heart-printed shorts

Wearing: thrifted cardigan, top, & shorts; gifted tights & shoes; belt & bag from friend's goodwill pile; Down and Out Chic earrings and hair pins

If there is ever an appropriate occasion to wear heart-printed shorts I'd say it's Valentine's day!  I wore this look to go on some errands this weekend with Chris.  Needless to say in the 40 degree weather, I got many looks on my short shorts and tights, but it really wasn't that cold! 

What are you all doing for Valentine's day?  Chris and I are making a delicious pasta and caprese salad at home along with some wine and chocolate covered strawberries!  Then we'll probably settle in for our favorite movie, Amelie. 

weekly workfits no. 4

1. very old hand-me-down HM top, thrifted skirt, gifted shoes
2. Bonlook glasses, thrifted top and jeans, gifted shoes
3. thrifted Market top, thrifted jeans and wedges
4.  Michael Starts top, thrifted sweater and jeans, gifted shoes

So I know this isn't completely better from last week's style rut but I did make some improvements!  Not so much black, a patterned skirt, stripes, red shoes...it's a step in the right direction.  I'm excited to continue leaking bits of my personal style into my work wardrobe.

I really liked what Viktoria of Viktoria with a K said last week about how she deals with being creative in her workplace as a teacher: 

"I think if you wear what you want to wear (and still look professional) NO one will judge you. While you will probably stand out, it will become your "thing" if that makes sense."

I guess the longer I am at my current workplace I can settle in and people will learn that dressing with some style is "my thing".  I don't know if software and mechanical engineers will ever really appreciate it, but hopefully they won't be so surprised by my sartorial choices as time goes on!

Heidi, a care coordinator, from Literate and Stylish gave me some advice: (Check out her blog for fabulous work outfit ideas!)

" ...I'm still not on board with colored tights and I've gotten away from wearing boots a lot to work so I still come across professional."

  

 I think it is very important to set some ground rules for what clothing options should remain weekend wear.  I know I won't be donning any shorts or mini skirts to work, and I won't be my bravest with pattern-mixing or bright tights either.  Plus this will make it more exciting to pull those things out to wear on the weekends!

Thanks for the tips ladies!  We'll see how this next week goes, I'm thinking PINK for Valentine's day!  

valentine's day ombre nail tutorial

Yesterday evening I was inspired to do something creative with my nails.  I've never strayed from solid colors and the occasional french manicure but as I searched the web for unique and pretty nail ideas I found this trend in a Seventeen article (tip #9). Instead of the suggested violet colors, I opted for my trusty butterLondon Macbeth shade seen in this post.

Although I didn't originally intend the look to be Valentine's appropriate, when I took the above picture I realized I had to share a tutorial.  Below is my second go-round of creating an ombre effect and I'll admit I am in love with the look and can't wait to go through my polish collection and try different colors! 

This effect doesn't take much longer than a regular manicure, but you do need to have a little jar handy for mixing the polish.  See the detailed steps below and please share if you decide to try it!

I think this effect worked so well because all my products where from the same brand.  I didn't fear what would happen when I mixed the clear polish with the color.  But feel free to use what you have on hand.

You obviously want to start with clean, trimmed, filed nails.

I love butter London foundation!  This truly creates a flawless start for your manicure.

*I tried to take photos of the mixture but it didn't come out focused!

Pour some clear polish into your small container, a little goes a long way.  Add 2-3 drops of your selected color.  Apply this to your entire nail for the lightest sheer color.  I also think I'll use this trick in the future for a very pale take on a bright polish.

For the second tier, dip your brush back into your selected color and mix with what you already have in the container.  This will create a slightly darker shade for you to use on half of your nail bed.

You really have two options for the tips.  You can either repeat the previous step (dip brush into color and mix) or you can apply straight from the bottle.  Obviously using the color from the bottle will create a more dramatic effect.  Choose whichever you're comfortable with and apply to 1/4 of the nail, just the tips.

The topcoat is essential because it blends the lines of each tier for a gradual effect!  Don't skip this!

Ta-da!  Now you have a beautiful ombre nail manicure!  Wear your favorite ring and go find someone's hand to hold!

dressed up for the weekend

Wearing: gifted jacket and flats, thrifted dress, belt from friend's goodwill pile, B.ella tights via Horseshoe, Ballard, Seattle, and Colombian ring

Lately I've been gravitating towards wearing dresses or skirts on the weekend because I feel like I don't have much of an opportunity to wear them at work.  In my last post I mentioned my recent difficulties in meshing my personal style with my very casual/engineering/male-dominated workplace. 

In the next couple weeks I'm going to slowly start channeling more of my style in my work wear because I really have nothing to fear.  I may get some glances or questions but wearing what I like is not going to hurt my credibility or performance.  In face a happier more productive employee is never a bad thing!  Based on my recent performance evaluation I also have the guts to settle in more because I got some great feedback, I have nothing to fear or prove after working full-time for two months!  

So you best hold me accountable okay?  The next weekly workfits is going to involve some prints, skirts, and bold colors or else!

weekly workfits no. 3

1. thrifted cashmere cardigan, AA top, thrifted jeans, snow boots
2. Bonlook glasses, thrifted cardigan and jeans, gifted boots
3. gifted jacket, thrifted top, jeans, and wedges
4. thrifted cardigan, jeans, and flats, ModCloth tank
5. thrifted top and jeans, gifted flats
6.  Bonlook glasses, thrifted cardigan, tank, and jeans, gifted flats

Here's a compilation of some looks from the past two weeks.  One thing I've noticed is that I'm obviously stuck in a black+cardi+jeans clothing rut!  Well that's not entirely true I did wear a skirt and bright orange cardigan on a couple days...and didn't photograph it! 

I found it so much easier to not care what my peers thought when I was a student, but it seems like all the rules change once you work full-time.  What will people think, will I be judged, will it hurt my credibility/professionalism?  All these questions go through my mind in the morning instead of asking myself what I really want to wear!  

I think I'll have to challenge myself to wear my skirts and more colors in the next couple weeks.  It is just so difficult to do that when I know my coworkers (mainly male engineers) go to work in jeans and t-shirts.  A few of the women at my office will wear some more stylish pieces but they still tend to be lacking much color or patterns.  Maybe I need to step out of my comfort zone and stand out a little more.

You'll have to hold me to this promise in the next installment of "weekly workfits"!

marca shoes: handcrafted seattle shoe brand

wearing: Bonlook glasses; ModCloth tank; thrifted cardigan and skirt; gifted bracelet and tights; Marca shoes

This was a quick and comfortable outfit for a trip to our local Goodwill to donate 4 bags of clothing and shoes!  It felt so good to get rid of the excess that was just sitting unloved in our closet.  The best part of getting rid of things is making room for the pieces that you genuinely love, like my new shoes!

 

Last year I discovered Marca shoes at the Seattle THREAD show.  I blogged about my discovery of these amazing handmade shoes back in this post, but I realized I have never blogged an outfit wearing them!  This is ridiculous since I've been sporting them quite frequently these last few months.

Marca is a brand based in Seattle by mother-daughter team Martha and Catherina.  The shoes are manufactured by a small group of Colombian shoe-makers.  I love that by wearing these shoes I can not only support a local family brand of innovators and talented designers, but I know that these shoes were handmade with the utmost care by my own countrymen and women!  

Marca is still a small business but they will soon be unrolling their new spring line and I highly recommend that you pick yourself up a pair of these well-made, comfortable, stylish, and unique shoes.  I'll be following up with when the designs come out and how you can purchase some, for now you might be able to snag some on Smashing Darling (but I'd contact them first to see if they still have inventory.)  Speaking of, Smashing Darling is quickly becoming a favorite online shopping site because it's filled with indie and eco fashion!

*This is in NO way a sponsored post!  I just love these ladies, their vision, and the gorgeous ethical products they create!