OOTD - 1 Shirt, 2 Ways

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Outfit 1 Details:

Top: Ann Taylor via Half of Half, $9

Shorts: DIY'ed from Wal-Mart jeans, $5

Shoes: Sears, $5 (clearance)

Earrings: Icing by Claire's, $3 (old)

Ring: Charlotte Russe, $4 (old)

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Outfit 2 Details:

Top: Ann Taylor via Half of Half, $9

Vest: Half of Half, $3

Jeans: Wal-Mart, $20

Shoes: Once Upon A Child, $3 (DIY buttons)

Necklace: Ebay, $6

Bracelet: Wet Seal, $3 (old)

Headband: Wal-Mart, $3 for two (clearance)

Grand Totals: $26 / $51

Fair Trade Friday - Basically Speaking

Just a quick post for you guys before I jet off to do some shopping for the girls.  I've just had basics on the brain lately.  Some days, as much as I love throwing on a great print or bright color, I just want to wear a tee shirt, or a simple tank top.  I'm always on the lookout for another basic piece that I can throw on with anything, and here's some items at the top of my shopping list:

Element Ecowear Gathered Tank

 I love the gathered detailing on this tank top.  It's sweet, a little girly, and just an easy piece to wear.  Plus, Element Ecowear, a company that sells apparel made from Fair Trade and Organic Certified cotton, bamboo, hemp, and soy, is running a summer special right now, with 5% off any order over $50, and 10% off any order over $100.  Plus, their shipping is always $5.

Amour Vert Madelyn White Oversized V

I love white tee shirts, especially ones that fit like this.  It's great for those days that you want to be comfortable, without looking like a frump.  This tee is anything but frumpy, and the website even describes it as "the softest piece BeGood stocks."

Maggie's Organics V Neck Tee Shirt

Speaking of tee shirts, how cute is this little tee from Maggie's Organics?  (Rhetorical question, the answer is, of course, adorable!)  I've come to the conclusion lately that olive green counts as a neutral in my closet, and this tee would fit right in.  Plus, it's only $15!

Maggie's Organics Hoodie

Even though it seems a bit odd to want this on the first day of summer, I also really love this little pullover hoodie from Maggie's Organics.  I'm always looking forward to autumn weather, especially when it's 90 degrees outside right now, and this little piece of clothing would quickly become a staple in my fall wardrobe.

What basic pieces do you HAVE to have in your closet?

Thrifted Pinterest - To the Max!

Guess what?  This post involves a maxi dress, in case the title wasn't obvious...  I have this great dress, that I actually first bought to double as a maternity dress, that's just been begging to be worn lately.  So, I obliged, and turned to Pinterest for ideas on accessorizing it.  Here's my inspiration photos:

http://pinterest.com/pin/216806169534274771/

http://pinterest.com/pin/216806169534274696/

First off, seriously, how cute is Alyson Hannigan's baby belly in that pic!?  Adorable!  AAAAnyways, here's my take on the outfit:

...Whoops!  I guess Big A isn't quite old enough to double as my photographer!

This may be the first time in Thrifted Pinterest history where everything I'm wearing is either resale, thrifted, or gifted!  I'm giving myself imaginary gold stars right now... ;)

Outfit Details:
Dress: Mossimo via Plato's Closet Resale, $8
Denim Shirt: Once Upon A Child, $2.50
White Tank: Old Navy, $5
Belt: Candie's via Plato's Closet Resale, $4
Shoes: Once Upon A Child, $4.50
Earrings: gifted
Necklace: gifted
Bracelet: Tiny Hands International, gifted

Grand Total: $24

Kidlet Style - OUAC Clearance Sale!

I'm not posting a lot of pictures of the girls today, other than these two:

Little A is almost crawling!  Looks like I'll have to start babyproofing the house (starting with those wires in the background, eek!).

Instead of inundating your screen with tons of pictures of my adorable kiddos, I wanted to do some shameless promotion of my workplace.  The Bi-Annual Clearance sale at Once Upon a Child is coming up this Friday, the 21st, and it's going to be huge!  Some smaller sizes have already been marked down, so I was able to grab up some clothes for Little A when I worked last night.  Here's what I got:

Children's Place Dress, $3.25

Faded Glory Jeans, $1.75

Faded Glory Pants, $1.75

Garanimals Tops, $0.75 each

Old Navy Top, $1.75

Cherokee Top, $1.25

Jammie-jams, $1.75 each

Carter's Onesie, $0.75 and Skirt, $1.75

The grand total for all this?  A whopping $17.25!  Plus, if I had waited until Friday (which wouldn't happen, I'm just a little impatient), I could have saved even more, since the discounts get bigger through the day.  The markdowns start at 50% off when the store opens at 9 am, then go up to 60% at 3 pm, and then up to 70% off from 6-9 pm!  I'll be snatching up some fall clothes for Big A when I go shopping on Friday for sure!  I better see you there, too.  Happy shopping, everybody!

OOTD - DIY-rific!

Well, my sewing machine and I have become best buds... almost.  If only I didn't hate installing zippers so much!  In spite of that, I've been having a lot of fun trying to finish up the tons of projects I want done before Little A starts crawling... I know I won't be able to get very much done once she's mobile!  One of those projects is this little knit dress.  It was meant to be a top (a la this tutorial), but the fabric was just a little too bulky for a top.  So, it got trimmed into a dress, and it's actually become a staple in my 'gloomy weather' closet (which is really any time of year here in Arkansas!).  Plus, no zipper!

Outfit Details:
Dress: DIY from fabric on hand
Tights: Sears, $5 (clearance)
Boots: Target, $38
Belt: 'stolen' from my mom
Earrings: $1 Jewelry Store
Necklace: $1 Jewelry Store

Grand Total: $45

Fair Trade Friday - Cuppa Tea

Well. as the title suggests, I have tea on the mind today!  I'm slowly weaning myself off of soda (again... and I'll probably have to do it again in the future....), so I prefer having healthier drink options waiting for me in the fridge, or in the cupboard just waiting for me to imbibe.  I'm going to have to stock up, so here's the drinks on the top of my shopping list!  All of the teas listed contain Fair Trade Certified ingredients.

Steaz Iced Green Tea with Lime and Pomegranate

This doesn't really need a lot of commentary, really.  I mean, it's organic iced green tea with Lime and Pomegranate!  It sounds delicious!  Plus, it's ready and waiting in its colorful little can, ready to be drunk (drinked?).

The Tao of Tea Chai Concentrate

I love chai tea.  I really like the brewed versions as well, but I really love just the pre-sweetened concentrates that you can add to milk to make a yummy, creamy latte.  Plus, this particular bottle of yummy is sweetened with coconut sugar instead of the traditional cane sugar, so it has a lower glycemic index than some of the other concentrates on the market.

Tea Forte Loose Leaf Tea

Speaking of brewed tea, this particular brand has a ton of flavors that sound ah-may-zing, like Cherry Marzipan or Cucumber Mint.  Plus, they're full of plant-based antioxidants, which help to maintain a healthy complexion, and who doesn't want that?

The Republic of Tea Tangerine Tea

This last tea is actually made for children, but I wouldn't mind sharing some with my girlies (at least Big A, little one is still a little small...)!  Not only does this organic rooibos tea sound extra tasty, but it's also naturally caffeine free, and a portion of the profits goes to an organization called Room To Read.  "Room to Read is an innovative non-profit leader dedicated to furthering literacy and gender equality in education throughout Africa and Asia. Founded in 2000, the organization operates on the belief that World Change Starts with Educated Children. (from the About page)"  The sales from these Little Citizens Herb Teas have helped to fund the construction of 17 libraries since 2009 in South Africa, Sri Lanka, and India, and their goal is to reach 100!

What Fair Trade teas are your favorites?  I always love hearing about new companies!!

Thrifted Pinterest - Power Jacket

You ever have those days when you want to dress like an overly confident and slightly snarky defense lawyer in a 90's Law & Order episode?  What, that's only me?  Well, I'm surprisingly okay with that.  I found this great Pendleton blazer, complete with football-worthy shoulder pads, for half-price at Goodwill the other day, and so I turned to my trusty Pinterest for a little inspiration for an outfit.  I ran across this photo when searching for 'tan blazers':

Unfortunately, I didn't have a red dress, but I did have a little bit of red fabric and a pattern, so I decided to get to work and make the dress I needed!  Here's the finished result:

"My client would like to enter a plea of not guilty...."

Outfit Details:
Blazer: thrifted, $2
Dress: DIY, Simplicity pattern 4693
Necklace: JC Penney, $4 (clearance)
Shoes: Sears, $4 (clearance)

Grand Total: $10