I tweeted the other night that I need to do a serious closet clean up. My closet is a mess, I wake up feeling like I have nothing to wear because I can’t find anything and the other day I pulled out a sweater to wear and realized there was a hole in it. Oops. Honestly, I wear about 20% of what’s in my closet over and over again, so I should really reduce down what I have and only hold onto what I love. Of course as I start to do a closet purge, I think about things that I would love to add to my wardrobe. If you follow me in Pinterest, you’re probably already aware of my Style Pinboard and I like to tag items or looks that I love there for inspiration. I’m obsessed with animal print and bold color. I’m also mildly obsessed (still) with Lands’ End Canvas. So I thought I’d share some of the pieces I’m loving right now.

I have always loved plaid, especially black watch tartan plaid so I’m swooning over the Plaid Skater Dress. The fact that it has pockets also makes me swoon. I can see myself wearing this with hunter green tights, black ankle booties and a cardigan or long sleeve underneath for work.

For Christmas this year my husband bought me a new very kick ass tripod. I know, I get very geeky when it comes to my tech toys and accessories and I have to admit the husband can pick out some cool stuff. He also wrapped it in homemade wrapping paper (I adore Calvin & Hobbes) so he gets double points for being cute and creative. I of course didn’t play with my new tripod before I snapped pics yesterday so you’ve only got 2 photos to see my first work outfit of the year. LOL Don’t worry, I’m still playing around with it.

I will be the first to admit, anything that is blousy makes me feel like I’m wearing a maternity top (no, no baby for the new year) but they’re so comfy that I can’t help but wear them. I got this top from the Gap on sale the other week for about $7 but I love it. The floral print looks like an ikat print up close, very cool. It’s very loose and billowy below the chest and a bit longer in the back.

I paired the top with a navy corduroy pencil skirt, burgundy tights, grey ankle boots and a new fun necklace Jess gave me for Christmas. It was the first really cold day we’ve had yesterday but I was bundled up in a long wool burgundy coat. Today they’re talking about 18 degrees outside…no thank you. I am not a fan of winter at all. I’m sure you’ll be seeing lots of tights and long coats on me in the future.

How do you keep warm in the winter weather?

What I’m Wearing: Top, Gap | Skirt, Gap Outlet | Tights, We Love Colors | Ankle Boots, Steve Madden | Necklace, Gift 

This Friday is just one Friday closer to Christmas, WOOHOO! I’ve had a long week of lots of work and my back went out on Sunday so I’ve been slowly on the mend. That also means I only wear dresses because pants and belts can irritate my back issue even more – so I’ve been super girly all week. Unfortunately because I’ve been a bit slower than normal, I haven’t had enough time to do outfit photos. This morning I took some snapshots of myself in the pieces in the car and at my desk so I thought I’d share. A woman in the elevator asked me to open my coat and show her my entire outfit because my tights were just too cute.

I bought this dress at the Gap the other day, probably the only thing that wasn’t on sale in the entire store. Isn’t that what always happens? I love the graphic black and white, it’s a heavier knit so I knew it would be perfect with tights and boots and it fit me so nicely. I love a knit a-line dress, you can do so much with it and I can dress it up or down. Since it’s a bold black and white I decided that I need a bold tight and I paired this dress with my favorite shade of green tights from We Love Colors. Green is festive, right?

The nails were a last minute decision last night. I’ve been doing an at home gel manicure (that I need to write a post about) for the last few months and I love the lasting power but didn’t feel like taking the time to do it last night. So I pulled out a pack of my holiday edition Sally Hansen Salon Effects that I saw the other week in my CVS. I thought since I have a holiday party a little shimmer was mandatory!

And speaking of sparkle, I took this picture of the Abby Hat I showed you earlier this week and I just love the texture and the sparkle. LOVE IT!

So that’s what I’m wearing today to be holiday festive, what about you?

What I’m Wearing: Dress, Gap | Tights, We Love Colors | Hat, Courtesy of Shop Suey Boutique | Nails, Sally Hansen | Shoe, Coach

I love hats but as I’ve said before I suffer from domius maximus (large head syndrome). So typically when I buy hats they’re knit and slouchy so they have lots of give for my noggin. This month, my friends at Shop Suey Boutique sent over the Abby Beanie for me to review.

I kind of love this hat. I really do. It’s the perfect bit of slouchy, it has a pom pom for the kid in me AND it has sparkle! My sister kept asking me to wear my sparkly hat after she saw it the first time. I’m glad my hat can bring a bit of joy and sparkle to her world. It’s the little things.
 I made the mistake of leaving it on the backseat of my car when I picked up my 19 year old cousin the other day…she tried to roll back into her dorm with it on. LOL I quickly realized she was trying to jack me for my sparkle and politely asked for it back. BUT because I know if I use code ART20 I’ll get 20% off a regularly priced item at Shop Suey Boutique, I just might have to add the Abby to her Christmas box when she comes back from winter break.

What’s your favorite style hat to wear? And have you picked up anything from S hop Suey with the Art20 code? Tell me!

Oh and you can check out my holiday picks from the Shop Suey Boutique on their blog and definitely check out their Facebook page, they’re doing the 12 days of Christmas in giveaways and great deals!

I had a lovely Thanksgiving break, I cooked, I ate and I spent time with family. I also did a little knitting for holiday gifts and finally edited the bulk of the Gift Guide photos (I’m still aiming to post that on December 1). In the midst of all the photos I was editing I found this one.

My girlfriend’s little boy loves cameras, he hears the shutter and comes running to see what the image of him will look like (did I mention he’s only 11 months old?). I was taking her picture for the Gift Guide and as soon as the camera snapped he stopped being shy and walked right over to me and wanted me to show him the digital screen on the back. I snapped pics of him in between pictures of her and I just thought this little hand was so precious and sweet that I had to share.

I love this time of year, all the giving, the music, the twinkling lights. It’s the little things that make such great moments. I’m actually excited and ready for December and I hope that I can put some of that excitement and energy into the Gift Guide as I finish it up this week. And since I’m just easing my way back into my work week I thought I’d give you a peek at today’s outfit (no full outfit post, I was running late).

My husband told me he was surprised my color palette was so plain this morning. I’m wearing a cream shift dress with a beige sweater and then he saw my hunter green tights and floral oxfords. He totally took that comment back.

So how was your Thanksgiving break? Do tell!