~my closet-copy cat style~

 Although I feel like it some days, motherhood

hasn't COMPLETELY taken over my life.

Aside from my Family Fun magazine subscription

I have managed to cling onto my InStyle subscription.

I love the day each month when I receive

it in the mail. I usually wait until that night

to read it, when I can draw a nice hot bath,

crack open a beer and read it in 

PEACE AND QUIET

after the kids go to bed.

One of my guilty pleasures :)

My favorite feature of InStyle mag

are all the pages with outfit ideas.

I saw an outfit idea that I LOVED in 

my most recent issue and was thrilled

that I had almost the exact same outfit on

hand in my own closet. The only difference

was the color of the jeans.....in the magazine

they showed green jeans. I thought it would look

just as cute with my bright blue jeans.....

and I was right. 

            Rockstar blue jeans- Old Navy

black peplum top-Worthington- JC Penney  

belt- vintage Levi (have had forever)

leopard ballet flats- Target

earrings- JC Penney (gift)

Lucky bracelet- Macey's (gift)    

I loved the bright, bold color with the leopard print.

I'm smack dab in that bizarre stage of

a woman's life when clothing options seem

either "too young" or "too old".

You know, I don't want to seem like I'm trying

to look 20 but I also don't want to look like I'm

dressing as a 50 year old. With this outfit

I felt it was a perfect combo of age appropriate

style, with just the right amount of edginess.    

~wearing dresses in the winter~

Back in the day before I had kids I had

a closet full of nice, dressy clothes and 

only TWO pairs of jeans.

No kidding. Two.

I never wore jeans.....not even on the weekends.

That feels like a lifetime ago.

I probably own about 7 or 8 pairs of jeans now

and wear jeans the majority of the time.

But you know what?

I still love dressing up and I LOVE wearing 

dresses and skirts. Now that I'm not nursing

anymore I've got back into the practice

of wearing dresses. (It's much easier to

wear a dress when you don't have to lift

up the whole damn thing in order to get

to your boobs. NOT A PRETTY SITE!) 

I pretty much stop wearing 

dresses all together when I nurse for this reason.

 

Here's two dresses that are on my wardrobe radar

right now:  

    

      This orange and white striped halter dress is 

super light and comfy......two different ways to

accessorize it. One with black accents and

the other with silver and leather accents. I actually

wore the black version with black leggings

because it has been bitter cold in our neck of the woods.    

I haven't actually worn this yet but when I do, 

this is how I'll do it. Again, the little denim jacket

with my 'ol cowboy boots. 

Even though it seems as if you can only wear

a dress one way, I actually feel like they

are quite versatile..... depending on how   

you style and accessorize them.

I will wear both these dresses in the summer

with sandals and my big sun hat. 

 Throw some boots and a jacket over your dresses gals!

Just because it's winter doesn't mean we have to 

look like a "Stay Puff marshmallow" in our winter gear.    

~outfits on the cheap~

 I normally save my thrifting runs for Friday night

but the way I was feeling by the time my husband

got home last night from work required

IMMEDIATE ATTENTION!

I needed to get the hell out.

It was one of those afternoons.

My "calgon take me away" spot is the local

neighborhood 2nd hand store.

Check out the outfit I scored for $7.

 

The skirt was $5 and the shirt was $2.

I love the hem of the skirt. 

The shoes were a score many months ago

at the same place for $4. They have become 

one of my summer staple pieces.

While at the store, enjoying my alone time,

taking a breather from the kids, I couldn't help

but overhear and follow around a beastly "mom"

who was, in my opinion, verbally abusing her 

3 year old daughter. The poor little girl was 

tired and cranky, it was 8:00 at night for 

God's sake, she should have been in bed.

She was crying and whining and her mom was

being so mean to her because of it. 

I felt so bad for her and felt like I needed to 

follow them around (discreetly). I thought

for sure she was going to hurt her physically.

I finally couldn't take it anymore and asked

the mom if I could give her the little package

of fruity snacks that I had in my purse for my kids.

She said it was OK and felt the need to

tell me, "Oh-she's cute but she's a mouthy brat."

I said, "Well she's tired. My kids hate this store too."

 What I really wanted to say was,

"BITCH! Your kids problem is YOU!"

I get the concept of don't judge until you've walked

a mile in someone's shoes and for the most I 

believe and live that way. I know sometimes

we all raise our voices to our kids and a stranger

looking in, not seeing the whole story or picture,

may see it differently than what the reality is.

BUT-I couldn't help

but think that no matter what kind of day

this woman had just had, that little girl

didn't deserve treatment like that 

("You're a brat. I can't stand you. I can call

a bad person to come get you. I can take you

outside to the front of the store and leave you there

until I'm done." This is the kind of stuff she

was saying to her daughter)

 And.....

if that's how she treats her in public, how

must she treat her in private? 

It broke my heart. 

I followed her around the whole time and ended up

in the dressing room right next to her too.

When I came out of my room-they were gone.

I said a little prayer that the girl would be alright....

and also for the momma.

She was no doubt stressed and miserable.

 

It made me come home and squeeze 

my kids a little tighter and thank my 

husband for the breaks I get whenever I 

feel like I'm about to blow. 

On a lighter note......

just wait and see how cute this skirt

looks as a shirt!

~closet peek-a-boo~

 I haven't done "A peak inside my closet" for a 

couple weeks. The reason being; I haven't really

worn much worth photographing. Since I started

posting about what I wear on a daily basis I've 

learned a couple things about my wardrobe:

1) I wear a lot of black

AND

2) A lot of the stuff I wear isn't that great

Let me tell you....it's been a real kick in the butt 

to step it up with my wardrobe. 

Here's a few outfits I've worn the past couple weeks.

I wore this to a barbecue. This outfit is another one

of those examples of "buy nice stuff and it will last you forever".

I've had the skirt, the boots and the belt for several years.

The belt is AMAZING! I bought it at a vintage store

years and years ago.....long before the cheap imitations

of belts like this were popular. The buckle is sterling silver,

the leather is genuine and is is completely handmade. 

I think I paid $30 for it. The boots get cooler looking the more 

worn they become and the skirt is a staple piece of my

summer wardrobe. I also wear it belted as a dress.

 This outfit I wore to a sushi dinner for a friend's birthday.

I originally got the outfit for my Vegas trip in February.

I love the contrast of the lace with the tailored vest.

BUT....the best thing about this outfit-THE SHOES!

They make me soooo much taller.

I'm only 5'2 so they really give me a boost. 

Believe it or not, they are pretty comfortable.

This outfit I wore to my son's pre-school graduation.

It's basically a $20 outfit. The bracelet was more expensive

than everything else combined. Again....pieces I've 

had for a really long time. This beaded shrug

is an "occasion" piece that I feel so feminine and

pretty in each time I wear. It was only $5!

I've really been trying to bring some color into my

wardrobe since realizing my obsession with black clothes.

Wait and see what I did with this skirt:

 It may very well be my favorite summer 2012 piece!

I'll show you next week. 

To answer your question Jolie about why I don't 

photograph the clothes on me....there's a few

different reasons. 

A) it's quicker and easier for me to lay them out 

than to try and take the time to get a good

shot of me in them. I never remember to do it when I'm 

wearing them. I've tried setting my timer and using my

tri-pod but haven't been able to find a good spot

in my house to do that. I've also tried having my 

little guy take the pics and it didn't go so well :)

B) my point of posting these is to inspire others

and give them ideas for their own wardrobes.

I want them to imagine THEMSELVES in them.

AND LASTLY....

C) it's fun! I love laying them out and making 

the collages. I feel like I'm doing an editorial 

in a fashion magazine or something. 

~closet peek-a-boo~

 I am having so much fun with these posts

about my outfits! I love laying the outfits out,

taking the pictures, making the collages and

writing all about the clothes I wear.

I hope you enjoy them too.

Here's a peek at what I wore this week:

 

I told you last week you'd see a lot of these blue pants

and I wasn't kidding. No special occasion for this

outfit......a typical day here at home with the kids 

and a few errands (shuttle kids to pre-school, library, etc.).

Note to self; take these pics BEFORE throwing clothes

into the dirty clothes and then digging them back

out to take the pictures.

 

 Again, no special occasion with this outfit.

Typical day with the kids.....and some VERY nice 

spring weather.

 I wore this outfit last Saturday. 

Most of the day consisted of hanging out at home

with my baby. In the evening I went over to a friend's

house where we visited and had dinner.

I love dresses and tend to wear a lot of them, 

especially in the summer time. 

However, I'm still nursing so it makes dress

wearing a little tricky. Unless it's got easy boob

access-it's just not realistic right now. This

particular dress is one of my favorites and I'm 

not even embarrassed to admit that it's a 

maternity dress. I got it when I was pregnant with

my first baby and have kept it because it's such a 

great, classic, comfortable dress. 

It's so versatile, I can dress it up or

dress it down. I'll keep this until it's worn out.

Finally, this outfit was another hang around the house day.

Comfortable and easy. Believe it or not, the shoes

are actually really comfy and easy to walk in.

The shirt is another cheap, trendy piece to add

to my summer wardrobe. I'm seeing a lot of really

bright colors and I thought this would be a fun

way to throw some of that into my wardrobe this summer.

It was $5 at Walmart.

You'll be seeing a lot of it :)

In case you're wondering, 

YES....

my week was as boring as it sounds!

Nothing too exciting, which is actually just fine.

However....we are going out tomorrow night

and it's gonna be fun! You'll see that outfit

on next week's closet peek-a-boo.

Have a great weekend and remember,

wear what YOU love and what YOU

feel attractive in. 

~spring outfits~

 I love seeing what other people wear.

Lots of bloggers do it and I want to join the chorus.

I love fashion and I love putting outfits together.

Back before I had kids, I would put outfits

together for hours when I got bored.

Needless to say, that hasn't happened not even ONCE

since I've become a mother. 

I'm gonna be honest, most days it seems I migrate

towards all the "easy" outfits in my closet.

(Translation: jeans, tank top and hoodie jacket)

Before I had kids I NEVER wore jeans. 

No joke-I owned 3 pair of jeans and I rarely wore them.

Now I own about 10-15 pair of jeans and wear them daily.

The main reason for this is simply the lack of time.

I forget what outfits I've put together and liked and because

I don't have the time to put into it daily, I revert to the "easy."

So-this is also an attempt at a portfolio of cute outfits I like

that I can go to when I don't have the time but want

to look like I did.  

I think I'm going to make it a weekly post.

I had a ton of fun taking pics of my outfits and making

them into collages. In case you're wondering,

it's much easier for me to photograph the clothes off

me than on me....obviously.

Ready?

Here we go.

Here's three outfits I wore this week and loved.

 This outfit was a no special occasion outfit.

I wore it on Wednesday to do all the normal stuff

I do on Wednesdays; housework, errands, kids, etc.

Easy, casual, comfortable but stylish.

I forgot to put on there that the scarf is vintage

from a thrift store many years ago.

The only new piece from this outfit is the shirt. 

I got it a couple months ago for $3.

All the rest I've had for years.

Oh and also the zipper bracelet...I made it for myself

this past week.

 

 This outfit I wore one night to go out with a friend

for some drinks. You will be seeing a lot of these

blue jeans. They were one of my trendy seasonal splurges

this year and I am LOVING them!

The pants and the flip flops were the only recent purchases

for this outfit. All the rest I've had for a long time...

I'm talking years. A side story to the red bracelet. This 

is OLD. I bought it with hard earned babysitting 

money when I was 14 years old. I remember riding

my bike to KMart to buy it....for $4.

That was in  1989!

 This is the outfit I wore to the fashion show on Tuesday.

I loved it and felt great in it.

The shirt is boobalicious in a non-slutty way.

This outfit is a great example of the type of

clothes you spend more money on because

they are classic pieces and will last for years and years.

The black shirt under the jacket is from Victoria's Secret.

I've had it for 10 years and it still looks brand new.

The jeans are J-Crew.....$7 from a thrift store.

They are my favorite jeans.

The jacket is the most expensive piece in my

wardrobe that I've ever purchased.

It is the softest leather you have ever touched.

I got it at Arden B about seven years ago for 

well over $100....and that was the sale price!

It is my favorite piece of clothing because I

always feel like a million bucks when I wear it.

Pair it with the necklace (my favorite one)

and it's enough to make me love drunk.

Those are my favorite outfits of the week.

I hope you enjoyed the peek into my closet :)