OOTD: Carried Away

I'm just so giddy about the Sex and the City 2 movie this week that I had to wear another Carrie-inspired outfit. Plus I needed to debut the swan butt skirt I bought months ago. I even put on my new Forever 21 "love" nameplate necklace, which reminds me a lot of Carrie's famous "Carrie" necklace.

Shirt: Walmart

Skirt: Xhiliration, Target

Necklace: F21

Shoes: Old Navy

My dear husband has volunteered to take me to see the SATC movie this weekend. I have a feeling it won't be a total hardship for him since he eagerly joins me on the couch to watch the syndicated episodes. 

Happy Friday, all! 

OOTD: Tell Me About It, Stud

Okay, slightly embarrassing confession: Right after I take my blurry cell phone OOTD pics in the morning,  I immediately brainstorm a blog title.  My first idea was "tell me about it, stud" because of my rockin' new Forever 21 skinny studded belt. But fearing it would be too cheesy, I tried to think of another one.

But then... as I was walking down the aisles of my sketchy neighborhood grocery store (yeah, who grocery shops before work?!), "You're The One That I Want" from Grease came blasting over the speakers.

It's fate, I tell ya. The cosmic blog gods were telling me my original title was meant to be.

Not the biggest fan of how, um wide, I look in this OOTD. I'm going to blame the morning light and an awkward pose. I've had this cobalt blue dress for ages; it's meant to be worn trapeze style, but I thought the sweetness of the crocheted yoke would provide a cool juxtaposition for the "edginess" of the studded belt.

Dress: vintage Rue 21

Belt: Forever 21

Shoes: oops. 

Damask Dining Room

I thought I would be completely over the damask pattern by now after having used damask accents in my wedding last year.

Apparently not. The print just keeps calling my name. So after seeing the "rollback" price and the customer photo reviews, I pulled the trigger on the Terra Luxe Rug from walmart.com. It arrived today. The verdict? L-O-V-E. The room is very much still a work in progress, but I like how the rug accents the black modern dining room set I bought recently. I plan on adding some more furniture (maybe a shelf or bookcase until the house budget allows for a decent hutch or buffet) and sprinkling some yellow accents throughout.

OOTD: American Girl in Paris

Errr, well I'm not actually in Paris, but I feel very Parisienne today. When I planned today's outfit, I was going to wear my new "Love" necklace from Forever 21 for the full Carrie Bradshaw feel, but I seem to have already misplaced it!

Excuse the weird line around the hip area. While the pockets are awfully practical, they create an odd pull across the hips in some angles. However I have to give ON two thumbs up for this dress. The construction is a bit more quality than their usual merch.

Dress: Old Navy

Leggings: Target

Headband: Claires 2009

Shoes: Old Navy

And in other fabulous news, I woke up to discover an email notifying me I won a blog giveaway! I couldn't be more excited, because the blog in question is one of my favorites (and one I've mentioned a few times in this blog) - Kendi Everyday.  The prize is this gorgeous "I Think of You" headband by Spellbound. Thanks so much, Kendi and Miriam of Spellbound! 

UPDATE: Found the necklace! I inadvertently scooped it into my office trash can when tossing the plastic bags!

OOTD: Case of the Mondays

Why is it the weekends seem to go by 185 times faster than one weekday? It's just not right. My weekend was spent visiting with family, seeing "Date Night" with the mister, and catching up on my DVR stockpile. Oh, and a quick shopping trip where I scored two dresses from Old Navy (to be featured in OOTDs this week).

You may remember this dress from previous entries (our closing day pic and the Betty White party), but this is my blog debut of my brown belt.

Dress: Merona for Target 2009

Cardi: TJ Maxx (brown ombre)

Belt: Old Navy

Shoes: Bronze flops, Target

The Power of Suggestion

It's official: Being a blog addict is bad for my checking account.

Two minutes after reading this blog (Strawberry Swing and Other Things), I was clicking "Commit to Pay." How pretty are these wax seal pendants?

In my shopaholic defense, I wanted an initial pendant for a few months now, first becoming enamored when I saw one on another blogger, Kendi Everyday. So today's purchase wasn't that impulsive, right? 

Apparently the designs by Etsy seller Ritzy Misfit are becoming celebrity favorites, and God knows I'm all over a celebrity trend. I ordered my pendant in semi degree of 'character' with the letter B for my married last name. I hope it will work well as an understated everyday piece so I can rationalize the, albeit low, price. 

I Heart Theme Parties

When it was announced that the Facebook campaign to urge Saturday Night Live to have Betty White host proved successful, my friend Christen immediately sent out invites for a Betty White Hosts SNL party. With my combined adoration for both SNL and the senior comedienne, it was not a party I could miss. 

Last year the same friend threw a Golden Girls party complete with GG-themed trivia contests, prizes, and costumes. Oddly enough, I came dressed as Rose. Like the last themed party, Christen didn't pull any punches in theme-ing out the SNL bash. There was all white foods, gigantic posters, blacklights, white dress code, Betty White Russians, Betty White-tinis, and Betty White Cranberry Vodkas. At 11:30 we all gathered to watch a truly classic SNL.

Though my husband isn't a big Betty White fan, he is a huge fan of our friend's bulldog, Sherman. He came wearing white, too. 

Happy Mothers Day!

OOTD: Casual Friday

Ahh Friday, we meet again. I'm so looking forward to a pretty carefree weekend - no baby showers, birthday parties, rehearsals, weddings. I may even tackle a few house projects!

So even though I titled this blog "Casual Friday" it's Casual Everyday at my office. Today I donned a empire-waisted t-shirt dress from Old Navy. I like this dress so much I purchased the solid black and solid gray versions online. I just need to work on adding more accessories to make it not so plain jane.

Dress: Old Navy

Cardi: Merona for Target

Shoes: Silver metallic flops from Target

Hope all my readers have great weekends! 

Coffee Crafts

When we first toured our house, I knew it was meant to be ours. Why? It has a COFFEE NOOK. Being the java enthusiast I am, I fell immediately in love. So I traded a coffee nook over a third bedroom. 

I enlisted the help of my talented and creative friend D (see her hilarious blog Just Dandy) to come up with some cute word art to decorate my nook. This is what we came up:

And this is how it looks in the space: 

OOTD: Only Happy When It Rains

Ever have days where you just want to grab the most random things in your closet and see what happens? I tend to play my outfits too safe, too simple. So today I did a combination I've never done before. Maybe the dark rainy day has given me more confidence to be adventurous. Or the fact I went to bed by 8:30 pm last night.

Unfortunately because of the dark morning, I had to drag my mirror into the bathroom to get more light. But now you can see some of the new house! I'm thinking of doing an OOTD in each room over the next few weeks. "OOTD: Here's my Kitchen" should be titillating.

Dress: heather gray cotton dress, Old Navy

Belt: Rue 21

Cardi: Merona for Target

Shoes: Bronze flops, Target