I'm freezing!

I'm not sure why my eyes are closed here. I wanted to use a different photo, but this was really one of the best ones. It was almost dark, so we didn't have a lot of light to work with. Ben said that it is actually a good photo and that I just look " very relaxed" (I'm not so sure).

It has been very cold around here for the past week or so. The day these photos were taken, it was especially cold and windy. This is my "I am seriously freezing, please take the picture, I don't know how much longer I can stand out here" face!

Details

The back of the cardigan

Top: Anthropologie
Cardigan: Anthropologie
Jeans: Joe's via Anthropologie
Shoes: Dansko

Have you heard about the giveaway/challenge over at Little Girl Big Closet? Go check it out! I'm really excited because a) who doesn't get excited about anthropologie gift cards, and b) I really want to learn how to take better pictures. I have really enjoyed the tutorials Tara has posted and I am ready for the challenge:)

I have wanted to learn how to take better photos for quite some time (not only for the purposes of this blog, but just in general). I recently decided to buy my very first SLR camera. I have done a lot of research and shopping around, although I haven't made the purchase just yet (soon, very soon). My goal right now is to focus on the things Tara mentioned in her tutorials (lighting, background, editing, etc.), and to start making improvements in those areas. Once I get a decent camera, I can move on to the more complicated aspects of photography (here is a super helpful "DSLR 101" post from cindi, which I have bookmarked for future reference!). I am excited to learn something new and I hope to do a few posts on this topic to share my experiences.

I hope you all have a great Tuesday!

night owl

Earlier in the week, one of my friends asked me if I wanted to go the gym with her for a 9:00am class yesterday morning. I reluctantly agreed, thinking that it would be nice to get a workout in first thing, but also thinking about how early 9:00 comes on a Saturday morning. You see, I take my weekend sleep-in opportunities VERY seriously. Still, I thought 9:00 really isn't that bad and I would still get to sleep quite a bit later than I do during the week. So, I thought it would be just fine:) My night owl self was up until 1:00 or 2:00 in the morning, happily browsing the internet, watching a few shows, reading, and cuddling with the dogs. Then, when my alarm went off just a few short hours later, I realized what a terrible mistake I had made (okay, maybe I am being a little too dramatic about this). I rolled out of bed at the last possible minute and ran around like a crazy person trying to find my gym clothes and water bottle. I showed up just in time, looking dazed and feeling groggy. I snapped out of it pretty quickly and actually had a really nice workout. Once it was over, I felt great! However, in the future, I think I will stick to the later classes so that I can really enjoy my sleep.

Here is my post-gym outfit from yesterday:

(I'm practicing the advice that Tara gave in her photo tutorial here, about using props to avoid awkward hands/arms:)

Tee: J. Crew
Tunic: Anthropologie
Jeans: Joe's via Anthropologie
Socks: Sock it to me via Sock Dreams
Shoes: Dansko
Clutch: Anthropologie
Necklace: Botanical Bird

My Interpretation

I put this outfit together earlier this week for the Inspiring Interpretations post over at Stuff Jewish Girls Like. JG just started this wonderful feature and I love it! I had so much fun putting this outfit together using the inspiration she posted and I really enjoyed seeing all of the other beautiful interpretations everyone else came up with. Go check it out!

The best part:)

Dress: Anthropologie Beda Dress
Cardigan: J. Crew Jackie
Belt: Anthropologie Snakebite
Socks: Sock Dreams
Shoes: Chie Mihara Loti

Sock Dreams is one of my favorite stores. They have a great selection of high quality and unique socks, stockings, tights, etc. The store is located here in Portland, but they do have a great website for all of you non-local folks (the selection on the website is better than in-store anyways). Whatever you are looking for, I'm sure they have it!

I hope you all have a wonderful weekend!

ps - Follow my blog with bloglovin

Snowpocalypse

I woke up this morning to a whopping 1 inch of snow!!! Normally, this would not be a big deal. However, if you live in Portland, it is a HUGE deal! I left for work early thinking that traffic would be a nightmare, but it was quite the opposite. There were barely any cars on the road at all. I guess everyone decided to play it safe and just stay home. FedEx even got in on the excitement! Yesterday (that's when this gigantic storm was supposed to start), the FedEx driver that picks up/drops off at my office came in and said that they would not be able to do any pick-ups after 2:00pm. Why? Because the FedEx plane was leaving early from the airport in preparation for the "storm".





Coat: J. Crew
Top: J. Crew
Cardigan: J. Crew (Jackie:)
Pants: Anthropologie
Shoes: Dansko
Necklace: Found at a local consignment shop (It may be a little too reminiscent of an Easter egg, but I like it anyways. Easter is actually coming up fairly soon, so I guess it's appropriate.)


I also have to tell you about a great deal I found today! I have been stalking the Pins and Needles Pleated Knee-length Skirt from UO ever since seeing it on Sara from You, Me & Anthropologie (here it is on her).

It's been in my cart for a while, but I have been hesitant to order, just because I have never ordered anything from UO, I didn't know if it would fit me, and I didn't want to pay the $10 shipping. Online, the skirt is currently $59.00. I was looking at it again this morning, and I almost went for it and checked out. Then I thought that maybe I should just go to the B&M (which is actually very close to my office) to see if they had any in stock so that I could try it on before buying it. So, that is what I did on my lunch break (parking was very easy, thanks to all of this snow we got:). I looked around, but didn't see the skirt. I asked one of the SA and she said that if they had any left, they would be in the sale section (Sale????). Low and behold there were a few left. I found my size, it fit nicely, and it was only $19.99!!!

business casual

First of all, if you haven't already checked out the reader submission outtake post over at Respect the Shoes, you should (here it is)! Lisa has the best ideas for reader submission outfits, and this one is hilarious!

These two outfits are "work" outfits. The top one I wore today and the bottom one is from last week. The dress code at my office is fairly strict/conservative. Depending on what I have going on during the day (meetings/clients/etc.), I may or may not be able to push the dress code limits:) The 2 days that I wore these outfits were definitely days I needed to follow the rules and be somewhat professional.

One of the biggest challenges I have with my wardrobe is feeling like everything is separated into 2 categories - one for work (like the two outfits below) and one for play. I don't really like my work clothes. They seem boring, dark, and not "me" enough. I am working on finding pieces that I like and that are "me", but that are also appropriate for my office. This has been challenging.

Please share your tips! I would love some advice on making my "work" clothes less boring and also making my closet less divided.



Top: Anthropologie Stratus Cloud top
Cardigan: J. Crew
Pants: J. Crew
Shoes: Dansko
Necklace: Forever 21



Cami: J. Crew
Cardigan: J. Crew
Skirt: J. Crew
Tights: Hue
Shoes: Indigo by Clarks Jungle Java pump

All of the J. Crew pieces in this outfit were purchased during my recent trip to the J. Crew Clearance Center!