What I Wore Wednesday

Now that summer is here and I don’t have a day-to-day routine, I’ve gotten much worse about remembering to take pictures!  Oops.  But here are a few…Friday – interview

Don’t get too excited.  This was just a screener interview (to make sure I’m not a crazy and all that) with the school system.  You have to have the screener interview first, then if a position opens up the principal from that school can do an interview.

shirt/TJ Maxx; blazer/Gabriel Bros; skirt/TJ Maxx; shoes/Sofft via Rugged Wearhouse (Gabriel Bros); necklace/Burlington Coat Factory

Saturday I meant to take an outfit picture but totally forgot.  I can’t imagine why…

Oh yes, maybe because this cutie came to visit me…

You’d much rather look at a picture of Nora than me anyway

Sunday – church, driving around looking at houses, and more church

dress/Loft outlet; cardi/Loft outlet; shoes/Shoe Carnival? I think.

This was the outfit I wore last Sunday for our infamous attempt to find a church in Chicago that got drenched in sweat during that trek and failed to get photographed.  So after a nice washing, it got a re-do this Sunday (although it’s fate was yet another sweat-drenching while looking at houses on the hot Sunday afternoon)

Monday – shopping at Whole Foods in Nashville; dinner with Michael’s family

dress/made by me; sandals/Target

Yes, I’m still loving the two dresses I made and am wearing each of them at least once a week.  Don’t hate.

Now on to the topic of hair…I know it’s hard to tell in this picture since my hair and the shirt blend together, but I’m wearing pigtails.  I’m conflicted about this style – I see it on other “grown ups” and think it looks cute, but when I try it on myself I’m just not so sure.  I feel like a kid.  So what say ye?  Piggies or no piggies?

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What I Wore Wednesday: Chicago clothes-fail edition

This week’s edition features the outfits I wore on our Chicago trip (which I haven’t blogged about yet, so you get a little sneak peek through these pictures).  However, the outfits I planned on wearing in Chicago aren’t exactly the outfits I ended up wearing…

I had several cute little sundresses packed to wear on our trip.  After the first day of tons of walking and tons of sweating, I realized those dresses just weren’t going to cut it.  Luckily I had the workout clothes that I had packed (intended to workout at the hotel, not realizing that we would walk so much during the day that there was no way I was also going to workout in the gym), however they weren’t quite as attractive as I would have liked (and I had to break my no t-shirt rule).  But I’m being honest so here’s what I wore:

Friday we flew to Chicago and got there really late so we just went straight to the hotel.  I wore this dress but forgot to take a picture.  I’m still loving it, even though it restricts my stride a little because it doesn’t stretch; plus random people comment on how cute it is which makes me happy

Saturday – sightseeing in Chicago

dress/Loft outlet; cardi/Loft outlet; shoes/Crocs

Halfway through the day we had to go back to the hotel to change out of my Crocs because they were rubbing blisters all over my feet.  They are normally comfy but apparently not for walking long distances.  I was so thankful I threw my TOMS is my suitcase at the last minute because I wore them with everything (whether they matched or not!) the rest of the trip.

Sunday I had a cute new dress that I wore to church (that was a crazy adventure that I’ll tell you about later!) but by the time we got back I was all sweaty and didn’t take a picture so you’ll just have to see that outfit another time.

This is what I wore the rest of the day Saturday

t-shirt/school; capris/Columbia outlet; shoes/TOMS via Journey’s

You can’t really see the lettering in this picture but I was proud to represent Warren Elementary all the way to Chicago

Monday – more sightseeing in Chicago

t-shirt/church camp; jacket/Columbia; capris/Columbia outlet; shoes/TOMS via Journey’s

It went from super hot temperatures Saturday and Sunday to quite cool temperatures on Monday and I had to wear a jacket all day.

I bought two paris of these workout pants at the outlet mall in Gatlinburg last week and now I wish I had bought more – they are very comfortable!

Tuesday – flight home

dress/Old Navy; purple top under/Loft outlet; cardi/Loft outlet; shoes/Target; necklace/Rugged Wearhouse (Gabriel Bros)

And there you have it – not exactly what I had planned to wear on our trip, but sometimes you just have to choose comfort over style.

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fake-it French tips {Works for Me Wednesday}

I love long nails.  Sadly, my real nails break/peel too much for me to have long nails on my own (plus for some odd reason I don’t mind having long, fake nails, but I cut my “real” nails nearly every week because I can’t stand the feel of them when they’re long).  I’ve had acrylic/gel nails twice (once for high school banquet and once for my wedding).  I loved the look but I couldn’t stand 1. the cost, 2. getting them filed down when I went back to get them filled in, and 3. the way my real nails are incredibly weak once I take the fake nails off.

So one day while stalking reading Kevin & Amanda, Amanda mentioned how she was never able to have good nails, but she had heard about a $3 French manicure trick.  She posted a picture of her nails and they looked really nice.  I was intrigued.  I clicked on the link she posted (here) to find out more.  The secret is to buy the Broadway Real Life fake nails at Walmart and use those.

I couldn’t believe it (in my mind all I could picture were the “stick on” nails from my childhood) but I bought a box and gave them a whirl.  I loved them!  I’ve used them several times and I always get compliments on my nails when I’m wearing them.

These are the ones I buy – I have pretty small nails and so I prefer the petite nails.  Even the ones that say “real short” are still too long for me – I’ve used them a few times and I always end up filing the tips down a lot.

nails before

after

Andrea says that she can get two sets of nails out of one box (making each set $3), but I can only get one set and end up just tossing the other set of nails that I don’t use because they are way too big or two small.  So technically my nails cost $6, but that’s still not too bad.

They also don’t last nearly as long as professionally done nails, but I can usually get them to last for about a week…and that week includes dish washing, exercising, cleaning, and general clumsiness (I’m always whacking nails on stuff). Once I put them on, I just carry the little tube of nail glue in my purse so I can re-attach nails if they fall off.

Here’s a look at how well they do over several days – I put them on Friday morning and this picture was taken the following Tuesday morning.  Two got knocked off during this period, but both times I just dabbed some more nail glue on them and stuck them right back on.

Using these fake nails works for me!  I get the pretty nails I want for little money, commitment, or pain.  Then when I’m done with them and ready to go back to short nails I can switch back with no problem.

Linking up to Works for Me Wednesday.

What I Wore Wednesday

Wednesday – Gatlinburg: Bible Study, visiting family in Knoxville, shopping

dress/made by me (like this one); sandals/Target

Thursday – workout

(I forgot to take a picture of my “real” outfit that I wore Thursday, but here are some of my new workout clothes that I bought and wore in Gatlinburg)

top/Champion outlet; shirts/Champion outlet

Friday – traveling back from Gatlinburg, graduation

dress/Gabriel Bros; tank/Gabriel Bros; shoes/Nine West

also on Friday I got to wear my cap, gown, and hood

Saturday – graduation party

dress/Loft outlet; cardi/Loft outlet; shoes/Nine West; necklace/NY&Co via Gabriel Bros

and then I forgot to take pictures/didn’t change out of my jammies some days…so that’s it for this week

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What I Wore Wednesday

Wednesday – Bible study, work, church

shirt/Candie’s brand, but I don’t remember where I bought it (it’s old); skirt/TJ Maxx; shoes/Loft

Thursday – last day of work

dress/Loft outlet; shoes/TOMS via Journey’s

Friday, Saturday, and Sunday consisted of running errands Friday morning, driving to Lexington Friday night, baby shower Saturday, driving back from Lexington late Saturday night, church and potluck Sunday morning, leaving immediately after lunch for Gatlinburg, and then driving all the rest of the day to get there.  So…amidst all the traveling and business I forgot to take outfit pictures on those days.  Since I’m a little light on pictures this week, I thought I’d show you this:

I finished sewing another little shirt/skirt combo – I tried a shorter skirt this time and I like that I didn’t have to use as much fabric (since I didn’t need the extra space at the bottom to take a step) although I did have to do a hem, which was a first for me.  I was quite pleased with how the hem turned out, though, so I think I did pretty well for my first time.  I did accidentally cut a little hole in the skirt while I was trimming the bottom and the hole was too high up for me just to raise the hem since the skirt would have been way too short.  So I just sort of patched it – hopefully it isn’t noticeable because I adore this fabric and was so upset that I made a hole!

Anyway, I didn’t actually wear this out anywhere, but I finished it on Friday and wanted to show it off.

shirt/Rugged Wearhouse; skirt/made by me (like this one) and attached to the shirt; sandals/Target

Monday – Gatlinburg

dress/Rugged Wearhouse; tank/Old Navy; sandals/Target

Tuesday – Gatlinburg

dress/Old Navy; tank/Old Navy; cardi/Banana Republic outlet; sandals/Target

Linking up to What I Wore Wednesday

What I Wore Wednesday

It’s time for another What I Wore Wednesday!  In case you’re new around here, What I Wore Wednesday was started by Lindsay over at The Pleated Poppy as a way to have some accountability and motivation to get up and get dressed every day (as a stay at home mom she often stayed in her pjs all day).  Now each week hundreds of bloggers link up their outfits and it’s a great way to get ideas of what to wear!  I started linking up in the fall when I wasn’t working since I was falling in that same rut of wearing my pjs every day but it has also become a way to challenge myself to be creative with my clothes so I’m not wearing the same thing over and over again.  It has definitely helped me branch out and try different outfits or different pairings of garments.

Wednesday – Bible study, work, church

shirt/Old Navy; tank/Rugged Wearhouse (Gabriel Bros); skirt/NY&Co; shoes/TOMS via Journey’s

I’m a frustrated with Old Navy.  Once upon a time (high school? college?) Old Navy had pretty good quality clothes but the past several years I feel like the quality of their clothes has really gone down.  Several times I’ve bought something and the material tore within one wearing, and that’s exactly what happened with this shirt!  It’s a cute shirt but after one wearing and washing the seams are coming apart (and I washed it on delicate and laid it out to dry).  Boo!  Definitely a reminder of why I usually avoid Old Navy and should continue to do so…

Thursday – work

tank/Banana Republic outlet; cardi/Banana Republic outlet; skirt/TJ Maxx; shoes/Qupid via Rugged Wearhouse (Gabriel Bros)

Friday – errands, ladies’ retreat

shirt/Belk, jeans/Gap; shoes/Fergalicious via DSW

Tuesday – work, cake decorating class

top/Loft outlet; vest thing/Belk; skirt/NY&Co; shoes/Crocs

Linking up to What I Wore Wednesday

What I Wore Wednesday

Wednesday – Bible study, work, church

dress/Gabriel Bros; pink tank/Old Navy; leggings/can’t remember; shoes/Fergalicious via DSW

Thursday – work

shirt/Limited; skirt/TJ Maxx; shoes/Rugged Wearhouse (Gabriel Bros)

Thursday at work, while wearing this outfit, a (female) co-worker asked me if I was pregnant.  I said no and she said “well, you just have a tummy bulge that I hadn’t noticed before”.  Umm…..ouch.  I don’t know about you but I didn’t really think this outfit made me look pregnant, but maybe I need to retire this shirt????

Friday – errands, scrapbooking at church

shirt + cardi combo/Gabriel Bros; jeans/Gap; shoes/Crocs

Saturday – Lexington for Amanda’s baby shower

dress/made by me; sandals/Target; necklace/My Belle Boutique

Tuesday – work, cake decorating class

shirt/NY&C0 via Gabriel Bros; cardi/NY&C0; skirt/Goodwill; shoes/Fergalicious via DSW

Linking up to What I Wore Wednesday

I made clothes today!

Today this sewing novice tried something new: making clothes!  I’ve had this DIY maxi dress tutorial pinned on Pinterest for a while now so today I decided to finally get down to making it.

Source: asmallsnippet.blogspot.com via Caitlin on Pinterest

 

I decided to use a t-shirt that I already had rather than a tank top.  Fabric happened to be 30% off at Hobby Lobby this week – I ended up spending about $9.00 on fabric and $1.00 for the elastic thread, so this dress cost me $10.00 (not counting the t-shirt since I’ve had it for years).

It was not quite as easy as I expected, but really the only part I had problems with was getting the elastic thread to work right so the dress gathered around my waist.  The comments left on the tutorial I used sounded like a lot of people had the same problem as me.  Other than the thread giving me some fits, it wasn’t too hard.

Here’s what I ended up with:

 What do you think?  It’s definitely not perfect, but I’m pretty pleased since it was my first clothes-making attempt.  It’s actually too big, but fortunately the belt helps cinch it in.  I think that it’s too big at the waist since I used a lot of fabric so that it would be wide enough at the bottom for me to easily take a step.  Even though the elastic thread ruffled it up some at the top so the waist was smaller, it was still bigger than what I would normally wear.  I want to make another one that is shorter (like the second dress from LeAna’s tutorial) and I think that since I won’t have to make it so wide at the bottom, I can use less fabric and then it will fit better at the waist.

I also didn’t hem it because it was just long enough and I was afraid hemming it would make it too short, but hopefully that part isn’t too noticeable.

Anyway, so that was my Friday project.  I’m pretty proud and I feel much more confident about making clothes now!  I’m looking forward to making another dress similar to this one, and I’m also working on some other clothes ideas in my head right now so hopefully I’ll have some fun projects to share with you soon.

What I Wore Wednesday

Wednesday – work, church

tank/NY&Co via Gabriel Bros; cardi/Dress Barn via Gabriel Bros; jeans/Gap; shoes/Keds via Shoe Carnival

Thursday – work

Our nice, warm weather left us for a few days and it got cold around here!

shirt/Loft outlet; sweater/NY&Co; pants/Kohl’s; shoes/Crocs

Friday – errands, Cookeville to visit Anne

Saturday – shopping in Cookeville with Anne, benefit dinner and auction for local Christian school

I forgot to get a full outfit picture, but I did get this lovely picture of a hat we found at Rugged Wearhouse…

top/Gabriel Bros; tank/Old Navy; jeans (not shown)/Gap; shoes (not shown)/TOMS via Journey’s

tank/Loft; skirt/Goodwill; shoes/TOMS via Journey’s

Sunday morning – church

top/TJ Maxx; belt/Goodwill; skirt/JC Penney’s (I think); shoes/Loft; necklace/Rugged Wearhouse (Gabriel Bros)

Sunday evening – church

dress/Old Navy; turquoise tank/Old Navy; cardi/Banana Republic outlet; sandals/Target; necklace/JC Penney’s

Monday – errands, crafting + cooking at home

t-shirt/NY&Co via Gabriel Bros; skirt/NY&Co; shoes/Crocs; headband/Burlington Coat Factory

Tuesday – work, cake decorating class

t-shirt/Old Navy; skirt/Old Navy; shoes/Crocs; headband/Rugged Wearhouse; necklace/old

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What I Wore Wednesday

Wednesday – Bible study, work, church

top/Kohl’s; skirt/Loft via Gabriel Bros; sandals/Target; necklace and bracelet/NY&Co.

Thursday – work

top/NY&Co via Gabriel Bros; skirt/Goodwill; shoes/Qupid via Rugged Wearhouse (Gabriel Bros); belt/Goodwill

Since I turned in my portfolio on Tuesday and am unofficially done with grad school, I declared Friday a do-nothing day.  I did get up and go to the gym Friday morning, but after I came home and showered I spent the rest of the day lounging in bed in my pjs doing nothing (i.e. no school work or house work) – I finished my April quilt blocks, watched tv, and read a book.  It was wonderful!

For months Michael has been after me to show what I really wear around the house most of the time.  I just can’t bring myself to show you the whole ensemble of no makeup, crazy hair, sloppy t-shirt, sweats, and fuzzy socks; but I did decide I could at least show you part of my at-home attire.

comfiest pj pants ever (Walmart) + fuzzy socks

The pants were an accidental purchase at Christmas when we went to stay with my grandparents and I forgot to pack pjs (I always forget pjs!) so I had to ran to Walmart to grab some.  They turned out to be my most favorite lounge pants – they are so soft and warm.  I would tell you that I wore them every day for the first two weeks I had them and only washed them because I spilled syrup on them…except that’s totally not true and I would never do anything gross like that…hmm

Saturday – date night

jeans/F21; top/TJ Maxx; blazer/Gabriel Bros; shoes/Sofft via Rugged Wearhouse; necklace/Burlington; headband/Burlington

Sunday – Easter

I forgot to take a picture (and I really meant to get one of Michael and me), but I wore this dress for Easter

Tuesday – work, cake decorating class

skirt/Gabriel Bros (I think); shirt/Loft outlet; cardi/Limited; shoes/Fergalicious via DSW; necklace/gift from the Easter Bunny

Linking up to What I Wore Wednesday

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