Category Archives: Fashion Friday

This week we had Kids Games at our church. I volunteered in the 2 and 3 year old class, so that my boys could participate. We had SO much fun! The only drawback was the shirt we were required to wear everyday.

To jazz it up a bit, I decided to change the shape, cutting off the sleeves and collar to make the neckline a little lower. I just went through my scraps and found colors that complimented the orange shirt. Then I added the lace ribbon as a “collar” and made three fabric yo-yo’s.

Believe me when I say, I am NO seamstress and everything I did was with a needle and thread (no machine involved!), so it possible for anyone to do it. (If you are a visual learner, like myself, click here to watch a video on a Yo-Yo how-to.)

 I am excited about the changes I made and satisfied enough to wear it in public. Now if only I could change the color… 😉

Happy Friday! 🙂

How To Be Trendy, But Not Look Like A Teenager

I have tried to sell to Plato’s Closet a couple of times and every time I ended up leaving with all the the items that I brought in. They hand the bag back to me, saying that my items are “outdated/not trendy, worn or in poor condition”. Each time I have left and immediately gone through all stages of grief, spending most my time on anger.

“How dare they tell me my clothes are outdated or not trendy?! I am a fashionable person!! These are clothes that I would STILL wear!!!”

Well, I recently went in to sell stuff (after a five year hiatus), and was once again turned away with all of my items. This time I put my chin up and asked the sales girl why this decision was made.

Instead of running through their standard rejection list, she stated to me…
“Honestly, a lot of the clothes you brought in are a bit too professional for our target demographic.”

Okay, now there is something that makes sense and made me go away not wanting to punch someone. 😉

So, I’m left with, how am I still trendy (and buy 75% of my wardrobe from Plato’s Closet), but I don’t resemble their target demographic (14-21 years old)?

Well, here’s what I think:

–Dress modestly (although I feel like this advice applies to all ages).-short shorts and mini skirts might be all the rage, but find a nice middle ground without exposing your butt cheeks to the world (especially if you have a “mom butt” like me…ha!)

–Avoid some trends like rompers-these only look cute if you are pencil thin or under the age of 16

–Wear pumps or sandals instead of super tall “hooker” shoes (you know the ones I talking about)

–Avoid too much “bling”-don’t get me wrong, I love shiny things, but too much of it is well…too much. Sequins are nice in an understated manner.

–Avoid too much neon-I know that for some reason this early 90’s trend decided to rear it’s evil head up again, but stick to small pops of neon instead of all over your outfit.

–Dress to your body type-Realize and honestly admit what your body type is and what does and doesn’t work for you. There are some things that I haven’t worn since having kids (insert sad weeping here) because my belly will just never be the same.

I don’t think this means you have to avoid young trendy stores, like Plato’s Closet or Forever 21, which have great stuff, just use discretion when putting pieces together. I would suggest looking in magazines such as InStyle or Real Simple for age-appropriate fashion inspiration.

What kinds of things do you do or avoid doing to be trendy and not resemble a teenager?

Happy Friday! 🙂

Accessories and Unsolicited Advice

I am anything, but a graceful person.

I run into walls all the time, stub my toes and say stupid things. I am that person in the movie that  just keeps talking during the silence, making you cringe and hide your face in your sofa at their awkwardness.

My husband says that 90% of my awkward moments are self-induced.

Last weekend, I ran into my son’s doctor. I went to give him a hug without thinking, because I’m a hugger.

Well, he didn’t recognize me right away and stuck his hand out to shake mine, all the while being taken completely aback by this crazy, hugging person and it was well…

AWKWARD.

So…here is my completely unsolicited advice for you. When approaching acquaintances or professionals (especially ones involved in your children’s health), SHAKE THEIR HAND.

The memory of this has haunted me all week, so I’m hoping to save some of you from making the same mistake. If there were Awkward Olympics, I would definitely be getting a gold medal in the hug/handshake debacle event. Bleh.

On another topic, let’s talk accessories.

I used to own a couple necklaces and earrings, but never remembered to wear them. It wasn’t until a couple years ago that I realized what a HUGE difference accessories can make on an outfit.

You could have a plain white tee and jeans, but then put on a long gold chain necklace and all of a sudden you looked like your outfit was planned.

A piece of jewelry has the ability to pull an outfit together.

And don’t forget a good headband or scarf. Try wearing a black tank top with a delicate headband, bright colored scarf and a jean skirt and I can guarantee you will get compliments.

SO, two reminders for today:

1. Don’t forget to use the accessories you own or go buy new pieces.

AND…

2. Leave the hugging to close friends. (Lesson learned.)

This is the angle you get when your photographer is three years old.

Happy Friday! 🙂