My New Things

I used to have a boyfriend cardigan from Banana in a stunning salmon tone. Every time I wore it, I got compliments on my glowing skin. But it was cheap cashmere (is there such a thing? I guess so), and it pilled terribly under the arms. I ended up throwing it out last year.

This sweater may be its replacement. The color is little more coral than salmon, but it does great things to my skin and the neckline plays nicely with my dresses. Funny, this sweater is "just" an Old Navy cotton cardigan, but I like the fabric thickness they use for this season's batch; it's not flimsy like LOFT ones but not too thick and stiff like Target. They had a teal one that I might go back for...or maybe the grey? I don't have a gray sweater that fits. Hmm. We'll see; gray can come later, when it's truly fall.





The dress is a Kohls, the cami is Kohls, the bracelets are Kohls, and the shoes are an older pair of wedge peeptoe in black fabric with ankle straps from LOFT that have served me well for the last 3-4 years now. A perfect example of the inconsistent quality of LOFT products: I've tossed 3 sweaters and a top from them this year, but the shoes are still going strong!

A word about the bracelets: I've been growing my collection this summer, but everything I have found has been stretch style. I've wanted some good bangles, but my knuckles are very large and I can never get a solid bangle over them. I stumbled across these enamel colored ones on Saturday during their Power-Hours sale, and I picked up an assortment for $12 each. They snap open in half, so are very easy to take off and on. Bangles problem solved!





I got all the colors so I could mix and match. So far I've worn two together: this outfit combined the the white/ivory and the turquoise, and on Saturday night I paired the coral and white to go with this outfit:







The top is also new, from Old Navy. I tried the black polka-dot and the blue, but the grey had a little bit more...dressiness to it. Even paired with white shorts and worn unbelted, it looked like I was going out on a date with my husband. Which I was. :) It's also going to do well as a work tunic, maybe paired with (new, Gap) black skinnies and a long sweater for office days (as opposed to meeting days).

Or maybe paired with this also-new denim jacket instead of a long sweater. Yeah, I'll try that soon!

So let's recap. I bought:
-salmon/coral cardigan
-black skinny pants (unshown, but I owned a similar pair all last winter)
-grey-and-white striped boatneck pullover sweater (unshown, but more cropped than in this link)
-enamel bracelets
-grey tunic top
-collarless denim jacket

When I put it all away into my newly re-organized closet, everything fit in so well I actually forgot the striped sweater was new. Each of the pieces expands the life of so many other items; the denim jacket is going to go very well with several dresses, the striped sweater will be perfect with my white shorts and jeans, the black skinnies will bring back out other tunics and sweaters that had been unused, and the bracelets will extend the summery feel of many dress/cardigan/neutral shoe combos.

I think I am in good shape for early fall.

(Food post later today!)

You should listen to me more

When I talked to my sister last night for her birthday, she said, "You were right. I don't know why I didn't listen to you sooner."

"What did I say?" (It could have been many things. I have lots of opinions.)

"I bought some Clarks," she said happily. "They're like walking on clouds!"

Sister, you said it. Clarks are THE BEST.

Yes, they still have plenty of dowdy styles, but they've got some killer ones too. Like my other new pair.




Here they are from Zappos. On sale!

Hahaha, that cat makes me laugh. God bless ya, George. I will even post the next one even though I don't love my pose, I sure do love his!




This is the cool tunic I bought from Tina at T Minus, T Plus. What do you guys think? I love the cut and fit of it -- and it has great zippers on the sleeves, but I am really unsure about the color. I felt like I was in camouflage all day. Or like Robin Hood in Tights. :)




Maybe if I try it under a jacket or long cardigan? I'm hoping breaking up the pattern works better. I think this one can be fun if I figure it out.

+++++++

Daily Food Tracker: Monday
Breakfast: pomegranate yogurt, blackberries, fiber one cereal
That was the last healthy thing I ate all day. My only saving grace in the other junk is that my portions were reasonable.
Snack: bite-size candy bars
Lunch: slice of pepperoni pizza (birthday party for co-worker)
Snack: more danged mini candies
Dinner: pb&j with skim milk

Maybe I shouldn't have stepped on the scale this morning and realized I had lost a couple of pounds. Because I did my best the rest of the day to put them back on. Sheesh.

30 Days of Creativity

Real Simple issued a great challenge for June: 30 Days of Creativity. Every day this month, I vow to do one creative thing: take a photo (or many), put together an unexpected outfit, paint a wall, redecorate, cook, do something that stretches that side of my brain. I've been so focused on numbers and reports and problems at work I've let that side of me wither, and it's time to bring that back.

Here is Day 1.



I made breakfast! In my bento! My sister K will appreciate it. :)
Yogurt, strawberries, a couple of slices of swiss cheese, almonds, and a Target chocolate snack. (Truthfully, it took me most of the day to nibble through everything.)

Since I wimped out and didn't make a more complicated lunch, I had a little time to goof around with poses on the patio. Hee.



Being on the ledge in front of the door seemed like a good idea at first...



...but it quickly fell apart.



But check out my shoes! (And Emily through the blinds.)



Truly, the shoes were the impetus behind this whole outfit. They're Clarks Long Ponds in orange; Angie at YLF had recommended them earlier this spring, and I fell in love. But they look best with pants rather than dresses, so I hadn't quite found the right outfit for them. Until today.

You'll notice the rest of the outfit is all neutrals: brown NYDJ ponte skinnies, white Nordstrom tunic top, gold metallic Bobeau cascading sweater, gold and grey stone triple strand necklace. See, not boring at all! :)

++++++

Back to the 30 Days of Creativity. Anyone else want to give it a try with me? I'm excited!

Sunday: Shopping Spree

I think I am finally getting the hang of the long tunic top look.



This is actually a red-striped tuxedo top from Old Navy; they were having an in-store sale on them for $10 this weekend; I picked up this one and one in white. Can't even find them on the website!

Anyway, the super-preppiness of the pattern was just begging for a short-sleeved black cardigan to cover it, but when it came time for a scarf or necklace, I wavered over a couple of choices. A simple black skinny scarf one: a little bit 80s punk, a little bit Annie Hall. I could have gone with my grey Cons but they're not as comfortable and cute as my embellished cheetah flats.



I loved this. Didn't even mind going into the office for a few hours today!

Saturday was spent returning a ton of stuff, and buying a lot more. Gotta get ready for more exec meetings, and winter is fast coming. More layers, more sweaters, and the boot hunt continues!

How did you spend your weekend?