july 9th {love & hate}

merona doubleweave skirt    ·    old navy lace crochet top

merona flats {thrifted target stock}    ·   lisa leonard jewels {giveaway win}

this was just a simple outfit to get me through a busy tuesday of a home visit and an organizational meeting.  i haven't worn this skirt that often; despite feeling as though i had to have it, as i feel whenever a new season's worth of merona pencil skirts are debuted, i don't like it as much as i originally did and find it hard to pair the right top with it.  on the other hand, i love this white top {and it's on major clearance at oldnavy.com right now}.  i guess that works, right?  pairing something you love with something you're so-so about!  at least it got me to wear this skirt again!  thanks for visiting!

march 25-26th {combo}

just popping in quickly to say hello and to show what i have been wearing this week... dresses & blazers.  i guess i've needed an easy combination to fall back on.  now i must go and decide whether or not i want to take advantage of the buy one, get one 50% off shoe deal going on at target.com.  i've ordered two skirts this month, both of which haven't fit (so frustrating!), but at least i know i can't get my shoe size wrong!  have a great week!

march 14th {neglected nothing}

old navy boys plaid shirt   ·   merona doubleweave skirt
merona mattie flats {thrifted target stock}

i'm taking a break from no longer neglected today to start wearing some of the new items that i've purchased recently.  i did some ironing last night and felt a little overwhelmed with all of the new or new to me items that are entering my closet.  i seem to always be scrounging for hangers, especially when all of my laundry is done.   i have a sneaking feeling my closet is trying to tell me something...

i've been itching for a plaid shirt for a while in a more masculine print and found this one in the kids department of old navy.  even though there's pulling around the bust i'm willing to deal with it because i love the plaid print so much!  maybe some fashion tape would help.  here are some of my favorite looks lately that inspired me to get some plaid into my closet:  peggy / cee / ginny / m /  there have probably been more, i should start utilizing pinterest i guess to remember what i have been inspired by!

in other news, did everyone hear that google reader is being retired on 07/01/13?  i'm pretty devastated.   what other readers do people use to follow blogs?  it's going to be hard for me to transition to something else but i better start figuring that out now!  bloglovin' i guess?

thursday (easy)

merona doubleweave skirt   ·    lands end canvas gingham shirt {thrifted}

mossimo scoop neck sweater & merona mattie cap-toe flats {both thrifted target stock}

this is one of those outfits that just came together really easily and without a lot of thought and i loved it.  isn't it awesome when that happens?  it definitely adds a little pep to your step... even if you're just working away like a busy bee in your quiet office all day (i definitely don't mind days like those!).  have a nice evening!

friday (striped)

jones ny blazer {thrifted}   ·   merona doubleweave skirt

merona mattie flats & belt {both thrifted target stock}

 

if there were ever a day to wear stripes... it should be on a friday!  this is a big step for me guys, i can count the number of striped items in my closet on one hand {i know, it's blasphemous} so i'm easing my way in on a relaxed friday!  have a great weekend - thanks for visiting this week and an especially big thank you to my recent followers.  i hope you'll leave a comment and say hello!

 

tuesday (schooled)

 the limited skirt {thrifted}   ·   merona blouse {thrifted target stock}
xhilaration blazer {thrifted}   ·   merona mattie flats {thrifted target stock}

for this month's EBEW we were asked to show off our best "back to school" outfit.  since i am not heading back to school this fall i thought i would interpret the theme to show off some of my former school colors.  

i never became immersed in the student life or school spirit of the college where i did my graduate work, but its colors were maroon & _____?  my undergrad college's colors were red & black, but my loyalty towards that school isn't that strong anymore either.  even if i wanted to reminisce today and show off some red & black, it would have been a bit tricky as the only red i have in my closet comes in the form of old college t-shirts i wore to football games - i really enjoyed going to games back then, but definitely not work appropriate!

my high school's colors were purple & gray, so those seem like the logical colors to showcase today, not because i am any more attached to my high school but because those colors actually have prominence in my closet! i picked up this necklace at an artist's booth at the minnesota state fair a couple weeks ago and today seemed like the perfect day to build an outfit around it.  so, here i am catapulting myself back to high school as i proudly wear purple & gray/black.  how do you feel about these colors together?

wednesday.

merona cardigan {thrifted target stock}   ·   handmade (by me) skirt

merona mattie cap-toe flats   ·   forever 21 belt

disappointment / today i wanted to wear another skirt i recently made from the same pattern as this one but it turns out it is too big.  this one turned out so well, so it's a little disappointing to have put all that work into cutting out the pattern pieces and doing the sewing and mailing it to my mom to finish just to find out that it doesn't fit.  i know where i erred, but there isn't much i can do now other than cinch it in at the waist with a belt.  so for now i'm wearing this one that turned out perfectly.  i'm wondering for any sewers out there how you bounce back from projects gone wrong knowing how much work you put into it, especially if there isn't a way to fix it?

also, thank you so much to my trickle of new followers lately, i have definitely noticed and it means so much to me.  it's pretty crazy that i am nearing 100 followers {could it happen today?!} and i would love to do something nice for you when i do reach that mark.  thank you so much for visiting!

thursday (bold)

 

 old navy v-neck sweater   j crew chiffon ruffle blouse {thrifted}

handmade (by me) skirt   merona mattie cap-toe flats {thrifted target stock}

i've had the fabric i made this skirt out of lying around for a while and finally cut it and made it into a skirt this past weekend.  i've gotten lazy and have stopped putting pockets in my last few skirts too, so it was even more easy.  i'm so used to tearing my fabric to the size i want that when fabric isn't "tearable" i ignore it for a while.  thankfully my aunt has loaned/gifted me a rotary cutter and mat and i think i cut pretty straight lines?  just don't look too closely at the hem!  i love the tealish green color of this skirt though and so i had to pair it with some other bold colors.  i think it all goes well together.  my coworker complimented me on the colors, so that's always a nice affirmation when i look around at all the other ladies around me who are always wearing black.  let's dress in more color!  :)  have a good evening!

wednesday (sweet)

 

merona cardigan {thrifted target stock}   cabi muse blouse {thrifted}

handmade (by me) skirt   merona mattie cap-toe flats {thrifted target stock}

this outfit is so sweet with the feminine colors and rosettes.  i'm kind of in love with this fabric that i picked out at joann's last friday.  there is so much fun fabric out there, pretty soon i will have a different skirt to wear every single day of the year.  and i just have to say thank you for the sweet comments many of you leave about the skirts that i  make.  i know they're nothing that special {it's really just two panels of fabric sewn together with an elastic waistband, so easy} but i derive so much pleasure from the process of making them - for myself and others.  so it's fun when other people take notice of that too.  thanks for dropping by today!

friday (dotted)

 

gap outlet skirt {thrifted}   gap cardigan {thrifted}

old navy button-down   merona mattie cap-toe flats {thrifted target stock}

what led me to buy this skirt this week at the gw, i don't even know.  i am not a big fan of polka dots, nor am i ever drawn to browse the clumps of black & white printed skirts because really, i have a hard time getting my creative juices flowing and figuring out what to pair with black & white.  but nonetheless, i was drawn to this skirt and the quirkiness of the print, the pockets, and pleats.  so, it came home with me and it's taking its test run today.  i mean, what better day to wear polka dots than friday!

monday (monica)

merona monica skirt   merona marigold cardigan {thrifted target stock}

converse blouse {thrifted target stock}   merona mattie cap-toe flats {thrifted target stock}

i feel pretty sad for this skirt, this is only the second time i have worn it, the first being september 29, 2010.  i almost can't believe that.  i only want to wear it with navy even though i know it would look perfectly fine with almost any other color.  how do we get out of a rut of always wearing the same item the same way over & over again?  even if it was pretty uninspired, i definitely felt put together today.  have a great week!

monday (fun.)

 

merona cardigan & jolen blouse & mattie cap-toe flats {all thrifted target stock}
handmade (by me) skirt   inpink.com necklace

can i talk for a minute about how excited i get when i am introduced to a new band or a great new song?  it's an exhilarating, giddy, dancing-in-your-seat type of feeling.  you know it, right?  foster the people was the last album i bought that made me feel that way, and now i just have to gab about fun. for a minute.  i was so saddened when the format broke up, talk about a band that brings me back to my college days.  fun.'s music gives off that same feeling, i think it has a lot to do with the lead singer nate's voice, but even though fun. is different from the format, they still remind me of something nostalgic.  i've been listening to the stream of their new album the past two days straight & i'm excited that their cd comes out tomorrow!

ps:  i made this skirt this weekend!  i'm not sure when i'll be making any more skirts though, as my sewing machine is acting up on me and i'm not sure what is wrong or how to fix it!  :(  if i can't, i think this was a pretty good one to close the books with!

tuesday (valentiney)

merona marigold cardigan {thrifted target stock}   old navy blouse

handmade (by me) skirt   merona mattie cap-toe flats {thrifted target stock}

i tried really hard to wear an outfit worthy of valentine's day despite it being any other old day for me... i really did.  but i experience this odd dichotomy of feelings whenever a mainstream holiday rolls around with its own color scheme.  do i purposely dress in those colors to match the holiday {it always makes me feel corny!} or do i ignore it completely and come across as a scrooge?  i figured i could handle being a little corny today since i just sat in front of my desk in my basement office for the first part of the day and worked the rest of the day from home after an early afternoon meeting.  how do you feel about dressing for a holiday?