Over the Shoulder Smolder Holder

{Shop: Skirt, Socks, Boots}
I have officially conquered the smolder look. Look at that smolder up there. That look says "Fall in love with me, but don't, I'll only break your heart." It's been 26 years in the making; looking in mirrors constantly, checking my reflection in order to master the smolder. But look at that smolder now -- conquered! 
I am not sure where this pretty scarf came from. Did I steal it? Possibly. I can't remember. Oh wait no I didn't steal my scarf. Whew. My sweet cousin donated it to me. (You know, my Donate Pretty Scarves to Kendi Foundation) But where did she get it? I have no idea. She probably stole it. 
For the life of me, I couldn't think of a name for this blog post. So leave your suggestions now! The best one wins.*

*And by best I mean funniest and by win I mean I'll just re-name my post. That's all you get. And a hug. You get a hug.
**The winner is: "Over the Shoulder Smolder Holder" from Stephanie. I laughed for a good 5 minutes on that one. You guys are funny -- I should hire all of you to write my titles for me. I don't pay and I"m a terrible boss. You in?  

moreless

What Dreams are Made Of

{Shop: Top, Maroon Tights, Boots}

I have been waiting to wear this outfit all weekend long. I woke up one night with this outfit in my dream but I didn't pack all of these items, so I had to wait until I got home. (So maybe I dream about outfits and ex-boyfriends. Judge me.) My outfit turned out exactly how I wanted it to. I'd like to take this moment and give my subconscious a shout-out for never sleeping on the job. But on the other hand, I'm married so we can go ahead and clean out the ol' ex-files.

I feel very Lucky Magazine today with my mix of autumn colors. (hire me!) It crossed my mind for about twenty seconds to photoshop myself onto a Lucky Magazine cover and send it to them. But then I realized that's creepy. So I didn't do it.

Yet.

I have to be honest -- we were without internet for 4 days and it was really hard. This partially scares me and makes me sad. And partially makes me want to buy a personal satellite internet hat so that I will never be without internet again. I'm kidding, they don't even make those kind of things.... wait, do they make those? Not that I would buy one. But I would if it was on sale and cute. I'm kidding. (I'm not kidding.)

moreless

Wish List

Thirteen outfits more and my self-imposed shopping ban will be lifted. Then I will go (mildly) wild on things that I really need like more jewelry. But if I wait a few more days, maybe just maybe, someone will give me everything on my wish list. Do you hear me husband? This is your first and last hint. 

1. Cocoa Bloom Ring

2. Soaring Antiqued Brass Bird Statement Necklace

3. Petite Bloom Earrings in Raspberry

4. Floating Hot Air Ballon Necklace

5. Golden Morning Glory Ring

All items shown are from Linkel Designs. 

moreless

You may or may not have seen this outfit before.

{Shop: Tee, Pants, Heels, Necklace}

If you visited Miss Vinyl Ahoy's blog from our swap on Friday, then you've seen this outfit before. But maybe, just this once, you can pretend that you didn't see it and act surprised. Just like you'll have to act at your surprise birthday part next week. Oh, you didn't know about that? Sorry, just act surprised. 

Well I don't know about you guys but I broke my personal record for how many meals I can eat in a twenty-four hour period. (It was six this year). That was without a nap, too. It was a Thanksgiving miracle. Then we woke up at 3:45 a.m. and went Black Friday shopping. Before you start hurling "I thought you weren't supposed to shop?!?!" insults at me, I had two very important people I needed to shop for: precious nephew 1 and adorable nephew 2. If you saw these two kids, you'd wake up early and stand in lines to get a few toys for a few dollars off. So if buying toys for my nephews is wrong, I don't want to be right. 

(Do you see what I did there? I used your emotions against you and now you are on my side. No worries, there was no personal shopping unless you count a HUGE coffee for me and some warm socks for my husband. Do you see what I did there? I used your emotions against you again. You should have seen that coming.) 

moreless

Jen on Why I Remix

"I am naturally a person that loves to be creative. It is what drives me each day, but sometimes life can get you down and it can suck that drive from you. I started jenloveskev as a way to challenge myself to stay creative everyday with my outfits, in cooking, with my art and just life in general. I wanted to share with people that you didn't have to spend lots of money on clothes to have a versatile wardrobe. That each morning you can wake up and put together a super awesome outfit from items that you have already worn a bunch of times. It's all in the way you think about it! 

Why do I remix?

It keeps my budget in control and it keeps me feeling creative. There is something so rewarding about hearing someone say 'I never see you wearing the same thing twice, you must spend a fortune.' Haha I love knowing that I haven't broken the bank on all the latest trends, but that people think I have.  Remixing keeps things fresh and with a few key pieces and a handful of accessories it creates endless possibilities. Life is short and when it comes down to it, I'd much rather spend extra money on adventures with Kev than on clothes. "

If you don't already, follow Jen on her stylish adventures at jenloveskev. 

moreless

Linkel Designs Giveaway! {CLOSED}

Happy Black Friday friends! To celebrate that food coma you are probably in, Linkel Designs is giving away a Silver Leaf Long Statement Necklace from her collection. Here is how to win it:

1. Visit Linkel Designs and pick out a nice gift for a friend or someone you love.

2. Leave a comment below and tell me what gift you'd give from her shop and to whom you will give it to. Leave your entry below from now until Tuesday, November 29th at noon. 

3. Go take a nap. If you've been up since 3:30 am like me, you look terrible. 

Linkel Designs is also offering a 10% discount from now (Friday, November 26th)  until Monday, November 29th. Use discount code 'KENDI' at the checkout.  

moreless

Substitute Teacher

Hello everyone, I'm Suze from Miss Vinyl Ahoy. I'll be your pseudo-Kendi for the day. Happy black Friday! I'm still in a post-Thanksgiving food coma, and stuck at work today. But that probably works out for the best, since I don't need to go shopping anyway (and shouldn't, since I'm on day 15 of the 30 for 30!).

Anyway, Kendi and I swapping posts today. We seem to own a lot of the same clothes, so we decided to style our striped Old Navy tee and see how different/similar our outfits are. My outfit is inspired by the opposite of the weather we've been getting here in Michigan. It's been cold, rainy and cloudy for days. I'm so ready for it to be nice out again, which, for the Detroit area, means I have to wait until spring. These shoes aren't really the most practical for cold weather, but I don't care. I want to wear them with everything, even if they don't match. Every time I wear them I want to sing Nancy Sinatra. Then I change my mind and close my mouth, because no one needs to hear that.

I hope you all had a wonderful Thanksgiving, are getting great deals during Black Friday, and hopefully you'll think of me while you're out shopping. Sadly, I'm stuck at my desk, wishing I were at home sleeping.

Thanks for letting me borrow your blog for my post, Kendi! To see Kendi's sixteenth outfit, visit my blog.

moreless

Thankful

{Shop: Tee, Jeans, Boots, Similar Scarf}

I told myself that I would not do a typical "what am I thankful for" post. But I lied, I am. I made a list last night of everything I was thankful for and you know what? Not a thing was on there. Not an article of clothing, not an electronic that I own, not a book I've read. The only things on my list were not things at all but people in my life. I am so very thankful for the people I see each day (hello, husband), the ones I don't get to see enough of (that's you, dear family) and the ones I've never met but feel like I know (that's you!). So today I am the luckiest and most thankful girl in the world because I know you and because you choose to live your life with me, may you be my husband, my family, or my friends. 

Thank you for being a part of my little life. Because of you I am thankful.

Happy Thanksgiving, my little turkeys. 

moreless

Half-Way There, Well Almost

{Shop: Similar Sweater, Shoes, Tights}
I'm a bit sad that I'm already on outfit 14. My last remixes felt a lot longer than this. Just  a week ago I was on outfit 7, now the remix is already in her teens. Growing up too fast, I tell ya. If you are remixing along and you feel like you've FINALLY reached halfway, don't worry this feeling is normal. I cried and complained a lot during the first remix and wanted to quit a few times. (Hush, I know that's pathetic to share but the internet is my safe haven where I share my real emotions.) By now I know the routine and I know how to avoid those downfalls. So if you are finding yourself in a place of "I don't want to remix anymore" then here are a few words of encouragement:
1. Go window shopping. No, NOT for new clothes but for new ideas. Find outfit inspirations that include similar items in your remix and go from there. Start building a few more outfits and once you start, you'll soon be out of your remix rut. I like to look at catalogs, my favorite stores online and of course other style/fashion blogs. I keep an inspiration folder on my computer and save a cute outfit inspiration when I find one. 
2. If you have it, go through your outfit archive on your own blog. Be your own inspiration. Maybe there was an outfit you put together that you'd forgotten about and you can re-create it with what you have in your remix. Sometimes a little refresher course on your own style is the best thing you need. 
3. Follow along with other 30 for 30 remixers and find new inspiration. I can't start to tell you how many fantastic remixers there are on that list. It blows my small town mind that there are that many stylish people out there, doing there own thing. 
4. Plan ahead! If you are struggling with putting outfits together each day, then take a few minutes and make a plan for the week. Just because you have less items to work with doesn't mean you can't be just as creative. 
5. Don't give up. Look, every outfit won't be the very best outfit you ever came up with, but that's not the challenge, is it? Not every outfit in my remix is my most shining moment of fashion but my body is still covered and I still look (arguably) cute. I promise at the end of the challenge you'll be a better remixer and shopper. Heck, if anything you didn't spend a dime on clothing for one month! Can we say savings account? 
And as always, you can email me for even more encouragement. Although I'm taking a break on the inbox over Thanksgiving. I don't want to get pie smeared on my keyboard like last year. 

moreless

Le Mode GIveaway Winner

Rachel! Come on down and claim your prize. (Or you can just email me at your earliest convenience.) 

Thanks to everyone who entered! 

moreless

True Blue

{Shop: Jacket, Similar Shoes}
You guys are going to laugh at this, but I thought that my tights were black today. I thought I was being so unpredictable with my blue dress and my black tights. I was going to write about how I cleverly paired my black tights with my navy blue dress. 
Turns out they are navy. So very predictably navy. Sigh. I've got to stop getting dressed in the dark.
Do you ever do something awesome to your hair on accident and think "I'll never be able to do this again?" And so you try not to touch it or even move very much so that it will stay awesome? That's my bun today. I've never had this type of volume before; it's never cooperated like this before. I'm considering putting on a neck brace just for extra security. I don't know why my hair has decided to cooperate today. However, I have been using extra conditioner lately and I've been laying off of the backcombing and teasing. Those are two different things mind you. To backcomb: run your comb along the backside of your hair, creating volume. To tease: make fun of your hair for being flat. See also: pointing and laughing. 
One more thing before you go. During the shoot it became clear that something in the woods had died and was fragrantly offensive. This is me grieving the smell of death. 



Thank you dear husband for capturing this moment. I had no idea you could read my face like a book. Must work on being less transparent. 

moreless

You, Me, and Everyone We Know

{Shop: Tee, Scarf, Boots}
Some days I have to tell myself to calm down. Not like calm down and stop jumping on couches, although I was told that the other night by my husband, but just in general. Calm down and breath. The world will still be spinning, even if you stop to watch it for a second. 
One of my favorite quotes in the world is this: "comparison is the thief of joy." I need this imprinted on the backs of my eyelids. I mean, hey comparison is normal, it's human. But it's not always right. When I start to compare myself with anyone else in the world, I immediately lose my footing on my own level path. If I compare myself to make me feel better, I lose. If I compare myself to someone better than me and feel less important, I lose. If there is one lesson to be learned, it's that there is no way of comparing yourself and winning. You will always lose, even if you win the comparison, because you let someone else tell you who to be. Life's not a competition until you make it one. And in my mind, we will all walk away with shiny trophies just for participating. (Personally, I hope my trophy says "World's Best Dad") 
Calm down and just be. Be who you are. You are the only one who can be that good at being you. 

moreless

Easy Like a Sunday Morning

{Shop: Top, Jeans, Boots}
The most exciting things I've done so far this weekend: 
bought a coffee with 1% steamed milk, no sugarate a bowl of dry Cap'N Crunch watched a movie that I've seen beforeslept in till 8:15 am
I know. You guys probably thought I was interesting. Oh well we did go to a shady place friday night to hear a friend play with this band. It was a bar that was in a boat that was on land. Yeah, you're right that's not that interesting either. That's just weird. 
I hope your weekend is as boring as mine is. Lest we forget the best holiday is right around the corner that we need to rest for. Best holiday? What about Christmas, you say? Christmas has obligations, Thanksgiving is non-commital. I don't have to buy anyone anything, I just have to show up and eat. What is better than a national holiday that asks you, begs of you to eat? Exactly. 4th of July is second in my book, same principle but with fireworks and a grill. 
Rest up dear friends. We've got a big week ahead. 

moreless