Otomi Inspired Dress

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The moment I saw this dress online, I knew I had to have it.

I am obsessed with Otomi.

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I have an Otomi inspired bathroom, Otomi inspired bedding, and real Otomi pieces layered throughout the home.

I cannot get enough of the colorful animal print.

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My dress is made by one of my favorite designers, Carolina K. It is now on sale in her online store. Keiko Lynn previously wore the dress in yellow.

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I paired my dress with bright yellow accents. In the wintertime, I will wear it with an olive green blazer, black tights, a black slip and booties.

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Does it not look like I am dissing that poor child doing his homework? Well, I’m not. He is actually being punished and is currently writing, “I will not tell Miss Jenni her skirt is too short,” fifty times.

I still don’t think he believed it.

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When I first tried on this dress sans a slip and layers (the white part in the middle of the dress is my slip. The v of the dress is very low), my husband’s eyes almost popped out of his head.

And it wasn’t from the cute little animals. Unless that’s what they’re calling them these days.

Based on his reaction, I layered this dress with a white slip and a little tulle skirt.

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And it is perfect to wear around town.

Even if my town involved insolent cartoon figures and miniature stalls.

Do you have a print that speaks to you? What is it? And do you wear it as well as put it in your home?

Anthropologie Fall Reviews

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I went to an Anthropologie Holiday Workshop the other day. It was a lot of fun. I plan on combining the two workshops I am going to into one post this year. I have so many posts on backlog that I have to cram everything in. This is what I wore that day (other post with this dress can be found here).

I decided to cram some reviews in at the same time I did the workshop. I also decided to keep the word “cram” twice in two paragraphs. I like that word. I imagine it being said with a twang and anything said with a twang is better. Except for the actual word, “twang.” There is no helping that one. How did this post get so off track? This post contains so many pictures. I apologize for the length of this post, but I did not want to exclude anything or make two posts.

Without further ado, the reviews:

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I saw this knit chemise hanging on the hanger with its grey twin. I have enough grey (please remind me of this post the next time I whine about not having enough grey. It is bound to happen. And, of course, I will deny it). So I decided to try on the wine color.

I thought it was a dress.

But now I am not so sure. Did I inadvertently try on another top without pants? This seems to be a too common occurrence. I tried on the small. It fit fine. I have enough of these types of pieces in my closet, so I passed on it. But I would recommend it (with leggings or skinny jeans if you are 5’4″ and taller, and if you are shorter than 5’4″, I think you will be able to get away with tights. I am 5’6″. I am wearing tights. I do not recommend doing that) if you are looking for an easy layering thermal piece in your closet. I also think the different color at the cuff is a cute touch.

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I saw The Sherbet Handknit Vest and I was intrigued by the loops. I am not a fuzzy sweater type of gal. I remember when my daughter was two, my sister bought her a bright blue fuzzy sweater. She. Would. Not. Take. It. Off. That was the end of me having any influence in her wardrobe.

She must be rubbing off on me. I like this vest, but I do not have enough colors to match this vest in my closet to purchase it.

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This coat. This Mesilla Jacquard Coat is everything (bear with me. This seems to be my phrase of the month). But it is.

The texture. The material. The pattern. The hood. I love it.

You know what would be helpful? If I could remember what size I tried on. I believe it was M/L, but I could be wrong. I know I tried the vest above and this coat in two different sizes. One was an XS/S and one was a M/L. And never shall I know which is which.

I am sorry about my lack of information, naked thighs and bad hair. If I see it in the next store I am in, I will try it on and correct the size issue. I can make no promises on the status of thighs and hair at that time.

If I did not all ready have a similar sweater in almost this exact pattern and color, this would be at the top of my wishlist. But I do (one from long ago and I cannot find its name). I highly recommend this coat. It is gorgeous.

The last picture is me realizing my hair looks ridiculous and my dress might not be a dress afterall. It is good times in the dressing room with me.

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I had lusted after The Risen Sun Sweater Dress online. And I mean lusted. Okay. Maybe I don’t mean lusted. That might be too strong of a word (and image), but I could not wait to see it in real life. My store had two in stock. This is a size small. I am sad to say it is not my favorite. I am not a huge fan of the open weave sweater material. It was a lot of fabric on me. The pattern is fun. But this was just not a love for me. I took it off of my wishlist.

I have seen a lot of girls rock this dress on Instagram so I think this will be an individualized dress decision. Best to try it on to see if it works for your body type.

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This Iguazu Pencil Skirt was another item that had made it to my wishlist when I spotted it online. I wanted it so badly to work. But, alas, it was too long for me and my saddlebags showed much too much. This skirt will be fantastic on the right body shape. I am wearing a size medium. Another item that was removed from my wishlist. Darn.

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I did not have anything to try on with this adorable bunny shirt, called sweetly enough, Hop Along Top, except for the skirt above. I love this shirt. I am wearing a size six. I have very large arms so this type of sleeve is usually a pass for me. It was not the most flattering but it was not as bad as I thought it would be. I love the pattern. Who can resist adorable bunnies? I will watch this one for a sale.

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This skirt. This skirt is everything (I did warn you). It has llamas and cheetahs cats or dogs? I cannot figure out the last animal but I do think they are two animals that go so oddly well together.

I also could not figure out the sizing in this skirt. I tried on the medium and the large. I ended up going with the medium. The sweet gals at this Anthropologie generously gave the participants of the holiday workshop 25% off purchase cards. I know! Those girls are everything. I used mine for a few things. This skirt was one of them.

I like to be as confusing as possible. I am wearing two different sweaters in the photos above. The sweater I am wearing in the first picture is the same as the one in the third. It is called The Icehouse Pullover. I added it to my wishlist. I do not have enough grey… sweaters. I need this one. I really liked the fit. I took a medium. The middle picture is The Novelty Pullover on sale (also seen in The Iguazu Pencil Skirt photo). I tried on a medium and it was fine. That one was too busy for me.

What do you think about the headband/turban? I ended up purchasing it and giving it to my daughter. I may or may not borrow it. I am not sure if I look silly in it. More silly than a woman in her late thirties wearing a skirt with prideful llamas and resting cheecatdogs.

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I loved The Tiled Amethyst Dress when I first tried it on. I am wearing a small in the picture. Even afterwards I was thinking about it. As I waited for the paint to dry (how often do you get to use that phrase in its correct form?) on the project I was working on for the workshop, I scanned through these pictures. And I noticed this v in the front of the pattern for the first time. This really bothers me. For this reason this dress did not make it to my wishlist.

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I have a confession. When I bought this jacket (post wearing it here), I also purchased this sweater. It is called The Downy Cocoon Cardi. I wanted to see which one I liked better. I knew I would return one. Hands down the jacket won. Arms all in. The jacket. This is an XS/S. The material is gorgeous. But it is very delicate and I found it to be too bulky on my frame. This was removed from my wishlist. I did have the sweet woman checking me out take a picture of it as I was returning it so I could show the fit. I am weird.

The girls there loved this sweater, so I suggest trying this one on to see if it will work for you. I think it can be great on the right person.

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Let’s just get to it. Everything. Yep. Anthropologie’s Fanned Flora Dress was the other item of clothing I purchased with my 25% off. The dress that I actually bought I did not get a picture of. (I tried on three). I was in a hurry. The first two pictures (same dress) are a small (and the size I purchased) and the bottom one is a medium. This is something that I highly recommend going to the store and trying on in person. Every single dress had a different pattern placement. I much prefer the pattern not next to the face (as is shown in the small. The medium has the busy pattern on the neckline. I do not think that placement is as flattering). The dress I purchased is a mixture of these two. It has a plain top but the shoulder and middle on down are full of pattern.

This dress has such pretty colors. The blue is vibrant. I think it would look good belted, too (my store had the mannequin dressed that way). I prefer the loose swing dress look.

Have you tried on anything good lately? Anything in your wishlist worth sharing? Have you ever tried on a top and thought it was a dress or vice versa? Did you share those pictures on the internet?

*this post contains affiliate links. Clicking on a link will result in a small commission for the research of the mating habits of cheecatdogs this blog.

These pictures were edited using VSCO’s C1 filter on level 3.

Dear Children: A Case of the Pssts,

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I want to use this letter to warn you of a virus that is going around. It is called The “Psst.”

Please be very careful that you do not get it. It is contagious. It is spreading. It is disgusting.

Contact only derives from the ears.

Beware! The “Psst” is everywhere. It originates from a nasty form of gossip.

Gossip hurts everybody. Please… Do not engage in that form of sickness. It will eventually deteriorate your soul.

Be leery of anyone leaning over to whisper to you in public. They are infected. They do not realize everyone in the room is aware of their infliction.

Nothing good has ever come from a case of The “Pssts.”

The only cure is isolation.

If you see someone who is infected, it is best to ignore them. They might view your vulnerable ears as a challenge.

So, children, I beg of you:

“Cover your ears

And bite your tongue.

A case of The Pssts

Cannot be undone.”

Please be careful. And remember you will never regret the nice words you have said about someone but you will always regret most of the bad ones.

Here are some ear muffs. And a tongue depressor… Just in case.

Love,

Mommy

It’s The Little Things: Put A Scarf On It

I have been thinking a lot about scarves lately. I have been seeing them pop up all over Instagram. Yesterday I was at Anthropologie and as I wandered the beautiful store, the scarves seemed to be whispering to me, “Cozy,” they murmured. “Flattering,” they promised. “Unique,” they softly said as they caught my eye and winked.

But I live in California.

Buying an expensive scarf just isn’t practical. For my lifestyle. And my budget.

I guess you could say that I am married to Warm Weather but I don’t mind flirting with Cold Weather’s attractive cousins. temperature trollop I ignored their siren calls and promised them I would be back when they went on sale (especially this temptress).

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I happened to be at a different mall later in the day. And I also found myself at Target. I had actually wanted to go to Target that day to view a scarf after seeing it on myfavoritethings25 Instagram feed (sorry, I do not know how to link to Instagram). My Target store did not have that scarf, but they did have the plaid and other patterned one above. Since plaid and blanket scarves seem to be the trend of the season (and leopard. Leopard. Leopard. Leopard. Put a spot on it), I scooped them up for around $30 for both (most scarves at Target are on 20% off sale through the end of today and buy one get one 50% off online).

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At the mall, I went to Forever 21. They had a wall full of scarves. I did not purchase one.

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But I spotted this blue and black flannel number for less than $10 there and I think it is pretty.

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H&M did not have the scarf selection I was expecting. But they did have two different patterned blanket scarves hidden in the clothing section that were huge. The pattern was pretty. This picture is not them. I did not get a picture of them. I had all ready broken a $2 ring at Forever 21 and guilt-purchased it, I did not want to drop anything else and have to pay for it in reaching for my camera. Aren’t I helpful? But I will share this:

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I will admit that I am clueless about styling scarves. That is why I like to buy infinity scarves. They are easy. I like easy. But most of the scarves I admire lately are not infinity. What is a girl to do? Well, I found this video on You Tube and the tutorial to make a regular scarf look like an infinity scarf was so simple. Most importantly, it works!

Are you a scarf styling genius? I have heard that you can make a scarf into a vest? Do you know how to do that? I’m just happy I managed to get the thing around my neck.

It’s The Little Things: more accessories! I love the cooler seasons! Shhhhh! Don’t tell Warm Weather.