Like a Yo-Yo

So after giving it some thought, I'm officially closing down this blog. I think this is the third time I've decided to take a break or close down the blog, so I apologize for all my yo-yo blogging. The thing is that a number of events have transpired and while I'm still very much interested in clothes and still VERY much a J.Crew fan, I'm making a conscious effort to stop shopping (or at least severely limit it) to focus on other things.

In addition, while I've really enjoyed sharing my outfits with you, it's just become a burden. I'm frequently running late in the morning and have a lot on my plate at work, so it's hard to squeeze in updating my blog.

I've enjoyed "meeting" all of you immensely (especially those I've met in person!), and would love to keep in touch! I keep a personal blog for family and friends (no fashion, sorry, but yes to recipes!), so if you'd like to read that, drop me a line (jadorethesestores AT gmail DOT com) and I'll let you know where to find it! You can also find me on Twitter. Thanks to everyone who has followed me (especially followed me from the start!) - it's been great being involved in this community - and I'll still be around as a reader. :)

Friday, Sunday, Monday, Tuesday

Hello!  How was the weekend?  Mine was fairly busy - on Saturday we headed up to New Hampshire to the Richard Petty driving school, where we got to be a passenger in a NASCAR car - a pretty neat experience!  I spent the afternoon baking, and on Saturday night we headed out to our friend's birthday party.  We got to see a bunch of our friends, and had a really great time, except for one incident. 

One of our friends took public transportation to the party, and by the time things wound down, the buses/trains weren't running anymore...so he just assumed I was going to give him a ride home!  And the worst part was, he didn't even really ask, he just sort of said, "Oh, hey, you're going home this way, right?", which we really weren't, and then he really had no way to get home.  I was so irritated, especially because we had talked party transportation logistics previously, and he never brought up getting a ride home from me.  I wouldn't care so much except that this is not the first or second time he's done this to me.  On top of that, he didn't even really want to be at the party (kept reminding me that he was "making an appearance" because he was already going to be in the area, and kept letting me know how he was going to show up drunk).

But anyway, on Sunday we went to my parents' house for Father's Day dinner with my mom, dad, aunt, and grandparents.  It was a nice dinner, and I always like hanging out with my family.

So here are some outfits from the weekend/week.  First up is my outfit from Friday.  The skirt is new, and has a cute zipper fly with a button tab at the waistband, so it has a different look than regular side or back zip skirts.  I can't remember if the sweater is new though - I may have worn it before, but I'm not sure.  After work, I swapped the heels out for a pair of pink flip-flops.  I love the neutral colors with the bright pink of the sweater.

Skirt: Old Navy

Sweater: Gap (outlet)

Shoes: Jessica Simpson

This is what I wore to Father's Day dinner.  I actually wore this dress to Father's Day brunch a couple of years ago, but I honestly don't think I've worn it since.  I was planning on wearing another dress, but when I put it on, I saw it had a stain on it, so I went with this one.  The sweater is new-ish - I may have worn it once before, but I can't remember.

I'm wearing my cream colored flower flats - I'm totally loving these shoes!  They are a great neutral with a little something extra, and are great for casual or dressy outfits.  They are quickly becoming my go-to flat, and for only $8, you really can't beat that!

Dress: J.Crew (outlet)

Sweater: Old Navy

Shoes: Dexter for Payless

Here's what I wore to work yesterday.  The weather has been gorgeous lately, so I'm not really feeling pants, so I'm trying to do the dress/skirt thing for as long as I can.  The dress is new - I bought it last year or the year before, and I love the print!  I don't wear a lot of prints, but I think this one is fun enough but still not too crazy so I can wear it to the office.  I layered a cami underneath because it has a pretty deep V.  The color combination in the dress lends itself easily to a lot of different color options for a cardigan (I went with grey).

Dress: Banana Republic (outlet)

Sweater: Gap (outlet)

Cami: New York & Company

Shoes: Madeline

And lastly, here's what I'm wearing today.  Today's new thing is my shoes - I love these shoes!  When nude pumps become a big trend, I went on a hunt looking for the "perfect" pair, and I think these are it (for me, at least)!  I paired it with my bright floral skirt and a pink sweater.

Skirt: Liz Claiborne

Sweater: Gap (outlet)

Cuff: New York & Company

Shoes: Franco Sarto

I'm not sure if these shoes are leather, but they're at least faux-leather, and they have a nice, rounded toe with a small platform.  They are a solid, sturdy pair of heels, and I just love the neutral color and the little peek of red on the inside.  I read online reviews that said they were a little small, but I took my regular size, and when the first pair came, I actually ordered a second pair because I love them so much.  (And it's a good thing I did, because they haven't come back in stock!)

Tonight I'm SO excited because BF and I (and bad doggie) are going to see Toy Story 3 at a drive-in!!  I've never been to a drive-in before, and I'm super excited to go.  It's a double feature (Toy Story 3 and Prince of Persia), so hopefully I'll be able to stay awake for the whole thing. :)

Wednesday's Flowers and Fog

Good morning everyone!  Hope you're having a great Thursday - only one more day until the weekend!  Tonight BF and I are supposed to get dinner at Red Robin with my cousins, but my little cousin is sick, so our plans are a little up in the air.  I'm working at home today, so no outfit for today (unless you want to see my workout clothes and sweats), unless we end up going out, then I might take one.

Here's my outfit from yesterday.  I wore the Lorelei patterned dress from last summer - I got this dress in green, and briefly considered getting it in pink, too, but I got the dip-dye Lorelei in pink instead.  I paired it with a white sweater, and my cream-colored flower flats.  My new piece for the day is the necklace.  I'm not sure what it's called, but it's glass beads in a nice foggy color.  I bought it from Ashley (shout out to my Boston shopping girl!!) last spring, and have tried to find a good top to pair it with, and I think it works well with this outfit, because there's nothing fighting with the neckline.

Dress: J.Crew

Sweater: Gap (outlet)

Shoes: Dexter for Payless

Necklace: J.Crew

Tuesday Brights

So I have a confession to make: Monday's outfit didn't have anything new in it!  I didn't realize that until later, but in all fairness, I was supposed to wear a new skirt, but then there was the whole steamer issue.

But anyway, Tuesday's outfit was all new!  I snagged this dress of eBay last year some time.  I think it's called the Allison dress or something like that.  I wasn't really looking for it in particular, but was on an eBay buying spree, so picked it up.  I was surprised by how bright blue it is, but I think it's a great shade of blue.  I also love the length - it hits right above the knee, so a nice flattering length for a shorty like me. :)

Dress: J.Crew

Shoes: J.Crew

I paired the dress with the shoes that got me hooked on my eBay spree.  I think these are the Liza peep-toes, and I totally love the pattern.  I'm not normally an orange person, but I think they're so cute.  I gave myself a little pat on the back for pairing them with the bright blue dress...I'm a pretty conservative dresser and don't consider myself very stylish or fashion-forward, and this dress would normally just have me reaching for a pair of flats.  (And it paid off - a woman in the grocery store told me she loved my shoes!)

No outfit of the day pictures from today - BF had a small outpatient procedure done yesterday, so was lazing about in bed when I left.  I'll try to post it tonight, but if not, tomorrow.  Hope you all have a great day! :)

Programming Delay and FOR SALE!

Hello all!  Happy Tuesday...only one more day until we're halfway through the week, hooray!  I am really looking forward to the latter half of this week!  I am totally excited to share my outfit of the day with you...I love it, and have to say it's one of my favorites from recently.  The only problem is I left my card reader at home today, so while I have the picture, I can't get it onto my computer.  So this picture of my doggie will just have to do for now.

And speaking of dogs, and dachshunds in particular, please keep Kim's doggie Simon (from Anthroholic) in your thoughts!

I mentioned before that I'm trying to sell some of my clothes, and haven't had much luck yet.  I posted a couple times on the the JCA blog, and I've listed a few items on eBay, so I thought I'd try on my blog again! Here's the details:

• Shipping is $1 per item, unless otherwise noted.  Some items are heavy so will require more shipping; contact me for details.
• PayPal only.  No returns unless item is not as described.
• I'm open to best offers.
• I'm really trying to get rid of these clothes, so please make me an offer if you're interested in something!  
• I treat all of my clothes very nicely, and most of these clothes are worn once or twice, and some are NWOT and NWT. 

Thanks :)

Monday Navy Blues

Hello all!  Hope you had a great weekend!  On Saturday I attended a meetup where we got a private tour of a Jim Henson muppet exhibit, and then had a private puppeteering workshop.  Now, I'm a linguistics major, so I love language, and I especially love words, and how word choice can so drastically alter the meaning of something.  Such as "puppeteering workshop" vs. "condescending third grade art class".  I attended a private puppeteering workshop.  Too bad it was run by an art teacher who talked to a room full of (mostly 30 year old and up) adults like we were children.

We had to "find a face" in regular objects, and parade them around in front of everyone else, giving them a signature "walk".  One girl outright refused to participate (I should have done the same).  Then, we had to get in pairs and bring a plastic bag to life.  I almost walked out, honestly.  I'm not opposed to this kind of stuff - but it's not my thing.  And when I signed up for a private puppeteering workshop, I really thought it'd be more about the technical art of making puppets, and how they're constructed...not a bunch of tables strewn with homemade art supplies (empty yogurt containers, empty egg cartons, felt, old clothes, yarn, socks).  I did, however, make a really cute dragon puppet, whom we've named George.

After that, we met up with BF's family for a dinner celebration for his brother.  Dinner was okay, if not pretty boring.  I don't have the best relationship with BF's family (mostly his mother), so luckily it was a fairly quick dinner.  On Sunday I was pretty lazy and boring, but it was a nice and relaxing day.

Today I was back in the office.  I had initially planned to wear a different pencil skirt (the frosted jacquard pencil skirt), but while the steamer was heating up, it dripped all over the back of the skirt, and I didn't feel like waiting for it to dry, so I went with the eyelet skirt from last summer instead.  My shoes are a pretty close match to the color of the Frances cami, and I think they're a nice combination with the navy blue.

Skirt: J.Crew

Top: J.Crew

Sweater: Gap (outlet)

Shoes: Colin Stuart for Victoria's Secret

Pink scarf and pinker shoes for Friday

Good afternoon!  I am so glad it's Friday - I couldn't wait for this week to be over. BF and I are currently trying to figure if we want to go out tonight, and tomorrow morning I have am going to a meetup (does anyone else use meetup?).  We don't have plans on Sunday, so I'll probably just end up running errands and cleaning up around the house.

Today I'm just in the office, and I've kind of given up wearing dress clothes to work on Fridays.  When I was in a different department, I totally took advantage of casual Fridays, and wore jeans and even hoodies to work.  Then for awhile, I stopped, and only wore business casual clothes to work every day, 5 days a week.  I could go an entire day without seeing anyone at work, and certainly without seeing anyone I work with, so I decided to chill out a little and go a little more casual on Fridays now.

The scarf is the new piece for the day.  More about that later.  I went with a basic black knit turtleneck and my darker jeans (plus my favorite jeans are ripped at the bottom, so I wouldn't wear those to work anyway!).  I decided to wear a pair of pink patterned peep-toes to complement the pink in the scarf.

Jeans: Express

Sweater: Gap (Outlet)

Shoes: J.Crew

Scarf: Margo Petitti

Here's a close up of my shoes.  They are the Liza peep-toes (I think) in the cherry blossom print.  I scored these off eBay for a very good price.  I've worn them a couple times before, and they've finally stretched out enough (they're a half size too small)!  Plus, I'll be sitting for most of the day. :)

So the scarf I'm wearing today is a Margo Petitti scarf.  I've known Margo for a long time now (in fact, she may be my oldest (longest-known) friend!), and I'm excited to finally own one of her scarves!  I just got my first one this past week - the current collection doesn't include any pinks or purples, but she had this pink from a past collection, so I bought it.  (I also have my eye on the Celeste scarf that's part of the latest collection!).  She has a lot of great patterns available that I think work with a lot of color palettes. 

Margo designs all of the scarves herself in really pretty patterns and colors.  The fabrics are really lovely, too - mine is a bamboo and silk/wool blend, which is good for me, because all-wool scarves really irritate my skin.  I love the almost menswear vibe, and you can see that my scarf actually has a windowpane pattern in it, with light green-brown lines.  The scarf is also reversible, so I can decide if I want to feature the cream or pink more.

I love this scarf, not just because my friend made it, but because it's a lot more polished than a lot of scarves I own.  I own one from the Gap that BF calls my "Serena scarf" after Serena on Gossip Girl, and it's been my go-to scarf.  It's nice, but it's all fringey at the end, and wrinkly to boot.  I know scarves can be casual, but it's nice to have a nicer scarf to wear to work or for dressier occasions.

This scarf was definitely an "investment" piece, but BF was kind enough to make it my graduation gift.  So thanks, BF!  (And Margo!) :)

[And for complete disclosure, Margo doesn't even know I'm posting about her scarves, or that I have a blog even.]

Hope you have a great rest of the Friday and weekend!

Nice and simple: Jeans and basic colors

I kept my outfit nice and simple for my visit to my cousin's house.  My little cousin was good, so we would have gone to Red Robin, if I'd gotten there on time.  I didn't realize/forgot that little kids eat on more of a schedule than adults, so didn't think anything of eating lunch around 1 PM.  No matter though, because we rescheduled for dinner next Thursday, which also means BF will be able to join us!

It's always nice to see my cousin, his wife, and his son - we always have a good time.  I finally finished the movie Cars, which is my little cousin's favorite movie.  We watch it every time I'm there, but I'm yet to watch the whole thing end to end.  The last time I was there, we stopped about an hour from the end, and today, I finally got to see the end!  :)

As for what I wore, I just picked basics.  I wanted a loose tee, and went with a sweater because I didn't feel like digging around for a hoodie.  I didn't take a picture of them, but my socks are grey with light pink and light teal stripes, and I wore my favorite pair of jeans.

Jeans: Express
Tee: Ralph Lauren (might be Polo)
Sweater: Gap
Socks: American Eagle
Shoes: Etienne Aigner

My dog says: See you this afternoon!

I'll be back with my OOTD later today!  I'm actually still in my pajamas right now.  :)  (The joys of working from home!)

My uncle is in town, so I'm heading over to my cousin's house to visit with them, including my cousin's son, who's just so fun.  I am trying to get my cousin to agree to go to Red Robin for lunch, and he said it depends on how his son is at school in the morning, so here's hoping my little cousin has a good morning at school!

In the meantime, here's a picture of my doggie getting some serious air as BF tries to open the sliding door onto our back deck.  This is a daily occurrence. :)

The eBay Story

Okay, so here's my eBay story.  I'm putting it here mainly because I need to vent a little (to someone besides BF), and also because I'm interested in other people's opinion of the situation.  (If I can convince you to stay away from this particular user, that's a bonus, too!)

So as I mentioned a little while ago, I'm trying to downsize my wardrobe, and so I started selling some items on eBay.  eBay's a good vehicle for this, but I find their fees to be kind of high, so I started small.  I sold some clothes from my first batch, and then decided to relist the clothes that didn't sell for 99 cents each, and give them one more chance.  I was hoping that by pricing them so low, people would buy them, and I'd use the shipping cost to break even after the fees.

One of my items was an Eddie Bauer cotton cardigan - nothing special.  It was midweight, so I priced it at 99 cents with $6 for shipping.  Only one buyer bid on it, and she ended up winning.  Most of my customers paid right away, and I didn't even have to send them an invoice.  She waited a day or two, then sent me an e-mail asking me to look at the shipping cost again, because she was certain that it was too high.  I didn't want to get in a big back and forth over it, so I said I'd lower the shipping to $5.  She never responded, so I just invoiced her that amount, and a couple days later, she got around to paying for it.

Then, after she pays, she sends me another message, informing me that she's going out of town for the weekend, so I should wait until Friday or Saturday to put her package in the mail.  At this point, I'm pretty frustrated, but I wait until Friday, delaying mailing about 5 other eBay orders (from prompt payers who didn't make all kinds of demands).  The package goes out on Friday, and I don't really think anything else of it.

Fast forward to Monday morning, when I get another message from her saying that the sweater was nice, but she's very irritated with me because she specifically asked me not to mail her package until Friday, and I mailed it on Thursday.  She said she hoped I understood that she couldn't give me all 5 stars. 

The reason she thinks I mailed it on Thursday is because that's when I printed and paid for the shipping label.  I let her know that, and also that not only did I accommodate her, but that I delayed mailing my other orders just to fulfill her request, and so she immediately comes back and starts calling me out for not e-mailing her.  She said she had 5 or 6 other orders and that every single one of them e-mailed her back letting her know that they'd be waiting to mail her packages.

Now here's where I got really frustrated.  So what is the issue then - that I allegedly mailed it when she told me not to, or that I didn't bother to e-mail her that I'd be following her orders?  It seems to me that she realized she'd made a mistake getting angry (and giving me bad feedback without waiting for my response), and instead of admitting it, she's just finding something else to get upset about.  Even in messages from her now, she continues to bring up how she told me not to mail it until Friday...which is great, because that's when I mailed it.

The best part of this is that in the midst of all our back and forth, she tells me how she's going to report me to eBay, I'm going to get a sanction for leaving her negative feedback (and don't even get me started on eBay's ridiculous buyer-sided feedback policy), and then goes on to claim that she's going to sell my sweater for more than what she paid for it ($5.99), and that she still managed to get the positive feedback out of me.

In her latest message, she's claiming that it's wrong of me to make $2 off of shipping (I made exactly 50 cents), and is still harping on the fact that I never e-mailed her and that "all" she asked was for me to make my shipping cost more reasonable and ship out on a specific day.  Then she goes on to say if she'd known I was going to react this way, she would have just given me negative feedback to begin with.

I'll give her that it would have been courteous for me to let her know I received her e-mail; however, I didn't e-mail a single other customer when their package shipped, and none of them cared, presumably because they know how to read tracking information (especially for someone who uses eBay as much as she does).  But on the same token, she never e-mailed me back, letting me know my final shipping offer was okay.  She could have e-mailed me when she got the shipping notification to find out if I had actually shipped on Thursday. 

What really bugs me about this situation is that she won the item, fair and square, which means I could have tried to force her to pay the $6 shipping, but I didn't.  I tried to be fair and reduce the shipping by a dollar, then she wants to dictate my trips to the post office, and again, I comply, but somehow I end up being the bad guy in the whole thing because I didn't send her one e-mail? 

So what does everyone think?  I just started using eBay, so I realize now I should have e-mailed her and let her know, but I think she is way overreacting, and just using the e-mail as an excuse to stay mad because she can't stay mad about when I e-mailed the sweater, which was her initial (and ongoing) complaint.  I'm almost tempted to buy the sweater back when she relists it, because I feel bad for it having to spend any time with such a petty person. ;)

If anyone is interested, her user name is "absolutelyaudrey" (poor Audrey Hepburn, to have to be associated with such a person), and she also sells under "24LavenderLane".  The second account has some pretty amusing things for sale.  The one that got me is the cosmetics bag that is obviously one of those freebies you get with a minimum purchase, with a bunch of random samples that she's starting at $5.99 and then charging almost $6 for shipping.

Sunday, Monday, and Hairdo

Hello!  Hope everyone is having a great Wednesday - halfway through the week!  I have a short update on some recent outfits, and I'm happy to report I've been doing pretty well on my Wear New Things challenge.  On Saturday I wore my Crewcuts striped cardigan to the grocery store (but took it off when I got home and had to prep food for the week).  I found that I'm able to take some tops in a size 14, so I've been giving them a try.  They're less pricey (especially for the mom-and-me matching items), and free shipping!

On Sunday, I went to an open market up in Boston.  My friend had a booth there, so I stopped by to see her.  After that, BF and I went to my friend's house for a little BBQ.  I had thought there were going to be a lot of people there, but it actually ended up being only a small gathering, which I really liked.  I wore my Frankie Dizzy dress.  At first I wasn't sure I liked this dress, but after spending a whole day in it, it's definitely grown on me!  The only bad part was that I spilled juice from my chicken shawarma wrap all over myself. :(

Dress: J.Crew

Flip flops: Old Navy

On Monday I just spent the day in the office.  I grabbed the Elizabeth halter out of the closet, and steamed it so the collar looked nice and ruffle-y.  I got this top off of eBay or from the JCA exchange (can't remember), and I have to say that I'm not sold on it at all.  Which is bad news, as I own it in 3 other colors!  I had this top altered to fit me, as it was too big, but I think it fits weird.  

The button "loops" are just giant fabric loops, so don't actually hold the big buttons in tightly, which means that the top is prone to gaping up the front, giving everyone a peek at what's underneath.  I found I either had to pull the top forward a bit (to give the fabric more slack), slouch, or just not move my arms backwards at all.  So definitely a thumbs down in that regard.

Secondly, this blazer was not my first choice what to wear.  I like this blazer enough, but as I've mentioned before, it attracts stuff to it like no tomorrow - always picking up lint and whatever else it can find.  It's pretty frustrating.  Plus I'm just not in love with the way it wears.  It's a little stiff, and I have to roll the sleeves up INSIDE the sleeve so that it's actually wearable.  I wanted to wear a sweater with it, but a regular cardigan didn't look right, and the V-neck cardigan was too long, so the proportions were off.  So, I just went with the blazer.

Pants: The Limited

Top: J.Crew

Blazer: Old Navy

Shoes: Colin Stuart for Victoria's Secret

Lastly, I've figured out what to do with my hair in the meantime.  I'll probably get it cut soon, but I've finally mastered a super high messy bun that keeps it from being too unruly.

Hope you're all having a great day!  I'll be back with an eBay story later this afternoon!

Celosia Cardi and Flowered Shoes

Good morning all!  I am eagerly waiting for this day to be over, for a number of reasons (tired, too much stuff on the to-do list).  Most importantly is because tonight I am heading north to get my FREE Chick-Fil-A new Spicy Chicken Sandwich!!  I cannot wait.  I am a HUGE fan of Chick-Fil-A, and sadly for me, the nearest one is almost an hour away, boo hoo.  But today I made myself get up early so I could get to work early (or "on time" as they like to call it) so I could leave early so I can go get my SPICY CHICKEN SANDWICH!!!

Okay, but enough about that, I'm sure you didn't come here to read all about my love for fried chicken sandwiches (and waffle fries!  Don't forget the waffle fries!!).  Here's my outfit for today.  I've been doing...OK...on my quest to wear something new every day. 

Last Friday I wore new flip-flops, but BF, the apparent rulemaker, decided those didn't really count.  (They did!)  I wore a new bra one day, too, but you're not going to get a picture of that!  And yesterday, I wore a new t-shirt, which got me extra points, because it was a work-at-home day, and thus didn't really fall under the terms of the challenge.

So today I went to work, and so I wore a nicer pair of jeans - nice dark color, very little wear, and no fraying at the edges.  I paired it with the spring Celosia cardi (in one of the maaaaany colors I own it in) and some simple flats.  I layered a white cami under the sweater, as the cardi can be a little sheer.

Jeans: Express

Cami: New York & Company

Sweater: J.Crew

Shoes: Dexter by Payless

Here's a picture of my shoes.  They are a lovely cream color with these flowers on the toe.  I wore them for my graduation (snagged them for only $8!), and am still breaking them in, which is code for "they still cut up my ankle a bit".

I don't have much planned for the weekend - BF and I are taking the dog out tomorrow morning for some exercise, and on Sunday I'm heading into Boston for an open-air market and to see my friend who has a booth there.

For Sale!!

Hi all!  No clothes post today (but I did manage to get in something new almost every day since I've last posted) - I was pretty busy over the weekend reorganizing and cleaning our whole apartment, so didn't have time to take pictures. 

I mentioned in a post last week that I'm selling my clothes, and here they are!  Feel free to take a look - I'm open to offers, and combine shipping!

Be back tomorrow with some clothes!  Hope you all had a great long weekend. :)