Valentine's Day Non-Plans

Dress (gifted): Brushed Terra Dress/Anthropologie (here)

Lace top: Anthropologie

Head band: Target

Earrings (gifted): Betsey Johnson (here)

Belt: Target

Tights: Hue/Macy's

Boots: Enzo Angiolini/Nordstrom Rack

Over the last week or so, I couldn't help noticing all the wonderful posts about Valentine's Day popping up around the internet. All the heart-print clothes, and Valentine's Day inspired outfits made me squeal with delight. Except... well, we don't celebrate Valentine's Day. Long before Mr. CP and I were together, I realized that it just wasn't a holiday that resonated with me. I didn't find any meaning in a single day that celebrates love, because to be perfectly honest, I think every day should be a celebration of your affection for those closest to you. Don't get me wrong. I always loved hearing all about my girlfriends' elaborate Valentine's Day plans: where they were going, who they were going with, what they were going to wear. For my part, though, Valentine's Day just wasn't my style. I preferred to stay in, bake cookies (and not burn down the kitchen, thankyouverymuch), and watch silly movies in my PJs. 

A friend of mine recently asked what Mr. CP and I were going to do for Valentine's Day. When I responded, she looked horrified. No dinner plans? No fancy outfits? No flowers, or chocolate? Thankfully, I was able to alleviate at least one of her fears: there is always chocolate in our household. Always.

Do you celebrate Valentine's Day? What are your plans this year?

p.s. Don't forget to check out my Victory Garden Yarn giveaway here! You have until next Monday (2/20) to enter!

New Year's Eve!

Dress: Anthropologie

Top: Anthropologie

Belt: Came with another dress

Tights: Hue/Nordstrom Rack

Shoes: Naya/Nordstrom Rack

Bracelet: Vintage

Earrings: Gift/Betsey Johnson

When I put this outfit on, I loved it. BUT seeing it in photographs, I'm left with that "meh" feeling I sometimes get over my outfits. I don't know. I mean, it's fine. It's just not, "WOWSA!" 

Anyway, our New Year's Eve celebration was marvelous! One of our very favorite seafood restaurants sits directly opposite the Space Needle (where they fire off the fireworks), so Mr. CP and I decided to take part in their NYE celebration. Seated next to us was the most adorable French couple I have ever clapped eyes on. They had to be in their 60s, but they were snuggling like teenagers, and boogying like champs. The French man was wearing a cravat. A CRAVAT! If I spoke any French at all, I would have teetered up to him in my heels and announced to him that he was my hero. Unfortunately, the only thing I know how to say in French is, "Je suis un poisson," and somehow I think he would have found it creepy if a strange woman had waltzed up to him and informed him in no uncertain terms that she was a fish. My favorite moment:  watching the French couple dance to the Beegees... right next to us... because I dragged Mr. CP out on the dance floor and made him disco with me. DON'T JUDGE ME, OKAY?! My father used to do an amazing Beegees impression... it was a thing of beauty. But I digress.

p.s. I apologize for my cosmetic-less face and un-curled hair. Light was fading fast in the lead-up to our New Year's Eve celebration, so I (very politely) demanded that Mr. CP follow me outside to take photos. 

What did YOU do for NYE? Happy 2012 (a few days late)!!!!!!! =D

Boo!

Not the most flattering picture in the world, but "BOO!!!!!!!"

Dress: Target

Cardigan: August Silk (Nordstrom Rack)

Tights: Hue (Macy's)

Boots: Fitzwell (6pm.com)

Head band: Free gift with purchase (Modcloth)

Earrings: Betsey Johnson

Sweater Clip: DIY

Because I didn't have a proper costume this Halloween, I took a page out of Bessie's book over at Bravoe Runway and decided to let Mr. CP style me today. It was my non-Halloweeny Halloween costume. It's a testament to how well he knows my style -- or how predictable I am, I haven't decided which -- that he chose an outfit that looks exactly like something I would have put together for myself. I hand't yet worn my Modcloth head band, a delightful extra that Modcloth included with the purchase of my By Night dress, so I was glad that he included it in the outfit.

I wanted to get this post up before we begin the final stage of our Halloween tradition. Every year we order (and eat) copious amounts of pizza, imbibe enough bottles of our favorite pumpkin ale to supply a small army, and gorge ourselves on delicious Halloween cupcakes from a local cupcake shop, all while watching movies that scare us (read: me) half to death. Tonight's line-up: Paranormal Activity 1 and 2, The Strangers, and (because I'm a wuss) Hocus Pocus.

I'm an adequate loser, so I guess I'm pleased to announce the winner of this year's (rigged) pumpkin carving contest: feel free to courteously applaud for Mr. CP. He emerged victorious with his artfully rendered carving of one of those dudes from that one video game (more specifically, a Big Daddy from Bioshock). I'm convinced he bribed or blackmailed one of the judges, probably himself, since I didn't receive any threatening letters or elaborate gifts. ::sigh:: Congratulations... I guess. Humph. Just kidding everyone, just kidding! Mr. CP's pumpkin turned out far better than mine, and it took him much longer to carve, as well. He deserved the victory. At some point we're going to need to assemble a creepy trophy to present to the winner every year. For now, he'll have to settle for a victory high five!

Happy Halloween, everyone! I hope you have a wonderful and spooky night!

The Infamous Wedding

Dress: Dorothy Perkins

Cami (which is actually a Cami Bra): Le Mystere

Shoes: Naya

Jewelry: Betsey Johnson

Clutch: DIY

There are few things more wonderful than making unexpected friends. I headed to North Carolina this past weekend for an old family friend's wedding, and had no idea what to expect. I only knew that the colors black and red were off-limits, and that spooky accessories were strongly encouraged. In the lead up to the wedding, the bride arranged a Girls' Night for anyone interested in attending. I arrived expecting to feel out of place and uncomfortable, but after a mere ten minutes with that group of women I felt like I had known them all for years. Among my favorite moments of the evening was listening to one of the bridesmaids recount the tale of how she unknowingly started beating an off-duty cop with clothing-filled Target bags. She had just left Target late one night when she heard foot steps right behind her. The way she tells it, she weighed her options. I distinctly remember her saying, "I'm fat, you know, so I sure as hell wasn't going to be able to outrun the guy. I would have collapse after 10 yards." No, her best option, she decided, was to stand and fight. So, she subtly weighed the bags in her hands, chose the lightest one, and turned around swinging... and continued swinging... over and over and over. The man ended up on the ground while she hit him with her Target bags, ultimately realizing that in the interest of self-preservation it would be wise to flash her his badge. Turns out the guy was parked right next to the bridesmaid, and was just walking back to his car. Poor guy. Many hilarious stories were told that night, so many that I can't even remember the last time that I laughed so hard or so much. My sides were very, very sore the next day.

I apologize for the relative lack of photos. This was just a quick picture my mother snapped with my iPhone before we headed in to the wedding reception!

Wedding Accessories

Necklace, Earrings, and Bracelet: Betsey Johnson (via Nordstrom Rack)

Clutch: DIY

I wanted to show you all some close up shots of the accessories I'm going to be sporting at the wedding I'm going to this weekend. A brief refresher: the bride and groom requested that no one wear black or red, and that guests wear spooky accessories. Yeah, tell me about it. I spent some time digging around on the internet, and found and fell in love with Betsey Johnson's Vampire Slayer collection. The earrings alone retailed for $40.00, though, which I was simply unwilling to pay. As a result, I just assumed that I would have to make my own accessories. On one of our many, many trips to Nordstrom Rack during my mother's recent visit, I was milling around in the jewelry section when I spied (gasp!) a bunch of pieces from the Betsey Johnson Vampire Hunter line. At Nordstrom Rack's prices, I simply couldn't resist. I can't decide which is my favorite. I love, love, love the upside down bat charm on the necklace (and the lips with fangs!), and every time I look at the raven earrings and bracelet I have to restrain myself from reciting Poe... because I had a mean-spirited high school English teacher who made us memorize various stanzas from "The Raven." But that's beside the point.

I'm apparently quite picky where clutches are concerned, and after spending way too much time browsing the internet and store fronts, I decided to make my own. The clutch you see above is the result of three practice rounds. It's still not perfect -- the seams aren't as clean as I'd like -- but I'm pleased with the result anyway. I attached a vintage brooch that my grandmother gave me years ago to add "a bit more 'Kelsey-ness' to it," as Mr. CP would say.

On a different note, I'm not sure that I'll be able to post at all while I'm in Charlotte, so I've arranged for a very special guest blogger. Expect that post on Friday! =)

Genius... Or Not

Dress: Modcloth

Tights: Hue (via Macy's)

Shoes: Maurice's (old, old, old)

Headband: Target

Earrings: Betsey Johnson (via Nordstrom Rack, but you can pick them up online here.)

I was so excited when this Modcloth dress arrived on Saturday morning. As soon as I heard the delivery man/woman drop it off on our front stoop, I scampered to the front door and grabbed it off the porch. Seeing it wrapped up all adorable-like in the box, I nearly swooned over the lovely, rich colors. Equally exciting was the exceptionally cute headband Modcloth included as an extra (which will no doubt feature in a future OOTD). As I pulled the dress out of the box, though, I was stumped: I ordered a 2X, and the dress before me most certainly did not look like a 2X. The dress didn't even look like it would fit over my head. I frantically checked the packaging to make sure that there hadn't been some sort of mix up. Nope, there hadn't been. The dress just looked very dainty. So, I wandered into the bedroom to try it on. Much to my dismay, it fit everywhere but the bust. It gave me the dreaded uni-boob. I could hear Mr. CP calling from the living room for me to come out and show him my new treasure... which I did, reluctantly. I must have looked like my puppy just died, because Mr. CP could immediately tell that I was upset. "What's wrong?" he asked. I gestured at the unfortunate gaping under the arms, and the tightness in the bust. Looking more closely at the dress, Mr. CP started chuckling. And then he started guffawing. You see, what I didn't realize is that I had put the dress on backwards. Now, one would think this would be impossible seeing as how this particular dress has a decorative tie around the neck at the back of the dress (you know, like the one I mentioned in this post that sent me into an existential panic). But I had untied said tie, you see, and... and... okay, I have no good excuse for this particular display of air-headed magnificence. In my excitement, attention to details like putting the dress on the right way apparently fell to the wayside. I ran back into the bedroom, spun the dress around and lo and behold, it fit perfectly. Combined with my recent display of genius at Nordstrom Rack, I can't help but wonder: how did I ever manage to dress myself before Mr. CP came along?

A brief note about the dress. For those who don't know, Modcloth does offer clothes in larger sizes. Though the selection is smaller than that available to straight-sized customers, the site has some truly adorable plus-size items. They go up to a 3X, and have a handy (and accurate, I think) size chart. I had the best luck finding plus size items by clicking on the "clothing" category on their main page, and then selecting my size in the left-hand bar.

I also have to say something about these adorable mouse earrings. I've been wearing them pretty much every day. One earring -- the one pictured above -- features a cute little mouse pointing downwards. The other earring -- which isn't pictured -- has a little mouse pointing upwards. I love the subtle asymmetry, and the added interest it lends an already adorable pair of earrings.

A Whimsical Dress

Allow me to paint for you a picture of the conversation Mr. CP and I had while he was very kindly taking these photographs.

 

Mr CP: You always pose the same way. Do something different! Be creative!

 Me: Um, excuse me? How dare you accuse me of being uncreative! I neeeever pose the same way! (I may have been avoiding eye contact when I said this)

Mr. CP: (blank stare)

 Me: Fine. I'll, erm, just walk... this... way.

Me: And I'll look up at the trees.

Me: Are you happy now? Are you?! ARE YOU?!

Mr. CP: (blank stare)

Dress: Fire Los Angeles (via Nordstrom Rack)

Cardigan: August Silk (via Nordstrom Rack)

Tights: Hue (via Macy's)

Boots: Fitzwell (via 6pm.com)

Head band: Target

Brooch: Fossil

Bracelet: Vintage

Earrings: Betsey Johnson

I found this dress recently and pounced on it. It has dainty little trees all over it! If there's one thing I love, it's whimsical prints!

Which brings me to a rather hilarious story. Around the same time I stumbled upon this dress, I found another equally adorable one. It had tiny little black and white castles, horse-drawn carriages, and princes all over it. Too cute! Now, I'm not a size large. I'm just not, which I knew when I grabbed the cute little fairy tale dress. I was so desperately enamored with it, though, that I swore I would fit into the damn thing come hell or high water. Interestingly, the problem wasn't getting into the dress. It went on with surprising ease. The problem was moving around and breathing once I had the damn dress on. With a crestfallen expression on my face (no, really, it was like someone had told me Santa Clause wasn't real all over again), I prepared to take the dress off. Only, it turned out that the dress was so tight that my arms were effectively pinned at my sides. I couldn't lift them. I should probably mention that I don't handle stress well. There are some people who operate rationally and calmly in stressful situations. Mr. CP, for example, is fantastic to have around when unfortunate things happen. My response to stress is far less productive: I either cry, or, as in this particular situation, laugh hysterically. Typically, dissolving into a fit of giggles isn't a problem. Typically, though, I can breathe in whatever I happen to be wearing. FYI, laughter only works well if you can breathe. So there I stood laughing like a crazy person. I couldn't quite manage, however, to get enough air... which caused me to start hyperventilating, which in turn only made me laugh that much harder. It was the proto-typical Giggle Loop. I finally managed to calm down enough to shimmy (yes, shimmy) over to my purse, maneuver my phone out of my bag, dial Mr. CP's number (he was there with me), kneel down, press my ear to the phone, and gasp something largely incoherent into the speaker. So, poor Mr. CP had to come back to the dressing room to help me hoist the dress over my head. ::sigh:: So much for maintaining any sense of mystery. I learned a valuable lesson, though. Love isn't roses, or breakfast in bed. It's rescuing your stupidly determined significant other who's apparently lacking in the common sense department from a too-small item of clothing.