It's 30 for 30 time, baby!

I think you probably all know the drill for this 30 for 30 thing, so let's skip the part where I question my decision to participate and the clothes I chose to include, and get this show on the road.

The line-up:

And that equals 30. 

So here we go...

Yours truly, 

-S.

Mustard, Purple, and Tiny Little Flowers.

I will preface my remarks by saying GOODBYE January! You are my least favorite month of the year. You are like, the Monday of the months and you are no good. See ya. Wouldn't want to be ya.

Thanks for listening. Now, onward.

Last night on our way to a little dessert party with friends my husband's car got a flat tire. Those kinds of things make me want to die, but luckily we called S and her hubs to come help rescue us. While the boys changed the tire, S and I sat in the warm heated car and discussed really important blog business, mainly, the highly anticipated 30 for 30 which begins tomorrow.

I'll say it: I am scared of it. I am no good with commitment. Especially when it comes to clothes. Sometimes in the middle of the day I will go home and change just because I feel like I didn't make the right choice. There is no way I can commit to choosing a wardrobe for 30 days. I'm afraid the challenge is beyond my fashion capabilities.

Therefore, S, the heroin of the pretty life blog, has courageously agreed to take one for the pretty life team and accept the challenge. She will represent her blog well. Plus, she's got cute clothes, so there's that.

Now, here is my little outfit I wore to try to bring some spring to Utah. {It didn't work. Like I said, January, you are the worst.}

 Cardigan: Old Navy $4.99, Blouse: H&M $11.99, Skirt: Kohls $5.99, Tights: F21 $3.99, Shoes: Forever Young $9.99

S calls these my Mary Poppins shoes and one of my professors told me it looked like I had jaundice when I wore these tights, so put the two together and I think we are in for some serious outfit success.

Happy Monday, and Happy HAPPY last day of January {you snowy punk}.

In the Dark of the Night.

The other night I couldn't fall asleep and I had the song "In the Dark of the Night" from the Anastasia cartoon movie {You know, the one with Dimitri? The hottest of all cartoon guys?} stuck in my head (SO weird), and I was getting all ticked off because I had a long day the next day and needed my rest. 

You know those nights... where no matter what you do, no matter which way you lay, no matter how hard you try to clear your head, you just cannot fall asleep. And hubs is fast asleep, and the house is making the freakiest noises, and you are positive that someone is downstairs. Then you start thinking of all the things you forgot to do that day, and consider getting up to do them, but are too scared because, well, what if there really is someone waiting to get you when you walk into the family room?

Worst. nights. ever.

But then around 2 am or whenever, your body realizes it does indeed need sleep and pulls a fast one and BAM... all of a sudden you are zonked, and a few short hours later you are pulled from REM and having to face the real world.  Booo...

In that situation, when you so badly want to throw the alarm clock across the room and go to school/work in your sweats/comfies, please don't do it. Instead, you need to get up, put on some of your finest threads, and fix yourself a big fat Diet Coke (or booster beverage of choice). Because what is better than knowing your outfit rocks, even if you got no sleep and feel like crap?

This is the outfit that got me through the day after my rough night:

{cardigan: Maurices, $20; shirt: Ross, $16.99; pants: Old Navy, $19; necklace: Claire's, $4; shoes: Target, $18.99}

W and I like to lovingly refer to these kinds of scenarios on these kinds of days as "Outifit Overcompensation" because it is amazing how much better you feel after a sleepless night, or on a day when you really should have washed your hair but did a slicked back bun instead, if you have on a fab outfit to pull you through. 

So, if the score from Anastasia is plaguing your nights too, rest assured {I guess, not really "rest" since, you know, this is about not resting, it's just a figure of speech...you get what I'm saying} that while you'll be experiencing a day of borderline exhaustion, there is always putting a pair of sassy heels with little bows, a fab statement necklace, or a great fitting pair of trousers to lift your tired spirits.

And if that doesn't work there is always retail therapy, caffeine, and Dairy Queen. Bless them.


-S.




And now onto the info you REALLY want... the giveaway winner!

Congratulations Jen!  Just send us an email with your address, and we will get that sent to you ASAP.  


Thank you everyone who entered!

Five Things Friday.

1. This little announcement that came out yesterday. FINALLY! I. am. so. excited.

2. These lovely gold coin necklaces from EmersonMade.



I would like the clover one for Valentines day. If you see my husband, let him know.

3. Il Postino. Have you seen it? It is the sweetest little Italian film. You should Netflix it NOW. You will fall in love with the music, the little Italian island, and with the story. Plus it's based on the poetry of Pablo Neruda who I am having a literature love affair with right now. Reading his books makes you feel beautiful. Especially this one:

4. The Mrs. O Blog. I would KILL for her closet and she remixes her clothes a lot which I love. This is one of my fav outfits of hers lately:

5. My weekend plans: Eat, sleep, cuddle, bake, read, repeat.


What are your 5 things?

-W.

PS. Giveaway closes tonight at Midnight! Get on it!

Mint Condition.

I can’t think of what to say today. I feel bad about this. I really mean it. It seems that all of my creative energy is being sucked out of me by homework, my archenemy.

As a result, let me apologize in advance for the fact that I am now going to talk to you about: my fingernails.

Buckle up.

You see, I am a recovering fingernail polish addict. It’s a real thing. You might be one too and not even know it. Indications you may have a problem include buying new polish every time you go to the store, feeling the need to change polish every night, and having 11 kinds of nearly the same shade of red in your polish collection. If any of these symptoms apply to you, you may need serious help and/or therapy. It won’t be easy. It takes a lot of hard work to reach the important realization that people with ugly nails deserve love too. But there is help.

However, if you think you might be a polish addict, I advise you as your polish recovery advocate, do not go any further on this post. Close your browser. Or click on over and see what Kristine is wearing today. Anything.


Go ahead
.
.
.
Get out of here!
.
.
.
Ok, I warned you…
.
.
.
Oh yes, it’s mint.

{Shop: Scarf, polish, bead-drop earrings, belt, necklace, bracelet, leaf earrings}

My current favorite nail polish/jewelry/accessory color. Mint polish looks so pretty on nails it isn’t even right. And mint jewelry is so yummy and fresh looking I want to marry it.

Necklace: Charlotte Russe 8.00, Top: Delias 7.99, Skirt: ROSS 8.99, Boots: F21 21.99

Yum. Doesn't the word mint just conjure up thoughts of deliciousness in your mind? Mint truffles, ice cream, hot chocolate...Almost makes you forget all about your nail polish, huh?

See fellow polish addict? Together with blog therapy, frozen treats, baked goods, and chocolate, recovery truly is possible. Stay strong.

-W.

{Giveaway closes tomorrow! Hurry fast!}

Now that is pretty...

{image}

I'm feeling a little uninspired on this dreary Wednesday so I'm going to take this lovely advice and get out from behind this desk/computer and do me some living.

Hope you can too.

{Of course, before you do,
make sure you enter our giveaway,}

-W.

Exercise-Smexercise.

I hate exercising. I know it needs to be done. I know its good for you. I know its one of the secrets to a long and healthy life.

But I just. don't. like it.

I'm the girl that counts walking around the store while shopping as her workout for the day. Pathetic. I know. Especially when I eat ice cream in place of or after dinner every single day. It's a real problem. 

But here's the thing. You know that rare occasion (at least in my case) when you find an outfit that makes you feel totally smokin' hot? That's the last thing that makes you feel like you need to work out.

When I saw this outfit in Guess's lookbook, I cooed. 

{Top: $59.00; Skirt: $44.00; Belt: $50.00; Shoes: $90.00}

It is bangin, right?  

I just so happened to have some very similar items to these, and re-did this goodness, and felt almost as foxy as the Guess model looked.

{Top: $16.99, Target; Skirt: $4.00, DI; Belt: free (came with a dress); Shoes: $21.99, ROSS}

And did you see the price difference? That's always a kicker. And worth celebrating.

I think I'll go eat some ice cream.

-S.

P.S. Did you enter our giveaway? The cutest scarf ever is up for grabs until Friday.

This one is about ruffles. And collages. And a GIVEAWAY! {Closed}

Lets get real. 
Doing a collage takes me a reeeally long time. I'm a novice. And I'm no good. Some bloggers are real breezy with their fancy collage posts and whip those suckers out like it's just whatever.

Me? I google. And I search. And I can't find any of the pretty things I am picturing. Or with a white background. And the colors aren't right. And I can't remember the link to that one sweater. And it stresses me. And then I want to throw my mouse. Far. And then I look at the clock and 3 hours have gone by and my collage isn't done. And neither is my work. You know, at my job. That I get paid to do. When instead I am blogging. Or collaging. And not well. And then I take a break for a while. And I have a diet coke. And this gives me strength to collage again. And then I google "ruffles." And this brings up lots of pictures of potato chips. And this pleases me. And then I remember how much I love ruffles. The potato chip. And the fashionable kind.

And then before I know it, the collage is finished. And it is ruffley, because if toiling over a collage of ruffles isn't worth it, then what in the world is?  

Shop:  1 ,  2,  3,  4 ,  5,  6,  7,  8,  9 ,  10,  11

Aren't they sweet? I love a little ruffle:

Top: Kohls $12.99, Cardigan: Target $9.99, Belt: F21 $3.99, Slacks: Ross $7.99,

Heels: Charlotte Russe 9.99, Bangles F21: $2.99

 And we love them so much that we have our first

little giveaway to celebrate our first week at this
little blog and it is, you guessed it, ruffley.

It's this fab Stella Scarf from Loletta Designs:

To enter, follow our blog and leave us a comment that you did.

AND for extra entries:

-Follow us on Twitter

-Tweet about our giveaway

-Add our blog to your blogroll

-Post about our giveaway on your blog

Make sure and leave us a comment about

what you do for extra entries!

Giveaway will be open until Friday, January 28th.

-W.

{linked}

Jaw-Clencher.

I have this problem called "I clench my jaw so hard at night and wake up in the morning with the worst jaw-ache and want to rip my head off." 

I guess I'm incredibly high-strung or stressed. Or something like that.

But let me tell you something that is NOT stressful: taking inspiration from others for clothing (a.k.a. copying other people's genius ideas).  If you are like me, it gets exhausting thinking of new outfits all the time, so I decided to do a little re-making.

Here is the first attempt inspired by this darling Gap outfit, which is perfect for any casual day:

And here is my version:

Let's compare some prices just to top this off:

Gap version:

• Gap sweater: $49.50
• Gap long sleeve t-shirt: $29.50
• Gap belt: $24.50
• Gap jeans: $69.50 
• TOTAL: $173.00

My version:

• my sweater: $15.50, Gap Clearance
• my t-shirt: $5.00, H&M
• my belt: free (came with a dress)
• my jeans: $19.00, Old Navy
• TOTAL: $39.50

Uh, hello?!  That's a $133.50 difference, people! 

That's enough to cure my jaw-clenching for good.

-S.


p.s. Our blog has been alive for one whole week now with 20 faithful followers. 

Thanks so much for reading!

So you want people to notice you, do you?

I decided today in church that all you need to do to ramp up your attention-getting level is wear tights. Bright ones. Or patterned ones. Or textured ones.

Already tried it? Still not getting the attention you crave? Throw in some old people. Preferably ones that say things like "you kids with your interweb and portable phones...grumble grumble" or who think nude-'hose'-clad-legs are the foundation of a real proper lady. 

Then, once you have on said wild tights, just walk on by your old person and brace yourself as the aged fashion commentary ensues. You'll get gems like "Kids these days...", "I don't know what is so wrong with simple black," and "I'm sure her Mother is just as worried as we are."

You will be positively showered with attention. The old people will wonder if there is any hope for you, but they figure at least you are at church so maybe your soul isn't lost. And your need-for-attention reservoir will be filled with more unwanted attention than your little heart could ever desire. 

Want to see the tights that got the sweet seniors at church all in a frenzy? 

These seemingly harmless argyles:

Blouse: F21 $7.99, Sweater: Kohls $14.99, Skirt: Wet Seal 10.99, Tights: Walmart $3.99, Shoes: Old Navy $5.99

Once you get home you will need to recover from attention overload. I recommend taking a long afternoon nap, followed by watching "Stranger than Fiction" and snuggling with your lover, while eating popcorn + hot chocolate.

-W.

Five Things Friday

Here's a little treat for you {and for us}.

This is our introduction to Five Things Friday;
a weekly post where we share five things we love love love.  

And here are this week's.

1. Pandora- Sometimes I think it knows me better than I know myself.

2. Nude heels- Could their legs look any longer? AND they go with any color. Bonus.

3. This song and music video.  Watch it.  You will not regret it.

4. Girl Scout Cookie ordering time. I could not be happier that the time has come.

5. Outfits that are easy to throw on/easy to put together/super comfortable, and still totally cute, like this denim dress:

Please feel free to share your five things.  We would LOVE it.

-S.

Now that is pretty...

So swept away by this gem by Edward Hirsch

read this morning in class. It is genius.

oh, give me a break.

There's this girl in my classes that gets mad at me for my clothes every day. We're not talking mad like you're-not-following-dress-code mad, but a different mad. This is how it goes:

Girl: S let me see what you are wearing? 
I stand up or take off my coat to let girl see my outfit.
Girl: Ugh!!! S!!! (she yells)
Me: ... ya?
Girl then does some sort of eye-rolling/dismissive gesture so I will leave her presence.

So here's what I am guessing is going on: A) she thinks my clothes are ugly (of course I really don't care), B) she thinks my clothes are just weird and entertaining (again, don't care), or C) she is totally jealous that I can find some pretty rockin' items of clothing for mere pocket change, and that is what she is "ugh"-ing about.

Let's go with that one.

Here are a few more of those cheap cheap cheap pretty outfits based on the one and only gingham shirt, which is EVERYWHERE right now, and as a matter of fact, is sold at Anthropologie for $78.00 (we got ours for $4.79 at Old Navy). 

{blazer- DI $8; belt- Kohls free-ish (came with $4 clearance pants); pants- Aeropostale $10; shoes- ROSS $9.99 in 2005}

{sweater-F21 18.99; belt-Kohls $2.99 ; jeans-Old Navy 7.99 ; boots-F21 21.99}

{blazer- DI $8; skirt- DI $4; shoes- ROSS $9.99 in 2005}

Now, I don't think these prices are anything to get mad about.  And if she wants me to teach her how its done, all she has to do is ask. I'd be glad to help. 

-S.

You're So Vain.

I will make a confession now.

At my work I've got 2 big computer monitors. Yes, I know, you are all astounded by my fanciness, but that isn't the confession. You see, when they are turned off you can see your reflection pretty well, and sometimes, when I look frazzled or need a make-up touch up, or a hair fluff I turn the monitors off and, you know, primp.

I am shameless. You may judge.

So, this setup was going pretty well until one day I was meticulously re-applying some lipstick and my boss came strolling by and sees me staring at myself in my darkened computer monitor like some kind of egotistic weirdo who enjoys taking a break at work not to get a drink, or visit the vending machines, but to look at oneself. It was awkward. And what made it even worse was we made eye contact for like 3 seconds but he didn't utter a word, he just kept walking. It would have been fine had he said something like, "So, you turn your computer off and look at yourself, huh? That's weird." But no, just palpable silence and a brisk walk away from the strange computer/mirror girl.

So now I only do it when there is a really good reason to, like if I just came in from a rainstorm or, in today's case, if I have on a really cute statement necklace and I want to keep reminding myself how cute it is {like I said, shameless}.

So that, my friends, is my e-narcissism confession for today. Please feel free to diclose your revelations of vanity in your comments. This is a safe place.

And, speaking of statement necklaces, these chain-link beauties have S and I all hot and bothered these days:

1. Alexis Bittar 'Ivory Coast' Clustered Link Necklace $545
2. F21 A Bold Catch Necklace $10.80
3. Target Jute String Necklace $19.99
4. Louis Vuitton Floral Detail Chain Necklace $1265
5. Lanvin Braided Chain Necklace $1660
6. ABS Allen Schwartz Woven Link Bracelet $129

I. Love. Them. All.

Can you believe people will buy necklaces for over $1000? Wild! Me? I prefer spending $3.99 on mine from a clearance rack at Claires and using the other $996.01 for things like food, more clothes, etc.  

But really, I got mine for $3.99 on a clearance rack at Claires. And here she is:

Necklace Claires $3.99, Sweater $10.99 F21, Belt $2.99 F21, Pants 12.99 F21, Boots $21.99 F21

$3.99 and I'm not yanking your chain!

 Get it? Chain?

I've been dying to say that since I bought the necklace.

Thanks for your patience. 

-W. 

Sweat It Out.

I looooove to wear sweats.

If I could do homework/housework/schoolwork as fast as I can get into my sweats at the end of the day I would really be getting somewhere. I don't care if they are ill-fitting, fraying, say things like "juicy" on the butt etc. Sweats are about comfort, people. When I put them on its like a big hug, and they make me want to hug too, which husbands sure like, so it's win-win.
 
Here's the thing I don't like about sweats: Seeing them walking past me on a grown woman at the grocery store, or on the girl sitting next to me in class {I saw BOTH today}. This stresses me.

It makes me want to shake said shopper or student and say things like, "Hey girl! Those sweats look real comfy, sure, but you are over 20 and this is the place dressed people come! Respect yourself, won't you! Get dressed! Get dreeeeeeeeessssed!"
People would look at me as I yelled, they would judge, but in the end, I would be doing the girl and everyone else a service, because really, it is just as easy and comfy to throw on a cute dress-boots-leggings combo, and you wouldn't look like you should be sitting at the breakfast table eating a bowl of chex with General Hospital playing in the background. Feel me?

One such dress might be this adorable little houndstooth number by Kate Spade for $395. $395 is really not that much less than what I pay for rent every month, so thank heavens for ROSS so I can have a place to live and fulfill my Kate Spade dreams in a small way.

Dress $16.99 ROSS, Boots $21.99 GoJane.com

-W.

exhibit A

So, here's the deal... W and I both have major shopping problems.  We're talking, if there's only $9.99 left in our bank account, we will head right on over to ROSS because that's enough to get a shirt. 

This could be a major dilemma, especially since we are both poor and married boys who are tight-wads. 

The good news is we are good shoppers; REALLY good shoppers, with max spending limits of $25 per item, and even that price is a struggle.  So tell me how my sweet frugal husband can get upset with me when I come home with an outfit that cost $18 total, or three pairs of jeans for me + three shirts for him for $34.91.  Its just not possible. Problem solved.

We have decided that it's time we share our gift.  With you. 

Exhibit A: the striped nautical shirt 

Found here for $65.00, purchased by yours truly for $3.99, and styled just so...

{skirt- F21, 10.99; cardigan- Old Navy, 9.99; shoes- Steve Madden@Ross, 8.99; necklace- Charlotte Russe, 3.99}

{blazer- Ross/Gift, 24.99/Free; gray jeans- Aeropostale, 10.00; belt- TJ Maxx, 8.99; boots- PacSun, 13.99}

And that's that.  Thoughts?

-S.

The Inaugural Post.

I am feeling real nervous about what to say, on this, the first post of mine and S's blog. It's a lot of pressure you know?

Like a first impression on the first day of school or something. We don't want to be the girls that, after meeting us, you turn around, tell your friends you thought our foundation didn't match our neck, and hope you never bump into us again.

We want you to like us! Like us, won't you??

So, I thought about what outfit to post, or what pretty thing to start off with, and then S and I were simultaneously watching Ellen on TV while MSN-ing each other, and this handsome man came on singing this lovely song and we were both drooling over the whole thing and I thought to myself, "hey, I should post that on the blog" because you can't not love it, which I hope will be a recurring theme on this blog.

So, what I'm trying to say is watch this and let it make you happy:

Aaaaamazing right? I thought you would like it.

Phew. Post #1 complete. 

Only good places to go from here!

-W.