Thursday Mixer--Wide Leg Wool Trousers

In case you couldn't tell from the hair, these photos are super old.  Like October old.  Like when there were actually colored leaves on the trees old.  But there is snow on the ground, so it's legit.

Today's mixer features one of the most business savvy, comfortable trousers that I own.  I bought these wide leg wool trousers from Forever 21 about two or three years ago and they are still workin it at le office.

1, 2, 3

So, you know that amethyst ring that I always wear on my right hand?  It was my Grandmother's.  She was a February baby also.  Her birthday was one week after mine in fact.  And my mom's is a week after that, so she is also an amethyst birthstone baby.  

My Grandmother gave my mom this ring when she was 13 and she in turn gave it to me when I was 13.  My Grandfather had it appraised at one point and found out that it is a legit amethyst.  How can you tell?  It changes color with different light.  In natural sunlight, it is a green color.  Under florescent light, it is a deep purple.  I guess this is pretty rare, so the ring is super expensive.

But the value of the ring is far past monetary for me.  It means a lot because of the story behind it.  Well, about six or so years back, I had come back from a weekend in Breckenridge and started doing laundry when I realized that the stone was gone!  I was freaking out because I had just been away on vacation and doing laundry at the laundramat (I was living in a tin can of an apartment) so it could be anywhere.

Well Kaden was about 4 or 5 at the time and obsessed with Legos.  He had all kinds of sets, including a pirate one.  Shortly after I lost my stone, I saw a little gem on the floor.  For whatever reason, I picked it up and held on to it, thinking it was a fake Lego piece jewel.  Fast forward to over a year later and I suddenly had an epiphany--"what if that gem was the actual amethyst from my ring?"  I knew where I kept the piece and guess what?  It fit perfectly.  I had found my beloved amethyst.  I had never been happier or more relieved.

Wide Leg Wool Trousers-Forever 21; Peplum Blouse-c/o eShakti; Plaid Shrunken Blazer-Kohl's; Knee High Black Boots-Wal-Mart; Earrings-gifted; White Peacoat-Rue 21

You Know How I Do

 

Kaden has a prescription with the doctor's office that needs to be filled every month.  The only place that carries his prescription and takes our insurance is Target.

Do you know what this usually means?  It usually means that I drop off the prescription and use the twenty-ish minutes it takes to fill it meandering around the store "browsing" the sale section.

And that usually means that I find something that I tickles my fancy to take with me to the checkout counter.  I mean, it's Target for Heaven's sake.  Anyone can find something there right?

But it's not all fun and games filling Kaden's prescription this time because, well, I'm trying not to buy any clothes.  So this means I need to eliminate any distractions or pressures to buybuybuy.

So I did what any respectable girl with unlimited amounts of self-control would do.

I walked in, I dropped the prescription off at the counter, I walked out and I called Patrick to pick it up on his way home.  Solved.

 Dress-gifted by Lynne; Robin's Egg Blue Leather Jacket-Helium, thrifted; Leopard Print Heels-Target; Earrings-Kohl's; Necklaces-Kohl's and Wal-Mart; Trench Duster-Escada, thrifted

Share the Covers--Survivor

The original by Destiny's Child . . .

The cover from the Punk Goes Pop album . . .

 

Ok, you can stop hatin' on Colorado now.  We gots the snow.  And it caused me to be stuck in traffic 45 minutes past the time I was supposed to be there.  And, simultaneously, the heater that I just got fixed in my car stopped working.

Then, I went to lunch for my daily dollar burger and photo shoot.  Because it's been abnormally busy lately, I opted to hop on over to the 29th Street Mall nearby to shoot some quick photos, as I have a billion times prior.  Well I was wearing my white coat.  And I got ketchup on it.  My coat was bleeding.  Then, a Mall Cop told me I was not allowed to take photos of myself at the mall without consent of the Mall Management.  I explained to him that someone had given me permission to do so prior to today and that whatever damage I was going to do would have been done already since I have hundreds of photos of myself at this mall.  He wasn't havin' it.  He told me that everytime I want to take my photos at the mall, I had to get permission from the Mall Management.  My mom said this was my karma for telling you all this story.  

So, naturally I will be taking my photos at the mall as much as possible without getting permission first.  After all, there are no signs stating that this is not permitted, there are children's areas in the mall wherein I am sure there are proud parents taking pictures of their kids and I checked the website for any further instruction regarding photos and there is nothing there.  I feel slightly harassed . . .

On a happier note, however, today is the best husband in the world's birthday!  Happy birthday Patrick!  I love you!

 Striped Sweater-thrifted; Chambray Button Up-Lee; Lemon Yellow Skinny Jeans-Kohl's; Studded Booties-Forever 21; Hat-Target; Earrings and Watch-gifted

Mission Monday #1: Inspiration

 Without further ado, let’s kick off the first Mission Monday for Mission Week!  Sometimes people ask me where I get the inspiration for my outfits.  Or, more appropriately, it sounds something like “how did you come up with that?”  The answer is everywhere.  Literally.  Sometimes, I get inspiration from intangible things like falling snow or curtains or a bathroom scheme.  Most times, though, I get my inspiration from other people.

There is a difference between copying someone and being inspired by them.  I’ve found that a lot of people say “I could never wear that” or “only skinny people can wear that” or “only you could get away with that.”  I find these kind of statements so discouraging.  Mainly because I think that the driving force behind people who make these comments is the thought process that in order to wear something that they find appealing, they need to look exactly like the model/ad/person that they got the inspiration from!

Which is a shame in and of itself because other people—people on the street, fashion magazines, other bloggers, girls in movies, Pintrest—are the main source of my inspiration.  But getting inspiration from them doesn’t necessarily mean completely transforming into them.

Tweaking.  That is the main way that stylish people use inspiration.  Don’t have all the clothes in the ad?  Fine.  It doesn’t mean you need to go out and buy all of the stuff that you don’t have.  Improvise.  I don’t have any closet like Serena VanDerWoodsen or Carrie Bradshaw or Blair Waldorf, but I do have things that are similar enough to pull off a look like one created for their characters.

Next week is my birthday!  And as I did last year, I am going to do a Birthday Inspiration Week  showcasing all of the fabulous famous people who share my birthday.

Left to Right Top: Natalie Cole and Zsa Zsa Gabore.  Think glamour.  Think diva.  Think beauty.  Think fancy.  Think of sparkle and lighting up a room.  Babe Ruth.  Think sporty.  Think casual.  Think of what you would wear to a game or party for sports (like *blech* the SuperBowl).
Left to Right Bottom: Bob Marley.  Think boho.  Think hippie.  Think free flowing and loose fitting.  Think of the 60’s and 70’s fashion.  Ronald Reagan and Tom Brokaw.  Think professional.  Think suits.  Think clean lines and classic powerhouses.  Axl Rose.  Think 80’s.  Think edgy.  Think rocker.  Think party all night, bar hopping, after hours cocktails. 

Your Mission for next week, should you choose to accept it, is to get inspired.  Not all of the challenges will be this partitioned.  And you don't need to use these people.  Take inspiration from someone that shares your birthday, an outfit from another blogger, an outfit you've had on your Pin Board forever.  If you need a refresher on what the hell I’m talking about with Mission Week, see here.  Again, the Mission Week will start on Monday, February 4^th the link up for this will be held on Friday, February 8^th (I will also have a button figured out *cross your fingers* by then.  BTW--anyone know how to find your ftp in Blogger?  Is it possible?).  There won’t be a time limit, so if you submit after Friday, no biggie.  That is just when the link up will go up.  And, again, you don’t need to participate for the full week unless you want to.   

Orange Dress-Target; Cognac OTK Boots-Charlotte Russe; Sheer Leopard Print Blouse-Forever 21; Leopard Trim Cloche Hat-Target

An Explanation of What's to Come

This year I didn’t make any resolutions.  Mostly because when I don’t make resolutions, I don’t feel like shit come March when I haven’t followed through on any of them.  However, I have had thoughts in the back of my mind on things that I want to do and goals I want to make in the near future.  One of said goals was to stick to the budget that Patrick and I set up for ourselves right after the wedding.  The reason for this budget (other than the obvious) is because we are working towards two major purchases this year: we want to buy our own house (we rent now . . . blech) and I need a new car (Goldilocks is seriously on her last limb).  

Another budget related goal that I have personally is that I want a new camera.  I’ve been to several fashion shows and events now and feel like such a dork pulling out my trusty ole non-DSLR Canon.  Case in point, when I went to the rehearsal for the Red Ball, one of the models brought in his camera.  It was better than mine.  Like by a lot.  This cannot go on!  I’ve wanted a new camera since I started this blog almost two years ago.  It’s about time I make that happen.  And I am learning with this budgeting thing that I actually can make that happen if I stick to my budget.  Saving.  Remaining credit card debt free.  And part of sticking to that budget is to limit or better yet eliminate the purchases of new clothes.  

I’ve been really bad lately.  It started when Patrick was deployed and I would get all lonely and forlorn and go on little shopping sprees in his absence.  There was nothing crazy, but $30 here, $40 there really adds up.  This leads to a dozen or more clothing items that sit and wait and wait and wait for me to get around to wearing them.  What is the point of that?  I have so many new clothes and old clothes that don’t nearly see the light of day that they deserve.  My Stylebook app is filled to the brim with outfits just begging to be worn one day.  Not only do I not need any more clothes, but in all honesty, my closet realistically cannot handle any more clothes at the moment.  And I can’t get a new closet until we get our own house.  And we can’t do that if I am spending all my “extra” money on clothes.

I’ve actually noticed a lot of fellow bloggers seem to be on this same wavelength.  And I know a big part of it is just that it is the new year and everyone is trying to better themselves.  But there are a lot of girls I know on shopping bans right now.  I don’t want to call my little hiatus a shopping ban because as we all know, I’m a rebel at heart and if I am not supposed to do something or I’m told I can’t do it (even by myself), I get this unstoppable urge to do it anyways.  But I do have a plan.

Another thing that I have been thinking about in January for 2013 is my blog.  What do I want to do with it?  What does it mean to me?  What am I trying to accomplish with it?  Is it satisfying to me?  What do I want to improve with it for the future?

I kept coming up with the same answers.  I am actually shocked that I am still as into blogging almost two years later as I was when I started.  There hasn’t really been any time in which I felt that I “had” to blog.  I still love taking outfit photos and sharing them.  The conflict, for me, lied in the actual content of my blog. 

 

I’ve been struggling a lot with my content.  Do I share too much?  Should I share more?  As a person, I’m a pretty open book.  Though I’m a natural introvert, I am not really a “private” person.  I don’t mind talking about details of my life—good and bad.  I’ve always actually relished in talking about the bad parts as much as the good because those parts usually help people.  They help people feel not so all alone as if there was actually someone else who went through the same thing.  They help people to find the right path by listening to someone with experience.  They help people relate to you as someone approachable and realistic.  And I like that.  But I also feel constricted at times.  You’re not supposed to share all of that on the internet.  Anyone can read this: co-workers, ex-boyfriends, people who you don’t even know.  And trust me, truuuuust me, those people will read it.   And even though I never use my real first and last name together (or at least very sporadically and not together so that if you Google my name, this blog won’t come up) or the name of the firm that I work for, you can really never be sure of who is out there reading or listening.

All of this is to say that I had an epiphany last night.  Organization.  Control.  Follow Through.  That is what all of this budgeting and new camera and home buying and blog revamp have in common and what is needed to accomplish these goals.  So I got to thinking—how can I successfully mix up my love for the “life” portion of this blog with the “style” portion?  I love style.  I really love it.  Fashion is beautiful to me, but style is where it’s at.  There is a difference in the masterpieces that strut down the runway and being inspired by someone walking down the street.  The pieces that inspire people to buy them and the ways in which they wear them—that’s where it’s at to me.

And I believe that all the lovely bloggers I’ve met in the styleblogworld are qualified personal stylists.  Conversely, I have a lot of friends, co-workers and family that are overwhelmed by style.  They want to find their style, but they just need a little help.  These people often think that style comes with a hefty price tag, an abundant closet, a designer label and knowing what’s trending.  On the contrary, while I love to look at fashion magazines and go to fashion shows and gawk at Carrie’s Manolo collection or Serena’s Louboutins, that’s not what drives my love of style.  Are you picking up what I’m putting down?

All of this is to tell you about some changes that I am going to be making to my blog.  The main change?  YOU.  All of you.  

Two weeks per month, I will be hosting a link up party.  You will, should you choose to accept the challenge, be asked to give your style tips and advice on a particular topic.  I will announce the Mission on the Monday before the week of the Mission.  Then, you will have a week to prepare your answers.  The Mission will occur all week for me.  You can chose to participate the whole week, part of the week, one day or not at all.  The frequency is of no consequence.  All that is relevant is the quality of your content.  I will be making a button for you to add to the blog post that you participate in and we will hold the link up party on Friday.  Have I confused you yet?

Here’s how it will go:  On Mission Monday, you will receive your styling mission.  One week later, the Mission Week will begin and it will run from Monday to Friday.  On Friday, I will host the link up.  Again, you don’t have to participate the entire week if you don’t want to.

Some of you may be wondering what this will mean for my current content and how my blog will change.  Really, other than Mission Week, it won’t by much.  I will still do Share the Covers, but it will be on Tuesdays instead of Mondays.  I have decided that music is just too important to me to leave out altogether.  Although I may not be implementing music into every post anymore, purely for the fact that YouTube and Mixpod have frustrated me to no end with their inconsistency to show up on my actual posts.  I will still do the Thursday Mixers, where I show the different ways that I have worn a certain piece of clothing.  I think that is important for my ban, the ban of others and just self-awareness in general when purchasing a new item and calculating its price per wear.   

I am also implementing another new weekly-ish feature to my blog called Dear Frannie Fridays.  Here I am going to invite you—other bloggers, friends, family, etc.—to email me a question for me to answer.  This could be a styling question, a question on motherhood, a general question about family law (though I must premise that I am not an attorney, cannot give advice and only know Colorado family law), personal questions to me, or whatever pops into your head.  Now I am not pretentious enough to believe that I will get all these emails from all these people.  I have never played that game.  So, in the interim of getting emailed questions and sometimes when I just feel like it, I will just ask questions that other people have recently asked me in real life or something that has come to me.  Maybe I’ll share a rainy day recipe that I recently tried or a craft that I did with my kids or share some information that I recently learned.  All submissions will be anonymous unless the questioner specifically asks to be named.  And, it should go without saying, that any inappropriate questions will be deleted and their email addresses be blocked.  So, that being said, if there is a burning question or topic in your mind, feel free to email me at franniepantz@hotmail.com.

This is a long and wordy post.  But it is all to say: there will be some changes around here.  And hopefully these changes will help me to not shop and stick to my budget goals for a new camera by appreciating and utilizing the clothing that I do have.  And help others to get some style advice from all kinds of ladies.  And help you to gain some traffic to your blog and allow you to give your take on style advice.  I am personally holding myself accountable for these changes and goals.  No time like the present . . .

So, keep your eyes peeled later this evening for your very first Mission for Mission Week!

Oh I Just Can't Waaaaait for the Spriiiiing!

 

Did you sing the title of this post to this tune?  If so a billion points for you.

My mother is going to kill me for telling you this story.  But I was talking to Matty and Patrick about it this weekend and they got a kick out of it, so I think you will too.

My mother and three of her best friends were kicked out of Veil, Colorado.  Well, not the city . . . but pretty much every place in Veil.  This was about eight or so years ago, so it's water under the bridge now, but nonetheless, the story is entertaining.

My mom is a rebel, which is where I get it.  And sometimes when her and her girlfriends get together, it can get a little rambunctious.  Just like me and my girlfriends.

Well, I can't talk about everything that happened.  Partly because my mother really will kill me and partly because, like I said it was a long time ago and I don't remember all the details.  But in synopsis: 

They crashed a wedding, pretending to be the florists.  They were chased by hospital security guards.  They put a bunch of jewelry on hold that they weren't ever planning on buying.  They had some sort of run in with a Denny's (something about hash browns?), the hotel and a bar.

My mother and her friends were the original The Hangover.  Pretty crazy right?

Also this story is appropriate today because even though it's January and the majority of the country is freezing their bums off, Colorado has been blessed with an extremely warm and spring like warm front.  And even though I'm pretty sure I wasn't supposed to be taking pictures at this barn . . . I managed to snap a couple right quick.  No harm, no foul, right mom?

But . . . there has been some wind.  Obvi.

 Polka Dot Skirt-Blossom, gifted by Lynne; Pink Striped Cropped Top-Aerospostale; Camel Suede Wedges-Target; Jacket-Wal-Mart; Pearl Necklaces-Kohl's and gifted by Patrick