Next Best Thing(s) to Hogwarts - Seattle Edition

I feel compelled to tell you all that Mr. CP thinks I'm delusional and slightly unbalanced. See, I have this unswerving belief that I was meant to go to Hogwarts. No, really. I'm serious. I've always just assumed that my super-secret, ultra-magical invitation to attend Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry got lost in some sort of freak postal accident. You know how unreliable owls can be. Mr. CP, though, seems to think that Hogwarts isn't real. Gasp! Isn't real? Isn't real?! To deal with my grief over the very possibility that Hogwarts may, in fact, be fictional, I've found some local places to fill up the emotional and psychological voids that Mr. CP created with his dream-crushing cynicism (or "realism," as he calls it... psh). Note: Mr. CP also loves HP, though I'm now questioning the depth and sincerity of his self-proclaimed adoration.

Two Big Blondes

Catering to women sizes 12 and up, this local consignment store is a godsend if you sit somewhere in that size range. That means that if you're under a size 12, then this probably isn't the place for you. I'm not kidding when I tell you that you can find just about anything in this store. Up front you will find all the designer duds. They have a particularly large assortment of Eileen Fischer plus-size garb, and an impressive collection of vintage designer shoes and bags. In the back part of the store, you will find racks and racks full of everything from t-shirts to evening gowns. Best of all, twice a year they host their annual bag sale (which I mentioned recently in this post) during which you pay $6.50 for a giant trash bag, mosey on into their clothing-filled basement, and load stuff up to your heart's content. While sometimes a bit pricier than Goodwill, I've still managed to nab some really good deals there. It's just a matter of looking around, and keeping in mind how the item was originally priced in the department store from which it originated.

Best finds:
New York and Co LBD
Brand new red kitten heels
Vintage leather Coach bag
This skirt

University District (or U-District) Goodwill

Oh. My. What can I say about this place, except that it is perhaps the finest example of a Goodwill I have ever stumbled upon? In addition to being a great place to find costumes and the like, this store has an amazing assortment of day-to-day clothes that will set your heart aflutter. The second floor (yes! There's a second floor!) is full of vintage clothes, and an assortment of dresses, while the bottom floor is filled with men's and women's clothes and shoes, and a small kitchen section. I've seen stuff from Anthropologie, Banana Republic, Nordstrom, and J Crew for sale here for dirt cheap. Side note: While I don't particularly mind the noticeable musty smell that some thrift stores have, it's worth mentioning that this one smells like... nothing, really. It just smells clean and a bit dusty.

Best Finds:
Marc Jacobs Looooong Cable Knit Sweater (new with tags)
Banana Republic Sweater
Banana Republic Short Sleeved Top

Ballard Value Village

Value Village is a chain of second hand stores unique to the West Coast and parts of Canada, as well (I think). Locations vary. The one in Ballard took the place of an old grocery store, and they have some amazing goodies. I spotted a number of Eddie Bauer and Talbot's sweaters, along with some more unique options, as well. This is definitely worth a look if you're local to Seattle, or visiting and interested in thrifting.

Best Finds:
Vintage heels
Halogen (Nordstrom brand) Cardigan

Trade Chic

I have only recently started exploring local boutiques. I finally drove over to Redmond to check this place out, and I am so happy that I did. This boutique caters to plus sized women. While they certainly had things in my size -- a US 14-16, depending upon the item -- they had far more options for women size 20 and up. I've only been once, but this is already a favorite destination. They carry a number of brands that I've only ever seen online -- b&lu, Kiyonna, LucieLu, Svoboda, and a slieu of European brands I had never heard of. Trade Chic also has a generous and well-chosen selection of second-hand items in the back of the store that serve as a nice counterpart to the pricier items located up front. Because the store carries both new and used items, prices are all over the place. Typically, the prices in boutiques see me dissolve into tears or heart-palpitations (or both), but this place did neither! Expect to spend somewhere in the $50.00-$80.00 price range for a new dress (sometimes more, sometimes less).

While the store-front is located in Redmond, WA, Trade Chic does have a small selection of items for sale in their online store. You can find them here, or at tradechic.net

Best Finds:
Offensively colorful skirt
Wool coat
Dress

Seeing Spots

Tank top: Loft
Cardigan: Banana Republic
Skirt: Thrifted
Tights: Macy's
Shoes: Sanuk (via REI)
Bag: Coach (thrifted)
Bracelet: Made by Mama CP
Earrings: Gifted (vintage)
Head band: Target

Imagine my absolute pleasure when, after parting ways for a brief period in Las Vegas, I returned to our room to find that Mr. CP had bought me this Banana Republic polka dot cardigan that I had been drooling over for quite some time. In fact, you might recall that it featured prominently in this post. While it was a bit too warm today for khakis, I fully intend to create that particular outfit once the weather gets a bit cooler. To be honest, I'm not sold on the outfit with these particular tights; I think it would look better with un-cropped (is that a word?) tights, and cute flats. But I desperately need to do laundry in our spider-infested, unfinished, creepier-than-words-can-possibly-convey basement (which is a story for a whoooooole other time), so all my tights are waiting patiently to be washed. It was too cold to go without tights today (at least for me), though, so I donned my only clean pair of tights, and off I went.

As I mentioned in yesterday's post, I visited some local consignment stores with a girlfriend today. I was woefully underwhelmed. I think I might have been more impressed had I been a more petite woman (read: sizes 2 - 6), but there were literally no clothes at all in my size. Added to that, most of the items were horribly overpriced, which is attributable more to the stores' locations than the actual quality of the items they were selling. We did, however, decide to stop at a local Goodwill, and thank goodness we did! I hit the jackpot! I picked up a chunky cable-knit Michael Kors cardigan that hits about an inch above the knee -- perfect with my shorter dresses for winter -- for a whopping $8, and I nabbed two striped Banana Republic sweaters for $2 a piece.

... Stays in Vegas

Mr. CP likes to make me go "tee hee!" (I'm shaking my head at myself, too)

Tra la la la la... pretty leaves!

Is that... is that music? I know that tinkling melody... Could it be...

The ICE CREAM TRUCK?!

Yes. Yes, it is.

Dress: Target
Cardigan: JC Penney
Tights: Macy's
Shoes: Sanuk (via REI)
Belt: Eddie Bauer (thrifted)
Headband: H&M
Necklace: Assorted charms

As I mentioned in my last post, Mr. CP and I recently enjoyed some quality time with the Parental CP's in Las Vegas. We had an absolutely wonderful time filled with shows, terrific food, and fantastic shopping. What we did not have, unfortunately, was a camera. Allow me to recreate the conversation Mr. CP and I had upon our arrival in LV.

Me: Hey. Can I have the camera?
Mr. CP: I don't have the camera.
Me: You said, "Got the camera" (spoken as a statement) as we walked out the door.
Mr. CP: No, I said, "Got the camera?" (spoken as a question)
Me: So... I thought you grabbed the camera... and you thought I grabbed the camera... so no one has the camera?
Mr. CP: Apparently.
Me: [In the interest of sparing your eyes and ears, I will not at this time transcribe the oh-so-colorful language I used at this point in our conversation. Needless to say, I was a bit of a grumpy gills, and would likely have been most at home among a large group of sailors]

I had had high hopes of getting some decent OOTD/OOTN photos to show you all, but alas, it was not to be. We took some iPhone shots, but the photos turned out grainy and awful, and I just couldn't bring myself to post them. So I unfortunately have no Las Vegas pictures. Boo!

I do, however, have these OOTD pictures that Mr. CP was kind enough to take! I typically would have paired this outfit with a cute pair of brown flats, but I have a terrible blister (compliments of all the walking I did in Las Vegas) that categorically refused to even consider the possibility of flats. SO I just paired the outfit with my trusty pair of brown flip flops, and called it good.

On a different note, one of my very favorite consignment stores had their annual bag sale on Friday and Saturday. You pay $6.50 for a bag, and anything in the basement that you can fit in it is yours! Despite the fact that our flight didn't get into Seattle until 12:00 AM on Friday morning, I hauled myself out of bed bright and early to make my way to the store. I ended up finding a really cute dress, a whole bunch of belts (in fact, I'm wearing one of them in the photos above), and a couple bags. They also had a sale going on upstairs; the entire store was 25% to 95% off. Favorite scores? A New York and Company LBD for $7.50 (50% off), a pair of brand spankin' new red kitten heels for $1.20 (95% off), and a leather Coach bag for $2.30 (95% off).

I'll sign off for now, but I'm thinking my next post may well be a short overview of some of my favorite stores to shop at, some of them chains, some of them local to Seattle. I'm going on a consignment store "tour" with one of my best girlfriends tomorrow, so perhaps I'll find a few more gems to include on the list. Cheers!

What Happens in Vegas...

Hiya! So as I'm sure you noticed, I made my first OOTD post last night. I found myself quite anxious to click the "publish post" button when the time came to do so. In part, it was because most of the pictures Mr. CP took looked... awkward. I'm not used to being the focus of photographs. I like taking them, I like looking at them, but I'm just not very comfortable being in them. I suppose this blog, in addition to being an exercise in, ahem, exercising my wardrobe, also marks my attempts to feel more comfortable in front of the camera. I also found myself hesitant to post simply because, having scoured the internet and poured over a large number of fashion blogs, I wasn't certain that my "fashion" was up to par. But then I calmly and reasonably told myself that I was being whiny, to knock it off, have some fun, and post the damn pictures. =P

At any rate, Mr. CP just finished teaching his very first university course this summer (hooray, Mr. CP!), so we're winging our way to Vegas tomorrow morning for most of the week to celebrate his success. Mama CP and Papa CP (that is, my parents) will be flying in tomorrow evening, so we're all going to have a grand old time. Among the many, many things we will no doubt squeeze into our time there, we're going to see Phantom of the Opera (one of my all-time favorites, as cliche as that is), and Cirque du Soleil's Ka. I'm also quite certain my mother and I will do quite a bit of damage in the shopping areas. Perhaps what I'm looking forward to the most, however, is catching up with one of my very best friends from high school and college. She lives and works in Las Vegas, so we have big plans to grab dinner tomorrow night, after which we plan to paint the town red... ::sigh:: Forgive that rather anachronistic colloquialism. Something about Las Vegas takes me back to the hey-day of The Rat Pack, and I simply can't help myself. I've been humming "Luck be a Lady" for a week... to some very strange looks in public places, and (who am I kidding?) at home from Mr. CP. But I digress.

I'm planning on taking some OOTD/OOTN photos while I'm there to give you all a sense of what I packed for the 100+ degree days, and (theoretically) cooler evenings and air conditioned casinos, so be on the look out later this week for a rather substantial outfit post!

OOTD: [Insert Witty Title Here]

I dunno.

Back detail! Love the wings!

Shirt: Target

Skirt: Thrifted

Shoes: Aldo

I wish I could tell you what was going on in these photos. Nearly 50 photographs, and these were the best options. Mr. CP thought it would be hilarious to make me giggle throughout the process of shooting these photos, and the pictures above (particularly the last photo) are the results of his efforts.

Etsy Loves: Brooches

It hasn't been too long since my last post, but I'm still feeling as though I've been neglecting my poor, sweet blog. I initially promised myself I would post every day, but that's proving to be a bit ambitious. Things have been crazy around here recently. I decided at the beginning of the summer that it was a wise idea to take a Political Science course for fun. I know. Brilliant idea, right? At this point, you're either a) laughing mockingly at me, b) scowling derisively at your computer screen trying to figure out why the hell I ever thought that was a good idea, c) frantically trying to navigate away from my blog for fear that my crazy is somehow technologically contagious, or d) doing some awkward combination of the three. Like you, I'm not sure why I thought it was a good idea. I mean, God/Odin/Thor/Flying Spaghetti Monster knows I've spent more than my fair share of time in a classroom setting, but this is just one of those many, many ideas that I'll file away under "It seemed like a good idea at the time." In any case, I'm in the midst of "studying" for my final exam, by which I mean I've been browsing Etsy. I composed a list of wonderful whimsies for you to admire. Behold my most recent obsession: brooches!

Literary Book Flower Brooch

Cameo Brooch

Literary Quote Brooch

Wooden Hot Air Balloon

Porcelain Kiwi Brooch

Dapper Owl Brooch

Bunny in the Bathtub Brooch

I've also ordered a few suitably ridiculous, masculine brooches for Mr. CP to wear on his pea coats, vests, cardigans, and other assorted clothing items once Fall rolls around. I may or may not have also picked up and/or ordered a couple for myself as well, though one of them is a vintage piece that I can't seem to get a decent shot of, and another is a custom order I've placed with Catrabbit that is still in the development stages. I'll be sure to post an OOTD pic with the vintage brooch soon, and another with the Catrabbit brooch just as soon as it arrives. As for Mr. CP's brooches, you can see the ones I chose below! I'm planning a special DIY surprise brooch for him at some point, too, so I may well post a tutorial for that.

Elizabeth Pawle Illustration

Alaska Laser Maid

Captain Santiago Dunbar's Steampunk Surplus

Sushi Double Date

Embroidered Frolick by charmingpumpkin featuring flat shoes

Mr. CP and I went out on a double date with some close friends (and neighbors) of ours last night. By the time we left the house, though, it was too dark to take photos, so I figured I would make good use of Polyvore. The skirt I wore, while not identical to the one above, was quite similar. I picked it up from Coldwater Creek on an amazing sale (as in, a full 75% off). The top is also from Coldwater Creek, and it's probably one of my favorite recent purchases. I've been struggling with how to wear it, as it's a bit loose in the torso, and quite long, but I've found it looks nice with a high-waisted skirt. The cardigan is a couple years old, and I picked it up at Loft, again for a steal (picking up on a pattern here?). I got the headband at Target, and I have absolutely no idea where I got the pearl bracelet -- it's just something I accumulated at some point in the past. The shoes were slightly different than those pictured above, but only slightly. Rather than a pinky nude color, my shoes were an eggshell color that perfectly matched the embroidery on the top. I picked them up at Nordstrom Rack. I would probably have worn a belt with the outfit as well, but none that I had were in any way suitable... so now I'm on the hunt for a nice, all-purpose, goes-with-everything belt.

All in all, it was a wonderful -- and very late -- evening full of laughter, wine, and delicious sushi. Even better, we've sloooooooowly cold brewed some coffee this morning, our friends are bringing over fresh scones, and we're going to try desperately to eat off all that wine we drank last night. I love lazy Saturday mornings...

Date Night!

Mr. CP and I decided to try out a French/Korean fusion restaurant we had heard wonderful things about. Every Sunday evening, they do an Urban BBQ with a three-entree menu, and a small buffet of drinks, side dishes, and a dessert. Today's menu was a very intriguing mix of French, Korean, and Vietnamese food. I'm not exaggerating when I say that I could write sonnets about the meal. Sonnets, I tell you!

With slight variations, you can see what I wore above. I love the dress, and for $24.99 it was an absolute bargain. It's one of the few dresses I've found that actually manage to cover my breastal (erm, yes, that's a word...) area. The bracelet I wore was only slightly different from the one above -- the stones were mounted on a solid cuff. I picked mine up for about $10 at TJ Maxx. I couldn't seem to find a better picture of the necklace. I picked it up at Forever 21 for around $5, and it has a cute little bird charm, a rhinestone, and a whistle. Thankfully for Mr. CP's eardrums and sanity, the whistle doesn't work, but it's cute nonetheless. You can look it up online; it's called the Spring Whistle necklace. As for the purse, the one I used was similar to the one above, but not identical. I used one that I picked up years ago at Nordstrom Rack (I think). I also included photos of most of the makeup I wore, too, for anyone who might be interested.

On a side note, I always drop food on myself. Without fail. Always. It's humiliating. This meal was no exception. Even better, I managed to drop food right on the crotch of my dress. In my brilliance, I thought it would be a good idea to excuse myself to the restroom and wipe my dress off with a little water. ::sigh:: Why did I think that was a good idea? I could sit here, and tell you that I didn't realize the food had fallen in that particular area; that it was only after I tried to wipe my dress off that I realized the unfortunate location of the offensive stain. Alas, that would be a lie. The true reason is that I tend to lack common sense. Bad ideas routinely seem like good ones until that almost poetic moment when I suddenly realize what a pickle I've gotten myself into. I did the only thing I could do. I laughed my ass off, and waited for the dress to dry!

I meant to have Mr. CP take pictures of the outfit (you know, after it dried) so I wouldn't have to rely on Polyvore, but of course the camera battery needed to be charged. ::grumble grumble:: The camera is charging as I write this, though, so you'll certainly be seeing pics soon!

Polka dots!

Hey! So I finally sat down and spent some time playing around with Polyvore. I spotted that adorable polka dot cardigan on Banana Republic's site, and it inspired me to style an entire outfit. The polka dots themselves are a lovely taupe color, though I'm not sure that's showing up in the photograph above.

There are few things I love more than affixing scarves to my bags to lend them a little extra pop. The scarf pictured above actually has little swans printed all over it... adorable! The other option -- which I didn't have room for in the frame -- is a simple red pashmina, which would lend the look a more sophisticated and arguably less playful air. I'm not sure which I would pick -- probably a pashmina, if I'm being honest, simply because it's more practical. I invariably get the chills at inopportune moments, so it would be nice to have a pashmina to wrap myself up in. The swans were just too cute to pass up, though. =)

I've got mail... from Coldwater Creek!

Hey everyone! This morning got off to a terrific start. After listening for far too long to my bellyaching over the sorry state of my nails, Mr. CP shooed me off to the nail salon. When I got home, I was absolutely elated to see that not only had Mr. CP vacuumed and tidied the whole house, but I had received a much anticipated package from Coldwater Creek. Below are the five things I picked up, all on clearance with free shipping. Sales are the best.

Seam Detail Linen Skirt in Blue, Or: $64.99 Sale: $22.99

I absolutely love this skirt. I meant to order it in white, which I may still do since it's on such a good sale, but when I tried the blue on I found that I really loved the color. It's a really beautiful blue, and the cut is so flattering.

Floral Ombre Skirt, Or: $74.95 Sale: $24.99

I can't even explain to you how loudly and girlishly I squealed when I saw this skirt on Coldwater Creek's website. For $25.00, I was absolutely sold. It's such a flattering skirt -- very feminine, and twirly. The purple hue around the bottom hemline is a bit darker than it appears in the picture, but it's still such a lovely skirt.

Paneled Floral Skirt, Or: 74.95 Sale: $39.99

This is probably my very favorite of the three skirts. The color of the skirt -- a lovely, rich light brown -- paired with the eggshell colored flowers lends the skirt an almost playful air. This one will definitely get a lot of wear. I adore it.

Embroidered Chiffon Shell, Or: $89.95 Sale: $39.99

I immediately decided I couldn't live without this top the moment I saw it. It almost reminds me of something one might find at Anthropologie, only in a size more suitable for bustier/curvier/plus-sized women. It's so flattering on the figure. It clings and hangs loose in all the right places.

Vine Print Shell, Or: $79.95 Sale: $26.99

Again, the moment I saw this on the CWC website, I decided it must be mine. Unfortunately, I chose poorly on the size, and it's waaaaay too big. I'm just going to exchange it for a size down, because I absolutely love the print. In fact, I have a sheer blouse/tank top combo that I picked up a couple months ago that has a very similar pattern on it, so this will make a nice warm weather alternative to that.

I can't encourage you curvy and plus-size ladies to check out Coldwater Creek enough. Their clothes are cut beautifully for fuller figured women, and come in misses, petite, and women's sizes, so you'll be sure to find something that fits and flatters. The Ombre Floral Skirt above, for example, comes in misses sizes XS thru XL, petite sizes PXS thru PXL, and women's sizes 1X thru 3X. I have a hell of a time finding clothes that are cut appropriately for my figure. I have a long torso, and short legs, so skirts typically end up being way too long on me. Thankfully, the PXL fits me perfectly, which cuts down dramatically on the amount of time I spend at the tailor getting things altered.

Something to keep in mind: their sizes actually tend to run slightly big, so my advice is to order a size down. I initially ordered the Vine Print Shell in a 1X because the fabric has no stretch, and I figured I'd need the extra space in the bust. I was very mistaken. In fact, the shirt was so large that it caused what I've dubbed the Circus Tent Effect. Trust me -- Barnum and all his elephants could have fit in the shirt with me with room to spare. The XL should fit me perfectly, though. In fact, I may ultimately need to go down to a large, but for now I'm just going to swap the 1X for an XL and see what happens.

Lust-worthy Lovelies

Modcloth, Thai Iced Tea Dress in Coconut, $47.99

"How do I love thee? Let me count the ways..."
This dress is perfection. I covet it. I visit it every single day (online, that is). Unfortunately, they're sold out of my size, otherwise this sweetie pie would be winging her way to me right this moment. I've signed up to be alerted when they get my size back in stock, but I'm paranoid they may not. I'm contemplating ordering it in a size up and just having it tailored, but I don't know...

(Eliza Parker, Miami Dress in Plum, $169.99)

The hefty price tag means that this adorable little number is going on my long-term wish list. Next time I have a special occasion to attend, though, this will probably be what I order. Mr CP even thinks this dress is lovely. He typically feigns interest (or nods indifferently) when I squee over clothes, but this particular dress elicited a full and very genuine comment from him!

Eliza Parker, High Waisted A-Line Skirt, $98.00

You know, Eliza Parker just really hits it out of the park when it comes to flattering, feminine pieces. I saw this beautiful skirt on the adorable Lilli over at Frocks and Frou Frou (great blog, check it out!), and immediately decided it was destined to be mine. I'm just waiting for a suitable moment to order it.

Coldwater Creek, Crinkle Swirl Dress, $99.95-$109.95

I swooned over this dress the moment I saw it. Trust me when I say that Coldwater Creek's clothes actually fit curvy women very nicely. While quite pricey, I've found that CWC typically has amazing sales. I snapped up a white linen blazer, originally $150ish dollars, for just under $60. Join their mailing list, and you'll get some amazing coupons, too! I'm just waiting for this beauty to go on sale, or until I get a decent coupon in my inbox, and then she's all mine!

B Makowsky, Saxon Pump in Grey Suede, $52.00 (sale on Amazon)

When I first stumbled upon these shoes, I nearly swooned. I thought they were absolute perfection. To be honest, I'm not much for heels. I'm weak. My feet start to hurt, I whine, get angry and/or grumpy, and poor Mr. CP is stuck with an unpleasant CP. My girlfriends have told me time and again that I just need to push through the pain, but I haven't been able to bring myself to endure the suffering. That being said, I do have some amazingly comfortable pairs of heels, and I tend to just rely upon those. After all, few things give your hips the same sway and your legs the same length as a great pair of heels. I hesitate to order these shoes online because I can't try them on to see whether they're comfortable or unbearable, so odds are I probably won't order these sweeties. BUT I'm definitely going to try to find something similar in a store where I can actually try the shoes on.

No doubt I'll be posting more items that I find, so keep checking back!

Inaugural Post

As evidenced by my empty archives, this is my very first blog post. Eek! It's quite a daunting task, starting a new blog. I had no idea how much time I would spend deciding upon the proper layout and banner. I also found myself ill-prepared to deal with Photoshop and its many idiosyncrasies. Mr. CP ended up stepping in and taking over the Photoshop work and completed in ten minutes what I had been struggling with for at least an hour. Grrrrr. =P All those pesky details have been taken care of, though, so here I sit composing my inaugural post.

I'm quite new to fashion, by which I mean I never really cared much for shopping or trends. Shopping was always a tedious exercise for me, one that often left me feeling terrible about myself and my curves. I still remember the day I went shopping for my high school prom dress with my best friend. The trip came to an abrupt end when I dissolved into a fit of tears over the fact that none of the dresses I liked seemed to be cut for busty women. Most other shopping trips ended the same way. Retail stores had very different ideas about what was fashionable for smaller women, and what was fashionable for curvier women. Had stores had their way, curvy women would have trotted around in giant circus tents looking and feeling like blimps. As a result of my terrible shopping experiences, my uniform of choice became plain t-shirts (usually black), dark wash jeans, and my trusty Converse sneakers (which are still and will forever be a staple in my wardrobe). Things have changed in the decade since those all-too depressing shopping excursions, though. More and more retailers are starting to cater either directly or additionally to curvy women, leaving us with so many more fashion forward options. Those of you on the look out for prom dresses will no longer face the same dilemma I did, and I couldn't be more delighted about that.

Only recently did I become aware of the marvelous plus-size fashion community on the internet. So many women on the internet have been an inspiration to me, and you can find all of them listed under my Daily Reads. I suppose I always assumed that the clothes I wanted to wear -- classic, feminine pieces that enhanced my figure -- simply weren't made for anyone above a size 6. But the online plus-size community quickly convinced me that I was mistaken. I simply wasn't looking in the correct place. You have no idea the happiness and relief I felt when I realized that I could, in fact, dress the way I had always wanted. Best. Day. Ever.

To be honest, I still don't pay much attention to the trends. Inevitably, some of them find their way into my outfits by virtue of the fact that trendy pieces are, by their very nature, everywhere, but I generally stick to those styles and cuts that I know are flattering on my figure. You will probably notice that most of the pieces I pick out are largely just variations on the same thing. I really want to use this blog as an opportunity to push myself to try new things, though; to step out of my comfort zone. Mr. CP, for example, has been trying to convince me for ages that I should rock a pencil skirt. I see curvy women wearing pencil skirts all the time, and they look so stunning, but for whatever reason I've convinced myself it simply isn't a flattering look for me. I'm all too aware that it's entirely in my head -- that I'm simply getting in my own way. So perhaps this blog -- and the amazing online plus-size community -- will convince me to get over myself and give the pencil skirt a fair shot. =P

So welcome to my blog, ladies, whoever and wherever you are. I'm so very happy you stopped by for a visit!