$11 J-Brand Jeans

 Sweater: H&M sz xs ($15.00) / Top: Gap ($24.95, buy here) / Jeans: Jbrand sz 25 ($11, second hand!) / Booties: H&M ($24.95) / Bracelet: borrowed from mi madre

 

 I hope you all had a lovely Valentines Day! Mine was...crazy. So much sugar, so many 10 year olds, and so many cute notes with pieces of candy attached to them.

Ya man, that's a lot of candy.

 I wore this this past weekend and it was the first time I got to try out my....(drum-roll please?)...$11 JBrand jeans! I bought them secondhand, off of Elaine at Clothed Much, and I couldn't be happier with them. She billed the jeans as being super worn-in and possibly not even worthy of resale. I figured I'd take a chance at that price ($158 knocked down to $11??? Fine by me!), and all I can say is...my standards must be a helluva lot lower than hers. :) I think they're perfect, and now I have filled that black-jeans-shaped hole in my closet.

Happy Thursday!

Pre-Valentines Day

 Sweater: H&M sz xs ($15.00) / Vest: LOFT (gift) / Jeans: Gap 1969 jeans sz 0 / Shoes: Target leopard print flats

 

 

Hello! I'm back! And you know what I've learned in the past week? Valentines Day is a Really Big Deal in elementary school. I went to a Jewish elementary school, where teachers "conveniently forgot" to give us homework on October 31st rather than acknowledge Halloween, and there was absolutely no talk about eating copious amounts of chocolate come mid-February.

So, imagine my surprise when, suddenly, my students are gearing up for the coming holiday with more effort and care than Thanksgiving and Christmas combined. I've already received five Valentines (Pre-Valentines? Rehersal Valentines?), and the promise of massive amounts of chocolate come the 14th. (Not that I'm complaining.)

To brighten up your Monday morning, allow me to submit the text of one of my favorite pre-Valentines that I have recently received (all original spelling and grammar preserved for maximum adorableness).

On the outside: Open it maybe it a dog i dont know open it open it [I have no idea what this means]

On the inside: Hey ms. Lauren I just wanted to ask who is your Valintine? Because I think I found you one it's a girl and she is ten and her name is [Reanne]. you filled me whith lot's of love Happy valintine. ms Lauren is the Best!

:)

News of the Day

So the bad news is I have nothing to post this week. Actually, the bad news is I got in a car accident (rear ended on the freeway :-/ ) and therefore didn't take pictures this weekend and therefore have nothing to post right now.

But! The good news is no one was hurt (except for my first-ever car, which is probably totaled *sniff*). And the other good news is I'll be back to blogging in a few days, promise.

Hope your Tuesday is going well!

Petite Fashion Challenge #13

Petite Fashion Challenge #13 has been announced, and let me say, it is right up my alley!

 

This month's challenge is:

Stylish for under $100: Put together a professional outfit (excluding shoes and accessories) for under $100.

Done and done! Now the question is, how low can I go? :)

The only hitch is that I was hoping to do some discount-themed challenge for the upcoming PFC I'll be hosting. Hrm...might have to go back to the drawing board now.

If you're interested in participating in the Petite Fashion Challenge, just head over to Really Petite and check it out. The deadline for this challenge is Tuesday, February 28th.

Hope you have a great weekend!

H&M Burgundy Blouse + Jean Shorts (yes, this is winter)

 Top: H&M ($17.99) / Shorts: Urban Outfitters / Sandals: Gap / Bag: BCBG / Belt: came with a shirt bought in England / Bracelets: from England / Sunglasses: Target



I finally got a camera remote and am slowly figuring out how to use it effectively. I love having the remote because not only do I no longer have to do the "set-the-timer-and-frantically-run" move for every single photo, but I can also finally play with focus. The single, simplest thing that makes so many bloggers' outfit photos look beautiful is a blurry, out of focus background that highlights everything in the foreground. Getting that effect when photographing yourself is a bit tricky, so I was very happy to have achieved it in 1/2 of my pictures here. :)

In addition to the creativity I'm trying to discover in putting together outfits, I'm also enjoying the creativity of taking photos. Yes, I have to awkwardly dodge my neighbors and pretend I'm taking pictures of a really interesting tree when someone walks by, but realizing that I've gotten a few beautiful or well-shot photographs makes it worth it.

P.S. This burgundy "mullet hem" blouse (I hate that phrase, but that's kind of what it is...), is one of the three clothing items I bought in January. I love it and can't wait to style it more! Anyone have any suggestions?

Blogging on a Budget: January

This being the last day of January, it's time to open my checkbook for all to see.

Here is the first installment of 2012's Blogging on a Budget!

This month, I spent:

$21.82 on jewelry

$57.65 on clothing

$0 on hair

$0 on makeup

Happy (almost) February!

January, Say What??

 Sweater: H&M / Dress (worn as a skirt): local boutique / Boots: Thrifted / Necklace: local farmer's market

 

 Los Angeles really threw me for a loop this weekend. It's January, so I wake up bundled in blankets and dreaming of cozy sweaters and warm socks. Surprise: it's 80 degrees outside. I wore this outfit to go to the nearby farmer's market this weekend, and was instantly overheating.

But there is no WAY I'm going to complain. I'll just bust out my flip flops and apologize profusely to anyone not currently in Southern California. :)

Hope you all had a lovely weekend!