Wrap Belt

I am wearing my new DIY wrap belt today!  The ends are curled in the first picture...perhaps they do that because I didn't use real leather.  Oh well.  The fake stuff was on the red tag table at JoAnn's, so I couldn't pass it up.  Also, for anyone else with this dress, it appears to shrink in the wash.  I might hang dry this from now on.

 

Dress: Zac Posen for Target

Cardigan: Banana Republic

Shoes: Target

Necklaces: gift, Target

Barrette: Forever 21

Belt: DIY from LoveMaegan blog

A Change of Scenery

I have a new picture taking spot!  I finally decided to make good use of my balcony that I so often neglect. The wire shelves that hold my watering can and other gardening stuff makes a nice tripod for my camera.

I wore this outfit last Sunday.  Not a great picture or outfit, I know, but it's the first time I had tried out my new photo spot.  (The wrinkle in my sweater and the un-cuffed sleeves in this picture bother me, can't believe I didn't notice it while taking the picture.)

Tank and shoes: Target

Cardigan: American Eagle

Leggings: American Apparel

Headband: Forever 21

 

Dress: Converse One Star for Target

Tank: Old Navy

Shoes: Naturalizer

Belt: Forever 21

Earrings: Savannah Art Market

I almost returned this dress.  I bought it last Friday in a desperate attempt to find something to change into after the professional conference.  Without an undershirt and the right shoes, I didn't think it would work.  Today, I realized it was incredibly flattering.  The color and shape are fantastic.  It's also a real wrap, so it'll work for me even if I lose weight.

No-Sew DIY

I don't sew.  I never learned, and I don't even know how to work a sewing machine.  Thank goodness for alterations shops.  Luckily for me, I found some awesome DIY projects on LoveMaegan.com that don't require any sewing!  I bought my supplies at Jo-Ann's and made two things.  They turned out great!

Rope Necklace

I also made a faux-leather wrap belt, but I didn't get a good picture of it.  I'll wear it soon though.

So Wright

So I wasn't originally sure I was going to keep this dress, but I just fell in love with it!  It's one of my easy go-to dresses for summer.  Unfortunately I wore it on Saturday when a cold front rolled in.  Lucky for me, the AC wasn't working right at the mall, so I was the only person not sweltering hot!

  

Dress: Wright dress from Anthropologie

Shoes: Naturalizer

Belt: Old Navy boys

Necklace: vendor in Mexico

Earrings: Forever 21

Purse: Michael Kors

Creative CSA Recipes

Having a CSA forces me to eat more vegetables...and be creative with recipes.  My secret to an extra tasty vegetable soup is starting it with bacon.  Yum!

CSA Vegetable Soup

The recipe itself isn't really a recipe...I started with bacon, cooked it down with onions, peppers, and celery.  I added a bay leaf, canned tomatoes, and chicken broth.  The vegetables I included were: kale, beet greens, carrot tops, and fava beans.  I added tri-color beans and seasoning salt at the end.  I changed up the leftovers by mixing in salsa, cilantro, and crushed tortilla chips.

Plaid Flannel Party

I went to a birthday party for two of my coworkers.  Since they both like to wear plaid or flannel shirts to work, their girlfriends planned a barbecue and asked all the guests to wear plaid or flannel.  Unfortunately, it was a hot afternoon, so I made do with a tank and shorts and put on my flannel shirt after the sun went down.  The party was a lot of fun, flannel and all!

 

Tops and shorts: American Eagle

Shoes: Naturalizer

Rosette Adorned Tunic

I love shirts that look like Anthropologie but that are really from Target.  Not even a designer Target item.  This is one of those shirts.  I got it on clearance for a few dollars, and I love it.  It even works for work with my black khaki pants.  I switched to leggings after work for grocery shopping.

Tunic: Target

Leggings: Forever 21

Shoes: Cynthia Vincent for Target

Necklace: Cost Plus World Market

See Chloe Shop Giveaway!

See Chloe Shop, a great resource for the best sales online, has a new url and a giveaway to celebrate.  Check it out!

Yes, I'm a week behind in posts.

Outfits from last weekend...
I wore this to the farmer's market.  Easy and perfect for walking around outside in warm weather.

 

Dress: Zac Posen for Target

Belt: American Apparel

Shoes: Target (kids)

I wore this to the pool on Saturday afternoon.  Kind of a hipster look, but it worked.

Shirt: American Apparel

Shorts: American Eagle

Bikini: Victoria's Secret

Shoes: Naturalizer

Sunday I impressed myself with my creativity!  I managed to wear both a skirt and shirt that I hadn't worn in ages.  Without the belt, this look wouldn't work at all.  I'm so glad I discovered belts!

Shirt: Wal-mart

Skirt: Forever 21

Cardigan: LOFT Outlet

Belt: Charlotte Russe

Shoes: Target

Community Supported Agriculture

I signed up for the CSA at work.  I'm so excited about it.  Here's last week's bag's contents.  It had broccolini, snap peas, fava beans, kale, beets, carrots, radishes, and spring onions.  It's so much fun trying to figure out how to cook everything.

Anthropologie Sale!

As Marie from Infinite Whimsy said on twitter, I won (and my budget lost) the sale game.  Today I wore two of my new purchases.  Also, check out those air-dried yesterday bangs.  Yes, those are day-two, no-heat, no-product bangs!  It's a hair miracle.

 

Cardigan: Sparrow Edana from Anthropologie

Tank: Ann Taylor

Pants: H&M

Shoes: Naturalizer

I changed into my new dress to meet my coworkers for margaritas and enchiladas after work today.  El Torito was crazy, but it was fun.  By the way, my coworkers loved this dress.  Aerospace engineers love planes.

 

Dress: Wright dress from Anthropologie

Shoes: Naturalizer

Necklace: bought in Mexico

Another new haircut.

Saturday I wore my new Target (kids) shoes with a favorite easy dress to my weekly trip to the farmer's market.

 

Dress and Earrings: LOFT Outlet

Shoes: Target

Barrette: Forever 21

Sunday I got a haircut.  Jana made my hair really fluffy.  Kind of crazy fluffy.  I promise this is not normal...it took a lot of product and a really long time with a big brush and a hair dryer.  She and I decided to keep my bangs straight again.  She promised she cut them short enough that I wouldn't have to use any heat on them...you'll see in my next post how that worked out.  Also, Jana loved my outfit.  She gave me so many compliments!

   

Top: Target

Skirt: American Apparel

Cardigan: LOFT outlet

Shoes: Naturalizer

Belt and Earrings: Forever 21

Purse: Michael Kors

Giveaway on Infinite Whimsy

One of the Anthropologie-focused blogs that I read regularly is doing a give-away.  I just love the teacher outfits she puts together...fun yet work appropriate.  I can't wear skirts to work, but I appreciate the modest take on fashion since I have to be careful about how I look at work as well.  Also she's giving away some great stuff!  Infinite Whimsy - Giveaway! Maria's Favorite Things/Q&A