F21 Coats for Fall

Forever 21 coat / Forever 21 pea coat / Forever 21 coat / Forever 21 pea coat

I went into Forever 21 yesterday with the Cat.  She wanted flannels, and I wanted to check out our new H&M.  What I could not believe was the amount of great coats Forever 21 currently has stocked throughout the store.  There each about $50-$60, so really, you could stock up and have a different coat for every day of the week!
And now, the weekend!  I am so ready for a bit of a break.  Any plans?
~Lori

Brushstroke Midi: Splurge Vs Steal

I am loving the look of midi skirts, and I am actively hunting for the perfect one to add to my wardrobe. I found one I love at Country Road for $199.99, which is a little out of my price range, to say the least. After a quick search on Forever 21, I found a midi skirt, also called "Brushstroke," which is similar to the Country Road version, but is a fraction of the price.

Brushstroke Midi: Splurge Vs Steal

I love the splurge, but would definitely settle for the steal! Especially if I styled it with a crisp white button down. I hope your week is off to a great start!

Happy Monday

On Friday the Cat and I went to Forever 21 to look for some pieces for our Halloween costumes.  We found a lot of great inspiration, and I picked up a great new bracelet.

F21 by desertgirls featuring choker jewelry

Forever 21 choker jewelry / Forever 21 polish jewelry / Forever 21 necklace / Forever 21 gold chain jewelry / Forever 21 bow jewelry / Bracelet / Forever 21 polish jewelry / Forever 21 necklace

It's that one in the top left hand corner.  I love it.  I almost ordered it online a while back, but settled for the shoes that match instead, which I also love, despite the fact that they really aren't very comfortable.
Hence the bracvelet- I can wear that thing all day with no blisters!
I hope your Monday is off to a fabulous start!

Mad for Plaid

Oh, Monday.  Why do you have to roll around so quickly?  Don't you know that I want to sleep in?  I didn't get to this weekend.  Not at all.  Saturday morning Alli ran in to my room at 6:47 and woke me up, warning me how late it was, and that we had better hurry or we would be late for school/work.  It took me a minute to convince her that there was no school, as it was Saturday.  And that was that.  Sunday I had to be up and out of the house early too.
So anyway.  New week.  New set of things to do and get done.  I recently ordered some stuff for Alli from Forever 21.  I had to make it up to a certain amount for free shipping (this makes buying more things totally justifiable, yes?), so I went ahead and bought something for myself: a cute little pair of plaid shoes.  I thought they would be a fun way to work the plaid trend into my wardrobe without going crazy.  I also want to add the necklace below; I almost bought it when I bought the shoes, but decided I could just go to the store and see it in person to make sure that I like it just as much as I liked it online.  I still haven't made it to the store yet, but there's still time!

Mad for Plaid 

Blouse / Hive & Honey military coat / Forever 21 flat / Forever 21 necklace / Forever 21 hair accessory / Joie Day Dreaming | Piperlime / FOREVER 21 GIRLS Rodeo Plaid Shirt (Kids) / Sperry Top-Sider Lola | Piperlime

Oh- the shoes I got are the bottom ones.  And how great is that jacket?!
I hope your week is off to a great start!

Little White Dress

As I type this, I am eating my weight in popcorn and milk duds.  It's true.  I have yet another head cold/allergy attack/sinus deal that is wiping me out, and I wanted a snack.  So milk duds and popcorn it is.
Here's the recipe:
Popcorn
Milk duds
Pop the popcorn.  Are you fancy?  Use a popper.  Are you lazy/hungry/tired?  Use microwave popcorn.  (I know, I know, pinterest says you can pop real popcorn in a brown bag or something.  One day I may try just that.  Today is not that day.)
Dump in your box of milk duds.  Add as many or as little as you like.
Consume voraciously.  Be sure to eat both the popcorn and the milk duds simultaneously.  That is key.

So.  Bet you didn't know you were going to come here and get a tried and true recipe, did you?  Well, have no fear.  I'm pretty sure Julia Child wouldn't have classified the above as a recipe.  But it is delicious.  I promise.

So today was hot.  I think spring forgot to stick around for a little bit, or else the desert just chased her away, because we kind of went directly into summer out here.  80+ degrees here today, people.  I'm not complaining, believe me.  I'd rather be too hot than too cold.  But I did don a dress, and it got me thinking about updating my dress collection.  And while I have a couple of white sleeveless numbers, I do not have anything like these...

     A lot: burberry /   A little more: Ganni dress, $100 / A little: Forever 21

That last dress was my inspiration dress; it is gorgeous Burberry perfection. It is silk cotton. It is $495 and out of this little old teacher's price range. The other two dresses are fairly similar, for hundreds less. The F21 dress is ridiculously low, at $23. The middle dress, which can be found at ASOS, is $100. Not bad, but give me the Burberry any day!

Sweet Spot Sunday: Look What I Got!

Happy Sunday, all!  Today I thought I would link up with The Tiny Heart for Look What I Got.
The Cat and I had Tuesday off from karate, and she asked if we could go shopping.  She has a gift card that is burning a hole in her little Alice in Wonderland wallet.  So, we went to Forever21, and then she wanted to go to Wet Seal.  I haven't been to a Wet Seal in a while, but some of her little friends can fit in to their clothes, so she wanted to give it a go.  I'm glad we did, because look what I found!

via 

Forever 21

Actually, the ring is from Forever 21 and is less than $2! The scarf was $10.80. Not too shabby!

In case you missed it yesterday, Rebecca and I are co hosting a book swap with Quick Cheap and Pretty.  You can read about the details in yesterday's post (here).  We hope you'll join us in sharing a favorite book with a fellow blogger.  We thought it would be a great way to find a new book and make a new blogger friend!

<div align="center"> <a href="http://desertgirlsvintage.blogspot.com" title="Desert Girls Vintage"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgl3749d1pEPq6Dna0W3wiHkJQX4KQjyyrKRvPiLS1ub7NULL4Xsej1zDpgVeCPll08jkkPTwu4hePy0gVGB8CVam4Q7TrC9E75-uwnrrJw4TPA0Zgkyh_JVsYX0eWq0Osde6rFpg0iYusz/s400/book%2520swap.jpg" alt="Desert Girls Vintage" style="border:none;" /></a></div>

Outfit of the Day- Miss Mary Mack

Yesterday was my baby's birthday.    I can't believe how quickly time goes by.  We did a family dinner at my parents' house, with the meal of her choice made by her Mimi.  She has always wanted a "fondant cake" as she calls it (though my nephew calls them "fon-don't" cakes since he prefers frosting).  And this year she asked for an Adventure Time cake.

photo/cake by Christine Belcher

The Cat was so happy when she saw this.  One of my co-teacher's daughter is an extremely talented baker, and she made this cake, complete with Gunther (the penguin), Finn and Jake (of course), and even a hidden snail on the back.  (Thanks, Christine!)

So the weather is back to being cold, and I am back to sweaters.  This is my fisherman sweater that I picked up from Marshall's (before Rebecca was able to snatch it up!).

sweater- Cynthia Rowley, Marshalls
pants- Forever 21
shoes- Dillards
purse- Kate Spade, Nordstrom Rack
bracelet- Dillards

I love the buttons down the back!

And, the Outfit of the Day...

The weather here won't make up its mind.  One day it is nice outside, and then, BAM!  we are expecting snow.  Or it is windy.  

Whatever, weather, I am ready for Spring, you hear me?

Since we are still in the colder weather, however, I am still having to bundle myself up.  I posted before about this ampersand sweatshirt that I want.

Well, I didn't get it.  But I did get this ampersand sweater from Forever 21.  It was on sale when I bought a jacket for my daughter online.  It is cute, but man, does it shed!  I mean like keep a lint roller in your hand at all times kind of shedding, people.  I'm hoping that stops, but I don't see it happening any time soon.  Not until one day when I wear it, only to discover that it has shed so much that it no longer exists.  I go to put it on and it just softly crumbles into nothingness in my hands.  Or, more likely, while I am at work or at the store, I make a sudden movement and then I'm standing in the aisle at Vons and there's a pile of sweater on the floor and I'm suddenly shirtless.

I got these cobalt blue pants from good old Forever 21 too.  They are bright.  I wanted to tone them down a bit, and the subtlety of the sweater seemed to do just that.

I tried them cuffed and uncuffed.  I liked it both ways.  Maybe cuffed for warmer weather, and uncuffed for colder weather?  You know that extra inch and a half or so of material covering my ankle will keep me that much warmer.

sweater: Forever 21 (sold out) similar here
pants: Forever 21
shoes: Tilly's (old)
all photos by  Kyungmoo Ryu- thank you!

Outfit of the Day: Spots and Checks

I got home from work the other day and felt like changing before I took the Cat to karate.  It was warmish outside, so light layers seemed appropriate.  This cardigan became one of my go to pieces last year (or was it two years ago?).  The olive green really acts as a neutral, so it goes with a lot more than you'd first think.  I love it so much I bought two of them.  

This was me doing the Thinker pose.

When we shot the pictures, it got pretty chilly for a little bit.

pants: Forever 21
cardigan: Forever 21
shirt: Probably Forever 21
shoes: Dillards
bracelets: thrifted, vintage, Dillards

all photos by  Kyungmoo Ryu- thank you!

Outfit of the Day: Chambray and Red

Day 7~

I am thankful that I have a job that I love and enjoy. I get to introduce class after class to some of my favorite classic authors and to pieces of literature that I love.

Okay.  Here is my outfit of the day. 

Even in the desert, we have beautiful little lakes.  Just don't get too close to the water; you might turn green!

I am loving this look- red cigarette jeans, a fitted chambray shirt, and a great grey neutral sweater in case it gets a little cold.

I got this great sweater at H&M for free, people! For free! (The sweaters were buy one get one free, and I saw this at the last minute and grabbed it off the hanger. I didn't try it on until I got home, but luckily it fit!)  I have been loving my navy pumps lately; they are a perfect neutral. 

A big thank you to Kim Trzyna Photography for the fantastic outfit shots!

Shirt: Forever 21

Sweater: H&M

Red Pants: Asos

Shoes: Sofft

Bracelet:  Mine.  (All mine.)

~Lori