Aren't these outfits perfect? Fall fashion is my hands down favorite. I love anything cozy and lady-like. Today I am determined to find a pair of fabulous shoes. There are quite a few styles that I am wanting so now it's all about comfort.
I hope your holiday weekend is off to a great start!
This week's Friday's Fancies is all about the weekend... the three day weekend! I am glad it is here, mainly because I want to catch up on sleep and clean my house, which has very quickly become quite a little wreck.
Last night I went to Back to School Night for the first time ever. This might not seem like a huge deal, but my daughter in in junior high, and I had never been to one of her back to school nights. I promise it isn't because I'm an uncaring mother. I've always, always had to work while they were going on; that's what happens when your kiddo goes to the same school where you happen to be a teacher. So in the past, my parents have always gone in her place. It was good to hear her teachers talk about their expectations.
Anyway, it was a long night, with a pre-planned dinner and planning session with a friend/colleague after the school deal, so I am tired today and ready for some time to relax and get caught up on my life outside of school.
So how about you? Any fun plans for the three day weekend?
I can't wait for the weekend! Beside the obvious, I'm excited to start my shopping for Fall must have items and what better way to begin than to find a look that I love and recreate it? I saw this outfit image on pinterest and I like the classic nature of the outfit, but it totally pops with that great orange bag. A love a wardrobe of neutrals mixed with a bit of exciting color somewhere. It makes for a very versatile and practical system of dressing that doesn't lose sight of the fun.
Normally I do not shop at Ann Taylor. I have always bought from Ann Taylor Loft; they have good quality work clothes that fit in with my profession. When I first became a substitute teacher, I went to Loft and spent about $500 on clothes for my new job. I had never spent that much money on clothes all at once, and considering I was just starting out, it was quite an investment. To me, though, it was worth it. I wanted to look the part of teacher, not just sub. Less than a year after I started subbing, I started working in the classroom full time. That was a long time ago, people, and you know what? I still have some of those clothes that I initially bought at Loft all those years ago. I still have the teal t-strap heels, a blouse, a pair of grey trousers... The list goes on. And you know what? I still wear some of those pieces.
So what's the problem you ask? It's just that right now at Ann Taylor they have about a million pieces of jewelry and some clothes and shoes that I would love to add to my closet for the fall. Especially since right now their new items are buy one, get one half off.
The problem comes in when you figure these teacher-inspired pieces are not necessarily in a teacher's(uninspired!) budget. Well, at least now when you want to buy the whole store all at once!
Let me just tell you, I'm ridiculously tired tonight. Teaching (subbing) has zapped the life out of me. I have been very discouraged about the prospect of teaching full time after this long term assignment I've had. I so admire all the dedicated teachers out there: my husband and Lori amaze me. It is a difficult job to say the least, but can you think of one substantially more important?
Whether or not I choose to continue the path toward teaching, I value the career. If you are an educator, my hat tips to you and I hope you know just how important you are!
Like Rebecca, I am a fan of collegiate style. Classic stripes and a gorgeous plaid get me giddy. That's why I love seeing the fall ads for Tommy Hilfiger. I've talked about Hilfiger before; I love the ads.
I love the idea of a denim pencil skirt for work; I think it screams versatility. It can be paired with so many different colors and styles. I just received the Banana Republic navy pencil skirt and wore it the other day (I ordered the wrong size), but I'm thinking I could use another pencil skirt in my wardrobe for fall. The looks above, when worn separately and mixed and matched, just scream back to school to me. What do you think?!
Hi All! I hope your weekends are shaping up to be wonderful. Mine is! My fantastically amazing husband just installed my laundry room folding counter and I couldn't be happier. He is now working on an ingenious little box cover for the unsightly hoses and knobs. For the counter he used 1/2 inch pre-sanded plywood and added a front edge of 1 1/2 inch pine. He then stained it with deep walnut color and waxed it using treewax. This gives it a nice smooth finish and seals the stain. The counter lifts right off so the machines can be serviced or moved for cleaning.
Since the laundry room is right off the kitchen, I plan to use this counter for a beverage bar when I have company: Can't you just imagine it all set up with silver ice buckets and pretty glasses!
The corner shelves are made from the same materials as the folding counter. They are to the left of the washer and dryer so they are super convenient. What was once a wasted bit of space is now practical and pretty.
One thing I had to do--since everything here is out in the open--was to make my daily cleaning items appear a bit more attractive. I used a candy jar for my laundry detergent and an oil dispenser for my fabric softener. Folks: The oil container for fabric softener works amazingly well! No drips.
Yesterday my friend Suzie, her daughter, the Cat and I went to L.A. for another food run. We also threw in a trip to the Time Travel Mart (we went to the one in Echo Park last time; this time it was on Venice Boulevard), but really, the primary reason for this trip was because I'd found a place that sells dole whips.
So our plan of attack was to go to the Time Travel Mart first. I have to say, I really love 826LA. I wish I lived closer to one of their locations so that I could be more involve with their program.
This little robot guy, who reminds me of Oz, was just one of the cool details in the store.
After we were done playing in the store and getting decorating ideas for my classroom, we headed over to Joans on Third for dinner. Both Suzie and I wanted the croque monsieur, which we got, but they were out of sourdough and it had to be made on rye. It was still delicious, as was the salted caramel ice cream we all shared after. I may have also bought a couple of macarons and a pretzel croissant. These things are just too delicious to pass up.
After Joans, we walked across the street to Magnolia Bakery to get some banana bread pudding. We were smart this time and brought a cooler to keep all this food from spoiling. We got this to go and headed down the street for some impromptu shopping.
Our last stop was supposed to be Whipp'd LA for our dole whips, but as we were driving down Melrose, we spotted the most beautiful plant shop EVER. And even though it was almost 10 o'clock at night, they were still open. Here's what I love about Suzie- she did a U-turn so we could go check it out. It was so worth it. It is absolutely gorgeous, the people who helped us were just lovely, and I got a beautiful fern for a steal. And, to top it all off, they had fiddle leaf ferns. When they get a smaller one in, they are going to call me so I can pick it up. Hooray!
If you ever find yourself on Melrose near Moe's, I highly recommend popping in and looking around, even if you aren't in the market for any plants. Their selection is amazing, their prices are fair, and the staff is so nice. It is definitely worth visiting!
I hope you all are having a wonderful Saturday! I've got ten million things to do that I'm never going to get done if I don't get moving!
I think this space is pretty much perfect. It is rustic with the wood table, sliding barn door, and plank ceiling yet elegant with the contemporary chairs and crystal chandelier. The simplicity is what makes it so perfect for me. I'm pretty much convinced that I need a barn door like that dividing my dining room from the kitchen.
I am thrilled that it is Friday! It has been a very long and tiring week. I am so looking forward to a quiet weekend with my family just catching up on all the things that couldn't be done over the week. Also, I want to pop on over to all my favorite blogs and say "hi"-- I haven't even had a chance to do that this week.
Okay, let me just start this by saying I can be quite a dork. I like some pretty dorky things. You know what? I am okay with that. It is a big part of who I am, and, subsequently, how I teach. Being a dork has come in handy many times in my line of work. (In case you don't know, I am a 5th grade teacher.)
Being a dork means that I follow a lot of things that kids follow, oddly enough, or things that kids will be following once I introduce it to them. That is one of the perks of being a teacher- influence (insert evil, maniacal laughter here.)
I love introducing my students to random things and I love it even more when even just one of them takes off running with something I've shown them or that they've discovered while in my class.
One of the things I try to do is bring art into my classroom. With state tests and standards and lack of materials and time, this is not always the easiest thing to do, but I try to do it anyway.
I have always loved going to museums and galleries, and I have always brought my daughter with me, from the time she was little. She could point out a Degas hanging in the Getty and tell the nearest person who painted it by the time she was 3. It was just a normal part of her little life because I made it that way.
I'm rambling a bit here. The whole point of this is twofold. One, I want to share this amazingly awesome museum geared towards kids that is in Tokyo. I read an article on it recently, and immediately channeled my inner Liz Lemon (a'la 30 Rock) and declared, "I want to go to there."
Here is an interesting article and more information on Torafu's Haunted Art Gallery for kids. A trip to the Tokyo Museum of Contemporary Art has been requested by the Cat.
Second, I thought I would share with you some of the pieces I like to share with my kids, and the pieces I feel compelled to wear while we are doing a corresponding art project. The American Gothic socks are totally doable, and I already have the Van Gogh Tardis shirt (dork!); but that Lichtenstein dress, at a price tag of a couple of thousand dollars, is just a little bit out of my nonexistent classroom art budget. Oh well.
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I don't have that Van Gogh shirt, the one with him throwing a vase of sunflowers, but I do love it. Maybe that one will be added to my closet. I will just have to make sure to do these particular projects on Friday, when I can justify wearing silly t-shirts and socks to school.
I can't believe it is Thursday already! Just two more days and then the weekend?! Yes, please! I'm hoping we are going to be able to squeeze in a trip to LA within the next couple of days; I am craving a croque monsieur from Joan's on 3rd, some banana bread pudding from Magnolia Bakery, and a dole whip from a place we just found out about called, appropriately enough, Whipped. Fingers crossed this happens sooner than later, cause my mouth is watering just thinking about all of that food!
As the temperatures will soon begin to cool, I am recalling just how much I love quilting. Especially white matelasse. You know I love white but when it is cold out, texture is required to make white appear more cozy. Quilting is classic and fresh all at once.
I have long been a fan of leopard print, whether it's shoes, accessories, or even a coat (I still regret not buying the perfect leopard print coat I saw last year at Forever 21, of all places, and that the one I ordered from Asos just didn't work). I love my leopard print loafers so much, in fact, that after just over a year they are already wearing out- the calf hair is rubbing off in certain places. I have a pair of kitten heels in the leopard print (how apropos, right?!) that I now wish I had purchased two of (poor grammar- don't care!), and I am still on the lookout for a replacement pair of leopard loafers. While looking for those, though, I came upon these Vince Camuto zebra loafers that are pretty damn fabulous.
I really kind of love them. They are $225, which is more than I want to spend on cotton zebra print loafers, but still. I do already have a little pair of slip on zebra print shoes, but they are more like ballet flats, and they just aren't as fantastic as these.
While I do not think these would become the neutral that I view my leopard print shoes as, I could definitely see myself putting these babies into heavy rotation in my closet. Now if only Vince Camuto would make them available on the website. Oh, and if they lowered the price. A lot.
Oh well. I hope your week is off to a great start! I am in training all day. After a later than usual school night (because of an impromptu outing to a Sheryl Crow concert at the local fair), I am sure to be nodding off throughout the day. Oh well. If I fall asleep during the training, maybe I will dream about these shoes!
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