Work Wear Wednesday: Where did all the Cardigans Go?

No but seriously. Where are all the cardigans? JCrew and Madewell used to stock them aplenty, and now I am struggling to find one to fit my purpose.

I know I have a lot of cardigans, but I also wear them every damn day and wear a small-sizable hole in the right elbow of almost every damn one.  This morning I really needed (white girl problem) a neutral cardigan. And the one brown-ish one I have has a huge hole in said elbow. So I thought I'd peruse the interweb looking for a replacement, but it seems I'll have to do the fixing myself.

Then comes Pinterest.

I'm going to just patch my elbows instead of searching for a cardigan that doesn't exist, and wait until the stores shape up and make some more.

Images I like:

And here's an easy-to-follow tutorial.

and another.
and this is interesting.
what's with the stuffed animal? but I like the patches. several ideas from her.

has anyone else attempted this?

I bought some felt with adhesive on the back.  I would re-enforce it with extra stitching just to be sure.



Top Three Tuesday: Bargain Beauty Finds

Look, I know I post a lot about beauty items. But aren't you glad I've tested the name brand and the cheap version and have come to the conclusion that the cheaper works JUST AS WELL?

3. Lipstick: Revlon Fire & Ice. Compare to Nars Heatwave.

Cost Savings? Almost $20!

Confession? I have both. I alternate all the time. Both stay on fairly well, and don't make my lips so crusty and dry.

2. Blush: Elf Studio for Target, Fuchsia Fusion (Isn't fuchsia spelled weird?). Compare to: Nars Bright Candy Pink.

Cost Savings? $23!

Confession? I also have both of these. And more. I have the Nars duo that is absolutely fantastic, and my sister swears that the Elf duo is just as good.

1. Mascara: CoverGirl Lashblast Mascara, in black. Now I will confess. I'm a mascara-holic. And until recently, I was buying my mascara at Sephora.  I went from DiorShow to Buxom to BADgal. And back to the grocery store.

Cost Savings? Anywhere from $15-20!

Confession? I also just bought an eyelash comb, in my obsession to rid my eyelashes of clumps.

I promise to try to maybe blog about something a little more exciting tomorrow, and in a more timely manner than you've been used to this week.

Manic Monday Part III

It's manic since I'm posting in the afternoon. Right? Right.

So this weekend my very energetic mother and I painted (and cleaned...vacuumed...discovered what's been under the bed for 3 years...you get the idea) my bedroom! I couldn't be more happy with the color and enjoyed spending time with her.

My roommate took some pretty great pics of it with some app she'll have to show me later. :)

Thrifty Thursday-Making Over a Room

This post is inspired by the activity that will occupy my weekend...a little room revamp!

I am re-painting my room.  When I first bought my condo, I think I used the wrong kind of paint, and use a semi gloss. Ew. It is a pale yellow and pretty much looks like a color used in a retirement center.  I want to liven it up a bit, so I'm getting this fantastic color below:

Spectra Blue. Sounds fun right? Now for the "thrifty" part.

Benjamin Moore makes the best paint colors.  You know what I don't dig? The price.  A can of paint ranges from $36-$68.  I beat the system by going to Home Depot with color swatch in hand, and having them color match and mix the paint. I go with Glidden flat paint at $24.99 a gallon. Much better, right?

Instead of fancy painting trays I just get the plastic ones. Throw them away when you're done!

For trimming, I use these cheap brushes.  I will get 3-4 for this project.  (Tip-if you want to take a break, wrap the brush with saran wrap and stick it in the freezer! You don't need to wash the paint off either!). For rollers, I use something like this.  I like the furry rollers because it gets into the texture on the wall.

Later on, I'm going to make new curtains for my room.  For now, my room is getting a massive makeover, and the total cost is:

2 gallons of paint @ $24.99    =   $49.98
3 trim brushes @ $1.15    =         $3.45
1 package of rollers @ $8.97 =   $8.97
2 plastic trays @ $1.97   =          $3.94
Total Cost    =                            $66.34

I'll take pictures and share the results Monday :)

Top Three Tuesday-On Wednesday !

I know it's Wednesday. But didn't yesterday feel like a second Monday? I almost didn't believe it was actually Wednesday today. Almost.

But since I went to Florence + the Machines last night, and since it has forever changed me (exaggerate much?), I will post my top three favorite tunes of Flo's.

And she is fabulous, gorgeous, zany, weird, and I want to have a cute British accent like hers now. Great.

3) Hurricane Drunk:


2) Cosmic Love:

3) Shake it Out:


honorable mention: Never Let Me Go

What are your favorites?