Cherries and Lace

There was a squirrel right outside the window eating an acorn. Awwww!

Dress: Forever 21+ (not available online)

Cardigan: August Silk (via Nordstrom Rack)

Tights: Hue (via Macy's)

Shoes: Thrifted

Headband: Target

Necklace: Forever 21

Brooches: All thrifted

By and large, Mr. CP and I are fortunate to have the landlord we have. True, he's impossible to get hold of on the phone. And true, whenever he stops by he likes to talk... and talk... and talk some more. And also true, he's not nearly as handy as he thinks he is. On the flip side, though, he isn't overbearing, he's always polite, and he gets the really important things taken care of quickly and efficiently. So it wasn't at all unusual that when a pipe burst in our bathroom recently, he had a plumber out the next morning at 8 AM, and we had running water again by 9 AM. Our landlord felt so guilty for the inconvenience it caused us, however, that he stopped by a few days later and presented us with a very generous gift card to a local fancy pants restaurant. Mr. CP and I decided to go for lunch rather than dinner, because a) we figured we would be able to enjoy the view more, and b) we just kind of felt like going out for lunch. It was a stunning restaurant -- complete with an indoor waterfall, a bridge, and a running stream -- with a spectacular view of Puget Sound, and an adjacent boat/yacht marina. The food was delicious, too, particularly the trio of miniature creme brulees I ordered for dessert.

After lunch, Mr. CP joined me on a quick trip to Goodwill where I recently saw a pin that I loved, but inexplicably didn't buy. Let me just say that we felt ridiculously over-dressed. Ridiculously. It was hilarious. People kept looking at us like we were complete nut-jobs for getting all gussied up for an expedition to Goodwill. I caught myself smothering giggles a few times at the looks we were getting. Oh, and sadly the brooch was long gone. Farewell, sweet brooch. Farewell.

Speaking of brooches, I couldn't decide which one I wanted to wear today, so I pinned on my top three choices. I was initially torn between the bug brooch pictured above, and a bull brooch that I got as a tongue-in-cheek reminder to myself to grab the bull by the horns. True story. I'm hokey that way. I actually really enjoyed wearing multiple brooches today, so I think I'm going to do this sort of "brooch collage," as Mr. CP dubbed it, more often.

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.

Mary Poppins

This is what Mr. CP affectionately refers to as my "Quoi?" Face.

Cardigan: August Silk (via Nordstrom Rack)

Camisole: Maurice's

Skirt: Vince Camuto (via Nordstrom)

Hat: Ross

Tights: Hue (via Macy's)

Boots: Fitzwell (via 6pm.com)

Rings: Flea Market, Street Fair, Something Silver, and a random shop in Venice

Brooch: Thrifted

Necklaces: Forever 21

Mama CP leaves tomorrow, so we capped off a fun-filled week with, you guessed it, shopping. Mama CP, as I've mentioned, lives in a very, very tiny Midwestern town, so whenever she makes her way to the bustling metropolis of Seattle, she likes to visit her favorite shops throughout the city. So it was that I found myself happily browsing in the shoe section at Nordstrom Rack today (again) when I heard a small child exclaim, "Look mom! It's Mary Poppins!" I wasn't even aware he was talking about me until I glanced over and saw him pointing in my general direction. I did that thing you do when you notice someone looking and/or pointing at you: I glanced surreptitiously over each shoulder to make sure there wasn't anyone else around about whom he could be talking. To be honest, I was flattered. Mary Poppins was, is, and always will be absolutely adorable. As soon as I got home, I made the unfortunate decision to tell Mr. CP about the little boy, and he's been humming "Supercalifragilisticexpialidocious" (shoot me now for having to type that) every time I walk into the room.

The final picture above was a bit of an experiment. Mr. CP wanted to see if he could get a shot of the dandelion seeds. He couldn't. Not really. The last photograph above is the best of about 50 shots. Turns out it's much more difficult to get a shot of dandelion seeds gently drifting through the air than one might initially think. By the end of all the shots, I was winded from huffing and puffing at so many of the damn things.

On a side note, for whatever reason, this skirt always appears blue in photos. In actuality, it's black. 

Autumn Has Arrived!

Dress: Target

Cardigan: August Silk (via Nordstrom Rack)

Tights: Hue (via Macy's)

Boots: Fitzwell (via 6pm.com)

Bracelet: Fossil (via Ross)

Sweater Clip: DIY

Brooch: Nordstrom Rack

Head band: H&M

I think I mentioned this in a previous post, but I'm heading to Charlotte, North Carolina at the beginning of next month for a wedding that will feature, among other things, the colors black and red, and coffins. The politics of dressing for weddings always stresses me out. What's too casual? How fancy is too fancy? Will I end up looking out of place? I'm quite high strung that way. I had initially planned on wearing something suitably autumnal, but when I heard about the theme of the wedding, I figured that mustard colored anything was probably out. So I settled on a different outfit to wear. That's about the time I received further word that, in addition to avoiding the colors black and red altogether, guests are expected to wear elegant evening attire. Not only had I decided upon something that was predominantly black with accents of red (what are the odds?), it was also in no way suitable for an occasion that calls for "elegant evening attire." In fact, I have absolutely nothing suitable in my closet. So, using my limited totally awesome and completely impressive Google-fu skills, I figured out what elegant evening attire is, and dutifully started researching potential clothing items. To be honest, even after my research, "elegant evening attire" still seems like a fairly broad category. There are any number of different interpretations as to what that may mean. I'm going with evening gown, knee-length or longer, with fancier accessories. Which reminds me: they've also requested that guests wear "spooky accessories." I still have no idea how I'm going to pair spooky accessories with the fancy-pants dresses I have my eye on, so I suspect I'll be getting creative over the next few weeks in an attempt to create spooky, but still classy and situation-appropriate accessories. 

A note about the outfit: the cardigan is actually a lovely cinnamon color. The last two pictures show the color off better than the others. For whatever reason, the cardigan appears vaguely pink in the first few photos.

Floral and Elephants and Mustard, Oh My!

 

Please excuse the awkward proportions. I think I was standing on a slight hill, so I look ever so slightly like a hobbit.

Stop it! You're making me laugh!

 

Smirking just seemed like a good idea at the time.

Top: Old Navy

Cardigan: Nordstrom

Skirt: Coldwater Creek (you can find a similar one here)

Tights: Macy's

Shoes: Thrifted (brand spankin' new for $1.20!)

Head band: H&M

Sweater clip: DIY

Brooch: DIY

Earrings: Vintage (they're tiny elephants!)

As promised in my last OOTD post, I decided to go ahead and show off one of my colorful new purchases. I absolutely love this floral top. It initially had a bow in the back that sat between my shoulder blades, but I removed it. I don't mind bows on the lower back or on the front of my blouses, but inexplicable ties in the vicinity of the shoulder blades just confuse me. Why are they there? What's their purpose? What's my purpose? Who am I? Before long, I'm in the throes of an existential crisis, and find myself gasping for breath with a bag fixed over my face. So I figured I'd just hack the bow off and save myself the philosophical stress.

Perhaps one of you can help me with this. I love tucking my shirts into whatever bottom I happen to be wearing when the occasion or outfit calls for it, but how in the name of all that is holy do you keep the top from, well, poofing? My shirts always poof out and end up looking decidedly 1983 (I hate myself a little for saying that...) I thought a belt might help, but ultimately decided against wearing one, figuring that it probably wouldn't solve the problem. Have you discovered any remedies to the unfortunate poof?

... 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!