April 23, 2014 by gn0mel0ver

Hippie At Home

I know I promised pictures of me not in front of my fireplace (Sunday, I have some outdoor outfit pictures to post) , but I wanted to show what I look like on a day when I am kicking back at home. And I actually have clothes on and not pajamas.

Wrinkled. Shoeless. Beltless. Happy. Cooking.

I knew the moment I took my apron off, I was going to get flack from my husband. You think he would not give the woman making him his favorite meal grief, but you would think wrong. ; )

You see, he hates long denim skirts. Hates them. And, well, I… I love them!

So, never the two shall meet.

But I wanted to share my Forever 21 Peasant Top that I adore. And I thought it fit perfectly with my Citizens of Humanity Aja Skirt I purchased from a seller on eBay last year. I had it tailored for my body, so I know it fits the way it is supposed to… Big!

Here is the commentary coming from my photographer as I tried to smile for the camera:

“That skirt is ginormous!”

I was not phased.

“That skirt is Duggarific!”

An explanation of this word my husband gleefully made up, derives from one of my favorite shows on t.v., “Nineteen Kids And Counting” (their last name is Duggar. I love the Little House On The Prairie vibe to it even though their lifestyle and choices are very far from mine). My husband is sometimes ~~trapped~~ in the room when I watch the show. The women all wear long skirts. A lot of the time they are denim, because they do not wear pants. Or short skirts.

This brings this question to my mind, “If a long denim skirt is the opposite of sexy, how the heck did they have nineteen kids?”

Hmmmmmm.

“Be careful, you might expose your ankles!”

To which I did this.

And then this.

Yep. It was a typical day in the Gnome Lover household. And this model is going to go add a little something extra to that meat on the stove.

Just kidding. That little somethin’ would just be love. My husband and I have a good time. Just don’t tell him that.

Do you have an item in your closet your partner does not like? Do you wear it anyway? Do you wear shoes at home?

* Please excuse my wild hair! It was a day at home. And, yes, I see that hair brush on my fireplace. It is my daughter’s. It never occurred to me to use it. ; ). It’s hard to think when you’re bein’ heckled.

February 17, 2014 by gn0mel0ver

Handira Blanket Winner and Things I’m Craving

The winner of the Anthropologie Handira Blanket is Melinda. Congratulations! I will ship it out to you on Tuesday.

I loved reading about each of your peaceful places. It was so wonderful to have that imagery in my head. Thank you for that! It made my week entirely better. You are all so awesome. I just appreciate you so much. I want to hug you right now!

Next month is my one year blog anniversary! I am very excited about it! So, tune in on the tenth of next month for that one! I cannot wait! I have tried to make it special. : )

Thank you for all of your support and kindness. You make each one of my days happier. Fuller. More complete.

Things I’m Craving:

This month, I spent so much money on the Lace Study Dress, that my budget was primarily used up. I told myself I could not purchase anything unless it was $20 or under. Unfortunately, I am great at finding $20 and under. I managed to score some excellent popbacks. I got the Corca sweater for $20, the Illusione Top for $10 and the Lace Peplum Hoodie for $20. Three pieces for less than $50! Retail price for all three was $384.

I found this jacket that looks incredibly similar to the jacket I coveted on Elsie from A Beautiful Mess in November. Except hers sold out at $66. I was really sad I missed out on it and have been thinking about it for months. Then I found it. Sort of. I found mine last week at Forever 21. Cost after 30% off sale? $21! I will post a picture with it styled soon. I may or may not hold my dog in the process, stand in my dining room, and have my hair in a messy bun atop my head. Is that too ~~stalkery~~ ~~creepy~~ awesome?

I am coveting nothing at Anthropologie right now. I do not know what is going on, but I am not in love with any of the spring items that have come out (except for the Lace Study Dress I caress nightly). Although, if I could afford it, this beautiful lamp from last year would be coming home to me.

I cannot afford this jacket from Free People, but I think it is rad (a word I seem to be using a lot lately).

What I have been lusting after our books. I bought “Fan Girl,” “The Magician’s Elephant,” and “Mr. Penumbra’s 24-Hour Bookstore.” I finished the first two and I am halfway through the third.

Because I absolutely adored “The Magician’s Elephant,” I also purchased “Flora and Ulysses” to read to my family this week.

And “Attachments.” Although, I think this author is brilliant, I do not care for her abrupt endings in the other two books I have read by her. I am hoping this one is different.

On Valentine’s Day, I made these brown sugar cakes for my family from this recipe. I will not be creating a full post about them. But if you like macadamia nuts, you will like the cake. If not (like my kids and myself, you probably will not). My husband loves macadamia nuts and loved it. Which is why I made it for my Valentine. : )

I am kind of burnt out on shopping. I picked up some coated Paige Denim Pants for 81% off at Nordstrom Rack and a tribal maxi cardigan from Forever 21 for $17 recently. I also couponed my butt off on Saturday and saved over 50% at the grocery store and got two loaves of french bread for .45 cents each in the process! Stick a fork in me, I’m done.

Also, I had to share what I came across on Friday night. I was turning all of the lights off in the house. I am a night owl. I am always the last person to bed. I was on my way to my bedroom when I heard a loud snort. That snort could only be coming from one thing. Ollie. But I looked around the floor and could not see him. I turned on the lights. And there he was. In my Corrigan chair. He was so ashamed at being caught where he knew he was not supposed to be, he would not look at me. I called his name numerous times. Nope. If he can’t see me, I can’t see him. Right? After these pictures were taken, I had to move him. You can imagine the snorts of indignation this produced!

Poor guy.

What are you craving this month? Are you excited or nonchalant about the stores’ spring items trickling in? Do you just want to crawl into a chair and not be seen? I can kind of see the appeal in that.

Snort.

February 12, 2014 by gn0mel0ver

My Denim Dress

I purchased this Cloth & Stone’s Chambray Maxi Dress from Anthropologie as a popback in October. It was 68% off. It is so comfortable and soft. It is one of my favorite dresses in my closet.

It is strapless! Gulp!

This means I can only wear it in the fall and the winter. I have to wear a cardigan with it.

I first styled it with my little Angel of the North Pointelle Wisp Cardigan in olive that I bought for 74% off around the same time.

And recently I styled it with my Anthropologie Pooch Posse Cardigan I bought in the summertime when it hit sale. It has a bulldog on it! How could I resist?

I wore this to The Lazy Dog Cafe. ‘Cause I could. I cannot resist a theme.

How do you style a denim dress or skirt? So far, I have been boring with this dress and have only have paired it with cardigans. Any other ideas on how to style it without revealing that the dress is strapless?

* P.S. I shared this on The Pleated Poppy!

December 11, 2013 by gn0mel0ver

Two Vests and A Jacket

I never, ever thought I would have a fashion blog. It seems weird to me to show pictures of myself and talk about what I am wearing. I am still finding my style as I play around with my new body type.

But my mother LOVES this part of my blog. It is her very favorite.

And I want her to be happy.

And I LOVE clothes.

In fact, I have so many outfits backlogged, I might do three outfit posts in the next two weeks.

Merry Christmas, Mom! ; )…

Oh! And this is kind of funny and awful at the same time. You are going to notice in the next few weeks, that the pictures of me standing in front of my fireplace will be full of Christmas cheer. Also, I have a garland strung across that says, “Ho! Ho! Ho!” Well, when I pose in front of it, sometimes only two letters show.

Great!

In the future, if I can remember, I will take the garland down before photos. But if I forget, sorry in advance!

This vest is so old, I cannot even find the name for it. I bought it from Anthropologie years and years ago. I love the polka dots and cheerful color. The jeans are my favorite brand, Mother Brand Jeans. The super cute necklace was c/o Simply Livly on Etsy.

Please. Please. If I am ever too lazy to go out to my car and get my regular lipstick from it… Show me this picture! Holy garishness!

This is almost my exact outfit from my Thanksgiving post with a different necklace and shirt. The plaid was from Nordstrom Rack (also seen here). The vest is my favorite new staple. It is the Ruffled Sweater Vest from Anthropologie.

“Why are you wearing your pajamas, Mom?” My son asked me this question as we were getting ready to leave on our hunt for a Christmas tree.

I looked down. I had to explain that I was not wearing pajamas. That these were pants. But it did make me slightly self conscious.

I threw on a bright scarf to draw some attention away from my bright legs, and we were off.

I first spotted these Tartan Charlie Trousers on Sayaka on her blog, Happily Ever Anthro. She looked so adorable in them. I checked the price. $29.95 down from $118. They had my size. Sold.

(The pants are now $19.99, and sold out. But last week, I saw three sizes back in stock. If you like them, you might be able to call the stores and find them.)

Since then, I have paired the pants with my bunny shirt like Sayaka is wearing. But I am not comfortable with my butt (I started to type bottom, but felt like a fake, and the other word seemed too blunt for my blog) being exposed, so I like them better for myself with this super long tee from last year.

The jacket is the Auden Denim Jacket. I waited and waited for a great sale on this denim jacket. I am including a link, even though it is sold out, because it keeps popping back in stock. I took a size 8 in this jacket.

My only other denim jacket is ten years old. It is a size 12, and really too big. I love this jacket! So happy to have snagged it on such a great sale price!

What is your favorite cold weather staple?

P.S. * I shared this on The Pleated Poppy!