April Budget

Tom’s
I actually bought these in March (and wore them in March), but forgot to include them in my budget recap.

1. Blue ikat strappy wedges, $69.00.



My Sister’s Closet
This second-hand store is located on Main Street in Woodland . . . right between two of my prospective customers. I predict more purchases at My Sister’s Closet!

2. Suzi Chin for Maggy Boutique asymmetrical dress, $14.00 (half off!)
3. Bollywood earrings, $14.00
4. Abalone ring, $24.00 (I don’t have a great picture of it.)


DSW
5. Nine West hat, $14.97


April total: $135.97

I also bought my wedding dress, but that was half off and doesn’t count against my clothing budget, anyway.

Total spending for the year: $704.87

Remaining 2013 budget: $734.13.

Turq

Well, it’s no secret that I love the color of turquoise. I even wore that shade of blue on my lids, today.


Dress, Lipstick. Shirt (cut from a dress), INC (swap). Shoes, Franco Sarto. Earrings, My Sister’s Closet. Rings and cuff, gift, vintage, thrifted, and/or heirloom. Bag, Go Jane.

Seeking Shade

I’ve gotten pretty good at taking pictures in Sacramento’s ever-present sunshine. Today, though, I couldn’t stand the thought of sweating in the sun as I leaned over the camera, squinting at the view finder and then reviewing photos for exposure and composition. I headed for the only surefire shade: under an overpass.


Sweater, London Times. Pants, Focus 2000 (thrifted). Shoes, Prabal Gurung for Target. Scarf, TJ Maxx. Sunglasses, Girlprops. Earrings, Cuffs. Necklace, Emily Lyn Design. Bracelets, Charming Charlie (swap), World Market, and gift. Bag, Go Jane.

Doggonit

Taking self-portaits in the backyard with an excited puppy is challenging. I didn’t mind so much when he was in my shots, but every time he got near the camera (perched on a tripod), I nearly had a heart attack.


Dress worn as a shirt, Eddie Bauer (thrifted). Dress, Mossimo. Shoes, Prabal Gurung for Target. Hat and bag, Nine West. Sunglasses, Betsey Johnson. Earrings, My Sister’s Closet. Bracelets, Charming Charlie, Tala’s Distant Treasures, and gift. Rings, antique and Puzzrollrings.



In between the lovely, composed shots, there were a lot of these:


If Jasper wanted to be in pictures so bad, I thought it might be a good time for portraits. However, it is really hard to get the dog to look at the camera when there is no one behind it. Ah, well, it gives me another command to teach Jasper: “Look at the camera!”

One Million Cats

I have a recurring fantasy of buying a huge, disused church and turning it into my residence. I’d fill all the extra space with cats. The number mostly commonly thrown about is one million cats, but one hundred would probably be more realistic.


Shirt, Liz Sport (thrifted). Dress, Muse (gift from a reader). Shoes, Two Lips. Sunglasses, Target. Necklace, thrifted. Bag, Fossil (gift).

Until my dream comes true, I’ll just try to wear one million cat prints. Today, I’m wearing three.

Day Behind

I took Friday and Monday off work (because we had friends visiting from Cincinnati . . . oh, yeah, and because Beefy and I were eloping). Now I’m all screwed up on what day it is. On the bright side, I keep thinking it is a day or two earlier, so the weekend will be here before I realize it!


Jacket, Xhilaration. Vest, Express (thrifted). Tank, I Heart Ronson. Skirt, Cynthia Rowley. Shoes, J Crew. Sunglasses, Betsey Johnson. Necklace, Emily Lyn Design. Bracelet, Charming Charlie (swap). Bag, Fossil (gift)

Thief

This dress attracted a lot of attention in downtown Davis. One young man stopped me and said I ought to be arrested. For stealing. He didn’t get to tell me what I had stolen, because I giggled, thanked him, and walked on before he finished. As far as I’m concerned, the dress was the steal. I got it for $14 from a consignment shop in Woodland.


Dress, Suzi Chin for Maggy Boutique. Shoes, Franco Sarto. Sunglasses, Girl Props. Earrings, Claire’s. Bracelets, Epcot Morocco nd Deb.

I love the asymmetrical cut, hourglass shape, and clever ruching (created with snaps!) The top is much too big though. (The excess fabric is mostly visible in the back.) Inspired by Sal’s recent tailoring post, I’m going to have the back taken in at the waist. Considering I bought this dress for less than 10% of its retail price, it’ll still be a steal after tailoring costs.

Elopement

Beefy and I eloped on Saturday. We drove to the redwoods with another couple (one half of whom is ordained) and did the deed.


. . . but, of course, you came here to see what I wore.


Dress, Parker. Boots, Ariat. Earrings, purchased at Canvas boutique. Bag, Allstate Leather (gift). Belt, Express. Ring, vintage. (I did not carry the bag to the “altar” (giant redwood stump)).

I had intended to wear a DVF wrap dress in black and white. I ordered the dress, sizing up, as recommended, and it was way too big. I sent it back for another size, thinking I had plenty of time. Then, a few days before the wedding, I got an email with an estimated date of arrival four days too late. (I ordered directly from the manufacturer. Great selection, terrible turn-around time.) So, on Friday night, I went shopping.

I ended up at the fancy department of Nordstrom. I narrowed it down to two selections: another DVF wrap dress and the Parker dress. I let Beefy decide. The two options:


I’m so glad Beefy chose the Parker dress. The Parker fabric felt more luxurious. (Both were silk, but the DVF dress was a silk jersey.) The shorter hemline better suits western boots. (I was committed to the boots!) I also liked the looser fit. (I didn’t feel like I had to “suck it in!”) Finally, the Parker dress made me feel glamorous. And it's important to feel glamorous on your wedding day.


So, will I keep the original black and white DVF dress when it arrives? That remains to be seen!

Photos mostly by Beefy Muchacho (my husband).

Herb Garden

Our herb garden is in the background of these photos. We have lavender, rosemary, three types of basil, parsley, coriander, apple mint, spearmint, lemon balm, curry plant, peppers, and tomatoes. (Yes, the last two are veggies, not herbs.) We’ve also planted nasturtiums in some of the pepper pots for color. I hope to show you how it progresses during the season.


Dress (worn as a shirt), Roundy Bay (thrifted). Skirt, thrifted, vintage, shortened, and embellished. Sandals, Lela Rose for Payless. Sunglasses, Betsey Johnson. Earrings, Claires. Bracelets, Tala’s Distant Treasures and Target. Rings, Black Hills Gold, Puzzrollrings, and My Sister’s Closet.


Jasper wanted to eat the parsley, but we taught him to leave it alone. He’s a very good dog.


Photos by Beefy Muchacho.

Major Malfunction

My Nikon D40 quit after two photos. It quit on me yesterday, too, but I blamed the battery. Now, though, I’m certain it’s the camera. Boo.


Shirt, American Eagle (thrifted). Skirt, Travis Ayers (thrifted). Shoes, J Crew. Sunglasses, Target. Necklace, heirloom. Bracelets, Tala’s Distant Treasures and Charming Charlie. Bag, Charming Charlie.

Still Crazy

I won’t bore you with a photo of every time I’ve worn this dress. Suffice to say, I’m still not tired of it. And I’m still not tired of pattern mixing.


Dress, Merona. Shirt, INC (cut from a swapped dress). Shoes, Colin Stuart. Sunglasses, Girlprops. Necklace, Macy’s. Bracelets, thrifted and vintage. Bag, Caprice (thrifted and vintage).



Pattern mixing with an old favorite: