OOTDs: California. 2015.

I realize I actually have a California, the Outfits, post or two, here at the blog.  I guess since I travel there so much I now have to start just naming them by years.  Of course I didn't think I would have a 2015 version, but as many of you know, my great aunt passed away on July 5, so I ended up traveling back to my birth state to say my last goodbyes.  It was a great visit, and her funeral service and interment were very beautiful, just like she was.  It was also nice to see friends and relatives, of course, and even though there was a loss bringing us together, it still brought us together, which is something my great aunt loved.  :-)

I will post the California: Photos post later, but those are still all stuck in the phone and camera for now. 

I am going from most recent to furthest in dates for these outfits, starting with the outfit I wore to fly home. 

Day: Tuesday, July 14, 2015.

Where: Flight home from CA, with three airports in between.

Ease of Wear: (4.25 of 5 stars--5 being the most easy to wear.)  Any outfit is going to be uncomfortable after twelve plus hours of wearing it (barring pjs, let's be real), but considering I had this on for that long and with a very unexpected change of flight plans, with a long shuttle ride to another airport, this outfit was as easy to wear as can be without looking too sloppy.  :-)

Outfit Details:  Pants, J. Crew here; Tee, J. Crew (but I found it at Marshall's for $16--who knew they had current J. Crew stuff); Sandals, Target here; Sunglasses, Costco; Necklace, Gift.

Anecdote of the Day:  I discovered my phone can take selfie shots on timer when propped up just so on a tall bottle of San Pelligrino (those are the shots with the white background).

Our flight plans were originally Long Beach--Phoenix--DC (National) but then the little plane set to get us to Phoenix was unable to shut its door (not good, obviously), so that flight was canceled and we ended up going to LAX (SHUDDER) to fly nonstop to Dulles (double SHUDDER).  But, meh, once on the way it was fine.  I should complain less.

INSTAGRAM of LGB here.
INSTAGRAM of LAX here. 

This is my lovely cousin, K. Isn't she super cute?

Day: Monday, July 13, 2015.

Where: Knott's Berry Farm's Soak City.

Ease of Wear: (4.5 of 5 stars--5 being the most easy to wear.)  A swimsuit, a lightweight a-line teeshirt dress coverup, and a pair of flip-flops?  Definition of ease.

Outfit Details:  Dress, Soprano (found at Marshall's); Flip-Flops, J. Crew; Bag, J. Crew; Sunglasses, Costco; Swimsuit (not pictured--but it's the yellow one), J. Crew.

Anecdote of the Day:  Soak City was so much fun.  I usually am so absorbed with going to Disneyland every time I visit CA that I always neglect Knott's, even though as a kid, we went there quite a bit too.  Soak City is the water park for Knott's and not the amusement park, but that was more than fine by me.  I should have worn more sunscreen, though, my very pale skin burned.  Eek.

INSTAGRAM of the other outfit I wore that day here, definitely more dressy than the outfit above.

Day: Saturday and Sunday, July 11-12, 2015.

Where: The funeral on Saturday and mass on Sunday.

Ease of Wear: (5 of 5 stars--5 being the most easy to wear.)  Garnet Hill's tiered maxi dress is one of my favorite summer staples (I have this version and this version, too).  So unique, very presentable, exceedingly packable (doesn't wrinkle), and comfortable to the max (groan, bad pun there).  Add a pair of sparkly, fun, casual flats, and it's a winner outfit.  Can you blame me for two days of wear?  (Well that and the fact that I packed very little.)

Outfit Details:  Dress, Garnet Hill here; Sandals, Target here (they are true to size); Bag, J. Crew; Sunglasses, Costco; Necklace, tru.che.

Anecdote of the Day:  My aunt is buried next to my uncle, and whenever I go to the cemetery, I am overjoyed that their final resting place is on such gorgeous grounds.  Nestled in the hills in between Los Angeles and Orange County, it is verdant, full of light, and in a position to see the mountains to the east. 

We stayed in Downey for the visit, and my dad, though raised in Downey, had never really taken me there as a girl.  Walking around the downtown area after mass I fell in love.  It is an absolute mecca for fun mid-century architecture.  I especially adored the Masonic Lodge.

INSTAGRAM of the outfit here.
INSTAGRAM of my cousin and I here after mass.

Day: Friday, July 10, 2015.

Where: Marshall's (where I got the tee and dress above from), In and Out, and one of my many visits to the hotel's Happy Hour.

Ease of Wear: (4 of 5 stars--5 being the most easy to wear.)  The day after traveling I always feel ugh, so I wasn't surprised to wake up and feel a bit bloated and under, so no matter what I wore, it wasn't go to be awesome, but I figured a brisk walk (our mode of transport to get to Marshall's) would help.  I wanted to show some pride in the gorgeous palm trees of CA, so I decided to wear this Madewell linen tank with one of my favorite pairs of shorts.  The outfit was comfy enough, and got comfier as the day wore on.

Outfit Details:  Tank, Madewell; Shorts, Bandolino Blu (THEY ARE SO OLD); Sandals, Target here; Sanibel Reversible Pendant Necklace, Stella and Dot here.

Anecdote of the Day: I cannot believe how much my family enjoyed happy hour.  Embassy Suites has free drinks from 5:30-7:30 nightly, and the drinks kept coming.  The first day I was jetlagged (you'll see evidence of my fun while jetlagged in the next ootd), but by the second I was more clear, so I enjoyed it more.  By that point, all the relatives had come to town, including my once super bratty boy cousin, D.  He's not bratty anymore, more like an enabler.  I have to massively detox this week to make up for my CA sins at the bar.  :-/

INSTAGRAM of the outfit here.
INSTAGRAM of the shenanigans with boy cousin here.

Day: Thursday, July 9, 2015.

Where: Flight to CA from VA, El Torito for lunch, Happy Hour, and thankfully bed thereafter.

Ease of Wear: (5 of 5 stars--5 being the most easy to wear.)  I made that tee you see the day before and dang, it's super comfy.  Granted it is two rectangles sewn together and made out of stretchy rayon knit, but it was so comfy, I made it work as pjs later that weekend.  And leggings, I mean, really.  It barely counts as an outfit.  ;-)

Outfit Details:  Tee, handmade; Leggings, J. Crew here; Sandals, Target here; Necklace, Madewell here; Sunglasses, Costco.

Anecdote of the Day: This day was fine, but remind me never to start the weekend of drinks before my family gets to me.  If I had known what they were capable of, I would have waited (I had a glass of wine on the plane and a beverage of choice at El Torito).  I fell asleep easier than I have ever fallen asleep before.  AND--I slept better than I have in a long time, so there's that.  :-)

INSTAGRAM of the no makeup Dina here.
INSTAGRAM of the shenanigans with girl cousin here.

Okay, that's all for now.  Armchair travelers, some more atmospheric photos to come.  (And for those of you interested in more shenanigans, those are coming, too.)

OOTDs: Two Target Dresses.

Day: Sunday, June 7, 2015.

Where:  Pret a Manger for lunch, Zara and J. Crew for returns, National Geographic museum for the Indiana Jones exhibit, and a friend's house for dinner.

Ease of Wear: (4.5 of 5 stars--5 being the most easy to wear.)  I love love love this whole outfit.  I really want to pattern out the dress since I adore the way it fits and feels on me, and the fact that even though it is super short on the model, it isn't that way in real life (I bought the medium).  It even has a darling little bow in the back (I like them, the one below has one too).  We'll see when I can get around to it, but for a cheapie Target dress, it did well today.

The fake Birkenstocks are my attempt at being "on trend" without resorting to paying way too much money for white shoes that will likely be either completely out of style (they are very "grandma," lol) or have been ruined by one of my kids spilling something on me.  They were on sale last week, so a good buy then, but the current price is still very good for what you get.  They are super comfortable, I just made sure to size down to a 9 so that they would fit my narrow feet better (the straps do have working notches).

Outfit Details:  Bow Back Cap Sleeve Dress, Target here and in solid lace colors here; Shoes, Target here; Necklace, Madewell here; Sunglasses and bag, Anthropologie.

Anecdote of the Day: At Zara doing my returns (number of returns at Zara--always high--such cute clothes cut so so so small), Rex decided he wanted to see what he could get in the boys section, so one of the sales people took him up there and he decided to buy this tee.  I asked him why that one and he was all, "momma, shirts that are just one color are so boring, I want all my shirts to have something on them."  Yes!  Taking after his momma, that one.  :-)

INSTAGRAM HERE.

Day: Saturday, June 6, 2015.

Where:  Mass, dinner with a friend, and G Street Fabrics.

Ease of Wear: (4.5 of 5 stars--5 being the most easy to wear.)  This is a girls dress, size 16 (x-large).  I highly recommend the girls dresses/tops at Target if you can wear a size 4 or 6 (or smaller) in woman's tops/dresses.  Very important to pick the ones out that don't seem super juvenile (so yeah, all the darling ones with unicorns are probably not my best choice, lol).  People seem to like this dress and when I told my friend I had dinner with all about scoring in the girls section (not my first time, btw), she was SO stinking excited.  I think she may have already stalked the Target website looking for it.  :-)

Outfit Details: Circo girls maxi dress, Target here; Cardigan and sandals, J. Crew; Necklace, Target; Sunglasses, Anthropologie.

Anecdote of the Day: Red Robin is where we went to dinner.  They have these mixed drinks with beer and hard alcohol.  Those are so delicious.  My friend was driving, so I got to have two.  It was a very good night. 

INSTAGRAM HERE.

Okay, you all have a wonderful evening.  Hope your week starts off well with a fabulous Monday.

Made by Me Files: So Many Scarves!

Okay, so in honor of it being below freezing and snowing here in Northern Virginia, I thought I would round-up all of my recent scarf projects in one place.  Most of these below were Christmas presents, but a handful were for me.  (Of course, because you have to test on someone, right???)  ;-)

Enjoy the parade of neck warmers...

First up are the infinity scarves that I created with the help of this Simplicity pattern.  (It is free and very easy to follow.  I ended up having to change measurements, etc., in the process, but overall, the idea is the same for all of the infinity scarves I created.)

I made the above scarf out of a houndstooth cotton jersey ( similar here at fabric.com) for my good friend, B., who happens to have a great big crush on houndstooth.  I kind of knew she would dig it, and the next time I saw her, she was wearing it...and it looked fab on her.  Since I am not a fan of making people appear here who may prefer some privacy, I took a photo of me in it.  I kind of dig it, too.  :-)  I have about a yard of the fabric left, so I may make a top from the leftovers.

B's daughter, M, just turned three and I thought, "wouldn't that be so cute, a mini-me version of the infinity scarf I made for B?"  Well CW thought so, but she is 5 1/2, and a fashionista, so I knew that she would beg me for her own.  (And she did.)  I am not sure M. got it, but maybe she will when she is a bit older.

You have seen this scarf on me already, I wore it here at this post.  As a reminder, the fabric is a wool challis from Fabric Mart that is so soft and airy.  My next plan is to take a similar wool challis and make a square scarf, a la Hermes.

I wore the wool challis scarf again a few days later (you just haven't seen this outfit yet).

You have seen the above tribal print cotton jersey scarf already, here at this post, but I figured another reminder would be helpful, especially if you dug the look.

The second type is a scarf that I *sort of* created on my own.  Basically I took the infinity scarf pattern, but instead of sewing the final ends together, I let them hang free and added some beaded fringe to the ends.  The scarves can still be tied in an infinity-esque look, but is a touch dressier with the bling hanging off of it.  I have a tutorial planned using the first scarf (directly below this paragraph), so if you like the look of it, be on the lookout for that in the near future.

This scarf was for my bowling buddy, P.  She isn't super girly-girl, but I kind of thought she may appreciate having a pretty purple scarf with a touch of shine in her wardrobe.  She sews, so I know she knows what effort I put into it, so she seemed very appreciative.  It felt good to see her smile.  I used a quilting cotton for her scarf.

The beading was from Fabric Mart, but they no longer carry it (I received it for free, btw, in a trim bundle).

This scarf was for my bowling friend, S., who you saw here with me at an 80s cover band concert.  She LOVES purple, so I knew she would like this scarf.  It is made from a poly charmeuse fabric from Gorgeous Fabrics (I received a small remnant, just enough for a short scarf), and the beading.

This scarf was made for my mother (my mother-in-law is modelling it, though).  This is also made from a quilting cotton in the colors my mother JUST LOVES.  She loved it so much she literally flipped out on facebook after receiving it.  Then I told her I sewed it, and she subsequently freaked out even more.  LOL.  :-D

Okay, so that's it for tonight!!!  I hope if you are sewing, you are sewing something to keep you warm.  And if you aren't a sewer, just stay warm, okay???

OOTDs: Thursday, Friday, Sunday.

Hey, all!  Happy Monday.  If you have today off in honor of Martin Luther King, Jr., I hope that your day off has gone well.  We have kept it fairly sedate here, but sometimes sedate is the best kind of day.  :-)

Anyhow, onto the outfits from my recent days.  (I have some from earlier last week, but these three "go" best together.)

Day: Thursday, January 16, 2014.

Where: G Street Fabrics/School Run/Little Gym.

Ease of Wear: (4 of 5 stars--5 being the most easy to wear) The pants are now kinda big, but since I am a big fan of comfort, especially when going to the Little Gym (all three kids had classes that afternoon), I keep the "they're just a touch too big" pants just for that purpose.  I wish that they wouldn't have that weird whiskering at the crotch area, but any pair of pants is going to have that, *unless* you get the exact right size for your body.  And I can tell you from all this sewing experience I am gaining, that even if you sew the exact right size for your shape, that still doesn't mean anything, you could still end up with weird lines everywhere.  Sigh.  (Even really loose pants will whisker if you put your legs together, you will have very deep frown lines radiating from your crotch.  LOL.  That sounds funny.)

The rest of the outfit was super comfy, and even though I don't wear the Fiona jacket that much anymore, I am glad to pull it out once or twice a year since it is so pretty and warm.

The shoes are the Penny Loafers from Boden that I just received the day before.  It took me less than twenty four hours to pull them out and wear them in real life.  Yep, like I feel about all my Boden loafers, it is love.

Cool Factor: (3 of 5 stars--5 being the coolest--for both outfits.) This is a pretty preppy outfit, so I think in some circles it would be cooler than in others.  Fortunately most of you who read here seem to like this brand of preppy, so I think there will be a few fans of this look.  :-)

Anecdote from the Day:  I went ahead and purchased a class at G Street that starts this Saturday (the 25th) on drafting a pants pattern to your exact measurements.  Maybe, just maybe, I will eventually have a pair of pants that have no whiskers, at all.  (Crosses fingers!)

Day: Friday, January 17, 2014.

Where: Little Gym/Harris Teeter/Sushi Dinner.

Ease of Wear: (3.5 of 5 stars--5 being the most easy to wear) Overall a very comfortable, weather-appropriate outfit, but I wish that I looked less "matron of a German women's prison" when the jacket is buttoned up.  I rarely button it up, but it was chilly enough that day to have a need for the full buttoned-up look.  No biggie, I am sure no one was staring and saying, "get back to the Fraus, dear lady," but still.  I guess the more severe cut is emphasized in the name, the Military Wool Jacket ( here--and on deep discount in all shades). 

Cool Factor: (3.5 of 5 stars--5 being the coolest--for both outfits.) I like this look.  I really like it most without the jacket, but again, cold day and all.  :-)

Anecdote from the Day:  That is not a typo, we went to the Little Gym twice in two days.  I had missed so many of their classes when we were gone in December, that I have had a lot to make up with them.

And I went to Harris Teeter with all three kids.  They were very well behaved, by some minor miracle.  Hallelujah!

Day: Sunday, January 19, 2014.

Where: Day out in DC with the family.

Ease of Wear: (4 of 5 stars--5 being the most easy to wear) It was windy and cold, so any plans I had to wear anything other than a thick cashmere sweater and snood went away after I went outside briefly that morning. 

On the fly, I kind of dig how easy this outfit is and how cute it looks all together.  The Anthropologie boots (made by Pied Juste, more on the brand's history here) are super cool, but not super warm, so they are the reason the outfit had a point knocked off.  (Well and the fact that I triple-looped the snood around my neck, which meant it felt rather tight...warm, but tight.)

Cool Factor: (4 of 5 stars--5 being the coolest--for both outfits.) I reckon this is a pretty cool look.  I felt cool anyhow.  My girl was probably the coolest.  Standing at the J. Crew, trying to figure out what time it opened (we had a return to make), a lady remarked on how well-dressed CW was.  Aw!  (She picked out her outfit completely on her own, btw.)

Anecdote from the Day:  We had intended to have me take the oldest two to the city on Friday (they had the day off--hence why they were so well-behaved at the Harris Teeter), but those plans fell through after Angus's babysitter fell through.  In the end, we decided to all head to the city on Sunday instead and I took CW to the Portrait Gallery, while Mr. Dina took Rex and Angus to the Spy Museum.  I then grabbed Rex and CW and went to the Pret a Manger, while Mr. Dina took Angus to the Shake Shack.  (Rex, CW, and I LOVE Pret a Manger, and we go whenever we can.)

Okay, that's it for tonight.  If you haven't had a chance, don't forget to enter my five-year blogoversy giveaway here. 

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!