A few of my favorite things.....

I spent Saturday with my co-worker Aly. After she dragged me to spin class, we headed to her house to make Valentines cookies for her boyfriend and my BFFs (if I don’t have a boyfriend I still might as well put my mad baking skills to use for someone else, right?!) Before we headed back to her place to let the baking commence, we stopped off at target for some supplies. Of course I can never go into Target without looking at the steals and deals they have in the clothing section and boy did Target IMPRESS. Ladies, get your butts over to Target now, I wanna see these fab finds in your fb pics:

 

A cute blue sundress just in time for this amazing weather!

 

hello floral romper, be my valentine?

 

This dress is so so cute in person. Pair it with strappy black sandals and its an easy summer outfit in one!

I have to show off my valentines cookies here too. A few baking fiascos, a fire alarm, and several hilarious hours later….the finished products don’t look too shabby.

Big heart cookies with homemade chocolate ganache icing… made with a little extra effort and a lot of TLC.

Hope everyone had a great vday filled with alllll their favorite things.

xo

D

I've got the blues

Not the kraft macaroni and cheese blues, Not the emotional blues….but the blue jean kinda blues. Those who know me well, or have seen my closet, know I have an addiction to denim. Lately, I have been jonesing for some new jeans. But of course, being on a fast and all, I can’t buy any. While perusing the internet for a hot new style to buy, in a month or two, I’ve been noticing quite a few of these bad boys:




















Is it true?! can it really be? Are jean jackets really back? And how was I unaware of the emerging trend for so long?

The last time I threw on my Gap denim jacket I was on my way out the door to go spend another san jose summer evening at the local starbucks surrounded by my fellow high school  seniors with nothing better to do. FLASHBACK.

Im indecisive about this new trend….but I can see the appeal in this denim vest:

Nothing says late 80’s/early 90’s like a denim jacket… but, then, what’s so bad about that?!



xo

D

A "girly" girl's heaven

When I find something I like, I REALLY like it. Some people call it obsessive, I prefer the term passionate. Right now I am passionate about all things “Haute Hippie”. I can’t wait to shop again so I can get my hands on some of their delightful little pieces. All the frills, and ruffles, and girly pieces are killlllling me with cuteness.


Just take a look at these gems:
 
 

 

Of course the prices are killlllllling me too! But after "shopping" around on some other online shops it is easy to see that the girly look is in.... ruffles, lace, and chiffon... oh my!

Sometimes it really sucks. But MOST of the time, it is so so so fun being a girl!!!!!

Check out more Haute Hippie on shopbop.com : http://www.shopbop.com/haute-hippie/br/v=1/2534374302108433.htm

xo

D

"In" or "Out"

Everyone knows that fashion trends come and go at lightning speed. Lately, I've become concerned that this whole 90 days fast is going to put me so out of date I'll start looking like an Amish woman living in the big city :( I mean, how long can plaid, leopard print flats, and leggings really stay in style?!


I know my fears probably aren’t realistic.... but then again, they rarely are. Today, I came across this list on Rachel Zoe's website of her top 20 wardrobe essentials for January.... Good news people…. According to this list I'm still "in" style, I own every single one of those items (except for the men’s watch but I’m sure I can find a guy to “borrow” one from). Go ahead and check out the list for yourself….

Are you “in” or “out” of style this winter?

http://www.rachelzoe.com/2010-january-basics-guide

Lost and found

I lose things all the time. Keys, clothes, shoes, socks, money, important documents, my temper. Things I LOVE. In fact, I was just looking through old pics and saw a pair of Gucci sunglasses I used to own that I lost at a wedding. I searched and searched for them calling everyone I knew who was there, checking all my bags, scouring fb to find them on a “friends” face…nothing. I searched for them (well a replacement pair) in stores…. Online….EVERYWHERE. But nobody had them. I wondered if it was because I had bought them on a trip to Italy and the style hadn’t debuted in America or if God was just saving my bank account from another blow. Well it’s been almost two years now and would you just look at what showed up on Bloomingdales.com (yes I still torture myself by perusing the site)…

They aren’t the same pretty shade of light purplish grey but if I’m not mistaken they are the same exact frames…

There’s this old quote I always hear that says, “if you love something let it go. If it comes back to you it’s yours. If it doesn’t, it never was”….

Was it tupac who said it?!

So now my question is…. Does that quote apply to material things? Because if so…. And they’re truly mine….does it count as cheating if I buy them?!

I’m just sayyyyyying…..

Addicts Anonymous

Yesterday I got paid!!!

Payday is seriously one of the best days ever. It ranks right up there with Christmas and my birthday. It's like for one week (or day, at least) I don't have to worry about whether or not my landlord will cash rent checks, or some random check I wrote 2 months ago will be cashed by a friend, or a loan payment I forgot about goes through and sucks my bank account dry. Instead the fear is replaced with a false sense of security and euphoria and an intense urge to......ya, you guessed it......go SHOPPPPPPING.I experienced all those emotions yesterday. And I now understand why they always say the easiest way to get rid of one addiction is to replace it with another....

coffee.... check
running....check
spending an excessive amount of money grocery shopping...check check
drinking....check (jk i only had one glass of red)

But nothing could quite squash the urge.....

Anyone got any ideas for a productive addiction I could adopt (with a clear conscience)? I really need something to take the edge off and keep me away from the malls :)


PS...I haven't shopped in 26 days....booyah!

xo

D

When it rains….

It POURS.

It doesn’t happen often here in sunny San Diego but these last few days of constant downpour have left me wishing for sunshine and summer sun. I really can’t complain...this is the first real rain we have seen all winter and it’s the end of January! But still, I can’t ignore my desire for warmth. Since I can’t always get what I want (annoying, I know), and the sun is nowhere in sight (double annoying), I’ve had to settle for the cozy warm sweaters I have in my closet to keep me warm. Although they are few and far between (since they're often impractical for SD climate) I do have a few winners hanging in there. My favorite at the moment is this one my mom bought for me while I was home for Christmas (thanks mom; again):

This sweater is by far the most comfortable thing I own. And quite cute with some leggings and boots. It feels like I’m wearing a throw blanket (although I hope it doesn’t look like it). I would wear it every day if that were socially acceptable, unfortunately I think my coworkers and roommates would complain…

These sweaters put off the same “so-comfortable-its-like-wearing-a-blanket” vibe:

This one from Shopbop.com, in its wintery white glory, makes me think of snow covered peaks, a mountain-esque lodge, and hot toddies. It’s a tad (ok a lot) expensive but hey, who can put a price on comfort? I can’t!

This more reasonable priced sweater is found at nordstroms.com. My roomie, whitney, got it for Christmas and its completely accurate to say I am JEALOUS. I want it too!

Grab a cozy sweater, curl up on your couch (or in your office, cube, or wherever you may be) and stay dry during these next few rainy days. Although it’s raining and pouring outside, just remember….the calm comes after the storm (hopefully the sunshine will, too)!

xo,

~D

Bargain Bin

No blog yesterday because I was home sick all day, curled up in bed. I’d like to pretend that I looked cute and cozy in a matching sweat outfit but the truth is that I just plain didn’t. So no picture will be posted :)

The day before I went on a short lunch shopping trip to Marshall’s with my coworker, Aly. I found a few hidden treasures I would have purchased if I could…. So I thought I would share them with you. Bargain shopping is fun, even went you can’t really do the shopping part!

Steve Madden booties for $49.00!! Loving the studs.

Similiar studded BCBGirls heels. I fell in love with them.

This Kensie top would look adorable under a light grey or bright blue cardigan

Ive been looking for a pair of grey skinnies and J Brand denim is SO comfy

I own this Primp sweatshirt in grey but for only 10.00 I would definitely buy another one!

I loooove the color combo in this Theory sweater. I can picture it with a cute pair of dark jeans for an easy weekend outfit.

Copycat

They always say that copying is the most sincere form of flattery (I’m not really sure who “they” is). But in any case, my roommate Sarah should be flattered today. I was completely uninspired this morning; Until I saw her outfit. We just happen to have the same gold tank (we scored it on sale, day after christmas, at Jcrew for 10 dollars). We both have similar brown cardigans, trouser pants, gold necklaces..and..well….you get the gist. Today I totally copied my roomies outfit. But that’s only because she has amazing style and I’m confident that what she wears ALWAYS looks cute. So next time you see that adorable, stylish, fun outfit on a coworker, a girl on the street, or a celeb on perezhilton.com…..go ahead, get inspired, and copy away...

you little copycat :)

Xo,
~D

Day 12

Come on, get HAPPY

Sometimes I wake up and I’m just not in a good mood. Typically this happens on Mondays. It's always sad waking up and realizing you have to go to work for 8 hours. Especially when the sun is shining, its 75 degrees in January, and the beach is 5 steps from your front door. Warm week days like this kinda tick me off. Maybe it’s because while it’s warm and sunny outside and the unemployed are off running around and getting tan, I’m stuck in a cubicle, in freezing air conditioning.

I was grumpy on the way to work this morning. And I just couldn’t shake it. Even after I got my morning coffee. As I drove to work I thought of something I heard in a college psychology lecture. A lecturer told us he drove to work in the morning with a pen in his mouth between his top and bottom teeth. If you stick a pen in your mouth like this you will find that you are almost forced to smile. I’m sure driving to work like that and seeing other peoples weird stares at you would make you smile even more. By the time he got to work he would find he was in a better mood. In a way, he was MAKING his own happiness. He was choosing to be happy and therefore he was.

Whenever I wake up in a bad mood I want to put on tattered jeans and sweats and go to work looking like a slob. I try to force myself to do just the opposite. I am a firm believer that dressing nice makes you feel better about yourself. Today I dressed up ( I even wore heels!). I tricked myself into feeling happy, good, and ready to go…..and you know what? It worked!

"If you want to be happy, be." ~ Leo Tolstoy

Day 11

Meow

There’s something so liberating about wearing animal print. Even if it is just a small part of an outfit. Take my shoes, for example. It’s like I’m channeling my inner tigress and for some reason “I am woman hear me roar” keeps repeating over and over in my head. OK… OK… I may be taking it a bit too far here. But animal print is just oh-so-FUN. I am obsessed with this jacket found on shopbop.com (one of my fave websites).

If I could buy it, I soooooo would! Would you?

A wise woman once told me: “leopard print matches nothing…. So wear it with EVERYTHING”. I love this advice. So I am passing it on to you. Have some fun ladies and channel YOUR inner lioness.

RAWRRR!


~D

Day 8

LML

Love My Life, Love My Leggings... While that is not always true about my life, it holds true about the leggings. Even though I fully blame them for my 5lb weight gain over Christmas Break, I still love them. To me, they represent the modern day sweat pant. So comfortable, so easy, so forgiving (especially after you stuff yourself with a holiday meal). I mean, who can resist, really?! If you don’t love leggings, or have a fear of looking silly wearing them, as my roommate Sarah once did, I PROMISE just give them ONE shot. She did, and she’s now as addicted as I am. I took it upon myself to start a quest for THE perfect legging. Currently I am obsessed with the ones from Victoria’s Secret. I got a black and grey pair this year for Christmas, thanks Santa! They’re perfectly thick, warm, and long enough for my 5’9” frame. Today I’m pairing them with a tunic top which I also scored on Christmas morn (yes, my mom is the best). So go ahead, give ‘em a shot.

Don’t forget to let me know how much you LYL (love your leggings and your life) when you do!

xo

~D

Day 7

Recreate my day 2 look with a shortsleeve tunic (mines from nordstrom but no longer available.....try nordstrom rack), brown...

You Cant Always Get What You Want...

… It's true. You can't. I think sometimes, okay maybe MOST of the time, I choose to forget that basic principle. It's not that I'm made of money, or have a sugar daddy, an endless income, or a tree that grows money in my backyard (in a perfect world I’d have all of the above). I just choose to live a lifestyle that costs a little, ok a lot, more than I can afford. It's because of this, that as 2010 rolled around, and everyone was ringing in the New Year with excitement and enthusiasm I found myself in front of my computer about to login to THE most dreaded website on my favorites list.... wellsfargo.com. I rarely log onto my online bank account, I don’t know if it’s due to the butterflies, sweaty palms, and nausea I feel every time I start to type in my login and password or just the simple fact that the numbers are ALWAYS lower than I expect, but those account summaries are the last thing I want to view. When they popped up on the screen on January 1 I was hit with a large dose of reality. I am not a millionaire, I am not well-off. In fact, I am not even considered financially stable…. The fact of the matter is I am a 25 year old girl, with credit card debt, a high rent, a moderate paying job and a terrible terrible addiction to shopping.


This first week of 2010 has not been kind to my bank account. A 400 dollar towing expense along a series of other unfortunate events and an end of 2009 trip to Vegas have left me in the red financially. I have been forced to examine myself, my life, and come face to face with my horrible spending habits….and let me tell you it’s NOT pretty. So keeping in line with the idea of starting fresh in a new year I have set a challenge for myself.

90 days.

90 days of fasting from shopping. NO new clothes, NO new shoes. I am confining myself to the limits of my closet. That tiny space, already filled to the brim, housing hidden treasures (and plenty of skeletons as well) is my only source of fashion for the next 3 months. Just thinking about it leaves me with a bout of anxiety.

Most of my friends have called me crazy, psycho, or completely insane for trying to do this. I agree, this is going to be hard, masochistic perhaps. But a journey all the same. One I would like for you to join me on. So for the next 90 days I ask that you hold me accountable, help keep me sane, and give me encouragement, prayers, and hope that I can make it though. I may not be able to always get what I want….but here’s to hoping, that if I try (really reallllllly hard), I might just find I’ll get what I NEED.

Xo

~D

Day one outfit is above... as well as ideas on how you can recreate it. My shirt is from target but most likely no longer available.