Lace & a Flowy Skirt

Before I embark on the task of grading my AP students' work, I will grace the interwebs with my presence. And my second-day hair, which has been kicking butt since my stylist gave me some tips last week. It's taken 29 years for me to figure out how to style this mane, but better late than never? Now, I just need to take care of this whole acne and acne scarring issue, and all will be right with my world. My vain, vain little world.

Oh, and our house is officially on the market! After hours of painting, scrubbing, staging, and some bleeding, we are now in "people could come through the house at any moment, so we can't touch anything" mode. A wildly fun place to be.

Jeff is only happy to take pictures when he can direct me in my posing. He told me I had to be all "50s housewife" and pose with the Kitchen Aid mixer. Way to be progressive, husband.

The Look:

Top: The Limited

Skirt: LOFT

Shoes: Me Too via Marshall's (last summer)

Belt: NY & Co.

Necklace: Gift from my sister-in-law, both of my sisters-in-law have such great taste. I lucked out! 

The Details: 

Occasion: Work (I'm a teacher, by the way.)

When: end o' August (still in the 80s)

Where: Indoors all day (still pretty balmy in my room)

Comfort Rating: 9.5

Comments: I give it a 9.5 only because I had to resituate the belt a few times, but it was actually very comfortable. These heels are the perfect height and have enough cushion to make the soles of my feet not-so angry. I tried a new color combination with the cognac shoes/belt, and I liked it (not "I kissed a girl" kind of liked it, but I liked it.) Ordinarily, I'd choose a gold and be suuuuper matchy, but I was a big fan of this combination. Plus, I was pretty matchy matchy with my cognac purse ;) This shirt tucks REALLY well, and I didn't know that until today despite the fact that I've owned it for nearly a year. Good job, shirt. 

Jeff's doing the dishes and fixing dinner. Some 50s housewife I am. 

Aged Awesomeness & One Shirt Three Ways

I will be back with Part 3 of the Teacher Wardrobe Staples series (Part 1 and Part 2) tomorrow. Why, you ask? Well, first of all, today is my 29th birthday. Second of all, today, Momma dukes is actually taking pictures of me for Part 3! With a real camera, not my iPhone. Hot jeebus. I.have.arrived.

Instead of the series today, I do have one shirt worn three ways for you. Because my awesomeness just added another year to itself.

Every time I buy an item I'm a smidge unsure of, I physically try it on with at least three outfits in order to determine its lifespan in my closet. Sometimes, I'm on fire and can't stop trying it on with things. Aaaand, sometimes, it's a big, fat flop that I have to return. Luckily, this shirt is a winner.

I bought an army green shirt at Kohl's the other day, hoping it would work well in my closet. I'd say it does. I came up with these three looks:

It's not much, and the pictures are, um, awful. HOWEVER, you might find inspiration from them. If nothing else, you'll take your iPhone photos in a full-length mirror in better lighting. 

(The color is "true" in the middle picture.) 

I'd love to know how you would style this shirt. Tell me in the comments! :)

I had every intent of writing you a list of "29 Things of Awesomeness," but I lost steam after #7. 

I need a shower because I do not smell awesome.

So, I will leave you with this thought: I am not 29-years-old; I am 29 years of awesome. 

 Aged awesomeness, if you will.

That is all.

P.S. Be sure to enter the Target giveaway over at Sam's hilarious blog. 

She's one of those makes-you-pee-a-little-she's-so-funny kind of girls. 

Two-Toned Blazer Three Ways

So, every Sunday, I spend some time going through my closet, looking for neglected clothes to revive. This Sunday, I found a two-tone blazer that fits really well, but I haven't been wearing it very often because of its length. I challenged myself to style it three ways so that I had some outfit combinations in my arsenal for future use. I hope these looks help you, too! 

Look #1: Work Appropriate 

(For the wicked winter time, I would throw on some tights, but I didn't feel like fighting with them for the purpose of this Sunday assignment that I gave to myself.)

It took me forever to pick out a belt for this outfit. Beige looked weird. I wasn't feeling leopard print. I wanted something big. This black belt from another dress fit the bill.  Also, in the following picture, I wasn't wearing a necklace. When I reviewed the pictures in my view finder, I realized that the outfit did not look complete. I threw on a necklace, and it made a huge difference (to me.) Finally, I considered a red top, but I thought that might be predictable. I like how fuchsia softened the look. 

No idea what's going on with my legs. They're trying to divorce each other in this picture.

They're hesitant but thinking about reconciliation in this picture.

Look #2: Edgy Date Night

Okay, this look challenged me the most. It might have been because I was trying on the top half without putting on any pants. Pants really do complete an outfit in case you were wondering. I didn't like the top half until I put on a pair of pants. Amazing. Anyway, at first, I was leery about this combination of different lengths, but the addition of some trusty pants alleviated my fears. I rather like it, and it might be my favorite of the three outfits even though it includes no pops of color. Sometimes, it's okay to stick with only neutrals. If I wanted, I could throw on my leopard print heels instead of these boots. So many options here, people!

By the way, I also unearthed this button up that has received zero love in at least a year. When I tried it unbuttoned, I realized how much I love it for a more casual look! The more I look at this outfit, the more I think leopard print heels would be a nice substitution. Hmmm. Thoughts?

Look #3: Casual Friday or Running Errands 

If you chose to run errands, throw on some flats (black, red, nude, leopard, whatever).  However, these little kitten heels are easy on the feet and back, so they'd be find for errands, too. 

I liked red in my accessories instead of my top. Also, this long sleeve shirt might be my favorite of the entire bunch. So darn versatile. I love me some stripes! 

(Feel free to pin me. Note: that does not mean we're going steady. Sorry.)

Blazer: Forever 21

Outfit 1 Deets:

Top: The Limited (size XS)

Skirt: LOFT (size 0)

Belt: From a dress

Shoes: Naturalizer

Necklace: Gift from Momma! :)

Outfit 2 Deets:

Top: Mudd via Kohl's (size S)

Button up: Express (size XS)

Black Corduroy Pants: LOFT (size 0)

Boots: Not sure

Outfit 3 Deets:

Belt: NY & Co. (size S/M)

Top: The Limited (size XS)

Pants: LOFT (size 0)

Shoes: Naturalizer