Accessories Anonymous: Bibs aren't just for babies, you know!

The bib necklace trend is so hot right now- you can walk into literally any store and find several to choose from. I personally own a couple and I love them. Mine are beaded and can be seen here and here. My favorite one is the first one- the pearls and beads. It's so vintage-y looking. Nearly every time I wear that necklace, people ask me one of two questions. Either they ask, "Is that vintage?" Or they ask, "Did you make that with vintage beads?" I'm not a very talented jewelry-maker, so I usually laugh at the latter question. With the former, I lean in and whisper, "No, I bought it for seven dollars at Forever 21." I wish I could say it was a fabulous vintage find, but I'd be lying. Anyway, I digresss... back to topic.

The name "bib" refers to the shape of the necklace, but it doesn't necessarily mean that it has to be a solid piece. Loose beadwork or dangling fringe in that same shape qualify as bibs, too. So find the one that works best for you and go for it! I found these three on Etsy and fell in lov with each one. They are the solid piece style, but Etsy is chock full of all sorts of styles of bib necklaces. Just start browsing and I'm sure you'll find one you love. Anyway, here are my three favorites:

Button Bib Necklace, LandAndLaboratory, $15

Vintage Pin Bib Necklace, myfaunaflora, $96

Poppies Bib Necklace, RomanticCollection, $25

I think my favorite is the poppies one, just because I love poppies, but they are all fabulous. The one made with vintage pins is especially fun to me because you know it's one-of-a-kind. Something that unique is always really special to have.

What do you think of the bib necklace trend? Do you love it? Do you have one? Leave a comment and tell me all about it!

Shoesday Tuesday- Shoe Dazzle's April selections

Earlier this month, I received the selections for my "April Showroom" from Shoe Dazzle. Last month I did not purchase any shoes from Shoe Dazzle. If you remember, I liked the second round of selections for my showroom, but none of them were "to-die-for" or absolute must-haves for me. Click here, here, here and here for my original Shoe Dazzle posts.

Anyway, here is my "April Showroom" from Shoe Dazzle:

Other than the black ankle boot, I think these are all great shoe selections for this time of year. I'm not interested in a dark ankle boot right now because spring is fast approaching and I'm mostly looking forward to bare legs and open toe shoes. The first option, a gladiator-style flat sandals is nice, but I've never really been into that style for myself. I may eventually buy a pair, since they are so popular right now, but in that event, I'll actually go to a store to try some on. I want to make sure that since it has so many leather straps criss-crossing around that I find a pair that will be the most flattering on my leg and foot. The black sling-back wedges are nice, but I already own a pair of black summer wedges and these would be a bit redundant for me. The silver heels are probably the shoes I'd be most likely to purchase if I were to select a shoe from this showroom. They're very different from anything I already own and that's actually what is drawing me to them. I tend to go with the same styles all the time, so these would be a nice departure for me. The brownish-red wedges are once again just a little too similar to shoes I already own and like I said before, the black booties are just too out of season for me.

I actually requested another set of shoes for a couple of reasons. First, I'm still in the experimental phase of my Shoe Dazzle membership. Until I make a purchase, I have all the time in the world to decide what shoes I want. Once a purchase is made, I'm suddenly bound by the "purchase by the 6th of the month" rule for every month moving forward. So while I'm still experimenting, why not see as many shoes as I can, right?

Just like last month, I had to answer a few more questions about what I'm looking for. In terms of color I said I'd like to see neutrals and bright colors (not metallics). In terms of heel height- I selected all three options- flats, mid-height and high heel. For which occassion, I selected "going out" the same as last time. In the comments section I wrote, "Fun and funky. For neutrals I would prefer a nude shoe rather than black or brown." Let's see what they come up with! I'll be sure to post an updated showroom as soon as I get it.

In the meantime, leave me a comment and tell me which of these shoes you like. Also, based on my experience, are you at all intrigues by Shoe Dazzle? Are you tempted to try them out? I'm curious as to how you feel about the whole concept.

Easter Weekend

I hope you all had a fabulous Easter weekend. Mine was actually quite eventful and I have several outfits to show you. First up, my church attire for Easter Sunday morning. I've always admired the women who can wear a big ol' hat to church and look fabulous doing it. I have always wanted to wear one. I didn't actually wear the hat to church- but I did enjoy snapping some pictures with it before heading out to service.

Dress: Target, $12.98

Shoes: Kenneth Cole, $14.98

Hat: Nine West, $19.99

Sunglasses: Michael Kors, gift

Flower pin: Ann Taylor Loft, $3

Belt: I have NO idea!

After snapping these and many more unsuccessful photos with my camera perched on top of the neighborhood mailbox, I decided to stop being such a cheapskate and after church I bought myself a tripod. Later that afternoon, I put on my fun green floral dress and decided to head out around the neighborhood to practice taking pictures. It was supposed to be just for fun and to start to better understand my camera and lighting and whatnot. I did learn a lot, but not about what you might think. You see, as soon as I stepped outside my apartment with nothing but the clothes on my back and my tripod-mounted camera, I realized I'd just shut the LOCKED door behind me. Yup. Easter Sunday early evening and I was completely locked out. What a loser I am, right? After about an hour and a half, I was back in my apartment, safe and sound, but it was definitely an adventure. An adventure in stupidity, that is. Anyway, here are a couple of the "practice" shots I took, including one with me sitting on my front stoop, waiting...

Dress: ME!

Shoes: Sofft via Marshalls, $29.99

Ring: Festoon, $40

I forgot to take a good shot of my shoes- these are a perfect example of a nude shoe. They're wedges, so they're more comfortable than heels, but the nude aspect is really what's key. Don't worry, there will be many more opportunities this summer for me to photograph them. Anyway, I had fun playing with my camera, but hopefully the next time I try to practice playing photographer, I'll remember to bring my keys, or my phone, or a credit card or something useful to a person locked out of her home.

The next day (Monday) was the most beautiful day we've had in a while and I ended up going kayaking on the Susquehanna River with my friend Mindy. I will only be showing you one picture of my outfit from that adventure:

Sorry friends, no photos in my bathing suit will be on the internet anytime soon. The water was freezing, but the sun was hot, so it was a great afternoon out on the river. I got quite a bit of sun, but hopefully I'll get to build on it even more in the coming weeks and hopefully be able to get my skin from pasty-white to a nice healthy glowing tan.

Today I'm headed back to work after this fabulous long weekend. It's going to be another unseasonably warm  day here in PA, so I hope I've dressed appropriately. It was raining and thundering earlier this morning, but now the sun is shining and I hope it stays that way for the rest of the day. I decided to look a little "French" today. By the way, these photos were all taken using my new tripod. I think I did pretty well!

Dress: Old Navy, $8.79

Hat: Target, $1.50 (No joke!)

Flower pin: Ann Taylor Loft, $3

Earrings: Aldo, I think

Shoes: Deb Shops, I forget how much

Ring: Gift

I got caught adjusting my hat in this one! Gotta be more careful with that self-timer!

I think the black and white stripes along with the red flower and the cute hat all make this outfit very Parisian. Or at least that's my intent.

Well, I think that's enough photos for today. It's Shoesday Tuesday, so I'll try to post again this evening. I got my April shoe selections from Shoe Dazzle, so I want to share them with you. Check back soon!

Wishlist: Frye Sandals

If I was rich, I would wear Frye sandals every day in the summer and Frye boots all winter. Have you ever put on a pair of Frye shoes? They are amazing. So comfortable, so beautiful- basically they are perfection in a shoe. They are made of the most beautiful leathers you've ever seen- the kind of leather that still looks amazing when it's all scuffed up and worn. Someday I'll own some Frye shoes, I hope. In the meantime, I'll have to be content drooling over these:

Dara Slingback, Nordstrom, $197.95

Joy Sandal, Nordstrom, $197.95

Dara T-Strap, Zappos, $119

Gabrielle T-Strap, Zappos, $119

Donations towards my first pair of Frye sandals are always welcome! I should put a Paypal "donation" button on the blog!

I met someone today...

Actually, he's more than just "someone," he's the perfect boyfriend. He's sweet, oh, so very, very sweet. He listens to me talk about basically anything I want and never complains. He goes wherever I want to go, also without complaint. Come to think of it, he's actually rather quiet and basically lets me do all the talking. Which I like. Anyway, I met him at work today and immediately fell in love. We went outside for a little while because the weather was so nice.

Isn't he adorable? I think we look really great together. What a cute couple, right? Well, it was the beginning of a perfect romance. Our first date was going really well.

I suggested we have lunch. He didn't respond. I took that to mean that he wasn't hungry. Unfortunately, for him, I was.

I lost control. I don't know what came over me. He smelled so delicious, I just couldn't resist him. (Insert "Jaws" music here.)

I bit his head off. Brings new meaning to the term "maneater," right? So sorry, little Donut-Man. As much as I loved you, I don't think it would have worked out between us. I really need a man with a little more personality and a little less carbs.

Project Runway: Season Seven, Episode 11

WIN: Emilio & Anthony
AUF'd: Jonathan

Could this episode have had a little more drama, please? Maya leaves! Seth Aaron's model leaves! Anthony comes back! The other model comes back to be Seth Aaron's model! Heidi flashes Jay! Anthony stays up til 2:30! Jonathan makes three different dresses, each one worse than the one before it! Jessica Alba guests judges! Two winners!!! Aaaahhhhh!!! It's so crazy! And holy cow, Heidi Klum is one tough client. I do NOT envy these designers.

I'm so happy for Anthony and Emilio- how convenient that Jessica Alba loved Anthony's dress, right? Heidi, Michael & Nina must have loved it, too, or they would't have named Anthony as an additional winner. I think it was positively serendipitous how it all worked out. Emilio made the perfect dress for Heidi, while Anthony made the perfect dress for Jessica without even knowing she'd be there to judge! And I also agree wholeheartedly with the judges decision to auf Jonathan. It was his time. He hasn't really been a top contender, but more of a middle-of-the-road contestant. When it gets this close to the finale of the show, the mediocre designers just have to go. Of course I feel bad for him being auf'd because he's a nice person, but in the end I think it was a good call.

Best quote of the episode: "It looks like something the Real Housewives of New Jersey would wear! - Nina

On a side note, I am not a regular viewer of the "Models of the Runway" show. However, last week I did watch it. It was a very tense episode because Seth Aaron's model Valeria was considering taking a different modeling gig and leaving the show. In the end, she made a HUGE deal out of saying how despite the great opportunity, she was going to choose to stay with Seth Aaron. She was very dramatic about it and really played up the whole "loyalty" angle. And the gorgeous Cerri (whose accent I adore, btw) got booted because Valeria chose to stay. Anyway, my point is that I don't understand why she made such a huge show out of staying on the show, only to quit a day later! Is that something the producers told her to do simply because they thought it would make for a more dramatic couple of episodes? Or did she think of that all on her own? Or did she truly have a change of heart? I suppose we'll never know.

Food blogging is cool, but so am I!

I'm not a food blogger, but I secretly wish I was one. There are times when I plan to take a picture of my outfit, but instead I take a picture of....

...my dinner.

I've always been really into food and because I come from a family of decent cooks, I've always just assumed that I'm a good cook, too. Then I started watching Top Chef and I realized... umm, no.

I've also always thought that I'm a pretty good baker. I bake a lot of goodies and bring them to work. They aren't always pretty, but they are always tasty, and I'm happy enough with that. But there are some people who bake tasty AND beautiful goodies and I respect them a great deal. Ms. Humble is one such person. Her baked goods are simply stunning. I'm continually amazed at the incredible edibles she creates each day. It's really amazing. So, I'm going to stick with fabric as my medium.

Do not be disappointed in my pathetic dinner picture, friends, for even though I didn't get a picture of MY outfit today, I did get a picture of Andrea's outfit. I referred to her as my "boss" in the last post where I featured her, but the truth is that I was being a little manipulative. I wanted to spin the post around the whole "dressing for the office" theme. The truth is, before she was my boss, she was my roommate and my friend, and while we're no longer roommates, we're still really good friends. Good enough friends that she lets me take her picture at the end of a long day and put it on my blog.

Although, she looks pretty darn good for it being the end of the day, in my humble opinion. At the end of the day, my hair is deflated, my clothes are wrinkled and my face is all shiny. Color me jealous.

Anyway, isn't her outfit adorable? I had to put it on the blog, not only because it's super cute, but also because these boots have had me drooling ever since she bought them. I mentioned the other day that we took a trip to King of Prussia and shopped our brains out. The boots were one of Andrea's purchases and I've been so jealous ever since. I've been secretly wanting a pair of cowboy boots for a while now, but I didn't want normal ones. These are so fabulous because they're so tiny- like little baby cowboy boots. I love them!

If you're wondering if you could pull off this look, let me tell you that you can. And here's why: although these boots may seem like they stop at an unflattering spot on the leg, they actually have a fabulous detail that makes them very flattering on a bare leg. Take a closer look:

See the "V" in the front? That "V" is magical. It helps to lengthen the line of your leg, making these boots perfect to wear with a dress or a pair of shorts. I talked about something similar a while back when I posted about the ankle boot trend. I wrote about selecting booties that angle down from the back. Well, the "V" in these boots is the exact same principle, but it exaggerates the effect even more. Is that fabulous or what?

So what do you all think- do I need to go buy a pair of these boots for myself? Let me know what you think! And if you're interested in getting a pair for yourself, Andrea's came from Nordstrom. I checked their website to see if I could find them to link over, but I couldn't seem to find the exact ones. I did, however, find these, these, these, these, these and these.