Try to Dress Nice, Okay?

We recently had a reception for an art donation at work. It was a two-hour, drop-in reception in our library. My boss told me about it on the day I wore this outfit and told me to "try to dress nice" on that day. Sometimes I wonder what goes through her head when she sees my outfits... 

Saying "huh" to my husband

I completely forgot to include the black and white shirt (and a pair of green capris) on my April budget round up! I went back and edited it to reflect those changes. I guess when you buy so much, you forget things!

Also, I didn't get a picture of what I wore to the reception, so I may have to repeat that outfit soon so you all can judge whether or not I looked "nice" for that event!

Style Imitating Art: What does the swan say?

Very quick and very late tonight. My computer, like me over the weekend, contracted some type of virus, so I've been battling both of the viruses tonight. Also, the human virus seems to have taken away my writing skills and patience with the man and fur creature in my house. Lucky everyone...

Jess from Animated Cardigan chose Swan Lake as her Style Imitating Art picture. Be sure to read more about it, including who the famous illustrator is!

My interpretation:

Clearly, the swans and I both have the long, graceful neck in common. Also, I think my eyes were closed in this one too! Double also, my kitchen looks so blah!

The pattern on this dress gave me an underwater vibe, plus the blues kind of echoed the blues in the picture (I'm working on my artsy comparisons. Maybe one of these days I'll use something other than "echoed"). I found this dress earlier this year on the clearance rack at Burke's Outlet, and it had a lavender sale sticker, which meant 90% off, so it was under $2. I'm working to shop more ethically these days, but sometimes you just have to talk about a good bargain!

Also, here's my fox earring. Foxes and swans are friends, right?

Wow, I wrote a lot more than I thought I would! Maybe sinus meds make me chatty! Bless my poor husband, then! ;-)

Say cheese!

This past Saturday, my husband, puppy, and I had family Christmas pictures made. Yes, we took the puppy. Yes, we're those people that say fur child. There's no shame here.

Saying cheese makes my eyes close

Swooning or protecting my face from the sun?

What I would look like with a bit of a tan...

Puppy in a bow tie!!

That's about all I've got tonight. It's been a rough evening between the snow and crazy puppy. Tennesseans aren't well equipped for the white stuff or the freezing rain stuff or anything other than sunshine.

Awkward pictures and weekend plans

This title is in honor of my patented Friday blogging formula! ;-)

I took these shots during the Pantone challenge week but I was still in my swamped/life funk phase so these were never posted. When you have pictures this awkwardly charming though, you can't keep them to yourself! This is the first time I've put this cardigan and dress together, and I liked it! I've also never worn this dress with tights and boots, but I'll be trying it again with this one and the other two I have (in green and black). I've actually shown this dress on the blog before too, so yay for remixing!

I don't even have an explanation. Maybe I was showing the cardigan's shape?

Attempting to show the ring and tights at the same time...

Enjoy the luminescent counter shot, free of charge

And, to talk about the second part of the title, what are everyone's weekend plans? =) I'm going to spend at least a few minutes cleaning out ill-fitting clothes and planning next week's outfits. Also, it's going to be close to 80 here on Sunday! Hope it doesn't make the ladybugs and wasps attack our house again. EEK!! 

Check Us Out: A Librarian Linkup!

This has been an exciting week on this little blog! I participated in two linkups, hit my 1 year blog-i-versary, and am now co-hosting my first linkup! Whew!

Since it's back to school time for nearly everyone, it seemed like the perfect time to showcase fashionable librarians, library degree holders, and anyone who just likes libraries in general!

The first submission comes from Christina at Simple Easy Style who describes herself as a "crazy cat lady" and "meticulous organizer," which are things that most of us librarians/library degree holders have been called a time or two! Christina shows how you can make a fancy piece a little more wearable by mixing in an everyday piece like a denim jacket.

Hmm, I've got a dress in mind that would work well for mixing fancy and casual. Thanks for the idea!

The second submission is Erin from Loop Looks. Here's what she had to say about her back to school style:

"I'm Erin and although I have my Master's of Library Science I don't work in a traditional librarian role. I'm the director of records management at a private university in Chicago. The office I work for has what I would call a slightly elevated business casual dress code with the occasional "suit day" thrown in. Which is why my blog, Loop Looks (looplooks.net), focuses on how to dress for the office without feeling boring. Bright colors and fun patterns paired with traditional tailored pieces are just one of the ways I do that."

I love this outfit and want to steal it from you! Nashville isn't that far from Chicago, right? =)

Next up is Jess from Animated Cardigan (who just got a promotion! Exciting!!)

Be sure to check out her post today about librarians and clothing (especially since she has the greatest black dress ever...it has pockets! Pockets!!).

For co-host Shelley from Miss Lady Librarian, the challenge was to outfit herself for an autumnal back to school link up right when the temperatures soared to over 90 degrees for only the second or third time during the summer (right there with ya, Shelley!). Her solution: deep colors, textures, and bare skin.  

These just happen to be my university's colors! Love the summer pieces in the fall tones!

Co-host Jen from Librarian for Life and Style used some transition-to-fall tricks for her outfit:

"Layering and belting a linen blazer over a tank top feels more professional -- but still bearable if you live in a hot weather locale. The same goes for open-toed wedges, but the tortoiseshell pattern feels more fall, as does the overall color palette of tan, brown, and navy."

Such a cute and easy professional outfit! Check out the mural behind her too, which is on the wall at a local day school. Her section says "dreams." Wouldn't that be so inspiring to see on your school every day? 

The final submission is from yours truly! Like Shelley, I'm currently experiencing summer temperatures during a time when everyone wants to start thinking about fall (someone on my Instagram feed was drinking a Pumpkin Spice Latte, for crying out loud!). I took a relatively casual summer outfit- a tank top, maxi skirt, and sandals- and made it more professional and fall-ish with the addition of a 3/4 sleeve blazer. I won't lie; I was still warmer in this than I wanted to be, but it'll be a nice outfit to repeat in mid-September, especially with a colorful tank top!

I don't know what's up with my snarky face here either! =)

Thank you to everyone who has submitted looks so far. I've gotten a lot of great ideas for remixing things that I already own! Special thanks to my two co-hosts, Shelley and Jen, for your support while I hammered out the details, the ideas you had, and helping spread the word. This was just a random idea I had in July, and I'm really excited to see it come to fruition!

Now, it's your turn! Submit your back-to-school look using the linkup tool below. This is my first time using it, so if anyone has any problems with it, please email me. I'm leaving it open through the weekend so get those looks in and have a great Friday!

An InLinkz Link-up

Mrs. 'Murica and a Librarian Linkup!

The first thing one of my co-workers said to me today was that she liked my patriotic look. Guess I should've worn my flag shoes with this one!

My hair drove me crazy today! That headband stayed put for about an hour before I gave in and put my hair up in a ponytail!

And now, for the linkup!

On Friday, August 30, join me, Jen at Librarian for Life and Style, and Shelley at Miss Lady Librarian for a linkup featuring librarian style (just in time for back to school). Submit your favorite work look from the week of August 26-30, and be sure to take a look at all of the other fabulous participants! Also, you don't have to be a librarian to participate in the linkup - just share your favorite back-to-school outfit along with us!

This is the first linkup I've hosted, so I'm still learning the ins and outs! If there are any seasoned pros who have tips, please pass them along. I'm looking forward to seeing everyone's submissions!

Hey, hey chambray

I think my new goal is to make my post titles as cheesy as possible!

My wayward right pocket on the shirt is proof that I should always take a couple of minutes on Sundays to iron my clothes. I even tried to straighten the pocket out with a hot roller. I'm not proud of that, but that seemed like a winning idea at the time.

Carry on wayward pocket...

Pretending to be "artsy"

Look at the pocket! Ironing does wonders for clothes!

I had to show a closeup of my earring because I really like it! It may be a little dressier than the outfit needed, but I don't care!

We have in-service meetings most of the week at work, and the fall semester kicks off a week from Wednesday. Where has this summer semester gone?!? (Side note: I'm a seasonal purist, meaning I don't decorate, prepare for, acknowledge seasons until their calendar dates. So while the fall semester/fall rush will be starting on August 28, nary a pumpkin scented candle, pumpkin flavored latte, or leaf themed decoration will grace my household/life until September 22. There's still pool time left!). Please tell me I'm not the only one who doesn't want to rush the seasons? There will be plenty of time for pumpkins, leaves, boots, and chilly mornings!

What I Wore: June 17, 2013

So without realizing, I kind of dressed like today's Style In Art picture! 

White Center (Yellow, Pink, Lavender on Rose) by Mark Rothko 1950

We're having modem connectivity issues at home, so I had to settle on subpar phone pictures in my office during lunch. But, the sentiment of a yellow (gold!) top and white pants is there, so I get partial credit, right? (Wait, who am I asking...of course I do!) 

My favorite shot of today

Wrinkly shirt

Tried to get a better shoe shot

My smiling face

These shoes would've worked better with today's painting!

Can we also take a moment to celebrate the fact that I had meatball subs for lunch and spilled nary a drop on these white pants? I think that earns me an adult beverage in my pajamas tonight...

What I Wore: June 10, 2013

I didn't do Inspiration Monday today because I forgot what the picture looked like when I got dressed this morning! Here's what I wore today instead:

Minty fresh with a dusty mirror

Face shot!

Also, I'm in the works of planning my 30 x 30 to turn 30! It's going to start on Sunday, June 16 and go until Tuesday, July 16! If you're interested in participating, contact me and we'll link up!

What I Wore: Monday, May 20 (Inspiration Monday!)

It's Inspiration Monday time again! Here's today's picture...it's bananas, b-a-n-a-n-a-s...

Hollaback Girl

And here's my interpretation:

Just a Girl

I don't have a sweet denim vest, so I went for the denimish top, black pants, and bright shoes. Here's a close up of the neon shoes

Playing with color saturation! This still doesn't quite convey the neon...

And just for fun, one more shot after playing with my photo editor a little more:

I think I've created a photo editor monster...

Hope everyone has a great week!

What I Wore: May 13, 2013 (Inspiration Monday!)

Do you ever have those mornings when you think you have a lot of time and then you look at the clock and realize you should've left 5 minutes ago? That was definitely me this morning. I went to the gym and came home to quickly rinse off, change, gussy up for work (gussy up...Southernism of the day), and frittered away more time than I anticipated. Oops! The point of telling all that was to justify my phone pictures for Inspiration Monday! ;-p

The look

My interpretation

The shoes!

Sideways close up detail of the lace detail on my shirt

I don't have a lace dress or a white dress, so I just used the top half for inspiration. I was pretty excited to wear these shoes because I haven't really worn them that much, and I got them at least three years ago. Sorry for all of the blurriness today! Thanks for helping me get dressed this morning, Inspiration Monday!

What I Wore: May 3, 2013

I can't believe it's the end of the Pantone challenge! This is the first challenge I've successfully completed, and it gives me a boost to take on 30x30 again, possibly this summer in the 30 days leading up to my 30th birthday! I also am thinking about doing a Goodwill themed challenge. It's amazing what doing one challenge will do for you...and your wardrobe!

Before this week, I had never paired things together like yellow, blue, and gray. I had gotten into a rut with my wardrobe, and I had all but disappeared from blogging. This has been fun, and it's definitely re-inspired me, so I'm grateful to Heidi and Marissa for sponsoring this.

Now for today's outfit:

Bigger picture! What do you think?

Today's shirt is from Goodwill also! It came from my shopping trip on Monday. I got a few other things that day too, so I'm thinking I definitely need to do a Goodwill week on here!

Here's the best close-up shot that I got of the fabric:

Poppy red and flowers?!? Yay Spring!

I'm definitely a fan of tunics because they hide all of the evidence from your lunchtime personal pizza...and the snacks I'm going to have at Iron Man 3 tonight! Hope you all have a wonderful weekend. Can't wait to see the last day of looks from everyone who participated in this challenge!

30 x 30: Day Five, 01/05/13

Hey, I actually got more than one picture of my outfit today. Progress!

I don't know how long I've had this cardigan, but I don't think I've ever worn it. This is the first example of how 30 x 30 is helping me tap into underutilized items in my wardrobe. Hooray!

Kind of full body shot

Top half of body shot

Tried to get a close up of the diamonds but failed!

What I liked:

• The look of the outfit

What I didn't like:

• The cardigan didn't stay buttoned, and the tank top underneath felt a little tight and low cut (especially at church!), so next time I wear the cardigan, I need to try it with a different shirt underneath

Cardigan- Goodwill, tank top- Walmart, jeans- Old Navy, booties- gift from future mother-in-law