Breezy Day Style

Today was one of those weird spring days where it’s warm in direct sunlight, but there’s a breeze that’s kind of bitter and cold if you’re in the shade. I spent my morning and early afternoon running errands, so I wore a springy dress with leggings and a sweater to keep warm. Still, as I was sitting in the shade on a stone bench waiting for my car to get called at the car wash, I kind of wished I had worn a jacket and a scarf!

Dress: Converse One Star via Target
I have a lot of the Converse One Star line in my closet…they just make some great clothes! The dresses are always perfect because they are cute, but not too overly girly, so they’re easy to wear casual.

Sweater: Gap. Leggings: Target.

Shoes: Target.
I had these shoes in black as well, but I seem to have lost them…I can’t even remember the last time I wore them! Sad.

Belt: Target

This is Domino…she wanted to get in on the blog action, too.
It’s a really nice day out despite being a little cold, so I’m going to go sit outside while I study for my exam!

Polka Dots and Skirts That Twirl

As a full-time student with no other current job (I occasionally take care of friends’ babies) I find very few occasions to really dress up. Taking care of babies means always running the risk of getting some form of liquified food on my clothes, and dressing up to go to school always begs the question, “are you giving a speech today?” So when I do find occasions, I get pretty excited.
Blouse: Old Navy. Jeans: Old Navy. Shoes: Target
Friday night I went out with some friends to a dueling piano bar. I don’t go out often, but I’ll rarely pass up an opportunity to go to The Big Bang. It’s a pretty casual environment, but I wanted to dress up a bit, so I wore jeans and flats but dressed it up with my hair and makeup, as well as this adorable polka-dot blouse. I was in a hurry to leave and it was dark out, so this was the only good shot I got of the outfit, unfortunately.

I got this cute skirt at Old Navy on clearance for just $12. Such a steal for something so versatile. I wore it dressy today to church but I could easily wear it with a black-and-white striped cotton shirt tucked into it and some flats to be a little more casual.

Top: Old Navy. Cardigan: Old Navy. Skirt: Old Navy (you know that awkward moment when you realize half of your wardrobe is from the same store?)
Did I mention it has POCKETS? I also love the grosgrain ribbon that came with it, which can easily be swapped out for a different belt.
I wanted to show the full circle skirt by twirling, but it’s not an easy task. I don’t have a remote for my camera, and nobody else was home, so I had to set the 10-second timer, run into the shot, and try to get the timing right. It turned out like this:

Bad timing and crazy-face…so I promptly gave up. But let it be known that it’s a big, floaty, girly circle skirt!

Polish: Yoga-ta Get This Blue by OPI
I found the only green patch of grass in our entire backyard right now—the spot by the palm tree—for these shots :)

Shoes: Rocketdog via DSW
I love these shoes! I got them a year ago for a wedding I was in, and I also have them in light pink. I see them all the time at DSW in different variations—closed toe, flats, different fabrics—and I am always tempted to buy more!

Earrings: Forever 21 (they’re hard to see, but they’re gold hoops with a big emerald-green bead)
I’ve spent the past hour or so drooling over beautiful clothes online, so I’m thinking I might make a post of things I want. Check back soon!

Proceed with Caution

Remember in my last post when I mentioned that I live in a city in the middle of the desert? Well, if you live in the desert, too—or if you’ve ever travelled to the desert—you’ll know that as a general rule, you are supposed to have at least one or two desert-dwelling plants in your yard. You know—just in case we all forget that we live in the middle of the Sonoran desert, we can look out our windows, see our cactus or aloe plants and remember where we are. So it would be wise, when taking photos for your blog in your backyard, to keep in mind that cactus have sharp needles, and to therefore steer clear of them. But I am apparently not wise.

We have a giant cactus in our back yard that, in the 12 years that my family has lived in Phoenix, has grown to a good 10 feet or so. Considering that it originally sprouted from one of those tiny potted cactuses (Cacti? Cactus? I am, apparently, a bad linguistics student) that you buy in the airport as a tacky souvenir, that’s a pretty amazing feat. So I thought it would make a nice backdrop for my photo. I hooked my camera up to my trusty little tripod, set up the shot, turned on the 10-second delay, and hurried into the frame. And then I lost my footing. Cue one giant, pointy cactus needle poking me in the arm.

That would explain the distant, upset look and half-smile on my face in this shot! Luckily there was no serious damage—to my sweater, of course. I’m not worried about my arm.

I bought this dress about a year ago for a trip to Las Vegas with my sister and a few friends of ours. It’s comfortable and lightweight—perfect for warm-weather days. In fact, I wore it all day long yesterday even though I spent most of the day at home, and then I paired it with leggings and a cardigan in the evening to go to my knitting group at Starbucks.

Dress and leggings: Target. Cardigan: Old Navy

 
Shoes: Target. Cat: Lucky

I have two cats, Lucky and Domino, and Lucky is definitely the more…special of the two. He has a penchant for running into things, falling off of things, and being frightened by virtually everything. Poor guy had just been through a traumatic experience, though—he hopped into my sister’s car as she was leaving, so she took him for a drive around the block. Do you see the terror in his eyes?!

My name is Kellie, and I am a clothing addict.

I’ve started this blog for two reasons: (1) I was inspired by some lovely bloggers/fashionistas (Frocks and Frou Frou, Jay Miranda, Dollface is Candysweet, etc.) and (2) To force myself to think outside the lines and come up with new outfit ideas!

Why yes, I am reading The Hobbit while perched against a tree trunk. What of it?
To start, let me tell you a few things about myself: I am a self-professed “word nerd.” I am studying linguistics, I enjoy reading a ridiculously wide assortment of books (if it’s a book about linguistics then it’s a double-win) and I have been known to annoyingly correct bad grammar and punctuation. I love British shows (Sherlock, The IT Crowd, Monday Monday…) and Sci-Fi (Battlestar Galactica, Firefly, Star Wars) and when those things combine, it’s nothing short of obsession (Doctor Who, anybody?)
I also love knitting, nail polish, cooking (when it’s by choice, not by obligation) and riding my cruiser bike around my neighborhood with a silly smile on my face. Oh, and yesterday I successfully poached an egg for the first time (cue victory music.)

I live in a city in the middle of a desert (Phoenix, Arizona) which means chilly-but-mild winters and scorching summers—but the in-between periods are just lovely. They’re the reason over 4 million people live in the Valley of the Sun. Winter usually calls it quits in the middle of January, and then we’ve got a good four months to enjoy sunny days before it hits 100 degrees and we all shrink back into our air-conditioned houses and cars.
It’s starting to smell like springtime again. I don’t really know how to describe the smell—maybe blooming flowers (cactus flowers?) or fresh grass or a cool breeze—but I smelled it as I was walking to my car after a class last night. The smell reminds me of spring training, when the Major League teams come to the Phoenix area to prepare for the season. As a lifelong Seattle Mariners fan, this is my second-favorite time of year, after Christmas. This is the time of the year when I live in skirts, dresses, and sandals. However, since it’s currently closer to winter than summer, the weather can still be a little cold sometimes. This dress is perfect, because it’s sturdy cotton and fully-lined. So while it wouldn’t be ideal in, say, July, when it’s pushing 115°, it’s ideal for early spring.

Dress: Converse One Star (via Target)
I bought it to wear to a concert about a year and a half ago (Paramore on the Honda Civic Tour…it was fantastic!) and haven’t worn it much since then. I have a tendency to forget I own certain articles of clothing—out of sight, out of mind. When I found this in the back of my closet last week, I wondered why I haven’t worn it! It’s cute, comfortable, and really easy to accessorize. Sure, a stiff breeze will easily lift the flap because it’s a wrap dress, but a trusty slip or cute leggings underneath easily fix that problem. So needless to say, I will be wearing this more often!

Belt: Target. Cuff: Forever 21 (I think…it’s been a while!) Ring: DIY. Nailpolish: OPI Mermaid Tear

Shoes: Seychelles via DSW
As a last note, I love these shoes! I got them on clearance at DSW (a.k.a. shoe-lover’s paradise) and I wear them every chance I get. They’re comfortable, with a well-padded sole and a sturdy heel, and they have a vintage feel to them. I love this color, because it looks good with neutrals but also compliments bright colors. If I were to find  them at DSW again, I’d buy them in every color available!