Snippity Snip

Off it went! I did the semi spontaneous (okay, with 4 days of back and forth) thing and cut off my hair. If you remember my hair stories, it is not that unusual for me to just "drastically" do something to my hair. I'm excited for all the cute short hair styles to try out! At least it won't be another messy bun like it was with my long hair!

Blouse: Forever 21 (similar in peach at JCP)
Jeans: Urban Outfitters
Belt: The Limited (similar)
Necklace: Tiffany & Co. (similar)
Shoes: Simply Vera Vera Wang (similar)



And  a little bit of office colorblocking....

To Chop or Not to Chop

I love having long hair...when it looks good. I think I have an idealized idea of what long hair looks like and it looks like every long haired picture on Pinterest - long, full, wavy, beautiful.

Reality: my hair does not look like that. It doesn't hold curl, it gets frizzy and it is spent in a bun 95% of the time. What's the point?

Its time for a chop. Shout out to Sandra for the inspiration.

KFC

Craig was the first friend I made in college. We were both trying out for the UW Marching Band and lived in the same dorm. He helped me my math homework, I eventually helped him find his future wife...

I introduced Craig to Kayla that fall, and they have been inseparable ever since. They got engaged in front of 70,000 people 2 years ago, and got married yesterday! I'm so happy for them and lucky that I got to be a small part of it :)

Dress: Banana Republic
Shoes:  BCBGeneration
Necklace: Forever 21 (similar)
Bracelet: Banana Republic (similar)






Best part of that dress is that it was originally $130, but was magically on sale for $75 the next time I was in the store, plus I had a $45 gift card, so it cost me $30 out of pocket!

 K(ayla) F(ran) C(raig) : 2006

KFC: 2012

I Feel Love

This is a mash-up of these two pictures. We're going to the wedding of a couple I set up 6 years ago (matchmaker!) so I wanted something sparkly and cute.

Base: Sally Hansen Shall We Dance?
Heart: OPI My Throne for a Cranberry Scone
Glitter: loose glitter from a craft store applied with a paint brush

Linking up with Mani Monday - go see what the other ladies have been doing to their nails!

Thinking Outside of the (Shoe) Box

If you read my answers on Whitney's Women Who Work feature, you will have noticed that I'm pretty limited to what I can wear to work. I have to wear pants and closed toed, flat shoes. Since I can't wear cute sandals/heels/wedges, I've been on the lookout for new styles of flats.

I used to wear Sperrys with just about everything while in school (even in the winter, not on a boat). Once I started working I wore my black ballet flats so much that they have holes in the sole.

Not cute. 

I've been trying to branch out to get out of my shoe rut. These penny loafers were purchased a few months ago - they are so soft! Since then I've also purchased leopard smoking loafers and am hoping to purchase these blue oxfords in the near future.

Are you lucky enough that you can wear any shoe you want every day, or are you limited like I am?

Chambray: Old Navy
Jeans: Gap Outlet (similar)
Belt: Forever 21 (similar)
Shoes: Crown Vintage via DSW (similar)
Bracelet: vacation find (similar)

Beauty Boxes: The Pretty and the Ugly

I'm on my 3rd month of receiving a Birchbox. Every month I get so excited when I get the "Your Birchbox has shipped" email, and every month I'm disappointed with the box. Its not that its any fault of Birchbox - they are offering a fun little present in your mailbox every month for $10, but I always wish I had more control over what I was receiving. So I've decided that I'm going to cancel my Birchbox subscription - they are great, but not for me.

I recently found out about Julep Maven. They are also a monthly beauty box, but instead of samples, they send you full sized nail polishes. The polishes are all "4-free" and get great reviews. My favorite part of the service is that not only do you get to see what your box contains each month ahead of time, you have the option to opt out if you don't want to pay for it. The price is a little steeper ($20 instead of $10) but you have control over what you pay for.

I just signed up for my first box - American Beauty - my first box is only $0.01! If you're willing to take the plunge, you can sign up here and use the code MAVENINTRO to also get your first box for a pretty penny. 


How do you feel about all of these "beauty box" services? Would you rather be surprised each month (like Birchbox and Glossybox) or have control (like Julep Maven)?

Women Who Work: Whitney (and Me!)

When I first started my blog, I knew all the things that were working against me - my job really limits what I can wear, I live in a smaller city, and I have a small budget to work with. I was contacted by Whitney over at Along the Lines of Style to be featured in her weekly Women Who Work column, and I'm so glad she did because I fell in love with her blog. She is in a similar situation I am (job dictates what she wears, smaller budget) but she wears the cutest outfits. I seriously want to steal all of skirts. Since I'm being featured this week (Thanks again Whitney!), I wanted to feature her back! Make sure you visit her blog and follow along!

1.      

      What is your job? 

I teach Middle School Social Studies and coach the Middle School cheer squad. My job requires that I take on all kinds of roles. In my classroom alone, I’m the CEO, mentor, cheerleader, therapist, lecturer, researcher, creative director, head of marketing and finance, party planner, organizer, actress, presenter, scheduler, tech department, supplier, human resources department, communications specialist, and counselor. On occasion, I’m a singer and dancer, but I will spare you those visuals.

 

      Do you have a dress code? How does that define how you dress to work? 

The school where I work has a fairly formal dress code. The men are required to wear ties and shirts with collars. Women have a little less restriction (it’s a little harder to “pin down” an equivalent to ties and dress shirts), but we are required to dress nicely. This means no jeans, sweatshirts, or flip flops.

 

      What challenges do you face (from your job) in terms of style?

Teachers are expected to dress appropriately and professionally, but also have the challenge of dressing comfortably. Also, teachers aren’t making bank, so they have a budget to consider. I think that all of these factors cause many teachers to fall into what has best been described as the teacher frump. You know what I’m talking about—we’ve all had those teachers. When I became a teacher, I made a vow to neverfall victim to those awful vests, ill-fitting-high-rise linen pants, and orthotics sandals. I promised myself that I would work hard to reflect my individual style, no matter how tempting the grandma chic trend became.

     What are your closet staples?

• Skirts! They are so versatile and I wear them year ‘round. A-Line skirts are so comfortable—and I can easily transition from walking around my classroom all day to sitting for hours at a basketball tournament. Pencil skirts are the very definition of classy professional—and they are easy to dress down or dress up.
• Tank tops/dressy tanks. These are definite musts for any teacher. I wear my tanks in every season—they work well with skirts, dress pants, jeans, and shorts. In cooler weather, all you have to do is throw on
•  Cardigans. I’m a self-declared cardigan-aholic. For real. Toss one over a dress shirt, tank top, or even a dress and voilaoutfit!
•   Bold Jewelry. I am a firm believer that jewelry can completely change the look of an outfit. I have been slightly obsessed with my bubble necklaces I bought on eBay, but my collection of statement jewelry has grown quite a bit since I became a teacher.

There you have it! Thank you, Franziska, for having me on your blog!