Dressember Accessories

I totally wimped out on the last day of Dressember.  If I had somewhere exciting to go I'd probably have some kind of pretty outfit to wear.  Since we're just staying home tonight I'm just wearing jeans and another of my Arizona State sweatshirts.

I was up pretty early this morning in order to take delivery of my friend's doggy.  My friend had a death in the family and had to leave town suddenly.  I told her I'd take her puppy for the day.  She was here about 6:30.  I didn't feel like getting fully decked out that early, so I just tossed on some jeans in the hope that I would get dressed later. Totally didn't happen.

So here I am.  One couch holder downer on each side.  Here's a couple shots of my friend's dog, she's a sweetie.  In the first one you can see the aforementioned sweatshirt.

In the second you can see how seriously she takes the task of holding down that couch. Wild horses couldn't drag her from her duties. Bacon... now that's a different story.

She really is a sweetheart.  Eric came home and she was cuddling with him in a matter of minutes.  Never met him before to complete lapdog in seconds.  Now he can't keep her off him!

Since I bailed on Dressember I thought I'd take some pictures of my jewelry, just the stuff I wore this month.  My full body pictures kind of leave the accessories out and I really want to show them off a little.  Especially since I made some of them!  I apologize for the quality of the pictures.  Shaky hands and close ups are not a good combination.

Opal Ring: 10th Anniversary gift from Eric

Cameo: I made it with pieces from Findings Victoria on Etsy

Faux Pearl Brooch: Garage sale, I think it was less than a quarter.

Butterfly Brooch: Target

Pocket Watch: Victorian Trading Company

Grey Freshwater Pearl Bracelet:  A gift from my fabulous sister.

Pearl Necklace and Earrings: A gift from Eric on our Wedding Day.

Silver 'Globe' Earrings: Same Yard Sale as the faux pearl brooch, I think they were ten cents.

Gold Hoops: I think I got them at a mall kiosk but I can't remember.

Opal Necklace and Earrings: A gift from Eric. 

Shell Necklace: I bought as a souvenir from the cruise my mom took my sister and I on back in 2006.  I got it from the Hilo Hattie store in San Diego.

The four earrings on the left are all made by me.  The gold ones on the right were purchased from Feather and Rust on Etsy.  I thought displaying them on a glass of Martinelli's was appropriate.

Well, there you go.  Dressember has come to an end.  I really enjoyed myself and I plan to do it again next year.  I know I didn't do a fantabulous job dressing up every day, I'm hoping I'll do better next time.

Happy New Year everybody!  

Stay safe and I hope your 2012 is amazing and wonderful! 

Late

I'm running pretty late with this post.  I had my picture taken for Dressember around 11:00 yesterday but I didn't sit right down and post like I usually do.  Then I took the kids to Wal-Mart to spend their gift cards that they got for Christmas from my parents.  

That was quite the ordeal.  They absolutely love getting gift cards.  The problem is that my kids are not exactly the most decisive. There wasn't one big thing they wanted to get, they wanted lots of little things.  We kept going back and forth to the price scanner thingy so I could add up things and make sure they had enough on their cards.  Then they'd find something else or have a new idea and the whole process would start all over again.  At one point Elizabeth found a Smurf doll with no tag that she absolutely fell in love with.  We looked all over that stinkin' store and couldn't find another one. We had to take it to Customer Service to try and find a price.  Of course, since there was no tag they had no idea either.  They asked us to finish our shopping while they tried to look things up.  That was fine except that it made it a lot harder to determine how much Bethy could spend.  Ugh.  She had to wait until we were at the checkout to make her final decisions.  I felt so bad for the people in line behind us.

By the time we got home I was completely wiped out.  Practically catatonic.  I sat down to play with my Christmas Present and didn't move for the rest of the evening. Thank goodness we were just having bratwurst for dinner.  A few minutes in the microwave and dinner is ready.  I tossed in a bag of chips and called it good.  Okay, actually I just had Josh nuke the brats and told the kids where the chips were.  Close enough.

Here I am before the shopping trip:

Luckily I was smart enough to change into my ballet flats before our shopping trip.  Those shoes are comfy, just not hours at Wal-Mart comfy.

Scarf: Crazy Horse, I think I got it at J.C. Penny.  It was years ago though, so I can't really remember.  I bought it after seeing How to Steal a Million for the first time.  If I could I would dress like Audrey Hepburn every single day.

Earrings: Another one of my creations.

Top: Wal-Mart

Skirt: Target

Leggings: Motherhood Maternity

Shoes: Wal-Mart

Since I was so late posting here's another bonus picture of my dog holding down the other couch.  

What would I do without her?  All those couches, just floating around on the ceiling.  Oh yeah and my bed.  She holds that down too. So helpful. 

Rainy Day

It's a little rainy today.  It's actually pretty warm outside.  Somewhere in the 40s, I think.  It feels more like Spring than Winter.

Just take a look at that sky:

Isn't it gorgeous?  It's been awhile since I've been able to use the grey yarn in my Sky Scarf.  Today I can!  Is it totally sad that I get so excited over such mundane things?  Oh well, I prefer to see it as finding the Joy in Everyday Life.  Yeah, that sounds much more normal.

Today's outfit is a subtle homage to the 90s.  The sweater was a Christmas present from Eric our first Christmas together, 1998.  The hiking boots with a skirt was a pretty big trend in the 90s.  Especially the early 90s.  A trend which I embraced fully.  Is it sad that I actually miss the Grunge?  Probably.  I still listen to my music from then.  I ripped the CDs to MP3 years ago.  I kept the CDs though.  Someday I hope to introduce my grandchildren to the awesomeness that is Green Day's Dookie on "original" CD.

Sweater: Tag says Crystal-Kobe
Polo: No Boundaries from Wal-Mart
Skirt: Issac Mizrahi from Target
Socks: Hanes
Boots: Alpine Design from Sports Authority
Necklace: Made by my Elizabeth

Fashion Show

I've got a deluge of pictures of me wearing dresses today.  I feel horrible about all the sick days I've taken from Dressember so I put on three different outfits today and forced my long-suffering oldest son to take a bunch of pictures.

I will admit that I didn't wear the first two dresses longer than it took to take the picture and then change.  I'll explain why after each shot.

This is the first dress I ever sewed start to finish for myself.  It's actually wearable.  Okay, it was actually wearable.  When I tried it on earlier this month and realized that I really need to let it out.  In the bust area.  I never thought I'd actually have to say that.  I'm used to being the Pirate's Ideal.  You know, a sunken chest.  Needing to let out a bust is definitely a first for me!

Yeah, as you can see from the picture this dress needs lots of help.  One of my Christmas presents is a Dressmaker's Dummy, hopefully I can do a lot of these alterations so that my wardrobe doesn't have to be held together by safety pins!

The shoes I've got on in the picture were purchased especially for that dress.  I made Elizabeth a dress in a similar material the same year and those shoes looked just like her dress shoes.  I thought it was cute to be a little match-y.  They are the most uncomfortable shoes I own.  Even more than the ones that left visible bruises.  It's too bad they're so cute.  I can just make it through the three hours of Church before I have to give up and take them off.  I might also take them off any time I'm sitting down at Church.  Let's just say I won't be sitting in front while I'm wearing these babies.  Also so you know, I only wear them in the Summer.  I'm a pretty strict follower of that "No White After Labor Day" rule.  I know it's pretty silly but I just can't shake it.  I also try to match my shoes to my handbag and belt if I'm wearing one.  I swear I was born in the wrong decade.

Here's my red dress, the one I was saving for Christmas.

I think it's time for this one to go in the donate box.  I iron it and it still looks so wrinkled.  I hate ironing and I really hate ironing when it has no effect. I've also mended the hem three times.  It's in need of more mending and I don't think it's worth my time.  It's also too tight across the bust, gaping buttons are not attractive.  Oh yeah, and the buttons end way too high up on my leg.  I have to pin it for about a foot below the last button and that makes the whole drape of the dress wrong.  I'm actually kind of glad I was too sick to go to Church on Sunday.  I would have been really uncomfortable in that dress.

These shoes were also specifically purchased for this dress.  They are the second most uncomfortable shoes I own.  The ones that left the bruises are number three on the list.  These red shoes are also Summer shoes, I don't wear any tights or nylons with them.  I'm also on board with the whole "No Nylons With Open-Toes" rule.  I broke it for the pictures of my favorite shoes a few days ago and I'm still feeling kind of guilty.  Tights are a different story but it has to be special circumstances.  I don't think the picture above is one of those circumstances.  I just don't like how it looks.  Maybe if they were patterned tights or woven or something.

Okay, here's what I'm actually wearing today:

I thought the ballet flats were appropriate since I feel like my ballet instructor from Third Grade, Ms. Greenwald.  The T-shirt is from Target and the rest of the outfit you've already seen.

One last picture before I go.  I found this written on our white board.  I have no idea which of the two kids who can write actually wrote this but it's just too darn cute not to share:

Last Minute Christmas Shopping

I watched my friend's kids yesterday, today she took mine.  Woo Hoo!  Kid free time!  Unfortunately I had to spend the time braving crazy traffic and shopping in crowded stores instead of doing what I would like to have done.  You know, sleep.

I was able to knock everything off my list and found a few bargains too.  I also managed not to lock myself out of my car, kill the battery, or get in any accidents.

I did all this wearing high heels.

The skirt is another summer skirt.   It's linen which means it wrinkles if you look at it funny.  It's also very light and breezy.  Perfect for Summer.  Not so great for Winter.  I came home and put on my sweat pants.  I'm not sure my backside is defrosted yet...

Today's outfit is really an excuse to wear my new scarf.  I could have just worn one of my blue floral dresses but I'm trying really hard not to be repetitive.  All though, I am basically out of options.  I have a red dress that I'm saving for Christmas but otherwise I'm pretty much done.  I think the rest of the month will be variations on the skirts I've already shown you.  Now's really the hard part, being really creative with what I already have.  It's a good thing I like a challenge!

Scarf: See my last post.
T-Shirt: Target
Skirt: Tag says "Separates by New York Design Co.", I got it at a thrift store
Boots: Mudd

Six Kids

I have six kids in my house right now.  No, I didn't spontaneously give birth to triplets.  I volunteered to have my friend's kids over for a while while she did some Christmas shopping.  I only get the oldest three, she took her baby with her.  Darn it.  I was really hoping for some baby cuddles!

Things are going surprisingly well.  The oldest boy is good friends with my Josh and they are playing together happily.  Bethy and the middle boy are also playing together and so far it's been great.

The youngest is another boy who is just a bit older than Joey and they are like two peas in a pod.  They've been having an absolute blast with each other.  Things got a little quiet so I worried and went looking.  I found them playing with a couple of flashlights in a box that I would have sworn was way too small for two boys.  Somehow they made it work and had quite a time. So far, so good.  Knock on wood!

I made lunch for everybody.  It was so pretty I had to take a picture:

The cut off one on the far left is Bethy's Gluten Free Sandwich.

I feel like Martha Freakin' Stewart.  Six nutritious lunches and I didn't even break a sweat.  I've already cleaned up the mess too.  Gape in awe at my amazing-ness.

Everything went so well I was able to finish my latest project.  It's yet another scarf.  Here's a quick picture to tease you, I'm going to type up the pattern for another post.

I knew I'd have a house full today, so I went for comfort over fashion again in my Dressember outfit:

The skirt I'm wearing today is actually a dress.  It's the same as the blue one I wore on Dressember Eleventh, I bought them both at the same time.  On clearance at Wal-Mart.  For a store I hate I sure have a lot of clothes from there.  The long sleeved T-shirt is from Old Navy.  I can't remember if it was on sale, but I'm pretty sure it was.  The boots you've all seen before, and I'm not wearing any accessories.  Sorry, it's pretty boring today.

Dressember Twenty-first

I actually saw a patch of blue sky today!  YAY!

It was stinking cold out though so I took pictures showing all the layers of my outfit today.

First, all bundled up:

 Similar to Dressember First

This is how I ran around the house all morning:

This neck warmer was too cozy to take off.

This is what I wore around the house the rest of the day after lunch:

Too cold for bare arms.

And here's the dress with no layers over it:

.

This happens to be my favorite dress.  Eric bought it for me at Burlington Coat Factory waaaay back in 1999.  That's right, this dress is 12 years old.  If it were a kid, it'd be a Sixth Grader.  If it were Harry Potter, it'd have defeated Voldemort three times.  If it were the Beatles, it would have already broken up...

I've mended this dress a few times and it still looks great.  I love how it fits and I think it's pretty flattering.  It's machine wash and dry-able, and it never wrinkles.  Even if it's been stuffed in the bottom of my closet and forgotten.  And of course, it's blue!!

I've had twelve years to find the perfect accessories for this dress.  The earrings are the latest addition.  They were a gift from my good friend who's husband is from Tonga.  They are shells in the traditional Tongan shape of a fishing hook.  The necklace was my souvenier from the cruise Mom took Heidi and I on back in 2006.  I bought them at a Hilo Hattie Hawaiian store in San Diego.  

In the winter I wear this dress with my black boots.  Gotta love those boots.  As awesome as they are though, they don't hold a candle to the amazing, gorgeous, fabulous shoes I wear with it in the summer.

Drum roll please...

I LOVE THESE SHOES!!  I think if my house was on fire I might just grab these shoes after I made sure the kids were safe.

They so totally fit my personality.  The style is called 'Harlow' which fits right in with my love of old, old Hollywood.  They have an ankle strap which means I don't have to worry about them slipping around.  They're eye catching without being over done.  Love them!  Normally I wear them barefoot, the nylons are for warmth and the picture.


I actually bought these shoes at a real life Department Store.  Not an outlet, not a thrift shop, not a yard sale, a real store in a real mall.  Of course, they were on sale for half off but that's not the point!  The point is that.... the point...the...  Okay, there is no point.  I just wanted to prove to you all that I am capable of buying things new.  I don't prefer it, but I am capable.  Especially when the items are as cute as these shoes are!

Outfit Info:
Earrings: Gift from a friend
Coat: Wilson Leather, thrifted
Neck Warmer: Made it myself
Necklace: Hilo Hattie
Dress: The tag says Max Taylor, bought at Burlington Coat Factory in AZ Mills.
Watch: Fossil, gift from Eric
Boots: Mudd
Strappy Awesomeness heels: Amanda Smith 'Harlow', I think I bought them at Z.C.M.I. (before it was sold.)

*****

For those of my friends who celebrate it, 

HAPPY WINTER SOLSTICE!!