Clearance boys shirt = cute top for E

me and e on dec 14

I didnt start the day in this outfit. I was completely dressed in straight legged gray slacks, a geometric patterned blouse with a black undershirt and coordinated necklace. I just needed to slip my shoes on and grab a sweater.

However, I began to feel the pinch of the waistband around my middle and decided a bit too many cookies this month (+ a couple of sodas and a bucket load of cocoas with donuts sprinkled here and there) meant that I would need to pull out my most favorite comfy jeans. I've had them for about 5 years, they stretch more and more as the day goes on. The hems are frayed beyond recognition and in my skinny days these are too big for my bum... perfect! Especially since I planned on making (and eating) gingerbread cookies later ;)

E found me in the bathroom standing on the toilet (as usual) and wanted in on this picture thing. She had on the perfect mixed outfit too! Her t-shirt is a hand me down from a friend (belonging to our miss b)and the tutu is from Target last Christmas. It sparkles and twirls and both girls still fit into them. They wore them yesterday to church. E wore hers with stockings and her brothers Gap navy blue sweater with a big snowflake on the front that he wore 5 years ago! Both my littles have gotten away with wearing it and looking adorable!

On me:

my old reliable jeans

shirt: thrifted $5

purple t: Target

Cardigan: Target

ring: www.smallthingsdesigns.com

enjoying
my new Env3 with unlimited text and data plan
Coffeemate's Peppermint mocha creamer in plain ol' walmart cocoa
Christmas Classic station on Pandora
this gingerbread cookie recipe
Lain's 5 easy handmade gifts
oh and then there's this:

Dec 11 me standing on the toilet

Did I already explain why in all these pictures I am standing on a toilet with my head cut off?
1) It's the only place I can take a good full body (minus head) self portrait without setting up a tripod
2) Usually I like how the flash bounces off the ceiling in the bathroom
3) Once I am on the toilet I can't see my head in the mirror. If I bring my camera down low enough I can get my funny mug in the picture but it also means there is a very bright flash in my face!

thrifted cardigan 3.99
blouse: Target clearance >$5
jeans: Old Navy from my sister
boots: My newest treasure found at the thrift store $8!!!

Today my sista brought me Krispy Kreme from our newly reopened bakery. We ran errands and dropped our Christmas postcard in the mail. We ate zuppa toscano among other yummies for lunch. Later we're heading to the church Christmas dinner.... turkey dinner, I hear!

dec 10

I could see it in my head last night. My comfy ripped jeans, an aerosmith t shirt and an off white cardigan topped with my red scarf. Unfortuantely, I had no aerosmith t shirt, no guns n roses, no classic rock t's, nothin. So the pic on the right is what I WOULD HAVE looked like if I had one.

I ran to the thrift store first thing this morning to hunt for one. I even convinced myself if I found one that smelled like it was washed I might actually wear it to breakfast with my photog friends without washing it first.... ewwww I know... but I was obsessed. Looking back, I am sooooo glad I didnt find one! haha! I did find an AWESOME pair of slate blue boots! I have been on the hunt for a pair of boots like them for a couple of months! Just trying to decide what I will wear with them... silvery gray leggings and a dress? black leggings with a denim skirt and grey sweater? I dunno, guess we'll see tomorrow!

black flast with buckle: Target
Jeans: Old Navy boot cut that is an old style of boot cut they dont make anymore
basic black t
thrifted gap cardi
yard sale banadana

Our day started off at about 5 am. An ice storm ripped in and pounded our house with pellets. It began snowing in parts of town and then the thunder and lighting! Something like this inevitable means school would be affected some how. And though things were sunny in spite of the cold wind, our side of town was pretty decent. But a look across the river we could see snow and probably ice. So seeing as how our district takes up the entire city of Albuquerque and the buses park over on the other side of the river, our district gave us a 2 hour delay.

After finally getting everybody off to school I grabbed a load of fabric soon to be cute skirts for kiddos and drove up to my sister's. We ate some nummy chili, cut fabric, gossiped and laughed. We ran and errand and then the kids all came home. sigh

But I had cookies to bake and a cookie exchange to go to. Ah friends and sugar! Two of my favorite things! :)

Basic black t
new leggings form target
clearance target necklace
target flats
thrifted linen dress $6

Was told by my 13 year old, "CUTE!"

dec 7

This is my magic coat! I bought it last year (or the year before?) on clearance at Target. Here is a classic story of why I call it the magic coat:

My 5 year old and I were on a shopping trip to Michaels. I was on a quest for the perfect trim for my ornaments for the swap. As I reach towards the silver braided cord a woman leans towards me and says,
"Your coat is beautiful!"
"Thank you, " I reply.
"Do you know that lady?" my little girl asks.
I tell her, "No. She was just complimenting me on my magic coat."
"Magic?!" she laughs.
I explain, "This coat is magic because anytime I wear it people say nice things to me. They tell me how beautiful I look, how they love my coat, or just other nice things. And so I call it my magic coat because it seems to cast a spell on people."

We approach the register as I finish my explanation. Suddenly my girl exclaims,
"Mama! That lady has your coat!"
Sure enough a lady checking out has the same coat draped over her arm. We look at each other and smile. I explain, "I was just telling my daughter about this coat being magic. Do people compliment you whenever you wear it?"
The lady tells us how she bought 2 of them. One was for a friend. She tells us that people love the coat and that she remembers seeing me at the post office a year ago in my coat! We chat for a good 5 minutes as the lady in front of me and then I check out. We walk out to the car with the other magic coat owner. I find out she is the owner of a local spa and her name is Monica(!!! in NM if you're monique you might as well answer to monica too!) She invites us to a big holiday extravaganza at her spa. Unfortunately, the coat's magic powers do not help with memory and I just remembered we forgot all about the party! Darn it! oh well, still magic.

dec 4

Had such a busy day. So many errands. Too many kids (parent teacher conferences this week.)

After talking about my daily chosen clothes and saying something about putting more effort into what I wear... not the ordinary jeans and T, I suddenly had a craving for jeans and a T. I had a photoshoot with my nieces so I wanted to wear something comfy and functional. I dressed it up with my gap cardigan you havent seen yet, a hand knit navy blue scarf, straight legged jeans and some plaid tennies. I bought both tops at Walmart last year. I really really really try to stay far away from walmart clothes purchases because typically the quality isnt that great, walmart is an evil giant, sweatshops, etc. but this blue t is an organic one I picked up for $5! Could you pass up organic cotton for $5? I dare you! The red and white striped one underneath was a happy find. I hunted everywhere last winter for a red and white striped t after falling in love with one in the Boden catalog. I couldn't find anything under $30!!! Then happened across this one while picking up dog food for only $8. I am told I like to justify things often... oh well, I look cute ;)

December 3

So this is the ornament I made for Life in the Lyon's Den ornament swap. I hand crafted each paper house and used gumball machine containers for the domes. pretty nifty, huh?

And apparently getting dressed with the intention of wearing something nice (rather than the lounge pants or jeans and a tee, or mafia style jogging suit... well anyway, it's becoming a habit and a way to keep me on task through out the day.

This outfit is one of my favorite pairs of very straight legged baggy pants (reminds me of womens 1940s pants), a striped Old Navy T-shirt that my sis gave me after she accidentally ordered 2, a thrifted cardigan (about $6?) and a refurbished necklace made from a thrifted necklace and a big red bead from one of my other sistas.

This picture is a reminder to me to
a) clean my bathroom mirrors
b) get a pedi some time this winter
see ya tomorrow, I got to get back to posting a client gallery.

Thrifted Clearance outfit #2

Here is the blue version of the previous dress, also $1 @ walmart. The cardigan here is a new with tags Old Navy one I found at the thrift store for 6.99. The shoes and gray skirt were bought brand new at target. Fun stuff!

On the tail end of a cruddy day. Have a ton of work to do and no motivation to do it. Must get done though. see ya!

Wardrobe Wednesday

ok I am not actually starting a ritual Wardrobe Wednesday, but this is one of a few things I actually loved today. (Wednesday is early dismissal for the elementary kiddos and it's smack dab when Little E needs her nap.)

I found this dress last night at Walmart. My first thought when I saw it was e-gads that is bright and hideous! Then I thought about how cute it would be with my boots and new cardi. Then I thought about how it was walmart and really made like crap in a foreign country probably by children. But then I saw the price tag $1! Sorry, couldn't pass up a dress for a buck!(or the similar blue one for the same price!!!)

The whole outfit with the exception of the shirt is either clearance or thrifted:
dress $1
boots: new old navy @ saver's thrift store last year 9.99
stockings: clearance $1
vintage pin (on waist): 1.99 @ savers
cardigan that I wore with it but not in the picture: NEW w/tags GAP @ savers $14! (original price tag said $45)

I LOVE clothes you wear in the cooler weather! Layers of tops, tanks, boots, leggings, sweaters. Best stuff! Some of my favorite style blogs:
Cardigan Empire
Have a Cute Day
What I wore
Some Girls Wander(of Black Apple fame... I'll take one of the cute necklaces from her shop!)

Oh, and yes, I stand on my toilet to do shots like this! Wanna make fun of me? meet you on the playground after school tomorrow! ;)

Posting up a storm today

(Firstly, lets just say, I do have other things I should be doing, but since I feel inspired to post and it's keepin' me happily distracted, I'll keep posting anytime I feel like it.)

So I've been in search of my style as of late. I've always loved fashion and "style" and changed quite a bit...(here's where I'd post pics of myself to prove to you the ups and downs of moki-style, but that's too much work... and embarrassment)

Then I was in Barnes and Noble last week hunting for an elusive book. I caught the cover of a handy little book titled, "The Lucky Guide to Mastering Any Style." I flipped through each of it's luscious pages of clothing. Bohemian ruffled tops and whispy skirts, rockin' jeans and bangles, classic tailored jackets and vintage heels. I loved so much of it. But I felt a little bummed that my taste was all over the board...I dunno, I kind of wanted a name for what I do...something specific, not "monique will like it, she like's anything" (so to speak.)And then! Near the end of the book! I came across a new to me word "Gamine!" Have you ever heard of that word? How cute is it?! Gamine describes the tomboyish yet playful and even sexy look of gals such as Audrey Hepburn, Maggie Gylenhall, Mia Farrow, and Gwenyth Paltrow. To describe it visually, throw on some straight legged trousers, a button up blouse, and some cute, bold, and unique, slightly vintagey cardigan. It's 75% tomboy 25% girl. And though I am about 50lbs (or so) from resembling any of those waifish elfin creatures that fill the gamine category, I know my wardrobe is not far behind.

Must look for: "The Lucky Shopping Manual: Building and Improving Your Wardrobe Piece by Piece "