OOTDs: Made by Me May, Part Two! And One Outfit Isn't Like the Handmade Others.

Made by Me May, Part One is here, btw, for those of you looking for it.  There will be a Made by Me May, Part Three, also.

Day: Tuesday, May 19, 2015.

Where:  Airport to pick up my mom with my brother, then to Five Guys.

Ease of Wear: (4 of 5 stars--5 being the most easy to wear.)  Super comfortable, but I still felt a bit exposed showing off this much of my legs.  That said, I just love this outfit overall, the colors, the gorgeous liberty print, the unique necklace.  Just wish I had made the skirt a bit longer. 

Outfit Details:  Skirt, handmade (using an old McCall's pattern, I believe); Factory Short Sleeve sweater (bought an extra-small, it's roomy), J. Crew Factory here; Necklace, J. Crew; Sandals, Boden.

Anecdote of the Day:  Pete can't just take a normal photo with me, he pretty much always has to do something silly.  Still love the photo, though.  :-)  Brothers...

INSTAGRAM HERE.

Day: Wednesday, May 20, 2015.

Where:  The school to help out at the Mexican Fiesta party.

Ease of Wear: (4 of 5 stars--5 being the most easy to wear.)  Was so excited to finally wear my bias cut jacket that I made back in December, but because of its timing with my friend W's death, I couldn't bring myself to wear it back then.  I decided enough was enough, and brought it out, but of course, I wore it for a grand total of thirty minutes before I decided it was too hot to be wearing it.  Sigh.

The Contrast Paneled Shell I purchased in a size petite small, and though it fits well, it is a touch tight in the bust (and I have a very small bust).  I prefer the petite since it hits higher on my hip, if I had purchased the regular, it would have been too long.

Outfit Details:  Jacket, handmade (using Vogue 8910); Contrast Paneled Shell, J. Crew here,  Turner Pants, J. Crew here, Sandals, J. Crew.

Anecdote of the Day:  I always feel like I have to fake it till I make it at my kids' school with the other parents.  They seem like the sort that were very popular in high school and college and are still holding onto the "cool" that they are.  I don't feel cool, I just feel out of place.  Well, anyhow, long story short, I finally have met a few moms and dads there that don't make me feel like I have to be someone I am not, and that day I got to spend some time talking with one of the moms there that literally agrees with me on almost everything, which is just amazing.  :-)  So good to finally be able to really be me, you know?

INSTAGRAM HERE.

Day: Sunday, May 24, 2015.

Where:  Birthday party for one of Angus's Little Gym Friends.

Ease of Wear: (4.25 of 5 stars--5 being the most easy to wear.)  Beyond needing to make the shoes a bit looser by wearing them out a bit more, this was a nice outfit to wear to a birthday party.  It was really really hot and humid, though, and the ITY knit felt a bit stifling towards the end of the day.

Outfit Details:  Dress, handmade (using New Look 6097); Factory Raffia Boardwalk Sandals, J. Crew Factory here; Sunglasses, Anthropologie.

Anecdote of the Day:   Angus arrived late for the party since he was taking a long nap.  We got there and the face paint artist was just about to leave.  I asked her is she could get something drawn on Angus real quick, and she said, "maybe a small spider on his arm?"  Yeah, small spider my butt.  That thing took up half his arm.  How long did it take her? Two minutes. Crazy.

INSTAGRAM HERE.

Day: Saturday, May 16, 2015.

Where:  Girls Night Out.

Ease of Wear: (5 of 5 stars--5 being the most easy to wear.)  I love love love my tiered jersey dress from Garnet Hill so much that I had to make my own when challenged last year to copy a RTW item in my closet and make a new version of it using fabric from our stash.  It was a no-brainer, as soon as I knew what the challenge was, I knew which RTW item I was going to copy.  I hope to make another one this summer.

Outfit Details:  Dress, handmade (using a pattern I made using an old Garnet Hill dress, learn more on that here); Sandals, Madewell; Necklace, Uncommon Goods.

Anecdote of the Day:   So my friend, B., is moving to the outer suburbs, close to where my brother is planning on moving.  If you know anything about DC traffic, twenty miles equals at least an hour on the road (especially if the highway that gets you there is far from your house, twenty miles for us on 395, no biggie, 66, BIGGIE).  SOB!  Don't move!

INSTAGRAM HERE.
 

Day: Monday, May 18, 2015.

Where:  Church Meeting.

Ease of Wear: (4.25 of 5 stars--5 being the most easy to wear.)  I thought it would be funny to wear a "going to the pool" tee with a "wanna be by the sea" skirt.  The two together are very nice and certainly comfortable for the hot/humid weather, but I really wish the skirt was a touch less full.  I even chose to size down to a 6 Long and it was still voluminous. 

Outfit Details:  Top, Madewell; Florence Skirt, Boden here; Sandals, Madewell; Necklace, Target.

Anecdote of the Day:  One lady in my church group is French and she 100% appreciated the "going to the pool/wanna be by the sea" play I did with my clothing.  It flew over all the other heads, though.  ;-)

INSTAGRAM HERE.

Day: Thursday, May 21, 2015.

Where:  Richmond with my Mom and Angus to eat lunch at the Can Can and go the Children's Museum.

Ease of Wear: (4.5 of 5 stars--5 being the most easy to wear.)  So all week and through this last weekend it has been either warm or hot.  The one day we travel, south even, and it is freaking cold!  It was barely in the 50s and raining like nobody's business.  At one point, I wondered if we all should have worn coats.  It did allow me to wear a tunic that I wasn't sure would be able to be worn in May, though.

Outfit Details:  Tunic, handmade (using McCall's 6796); Leggings, J. Crew here; Nike Waffle Racers, J. Crew here (navy only).

Anecdote of the Day:  I loved my wine so much at lunch, I bought the bottle for some ridiculous price.  It was so worth it, though, I have been enjoying it for the past few days (it has a screw top so it stays fresh in the fridge).  If you want to see it, check out the instagram shot.

INSTAGRAM HERE.
 

Day: Friday, May 22, 2015.

Where:  Doctor's appointment for CW and a long walk on our forest paths in our neighborhood.

Ease of Wear: (4 of 5 stars--5 being the most easy to wear.)  Since I have lost a little weight since I first made this dress, it fits me better through the bodice, but still is a touch to close for comfort.  I didn't know it then, but I need to always make a square shoulder adjustment on patterns, and any future versions of this, I will need to as well.

Outfit Details: Dress, handmade (using an old Amy Butler pattern); Sandals, Target; Selina Sunglasses, Boden here.

Anecdote of the Day:  I so enjoy the forests in our neighborhood, but that day was so special, it was 70 and sunny and perfect for a walk.  It seriously felt like I was on vacation, if only for an hour or so.

INSTAGRAM HERE.

Day: Saturday, May 23, 2015.

Where:  Dropping my Mom at the airport and Church.

Ease of Wear: (4.25 of 5 stars--5 being the most easy to wear.)  This top is literally two rectangles sewn together.  I cut it out on Friday night and the next day had it ready to wear.  It's not much sewing for a whole lot of impact (especially if it is a super loud  pattern like this).  I definitely will be trying this "pattern" again.  The tee is super soft, too.  The sandals are those (sold out in a heartbeat) Mackenzie crackled foil sandals and they, like the rest of the outfit, are stupid comfortable too.

Outfit Details: Top, handmade (using a "pattern," snort); Turner pants, J. Crew here; Mackenzie crackled foil sandals, J. Crew here; Bag, Hobo, Intl.

Anecdote of the Day: Mr. Dina hates Olive Garden, so we never go there, but my friend wanted to go there after mass, and to be honest, it was pretty tasty.  I mean, take what I say with a grain of salt.  Apparently I'll eat anything, since I took one of those online "what won't you eat" quizzes and out of 120 items, I would eat 119 of them.  (My one "eww" was kidneys, yep, kidneys, don't like because of their texture, not their taste.)

INSTAGRAM HERE.

Day: Sunday, May 24, 2015.

Where:  To watch the movie "Tomorrowland."

Ease of Wear: (4.5 of 5 stars--5 being the most easy to wear.)  The shorts and top and sandals combo are so comfy, almost pajama-like.  My one issue with the shorts are that they are short enough that when I sit down, my legs make contact with the chair or bench.  It feels weird enough that I notice.  (Writing that out makes me realize I may sound like a freak, tell me I am not alone here).

Outfit Details: Top, Forever 21; Shorts, (using a Burda Magazine pattern from last summer); Factory Raffia Boardwalk sandals, J. Crew Factory here.

Anecdote of the Day: Every time I watch a George Clooney movie, he cries in it.  Damnit, George Clooney.  Stop crying.  It is inevitable that watching him cry will make me cry.  (Pulls out tissues...)

INSTAGRAM HERE.

Okay, that's it for now.  Hope the parade of excess in the form of photos didn't overwhelm you.  :-)

OOTDs: The Starlet Knit Dress, the Star of My Wardrobe.

After spending half of my California OOTD post declaring my undying love for the Garnet Hill jersey dress, I thought it best to follow up with three ootds from this summer that feature the remaining photos that give further proof of my obsession with this company's fine women's wear.

After purchasing and wearing the Starlet Knit Dress last summer (first shown here at this blog post), I decided that if Garnet Hill were to issue the dress in patterns/colors I liked this season, and I could grab them with a discount of some sort, I would buy them since I lived in the one I had last summer (it was my "go to" easy outfit when I didn't have the energy or desire to put a lot of thought into my look).  Lucky for me, they issued it in multiple colors, and I went ahead and grabbed two shades, the cherry print (which I brought to CA with me) and a bright aqua floral print.  Every cent spent was worth it since I have worn all three versions multiple times this year.  (I don't photograph every outfit, but if I were that kind of style blogger, you all would be B-O-R-E-D with these three by now.)

Day: Sunday,  July 28, 2013.

Where: Mass.

Ease of Wear: (4.5 of 5 stars--5 being the most easy to wear.)  Not only is the dress pretty and flattering, WITH POCKETS, the darn thing wears like pajamas.  Good thing, too, since half of mass was spent outside with Tiny (Angus) chasing him to and fro, since he just won't sit still for more than a brief nanosecond.  My church has met its match.  Sigh.

Cool Factor: (3.5 of 5 stars--5 being the coolest.) This is the closest to cool regarding styling as any of the three looks come to it, but it still doesn't look that cool.  The Madewell sunglasses help a tiny bit.

Anecdote from the Day:  Read the "ease of wear" for more on that. 

Day: Wednesday,  August 7, 2013.

Where: Chilling at home, in all seriousness.  The bag was for show.  ;-)

Ease of Wear: (4.5 of 5 stars--5 being the most easy to wear.)  Easy enough for me to choose to wear a dress instead of anything else for "chilling" at home.

Cool Factor: (2.5 of 5 stars--5 being the coolest.) Meh, the print will probably look dated in a few years.  I love the color, though, and will wear this dress for a long time since I feel so good in it, even if it ends up in the "at home only" pile in a few years.  (I have worn it out in public, just not that day.)

Anecdote from the Day:  I wrote a BWRR that day, the last one I did for a whole month.  I have since rectified that situation and published a new one on Monday.  

Day: Sunday, August 18, 2013.

Where: Richmond to visit Rex's kindergarten teacher (she got married and then moved--sadness).  We ate at the Can Can, one of my all time favorite restaurants and then visited the Children's Museum on Broad Street.  (The egg photos are from the museum.)

Ease of Wear: (4.5 of 5 stars--5 being the most easy to wear.)  It was comfortable enough for me to feel good even though we spent THREE WHOLE HOURS in traffic to get from Alexandria to Richmond (it normally takes between one and a half and two hours to get there--and two is what I expect when there is traffic).  We were late, but I barely look tousled.  Good on you, Garnet Hill.

Cool Factor: (2 of 5 stars--5 being the coolest.) Very momma on the go here, so not especially cool, but as you all know, cool isn't always the most important thing to me.

Anecdote from the Day:  THREE HOURS in bumper to bumper traffic.  It was only three hours, btw, because I know that you can ditch 95 and take Route 1 through Spotsylvania county, Caroline county, and Hanover county to get to upper Richmond.  The people on the highway don't want to deal with traffic lights, but I would rather deal with 10 traffic lights and move at 55 MPH than sit with half the population of the east coast staring at license tags in 20 MPH traffic.

I did discover the funniest band name known to man that day, Disco Tex and the Sex-O-Lettes.  Ha.  I did not get to "Get Dancing"* sadly.  Dang and it.

*If bored, you have to watch this.  Trust me.

Okay, that's all for now.

Reminder--Boden's 20% portion of the "Diminishing Discount" promo is ending tonight.  Tomorrow the amount off reduces to 15% off (that is my "usual" coupon % off, btw).  I wrote about that sale here at this post.

Oh the lovely Can Can in Richmond...

I could go on and on for ages about how good and awesome the Can Can is in Richmond. Located on Cary Street, this French Brasserie is incredibly popular and I have never gone and seen it anything than less than half-full.

Here's why: Good service (even when toting two under two); Friendly customers (everyone is always so happy when they are there); A fantastic wine list (I am salivating right now); Great ambiance and lighting (why are so many places so dark...I want to see my food and my friends); and of course, AMAZING FOOD (especially their fries).

I have never had a bad meal here. I vary it, sometimes going for the hamburger, sometimes the salads, sometimes soup. Each time...near perfection. The fries? Simply the best...as good as my other favorite fries, Five Guys. Oh, and the bread basket with butter? Awesome, fresh, crispy bread and the creamiest butter (I am sure eating it puts me in heart attack territory but it is so worth it).

I hope I have convinced you to come. Here is their website: http://www.cancanbrasserie.com/0408_opening.html

By the way...this restaurant sits in stark contrast to the miserable experience we had at Andy's BBQ, which was close to our B&B. We had meant to go to another of our Richmond faves, Extra Billy's BBQ, but at the last minute changed our mind. BAD IDEA! Andy's had horrible service, not very good bbq, and get this...a candy machine at the front door that our wonderful waitress sat us right next to...which for any of you with a toddler know...never put the toddler next to candy. Let's put it this way...we packaged up the eh food, took a very angry (I WANT NANNDY) Rex, and got the heck out of there.

So here are some pics:

Superb layout (the lighting...I can see my food!):

A very happy Jim, CW, and Rex (note the lack of candy machines):

RIchmond on a cold day...

I wore this when we went to Cary Street (on Sunday, Jan. 18) and did awesome shopping and ate at one of my favorite restaurants...Can Can. I will post pics of me wearing it in real life later and I will post a review of Can Can as well.

The Ecole jacket is cobalt...and a GORGEOUS color in real life. The cords I wore are not J. Crew but a similar color and cut. The Xhiliration shoes are plum and not super-comfortable, but very cute detailing makes the shoes worth it. The Merino turtleneck is this saturated wine color and the wool itself is soft and warm. I actually think I prefer J. Crew merino to their cashmere. The Meribel scarf is so long it is crazy...but very warm, chic, and an awesome color. The pillow ring is dainty and special and looks very nice on my finger.

Link for the outfit is on polyvore (here): http://www.polyvore.com/richmond_on_cold_day/set?id=5999847