Work // Thrifting // Girlie Time

Dress: Aqua Geometric Faux Wrap Dress by Liz Claiborne, thrifted 

Tights: We Love Colors

Shoes: Boden, thrifted

All Jewelry: Vintage

Stats: 5'7" 38-32-42

I picked up this fun bright dress while thrifting...aqua isn't my color, but those pops of orange are spectacular. Great fit & length on this work dress. I did have to pin the neckline closed. 

Quick snaps outside our building at work...so handy.

I thrifted these shoes at Savers years ago & always enjoyed wearing them, however, the size 10.5s got too big for me (they were always a size larger than I needed), but I found these on Poshmark in 2 sizes smaller. 

Despite orange being my favorite color, I don't have many orange earrings. I like the layers in this neckline. 

My make-up with this outfit included...Urban Decay eyeliner in Zero, Synth eyeshadow from KVD, Slowburn eyeshadow by UD, UD lipstick & lipliner in Bang, & OPI nail polish in My Chihuahua Doesn't Bite Anymore.  

Indoor farmers' market...we stocked up on bread, including from this new to us place, Sweet Grass Bread, we chose cinnamon swirl & it was fantastic. Sadly, I haven't seen her since. Origins is always wonderful, & we also picked up several loaves from Cress Springs. Collectivo for coffee...I like the Pistachio Pandan Latte. Then home for breakfast & the beginning of tree decorating. 

We sipped on egg nog while I untangled lights & David draped them on the tree. 

This topper is extremely special...it was David's maternal grandparents first tree topper & we are lucky to have it. Dinner that night was roasted sweet potatoes, cooked apples, & grilled pork chops. Sparkling water & record time at Kate's place. 

This is the dress I wore...I wore this thrifted lace number to work a few times, but never got around to pictures...maybe next time. After visiting with my girlie...I stopped at the Goodwill on my way home. 

I got everything I tried on except for the plaid skirt...which I decided was not the 90s vibe I wanted to revisit. I also came home to the Karina dresses I ordered when they were having a Black Friday sale. Lovely work dresses with a similar vibe to Leota. 

And more Black Friday buys...flower necklaces from bel monili & a new bottle of my cold weather scent, Ginger Essence from Origins. Another day, another thrift store. I wonder why I passed on that mustard cardigan?! It must have had some pilling. 

Weird mixed pattern sweater from Anthropologie...will I ever wear it? Interesting color combination...I liked the puffed shoulders & of course, orange. Fluevog sandals & Effie's Heart strawberry dress found on Poshmark (replacing some of the dresses I had in my previous size). 

I forgot to post these gold Coach duck boots David found for me at Retique...they were tagged the 1/2 off color of the week & for $15, I couldn't say no...& I have been wearing them to work every day since there's been snow on the ground...& then changing shoes. Courtney was on vacation in Japan, so I saw her colleague a few times. I wore this red & black leopard maxi, again...no pictures. Dinner with Kate! Jason was out of town, so we had them over for salmon with salt & vinegar roasted cabbage...yum. 

More thrifting...sadly, that red velvet dress was too big, such a gorgeous color...everything else came home with me, including a brand new Anthropologie mixed print dress. I find some good stuff at our local Goodwill on the north side...there is a ritzy neighborhood near there, Maple Bluff. Not surprisingly, areas with money have better offerings. 

I now own all 3 fun colors of these Fluevog Mille Miglia shoes (lime & purple are the other ones)...I couldn't resist these I got for a steal on Fluevog B/S/T. Speaking of Fluevog, for the past several years I've participated in their gift exchange & for the first time...I actually received a gift! It was a nice thought & I appreciate it...but I feel my person just gave me lots of random stuff they wanted to get rid of as none of it had anything to do with the interests I listed. I only kept the Burt's Bees lip balm. 

Ulta was having a buy 2, get 1 free sale on UD eyeliners...I got replacements/back-ups for some colors & 3 new to me colors. There was also a NYX sale & I need to be well stocked on my eyebrow pencils...AND the best thing was not only were these excellent deals, but I had a $20 off coupon as well. David ordered me 3 sparkly pairs of tights...gold, black, & copper...I immediately stuck my fingernail through the gold pair while trying them on...& one size fits all doesn't really do it for my big butt & thighs. The final time I threw this dress on was to have my very first ketamine therapy session...& there was this cute dog, Bentley/Benny. Home to cook dinner. I'll talk about my ketamine experience more down the line. I'm going to do a series of 6 sessions in a row (1 a week) & I will say...it's unlike anything I've ever experienced. I highly recommend it to everyone, but you have to be willing to really let go & enter into it with intension of what you'd like to work on...for me, it's anxiety. 

 

Off To Work I Go

Dress: Flutter Sleeve Leaf Print Fit & Flare Dress by London Times (size 8) via Gwynnie Bee

Shoes: Fluevog, Fairway: Trivialis

All Jewelry: Vintage

Stats: 5'7" 38-32-42

I liked the soft orange of this otherwise boring dress...great fit & length...good for work. I tried to jazz it up a bit with Fluevogs. 

I'm so bored with Gwynnie Bee...I thought I'd stick with them forever...however...yawn. They don't release more than 1 dress I like in my size per week...& there is only ~1 a month that I'm actually excited about. I stayed for Effie's Heart, Leota, & Eva Rose (which they no longer carry). I have a $15 credit I'd like to use to buy something...but after that...it's goodbye. Also, I've gained some weight...no idea how much as I don't weigh myself. I'm not feeling bad about it...I just thought I'd mention it since it's obvious. 

These shoes are too narrow for me & hurt my toes...typically I find Fluevogs extremely comfortable. I don't think they'll stretch because they're patent leather. I think I will try, & if it doesn't help...I'll have to release them into the Fluniverse. 

I probably should have just gone with gold-toned jewelry as none of these colors exactly go...

My make-up with this outfit included...Urban Decay eyeliner in Double Life, Nars Mediteranee eyeshadow palette, Clockwork lipstick from Sugarpill Cosmetics, & Aly's Dream Polish in Sweet Orange. 

Before work & Pilates...practicing my build up to chin-ups at the gym. After finding that root beer Trifari waterfall necklace at Elkhorn...it got me thinking about this peachy pink one I used to have of my grandmas...so I found it on Etsy & bought it. After work thrifting at Goodwill...these orange chairs were amazing...I hope they got a good home. 

Trying a few things on...

What I brought home...

 

St. Patrick's Day // Watchhouse Duo

Dress: Puff Sleeve Flounce Midi Dress by London Times (size 8) via Gwynnie Bee

Cardigan: MAK

Tights: We Love Colors

Shoes: Fluevog, Bellevue: Ella Baker 

All Jewelry: Vintage

Stats: 5'7" 38-32-42

Another boring dress from GB...the colors were pretty & it was good for work...also, ideal for St. Patty's Day. Great fit & length...there was nothing wrong with it other than I found it too conservative. 

I altered this 4x MAK cardigan, but after wearing it a few times...it's just not ideal...too long, awkward sleeves, & pulls weird. My fantasy of making all my too big cardigans my size is never going to come true. 

I added fun with these python Fluevogs...I believe it was my first time wearing them.

I also wore this necklace we found at Elkhorn last year for the first time. 

My make-up with this outfit included...Urban Decay eyeliner in Junkie; Catherine, Kelly, Caroline, & Egypt eyeshadow from Kat von D; UD lipstick in Flashback; Sugarpill Cosmetics lipstick in Locket; & POP nail polish in Dragon Slick. 

I first wore this outfit to work & to my annual eye appointment. Back at home...these orange Anthropologie heels I found on Poshmark were waiting for me. I made delicious shortbread in honor of the new season of Ted Lasso. Replacement hair products from the beauty supply. 

My March Boxy Charm. New necklaces from Gayle at Green Goddess Vintage Jewelry. St. Patrick's Day is a great excuse to eat something we already love...corned beef & cabbage. 

Later that day...I had fish fry with Angie at Athens Grill...it was passable, but I wouldn't go again. On to Stoughton where we hit the Vinny's...it's prom dress season! That bronze sequin dress is marvelous & I think it might fit well once I can go bra-less. 

Stoughton Opera House on an extremely windy day. 

Johanna Samuels opened for Watchhouse. I wasn't really familiar with them, but when Angie asked if I wanted to go...of course I said yes...& I came home with 3 vinyl records...it was a good show. 

 

Cooking, Thrifting, & Closet Cleaning Continues

Dress: Paradise Pop Rosemary Fit & Flare Midi Dress by Leota (size L) via Gwynnie Bee

Cardigan: Lands' End (size M), thrifted

Tights: Snag

Shoes: Me Too, thrifted

Earring: etXarte

Necklace & Bracelets: Vintage

Photography: Super Boo & Me

Stats: 5'7" 38-32-45

I loved all the bright bits of color in this tropical dress. Great fit & length. It's sleeveless, so this could be worn year round. Good dress for work & errands. 

I'm building up my cardigan collection & loved that I had a patterned one to go with this dress rather than a more boring solid. Pattern mixing makes me happy...I may have mentioned that before. 

This is my first time wearing this Bakelite necklace we found at Elkhorn this past season. I've got my cardigan tucked under all my undergarments I'm still wearing after surgery...camisole, sports bra, & faja...it's been a great way to hide all the straps. 

My make-up with this outfit included...Urban Decay eyeliner in Zero; Legend, Vinyl, & Vox eyeshadow from Kat von D; UD lipliner & lipstick in Big Bang; Cranberry lipstick by Bite Beauty; & OPI nail polish in What Wizardry Is This? 

Oh, Christmas tree. My friend, Martha, came over to visit (I actually wore the blue firefly dress, but...) & brought me some magazines (most I'd never even heard of!) & a couple of books. So nice. After she left...I sat & enjoyed the fire & explored the magazines. 

I needed 2 heads of cauliflower for a recipe...as the cashier rang them up I happened to notice one was just under $20...um, I think that's a mistake...& he was like, nope...that's the price. I guess I'm used to farmers' market prices where those might have been $2-7, depending on the vendor. I should have asked to have them taken off & purchased elsewhere...but it seemed like too much work to go somewhere else. Next time though. Dinner...Thai-Style Sweet & Salty Shrimp, served with Roasted Brussels Sprouts with Kimchi & Bacon.  We (David) seem to have become addicted to unusual spices & blends...so we are trying to create more storage space for them. David had the idea of using these grape metal pieces from a spiral staircase we bought to make shelves along the side of the freezer...I think I like it. Poor Violet has a rough time with walking in the neighborhood this time of year because of all the salt...she's not a big fan of booties though...no dog we've ever had can keep these on their feet. 

Dinner: Chicken M'Hammer, served with a Roasted Cauliflower, Hazelnut, & Pomegranate Seed Salad. More storage solutions from Super Boo...he's going to make that concrete area at the bottom of the steps into a pantry. David & I take our vehicles through the carwash most days...& we send each other photos...it's something I started & it makes me smile. I saw this orange vintage blouse on a trip to Vinny's & nearly bought it...but I feel this would look best with pants & I'm just not that person. 

More cardigans for my collection...there was an adorable Talbots one with pears all over (blue & green one in the photo), but it was too pilled for me. Fluevog sale boots...these came with regular laces as well as velvet...I like them both & can't decide. Simple dinner...salmon & butternut squash. 

A week after being released from the hospital...drain check. My output was way below what they needed to be to remove them...yet they made me keep them in. Buying Marsala to make Chicken Marsala. MAK cardigan seen out in the wild at Goodwill...it was in terrible shape. And Chicken Marsala (any decent wine would have been fine), served with Roasted Brussels Sprouts with Pistachios & Cipollini Onions.

5 more bags of clothes to donate. This is not going as badly as I feared...but also, I haven't touched the dresses yet. An appointment to talk with my plastic surgeon about the chin lift he did for me back in April that I'm not happy with. David got me a purple ukulele!!!

3 cardigans found on my trip to Goodwill...I usually stick to Vinny's, but I will pop into this Goodwill on a regular basis because it's next to our local co-op. Pretty snow on our mums. I apparently liked this carwash photo so much I included it twice. And...Walleye with roasted sweet potatoes with a horseradish dipping sauce. I've been "breading" my fish with pork rinds that I whir up in the food processor & it is far tastier AND low carb. 

I love Gayle's necklace designs over at Green Goddess Vintage. She was having a sale...so...more pretties acquired.