Happy 4th of July

Today we celebrate the birth of our great nation. Over the years, the meaning seems to have diminished, but coming from a state that is steeped in rich history (Virginia), I always pause for a moment and remember what the true meaning of what independence really is and how we got to where we are today. Whatever the day means to you, I hope you all have a wonderful day!!!

Since yesterday was supposed (keyword here is "supposed") to be light day at the office, I went casual in honor of the holiday. I am off the rest of this week (hell yeah!!) so it was technically my Friday. 

Top - Anthropologie (purchased on Ebay)

Jeans - Gloria Vanderbilt (thrifted)

Shoes - Mossimo at Target

Purse - Avon

Necklace - Mark by Avon

Bracelet - Charlotte Russe

Sunglasses - Kate Spade

Brunch to Dinner

Shorts have never been a staple in my wardrobe during my adult years. It is so difficult to find them to fit me properly and it seems that most styles in today's fashion industry are geared towards younger women meaning shorter than I prefer. Inspired by some of my favorite blogs, I decided to try some on recently and was pleasantly surprised to find two pair fit me perfectly. After buying them, I wanted to experiment to see how to style a pair from brunch to dinner. This was the result.

 

 

 

This was perfect for brunch on a Sunday morning. Now...to carry this same outfit over to a casual dinner, I changed out the flat sandals and added a heel. The heels gave the outfit a little dressy feel (in my opinion) and I didn't have to change into another outfit - I detest wearing two outfits during one day. 

 

Shorts - Joe Fresh for JCPenney (on clearance)

Top - Anthropologie

Necklace and Earrings - New York & Company

Bracelet - Avon

Purse - London Fog

Sandals (both pairs) - Christian Siriano for Payless Shoes

Bachelorette Party

One of my teammates here in Arizona is getting married in October, but she is moving back to California in a few weeks. Affectionately known as Slam Helliot on the track, she has become one of my closest friends and I will miss her tremendously. We have spent many nights in my pool gabbing around the "table of truth", hanging out in the hot tub until the wee hours of the morning, dancing our feet off on the Wii and skating our hearts out on the track in bouts. I was truly honored when she asked me to be a bridesmaid in her wedding and I look forward to standing up for her on her special day, but I am sad that she will be leaving Arizona. Cheers to you my friend!!!

This weekend was Slam's bachelorette party - something I have not experienced in recent history. The bridal party and most of our team crash landed in Scottsdale for a day and night of debauchery. We had a suite at the W Hotel which was filled with an excessive amount of alcohol and food for everyone to enjoy. We spent the fourth hottest day on record (it was 119) in the pool at the hotel. Then, we all donned our finest black dresses and colorful shoes (the bride's request) and dined at a local restaurant. Our plans were to hit up a club for some dancing, but the club was not jumping so we headed over to a local strip club (again, the bride's request) for some fun. It was quite the evening and I got home around 3am this morning - exhausted, but happy that we could make one of her last days here special.

Here's a few pics that I had a friend take of my outfit and a group shot of everyone just before dinner. I went with a jersey flare bandage dress, my favorite poppy colored heels, gold jewelry and a royal blue clutch - in honor of the Scrappers (my derby team). It was a fun night with a bunch of crazy women who mean the world to me.

 

 

 

Wish List

I remember making a wish on a shooting star as a kid. Come to think of it, I still do. Wishes are dreams and we all need dreams in our life. While I do dream of big things, I make wish lists for the smaller stuff. Right now, I have a few wish lists going on - some pertain to derby, but most of my wish list is for clothes. Go figure!!! My house was built in 1952 so my closets are not friendly for someone with an extensive wardrobe. My hubby's closet is in the guest room because the two in our room are filled to the brim with my stuff. But...that being said, I still keep my wish list going and trade out when I can.

Here are a few items from my wish list - I actually have one of the items on this, but I wanted to post it so you can see where I am going with this particular outfit. I have the shoes - now I want to build the rest of the outfit around them. The shoes are the inspiration.

Sam Edelman Orly Slingbacks in Truffle/Citron - paid $10 on clearance at Marshall's

 

 

 

 

Mossimo Cap Sleeve Vest - Target

Mossimo Long & Lean Tank in Yellow Boom - Target

 

 

Gold Kourtney Spike Bib by Baublebar

Rockstar Skinny Jeans at Old Navy

Michael Kors Kempton Small Tote - Dillards

So...what are some items on your wish list?

Sunday Funday

Today we had planned a barbecue with teammates. Before the festivities, we ran a bunch of errands so I decided to go super casual. I love these denim shorts. They are a little big on me, but that's what I love - it makes them slightly slouchy. I tried to dress them up a tad with this crochet tank over a camisole. Finished the look with my favorite flip flops and a ballerina bun in my hair.

 

 

 

Shorts - Faded Glory by Walmart

Tank - Charming Charlies

Camisole - Target

Tote - London Fog

Necklace and Earrings - H&M

Watch - Charming Charlies

Shoes - Airwalk by Payless Shoes

Sunglasses - Kenneth Cole

 

Goodwill Fun

I grew up buying my doll's clothes at the Goodwill store. Then, before it was even the trend, I started buying men's flannel shirts there. Eventually, I looked forward to going and buying a lot of my clothes at Goodwill and other secondhand stores. When the economy started tanking several years ago, consignment and secondhand stores became all the rage. People were flocking to buy clothes on the cheap. Over the years, I have continued to browse and recently, I started becoming a thrift store junkie. In order to shop at a Goodwill, you must have patience. There are literally racks and racks of clothing to go through, but when you find that gem, it is all worth it. The stores have a ton of the "Better Quality" aka name brand merchandise on separate racks so I hit those first. Then, I go through my size in the shirts, dresses, pants, skirts and blazers. Books are always my last stop before I leave. Our Goodwill stores here in Arizona have 50% off Saturdays every other week. They also offer a monthly coupon for 20% off your purchases (on $10 or more) the rest of the month. I signed up at their website and the coupon gets emailed to me every month. If you decide to give secondhand a try, always look over the clothing for rips, snags, tears, missing buttons, etc. - some things can be easily fixed (buttons), but you don't want to fall in love with something and get it home to discover it has a flaw that you can't fix.

For today's post, I am going to show you some of my new purchases from Goodwill. I spent under $50 for all this, plus some non-clothing items. It was a good day at Goodwill for me.

Jeans are always a nightmare for me so imagine my surprise when I scored three pair - the J-Jill (first) were $3.19, the Calvin Klein capris (middle) were $7.99 and the Gloria Vanderbilt (last) were $3.19 - my plan was to make a pair into denim cutoffs, but now I'm not so sure because they all look cute on

 

Tahari Jacket - paid $6.19 - this will go perfect with my white capris and blue heels

Coldwater Creek Cardigan - paid $6.19 - this will look cute with jeans, capris or a summer skirt

I love burnout t-shirts. This one is by Rue 21 - paid $3.99. It has the same color as the cardigan above. Will look cute with jeans or my white capri pants

Ok - this was my oddball purchase. I could not resist this vintage Mickey Mouse t-shirt. Paid $2.49. I see it with jeans, black blazer and my red heels or black flats.

The perfect denim jacket by Old Navy - paid $3.19. It is a dark rinse and fits like a glove. I see this with a lot of my wardrobe items.

Ralph Lauren shorts - paid $3.19 - these are kind of funky - not quite dressy, but not quite casual. I'll have to play around with tops and shoes to see what combos I can come up with

 

 

 

White belt with linen buckle - paid $.90 - this will look cute with my white capris or my jeans with a t-shirt

Stripes of Color

I have mentioned in previous posts that black has been the mainstay of my wardrobe for as long as I can remember. After having my seasonal ID done last year, I finally decided to bring some color into my life. I have discovered that when you wear something with color, it really changes your mood. I feel confident in myself when I have a bright hue on versus wearing just black. I used to think black was the end all, be all, but now - having a palette of colors to play with has shown me that I can look good and feel good just by changing something up in my closet. I have had this blouse for awhile, but everything I initially wanted to pair it with didn't quite work. So...I broke out my white jeans and wow - it really popped off of the jeans. I loved the way this outfit looked and more importantly, it was super comfy on another blistering hot day.

 

 

Sleeveless Cowl Neck Blouse (Marshalls - Calvin Klein)

Jones New York Battery Park Ankle Jeans (Ross)

Madge Cap Toe Ballet Flats - Green (Target - here)

London Fog Tote (Ross)

Gold Chunky Necklace (Target)

Gold Hoop Earrings (Target)

Gold Bangles (Charming Charlie)

Boyfriend Watch (Charming Charlie)

Kenneth Cole Aviator Sunglasses (Marshalls)