The Well-Rounded Woman

Go Big or Stay Home

noreply@blogger.com (tarable) — Wed, 30 May 2012 04:53:00 +0000

I'm hosting craft night at my house this week & have agonized over what to choose for our project. Although our group has worked successfully for over two years, it seems that our tastes are starting to diverge a bit and as is natural, not everyone has the same taste or style. I use Pinterest to keep my project ideas in one place, and even started a board for our group to share with each other (all of us can add pins). Here are a few ideas I would have loved to choose, but I didn't think everyone would like them as much as I do.

Originally I had planned to host craft night a couple weeks ago, and chose oversized cross-stitching for the project, but the date ended up getting changed, and none of my friends seemed too excited about my craft - even though I thought it was awesome! So after thinking long and hard, and searching high and low, I decided to choose .... mega cross-stitch art! I mean, who can argue with the awesomeness of these pieces?

All these images are of artwork created by Jessica Decker, check out her amazing work! I was tempted to copy her anchor exactly, but decided to go with something else for my first try. I liked the idea of a monogram, and was tempted by this pin.

But the letter C isn't that visually appealing to me, so I finally decided to go with the number 5, for the five people in our family. I used a 11x14 canvas, which I spray painted in a metallic champagne color, and I used hot pink mason twine from Home Depot instead of embroidery thread. It was a bit challenging, because the twine is thick and requires a wide-eyed needle, which was hard to get through the canvas. I was developing some pretty good blisters, depite my thimble use, before I had the idea to wear my yellow dish-washing gloves. I felt pretty silly, but it worked very well! Here are some shots of my project. The first picture is the design I made on the computer.

I finally convinced my sis-in-law to do a giant cross-stitch at craft night too, and I spent an afternoon last week helping her with this design. (She's a chicken nut.)

I hope these project ideas inspire my craft group friends and that they will all take on the project this week. I say, Go Big or Stay Home! Just kidding though - I hope they all come, even if they don't do the mega cross-stitch. Next week I will post some more detailed instructions for anyone who might want to try this, and hopefully I'll have the wisdom of several of my friends' projects behind me too. Wish us luck!

Mother's Day Loveliness

noreply@blogger.com (tarable) — Mon, 14 May 2012 19:30:00 +0000

My Mother's Day started off with a delicious, surprise breakfast with fancy food & drinks; my family knows breakfast is my favorite meal! There were gifts, cards, and large Mama hugs. At church my sweet husband tried to divert the kids as much as possible so I could enjoy the nice program, which included two great talks, and some musical tributes to mothers. After a much-needed afternoon nap, I had a little free time before the super delicious Sunday dinner Aaron put together all on his own. He is a fabulous cook but doesn't get the chance to shine as often as he used to. This meal convinced me we should give him more opportunities! It was a lovely Sunday and Mother's Day and I felt the love of my family. I am lucky to be the mother of three handsome young men, who are growing up so fast. I am proud of their accomplishments and love them dearly!

Need Some Happiness

noreply@blogger.com (tarable) — Sat, 05 May 2012 15:26:00 +0000

This afternoon I will attend the funeral of a sweet 4 year old boy from my ward. It has been an emotional and unhappy week for me and I didn't even know him well. I can not comprehend what his parents are going through, despite my own having done it. I don't think I have ever seen this boy's mother without a smile on her face, and I don't want to see it gone now. The family has sent out some messages thanking everyone for their love and concern and has talked about temples, eternal families, and Heavenly Father's Plan of Happiness for us. It gives me hope.

In case you are in need of a little happiness today too, here is a darling video I ran across this week.

Pinterest Challenge 01

noreply@blogger.com (tarable) — Wed, 14 Mar 2012 14:59:00 +0000

I am a big fan of Young House Love, along with half the universe, it seems. This week Sherry is hosting a Pinterest Challenge: take something you have pinned and actually make it, or your own version of it. This should be a monthly challenge for me because I have so many great ideas pinned on my boards but if I never get around to actually making them myself - what's the point?
I love all the DIY jewelry pins and wanted to post about a project I did lately. When it was my turn to host my monthly craft group, I chose painted bead necklaces. I made one for myself, then one for my sister's birthday and one for my neice for Christmas. I loved this for my craft group because everyone could personalize their necklace how they liked: different lengths, different sized beads, different color schemes: monochromatic, ombre, multi-colored.

I was inspired by Kristina Klarin necklaces, which she sold on Big Cartel and then through Anthropologie. She now has her own site, House of Kami. The necklaces are amazing - hand-crafted, original, fabulous pieces and I would buy several if my budget allowed. Colored bead necklaces are no new thing, but I love Klarin's color mixes and how she makes multi-layer pieces. Click on each piece to go to the best source. (As I said, Klarin no longer sells thru Big Cartel and Anthro.)

Then I found these other pins to add to my inspiration board, and some of these blogs have tutorials too - not that you need much help to paint and string. Click on each image to go to the original source.

So for our craft night we used waxed cotton cording and hand-painted all our beads with craft paint and small brushes. Spray-painting also seems to work well, especially if you are going with all one color. I bought lots of sizes of wooden craft beads, up to 3/4" inch. Most of us with longer necklaces just tied them off so they can slip over the head, but if you have a shorter length you would need some kind of clasp - lots to choose from at craft stores. And most of my craft group chose to spray glossy acrylic over the top to protect and add a nice shine. Here are some of the (mostly) finished products.

A New Project

noreply@blogger.com (tarable) — Mon, 12 Mar 2012 17:00:00 +0000

I love our "formal" living room. I never thought we needed or wanted one, but now that we have one we use it so much. I think much of our successful use of the room stems from it's location and our floorplan. We have a continuous loop from foyer to family room to eat-in-kitchen to dining room to living room. And the boys run that loop often. We use it for reading, playing games, spreading out large sets of toys that need floor space, entertaining, and just relaxing. We have a couch and a loveseat and that works perfectly for our family but anytime someone else is over I always wish we had more seating. The dining room is part of the same room, so we have all those chairs, and we use the piano bench when we have to but I have been keeping my eye out for a couple of matching chairs to add to the mix. And recently at Saver's I found them.

Perfect wingback lines, classic legs, and comfy cushions - still in good shape despite the dirty exterior. Truth be told: I love the flame stitch pattern! And I don't completely hate the color. It matches our rug perfectly, which is unfortunate since I'm not fond of the rug & would like to get rid of it. But it also matches the pink in our artwork, which matches the green in the couches. But eventually I'd like to replace those couches too so we have a lot of scheming to do.

I have convinced myself that I can recover these chairs at home, after reading a bunch of posts like this, this, and this. I certainly can't afford to have them professionally done, so we'll be on the hunt for fabric soon. When my Mom asked what my husband wanted for his last birthday, I convinced him that his fondest wish was for new chair fabric. And the next month I asked my Mom for the same thing for my birthday so between her contributions and a little scrimping of our own we will start shopping soon. And I told Aaron that what I wanted for my birthday is for him to go fabric shopping with me. (I'm sure that gift will be coming along soon - 5 months later!) I have no idea what we're looking for... but I know I want a pattern, and probably a bolder color choice. Now if we can only figure out what that color might be.

We need to come up with some overall design decisions for our living room; things like color and style. I started Pinterest boards for ideas for the chairs and the entire room. Any suggestions?

Old Friends are the Best. But New Ones are Priceless.

noreply@blogger.com (tarable) — Tue, 21 Feb 2012 07:38:00 +0000

These are my friends. I've known some of them since I was born. Some from preschool. And all through elementary. A couple have moved to other states and we all relish visits with them. They aren't in this picture, but we were so lucky to get all the locals together recently for lunch at my house.

Old friends are the best. Although I don't always see these women often, when we all get together I always feel a sense of belonging that I don't find anywhere else. These friends have stood by each other through 34 births, the deaths of parents and siblings, loss of jobs, health issues, parental struggles, and the problems of everyday life. I am so lucky to have them. They are caring, talented, beautiful wives and mothers. If every girl went through junior high and high school with a set of friends like this - the world would be a much happier place.

The problem is that many of us have stories like this - BFFs that we met when we were young. But how many of us live near these BFFs now? I was used to spending time with my friends every day. And then they got married, moved away, got their own lives - the nerve of them! Now I'm not one to make friends easily, but I've been looking for another BFF or two for years. And I've been lucky enough to find a couple - and then we moved away too.

So when I heard about the new book by Rachel Bertsche called MWF Seeking BFF: My Yearlong Search for a New Best Friend, I knew I had to read it. When I finally got my hands on it I started reading and pretty soon I realized it was a non-fiction book. Which was good news, since I always need to read more non-fiction. And while the book reads like a narrative most of the time, there was lots of facts & research dropped in too.

Rachel moves to Chicago after she gets married and although she has plenty of acquaintances, she longs for that close relationship that she has with her old friends. She wants someone to call up & say, "what are we doing today?" Or someone to discuss books, celebrity gossip, and relationships with - preferably all at the same time. Someone to watch bad tv with, do yoga with, and maybe even some traveling. That's exactly what I want! You can see why I liked this book. Plus there's this quote:

The author, Ann Patchett says—”Here’s my idea of real intimacy. It’s not the person who calls to say, 'I’m having an affair’; it’s the friend who calls to say, ‘Why do I have four jars of pickles in my refrigerator?’ ” [Bertsche continues] I want someone with whom I can talk about the deep stuff—hopes and dreams and expectations and disappointments—and also the minutiae. Sometimes it takes talking about everything to get to the place where we can talk about nothing.

Rachel Bertsche makes a plan to meet as many women as she can and to go on a "date" with a new person every week for a year. Fifty two new potential friends. She meets women eveywhere she can - blind dates arranged by mutual friends, want ads, joining clubs & groups, and even picking-up strangers. Rachel learns a lot about herself, her relationship with her husband, and makes a lot of new close-acquantainces. She concludes that sometimes the only thing between a close-acquaintance and a lifelong BFF is time. She ends up with five or six women that she can see becoming BFFs with over time.

After reading this book I learned a few new things too. I need to give people a chance. Sometimes I judge people too quickly - about if I will click with them, or if we have enough in common. I have realized that the narrow range I have in my head of my ideal friend really should really be wider. I also learned that one person doesn't have to be all things to me. Including my husband. I can have different friends that fill different roles for me. I will always be looking for that local BFF who wants to hang with me practically every day, but I am realizing that if I never find that I'll be okay. And that every new friend I make is priceless.

Is It a Middle-Aged Thing?

noreply@blogger.com (tarable) — Tue, 31 Jan 2012 21:14:00 +0000

As of my last birthday, I am officially counting myself as middle-aged. Granted, I am at the very bottom end of that spectrum, and other people might not put me in the middle yet, but I am not in my twenties or my early thirties anymore. And it feels good. I have no dismay over my age (other than my baby turning 4 yesterday!) and in some ways it feel nice to consider myself a full-fledged grown up now. Dad, if you're reading this, I still reserve the right to borrow money at some point in the future. You're still my father.

One of the things I have never done in my life is see a dermatologist. I know lots of teenagers go to one for the standard teenage acne stuff, but I just saw my pediatrician or GP for all of that. And as I age I am more concerned about wrinkles and skin cancer than acne. But not exclusively.

So I made my appointment, waited in the waiting room for AN HOUR, and finally had my turn to be examined. And in the end, I kind of felt like I had wasted my time and money. Here's what I came away with:

I need to wash my face morning and night. Duh. I knew that (but still don't do it).
Wear sunscreen. Um, yes, especially in Arizona. I did find out my daily 15 spf should be higher.
Use good lotion/moisturizer EVERY time after you wash your hands. Apparently it's worth the effort and the excema problems on my fingers (under my rings) will probably be fixed by this.

And that's it. I found out that so much of what we fight is genetic & unless you want to drop money on cosmetic work (I might) then there's not much you can do about it. But I am hoping to do better at the above three things - wish me luck - and I think the most important thing I did was get an entire body inspection for skin cancer. Which is a bit embarassing/uncomfortable but so important. That was worth the money by itself. Have you ever done this? I hear stories of people getting skin cancer in strange places and not noticing and I wanted a good baseline to start judging by. So I guess I will plan to get checked regularly now that I am middle-aged. Maybe every 3-4 years? What do you think? Do any of you go regularly? How often? Or are all my five remaining readers still in their twenties? You babies!

Also, what are your favorite products for face wash, daily moisturizer (with high spf), hand lotion, and eye cream? My dermatologist recommends Neutrogena.

2011 Books in Review

noreply@blogger.com (tarable) — Tue, 03 Jan 2012 19:10:00 +0000

I read 68 books in 2011. That seems like a lot to me, averaging over one a week. Yet I still feel like my time would be better served reading more books and less blogs - and definitely watching less television. I review every book that I read on Goodreads, so check out my reviews for recommendations. But here are the best books I read last year.
Favorite 5 stars:

Sapphique (#2 Incarceron series), by Catherine Fisher
The One Hundred, by Nina Garcia
The Knife of Never Letting Go, by Patrick Ness - I gave the entire Chaos Walking Trilogy high marks
Jellicoe Road, by Melina Marchetta
The Forgotten Garden, by Kate Morton

Noteable 4 stars:

Dancing in my Nuddypants & Away Laughing on a Fast Camel, by Louise Rennison (hilarious series)
Mini-Shopaholic, by Sophie Kinsella (another light comedy)
My Life in France, by Julia Child
Daddy Long Legs, by Jean Webster (I bought this!)
Maisie Dobbs, by Jacqueline Winspear
Bloody Jack, by L.A. Meyer

My list for 2012:
The Book of Mormon (I will re-read this as my church studies it for Sunday School this year)
To Kill a Mockingbird, by Harper Lee (how have I never read this!?!)
finish Jane Eyre, by Charlotte Bronte - another I have missed over the years but am 70% through
The Happiness Project, by Gretchen Rubin
The Maze Runner, by James Dashner
I Am the Messenger, by Marcus Zusak
The House at Riverton, by Kate Morton

I actually have 184 books on my To-Read list, but those are the ones I really want to get to in 2012.

Tara's bookshelf: read

Tara Carpenter's favorite books »

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Still Looking Tired

noreply@blogger.com (tarable) — Thu, 01 Dec 2011 05:50:00 +0000

As a BzzAgent, I was offered the chance to try some fancy skin care products: Dr. Lewinn by Kinerase. I was sent the Under Eye Recovery and the Wrinkle Repair Daily Lotion. I used the Under Eye Recovery for a month and don't really have any complaints. I'm not sure if it helped my eyes look better, but it felt good when I used it every morning and evening. Here's the before and after photos, close-ups of my eyes that I'm not loving, but whatever. Looks like my eyebrows & pores need much more help than the bags under my eyes. In review, I can't recommend the Under Eye Recovery because I didn't notice any difference in my month of use.

I also received the Wrinkle Repair Daily Lotion to try. I used it for about a week, despite the fact that I didn't like it from the beginning. It was far too greasy for my already oily skin. I was really nervous about a break-out, but it din't happen. I think this might be a good product for someone with dry skin. I loved the light, citrusy scent. I can't comment on the wrinkle repair properties since I only used it for a week. Anybody else want to try mine? I still have an almost full bottle.

Thanks Kinerase and BzzAgent for letting me try out these products but I am still on the look out for a good under eye cream. I'd like something that erases the bags & fixes/prevents wrinkles. Anyone have a suggestion?

More Holiday Planning

noreply@blogger.com (tarable) — Sat, 22 Oct 2011 18:13:00 +0000

If you are thinking about Christmas cards, and were not swayed by the last lot I posted, maybe these will float your boat.

I've posted about Night Owl Paper Goods before. I adore the cards I ordered last year & have used all of them up. I need to order more! I even picked up a couple of birch postcards that I have on the wall in my foyer. I admired the birch Christmas cards and if I weren't doing my own this year I would seriously be considering something from Night Owl Paper Goods holiday collection. I love the birch ones, but now they have all of their great designs in a paper version also. And they just announced an incredible Early Bird Special - a 20% discount on all Personalized Holiday Cards PLUS free domestic, ground shipping on all orders $49+. This offer is only good until October 26th, so head over to their website & get choosing! These are my favorites (click on the image to go straight to the site):

Disclosure: Night Owl Paper Goods offered me a free goodie pack for posting about this special deal. But it was easy since I already love this company and have bought their products for myself in the past.

Shiny & New

noreply@blogger.com (tarable) — Wed, 12 Oct 2011 16:49:00 +0000

In going with a metallic "color" scheme for my grandmother's birthday party I was using these images for inspiration. I found them on Pinterest.

After many hours spent crouching in my garage spray painting, and folding & taping till my fingers hurt, here are my versions of the shiny tin can flower vases and the paper rosette photo backdrops.

My sister borrowed some silk flowers and put together the arrangements (with help from her 9yo). I like the look of fresh flowers in the inspiration image, but this was SO much easier on the day of the party.

You can see that I needed about 50% more rosettes, but I love the coverings for the centers. I bought packs of paper doilies at Walmart (30 for 97 cents) and spray painted them in my metallic colors. The rosettes will look fab on my dining room walls for Thanksgiving, and maybe even permanently. That last shot is my family (sans the 7yo boy) with my sweet grandmother.

Holiday Dreams

noreply@blogger.com (tarable) — Tue, 11 Oct 2011 19:48:00 +0000

I love the entire holiday season. Our house is looking Halloween-y now and I'm planning to recycle all the decorations from my grandma's party for the Thanksgiving dinner I am hosting. The kids are busily deciding on costumes and last night I started my yearly spreadsheet to track our Christmas budget and gifts. I haven't bought a single present yet, which is unusual for me, but probably good because the longer I have to shop the more I want to buy. I also started thinking about our Christmas cards. We usually send fancy ones in the mail every other year and stick with something simple on the off year. My husband wants to do e-mail cards this year and I am voting for a postcard.

But if you are also starting to think of holiday cards, and maybe taking beautiful family photos to send to all your nearest and dearest, you should check out these cards by Alma Loveland. I love her designs and have taken several of her Adobe Illustrator classes. (I'd love to take the 102 class online next.) And now she is offering a choice of 22 different card designs for a super low price of $15. And the best bargain of all is that you are just buying the template! You will do further Photoshop work yourself, adding your own pictures and changing fonts and color schemes as you wish. Alma even has great tutorials to help you to customize your cards. That's what I call a smoking deal!

Putting my party hat on...

noreply@blogger.com (tarable) — Thu, 06 Oct 2011 03:47:00 +0000

Apparently after 21 days of daily blogging I needed a break. For a month. But I am still trying to put together decent outfits (most of the time) and I am thinking a lot about a 30 for 30 Remix. I want to do one but I want to take pictures of my pieces first & somehow that just hasn't happened. Maybe after I get though this next weekend. Last week my dear grandmother turned 90 years old! And my parents, aunt, sister, and I are throwing a big birthday bash for her this Saturday.

My Mom takes care of the food, my Dad did invitations and all the coordinating, my aunt is making a video and will be the resident photographer, which leaves my sister and I to do the decorating. Naturally I turned to Pinterest (my boards are here) for a wealth of inspiration. After a little searching we decided on a metallic color palette - mixing gold, silver, copper, bronze, and whatever else we might find. Here's my to-do list:

create a crossword about Gram
centerpieces
balloons
food table decorations
make a photo backdrop to document the guests
party favors
decorate a comfy chair for Gram to sit in during the party
make a pretty crown for the birthday girl

I'm trying not to add anythingelse to the list, as that's a lot of work for my sister and I already. I loved the recent post on Living in the Family Room about the birthday party Darcy Miller threw for Martha Stewart. It was such a fab party and I wanted to copy every detail but limited myself to the monogrammed balloons and the crossword puzzle, which I finished last weekend. It will be a fun, personal detail that my grandmother and all her guests will enjoy.

All day yesterday I made paper rosettes to put together into a photo backdrop to help Gram remember the people that came to her party. I am using the ideas from here and here. I have learned a few things about making these pinwheel rosettes. Last weekend I bought a bunch of metallic papers, alarming my husband by how much I was spending ($11 whole dollars!). But once I started folding and looked up some directions I realized that I needed three to five sheets of each paper to make a pinwheel. Which takes my costs up quite a bit. I chose a few of my favorites and will take the rest back. And then I found a cheaper source - spray painted paper! I grabbed my silver, gold, and copper spray paints and my big roll of kraft paper and was able to make some very large, shiny rosettes. The kraft paper was brown, so the metallic effect over the top is a little subtler than I wanted so I turned to plain, white printer paper next. The metallic paint shows up much better over the white.
Tomorrow I'm working on centerpieces - stay tuned for more inspiration pics and a few of my own too.

Day 21! Woo Hoo

noreply@blogger.com (tarable) — Sun, 04 Sep 2011 21:49:00 +0000

Top: Target
Cardigan: Gap
Skirt: Loft
Belt: Target
Shoes: Easy Spirit
Necklace: Target

I went through a couple outfits in my head for this last day of the 21 Day Challenge, and the one that I thought would be great turned out to be not so much. My husband vetoed the skirt immediately, which was new and apparently unflattering. And I had tried to mix two black and white patterns and it just didn’t work. He also said he hated my shoes but I think he’s crazy – I love them! So I tried something else and I think it’s okay. I love the look of the belt on top of a cardigan and I’ve never done it before. I went for some neutrals with pops of color and I can see that belt getting a lot of use this year.

Thanks to all the people who have encouraged me through this challenge. Quite a few people have told me they were enjoying the outfits and I didn’t even know they read my blog at all. So it’s been slightly embarrassing, but so good for me to get out of a clothing rut. I haven’t worn flip flops or a plain, solid-color tee shirts for three weeks now.

The bad news is that because I have had clothes and dressing on the brain so much for the last month I’ve gone a little overboard on the shopping. My husband has had it. (Plus he wants to know when the lingerie challenge is coming.) Anyway, we’re going for a no-spending month of September. Well, mostly. We do have a trip to Seattle planned for Aaron & I to celebrate our ten year anniversary. But no new clothes! Next week I’m going to challenge myself to 30 for 30 challenge, a la Kendi Everyday, using only clothing I already have. Good thing I have some cute new things to work in. ;) I will certainly not be posting my outfit every day, but am shooting for a weekly post.

Day 20: Fancy Shoes

noreply@blogger.com (tarable) — Sun, 04 Sep 2011 21:34:00 +0000

Top: Gap
Jeans: J. Jill
Heels: Last Chance

Sorry I didn’t get this posted yesterday. I cleaned all day & only managed to get showered and dressed just in time to go out with my sweet husband for his birthday. After I took a few pictures, of course. Since we were going out it was easy to choose Sunday heels to go with a slightly fancier than weekday outfit. I love the look of jeans with heels but never do it, so it really is a new look for me. I’ve had these gold heels for several years & love them!

Day 19: Adorn Your Head

noreply@blogger.com (tarable) — Fri, 02 Sep 2011 23:30:00 +0000

Top: Gap

Crops: Gap

Hat: Target

Flip Flops: Old Navy

If you saw me wearing a hat today and thought I was weird - it's because of the 21 Day Challenge, whose prompt for today was to wear something on your head. Or maybe it's just because I am weird, and I bought this hat at the beginning of the summer because I love it. I've only had the courage to wear it a couple times before so I was a little glad for the push to throw it on today.

Day 18: Make a Statement

noreply@blogger.com (tarable) — Thu, 01 Sep 2011 20:26:00 +0000

The prompt for today was to wear a piece of statement jewelry and I was happy to put on this necklace that I just bought on super clearance. I struggled a little about what top to wear with it and was happy enough with my eventual choice. I went into a clothing shop today to return something and the salesgirl told me she loved the necklace. She went on for a couple minutes and said how nice it looked with my eyes and hair, etc. She finished with, "It is such a statement piece!" Talk about making my day. I guess I managed to pull off the challenge today.

Top: Gap

Necklace: Dillards

Trouser Jeans: Gap

Day 17: Mend It!

noreply@blogger.com (tarable) — Wed, 31 Aug 2011 20:10:00 +0000

Top: Gap

Necklace: Fossil

Jeans: Gap

Wedges: Last Chance

I am so thankful for this prompt to mend something & wear it today. I've had this pair of white jeans for almost two years. And they were too long. Which didn't stop me from wearing them a few times with duct taped or safety pinned hems. And recently I have been trying really hard to hem them, but in the process my seldom-used sewing machine broke. And because of this prompt in the 21 Day Challenge, I searched all over online for the instruction manual for my machine, found it for free and downloaded it, fixed my machine in about five minutes, and hemmed those stinkin' jeans! Unfortunately I started all this at 11:30 last night, so I'm a little tired today, but I'm wearing my white jeans finally. I can't believe they still fit. (They are a little more snug.) Next on to the curtains that have been waiting for a year.

ps - have you all tried this tutorial for hemming jeans? i will be using this genius method from now on. so much easier than the regular way too.

Day 16: Menswear

noreply@blogger.com (tarable) — Wed, 31 Aug 2011 00:17:00 +0000

Shirt: Old Navy

Tie: Rountree & York

Shorts: Gap

Loafers: Bass

The prompt for today was to take inspiration from menswear. I have seen women wearing mens' ties before and I really like the look. I mean, how much different is it than a scarf? So today I donned my husband's tie over a pink oxford. Shorts keep me a little cooler & I threw on my loafers, which are also menswear inspired. I have already received quite a few funny looks today for my tie, and one joke about how I didn't need to dress up, and it will be interesting to see the responses I get at my women's church meeting tonight. But I like it anyway. I think I'll revisit a tie when it's cooler and I can layer it under a sweater or vest.

Day 15: Copycat

noreply@blogger.com (tarable) — Mon, 29 Aug 2011 20:22:00 +0000

I finally got to my copycat outfit today. I found some great images of seersucker outfits on Pinterest and was able to wear my new, clearance skirt from Land's End as well as fit in my remix white linen shirt for the 3rd time. Here's the overall look:

It's a little like ♪ ♫ One of these things is not like the others. One of these things just isn't the same. ♪ ♫ It's pretty clear which picture is me, but I like that it still feels consistent. Pink seersucker and white linen is always a great summer look, don't you think? Images found from Pinterest here, here, and here. My outfit (bottom left) is a top from J. Jill (my remix item for the 3rd time), pink seersucker skirt from Land's End, belt from Target, sandals from Gap, and vintage scarf as a bracelet. I'm really excited to check out everyone's copycat looks. They are linked up at Freckles in April.

Day 14: Copycat... OR... New Hairstyle

noreply@blogger.com (tarable) — Mon, 29 Aug 2011 05:18:00 +0000

Today the prompt for the 21 Day Challenge is to recreate a favorite outfit from a magazine or blog. But since the prompts just came yesterday I haven't really had time to figure out what I want to do, so I'm switching it up a bit. The prompt for tomorrow is to try something new with your hair so I did that today instead.

Earlier this year I saw a few magazine ads for a fancy new bobby pin type deal from Goody. It's the Spin Pin and it has pretty much saved me during this hot, hot `summer. I have always admired pretty updo's and buns but since I have zero hairstyling ability I have never been able to do that myself. The Spin Pin corkscrews into your hairdo and does the work that ten regular bobby pins do. All of a sudden I can wear an elegant bun everyday! Or you know, my lopsided version of an elegant bun. I've done side buns, low buns, and high buns. But that's kind of the extent of my knowledge. But today I decided to try a french twist. So I worked on it for 30 minutes and came up with this:

It's not pretty and it's not what I imagined, but technically it is a french twist. And at least my Spin Pins held it in place for three hours of church. Now, I just need to get my sister to teach me how to do a french twist for real. And just in case my four readers might go into withdrawals if they don't see my outfit for today... here it is. And despite what it looks like I'm not pregnant. Just well-rounded. :)

Top: Gap

Skirt: Dillards

Heels: Last Chance

Earrings: Dillards

Day 13: Neutral with a Pop

noreply@blogger.com (tarable) — Sun, 28 Aug 2011 03:48:00 +0000

Top: Gap

Trouser Jeans: Gap

Necklace: Made by me here

Belt: Old Navy

Wedges: Calypso St. Barths for Target

I decided to go with accessories for my neutral outfit with a pop of color. I have some bright pieces of clothing, but I didn't want to have too much color. If it was cooler I would have worn a bright top under a cardigan or blazer or something. But this week has been blazing! My kids haven't had recess for most of the week because there was a heat advisory. So accessories it was for me. I wish I had a skinny, orange, patent leather belt instead of my striped belt but whatcha gonna do.

Day 12: Fancy Jeans

noreply@blogger.com (tarable) — Fri, 26 Aug 2011 22:22:00 +0000

Top: Kohl's

Jeans: J. Jill

Shoes: Easy Spirit

The fact that I don't have on anything from Gap is amazing to me. As much as I love that store I need to branch out in my shopping. I am happy to get back to jeans, as it's been a week or so. And per the prompt, I added a nicer blouse rather than a plain tee. I love that jeans can be dressed up or down and a dark wash, skinny pair certainly dresses up well - much more than I did today. But I am going to a baseball game tonight so I didn't want to go too fancy (or change). My arms look pretty bare though so I'm off to add a bracelet or two.

Day 11: Skirts or Dresses

noreply@blogger.com (tarable) — Thu, 25 Aug 2011 17:47:00 +0000

Top: Gap

Skirt: J.C. Penney

Shoes: Easy Spirit

I'm sure everyone noticed that I didn't post my outfit yesterday. I did follow the prompt and pulled an oft-unworn item from my closet and built an outfit around it. But I wasn't very happy with my look & decided not to post it here; I just added it to the flickr group.

But on to today! The challenge was to wear a skirt or dress, which was so easy for me because I love to wear skirts all summer long. They are the coolest thing in sunny Arizona. I pulled on one of my favorites, added a girly top with ruffles and ties, some great heels and bright lipstick. I feel pretty today. And even taking pictures didn't ruin that. I already know I am well-rounded - but I can still feel pretty.

Day 9: Monochromatic

noreply@blogger.com (tarable) — Tue, 23 Aug 2011 16:51:00 +0000

Tee: Gap

Cropped Skinny Cargo Pants: Gap

Earrings: Jewel Mint

Belt: too old to remember

Shoes: Easy Spirit

I like monochromatic outfits, but generally good ones involve more than a top and a bottom. I would have loved to top off this outfit with a military vest so that it was totally clear that I meant to wear all one color today. Maybe this one from Old Navy.

But I'm okay with what I have on. I love these pants and they always make me feel a little skinnier... until I see pictures of myself. But really it's my top half that needs to lose some bulk. I suck in my middle so much for these pictures! That's one good thing to come of this 21 Day Challenge: I have more motivation to get exercising again.