Monday 8.16

This is another find from the Dillard's Clearance Center! I liked how I felt in it but I'm just not used to all the excess fabric. I felt "hippy", and not in the Haight-Ashbury way! However, Joan on Mad Men owns it when it comes to her curves, so I'm following her lead!



Shirt: ATL
Skirt: Antonio Melani
Shoes: Bandolino
Necklace: Forever XXI

Don't forget to share your closet organizing tips with me!

Closet Clean up

Inspired by Tina, of T Minus T Plus, I decided to clean up my our closet this weekend. As I start shopping for fall items, I really needed to assess what I had. Also I am a very visual person, I need to be able to see everything, otherwise I forget I own it! I did not take "before" pictures, as I did not intend to even blog about this. But when I tweeted about it on Twitter, Tina wanted to see some pictures. Thus a blog post is born :)


Here is a view of the upper half of the closet. The top shelf has my boots, purses that I don't use as often and large tote bags. The clothes are organized with dresses on the left, shirts in the middle and cardigan sweaters on the right.


A close up of my dresses.


You can see that on the floor, I have a box full of sandals and flip flops. Some of my smaller purses are hanging on the hanger. Next to that are skirts, then pants, then jeans.


Shoes--my favorite! I know you all appreciate seeing my hot pink fuzzy slippers too!

What you can't see if on the bottom shelf, in the far right corner, sits my sweaters. I also have my jackets hanging in the right hand corner. I probably won't need those till October :(

I still have a closet to-do list, to include:

- More wooden hangers from IKEA so I can change out all the plastic and dry cleaner hangers.
- A basket with my lint roller and other clothes maintenance items

Also, cleaning out my closest reminded me that I need a pair of tall brown riding boots. I had to throw out my favorite (and only!) pair of brown boots as they were falling apart.

Any other closet tips would be appreciated!

Wednesday 8.11

This outfit was picked so I wouldn't have to shave my legs today. That is all. :)



Shirt: Ralph Lauren Sport, Marshalls
Pants: NY & Co
Shoes: Antonio Melani, Dillard's Clearance Center
Necklace: Starfish, Premier



I love all shades of blue on J!!

Shirt: J Crew
Pants: Banana Republic J Crew
Socks: Banana Republic
Shoes: Clark's Desert Boots

Tuesday 8.10

I think this is the first time ever that I have worn a fuller skirt. I felt very Mad Men-eqsue!



Skirt: Antonio Melani, this was my super buy of last week. Around $12 for a skirt that retailed $129. Awesome!
Shirt: Ann Taylor Loft, from several years ago
Cardi: Bealls
Shoes: Naturalizer
Necklace: Liz Clairborne
Earrings: Stein Mart

Here is a close up of the pattern on the skirt:



I think the next time I wear this skirt, I'm going to pair it with pink or red.



J's embracing the chambray shirt trend today!

Shirt: J Crew
Jeans: Banana Republic
Shoes: Desert Boot, Clark's

Monday 8.9.10 (!!!!)

For those of you who follow me on Twitter, you saw that I knew exactly what I was going to wear today! With J's help, I planned Monday and Tuesday's outfits. Then I helped Lola plan her outfits too! While I like to menu plan, I don't do it much since J cooks most nights. Outfit planning is a good substitute ;)

Today marked the debut of the ivory dress! I have to say, I felt put together all day. It was super easy to throw on this morning!



Dress: Antonio Melani, Dillard's (and NOT the clearance center this time!)
Cardi: Bealls
Shoes: Jessica Simpson, TJ Maxx
Necklace: Forever XXI
Earrings: Stein Mart
Bracelet: Premier

J just got a new shipment from J Crew, so he's debuting a new item also!



Sweatshirt: J Crew
Oxford: J Crew
Jeans: Gap
Socks: Banana Republic
Shoes: Desert Boot, Clark's
Watch: Timex with J Crew Band

I really love J's new watch. He order the Timex of Amazon for around $30. He purchases the watch bands from J Crew and they cost around $15 a piece. I love that he can swap it out depending on his mood. This is a great gift idea for your man, ladies!

Here is a close up.



It's Tacos and Mad Men on the TiVo for tonight's activities!

Organizing my "Bling"

My jewelry was getting a little disorganized, so I spent some time cleaning up and putting it back together. Thought I would share how I store and organize my jewelry!



The brown leather box holds my sunglasses. The crystal bowl holds my hair ties and other hair items. The trays are all from TJ Maxx. You can find them in the section with all the stationery items (random, right?). The bottom tray holds miscellaneous items like rings and broaches. The top tray holds earrings. The small tray holds my bracelets. The necklace "tree" is a repurposed ornament display tree from my mom! I saw it in her garage and asked her if I could have it!

Here are some close-up pictures:



You'll notice a few sets of bracelets on my tree, along with necklaces from Premier, Forever XXI, Liz Clairborne, Stein Mart and Target.



Most of my bracelets, including the Rachel Leigh in the top left, the wooden bracelet, silver bracelet in the bottom middle, and the 2 dainty looking bracelets on the right, were gifted. The gold/white one in the top middle is from Premier. The black and gold bow bracelet is from Forever XXI. The large dragonfly broach was a gift from the "Will" in my life, who brought it back from Montemarte in Paris! He also gifted me the Rachel Leigh bracelet. I'm so lucky to have my own personal accessory shopper!



I love earrings! I purchase my earrings from all sorts of places: Forever XXI, Premier, Stein Mart, World Market, Local Boutiques and thrift stores. The gold lacey earrings towards the left bottom are my favorites!

I would love to hear how you organize your jewelry! I'm very visual and lazy so I need things right in front of me! :)

Stylish Blogger Award

The lovely and stylish Andie awarded the above to me! Thanks Andie! Now I must share 5 things about myself! I will try to include things about me and J!

(1) I have traveled to the following states: FL, GA, AL, NC, SC, VA, MD, NY, NJ, MA, RI, IL, WI, MI, IN, TX, LA, NM, MZ, CA, WA, KY, OH, TN. Of these states, the following are the ones I visited with J: WA, CA, MD, GA, and IL. I would love for us to go to NY together! I'm looking forward to our trip to MA in the Fall!

(2) I love live music and enjoy concerts, however they are not J's cup of tea. However he did see Pink Martini with me a few months ago and enjoyed it! The best concerts I've been include Death Cab for Cutie and Barenaked Ladies. My first concert was Debbie Gibson when I was 12. Saw Ms. Deborah again in concert when I was 27--at The Cubby Bear in Wrigleyville (Chicago). Awesome!!

(3) I'm a fast reader. J always comments on this. I'm usually reading a couple of books at a time. If I hit a plateau with one, I instantly drop it for another one and return to it later. Currently, I am reading "The Mayflower and The Pilgrims New World" (in anticipation of our vacation) and Jen Lancaster's "My Fair Lazy".

(4) I struggle to read all the magazines to which I subscribe. The magazines I subscribe to are Real Simple, Martha Stewart Living, Food Network Magazine, Cooking Light, Bon Appetit, Food and Wine, Everyday Food and Reader's Digest (don't laugh! It was a gift and I love the little stories). J subscribes to the New Yorker (which I also read), The Atlantic, Golf Magazine, and Harpers. We horde our magazines, which I know we shouldn't but oh well!

(5) Finally a quick fact. J was Greek in college and I was not. We definitely had very different college experiences!

I hereby tag the following lovely stylish bloggers!

Allie at My Wardrobe Today
K at Excavating K's Closet
Mariel at Preppy with a Twist
Fashion for the Economically Challenged
Bianca at Deals for the Short and Curvy