Since I've Been Gone....

Let's talk about how I haven't blogged all month......do I need to say anymore? I don't know about you, but the month of March has flown by so quickly for me. I feel like Valentine's Day was just last week, but now it's Easter. WHAT?! Between work, family, sickness, house hunting, and going out of town, I haven't had a lot of spare time.

I barely even took any photos of the clothing that I've been wearing, and I've come up with some cute outfits recently too! Now that I've gone through my "blogger hiatus", I will be back! (Although there have been a few nights where I stay in my scrubs until I put on my Pj's and go to bed. It happens).

Here is an outfit that I wore to work recently. One of my family members were getting rid of some old clothes in their closet, and they gave me the bag of clothes for the next clothing swap that I plan on attending. As I was sorting through the clothes, I noticed these brown cords. Since I don't own any brown pants, much less any cords, I decided to let this pair hang out in my dresser for a while, instead of sitting in a clothing swap bag.

I still can't believe that I almost got rid of this teal sweater. I had not worn it in at least a year because I didn't like the gaps that would appear between the buttons. (It had been doing this since the day that I bought it, even when I was a couple pounds smaller.) Then after pouring through countless fashion blogs and learning how to re-work a wardrobe, I learned that I could unbutton this sweater and make it work with all sorts of tank tops under it. Now it is a staple in my closet!

Teal sweater: Express

Cream lace tank: Express

Cords: I'm not sure, they came from a family member

Necklace and Earrings: Francesca's Collections

Boots: These are actually my tall brown riding boots from Khol's

Winterizing a Dress Part Two

Many moons ago I said that I would write a Part Two about Winterizing a dress.  Well that was October, and this is March, so I might be a tad bit late on that post. However, I will give it to you now since you were so patient. (I know that spring is right around the corner, but there are still cold days, so you can get some practice in before the warm weather hits. )

1. So one of the main things I look for in a dress to "winterize", is that it looks okay with leggings. If the dress looks ridiculous with leggings, then skip said dress because it is wasting our time. (Just pretend that I'm standing in your closet with you).

2. Is the dress a good length for boots or should you really look into going with another option? (AKA booties, flats, heels). If the night is dark and full of terrors, then I'd suggest the boots. (Any Game of Thrones lovers out there??) 

3. Cardigans and blazers work wonders by warming up an outfit. Do you have one in you closet that will work with you dress? Yes? Good. Now you are almost finished.

4. Does your outfit still not feel finished? Let's try on a belt then. Sometimes big thick belts look good, and sometimes skinny belts look nice. It just depends on the style of the dress. Take my dress in this post for example. I added a "tribal"-eqse belt to this teal leopard dress. A skinny feminine belt was too small against the crazy print of the dress, but a big belt was too much against the leopard. 

You have my permission to go buy multiple belts so that you won't run into a situation that you don't have the perfect belt for an outfit.

Blazer: Target

Dress: Plato's Closet

Leggings: Target

Booties: Charlotte's Russe

Belt: Francesca's Collections 

Earrings: Francesca's Collections 

Cami Top: Express

Here is a photo of my mom. She found this dress at Dress Barn, but she wasn't sure what to do with it. I showed her how a belt, tights, and boots could take this dress from okay to "cat-calls" worthy. Sometimes, it really is just that simple.

Blue, Gray, and Orange...

This outfit was based on the fact that I had worn my tan pants from Old Navy 100,939 times in February. Okay, that might be a slight exaggeration. That would be a lot of clothing changes each day. 

I decided that I needed to wear a different pair of pants. And that's the story about why I'm wearing these pants. 

Hope you enjoyed it. 

Cardigan: Clothing swap

Black & Blue Snake print tank: Express

Pants: Dress Barn

Boots: Khol's

Necklace: Express

Break it up

I got this sweater from Target during the fall season on sale. I was in a relaxed mood when I got dressed, hence the baggy, comfortable sweater. I added the long white tank to break up the outfit a little bit. Otherwise the whole look is a little too dark for me. 

Okay, so now that I made a post about how my enthusiasm to shop has been curbed.....I have the urge to shop. I blame the fun spring lines that are out everywhere. And the Target catalog that was mailed to my house with a coupon in it specifically for clothes. 

Sweater: Target

Pants: Target

White Tank: Express

Boots: Khol's

Earrings: from Jamaica

Feather ring: Clementine boutique 

Don't remember where the necklace is from

Fighting crime

I can't tell you how happy I am to have found this lavender cardigan at the latest clothing swap. I had been wanting this exact color for some time, but I really haven't been shopping (for myself) lately. (Online doesn't count, lol). Since I started going to these clothing swaps, I don't have the want to go shopping as much as I use to. Since I've been able to come home with a load of "new" clothes, I've been having fun styling these items instead of focusing on what is in the stores. Now, that being said, I do like looking at the catalogs that I receive either via e-mail or snail mail. Hence a recent post about Dress Barn and their new spring line. 

This is the outfit that I wore over the weekend when my cousin and I went to the Crime and Punishment museum in D.C. While we had a blast at the museum, we were not there nearly long enough to really see everything. We also did a "lab", which I highly recommend! We had planned on being there for a while, but were limited to 4 hours because of the stinking metro. I understand that it is easier to do the work on the rail system on the weekends instead of during the work week (aka rush hour). But I'm not really cool with it taking us 3 hours to get from point A to point B, including bus transfers. I guess it was an "experience", and it was good bonding time with my cousin. I would rather have spent that time in the museum. :) Okay now my non fashion rant is finished!

I wish that I owned a dark purple cardigan, but I am happy that I had this lavender cardigan to work with!

Cardigan: Clothing swap

Tank: Express

Pants: Old Navy

Boots: Express

Necklace: Express

Earrings: Gifted

Polka Dots with a Pop of color

So this past weekend I got to spend some time with my family...and they got me a bit sick. I have a lovely little cough and sore throat. My job consists of constantly talking, so work is not the most fun right now. I'm almost hoping for some snow right now so that we can officially close for tomorrow. (It might be a staff only kind of day, but I'd rather curl up on my couch with a warm cup of tea).

So I've had this blazer in my closet for a few months now. (I picked it up at the first clothing swap that I attended. )However it is dry clean only, and I didn't have a need to go to the cleaner's for anything else for a while, so it just sat next to my laundry hamper for a while. (Because the floor next to the hamper is the designated dry cleaning spot). 

I was determined to wear flats this day, even though my ankles weren't too happy about that. This is my way of channeling spring. (It may not be working since it is suppose to snow this week).

Blazer: from the clothing swap

Green Shirt: Dress Barn

Pants: Old Navy

Shoes: Old Navy