March 14, 2014 by gn0mel0ver

Style S.O.S. Sketchbook Dress

Two of my favorite bloggers, Liz from With Wonder And Whimsy and Gwen from London Preppy have teamed up together to do a special feature entitled Style S.O.S on their blogs. I was thrilled that they decided to do this as I have a ton of items in my closet that I don’t wear because I have no imagination when it comes to them. In their collaborative posts, they will style an item for readers or for each other by creating some style boards around the item the person would like help with.

For free!

Yes, please!

They’re awesome!

Here is a picture of Liz in an outfit Gwen styled for her.

And here is a picture of Gwen in an outfit that Liz styled for her.

They both look beautiful.

This is such a great endeavor for them, because Liz does perfect feminine styles. And Gwen can think of combinations for pieces that no one else has thought of. And it works. And their different styling plays perfectly together for an idea like this. I highly recommend checking out the last two weeks on their blogs as they helped each other with different pieces.

I chose my Sketchbook Dress from Anthropologie to get help with. Because it was such a unique piece, my brain had shut down when it came to styling it. This is how I originally styled it months ago.

Gwen and Liz each sent me two style boards to play with. It was so exciting!

This style board is from Gwen. In it, she paired my Anthropologie Corduroy Vest (first styled here) with my layering necklaces. I have mustard flats, but I could only find one of them on this day. So, I improvised with my mustard wedges.

This look is so fun and different. I felt like a fashion blogger! Doh!

Liz sent me this style board. I had to do some creative substituting with this board. I do not own very much pink in my closet. Although, I have about four princess maxi dresses in pink. Those weren’t going to help me here. I also own very few scarves. They scare me. I only usually buy infinite scarves because I know how to style them.

I decided to wear my silver flats to pair with the silver earrings. And this scarf was the closest to the pale pink that I had.

I love this outfit. It is out of my comfort zone. Which is always good to step out of.

Gwen took my new Forever 21 Utility Jacket that I had recently styled here. And I would never, ever have paired these two pieces together. And I love it. The jacket in the inspiration board is being modeled by Elsie of A Beautiful Mess.

Gwen called it when she noticed my sly smirk in this picture that this was my favorite style outfit. I think I was also smiling, because I could not believe how well this worked. And I had a secret about the belt. I do not own a plain black belt, so I flipped my Kissing Bunnies Belt from Anthropolgie to the back.

You would be smiling, too, if you had secret bunnies kissing above your bum.

My last outfit was from Liz and I had almost everything to style it like the board, except for a gold bracelet. Now a chunky gold bracelet is on my must get list for April. This is also one of my favorite pairings. I felt like myself in this. I love it! It was a fun chance to wear my star earrings I had scored last month from Nordstrom Rack for $3.

I had such a good time styling this dress with Liz and Gwen’s help. I decided to be brave and try a new way to style it myself. I figured a shirt dress also makes sense as a shirt. I paired it with a white maxi skirt that I own and a fun belt.

Thank you Liz and Gwen for your inspirations! They were so useful. I appreciate it!

Do you ever get stuck in a rut with one of your favorite pieces? Do you own this dress? Any other styling options you would like to share?

If you are stuck, I recommend going to either Liz or Gwen’s blog and letting them know in their comments. They will very sweetly help you out.

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

And

October 18, 2013 by gn0mel0ver

Sketchbook Shirt Dress

I adore the Sketchbook Shirt Dress from Anthropologie. It fits like a dream. It has hidden fortresses amongst shadowed forrests. If you look closely, you can see a gnome.

Not really, but that would be awesome.

The lining of the dress is a pretty purple.

I am wearing a size 6 here. I have recently learned that this is probably the size I should be buying. But I am still finding my way in sizing. So I might really be an 8. I am sorry! I hope I can be a better help in the future in terms of sizing. I still think it runs a little big.

I wanted a picture of the dress sitting down. But then I was accosted by my dog. And the dress rode up. I had to edit it. Imagine I can take a good picture.

Have you tried on this dress? How did you feel about sizing? I would like to know if I am off. Do you have a fun, whimsical piece in your closet?

* I shared this on The Pleated Poppy!

September 15, 2013 by gn0mel0ver

The Winners Are… Plus My Picks Of The Month

Thank you so much to everyone who entered my recent giveaway. The winners of one necklace each are: Alissa and Stephen Liddell!

Congratulations! I will ship them out tomorrow! Enjoy!

I had so much fun with this giveaway. Who am I kidding? I am just having fun, period.

I also want to say, “Thank you!” to my sweet mom who has been so supportive through this whole experience. She diligently reads everyday. It has been a really hard year for her and I feel so lucky to have her in my life. I also feel awful for not mentioning her in my “Reflections” post. Sorry Mom! I love you!

This is also the time of the month where I like to take a moment to reflect on things that are interesting to me or that I am currently lusting after. And I mean lusting, because I am being very good and not buying anything (else) this month.

Photo courtesy of Casey from Veggies and Glitter. : )

1. First, Casey from the blog Veggies and Glitter nominated me for the Versatile Blogger Award. She is such a sweetie. Her blog is really interesting. Reading her blog feels like hanging out with a great friend! She talks about fashion and life. Her recent date night post was sweet and the pictures of the food are enticing! I wish I lived closer to her, because that restaurant looked amazing. Yum! Fortune cookie martini? Yes please!

I wanted to give her a big, “thank you,” for the nomination. I am so lame, in that I will not be forwarding it on. However, I am very honored she thought of me.

“Thank you, Casey!”

2. I bought these refrigerated noodles. And now I cannot wait to create or try a homemade chicken noodle soup recipe. That shouldn’t be too hard, right? ; ). Stay tuned in the coming month for the outcome of this!

3. The New Target Threshold Line (pillows) looks interesting. I am loving the woodsy wonderland theme stores seem to have going on right now.

The cutest squirrel toss pillow for fall

These Cableknit Pillows in Gold Rush

4. I wrote about these Dr. Scholls shoes that you keep in your purse last month (in case your feet hurt). They were very inexpensive. I wanted to do an update. I have tried them on. I am a true size 8. These are 7/8. They are a bit snug, but definitely doable. They seem super comfy. You could not use these for “regular” shoes, but they are wonderful for high-heel-aching-feet emergencies. I have a wedding to attend Sunday evening and I plan to utilize the heck out of these little babies!

5. My top five fashion picks this month (I own the first two. I have not tried on the last three. I just think they are cool).

Anthropologie’s Sketchbook Dress.

Anthropologie’s Toadstool Shirt

Modcloth’s Pop In Stand Out Sweater

Modcloth’s Wizard of Ostrich Sweater. I will probably be getting this for my winter wardrobe. I have very few sweaters.

Free People’s Mod Stripe Tunic in red. This will more than likely be an October purchase.

* If you want to see more cool Fall picks, check out Roxy’s Free People Wishlist on Effortless Anthropologie. She has great taste!

What are you wanting this month? Are you being patient or indulging? Please tell!

August 27, 2013 by gn0mel0ver

Anthropologie Reviews Fall 2013

I went on a return run to Anthropologie. It was fun. I took back some items that I have never worn that have just been hanging in my closet from this summer. I have never done fitting room pictures or picture reviews before. But I figured, what the heck? I always like to see the clothes on a “real” girl. This will not be a reoccurring post. I do not get to a brick and mortar store, but a few times a year. Maybe once a season. I felt a little naughty and weird, taking photos of myself in the dressing room. Oh, the things I do for this blog. ; ). Warning: this post is photo heavy!

First up is this sweater dress called Petalblush Sweater Dress. I really liked this dress. It was super flattering and comfortable. I tried on the small and the medium. I am wearing the medium in the pictures. The small fit great, except the arms were tight. But it is the size I would probably purchase.

I really do not like the detailing at the bottom. It looks like a muppet tragedy.

The back is so cool. It is a shame that the bottom of the dress could not follow suit. Still a love, but at $200, I am waiting for sale.

I then tried on The Sketchbook Dress. It is so fun and versatile. It has forests and fortresses on it. They did not have my usual size 8. I tried on the 6 and it fit perfectly. I love this dress. It is so easy. This lovely came home with me.

Can I truly be a “gnome lover” and not own a mushroom blouse? This top is unbelievably lovely. I am wearing a size 6. This top is also insanely expensive. It is called Toadstool Blouse. It is silk with beautiful beading details. I am wearing it with a Holding Horses skirt that was on sale for $10. The skirt was a no brainer, but when they removed the sensor tag at checkout, it revealed a giant round stain where the sensor tag had been. The sales associate informed me all of the skirts had been marked that way (hence the $10 price tag). It was a giant bummer. I did not buy the flawed skirt.

This skirt is beautiful. It is called Emeline Tulle Skirt. This skirt made me smile. The zipper was broken on this one. It is a size 6. It was a little large on me. I was able to slip it up and down without any problem. Super pretty for the more feminine among us. I would buy this for a great sale price!

This top was pretty.. The top is called Ruched Ribbon Top (thanks Jules). It is purple with pretty ribbon details. This would also make a great sale purchase. I will save this on my wishlist.

This top is adorable. Yep. That’s the word. It is the Nora Peplum Top. It is wonderful. It felt big in my usual medium, but when I sized down to a small, the arms felt too tight. I loved this blouse, and the medium happily came home with me. Let us wave good bye to my September budget.

I will wear this with my Mothers brand jeans that I just got on sale for $40, marked down from $198. Sorry I am not a great photographer. And please ignore my messy house in the background. It’s on my to do list. ; )

Thus, we conclude my quick shopping jaunt. But I also took some pictures of some pretties around the store: