Frugal Friday...Wedding Edition!

Via Design Sponge

Check out Design Sponge (another of my favorite blogs!) today, and feast your eyes on this AMAZING $5 wedding dress and gorgeous vintage inspired wedding. (And I thought my $20 wedding dress was cheap!)
If I had it to do all over again, I'd borrow lots of these ideas. What's your favorite part? Was your wedding dress a frugal find or a special splurge? Do tell!

Bachelorette with Class

Loyal TOTC blog reader Tonja said, "I have a request! So I am a typical pear-shaped lady, about 5'5 and average size... bachelorette party in South Lake Tahoe on Labor Day weekend. Apparently the cute black dress I'd like to wear is too fancy for the late 20-something er's I'll be partying with (me being almost 33 and all). What the heck do I wear? I can't wear super high heels (bad feet) and want to be comfy, but still look like I am out to party.. any ideas?"
Tonja, I'm with you...I would have totally opted for the cute black dress. But apparently the trend is towards something a little more, um...trampy. Have you seen some of those bachelorette party photos on Facebook? Skkkaaanky. I don't want you to dress like a tramp, so I hope this outfit fits the bill. I think it's casual, but still put together and chic enough for dinner and drinks out with the girls. Do you agree bloggy readers? Or have I missed the boat on bachelorette fashion?
Here's the scoop about today, everything comes from Old Navy because there's a 30% off coupon! that you can use through Sunday! What up!

Fall Fashion Picks...

For those of you in need of a cheap fashion fix while I whip up the next blog post, head on over to Lily Jane. She's one of my favorite bloggers.
I want one of everything she's posted today...especially the mustard sweater and floral dress. Swoon! And check out those $25 jeans!
Enjoy!

By the Side of the Road, Dressed to Kill

I am just so excited about today's post...When Katie wrote me, asking for advice on what to wear to a Jackie Greene concert, I knew I'd have a blast creating a look. Why? Because we're major Jackie Greene fans in my house. Right after we were married five years ago, my husband and I took a road trip and listened to all the CD's we'd burned for our wedding. Somehow Rusty Nails, Jackie's first album, was in the mix. We must have listened to that CD 20 times. We were certain he was an old black guy from the south, with his blues meets rock meets folk vibe. WRONG! He's a skinny white kid from Sacramento. Who had a concert coming up. The American Myth album release concert at Empire is still the BEST concert I've ever been to. Fast forward to now, and we've been to more Jackie concerts than I can count. Really, I tried the other night and lost track.
Just so you know, there are two kinds of people at a Jackie Greene concert: Regular folks, and crazy dancing cougars. You have to watch out for them, with their flailing arms, empty drinks, and jungle print skimpy attire. They go nuts for "Mexican Girl". If Jackie was a man whore, he could have his pick of 50 year old divorcées every night. But I'm pretty sure he's an upstanding guy (and can probably get a gal his own age just as easily). Too bad for the cougars. Katie has a boyfriend, and is nowhere near cougar territory, so she'll be just fine rocking an indie inspired, folk/blues/rock worthy getup.
In summary, Katie, please have a blast for me at the concert. If you find at the last minute you have an extra ticket, I know someone who'd make the trek to Santa Cruz with you. (Wink wink!)
Oh yeah, everything today comes from Tilly's. Word!

Stay at Home Moms...Put DOWN the Sweatpants!

Yesterday I got an email from Becky, who said, "I'm so glad that you're back! Any ideas for a business woman turned new stay at home mommy? I'm lost!"
Hi Becky! First off, kudos to you for being a stay at home mom. It's my humble opinion that spending at least part of the workweek home with your kids is extremely important. Watching your kids grow, getting to take part in their day, being there when they wake up from their naps, feeding them lunch, playing with them outside...that's all stuff a parent would miss if that kiddo was in day care. Luckily for me I'm able to work part time from home and be here with my little one. I know there are mom's who probably don't agree with me or who would get bored (or go crazy) home with their kids all day. To each her own.
Moving on, this is a request that I'm actually an expert on. When I quit my corporate job to work from home, I went from heels and dresses to a limited wardrobe of yoga pants and hoodies. And sweatpants. Oh, the sweatpants. Did you know you can wear them all day and they then transition into pajamas? Therein lies the problem. Wearing the same thing for a couple days in a row can really make you feel frumpy. After my daughter was born (and I stared this blog) I began to realize that the way I dressed directly affected the way I went about my day. Sweatpants and hair in a pony tail? I'm probably not leaving the house. An accessorized outfit and my hair-did? I'm most likely to get the heck out of here today! And as any stay at home mom can tell you, getting out of the house is muy importante.
So, my prescription for the stay at home mom. Start with the basics. (See below). We've all got some form of these in our closets. Think cardigans, tank tops, long sleeve shirts, jeans, khakis, jean jacket. Start there. (These all come from Old Navy).



But don't stop at the basics! Now the fun begins. Get thee to Target, Old Navy, and Payless, and blow a hundred bucks. For a Benjamin, you'll get enough fun accessories and shoes to make it easily through next Spring. Here's my accessory trifecta: Scarves, earrings, and flats. I LOVE scarfs. From about September through April I'll wear a scarf almost every day. Usually one with a loud print. I pair it with some cha cha earrings and colorful flats, and I'm good to go.



Hope this helps, Becky! What do you other stay at home mom's think? Anything you'd add to the list of must-haves?

In Neutral

This weekend my uber-chic cousin Cyndi wore an amazing dress to the bridal shower. (It was kind of like this one from Modcloth.) So today I'm shamelessly stealing her look.
I sure have been a bad blogger. Things are both great and crappy at the same time right now, and I've been busy researching myself silly lately on the interwebs trying to make things right. Which they are slowly on their way to becoming. Cryptic, eh? It's like one of those Facebook status postings that says "I'm having a really bad day, don't ask why". In short, I miss the blog, and being an adult on the computer and being all responsible is not near as fun as shopping online and putting fun outfits together. I think I need more of this in my life.
Thanks for all the nice comments yesterday! Anybody have anything they'd like to see? Going anywhere and need outfit ideas? Have a hankering for some new accessory and don't want to spend a fortune? Let me know!


Clutch
Shoes
Earrings
Necklace
Belt
Dress

It's Been Awhile...

I should be doing housework. But, the baby is sleeping in the room which houses the mountain of unfolded laundry. Thus, I decided to sit down and revisit the blog I abandoned. Remember me? I used to throw outfits together and write (what I hope was) witty commentary. Alas, life gets in the way, and my blog got thrown by the wayside. I'm hoping to get back to it.
So, this weekend was our family reunion and a bridal shower for Kristin, my soon to be cousin in law, who is going to be a librarian, which made me think of this awesome pin I saw awhile back, which inspired me to want saddle shoes. Which brought about a long overdue blog post.
Blogger is being weird and won't let me post links. Or maybe I've been away so long that things have changed and technology has passed me by...whatever. If you want to know where something comes from today, just email me.
The baby is awake. Off to fold laundry.