Chubby Checkers

Spring has sprung in Oakland! I love when the weather is nice enough to pull this gem out of my closet. It's a great find I got at a tag sale when I was living in Williamsburg, Brooklyn many moons ago. It actually has a matching jacket, but that's too much even for me! It's a quilted-type fabric [not truly quilted, but it's puffy and thick and lined] but it's so bright that I usually reserve this for spring or summer wearing. I snapped these quickly between clients on Monday here in the salon.

Sorry you can't see my lower half better, the black tights are blending in!

A closer look at the fabric

I'm wearing a bright lipstick to match the fun dress! MAC's Rebel.

This dress makes me miss yard saling. I never do it any more, and I'm not sure what's out there to be had, really. Thrifting, yard sales, all that really was better [less picked over by "professionals"] 10-15 years ago. I still find some beautiful vintage finds here in Northern California, but the $2 I payed for this dress [and don't forget the jacket] wouldn't get me nearly as far!

Let the Celebrations Begin

As I mentioned in my last post, my birthday is coming up next week. While my mom was in town from Arizona we went out to our favorite pizza restaurant in the East Bay, Pizza Antica, for a celebratory dinner.  It should be noted that Lafayette is not a town we spend a lot of time in, but Pizza Antica has the perfect crispy super thin crust on their pizzas that compare to no other! They are also very family friendly [hello, suburbs] so when we arrived at 5:20 pm there were other tables filling up with parents and kids all around. I decided to wear a cute new top I bought at Forever 21 when they had their day of support for Japan and Red Cross, all sales that day went directly to the Red Cross.

Outfit for 3.24.11

melon tank: Target

drapey navy striped top: Forever 21

jeans: Gap

cowboy boots: thrifted

multi-chain necklace: F21

Aren't the sleeves amazing?

We had a lovely dinner, wine, dessert, the whole nine yards. Makes a girl wish her birthday happened every week! I also had a great time with my mom, she went back home on Friday night. Now if I could only get my sister out to visit! I miss her and her adorable kiddos.

Refreshed

Guys, real talk time. Doing the spring 30 for 30 remix really took it outta me. And then I changed jobs. The job I had for seven years. In hair dresser years that's like 3 decades. And then my first week at the new job and I had to plan my daughter's first birthday party. This lady was T.I.R.E.D. Now my mom is in town from Arizona to celebrate birthdays [Zoe's was 3/13, mine's 3/29] so I'm rather surprised I even had time to write this! I wore this yesterday, and even though I'm wearing sandals I managed to avoid wet socks. We've had rain all week and it's supposed to continue, so the decision to wear the sock/sandal combo was a daring one.

Husband's instruction: pretend you're shaking hands with the plant in our front yard.

Soooo pretty much nothing in this outfit "matches" aside from my mustard socks and my yellow/cream bird scarf. And I really like it that way. Yes, everyone is heralding the color blocking in for spring/summer and I say hurrah! I need more color in my life. I went shopping with my mom and Zoe today and every single store our eyes caught on bright turquoises, cobalts, corals and pinks. I am due for a closet reorg, I know I've got color all over the place in my wardrobe, it just needs to be remixed in some bold ways for spring, methinks.

All this rainy weather in the Bay Area and I do believe I need to show just one pic of Zoe in her rain boots. She isn't quite puddle jumping yet, but she looks super cute in them all the same!

[sorry for the flash, kiddo]

Outfit details [me]:

purple ruffle tank: Old Navy 

yellow+cream bird scarf, gold hoop earrings: H&M

grey tank underneath, yellow socks + grey acid wash jeggings: Target

aqua sandals: Urban Outfitters last spring

beige + grey floral bag: thrifted

on Zoe:

striped sweater: hand me down from her cousin Ryder, Old Navy

yellow Oakland tee: birthday gift from Fabienne + her husband Fil

striped leggings: the Children's Place

rain boots: gift

Best o' the Irish: Green Hair

In honor of St Patrick's Day I thought I'd show some of my favorite green hair. You may think that green hair is an impossibility for most, but really, there's a green for almost everyone! This is a Tumblr round up, enjoy!

[http://lennee.tumblr.com/]

[http://justcarmmine.tumblr.com/]

[http://adoragirl.tumblr.com/]

[http://candyisboss.tumblr.com/]

[http://fuckyeahalternativehair.tumblr.com/]

[http://snowandtaxis.tumblr.com/]

[http://fuckyeahalternativehair.tumblr.com/]

[http://fuckyeahalternativehair.tumblr.com/]

[http://fuckyeahhairandstuff.tumblr.com/]

[http://welovepastelhair.tumblr.com/]

Have a happy St Patrick's Day! I hope this can inspire you, and you can see more on my Tumblr: http://graphpaperheart.tumblr.com/

PS: here's my own green hair from a few months ago:

Final 30 for 30!

Phew! I actually wore this days ago but I've been so busy that I've been slow to get this outfit post up. Please forgive me, I'm planning Zoe's first birthday party and it's finally coming together! But on to the final outfit of my spring 30 for 30...

Outfit #30/30

red tank + black lace tank: Target

jeans: 7 for all Mankind

paisley blazer: thifted

black sparkly slipons: Toms

necklace: gift from my mom

earrings: Forever 21

Some days it's harder than others to keep Zoe out of the pictures. She's such a curious little one. I'm really proud of her, she's such a great kid.

I'm excited to show you guys this necklace my mom made me. While the photo doesn't do it justice, I assure you it's gorgeous! My mom just set up her Etsy shop to showcase her paintings, photography and jewelry. The jewelry is all real turquoise [and other beautiful stones like carnelian], and sterling silver. Great chunky southwestern stuff perfect for spring, too!

And I'll leave you with that, because it's time to get ready for today's party! I'll have to post some photos later. Happy Saturday!

Day 29/30: Layer-y Fun

Here's another thing I wouldn't have done even a few years ago. Layering a blouse over a dress? Nope, not me. Not here, not no how.

#29/30

bird print dress: UO

sheer black blouse: Jeremys, SF

faux snakeskin belt: thrifted

red coat: H&M

cable knit tights: ?

brown faux leather booties: Payless

love letter necklace: Nathan & Co, gift

This is something I noticed a lot of 30 for 30 remixers did in the November challenge. Turning a dress into a skirt is a great idea! This totally makes this a different look, I am a fan. I think if I were to wear this again I'd pair it with dark tights. Not sure, but I think the white tights are a tough sell for me [even though I wore them during the November remix too! Totally just trying to convince myself I should hold on to these.] So yeah, next time: black tights. Also I'm trying my darndest to work these brown booties in a bunch of different ways, but I think I like them best with socks like I wore them on day #5.  I love how being at the tail end of this challenge is giving me such a good look into what's been working and what I'll remix more of in the future!

Polka Dots Everywhere!

By now you must know about Everybody, Everywear. This edition is polka dots! I'm surprised that I don't own more dots, so this was actually a bit challenging. I do have a few things, but this top stood out to me right away. I like that it's a subtle tone-on-tone polka dot.

Outfit details:

white dot top + black tank underneath: H&M

jeans: William Rast for Target

polka dot fabric sandals: UO

silver multi-chain necklace: H&M

silver scissor necklace: Etsy, gift

navy + white striped cardigan: Forever 21

[my camera battery ran out, I had to snap this last one with my phone, sorry!]

So of course I had to work in a pattern mix. I think stripes and dots are an easy mix, actually! And I like that I could incorporate my polka dot sandals and not have it seem too matchy-matchy. These photos were taken in my new salon, Sakura. I'm not sure if you can tell from the pics but it is just a one chair operation! It so so cozy and just perfect. If you look at the first photo you can see one of the huge windows  behind me that lets in tons of natural light, it almost feels like you're outside. I am working Sundays and Mondays and so far this week was great! Thanks to everyone who came in as my first clients and helped make it a smooth transition from Grasshopper. I look forward to being here a long time!

Day 28/30: Well I Never!

If you'd told me that one day I'd be wearing hot pink + white stripes with a demure camel-colored skirt, I never would've believed you. This is just not in my fashion vocabulary. But I realized after thrifting this lovely Ann Taylor skirt that camel is in fact a neutral, and I should treat it as such.

#28/30

striped tee: UO

skirt: Ann Taylor, thrifted

belt: vintage, thrifted

copper hoop earrings: H&M

booties: Payless

[yes, I'm that pale]

So what do you think? Did I pull it off? What would you wear now that you wouldn't have before?

Pattern Mixing Again: Day 27/30

I might have mentioned the other day that I don't always try to pattern mix, but sometimes it just happens. Today I did intentionally choose the tank top and leopard top combo, but then the bird patterned scarf was just a fluke! I gotta say, I really like the result.

#27/30

leopard cotton top: Target

grey + black striped tank layered for warmth: H&M

skinny cargoes: William Rast for Target

wellies: Hunter

yellow + cream bird scarf: H&M

Another rainy day, another day of wellies. I like the way they work with these skinny cargo pants, they actually made the pants look less bulky. Speaking of these pants, though... after wearing these several times for the 30 for 30 remix, I'm ready to admit I'm not in love with them. I thought it was that I didn't like they style of skinny cargoes, but actually it's the fabric choice. They fit great when I first put them on, but halfway through my day and they are super stretched out in the butt! No bueno. I'd had high hopes for these, especially since it was the only full priced item I'd bought this year so far. Ah well, at least they were from Target so they were still very affordable!

In the first pic you might be able to see Zoe crawling towards the door trying to see what Mama was doing, so I snapped a few pics with her. [Although they never do her justice!]

[please don't ask what my hand is doing... or Zoe's tongue for that matter.]

I can't believe our little baby is going to be one soon! Her birthday is March 13th, born the day before her due date. This week she's finally getting her top two teeth, just in time for her birthday party and party cupcakes!

Day 26: Still in Love

I can't believe it. This lace dress, which I love sooooo much, has been neglected this whole 30 for 30 remix. I've worn it once on day 3, but geez! Here we are at day 26 and I thought I would've worn this 5 times over by now. Trust me though, I'm still in love with it.

#26/30

dress: Jeremys, SF

kid's denim jacket: Lee, Buffalo Exchange $1 sale

grey sash: from a F21 romper I never wear

pink tights + nude fishnets: New York Apparel, Haight St

brown zip booties: Payless

sunglasses: UO

Today's hair I especially like too. I've found for me that I get the most waves out of my hair if I don't do anything to it. As in no combing, no drying, nothing. So after doing that yesterday, today's hair is perfectly beachy [I still didn't comb it] and I just pulled back a couple of strands to twist and pin in the back. Nicely undone, methinks.

Three Ways: Tweedy Shorts

I have actually a couple pairs of 'formal shorts'. You know what I'm talking about, not the kind you wear to the opera, but not denim shorts. I have a black satin pair and a tweed pair. The tweedy ones made it into my 30 for 30 choices, so I decided to try and push myself with the way I wear them!

#23/30 {soft + romantic with a shock of aqua}

cotton ruffle tank: Kimchi & Blue, UO

lace cardigan: Target

tweed shorts: Forever 21

aqua tights: American Apparel

sandals: Miz Mooz

sunglasses: CVS

gold + silver multi-chain necklace: Forever 21

#24/30 {night out with the girls}

black silk blouse: Jeremys, SF

woven faux patent leather belt: Forever 21

patterned tights: New York Apparel, Haight St

bow tie necklace: Modern Mouse, Alameda

silver cuff bracelet: H&M

#25/30 {playfully nerdy aka man repeller}

striped tee: Urban Outfitters

purple sweater vest: H&M

grey knee socks: Target

rhinestone cat eye glasses: vintage, thrifted

[click on any of the photos to get a better look up close and personal]

So what do you think? What's your favorite look? I love these shorts, I think the key to making it appropriate for most situations is legwear. You can see here how I've already worn these with a blazer for the 30 for 30 this month. Tights of some sort are really the only way I can wear these at work, but maybe on a day off I'd do the knee high socks. I think if you've got the right attitude you can wear these shorts just the way you'd wear a skirt. Hmmm.. maybe I need some more shorts for spring!