Bici Tee

Thanks for all your input on our family photo outfits....I really appreciate it!

Yesterday was Professional Growth Day so no school for us...whoo hoo! That meant we all got to go pick up Nana from the airport.   I decided to break out the Bici Tee that I *heart* big time! See it on AudreyBella and AppGal. 

Here is a close up of the tee, notice the beading for the spokes? Adds a little something special without being too blingy. 

Have you picked up any of the new Crew Tee's? Also, did anyone cave on the final sale promo? I did but how could I resist the skimmer pants for $15.99. I need more pants I actually like in time for fall.

And lastly, here is what I wore to work last night.

Spotted Multi Tier Shell-LOFT

Striped V-Neck Cardigan-LOFT

Modern Skinny Jeans-LOFT

Kady Boots-Target

Family Photo Time, need your help!

It is about time for our annual family photos. Every year I get a little more obsessive about planning our outfits but this year I have a great excuse....it is the first time we can have Christopher in them....yay!! So now I have all of their outfits planned out but after today's excursion I have a new contender for my outfit. So what do you guys think....buffalo check that will match Jonas's button up (his is black and white too) and coordinate with Coopers sweater colors or Sunshine Peonies to be feminine with the yellow like in Jonas' undershirt and stripes like Cooper and Chase are wearing....decisions. decisions.

Family Photos by modestlyme featuring a graphic t shirt

Shopping to stay cool....literally

If you hadn't heard, we are having a massive heat wave here in Southern California and just as it was about to start...our AC broke down and the repairman will not here until tomorrow....ugghhh. So no OOTD for the last few days (well, I guess there is kind of one in this post) and I have not had the urge to wear any make-up that I would just sweat off so you are getting dressing room pics with a naked face and messy hair.

To avoid the baking in the oven, formerly know as our house, we kept busy.....well...er...shopping.  Some were valid errands and some where just for fun. This mickey card is trouble.

First up, the moss tweed pencil skirt and the selvedge chambray shirt: the moss tweed has been on my wishlist for a while so I finally decided to try it on in store. This is a six as they were out of my regular size (8). The colors are beautiful in this skirt but the loose structure of the tweed plus the smaller size did nothing to disguise my pot belly and I wish they had kept the longer length for this one. I almost got it anyways but changed my mind. I may still order online in an 8. See it on AppGal here And the chambray shirt...why do you hate me so? I love this top yet it has no love for me. As many times as I try it on (here and the outlet version) it just refuses to wow me "on". As overpriced as it is....I guess I should be grateful :)

p.s. yes, I think Cooper was about to pounce on me

Next up the "shawl collar cardigan that I forgot to take a picture of the tag to know what it was called" and the Vintage Matchstick Cords. So many pretty colors in these but my size was sold out in almost all of them. These are the aluminum in a 29R and the fit is tight but since they relax, these should be perfect. This is the same size I wear in the matchstick jeans. The cardigan...yeah....no thanks. Not so hot on me, I look like a sloppy mess. I bet if it is styled better it would be cuter, also I may try it again sized down.

I had actually gone to the store to see about finally pulling the trigger on the Brompton Hobo that someone had returned, I figured with the 20% off I could splurg (see, here is my lazy OOTD). I love the color and leather they use on this bag but it was pretty bulky for me. After seeing the Rhodie Satchel IRL, I think I may pass (notice the word MAY).

And lastly, I found a little treasure. My store had sold out of the bronzed ochre double serge pencil skirt really fast. I held out on it originally because I thought it might be too similar to the one I already have in bronzed twig. However the tones and fit are different so when I saw an online return in a size 6, I had to give it a try. See it on AppGal here , Chloe here, and Andrea here. I love it paired with the buffalo check boy shirt. This is a size 8 and I ended up with a 6 which is my normal size in tops.

Well that was all I got to...you can see that the natives were restless in the background. My mom comes in to town tomorrow so I am planning on actually getting dressed! Watch for an IRL pic of Bici tee soon ;)

Psssttt.....another Blog Sale is coming

Guess what ladies?? I am going to have another Blog Sale this Friday starting at 7 am (PST).  This one will be a little smaller but it will also have some really special pieces in there that I had to think long and hard about. I just have too many things I never wear so I have to let some things I love go.

During the last sale I ran into issues with shipping costs being more then I anticipated so here is how I am going to structure this sale to make it easier:

Flat Rates of the actual items (inclusive of shipping and paypal fees)

• $10 -1st item
• $7- 2nd & 3rd items
• $5-everything else

example: if you purchase 6 items it
would be 10+7+7+5+5+5= $39

so (theoretically) you could get a top, three sweaters, a skirt and a dress for $39

Hope that makes sense and I hope to see you there!

Quick J Crew Dressing Room Pics

I snuck out to J Crew yesterday morning and grabbed a few quick pictures, most are sale items

The Merino Silvana cardigan-Bronzed Twig, Medium. I was so suprised when this cardigan was on sale so quickly....I loved it the first time I saw it in store but I guess a lot of shoppers, like me, were scared off by the price tag.

Here it is in a small in the sweet almond color. The sleeves were a little tight in this size but I liked the rest of the fit.

C'est Bon Tee-Sorry for the blurry picture. Switching to the iPhone is easier but I need to work on it some more obviously ;) This is an in store only tee (at least so far). See it on Pamela and ShopwithM

Bici Tee-Size medium (TS). I had been eyeing this tee online but had two nagging concerns. The pink color being limiting and the beads on the spokes being so low that it may be hard to tuck in if I want to. In person, it won me over instantly and came home with me.

Cotton-Wool Ruffle Sweater-this is a size small, it runs really big. The small still felt stretched out and that was already a size down. I did love the fit of the sweater but the not the sleeves. A definite maybe.

Cascading Sequin Cardigan-Size Small. This is a really cute way to do sequins without being overwhelming. If I didn't already have the island paisley cardi, I would have brought this one home for sure.

Hope you are having a great weekend!!!!

Just poppin' in

First a quick shout out to my 7 year-old boo---Happy Birthday Chase (p.s. I never really call him "boo", he would hate that)

Just a quick Saturday post before I sneak away with my J Crew 25% off coupon from Mickey. I was shocked to get one of these since I don't have a J Crew card but hey, I am far from complaining! And the fact that I can use it over and over through October 11th.......could be trouble!

Here is me at work last night, these are both older LOFT pieces that I had forgotten about. The dress has great detailing around the collar and always draws lots of compliments.

Speaking of LOFT, did you see the new sale??? It's got some great potential.....3 items for 40%  sounds good to me ;)

I need more Cow Bell...I mean Cowl Neck

Yesterday I was able to wear my new Cowl Neck Sweater Dress to work. Since the temperatures keep going up here at least I have work to wear my fall clothing too!

Here is how I wore it to work originally with a white button up underneath:

I am one of those people who always gets hot and luckily so is my manager. Unfortunately for me last night she wasn't there to keep the store nice and cold so I ended up taking off a layer and I snapped a quick pic after we closed up!

Tomorrow Chase officially turns SEVEN. Where does time go????  I am back on a tight spending budget (which is where I always should be) but I think I may have to  pick up the bici tee soon I was hoping for an in store promo....if you see one let me know!

I heart Vintage Cord

I am obsessed with J Crew's Vintage Cord Pencil Skirts right now, they are so comfy and easy to wear.  This is the dark aubergine color that I found on clearance at the J Crewlet last week (as well as the San Remo cardigan).

San Remo cardigan-J Crew Factory

Vintage Cord Pencil Skirt-J Crew Factory

Cami-LOFT

Mary Janes-Candies

This was a quick throw on to pick up the kids from school. I would have preferred it with the two dogs tee but the rooster tee was closer and I was in a rush!

rooster tee-J Crew Factory

Retro Stripe Mohair cardigan-J Crew Factory

Vintage Cord Pencil Skirt in Honey Glaze-J Crew via Ebay

Oh, and I did pick up the Cowl Neck Sweater Dress in a Medium because I knew I would be layering it with leggings at all times and I didn't want anything showing through. I will be wearing it tomorrow so I will take some shots!

I am still working on training my "new photographer" but it isn't all work...we have been having some fun with the camera too ;)

Did you see that they added more Final Sale items over at J Crew? I didn't. I saw an email but have restrained from checking it out since I can't do any more shopping for a while.

p.s. are they ever going to get rid of Final Sale? I hate the idea of not being able to return anything once it goes on sale.

Styling the LOFT Cowl Neck Dress in Nut

I really love the Cowl Neck Sweater Dress on- it is very flattering, especially for a sweater dress. Because of the higher waist it accentuates the smaller upper waist and  doesn't grab around your tummy which is much appreciated by me! I don't think the fit is very clearly reflected on the website on the rail thin models with too big of sizes. There is a ribbed waistline right under where your bra lies and it doesn't look so droopy. It does not need a belt since it does have the ribbing but it is always fun to add one for a more put together look.

I was excited when Sydney at PetiteGorgeous asked for some styling ideas for the nut color. I find most of my clients prefer this color over the grey but think that the brown may be too hard to style. On the LOFT website they have it styled with chocolate tights and shoes, I wanted to show a few ways to combine it with black and denim. I had this dress on hold but now I am going to buy it tonight. I remember it being TTS if not a little big. I was able to wear my TS (Medium) and a Small comfortably but I believe I went with the Medium for length. I'll let you know for sure tomorrow ;)

Cowl Neck Dress by modestlyme featuring an oversized sweater

Cowl Neck Dress by modestlyme featuring a pouch handbag

Cowl Neck Dress by modestlyme featuring j crew jewelry

Cowl Neck Dress by modestlyme featuring hobo handbags

You can see the collection on Polyvore here

Honey Glazed

Yesterday we celebrated Chase's birthday early at the Water Park. It was a great time and everybody made it through without any tears or near drowning moments (this is always a big plus for me)!

I am starting to feel a little better but not enough to put much effort into today's church outfit. I love comfy pieces that speak for themselves so I don't have to deal with accessorizing. Those of you who have been reading my blog long enough know that about me ;) I have been wanting the J Crew vintage cord pencil skirt in honeyglaze for ages and I finally found one on eBay and no one bid against me----yay!!

Victoria RuffledTissue Cami-J Crew

V-Neck Cardigan-LOFT

Vintage Cord Pencil Skirt- J Crew (from eBay)

Nude Pumps-Bandolino

Hope you all have had a great weekend! Did you do any shopping during the J Crew Factory Premier? Jenni-I know you did

Trip to J Crew Factory Store

I thought it might be a waste of time to go to the J'Crewlet the same day as the website premiered but they had been sweet enough to put the last blush tweed pencil skirt on hold for me in an 8 so I decided to pack up the gang and head down. Turns out, this was a good thing as some of the pricing was different.

p.s. I am battling a yucky cold so excuse the sick face.

Mohair Souffle Cardigan Size M (runs a little large, I ended up sizing down) orig. $59.50, sale online $49.50, sale in store $41.65 with 30% off promo
Blushed Tweed Pencil Skirt: Size 8 (runs large, 6 fit better) orig. 99.50,  online sale $89.50. Was marked originally $89.50 in store
End on End Camp Shirt: Size medium TTS, orig $59.50, online and in store $49.50

This was the first J Crew pencil skirt that I didn't like. It was very thin and stretchy. It bulged where my shirt was tucked in even though the camp shirt is thin. It also flared back out at the bottom (although you can't tell in the picture). I left it behind even though the coloring was so pretty. I sized down to a 6 and the fit was better but still had all the same problems.

I like the mohair sweaters, especially this spicy olive color. It does itch a little (it is mohair after all) and I liked it better when I sized down. The campshirt was cute on and fit TTS

Christen stripe ruffled tuxedo shirt, Size Medium (runs large, size down for sure). Orig. $59.50, sale online $49.50, sale in store special $19.99

Tie-Front cardigan Size small. Runs large, I sized down and it was still loose. Original $59.50, sale online $49.50

Stripe Racerback Tank Dress, Size M (my TS) runs TTS if not a little big. Orig $39.50, Sale online $27.50, sale in store $19.99 plus extra 30% on clearance items=$13.98

excuse the pairing, I forgot to try it on and threw it on over my clothes at the end. I grabbed it for a swim coverup but I may find a few ways to wear it normally as well.

Wool Herringbone Professor Blazer-Size 6, TTS to a teeny bit big. Orig. $178, sale online $124.50, sale in store (40% off promo) $106.80

Loved the fit but it was itchy. For the weather out here, I didn't see myself wearing a lot of longsleeves with it so I traded it for another jacket in the end.

Retro Stripe Mohair Cardigan- I sized down to a small on this one and loved it. Orig. $69.50, Online sale $59.50, in store sale $48.65 with 30% off promo

 A little itchy but great for the winter!

I grabbed a few more things that I didn't have in the dressing room.

I picked up a San Remo Cardigan in heather dusk. Orig. 69.50, sale online 52.50, in store $48.65. It is so similar I will have to hold it up to my original to see what the difference is.



Velvet Eden Blazer. I sized down to a 4 in this one. Orig. $118, sale online $82.50, in store promo $59.99.

I had tried this on in the retail store and passed. The factory version is much softer, thinner and has less structure. For me this made the fit sooooo much better. I did size down, the 6 looked good but I preferred the 4.

Lastly, it isn't online but they still had the vintage cord pencil skirts in. I grabbed the plum and it was marked down to $39.97 plus a 30% off clearance promo so it totalled $27.98 whoo hoo!!!

Crewlet online??

I had heard some rumblings that the Crewlet was going online and sure enough here is what I woke up to:

I am still trying to figure out how I feel about this. I like that it is open just on weekends but I wonder if it will start to effect the prices (not that they are much lower) since now they have website and photography costs.

GOOD news is, I am headed there tomorrow to pick up a few things I had called to have them hold. Seems a little silly now since I can just buy it online and save myself the trip but that means some dressing room pics for you guys. A few suprises this morning on the factory site were the San Remo and the Lombardi cardigans. I just wore my San Remo cardigan last night and decided I wanted one in gray and sure enough...there it was.

Speaking of which, here is a terrible OOTD picture. The angle plus the flash with a white undershirt gave me a buddah belly effect.....no thank you but I love the sequin bib tank so I wanted to share...hopefully it won't scare any of ya away!

Same Pose, Different OOTD's

I am going to have to find a different place to put my hands during picture taking after seeing these photos all together! Last night was Jonas' open house at the highschool...6 classrooms, 10 minutes per room, 5 minutes between. It felt like we were cattle. I actually laughed outloud once at the hoards of us parents running around campus. But, it was great to meet all of Jonas' teachers and this is what I wore:

Pilar paisley Cami-J Crew

Stretch Vintage Cord Pencil Skirt-J Crew Factory Store

Navy Jackie Cardigan-J Crew

Bandolino Pumps

And here is a shot taken by my six year old the other day in attempt to get an OOTD picture. Not a big success but it was sweet of him to try!

stained glass cardigan-J Crew

Coralie Cami in faded black-J Crew

boyfriend jeans-LOFT

And here is an OOTD picture that I never posted way back when. In fact, I didn't end up even wearing the outfit that day but I thought I'd post it anyways?

Jackie Cardigan in Spicy Olive-J Crew

Ink Floral Shift Dress-LOFT (on sale)

double wrap studded belt-LOFT

lean boyfriend jeans-LOFT

Vera Sandals-Banana Republic

I have avoided the online 20% off promo at J Crew (so far). In store it was going on last week and I picked up a Jackie in Marigold along with this pilar paisley cami from the first picture. I have made two great scores on eBay that I will share soon so I have no budget left for the sweater sale and there is nothing I have to have (although there are still plenty of really wants). have you bought anything at J Crew during the promo?

LOFT Spotted Cheetah Pencil Skirt for Kiki

Off to Work by modestlyme featuring a pencil skirt

Spotted One by modestlyme featuring j crew jewelry

Spotted Two by modestlyme featuring j crew tops

Spotted some more by modestlyme featuring a pencil skirt

Simply Spotted by modestlyme featuring cardigan tops

Spotted at last by modestlyme featuring a merino wool cardigan

LOFT Style Studio AND a Banana Republic Fall Sale is coming!!

I hope all your weekends are going/went well! Did anyone make it in to the LOFT Style Studio event Saturday? Boy my footsies were mad at me. At the last minute I grabbed a pair of black lace peeptoes that I have worn just a few times in the 6 years I have had them. I know better then that and my feet sorely paid the price!! They did not pass the "five hours on your feet on hardwood floors" test (not many shoes do). Oh and on a side note, one of the gals was wearing the Peter Over the Knee Riding Boots which disappeared from online this morning. They were adorable but I still have to see in person if I can pull off the over the knee trend.

The event was a lot of fun but it was missing cookies and chocolate covered sunflowers this time (hello, LOFT where were the treats? Happy kids equal easier shopping for moms) and now today marks the first day that you can use your style reward cards....gotta love LOFT cash! It's hard to tell in this picture but the pants I am wearing are the olive everyday cropped pants that are sold out online but are in most stores in the sale section. I love these pants, they are so comfortable.

lace tee-LOFT

everyday cropped pants-LOFT

double woven bow cardigan-LOFT

nuetral stone illusion necklace-LOFT

lace shoes-Liz Claiborne Flex

This postcard came in yesterday's mail. It looks like Banana Republic is about to have their Fall 40% off sale. For cardholders, it starts on Sept. 17th and 18th and for everyone else it is on the 19th. It will be in stores and online on the rgular priced merchandise!

LOFT Style Studio Event Tomorrow

Are you ready for it? 30% off, free styling AND it should be the last day to earn style savings cards ($25 for every $50 spent on regular priced merchandise....promo items count towards this)

Here are a few of my FAVORITE picks:

Metallic Jaquard Tie-Front Cami: I went with a medium on this one (TS) instead of sizing down. The smaller size was a little tight from pit to pit and the fabric flows well enough not to drown you!

Ruffles and Rosettes Tee: I haven't tried this on but I have seen on my clients and my boss and it is so cute on. It has a very mellow bubble hem....nothing that adds volume like some others have. Seems to fit TTS

Embellished Ribbon Tee: So much cuter IRL, runs TTS

Lace Stripe Tee: This tee is adorable on and really flattering even with the horizontal stripes! I will be wearing mine tomorrow to the event. Runs TTS

V Neck Top with Front Draping: a great layering piece and comes in a lot of great colors. Runs a little large.

Sequin Bib Tee: Runs TTS if not a tad big. The colors are great with the gold sequins!

Watercolor Graphic Tee: FINALLY, a great graphic tee....been a while LOFT. This runs TTS and I love it with the vintage yellow v neck cardigan

CARDIGANS, we haven't seemed to have really gotten any new ones in so you can check out this post for my personal recommendations

Sleeveless Tie-Waist Dress- such a great layering piece. Great with leggings, a cardigan and a pair of boots. Seems to run TTS

I would honestly list quite a few more but there are a few of my favorites that aren't up on the website. Like some great cropped cargo pants and a double wrap distressed leather belt that I LOVE. Also, there are some newer items that we haven't recieed in our store yet that are showing online. If they are in today I will try to do a late night post on those ;o)