a little more grainy than I expected. If anyone has tips for taking less grainy photos, let me know! Of course to practice with my new camera I've been taking pictures of my cat.

...Lots and lots of pictures of my cat.

Calm Before the Storm

The nonprofit I work for told all nonessential employees to stay home until noon Tuesday,  so I am enjoying a lovely, lazy hurrication. As I sit in my apartment on Monday night listening to the winds of Sandy/ Frankenstorm howl outside, I can't help but feel thankful that I am warm, dry and still have power. I know many others on the eastern seaboard are not as lucky this evening. Stay safe y'all!

I keep thinking about how beautiful and calm the weather was on the days leading up to this storm. Saturday was absolutely gorgeous. I spent the day having some Halloween fun in Salem with my friend Kelly and two of her friends. Although the whole town is pretty cute, the Derby Wharf is my favorite part of Salem. I love this little walk on the waterfront.

Kelly and I took a ton of pictures by this cute little light house.

It was my third trip to Salem. I had a decent time people watching and walking around, but I learned that I enjoy the city better without the Halloween weekend crowds. I think if I decide to visit in the fall next year, I'll visit earlier in October.

Outfit: Shirt and Jeans- Old Navy; Cardigan- Target; Boots- Rampage via Marshalls; Bag- H&M

For this Marylander no trip to Salem is complete without a trip to the only Ritas in Massachusetts. 

Foliage and Shopping

The foliage is absolutely beautiful in New England right now! In my walk to the train or bus in the morning, I just want to stop, sip my coffee outside, and take it all in. This past weekend was mostly sunny, so I made sure to enjoy the many parks in my neighborhood and take in the foliage. 

What better for a walk in the park than a comfy pair of jeans, a tshirt, an over-sized cardigan, and some loafers I've had since high-school?

I took these pictures during my weekly scramble to find shopping something to do to get me out of the house while Mike watches every football game ever on Sunday.

Outfit: Jeans- F21+; TShirt- Old Navy; Cardigan- Vintage Men's, thrifted; Loafers- Naturalizer circa 2004

This Sunday? I went to not one, but two Marshalls. After trying on every pair of booties in my size between the two stores, I bought some nail polish, a pepper grinder and some gummy dinosaurs. Success?

Autumn in the City

Saturday was a beautiful autumn day. The air was crisp, the sun was shining, and the foliage was beautiful. It was also one of those days that reminds me why I love city living, specifically Boston city living.

Outfit: Jeans and Shirt- Old Navy; Jacket- thrifted JCrew; Boots- MeToo via DSW; Scarf- Target; Bag- H&M. 

I met up with my friend Kelly and we walked around the Rose Kennedy Greenway and Fanueil Hall a bit. Then went to the Boston vs New York Food truck throw down.

Unfortunately the lines were super long, so we only got to try two of the food trucks. We stuck to the New York trucks since we can eat at the Boston trucks almost any time. First we had tacos from Big D's Grub Truck. They were delicious and well worth the long wait.

For dessert we had apple, cranberry and nutella empanadas from the Nuchas truck. Yum!

Earlier in the day, while waiting for my friend Kelly outside of the Park Street T station, I had the kind of experience that could only happen in Boston. I was watching an antiwar/ pro- Green Party demonstration, near by there was a guy dressed in revolutionary war era clothing leading a freedom trail tour, a guy with a thick South Boston accent peddling fried dough, and the air smelled like burnt leaves. Then all of a sudden a parade of anti-rape culture demonstrators walked by. I love this city!

Plaid and Stripes

Gotta admit I was not super stoked at this month's Everybody, Everywear theme of  "back to school". I don't really get that much into preppy styles. I'm not a student or a teacher, and it's been feeling more like June than September lately. We had our first crisp, cool day on Monday so I decided to wear the flannel shirt I thrifted back in March and have been dying to wear.

Plaid and stripes are totally back to school, right?

Outfit: flannel shirt- thrifted; tank- H&M; black skinnies- Old Navy; shoes- Marshall's

I wish I still had my Doc Martens to wear with this outfit. Then it would be totally 90s! I just need a Lisa Frank trapper keeper, a Giga-pet, some gel pens and a scrunchi and I'm all set to go back to 6th grade!

Bootleg and Bold

Since my beau and I are moving into an apartment with really limited closet space, I've been trying scale down my closet. I have about 4 garbage bags full of clothes to be swapped or donated, and a few more pieces in my closet that I'm on the fence about. I've purged a lot of jeans that I just don't wear any more. I'm on the fence about this pair of jeans. I haven't worn them in about a year so I decided to take them out for a spin on a casual  Friday to see if I want to keep them or not. 

I've decided the jeans are staying for now. I loved pairing them with my new statement necklace from H&M. I've been trying to add more personality to my collection of accessories, but I don't like to spend a lot of money on my jewelry. Places like H&M are great when you want something on trend, but don't want to spend a lot. This necklace was only $8, and look at those colors!

Outfit:

Cardigan: H&M men's

Blouse: H&M Conscious Collection

Jeans: Levis 545 bootcut (I think I got them at Macy's?)

Necklace: H&M

Flats: Payless

Do you wear bootcut jeans? Any tips for styling them?

Black Skinnies (again) and an April recap

I just can't get enough of these black skinnies! I've worn them to work almost every Friday this month. They fit me perfectly in the waist and legs. That's a really hard thing for me to find in a pair of pants. Most of the pants I have in my closet start to fall down a bit as the day wears on, even if I wear a belt!

Outfit:

Plaid Tank: ? it's really old

Cardigan: ? again, really old

Black skinnies: Old Navy

Peep toe flats: Payless, old

I can't believe April is already over. I did not do a very good job of sticking to the $100 budget I set for myself this month. In fact, at $174 spent, I didn't even come close to sticking to budget! Reasons for going over? BOGO, and coupons that were set to expire before the end of the month. 

As a result of my over spending, I'm going to set a very small budget for myself for the month of May ($50). It should be easy for me to stick to it, since it's my birthday month:)

A Bright Day and a Bun

After over a week of feeling miserable, I finally gave in and took a sick day last Friday. After sleeping in until about noon and lounging on the couch watching TLC I finally showered, got dressed and met my guy for a walk in the Public Garden. 

I've gotta say I'm really proud of myself for wearing a bright top with my bright blue skinnies. Normally I stick to neutrals with my bright colored bottoms, but the sunny day inspired me to go bold and step out of my comfort zone. It's hard to tell, due to the bad location choice for this photo, but my tank has shades of brown, purple, blue and yellow in it. 

Outfit:

Tank: thrifted for $1!

Pants: Old Navy

Cardigan: Old Navy

Scarf: gift

Sandals: payless

Sunnies: ?

Back in August I got a significant haircut. Right after I cut about 6 inches off I started to see pictures of buns in blogs and magazines. Since then I've been looking forward to the day when I could get my hair back up in a bun. I finally got there! (It only took about 12 bobby pins and it still fell down midway through the day.)

Tulips!

Jeans vs. slacks

Now that it's getting a little warmer, but not quite warm enough for dresses and skirts every day, I want to wear jeans all the time. For some reason I find it easier to style springy shirts and shoes with jeans rather than dress slacks. 

Unfortunately, I'm only allowed to wear jeans to work on Fridays, and only on Fridays when I don't have any trainings, meetings or interviews. Anyone have any tips for styling slacks? 


Outfit:
Blouse: Old Navy
Cardigan: ?
Jeans: Forever 21+
Flats: Payless
Necklace: ? very old

Like a Rock Star

It was about 70 degrees in Boston on Sunday, so I was really excited to wear my new Madden Girl wedges. You may recognize them from this weekly wishlist. I had been coveting them for weeks, so imagine my excitement and surprise when I found them in the DSW clearance section for 70% off! $12 wedges? Yes please!

There's something about wearing skinny jeans with heels or wedges that makes me feel like a rock star. Maybe it is because a few extra inches on my 5'7" frame makes me a giant? I definitely had some swagger in my step on Sunday.

Outfit:
Blouse: Forever 21
Jeans: Old Navy
Wedges: Madden Girl via DSW
Bracelet: thrifted necklace

Spring Break!

My beau is in law school, so spending time together is always a challenge. This week is his spring break, so we spent the whole weekend together. I also took Monday off, and I'm so glad I did. It was sunny and 70 degrees in Boston!

The beau and I hit up an Indian buffet for lunch (YUM!) and then went walking in the Arnold Arboretum. the arboretum is one of my favorite places in Boston. I could spend hours there. This picture was taken in front of the only plant in the whole arboretum that was in bloom, but it was beautiful! Sorry for the fuzzy picture. I forgot my camera, so the cell phone had to do.

Outfit:
T-Shirt: Old Navy
Cardigan: Urban Outfitters men's clearance section a few years ago
Jeans: Old Navy
Shoes: Toms
Sunnies: ?

Brunch Booty

I have had one of those weekends where you don't get dressed. I've spent the weekend in leggings and sweaters. I finally got dressed this morning to go to brunch with my guy. I was excited to show him my new black skinny jeans because I think my booty looks great in them and I thought he'd agree.

I didn't take a picture of my booty (I'll spare y'all that shot) but my guy did compliment me on the jeans. Brunch was delicious and then I went back home and changed back into leggings and a sweater:)

Outfit:
Shirt: H&M a few years ago
Cardigan: H&M Men
Black Skinnies: Old Navy
Flats: Target
Necklace: Gifted

Casual, comfortable

I wore this outfit last Friday. I didn't post it because it's nothing special. I changed my mind because the reason that I do outfit posts almost every day is to show that I'm a real woman, with a real closet. 

Just some boring but comfortable basics.  Don't get me wrong, I love putting outfits together, but sometimes I just want to grab something and throw it on. 

Outfit:

Shirt: Target I think? It's old

Camisole: H&M

Jeans: Forever 21+

Flats: Target

Blue pants and thrift store adventures

I owe this weekend to signing up for emails from the places I shop at regularly. Upon receiving an email indicating that all of their denim is on sale for $19, I headed to Old Navy after work Friday in hopes that they would have the bright blue denim crops I've been eyeing for weeks in my size. They did!

I wore this ensemble yesterday to meet some friends for brunch and thrifting in Cambridge. It was just warm and sunny enough for me to show some ankle and wear a trench coat instead of a heavy winter coat.

After mimosas and delicious food at the Friendly Toast we went to the Garment District. I received an email earlier in the week indicating they are having a 50% off everything sale! I had a really successful trip, scoring two scarves, a red vintage blazer, two vintage cardigans, and a blue vintage dress all for $30! And I got a $5 off coupon for my next visit. I am excited to go back and see if they'll take some of my clothing on consignment for store credit. 

Picture my friend Tessa snapped while we were at the Garment District

Outfit:

Blue Pants: Old Navy

White Tank: H&M

Cardigan: old- not sure where I got it.

Scarf: gifted

Flats: Payless

Did you score any thrift store goodies this weekend?

back to basics

We had a really spring-like Friday. As much as I love all the layers of winter, it was nice to strip down to the basics and just wear jeans and a blouse. 

I'm often between plus sized and straight sizes, so I was really excited when I discovered the beauty of the 0X. This shirt is from Macy's American Rag line. They always have really cute pieces, but I think they're a little pricey for the quality, so I wait until they are on clearance. This butterfly shirt was on clearance for $19!

Outfit:

Shirt: Macy's American Rag (not available online)

Jeans: Old Navy

Boots: Coconuts DSW (wide calf)

Necklace: gifted