Pretty Cute Casual Friday + Some Mini-Reviews

It actually felt good to get up this morning and get dressed for work after having two days off!  Fridays are casual in my school district and everyone wears jeans.  Although most teachers/staff just wear sweatshirts or t-shirts with their jeans, I always try to dress up my outfit and look as cute as possible.  I decided it was the perfect day to break out my new boyfriend cardigan that I got at Banana Republic outlet last weekend. 

Kim at Anthroholic recently did a post on how to dress casual, but still look cute and feminine.  (Check it out HERE!)  Her post really inspired me not only because this is what I strive for with my style, but most importantly, because I learned some great new tips!!  Many of her tips were racing around in my mind as I put together todays outfit.  In fact, looking back at her post I realize that she was even wearing a long, light pink cardigan.  Must have been engrained in my subconscious to inspire this outfit!! 

Cardigan: Banana Republic Outlet (probably still in stores)

Tee: Banana Republic (Spring 2010)

Cami: The Limited

Jeans: Gap

Necklace: LOFT Long Silver/Mother of Pearl Flower Necklace (still in stores)

Shoes: Indigo by Clarks - Purse

 The soft mauve/light pink color is so feminine and I really like the silver contrasting along the edge.  The longer length is great (I don't really own any cardis this long besides the Anthropologie Dwarf Quince) and I love the two front patch pockets and v-neck.  I loved this cardigan so much that I couldn't decide between the two colorways they offered.......so I ended up buying the tan one with gold contrasting too!!! 

 I knew I wanted to wear a long necklace with my outfit today and I was rummaging through my jewelry box for a while trying to find the perfect match.  Then it clicked!  My new LOFT necklace that just arrived in the mail on Tuesday would be perfect! 

I mentioned last weekend that I bought this necklace off the website with a coupon I had.  The next day I noticed it was no longer on the website (sold out I guess?)  When it arrived I was disappointed because I hadn't expected it to be so big.  I packaged it back up and decided I was going to return it.  Then as I was trying on my new cardi something told me to dig it back out and give it a second chance.  Sure enough, I think it was the perfect match and after a self-pep talk I was brave enough to venture to work with the biggest statement necklace I've ever worn.  Got several compliments, so I guess it was a success.  Plus, the pretty feminine quirkiness grew on me as the day went on.  Now I can't wait to try to figure out another outfit to pair it with!!!  Any suggestions?????  Help!

OOTD + the upcoming snow slam!

Hi readers!  Well, if you live in the midwest you obviously already know about the upcoming dreaded snowstorm.  Our news stations have been talking it up for the past few days.  Everyone seems to be in a state of panic.  Monday is our normal grocery shopping day and we like it because it's usually not very crowded.  However, when we got there yesterday it was jam packed!  Why do people freak out and feel the need to stock up on groceries because of a snow storm?!  Come on people, you may not be able to safely leave your house for 1, maybe 2 days...it's not THAT big of a deal.  I can understand running to the store for shovels, snow plows, salt, etc. but is it really necessary to buy up all the bread, milk, etc???  Like you're going to be stuck in your house for weeks and possibly starve to death??  Haha!
Anyway, everyone at school today was abuzz about the upcoming storm.  Teachers and school faculty get way more excited about an anticipated snow day than the students do!  The elementary teachers' ritual to try to ensure a snow day is to sleep with their pajamas inside out, put a white crayon in the freezer and flush 2 ice cubes down the toilet the night before..lol!  Any other teachers out there know about this superstitious tradition or did the teachers I work with just make it up?  By the sounds of it, we won't even need to do any of that...it appears that a snow day is definitely in the cards for tomorrow.

I almost left the house this morning in this outfit, but with a black belt and black flats.  At the last minute I thought "Are you crazy?  Is it really a smart idea to wear flats with tights in the snow today?"  So, I quickly decided to change into my boots and swaped the black belt for this cognac one.  I normally get scared of wearing brown with black/grey, but I threw those rules to the wind today in order to keep my legs comfy, warm, and dry.  And I think it ended up looking pretty nice.  :)

Cardigan: H&M (really old)

Blouse: Banana Republic Outlet (Fall 2010)

Skirt: Anthropologie Field Skirt 

Cami: The Limited Satin Trim Tank

Belt: LOFT (Summer 2010)

Tights: Anthropologie Dotty Clusters Tights

Boots: Steve Madden Intyce (here, here, or here)

To everyone affected by the blizzard of 2011 - be safe if you absolutely have to venture out in it!  Otherwise, enjoy your snow day!

Week in Review: OOTDs

Sorry for the lack of posts this week!  It's been the longest and most tiring week at work in a long time.  Part of that may be because I worked on Monday and I usually don't.  Guess I've been spoiled with 4-day work weeks.  However, in addition to 5 whole days of work (gasp!), I've also had a lot of new things get thrown my way, many meetings to attend, and a lot of paperwork, phonecalls, & emails to complete.  Anyway, the past 3 nights I was so tired when I got home that I watched tv or fell asleep early...too tired to even turn on my laptop, let alone blog.  Tuesday and Thursday night I got home so late that I immediately switched to my pjs and forgot all about OOTD snaps.  But, I did remember 3 days this week....none of them are too special, but I thought I'd go ahead and share anyway!

My simply casual Friday outfit from today features one of my very first Anthro purchases ever.....a pretty headband!

Cashmere sweater: Old Navy (2008?)

Lace cami: Maurices (2007?)

Jeans: Gap

Shoes: Indigo by Clarks - Purse (on sale here!)

Necklace: Pandora w/ murano glass beads

Earrings: NY & Co.

Anthropologie Serpentine Shimmer Headband (Summer 2009)

In Monday's outfit I was going for business-like, yet cute and feminine for my day full of meetings.

Anthropologie Oleander Cardigan (Fall 2010)

Lace cami: Maurices (2007?)

Dress pants: LOFT

Flats: Macy's

Anthropologie Garden's Gate Earrings (Fall/Winter 2009)

Necklace: gift from the hubby

Bracelet: Tiffany's

 And Wednesday I threw together a rather preppy ensemble...not my typical style, but I thought I'd try something different.  Not really sure how I feel about the final result.....looking back I think it's a little boring and too matchy with the top and tights.  Any suggestions for next time?

Skirt: JC Penney Chambray Pencil Skirt (2009)

Blouse: Banana Republic Outlet (Fall 2010)

Cardigan: NY & Co. (Fall 2010)

Anthropologie Looping Lanes Belt (Fall 2010)

Tights: Simply Vera Geometric tights in port royale (Kohl's) 

Shoes: Unlisted Buckle Wedges (really old)

Necklace: Ann Taylor Outlet (really old)

This evening I caught up on some DVRed shows from this week.  Just watched The Office from last night and it was by far the funniest episode I've seen in a long time!!  In fact, I really want to watch it again now...haha.  Any other Office fans out there???  It's one of my hubby's and my favorite shows!  Now I just need to watch Modern Family from this week...my other favorite :)  Have a great weekend everyone!