A Special Day

Wearing:

- skirt, Shabby Apple (it has POCKETS! Luuurve skirts with pockets!!!)

- white button-up blouse, Victoria’s Secret

- black cardigan, Victoria’s Secret

- black tights

- black suede Candies pumps, Kohl's

- faux pearl necklace, Kohl’s (I think)

- Grandma's pearl bracelet

It was a BIG day around here because my oldest girl got BAPTIZED into the Church of Jesus Christ of  Latter-day Saints! Yippee!

I decided to go totally clean, classic, and sophisticated for the occasion, so I knew pearls would be involved. I also knew it was the perfect occasion to wear my pumps because they are 1-hour shoes. (You know how shoes have a time limit, right? Inversely proportional to how amazing they look- the more amazing the shoe, the shorter the time limit.) Well, these babies are gorgeous but I hardly ever get to wear them because they can’t make it through 3 hours of church or even a night out.

Here’s another shot of them that I took on the day I got them. Because they were just so beautiful. Are they not the most perfect black pumps ever? I mean, I got size 10 clodhoppers and they make those suckers look GOOD. 

Ack. I just love them.

A shot from the back so you can see the hair, but I noticed that with the flash on you can see how thin the sweater is! That's actually one of my favorite things about that cardigan though, and you can't see through it like that in normal lighting.

Just a rope braid into a bun. About 3 minutes. Nice. Polished. Chic. Please ignore the gray. 

*sigh*

But I loved THIS even more than my shoes. Congratulations my beautiful girl!

So, do any of your shoes have short time limits? 

Have you noticed that [Wearing My] Art on My Sleeve is not like other style blogs out there? Click here to find out how it was born and why it's so weird...

Spring in February

Something very exciting happened one Saturday evening. 

I checked the weather report and saw a "6" at the beginning of the high temperature for the next day. 

A SIX!

Clearly, it was a cause for celebration (even Paper Bag came back for the occasion).

This is me studying legs that are seeing the light of day for the first time in months. I shaved. It's a big deal, believe me. Just ask my husband.

I accidentally closed my eyes on this one but it almost works, so I kept it. It's, like, whimsical or something.

Okay, wearing:

- lace top by Mudd, bought just this month (with a birthday gift card) at Kohl's on clearance for $3.80. I am really really hoping to find a white or cream shirt to go underneath it that has the exact same shape- it has a gorgeous scoop neck AND back and elbow-length sleeves, and I would love to wear it in the summer. Until then I can layer it with other stuff to make it work.

- cream cardigan with lace trim at the bottom (also from Kohl's)

- pink/white/tan striped skirt bought several, several years ago- it's kind of chevron which is really in right now.

- tan (nude? cream?) satin slingbacks- also old- which I adore because they are the perfect shoe for when you want to wear something springy but it's just too early in the year for white shoes (I'm traditional that way)

- my grandmother's pearl bracelet, which I love because I have freakishly small wrists and so did she so it's the only bracelet I've ever owned (other than bangles and cuffs) that I've never had to shorten.

- a goooorgeous (if I do say so myself) bird necklace from Kohl's purchased the same day as the lace top- I almost didn't buy this but it was just so sweet and only $3.80 and it's one of those things that you just know people are going to think is so pretty because...well, because it is. It just made me happy.

See? Birdie happiness right there. :-)

And then I let my 4-year-old take a photo. 

:-) 

If it were in the 60's on a Sunday in winter where you live, what would you wear?

Have you noticed that [Wearing My] Art on My Sleeve is not like other style blogs out there? Click here to find out how it was born and why it's so weird...

Lady In Red...and why I need an instruction manual to get dressed

Wearing:

- red boucle cowl neck tunic sweater from Victoria’s Secret

- dark wash skinny jeans

- black suede boots from Urbanog

- silver hoop earrings

It was a cold, snowy day people. This is me wanting to be nothing but WARM! 

(Okay, I wanted to be cute too, but that was just a happy side effect of the warm.) 

Okay, now it’s confession time. It is not easy figuring out a cowl neck sweater. When I first got it I kept searching the box to find an instruction page for how the heck to wear the thing. Do I roll it down? Fold it somehow? Scrunch it? They make it look soooo easy in the catalogs. They lure you in and then you get your box in the mail, you excitedly take out your sweater and pull it on and then...

Well, obviously I did figure it out eventually. And FYI, if you take your kids for a walk around the neighborhood wearing your cowl neck sweater like this, you’re gonna get a lot of strange looks. 

Just so you know.

Have you ever owned an article of clothing that had you stumped as to how to wear it?

Have you noticed that [Wearing My] Art on My Sleeve is not like other style blogs out there? Click here to find out how it was born and why it's so weird...

Optical Illusions and Renaissance Romance Meets Casual Chic

Let me first just say that this may be one of my favorite photos of myself ever. Do you see how tiny my hips and waist look? Hel-lo! Hooray for flattering angles, that’s all I have to say. And for once I’m rocking all that hair of mine.

Okay, leaving Narcissisia now...

Wearing:

- top from Old Navy, bought years ago for $4. Scooore.

- Arizona jeans from the Goodwill Outlet, which means they cost less than a dollar.

- vintage pendant necklace from Etsy

- brown leather belt I’ve had since college

- black ballet flats from Payless last year- less than $20

- bracelet from a jewelry party hosted years ago by a friend, but I cannot remember the name of the company.

- bronzey earrings

Let us all take a moment to welcome back our friend, Paper Bag, shall we?

And then let’s take a moment to wonder why, for the love of fashion, I keep forgetting to take closeups of my accessories and then, in all my lazy glory, crop my photos into these truly horrific, blurry renderings that make Van Gogh paintings look lifelike? Hmm...points to ponder...

Okay, back to my miraculously skinny waist. Which, when you check out the toe contemplation photo below, you might discover really was just an optical illusion. *sigh* It was fun while it lasted.

I wore this outfit on a day in January when it miraculously got over 50 degrees. This top is fantastic for that temperature, because the sleeves can go long or short, and the wide neckline and jersey knit cotton keep it cool. 

I love wearing a belt with a loose-fitting top because the belt defines your hips and the buckle and looseness of the fabric do a great job disguising any tummy pooch/muffin top issues.

And today’s Keeping It Real Moment is brought to you by my 8-year-old daughter, whose photo bomb is the result, I believe, of her trying to use a play mop toy to get down a mylar helium balloon that had become separated from its ribbon and made a break for the freedom of the open ceiling.

A valiant attempt, my dear. A valiant attempt.

Even Paper Bag looks impressed.

Do you have any clever fashion optical illusions that you use to hide your less-than-attractive parts?

Have you noticed that [Wearing My] Art on My Sleeve is not like other style blogs out there? Click here to find out how it was born and why it's so weird...