The In Between

12/21/2012 By 2 Comments

I am pretty blessed to blog with a very stylish lady, Laura! Her outfits the last few weeks have been awesome, but what did I expect? I, on the other hand, am a bit more unstylish somedays.
Unstylish…that’s a word, right?

So, here’s what I’ve been wearing in between real outfit photos!

Casual Friday:  Just what you think.  A relaxed day at the office.  Saturday Night Out: You’ve seen a version of this outfit before…I wear stuff twice! There, I said it.  Confession time over! Work 2: You can see I love my green jacket.  I’ll say, I really love this outfit! Lazy Day: Not too proud of this outfit.  I have this polka dot bubble dress and it is comfortable.  So, I wore it today!

Here is one in real life:

White t-shirt: Target; Skirt: Gap; Jacket: 2011 TXSC Swap find;
Scarf: Gift from Jordan (yes, the country)

This was what I wore for a relaxed day at the office.  I wouldn’t say it was ground breaking, but I liked it.  The jacket is one of my favorites and I loved it buttoned. I also really liked the contrast of colors.  The scarf is just beautiful!  Next time I wear this, I’ll probably fashion the scarf just a bit differently.  Probably more like THIS.

Now, you tell me!  How many days out of 7 would you say you feel on trend or stylish?

(I would probably go with 2!)

Happy Friday!

(Did you notice the leaning star?  It’s…uh…”leaning”)

Filed Under: Lifestyle, Outfits

Three Things; One Post

11/12/2012 By 3 Comments

 Hey gals!
Will you plan an intervention for me?
I’m serious…I can’t get rid of the white tank undershirt.
EVEN WHEN IT SHOWS.  It’s like this tall girl’s comfort blanky!
Laura, please get with the other gals about an intervention!

On to the next subject: Sandal Wedges in November!
I’m in Oklahoma…this is how we do Fall.
Can I get an Amen from my OK gals?
It’s probably 70 degrees today.  I could go with wedges or boots.
Today, I felt like wedge sandals!

Lastly, let’s get real for a minute…
all of us would love to live in pictures one and two all day long, but we don’t!
So, thought I’d let you see some outtakes from my windy photo shoot!
I could make fun of myself in every picture.
Let me just say this, it takes talent to have smoldering eyes while your hair blows in your face!

Okay, so who will be planning the intervention?
We could get a sign!

Please tell me, what is your clothing comfort blanky?

Happy Monday!
~Kara

Filed Under: Outfits, Uncategorized

The “I can’t believe you don’t have that” List

11/09/2012 By 3 Comments

Hey gals…
My classic hello!
When I say “Hey gals”, it is like me welcoming you into my home. Crawling up on the couch, grabbing a blanket, cup of tea for you, cup of dr. pepper for me, and beginning a little chat!

It may seem that Laura and I think about shopping a lot, but not really!
We plan and invite you into our planning phase.
I love staying up to date on the latest trends.  However, I don’t want to spend a bucket load of money on them.
So, I thrift…but you already knew that!
With thrifting you can’t really go into a shopping trip knowing exactly what you want to buy.  So, I keep a working list of things that I would like to find.

When I find it, it’s like Christmas!!!

Here is what I’m looking for:

An Aztec-y Sweater

 

Skinny Cords
(a long shot, I know)

 

Anything Polka Dots

 

Mustard Sweater

Chambray Shirt

 

There’s more on the list…but those are the highlights!

Happy Friday, gals!

~Kara M

 
Filed Under: EP All Together, Outfits, Thrifting

DIY Infinite Scarf

11/06/2012 By Leave a Comment

Hey gals!
Mom came over last night for a sewing date.
I’m learning to sew…it’s true!
You know how I feel about ridiculously priced items…
I’m in love with infinite scarves, but the prices are ridiculous.

So, mom and I decided my first project would be an infinite scarf.

Here I go…a life of sewing begins.
As you can imagine, they are not too hard to make…but we got a little confused on one part.
So, we enlisted the help of Pinterest! Where we found THIS lovely tutorial.

The video & instruction really just helped us figure out how to flip and sew the ends together.

Here is my finished scarf:

Now, see those eyes?  Those are the eyes of a 30+ women who literally did not sleep Friday night
and is now trying to catch up.  WHY WOULD YOU DO THAT? I know that is what you are thinking.
Good question.  I’ll let you know when I write about that on my family blog, The Mosebys.

I have some very pretty material with snowflakes that I’m thinking might make a very pretty
Christmas present for some sisters of mine! SPOILER ALERT!! Merry Christmas, gals!

Happy Tuesday to you gals!

~Kara

Filed Under: DIY, EP All Together, Outfits, Uncategorized Tagged With:

The Challenge Begins

11/01/2012 By 1 Comment

Today is the day! 
6 months begins…

To kick off the challenge, I thought I would show you one rocking thrift store find!
Last Saturday, mom and I had a sewing date.
However, I saw on twitter that Goodwill Tulsa was having a 50% off sale, with extended hours!
So, shopping it was!

I certainly raked in the goodies!
$40: Tweed Coat, 6 sweaters, knit poncho, & a pair of new navy cords!
Can you believe that?  Without the coat, I would have spent $30. The sweaters were $2.50!
I am SOOO in love with one sweater that I found! Oversized off white knit sweater!!

Sweater (Thrifted); Jeans (Gap); Shoes (Target)

Can you believe it!?  THAT sweater for $2.50.  Gals, the thrift store is the way to go with sweaters!
Really! Why spend $40 on a sweater when you can get it for $2.50.

Have you ever found a jewel like this?

LET THE SHOPPING CHALLENGE BEGIN!!

~Kara M

Filed Under: Outfits, Thrifting Tagged With: ,

How to Survive the Shopping Challenge

10/28/2012 By 2 Comments

Thursday begins my shopping challenge!
I’m ready!  Okay…I’m not sure, but we’ll see.
In preparation, I’ve been evaluating patterns in my life that lead to purchasing
and what changes I can make to raise the chances of me finishing the challenge!

1. Email Advertisements:  I receive over 15 clothing advertisements EVERYDAY. 
I am UNSUBSCRIBING!! 

2. Get to know the thrift stores: What are the best thrift stores in town?  Use ThriftBuddy to help find. When do they put out new merchandise?  Probably Saturdays. When do they have sales?  If they have a twitter account, like Goodwill Tulsa, they will tweet when they have good sales! That’s how I found out about the 50% off sale yesterday! (more on that later)

3. Buying on the Fly:  I love browsing.  Obviously, I will not be able to do that.  When I do, I tend to buy statement pieces that I may or may not need.  So, I am making a list of basic items that I would like to add to my closet.  I’ll let you have a glimpse into that list next week!
Making a list will help me keep my eyes open for what I need at the thrift store.

4. Blogging: This is a good and bad thing.  We read blogs to find friendship, see up & coming styles, and challenge our personal style habits.  However, sometimes they affect us in a negative way…we just see what we don’t have. For the next few months, I need to cut back on a few blogs and up my thrifting blogs.  Kendi will always be a must! I already follow My Edit, but need to find more that can challenge and encourage my new thrifting life! Any Suggestions?

So, those are the first four things I’m doing to prepare for my 6 month adventure in buying no new clothes!  Anything else you can think of that might help?

Filed Under: Lifestyle, Outfits, Thrifting

The Husband Vote

10/22/2012 By 1 Comment

Shirt: Probably Target; Skirt: Anthropologie; Boots: Kohl’s

Sometimes, I don’t understand my husband….well, that happens a lot!
I’m not thrilled with this outfit. However, as soon as I stepped into the hallway to see if I liked it, Josh, my husband, told me how much he liked it.  He usually wins the hair & outfit wars.

Does anyone else have this problem?
Does your husband have veto power on your clothes?

Just for kicks:

HAPPY MONDAY!!!!

~Kara

Filed Under: Outfits

Kara’s Shopping Challenge

10/16/2012 By 3 Comments

Slow days around here!
Laura and I have been talking about maybe taking a new direction with Everyday Present.
I think it is going to be good.  A good direction that will be true to where we are and what we are learning.  You know us; we do this for friendship & fun!

So, where are we? What are we learning?
Laura shared a bit last week about what she was learning.
I guess I better share about me.

Let me start by saying, “I am NOT reading the book Seven.”
I refuse, but I watch the videos.

The video below is what got me started down this road…darn you, Jen Hatmaker!

Jen COUNTED how many articles of clothes, shoes, & accessories were in her closet.  She counted 327 articles.  At first I thought that was a lot, but then I started doing some laundry and realized that I probably have more than that.

When I think about how much I spend each month, I don’t feel that bad.  Probably about 50-100 dollars each month.  Not too bad, but I collect.  I never get rid of clothes if they are still in good condition.  SO, I’m sure I have a lot.    Simplicity IT IS NOT.  What does that say about me and my character?  Do I want to know?  NO, I refuse to answer that question!

I’m headed to my closet to count…I’ll be back next week with THAT number!

My friend Travis once said that, when you give someone money, that shows that you agree and believe in what they do.  So, I can take that to mean spending money too.  Where I spend my money and what I collect shows what I care about most.  I am not as brave as Laura to look at the real numbers.  Even if I have the money, do I need to be spending it to collect clothes just because I think they are cute?  Can I spend less & change some thing to show a better character in my spending, PLUS still be stylish?

THAT is my challenge.  Spend less; buy used/thrifted; be stylish. What does that look like?

1. Starting in November, I will not buy anything new for 6 months!  I said it…6 months!  Here are my rules: I can buy new things that you just have to buy new, for example socks.  Next, at Christmas, I can spend gift cards given to me…only if they are staples pieces (jeans, sweaters, etc).  I get ONE pass.  I think that is okay…one pass!

2. When I buy thrifted/used items in the next 6 months, I must get rid of comparable items.  Sweater for a sweater. Jeans for jeans.  Shoes for shoes.  If they are in good condition, I will donate them.  If they are not, I will throw them away.  I will not give out of season items…that would go against the comparable condition.  I can’t give a sundress for a sweater this winter.

3. I will have a good attitude about this challenge!  I get three passes to complain…whine about not being able to buy what I want!

BTW, I bought a really nice sweater at the thrift store for $5 today! SCORE!  I donated a sparkley shirt & nude heels.  Two for one right now until I get that number down.

7 – Month 2: Clothes, Bloom (in)courage Book Club from Bloom (in)courage on Vimeo.

Any advice for my challenge?  I am going to have to keep my schedule full when I visit Dallas so that I will not go into H&M.  I will have to avoid Target…oh, I might cry (challenge starts in November so that whine doesn’t count).   Can I do this?  Send over some encouragement!

What do you think is a good number of articles to have in your closet?

~Kara

Filed Under: Causes, Lifestyle, Outfits Tagged With: ,

Shrinking Friday

09/21/2012 By 2 Comments

Happy Friday!

Shirt (Gap); Jeans (Loft); Shoes (Target)

Do you ever buy something with high hopes and then it shrinks like crazy?
So it was with this shirt.  The first time I wore it it was at least 2-3 inches longer.
For a tall girl shrinking 3 inches is a lot!
I still love it, but I am going to have to find new ways to wear it than what I originally bought it for.

Is anyone up for joining me on the thrift only challenge?
Yep, a couple of days have passed and I am still thinking about it!

Happy Friday, gals!

Kara

Filed Under: Outfits Tagged With:

High-Waisted Problems

09/03/2012 By 1 Comment

Shirt (Target); Skirt (Thrifted); Shoes (Target); Purse (Noonday Collection)

Gals, I just want you to know that I barely made it through these pictures!
In Oklahoma, after a few weeks in the 90′s, we’re back in the 100′s.
So, after 5 minutes of pictures, Josh and I were both sick!  UGGH, too hot.

I  am still dreaming of fall!

One statement about this skirt, I love it, but I am so bad about styling high waisted skirts. Looking at the pictures, I think I should have worn it a little bit higher.  I just can’t ever decide when I put them on how it needs to be worn.  Does anyone else have this problem?

Happy Labor Day!

~Kara

Filed Under: Outfits Tagged With:
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