OOTDs: Two Dresses.

Day: Friday, June 26, 2015.

Where: Bobby Van's, a steakhouse here in the DC area.

Ease of Wear: (3.75 of 5 stars--5 being the most easy to wear.)  Ha, though this Zara dress is made from a scuba knit fabric and is in its largest size available, I still needed to wear the proper shapewear and suck the gut in so that it would look decent on me.  My hubby liked it, and I think it does look nice for the most part, but it is definitely a "date" dress that you wear for a few hours at a time.  God bless you, Zara, and your teeny-sized clothing.  ;-)

To be fair, it was very hot that evening, and I suspect both the shoes and dress would feel better under cooler and drier conditions. I'll try again in late October.

Outfit Details:  Floral Printed Tube Dress, Zara here (a medium is back as of 11:56 am); Shoes, J. Crew; Bag, J. Crew; Sunglasses, Anthropologie; Earrings, Premier Designs.

Anecdote of the Day:  Parking in downtown DC is always an exercise in patience, and after driving around the White House area a few times, my hubby was convinced we were really far away from the restaurant.  I looked on the phone and saw it was like two blocks away.  I was like, "dude, two blocks...super close."  It turned out to be three.  He complained.  Eye roll.

Food was worth it, though.  Great steak is still great steak!

INSTAGRAM of outfit here.
INSTAGRAM of the dirty martini here.
INSTAGRAM of the dress and skirt in this pattern.

Day: Sunday, July 19, 2015.

Where: Church, Whole Foods, and a BBQ.

Ease of Wear: (4 of 5 stars--5 being the most easy to wear.)  The linen zip-front dress in gold foil leaf from J. Crew is very lovely, but the waistband, right above the elastic shirring, is a fixed measurement/seam.  Many others have pointed this out in reviews, but what's the point of having an elastic waist and then having part of it not stretch?  Sigh.  STUPID.  But, because I chose the exact right size for my body (6 regular), it fit just fine.  You do need to know your waist measurement, where your waist falls on your body versus the dress, and from there you can figure out where it work on you.  Honestly, I lucked out.  Usually a style like this I would order in a 4 regular (or petite if this bodice looks really long--I have a short torso), but because of the reviews, I tried the size up and it was perfect. 

The linen is very nice for summer, very stiff, especially the hem (it is faced with the same fabric to keep that effect--it does allow the skirt to fall more like a full skirt), but it breathed well in the near 100 heat (plus full humidity) yesterday. 

I only wore the jacket in church for modesty reasons.  I was hot in church, but whatever, it's only an hour.

Outfit Details:  Dress, J. Crew here; Jacket, Loft; Sandals, Target here; Sunglasses, Anthropologie; Necklace, History Store.

Anecdote of the Day:  I had to go to Whole Foods before the bbq at my friend's house.  She lives two blocks from the one in Arlington, so my brother, Angus, and I walked to the store.  I knew Angus would be a wriggly mess at the store (that one is SO CROWDED), so I just strapped him in my ergo instead.  Hoo boy, was that a brilliant way to make 98 degrees feel like 120.  Still was a great idea since the store was, as predicted, full of people who I have noticed are not the "kid-friendly" types.  (They are a bit more kid-friendly at the Old Town Alexandria one, fwiw.)

INSTAGRAM of outfit and Angus in Ergo here.

Okay, thanks for stopping by!  :-)

I am thinking I can do a special "clearance" Boden Weekly Review Roundup (now that I am starting it up again) this week.  If you are interested in adding a review, and you are not one of my "regulars," you can email me at dinagideon AT aim DOT com or put the review in the comments section of the Boden Reviews tab.  (You can always email me if you are a regular and just think I won't get your review, too.)

OOTD/Review: Chepstow for Church.

I promised in the "catch of the day" sale post I wrote this morning that I would write up a review of the Chepstow top, which I happened to wear to church last night, so perfect timing for the sale, huh?  ;-)

First up is the ootd portion followed by the review of the top.

Day: Sunday, August 10, 2014.

Where: Church.

Ease of Wear: (3.75 of 5 stars--5 being the most easy to wear.)  The Chepstow top is fab.  If my skirt had been as comfortable as it, this would have easily been an outfit in the "4" range.  But yeah, stupid J. Crew skirt I bought when I was at my smallest.  It fits, but it is very fitted. 

(That said, I have spent my summer in luscious stretch jersey and swimwear, so maybe my body is just rebelling at being buttoned up so tightly.  LOL.)

The Penny Loafers (review here) are still available at Boden, btw.  These are from the spring and are currently in clearance.  As of this morning, clearance items qualify for free shipping, too, but like the regular season stuff, you have to make sure your basket is above $50 to receive free shipping.

Cool Factor: (3.75 of 5 stars--5 being the coolest--for both outfits.)  Due to the constraints of weather (warm and humid) and where I was going (church), I couldn't wear this top the way it would look best, with skinny pants or a pair of shorts.  But that said, it was a perfectly lovely outfit for church. 

Anecdote from the Day:  My kids have been "off" at church all summer long.  It's like once school was over (and the weekly school mass as a reminder of how to act for Sunday mass), they were like, "hey, let's act up, 'cause you know.  MASS."  Ugh.  Well, an incentive of...wait for it...chocolate milk did the trick.  Aw, I love it.  I really am not sure I am looking forward to the days when chocolate milk doesn't work as an incentive. 

Chepstow Top.  Size 6.  As you can see from the first and second photos, this size fits exactly right for my frame.  The yoke sits exactly where it should on the shoulders and the length of the sleeves is nice and long on my (pretty long) arms.  It also isn't too loose through the bodice, which could easily make this top read maternity.

So like I said in my written review this am, go with your knitwear size at Boden.  I rarely wear anything other than a 6 at Boden in their sweaters, and choosing this size in the Chepstow worked well.

I do wear a smaller size in Boden's jersey tops, a size 4, because those items inherently have more stretch than this top, which is made from a knit, sure, but a knit with not much stretch (it is a lyocell for those of you wondering).

Back View.  Unlike a lot of tops, I didn't have the "sway back/big butt" pooling of fabric, which is awesome.  It is because there is a flow to the drape of the top, and is not a fitted tee.



Chepstow Top. Stocks are healthy, but some sizes are on backorder.  If you think you would wear it starting now and would wear it throughout the season, you could buy it now and not feel guilty about not waiting.  As of right now, it doesn't appear to be selling out, but it may have been like this last August with this top, and it still ended up selling out.  Hmm.

Okay, that's it, have any of you tried this one? 

See you all tomorrow with another round of "catches."

OOTDs/Made by Me Files: Floral Stretch Twill Skirt (Vogue 8916) and Graphic Wrap Maxi (Vogue 8850 c. 1975).

Hey, all!  Happy Monday.

I am sorry if the last post came to you too late to enjoy the 30% off everything at Boden this weekend.  Unfortunately Johnnie and co. didn't feel enough sympathy to extend it into today, but they did start off another round of 30% off items, this time on dresses, shoes/sandals, and accessories.  I am not officially going to be announcing this in its own post, so no picks or anything, but I do recommend that if you really want to grab something from them that is at 30% off to head over to the last few BWRRs that I have published since there are quite a few reviews from those three categories.

Okay, onto the made by me/ootd action!  I will do the ootd portion first followed by a quick look at the sewing details after.

Day: Saturday, June 14, 2014.

Where: To go get drunk.  LOL.  No, we had "won" two school auction tickets (for twenty people total) to go to a BBQ/Mixed Drinks party at one of the school's parents' house. 

Ease of Wear: (3.5 of 5 stars--5 being the most easy to wear.) Bad Boden shirt.  I actually felt that everything was super comfortable from waist down, but this Boden shirt, while it looks great with the outfit, is just a wrong fit for me.  It is very narrow in the hips, so I can't wear it loose, but tucking it in can be a challenge.  Meh.  Bummer is that I only own one top in this color.  I may just have to alter the hem (probably up a couple of inches so it falls higher on the hips where I am narrower) to get this to fit better.

Cool Factor: (4.5 of 5 stars--5 being the coolest--for both outfits.) This is a rock solid look.  The lines are clean and classic, and the floral looks fresh but not too stuffy.  I fit the skirt to my exact measurements so the pencil skirt could be fitted but not too fitted.

Anecdote from the Day:  So the house where we were set to go to for the party is literally five houses from us...but not down the sidewalk.  No, the house is behind ours and four down, but since we live on the edge of the forest, we had to trek through the forest and into our back neighbor's sideyard to get to their home. Note the wedges I was wearing.  Well Little Miss Confidence was fine on the way there but the way back, well, let's just say...limoncello...whiskey...big branch...cut on leg.  Ah, yeah.  So graceful.  :-)  At least the skirt is okay.

To add to the weirdness, as soon as we step out of our neighbor's sideyard, I hear my "teacher name" and was greeted by one of Rex's friends from his class, out for a walk with her mom and dad, sister, and twin brothers.  And they don't even live on the street, they are about a mile down, they just were walking to enjoy the glorious evening. 

I had spied this wonderful fabric in G Street Fabrics last fall, but if I recall correctly, it was almost $30 a yard, and as beautiful as it was, I knew that $90 for three yards (I usually try to have three yards on hand so if I want I can make a full dress, or a skirt/top and girls dress) was too much.  Then I saw it at Gorgeous Fabrics for $15 a yard and they had a coupon, so I happily bought my three yards and moved on...but then Fabric Mart had the same fabric on sale for $2.99 or some ridiculousness like that, and I was like, "umm, okay, well, why not add more to the stash and have pretty fabric for muslins, etc."  Then I was gifted a yard from Fabric Mart in one of their free bundles they send and well, I guess I have a lot of the pretty fabric ready to go.  I  think I can make a full dress, a top, a skirt, a sheath dress, and a couple of things for CW.  Really glad I didn't buy it at G Street originally.

This etsy seller has some available, btw. Not at $3 a yard, but still less than G Street or even Gorgeous Fabrics had theirs at...

So this skirt is made from the Vogue 8916 pattern, which is a wardrobe pattern and includes a top, jacket, skirt, and simple sleeveless dress.  I liked how long the skirt looked, and thought the silhouette was classic (neat tidy waistband added to the skirt and not folded over like some pencil skirt patterns have).  It also included instructions for lining the skirt, which I wanted to do so I could wear it in the winter with tights.

I was tremendously worried that the skirt in the largest size on the package would be too small (this is the smaller set of sizes--up to a 14), but I figured I would at least do some flat measurements.  Well, even after doing the flat measurements I was worried, but figured I could take the seams out a bit to 3/8" if need be.  Then I had the idea to measure this pattern against a stretchy pencil skirt of mine from J. Crew, and get this...the pattern was more than big enough in a 14, in fact a little bigger than the J. Crew skirt, so I knew I would be okay. 

Putting this skirt together took me AGES.  I labored on it for a month.  Now admittedly I was working on other things, including the dress below, but really, people...a MONTH for a pencil skirt.  I may win the slowest sewer on the planet award.  The pattern itself was not confusing, the instructions were fine, and the fabric wasn't especially tricky (other than getting bunched up on the sewing machine since the machine's foot tension was too loose and gathered this super thin fabric easily).  I just took a lot of time getting it done.

I think taking my time made the skirt look nicely finished though and when I grab a few moments, I will photograph the inside of the skirt since I properly finished all the seams and the hem.  It isn't 100% ready to wear, but it is the closest I have come since my Vogue Paris Original dress from last fall.

I would like to make the top from this pattern, but in a different fabric.  The fabric above I will likely use with this New Look pattern since it is a darling peplum and hey, the fabric is exactly the same.  So original.

Day: Thursday, June 5, 2014.

Where:  CW's Kindergarten Graduation.  Then to the city to celebrate with her at Pret-A-Manger and the Natural History Museum.

Ease of Wear: (3.5 of 5 stars--5 being the most easy to wear.) Although this dress was made for me by me, because I didn't take out extra length in the bodice portion, the overall shape was a bit too blousey for my frame, especially since the extra volume was extra extra in the skirt. 

I will say that running around the city with the breeze in place was very nice...the skirt kind of swirled around me and was very refreshing.  I just wonder how much more awesome it would have felt if the top portion fit a bit better.

Cool Factor: (4 of 5 stars--5 being the coolest--for both outfits.) Very nice summer dress and cute sandals.  My baby was the star, though, and her outfit was the winner that day.  (She received a lot of "OH, SO CUTE!" comments.)  I did make that dress, btw, and you can see more on that one here.

Anecdote from the Day:  The IRS building was being evacuated when we were walking by.  The nice security fella walked with us to the end of the block (instead of making us cross the street with the employees) and he and CW got into a conversation about the stuffed owl she had just bought at the museum store.  We asked him his name and he said Laurence, and we said we would name the owl Laurence. But then CW thought about it and looked at him and said, "no wait, this is a girl owl, so I am going to name her Laura."  ;-)

The dress, based on the vintage Vogue pattern 8850 (from 1975) looks SO good on my form.  I feel like Triple D needs to wear this dress all the time.  Triple D is longer than me from neck to waist, though, so the extra volume is less present on her, and requires no fiddling with the wrap to make her perfect.

I am not going to go into the ins and outs of this sewing project, but I did publish a lot of information on it here at this review at Pattern Review.

Okay, that's it for now.  :-)

If you would like 30% off dresses, shoes/sandals, and accessories, this sale will go until next Sunday night.  For anything else that is on your list that is not one of the above categories, you can use the coupon below or in the sidebar for 25% off.

OOTDs: Five Handmade Floral.

Before I start, I wanted you all to know that if you use the code W4U4 to receive 30% off everything full-priced at Boden until midnight tonight.  I saw this yesterday in my email, but since yesterday was spent doing everything except being on the computer, I couldn't let you all know until today.  :-)  I apologize if you see this on Monday morning and missed the promotion, but Boden called it a weekend only special.

So, Happy Father's Day!  We don't have a ton of plans, but I am planning on sewing up my hubby a Hawaiian shirt made from this Michael Miller Fabric soon.  I will definitely post those photos when I get a chance. 

Because it is Father's Day and I am working with borrowed time, I am going to show off the outfits but only use the date, where worn, and the anecdote of the day to describe the outfits, and not include the "ease of wear" or "coolness" ratings.  I will also include a link to the post on the handmade item for reference's sake.

Day: Tuesday, June 3, 2014.

Where: Rex's last baseball practice.

Anecdote from the Day:  Instead of hosting a regular baseball practice with kids doing regular exercises and drills, the coaches decided to have a parents/kids scrimmage game.  My hubby is not known for his athleticism, so he made me play while he took Angus and CW to the Little Gym.  Ha.  I was only as great as I could be at my age, but at least I enjoy playing the sport, I suppose.  ;-)

Shorts were blogged about at this post. 

Day: Monday, June 9, 2014.

Where: Substitute Teaching.

Anecdote from the Day:  I realized partway through the day that the dress hem was not completely staying up.  The stitches at the hem were fine, but I hadn't stitched far enough up on the hem to keep the part not stitched from falling over the rest of the hem.  Sigh.  Newbie mistake.  Definitely will be correcting that, and soon.

I was told by one of the teachers there at the school, who also is a seamstress, that my darts looked spot on and perfect, so that made me smile.  :-)

Dress was blogged about at this post.

Day: Wednesday, June 11, 2014.

Where: Bowling with the kids.

Anecdote from the Day:  After ages and ages of begging me to let him bowl, Angus got his chance to try it out for himself.  Above you will see his first ever push of the bowling ball.  He didn't take to well to waiting for his turn, so in the end, we just let him have his own lane where I pretty much stayed by his side assisting him in getting the ball on the ramp.  (And also to prevent him from pushing it before the pins had "fixed" themselves at the end of the lane.)  He did REALLY well, considering his age, but sadly, I couldn't bowl, and I could barely hang out with the friends who came to the alley with me.  At lunch we were able to catch up, but Angus would look back at the lanes and sort of get a "why am I here eating when I could be bowling" look on his face.  Oh, dear.  I think I know what my future holds.

Pants were blogged about at this post. 

Day: Friday, June 13, 2014.

Where: Little Gym, School Pickup (LAST DAY, WOO!) and Pollo place for lunch.

Anecdote from the Day:  Since there is no extended day at the school on the last day of school, every single parent who has to get their children that normally don't were there.  Sigh.  It was a freaking madhouse in the parking lot, out onto the side street, and even threatening to force its way onto one of the MAIN streets.  Not good.  I mean I get it, and I have zero problem with the parents getting their kids, but seriously, there has to be a better solution.  It would truly suck to have one of the parents get hit on the main road because they are caught in a horrible traffic situation.  Yuck.  Hopefully next year they fix that issue.

Skirt was blogged about at this post.

And now for a little sneak peek, the skirt that I made recently and wore last night.  Isn't it a pretty pencil skirt?  I fell madly in love with this fabric at G Street Fabrics, but found the price at the time to be too steep to buy it, but later saw the very same fabric for FAR LESS at one of the online shops, so I bought quite a few yards of it, since I knew I would want to try it in different garments.  The pencil skirt, based off this Vogue pattern, fit the bill for a relatively easy first pattern to try with it.  Anyhow, I will blog about this creation and another one in the next few days.

Alright, that's it for today.  You all have a very Happy Father's Day!

Remember W4U4 to receive 30% off all full-priced merchandise at Boden (put the code in the shopping bag page to override the 25% off below):

OOTDs/Review: Santorini Amongst the Dandelions.

Day: Saturday, May 3, 2014.

Where: Baseball Game (Rex's not the National League--at least not yet!) followed by a trip to get Vietnamese sandwiches and then to Barnes and Noble.

Ease of Wear: (5 of 5 stars--5 being the most easy to wear.) Even with the higher-heeled sandals, this outfit is one of the easiest I have ever worn, hands down.  I am such a fan of the Santorini Sundress (here at Boden) that I am immediately going to pin this dress to my "Favorite Pieces from my Wardrobe" board.  I can see why this dress sold out almost immediately.  For more on the dress, I have written up a quickie review below.  The only issue I had was that my shoulders got burned, but that is MY fault...what kind of pale fool like me forgets sunscreen on a hot, sunny day?

Cool Factor: (4 of 5 stars--5 being the coolest--for both outfits.) I think it looks very interesting with its unique mid-century inspired print, plus it is a very flattering easy knit dress with a fitted bodice and slightly flared skirt.  My husband really really liked it on me.  :-)

Anecdote from the Day:  I was going to go out with my friend from high school, L., but at the last minute she had to cancel.  I was tempted to go to where we were headed anyway, but I was all, "meh."  LOL.  So. not. motivated.

Santorini Sundress.  Size 6L.  I didn't even know this was part of the first summer rollout (came out with the Nancy dress) until I was looking around and then realized I hadn't seen it before.  I was very intrigued by the print, but when I opened up the page, I saw that the 6L was LONG gone.  Sadness.  I immediately started wondering how I could recreate this dress on my sewing machine, but I was really hung up on the fabric, so even though I *probably* could sew this up, I am happy to not have had to, since I think the fabric is very special.

It fits precisely as it should, and even features darting at the bustline for shaping, which is not always something found in jersey garments.  The pockets are also very handy and I found myself sticking my hands in them all day. 

It was hot out, but the breeze would catch the skirt and give me some *subtle* air conditioning, which is a big bonus here in DC, now that summer is very close (summers in DC--always brutal).

I think if you can grab this one, and you think it would suit you, it would be money well spent.  I had no problem buying this with the 15% off coupon.  No regrets!


Santorini Sundress.  A lot of the sizes and colors have sold out, but watch for popbacks.

Day: Saturday, April 26, 2014.

Where: Rex's baseball game (connection to the first outfit!), meeting my good blog friend Leslie in Old Town, and the walking SIX miles home from Old Town.  SIX miles.  :-)  It felt good!

Ease of Wear: (4.5 of 5 stars--5 being the most easy to wear.) Since I knew I would be walking home from Old Town, and I knew it would involve sun, some heat, and a few uphills, I decided comfort was key, even if I really wanted to wear something more pretty and unique to show off to Leslie.  This was the first time I was going to be meeting her, and even though I suspected had I worn a burlap sack she would have still liked me, I really wanted to look good, ya know?  In the end, I decided to go halfsies...wear the cool sweatshirt from the Neiman Marcus/Target collab...do my hair up in a functional yet kind of pretty style...and wear the sneakers that will help on the six mile walk, but also look *fly*.

I ended up getting pretty hot, but fair skinned me wasn't about to take off the sweatshirt for fear of burning.  I did drink all the water and green tea I had in my bag on the walk home to stay cool, though.

Cool Factor: (3.5 of 5 stars--5 being the coolest--for both outfits.) Pretty cool.  The sneakers are actually pretty old, but that retro style Nike is staying popular (although these aren't nearly as retro as my green kicks).  The short in front, longer in back sweatshirt look may be on the way out, but it still works, trend-wise, especially if you are a SAHM on a very long weekend walk.  ;-)

Anecdote from the Day:  Leslie wrote up a nice description of the day at her blog, Pink Tulips, and I really appreciate her taking the time to meet up with me.  She is an absolute breath of fresh air, which is needed in this hot air kind of place (thankyouverymuch, Congress!).  I loved when we were able to sit down at Austin Grill and just enjoy our yummy lunches al fresco (yay for outdoor seating!).  Anyhow, only regret?  Not grabbing a photo of the two of us!!!  Next time, for sure!

Okay, that's it for tonight, I really hope everyone is having a great evening!

If you are looking for a discount for Boden, this coupon below is the current one running through the affiliate program:

OOTD/Review: Jacquard Roll Neck and Lace Peplum.

Good day!  I hope everyone had a fabulous Monday.  I also hope that if you are affected by this *ridiculous* cold snap that is sitting on top of our country like a mean viper on top of rocks that you are able to stay relatively warm.  Most of the counties around us canceled school today (laugh at us MN, go ahead), but not Arlington county which is where the kids go to school.  So I have to bundle tiny Angus up and settle him in his new car seat (just installed yesterday) and hopefully get him to watch a movie or show on our video player in the car instead of him wanting to run around before pickup (usually his preferred activity--which is fine 95% of the time).

Anyhow, enough blah blah, onto the reviews and outfits...

Jacquard Roll Neck.  This one is currently in clearance over at Boden.  (The new Spring items are available, btw, I wrote more on that here at this post.)  It is a great price at $55, and since I had received a $50 gift card from my mother-in-law, I was able to buy it for $5!  So yay.

Okay, I purchased the size extra small since I read it was running large.  I had to do the same with last spring's hand knit sweater.  I could have purchased the small and had a larger, more casual look, but I think it looks nicer on my frame more fitted since the jacquard design makes my waist look fairly trim and I think the effect would be less so in a larger size.

The wool is very thick, a mix of lambswool and nylon.  I think I would prefer the wool if it were all lambswool, but I suspect that would have made this sweater even more expensive (but probably still reasonable on sale).  I found that the sweater looked a bit ratty by the end of yesterday, a few pills here and there, and had I purchased this at full price I would have been a bit ticked.  A good wash and flat dry should bring it back to life, though.

The color I am wearing is the lightest shade and the one on deepest discount.  There is also a pink and green version, too, but those are more expensive.

The shoulder seam is dropped.  As I mentioned in my review on the Vintage sweatshirt in metallic triangles, this may not be a look you want for your shoulder line, so keep that in mind.  I love it, but I seem to be in the minority.  I don't know that you can even really tell it's dropped on this sweater, but it could just be because my shoulders are narrow.

The design is pretty cool.  I dig the 70s ski lodge look of the design, and had I wanted to, I could have gone full on hipster with this, but chose to keep it more preppy and tailored instead.

This is the sort of sweater I would think Anthro would sell, so I was pleasantly pleased that Boden issued it.

One last thing, the weave of the jacquard design is on the inside of the sweater, so it adds an additional layer to the fit (so two layers of wool instead of one).  It makes this a bit warmer, but if you like to have super warm sweaters, this would be a bonus, I would think.

This is how I wore it yesterday on our trip around town doing errands (like getting the new car seat).  It was getting cold, but it wasn't cold cold yet.  Had it been like it is today, I would have for sure swapped out the pants, socks, and shoes for more weather appropriate choices. 

The shoes are on 50% sale, too.  They are the Embellished Ballet Flats, and you can find my original review of them here.

Lace Peplum Top.  Size small.  Like my Vintage sweatshirt in metallic triangles, this top was one of the *only* items I have liked from J. Crew recently.  Not enough to get this one at full price, but definitely enough to grab at sale price minus 40%.  ;-)

The fit is wonderful, if a touch too big at the waist.  It has enough stretch in it to size down if you would prefer a more fitted look, but since I wanted a top that I could wear around with my kids, I knew I wanted something with a bit more room overall.  The top still has enough vavavavoom in a bigger size, so you could definitely dress it up with a cute pencil skirt, heels, and tights and wear it on a date.

There is a back zip and while I can slide the top over my head without unzipping it, the zip is a welcome feature, especially if you are the type of lady who puts on makeup before putting on your top.  I usually put the clothes on and then the makeup, but to each their own...

I love how curvy I look here, it is rare for my bustline to be that enhanced, so go lace peplum for adding a bit of oomph to my ladies.  It almost looks like I am an hourglass instead of a pear here.  Woo!  That said, this may steer you away from the top if you are very busty and would prefer not to show off all of your assets.  ;-)

We were meant to visit Philadelphia's historic district and have lunch on South Street that day, but as you can see from the view from our hotel room that those plans disappeared.  We woke up on Sunday morning to Philly newscasters telling everyone to stay off the roads since they were super icy.  Rather than tempt fate, we decided to head home instead.  Sigh.  The waitress at Denny's got to see my cute top, lol.

Gigi and Shopwithm did reviews of this top, btw.

Okay, that's it, you all have a great day and STAY WARM!

If you want to grab something from the sale section at Boden, and you need free shipping, you should be able to get it with this link.  Let me know if it doesn't work for some reason.  The clearance items do not go further down in price, though, only the regular (in season) items do.

OOTDs: So Far in Mississippi...

Hey, all!

It's been a long while since I have had an ootd posts, so I thought I should at least publish what I have worn so far on the trip.  Since I am here for a few more days, this is part one of this post...part two will likely be published when I get home.

Since I am short on time (lots of family get-togethering is on the schedule), I am going to only mention items or things of interest that need to be said.  For the most part, you all have seen these items before on the blog since most of them are items I have had for years.  If something is new or can still be purchased, I will briefly review them and link to them.  ;-)

Okay, onto the outfits...

It was warm that day, probably in the mid-70s.  All I did was head to Wal-Mart with my girl, CW, to pick out some presents for her brothers.

Those kicks are from the J. Crew collaboration with Nike (called the Nike Vintage Collection Waffle Racer Sneakers).  Aren't they cool?  Mr. Dina loves them.  He may just decide to kick his white tennis shoes to the curb in favor of these waffle-soled wonders.  Sadly it appears I can't get his size in these green ones (all sold out...I barely managed to grab them in a men's size 8--that's a women's size 9.5).  It looks like I might be able to grab the navy in his size.  Hmmm...

The scarf is handmade.  It is a very easy pattern to sew up, thanks to this tutorial by Simplicity.  Highly recommend it if you are a newbie to sewing and are looking for an easy first pattern OR if you have a need for a quick present to make.  I used roughly 5/8 yard of this cotton jersey to make it.  (I will do a more in-depth review of this item in my next "made by me" file.)

Here we are at the Superdome.  Mr. Dina wanted to go to the Saints store when it wasn't super crowded.

CW's dress wass in the Boden end of season sale, but it is gone.  I will update the post with its link if it comes back.  :-)  I can see why it sold out, the owl applique on this version is so cute!

Here I am standing in front of an abandoned factory really close to Mardi Gras world.  Very cool location, if a bit somber.  I have never lived in a place where factories are a normal thing (DC area has very little industrial history, so no factories there), so I have a thing for factories.  I think they are beautiful structures, especially the ones from long ago enough that they had smokestacks and detailed brickwork.

Two of these pieces are newer, the cable knit pocket sweater from J. Crew (size small, fits a bit loose, but it runs short, so I erred on the size of sizing up--gigiofca did a great in-depth review of it here) and the Wool Bistro Crop in tartan from Boden.  The tartan wool bistro crop pants have been popular, but have not sold out, so you can still find them in the sale section.  They sold well enough, though, that Boden didn't feel it necessary to bring the price down on them a ton.  I find they fit a bit big, since I normally wear these in a size 10 L, and chose to buy the 8 L.  Barring a tiny bit of pinching at the waist (which I alleviated by doing the whole rubberband trick), they fit very well, especially in the hips and thighs, which is where I carry my weight.

We were heading to church on Christmas Eve, but I was told it was fairly casual, so I chose pants rather than a dress.  There were a lot of casual outfits, I was still dressier than 90% of the folks there.

The pocket of the cable pocket sweater.  I ABSOLUTELY love these pockets.

Saw Anchorman 2 with Mr. Dina yesterday.  Because I am crazy and literal, I chose to wear shoes that match my tee exactly (Dublin Green if I recall the J. Crew color correctly) and to wear shoes that would have fit right in the Anchorman movie. 

Best line from the Anchorman 2 movie?  Upon someone commenting on Christina Applegate's bottom, she turns to Will Ferrel and asks, "why don't you talk to that man who said that?"  Will Ferrel responded with, "your butt is like the north star, wise men follow it."  Hahahahaha.  Next time I feel down about my bottom, I truly hope Mr. Dina says that phrase to me.

They have even more horses in the field behind the house.  Years ago there were one or two, now there are at least four horses, plus a donkey (!!!) and a pony.  I am 100% freaked out by horses (really bad accident with one ten years ago), but I appreciate how beautiful they are.

I don't buy much from Stella & Dot, but every once in a blue moon, I will grab something from them.  I just recently acquired the Mesa necklace for a song ($35, I believe).  Both my mother-in-law and my sister-in-law are in love and will probably be getting their own Mesa necklaces, too.  (Which I now discover they can't, since they are all sold out.  Darn.  I might suggest they try the Dakota necklace instead, which sort of resembles the Mesa.)

I believe that although you shouldn't look like you have stumbled out of bed when boarding a plane, I truly believe that dressing up to the nines is a ridiculous proposition in this era of cattle car plane travel, so I always go super comfy. 

Bummer about the sweater, btw, it has TWO holes, one in the cuff hem, and one below the v in the neckline.  J. Crew, drat!

And that's it!

I hope you all have a great night!

Remember, if you have a desire to grab something from the Boden sale, you can get free shipping right now.  You can use the link below, but if you are having any issues, remember to use the code USSH.  ;-)
Our Christmas gift to you- free standard shipping from 12/25 through 12/28!