Simple Silly Life

Wednesday, March 9, 2011

What I Wore Wednesday 3/9/11

This week I enjoyed pairing some thrift store finds with some of my favorite pieces. I cannot even begin to describe how much I am loving my recent thrifting experiences. As I mentioned before, I've outgrown most of my pants and skirts (and of course this comes at a time when I just don't want to or can't afford to spend tons and tons of money on new stuff), so thrifting has been a rescue for me. Honestly, a $30.00 bag of new-to-me pieces cost less than one brand new pair of pants. Can't beat that right? Even if something needed dry cleaning, it's still worth it for me. And, they usually come pre-hemmed and altered by their previous owners, so these pieces fit better than ones I could buy retail and have hemmed today.

Shopping thrifted items was TOTALLY inspired by my WIWW pals. If not for the really wonderful looks some of you put together with thrifted finds, I would never have had the guts to hunt the racks for such wonderful pieces. Thank you, ladies!

Here are my looks for this past week.

Wednesday, 3/2

Worked and prayer meeting

Top: Ann Taylor

Sweater: Jcrew

Skirt: Club Monaco (thrifted)

Boots: Target

Earrings: Jewelscapes

Necklace: Vintage Sarah Coventry

Thursday, 3/3/11

Meetings and a luncheon at work, dinner with new friends in the evening.

I've had this jacket for over 5 years, and truthfully, I thought it was always a little frumpy.
Once again, the belt comes through and saves the outfit.

Skirt and top: Ann Taylor Loft

Jacket: Gap Outlet

Tights: Kohl's

Shoes: Aerosoles

Belt: Kohl's (probably came with a pair of pants)

Earrings: Dabby Reid, Nordstrom

Flower Pin: Crafted by my mother-in-law

Friday, 3/4/11

Worked and out with the work peeps in the evening.

Top: White House Black Market

Sweater: Calson, Nordstrom

Pants: Dockers

Shoes: Dr. Scholl's

Belt: Jones NY

Necklace and Earrings: Jewelscapes

Saturday, 3/5/11

Lazy Saturday at home and impromptu dinner with friends.

Top: Gap Outlet

Scarf: Old Navy

Sweater: J.Jill (thrifted)

Jeans: Levis

Shoes: Ann Klein

Belt: Jones NY

Earrings: Anthropologie

Posy Pin: the Pleated Poppy

Sunday, 3/6/11

Church, grocery shopping, and an evening with my family.

Top: Banana Republic (thrifted)

Jeans: Loft (thrifted)

Sweater: Gilly Hicks

Shoes: Naturalizer

Necklace and Earrings: Jewelscapes

Pin: Vintage, from my mama

Monday, 3/7/11

Worked out of the office, Bible study in the evening.

Top: Ann Taylor

Cardigan: Jcrew

Pants: Gap (thrifted)

Shoes: Dr. Scholl's

Earrings: Sueanne Shirzay

Necklace: Lisa Leonard Dewdrops

Posy Pin: The Pleated Poppy

Tuesday, 3/8/11

Good day at work and Mardi Gras dinner with my parents.

Top: Banana Republic Outlet

Jacket: local shop

Skirt: Style and Co (thrifted)

Tights: Jcrew

Shoes: Clarks

Necklace: Lisa Leonard Limited Edition fall 2010

Earrings: Pear22

Posy Pin: The Pleated Poppy for InCourage

Linking with

The Pleated Poppy

and

Jewelscapes

Hope you all enjoyed your week! Can't wait to visit and see your looks.

Monday, March 7, 2011

ABCs of Me

I saw this over at Jess's blog, so thought it would be a good Monday morning post.

Age: 27, but I'll be 28 at the end of the month.

Bed size: Queen. I seriously want king though. I need my space.

Chore you hate: Oh, where to begin...I guess it's vacuuming.
Dogs: Nope, never had any.

Essential start to your day: Tea. 5 tea bags, 3 tablespoons of sugar, splash of milk. Good advice: If I haven't started sipping, it's best to wait to talk to me. I'm not a morning person.

Favorite Color: Green.

Gold or silver: Silver.

Height: 5'2''

Instruments you play: I used to play the flute. Not sure if I could anymore though.

Job title: Senior Associate Director of Admissions

Kids: mmmm, not in the near or distant future. It's best I give them back to their owners.

Live: Long Island, New York.

Mom's name: Lois

Nickname: I wish I had one. Some people call me Kathy, but I'm not a fan (my family calls me that). I wish I was a Kate. Kates are just so cool.

Overnight hospital stay: No. My goal in life is to never be admitted to a hospital. Too stressful, too scary.

Pet peeve: People who don't use their signal lights - they make the world brighter.

Quote from a movie: ‎"The world only spins forward. We will be citizens. The time has come. Bye now. You are fabulous, each and every one and I bless you: more life. The great work begins." -Angels in America.

Right/left: Left...I'm a lefty and tend to be left of center on most things. I never made this connection before.

Siblings:
Here's my brother and I as youngsters:

My brother, Chris (now 25)

My sister-in-law, Lauren, 18

Time you wake up: Weekdays alarm goes off at 7, I get up at 7:40. Weekends are different. Most people know one shouldn't text or call me prior to 11 AM because I'm not up yet. Sad but true.

Underwear: Jockey.

Veggies you dislike: Collard greens. Ick.

What makes you run late: nothing. My what I wore Wednesday photos, neglecting to select my outfit the night before.

Xrays you've had: Dental x-rays.

Yummy food you make: I can make a mean soft-boiled egg.

Zoo animal: Last time we went was in 2006 for Freddy's 26th birthday. Apparently we liked turtles and foxes...

So, now it's your turn!

Tuesday, March 1, 2011

New to Me

I am constantly inspired by the blog What Would Emma Pillsbury Wear and the fabulous looks on Glee. I mean, who doesn't love the classically tailored pieces blended with funky vintage jewelry and retro-inspired accessories?? After our antiquing adventure last weekend, I started browsing Etsy and Ebay in search of some great accessories that might work well with my style (which I think it an attempt to mix modern classics with some quirky flair) and suddenly remembered that my mom totally has some vintage gems. Ebay and Etsy could go on hold (which my budget was happy about).

When I asked my mom (I promise I did this nicely. As I type this, I know it sounds like I schemed to take her stuff, but my mom and I style each other a lot) if we could go through her vintage collection she laughed at me. "Why would you want that stuff? Most of it's junk." Oh no, Mom. It's far from junk. It is a collection of awesomely treasured sparkly wonderful items. She was delighted to pass some of it on.

So here's the loot:

The Sarah Coventry necklace is probably my favorite piece. It sits so perfectly over a crew neck tee. And that sparkly brooch? Holy cow, does it shine.

The bottom right piece is also Sarah. We found one of the clip on earrings to match, but will have to hunt harder to complete the pair.

I am so loving this new thrifting, antiquing, vintage-finding adventure I am embarking on. Most of all, I love that these new pieces were once donned by my mom in the 60s and 70s and can't wait to thumb through some photos to see if she wore them on special occasions.

And I love that maybe, just maybe, those Jcrew strands or my Posy Pins can one day be cherished by someone else to jazz up her wardrobe sometime in the distant future.

Friday, February 25, 2011

Going Green

This past weekend, Paige and I embarked on our first antiquing and thrifting adventure together.

And we were awed and amazed.

Amazed by all the discarded stuff (it's so interesting how we believe we need it all and then just get rid of it!)

Awed by how pretty, different, and eclectic everything was.

Enchanted by the beauty of how something old is made new.

And so, I now have an actual 'worth it' collection of green depression glass.

Love our simple bubble glass bowl (perfect for kisses)

And tea cups and saucers.

Being a crazy tea person, these were the right place to start for me. They now live on our little shelf above the sink brightening our space. Plus, it wasn't an over-indulgence, nor did I go overboard (which tends to be my problem). This little collection is perfect for our little apartment. Can't wait to watch it slowly grow.

Wednesday, February 23, 2011

What I Wore Wednesday 2/23/11

Here is a look at my outfits for the week. Check out lots of other stylish people at What I Wore Wednesday on The Pleated Poppy and Bejeweled Wednesday at Jewelscapes.

Wednesday, 2/16/11

Recruited at a local community college, spent the afternoon at my favorite mall getting some wonderful buys and eating incredible food, enjoyed an evening with my family and prayer sisters.

Top and sweater: Anthropologie

Pants: Van Heusen

Shoes: Dr. Scholl's

Earrings: Jewelscapes

Thursday, 2/17/11

This was a totally "I can't believe I am going to put these colors together, but it works for so many other bloggers, so deep breath and give it a try. I ended up loving it.

Turtleneck: Loft Outlet

Jacket: Jcrew

Pants: Macy's

Shoes: Aerosoles

Necklace: Jcrew

Earrings: Pandora

Flower pin: Forever21

Friday, 2/18/11

Nice day at work, relaxing evening at home.

Pants: Dockers

Top: Alfani (Macy's)

Jacket: Jcrew Factory

Shoes: Born

Scarf: Ann Taylor

Earrings: Liz Palacios

Saturday, 2/19/11

What a wonderful Saturday!!! Miss Paige and I had our first (we hope of many) antiquing and thrifting adventures! Hope to post about our great finds soon.

Tank and Tee: Jcrew

Sweater: Lands End Canvas (how, how, how did I only learn of this brand last week???)

Jeans: Levis

Shoes: Privos

Earrings: Honora for QVC

Necklace: Lisa Leonard Wish

Posy Pin: The Pleated Poppy

Sunday, 2/20/11

Church and celebrated my husband's grandpa's birthday.

Turtleneck: Lands End Canvas

Cardi: Nordstrom

Jeans: Marshalls

Flats: Dr. Scholl's

Belt: Eddie Bauer

Earrings and Necklace: Jcrew

Monday, 2/21/11

Day at the outlets with my friend Maryann and Bible Study in the evening.

It snowed a bit in the morning, hence the boots.

Tee and sweater: Jcrew

Jeans: Marshall's

Wellies: Liberty of London for Target

Earrings: Jewelscapes

Necklace: Superhero Designs

Monday, 2/23/11

Work.

Top: Target

Jacket: Anthro

Pants: Van Heusen

Shoes: Dr. Scholl's

Earrings: gift from my mom

Chain: Judith Ripka for QVC

Enhancer: Simply Vera Wang (Kohl's)

Every year I get more and more anxious for spring, so I usually start pulling out some brighter colors to make things a little perkier. Hope you all have a great, stylin' week!

Monday, February 14, 2011

Love and Marriage

In honor of Valentine's Day, here's a love Q&A. Thanks Michele and Paige for inspiring me!

Here's a recent shot of us from New Year's Eve

1. How long have you been married?Freddy and I celebrated our one year anniversary in October.

2. How long have you been together?We've been together for 8 years.

3. Where did you go on your first date?We went to California Pizza Kitchen, Cozi's for S'mores, and the Huntington Book Review where we danced among the bookshelves.

4. Where did you go on your latest date?Dinner at John Harvard's (a local brewery) and a movie (the King's Speech - incredible).

5. What's your anniversary date?October 18, 2009

6. Where were you married?St. Christopher's Church, Baldwin, NY

7. What was your best/favorite wedding gift and from whom?My Aunt Barbara hosted me at her home three days before my wedding and she gave me a basket filled with trinkets to remind us to always love through everything. Things included a pen a pencil (they both write, but differently), a rubber band (remember to stretch for each other), and $20 for emergency food (still have it 'hidden' in my desk for rice and beans if we are desperate).

8. Where did you honeymoon?London and Paris

9. What food do you like now because of your spouse?Kale and brussel sprouts. Freddy sautes them with garlic, balsamic, holy delish!

10. What type of music do you like now because of your spouse?Eric Clapton and Elton John.

11. What movie or television program do you like now because of your spouse?hmmmm...Freddy loves (and I mean loves) movies and the Food Network. I'll say that I never would have even watched Iron Chef and I love some of his favorite movies such as Shawshank Redemption.

12. Favorite PG rated thing you like doing together?Visit the botanical gardens.

13. Last gift you bought your spouse?A new book and Netflix for the year.

14. Last gift your spouse bought you?A new Lisa Leonard necklace for Valentine's Day.

15. Favorite things about your spouse?Besides the obvious (he's a devoted husband), he is an incredible cook. And he loves creating delicious meals for us and our guests. He also does dishes, his own laundry, and mops.

16. Something you disagree about:If salad is a meal. I say never, he says it's acceptable.

17. Book that you both like:We have very different tastes in literature, but we both liked the DaVinci Code.

18. Best shared experience?Our polar bear plunge a couple of years ago. It was way better than I expected.

19. One thing you want to do together in the future?Continue with dancing lessons.

20. What makes a marriage last?

Well, we are new at this, but from observations and experience: listen before reacting, don't sweat the small stuff, sweat the big stuff together, talk with each other (not at, not to), expect the best, don't dread tomorrow.