Belting it Out

Okay. This belt. 

Clearly, this belt and I are having some issues. 

I don't know how to wear this belt. When I wear it like this, it kind of hangs under my belly and gives me a beer gut.

Not a fan of that look.

Okay, so let's move it up the waist and try it on one of my thinner sections of torso.

Eh.

I don't like this so much either- see how it's kind of causing the sweater to ride up there just under the buckle?

And I don't like how the necklace is almost hitting the buckle either.

Okay, I put the sweater back in its place, but I'm still not sold on this.

Wearing:

- teal Banana Republic shawl front sweater, Goodwill Outlet

- necklace, gift from sister-in-law

- teal dangly stone earrings

- annoying wide brown belt, Kohl's

- brown skirt, Goodwill Outlet

- brown tights

- brown boots

Necklace close-up.

Put the belt back to Position A and added a jacket and sunglasses. I look sooooo cooool. 

And I'm glaring at my belt again. GAH!

And this is the face I make when I FINALLY find the right position for the belt, but I have already spent way too long on this dumb photo shoot. 

Curse you, brown belt.

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...

Dressy at 17 Degrees

Still trying to get all these winter posts done, because spring is (hopefully) right around the corner!

On the day I wore this it was 17 degrees outside when I got my kids on the bus at 8 am. I had my Institute of Religion (scripture study) class that day, which I usually try to dress nicely for, and so I had the challenge of wearing something that was both dressy and would keep me warm. 

Wearing:

- Calvin Klein coat, TJ Maxx a few years ago (I love this coat. It is completely lined in soft faux fur and it is SO warm)

- black short sleeve cowl neck sweater, Goodwill Outlet

- black turtleneck (under the sweater), Victoria's Secret

- black & gray pinstripe skirt

- black leggings

- gray Fergie boots

- silver multi-strand necklace, Sammy Dress

- silver hoop earrings

- plaid newsboy cap, TJ Maxx (actually bought this the same day as the coat- I was extra warm)

- silver & red cuff bracelet

Whenever I see a photo of me in this hat with my head down, I feel like I'm channeling Michael Jackson.

Cute, comfy, and warm. My three favorite things to be.

Later that day when I got home, I changed out the skirt, leggings, and gray boots for a pair of jeans and my black suede boots.

All ready to go out again!

Am I the only one who places such a high priority on being warm in the winter? I HATE to be cold!!

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Eskimo Boots for a Snowy Day

This outfit was one of my snowy day ensembles from back in January. (I'm running out of winter here, so I  need to get all these old winter outfit posts done!) 

Please ignore the crazy hair. Thank you.

Wearing:

- tan cowl neck sweater (Goodwill Outlet)

- brown turtleneck (Victoria's Secret)

- pocket watch pendant necklace (Sammy Dress- I need to take a close-up of that one sometime- it opens up and everything, really pretty!)

- dark wash skinny jeans

- suede & faux fur boots (Goodwill Outlet- TWO BUCKS, BABY!)

- Magic Scarf (I thought it needed a little extra color)

I wore this (plus a coat) when I walked the kids down to a neighbor's house to play in the snow. You can see that the toe of one of the boots is a little bit darker- still wet from walking in the snow!

And then there was this.

You see what I have to deal with.

Ahem.

It was a cold, snowy day, but it was finished off with this gooorgeous sunset! 

What do you wear out in the snow?

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Hot Date

My "Valentines Vixen" look. Ya dig it?

(Ugh, sorry about the terrible quality of these photos- nighttime and I was in a hurry!)

This is what I wore to go out with my sweetheart for Valentines Day. We went to a Hibachi place where they cooked all the food in front of us. YUM!

And yes, I am actually wearing makeup. Eyeshadow and lipstick even. 

Wearing:

- sheer black chiffon batwing top w/rhinestone detail, Goodwill Outlet

- black elbow-length sleeve tee, Marshall's (underneath)

- silver multi-strand necklace, Sammy Dress

- dark wash skinny jeans

- gray Fergie boots

- silver rhinestone drop earrings

- silver bracelet

And this post's photo bomb is courtesy of not a toddler, but my brother, Erik, who is acting like a toddler. Thanks, bro.

(He thinks it's hilarious that I take pictures of myself in the various outfits I wear.) 

But let's just take a moment to really appreciate that lovely "Homeless Man" style he's sporting. 

Wearing:

- Old army green wool trench coat

- jeans

- mud boots

- 5 o'clock shadow

Yes, clearly fashion sense runs in the family.

But he did come over to babysit all the kids so my hubby and I could go out, so I can't complain too much. And he's very funny.

And a close-up of one of the gorgeous roses my sweetie brought me on Valentine's Day. Been nearly 12 years and he's still romantic. ;-)

What do you like to wear for a night out?

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The Snow Queen (or, Happy Birthday AGAIN!)

Wearing:

- white cardigan from Kohl's (several years ago)

- white embroidered 3/4 sleeve henley, Goodwill Outlet

- jeans

- Fergie boots

- pearls & crystals necklace, a gift

- silver scarf, a gift

- bracelets from Sammy Dress

So, I finally had a chance to make up the birthday lunch with my daughter at school, and once again I was going for a slightly magical look.

I kept the jeans & boots (well, different jeans) but I changed up the top. 

In fact, I've never put these two pieces together before- this cardigan is one I usually wear in the summer. I had actually bought it in preparation for a trip to the Bahamas. But I thought it worked out nicely, and it gave me the excuse to wear...

...this! It's sparkly. And it's pretty. And it looks really cool with the button-up top because that top has silver threads running through it.

I felt very royal. Suitable company for my own little princess, who was delighted to see me when I came for lunch, especially because I brought Grandpa (my dad) with me as a surprise!

:-)

The Keeping It Real moment of the day: I just about died laughing when I saw this photo afterward because it seriously looks like I'm examining my belly button. 

My toddler would be so proud.

Do you ever feel like dressing like royalty?

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Short & Sweet

Wearing: 

- black turtleneck from Victoria’s Secret

- cute floral dress harvested from the Goodwill Outlet (maybe cost me 50 cents? SCORE!)

- black skirt worn underneath dress to give it a little extra length, also from Goodwill Outlet (DOUBLE SCORE!)

- black leggings from Kohl’s a couple years ago

- black boots 

- bracelets from Sammy Dress

- cool gold and pink rock pendant necklace from (I think) Ann Taylor- it was a gift from my sister

- pink beaded earrings

Okay, first let’s address the big issue here. The Brown Paper Bag. Did he get in a fight? I mean, he’s not looking so hot here. All of his little plastic baggies are about to spill out all over the place. He really needs to get himself together.

Next, the boots. Old, but the most comfortable shoe with a heel that I own. 

Finally, the skirt under the dress- I am a Mormon, so modesty is key- all skirts to the knee! (Hey, that rhymed!) I’ve decided that I like the layered look of wearing a fuller skirt under a shorter dress, so that’s what I did. 

In the spring I wear this dress with a short-sleeve black tee underneath, and maybe with a black cardigan. I keep the leggings and pair it with black ballet flats. Very chic.

Only two pics today.

Okay, okay, you got me. It’s really only one because I cropped the first one to get this one. I had just gotten home from church and I was hungry. I wanted lunch.

But hey, at least you get a great close-up of my bracelets and my long piano fingers which do not ever play the piano because I don’t know how.

What do you think about the skirts-under-dresses thing? Think you’ll try it?

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Wuuuuv, Twoooo WUUUV!

Happy Valentines Day, friends!

I teach the music to the children at church, so last Sunday I prepared a Valentines-themed lesson. I am much like Ms. Frizzle (if you don't know who she is, you must have had a very sad childhood) in that I often like to dress to match my lessons, so I went with PINK this week!

And of course because it was cold I had to do boots and tights.

Like the flower in my hair? ;-)

Wearing:

- pink cashmere/silk sweater, Victoria's Secret

- black scoop neck tee underneath

- floral skirt, Goodwill (this skirt is crazy comfortable- it has a smocked waistband and double layers of a lovely thin cotton- very froofy- I wear it all the time in the summer)

- black tights

- black boots

- pink earrings & necklace

- flower hair clip made by me

Happy Valentines Day!

What did you wear to celebrate twoooo wuuuuv?

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Cozy at Home

Are you having a snow day this week too? 

Well, I don't know about you, but sometimes I just want to be cozy and comfortable when I'm at home, and this look accomplished both of those things.

This is me giving Pocket Watch a little talking to. As you can see, he 

is up to his old tricks.

(This is not me. Can ya tell?)

I actually got my style inspiration for this look from a Pinterest pin for the Jones Design Company, which showed this loose top paired with a simple cardigan. 

I wasn't sure it would work as well on me because my legs are not stick-thin like this lovely lady's, but I gave it a shot with this top and my cozy sweater, and I think it worked okay. I especially liked that I can now wear this short-sleeved top in winter as well as spring & summer. Hooray for multi-season fashion!

Wearing:

- White sweater, originally Charlotte Russe, but procured at Goodwill Outlet

- brown top, Goodwill Outlet

- khaki skinny chinos, Kohl's

- brown sweater boot slippers, Wal-Mart on clearance years ago

- dangly earrings

- pendant pocket watch necklace, Sammy Dress

See those brown belt-like things hanging off the bottom of the sweater? Well, don't get too attached to them because later on that day I used my scissors and snipped the seams and removed them. I could never actually use them to close the sweater, so I put them out of their misery. So fun to shop at the Goodwill Outlet because then you can take scissors to your clothes without batting an eye!

If I recall correctly, this look is on my face because I am telling one of my littles that if they run across the kitchen ONE MORE TIME they will be in some serious trouble.

What do you wear when you just want to be cozy at home?

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...

Something Very English About It

Okay, I know. When I wear my brown boots with my khaki pants I look like I'm about to go ride a horse across the English countryside.

I wish!

To be honest, I actually am an equestrian, which is probably why I do love my boots so much. And I really loved when boots came in fashion because I got to have a whole collection of them and now when I'm visiting my mom (she has horses) I can just jump on a horse without having to worry about changing into my riding gear. Well, in the fall and winter anyway. ;-)

Wearing:

- oatmeal-colored henley (Goodwill Outlet)

- brown v-neck sweater (Goodwill Outlet)

- pocket watch pendant necklace (Sammy Dress)

- skinny khaki chinos (Kohl's)

- brown leather belt

- brown boots

- earrings- pearls & mother-of-pearl-type stone things

With this outfit I decided to try something a little different and I paired this oatmeal-colored henley with this brown v-neck sweater. I really liked the way it looked- the layers were kind of cool. But I realized that the look was quite masculine, especially paired with the pocket-watch pendant necklace, so I thought I'd add a little more femininity with a really girly hairstyle.

This is me trying to find the back of my head with the camera. Clearly I don't actually have eyes in the back of my head. Darn.

There we go! Okay, this hairstyle looks complicated, but it takes less than five minutes, promise.

You just do two pigtails at the back of your head, close together, and rope braid each of them. Then you kind of wrap each rope braid to make a bun (2 buns- one for each rope braid) and then kind of cross them in the middle and pin the whole thing. And if I could find the pin on Pinterest that was my inspiration for this, I would share it. 

Cool, right? Hooray for quick, looks-like-they're-hard-to-do-but-really-aren't hairstyles.

Now let me introduce you to Magic Scarf. I have named this my Magic Scarf for a few reasons.

First, it was a Christmas gift from my stepmom, and it is not something I ever would have chosen for myself. The base color of the scarf is navy blue, and aside from my jeans, I just don't do navy blue.

But this scarf is magic because I have discovered that it goes with EVERYTHING.

Ooh! Are you excited? Trying out a new backdrop here- the light was reflecting off the snow outside and it made for a really cool picture spot in my living room. Thought I'd give you a better view of Magic Scarf.

Another angle so you can check out the hair...which looks messier from this angle...sigh.

And do you want to know a secret? That blasted necklace is ALWAYS trying to turn itself around like that. It drives. me. bonkers.

But that's okay, I'll just sit here and stare out the window at the beautiful snow, because I can use this picture as an author photo next time I need one. I look very scholarly with my pocket watch pendant and my layered henley and my Magic Scarf.

Thank you for behaving yourself for once, Pocket Watch.

And our bonus Keeping It Real moment for the day: I am actually falling over in the photo below. Milliseconds after this photo was taken I slammed into the closet door.

Do you see Paper Bag laughing at me from around the corner? He can be so cruel.


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...

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