Fashion Finds - Cropped Cardigans

I love clothes. I enjoy taking my time to create and build outfits. I love planning out the details from shoes to accessories for something I want to wear out to an event. However, I am lazy. When it comes to getting ready for a day at work or just running around on the weekend, I find myself staring at my closet trying to piece together something that is cute yet functional. This results in a lot of lost time and frequent outfit changes.

Since I had an excuse to go shopping, I was on a mission to find something cute to throw on with little effort. I dropped by Old Navy as saw a huge table covered in cropped cardigans in a ton of colors and I had my solution.

I've always been a fan of the cropped cardigan, and have a few at home, but never really came across colorful options or at a decent price. Old Navy has them in a wide range of colors from periwinkle (my fave of course) to neon. All for the low price of $15. Most cardigans I own are anywhere from $30 and up, so I found it hard to spend the same on a cropped version. Something in my head about less sweater for the same cost.

Pair these cuties up with a tank top and some jeans or even a skirt for work and you have an outfit that looks planned without the fuss. I got the periwinkle one (shocker) and was able to find 2 tank tops at Old Navy, one even on clearance for $5.

 Periwinkle Cropped Cardi

Casual

Work

By getting more than one top that matches the cardi, you have more outfits for less cash and also change the look of the sweater. The causal tank can be worn with jeans on the weekend while the work tank can be paired with a kaki skirt for something more professional yet comfortable.

Total for cardi and 2 tanks = $30

Always check in store before buying online. Not only do you avoid shipping prices, but stores may have different markdowns and sales than online. For example, my work tank was only $5 in store, but is listed as $15 online.

Also keep in mind that if the cropped cardi is something you want to add as permanent staple in your closet, consider doing some research and finding something that is a bit better quality. For me, a black cardi is going to get way more use than this periwinkle one. Consider spending a bit more for better quality and something that will last longer than the season.

If you are a curvy girl like me, I would recommend Lane Bryant's elbow sleeve shrug. Same concept as a cropped cardi just without the buttons. I suggest this in black and white, as these would be the ones you wear the most since they go with everything. In person you can clearly see the difference in the quality and feel of the fabric. This item in black not fade, however the Old Navy version will start to fade after a few washes.

Starting at $39.95, these are a bit expensive, but worth the investment if you plan on putting this in your normal clothes rotation. They wash beautifully and a quick round in the dryer on low removes any wrinkles you may have from folding.

Hopefully now I gave you a reason to go shoppping. You're welcome :)

Happy shopping!

Craving...

It has been a rough Friday the 13th. I'm in need of a nap and a royal milk tea. However, my craving cannot be satisfied because sadly in Orlando there is nowhere to get my perfect blend of milk, tea, whip cream and vanilla pearls. Yes, I'm sure they have something like it, but it just isn't the same. If someone could bring me one from Excelsior Cafe I would love them forever.



*sigh*

So... We went to Vegas...

Random, I know.

We went to Vegas for a short vacation. To be honest, it wasn't my cup of tea, but it was something that I can say I did. We had a nice time wondering around the massive hotels and seeing a few shows.

You would think it strange, but I learned about traveling during this trip. Maybe not just travel in general, but what I need to have when I travel so I'm comfortable on arrival and departure.

- Having a seat assignment on your flight trumps saving a few dollars.
- Add an extra day to the start of your trip so on arrival.
- Bring a humidifier.
- Have reservations for dinner.
- Seeing everything does not automatically equal a great trip.

This trip I had a major issue with airline seating. We booked SouthWest, which I have never used before. I just let David take care of it and didn't give it much thought. He knows where I like to sit on a plane, so I assumed things were ok. Well, guess what, I was wrong. I had no idea SouthWest did not provide assigned seats. Your ticket has a letter and number and you board according to that. So you have A 1-60, B 1-60 and C 1-60. Basically, the higher letter and number you have, the better seat you will be able to pick. I was worried once we got to the gate, but thought "Oh, this won't be bad! There will be seats together!" but I was wrong. I was lucky enough to have C 1, which meant all of A and B have already boarded. We were the last few people to get on the plane. People with the higher numbers have learned to play the system. People who were traveling in couples with the prime numbers and letters would take a row, one sit at the window and the other in the aisle, with the hope no one would want to sit in the middle. I saw this with so many rows and it made me angry. Just, sit together! I learned this when I got on the plane and not a single aisle or window seat was open and I was looking at two women hogging a row. I went to sit in the center and with a large sigh, one of them moved to the center and told me that they were together and I could have the aisle. As I got situated, I saw other people doing this, to allow the long line of people still coming into the plane get seated. David was rows and rows behind me, which didn't help with my fear of flying. I just kept my fingers crossed for our return flight, but again I had my lucky C 1 printed on my boarding pass. I got to sit next to an older man who kept his leg spread as far apart as possible and elbowed me in the ribs the entire flight. I would have paid the difference to fly another airline to know that I was sitting with David without the anxiety of trying to fight for a seat.

By the time we got to the hotel, I was done. The whole flight wore me out, constantly being uncomfortable and adjusting while you are packed into a tin can for a long period of time. I would have really liked to be able to just relax, take a shower and just wonder around our hotel that night, but we had plans for shows so it was constantly go go go.

Humidity. Something you hate about living in Florida, but something you miss when you are in buildings always being pumped with oxygen, dry hotel rooms and in the middle of a desert. Not only was Vegas dry, but it was cold. This didn't cross my mind when packing, but after feeling your sinus cavities and throat dry up, it is something to consider. I will be sure to pack a humidifier when traveling to dry or cold places from now on.

We made reservations every night for dinner. It was so nice not to wait for a table, even if the place wasn't full. It was one of the few things we did right. It took my mind off of trying to figure out where we need to go, what I need to wear and how much it would cost. I didn't have to think about it because I already took care of it.

Now, the biggest lesson I learned and I hope David learned it too, just because you saw everything doesn't make it a great trip. We did pretty much every hotel on the strip and it was exhausting. Half of them were not worth our time, but the others we liked we rushed through so we could get to the next one. I really dropped the ball on planning this trip because I just wanted to go with the flow. However, due to this I didn't have a clear idea of what I wanted to do, so we just did everything, which was an awful idea.

Don't get me wrong, the trip wasn't terrible, but there are some major things I would redo. Overall, I'm glad I went, and we saw some pretty neat things.

Our Hotel, New York New York

Eiffel Tower, Paris Hotel

Indoor Garden at the Bellagio

Parasols from the ceiling, I loved these!

Flowers

More flowers...


The Fountains at the Bellagio

In the end, I think the few things we enjoyed and the lessons learned was worth it. Or, that is what I will tell myself.

Make Mine Chocolate

Trying to figure out the perfect Easter gift? Think a cute fluffy bunny would be a wonderful gift to someone in your family? Please, take a moment to rethink that purchase. Don't get me wrong, I love rabbits. I think they make wonderful pets and more people should give them a chance. However, during the Easter season, many people buy baby rabbits as a live Easter gift and don't realize the commitment that goes into owning a bunny. Instead, they find themselves with a full grown rabbit that is no longer that cute little baby bun and have no clue what to do with it. A few months later when they grow tired of the responsibility, shelters and humane societies find themselves up to their ears in rabbits. Pun intended. These rabbits are the lucky ones, many are often let loose outside into the wild, which is a death sentence for our domesticated bunny friends.

Our rabbit, Momo, was an Easter bunny. The reason he was born was so he could be sent to a store for someone to scoop up to add that extra special "live" addition to their Easter basket. He has found a happy home with us after a long journey through a shelter, but not all rabbits have such happy endings.

So, this year, like every other year, I want to share with you an amazing campaign I support. It is called "Make Mine Chocolate!", a campaign that educates people on the realities of living with a rabbit and discourages giving live rabbits as Easter gifts. Check out their page at www.makeminechocolate.org.

Momo and the rest of our family wish you a Happy Hoppy Easter and when it comes to bunnies, make it chocolate.

Vacation and Resolutions

We had a lovely cruise on the Allure of the Seas. Nothing better than sun and sand to start the new year!




I wish I was there right now! Perfect weather! And now my very amateur video skills with my iPhone.



On our trip I has a lot of time to reflect on what I want to do with 2012. First, I want to be healthy. So I made a big change after I got back, I stopped eating meat. I have had a lot of mixed reviews but tons of support. Moving into February I am proud to say I'm still on track and feeling great. I have had a few moments of weakness, but overall it wasn't as hard to do than I thought! Since I have always been against animal cruelty and wanting to eat better so I don't end up in an early grave, this seemed to be a natural next step.

With with my first resolution well on the way, I figured the start of February would be good to add another to my list. Learn Japanese. I've tried every book and software buy just wasn't for me or I lacked motivation. Today I downloaded Human Japanese after playing with it as a free app on my phone. I feel it is well written and I feel I finally understand some concepts I struggled with in college.

So, wish me luck. I'm going to need it.

My Co-Pilot

Periwinkle has never been a backseat driver, she would rather be right in the action.








Best driving companion one could ask for.

On strike for SOPA

Learn more about how SOPA will change how you use, or don't use, the internet.

http://sopastrike.com/strike/

Tokyobunbun.com will be on strike today, sorry kids. Make your voice heard, stop censorship.