Giveaway: Celebrate. Good Times. Come On!

I recognize that a photo of Johnnie Boden in a bathrobe would probably be more fitting for my blog's fourth "blog-o-versary," but I figured most of you would prefer this gif of DJ Lance Rock doing his thang on Yo Gabba Gabba instead.

Okay.  So this is year number four.  Wow.  This blog baby of mine is as old as my daughter.

I have lots that I want to write about, everything from gratitude and appreciation for those of you who read this little corner of the internet daily to my near daily amazement that this is what I ended up doing (even partially) with my life.  If you had asked me at twenty (the height of my "I don't care how I look, only how smart I am" period of my life) if I would have ever had anything at all to do with fashion, I would have snarkily laughed in your face.  I am glad I found my way out of my know-it-all self and stopped taking it. all. so. seriously.

(I was that stick in the mud girl in college that sneered at people when they dared to be louder than a titmouse in the library.  Yeah, I was not especially pleasant.)

It has been interesting to see where these years have taken me, my blog, and my family.

I feel so happy and chill right now.  I think in the beginning, I didn't allow myself to just enjoy the process of this blog and let the overwhelming, nagging voice in my head that kept saying, "what in the world are *you* doing writing a personal style blog," take over far too often.  Now that I have four years gone, I don't even hear that voice anymore, I just think, "I have a personal style blog."  It's just a bit of fun and fluff that I do nearly every day and for the foreseeable future, anticipate continuing!

(But even with the fluff, thanks to this blog and all you great readers and your suggestions, I found out that my debilitating migraines were in fact mini-strokes caused by a hole in my heart.  So in some truly awesome bit of serendipity, I needed this blog to help me fix me.)

Anyhow, as per usual, I just had to go on and on...

ONTO THE GIVEAWAY!

Since it is four years, I have FOUR gift cards to give away to four followers of this blog (one per follower, lol, let's be clear).

1. Each gift card will be for $25.

2. The gift card can be from these stores: Boden, J. Crew, Madewell, and Anthropologie. 

3. Although I mainly have American readers, I have a definite set of followers from Canada, the UK, and throughout Europe.  You all are welcome to enter, but clearly you will be unable to receive the Madewell gift card.  I can work out the arrangement of getting you a gift card (same value, just in your currency) from the other three somehow.  But please do enter!  I have a strong feeling a lot of my high view numbers on the Boden posts are from non-US people.  :)

4. The giveaway will be closing on January 22, 2013 at 11:59 Eastern Time.  I will announce the winner on January 23, 2013.

5. To enter, make sure you follow this blog either at Facebook, at Bloglovin', or through Blogger.

6. Comment directly below this post with a link to your favorite item at one of these four stores.  (If you can't make the link work, you could also just say the name of the store and the name of the item.)  Also make sure to tell me how you follow this blog.

You all are the best, and I cannot wait to give out these four gift cards to the lucky winners!

THANK YOU AGAIN FOR A GREAT FOUR YEARS!  Here's to a {few} more...

NC and an MC...Plus a Bling Blossom!

Hey, all. Long time. My fault! Is it normal for a cold to last over a week...and...to completely wear you out? Or should I just blame the children? LOL.

I kid. In reality, I was already run down LAST week when I finished up the Fall into Fashion class and then ran off to North Carolina. Probably not the best idea we have ever had, but come on now...could I ever say no to seeing the amazing DJ Lance Rock and his crew from Yo Gabba Gabba? Yeah, I thought you all would agree. :) (Get it now? The title? NC--where we went, and MC--DJ Lance Rock? The Bling Blossom will be explained later...)

Also, before picture time...I got two more followers today! (Whee!) I have gotten probably five or six total in the past month, but here's the crazy thing...I would get a follower, go up to 228 total, then one follower would drop the VERY. NEXT. DAY, so I would be back to 227 (great show, btw). This happened twice! The new follower wouldn't be the one to drop, it would be someone else. So bizarre. I feel like I am Jerry Seinfeld, if I throw a dollar out a window, I find four quarters in a vending machine.

First full day in NC, same day we go to see Yo Gabba Gabba Live, I wear an homage to the great DJ himself by finding my BRIGHTEST orange tee. I chose not to be derivative this year. (Seriously people, click on the link. Trust me...find the second picture.)

Tee is vintage (using the term loooooooosely here) Pink Victoria's Secret. I never buy VS anymore, but loved this tee when I saw it four or five years ago. The jeans are the Amore Wash Ankle Toothpick Jeans from J. Crew, and the shoes are Cole Haan Janine Penny Mocs (as best I can tell). I scored all three for very little. I think the total outfit may be under $100. (Not saying much, I realize, but Cole Haans? Usually a pretty dear penny.)

Pics of actual concert time are at the bottom. ;)

Tie-Dyed Wednesday Skirt! by dinagideon featuring j crew skirts

Above is the polyvore of the second full day we were in NC. That day I wanted to feel pretty, yet comfy. I love the tie-dyed Wednesday skirt more than I expected to...really does work with many items in my wardrobe, including the four above in the polyvore. (And yes, that is the Bling Blossom necklace. And yes, I am probably the only person who bought it. Not full price. You don't have to stress about that, people.)

Sizes:
Top: Sparkle Waves Henley, in store only color of ivory, extra small.
Cardigan: Michelle Merino Cardigan, Light Pink (Blush), medium. I have had this forever. Such a lovely cardigan, like the forever and infinity cardigans, but a little looser and less long.
Skirt: Tie-Dyed Wednesday Skirt, size 6. Person who bought it before me was bigger than a 6, wore it, stretched out the side seams (they are ruined), returned it, I bought on pop-back, saw issue, and got over it. I think I will sew up ruined seams (yay, sewing machine!), but had this been any other skirt, I would have read J. Crew the riot act. Too bad I really really wanted this skirt.
Necklace: Bling Blossom Necklace. I loved it in the lookbook (was on very last two pages) but when I heard it was $175, I said, "for that?" "ooh, that's too much for me right now." So I waited, and watched, and waited, and watched. When it went on sale I pounced...with the help of the 25% off card that Mickey gave us. Thank goodness for great red phone service. So question is...do I love it? Yes, yes, I do. Since you all know me as a huge fan of statement necklaces, this one fills the same qualities...big, fun, not serious or conservative, and really, really bling-y. It isn't too heavy, and the rosettes are quite beautiful in real life. And considering my husband's tolerance for all things "weird" (read: he has no tolerance), the fact that he said NOTHING regarding this necklace means it's okay in his book.

Oh, there's my head. ;) Look at Rex back there, all ready to go.

Rex in his Brobee hat. He lasted about twenty minutes before he flung it off. He was angry for about an hour of the hour and a half concert because he thought it looked too much like a movie. REX HATES MOVIE THEATERS. Loud Audible Sigh. Fortunately it was really loud in the coliseum that day (huh, toddlers, bright lights, loud music, balloons, etc., what a shock) so his wails were drowned right out. Thank goodness he calmed down for part of the time so he could enjoy part of the show. Those tickets are expensive! Regardless, this is a really cute pic, almost rexdorable.

"Yes, they are mine, officer." (Replaced with "who are these darn rugrats?" when confronted with all manners of bad behavior. Unfortunately, Rex is my doppelganger so that statement only works in complete darkness.)

Foofa #1 (CW) finds Foofa #2.

Agh!  My original paragraph was here and now it is GONE!  Sob.  Said some nice things about how much CW LOVED the concert.  Included bits about her seizing up in happiness at start of concert; concert being like her version of catnip; how balloons made her glee-ful; how she helped spread love of balloons by getting balloons to kids who were so very sad and blue that they didn't get any; and how this photo is one of the only shots of her where she wasn't LITERALLY dancing in the aisles.  Sigh.  I guess my tired little synopsis will have to do.  I hate/love you Blogger.

And finally, one of my favorites from the show, the ever-awesome Leslie Hall (Super Fly, she is). Who is Leslie Hall? Well, you can read more here. And I highly recommend you watch this video clip of her from the show, and this clip of her slightly crazily avant-garde video.  I recognize that I have fallen into full-on Hipster Parent Paradise by showing you this photo.  Maybe I will be getting more followers from the hipster community (if they can bear my politics and my penchant for all things Taco Bell/Popeye's). 

Look forward to chatting with you all soon. :) Plan to get to comments eventually. Before November. Promise (and no my fingers aren't crossed. LOL.)