Confession

Forever 21 dress (worn as top), thrifted vintage skirt, belt from Wish (closed),
Seychelles wedges from PB&J Boutique (giveaway win), necklace from Matt

Yesterday night, I was cleaning out my closet and made the mistake of trying on a pair of jeans I hadn't worn since last summer. Mind you, they're skinny, non-stretchy, white jeans and I've been drinking beer and eating fast food all weekend (don't judge me). Anyway, I got the jeans up to my hips and they felt TIGHT. I have no idea how I ever managed to get them on before. I successfully squeezed myself into them, but it was not a pretty sight.

Although it didn't make me break down and cry, it got me thinking about how lazy I've been in the last year. At this time last year, I was practicing yoga 5-6 times a week. I stopped sometime during the fall semester and subsequently gained about 10 lbs., which is a lot of weight on my 5'1" frame. When you add in not-so-healthy eating and drinking decisions, I'm not that surprised.

Bottom line--I'm not saying I'm fat by any means. I'm quite proud of my body (here's proof!) and all that it can do, but I should probably be treating it a little nicer. I feel comfortable in all my clothes except those damn jeans and it's time for a change.

From Good to Better

thrifted skirt and blouse, Forever 21 earrings, Payless wedges

This tank top is another item of clothing that I recently updated. I've been on a alterations kick lately. I really should be taking before and after pictures, but once I get an idea in my mind, I don't even pause to think about it. Shame on me.

Anyway, this tank top had a 90s surfer feel before I altered it a bit. The neckline had two buttons and was a little too high for my taste. All I did was tuck it in and sew it down to create a faux v-neck. It only took about 10 minutes and now this top seems so much more versatile. It's perfect for the summer, not to mention that I love the print.

Lazy & Unashamed

Forever 21 shirt and earrings, vintage thrifted skirt, Zara wedges from Buffalo Exchange
(worn for work at the bridal salon)

I have a couple of days off of work until Saturday, but I'm finding it really hard to convince myself to leave my apartment today. It's been way too long since I could just hang out in my pajamas and veg out all day. OK, so maybe the real reason I don't want to go anywhere is because I started watching True Blood again. I have a whole season to watch, so I stayed up super late last night because I couldn't stop. My sister is a huge fan of the show and she convinced me to start watching it again. I suppose I could be using my time in a more productive manner, but while Matt is (still) gone, I'm really unmotivated to do much of anything.

Here's to enjoying a day of laziness!

Before I forget, I'm linking to Laura's Work It Wednesday. Even though I'm not working today, I did wear this outfit to work yesterday. It's definitely a very "me" outfit, but I looked pretty darn bright standing next to the brides in wedding gowns. It's a good thing I won't be doing working there much longer because I'm not so good at toning it down.

Cheater, Cheater

thrifted skirt, vintage blouse, Zara heels, Forever 21 earrings

As I already mentioned, I fell off the no-shopping wagon last week. In my defense, it was a pretty dress from Goodwill for $8.99 that I just couldn't pass up. Lesson learned: it's impossible for me to go to Goodwill without looking at the clothes. I originally went in to find ceramic pots for my new succulents. I didn't realize how hard it would be to find fun pots with draining holes. Every time I'd pick up something bright and colorful, I'd be disappointed to see that there were no holes. I read somewhere that you can make holes yourself, but I envisioned broken ceramic all over the place and decided it wasn't a good idea.

Instead, I decided to make more coffee can pots. I made a couple a few weeks ago to plant cilantro and flowers and since it worked so well, I figured it would work for succulents too. The best part is that it's amazingly easy. All you need is a large aluminum can (it can be a coffee can, a giant mandarin oranges can, or any fruit or vegetable can you desire), spray paint in your color of choice, a knife, and some gloves.

If your can has a label, remove it. Soak it in soapy water overnight if you need to. When your can is nice and bare, poke about four holes in the bottom for drainage with your knife. You can even use a nail and hammer if you don't want to mess up any of your knives. Then, put on your gloves and head outside to a spot that's not too windy. Set it upside down and start spraying. Wait a couple of minutes before you move it, then pick it up carefully and set it somewhere to dry overnight. It should be ready to use the next day!

Here's how mine turned out:

Easy peasy lemon squeezy!

Sorry about that. But seriously, this is so much cheaper than buying pots. Matt even helped me spray paint polka dots on my latest can. Photos and instructions for that project are coming soon!

My Adult Life

The last four days of my life have been crazy. For starters, I got a new car! My beautiful, dark grey Toyota Corolla is a huge step up from my falling-apart Jeep Cherokee. Matt and I drove the new car to Houston on Friday to test it out over the weekend. To be truthful, he drove and I sat in the passenger seat almost the entire trip. I like being chauffeured.

We went to Houston to hang out with some good friends as well as check out potential neighborhoods for our future move. Neither of us know the area that well, so we wanted to drive around and see if anything caught our eye. We really liked the Museum District, Downtown, Montrose, and even Midtown. It's going to be a seriously hard decision choosing a place to live. It looks like we'll be going back a couple of times over the next few months to decide. Wish us luck!

More Basic Black

Gap shirt, Halston Heritage skirt from Julian Gold,
necklace from Target, Montego Bay wedges from Payless

Oh boy, do I love this skirt! It's so flowy and soft and it makes me feel like a million bucks. It's definitely one of the best purchases I've made in a long time. At the same time, it's one of the LAST purchases I'll make for awhile. I can't ignore the fact that I'm broke and all. But, I couldn't deny that I needed this skirt. Let me explain...

Since I started my new job at Alfred Angelo, I've realized that I lack professional clothing. When I worked at Cream Vintage, I could wear whatever I wanted, which was awesome but not realistic. My wardrobe is filled with fun, casual clothing that wouldn't be appropriate to sell wedding dresses in. I needed basics that can be remixed with the clothes already in my closet and this skirt definitely fits the bill.

What do you think about my new favorite skirt?

Personal Style

thrifted vintage skirt and Nine West wedges from the Goodwill Blue Hanger outlet,
Gap shirt, thrifted belt from Goodwill, Forever 21 necklace  

This outfit is the perfect representation of my style. It's feminine, yet casual and includes something from all the different places I like to shop. I often wear a combination of thrifted and/or vintage pieces and items from my retail guilty pleasures like Gap or Forever 21. I like when I wear outfits that perfectly represent me, especially when it's not planned. It's a really good way for me to understand and define my own style. Having a blog definitely helps, but it's always interesting to look back at the outfits I wore two month ago and already forgot about.

By the way, this will be the last post with me wearing my glasses. After a whole week, I'm finally able to wear my contacts again. I was getting tired of having to push my glasses up my nose whenever I bent down and not having any peripheral vision.

Now, on to the more exciting news...I was featured in The Daily Texan last week! I helped my good friend, Jessica, out with her article, Locals give winter wardrobe advice, by giving her my tips for dressing for the bipolar Texas winters. She also asked me to be the model for the article, to which I gladly obliged. The online article looks great, but the printed version was even better because they had a full-body shot of my outfit. I have 10 copies, so I'm tempted to cut myself out like a paper doll or make a bookmark for my boyfriend. Stay tuned for a DIY...

I have to thank Jessica again for such a fabulous article. She recently started her own blog, Sparkle & Stripes, and I highly suggest that you check it out. She's got a really great sense of style and the cutest eyeglasses ever.

Christmas Recap

White House Black Market cardigan, vintage skirt from Little Tin Soldier via Smashion,
Gap shirt, vintage pearl necklace from my step-mom, Zara shoes

I'm not much of a movie-watcher. Don't get me wrong; I love a good movie, but I never really choose to sit down and watch one myself. I'd rather spend that time reading a good book or writing a blog post. During Christmas, I was at my dad's house in San Antonio for a few days and there was way too much going on, so I ended up watching movies instead. I saw Midnight in Paris, which I'd heard good things about and I actually really liked. I've never not liked Rachel McAdams in a movie and I hated her character in this one. I like when actors can make you hate them in one movie but love them in another. I also saw The Abyss, which made me feel like hyperventilating. Anything underwater always makes me a little edgy, though. It was a good movie, but I'm pretty easy to entertain. If I'm not bored and I feel invested in how the story is going to end, it's a good movie in my book.

While we're on the subject of movies, Matt and I really want to see The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo, but just haven't found the time. We both read the trilogy two years ago and after having been disappointed with the Swedish movies, we're looking forward to this movie. Have any of y'all seen it yet? What did you think?

Gotta Love Cheap Shoes

I've been wearing the crap out of these black wedges. They are really light, super comfortable and go with everything. The best part is they only cost $25 from Payless. I found them online and thought they were too good to be true until I saw them at the store last weekend. They're perfect!

I figure I have plenty of time before I have to stop wearing open-toed shoes. After last week's fake fall weather, I'm not getting my hopes up for it again anytime soon. But when it does, I can start wearing these babies again!

On Friday, I wore a thrifted skirt from Savers, an American Apparel t-shirt, a belt from Goodwill, and Montego Bay wedges from Payless.