January Outfit Inspiration Calendar

Thanks so much to all of the fabulous ladies that submitted pics for this month's Outfit Inspiration Calendar. I love the mix of outfits and ideas that are represented. Plus, I found some great"new to me" blogs through this and hope you do to!

Here's wishing all of my fabulous readers a wonderful and stylish new year!


Monday, 1/3 - Mixture of textures, sparkly/velvet/suede (Euphoric Agony)
Tuesday, 1/4 - Chambray & Florals (Daily Haiku)
Wednesday, 1/5 -Stripes, Red & Pearls (Hope and the Dress Code)
Thursday, 1/6 - Navy with Black Velvet (Tall Girl Blogging)
Friday, 1/7 - Patterned Dress/Skirt with Patterned Tights (Music is her Name)
Saturday, 1/8 - Skinny Cargo Pants & Boots (To Be Unfettered)



Monday, 1/10 - Stripes! (Plus Size Diva)
Tuesday, 1/11 - Dress up a hoodie (T Minus T Plus)
Wednesday, 1/12 - Velvet and Lace Combo (Silvergirl)
Thursday, 1/13 - Layer a Summer Shirt over a Winter Dress (Interrobangs Anonymous?)
Friday, 1/14 - Cuddle up in an Oversized Sweater (Megan Mae Daily)
Saturday, 1/15 - Mix Black & White Patterns and a Cardi (haphazard musings and creations)



Monday, 1/17 - Layer up a maxi for a cozy winter look (Fashion For Nerds)
Tuesday, 1/18 - Black and White with Gold (frugal.fatshion.frenzy)
Wednesday, 1/19 - Sweet yet Edgy Look, Mix Florals w/ Boots (Accepting All of Me)
Thursday, 1/20 - Cardigan over a Collared Shirt (We Are Large, People)
Friday, 1/21 - Celebrate your Winter Boots! (Bina's Closet)
Saturday, 1/22 - Tights & Shorts Combo (Bon Chic Bon Gastronomique)

Monday, 1/24 - Sweater layered over a satiny dress (Angela in Texas - no blog)
Tuesday, 1/25 - Fur and Florals (Daily Dose of Dana)
Wednesday, 1/26 - Layer a chunky cardi over a dress (Fashionable Academics)
Thursday, 1/27 - Lots of Layers for Winter (A Fashion Fixation)
Friday, 1/28 - Denim on Denim with a pop of color (AnyEveryNothing)
Saturday, 1/29 - Sweater, Scarf and Jeans (Fashion for the Economically Challenged)

To check out past Outfit Inspiration Calendars, click here.

Sync up with this month's calendar for easy access to inspiration:

2010 Wardrobe Recap

Last week I reshared my wardrobe recaps from 2008 and 2009 and since we are in this last week of 2010 here is this year's recap.

First up, I randomly selected one outfit from each month:

Next up, my statistics for the year. This numbers are calculated on the 176 daily outfit pictures I took in 2010 (as of the time I typed this up).

I wore a belt 44% of the time (-13% from 2009, -4% from 2008), a scarf as a belt 5% of the time (-2% from 2009, -5% from 2008) and utilized built in belts on dresses and tops 8% of the time (same as 2009, +1% from 2008) for a grand total of 57% of the days having some sort of waist definition (-15% from 2009, -8% from 2008). I still love my waist definition, but I lowered my percentages greatly. I felt I relied on belts too heavily in years' past and made an effort to accessorized in other ways in 2010.

I wore black or charcoal gray as the base color in my outfits on 98 days for a total of 56% of the time (same percentage as 2009).

I wore a skirt or dress 60% of the time (-4% from 2009, +12% from 2008)! I realize I still don't wear a lot of pants during my Monday - Thursday "work wear". The percentage drop probably stems from a full year of having "Casual Fridays".

And a couple of new categories for 2010:

I wore a scarf 18% of the days (not as a belt).

I wore a cardigan in 36% of my outfits (such a great layering piece throughout the year).

I added a trendy necklace 55% of the time. Necklaces really are my favorite accessory!

Also, in looking at this recap vs. the past two years it looks like I gravitated towards larger prints this year.

All in all, I feel I had a successful year wardrobe wise. I added some great pieces, still relied on some old favorites and dressed appropriately for my job and lifestyle throughout the year.

Here's to 2011, fabulous readers, I can't wait to spend it with you.

Shopping in 2011 - CSN Stores

Around this time of year I usually turn my shopping focus to household goods vs. clothes and accessories. I like snuggling in during the cold temps and just enjoying my home. I think my want of household stuff also stems from the fact that at work we recently moved into a new office and have been decorating and buying furniture for it. Just check out these great counter height stools we got for our breakroom from one of the divisions of CSN Stores:




I've got my eye on a few items from CSN Stores and will be sharing a review in the weeks to come. I know my focus will return to clothes and accessories at some point though which is okay since CSN Stores has over 200 online stores with everything from great purses and shoes to kitchenwear and more!

Daily Outfit - 12/30/10

It is my last day of work in 2010! Woo-hoo! I hope you all have a fun and safe New Year's Eve and a wonderful New Year! I am kicking it casual today since I will only be in the office till about 2 pm today.

Cream Tee - Burlington Coat Factory, $13 (Dec. 2010)
Taupe Cardi - Burlington Coat Factory, $11 (Dec. 2010)
Jeans - Briana Flare, compliments of Maurices (Spring 2009)
2 "Crystal" Bead Necklaces - Forever 21, $5 (Dec. 2010)
Flower Medallion Necklace - Forever 21, $7 (Dec. 2010)
Wedge Booties - Forever 21, $25 (Nov. 2010)

I just have to share a fantastic Groupon deal with you today! I have had my eye on a pair of custom-fit Indi Jeans for over a year now. Dave even said he would buy me a pair last year for Christmas, but I felt that $155+ was too much to spend. I mean, seriously, they can't make my butt look that good!

However, the Omaha Groupon deal today is for a Voucher worth $155 towards an Indi Purchase for only $85! Granted $85 is still a little steep, but for custom-fit jeans it is a bargain. You should get a pair too! :-)

UPDATED: If you missed out on this deal yesterday (12/30), you can still get it today (12/31)! Simply select Washington D.C. as your city and look to the right in the "Deals Nearby" category!

Traveling Scarf - Round #3, Stop #19

Well, ladies, this is it - - the final stop for this round of the Sisterhood of the Traveling Scarf. It has visited 20 gorgeous, phenomenal woman (if you include where it started - me). I will be sharing a recap post next week (where I will get much more mushy!), but in the meantime check out the gorgeous Big Beautyful Mess.



In her words:
Dearest Sisters of the Traveling Scarf,

Wow! All I can say is WOW to all the creative ways that you pretty gals wore this scarf! It's been fun checking all your lovely blogs by the way. The scarf is now safe with me in San Diego and I can't wait to see who it goes to next. Now that I'm looking over (again) all the fun ways that you all wore our baby, I wore mine similar to one of Katie's looks. Great minds think alike Katie! ;-) So I basically folded the scarf in three parts, pinned one end with a brooch, belted it, then voila - a little print magic addition to my work outfit of the day. I hope I did all you sisters proud! :-)

A special thanks to Kimberly for hosting this project of course! I hope to join another round soon.

Til next time,
BBM

Outfit Details:
Scarf - courtesy of Affordable Scarves
Green Dress - Lane Bryant Outlet 12/10 (gifted)
Vintage Brooch - Thrifted 11/09 ($3)
Brown Boots - Lane Bryant Outlet 11/10 ($32 Black Friday)
Brown Tights - Lane Bryant 1/10 ($10, awesome pair!)
Skinny Belt - Burlington Coat Factory 8/10 (came w/ suit)
J. Simpson Purse - Marshalls 12/10 (gifted by Hubz)
Where - Quiet day @ work.

Winner: Canvas on Demand

Congrats to Rebecca S.! She is the winner of the Canvas on Demand Groupon which I have emailed to her. Thanks to the 79 reader that entered on this quick giveaway.

Remixes: Part 3

Remixing and utilizing pieces in your closet with a variety of items is a great way to truly make the most of your closet. I thought I would share some of the great pieces that I have in my closet that I have remixed in a variety of ways over the past couple of years.

Shirt Dress



Print Cardigan



Print Ponte Knit Sleeveless Dress



What are the true work horse items in your closet?

Daily Outfit - 12/29/10

I always forget how quiet this week is - no traffic on the roads, not many people around the builing, lots of co-workers out, and not many peeps around the blogosphere. With that, I decided to go pretty casual and comfy today.

Black Tee - Target, $8 (2008)
Tunic (aka Sheer Popover Blouse) - Lane Bryant, clearance for $18 (Dec. 2010)
Ponte Slim Pants - Lane Bryant, on sale for $30-ish (Spring 2010)
Black Boots - Target, $38 (2008)
Black Elephant Necklace - Forever 21, $7 (Dec. 2010)
Gray Scarf - Affordable Scarves, $12 (Late Winter 2010)

Check back later today for more remixes and the winner of the Canvas on Demand Groupon!

Remixes: Part 2

Remixing and utilizing pieces in your closet with a variety of items is a great way to truly make the most of your closet. I thought I would share some of the great pieces that I have in my closet that I have remixed in a variety of ways over the past couple of years.

Black Vest



Blue Open Front Knit Cardigan



Red Ponte Knit Dress



Tomorrow I'll share a couple more closet work horses and their remixes.

Daily Outfit - 12/28/10 & Mini DIY

Yesterday while going through some blogs I spied an inspiring look that involved a leather skirt and a boyfriend cardi. I am always looking for new ways to wear my (p)leather skirt, and I just DIY'd a bf cardi on Sunday. So I decided to pull today's outfit together based on the inspiration.

Pink Tee - Burlington Coat Factory, $9 (Dec. 2010)
Cardi - Kmart, clearance for $3 + embellishment (about $5 for the 2 bows and brooch at Burlington) (Cardi - Spring 2010)
(P)leather Skirt - Lane Bryant, on sale for $30-ish (Late Winter 2010)
Heels - 6pm.com, on sale for $30 (Oct. 2010)

Outfit Inspiration:

(via I want to be her!)
Also, over the weekend I spied this great LOFT Cardi on Mix and Match Fashion and it reminded me of the striped one I scored on super clearance from Kmart this past spring.


(via Mix and Match Fashion)


Instead of dropping the extra $30 for the LOFT Cardigan I decided to embellish the one I already had.


Five minutes and a little bit of thread later I had this:

Where have you found inspiration at lately? Have you DIY'd anything fun?

Giveaway - Canvas on Demand

A while back I purchased a Groupon for Canvas on Demand. It is for a 16"x20" gallery-wrapped canvas made from a picture you provide. It retails for $126.95 and the Groupon cost was $45. It needs to be used by January 9, 2011, and I won't be able to use it by them. So, I want to give it away to one of you fabulous readers!



If you like to win the Canvas on Demand Groupon, fill out this form:



And if you haven't signed up for Groupon Deals yet you really should!

Remixes: Part 1

Remixing and utilizing pieces in your closet with a variety of items is a great way to truly make the most of your closet. I thought I would share some of the great pieces that I have in my closet that I have remixed in a variety of ways over the past couple of years.

Purple Accordion Pleat Skirt



Sleeveless Ponte Knit Charcoal Gray Dress



Olive Green "Army" Jacket



I'll share a couple of more closet work horses tomorrow!

Daily Outfit - 12/27/10

I love getting ready the first few days after Christmas. There are so many new, fun things to use. This morning I used my new Pink Champagne Shower Gel, warpped up in my new robe, dried my hair using my new T3 hairdryer, slipped on my new fleece-lined tights and sweater, added my new earrings, spritzed a little new Marc Jacobs Daisy Perfume, lined my eyes with new Smashbox liner, and wore my new North Face E-Tip Gloves while I drove to work. I was truly spoiled this year by all of my loved ones!

I hope you all had a wonderful holiday as well.

Black Ponte Dress - Avenue, on sale for $20 (Nov. 2010)
Blue Leopard Sweater - JC Penney, on sale for $18 (Dec. 2010)
Black Circle Scarf - Gifted

Earrings - Gifted
Black Fleece-Lined Tights - Gifted
Black Patent Wedges - Ellen Tracy via TJ Maxx, $40 (Dec. 2010)

Reader Question - NYE Ruffles

I just bought a sleeveless tank with a ruffled front, similar to the one here (below),
but black with scattered sequins, to wear for New Year's Eve. Only problem is, I'm not crazy about showing my upper arms in the middle of winter. Can you give me some outfit inspirations designed around the blouse?
-Tina


Tina, there are so many great blazers and shrugs out there right now I don't think you are going to have any problems keeping your upper arms under wraps and still in style.

I don't know if you are going totally glam for NYE or keeping things more casual, but here are just a couple of ideas I had for your new top:

I hope you have a great NYE and wonderful 2011!

Happy Holidays!

I hope everyone is having a great day whether you are celebrating Christmas or not. I am traveling to visit with Dave's family today. Tomorrow I will be spending the day with my family and also celebrating my uncle's birthday. I thought I would share a couple of pictures from Christmas 1984 (I was 5 years old). I got a pretty random (but awesome) assortment of gifts that year - pom-poms, typewriter, Rainbow Brite and one that you can't see a new Lhasa Apso puppy.

I hope you get everything on your wish list this year and enjoy your holiday time with friends and family.

Thanks for being a reader and sharing your kind words with me.