the day my life was put on hold: an outfit post

after a lack of blogging, i'm back. one of the world's greatest evils, malware, downloaded what can only be described as the worst VD of the internet onto my laptop, completely took over and made this machine its bitch. since then i feel like i've been almost completely lost as far as blogs go (and if you've noticed i haven't commented, it doesn't mean i don't think you're awesome, it means i was crying in a corner thinking of all i was missing), including mine. i always notice when i skip several days or even a week of blogging, i will always, without a doubt lose followers. i had the "yes you should/no you shouldn't" battle in my head this morning about posting today or any day, because i'll be honest, when people are fickle, for whatever reason, i take it personally. there, i said it. BUT, i decided that i was going to be honest with myself, i can't go without the interactions i have with you guys, even though i don't really know you, and that alone makes me keep on blogging, quality posts or not!

denim jacket: american eagle // striped sweater: halston/thrifted // skirt: vintage/thrifted // shoes: payless // bag & scarf: vintage/thrifted

about this outfit: this was one of those outfits you kind of throw together when you really don't have time to think about what you're wearing, and even if you did, you don't really want to think about what you're wearing. i like the way it came together (even though hiding my waist with that jacket makes my hips look 8 feet wide), so maybe i should try it more often, but, you know, have a backup outfit planned just in case.

also, chris pretty much threatened my life if i posted this picture of him, but i think humor is more important than safety, don't you? sometimes he likes to pick on me when it comes time for pictures, so while i walked away for a second, he got in front of the camera with my bag and said, "ooohhh, looks, it matches my shirt." that can't not be shared.

stolen from a friend: an outfit post

i'm as big a fan of stripes and florals as i am of richard simmons nutella on bagels, and with spring just a split second away, i want to wear a floral print every day! my good friend beca posted pictures of what she wore (and i wish she'd do it more often) the other week and i instantly fell head over heels in love with her outfit. so naturally i stole it, sort of.

sweater: target, dress: vintage/thrifted, belt: came with a dress, shoes: old navy, necklace: i made it

so i didn't exactly copy her look, but if i could get my hands on a twin cardigan and skirt i would have. seeing her cardigan though reminded me that i had this striped one just hanging in the closet not being used (the tags were still attached). i got it a year or more ago with a gift card but never wore it because i always thought it didn't looked right. and then beca posted pictures. it's amazing what a little inspiration can do for a lack of imagination!

also, i love that second picture! right as the picture was being taken chris held flojo in front of the lens, and i just love that she's in focus and getting the attention, because she's so pretty!

stripes, flowers, and bear hair: an outfit post

when getting ready for work, two things happen: first i pull out a ton of clothes because it's fun to mix and match and try to wear things differently than last time. second: i look at what i put on and ask myself, "what sort of jokes will my clients make at my expense?" the answer to that question used to scare the hell out of me, which in turn put the same boring, predictable outfits on repeat week after week. now, if i think they'll tell me it looks like i'm wearing old curtains, i got dressed in the dark, or i look - as i was told when i wore this last friday - like a schizophrenic sailor, then i consider it a success!

wooden sunglasses: c/o tumbleweeds, silk sweater: halston (thrifted for $3!!!), floral blouse: target, cropped pants: old navy, wedges: target

i was so happy with this sweater when i founded i may have screamed. i couldn't wait to wear it, and since the weather has been exceptionally pleasant (meaning i don't have to wear a coat) i was happy to be able to wear it without it being covered up! now, back to jokes being made at my expense. my client made comments about my blouse, the tie on it, the length of my pants, the style and color of my shoes, and my pattern mixing. had i been the old danielle, i would have made up an excuse to rush out, then i would have cried as i drove away. the new and improved danielle listens (a little bit), but smiles and tells the person that life is too short not to have fun and be yourself. and i mean it. it gets people nowhere to laugh at or make fun of someone else, but it gets you everywhere when you have confidence and enjoy something as small as playing dress-up as an adult!

to elaborate a little further on having confidence, i still have a long way to go in other areas, but as far as clothes go, while i'm obviously not starting any new trends or doing anything groundbreaking, i've stepped out of my comfort zone of dressing to please others, and started doing what i like regardless of what my overly-opinionated male clients think. and you know where this sudden boost of confidence came from? blogging. getting positive feedback from so many amazing readers has helped more than you can imagine, and looking at other blogs with outfit and style posts has reminded me that clothes can be just another medium with which to create. it's reassuring seeing other bloggers in small towns (that are, like mine, filled with closed minds) making a statement, thinking outside of the box, and showing that it's okay to be yourself no matter who may stare. so for that, i thank you!

what's bear hair? kona, who is lovingly called bear hair thanks to the fact that labs blow their coats a couple times a year leaving me in black cloud of dog fur, is always nearby watching me take pictures, and since he doesn't make many appearances on my blog, i figured i'd give him a little extra attention include him so i can brag about how handsome he is!

and one last thing: toni of lost cabin vintage was kind of enough to include me in her meet the maker series here!

head over heels: an outfit post

as soon as i typed "head over heels" as the title, i figured you may think i fell hard today. surprisingly i didn't, but if you knew me in real life, you'd know that i'm clumsy enough for the title to fit. anyway, i'll explain that later! today i mixed stripes and i liked it...

scarf: i can't remember, jacket: american eagle, shirt: banana republic, skirt: richard chai, tights: target, booties: steve madden, clutch: vintage/thrifted, bracelets: vintage and jade from chinatown in san francisco

this is probably one of my favorite skirts, but i don't wear it that often because the chiffon is so lightweight that i feel like i'm constantly rubbing my hand over my butt to make sure it's still down; it's so light that i can't feel it's there! the clutch i love because of the different textured leather, and it was a steal at only $1. and those shoes, what's not to love about finishing off an outfit with a pair of six pound wedges? good for the calves, i'm sure.

when i run on the treadmill i find that i feel like i've been on for an hour when in fact it's only been 7 minutes thanks to boredom... UNLESS i watch a movie while i run, then 30 minutes goes by in no time. one of the more recent movies i watched was 13 going on 30. i'm prepared to lose all my street cred here, but it's one of my favorite movies, and i can never get enough 80's music. because i love that movie, and this song is in it, i've been singing this all day (and there's the title of the post)...

badonkadonk & print mixing: an outfit post

i'm glad i finally realized that print mixing is a good thing, because it opens up a whole new world of opportunity as far as outfits go! our weather has been pretty schizophrenic lately, so one day i'm wearing short sleeves and using the AC, and the next i'm wearing a faux fur wrap and blasting the heat to combat purple fingers and toes. lately we've been enjoying weather that's better suited for mid-april, but i'll take it as long as i can get it...and then i want several feet of snow!

cardigan: the limited (i think) via rugged wearhouse, dress: target, belt: it came with a dress, wedges: payless, badonkadonk: thanks a lot, genetics.

can you believe it, and outfit where i'm not wearing my black riding boots! crazy, i know. i'm still in the infant stages of mixing patterns and prints, but i'm coming to realize that, to me, leopard is the easiest print to pair with others; i don't know if it's the color or the fact that it's almost as basic as black, but i find that it seems to go with pretty much everything. my butt, on the other hand, doesn't go with much. as long as i'm not getting into kim kardashian territory i think i'm safe but i wish i knew a flattening method!

are you guys all ready for thanksgiving? i'm ready to eat enough for three adults and one young child, but the way i look at it is, i can eat until i bust my pants wide open because the day after pop and i and maybe some other family will go bike riding at the black water trails, so basically thanksgiving will just be building up my strength for a day of riding! you can pretty much find ways to rationalize everything, especially when the subject is food.

oh, and if you haven't yet checked it out, the lovely toni and i are doing a charity auction to benefit the rachael horton compassionate fund, so take a look to see if you're interested, or pass it along to anyone you think will be!

baby steps and outtakes: an outfit post

first things first: baby steps. i know i've told you before that i'm so hesitant to try new things clothing-wise, that by the time i start to entertain the idea, the trend is a decade old. having said that, print mixing is nothing new, but it's a BIG step for me! i don't believe there's a science to print mixing, but i've had a hard time figuring out some sort of do-able equation; that's why i started small - baby steps with stripes and leopard.

outtakes: my husband is a menace to my pictures. sometimes he's a good and helpful photographer who gives me pictures i can actually use, and other times he gives me pictures that make me think 1. i should have just used the timer, and 2. threats of physical violence must be made in the future to ensure i don't have a repeat of these...

rather than being a human tripod, which is ultimately what i'm looking for, chris, my skinny husband, decided to play strong man with no shirt and practiced his body builder moves while he was taking my picture, thus guaranteeing awkward, trying-not-to-laugh faces, and blur, blur, blur.

sunglasses: tumbleweeds, scarf: it's old so i don't remember, necklace: dinosaur toes, jacket: proenza schouler for target, blouse: thrifted, jeans: target, shoes: here.

about my outfit: i was so happy when i found that blouse because i have a love affair with grey, and because i love loose blouses that don't button down the front. the jacket is my favorite and i pretty much wear it everyday when the weather gets cooler. i never keep up with the designers that do lines for target, and i was so upset that i'd missed all of the pretty proenza schouler pieces... or, kind of. i was lucky enough to find this jacket sort of crammed away (and i still wonder if someone hadn't tried to hide it) and hidden between other things with a clearance price of $8.98. WHAT?! naturally i had to have it. onto the bottom half. i don't wear jeans that often, thanks to my inherited round butt and thick thighs genes, but every now and then i just don't feel like wearing a dress. so, now that you've seen jeans, it may be a while before i wear them again! and my shoes! WOOOOO! i got a pair of leopard print ballet flats about 5 years ago, and sadly, i've wore them so much that they have holes around the soles and take in water on rainy days like a sinking ship. i knew it was time to say my final goodbyes to my favorite shoes, but i couldn't bring myself to do it until i found leopard replacements; being that i have such small feet, it's always a challenge finding shoes. luckily, i found a pair that i LOVE, and i didn't have to beg, borrow or steal to afford them!