Sunday Best: Better Shape Up

dress: DownEast, sweater: Buckle, tights: vintage, boots: Old Navy, hat: Bella Me, necklace: Old Navy

You know you better shape up, because tomorrow is the first day of December. That means Santa Claus is coming to town. You don't want to be on the naughty list, do you?

In all reality, I chose my title because I've been on this kick of adding basic geometric shapes to my outfits (although, I'm stoked out of my mind for Saint Nick). So I was super excited when I snagged this necklace along with triangle earrings at the Old Navy Black Friday Sale. That's about all the shopping I could handle on Black Friday . . . and that was at 6 pm. Yep, not much of a Black Friday shopper here because: 

A) I hate big crowds of people crammed in small areas. 

B) I'm basically useless after midnight. A girl needs her beauty sleep. 

C) I shop deals all year long. Why go on the day that everyone else does?

Well, it's time to go decorate our Christmas tree and deck our halls. It's tradition the Sunday after Thanksgiving . . . at least around these parts. I know some of you have had your tree up since Halloween ;). I won't judge you. I'll probably leave mine up past Valentine's Day. I constantly live in denial.   

Sunday Best: Fancy Pajamas

jacket: Forever 21, top: Violet Hill Boutique, pants: Bella Me, sandals: Target, necklace: Nordstrom

My husband did not approve of me buying these pants. I came out of the dressing room wearing a smile and the pants, and what did BWell say?

"They look kinda like fancy pajamas."

I don't see how that's a bad thing though. I wish I could wear fancy pajamas all the days.

Shout out to moms and women everywhere on this fine Mother's Day. I'm so grateful for the gals in my life who have been nurturers, supporters, givers of light, and positive influences. There are so many of you. I am especially grateful for my own mother, a lady who I'm happy to say has always been one of my very best friends. We as women have so much power to bring beauty and goodness into the world. I thank all women who have been living examples of that for me.

Best friends since 1990. Love you, Mom.  

Sunday Best: Warrior

dress: Head Over Heels, vest: JC Penney, necklaces: Smith's & Forever 21  

Since it's still Sunday for a bit longer, I thought I would post some pictures of an outfit I wore earlier this week. I scored this vest recently for $10. The night after I bought it, I was on the phone with my mom and told her I went shopping. She asked what I bought and when my answer was, "a camouflage vest with jewels on it", I was a little concerned for my well-being. Sure, it sounds ridiculous but it feels awesome.

I honestly put it on and feel like I need to be in a dramatic 80s music video of "Love is a Battlefield". I put it on and think, "I am a warrior. I will own this day."

Also, I wasn't kidding about living in an 80s music video. My hair lately . . .
 

Sunday Best: Zombies

vest: Smith's, blouse: Old Navy, pants: JC Penny, boots: Ross, necklace: Smith's 

I braved the crowds on Black Friday. Well, sorta. To be honest, I've just never been a fan of Black Friday. Standing in the cold surrounded by maniacs all night just doesn't sound too fun to me. I get anxiety when in big crowds anyhow. However, my mom was a party animal and went out all night with her gal pals. She managed to talk me into getting up at 5:30 to meet them at JC Penny. My mom and I mostly just stood around and watched people battle it out for shoes. Then I found the pair of pants above and decided it'd be a good idea to stand in line for two hours to buy them. They are cute though and extra comfy. From all of this, I concluded that when the world ends, I'm just gonna get a gun. And kill my food. I'll steer clear of all stores. 

After encountering all the shopping crazies, I went home and put my new pants on, along with bright pink lipstick. And I guess the shopping frenzy got me in the mood for a zombie apocalypse because I then spent the afternoon playing Left 4 Dead with Brian and his friends. For all of you who are unaware, Left 4 Dead is a video game where you basically kill tons of zombies to stay alive. I'm really not on the whole "zombie apocalypse" bandwagon, but playing Left 4 Dead is tons of fun. Almost as fun as sleeping all night after Thanksgiving.  

Sunday Best: A Little Leg

head scarf: F21, t-shirt: Obey brand via Buckle, skirt: thrifted, wedges: Target, bracelet: farmers' market, earrings: Claire's 

I found this gem of a skirt hiding on a rack at the DI and I about passed it by. You see, it was paired with a hideous matching suit jacket.

But then I ran my hand over it a second time and thought, "You know, this skirt without the jacket might not be so bad." 

And then I saw the slit in the skirt and thought, "You know, that might just spice things up."

And then I bought it. For three whole whopping dollars.

And I wear it all the time. 

1. Because it goes with everything. 

2. It's comfy. 

And I love how surprising the slit is. I just want to stick my leg out from it all day e'ery day. Now I understand what Angelina Jolie's deal was. She just wanted to stick that leg out of that slit so dang bad and say, "Hey world, look at this slit in my dress! And check out my calf muscle too!" 

Can't say I blame her. 

Speaking of legs, my legs have been soaking in epsom salt baths over the past 24 hours. We ran a half marathon. We were way happy with the results, but I can't say my legs feel the same. But more on that later. 

Oh, and during this "photo op" my mom and aunt were present and mocked me. And I felt embarrassed so I tried covering my face . . . . 

And I also tried running away . . . .

And then I just acted awkward . . . .

So my aunt tried to show me how to pose correctly . . . . only she felt awkward too . . . .

So we just laughed. Good times.

Thrifting Machine

One man's junk is another man's treasure.

I found this to be extremely true, especially while thrift shopping for clothes.

I recently started reading a book called Green is the New Black. Some of it was slightly irritating (because I find the whole 'being green is in style so I am suddenly going to turn into an environment conscious person cuz it's cool' thing slightly irritating). However, there are many helpful tips in the book for using sustainability in your dress, which I am a fan of. I love getting clothes for cheap and I also love keeping certain articles of clothes long enough that they are back in style after the passing of a few years.

So in all my thriftiness, I decided to take a day and go shopping at good ol' Deseret Industries with some of my gal friends. We had an awesome time! Happy to say, we all made some great purchases. I made way too many purchases however. We are talking I carried a mountain of clothes out of the place.

However, the whole mountain only cost me $30. At other stores, you can't even get a whole outfit for $30.

Check out my new treasures:

Treasure #1: Hippie Dress

 My lovely cousin, Megan, pulled this dress off a hanger and begged me to try it on. She shoved it into my arms exclaiming that it reminded her of my style. I looked at the long, ugly green thing and thought to myself, "So you're telling me you think my style sucks. ." However, I told her I would try it on and maybe get a laugh out of it.

Don't ever judge something before you try it on, because it can look completely different when on the body. This was the case with the hippie dress. I put it on and fell in love. I am crazy about the bead work and it fits me nicely too.

Treasure #2: My MoTab Dress 

 Don't pay attention to the fact that you can completely see through this dress. I'll fix that for when I go out in public. Brian despises this dress, which only makes me want to wear it more. He says it looks like I am in the Mormon Tabernacle Choir. Who knows, maybe it once was a part of the choir. That is the wonderful part about thrift shopping. Each article of clothing already had a past owner, which leaves a story attached to the clothing. It is glorious, really. I was excited about the color of this dress, the vintage buttons in the front, and the belt. I'm gonna make it cute. Just wait, it'll grow on BWell.

#3: Sweet Girly Dress

 This dress is absolutely adorable when paired with leggings, a cardigan, and boots. Shay Baybay found this dress and thought I might like it. She was quite right. Quite right indeed. It makes me feel young and vibrant. Like a little school girl. Yeah for jump roping and playing four square!

#4: Grandpa Shorts

 I am a fan of the grandpa shorts. They have a high waist plus they are bright blue. Where does a girl go wrong, really? I will confess, I will have to get used to the way this gem fits. But the grandpa shorts shall make a fun summer staple. After all, who doesn't want to look like an old person?  

I went ahead and combined #5 and #6 for your pleasure.

#5: I Ride Wild Mustangs Blouse

 I almost didn't buy this blouse, which would have been a great shame. After all, it was only $3.00. This shirt makes me feel like a hardcore cowgirl. It even has shoulder pads. [No, I'm not kidding]. You can bet you will see me sporting this at all the summertime rodeos.

#6: Aztec Zigzag Skirt

This skirt is sa-weet! I like the way it fits, the colors, the fun shapes. Boy, I am excited to wear this out. I just can't resist a fun and comfortable skirt.

So as you can see, I went a little thrift shopping crazy. At least I went thrift shopping crazy and not Urban Outfitters shopping crazy. Much more kind to the wallet.

Randee, Megan, and Shayla: We must have another DI shopping date again soon. Pretty, pretty please.

So readers, do not fear thrift shopping. You really can find some treasures. Just make sure to run them through the washer and all will be very well.



On Grades & Glamour

Today at work, the lady who drives the school bus exclaimed to me, "Well, you look cute. What's the special occasion?" There was no special occasion. I was in fact wearing a black pencil skirt and my silky burgundy top just because I could. My excuse was that I had a test earlier. I like to dress up for tests. I have a theory that dressing smart will make me feel smarter which will probably make me take tests better. Wearing sweats to take a test is just a horrible idea. Thus, I dressed for success. Oh, and I studied a little bit too. Let us see if it worked.

Not only do I use a test day as an excuse to dress up like a business executive, but I also use it as an excuse to shower myself with gifts. For some reason, after every test I take I have an itch to buy something. Sometimes that something is a new blouse. Other times it is something as simple as a candy bar. I usually welcome this itch to blow money, since it is rare for me to want to spend money and not be paranoid about it. Today after my test was no different. That same itch found me. And like all other times I welcomed it with open arms. Lucky for me, my lovely friend, Shayla also had the class with me. So I figured she needed some test therapy as well.

We started out with a treat. We walked a few blocks, enjoying the temporary nice weather to the local cupcake shop. I decided on a red velvet cupcake with cream cheese frosting. Cupcakes are a girl's best friend. Okay, let's get real, they are EVERY ONE'S best friend. Cupcakes are just popular and loved little things.

After cupcakes, we hit up Ross. In my book, it's the best place to go on a shopping spree because you can't feel too guilty since everything is cheap. I tried on a variety of things to make my body and spirit feel happy. Then I narrowed my purchases down to three things:

1. A mustard yellow dress. Perfect and magnificent color. Buttons. Collar. Belt. Happy dress that matches my bohemian style to the T.

2. Pants. Actual pants. I realized I don't really own a pair of pants. I have a pair of khakis and a pair of black dress pants. The black pants don't count, because everyone has black dress pants. These pants I purchased are a true mark of entering womanhood. I, my friends, am a classy, educated woman. Let it be known.

3. A top. Not just any top. A lovely, floral top. It is soft, sweet, girly and delicate. So delicate that I realized one of the belt loops is slightly ripped. Good thing my mama introduced me to the sewing machine. That'll be an easy fix. Piece of cake.

I still wish the mustard colored pants would have fit. They were a size one. I am not a size one. But I thought I'd just try. I got them on and zipped up but I am lucky the button didn't pop right off (and yes, I am obsessed with mustard yellow right now).

And I still want a leather jacket. All in good time, Kels. All in good time.

So all in all, it's been a great day. Yeah, maybe I failed a test but I did it while feeling glamorous.

Try it next time you have a test. Go out and buy yourself something nice. Surround yourself with fabulous things. Whether you are rewarding yourself for acing a test or comforting yourself because you failed, I could care less. You still rock.

Scooters, Tacos, and Flea Markets

Day 3. Monday.

Monday. A day of excitement. We woke up early to prepare for our departure from the ship. We had made it to our first stop. The beautiful Cabo San Lucas. It was strange to walk on deck and see land around us, since I had grown used to being surrounded by nothing but sky and water.

The time finally came for us to get on a ferry and head for land.

Reaching land resulted in being bombarded by Mexican folk, wanting us to give them business. We tried our best to walk past and ignore them as they shouted prices our way. There was one man who was very persistent with us though. He had a deal on a boat tour and snorkeling. When he announced his very reasonable price, we all stopped in our tracks. We had wanted to go snorkeling our second day in Cabo, so this seemed to be perfect. Lucky for us, Brian speaks fluent Spanish. He went to the man and started speaking to him in words we couldn't understand. After a moment, Brian turned to us and said that we had a deal with him to go snorkeling tomorrow. Brian then asked the man if he knew anyone that rented out scooters.

Lucky for us, again, the man had a friend that rented out scooters. So we followed him a couple blocks to his friend. Within minutes, the scooters were ours for five whole hours. I even got hooked up with a fancy helmet. Pink with a unicorn on the back. Riding the streets of Cabo in style.

I felt so free and cultured just roaming deep into the heart of Cabo. Away from the extreme tourist part of the city and into the authenticity of it. Rushing through traffic, my arms tight around Brian, as we passed colorful shops and smells of spicy food, I couldn't help thinking I was the luckiest girl.

Before finding some good flea markets, we hit up the beach.

After washing the sand from our feet, we hopped on our scooters and headed back into town. I picked up a great amount of souvenirs. Boy, do I love Mexican shopping! I started out not doing my own bartering. When I was in China Town in NYC a couple years back, I found out I was lacking in the bartering area. So for a while, Brian spoke in Spanish and got me some deals. After a while, I decided to stop being pathetic and try my own bartering. Turns out, I'm not half bad. Brian lost track of me (or I lost track of him) while bartering for some bracelets. Once the man wouldn't go down any lower, I just started walking away. Then he called out for me to not leave and gave me the deal I wanted. Brian showed up shortly after and the man told him,

"She's a tough customer."

Is it bad that I was proud of myself?

To say the least, I already miss the way you shop in Mexico. A lot. No more of this:

"Hey pretty lady! I offer you good deal! Twenty dollar. That a good price."

"Um, how about twelve dollars?"

"Fifteen."

"Twelve."

"K, k. Twelve dollar."

I picked up five bracelets and a gorgeous amber ring. Plus a Mexican Coke. . .which I enjoyed very much.

Before turning our scooters in and heading back to the ship, we made sure to eat some authentic Mexican food.

Best sweet pork taco I've ever had in my life. Sorry Cafe Rio, you were put to shame.

Wake Up in the Morning Feeling Like P-Diddy

This is possibly the most overused statement ever. And I have really grown to hate Kesha's song. Or I mean Ke$ha. My bad. Actually, I'm just not a big fan of her. She looks like she needs a bath and she doesn't even sing. What she does is talk-whining. She just talks lyrics in an obnoxious voice. However, this statement was true for me this morning. Well. . .kinda true. I woke up and became a wrapper. Not a rapper. That'd be cool though. A wrapper with a "W".


See for yourself:


Yep, I ripped out the tape and ribbon and got busy. I believe I am finally finished with my Christmas shopping.
In the process of all the shopping, I may or may not have bought myself a couple things too.
Sue me.


I deserved it. I've had a stressful week. So I bought myself a book. And I can't control that all of Al's Nike brand stuff was 50% off. I also can't control that there were Nike spandex in neon colors. How could I resist?

Tis the season of giving. Can't I give to myself a bit?