the accessories dresser.

banana republic factory blouse {via thredup*}

mossimo slacks {thrifted}   ·   dexter kylie wedges

like everyone, i am especially excited about this short work-week so i can have more time to organize and get my new place in order over the upcoming long weekend!  my bedroom is coming along thanks to a trip to ikea over the weekend that resulted in a new dresser that has somehow been filled with pretty much nothing but accessories.  that's okay by me though, and i am enjoying this little nook so much that i thought i would share a peak:

 the mirror opens up to hold necklaces.  i still need to hang the shadow box of earrings on that wall.

i love storing jewelry in small dishes.  the ceramic egg crate from world market is my 

favorite way to store earrings.  i don't own many bracelets anymore, but the ones i've 

hung onto fit perfectly in these ceramic green strawberry cartons from michaels.

a drawer full of necklaces stored in long trays, including utensil trays from a thrift store

 a drawer full of scarves!  this makes me so happy!

 

another fun little dish (from target) to store the watch & a bracelet i wear daily

isn't it fun to create little space like this in your home?  i needed a place to do my hair in the morning and a place to store all of my jewelry, and i think this will work out really well for me!

*join thredup through my referral link and immediately get $15 to spend {through july 6th}, and i'll get $15 too when you make a purchase.

scrooge.

gap cardigan {thifted}   ·   merona doubleweave skirt
dexter kylie wedges   ·   target belt & necklace {thrifted target stock}

with every major holiday that rolls around i ask myself if i want to dress in that holiday's assigned colors or be a scrooge.  usually i'm a scrooge but i decided to embrace the color coordination that comes along with st patrick's day and wear some green in the form of this hunter green skirt.  after all, green is my favorite color and i was pretty much a walking leprechaun today anyway!  i wore my green winter coat, i carry my work stuff and lunch bag in a teal green tote, i used my green coffee thermos today, and i brought in a water cup with a green lid to work for the week! 

do i have you beat or did you be sure you wear green today as well?

get the look:  similar cardigan / similar button-down / exact skirt / similar wedges / similar necklace / similar belt

green + coral.

banana republic button-down {thrifted}   ·   old navy sweater

merona skirt   ·   groopdealz necklace   ·   dexter wedges

i've only worn this necklace once, i've never worn this button-down, and i can't remember the last time i wore this sweater... so it feels good to get them all joined together for an outfit that i think turned out pretty great.  i would have preferred wearing a different pair of shoes because these cognac-colored wedges are a weekly staple but i'm just out of ideas of what color tights & shoes to wear together and only really have one pair of brown shoes.  plus, i think the roads and sidewalks in the entire state of minnesota are pretty much the texture of an ice stating rink, so any shoe with a flat bottom is wise these days!

thanks for visiting!

get the look:  similar sweater / similar button-down / exact skirt / similar necklace / similar wedges

button-down love.

merona dress   ·   chaps blazer {thrifted}

gap button-down {thrifted}   ·   dexter wedges

i haven't worn this dress very often, but i think about it often and was trying to come up with a different way to wear it aside from just with a cardigan layered over it since i wore a cardigan yesterday.  i like layering button-downs underneath just about everything and thought the printed collar peaking out underneath the dress worked, but something was just off... it needed one more layer!  enter the navy blazer (sorry it looks black; my tights are also navy).  since i love layering so much, i didn't mind the cuffs showing past the bracelet length sleeve of the blazer and of course you can never go wrong with a basic cognac colored shoe. 

here's a spread of different ways i like to layer button-downs:

short sleeves / a cardigan / a knit tee / 3/4 sleeves / a sleeveless dress

{click to enlarge... but don't look too closely or you'll realize i 

was wearing the same necklace in three of these five pictures, oops!}

how else do you think i can layer a button-down? 

the right combination.

 

a.n.a. blouse {thrifted}   ·   merona doubleweave skirt

dexter kylie wedges   ·   blue nile necklace (c/o)

this blouse has been getting a lot of wear since i thrifted it many months ago; i love picking out different colors and finding a bottom or shoe that matches.  printed blouses, much like printed skirts, definitely have a prominent place in my closet because they make getting dressed so much easier.  it's hard to tell but my skirt is hunter green and my tights are brown.  the difficulty definitely comes in figuring out the right tights + shoe combination, but if that's my biggest struggle i'd say i'm doing okay!  thanks for visiting!

get the look: exact skirt / similar wedges / exact necklace

dressed up.

 

ruff hewn blazer {thrifted}   ·   calvin klein skirt {thrifted}

old navy scarf   ·   dexter kylie wedges

i'm really excited to share with you guys that i have been offered a job!  it was one i interviewed for last monday and i got the call last friday that they wanted to hire me.  it all happened so quickly; a part of me was expecting my unemployment to last much longer, but i'm excited about this position (i'll be a social worker in a nursing home).  my orientation isn't until next week, so i have the rest of the week to enjoy a few more days off, have lunch with one of my old coworkers, pull the skirts and tights back out, and hopefully get my hair cut (will that ever happen?!  i need a push!).

this army green blazer i thrifted recently reminded me of the military-style jackets and cargo vests many bloggers own and remix with ease, and i thought it could work for me as a casual blazer to wear on weekends.  this is an example of one way i may wear it to work, but let's be honest... i'm going to enjoy my self-imposed dress code of sweatpants & t-shirts for the rest of the week. :)

get the look:  similar blazer / similar skirt / similar scarf / similar belt / similar wedges

if you haven't already, please be sure to enter my blue nile necklace giveaway!

linking up with tres chic thursday & what i wore to work!

chick-fil-a!

oct 10th / who cares about what i'm wearing today, i'm more interested in telling you all what i am having for dinner tonight:  chick-fil-a!  as someone who grew up in the south (the state, in fact, where chick-fil-a originated), this is a huge (!) deal that the chicken franchise has finally made its way up north.  i just have no words for my excitement right now... in fact, i have a feeling i am not using enough exclamation marks - chick-fil-a!!!!

easiest outfit ever.

merona doubleweave skirt   ·   old navy camp shirt

 dexter kylie wedges {similar wedge/similar heel}

sept 12th / you guys knew i was serious about getting this skirt, right?  so serious that i went over to a target that's less than two miles from my office two days this week during my lunch break looking for it.  they didn't have my size either day (i went back the second day thinking maybe it was in the fitting room and the sales associate needed to put it back out on the floor... nope).  i finally found it at the target closest to my house.  success!

july 16th {orange you glad...}

a.n.a. blouse {thrifted & slimmed}   

merona doubleweave skirt   ·  dexter kylie wedges

i wore this blouse about a month ago but failed to blog about it so i had to make sure that i did today! i was so drawn in by the gorgeous, colorful print and flowy style but almost bypassed it because it was a petite large.  i'm glad i hung onto it as it was a pretty easy task to zip up and down either side with my sewing machine to slim it to my size.  i think blouses like this are pretty forgiving as well (compared to perhaps a cotton button-down) and i don't think the shaky stitch i made is noticeable at all!

now, this skirt:  orange you glad i'm wearing orange again?!  :)  i had to order something from target.com a couple weeks ago and i'm so glad i quickly perused through the clothing and found one of my beloved doubleweave skirts on a major price cut.  it didn't take any contemplation at all to add this skirt to my cart.  i love comparing the look of this blouse with the jade green skirt the first time i wore it to this punchy orange.  next time, i think i'll pair it with magenta.

thanks for visiting!

may 23rd {revived}

old navy camp shirt   ·   handmade (by me) skirt

dexter kylie wedges

i made this skirt last august, but despite my desire back then to wear it again soon with a different color scheme, it took nearly nine months for it to be worn again due to a silly sewing issue.  i used fusible hem tape when i made it but applied it wrong and the hem came out after one wash, and it took until this week for me to repair it.  i guess that is a clear indication of how much sewing i did over the winter--sad.  but now that this skirt has been revived, i feel like i have a brand new skirt in my collection and yes, if the hem doesn't fail me again i do hope to wear it with a different colored top--and belt too, for that matter!

thanks for visiting!  don't forget the link-up whitney and i are hosting next week.  show us your favorite target wares!

april 23rd {eyelet}

mossimo sweater & ann taylor skirt {both thrifted}

dexter kylie wedges

here is what i wore today!  i woke up to about 18 inches of fresh snow this morning {okay, kidding, it was only 5.2"} but despite this silly winter we continue to experience, i tend not to allow that to affect my dress.  skirts and wedges it is!  this morning i went to an amazing presentation on new therapies for alzheimer's disease and i was really glad that the winter wonderland this morning didn't affect the conference--i learned some really fascinating new research!  do you have the opportunity to attend conferences/seminars/education events in your field?

thanks for the response so far to the PANTONE-inspired color challenge that my friend marissa and i are hosting starting next monday, april 29th! i look forward to being inspired by some of your spring colors, seeing as how i may be stuck in tight for who knows how long!  read more about it here & let me know if you have any questions!

april 1st {navy floral}

merona button-down {thrifted}  ·   merona skirt

dexter kylie wedges {available in black}

i didn't feel much like posting this outfit after i wore it yesterday because i wear this skirt all the time and my story is always the same {i love it} so what more is there to say about it, but i did like the effect of my subtle pattern mixing with the navy button-down that has subtle white dots and the floral-ish skirt.  i had to laugh when i saw whitney's post from yesterday and saw she'd worn the same skirt and a shirt with the same intention as the one i wore.  her pattern mixing is a little more apparent and a lot more awesome than mine, but hey, i am a newbie at it.  now, if only she'd worn her matching cognac wedges!  :)

thanks for visiting!

march 8th {neglected new stuff}

merona tie front dress   ·   old navy cardigan
mossimo belt {thrifted target stock}    ·    dexter kylie wedges

i promise i am still participating in "no longer neglected," today's outfit is just going to be a little but of a stretch.  i ordered this dress from target.com on tuesday and received it in the mail on wednesday (how awesome is that?) and i have a hard time waiting to wear new clothes, so here we are.  i paired it with a belt i picked up at the goodwill a couple weekends ago that i haven't worn yet either.  i really liked pulling the colors out of the belt to coordinate with the rest of the outfit -- navy, magenta, and rusty orange/cognac.

by the way, i highly recommend this dress!  aside from the strange fabric (it's mostly modal, whatever that is, so there's almost a filmy texture and sheen to the fabric), it's a great color, length, and price!  it has long sleeves that i envision rolling up when it gets a bit warmer outside and it's fun to think about the different types of belts or cardigans/blazers to layer with it.  that's definitely the mark of a good dress in my opinion!  i do need to cut those silly ties off though.

here are the other items i picked up in my target.com order that i'm really excited to wear (thanks to my reader jennifer a who inspired me to get the pink wedges, and the top is on sale through tomorrow!):

Merona Melinda Wedge Pump Pink

Xhilaration® Juniors Peter Pan Collar Lace Top - Assorted Colors

linking up with these lovely ladies today:

march 1st {!}

merona cardigan & cherokee button-down {both thrifted target stock}
talbots painterly floral skirt   ·   dexter kylie wedges

happy casual friday, right?  casual friday was instituted at the building where my office is (a senior living community) a few months ago and even though sometimes i'll wear my trouser jeans, most of the time i continue to dress as i would throughout the week.  there is a bit of a disconnect when i look at myself in an outfit like this and other women dressed in distressed jeans, tall boots, flannel shirts, casual tees.  should i start dressing down more on fridays?  at least i brought in my denim shirt, right?  happy weekend!

january 9th {accessorized}

old navy sweater   ·   dexter kylie wedges {other colors}
merona doubleweave skirt {thrifted target stock}   ·   inpink necklace

often times when i assess the outfits those around me are wearing {come on, you know you do it too} the one thing i often see missing is an accessory.  a great necklace, belt, or scarf does so much to turn a standard outfit into one that's memorable.  when i look back through my weeks in review what stands out to me is that there is always one dominant accessory that i think ties my outfits together.  what i'm wearing today would have been pretty boring on its own - tan skirt, purple sweater, who cares - but the bold, chunky necklace in similar colors and a simple skinny belt makes it cohesive and interesting.  the shoe color choice is also a little unexpected but works with the other brownish/goldish tones coming from the necklace.  i spend very, very little money on accessories - they almost all come from goodwill, forever 21, the clearance racks at target and kohl's, and giveaways/gift cards {like this necklace} - but i've found that they have the biggest impact on my outfits.  of course this is all my own bias so you're welcome to challenge me, but i see an immediate difference when i look at this outfit with accessories and without:

let's chat! / i'm curious, do you see it too?  how much importance do you place on accessories?

wednesday (argyle & pink)

eshakti dress {giveaway win} ·   dexter kylie wedges
j crew merino wool cardigan {thrifted}

last week i was in georgia for thanksgiving but i only ended up going to one goodwill while i was there.  i suppose it was a successful trip though as i picked up two cardigans (including this one) and a simply vera wang skirt.  a couple of the things i bought were even a part of the colored tag sale for the week, so i felt that was a success!  this j crew cardigan is definitely my favorite find though - i like the cut of the cardigan and the argyle print much more than a couple other argyle cardigans that i have.  i think the pale pink and mossy green pair surprisingly well together.  i really love how this outfit came together today.  thanks for visiting!

here's a close up shot to see the argyle pattern!

friday (wiped out)

i get to work really early when it's still dark outside, and it's starting to get even darker as we get closer to winter.  it's been pretty cold in the mornings too but i didn't think it was quite cold enough for wet ground to freeze yet!  needless to say, i was pretty taken aback as i was walking along the path towards my building from my parking lot this morning and slid on a patch of black ice and boom, down on my bum i went.  it was one of those things that happened so fast that i just hoped no residents were looking out their apartment window to see me sprawled out on the ground or other staff/employees lurking in the shadows of the pre-dawn day (that would be creepy).  i know, that potential embarrassment rose above my concern about actually being hurt!  thankfully i've only been a little sore and my coffee didn't spill all over me as i went down.  my shoes weren't so fortunate, however.  one got scuffed when i plopped on the ground and then went flying off (don't worry, i quickly recovered it!).  i'm really bummed though as i haven't worn these shoes that many times and the scuffed scratch is an obvious place on the top of the shoe.  they're on clearance for $19 right now at payless, but my size is sold out.  well, i'm sure i'll keep wearing them anyway... and here's to hoping i don't wake up sore tomorrow!  have a great weekend!

monday (scarfed)

old navy sweater   &middot   dexter kylie wedges {on sale for $19!)

mossimo scarf & slacks {both thrifted target stock}

 

i went to my favorite goodwill for the first time in over a month yesterday and was inundated with target stock.  this scarf and another merona bow blouse (i now have it in all three prints, thanks goodwill!) and a necklace was all i picked up, but i think there was more thrifted target stock than anything else.  i should mention that i use the phrase "thrifted target stock" to refer to the donated target merchandise that i find at my local GWs.  i am not sure if i have ever really explained that before.  from what i have deduced over the years, target has a relationship with GW and will donate clearance or returned merchandise to be sold there.  this merchandise is denoted with a specific color tag and is rarely discounted.  i have never actually asked an employee about this before, this is simply what i have intuitively figured out over the years.  the merchandise ranges from clothing, shoes, accessories, household goods, furniture, you name it - if it doesn't sell at target, it will often end up at the GW.  yesterday there was even a bin full of it, all marked at 49c (nothing that exciting, sadly, mostly just shorts & swim suits).

 

here is another one of my finds... a great j crew strapless eyelet/scallop dress {i also found  an orange j crew shell!}.  the dress is about 2 sizes too small for me, but it was only $4.50 - plus, it's brand new with tags and the back kick pleat is still sewn shut.  i bet you can understand how bummed i was that it didn't fit!  but what could i do?  definitely not leave it there!  do you ever thrift items that don't fit with either a) the hope of fitting into it sometime in the future, or b) to resell?  i'm leaning towards the latter because let's face it, i exercise about once every other month and i know j crew sells well on ebay.  i'll probably still find myself staring at it longingly until i list it.  have you thrifted anything special lately? 

 

i hope your week is off to a great start!

wednesday (unpinned)

old navy sweater   ·   handmade (by me) skirt

dexter kylie wedges   ·   thrifted necklace

 

the colors in this outfit are ones i've had in mind to pair together ever since my friend whitney wore a great turquoise skirt and tan cardigan about a year ago.  this must have been before pinterest took off or i signed up for an account, otherwise i definitely would have pinned her outfit and that would have made it easier to link back to her original post.  unfortunately, all i had was a picture from her blog saved in a folder on my desktop!  i found her original post though by looking at the properties of the picture, which told me the date it was taken, and i found the post on her blog that way (wow, pinterest definitely would have made this easier!  whitney, please don't think i'm creepy--i just wanted to give you credit as my inspiration!).

 

i definitely have not jumped onto the pinterest bandwagon; my involvement and activity at this point is pretty limited although i do have a pinterest for my blog where i pin outfits of mine that i especially liked, outfits of others i like (duh), and outfits featuring items i also have in my closet for future inspiration.  no pressure to follow, seeing as how i don't pin much.  i've always been one of those people who doesn't latch onto fads or popular activities unless i felt involved or knowledgeable of it from the get-go because it seems too overwhelming to "figure it out" if i'm already well behind the curve.  so i tend to sit out of things for a while until i get to know it on my own time.  

 

pinterest & i are slowly becoming friends, but we've had some growing pains.  i've found that if i'm looking for something specific (ex: storage ideas for tall boots), all of the same pictures come up and i can never find any unique or interesting ideas.  it's a little overwhelming when so many people have pinned (repinned?) the same pin and that's all you see... i think it clogs the site and makes it more difficult to find any unique ideas/pictures/pins.  has anyone else noticed this?  i mean, there's got to be more than just the same 5 ideas on the interweb of how to store your boots!  maybe i need help learning how to better search for stuff?  or does anyone have any good ideas of how to store tall boots?  :)  thanks for visiting!

thursday {painterly}

j crew sweater {thrifted}   ·   talbots painterly floral skirt

 thrifted belt   ·   dexter kylie wedges

it's kind of chilly outside but i'm determined to get at least one wear out of this lovely skirt before we're really feeling the fall--err--winter-like weather.  i love the great deals at the end of the season, but i don't know how i would feel about wearing this bright floral skirt in the dead of winter.  i might have to try it on with tights and a darker top to see how it looks.  but for now we're still on the cusp and if i can brave it out with bare legs i'm saying that bright florals are a-okay (the high today is expected to be in the mid 60s, so that's really not that bad)!

i picked up this skirt and two others during a spontaneous late-night online shopping venture last week after apples & pencil skirts posted a promo code that offered 25% off and free shipping (clearance pickings are slim, but the code only works for free shipping now for some reason - 029353545).  you know i love my free shipping, and when i saw the prices of some of the items in the clearance section i ran to grab my wallet!  i had never ordered from talbots before, but overall i'm really pleased with the quality, print, and most of all the price of this skirt!  speaking of my friend at apples & pencil skirts, she picked up the same skirt... see how she styled it today as well over at her blog!  we're in different time zones, so her post may not be up quite yet depending on when you're reading this, but i'm looking forward to seeing how she styled it as well!  thanks for visiting!