Winter Whites

In which I take lots of pretty pictures in the snow. Not much else. Except that my hair, and my clothes all fall into the category of winter white and therefore match the snow. Boom. Mind blown.

                

I definitely have to give a huge shout out to my amazing hair dresser (and best friend) Jessica Joyce Brady, over at Makeovers Salon and Spa, because hair this platinum is a frickin art form.

Ok, i love walking in circles while hubs takes my pics

I thought tossing the snow would be wicked cute and you know, like playful model esque. I just ended up with cold fingers.

What? I love standing in mud puddles

I guess this is the point where you want to know where I scored the goods? Both shirts are from the Philip Lim collection for Tar-jay. The lovely scarf was gifted, the pants are way old school Gap scored off the clearance rack for like $9.89 or something silly like that, and the boots have been in my closet for so long I have no idea where they are from (those are the best kind, in case you were wondering). The fingerless gloves were hand knit by yours truly. Just kidding, I'm not that cool. They are handmade though. And my awesomely cool ring is from the lovely Etsy shop LarkinandLarkin (which is filled with so much crazy cool stuff you have to check out. Seriously. Do it now.)

That's all I've got for today folks. I've been swamped prepping for Love Buzz and filling all of my regular shop orders, plus an independent art project I'm working on "What does being a Christian feel like?" (I could still use your help on this one! Click for more info!). So I might be posting less frequently for a while.

Don't worry, I still love you.

3 Rules for looking fab on the cheap

I really like my outfit this morning, so I had my (very patient) husband snap some pics while I paraded around in the snow on the back lawn. I think the results of this oh so professional photo shoot came out better than the last one, but I know I still look rather ridiculous. I'm having fun, who cares?

Not me, clearly.

 

This is the fabulous Superdry jacket the husband found at Marshall's. I knew it was coming for Christmas, but I was still so psyched opening it because it's just that fabulous.

The huge amazing blanket of a plaid scarf is an etsy score (the shop name is atohumco, out of Turkey) like most of my favorite pieces. Boyfriend jeans are Citizens of Humanity (that I scored on a Nordstrom sale rack on the way cheap), bag is DKNY (Marshall's again!), and the boots are Lucky Brand (Macy's clearance). The hat and sweater are both years old Gap and the only things I paid full price for. I love fashion, but I loathe paying fashion prices. So I hunt around for what I want. Some of the best stuff I have came from Marshall's and Tj Maxx!

It's totally possible to look the way you want to look (for me that's a combination of youthful street style meets pulled together mom meets I don't care I just want to be comfortable) without spending a stupid amount of money. You just need to really know how you want to look. If you don't have a vision to start with, however vague, you're going to buy a bunch of crap that doesn't work and waste your money in the process.

 

Rule number one (I didn't know I was going to be writing the rules, but this is fun people) : Know your style! Know which 'high end' labels are in sync with said style, and then find the pieces in your price range that are derivative of the pricey stuff.

Rule number two : Wait until it goes on sale. Because it always does. It's a matter of patience, and not getting caught up in the I have to have it right now because the magazine or blog or Suzy's mom said so mentality. I basically only shop sales, unless there is something I absolutely, no doubt, must have. This usually only happens when I fall into the 'but Suzy said so' trap. It happens. Always, always, buy the expensive thing on sale, as opposed to the cheap thing that was cheap to begin with. There is reason these things are more expensive and that's quality. If you buy quality it lasts for years. If you buy 'disposable clothes', you get to wear and wash them once or twice before they get trashed. All of those 'inexpensive' items you buy over and over again really start to add up!

Rule number three : Shop handmade! You get something that's one of a kind, and you get to support a real, individual, artisan. This can be expensive as well, but you're pretty much always going to spend less than you would buying brand name, big label items, especially when it comes to jewelry. I can't remember the last time I bought a piece of jewelry, for myself or as a gift, that I didn't purchase on etsy or at a local craft show. It's just somehow more authentic.

 

So, what do you guys think? Do you have any good tips for achieving the look you want without overspending? It's such a tricky balance you have to find, and I would appreciate any and all tips you guys might have! I'm by no means an expert, I just love clothes and hate to spend my hard earned money.

To further prove I'm not an expert, I thought I'd also share some of the more, um, interesting shots from this morning. I am such a dork.

"Babe, are you taking the pictures or what?"

A true professional at work

 

Not a fashion blogger

I love clothes. Call me vain, I like to look good. I paitiently waited for, missed, and then stalked the Isabel Marant for H&M collection on eBay; spending an absurd amount of money on a sweater. But I'm not trying to be a fashion blogger. In fact, I'm not entirely sure what kind of blogger I'm trying to be as of yet.
I don't really qualify as a mommy blogger, because my kids are "just my step kids". I won't even dignify that one with a response, but, yeah, there is that.
I'm not a foodie blogger, because me and the husband eat box pizza from Shaw's every single Sunday after church. Without fail. I love to cook (and my family will tell you I'm rather good at it) (hashtag humble brag) but I know the box pizza is a disqualifier.
I'm not a DIY blogger, because while I do love to create, make, and generally make art, I don't want to give all of my secrets away. Haha! No seriously.
Anyway, back to the matter at hand. I'm not not trying to be a fashion blogger, I promise. There are plenty of ladies out there with quite a bit more money and better photographers (the hipster husband took these charming snaps) who are far more adequately equipped to do the fashion-blogger-I'm-so-fabulous thing. But! I got new boots!

They are Kork-Ease and I'm in love. My mother in law saw them on one of my pintrest boards with the simple title "obsessed" and got them for me for Christmas.

As you can clearly see, I had a hard time taking this little photo shoot seriously. Our farmers porch is pretty though, isn't it? And I know my hat is fabulous. The dress is from the Narciso Rodriguez collab at Kohls, the bag is vintage Coach, and my awesome new winter jacket is from this special website for us tall ladies, LongTallSally. Granted, it's a silly name, but being 6'1 makes finding anything that's long enough quite a trick, so it's been a lifesaver as far as coats go.

This is my 'I'm a fashion blogger' pose. It's painful, I know.
That's it for today. I just wanted to take a moment to thank you all for the outpouring of love and support I received in response to my testimony I shared yesterday. Seriously, isn't God just amazing? I know it's a jump to go from a post like that, to one like this, but that kind of randomness is to be expected if you decide to follow along here.
I suppose eclectic is the best word for it.
It's just the way I operate.