Red Dress Love

My friend (the one who is getting married in July) and I found this dress on Modcloth the other day while looking for bridesmaid's dresses. Our conversation via email went something like this...
Her: "Do you see that red dress?"
Me: "Good lord, that's a GORGEOUS dress! I would so wear that"
Her: "Why can't that come in my colors?"
Me: "Red works for me!" (I'm such a bad bridesmaid...)

Anywho, it's quite a stunner, don't ya think? It's the perfect type of dress to wear to a summer wedding, a fancy Valentine's date, a Christmas party, or perhaps...

dressed as a pin up girl to go bar hopping on Halloween with your husband dressed in drag.
(Many years ago, before kids, before shame).

The scoop:
Clutch, Payless
Peep Toes, Forever 21
Mod Hoops, Forever 21
Frankly I Don't Give A Dress, Modcloth
Ring, Target

There's a Bun in the Oven

Around about the time we decided to try and sell our house, we also made the decision to put off having another baby. We figured the responsible thing to do was wait until we knew what our housing situation was going to be before bringing another little Cheapster into the world. Because you usually can't buy another house for at least 2 years after a short sale, the wait could have been pretty long. Both my husband and I were bummed, but felt we were being really grown up about the whole thing. It's always nice to feel grown up, isn't it?
We put the house in the market July 8. August 1st I found out I was pregnant. I'm due in late April.
"Ha ha!" said Karma.
We'll be moving in to our new house right before the baby is born. I think he must have known it would all work out. (Yep, it's a boy).

Everything today comes from Old Navy. I have a non-maternity Old Navy striped shirt that I am wearing the heck out of. Surprisingly, horizontal stripes while pregnant help to say, "Hey look, I'm not getting fat, it's actually a baby!"

And I'm back!

I'm back to blogging after a great trip to Texas to visit the in-laws. This is what we did a lot of:

Yep, that's me, eating. (Why did I choose such an unflattering picture as my first appearance on my own blog? Good question.) Taco Cabana, Sonic, BBQ, Velveeta & Rotel, fried Allsup's Burritos....you name it, we ate it. My husband and I both missed Texas food (but our waistbands are quite glad we live in California). 

Onward! Check out my guest post on Urban Darling from last week, where I take on BCBG and restyle an $800 outfit. I've got loads of reader requests coming up, including a look for an Anthropologie dress scored on eBay, a vintage themed graduation party outfit, and attire for a Swedish wedding. 

Do you have a reader request? Let me know, I'm always up for a fun fashion challenge! 

Tracy gets Twisted

While in college I worked at a swanky jewelry store. As employees, we got to wear anything we wanted on our shift....$5,000 cocktail rings, $1,000 strings of pearls, $10,000 chandelier earrings, tennis bracelets and Rolex watches. It was every girl's dream.
I hated it. 
You put "real" jewelry on me and I don't feel ritzy and chic, I feel like a nervous imposter. One day I left for an errand wearing those crazy chandelier earrings and nearly had a heart attack. Give me Target baubles any day. (But I did score a great employee discount on our wedding bands, so that was a bonus!)
Which brings me to my point. The other day I discovered Twisted Silver, a store full of beautiful, yet affordable, jewelry. Rarely do I click over to a site and love every single thing they have for sale, but that's the case here. Love love love! So, I decided to use them in a post (along with my cha cha shoes that I went back and bought at Burlington Coat Factory with a $10 off coupon!) Click on over to their site and let me know what your favorite thing is! (These are my favorite!)


The scoop:
Hepburn Earrings, Twisted Silver
Retro Bracelet, Twisted Silver
Metal Bead Skinny Belt, Forever 21
Paisley Floral Skirt, Forever 21
Slouchey Leatherette Tote, Forever 21
Thekkady Vest, Modcloth
Crochet Lace Trim Shirt, Old Navy
Wedges, Burlington Coat Factory

(And no, Twisted Silver did not sponsor me to do this post, I just love their stuff!)

Simple Saturday

It's Champagne Saturday at BonBon Rose, where bloggers share the outfit they're wearing and what they are drinking while enjoying their Saturday.
The outfit above is what I'm actually wearing today, right down to the Payless earrings. My big job of the day was grocery shopping at Trader Joe's for just six things, but instead I left with six  full grocery bags. Oops. Like my momma always says, don't grocery shop while you're hungry. I drank some fantastic tangerine juice on the way home, so that's my drink of the day.

The scoop:
BCBG Sunglasses, Ross (I know! 5 bucks!)
Old Navy Diva Jeans, Discovery Shop
Earrings, Payless
Purse, Payless
Flats, Target
Shirt, Old Navy clearance
Cardigan, Old Navy
Scarf, Old Navy

Ask and ye shall receive...

So yesterday I asked blogland, "Hey blogland, where did the lady in the front row of the Tiger Woods' press conference get her sweater?"
Boy did blogland deliver! Tonja sent me a link to a darling Victoria's Secret sweater that was pretty darn close, and comes in great colors. Then Kristin (you may remember her from here or here) sent me the link to the shirt above. Success! It's on sale on the Down East Basics website (check it out here), but Kristin saved me shipping and $8 off the online price by going to the store and buying it for me (and one for herself, too, in black.) Can you believe it? Too cool! Thanks Tonja and Kristin! I'm seriously loving the blog tonight. :)

Cha Cha on the Cheap

What's better than a trip to the mall with a friend? How about a trip just down the street to a thrift store and Payless shoes? Much better in my book! On Saturday a girlfriend and I did just that...she scored about $350 worth of designer merchandise from the Discovery shop for $50 (and now knows the secret to great cheap clothes in our town!) and we both did some major damage at Payless shoes, which is right next door. It's BOGO time, and we took full advantage of the buy one get one half off promo. After picking out the same pair of "cha cha" earrings above (her word, LOVE it) she ended up with those awesome silver sandals and me with that cool yellow purse. We're a bad-in-a-good way combination when it comes to discount shopping!
And that outfit (minus the shoes) is what I wore yesterday on our hot Valentine's date...to Home Depot, Target, Bev Mo and Mexican food. Running errands while the baby has a sitter is pretty darn close to romance these days!

The scoop:
Sandals, Payless
Jupiter Mid Satchel, Payless
Chandelier Cabashan Earrings, Payless
Tiered Voile Skirt, Old Navy
Cropped Denim Jacket, Old Navy
Grommet Neck Top, Forever 21

DIY Embellished Tank Top

So in Wednesday's post, one of my Spring must have's was an embellished tank, which I claimed was "totally easy to DIY!" Well I got to thinking about that statement, and decided to find out if it was as simple as I thought. Here's my result:

I used an old Target tank top, beads from a costume jewelry pearl necklace, and some scrap muslin to make the flowers. I finished the whole thing while the baby was eating her lunch, so not too shabby! I had so much fun, I decided to make another one:

This time I used a piece of the necklace and made rosettes out of some scrap white fabric. (I was inspired by this Charlotte Russe necklace). I'm thinking of wearing it on Valentine's Day with a cardigan. Yea or nay?

So...what do you out there in blogland think? Did I capture the trend, or am I just wearing scraps sewn on a ratty old tank top? (Which is kind of how I felt when I took these pictures...)

***Stay tuned next week, when I detail another amazing trip to the American Cancer Society Discovery Shop. Seriously, if you live in my town, you should go there asap!***

Wine Tasting on the Cheap

Yippee for my 100th post!
Yesterday we went wine tasting...we're lucky enough to live about 40 minutes from a slew of great wineries (and luckier still that the grandparent's live on the way so we can drop off the baby!) It wasn't raining so I got to wear my new purple flats. I'm absolutley loving these shoes...I think I'm going to use them in another post very soon, because they are just that awesome. Reader Casey asked about my "must haves" for spring over on the Facebook fan page, and I'd have to start with these flats, hands down.
Thanks to the internets, I was able to find a picture of this Old Navy cardigan I've had since my days in the corporate world. (Ahh, memories...) I'm finding more and more fun ways to wear my old work clothes that don't involve high heels, cublicles or commutes. Delightful.
And I must confess...that is not my purse. Although I wish it was my purse, so that's good enough for me.

The scoop:
Motorcycle Handbag, Tilly's
Purple Ruffle Ballet Flats, Target
Black Scarf, Forever 21
White Necklace, Newport News (mine is "vintage" from my Grandma)
Lucky Sundown Jeans, Ebay
Cardigan, bought 2 years or so ago at Old Navy
Black Shirt, Target a while back

What I Know About Australia

As promised, how to embarrass yourself in front of Australian.
Last week we went to dinner at the home of a teacher friend who was hosting an Australian teacher at her house. Delightful lady! I learned quite a few things about Australia....

• A Back, Sack and Crack is a wax job that is popular among Australian men. It's just what it sounds like.
• "Oi" is used for just about everything, depending on your voice inflection. Very useful word.
• Friends are "mates". Don't call a lady a "shiela" (despite what you may have learned from the Crocodile Hunter).
• Us Americans would say "doucebag", but in Australia they say "wanker". Brilliant.
• The only people who wear their Uggs outside their pants (or Uggs with skirts) are "boguns" or "westies"...or as we Americans would say, white trash.

This, of course, would be the night I finally get up the courage to wear my new mini skirt...and fake Uggs.

The scoop:
Necklace, Ebay (The one I wore was from Target clearance awhile back. I found this one on Ebay yesterday and bought it for just $1.38...with free shipping!)
Skirt, Old Navy (in store clearance)
Scarf, Old Navy
Fake Uggs, Payless
Sweater, Forever 21 (Mine came from the Nordstrom Rack forever ago, but this one is pretty darn cute)
Cami, Forever 21
Hoohobbers Diaper Bag, Overstock (I made my own diaper bag, but this one is an ultra cute alternative, albeit a little expensive.)

Purple Power

I'm sending some love to my favorite blogs this week. One of my go to style blogs is Uber Chic for Cheap. (A cheap chick after my own heart!) Thankfully, yesterday's post was a reminder of the ultra amazing 50% off clearance stuff sale at Old Navy. I scored three skirts, a shirt and a pair of maternity pants (no that's not an announcement...I just can't pass up pants for $2.50!) for only 20 bucks. Too bad I got there right after the little old lady who was obviously working hard to fill up her booth at the  Galt flea market...why else would you buy four carts full of Old Navy merchandise? It obviously was not for her (unless she needs about 100 camisoles and 50 mini skirts) I considered taking a white denim mini off her pile while her back was turned, but her shrewd flea market scowl made me think twice.

One of the aforementioned items I bought is this dark denim pencil skirt. It's $30 online, but I paid just $6.50. My opinion? It's worth way more than 30 bucks. It's quality stuff. As a curvy girl, a good pencil skirt is a wardrobe staple. This one is perfect, falling just below the knees and hugging all the right curves. It's one of those things that I know I'll wear again and again.

Tune in tomorrow when I tell you how to embarrass yourself in front of an Australian. Good times.

The scoop:
Denim Pencil Skirt, Old Navy
Burnished Strappy Wedge, Old Navy
Sunglasses, Forever 21
Whipstich Tassel Hobo, Charlotte Russe
Morisot Top, Modcloth
Leaf Earrings, Forever 21
Antique Studded Knit Vest, Forever 21

Sequins and shampoo...

I've been jonesing for a sequin top, but hadn't found one that fit the bill (or the budget) This weekend I spied this Miley/Max (that would be Cyrus/Azria...I know, what a pair!) top on the clearance rack at Walmart. The best part? It was only 8 bucks! I threw it in the cart along with the diapers, Suave, and dogfood. I just love a place where I can get all the stuff I need and score a cheap fashion find. I must have redneck roots.

Long story short, this is a great shirt. The fabric is high quality, thin but not see through, stretchy and soft. The black on black sequin bow is classy, and because it's understated, may outlive the sequin trend. One drawback: this top runs small. I'm usually an extra small or small, and I bought a medium. Other than that, it's super! Get thee to Walmart!

Ok, here's my question for you, blog readers...what do I wear this with? I'm a sequin virgin, and need your help!

Happy New Year!

So this is the outfit I was supposed to wear on New Year's Eve. Those shoes...those amazing, vintage inspired Betsey Johnson Betseyville shoes that I scored for $21...were too small. How did I end up buying shoes that were too small you may ask? Didn't I try them on? Well, I did, but fell victim to an affliction that takes down many a cheapskate...bargain blindness. I knew they were a good deal, I knew they were cute, and somehow this overshadowed the fact that they were just a teensy bit too small. So now I have a pair of shoes that retail for $100 that I must return to Ross. (Unless someone out there in blog land wants to buy them...size 7!) I wore tall black suede boots instead. They were cute, but not as cute that those pumps. Darn.
The dress, on the other hand, fit like a dream. I think those people took my exact measurements when they made that dress, because it was perfecto. And at only $15, I'm not heartbroken that my itty bitty's bottle leaked apple juice all over it around midnight. To the dry cleaners we go!
This necklace comes from Forever 21, but mine came (clearance, of course) from Target about 2 years ago for $4. It's much chunkier (and cuter), but this one would do in a pinch as well.
A big thanks to our friends for playing along and dressing up for our little party!