Style in a Flash

Okay, if it's not obvious to you just by looking at it, I thought I was WAY cool in the pic above.  I specifically remember that moment, posing for the picture like that.  Isn't it weird the things we remember?  We were at Vasquez Rocks and I absolutely LOVED that dalmation outfit.

You know it sounds all self-esteemy and all that kinda junk to say that if you like what you're wearing you'll feel more confident, but I think there is some truth in that.  Maybe even a lot of truth in that.  And yes, we shouldn't be overly concerned with what we wear.  After all, God looks at the heart.  But as my friend, Mariejtie, used to tell me, "It's just as bad to stand out for being poorly dressed (and in that I mean sloppy and messy) as it is to be dressed to the nine's seeking attention.  It's better to blend in."  Obviously not in a "conformed to the world" way, but in a way that doesn't draw attention to you instead of Jesus!

(Oh and you may want to blend in with this era as well.)

Well what do you on those days where you wake up late or just can't think of what to wear?  And you know you shouldn't be caring that much or spending that much time on getting ready, but you just don't know what to do.  You can't show up to work in a mumu, but you also can't show up 20 minutes late.  And if you want to spend anytime reading your Bible in the morning than sometimes you just need some quick styling ideas.

Well, I've come up with a few in the last couple of months that have really saved my sanity in the mornings.  Here they are:

1. A little teasing never hurt anyone.

When I don't have time for a shower or I took one the night before and my hair is all flat, I fall back on this little trick, taught to me by mi madre.  (Teasing was real big back in the 60's and 70's.)  Just back comb, hairspray a bit, smooth the top and fix with a few bobby pins and you're good to go!  Teasing adds body to flat hair.

And if the front is a bit oily you can just use a bit of dry shampoo.  One of the best inventions ever!

I actually bought this little sign and keep it near my mirror just as a reminder that it's okay if my hair isn't perfect.  ;)

2. Have a file of fave outifts handy.

I don't know about you, but I save a lot of outfit ideas on Pinterest under "Style" and when I can't decide on what to wear, I open up this board and can usually find an idea fairly quickly.  Shopping your own closet can keep you from buying what you don't need.

My sister also gave me a notepad for Sister Day where I can list what I wore and draw or add a picture of a certain outif that I liked.

I haven't really used it yet, but the idea is just wonderful.  ;)

3. Accessorize!

The wonderful thing about accessorizing is that you can wear the exact same outfit two days in a row and make it look completely different.  Add a belt and some jewelry, change up the shoes and I doubt anyone would know you're wearing the same dress on Friday that you wore on Wednesday.  You know unless it's orange leopard print or something.

So those are just a few small things I do in the morning to help speed up the getting ready process.

Any of you readers have any secret tips?

Pinterest!

I'm sure a lot of you...or ahem..the few of you who read this have by now heard of the phenomenon called Pinterest. It's a lovely little time sucker! For those of you who haven't heard of it, I'll explain (via Pinterest's own "About" section):

"Pinterest lets you organize and share all the beautiful things you find on the web. People use pinboards to plan their weddings, decorate their homes, and organize their favorite recipes.

Best of all, you can browse pinboards created by other people. Browsing pinboards is a fun way to discover new things and get inspiration from people who share your interests."

For about as long as I can remember, before my mom gets rid of the magazines she receives in the mail, she goes through and rips out pages which contain ideas that she wants to remember, then she files them away in various colored folders. As you may guess these are now stuffed to the max! Well, Pinterest does all that for you in just a few mouse clicks! Wow, I sound like an ad.

Anyway, I am going to start a new series of posts in which I post some of my favorites from Pinterest for the week, starting today! I'm going to call it "Pinteresting Wednesdays."

Here are a few to start off!

Under Style:


Under Hair:


Under Things I Love:


Under Fitness:


Under Home and Decorating:


Under Funny:


Under Hostess:


Under Dessert:


Under I Want to Make This:


And under Someday:


As you can see, you can leave a comment, you can "repin" someone else's cool find, you can make many different categories of your own choosing. It's great! And I might be a tad...obsessed. :/

If you're like me and you haven't joined Pinterest, you might want to go join right now. You have to request an invite first, or, the faster way is to have someone invite you. If you'd like for me to invite you just send me your email address.

As Pinterest would say, "Happy pinning!"

30 for 30

I have a confession to make...
I like clothes.
You can always find people to compare yourself to. There are those who shop way more than I do and have walk in closets full of clothes, and there are those like Charlie Brown. You may wonder if they only have one outfit. Period.
Either way, I need to break the sinful habits of overspending, lack of self control, vanity, the list goes on. Obviously I cannot fight any sin apart from God. Dependence on Him in prayer. He also uses violent language in the Bible...He tells us to cut off our hand or eye if it causes us to sin. I wouldn't say this experiment is going nearly that far. And I have to admit...this is kind of a fun way to work on this, because I can take pictures and blog about it and such. But I digress. Let me explain the 30 for 30 project.

I did not come up with this idea. I saw it on two other blogs. But I thought it would be just the thing for me to try in the month of July! You pick 30 pieces of clothing from your wardrobe and you can only use those pieces to make 30 outfits for a whole month. (And July just happens to have 31 days so...extra challenge! Ha.) It teaches you to "shop your closet" and to see just how much you really don't need that super cute blue sweater from Anthropologie.
So without further ado...my 30 picks:

3 pairs of shorts

2 pairs of work pants

2 white tanks

3 sweaters (for the sometimes chilly office or church basement)

A couple of t-shirts and nice shirt that got left out of the "nice shirt" pic

2 pairs of jeans

4 skirts

2 dresses

4 tops

and 5 tanks

Well! I think those oughta last me just fine! Really I'm kinda embarrassed that I even own this many clothes. I can already tell I don't need anymore! Stay tuned for updates on Project 30 for 30!

Mad About...

TARGET!

Or as it is properly pronounced...Tar-djay. That's kinda hard to type out phonetically. I pretty much call it that without fail and a couple of years ago my mom told me that my Grandma Shaw also called it that without fail -- only she seriously thought that's how it was meant to be said. :)

Anyway folks...think about it. Necklaces, purses, wedding presents, birthday presents, baby shower presents, eggs, milk, chocolate, make-up, shampoo and conditioner, tents, sleeping bags, paper, sweaters, opaque stockings, umbrellas, sunglasses, pillows, blankets, mp3 players, novels, sudoku, Starbucks, pasta, candles, cd's, wrapping paper, gum, underwear, cereal, pots, pans, mulch, tennis shoes, scarves, wallets, greeting cards, puzzles, bathing suits, Pizza Hut, nail polish, photo albums, Sudafed, Hello Kitty diaries, cacti, Burt's Bees products, clocks, storage bins, strollers, dvd players, hair straighteners, dog food...

Name me one other place where you can find such a pletheora of items under one roof.

A few other reason why I love the Bullseye:

- It's favorite color is red.
- I can ALWAYS count on seeing a friendly face. Even when I've just left the checkout line and think I made it through without seeing anyone I know, there Summer Paige will be opening the door. (I seriously used to run into Summer everywhere!)
- (I have this thing where when I'm making a list, I have to have at least three bullets.) But the whole post is about how I can find almost whatever I need at Target, so there you go.

I LOVE Target! But I won't marry it. Although I could get married in it...or not.

Saturday

Dreamed that I had breakfast with Sarah but didn't talk about what we planned. Woke and realized I hadn't gone to breakfast yet. Went back to sleep. Woke right before alarm. Threw on a sweatshirt and nice, worn jeans. Got in my car and drove to pick up Sarah. Drove to Egg Plantation where I ordered Strawberry Creamcheese Stuffed French Toast. Talked with Sarah. Drove Sarah home. Went home and picked up "smart casual" clothes to wear to wedding reception. Drove over to the Payne's to watch Nathaniel. Played with Nathaniel and Tilly. Watched Tilly frustrate Nathaniel by licking his face. Watched Nathaniel frustrate Tilly by petting her too hard. Read a good book while Nathaniel napped. Observed Nathaniel attempting to walk. Chatted with Lindsey. Drove back home to change for wedding reception. Stopped to get gas. Backed up to a pummp that actually worked. Drove to Target to pick up present while trying to fix wind blown hair. Stood in line and talked with Target lady about Andrew and Vicky. Wrapped present in car until it got too hot. Realized I bought a faulty gift bag. Attempted to fix gift bag while driving. Wrote card while driving. Arrived at wedding reception. Chatted with Kristen, the Hayes' and Marietjie. Ate some red velvet cake and a gluten free cupcake. Got back in the car to drive to Megan's. Found wedding card that didn't make it into the bag. Arrived at Megan's. Hung up pictures. Watched some Gilmore Girls. Ate In-n-Out. Went shopping for curtains. Got curtains for free. Heard about Megan's first job that I never knew she had. Arrived back at apartment that has no parking. Hung up curtains. Walked to car bundled in a beach towel while holding two large paintings. Walked through some sprinklers. Thankful for towel. Hung up paintings. Started to write paper. Watched a movie while writing paper. Got annoyed by neighbors playing horseshoes after midnight. Finished paper around 2 o'clock. Decided procrastination is a bad idea. Slept soundly.