Wishlisting...aka pretend shopping

Although I'm trying hard to shop my closet more and shop less, I'm still allowed to look and wish! There are a TON of cute things out there that I'd love to own, but many are so unnecessary at the moment. Ok, all of them are really, but there are a certain few that I'd grab up if they went on sale for an impressive price. Here are some things that I've got my eye on:

Molded and Melded Tee--Anthropologie



I just love all the detail in this cute shirt. It comes in tons of colors...the green and red caught my eye.

Rise and Fall Cardigan-Anthropologie



I have loved this cardigan from the time I first saw it...it's just so cute with the rainbow of colors and could go with a ton of things!

Curated Tee-Anthropologie



This is the cutest shirt and could carry over into multiple seasons. The stripes are very cute but the shirt also comes in a few solids as well.

Sunday Supper Shirt-Anthropologie



For some reason this shirt just needs to be in my closet I fear...I don't usually sport a ton of plaid but I just can't help myself with this one. So cute!

Field Game Cardigan-Anthropologie



This is something very different that anything I own...love adding new styles to my morning choices...this would be fun to own.

Once and Always Tee-Anthropologie



I like this in the Ivory and Purple colorways...it just looks like a great top that could be dressed up or down depending on the occasion.

Rah-Rah Rumba Skirt-Anthropologie



I tried this skirt on in the store about a month ago and fell in love...it is absolutely one of the cutest things on and so flattering. I am tempted by the white but since I already own a tiered white skirt I'd go for the gray. Super fun!!

Spotted Cheetah Pencil Skirt-LOFT



I'm in love with this cute print...the subtleness of the animal print is what I'm drawn to the most, and the fact that I hear LOFT skirts are great. I've yet to grab one up!

Garment Dip Dyed Tee-LOFT



I like this as a lazy day option...I tried it on when I was at LOFT last time and thought it was pretty cute. If it goes on a fantastic sale I might get it...it's not worth full price to me though.

Updated Favorite Ruffle Top-LOFT



Just cute all around...love the curves in the design.

Breezy Linen Open Cardi-Banana Republic



This looks seriously dreadful in the picture, I know, but in real life I fell in love! I'm a little mad at myself for passing on it the other night when I went shopping with my friends. It's such a great staple to own and I may drag myself back to the store eventually to get it. It's on sale right now but I'm hoping it'll go down even more. We'll see. It also comes in white but I'm thinking I'd get it in black.

Stripe Sequin Boatneck Tee-J Crew (black or neon rose--I can't decide)





I tried this on the other night in the black and it was GIANT on me in a small so definitely size down. I've had my eye on this from the moment it came out...for some reason I just love it. The clear sequins are so fun. I thought I wanted it in black but the neon rose is super cute too. Guess I won't have to worry about it for now...waiting for it to go to sale (please!)

Palisade Cardigan-J Crew



This just looks so comfy and soft...love!!!

I really could go on but I really shouldn't. You gotta draw the line somewhere!! =) So what are you coveting, I mean wishlisting at the moment?? Any plans to purchase a must have something soon??

No OOTD picture for you today...my creative juices just weren't happening this morning and I threw on a super boring outfit--a pair of ROXY shorts (because it's suppose to be around 100 degrees here today) from 3 years ago that I've decided are just not my favorites anymore, and the Hand-cut Flower art tee from J Crew that I scored on sale for less than $15 a few months back:



Hopefully tomorrow I can be a little more exciting. Have a happy Monday all!

Happy Sunday!

Last night was so much fun...6 of my girlfriends and I went shopping and had dinner together...a much needed night out for sure! I have three boys so a typical shopping trip to the mall for me includes a stroller, a DS for #1, my IPhone with games for #2 and lots of snacks to feed #3. We're a three ring circus I tell ya! So to be able to walk the mall and try on clothes without having to fight for the biggest dressing room in the store to house my crew is a treat. We hit some good sales and almost everyone walked away with a few treasures...including me. I was good though...I could have bought a lot more, but tried hard to restrain. There were a few items that were just calling my name I couldn't leave behind. One of those items was the Perfect-fit Striped Boatneck Tee from J Crew:



I originally had the white colorway in my hand to purchase but my friends talked me into branching out a little with the navy and I'm glad they did. I can't wait to pair it with dark jeans (obviously a favorite of mine since I wear dark jeans/shorts/capris all the time!), white shorts or pants, etc. The best part about it was that it was $10 off at the register! Total surprise to me as there was no sign posted about it being on sale. The second item I scored at J Crew was the Crystal Milano Bracelet.



It was sitting in a little bucket of jewelry that was 20% off. When I got home I looked up to see how much it was online and it is still listed as $60 (full-price). In-store it was $29.99 plus 20% off so at $23.99 I'm calling this one a good deal.

The last little purchase I made was a necklace at Macy's....it's a long strand of clear chunky beads...super cute and will go with lots of things in my closet. It was 20% off. So those were my big purchases of the night. Those and 3 pieces of See's Candy...YUM! I felt pretty good about not going overboard. Not that I wasn't super tempted!!

So today is Sunday which means we're off to church in a bit. I opened my closet and tried to find an outfit that hadn't seen the light of day for a while and I think I succeeded. I've had this dress for about three years now and still love it.



Details:
-Dress-Shabby Apple (2007)
-Wedge Sandals-Banana Republic (spring 2010)
-Necklace-gifted from sis-in-law
-Bracelet-Old Navy (like $3.00 on a 50% off sale a few months ago)
-Earrings-Jewelry party
-Ring-Forever 21

I love the length and the fact that I don't feel the need to wear an undershirt with it. I paired it with a necklace that was gifted to me by my sis-in-law Kristen a few years ago that I've only worn a handful of times, but really love. I need to find a few more outfits to wear it with! EVERYTIME I've worn this dress in the past I've always worn a pair of brown Espadrille sandals with it so today I decided to try something new. I reached for my gold wedge sandals that I picked up at the Banana Republic outlet a few months back at 40% off. When I bought these sandals I felt super indulgent and felt like I was probably just buying them to be buying something, but let me tell you, these pretties are one of the most comfortable, flattering pair of sandals I own and I am in love. I have worn them so many times...totally justifiable purchase! It's the only pair of shoes/sandals I've ever bought from Banana and they have definitely impressed me in comfort and quality.

Time to get the troops going...I'm the only one ready to go! Have a happy Sunday!!

Day/Night OOTD

Hope everyone had a great Saturday! I've been looking forward to today all week...it was the one morning when I had no plans so I got to lounge around and relax with my kiddos. Tonight I headed out for a girls night out...these nights are always so much fun! We're planning on a night of shopping (hopefully more window shopping than actually buying for me) and dinner at PF Changs. I really only felt like getting dressed once today so I tried to come up with an outfit that was nice and cool for the hot early afternoon when we were out for a Target run, but cute and dressed up looking for the evening out. I ended up with two versions of one outfit.

First up...the daytime look:



Details:
-Skirt-Target (2 years old)
-Striped Tank-Old Navy (similar here)
-Cardigan-Gap Outlet (about 2 years old)
-Wonder Tee-Downeast Basics
-Belt-Banana Republic (fall 2009)
-Shoes-Target
-Necklaces-Nordsrom (spring 2007)/ J Crew Outlet (long gold chain necklace)
-Bangles-Nordstrom
-Ring-Forever 21
-Earrings-Forever 21

I like wearing skirts in the summer...they're just so comfy and this one is no exception. I have it in brown too. I picked it up from Target a few years back for around $20. I threw on a pair of flats to make this a more casual look. Notice the belting action...this is something that's new for me. I have bought several belts in the past only to feel funny wearing them around my waist, but today I decided to just go for it. I grabbed this one on a 30% off sale from Banana Republic last fall. It's super comfortable and elastic...great fit. I'm starting to get used to it I think!

Now as I'm getting ready to head out tonight I tried to pull a more put-together look using the top part of what I was already wearing...here's what I came up with:



Details:
-Matchstick jeans-J Crew Outlet
-Shoes-Old Navy (this summer--in store color)

I changed out the skirt for my dark Matchstick jeans from J Crew Outlet and red Espadrille wedges (I scored these for FREE at Old Navy with a rewards card last month!!!) I like the mix of the dark blue with yellow and gray on top and then a pop of red. I'm amazed at the amount of gray I've been wearing lately...until about 4 months ago I almost never wore gray! Stepping outside the box is fun sometimes!

Fabulous Friday OOTD and my last few purchases

TGIF! I love the weekends...especially when I have some fun in store!! Today we were up and out of the house early again...doctor appointment, followed by a trip to a local amusement park with friends. I planned on lots of walking so I made sure to dress the part. Today I'm wearing clothes that have all been purchased this year...almost all from the outlets that I live near. Both my tank and short sleeve open cardigan come from J Crew Outlet...a store I LOVE!!! You can always find cute things there, although I have to say, the prices aren't always as impressive as I would hope. Outlets seem to produce their own lines of clothes now instead of just assuming the extra inventory from the retail stores like they used to....hence the prices. I have to say though, most things I have picked up at the outlet have been less than I would have paid for in the retail store. This tank, for instance, was $19.99...I liked the neutral color and the fun pattern. I use it as a layer when I wear it, pairing it with a cardigan with color.



Details:
Floral Tank-J Crew Outlet
Open ruffle cardigan-J Crew Outlet
Jean shorts-Mossimo-Target
Wonder Tee-Downeast Basics
Flat Pewter Sandals-Gap Outlet
Necklace and Earrings-jewelry party
Chiffon Floral Ring-Forever 21
Bracelet-gifted from my grandma (my great-great aunt's old bracelet--it's OLD!)
Bracelet Watch-Gifted from my in laws for Christmas 2009

At the beginning of the week, before I started this blog, I got in my last few purchases before getting serious about shopping my closet much more. I had been looking all over for two things...black strappy sandals and a short sleeved white cardigan. I have seriously tried on and browsed through a ton of each trying to find the perfect items. Finally, I found them both. I ended up seeing a pair of black sandals on Jan's blog (which by the way, is the cutest blog!) and decided they were the pair for me. What do ya think??

BP Stella Sandal


Thanks for the enabling Jan! I'm now (im)patiently waiting for these to arrive at my doorstep. Can't wait to wear them! When looking for a white cardigan, I knew I wanted an open cardigan style with short sleeves for summer. I also wanted it to be lightweight. I finally found a cardigan (25% off even) at Express that I'm happy with and excited to wear:

Flyaway Open Cardigan


I think it looks much better on than in this picture actually. I've always liked the way these flowy-open cardigans looked but never bought one for myself...better late than never I suppose!

I'm going out tomorrow night so I hope to come up with something cute from my closet for the occasion...maybe I'll tie in my new cardigan somehow. We'll see...stay tuned!! =)

On-the-go OOTD

Happy Thursday! So do you ever have second day hair days? Today was one of those for me. I showered, but decided to just throw my hair up in a ponytail to save some time since we had to be out the door by 8:45am for preschool and swimming lessons. I don't love second day hair, but it'll have to do today! My outfit today is comfortable and easy...and includes a cardigan. Cardigans are one of my favorite things to wear. I feel like you can go bold with cardigans if you want...I treat them almost like accesories sometimes. Today's cardigan isn't so much bold as it is bright...I love this raspberry color. It just feels like summer. I picked it up on a 30% off sale at LOFT this spring and today is the first time I've worn it. I paired it with a white ruffle shirt and dark jean shorts I bought about 3 years ago from Nordstrom. When I put the shorts on today they just seemed a little too long so I cuffed the bottoms, and wa-la! Problem solved! To top it all off, I threw on these gray (even though they kind of look brown) flat sandals I got on sale at Gap a few months ago...they go with so many things because they're so neutral. I was super tempted to buy the fun red or pink ones, but opted for the gray instead. I think I made the right choice.



Details:
Short Sleeve V-Neck cardigan-LOFT
White ruffle v-neck top-Layers clothing (Spring 2009)
Dark wash jean shorts-Nordstrom (3 years ago)
Wonder Tee-Downeast Basics
Ruffle sandals (gray)-Gap (no longer online--perhaps still in-store)
Necklace-J.Crew--super sale this past week for $13.99 in-store(regularly $34.50)
Bracelet-Express
Ring-Forever 21
Hoop Earrings-Birthday gift from my sis-in-law Kristen last fall--from New York and Co.
Watch-Christmas gift from my friend Elise 2009--Kenneth Cole

My mom is here visiting for the day so I'm sure we'll venture out somewhere with the kids. While I was waiting for preschool to end this morning I popped into Old Navy to see if I could pick up my boys some basketball shorts for their camp they're going to next week since their big sale started today (30% off the entire store and online today through 6/29). I found some great clearance deals in the boys and toddler sections and scored what I needed for super cheap. I was so proud of myself for passing on picking up a skirt for me that was on clearance...just didn't need another one (today). Just because it's on sale doesn't mean I need it...repeat three times. =)

Have a great day!

My First Outfit of the Day (OOTD)

So welcome to my first outfit of the day post! I'll just call them "OOTD" posts from here on out...too much to type. Today's outfit came from all different places...I found the skirt at Target this spring and fell in love with it when I put it on. I'd been wanting a white flowy skirt that hit at my knee and was so excited when I found it for only $19.99! I'm all about a good deal, especially when I find one that seems to be pretty good quality. What I really like is that it's tiered and when the wind blows the skirt doesn't immediately blow up in the air...the tiers keep it close to me. Just what I need here in this wind tunnel we live in! I found these silver gladiator sandals on a whim one day when I stopped by DSW on my way to my parents' house. It's become the pair of sandals I didn't realize I needed! I love them and have worn them several times already. They run a little big so I took them in an 8 1/2 (when normally I'd take a 9). There ya have it...my first OOTD!

(WARNING--I look really pink in this picture....bad lighting! I wish I could claim I was the least bit tan, but alas, that'd just be a lie. And by the way, I hate pictures of myself, so it's going to be a challenge just to force myself to post these daily outfits!)



Details:
Merona Tiered Skirt-Target
Ruffle neck T-Gap Outlet
Madden Girl Gladiator Sandals(looks like the silver is sold out online)-DSW
White Wonder Tee-Downeast Basics
Silver Bangles-Gap Outlet
Earrings-Target
Ring-Forever 21
Necklace-Lisa Leonard Designs
Watch-Fossil--old!!

Shopping the closet...the challenge begins

I am a shopper. Any chance I get I shop. To me, it's therapeutic. I shop with friends, I shop with my kids, I shop with my mom, I occasionally shop with my husband and I (very rarely get to) shop on my own. Don't get me wrong, I have other hobbies and interests, but this blog is going to be dedicated to my love of clothes, shoes, jewelry, bags, shopping in general and the purchases I've made. Because of my love of shopping, I have quite the closet full of clothes. Many of these clothes have been worn to death and become my favorites, some have been worn only a handfull of times, and many have been worn just once. To be honest, there's even a few things hanging and/or folded that have yet to see the light of day. Bad!

Better than shopping should be enjoying the things you've purchased. To remind myself of the things I already have I thought it would be a fun to create a place to post the things I wear and attempt to shop my closet more often than shopping the stores. We're all (supposed to be) on a budget, right? =) I won't post every outfit I wear (some days just don't turn out cute), but if I figure something out that looks ok, I'll post it. My camera man is my son...we're working on his picture taking skills. He's six. Enough said. I'll also post good deals I get, sales I find and/or wishlists I have. So let the money saving and closet shopping begin!!!