Shopping Karma

    If you follow me on twitter, you know that I went shopping  last Wednesday.  And guys, I got *really* lucky.  Old Navy is not a store I normally shop at.  Its been a long time since anything in the store fit me well and so I pretty much gave up on it.  It came out of my shopping rotation slowly as I tend to really like their style, but the fit just wasn't there.  But since I found the skinny cords that I'm wearing in these pictures, I decided I would give it another try.  So Wednesday evening we headed in to town and the Fiance dropped me off at Old Navy while he went to get his hair cut. My purpose for the shopping expedition was to find more casual non-blue jean pants. 

    I made a beeline for the Clearance section and got LUCKY.   Everything in the clearance section was an additional 40% off of the ticketed price.  My first trip to the dressing room consisted of a few pairs of pants.  Only the skinny cords in blue fit.  The second time through the Clearance section though, I hit jackpot.  I found a really cute bird and leaf print dress, light pink cardigan, skinny gray cargo pants and black jeggings.  Since everything was on clearance and the last time I went to Old Navy I got one of those surveys on the receipt that give you 10% off, everything was way cheap.  All in all I left Old Navy with 3 pairs of pants, a cardigan and a dress for about $25 and change.  How awesome is that?

    Anyway, this is what I wore to go on my quest.  Normally when I go shopping I think of the ease of getting into and out of a fitting room.  Despite taking that into consideration, I decided to go with my knee high boots anyway.  They're easy to slip on and off and since earlier in the day it had rained, I didn't have to worry about wet feet or hems.  They were a smidge annoying in the dressing room, but really, aren't most shoes other than flip flops?

    When it came down to the jewelry though, I got stuck.  I was looking in the mirror and all I could think was "This outfit needs some sparkle."  I looked through my jewelry and didn't find exactly what I wanted, but figured this necklace would do in a pinch.  I've never worn it before as its an odd shape.  I think it ended up being the right amount of sparkle and the perfect piece for this U-shaped neckline.  I got the necklace when I ordered some hair clips from the Sew Lovely etsy shop.  She was kind enough to add this necklace in as a surprise bonus to my order. 

What do you wear when you go shopping?  Found any spectacular deals lately?

The Details:

Sweater: Loft Similar, Similar color and style Similar Color in a cardigan

Pants: Old Navy Similar Skinnies

Boots: Target Really Similar, Also Similar

Necklace: gift Etsy

Sunglasses: Guess by way of Marshalls        

Similar Also Similar  
These aren't really similar, but I kind of want them. 

Baubles & Ruffles

Sorry this is so late today.  Normally I try to post by 8:30 am on MWF, but we had a deposition yesterday (my first) and I got home late.  I did not want to stare at a computer screen, so this post is going up late.  Sorry!

     About 2 weeks ago I was scanning slickdeals.net because the Fiance had shown me a great tupperware set and I was considering buying it.  Cute, right?  So as I scanned the site, I saw that there was a red wrap from Coldwater Creek for about $8 with free shipping.  Of course I went straight to their website to see what else they had on sale.  Well,  I found this jacket and a couple others.  I fell in love with the tweed.The ruffles just had me.  And the paisley!  As you can see, I bought the jacket.  With all the little specials it cost me $29.09 including shipping.  Pretty great deal if I so say so myself.  

My go to court outfit

     When it got here, I was a bit hesitant.  As it had been squished in transit, the ruffles just didn't ruffle.  And I wasn't sure that it fit well.  I tried it one with a skirt to wear on Monday, and it just wasn't working for me.  So I left the tags on it hoping I could find a way to wear it.  Tuesday rolled around and I tried the jacket on again, but this time with pants.  And that was apparently all I needed in order to decide to keep the jacket.  I'm actually wearing the jacket again today (Friday) but this time with jeans which work equally well with the jacket.  I'm going to have to try the jacket + skirt combo again to see if it was just that one skirt that didn't work or if all of my skirts won't work with the jacket.  By the way, am I the only one that does the whole "let's try the piece on with different outfits" when deciding to keep or return an item?

Notice my super pretty hair? <3 Hana Shine Shield!

    As the title of this post suggests, this isn't just about my brand new ruffle-y jacket.  Its also about this necklace.  It might surprise you, but my uncle made this necklace.  And I love it.  Part of me doesn't want to put it on etsy, but I know my aunt and uncle need the money so I'll be putting it up this weekend, hopefully.  This necklace has a distinctly different look to it than the other ones my uncle has sent me.  It feels as timeless and classic as pearls, but a bit quirky because of the color of the clay beads and the stones.  Also, way less expensive than pearls (it'll be priced about $24).  

My around the office comfy outfit

Ruffles! Paisley! Tweed!

The Details: 

Jacket: Coldwater Creek

Pants: Old Navy

Heels: Aldo

Cardigan: Target

T-shirt: Old Navy

Necklace: Tio Gordo

Saturday on the River

    Last Saturday the Fiance and I went down to the city's Riverfest.  Picture fair food, an arts and crafts bazaar, a playground for kids and some professional wrestling.  Oh and there are pirates everywhere.  Because you can't really have a good festival celebrating a river without pirates, can you?  
    So the Fiance and I headed down there and had a great time.  There were tons of crafts that had me really inspired.  I'm thinking that maybe I can try to monogram some of my makeup brush holders somehow.  I also realized that I would much rather re-cycle or up-cycle crafts than start from scratch.  Oh and fall is definitely my favorite season.  Apparently I was very inspired last Saturday.  :)  

    Speaking of inspiration and crafts, Bella is in heat for the second time.  (complete non sequiter, right?)  Well, I had put her in a pair of my old PJ shorts and cut a whole in the seam for her tail the first time around.  But such a cute dog deserves something better.  So I made her a fleece diaper.  Yes, those are bright big yellow rubber duckies on her fleece diaper.  The best part is that she seems much happier to wear this diaper than the shorts I had made for her.  She is able to wag her fluffy tail and I keep my floor and furniture nice and clean.  

   Saturday's weather was less than perfect.  When we left the house I wasn't sure how chilly it would get, so I wore my velvet blazer.  (Un)fortunately, it is now too big for me, so I took it in using the brooching technique that I got from Sally eons ago and used in March.  Cinching the blazer gave it a more fitted silhouette and made me significantly more comfortable as wearing something that is too big makes me feel weird.  

Notice the powdered sugar?

My favorite part of the outfit though is the boots.  I *really* wanted to wear them, but wasn't sure I could tuck my boot-cut (ie non-skinny) jeans into them.  As I've discussed before, I have big calves.  Nonetheless, I put the doubt aside and persevered.  I managed to squish my jeans into the boots and got the look I was hoping for.  

Fiance took this pic <3

The Details:
Tank: LOFT
Blazer: Old Navy
Jeans: Old Navy
Boots: Target
Brooch: Consignment Shop

Happy Chic(k)

    I've been trying to write a post with the title of "pitty party" and because its been so hard to just sit down and write it, I've been a bad blogger.  Well, since I found my tripod today (yay!) I'm going to use that as an occasion to keep on blogging despite knowing that I have a LOT of stuff to tell.  Hopefully I'll be able to get that post up and the many many outfit pictures I've taken since the last time I posted. 

    Anyway, today I didn't have to go to court, so I got a little crazy and rocked my hot pink linen skirt.  I love this skirt!  I got it for $5 at Marshalls 2 years ago and I've loved wearing it ever since.  Up until now I've only worn it with white or black tops, but realized last night while planning this outfit that dark purple would work just fine.  

    And my shoes!  I feel really dorky because I chose these sandals to match my necklace.  If you remember, this necklace was made by my uncle.  I have no idea why, as I love this necklace and it works with so many things, but its still hanging out in my etsy store.  I really don't get it, do you?  Any thoughts as to why this really awesome necklace is just chilling in my store? 

The Details:
Top: The Gap
Skirt: Ralph Lauren (Marshalls)
Sandals: 
Necklace: el Gordo  

Update

Hi everyone!

I just wanted to let you all know that I am in fact alive.  I've been so busy studying and getting ready for the bar and the move that I just haven't had a chance to take pictures or to post anything.  Unfortunately, I haven't been able to read others' blogs for a while either.  I'm a bad blogger.  Sorry guys!  I guess other than bar stuff and moving, the only other thing that I've been able to do is craft.  I've been posting stuff on etsy regularly and surprisingly (to me anyway) I posted the green makeup brush holder and within an hour I sold it.  So that's been going better, but there's still a lot of room for improvement.  So yea, I'm still here.  Sort of.  

trending AND layering

    LOVING this maxi dress.  Its just plain amazing.  I wore it yesterday and layered a tank under it to keep from exposing too much boobage.  (don't you just love that word? :) ) 
    I got several compliments on this dress yesterday which made me super happy.  Isn't it awesome when something comfortable also looks cute? 







 



The Details:
Dress: Target
Tank: ON
Necklace: Etsy

P.S. check out my shop on the accessories showcase: http://www.etsy.com/showcase.php?ref=fp_banner_showcase_main_043010

 

Pretty Things

Can all be found at http://www.etsy.com/shop/ACsCrafts

Trending

    Have you ever seen a trend, thought it was absolutely terrible and sworn you would never try it only to try it and love it sometime later?  I have in the past and am doing it again.  I got this maxi dress from Target's Daily Deals about a week ago and LOVED it the second I put it on.  It may not be the most flattering silhouette in the world on me, but what the heck.  I love it! It is incredibly comfortable and makes me happy, and really? that's all that matters.


The Details:
Dress: Target
Necklace: gift from Parents from Greece
Flip flops: ON




    Also a quick Etsy announcement.  I have bought an ad on etsy for Wednesday.  Hopefully I'll get a bunch of sales, so, if there's a necklace or other item you've been thinking about, I recommend you get it now before my ad goes live. 

Brooch solution

    Last week, on Wednesday morning I was getting dressed and chose to put a flower brooch on rather than a necklace.  I was thinking of wearing one of my flower brooches, my pink brooch in particular.  The problem is that when I went to get it, it was all squished because I had been keeping it in a little box on my dresser.  Bad idea.  Before I left the house I was thinking of better options to keep my brooches.  My first thought was figuring out how to hang a ribbon in my closet.  THEN I remembered the adorable little face to the left.  You see, my aunt sent me several different things to put on etsy, one of which is the Smiling Face Barrette & Brooch Ribbon Organizer. 

Currently on Etsy

    Knowing that I personally love when other bloggers show how they store their scarves, pins, belts and hats, I figured I would share how I am now storing my brooches.  Even though it was originally meant to hold barrettes as you can see from the closeup picture, I realized that it is absolutely perfect to hold brooches and pins.  Lucky for all of you, my darling readers, these are now available on etsy!  I got a shipment of several different shades of hair color from blond to brunette a couple of days ago.  Just remember, if you mention Law School Fashionista you'll get 25% off of your order! 

Loving Simplicity

    Boys and girls, I love simplicity.  Simple outfits made up from simple pieces that look great.  This is probably why I loved Jenn's outfit from yesterday.  Simple t-shirt, simple skirt, simple flip-flops = great outfit.  I went for the same thing today.  Instead of a patterned shirt I went for a patterned skirt, a skirt I made in fact.  I am a great big fan of this skirt.  It was really easy to make and turned out really cute.  
    To balance out the patterned skirt I went with this black pseudo-wrap top.  The story behind this top is interesting.  Several years ago I got this top in burgundy and my sister got it in black (this very one in fact.)  At that time, for whatever reason, the wrap just didn't work on me.  It made me look all funny so I gave my sister the burgundy one.  About a month ago my sister was cleaning out her closet and handed me this top (and the matching one in burgundy) so I tried it on.  This time around, it worked.  It turns out that the wrap works much better when I'm wearing a good bra and makes it look like I have a real waist!  Yay life!

    As you may also notice, I'm wearing one of my uncle's necklaces (again).  The first time I saw it, I just knew I would love it.  It is completely within my color palette.  The green and blues just called to me.  It doesn't match the skirt exactly as it doesn't have any turquoise, but it works because the blues and green meld together to work with the turquoise skirt.   So if blues and greens are your color palette or the necklace calls to you or you simply want to help my uncle and aunt out, the necklace is available here.

The Details:
Top: Gap
Skirt: Me!
Necklace: Tio Gordo on Etsy
flip-flops: ON 

Shamless self-promotion

    So my uncle sent me more necklaces and they are gorgeous!  Every single one is different which makes them really special and super pretty.  I decided that rather than finding one of my own necklaces or a brooch to wear today, I would "borrow" one of the necklaces.  Today I chose the Gold Spiral Polymer Clay Bead Necklace.  Even though it is off-center, which would normally drive me nuts, this time I am very much intrigued by the necklace.  I love that rather than ending in a bigger plain bead, the last one is a swirl.  It is unexpected, which I think makes it unique.  What do you guys think?

    As for the rest of my outfit, I went simple.  I love this brown dress.  And I mean LOVE!  It is comfortable and flattering and easily changed to work with the weather or my mood.  Examples can be seen here, here and here.  Like I said, I went simple today.  I figured that a dark pink tank under the brown and the gold necklace would add enough detail to the outfit.  (If you look closely, you can see that there are little bows on the edges of the sleeves of the dress.)  

The Details:
Dress: BR
Tank: ON
Necklace: Tio Gordo on Etsy
flip-flops: ON (not shown)  

In which I eat my words. . .

    So, it turns out that items other than sweat pants can keep you warm and comfortable while sitting in a classroom all day.  The answer is of course long skirts!  Outfit 1 wasn't nearly as warm as outfit 2 because I forgot a long sleeve sweater or jacket to layer over my short sleeve knit sweater.  Sorry for the terribly picture, by the way.  The Fiance took a couple while sitting on the couch and didn't warn me that my smile looked tres awkward so I took a couple in the kitchen that ended up blurry.  Unfortunately, this the best pic of the lot.  I'm going to have to go search the house for my tripod attachment so I can take better pictures. 




Outfit 1:
Top: Loft
Skirt: ON
Flip Flops: ON (not pictured)

Outfit 2:
Skirt: Carol Little (consignment)
Top: Loft

Cardigan: August Silk

 Flip Flops: ON

Don't forget to check out my etsy store: http://www.etsy.com/shop/ACsCrafts.  I've added new items and continue to do so regularly. 

The yes and yes great birthday giveaway!

You should definitely head on over to yes and yes and check out Sarah's spectacular giveaway where yours truly is one of several loyal readers giving something away to celebrate this awesome blog. 

Necklaces!

   My uncle sent me a few of his necklaces and I wanted to share them with all of you.  I've posted one necklace so far on my Etsy site and plan on posting more as well as some bracelets.  I will also be hosting a giveaway of one of the necklaces in a bit.  

Let me know what you guys think!

Saturday Celebration

Celebrate good times, come on! (Let's celebrate)

    Saturday night The Fiance took me out to dinner to celebrate the end of law school.   We went to Longhorn Steakhouse where I ate SO MUCH FOOD!  It was incredible though and I'm really glad I wore a dress.  Had I worn pants I would have been terribly uncomfortable after eating so much food.  (Seriously though, AMAZING food and I was able to take home bread for Sunday's breakfast)  I mentioned a couple of weeks ago that I had spied a dress  at the consignment store and that I was hoping it would still be there for the end of the semester.  Well, it was and here it is!  

    You can see it easier in the close up picture, but the dress is black and has tiny white polka-dots.  I wore the dark pink tank because I really had no choice.  This dress has a bit of an overlap at the bust, but its not a true wrap.  Also, as you can see, it is VERY deeply cut.  So I will be able to customize the dress by mixing and matching different color tanks underneath it.  
    I chose to go with pink for this outing for one really simple reason.  See that flower on the headband?  It's a very light pink flower made of ribbon.  Oh and I made it.   I decided a little while ago that I wanted to diversify my etsy offerings.  This headbands and others will be coming to my store sometime soon.  What do you guys think? 

The Details:
Dress: Gap 2007 (consignment store)
Tank: ON
Heels: Talbots
Necklace: Freshwater pearls strung by me
Headband: A-C's Crafts on Etsy (Coming Soon!)






Don't forget, if you mention Law School Fashionista at A-C's Crafts you will get 25% off!

Shopping Ban Update

    So--this whole shopping ban has been interesting.  I learned very quickly that under no circumstances am I allowed to go into the Target women's section.  I am REALLY bad about going in there, looking at the clearance rack and buying a few things.  Granted, everything I've bought from there in the past is awesome and I love it, but it isn't all 100% necessary. Luckily, Target did not tempt me as I thought it would these past four months.  
    What did tempt me, however, came as sort of a surprise.  The first of these is Talbots.  About a month ago I went in there hoping to find cute accessories.  Instead, I found a beautiful red wool skirt that was on super sale.  The problem was 1. I couldn't afford it and 2. I wouldn't be able to wear it for another 6 months.  Well, I bought it anyway and ended up returning it a week ago.  I KNEW better and yet, I was weak and let myself buy it.  The good news of course is that I returned it after analyzing my behavior.  At the time I just wanted a shopping fix and it left my shopping ban defenses weak.  Despite being a beautiful skirt, knowing that I wouldn't be able to wear it for another few months really convinced me into returning it.  

    The REAL temptation came in the form of the consignment shop.  Since I started making and selling my headbands through etsy, I've also been doing the same at a General Store here in town.  The general store happens to be in an old grain mill in which the consignment store also resides.  So every Saturday for the past month, I've been chilling out in front of the consignment store doing my headband stuff.  This has posed a problem because every time I've gotten bored, I have strolled into the consignment shop and browsed.  I have only bought one thing, the skirt pictured, but I was seriously tempted to buy a dress this past Saturday.  (I'm hoping that the dress will still be there next weekend, but who knows?)  The other problem posed by the Consignment store is a vintage mouton fur coat that I bought a couple of months ago.  I haven't been able to take a picture of it since I don't have a whole lot of occasions to wear a fur coat to, but when it came down to it, paying $60 for an investment piece such as this beautiful coat was well worth it. All in all, I think the shopping ban has been rather successful.  I stumbled a bit, but at the same time I've gotten to the point where I really consider whether the item I am considering purchasing is really worth the money I pay for it.  So yea, that is what I've learned.  Have you ever tried a shopping ban?  What did you take out of it? 


The Details:
Sweater: LOFT
Skirt: Banana Republic (consignment)
Pin: Consignment Store
Heels: Aldo
Necklace: Kathy