Copy Cat

shirt/necklace: Target, jacket: Marshall’s, jeans: Gap, shoes: DSW    

When I saw this look on Pinterest (traced back to here originally), I loved it, so I decided this would be my look to copy cat for this months’ link-up over at Frills for Thrills.  I wish I could’ve worn similar jeans, but that definitely would’ve been crossing the line for work appropriateness.  (Apparently mint green skinny jeans were fine in my book, but ripped jeans are doing a little too much…haha)  This original look is great, but I just couldn’t bear to not have any color in it, so I went for the yellow shoes to fit my personality and mood a little better. 

Since I’d probably get a few funny looks if I wore my jacket at work all day, I found myself a little chilly, so I wore this cozy infinity scarf for most of the day.  Would it have made more sense to unroll my jeans and expose less of my legs to fight off the chilliness?  Of course!  I couldn’t do it though, I just loved the look of the rolled jeans too much to let it go.

Comfortable Heels?!

tee: Kohl's, cardigan/jeans: Target, belt: Forever 21, necklace: my grandmothers, shoes: gift

Even I was getting bored of my outfit posts using my very plain tan wall as a backdrop, so I decided to try something new this morning.  I started out on our patio, but ran inside at the first sight of a neighbor coming home.  I decided to move inside to my living room, where my walls match my belt.  (My obsession with teal might be stronger than my obsession with watches!)  


Thoughts on my outfit:  First, I continued the trend of trying something new this week and gave the knotted belt thing a try.  Not bad, right?!  Second, these shoes are awesome.  Remember when I complained about how uncomfortable the black heels are from earlier in the week?  These shoes I wore today were given to me by a co-worker who said they just didn't quite fit her right.  They're Dr. Scholl's, and they are fabulous!  The most cushion I've ever felt, and they fit perfectly.  The only negative thing I have to say is that probably four people at work today at made a joke about how they could hear me coming in my heels, so they're possibly louder than most heels.  I have to say, I do not care! :)  

Half Tuck Fail

skirt and shirt: thrifted, boots: Target, necklace: antique market, watch: Kohl's

I tried the half tuck thing today, but it may have been a little bit of a fail.  I'm sure I'll try it again though!  The victory that I will take though is that both my skirt and shirt are thrifted.  I must admit that I'm a little proud of myself when this happens.  

To add a little comedy to this post, my husband asked me if I was going to ride horses today when he saw my outfit. :)  I would've looked a little less country/cowgirl if I would've worn different shoes, but me deciding to run last night after four months off resulted in legs that were just not dealing with heels today!

Inspiration Monday

the inspiration: this look by Emma Stone

shirt: Marshall's, blazer: Forever 21, jeans: Target, shoes: thrifted

Linking up again with Nora and Megan over at Two Birds for Inspiration Monday. My only complaint about this outfit is my shoes! Not the most comfortable and for some reason they were a little hard to walk in. I wasn't able to walk around at lightning speed today at work like I usually do. Slowing down my pace was probably good for me, making me feel more relaxed, which is good! Even though I liked the slowed pace, I think I'll try some inserts next time.

It Runs In The Family

Yesterday my mom came to visit so we could go to an antique market together.  We went to this same one about five years ago and I found a favorite piece of jewelry, a turquoise ring.  I wore it almost every day, but about a few years ago, I lost it. Around that time we were moving and I thought for sure it would turn up as I was packing, but no such luck.  I went yesterday with my mission to find a replacement, but no such luck with that either.  Lucky for me, I did find some other fun stuff!

left: my grandmother's ring, right: my new ring 

On my wedding day last May, my cousin loaned me our grandmother's ring (my grandmother passed away in 1998).  It's a beautiful something borrowed, something blue!  Recently I've been on the lookout for something similar on etsy and ebay, but hadn't found anything.  Yesterday I found one!  Obviously it doesn't have quite the sentimental value as the one I wore on my wedding day, but it reminds me of my grandmother and my wedding day, which is what I was looking for.

described below, clockwise starting at top left

Pendant:  I don't need another large turquoise necklace to add to my collection, but couldn't pass this pendant up for only $3.  Everything else we saw that was this size and this intricate was far more expensive.

Bracelets:  The elephants were too fun of a detail!  $1 each.

Random stuff:  Some clip on earrings and a scarf clip (I think?) that I plan to turn into necklaces.  I'm not sure how it'll turn out, but no more than $1 was paid for each piece, so it's worth trying.

Necklace:  A fun statement piece for only $15.  Plus I'm pretty sure I bought it from the couple that sold me the turquoise ring so many years ago and they were the sweetest, cutest  older couple possibly ever so that made me smile!  They also had some beautiful rings in the $200 range that I would love to own one of in the future.  

And because my mom loves thrifting as much as I do, we ended the afternoon at my favorite Goodwill store.  We each found a few things, then headed home to join my husband and watch our Buckeyes make it to the final four.  Best part of march madness this year?  I have a very good chance of my bracket winning.  That would pay for a lot of thrifting! :)

Exhausted

sweater, necklace, shoes: Old Navy, skirt: thrifted

watch: Kohl's, rhinestone bracelet: thrifted, yellow bracelet: Forever 21

I felt exhausted all day.  Then my mother and father-in-law came to our house for dinner on their way through town with our almost 4 year old nephew.  I think his favorite phrase tonight was "come get me!".  That made me remember what exhausted really felt like. :)  Worth every second of it though!  He's such a fun, outgoing little guy...between him and our 3 year old niece, I have a blast being Aunt Jess!

This is the second Friday in a row I've worn this skirt.  New Friday uniform?  It's just so comfortable, and it makes me feel like I put in way more effort than I really did.  I had to go with flats today because my feet just couldn't handle heels another day, but with flats this fun, who cares?!  I went thrifting after work and found the rhinestone bracelet.  I love these and have been on the lookout for one for awhile now, but usually find them with stones missing.  I'm sure mine will meet the same fate, and probably before I'm ready to give it up, but I just couldn't help myself!

Intervention?

POCKETS!!! :)

cardigan and skirt: thrifted, tee and shoes: Kohl's, necklace: Target

Kohl's cash is a wonderful thing.  My husband decides he needs new clothes maybe two or three times a year, and we always end up at Kohl's.  Bonus for me?  If the timing is right and he ends up with Kohl's cash, he gives it to me.  Woohoo!  This time I was responsible and spent it on something I needed: new black wedges for the season.  Mine desperately needed replaced and I thought these were perfect!  I spent the leftover Kohl's cash on something I don't need, but really liked: the watch I'm wearing!  I think I may have a slight problem, since I'm pretty sure my collection now consists of somewhere between 10 and 15 watches.  Intervention may be necessary soon.

A New Favorite

shirt: Old Navy, skirt: thrifted, belt: Kohl's, shoes: DSW

I think I may wear these shoes all.the.time. this year.  I've been waiting for weather warm enough to wear this outfit.  Yesterday presented the perfect opportunity.  We've had at least  one day of record breaking high temperatures this week already, maybe even a second day.  Despite that, I couldn't bring myself to quite go for the open toed wedges yet.  As I was running late, I searched for another pair and found these lovelies I forgot about.  Before blogging I would've never paired yellow shoes with the colors in this outfit.  Now, I felt so wonderful that I think I had a spring in my step and smile on my face the whole day!

A Well Spent Dollar

sweater, pants, and scarf: thrifted, shoes and purse: Target

I feel like I need to start out saying that I got these pants for $.99.  $.99!!!  The sales at Goodwill were good to me yesterday.  I've been trying to add more options for bottoms in my wardrobe so that I don't rely on jeans and black dress pants as much, and these were the perfect addition.  The in-between length of these pants made me think that something with a heel would be the best option for shoes.  My toes still have my almost 2 month old pedicure (yikes!), so open-toed shoes were not an option, even though the weather was perfect for it.

Speaking of weather, I started the day off with this scarf around my neck to try a little pattern mixture, but it was so hot I couldn't stand it as soon as I left our office for work so I decided to use it to accessorize my favorite purse!  

An Old Favorite

tee: Forever 21, jacket: Old Navy, pants: Target, shoes: Nike

Ok, today I was lazy again today and wore my yoga pants out grocery shopping, but whatever.  What I'd rather talk about it my shirt and jacket. :)  I bought this shirt last year without knowing that neon would be so popular this year.  I've always worn it just for lounging around, but now I'm wondering if it can be dressed up and worn more often.  Thoughts anyone?  

I've had this jacket since I was a freshman in college.  I was obsessed with it.  I lost the first one I had somehow, replaced it with the exact same one, then never let this one out of sight again.  I was probably still in college the last time I wore it, but I could never bring myself to get rid of it.  Good thing!  When I saw Kendi's show up on her blog two times this week, I remembered that I still had mine and decided to bust it out.  I'm sure it'll be making many more appearances!

This weekend I drove to my parents house for the night, which is about 2 hours away.  There's a pretty big Salvation Army about halfway there that I decided to stop at and see if they had anything good.  I found a few items, but laughed to myself when I saw the bag they put my stuff in...

Fresh sweet corn!  I may live in the city now, but did I mention I'm from the country? :) 

Old Jess vs. New Jess

shirt: thrifted, necklace: JCPenney, jeans: Gap, shoes: Old Navy

Today I'm tired.  I thought I'd point that out in case you couldn't tell from my lack of a hairstyle today.  (You can probably see it in my eyes too!)  Old Jess would've put on a v-neck boyfriend tee with her jeans today with some plain black flats.  New Jess decided to step it up a little bit and and wore this button up that she knew would look better by itself along with some fun jewelry and bright shoes.  As crazy as I think I sound, I swear I was just as comfortable today as I would've been in the jeans and tee!

Feeling Girly

shirt: Old Navy, blazer: Kohl's, skirt: thrifted, belt: Forever 21, shoes: Kmart

Today is a double post because I just had to get my post in to participate in Everybody, Everywear this month, and I wanted to participate in What I Wore Wednesday over at The Pleated Poppy for my first time.  So much fun!

I felt super girly today and I liked it.  That used to be my style and I feel like I used to wear light pink all the time, but that changed at some point.  My love for the color was rekindled when I was in Kohl's last week and spotted this blazer.  Thrifting has made me reluctant to even spend $30 on a blazer (I'm cheap!), but I loved this one so much that I let myself buy it.  I'm determined to get a ton of use out of it.  Light pink as my new neutral?  I think so!

My Pretty Pants

tee, shoes, sweater: Target, jeans: Kohl's, belt: thrifted

I have to admit...I used Everybody, Everywear Green as an excuse to buy these jeans!  They're my first try at colored jeans this year.  One girl I talked to when I wore these yesterday told me that my outfit looked like spring.  Another girl that worked at a thrift store I went to said "You and your pretty pants have a great night", and a great night we did have. :) 

Jeggings

blazer: Walmart, tee: Simply Fashion, scarf: Kohl's,
pants: thrifted, boots: JCPenney, watch: Target

Joining in on the fun again with Megan and Nora for Inspiration Monday.  I love Inspiration Monday because it's been forcing me to think outside of the pieces I'd usually put together.  Today it also gave me the idea to wear these jeggings and this blazer together, which are both pieces I've never worn.  (I've had the blazer for at least 4 years and just took the tags off this morning...this makes me a little sad that it hasn't been loved all these years!)

I've always been a little skeptical of jeggings.  I found this pair with the tags still on them at my favorite thrift store.  I put them on over the weekend, but then changed at the last minute.  Today I paired them with a longer tee to balance the tight pants so that I would feel a little more work appropriate.  Plus is that there's no bunching at the knees when I wear these with boots like I get with some skinny jeans.  Minus is that the waist band makes me feel like I'm wearing maternity pants.  The verdict?  Officially approve of them and can only imagine that they'll get a ton of use!

Click here to check out the inspiration of some other lovely ladies!

Skirt vs. Sweatpants

tee: Urban Outfitters, sweater and purse: Target, necklace: gift from a friend, skirt: thrifted, shoes: Old Navy

I know I look a little confused, but sadly this was the best picture I got today.  There was a group at the park behind me that had been playing what reminded me of the game Augie plays in Role Models.  You know, the medieval one where they're on teams and fight each other?  That was distracting!  Ok, and entertaining!

I'm not going to lie...I felt a little frumpy even though I was super comfortable.  This tank helped, but it may be time to start running again.  Either way, much more flattering than the   sweatpants I put on once I got home later, which had my husband laughing at how huge their bagginess made my ass look. :)

Re-do?

shirt: Old Navy, scarf: gift from my niece, jeans: Gap, shoes: Target

adding newly thrifted pants

I have to be honest...these pictures are not from today, but from earlier in the week.  Today has consisted of a comfy tee and jeans, and I don't see that changing at any point this evening.  I'm lucky that my job has a very relaxed dress code.  I threw on the jeans, flats, and plain shirt, then decided the scarf would make the outfit a little more interesting.  After work that day I went to my favorite thrift store and found the pants from the second picture.  They add so much more personality!  I love jeans, but am definitely sad that I didn't get to wear these pants today instead.

Ready for Spring

scarf and belt: Target, jacket: Marshall's, shirt: Old Navy, pants: Walmart, purse: gift

I've been ready for spring for at least the past week of two.  I know this because I've been avoiding all sweaters when I head to the thrift stores lately!  We'll still have our fair share of chilly days, but I wore these shoes and this scarf because they could be both be considered kind of wintry and I'm hoping it gets too warm and stays too warm for them starting next week.  Who am I kidding though?  I live in Ohio and it's only March 9th...anything could happen!

By the way...did anyone else notice my belt is off center?  I'm hoping I didn't walk around like that all day!

Looking Professional

shirt and belt: Forever 21, pants: New York & Co., shoes: Target

necklace: BrideBlu

watch: gift 

I think today was the first time I've worn dress pants in awhile.  They used to be my Monday through Thursday uniform before we were allowed to wear jeans any day we wanted!  I didn't feel like wearing a skirt today and needed to look a little more professional for work, so dress pants it was.  This outfit originally had a button up white shirt that tied at the waist with it that I found at a thrift store, but I really wasn't feeling it.  This white shirt replaced it, it's always been a favorite because of the detail.  I decided I needed at least a little bit of color, so I added the blue belt and my new favorite necklace.  When I got to work, a co-worker had this watch to give me for my birthday....which isn't until July. :)  She found it and just couldn't hold onto it any longer.  Works for me - it perfectly matched my outfit today!  I'm lucky to have such nice and thoughtful people to work with.  

Something Blu

shirt and sweater: thrifted, jeans: Gap

Believe it or not, this is the first time I've ever layered a button up under a sweater.  I found the green button up at a thrift stores' 50% off everything sale last week and only paid $2 for it.  It fits perfectly!  No gaping button and the tailored fit really has a slimming effect.  I feel like that effect is loss when you add this sweater, but I think I may be able to bring it back next time by adding a skinny belt to provide some more structure.

blue necklace: BrideBlu, button necklace: handmade by my aunt

My favorite part of my outfit?  My jewelry!  I love unique pieces!  I discovered Cat's etsy shop: BrideBlu through a blog (I can't remember which one!) and when I found this blue necklace on her site, I had to have it.  It's probably only because it's blue and it's vintage, but the necklace reminded of the blue ring my cousin lent me for my wedding that had belonged to our grandmother.  Combine unique and sentimental and I'm sold in an instant.  It arrived over the weekend and I wore it for the first time today.  It's dainty, and is great layered with  the other necklace in the picture, my button necklace made from a part of my grandmother's button collection, an almost every day part of my wardrobe. (See!  I told you I'm sentimental!)  

my grandmother's ring, borrowed from my cousin on my wedding day