What I Wore to Work Today: December 1, 2011
Jacket: Goodwill
Tshirt: Target
Skirt: Goodwill, shortened
Shoes: Target
Earrings: Fundraiser garage sale

Here’s a picture from over a month ago that I took in the corner of my dining room. My mom mailed that plant to me almost 4 years ago, pot and and dirt and all, when it was just a handful of leaves. It has gone crazy since then — probably time to tie up some of the vines so that they don’t spill all over the floor, getting in the way around the dining chairs.

The more plants the better. It seems normal to me, and I only realize it’s unusual to have so much greenery inside when I compare it to my friends’ homes.

I finally checked off a series of tasks necessary to give friends in the Midwest a quilt for their baby daughter who is, oh, let’s see here, 12 months old now? Congratulations you guys!

Weeks or months went by between each step for no particular reason (buy new bobbins from the sewing machine manufacturer, add binding, take the package to the post office…). One of my goals for 2012 is less lag time when projects are almost done. Take the time today to finish it and deliver it and move on.

She mentioned that their nursery has a jungle theme so I chose flannel monkeys for the backing, and made the rest with pieces from my blue & green stash.

What I Wore On My Couch Today: Saturday, December 3, 2011

Vest: Goodwill, 50% Off Saturday
Cardigan: Target
Tshirt: Target
Jeans: Clothing swap with friends
Sneakers: Payless

Our version of winter has arrived, with a high of 56 today plus sprinkles. I’ve been wearing my silly puffy vest to keep warm without turning on the heat. Heating systems are for suckers! Today I’m in jeans because I went out to breakfast, without the vest, before studying for my calculus final exam this afternoon. The previous couple nights I was wearing my homemade space travel print pajama pants, a turquoise hoodie sweatshirt, and the vest.

What I Wore to Work Today: Thursday, November 17, 2011
Shirt: Goodwill $1 Thursday
Skirt: Goodwill, hemmed
Belt: Gift from Sarah
Shoes: Target

Let’s take a tour around work because it’s dark outside and I haven’t taken any pictures during the day in weeks. There are various surfaces that can hold a self-timing camera when I’ve stayed a bit late and the office is empty, and there’s nothing like corporate lighting and a flash to bring out the best in someone. Here I am in the little locker room. There I am in the lobby. And again in the break room. The clear-front fridges are super useful when you forget where you put your lunch and you can look for it without holding the door open. And finally, here I am in the cubicles. Yep, living the dream.

These are my skirts, all of the ones I wear to the office.

After I wear a skirt I hang it up on the far right side so that I can keep track of when I’m wearing something and try to mix it up a little if I’m repeating too much. Tops don’t receive the same treatment for two reasons: 1) shirts usually get washed after each wearing while skirts can be taken out a few times first, and 2) they’re arranged by color.

Aren’t your skirts arranged more or less by color? I mean, look at that! you say. Nope, that was entirely accidental. My skirts self-selected into warm and cool tones over time.

This is the first time I’ve worn this refashioned tank top and probably the last. The sequins at the neckline and shoulders overhang the fabric and poke a little bit into my skin. Worth a dollar and ten minutes, though, to wear sequined mesh to work. Next up: pleather?

The Before picture is from July. Sure, I tend to take unflattering shots of the Before pieces because it adds to how much better everything looks in the After pictures, but still, there’s definitely some before/after effect in how I look with this one.

Congratulations to Brandon and Wendy, who had a lovely and personal wedding. Best wishes as you begin your marriage.

See how my top half appears to be a different color than my legs? I guess it’s time to start taking pictures somewhere besides my apartment, where winter light slips into the north-facing balcony with reluctance and ignores everything below the patio walls.

  I love the color of this skirt from the 50% Saturday sale at Goodwill: a bold teal with indigo cross-stitch embroidery along the bottom. I didn’t do much to it, just narrowed the waistband and took some excess volume out of each side, which in turn brought up the length since it doesn’t sit so low on my hips anymore. $2.50 and 20 minutes well-spent.

I turned 30 on November 2. I’m still testing out how that feels to say. 30! Good-bye, twenties, you will be remembered always.

My manager suggested that our team dress like the ’80s on Monday as a Halloween team spirit thing. I didn’t want to buy anything and I did want to maintain business casual attire. This is what I came up with. The side ponytail and shoulder pads safety-pinned back into the blouse emphasized the ’80sness of what could otherwise pass for normal day attire.

I bought these jeans at Goodwill’s half-off Saturday a month or two ago and I finally pulled them out of the pile in my closet. Should I hem them for flats or heels? After wearing them to work with sneakers and 4 staples in each pant leg hem as a testing day, I’ve decided on the former. They will be my not-completely-torn-up jeans to wear with flip-flops or sneakers. They have some stretch, a nice fit, and a hem that isn’t shredded. Movin’ on up!