Holiday Sparkle

It's time to go into holiday mode!  We just put up lights at the SPG household and we're about to put up the tree.  We have yet to figure out how to prevent our toddler from methodically picking off all the ornaments though...  :)

Nothing says holiday like sparkles and winter white :)  Here I'm wearing a shell with a stripe of sequins and a chiffon overlay paired with wide-legged white trousers.  I look uncharacteristically tall in this ensemble and I LOVE it!

Top:  Simply Vera Vera Wang, Kohl's, Sz XS (old)

Pants:  The Limited, Sz 4 (old)

Belt:  F21

Bracelet:  DIY Leather Wrap Bracelet (tutorial here)

Clutch:  Dillards (old)

Shoes:  Ann Taylor Perfect Suede Pumps

What are your go-to holiday looks?

Deals: Thanksgiving Shopping Haul

I hope everyone had a wonderful Thanksgiving holiday!  We spent ours in Chicago with extended family and had a great time.  Now that we're back home, I need to catch up on my blog reading!

Overall, I wasn't super impressed with this year's Black Friday deals though that doesn't mean I came home empty-handed.  For years, the Burberry outlet started BF sales on the Wednesday before Thanksgiving and the deals were AMAZING.  Think cashmere check scarf retailing for $300+ costing $100 or earmuffs for $40 (although earmuffs look very strange on me so I wound up gifting them).  This year, I'm sad to report that not only did the sale get pushed back to Friday but also the deals were meh.  Scarves were only 25% off and all the 50% off handbags were snapped up before I arrived.  I bought a few hats as gifts and left feeling a little let down that there weren't any good scarf deals.

I also wound up going to J. Crew and getting the striped cardigan I had wanted from last spring for $16.  It was at this point that Hubby called to kindly remind me that the fam was waiting.  As the dutiful wife / mother, I left the mall :)

J. Crew Stripe Pocket Always Cardigan (old fitting room pic), $16 BF store price, (buy here)  

Thankfully, there were amazing deals before Thanksgiving and I got to partake in those.  :)  Did you know that Fossil manufactures many designer watches like Burberry, Emporio Armani, and Michael Kors?  I stopped by the Fossil outlet before Turkey Day and found that they had 25% off MK watch sale prices.

Michael Kors MK4238 Python Print Watch, $50, orig. $180

This was such a good deal!  But now I want a tortoiseshell one too and I'm going to see if my Aunt can go back to the outlet to pick one up for me.  This is the one I'm eyeing:

Michael Kors MK4235 Tortoiseshell Print Watch, ~$70-80

The gold accents are perfect for someone like me who doesn't want an all-gold watch but still wants to match metals with gold jewelry.

I also went to H&M and was delighted to find this maxi dress for $7:

And Macy's for this $50 navy trench coat:

I've started knitting and this is my first cowl scarf :)  I love this goldenrod color!  I'm trying to get the hang of a good size for these so there will be some "samples" left over - anyone interested in a cowl scarf giveaway?

Kohl's for these bangle bracelets:

Kohl's Jennifer Lopez Wavy Bangle Bracelet Set, $14 (buy gold version here)

Did you go shopping last week?  Score any good deals?

There's still time to enter my Allison Izu Premium Denim Giveaway for a chance to win a pair of jeans in your choice of style / size!  Jessy and Elle are also doing giveaways, so check them out!

Missoni Scarf As Shirt Tutorial

I originally purchased this Missoni for Target scarf so I could wear it as a shirt using my tutorials from past posts (part 1 and part 2) but was dismayed to find that this scarf was too small (or the print would be askew) for any of my previous techniques.  So I had to think of a different way:

Using a sash (choker necklace or ribbon will also work), I looped one corner of the scarf inwards and secured it with safety pins (those teeny, tiny ones) on either side.  Then I knotted the 2 corners that fell at my side and tucked in the bottom corner into my pants.

Alternatively, still using a sash (or necklace / ribbon), loop your top corner in and tie a small knot for a slightly different look:

Do you use any particular techniques to wear a scarf?

Enter my Allison Izu Premium Denim Giveaway for a chance to win a pair of jeans in your choice of style / size!

Burberry Bespoke: Create Your Own Trench

When I received an email from Burberry about designing my own trench coat (Burberry Bespoke link), I was very intrigued.  I have never purchased an investment clothing item simply because my body has changed quite a bit over the years (when I got married, I was 31-24-32 and now?  Well... much bigger LOL).  I'm more of an accessory investor (namely handbags) so call this an exercise in fantasy :)

I am so in love with the epaulette and cuff set!
There is something very appealing about a "regular" belt with a trench.  I'm going to have to try that :)
I like this classic with a twist look and wish I could try on my "creation."

The specifications and total damage.

Interested in seeing how Burberry trenches look on petites?  Check out Jean, Elle, and Kelly in their trenches.

How would you design your trench?  What kinds of items do you invest in?

If you haven't already, check out my Allison Izu Premium Denim Giveaway for a chance to win a pair of jeans in your choice of style / size!

Mixing it Up with a Colored Blazer

I wear the heck out of my various black / gray / blue blazers so when I saw this rust-colored blazer at Gap a few months ago, I jumped on it.  When I got it home, I had a hard time thinking of what to wear with it.  Then I saw Sydney wear a similarly colored blazer and I decided that I needed to at least try something or it would just be a big waste of money.  (Thank you for inspiring me to wear this, Sydney!)

Can you believe it was 70 degrees today?!

Blazer:  Gap Tie Lapel Blazer, Sz 0

Top:  Old Navy Striped Tank, Sz M 

(I always size up at least 2 sizes for ribbed knits otherwise it makes my tummy pouch very conspicuous)

Skirt:  J. Crew Bell Skirt, Sz 2

Necklace:  Banana Republic

Ring:  Amrita Singh Shelter Island Ring (I HEART this ring!)

Bracelets:  Variety of gold bangles

Shoes:  Frye Joy Vintage Slide

How would you wear this blazer?

Don't forget to enter my Allison Izu Premium Denim Giveaway for a chance to win a pair of jeans in your choice of style / size!

GIVEAWAY: Allison Izu Premium Denim

The giveaway is now closed - the winner is Thu!  Congrats and send me an email to claim your prize!

Shopping for jeans has always been a bit of a nightmare for me.  Being 5'2" with a 27" inseam often meant that I had to hem every single pair.  But then it seemed like the proportions were wrong.  The thigh / knee area was always off and I hated that self-hemming my jeans meant that the hem didn't have the faded pattern (see Kelly's post here on original vs. regular hemming on jeans) that regular jeans had.

"To hell with hemming!"

Allison Izu, a denim brand specifically catering to petites (that is women 5'6" and under), not only offers a variety of sizes / inseams, they have also solved the problem of proportions.  The waist-hip-knee-ankle ratio as well as other denim details are now proportioned for petite figures.  See Allison Izu denim reviews from Extra Petite, Petite Little Girl, and Really Petite.

Now on to the fun part - win a pair of Allison Izu Premium Denim with the size and style of your choosing!

The winner will be randomly drawn on December 4th and will need to contact me within 2 days to claim their prize.  If unclaimed, another winner will be drawn.

To enter, please leave a separate comment for each of the following:

1. Visit the Allison Izu website and let me know which style is your favorite
2. (Optional Bonus Entry) Publicly follow this blog (click "follow" in my sidebar)
3. (Optional Bonus Entry) Click to tweet and leave me your Twitter ID

Good luck!

Jewelry DIY: Ode to Pearls

I've always been in love with pearls and incorporate them into almost every piece I make.  This one is my ultimate pearl piece with 5 strands of ivory nugget pearls to add a little bit of drama to every ensemble.

5-Strand Nugget Pearl Necklace (sold here)

It winds up being a rather heavy piece as I prefer glass to plastic materials but I like the end result.  As you can tell, I made this piece right before DD was born :)

I'm also experimenting with less traditional pearl necklaces like these ladder necklaces:

Customizable Pearl Ladder Necklaces (sold here)

And finally, I've been wanting to create a chevron necklace.  I think this one is "getting there" but still needs some work:

In other DIY jewelry news, I'm working on some bracelets but I'll save those for a later post :)

What type of jewelry are you most drawn to?  Chains?  Pendants?  Beads?  A mix?

Sweatshirt to Tote Bag Easy DIY Tutorial

I've been aching for some DIY time and finally pieced together enough kiddie naps to finish something :)  (BTW, don't get me wrong.  I adore my children with every part of my being but I have a bunch of DIY ideas bubbling in my brain and love it when I get the time to see one through).  This one is a result of a closet cleaning.  I found an old sweatshirt from Old Navy that I haven't worn in ages and I thought it would make a cute striped tote bag.

This is the finished tote.

See tutorial after the jump!

Preppy Layers OOTD

DIY posts are slowing down a little bit since my hands are now literally full with DD and DS so bear with me as I inundate you with reviews and closet remixes instead :)  While I'm on the kiddo topic, I'm behind on comments and responses but if you have a question, please feel free to email or find me on Twitter.  I'm much more "reachable" for things I can respond to using my phone rather than my laptop.

Now back to the OOTD.  As soon as I bought the ON plaid shirt, I wanted to do a preppy layered look with a blazer.  To make it a little less run of the mill, I layered on the wrist wear.  I can't even begin to tell you how much I love the colors in this plaid!

What kinds of ensembles would you put together with this plaid shirt?

 

Blazer:  J. Crew Twill Blazer, Sz 0

Shirt:  Old Navy Plaid Flannel, Purple / Teal, Sz S (buy here)

Sweater:  Gray Cashmere V-Neck, Dillards, Sz S

Denim:  LOFT Bootcut Jeans, Sz 4

Shoes:  Ann Taylor Perfect Suede Pumps

Watch:  Timex + J. Crew Strap

Necklace:  Ann Taylor Pearls and Chain

Bracelets:  DIY Leather Wrap Bracelet (tutorial here), DIY Pearl Bracelet, Tiffany & Co. RTT Heart Lock