Jazz Fest!

Hit up the Jazz fest in Bushnell Park this evening with Tasneem.  I was looking for fashion talent and Tasneem was looking to get the word out about her restaurant Zula.  We figured we could kill two birds with one stone.  Next week is the start of The Taste of Hartford and Zula has a special of $20.12, they have Seafood Brochette and Prime Rib on this menu folks so let's please check them out for the next two weeks.

These two women were the first I saw that I thought looked beautiful and overall happy.  Brettnee on the left caught my eye first as we have very similar hair cuts and I just thought her long skirt/vest combo is so darling.  She's a make-up artist; check her out at www.paintedbybrettnee.com, I'm going to check her out shortly myself.  The woman on the right is named Jessica and she was selling jewelry, I took one look at her hair and thought "let's make this a group shot."  I love dreadlocks, I have never had them but their beauty knows no bounds as far as I'm concerned.  Jessica's website is www.jessicadesignsjewelry.com, as with Brettnee I'm going to check out Jessica's site too.   

I love a good vender

I want one of these so bad

This gentleman did not mind posing, he was just perfect

Kettle Korn being made, it smelled divine and I don't even like popcorn

These two ladies were just hanging out on their blanket enjoying the music and they were just about to take a picture of themselves.  Why not pose for me ladies, right?  I didn't get to ask their names as we were closer to the stage and it was hard to hear on both sides I'm sure.  The lady on the left has quite the fierce haircut and color.  I noticed it prior to noticing her friend; when I saw her friend I thought I just have to get a picture of them.  As I'm sure you are all aware of now, I love a nice tattoo.  I also love her hair color and those glasses are so slick.  Being a glasses wearer myself I'm always checking out folks in frames.  I also love the fact that she's doing a scarf on her head which is so big right now.  Thanks ladies for sitting for my picture even though the lady on my right was quite skeptical.  I mean no harm, this lady just likes what I like and I'm not afraid to ask for you to take a moment and shine.

These two beautiful ladies I got on my way out of the park.  I notice the little lady on my left first because the color of that dress is to die for.  Her accessories are beautiful and coordinated and that hair is slick.  I love short hair!  Long hair is beautiful too but as I'm currently rocking a shorter style it's all I seem to gravitate towards, I'm always looking for my next hair style.  The statuesque lady on my right is rocking that red.  Could she be anymore put together?  It was really good to see these two ladies as material was slim and I just wanted to get one last shot.  Thanks ladies for taking the time to pose for me.  I hope to catch you again out and about.

On our way to get the car I saw this petite one walking toward me.  I was wondering if she really coordinated her chair to her shirt but I figured that couldn't be possible right?  I think she thought I wanted to rob her or something because she kept asking if I wanted her to take my picture. 

This gentleman was so relaxed sitting next to us, reading his paper that I just had to capture him

This lady loves...

This is my God daughter little Miss Vivian Ryan.  I was snapping some pictures of her as we were waiting for Mary Ellen and Spencer to come out of the family room.  You have to warm Miss Vivi up, she doesn't just smile for anyone as noted when we were in the picture place and she was mean mugging the tall man trying to take her photo.  I know how to make her smile, silly voices and biting toes...get's her every time!  I don't know, maybe I should just do her photos instead of the picture place.  Don't get me wrong they do a fabulous job but I'm going to see if I can get some big smiles out of her from now on.

Katrina Thrall...what a name!

I did get out once this weekend to assist the photography session of one Miss Vivian Ryan.  She just sounds like a star!  So Mary Ellen and I walked the Ever Green Walk shopping plaza after parting with the children (thanks Craig!!).  Ran into this cute, cute lady chillin' outside on her break from Anthro.  I would notice someone from that store and think they are dressed to my liking.  I should just get a job there already and be done with it!  I don't think they get a discount though so that wouldn't work for me...I need a discount.

Her name is Katrina Thrall and she has a site called katsinyourcloset.com.  I am not nearly on her level of blogging, she's got some serious bells and whistles on her site.  In any case, I completely fell in love with her outfit and her overall cuteness.

What a mix of stripes and color and her necklace totally enhances that dress!  I'm going to assume that her dress and necklace are from Anthro, I can't think of where else she would get these pieces as they look familiar.  Katrina remarked that she wished she wore cuter shoes but she was killing it in that pavilion, there was not one other person that caught my eye except for Mary Ellen and I forgot to take her picture.  At least I got one picture out of  the weekend, I gotta get back out there!

One week...5 days

So, I just wanted to do a full week of my outfits, as well as showcase some cute folks in my office.  It's nice to get inspiration and encouragement from so many people around me.  I'm really trying to step up my game and I"m trying to never leave the house looking crazy, not that I did before.  With the exception of course when I'm leaving the house early for the gym.

Monday

On Monday I actually made it into the gym so I needed an outfit I could fold up and put in a gym bag.  This was the first day in a long time that I didn't wear anything from Anthro, shocker.

• The shirt is from H&M, I believe I got it for around $34.99.  I bought it before I went to FNO last year and didn't start wearing it a lot until this year. 

• The little blue tank top pics up the colors of the shirt so nicely.  I picked that up at Madewell for all of $10 bucks.  These tank tops fit so well and they never stretch out of shape.  

• My pants are from Uniqlo and I think they were around $29 dollars.  I had no idea what I was going to pair them with; I was pretty happy to see they match this top so well.

• Shoes from L&T, BCBG for around $50.  They are in high rotation in my summer wardrobe.  I get so many compliments on them.

Tuesday

Tuesday I was still feeling colorful. 

• I decided to don my bright yellow skirt that I wear all year round.   Of course it's from Anthro, I coveted it for quite a while until the price went down to $30.  I was going to pair it originally with a bright fuchsia silk shell that I saw in Anthro but decided not to buy it #kickingmyself.  That shell was $30 bucks and dry clean only which is why I left it but I should have just bought it anyway.  I could have done so many things with it.  I realize now that $30 dollars for a top is not that bad.  I didn't really have anything to wear with this skirt originally but I have since remedied that.  

• This top is also from Anthro, I just recently picked it up a couple of weeks ago for around $29 bucks.   
• The shoes were gifted to me from Rocio (www.theRoxyReport.com), of course they're Cole Hahn and surprisingly very comfortable.  Thanks girl, I take all hand me downs!

Tuesday con't

Wednesday

 Wednesday I felt like being a little classy.  I could not figure out what to wear that morning so for ha ha's I tried on this skirt that never used to fit me.  It slipped on with no problem.  My solution to gaining weight and attempting to lose is to work out every so often and not eat dinner.  Oh, and to stop snacking.  Pipe down Jesica!

Wed con't

• So the jacket cost me $30 bucks in Anthro when they were having their "Everything Must Go" sale around Christmas.  I will definitely be there again at that time.  

• I picked up that shirt at Marshall's for $20.  I was originally going to gift it to my friend Shanyelle for her birthday many years back but I fell in love with it and couldn't bear to part with it.  It's made out of linen so it's perfect for this time of the year.

• The skirt is from The Gap and very old.  I think I bought it over 10 years ago but really didn't wear it that much because I wasn't confident enough.  I've grown to realize that if I'm comfortable everyone else will be comfortable with it too.  I have no idea how much I paid for it but seeing as it's the gap back in the day it couldn't have been more than $19.

• These shoes are the shiny ones I wore the graduation party a while back.  I believe they were around $50 bucks at L&T.
• The necklace was gifted to me by Chris and Jessica for my birthday; it matches perfectly with that jacket.  I've been searching for something to wear it with.

Thursday

 Sometimes I get stuck in an all black rut.  I used to wear it all the time so I have an abundance of it in my closet.  If I can't figure out what to wear some day's I just go back to black.

Thursday con't

• That top was purchased at the San Francisco Gap for $11 last year.  They were having a crazy sale and even though I really shouldn't have I went in and went crazy.  I mean, we have a Gap here but I didn't know if I could find this top here.  

• Those are my Joe Fresh pants that I got for around $30ish bucks.  I can't remember the exact price but I know they were between $30 and $40 dollars.

•  Those shoes are old, really old.  They're BCBG and I think I got them from Marshall's maybe 8 years ago.  I didn't wear them that much cause they felt odd on my ankles but they look so good on that I just have to grin and bear it.

Friday

TGIF!!!!  It was chilly but nice on Friday so I was having a hard time figuring out what to wear.  I picked this out the night before cause I went to the gym that morning.  Thank goodness it kinda worked.

• That is my J. Crew chambray shirt that I purchased for full price at $78.  Although I'm having a hard time with that price I still love this piece so much.  I can't wait to wear it with a skirt in the fall.

• That's the tank I got and wore to the beach the first time, the one from Anthro that cost all of $14 bucks.  It's super soft and very comfy.

• These are my Curve Levi's; these things fit like a glove and they are so soft.  I bought them one trip to NYC at Dr. Jay's in The Bronx.  I love going to the shops in The Bronx and Harlem for sneakers and jeans.  It's not expensive and they always have fresh to def options.

• Those are my beloved shoes from L&T, the BCBG ones I rocked on Monday.  The are so comfy.

A huge shout out to JP Higgy for taking my picture everyday.  I think you and I have a good thing going.

A wash of blues...

Here we have Nikkole who always looks beautiful.  Obviously this little one is preggers; she has the best maternity wardrobe I've ever seen.  Nikkole also has a great attitude about everything in general which is the real reason she's one of the ladies I like so much. 

She's glowing and she's just so cute.  When I see her I like to say "what's up" to my little friend in her tummy.  I will be completely baffled and shocked if she's not having a boy because she's just oozing baby boy right now.

Here's my friend Alex looking adorable in black and blue.  I believe this whole outfit is from Express as she's been a shopper there for years.  Alex didn't want me to take this picture without her heels on but the couple of times I saw her that day she only had on her flats.  I get it, I can't go a full day with heels on but it's nice to rock them in the beginning of the day. 

Between these two I should just call this the adorable page.

Next stop Jillyville!

This is my little friend Jilly; she's also my PIC at Fashion Night Out which I can't wait for!!!  I'm always watching little Jilly to see what she's going to do next.  This was her Friday outfit, we are allowed to wear jeans so imagine my surprise when I caught her in the kitchen.

Her maxi dress is so beautiful and the color is just rich.  Again Jilly has some beautiful hair and she really knows what to do with it; there's always this messy/neat vibe that I find so pretty.  I can't wait to get my hands in her head and try out some different styles for ha ha's!

Jilly pulled off the cute poke-a-dot nail polish thing and I just had to capture that.  I tried it the other day and it was just a mess! 

The zig-zags, the zebra print the poke-a-dots; it's all so much fun!

Brooksie!!!!

How dare me to not post for the past week; I should be ashamed of myself!  According to Mary Ellen, my blog is a little stale right now so I need to get on the ball.  Big ups to girlfriends that just come right out and say how they feel.

I decided this week that not only would I take a picture of myself everyday but I would also showcase some of the ladies in the office that I think are adorable.

Let's start with Brooksie, she makes me laugh out loud sometimes.  We are so much alike in humor that it's scary sometimes.

Check out the mug on this little lady; seriously she's just too cute for words.  Who has that many dimples?  I think this might be one of my favorite necklaces of hers.  She say's she purchased it at Franchesca in the Buckland Hills Mall.  I used to shop in that store all the time when it was in Ever Green Walk.  I don't frequent that mall too much anymore as I feel like it's changed and not for the better.  I guess I can make a trip to check out my old pal.

I got this cool app the other day that you can showcase more than one photo.  This little lady is not afraid to wear color and sometimes she just goes black and white.  I get it, it's also something I do a lot of.  Werk it little one!

 I just love her watch and bracelet combo!

Beach day!!!!

Hit the beach up with some of my friends today.  It was a nice day to be there, it wasn't too hot and there was an occasional rain dusting a couple of times.  I rocked my fedora today as I really didn't want sand in my hair or for it to be all over the place.

Got this top from Antro...of course, it's small stripes but you can't tell that from this picture.  It was too good of a sale at $15 bucks and these shorts have been in my closet since last summer but I never wore them.  I got the shorts from H&M for all of $12 bucks.  I'm rocking my earrings from Forever 21; the $4.80 ones and the hat is from Banana Republic, I think I got it for $20.  The bathing suit is Ralph Lauren, got it on sale from Macy's right before my summer of many vacations.  I'm sure it was inexpensive but I can't guess what the price is at this moment, somewhere around $40 bucks.

I finally got my bracelets so I did a little mixing to see if I loved it and I did...  I have the two Wanderlust bracelets in black and white, silver and black David Yurman looking type bracelet, a Pandora that my girlfriend Rainey gave me for my birthday one year and two all silver bracelets that are so old I don't know where they came from.  I'm excited to do this type of thing again soon, I just need different types of hard wear.

Unexpected in Price Chopper

Met this lovely little lady in Price Chopper in Vernon, CT of all places.  I've been seeing a lot of tattoo work around CT and I like it.  I think I said it before, I'm such a fan of tats as long as it's done nicely.  I think I scared this poor girl with my sneak attack, she didn't have much choice but to say yes to my request for a picture and she was very gracious in allowing it.

She has an overall easiness about her style of dress and she not afraid to express herself.  Unfortunately, I didn't get her name as she and my two girlfriends Shan and Lorna were looking at me like I was crazy.  I'm not the least bit afraid to approach someone I think is slick.  Love the shoes honey, wurk!!!!!

The color coordination of Mary Ellen

This is my friend Mary Ellen.  I was kid-sitting for her and her husband Craig so they could get some adult time in.  I decided that ME was going to be on my blog the moment I saw her because she looked oh so pretty.  ME reminds me of one of my childhood friends and she always looks so young.  She's just recently donated I think 10, 11 or 14 (really not sure) inches of hair which is so close to my heart having done it myself.  This dress is super summery, and I love her hair it's just to die for.

ME is pretty skeptical of this process as you can see from the next picture, but I assured her she would be just fine. 

She's so good at wearing colors that suit her over all coloring.  I usually catch her in turquoise and browns or mint greens.  Could this picture match anymore than it does right now?  I think she said the dress is from Ann Taylor but I could be wrong.  I know that clutch is from Banana as she just got it.  It's a beaut, I should have gotten a close up but the kids were starting to spill out of the house.   Once that happens you can forget all talk of fashion.

Sorry I'm so scattered on this post but there were children involved and then ME decided to treat me with her Bellini Martini recipe at the end of the night. 

Wanderlustco.com

Shout out to Wanderlustco.com; finally got my bracelets that I waited so long for (around 20 days)  I guess I can't complain as they were coming from Malaysia.  Had to pick them up this morning from the post office as I had to sign for them which I found to be weird but whatev's, it's not that serious Malaysia!  The packaging was super cute and I can't wait to rock these with some other bracelets for that layering affect that everyone is doing now a days. 

I would order from them again but I'm impatient and I can't wait that long for things I order online.  I like instant gratification in most things.

Random pics

Here are some random pictures from D's birthday outing.  A good time was had by all. 

These were taken with my iPhone so everyone will look like a Vampire.  I tried to get rid of the bright eye but it just makes us look like we have black circles over our eyes so I decided to leave it. 

Here are our young friends Jessica and Jenny Cray in the orange dress (that's what we call her cause she's CRAZY!!!) looking hot in their little party dresses.  They're both so pretty and so sweet...and so crazy.  I wound up taking a shot of Remi Martin with these two little vixens, that Jenny can talk anyone into doing anything.  I can't be the designated driver when she's around.

Saw this girl across the dance floor and just had to go over to ask if I could take her picture.  In a room full of booty pants, tiger prints and cheap shoes she was a much needed bright spot, sorry ladies it is what it is.  I love that she was doing her own thing and not the least bit shy about it.  She was absolutely adorable in real time and I love the fact that she was so ethnic in general.  Work it gurl!!!!

Talk about end of the night tired!

What I wore to dance the night away

While I was searching for a top for D I was also searching for something cheap for me too.  I don't need any new clothes but I love to buy at least one new thing especially when I go out, it makes me feel...new.  I couldn't pass this skirt up at $15 bucks, it is just too cute.  I tried it on quickly and thought it was fine but on the night I was to wear it I got nervous that it was too short.  I rocked it anyway as really, what's too short?  Yes, I'm 40 and fabulous and my motto is if you have the gams to walk around in shorts or a short skirt just go for it.  Life's too short to worry about what others think about you really.

 

 

This little black tank is in high rotation in my closet, not for work as it's a little revealing but perfect for layering and for hot nights out in the summer.  Of course it was purchased from Anthro, I gotta stay out of that store...maybe. 

This necklace is from the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art.  I love to hit up museums for jewelry, it's usually inexpensive and so cute.  I have a ridiculous amount of pieces from museums, don't sleep on a gift shop.  I really can't remember how much it cost as it was several SF trips ago.  SF, I miss you so bad!

The bracelet is from Silpada, it cost me around $150 which is expensive for me but I have worn it so many times that I feel like it's paid for itself (then again that's how I justify all my purchases).  I found this cute little clutch for $20 at Marshall's, the brand is Latico which I never noticed or heard of but it's super cute and closes with a magnet.

My shoes are from Zara, picked them up for $30 bucks.  I have got to stalk Zara more often.  They were super comfy when I first put them on but once I started getting my groove on my dogs started barking and wouldn't shut up.

My earrings are a $15 find at Lord & Taylor.  They look like diamond studs but obviously they're not, they do add a nice touch of bling though.  Everything is reasonable in L&T with a coupon!

Had a great little meal at The Cloud consisting of shrimp and calamari with a chili sauce paired with a glass of Reisling.  The shrimp was cooked to perfection and the calamari was really good.  I like calamari but not the little octopus looking ones...they gross me out, big time.