OOTD: Holiday cheer!

Howdy sweet blog readers!

Well, this household has come down with the seasonal cold/flu, so I haven't left the house, except to go to Walgreens to buy more sudafed, for days. It's an exciting existence, let me tell you! Also, let me tell you that chicken bouillon is disgusting all by itself.

But, last week, I got all gussied up for a party, and wanted to share (especially since I've missed the other parties I had been planning on looking fabulous at).


Check out how well I match the wall! Also, that dreamy quality is due to Bob's extended battery on his phone - it pops out too far for the camera to take normal pictures!

Whatevs, work with what you got. And work it!


Outfit details:
Dress, avenue, deep clearance (plus they have a 50% off code right now). I was shocked at how well this dress fit and how fabulous it looks!
belt: target, ages ago
cardigan: target.com
petticoat: thrifted
shoes: seychelles
sweater clip: gift from husband

I seriously was so surprised at this dress - I love it so much! It's comfortable and fits really well. Plus the green polka dots mean it can work for the holidays, but also other times during the year. I can't wait to wear it some more!


me, acting like a dork in my white fancy coat.

Tell me - have you gotten to dress up fancy for the holidays yet this year? Please share links if you have!

OOTD: Rosie Thomas Show

Hello lovelies!

Last night we had a lovely double date with Danae (of Gather & Hunt) and her fella. We went to the Triple Door (one of my favorite venues here in Seattle) and saw Rosie Thomas (who was a delight!). Danae even got to go on stage and be part of the choir for a few of the songs! It was awesome.

We also wore awesome outfits, of which I didn't get any pictures. But I did get a picture of us in our coats. Isn't her yellow coat divine?



Tell me, what fun holiday things have you all been up to?

Open Thread: Spread the Small Business Love this Holiday Season

Hey lovelies! When I posted about my gift certificates the other day, I realized that many of my awesome readers also have etsy shops, small businesses, etc.

Would you like to leave a comment with your shop/website, a blurb about what you make/sell, and any seasonal offers you may have running? It doesn't need to be fashion related!

I was hoping this could be a way for us to interact and share in each others' success for the holidays!

Feel free to do something similar on your own blog, or link back to this post! You can even use this button/banner if you'd like!

Holiday Gift Idea - personal stylist packages!

Hi everyone,

I'd be remiss if I didn't mention that I now have gift certificates available for personal stylist packages (both virtual and in-person packages are available!)! Exclamation points!

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The Emergency Outfit Assistance package has been a blog reader favorite! Perfect for a friend or family member, or for you to heavily hint at a friend or family member to buy for you... not that I do that sort of thing in my own life at all, nosiree, nope.

Buy the Emergency Outfit Assistance Gift Certificate now if you'd like:

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The $100 gift certificate is more open-ended and allows the recipient to spend $100 on any of my packages - in-person or virtual!

Buy the $100 Gift Certificate now if you'd like:

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This gift certificate is the most customizable of all - you can buy for any amount to be put toward in-person or virtual stylist services. I can also help you tailor a custom package for the perfect gift.

These are just some of the options - email me if you'd like to do a different amount!

Gift Certificate Options

$50 Gift Certificate $50.00 USD $150 Gift Certificate $150.00 USD $200 Gift Certificate $200.00 USD

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The fine print:
- These gift certificates are for clients in the US and Canada only, though you may buy them no matter where you live (perhaps you have a friend in the great white north that you want to buy one of these for as a gift? etc.).
- The gift certificates are valid for 1 year. The recipient needs to contact me to schedule time to work together by 12/31/2012.
- The gift certificates are refundable, but only by January 31, 2012. After that date, they are non-refundable.

Would you like to get in this crazy fashionable train of gift certificate goodness? I thought you might. But if not, that's cool, really! And if you're not comfortable clicking the Paypal "buy now" button on this post, just shoot me an email and we can work something out!

OOTD: baby poo cardigan! Also new haircut!

Happy almost-Thanksgiving everyone! I just have to share about this cardigan that I got from Target.com. And it is on sale! And it is the awesomest shade of 70s baby-poo green (sorry, I know that doesn't sound appealing, but I honestly can't think of a better way to describe it). Also, it is soft.


Outfit details:
Cardigan: target.com
dress: evans, back in may
petticoat: thrifted
boots: target, last year
sweater clips: gift from hubs
glasses: framesdirect.com

See? Cute, right? I've been looking for a medium-weight v-neck cardigan for awhile. When these went on sale, I nabbed this green and also a navy blue.



Oh, what's that you say? Why yes, I did get a haircut.



At first, I was afraid I looked like the Bieber.



But then I realized that I actually look pretty damn hot.



Even with "skeptical face".



I feel so much more positive about this haircut than I did about the last time I decided to go short. I think it's the swoopy bang. Honestly, I like it a lot! Fat girls can totally rock short hair.

Reader question: simple skin care/makeup routine?

Hello lovelies,

For the past few years I've noticed my skin has wanted to be a little more high maintenance. It seems duller and more prone to blotches and I also sport the dark under-eye circles! I've stuck with my Olay cream cleanser and Neutrogena oil-free spf moisturizer, and it works, but I'd like to do more.

Does anyone out there use the Clarisonic cleanser (or any of those new-fangled electric brush face cleaners)? Do you love it/hate it/feel meh about it?

I've been pretty anti-makeup my whole life, and I still don't wear any makeup of any kind. Mainly because I have ultra-sensitive skin (eczema, psoriasis, keratosis, you name it, I have it), I don't tend to try new things very often because they always have consequences.

All that said, I'd like to perhaps start using a tinted moisturizer and some lip stain or something. I dunno. I'm 31 years old. I want to know how to wear that kind of stuff. I feel like it's a lady ritual I'm missing out on!

So, do any of you have pretty minimal skin care and makeup rituals and have recommendations for me? I'd love to hear what you use and love (or what you tried and hated)!

This week in "WTF?": the target clearance "hood".

I put "hood" in quotes because, seriously, this thing was half-halloween-costume and half smelly acrylic knit all rolled into one.





Seriously, what the? I felt like one of those gigantic tube-worms from the remake of King Kong. I couldn't find a picture, but if you've seen the movie you know what I mean because it will HAUNT YOU.

TUBE WORM!



I will say that I like the flecked brown color and the IDEA of this. It's like a cowl/infinity scarf. But in execution, the head-hole was so tight that it wouldn't comfortably fit around my neck. Also, it was offgassing something fierce. It smelled like latex gloves.

What do you think? Ever seen horrible things in the name of knitwear?

Real quick: things I've been enjoying lately

Hello! We've been having a gorgeous fall and I've been loving it!

Here are some things I've been enjoying lately:

Hot chocolate:

(source: google images)

Wearing my husband's plaid shirt (this thing is seriously soft):

Pop that collar!

How cute our pup is:


The fact that Land's End let me return a dress THAT I HAD ALREADY WORN because I just didn't like the way it fit. In fact, I was wearing it when I called them to ask if I could return it. They then shipped me a different size free. Also, it had gone on sale so it was $30 cheaper. Woohoo!

Also, we're moving forward with buying a house! The offer was accepted, we've had the inspection, now we're just waiting on the lien holder as it's a short sale (so those take awhile). Pretty exciting and adult stuff, huh?

(source: google images)
(actual house may differ)


So tell me, what have you all been up to lately?

PS: Also a reminder - my giveaway over at Rachele's blog ends on 11/9. So go enter! If you'd like to.

Enter my giveaway at The Nearsighted Owl

Hey lovelies,

I'm giving away an Emergency Outfit Assistance package over at The Nearsighted Owl!

Head on over to enter - the giveaway ends on 11/9 at midnight!

Real quick: I'm selling some of my clothings

Hi all - if you want a piece of this (this being my closet), head on over to my sales post! I'm selling lots of things, many of which have been pictured here. Like this dress:



If you see something you like, leave a comment here or there.

Reader question: Your favorite piece of clothing?

Hello readers!

I must admit, I've been leaning more towards the comfortable side of my closet lately. Whenever I want to look presentable but still be comfortable, I reach for this cotton sundress that I got at Avenue years ago:



It's starting to wear out, but I still love it and it's one of my favorites because of its longer length, the fact that it is cotton and more comfortable to me than synthetic fabrics, and because the subtle pattern makes it match lots of different cardigans.

So I wanna know - do any of you have a favorite piece of clothing? Why do you like it?

OOTD: new winter coat

Thanks everyone for your responses on my last post! From the responses, it sounds like you all appreciate replies to your comments, which is great, because I really enjoy replying to your comments! So we'll keep this crazy comment train going.

I've been looking for a wool coat with a hood for awhile, since my awesome green toggle coat from Target went to that great hall closet in the sky. Simply Be was having a sale, so I grabbed this great basic camel-colored coat and it came in the mail last week.



It's a little boxy, but the hood fits nicely, and it has these fur bobbles at the ends of the hood ties that are super fun.


Unfortunately, all the buttons fell off within an evening of wearing the coat. What the heck, Simply Be? Lack of quality control? Buttons are easy to sew back on though, in fact, I may replace the buttons with some vintage ones from my stash. Because I'm hip like that. I think I'm also going to sew some lace around the bottom to give it some extra length.

Outfit details:
Coat: Simply Be
hat: target, 2010
mittens: I forget!
scarf: nordstrom

Have any of you found amazing winter coats recently? Do tell! Perhaps you've had better luck with the button-sewing quality than I have?

Question for my dear readers: do you like it when I reply to your comments?

Hello lovelies!

Since I installed disqus a few months back, I've really enjoyed being able to reply to each comment!

But, I wanted to ask the commenters out there - do you come back by and read the reply to your comment? Are you sad if you don't get a reply?

I must admit that often I don't get around to revisiting posts on other blogs that I've commented on to see if there's been a reply to my comment. So that got me thinking - should I reply to every comment or use that time to do other bloggy things?

What do you think?

OOTD: A dress from my readers!

Hey there!

Remember back a few weeks ago when I shared an eShakti discount code with y'all? (it's $20 off your purchase with the code WALP0811). When I shared it, I also let everyone know that I get $10 in eShakti credit whenever anyone uses the code.

And you guys really used that code! (which is good until 10/31/11, btdubs).

You used it so much that I was able to buy this dress with the credit!



So, thank you! Because this is my new favorite dress!



It was actually pretty cold out, so I had to layer up!


Outfit details:
Dress: eShakti, no longer in stock
cardigan: alloy, 2009
scarf: nordstrom, 2010
boots: target, 2010 (they are falling apart but I love them!)

Y'all are the bestest! Thank you!

OOTD: teriyaki and dreary weather

Hello lovelies,

This dress is the twin to the black dress from the last post. I like it a lot! The print reminds me of pearl necklaces. Yes, I'm aware of what urban dictionary says that means. No, I didn't have to look it up after someone giggled when I said "pearl necklace" out loud the other day.

Anyways.


Outfit details:
Dress: Old Navy, 2010
Yellow peeps: target spring 2011
bag: latico, years back

Get used to more indoors pictures as the weather has turned to pacific northwestern drear.



It'll all be okay. I've got my trusty "touch side of hair" pose to get us through these next few months. :)

What do you all do to combat relentless dreary weather? I use a sun lamp and it REALLY helps.

ps: I know I'm wearing sunglasses in these pics. I think it was actually sunny the day these were taken, but it's been mostly dreary, I promise!

OOTD: house hunter extraordinaire

Hello lovelies,

Posts have been light on the ground here because we were house hunting like mad house hunters (I'm no good with analogies). The house hunting was mad. MAD, I TELL YOU.



The good news is that we actually found a place last week! Eek! The past few days have been a mad dash starting the process towards buying it! Now I understand terminology like "locking in" mortgage rates, amortization, fixed rates, escrow, etc.. I'm not sure if I'm glad about this newfound understanding, but I am really excited about our new house!


Outfit details:
Dress: Old Navy, 2010
Locket: gift from brother and sister in law
yellow-peep-toes: Target

I never wanted to buy a house, but it was so difficult to find a new apartment with reasonable rent in a neighborhood we like, I started looking at houses. And we found one!

So, I present to you one stressed but excited first time homeowner:



A big part of this process has been learning to deal with stress and anticipation. I get stomach aches when I get really stressed out, so this week has been full of chamomile tea and star trek: next gen (well, most weeks are full of next gen, who am I kidding) as I try to relax in the evenings!

What do you all do to relax when stressful things are happening that are mostly out of your control?

Thursday* Links

Hello lovelies!

Some links for you today:

Sal talks about one of my core tenets - you get to decide what looks good on you - no one else does

Apparently this stuff is amazing for getting stains out of clothing (I can't believe I find this exciting enough to blog about, but srsly, oil stains? the worst.) via notmartha

Is anyone else out there totally "meh" about Facebook? I try to get into it, but I think I'm just too lazy to really use it very often. Their recent changes seem to have people up in arms though!

We're house-shopping (eek!). Houses are, apparently, a LOT of work.

Go check out what Ragen is up to - she's amazing and taking her awesomeness on tour!


I hope you are all having an amazing week so far!

*Thursday links may or may not be posted on Thursdays. This time they are! yay!

Hey new followers from my guest post!

To my already-reading-readers: I did a guest post over at the Blogger Buzz blog on tips for new bloggers - feel free to check it out!

And to everyone that's made their way here from that post: welcome! Thanks so much for stopping by! Feel free to poke around - there's a list of my most popular posts over to the left and down, and there's more about me in the aptly named "about me" section - just click on my picture to the left!

And if you're interested in working with me virtually or in person, just drop me an email!

Sneak Peek: new Virtual Stylist packages available!

Hello lovelies!

I wanted to let you know that I'm fixin' (there's my Southern roots) to launch a new set of virtual style services! Why? Because I'd love to work with anyone in the US, UK, or Canada who wants to revamp their style!

I'm telling all of you wonderful readers first because you are wonderful and delicate flowers! And I'd love for you to be the first to try out these new packages! Exclamation points!

So, where can you find out about these new hotnesses, which include style coaching via video chat, "virtual shopping buddy" services, and more?

Right here!

Also, keep in mind that blog readers get 15% off!

*this heavy-on-the-excitement post has been sponsored by caffeine.

OOTD: Let's talk about Talbot's

Let's talk about Talbots, shall we? This store used to conjure up images of structured, shoulder-padded, double-breasted, 80's pantsuits, unfortunate elastic waist situations, and that vibe that Lane Bryant used to put out - which was that, even if you were a 20-something, you had to dress like you were much older if you were fat. Does anyone remember what I'm talking about? Unfortunate stirrup-pant choices abounded.

But as I was putting together an Emergency Outfit Assistance package the other day for a client*, I began to take notice of Talbot's for a different reason - they actually had stylish and appealing pieces! No one is more shocked than I, I'm sure.

Anyways, I found lots of great stuff there! Especially in their sale section, which is the only place I'd shop given how high their prices normally are.

And one of the things I found I just had to have for myself - this pale green cardigan. It was marked down further - it was only $22 when I bought it, but is back up to $44 now. It is luxurious. It is so much better than any cardigan I've ever bought at Target. It's natural fibers, people! NATURAL FIBERS! Put that in your pipe and smoke it and it will actually burn instead of melt. That's what I am saying.


oh cardigan that is superior in every way, hold me


Outfit details:
Cardigan: Talbots
Eyelet Dress: H&M Inclusive (courtesy of my UK insider, Claire)
Leggings: duo maternity, but they ripped in the crotch so I have to replace them and I can't find them anywhere!
boots: payless

Has a brand ever surprised you? It's rare that I get something that I've ordered in the mail and I'm this excited. Tell me that I am normal in the comments. Or that I'm abnormal, that's okay too. I have been spending a lot of time alone lately.

*which I could do for you, too! Interested? Email me!

Things I've been enjoying lately

Summer's winding down. Here are a few things I've been enjoying lately.


This gigantic scale was in the hugest bathroom ever at the Macy's in downtown Seattle. The bathroom was seriously like a temple to consumerism and restroom comfort.


We went to a drive-in movie last weekend - I had never been to one before! The snack bar was straight 60s.

I've never seen a coke dispenser this old:


The cups barely fit underneath it!










I've been carrying my really nice bag lately - all leather, supple and buttery soft. I got it years back. I'm also not the only one who's a fan of it.


How are y'all winding down your summer? I'm sad it is over. Though I'm glad to be breaking out my boots again!