A Little Slice of Special

Weekly Slices of Special

2012-02-18T08:43:00.000-06:00

I feel like I've been running around like a madwoman all week this week!
Work+Life+extra gym time+out of the ordinary after work things has resulted in some raging ADHD...which I now realize is reflected in this weeks list:

You go Glen Coco.

Via modcloth-totes trying this on Saturday

LOVE these matte peach nails with metallic stripes!

Um helllooooo MINT PANTS?! NEEEED!

LOVE everything about this

And I adore everything about Betsey!

I very much want to make one of these...or maybe ten...

And I have no need for these goodies but I mean seriously, how could I not want them?!

Oh and I cannot wait... The hubs surprised me for Valentine's day with a pink Ukulele!!!! It's on backorder right now but someday in the near future it will be mine, it's all purchased and has my name all over it (proverbially of course!) I'm pretty sure this is going to be the longest month EVER!

And finally in a search to find things to message to a great friend that needed cheering up I found all of this magic:

SOMEONE GET ME SOME PANTENE....I was doubled over I was laughing so hard!

So glad I got to meet and hug Ryan Dunn at least once in my life...

What is bringing you joy this week?
XO
Lori

Sushi and Sweater Dresses

2012-02-17T07:30:00.000-06:00

I think it's safe to say that sometimes Rand and I act like 80 year olds. This year we wanted to avoid the crowds, over priced food, and all the not so fun hoopla of Valentines Day and went out on Monday night for dinner...oh how I've missed going out to eat....

Rand took me to Osaka in Roseville to give the sushi half of the place a go (we went for hibachi on New Years) and oh my goodness...so yummmmay!

Sometimes I feel like because we've been married a few years now we sometimes don't do the cute little couple things anymore, like take pictures together just cause....

I want to remedy that in the coming months and years!

Scarf: Ann Taylor

Sweater: Elle

Dress: Modcloth

Belt: Forever 21

Tights: Betsey Johnson

Shoes: Mossimo

And one last cheese fest..mostly because of Miss Piper ROFL!

What did you did for Valentine's day?! How do you celebrate?
Xo Lori

GUEST POSTERS NEEEEEEDED!!!!!! Why I Blog Wednesday

2012-02-16T09:52:00.000-06:00

Well, I've done it again and let WIBW get away from me! I desperately need a guest poster for the next two Wednesdays so if you're up to the the challenge of getting me a post this week, holy moses, you'd absolutely be my hero!!!!! Also, I am in need of future Why I Blog Wednesday guest posters so if you're interested or if you have questions, email me at alittlesliceofspecial@gmail.com

All I ask is that you have an established blog, doesn't matter the topic, and that you answer the question: Why do you blog. I like to leave it open ended and so far it's yielded fantastic results! Length of the post doesn't matter, it's 100% up to you, and photos are optional but they are super fun, so I highly recommend including them! The only thing I ask in return is that you link your guest post on your blog so that as many people as possible get to read your awesome post and I get to meet some of your lovely readers!

Sound good? I think it does!!!
Xo Lori

Smells like Teen Spirit

2012-02-16T07:00:00.000-06:00

Do you ever have one of those days where you feel like crap and are just in a funk?!

If no, well, then I kinda dislike you, but if yes, then you can pretty much put yourself in my mindset last Thursday. Granted I really wasn't feeling well and then on top of that I skipped the gym which means I didn't shower until after I got home. I felt so icky when I woke up I didn't go for one of my pre-styled outfits hanging but rather the comfiest thing I could throw together in 5 minutes (I overslept by 40)...apparently that kind of pressure makes me dress like the 90's teen I never got to be (I hit my early teens at the end of the 90's and rocked the clueless/spice girls style instead-ewww)

The only plus side? The hubs was actually really sweet and ordered me lunch from my fave place by work...even though he's only been there with me once (we work 30 mins away from each other) he knew exactly what to order and it was still a reasonable lunch calorie wise. It did brighten my day as much as anything could.

Yes, I can be bribed with Egg Salad and cottage cheese.

Why I Blog Wednesday: Dawn of Hello Dearie

2012-02-15T07:00:00.000-06:00

Hi guys! I'm Dawn and I write a lifestyle blog called Hello Dearie. I love sharing little peeks into our family life as we figure out downtown, loft living with a family and my quest to be a fashionable mother! I'm super excited to share with you my reasons for blogging today!

My blog just hit it's 2 year anniversary. That's still really hard to believe, and is a huge success for me. I normally get bored with things easily, but for some reason blogging has stuck. When I first started, it was to promote my business and share inspiration and projects. Since then, it has become so much more.

1. Blogging is much like scrap booking to me. I love documenting all of the little and big memories that I'm making with my little family of 3. Having this to remember all of the fun times we've had together is priceless to me.

2. It's given me the opportunity to learn so much! I would have never even known what CSS or coding was had I not started blogging. Now, I enjoy a little challenge here and there to learn something new.

3. Because of number 2, my husband and I have had lots more in common. He has always been the computer genius. Anytime I wanted to know something I just asked him. Now that I'm learning a few (very few) things about CSS, I can actually follow and hold a conversation about coding :) This really just makes me feel smart!

4. I've had the opportunity to get to "know" so many people online. I love the blogging community. For the most part, people are really supportive of each other and seem to want others to be successful.

5. Through blogging and reading blogs, I've figured out who I am a little more and become more confident in that person. For example, the thought of taking pictures and doing an outfit post scared me to death a year ago. Now it's one of my favorite things :)

Thanks so much Dawn for taking the time to write up a phenomenal post for Why I Blog Wednesday! Dawn is one of those bloggers that writes in a way that makes you feel like you've known them forever...it's also why her's is one of my favsie blogs! I'm pretty sure you should go check her blog out, stat! Xo Lori

Puppies and Pearls

2012-02-14T14:56:00.000-06:00

Words cannot express how much I love this little pup or the pearl buttons on this vintage sweater I found at Salvation Army. LOOOOOVe.

So, this week's weigh in SUCKED!!! For the first time since I started my get healthy plan I didn't loose any weight, not a single pound....I knew it would happen eventually, I just hoped it wouldn't be so soon! I think it might be because I added some major strength training into my weekly routine which replaced cardio, soooo hopefully it's just that I put on a lot of muscle?! Any re-jump start my weight loss ideas?! I am open to anything safe and healthy!!!!

At least my adorable little poochie pie still wants hugs from her momma...outfit photos be damned...

Sweater: Vintage thrifted at Goodwill

Jeans: LC

Boots: Old Navy

Xo Lori

Happy Love Day!

2012-02-14T07:00:00.000-06:00

I have to admit, I have a love hate relationship with Valentines day. On one hand, I love the concept, I love celebrating love. On the other hand, from about age 18 on, I have a long and uncomfortable history of valentines days... Rand and I just never seem to get it right. We even broke up on Valentines day, well the wee hours of the 15th.... Worst 9 days of my life after that one... Obviously there was a happy ending thrown in there but still it's always brought back bad memories and reminders of icky times...You can probably guess the not so awesome years...as there aren't pictures celebrating that day BUT I thought it would be fun to look back at the last 7 Valentines days...or at least the ones i could find pictures from!

2005 our first Valentines day...One of these is our first anniversary...not sure which is which...so you get both...

2005:

2006:

?! Me thinks we just didn't take a picture anywhere?!

2007:

2008:

2009:

2010:

we skipped going out for Valentines and got a new car :) We're really romantic like that....

2011

This year we decided to go out on the 13th to avoid the crowds and high prices, we're headed to Osaka for a sushi date...I'm sure I'll be doing an outfit post about it this week!!!

Happy Valentines Day friends! I think Valentines is about showing some love for everyone important in your life so I hope you tell someone you love that you extra love them today! Xo Lori

Makeup Monday: Crazay Hair

2012-02-13T10:00:00.000-06:00

I don't think it's a big secret (at least not around my house) That I would acutally love to shave the sides of my head ala Sonya Tayeh:

My husband (and I'm sure my work as well) strongly request that I not do this so when I saw a picture on pintrest that created a faux version, I really wanted to try it.

The first thing I realized though is that I #1 don't have a large enough head to do two braids, and that I don't really have enough hair either. I have a lot of hair but it's also very fine...which doesn't bode well for trying to make a lot of little braids....

1. I started with really dirty hair...as in it hadn't been washed in 2 days. I'd been wearing it natural and curly so it was free of product, all i did was brush it out.
2. I thoroughly "washed" my hair with dry shampoo...I used Tresseme's fresh start spray...I am also a big fan of Cake's dry shampoo powder. I brushed the dry shampoo through my hair , added extra to my bangs and the top of my head to create more volume and brushed it all back.
3. I seperated out a top section to focus on creating the pouf on top. I used a few bobby pins to secure the hair at the top and center of my head. I sprayed a butt-load of hair spray on at this point, just on the top, I used Big Sexy Hair. On each side I french braided a small braid, only going to where the ponytail would start and I secure the braids with bobby pins.

The last step was to put all the left over hair into a big ponytail. I chose to keep it more towards the center of my head (both vertically and horizontally) for a more toned down version of my pinterest inspiration. The last little detail I did was to pull out a chunk of hair from the ponytail and wrap it around the elastic. I then sprayed my whole head with hairspray.

I'm not gonna lie, I wasn't a huge fan. It was mostly because my hair is too thin and fine on the sides (and it's hard to do a horizontal french braid on the side of your own head-so they weren't very neat). I also feel weird without my bangs for some reason (even though most days the first half of the day-before I go to the gym-I have them pulled back in a headband). Long story not so short, I might try this again, on clean hair, when someone can do the braids for me and I'm going to put makeup on! I think that would have helped too LOL! Let me know if you give it a go or if you've tried this kind of look already!

XO Lori

Makeup Monday Ombre Lip Service!!!!

2012-02-13T07:00:00.000-06:00

What was that, it's Makeup Monday AND the day before Valentines Day?! Well, I wrote up a guest post for the Lovely Miss Megs that she shared on her blog on Friday and I thought I would share it with you here as well!!!

I had seen this photo on pinterest and thought it looked absolutely lovely...it also didn't have a link to anything or explain how to achieve it. So, I've dubbed it the Ombre lip and I tried to figure out how they created it!

(~~this photo was uploaded by a pinterest user, I've linked to said user[click on the photo above!])~~

UPDATE: A lovely lady has shared the link in the comments but I wanted to share it in the post too to give credit where credit is very much due! Also-there is a video tutorial, hellooooo awesome! Click here to check it out

***

So, my attempt didn't come out as great as the inspiration but I also have a sneaking suspicion the photo above was done by a makeup artist...I strongly believe that you don't have to be a makeup artist to have fun and be creative with makeup!

I opted for 2 softer versions: berry and bright pink. I was able to dig through my mountain of lipsticks, glosses, and stains and as you can see in A. below I just played around with layering until I found a series of colors I liked together. I'd say you need 3-4 colors but theoretically you could totally pull this off with 2!

1. The first and probably most important step is to prep your lip. I used Revlon Colorstay clear lip liner all the way around my lips, I like to actually apply the line above my lip (since it's clear) so that I have the full lip surface for the actual color, it still keeps the color on track but doesn't waste lip real estate!!!!
2. I then applied a thick/creamy foundation to my entire lip using my fingers. I used Time Balm foundation, which is available at Sephora. And yes, you look super creepy at this stage. Using foundation, concealer or lip primer creates an even surface upon which to work, it will keep tones consistent and also help your lip color last longer!
3./4. The next step is to apply a nude lipstick (I used Revlon Matte in 01) to your entire bottom lip. Once you're well blended you can go for the first color. I used a lip and cheek stain in a berry color, specifically ... Stila's pomegranate crush lip & cheek stain . Instead of brushing it directly on my lips I used a disposible eye shadow sponge to dab the color on the top center of my bottom lip.
5. At this point I blended the stain out, adding a little bit at a time, as necessary, until I had 3 fairly clear colors happening on my lower lip.
6. The next color I added is a rose cream lip pencil from Buxom. I covered my entire top lip, but didn't worry too much about getting too close to the edge of my top lip since I'd be covering that area with a darker shade anyways. At this point I also added significantly more of the lip stain to the innermost part of my bottom lip (still using the shadow applicator).
7. Here came the really tricky part...especially since it looked horrible before I blended it out. I added NYX Cream lipstick in snow white (a deep berry red) along the top half of my upper lip, again, I didn't worry about getting too close to the edge, I blended out from that point anyways.
8. The next step was to blend. I used the other side of the eye shadow applicator to blend out only the lipstick until it no longer looked harsh
9. Using my e.l.f. Studio Retractable Lip Brush I blended and precisely shaped the outter line of my lip and create a few light placed where I tried to further blend the red with the rose colors on my upper lip.
10. And that's it! The one major thing I would do differently now would be to add a clear gloss over the whole look. My lips are a little dry right now so that might have helped with inner creasing. Another great step would be to prep your lips with a lip scrub... I highly recommend Lush's Mint Julip lip scrub. It's all natural, tastes great, and has oil in it to hydrate your lips as the sugar exfoliates! I have the mint Julip flavor but there are a few others if mint isn't your thing!

A. Creating lip swatches to determine what colors to use
B. NYX Cream Lipstick in Snow White, Buxom lipstick pencil in Rose, Stila Pomegranate crush lip & cheek stain, Revon Matte lipstick in nude (01), Revlon Colorstay Clear Lipliner

Because I felt like I had just sort of gotten the hang of the whole ombre thing I thought I would repeat what I had just done in a series of pinks, I also wanted to try to recreate the effect without a lip stain. My lips certainly looked more moisturized! I applied the lightest pink first, the convertible color in place of the lip stain, the gardinia on the lowest part of my upper lip and topped it with the hot pink.

Colors/Products Used:

(left to right in photo below)

Revlon Matte Lipstick in Pink (02)

NYX Lipstick in Gardenia

Stila convertible color peony

Makeup forever #36 Hot Pink

So there you have it, two awesome options for an Ombre Valentines day lip! I'm planning to give this a go if I can get appropriate colors to match whatever I decide to wear (of course I haven't decided yet!) and I'll seal it with Urban Decay's Setting Spray (I have dew me) so it for sure doesn't come off while we're out to eat!!!!

XO Lori

Ruffled Turtle

2012-02-12T08:00:00.000-06:00

So I'm pretty sure I'm a major weirdo.

I have a weakness for weird vintage kitsch.

This little fuzzy butted bunny melted my soul and he joins my woodland creature collection at home!

I also sometimes un-endingly love odd pieces of clothing. This ruffly vintage turtle neck sweater called to me from Dinosaur Toe's Closet! I mean, it's a brilliant color and I am always about the ruffles but should I really be this excited by it:

Yeah, I probably shouldn't but truth be told I absolutely was. Even though it was hot and the neck was too tight, this sweater made me all kinds of happy!

My momma got me this deer for Christmas, yes, it's an ornament, yes I took the hanger off and it also sits year round on my shelf now....you should probably be jealous (that was in my Nap Dynamite voice in case you weren't aware)

Speaking of Nappy D...has anyone seen the new cartoon version on Fox?! Maybe I shouldn't admit this but I kind of effing love it. I have always been a ND fan, I have seen the movie far more times than I should probably ever admit to and yeah, I still quote it, what 8 years later?! Yupper Gooshhhhhhhh.

Outfit deeets:

Sweater: Vintage

Jumper: Modcloth Cream Soda Jumper

Tights: Betsey Johnson (Because I ripped a giant hole in my last clean pair of not black tights putting them on-thank you wedding ring...)

Shoes: Urban Outfitters

A Day at the Capitol

2012-02-11T08:30:00.000-06:00

So, as you may know, my full time day job is as a Research Associate at the Minnesota Taxpayers Association.

The Minnesota Taxpayers Association is a non-profit, nonpartisan organization dedicated to the advancement of efficient, economical government. Its membership is statewide, open to all, and representative of every category of taxpayer. It was founded in 1926 and incorporated in 1958.

But what do we do...

The Association devotes primary attention to matters of state and local government. Its continuing purpose is...

the devising and furtherance of fiscal and tax policies that help to make Minnesota a better place in which to live, to work, and to do business
the dissemination, through news media and by other means, of factual information that will help to keep all Minnesotans informed and educated in matters of government and taxation which bear upon the economic well-being of the State and its people
the encouragement of sound tax administrative policies and efficient practices
the encouragement of sound financial practices in the disbursement of public funds.

(taken from our website)

Besides the fact that I find tax policy beyond fascinating (yes I am being totally serious here) I love that the MTA is actually non-partisan. The entire staff is beyond committed to producing research and analysis that is based on facts and the principals of good tax policy. Organizations like the MTA are too few and far between IMO.

Over the past few years I've written and co-authored a few different bigger research reports at the MTA.

http://www.mntax.org/cpfr/documents/LGA-HealthCareStudyFINAL.pdf

http://www.opengovernmentmn.com/Nexus_CompensationReport_PartOne.pdf

http://www.opengovernmentmn.com/Nexus_CompensationReport_PartTwo.pdf

http://www.opengovernmentmn.com/Report-Transparency-Final-2011-02.PDF

Last week the MTA headed up to the state Capitol to testify on our Compensation Report in the house committee on Government Operations and elections.

A bill has been authored by Rep. Downey based on the findings of our report and so we needed to come and speak about our research and answer questions from the committee. I needed to be on hand in case I needed to answer any questions but the plan was to just have our Executive Director and Research Director talk. Thankfully, I got to just sit and watch. In any case I needed to bust out my pants suit and look all professional:

Blazer and Pants both INC (Macy's)

Lace Top: Elle

Wedge shoes: Target

I tried to Lori-i-fy it by wearing a lace/crochet top underneath my jacket. I still think it's pretty boring but oh well..now you know a little more about my job and what I wear on the days I don't post outfit pictures!

Xo Lori

Weekly Slices of Special

2012-02-10T08:00:00.000-06:00

Just of few of the things that have brought a big smile to my face this week:

How jealous are you of this little lady?! Words cannot begin to express mine...

From Southern Lovely

I think I might go home and make this tonight in fact...

What, you want to get me a totally BA b-day gift?! Yeah this wig needs to be mine!

I need to remember this often.

#1 on my b-day list? A Ukelele...not kidding

For reals.

I adore this tattoo set...This makes me want to get back to thinking about getting an alice inspired sleeve

I need to amend this to:

I love you, blogs, the dog, and coffee.

Then hang it in my home. stat.

I am completely smitten with black and white tops with a pop of color this week...perhaps I'll find an awesome bright scarf this weekend?!

Finally, I did a tutorial on how to create an ombre lip over on Lovely Miss Meg's blog this week, she's amazing so make sure to check her blog out!!!!

Don't forget to follow me on pinterest!

http://pinterest.com/sliceospecial/

And if you already do, make sure you add my newest board:

http://pinterest.com/sliceospecial/a-little-slice-of-special-outfits/

What's making you geek out this week?

YAY I have a Guest Post Today!!!!

2012-02-09T09:28:00.001-06:00

Check me out over at Vintage Gwen for her Best of Me Series!!!!!

My post is all about Valentines Day makeup ideas, how to's

and playing with different eye and lip combos!

Check my post out here and leave some love!

Healthy Life: Progress

2012-02-09T09:07:00.000-06:00

For the First time in my life, I am getting healthy, all around, the right way. No starving myself. No weird cottage cheese only, carrots only diets. No lying about what I eat. No excessive working out. This is kind of a huge deal. I've always been pretty private about when I have tried to "get healthy" in the past. I'ts probably because I had things to hide, this time, it's not the case...

Even though it makes me uncomfortable, I feel proud of what I'm doing, what I've done, and I know at least a few of you want to know what I'm doing and how it's going so here it is:

I won't bore you with our entire insane meal schedule. We plan every breakfast, lunch, dinner and snacks every week. We don't keep extra food in the house, we get what we need every week, we eat it, and we waste almost nothing now-it's kinda awesome. It's also helped us keep our more expensive eating habits within our budget! I'd say most meals we try are super yummy, we've been getting cookbooks from the library and we make recipe based meals at least 5 nights a week.

My favorite cookbooks are:

Eating Well on a Budget

Cook this Not that

The Family Vegetarian Cookbook

15 minute Vegetarian

Hungry Girl

We eat dinners around 300 calories...both of these qualify, even with bread and cheese!

(Portobello Cheese "steaks" with onions and yellow pepper and a grilled veggie wrap with feta)

I'm embracing protien powder and I'm trying to explore healthy alternatives..

Besides guzzling water, I've added 2 vitamins daily. These were both less than $3 at target and only made me sick to my stomach the first day. Also, the first two weeks of taking them, I doubled my weekly weight loss...just sayin...

And in taking part of Amy's

I am embracing my weight loss...being proud of what I've done and how far I've come thus far.

I still kind of can't believe I'm sharing these photos (I took them as an alternative to weighing myself to track progress) but well dammit I'm proud. Am I to a point where I'm truly comfortable showing my tummy, lord no...but I am ok with sharing my pride in what I've accomplished thus far.

2 weeks in....................1 month and 3 days in:

I'm down 14 lbs

I've lost 4 inches off my tummy

1 inch off my arms

1 inch off my hips

1 inch off my waist

and a half inch off my legs

I've worked up to working out at least 5 days a week (6 if I do yoga on Sundays)

I've made it to level 2 of the Shred

I've tried 2 new classes at the gym and survived

I can make it through turbokick without running out of energy

I'm almost halfway to my goal of 30 pounds by June...I don't know why it's coming off so much quicker than what I have things set to on my calorie counter but I'll go with it!

I seriously can't wait until I can wear a wider variety of vintage clothes, fit in a few modcloth dresses that I can't currently fit into and buy a new swim suit for summer. I can't wait to be healthy. I can't wait until working out and eating right is a habit not a challenge. Most of all I cannot wait to switch from a weight loss calorie goal to a maintenance calorie goal!

De Vil?

2012-02-09T07:00:00.000-06:00

After we took outfit pics, Randy asked me if I was stealing any puppies....

after I looked at him blankly...

he proceeded to tell me that I was dressed like Cruella De Vil. #fail-town...I still don't get it but whatevs...I liked my outfit...

My Cruella De Vil outfit....

Hat: Apt 9

Scarf: Ann Taylor

Top: Gap

Skirt: Kohls

Belt: not sure...it's super old

Oxfords: Target

Also, Yay for getting home in semi-daylight and also for it being warm enough to take pictures outside (it was way too short lived though!)

XO Lori

Why I Blog Wednesday: Amber of The Girly Bird

2012-02-08T07:00:00.000-06:00

For this week's Why I Blog Wednesday, Amber of The Girly Bird, shares why she blogs:

Blogging, for me, started out of shear boredom. I had just moved from the hussle and bussle of New York City to suburban central in the laid back state of Connecticut where my only “friends” were relatives of my husband. I was desperately looking for a creative outlet to fill my downtime and came across a few fashion blog sites via Modcloth and thought “hey I can do that”…..so I did. It was over a year and a half ago that I uploaded my first outfit photo taken with the crappiest point and shoot camera known to mankind. Since that time I’ve immersed myself in this community of women who value real world fashion (and sarcastic humor) as much as I do. The friendships I’ve made with these ladies (and a gent) is what keeps me coming back for more. Sure these friendships aren’t traditional by any means, but they mean the world to me. What once began as a time filler for a lonely newlywed has become a channel for my inner wise ass fashion diva to unleash herself in all her glory and that is why I do, and will continue to, blog my little heart out.

The girly bird is hands down one of my favorite blogs, mainly because the snarky sarcastic side of me (which I tend to leave out of A Little Slice of Special) can soooooo relate. That and the fact that she loves a lot of the same movies and TV shows as me, girl has great taste and comes up with the best outfits! Love it! Thanks so much for taking the time to write a post for Why I Blog Wednesday Amber! XoXo Lori

Polka Dottage,Chevrons, and Minty Koalas

2012-02-07T07:00:00.000-06:00

Perhaps this was a little toooooooo much for work?! Bah who knows...it was fun, that's all that matters...it was also the only day last week I got to dress fun for work, as I was swamped with meetings!

That also means this week will probably be a little light on outfit posts, as I don't have a whole ton to share! Eeep! I mean, seriously, how many pictures of me in suits do you want to see, I'm guessing zero. You'll probably get one anyways :)

Dress: ASOS

Sweater: Old Navy

Tights: Betsey Johnson

Booties: Target

In good news, I finally got my camera fixed, unfortunately while it turns on and takes pictures, the auto focus/flash coordination is all messed up so inside pictures are still kinda junk-tastic. Pretty sure Rand almost threw the camera out the window while taking these!

In other good news, if you didn't see it on the facebook page...I officially opened up an Etsy Shop: The Minty Koala. I've been painting in my free time for awhile (and drawing) as a means to control my stress and anxiety. I thought I'd have a go at selling some of my paintings on etsy and I figured since I have my little bliggity blog, I'd share the shop with you. You can click the shop tab above or HERE to check out my stuffs. I've also added some vintage clothes I've picked up and realized didn't fit or look right on me but deserve to have an awesome home...eventually I plan to add glitter covered dinos and animals to the mix but I need to get my hands on some clear sealant first!!! I figure if I'm making the mess, I might as well share the goodness! Obviously, this might all tank and I'll end up on regretsy but who knows, I'm always trying to put myself out there more...so here goes!

Xo Lori

Makeup Monday: Guest Post-Marla of Makeup by Marla!

2012-02-06T09:03:00.000-06:00

A few weeks ago I found an amaaaaazing beauty blog...Makeup By Marla...so many gorgeous ideas to try and I asked for Marla would mind writing up a guest post for Makeup Monday, well she did and hello awesome! Thanks again for taking the time to share some inspiration and tips with us! Xo Lori

Hey Girls!

Today I did a very bold look with my favorite color combination:

Orange & Purple!

I did a cut crease look with heavy liner and I used a couple of products that I am truly in love with!

A cut crease look is achieved basically by using two contrasting colors. Whether it be a white and black, red and brown, or any other color choices. Personally I prefer to use matte products on my lid because it makes the cut crease appear stronger. I try to keep shimmer solely on the inner corner of my eye and as my highlight.

Whenever wearing a cut crease look expect to get a lot of attention as it draws a lot to the eyes. It makes them appear bigger and could actually change the shape of your eye. Depending on your color choices decide if you go for a strong or subtle lip color. Today, I decided to apply a peachy pink color.

Cutting the crease has began to be a favorite among celebrities with naturally "SMALL" eyes, if you have any questions regarding your specific eye shape and how to cut a crease feel free to ask.

Products Used:

FACE

Revlon ColorStay Foundation in Buff

Translucent Powder from no name brand

Mary Kay Powder in 1.5 Beige (USED FOR CONTOURING)

Signature Minerals Blush in Desiree (A peachy blush)

MAC MSF in Soft & Gentle

BROWS

MAC Eye Shadow in Espresso

EYES

Maybelline Color Tattoo in Fierce and Tangy (orange color)

MAC Orange Eye Shadow (all over lid)

MAC Nocturnelle Eye Shadow (in crease)

MAC Shadowy Lady Eye Shadow (to deepen crease slightly)

MAC Studio Fix in NC20 (as highlight)

TIP: I like to use my products for more then one thing, such as using my face powders as eye shadows!

MAC Nylon Eye Shadow (inner corner)

ELF Liquid Liner in Black

Clinique Lash Doubling Mascara

Select Lashes (no #'s sorry!)

LIPS

L'oreal Infallible Lip Liner in Coral

MAC High Tea

Bare Minerals Lip Gloss in Wild One

I hope you enjoyed this look and I hope it inspires you to venture out of your normal color palette, sometimes being daring is fun!

XOXO,

Marla

Vintage Maxi Dress...

2012-02-05T15:35:00.000-06:00

I found this little slice of special at a Salvation Army on the South Side of Chicago. My cousin, who gets as excited about thrifting as I do, knew we needed to go there...I found this dress...almost didn't get it because I didn't know if I'd have the balls to wear it...and 2 months later I finally bit the bullet and rocked it for a day at work.

Comfy? Heck Yes

Adorable Detail at the neckline? Duh

Figure Flattering? Not in the slightest...

I felt like it made my arms look GIGANTIC without my sweater on...it just looked so disproportionate and it made me kinda sad...maybe by summer I'll be in better shape and it will actually look good on me...until then, with a sweater, I am totally down for wearing this regularly!

Dress: Thrifted Vintage-no tags

Belt: Forever 21

Cardigan-ancient

What pieces of clothing put you in your uncomfortable zone?! And more importantly how do you get past it and wear what you want anyways?!

Xo Lori

What I wore to work...

2012-02-04T08:30:00.000-06:00

Week 4 of my new healthy life plan was kind of a rough one. There was a complete mental breakdown which lead to me finally getting on a scale, realizing I'd lost over 6 pounds already (in 3 weeks, with my goal being a pound and a half a week) which was followed by me realizing I was just plain exhausted.

I've been working out regularly for over a year and a half now....varying between 3- 5 days per week. I've upped it to 5 days consistently and I've cut about 1,000 calories from my daily diet (yes, this is medically safe-apparently even with working out, I shouldn't have been eating as much as I was). Long story, not so short, is that I really needed to see some sort of results, some way to know all of what I was doing and all I was putting my body through was worth it...

I'll admit, I felt mentally better knowing that all the work of planning and tracking meals, cooking, cleaning up after cooking 3 meals a day, and making sure I work out enough...while still getting enough water and vitamins and sleep but unfortunatly it didn't stop me from looking like a hot mess...both of these days...seriously...so so so so so exhausted and it totally shows on my face!

Dress: Thrifted Forever 21 $1.50

Belt: New Forever 21

Tights: Betsey Johnson

Shoes: Mossimo

Bag: Le Sport Sac

Headband: Forever 21

Top: Macy's

Vest: Ann Taylor Loft

Pants: Thrifted INC (Macy's..and yes these are petites...) $1.40

Shoes: Maurices

One of the highlights last week was realizing I was down 2 dress pant sizes. I haven't really noticed a huge change in how my clothes fit up until now but for me, dress pants are always where I wear the largest size, they are kind of my gauge of actual size change!

I just can't wait for the point when I get more into the habit of living healthy, where I don't have to work SO hard at planning and tracking and can just do it, knowing the right portions by sight, and knowing how to make the healthiest decisions possible!

Xo Lori

Weekly Slices of Special

2012-02-03T07:00:00.000-06:00

This week has been crazy busy, at work and at home....sadly it's my pinterest time that has suffered as a result :)

But I still found lots and lots of goodies this week:

(click the photos to link through!)

I think I need to go to the dollar store so I can make a sparkly pipe cleaner crown like Blythe Ponytail Parades.

I want to mix more prints. I want to start doing it at least once a week!

The ways in which I love the Jackass boys....

le sigh...17 year old Lori still thinks she is going to marry one of them....Just not wee man-I met him and he was a huge jerkface!

I think I want to start saying twinkle in place of sweat...

As in, when I'm at the gym, I am twinkling, not sweating.

I adore this outfit, I think I might need to have a go at doing my own version next week!

Pretty sure this is going to be on my weekend to do list!

Story of my life...Rand can be a big jerk face on road trips....

I NEEEEEEED this coat. NEED. And I can't wait for excessive spring pastels!

What are you digging on this week?! Link me to your lists in the comments!

Xo Lori

Fact:There is just never enough glitter.

2012-02-02T07:00:00.000-06:00

No, the title of this post has nothing to do with glitter in my outfit, or in my makeup, BUT I just thought it should probably be known...glitter is always welcome...all day, every day.

I have to admit, I'm a magazine-e-mail junkie. I am pretty sure I'm subscribed to all of my favorite magazine's e-mail lists, including glamour, which provided the inspiration for today's outfit!

Now, my chambray shirt has gotten 10x it's expected use since I bought it and unfortunately it has actually torn a little, so alas, the days of wearing it untied are over...on the plus side, apparently tied shirts are going to be super cool this spring, so maybe it will continue to find a useful place in my wardrobe...

I got this skirt from the Salvation Army for 99 cent and the bodysuit I have on underneath is from modcloth last year...

Tights are Betsey Johnson and shoes are from Target

Was I freezing cold all day, yes, did I love this outfit enough to NOT care, duh.

Outfit inspiration: Glamour

XoXo Lori

PS...For anyone following along my get healthy in 2012 plan, a little update: I didn't expect to ever be saying this...but my weigh in on Tuesday showed another 3.5 pound weight loss...I've lost at least 9.5 pounds...I am kind of speechless ... but I feel proud, happy, excited, kinda like I wanna scream it from a mountain top. I know I can do this and it's just a matter of continuing to do what I'm doing! Thank you so much for all your support and kind words over the last month, for listening to me rant and rave and for continuing (I hope) to be there to cheer me on!!!

Why I Blog Wednesday: Christine of FutureLint

2012-02-01T07:00:00.002-06:00

I started blogging because I had seen a few personal fashion blogs and it seemed like fun! I have always taken time to dress myself thoughtfully. However 90% of my friends are guys and even the ones who are female don't really care about fashion or style. So I decided to take a photo of what I was wearing for a few days and see what happened.

Nearly four years later, I'm still at it! I like having a place to not only remember what I wore but also what I did while wearing it! I've never kept a journal and while I have a good memory, I, like everyone, forget so much day to day stuff and even some special things I've done.

So having a record to look back at and see what I was doing last January and the one before is so neat! Where I've been, what I thought, and what I wore while doing those things, all in one spot! It's so neat!

I never expected when I started the blog, for anyone to read it, or comment, or become actual friends with me. But it's all happened because of the awesome blogging community. There is so much inspiration and camaraderie out there, I don't know that I'll ever stop blogging. I'm still a small fish in a big pond and I'm okay with that! I'm not looking to get internet-famous or go to fashion shows or get sent designer goods. I just want to wear an outfit, take a photo and go to work. All the rest is just, as they say, gravy.

...

Thanks Christine for writing up an awesome post on why you blog! I think you're one of longest running bloggers that have written for Why I Blog Wednesday and it's encouraging to see someone stick with it for so long!!!

FutureLint is one of my absolute fave MN blogs and of course you should go check it out yo!

A Guide My Favorite Vintage and Thrift Stores in the Twin Cities

2012-01-31T07:00:00.000-06:00

Over the past year, I've been jumping full force into thrifting and buying secondhand...to be honest it mostly developed out of the fact that money has been tight for too many years and it was either stop shopping all together and buy a new piece maybe every couple of months or I could get a lot of items for super cheap whenever I want. I chose door #2. So for all of 2012 I am not buying any new clothes, shoes, or accessories. 1 month in things are going awesome. I've spent about $40 this month and I've gotten a massive amount of new to me goodies!

To celebrate 1 month of money saving awesomeness I've compiled a list of my favorite places to shop in the twin cities and added a bonus section about my favorite 2 online vintage shops (so feel free to scroll all the way down if you're not a Minnesotan). Finally, major props to one of my besties-Des- whom introduced me to many of my favorite places and money saving tricks!

Salvation Army

I am pretty much a Salvation Army kinda girl. One of my good friends introduced me to the Salvation Army tucked away in a shopping center a few blocks from our house and ever since then I continue to find a large haul of awesome items every time I go. Probably my favorite finds at my local SA are the plethora of vintage pleated skirts-which have always been 99 cents or less...

It's also my go to place for cardigans...I got these three the day after thanksgiving when everything was half off, so each of these were less than $3...Target, Banana Republic, and New York and Co

I've also had quite a bit of luck finding vintage dresses on the cheap...the "skirt" is actually a dress i got for 99 cents....I think I paid 1.99 for this red dress, and that sweater is 70's vintage that I also found at SA

The Salvation Army Thrift Store

572 University Avenue West, Saint Paul, MN

(651) 789-0099 ‎ · salvationarmyusa.org

Goodwill

The Roseville Goodwill hasn't been so nice to me in terms of finding clothes, I pretty much go there for their awesome housewares section and I've pretty much decorated an obscene amount of my house with finds from here...that B.A. unicorn in the photo header-yup got that for 40 cents :) it's now mint green...

And I also now realize I haven't taken enough pictures of the awesome housewares finds I've dug up there...

That's not to say I haven't gotten clothes there before...I got this Ann Taylor Dress for a few bucks and that Liz Claiborne Sweater for $2.50

Goodwill

1627 County Road B, Roseville, MN

(651) 634-3609 ‎ · goodwilltcmn.org

Everyday People

I'm not entirely sure how to classify Everyday People but it's one of my absolute fave places to shop in the twin cities! I have been to the Minneapolis and Saint Paul locations but I for sure prefer the Saint Paul-it's also significantly closer to my house...and I hate driving. I got this adorable blazer there for less than $5...I've found a few cute vintage pieces for cheap and I got my cousin a Guess Purse there for an insanely reasonable price. One of my fave finds was a travel bag...

And this apron:

And that spectacular pin was procured there as well...Oh yeah, I also found a liberty of London for Target tunic there, tags still on, for $5. Insanity I tell you.

http://www.everydaypeopleclothing.com/

Everyday People

1599 Selby Avenue, Saint Paul, MN

(651) 644-4410

The Clothes Mentor

I got a few really amazing items for a decent enough price but I felt like it was finding a needle in a haystack. So many items in the store are really really nice and cute but so insanely overpriced, I couldn't even bring myself to consider them! I got 1 thing out of their clearance section (one major plus is that they separate out these items!) and I love it but I was hoping to find more than 1 thing! While they carry some nicer brands, some of the basics I went in for were not in great brands and were still expensive. I felt like I could go to Marshalls or TJ Maxx and get them for equal prices-but new. That being said, I include them in my list because hell, I got a brand new with tags large Le Sport Sac Tote for like $7. (thank you coupons!)

Clothes Mentor

2401 Fairview Ave N # 108, Roseville, MN

(651) 789-2880 ‎ · clothesmentor.com

Turnstyle

Turnstyle is pretty awesome, but a lot of effort. There is a massive amount of clothes and clearanced items are of course mixed in-which is important because everything I ended up getting was on clearance!

(I got this top for less than $2-United Colors of Benetton)

Other incredible finds included 2 pairs of dress pants (both Macy's brands) for $1.60 and $1.30. I ended up with a big bag full for $11...not bad at all.

Turn Style Consignment Store

2393 Fairview Ave N, St Paul, MN 55113-2707

Fairdale Shoppes

(651) 633-5499 ‎turnstyleconsign.com
**For the Clothes Mentor and Turnstyle I highly recommend signing up for e-mail coupons-they made what would have been mediocre deals well worth the time and effort!!!!

Plato's Closet

I was torn as to whether or not to include Plato's on this list....I remember back in the day (as in 10ish years ago) it was amazingly awesome...I would look forward to visiting friends in IL in order to go there and get super cheap goodies...when I returned for the first time since 2003 I was left feeling a big mix of emotions. I got 3 of my most favorite secondhand pieces ever from there but for the most part i honestly think they are very over priced for the brands/conditions offered....except if you have 45 minutes to wait while they go through your clothes (to tell you they will offer you basically a dollar or two a piece) and you can dig out some reasonably priced hidden gems like this dress:

I do stop in every once in a great while, most of the time I find nothing but isn't that generally how thrifitng goes?!

Plato's Closet

2100 Snelling Ave N # 72B, Saint Paul, MN 55113-6049

HarMar Mall

(651) 697-0267 ‎platoscloset.com

Simply Vintage

I realize my longest list of this guide to my favorites is vintage shops...the funny thing is, I love to go to them but I am way to cheap/poor to buy things at many of them...I'm just keeping it real...

Hands down my best secret place has to be Simply Vintage in West Saint Paul. Next to Amore (my fave coffee place) and the cutest dog salon/shop every Simply Vintage is tucked away in the cutest little shop and it looks like it would be expensive from the outside yet, it's actually really reasonably priced.

(photos via facebook)

Simply Vintage

885 Smith Avenue South

Saint Paul, MN 55118-1126

(651) 457-6933

Also worth checking out while you're over there is West St. Paul Antiques...they don't really have clothes in there but the vintage goodies are evvvvverywhere...the camera collection along just about gave me a heart attack...someday when I'm rich...that place is in for a major payday!

Rewind Vintage

(photos via facebook)

One of the first vintage shops I fell in love with when I moved to MN was Rewind Vintage in NE Minneapolis. It was on my bus route to and from school everyday and so how could I not stop and peek around...a lot. I admit, I haven't been there in quite awhile...mostly because it's kind of a super long drive from where I live but I still think about it fondly and highly recommend going if you're in the area...there's also a few other awesome shops in the vicinity!

Here's a T Shirt I got there a few years ago, I still adore it:

Rewind Vintage

2829 Johnson Street Northeast, Minneapolis, MN

(612) 788-9870 ‎ ·

rewindminneapolis.com

At the intersection of Selby and Snelling in Saint Paul there is a small cluster of awesome vintage and boutique shops...they were all pretty darn pricey (except for Everyday People, which is also there)...none the less, if you have the money or just want to check out some really high quality vintage pieces...check out these shops...

Lula

(photo via facebook)

Lula's owner is pretty much one of the nicest people ever...she geeked out over vintage fun stuff with us and was more than helpful pulling accessories out of the case/grabbing more from the back...I wish I could have spent more there but the only time I've been in, we got there shortly before closing, so the 15 minutes we spent there weren't enough to really get into all the clothes that line the walls-floor to ceiling..no joke...it's jammed! (If you go to google maps you can "look inside")

Lula

1587 Selby Ave, St Paul, MN

(651) 644-4110 ‎

Go Vintage

(photos via Facebook)

I found 2 ammmmmazing vintage aprons for $5 each here, and a million other things I wanted but either couldn't fit into (I'd say size S peeps would do best here) or couldn't afford..someday perhaps?! Definitely worth checking out!

Go Vintage

1560 Selby Avenue, Saint Paul, MN

(651) 646-4455 ‎ · govintageshop.com

Up 6

(photos via Google)

I actually found quite a few pieces here that I liked but weren't quite priced equal to their level of awesomeness...aka I didn't buy anything but based on their style, I could definitely see myself going back at some point!

Up Six

157 Snelling Ave N, Saint Paul, MN 55104-6747

(651) 917-0470 ‎upsixvintage.com

And because I didn't want to leave out anyone who doesn't live in Minnesota or the Twin Cities I thought I'd share my favorite online vintage shops!

Superstition Vintage

I think I've gushed a million times on here about how much I adore Superstition Vintage....

You can click over to their shop using the link under my sidebar and here are a few reasons why:

The shirt in the section header above and the cape in the photo below

This bodysuit...

And this skirt....

http://www.superstitionvintage.com/

Be sure to check out their blog and Etsy!

Two Birds

These lovely ladies happen to write one of my favorite blogs and also just recently opened an Etsy shop...I without fail always seem to be out of town or otherwise engaged when they have had pop up shops and styling events so the whole Etsy shop creation rocked my world. In the spirit of full disclosure, I haven't ordered from them yet (and I do mean yet) but the number of things on my Etsy wishlist is getting to long...sooo I should probably get a few things to shorten it lol...in the meantime, check out their blog and then click over to Etsy...

http://twobirdsboutique.blogspot.com/

I hope you've enjoyed this little guide to where I'd take you shopping if you were hanging out with me in the TC (it's what I lovingly call the twin cities-I think it makes me sound hardcore!)...if you have any questions or want more info about a shop feel free to leave it in the comments or e-mail me!

I'm also happy to share this as a guest post...perhaps shortened (linking back to this full post) just contact me and we can get something figured out!
Xo Lori

Healthy Life Guest Post: Jasmine of La Bella Vita

2012-01-30T12:00:00.000-06:00

Let's talk about inspiration for a moment: Jasmine of La Bella Vita. On her own she lost 100 pounds...you read that right...100.

The best part is she did it the healthy way and has maintained it....She's pretty much my go to health blog and on top of that she's one of the nicest girlies I've gotten to know through blogging! I asked her if she could write up a guest post about her best weight loss tips and good lord did she deliver!!!!! Thank you so much Jasmine! Xo Lori

*

First off I'd just like to say thank you to the lovely LoriLynn who asked me if I could do a guest post on her fabulous blog!
Now when it comes to weightloss I could write forever about what to do and what not to do, but when it really comes down to it...unfortunately I cannot say that all my tips will work for everybody. As obviously, everyone has a different body. So you have to pay attention to what you like, what makes you happy, and what works for you. The trick is not losing weight like magic, the truth is that losing weight is a lifestyle change. Facts: It won't happen overnight and it will be hard. But another fact is that it will be worth it. The effort and dedication you put into taking care of yourself will not fail you.

I have tried numerous "fad" diets, and most likely every single supplement you see in a local health store. i've done the shake diets, the soup diets, the spinach diets and even once for 3 days a broth diet. All bad paths to take. I've fainted, thrown up and have been sent to guidance counselors to discuss my once dramatic obsession. I won't give my life story here, but I did lost 100pounds. Which you can read about in my blog. I'm going to list some simple tips that honestly have worked with my body and not against it.

- Drink water. Lots and lots of water. Drink so much water you are constantly running to the bathroom in fear of your bladder taking control. There is no such thing as too much water. Whoever said that, is a nut. Water replenishes and hydrates you. It rinses you out and keeps you clean. IF you're not peeing every hour, you're not drinking enough. If you struggle with taking water down invest in some crystal light packets. They are wonderful. Low in calories, high in fiber, and delicious. Give up all juices. Juices are water + sugar. That's it. Empty calories. Give up pop. If you're itchin for a fizzy drink, have Fresca or Zero Calorie ice tea.

- MILK. If you drink it, make the switch over to skim if you haven't already. less calories, zero fat. zero excuses.

- Give up ALL the white stuff. All white flours, breads, pastries, etc. If it's white it's bad. Unless it's cauliflower, which is good. 90% of the white stuff turns to sugar and fat the instant it enters your body.

- Let fruit be your JUNK food. There are so many things you can do with fruit! and so very very many choices. I eat all fruit, anytime I'm hungry for a snack.

- Try SKINNYCOWS if you have a strong sweet tooth. They are low in calories, impressive portions and delicious. My favorites are the Cookies n' Cream sandwiches

- Research healthy recipes, whether online or in a bookstore. There's a world of skinny meals to make that your body will love!

- If you like eggs, switch to egg WHITES (they are a good white). They are fluffier and healthier for you.

- CHEESE. I love cheese. Cheese is my weakness. I would be cheese if I could be. Now, because this is my one weakness when it comes to food. I make sure to ONLY eat cheese in moderation and it has to be as skim as can be.

- Last but not least, stick to a daily calorie limit. Anywhere from 1500-1900 calories per day is healthy and average. Just remember to BURN more then you CONSUME. Meaning if you eat 2000 calories a day, burn 2500! If you do this, the weight WILL come off.

You have to take care of your body - because it's the only real home you have to live in.

Thanks for reading, hope some of this may help!
With love and hugs,
Jasmine

Makeup Monday: Benefit Pore-fessional Review

2012-01-30T07:00:00.000-06:00

So the lovely Jennifer of Vintage Gwen was amazing enough to send me an extra Birchbox she received and included was a sample of Benefit's The Pore-Fessional. I've been wanting to try it for a really long time and I was so jazzed to try it that I thought I'd do a little review for Makeup Monday! Woohoo!

So...
The Pros:
-My makeup lasted all day
-It didn't feel to greasy throughout the day
-It did help my face products to go on easier

The Cons:
-Despite shaking it up, it came out watery and awkward...
-It didn't spread and blend as easily as other higher-end primers I've tried and I had to put significantly more on to get it to cover my whole face

The Conclusion:
All in all, it's a decent primer, I wouldn't go out and buy it though! It's $30 for 0.75oz...
Oh and I'm sorry but if you're putting PORE in the title, I expect my pores to at least look a little smaller!
I've found that Smashbox's Primer in the to go size (0.5oz) for $16
and Revlon's Primer (0.9oz) for $12 work better and at a better value!
For fun, I documented my neutral makeup look for my Sunday of housework and grocery shopping...

Laura Mercier Tinted Moisurizer, Time Balm Foundation, Stila Bronzer, ELF face brush

Urban Decay's Alice in Wonderland Palate

Hhope you're having a swell Monday!

XO Lori

Frozen Mango

2012-01-29T12:00:00.000-06:00

I'm going to label this as the day I revolted against winter. It's only mid January and I was already bored with winter colors so I decided to not just employ a pop of color (Thank you Brad Goreski) but to make my whole dang outfit a pop of color...

I can also say with some certainty that these will be the last outdoor photos I take until temps get back over 40 because I was FROZEN. FRO-ZEN. Remind me why I live in MN again?!

I feel like I need to have a little mini rant sesh...

So, at the beginning of December my DSLR camera suddenly stopped working. It was like hey I'm working just fine and then BAM...nothing...no flicker of life. With the holidays money and time were short and we still have't gotten it into be looked at for repairs. Now, mind you, Rand got it for me used, for cheap, but it's still a good camera and for us, it wasn't a small investment. Probably my favorite hobby was taking photos of anything and everything and the ways in which I miss that are unending-I'm seriously going through some sort of redic withdrawls, especially since the only other camera I have is a $100 point and shoot that as you can tell, doesn't take the best photos.

Now, you might be asking yourself, if you've been following my blog for awhile, when the heck were my outfit photos ever THAT great..well, I've been using my point and shoot because the tri-pod I have is only for a point and shoot, so when Rand wasn't around or able to take my outfit pics, that is the camera that got used anyways. It was always enough because I was able to take photos outside or at least in well lit areas...winter is really starting to take it's toll-I have had a month of crap photos now and it's starting to beyond frustrate me.

I can't help but wonder if my blog would be growing faster if I had higher quality photos. I mean, you look at all the big style blogs-they all have photographer significant others with big fancy cameras or they at least have the big fancy camera and a tripod...How much do you think photo quality matters in the blogs you read?

I mean, a photo editor can only do SO much...and Picnik just informed me this week they they are closing up shop so that means I need to find myself a new editor...le sigh.

Sweater: Really really old American Eagle

Top: Old Navy

Dress: Macy's Juniors section (I can't remember the brand)

Shoes: Urban Outfitters

Thanks for letting me have a monster rant (because apparently a mini rant sesh just wasn't enough?!)

XoXo

Lori

Casual Fridays...

2012-01-28T08:00:00.000-06:00

One would think casual Fridays would continually be my best and favorite outfits of the week. I am slowly realizing by Friday I tend to not give a crap, which tends to translate into some fairly lazy outfits....Well, here are some from the first two weeks of the month!

Chambray top-very old old navy

Top: Eyelash

Jeans: LC

Shoes: Urban Outfitters (I swear I did wear some...)

Sequin T:-Old Navy

Jeans: LC

Shoes: Urban Outfitters

What do you like to wear on casual fridays?

On a side note...I realized today (Wednesday) that I am changing...something happened. I was in turbokick (as always) and I realized I was yelling at myself in my head...to push harder-to not quit...to keep going. It might sound kind of cheesy but I'm pretty sure I haven't been this motivated since I stopped doing sports in high school. I mean, seriously, I looked in the mirror-wall and I was literally scowling-grimacing even perhaps-I looked scary but hey-it got the job done and better than I ever have before....Also can I just give a random shout out to my body and ask it not to sweat so so so so so much when I work out-it's nasty x10.

Lori

Come on, Come on

2012-01-27T12:00:00.000-06:00

Come On Come On by Smash Mouth on Grooveshark

I have long feared going tooo out there with mixing prints, so many of my favorite bloggers seem to have it down to an art....I finally got the balls to try it myself thanks to this amazing sheer turtleneck I found at Turnstyle in Roseville for $0.80. Yup, you read that right....gotta love second had store clearance sections on days where some things (like this top) are an extra 50% off.

The best part? It's United Colors of Benetton... which I used to be obsessed with after going in a few of their stores while I was in Europe in the late 90's!

(I sound so chic saying that don't I, well I'm not and I wasn't-I was 14 and a student ambassador-NERD ALERT!) This is also the time I discovered Nutella and my love of Seafoam green. Oh and I rocked out to pretty much only Smash Mouth and Sugar Ray. Ahhhh the good days.....

Every morning by Sugar Ray on Grooveshark

Top: Thrifted United Colors of Benetton

Dress: Charlotte Russe from 2009

Belt: Forever 21

Tights: Apt 9

Shoes: Maurices

Headband: Forever 21

FF-fun fact-those tights are totally more of a beige toned taupe...I have no idea why they are reading as a pale purple but I'm kinda digging it...

Did you go on a People To People Trip?

IL+TX to Europe '99 right here baby!

Also, did you think Smash Mouth and Sugar Ray were the bees knees back in the day?! I was obsessed....perhaps I shouldn't admit that...or the fact that I still know every word to every song?!

Xo Lori

Weekly Slices of Special

2012-01-27T07:00:00.000-06:00

Something I need to remind myself of everyday:

What I SHOULD be trying to wear to work!

Not that I don't want people to talk to me BUT...why is it that so few of my family and friends are regular readers/ subscribers?! (MOM...that means you LOL)

I think this is my new favorite workout motivation...also who wears chucks to workout?! (I love my chucks but they aren't good support!)

More tattoo's on my to do list...(minus the bugs-ewwwww)

I lied...this is my new favorite source of motivation...

I have the pieces to recreate this and I am geeking out over doing it:

Story of my life:

I want.

So true Nat, so true....

I can't wait for spring to redo my veggie garden (in a place that gets more sun!)

This dress...that supposedly Randall has ordered for me from Ruche for my b-day (it doesn't count again my no new rule if it's a gift!)

And finally...I'm glad it's not just me that hates talking on the phone...

You should probably follow me on pinterest...just sayin.....it seems to be the cool thing to do!

What are you digging on this week...link your posts in the comments!

And hop over to Vintage Gwen's Birchbox Beauty Bash:

What I wore to work

2012-01-26T07:00:00.000-06:00

Looming over me lately is the fact that in the coming months I will be finding and starting a new job, one at which I will likely not be able to dress as casually as I have been at the MTA.

Blazer: Thrifted Aeropostale from Everyday People in Saint Paul

Top: INC (Macy's)

Leggings: Macy's

Shoes: Nine West

Hat: Simply Vera Wang from forever and a day ago (as in 2007ish)

Over the last year as I've relaxed more at MTA, my professional wardrobe choices have diminished considerably. I decided one day to try to put together something a little dressier for work.

Blazer, fancy top, leggings, heels...really, this is the best I could come up with?! While it might not have been a total business attire success, I think this outfit just vaulted itself into my list of fave outfits...

I love the layered look of the bottom of this top and the button detail on the back of this blazer.

And even though it's unbearably warm and sometimes a bit itchy, this hat is still one of my all time faves.

And because I clearly am getting some cabin fever and tried to unsuccessfully spice up my indoor crappy lighting photos with some timer-ed movements, you get these gems:

Surpriseeeeeeeeeeeeee...I missed the jump and just look crazed

But my I whip my hair back and forth attempt definitely yielded some trippy results.

Neutrals and Thrifty Finds

2012-01-25T12:00:00.000-06:00

In my new quest to find work appropriate outfits that still allow me to be me I came up with this little get-up.

headband: Forever 21

Sweater: Thrifted Target

Top: Elle

Shorts: Ann Taylor

Tights: Not sure?!

I wore a plain pair of black ballet flats too-I left them at work since it's snow boot season now!

Last week I also got an amazing surprise in the mail from Jennifer over at Vintage Gwen. I've been totally intrigued by her Birchbox adventure and when she accidentally got shipped a second, she was sweet enough to send it to me. I can't tell you how big of a smile that put on my face. It reminds me how many sweet, kind, and genuinely good people are in this world and that just because you're blog/internet friends with someone, that they aren't just as awesome as your in person friends!

Row 1: Birchbox Goodies

Row 2: Vintage Domino Set Rand got from his Grandparents (and forgot he had in a box from 4 years ago)

Row 3: Thrifted Finds...BRAND NEW BB Jack Dakota Blazer and LeSportSac large tote...both with tags... $4 and $7 at The Clothes Mentor

XoXo

Lori

Why I Blog Wednesday: Marisa of Shades of Monet

2012-01-25T08:30:00.000-06:00

Hi darling A Little Slice of Special readers! My name is Marisa and blog over at Shades of Monet. How very sweet to meet you!

I started personal style blogging when I was 5 months pregnant. Sounds pretty nuts, considering who in the world would want to take photos and blog about style with 50 plus extra pounds on them, right? But at this time at I was really struggling with lack of inspiration and creativity in my life. Music is a big thing for me...I have been both playing it and writing it from a very young age and I guess you could say I was stuck in a creative rut . It was a year since I wrote anything new and the more I tried, the harder it got. In came blogging...

Fashion was always something I adored and had a passion for it, for as long as I can remember. My mom made jewelry and hair bows for a local children's boutique when I was a little girl, so she always had my little sis and I dressed in fancy dresses and decked out with oversize bows on our heads every time we left the house. I got made fun of in school for it, but even at a young age it didn't bother me too much. It actually made me proud of who I was and appreciate that I had a mom who would pay attention to such detail. Years later as silly as it sounds, I do believe it contributed to the person I am today, giving me a stronger sense of who I am, what I truly like, and take pride in my individuality. In saying all this...personal style blogging seemed the like the perfect outlet for me to get my creative juices flowing once again. I had no idea how to do it, or what I was even doing at first but the more the I did it, the more I loved it and the wearing big bows thing...well, it kind of stuck with me:)

So here I am now, both writing music again and blogging about personal style and the little adventures I take with my family. It's been a fun ride and like many of us could say, I've learned a lot along the way and have met some of the the kindest people, some of which have become dear friends. My greatest inspiration is other bloggers, every day women like you who are doing the same thing. This is why I blog.

Thanks Lori for giving me the opportunity to share my little story here with you today. You are a sweetheart!

Love bunches,

Thank you so so so so so so so much Marisa! I sometimes feel like a broken record every Wednesday gushing over the week's featured blogger but seriously, they are all so awesome and this post is no different. I continually find it incredible and facinating how big the blog world really is and how varied individual styles can be! I love the ways in which Marisa mixes colors, styles, and patterns together to continually post gorgeous and unique outfit pics. If you haven't already checked out her blog make sure you pop over, stat!

Pointielle and Pleats

2012-01-24T07:00:00.000-06:00

One of my last purchases before my no spend 2012 was an order from kohls to use up kohls cash from Christmas gifts, I got this sweater and skirt on clearance...I'm kind of obsessed.

This was the start of our diet, week 2...I made Veggie Lo Mein for dinner, for under 300 calories, it was pretty darn delicious!

Sweater: Elle

Skirt: I honestly am blanking on the brand

Shoes: Urban Outfitters

Belt: Forever 21

I also FINALLY got my library card and my first three hold items/requests were ready the day I picked my card up. Amaaaazing. You can look forward to some makeup monday posts inspired by these soon!

Makeup Monday:Winged Liner and Pink Lip

2012-01-23T09:59:00.001-06:00

Soooooooooo....Makeup Monday...I feel like I had great intentions and the writing up this post, I don't feel like I did anything too special....I needed simple makeup for running errands. It's been quite awhile since I did a nude eye with winged liner so I thought I'd show you how I do winged liner, without using liquid liner!

Basically all I do is use 2 liner products. I do a base line just along the lashes with an liner pencil (I used Urban Decay 24/7 liner in Zero) and then dipped an angled liner brush (Smashbox) in cream liner (Lorac) and applied lightly, slowly building out the wing. I then blended the original line with a blender brush and added a very fine line using the original pencil liner right along my lash line. Finally, I added several coats of mascara (Maybelline Falsies). For eye shadow I used a neutral 3 color Maybelline palate and primed my lid with Time Balm Foundation on both my upper and lower lid as well as under my eye. Oh and that gorg lipgloss? It's Jouer in Birchbox pink and it's fantastic!

Since we had a million errands to run on Saturday I wanted to be comfy so I just wore a super soft Gap long sleeve T that I thrifted from the Clothes Mentor in Roseville and black pants.

Super comfy but super dumb, even with snow boots, the bottoms of my pants got soaking wet from the delightful snow/slush mix we had going on. By the time we got home I had to change into some yoga leggings...

In which I enjoyed some of the fine beer I found at Trader Joes...Yes-I am still on my diet and yes I realize beer has a bajillion calories but this was our treat to ourselves for doing so well on our diet! Fact: it was delicious! Also, how amazing is the Trader Joe's liquor store?! I am in loooove.

(Please ignore the giant bag of trash neither of us wanted to run out...it was cold and we had beer to drink)

Hope you all had an excellent weekend!

Sunday Sillies

2012-01-22T07:00:00.000-06:00

Just some silly outfit photos gone so so wrong...

I don't think I'll be trying cool jumping pics anytime soon. Clearly there is an art to it, an art I have not yet even remotely mastered LOL

I think this should be called "the dolphin"

Well hello creepy ghosty legs

Jazz hands and gravity created skort

And there's nothing quite like being smacked in the face with my shirt strings while being smothered in my own hair.

I hope you're having an awesome Sunday!

Xo Lori

Well aren't you a spicy quesadilla!

2012-01-21T07:30:00.000-06:00

This outfit makes me think of the southwest. I mean, it's not totally surprising since Missoni does tend to evoke a native american vibe with their chevron prints.

Sweater: Vintage, Thrifted at Salvation Army $3

T Shirt: H&M

Dress: Missoni

Socks: Urban Outfitters

Boots: Candies

I tried something new with my hair...I started two french braids at the tops/sides of my head and combined them into a wavy ponytail...not 100% sure how I feel yet.

I also found one of my fave lip products floating around in my bag: Tarte Lipsurgance in Pouty. It's some weird cross over between a lipstick and a gloss and I pretty much love it!

Weekly Slices of Special

2012-01-20T07:00:00.000-06:00

These outfits...because it's effing cold in MN this week and dresses and skirts just aren't an option.

And these blogger outfits for when it's not so horribly cold:

I think I want to do an eye makeup look inspired by this color palate:

I might try to construct this and this, this weekend

And maybe This too:

Kat Dennings. I've been a fan since Nick and Nora's Infinite Playlist...so beautiful and an actual healthy body image to shoot for!

Never has a fact been truer than this week:

Minty things:

And Finally....
Hello awesome "mutant" penguin!

Caped Crusader

2012-01-19T07:00:00.000-06:00

One of my absolute addictions right now is vintage capes. I Effffffing love them x infinity +1. I've been trying to get my hands on one for months and finally, thanks to an awesome giveaway to Superstition Vintage via MarMar Vintage that I won, my vintage cape dreams came true, because miraculously, the cape I'd been lusting after hadn't been bought yet. I jumped on it. It arrived, it got put in the laundry, and thanks to the holidays and a husband that struggles with his one "chore", I just now got to wear my cape officially. So here it is in all it's glory!

(No, I'm not hungry or preggo, I'm just awkwardly holding my tummy LOL

ok well maybe I was hungry, I am on a monster diet after all?!)

What I can't get over about capes, despite how much I love them is how awkward they make me...as in I want to do jazz hands all the time...

But it's all good, because I can always use the hand slots to throw my cape a thumbs up

But seriously, in my freezing cold office, this bad boy is a lifesaver!

I also tried something new with my hair that day, I did a single braid, I started like a normal braid and transitioned into a fishtail. I wrapped the pony holder with some of my hair and it kinda became an incognito braid?! Like a secret agent braid, or maybe not so much?

I also was in the mood for some red lipstick so I tossed on some MAC Brave Red. Fact:

it is so important to use some sort of neutral base when using red lipstick (I didn't here)

AND it's important to use some clear liner-which I also didn't do. Shame on me x10.

Underneath my cape I totally re-wore a recent outfit, so sue me?

I gave this skirt a break for awhile but I missed it so much I wanted to wear it twice in one week...

So, do you own a cape? How do you like to wear it?

Keeping up with 2012 Goals

2012-01-18T15:06:00.003-06:00

So we are almost 3 weeks into 2012. I'm finding that Rand and I are starting to get into a groove with our new lifestyle but I've also noticed this week that I am starting to lack motivation and feeling a bit frustrated. I decided that instead of just letting it fester I'd be positive and make a list of what I have accomplished.

-I've gone 18 days tracking calories and nutrients and have stayed at or under my calorie goals. I've tried everyday to meet but not exceed them.

- I have had no junk food for 18 days, no alcohol, nothing overly processed.

-We cook 7 days a week now, veggies are involved in every meal (except breakfasts)
- I have been to Zumba 5 times, Turbokick 3, and I've done the shred 4 times...aka I've worked out 12 of the last 18 days....that's about 5,000 calories burned and 1.5 (theoretical) pounds lost.
-I haven't bought anything new (ok 3 weeks isn't really a biggie)
-I've gotten all my moving boxes unpacked, now I just need to organize all the stuff!

To See my full goal list go here...

I think it's good to look at what you've done to stay motivated. My next big move is to actually start physically tracking my progress...I still haven't come to a conclusion on whether I want to weigh myself or take measurements or what but I did find a pair of pants 2 sizes smaller than normal while thrifting that fit, no stretch involved.

What are your goals/resolutions...how are you doing? Need some motivation?
Here's some of my favorites from my Pinterest Board...Healthy Life:

Doing awesome and need a reward or a pick me up????

Philosophy lovers...another awesome code:

free gift of glamour with $50 purchase when you enter promo code "glamorous" through 1/22. shop now!

Why I Blog Wednesday: Maggie Grace of Life Size Paper Doll

2012-01-18T07:00:00.000-06:00

Today's Why I Blog Wednesday is a littttttle bit different...but just by how it came to be. Last week I was reading Maggie's Blog and I stumbled across a post she wrote up to accompany this outfit (which is just bonkers awesome in my opinion).

Anywho, I left Maggie a comment because everything she talked about in her post fit perfectly with this series and a an e-mail later, she agreed to let me lift her post to share with you all! Thanks so much Maggie! If I were as confident and comfortable with myself as you are I think my early twenties (as opposed to my now late twenties-GASP-I'm old?!) could have been spent doing so much more experimenting with awesome styles! So basically way to be you and thanks so much for sharing!!! Xo Lori

And...finally...the post:

A little less than two years ago, I started a blog. I didn't know what I wanted to do with it and I didn't know where I wanted to go with it, but I was obsessed with the incredibly stylish and more importantly, confident girls with blogs. These girls wore crazy prints and crazy tights, had amazing lives, and wrote about their lives in such a fascinating way. I wanted to be able to walk out the door with their confidence. I wanted to be able to walk into my high school wearing something that no one else would wear. I wanted to wear the clothes hanging in my closet with tags hanging on them that I never dared to wear. I was so inspired by these girls that at first, my blog wasn't about wearing clothes. It was simply a way to document my life through pictures (and it's been the best gift in the world to be able to look back on memories from two years ago with such a vivid recount).

For me, blogging isn't about the clothes. It never has been. It's not about posing "cutely" in "cute" dresses. It might seem that way. In fact, that's why I've never really broadcasted my secret little blog that is becoming less secret by the day. For me, it's always been about figuring out who I was. If I could become the person I wanted to be to the outside world, I would be more confident and happy. And I did just that. It's a little corny to say that I "blossomed", but when I started blogging, I became a more outgoing, more confident, happier me. I became the me that I have always wanted to be. Now that I've found that, I blog because it's a passion and something that's fun for me. It's just fun! I blog with the intent of (hopefully) inspiring others to think they are awesome enough to step outside as the person they are on the inside. Corny, but so blissfully true. It's truly made the biggest difference in my life to be the weird, loud, happy person I am now.

I'm getting so choked up writing all of this! I spent a lot of time this weekend rereading so many old posts (notably: the story of Niklaas and I! I teared up) and I just can't believe how many of you have been a part of the process. I'm not what I consider a crazy successful blogger- but at the same time, I wouldn't want it to be anything else. If I'm never, ever sponsored again, I'd be fine with that. I'm excited about where it's going and I feel like it's really just starting. The day I blog for a different purpose aside from making me happy is the day I give it up.

Since When do I like Purple?!

2012-01-17T07:00:00.000-06:00

I have worn purple twice recently, what is up with that?! I'm not really a purple person, yet, I have kind of fallen in love with eye shadow in shades of purple-weird. I am by no means anti-purple, I Just can't figure out where this random purple explosion came from.

And Purple Look 2...

This second look was layer city. I had on forever 21 leggings and a long sleeve T, a dress from my cousin from a boutique in Chicago, and the lace sweater is from Target.

So what are your thoughts on purple?! Does my apprehension primarily stem from the fact that as a child I insisted that my entire bedroom be painted purple, and that my bedspread and sheets and other accessories all be purple unicorned? (Yes, I had a unicorn bedroom-and I would have one again in a heartbeat-just not all purple!) or did the whole Barney thing ruin it?! Either way I think I should give purple another chance and see what I might have been missing out on all these years!

Oh...and because it's fun...here are my faves from the Golden Globes on Sunday:

I LOVED everything about Emma's dress, hair, and makeup. I am obsessed with Michele's dress (although I don't know how much I love the color). I kinda have never been a fan of Jessica (and really I still dislike her as an actress) but I am totally digging her dress-even if it kind of looked like crap on her?!

I love the style of Zooey's dress but I am not digging that bright green to be honest-her hair and makeup look awesome though- retro, glam, and it made her look more grown up! LOVE everything about Diane's look. Love. I need to try to do my hair like that! Nicole's dress was ok but I am dying over her hair! AMAAAAZING!

Reece's dress didn't do a whole lot for me but her hair and makeup look phenominal! And finally I am in loooove with Frida's dress, although, she is so tall and skinny and it totally made her look short and squat! I still love the dress though-like obsessed kinda love. Who's dresses/hair and makeup were you geeking out over?!

Makeup AND Inspiration Monday!

2012-01-16T08:11:00.000-06:00

Hey friendies sorry I've been kind of MIA this weekend. Things started off as a great weekend. Dinner and game night with friends on Friday, thrifting Saturday morning with one of my bestest friends and then an afternoon with my work mom vintage shopping,

playing just dance and other kinect games and playing with her birdies...I was a giant bundle of joy...

Dolman Sleeve Chevron shirt-Old Navy

Jeans-LC

Boots- Old Navy

Sweater-Ollllllllld

Jacket- Old Navy (Yes it's way too big on me...)

...

and because I planned ahead, this outfit is also for Inspiration Monday over at Two Birds!

I LOVE what Emma wore to the PCA and I knew exactly how I wanted to use it to inspire a weekend outfit!

I was having so much fun, I didn't even really remember to get a coat-off picture of my outfit but you get the general gist right?

OK...and now...MM.

I wore pretty much no face makeup but I did do something new and fun on my eyes. I applied a matte nude shadow in cream and taupe (taupe just to the crease)

I added a line of navy blue cream shadow using an angled eyeliner brush at my lashes.

and on top of that I added a bright green cream shadow using an angled brush to highlight the navy line. I blended the green line more towards the inner corner of my eyes.

Both "liners" were from one of the Revlon cream palates, which are actually supposed to be eye shadows (but basically, they suck as eye shadows so I wanted to repurpose them)

finally I added a few coats of black mascara in Maybelline falsies flared and some Stila Kitten lipgloss!

Now...if you want...keep reading for one heck of a brain dump.

Then Sunday... it was like a triple crapstorm. I woke up in kind of a funk, then I got a call from my auntie letting me know my great aunt, who I was always close to growing up had passed away late Saturday night. I'm not gonna lie, I had a pretty long cry and was frustrated that I couldn't get back to Chicago for the services-I guess I just need to be thankful that I got to visit her last month and let her know how much I love her. Then...on much smaller levels (obviously) the packers lost (my husband is a HUGE packer fan...not a fun afternoon in the Milanowski household) and our trips to Trader Joes and Target were beyond irritating, as going on a Sunday night meant the shelves were pretty much picked clean. On their own these things would have been no big thang but all together I just wanted to crawl in bed and take a nap. Instead, I watched Once Upon a Time and I did feel a little better, at least enough to write up this MM post!

I hope you all had a much better weekend than I did and I promise not to be such a debbie downer the rest of the week! Also, it's my mom's birthday today...she never comments but I know she reads my blog so make sure you leave her some birthday love in the comments!

Happy Birthday Mom!!!!!!!!

2012-01-16T05:00:00.000-06:00

Happy Birthday Lindaaaaaa aka Lady Jane aka lin162000

I don't think it's any secret that my mom is one of my bestest friends and even though we drive each other crazy sometimes I love her so much and I am so thankful to have her in my life. So for as much as she has always hated the celebration of her birth, I think she deserves a shout out since I know she reads my bloggy blog now (stalker!)...so Happy Birthday Mom!

Love you TONS!

So for your birthday a ton of things to make you smile:

Silly Survivor GIFs

I love you even if you like Twilight...

But mostly because you love true blood just as much :)

And now I'll probably embarrass you :)

Happy Birthday Mom! I love you!

Lookin Classy for the Library

2012-01-15T09:00:00.000-06:00

Sunday's intentions were the best...Rand finally agreed to go get library cards at the downtown library (which is one of my fave buildings downtown-and-I've never even been inside!). What I did not expect was the 5 million events going on downtown on a Sunday which meant we couldn't find parking anywhere...and after multiple laps around various downtown streets we gave up and headed for Trader Joes-where I also looked super classy-obviously.

Top: Kohl's Clearance

Skirt: Thrifted, Vintage, 99 cents

Shoes: Urban Oufitters

Copper Eyes and a Clusterf*&k

2012-01-14T08:00:00.000-06:00

I love trying out new color combinations and when I unearthed my Napoleon Perdis jet-set shadow palate from target I was drawn to the copper shades. Part of me reserves all the beautiful metallic shimmery shades for summer time but I threw caution to the wind and went for it, it was a weekend after all!

I used the three left most colors in the top row.

I applied the middle color to the majority of my lid and half way to my brow. I highlighted my brow with the lightest color and finally i used the darkest copper in the crease and outer corners, blending as I got nearer to the center of my lid.

And now the clusterf*&k. This would be one of those days that was well intention-ed but just went all kinds of wrong. At 6 am this seemed like a good idea. Little did my sleepy eyes note that I put on grey instead of black leggings. Note to self, turn on the closet light and open your dang eyes! not only was I unmatching but for some reason this dress was just hanging all kinds of weird and make me look bigger and boxier than I am. That to me is the worst thing an outfit can do for you.

To end on a high note, check out the awesome portfolio I found while cleaning up my work office. Score. It even has a clip board on the front!

Weekly Slices of Special

2012-01-13T07:00:00.000-06:00

Liefgeval's awesome GIF..I am in loooooove with it!

DIY Ombre Hair....I reallllly wanna try!

I loves me a good Goonies reference:

MaggeyGrace's Outfit perfection:

Sarah's awesome workday duds:

AND

Cassi's amazing cape (and the rest of her outfit tooooo)!

These words...the story of my life the past two weeks...

Michael Scott's Freak out. One of my fave episodes.

The Return of Kenley Collins to Project Runway

And of course Mondo too (I mean, of course these are my two fave PR designers ever)

These customized Tom's

Star Wars on Blueray

This Makeup

This Hair:

with this lip:

Should I try to do it?!

What are you digging on this week?! Link your lists in the comments section and next week I'll feature my favorite lists!!!!!

Xo Lori

Dear Your Name Here

2012-01-12T07:00:00.001-06:00

Sincerely Me by New Found Glory on Grooveshark

I've been having some major music flashbacks to highschool when I listened to all things punk and pop-punk...NFG was one of my very first favsies and although I know they got tooo mainstream for the punk community, in Loriland they were in regular rotation for many many years....

Sometimes it's weird to think about the fact that in high school I rarely wore dresses or skirts-always jeans and for all of junior year, a band t-shirt and some sort of zip up sweatshirt or hoodie...my main store that I shopped at was Pac Sun and some punk website online...before that you could find me in nothing but clothes from Abercrombie, AE, and the Gap. It's amazing how much one's style can change over the course of 4 years but my high school years certainly saw the most drastic style changes!

I was so excited this day because I finally got my custom notebook from Jenyffer Maria .

Maybe it's weird to find a drawing of myself and piper so insanely cool but seriously, I kinda don't care-I think it's pretty BA myself.

Outfit Deeetails:

Top: Elle-super super old

Dress: Forever 21-also super old

Tights- betsey Johnson

Shoes: Steve Madden

Ear Warmer headband thingy- Modcloth

Most Awesome Lunch bag in existence- Brookfield Zoo in Chicago

Why I Blog Wednesday: Sarah of Coming Unstitched

2012-01-11T07:00:00.000-06:00

Meet Sarah of Coming Unstitched ... this is why she blogs:

I've been in love with fashion since I was two years old and began throwing temper tantrums when I couldn't dress the way I wanted (haven't really outgrown the temper tantrums yet but that's another story). I always wanted to work in fashion and began in retail when I was 16. I eventually worked my way up to an Assistant Buyer for a retail chain. The job was amazing and I loved it but unfortunately there was a Devil Wears Prada situation going on that I could only handle for so long. For the last (almost) five years I've been working for a health insurance company while I got my Master's Degree. And now that I've graduated I've been trying my hardest to get back onto the fashion path in Pittsburgh, PA.

All of that needed to be said to explain why I blog. I began blogging mainly out of boredom. A friend that I've known since my retail days encouraged me to begin blogging telling me that I had a great eye and that people would love to read what I had to say. Even though I doubted her, I began Coming Unstitched in August. It was a way for me to stay connected to the fashion world and to keep me occupied on my job hunt (and on a smaller level to keep me from poking my boyfriend- now fiance- consistently and telling him to entertain me). The response to my blog has been absolutely overwhelming. I never thought so many people would care, let alone enjoy, what I had to say.

And why do I continue to blog? Because it has become an incredible outlet for me. It allows me to help people with their fashion questions on a greater level, it allows me to express what I like and what inspires me, and it has allowed me to meet some amazing people. I will also be honest and say that I can't help hoping that an apparel company will take notice, think I have great style, and hire me. (Here that apparel companies? I'm waiting!!) I've gotten such amazing inspiration from fellow bloggers. It's pushed me to really think about how I present myself and it allows me to just be me. I've connected with people who are interested in the same things as I am and that has been a wonderful feeling.

Sometimes blogging can be stressful, especially if you're having Blogger's Block, but it has never felt like a chore to me. I look forward to crafting a post every night and to seeing what my readers are responding to.

And now that I'm getting married it's been so great to share my wedding inspirations as well and to get to tell my love story on my little corner of the internet. I can only hope that in this next year I will be able to continue to grow my blog-- to reach more readers, to partner with brands that I respect and to let more of my passion out into the world.

Blogging has helped me be me, and THAT is why I blog.

Thanks so much for taking the time to write up such an awesome post Sarah! I have to admit, I agree with so much of what Sarah has said here, this might as well have been my Why I blog post LOL...it's no wonder we read each others blogs! I am beyond jealous of Sarah's bravery to try to break into fashion as a full time job and I sure as heck hope some lucky company will scoop her up soon! I'm new-ish to Sarah's blog but it has quickly become one of my favsie reads and I hope we can collaborate more in the future! Xoxo Lori

Makeup Monday Part 2: My Current Beauty Wish List

2012-01-10T07:30:00.000-06:00

While beauty purchases aren't outright verboten with my no new 2012 there are a few things I am currently dreaming about owning but until we start to see the fruits of me not spending money on clothes and accessories I need to keep it a wishlist....

1. Lime Crime lipsticks

In Couquette, Glamour 101, Cosmopop, and No She Didn't

The blue is pretty insane but I kind of beyond dig it.

AND eyeshadows:

Troubadour, Abracadabra, Mischief Managed, and Circus Girl

I feel like I would probably also want to get Candy Eyed....

2. Urban Decay's holiday nail kit

Fact: I will own this. UD nail polish is my fave- tiny bottles to try lots of colors and it's not tested on animals.

I will however wait until it goes on sale, the nail polishes always seem to.

3. Stila Eye Shadow pan in Cha Cha (it's on sale tooooo)

And Smudge Pot in Kitten

And the eyeshadow trio in rose gold glow

4. I'm obsessed with Philosophy right now and Purity has become my new BFF but I also reallllly want:

the Microdelivery exfoliating face wash, In the Buff Body Gloss, and my favsie faves: Mimosa and Be Somebody...both smell delicious. I've had mimosa before in the bodywash and it's devine-I still have some lip gloss left too (thankfully-phew).

5. Benefit's Watts UP

6. Make up forever's Aqua Creams

7. Diorshow Mascara-still one of the best mascaras I've ever used:

8. Celebutante Dry Shimmer Oil- I tried this at sephora a few months ago-AMAZEBALLS

I'm sure there's more things I've been wanting but that's all I can think of at the moment....

Everything but the Limecrime products can be found at Sephora, but each brand also has their own website you can order from-which I find is often the best deal price wise-especially if you like multiple things from one brand!

Blunt Polka Dots

2012-01-09T09:09:00.000-06:00

I ironically wore this outfit on Friday before Two Birds posted inspiration Monday, for obvious reasons (mainly my slow processing time for getting pics off my camera and into a post) I never seem to make it in time for inspiration Monday. Well this week, theoretically at least I had worn something related to the inspiration before Monday so bam...this is going down. (Yes my bare Christmas Tree was still up on Friday-don't be hatin).

Today I am going balls to the walls because #1 my outfit sorta fits the inspiration and #2: I really want to participate in more link partays. Wild Woman, I know.

Here's Two Birds Inspiration Photo

Sweater: Old Navy

Sequin T Shirt: Old Navy

Skinny Jeans: LC

Shoes: Kimchi Blue

Headband: Forever 21

And finally, because she's cute...Miss Stella Blue:

Makeup Monday: Glitter Bomb

2012-01-09T07:30:00.000-06:00

New Years Eve screams 2 things to me: Glitter and Sequins. I don't think you can have to many of either. I wasn't sure I want this to be the first Makeup Monday post BUT I suppose it was the first tutorial look I took since I decided to have a makeup day so well, I'm going for it-plus-hello-GLITTER!

Products used:

Smashbox Photofinish Primer

Timebalm foundation in fairly light

Revlon colorstay lipliner in clear

Stila Bronzer

Urban Decay Urban Defense Tinted Moisturizer

Urban Decay blush in Quickie

ELF liner brush

Urban Decay All Nighter Makeup Setting Spray

Maybelline Falsies Flared Mascara

Tara Tarantino cream shadow in gold

NARS lipstick in Schiap (Blotted)

Urban Decay Baked Shadow

Urban Decay Glitteratti Palate in taupe gold and gold

I love NARS Shaip but 95% of the time it's just to harsh of a color...I tend to end up blotting it so as not to blind anyone with my lips! Also, although I totally ran out of time, I quick curled some loose waves into my hair-it sorta worked but considering I got ready in under an hour-including a shower-I'm not going to complain to much!

I wore a dress my mom got a me a few years ago, it's Lauren Conrad for Kohls, and is basically just a million sequins. Love.

I got this blazer at Macy's a few years ago

and my tights are Betsey Johnson

We had friends over for games and drinks

Des Looked super awesome:

Then we went out to Osaka, a Hibatchi grill, where I had an excessive amount of fun in the best sort of way!

I mean hello, onion volcanoes and Squeezie bottle saki shots?!

Luckily I (for the most part) was better at catching saki than rice and veggies.

Dinner was beyond delicious

And we had so much fun (or at least I did and I'm forcing my opinion upon others?!)

Des always looks so classy in her belted coat!

However the really classiness came in the form of champagne in plastic beer cups at Grumpys.

Happy New Year!

I think this is my bring it 2012 face?!

I hope you enjoyed makeup monday which really was only half the post, so does it still count?! Oh well, it was New Years, special occasions=special posts.

Bows and Paint

2012-01-08T09:00:00.000-06:00

Not one of my finest outfits, dear holidays-you make me tired and disheveled.

I do love this sweater though and that hat even if I did look like I was covered in pink fuzz.

What I did accomplish while I had a few days off for New Years was finishing some of the crafties I'd started:

above: Glue and Paint on Canvas from Joann's

Paint and Sharpie on a canvas from Tuesday Morning (I got it for Christmas)

I'm sharing this post over at

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Check out all the other awesomeness!

Ich Spreche Deutsch

2012-01-07T12:00:00.000-06:00

Good morning Polka by Jan Schneeberg on Grooveshark

Well, I supppose this Vintage T should be ammended to say I speak a little bit of German but at one time this T shirt told the truth, the whole truth, nothing but the truth.

I found this bad boy at Rewind Vintage YEARS ago and literally have never worn it. Why you ask... well, it's a sz small, vintage sz small and therefore it's super short on me, I didn't have a skirt I could hike up high enough to not make it an elongated crop top-not good!

This sweater and skirt are both vintage pieces that I got at my Salvation Army (yeah-I consider it mine now-don't judge). I put this little slice of awesome together to go thrifting but shatty weather resulted in me not wanting to go out at all so I just chilled at the house in this until I inevitably put on some sweats-I did have to clean house after all!

Was Sprache hast du sprechen in der schule?

(What lanugage did you speak in school)

(Yes, my German above is probably wrong)

Custom Doodles and a day I kinda felt like Santa

2012-01-07T07:00:00.000-06:00

We Wish You A Merry Christmas by Relient K on Grooveshark
First of all, as my last act of new purchases before 2012 I treated myself to a custom notebook from Jenyffer Maria...lady is beyond brilliant. Here's a sneak peak, just pretend you're surprised when I have my geek out post when it actually arrives!

http://jenyffermaria.com/post/15196060854
Onto my oufit post...
I got my holiday on with a festive red sweater.
Ad much as I love it, wearing it this close to Christmas made me feel like Santa, especially with my choice of belt. I half expected to be picked up by a team of reindeer that night after work...
(Not that that wouldn't have been magical?!)

I got this sweater thrifting, it's in pretty much perfect condition, it has the sweetest gold buttons and really thick warm pockets!

Modcloth Precious Petal Dress,

Thrifted Vintage Sweater,

Macy's Leggings,

Mossimo Sequin Ballet Flats

Also, you better believe I rocked the no makeup look again...nothing like waking up 5 minutes before you need to leave for work. Fail town.

I did however spend hours upon hours baking and prepping food for the impending Christmas feast over the weekend and here are some pics as proof. More importantly, I have testimonials that they don't taste like total poop-which for me-is a very very big hurdle!

Here are a few pictures of the baking process for my spiced apple whoopie pies. I got the recipe from A Beautiful Mess months ago and I finally gave it a whirl! Delish!

Pssssst....my contact page looks a little different!

2012-01-06T11:38:00.002-06:00

If you could take a minute and like A Little Slice of Special on facebook (with your personal and/or shop page) it would totes rock my socks!

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