In preparation. By violet

We leave for New York in a week. Next Thursday night, J.P. and I will be boarding a plane and heading to the Big Apple for a week’s worth of vacation.

We’ve been planning to trip of awhile but really only now are things coming together. And in preparation, I purchased a few items that I knew I would need.

J.P. seemed perplexed that I would buy anything before the trip. Wouldn’t I just want to get everything there?

Well, clearly, I am going to be doing a significant amount of shopping while there but there were a couple of things that I didn’t want arrive in the city without.

One, a good pair of walking sneakers

Since we plan on walking a lot during the trip, I didn’t want to ruin my feat. While I would love to wear a cute pair of flats or wedges, I just don’t think it’s possible. So I searched for a hip pair of sneakers that wouldn’t make me feel like a middle age tourist at Disney World.

These red Sauconys are just the thing. Plenty of padding and trekking and a bold color to make a fashion statement.

Two, a large cross-body purse

I wanted large in order to carry all the stuff you seem to need when you travel - maps, guidebooks, umbrella, scarf, bottle of water, possibly even a pair of flip flops for tired feet. And cross body so my shoulder didn’t give out carrying all those things. And also as a theft deterrent – harder to swipe off your shoulder or lift the wallet out of. I was looking for a color that would go with both black and brown.

This Sak purse fits all my requirements. The blue color will go with just about anything – and will look awesome with my new red sneakers. It’s big enough to get a bunch of stuff in without feeling like I’m running away from home. And the adjustable strap assures that I can go from touring to dinner. 

Now I just have to decide what else is going in my suitcase.  What else should I be sure and pack?  What do you never travel without?

Violet in Frye Campus 14L boots in Saddle Montana

Ode to Jersey Shore and Snickers! by orange

The husband has a birthday on the 21st so we are celebrating Jersey Shore style. 

I'm still working on my guidette outfit for the party.  Since deciding on the party theme the husband has been sharing random Shore tidbits the past couple weeks to keep up the inspiration.  If you are a fan of the show - enjoy.  If you haven't had the pleasure of this show, it is absolutely ridiculous, but so funny. 



and...Snooki has a boyfriend - check it out!


orange in franco sarto black suede boots

weekend shopping. by orange

This weekend was filled with a little bit of everything...double date night on Friday with violet and J., date night with the husband Saturday night, errands, running, cleaning, pedicure and shopping.  Oh and I can't forget, my favorite, work.  Which really I should be doing now...but posting is way more fun.

A bit of what I found while I was out and about shopping in downtown Seattle and West Seattle.

lamp for my desk at work (from target)

closer view of the fun base

large nalgene, hoping it will inspire me to hydrate during the day

new rug for our entry way, crossing fingers & toes payton does not destroy

fun lace up mini booties from steve madden

seychelles dos-i-do black bootie

bc footwear - sequin gold/grey flats

jcrew fair isle sweater - on sale!

cheers!
orange...sporting my new steve madden 'tribbe' pump

grey, gold, metallic. by orange

as we all know, with the 80s back in style, sequins were bound to pop in at some point. well that time is now, and i'm a big fan. as the husband will tell you, i do like all things with sparkle so the sequin love is not that far-fetched. i like how some of the sequin tops can be worn muted by a blazer, whereas some of the dresses are an all out ice capades outfit.

sparkle, sparkle, sparkle:

Kylea Sequin Tank Top by Wyeth
Robert Rodriguez Sequined Dress
Gibson Lame One Shoulder Top
LaROK 'Rockstar' Sequin Leggings

Haute Hippie 'Illusion' Fringe Sequined Dress (my favorite of the bunch)

Cynthia Steffe 'Georgina' Sequin Skirt

since most of the above items are out of my price range, (ok all except the tank top) my go-to has been the following combo:

grey dress & gold leggings. still work appropriate with some added sheen.

what do you think of all the sparkle and sequins?

wish list. by orange

whenever there is a hint of crisp autumn air rolling in my mind automatically thinks: back to school!! - my favorite season. what is there not to love about:

- fresh new start
- new people in new classes
- hearing everyone's summer stories
- having all your friends back in one spot
- football games
- and of course...back to school shopping!

sadly, i have not had a real "back to school" in quite some time, 5 years to be exact. however, i still indulge in a "back to fall fashion" shopping trip or two. as i'm still on the shopping hiatus i can do a lot of looking but no buying quite yet. my eyes wondered to the urban outfitters website today and i found quite a list of things that piqued my interest. check it out:



























so pretty.

splurge. by orange

so...as you all know, i'm on a shopping hiatus- i'm 4 weeks deep. and let me tell you - it is a bit rough. now i hate saying that as i feel superficial and like a typical girl, but i do like fashion and love finding new things to try out. unfortunatley to try out that requires money. too bad i'm not still in highschool or college where there was ease in borrowing a friend's shirt or skirt. maybe i should start a borrowing group...hmmm...meet every sunday - do a swap? curious...i digress.

i need new workout shoes and running shoes. now you may ask - why two pairs? well i'm a hardcore runner. kidding! but i do run and like to keep running shoes seperate from the everyday wear. my current running shoes have roughly a year of running on them - perhaps 200+ miles (crazy isn't it!). thus - new ones are needed. as for the "workout" pair, i have an old pair of new balances that i've had for about 3 years that just need an update. so...this weekend i'm off to the running store to get running shoes and to nordstrom rack and DSW to find some good deals on the workout pair of shoes.

i'm excited about the purchase of workout shoes as i'll be able to choose from different styles, see what is out there and shiny new. unfortunately for the running shoes i just get my same pair over and over again as they fit my feet really well. who knew i'd ever buy something for simply fit and good for my feet rather than style :).

in my excitement for this purchase i've done some online browsing. now as i'm headed to nordstrom rack/DSW i probably won't see any of these but it is still fun to look. check out these:










nothing too crazy but i like the colors :)







and these just make me want to be a golfer...

cold turkey. by orange

With being part of a blog, comes a lot of blog sleuthing. And wow can hours just seep by with no notice. Earlier this week I was deep in some blog perusing and came across a couple posts about a shopping hiatus. Well ladies and gentlemen I will be taking on my own shopping hiatus:

operation fat wallet, skinny closet

My inspiration is from two lovely ladies: Joslyn {Simple Lovely Blog} and Rachel {Heart of Light Blog}. Joslyn actually had a support group of many ladies going on a 12-week shopping hiatus while Rachel just did it {amazingly!} by herself. Joslyn's rules were basically: do not buy anything non-essential.

Non-essential and 12-weeks are a bit too aggressive for me so here are my relatively simple rules:

1. no clothes

2. no shoes

3. no jewelry

4. no handbags

5. none of the above until Labor Day {Sept 7th}.

gulp. Yep my stomach just did some major churning while writing out all of these no-nos.

My reasons for this crazy under-taking:

1. I would be highly impressed with myself for completing this.

2. The husband would be highly impressed with me for completing this...he has some interesting thoughts on this plan of mine {more on this in another post}.

3. I do spend a lot of my hard earned money on clothes, etc - perhaps I will learn some lessons through these next couple weeks to taper that in the future.

4. Saving money! Who doesn't want to do that.

the manicure fix. by orange

As mentioned in a previous blog post - I'm not too good with budgets and have some what of an issue with shopping, particularly for shoes, accessories, purses, jeans...okay well everything fashion.  I've found that recently, I can get my "fix" by going down to the local nail salon (with the ingenious store name of: Beautiful Nails!) and get my new favorite color painted on my nails.  

Now I do have to point out, although I love manicures, it pains me how little they last! Especially with a job where I have to type all day, my manicure seems obsolete by the time Thursday roles around.  Where is the top coat that will make it last??!  If you know a good one - please pass on your words of wisdom.

On to some of my current favorites:

OPI California Raspberry

OPI Conga-Line Coral

OPI Don't Socra-tease Me

OPI Miami Beet

OPI Lincoln Park After Dark

OPI Cajun Shrimp

OPI On Collins Ave

OPI Friar Friar Pants on Fire