A No Pants Week

I may have two or three wearable pants in my closet, but NO suitable summer-weather work appropriate tops, so this past week saw a lot of dresses (and one skirt). As you can see from this post's OOTDs, I wear a lot of empire-waisted dresses. Looks like that will have to come to an end;  at a professional luncheon yesterday a man was convinced I was expecting. A lesser woman would have cried on the spot. 

from left to right: Skirt: Gap, Tee: Walmart, Cardi: Target, Shoes: Payless

Dress: Target, Blazer: JC Penney, Shoes: Target

Dress: Target, Cardi: TJ Maxx, Shoes: Payless

Dress: Target, Cardi: Target, Shoes: Payless

Dress: Target, Cardi: Target, Shoes: Payless

Today is kicking off my four-day weekend! I hope to grill a lot, clean my house, buy a storm door, and pick up some new work staples. Oh! And a definite Target run is in order to scope out this dress. It has pockets, y'all! 

What are your plans for the Memorial Day weekend? 

Tomorrow is Saturday and Sunday Comes Afterwards

Oh, look -- a weeknight post! This would have been posted last night, but the blog gods said otherwise. I've been trying to be better about taking daily OOTD shots, though the morning light that comes into my bedroom window is a bit iffy (hence awful colors in these).

from left: Dress - old Target; Cardi - Target (check last post); Shoes - Target (check two posts ago)

right: Dress - Walmart; Cardi - Target; Shoes - Payless; Belt - F21

It's been another long, stressful week, and I'm so happy it's the weekend. And thanks to Glee's prom episode, I've had their version of Rebecca Black's "Friday" in my head ALL DAY! I'm hoping to get a lot done around the house in preparation for the cookout next week. I'll probably drag the hubs to see "Bridesmaids" as well. Otherwise, you can bet your butt when I'm not doing those things, I'll be rocking this hot little number: 

Hoodie - Gap outlet; Pants - Target (These are seriously the best lounge pants EVER!)

Happy weekend, all!

OOTW and My 150th Post!

If you would have told me in August '09 that I would have kept up with this blog I would have laughed at you. I can't say it's evolved that much, but that's okay. Unlike a lot my peers, I'm not doing this because I'm a whore for followers or ads or popularity. There was a time when that's what I wanted. But now I know that my readers are here because they want to be and not because I hosted a giveaway. Don't get me wrong - I still wish I had more time to devote to Aprons & A-Lines, and I give huge kudos to those who have interesting, fresh content daily. That's just not me at this point. So thank you, dear readers, for sticking with me for the last 150 posts!

Your reward? A mini collage of three outfits I wore last week. :)

1. (left) Dress - LOFT outlet; Cardi - Target; Flats - super old Kmart

2. Tank - Target; Cardi - Target; Pants - JC Penney; Flats - Kmart

3. Dress - Target; Cardi - Target (similar); Flats - Kmart (what can I say -- they're comfy!)

And impromptu shopping trip last night ended up with me buying three pairs of shoes, two sweaters, a tee-shirt, a pair of pants. 

Mia Suede Slouch Boot - Sam's Club - $9.

Bonnie Big Bow Flat - Payless

And my first printed cardi!

Merona Essential Pink Floral Cardigan

Saturday's Haul

Yesterday I got to spend some much needed time having a bit of a girls day with my best friend and her daughter. Seriously, could there BE a cuter shopping partner??

We didn't actually make it to a lot of stores - in fact, we may have hit up four only (and one of them was a children's clothing store). But I still made it out with a lot.

Merona Easy Care Easy Wear Dress - Dot Print -- This is a rather sweet-looking dress. I almost passed on it, but I got an enthusiastic "love it!" from my friend, and it seems relatively versatile for the office. 

Merona Devlin Dress -- I would have passed on this as it looks quite shapless on the hanger, but I knew from seeing it on Veronika that it was a good piece. Plus I got it on clearance for $23!

Converse Print Savannah Dress - Another dress I would have passed on, but it's also a rather sweet dress. I'll have to layer a cami underneath, but it's a great soft material with a cute French inspired pattern.

Mossimo Odelina Bow Flats - Thankfully I tried these on again, and the fit was much better than the last time. I simply adore this PERFECT camel shade and the huge floppy bow on the toe. 

St. John's Bay Maui Thong Sandal - Thanks to a coupon, these became mine for $12.

I may have added another 3/4 Merona cardi. Those things are like crack to me. 

Happy Sunday, everyone! 

On My Radar: Calypso St. Barth for Target

While following @TargetStyle, I was inundated with tweets about the upcoming Calypso St. Barth's collection. I was basically uninterested because it mainly seemed like beachy tunics/cover-ups a.k.a. things I can't wear to work. But, like the loyal Bullseye fan I am, I investigated further to scope out all the preview pics available.

Aaaand I found the item I'll be hauling my butt into Target May 1 for:

Crisp white, ruffles, faux wrap neckline, belted waist, A-line cut. ::drool::
I'm already dreaming of ways to style it.

What Calypso for Target item are you coveting?

OOTW and a Confession

Just a short blog drive-by to depict some outfits of the past two weeks. I'm trying to remember to whip out the camera and take (blurry) images of my outfits before I walk out the door. 

from left to right: 

- Cardi - AE; Tank - Old Navy; Pants - Ross; Flats - Payless

- Shirt - Old Navy; Tank - Sears; Pants - Target; Flats - Payless

- Dress - TJ Maxx; Cardi - Old Navy; Tights - JC Penney; Flats - Payless

- Dress - Target; Belt - F21; Cardi - Old Navy; Flats - Target

- Dress - Target; Cardi - Target; Shoes - Target (however I didn't wear those out -- I changed into the black flats of outfits 1 and 2.) 

And that leads me to confession time. 

::whispers:: I think I like pants now. 

I know. It's shocking. No, I'm not pitching my 100 dresses out my window. And I still think jeans are the devil incarnate in terms of fit and comfort. But yes, I will be acquiring more pants into my work (and maybe non-work) life. I'm evolving!

OOTD + TJ Maxx Finds

Today marks my last day of my four-month laycation. I could probably write paragraphs and paragraphs about what a crazy, weird time it's been. So much has happened -- both good and bad. I'm still trying to wrap my head around it. I'm going to miss a lot of things about my SAHW time, but I'm anxious to put on my working girl hat and move forward with the next chapter of my life.

It's been a decently busy (for me) week. Outfit on the left was worn to my clients' tasting appointment. Outfit on the right worn to lunch with my new boss.

Left - Dress: TJ Maxx, Cardi: F21, Leggings: NY & Co., Boots: 2010 Target

Right: Dress: Target (Merona Artist), Cardi: F21, Leggings: JC Penney, Boots: 2010 Target

After yesterday's appointment I made an impromptu trip to TJ Maxx. Of course these spontaneous trips are the ones in which I find tons of stuff to take home! I cannot wait for warmer weather to wear this embellished gray maxi and black tiered dress. Chances are the black tiered dress will debut soon on A&A though. :) 

Color more true to life on right

Hope you all have lovely weekends! The mister and I are getting away for a little overnight stay to the Finger Lakes. A final hurrah before my 9 to 5 life starts on Monday. 

OOTDs: Playing with Color Again

It's been an interesting (and slow-going) transition period from sweats to street clothes. Not only am I adjusting to real clothes again, but the weather here in PA is almost  feeling spring-like, so I've had to be introduced to my bare legs again (needless to say, sorry for the blinding white limbs). Plus, this week also commemorates the first time I've gone without my fallback black/grey combo!

Outfit 1:  Dress and Cardi - F21 (links a few posts down) - I don't know how to style this one yet. The stripes are red and navy, but the waistband is black. I still freak out at a black/navy combo, so in the future I may just try belting it to camouflage the black.
Outfit 2: Dress: Ross, Cardi: Lands' End Canvas, Shoes: Payless
Outfit 3: Dress (worn as a shirt): F21 and purchased from a blog sale, Pants: Old Navy, Cardi: Target (Merona), Shoes: Payless

As you can see, I'm still working on acquiring a tripod for better OOTDs.  At least the images are better than iPhone pics...right? ; )

Target's Designer Collective Revealed

Happy days are (almost) here again! In celebration of Five Years of GO International®, Target is reissuing 34 dresses from the following 17 previously featured designers: Luella Bartley, Tara Jarmon, Paul & Joe, Behnaz Sarafpour, Proenza Schouler, Libertine, Alice Temperley, Erin Fetherston, Jovovich-Hawk, Rogan, Richard Chai, Jonathan Saunders, Thakoon, Tracy Feith, Rodarte, Zac Posen and Tucker.

The collective will be available March 13, 2011 through April 10, 2011 at most Target stores and online at Target.com. Here are three of my favorite picks that I missed out the first time around. You can view the rest here.

Tracy Feith for Target Strappy Dress in White $39.99

Tracy Feith for Target Dress in Hibiscus Print $39.99

Rodarte for Target Lace-Print Dress 29 in Black/Tan $39.99

OOTD: 1-1-11

Ahh, finally a new year. Even though this year is the one in which I'll turn *gulp* 30... I'm anxious for a fresh beginning.

The hubs and I needed to get away from our lives for a little bit, so we took an impromptu trip to Pittsburgh for New Year's weekend. It felt good just to laugh with friends, play board games, participate in a hilarious game of power hour, eat calorie-laden foods, and go shopping.

On Saturday I picked up a 3/4-sleeve floral dress and cognac belt from F21 and some taupy gray leggings from NY & Co. I'm obsessed with mixing florals and other patterns into my winter "uniform" of long cardis, boots, leggings, and belts.

Dress: F21

Cardi: F21

Belt: F21

Leggings: NY & Co.

Boots: Target

Bag: Old Navy

Wishing you all the best of everything in 2011

October Finds

Here are some of my latest purchases:

Merona Ultimate Long Sleeve Tee

Merona Solid Wrap Scarf

Xhiliration Ruffle Front Cami

Mossimo Ultrasoft Crewneck Sweater

Tucker for Target Button Front Dress

Old Navy Wool Blend Trench

Xhiliration Ruffle Tank

OOTDR (Outfit of the Dressing Room)

I tweeted about my latest dress purchase over the weekend and thought I'd share it over here too. While living in middle of nowhere Pennsylvania has its flaws, one of the greatest things about it is being able to find plenty of capsule collections at my local Target. I know some bloggers have said their Targets were cleaned out of the Tucker for Target line fairly quickly. And after seeing so many bloggers show their own finds, I was continually drawn to this one:

I totally wore this dress to work today and FORGOT to snap a pic of how I styled it. To be honest, it wasn't an outstanding styling. I wore gray sweater tights, a skinny brown belt, and my beloved cognac boots. But here's me in the dressing room:

I normally would have never purchased anything like this or in this silky thin fabric, but I couldn't deny the fabulous drape and lines. If you see this dress (in any of its patterns) in your Target, try it on. You may be surprised.

OOTDs: Back in Business [Casual]

I started my new job on Monday. While emotionally I'm still trying to adjust to the life change and the overthrow of my "normal," I'm still taking those iPhone pics and bloggin' em. Gotta keep *some* normalcy, right?

I'm still trying to build up a work-appropriate wardrobe. You see, my last job was so casual that jeans were considered dressing up. I wore anything (mostly dresses, obvs), but I didn't really care if something was too short or too low or too grungy. Now I have to keep myself covered up and pay heed to the company's dress codes. Eeep.

Monday's OOTD: my ubiqutous white Merona dress, striped draped cardigan from TJ Maxx, belted with a belt from Old Navy, and old KMart flats:

Tuesday's OOTD:  Old Navy flared khakis, Sears cami (these camis are awesome, btw!), and a Target cardi in Mint. 

Wednesday's OOTD: (Disclaimer: picture not from today, as you could tell from the different bedroom. Remove flops and insert bronze flats again)

OOTD: Chambray Wishes and Target Dreams

I don't think I can get behind most blue chambray at this point. It gives me some horrifying flashbacks of my 80s childhood and leads to visions of "the Canadian tuxedo." But dyed chambray I can definitely support. I may have audibly squealed when I spotted these new Merona chambray dresses at Target. I loved all the colors (purple, mint, and khaki) and the classic lines. The straps are adjustable and the back is smocked. I thought the dress was so charming I bought it in two colors. However its one downfall are the nipple seams. 

Oh, and did you notice another change in my OOTD? No cell phone in my hand. It's time I stop making my readers suffer through dark grainy pics. 

Dress: Target

Necklace: Forever 21

Cami: Forever 21

Shoes: oops (I then put on my bronze Target flops - 

shutup, I'm not a shoe girl)

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: 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

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

OOTD: Because It's Friday

This is the second time this dress (one of my favorite dress purchases of 2009) has made an appearance on my blog.  I would have liked to have made it a bit more warm-weathery, but the temps have finally dropped to a normal April day, so I threw on some charcoal gray leggings.

Dress: Converse All-Star shirtdress, Target

Leggings: Fashion Bug

Shoes: Silver sequined flops, Target

The closing date on our house is a week away (::knock on wood::), therefore my weekend will consist of packing, packing, and more packing. I hope all my lovely followers have fantastic weekends. Happy Friday! 

OOTD: Bluesday

Today I took a break from my standard color combos and did a bit of a monochromatic look with navy and cerulean blue.  Excuse the messy bedroom - I'm about to start a packing whirlwind so I'm not exactly Mrs. Neat Freak right now.  If I was going anywhere but to work, I would have added some accessories.

Dress: t-shirt dress from Old Navy I purchased for $3

Cardi - navy boyfriend cardi from Target

Shoes: navy flops from ON

P.S. In keeping with the "aprons" part of my blog title, here's the funfetti (aka fauxfetti no fetti - tm my friend Casey) cake I made last night!