Old Navy Striped Rosette Cardigan

Kiddies & I are at the River for a few days of R&R before school starts back up...next Monday...one more week before we have to back to real life.  Hubby is even here for a long weekend.  And of course, the pooch.  Lucy always loves it here...plenty of room to roam.  And M&E have a new toy to play with - my parents got a kayak, so that's been a lot of fun. I haven't tried it yet, but plan to tomorrow morning (gotta get my kids out of it first!).  And maybe I'll get closer to caught up on blogging.

Last week, while still in town, I met up with one of my fave bloggie friends, dinagideon, and all our kiddies, to do some lunch and shopping.  We actually started at Old Navy, since I was on the hunt for what appears to be an online only dress. 

I was out of luck with the dress, but while we were there, dina stopped by the table with the cardis...including the Striped Rosette Cardigan (#772013, online $26.50, was in-store special of $19.50).  The cardi comes in charcoal, heather oatmeal, purple or yellow, all with white stripes.  And of course, I was drawn straight to the charcoal - a lot like my JC vintage bateau striped tee - I love that white/dark gray combo.  Dina picked up the yellow as it reminded her very much of a JC cardi from a few seasons ago that she missed out on.

As of right now, while I'm typing this, the cardi has an online rating of 4 1/2 stars, based on 25 reviews.  (oh, I love the online rating!  wish everyone did it...)

I got an M, and I thought the fit was great - not too tight, not too loose.  Interestingly enough, the cardi comes in Tall and Petite online - but I really didn't see any need to size up to the L, or go with a Tall - for how I'm going to wear this cardi, it's plenty long.

I didn't close the lower 2 buttons - I think it works better with the bottom 2 undone, or open...much like the JC Jackie.  Like the Jackie, the sleeves are 3/4.  Nice cotton knit - not too thin, not too heavy, very versatile - especially in transitional seasons.  I've washed it once, and it seemed fine.  We'll see how it does over the long haul, but so far, so good.

After picking up the cardi on Monday, we had a break in the humidity on Wednesday, with lots of rain and some cooler temps, so of course, I had to pull the new cardi out for a spin. The cardi is fitted enough to go with looser bottoms, so I paired it with my J Crew linen cotton seaside pants and a white cardi.  Then some fun red sandals for a pop of color.

The ON cardi was a fun, comfy cardi for the day.  I anticipate wearing it a lot with just a white tee and jeans or Minnies in the fall.  

Gigi also tried on the cardi here.  If I missed anyone else, please let me know.

Polyvore from Wednesday:

8/18/10 by HeidiGblog featuring J Crew

Old Navy Womens Striped Rosette Cardigans, $27
Women - tanks - Perfect-fit tank - J.Crew, $18
Linen-cotton seaside pant - J.Crew, $20
Bridget Thong Sandal, $44
Tiffany & Co. | Search Results | International, 1,000 GBP
Nordstrom Round 3ct Cubic Zirconia Earrings, $25
Bun Hairstyles | It's All About The Hairstyles

As Seen On TV...Outfit Inspired by the Disney Channel

So when you are a 37-year-old mom, it's always fun to be watching TV with your 2 cute kiddies...Disney Channel...Jonas, and go "I have that shirt!" Yep, sure enough, on the "Love Sick" episode on Jonas, Stella Malone (played by Chelsea Staub) has on the J Crew Bon Voyage tee.


(photo credit to jonasbrothersdaily.com - thank you, I felt the need to prove it)

Gotta say - not loving the cardi with it so much. But love love love Stella on the show. Not that I watch it *that* often. Oh wait, who am I kidding? I have a 7 y.o. daughter and 9 y.o. son - Disney and Nick are on all the time. I mean, not all the time, but when it is on, it is often on those 2 channels. I still can't stand Fairly Oddparents and try to prevent that one whenever possible - gotta pick your battles.

So here I am wearing Stella's shirt. Not sure if this gives me any street cred with the early elementary crowd, but a mom's got to do what she can. Now if I went out and bought the tee *after* seeing the show - that would be lame.

Honestly, though, seeing it last night (JoBro marathon, how lucky am I?) reminded me that I hadn't worn it in a while - well you know, it's been hot, sundresses have been the rule of the day. So I decided to pull it out of the tshirt pile and give it a go today.

With a pair of rolled up khakis, Danielle sandals, and the Dina hoops. This is the last weekend before the weekend before school starts. So the kids got to stay up late, we're chilling out...and DC JCA Tysons shopping event tomorrow - so looking forward to it - I haven't been in a B&M since July and I can't wait to see all the fab JCAs.

Still have to figure out what to wear, but it's pretty much going to involve cafe capris, bf tissue tee or rose tee, and cardi (Jackie or otherwise). Not too much jewelry, nothing too fancy because tomorrow is about serious shopping - and some major trying on, so it has to be easy in & out - but also have the basics to see how everything works with the capris, with the bf tissue tee, etc. Wish me luck!

Polyvore from today:




Wearing Today-8/22/09 by HeidiGblog featuring J Crew

Wearing Today and Lucy Update

Here's today's outfit. The halter is an ATL top from last summer. The pants are the linen-cotton seaside pants to which I added the darts yesterday. They worked quite well today, so I can't wait to try the harbour oxford capris again (since I added the darts *after* wearing them yesterday). Finished off with gold hoops and brown sandals.

Love this top (it was my 4th of July top last year and it's another bra-not-necessarily-required, so perfect for hot weather, although I am well aware that it would look better with a little, ahem, support) but the knot at the back of the neck makes my neck ache after a while...so I just retied the straps in a bow at the front of the top and wore it strapless. Of course, I didn't do this until after the morning errands...which was an outing to Petco with the kiddies...and Lucy. Miss 4-cups-a-day needed more kibble. And the cleaning ladies were here, so Lucy came along. And um yeah, 41-pound puppy who loves everybody and everything...the top definitely needed some reinforcement...strapless came later.

Cutie-pie Lucy pic...

Awww, how adorable... Up close it is...Until you see the collateral damage. Ever seen irises growing sideways?

No Lucy, it's a FLOWER bed, not a DOG bed. To offset that visual, here's another pic. (She's ready for her closeup.)

Polyvore for Today:

Wearing Today-8/19/09 by HeidiGblog featuring J Crew

Update..finally back

Well, I can't say I feel great today, but I felt bad enough to actually take some medicine and admit that I am sick, instead of just trying to sleep it away. (Mucinex-D, I love you, and it's possible that today I love you even more than cashmere). So the medicine is making me feel better.

Ok, so I have some catching up to do. First of all, J Crew new arrivals. I hit the store to do returns on Tuesday and I did *not* buy anything. The gorgeous white with navy dots dress was only available up to size 6 and it wasn't worth asking if there were any in the back since my energy was low low low. (maybe that's a good time for me to shop?) I did fall in love with 1 top - a 3/4 sleeve knit bateau neck tee in white with thin navy stripes (also available with thin gray stripes). But the bateau neck was really really wide, and it was very close fitted so I would want to wear something underneath, but cami straps made it look like my bra was showing and the tank straps left me undecided about whether they looked cute or dorky - and like I said, no energy, no decision-making ability, so I left it there. (yay me!) It did make me look way skinny because the top was long and the stripes were so thin and I felt like Vanessa in Paris, so I may be going back to check it out. Oh, and the knit was WAY soft. Cute cute cute.

Tuesday, feeling cruddy, decided to go with my bright yellow tee to up my energy level a bit. I love this tee - especially since I only paid $15 for it. And then just some jeans rolled up and some sandals. I love the turquoise necklace with this (this was one of the necklaces from my grandmother's "junk" jewelry that I snagged from E). I will say that the tennis ball bag is a wee bright with this tee - it looked weird to me when I had it on my shoulder, but ok if I was carrying it in my hand since the green and yellow were separated. (kinda like how the Polyvore set looks better when they aren't right next to each other) Is that weird?

Polyvore set for Tuesday:

Wearing Today-6/9/09 by HeidiGblog featuring Nine West shoes

And then on Tuesday night, we had the lovely PTA Chair Person dinner. I'll be honest, I really really really just wanted to bail and go to bed early. But it's such a great group of glaydies. And it was at one of my fave restaurants, Cafe Mileto. And I didn't have to drive (thanks, MB). But seriously - what to wear? We had insane - I mean totally insane - thunderstorms that evening. And it was warm & muggy outside but likely cool in the restaurant. So, same white jeans from earlier in the day, tank, and pretty yellow & white tunic from Chicos last summer. And silver sandals from Target last year. I don't have a Polyvore because I haven't found a good dupe for this top on Polyvore. Ok, let's be honest, I haven't really spent much time looking. I guess I will now though. And I don't know that the Chicos crowd usually Polyvores, you know? Dinner was fabulous and I am so glad I went. Lots of fun.

Photo credit to Snap Happy, since I didn't get pics before I left.

Wednesday, feeling cruddier (is that a word?) I was on a conference call in the morning and then had to do errands in the afternoon, since Father's Day is Sunday. So boyfriend tissue tee and comfy white jeans. And after posting about the Havaianas, I am actually wearing them more, because I love the thought of walking on marshmallows, per lcsmom (her phrase to describe how comfy they are). I mean, seriously, who wouldn't want to be walking on marshmallows all day? It beats nails and gravel. And it also totally cracks me up, and you all know I like to be amused. It's kinda like a private joke to myself now when I wear them. Wow, the medicine is probably making me loopy. Or I need another cup of tea.

Polyvore set for Wednesday:

Wearing Today-6/10/09 by HeidiGblog featuring Havaianas shoes

So today, I have to drop Lucy at the kennel. Still haven't done it, but am planning to do so right after I post this and have a little cuddle time. Sniff, sniff. But she will be fine, I am sure. It's just me with the issues. :) We are headed to NC for my niece's high school graduation tomorrow. So I want to be comfy for the car ride, but also have on pants since we are picking up hubby at work and he will be in jeans and no doubt want the car frigid. (see? I am learning....) Navy bf tissue tee and linen-cotton seaside pants are perfect for today. I was inspired by A Bigger Closet's sparked up version of navy & khaki yesterday, so this is my version. Ok, hers was golden cypress pants, but whatever, close enough. So I have on Dina hoops, fireball necklace and Danielle sandals in warm blush to spruce it up. And, bonus, these are the accessories I plan on wearing all weekend (along with the Havaianas). So less to pack. Can I just say that I love these sandals and I am so glad I kept them? Love the color - so pretty, so fun, but so almost-neutral-it-goes-with-everything. It's funny to me that my hair is down because there's about a 1% chance that it will still be down and not in a ponytail by the time we hit the road.

Polyvore set for today:

Wearing Today-6/11/09 by HeidiGblog featuring J Crew

And you see all the accessories repeated here - Polyvore for packing:

Wearing Tomorrow, Saturday, & Sunday by HeidiGblog featuring J Crew

Wearing Today with IRL pics of Havaianas Thong Sandals

Quick post today.... Everyone up visiting. Puppies having a blast. Kids loving the puppies! Beautiful day outside.

Something fun - I am wearing my new-to-me French Market tee, thanks to MMM. It's so darn cute, love the cow, love the gray/navy/white/gold design, love the fit (my sister is probably proud that I am wearing a fitted shirt). And I figure it does take confidence to actually wear a cow on your chest... All good!!

And I finally pulled out the Havaianas thong sandals that I posted about way back in February when I first started. They are so comfy and the strap on the back keeps them on - so not as much strain on your foot muscles (wow, I sound like such an old man). And my mom got a pair of those also yesterday, so I will have to come up with another idea for Mother's Day.

Perfect day to pull out the J Crew Seaside Pants, too. They are so light and cool - and comfy. Again, I highly recommend..

And I also have on my gold hoops (you know, the one that dinagideon found and sent to me after I lost it in her car between shopping & brunch at the DC JCA event), which will now be known as the Dina hoops for 2 reasons:

1 - It illustrates what a lovely, kind, and resourceful person Dina is.
2 - It illustrates what a bumbling clutz I am. Seriously, who yanks out an earring putting her hair in a ponytail?

Polyvore for today:

Wearing Today-04/25/09 by HeidiGblog featuring Old Navy tank tops

And, of course, as promised, puppy pics to share. Lucy & Chase had an absolute blast and are expected to sleep very, very, very well tonight. Enjoy!!

Lucy looks twice as large as Chase in that pic above, but it cracks me up how they each have the other's paw in their mouth.

J Crew Jackie Cardigan - Misty Lavender

My Jackie cardi (#85613, $59.50) finally arrived this week, yay! Took long enough because, of course, I am adding in the week from when I purchased the wrong size and it took me that long to get back to the store to return the L and order the M via red phone. And, by the way, since they didn't have the right size in store, I asked if I could order from the store and use my 25% card - the key here is that the SA said she would check, so when she placed the call via red phone, she requested that they honor the 25% card since the store was out of stock.

I feel like spring has really truly arrived! (until the cold & rain we are expecting on Tuesday) So it was perfect day to pull out the Jackie cardi and the Seaside pants. By the way, I did go ahead and tack up the side seams of the Seaside pants so that they stay rolled. 32" inseam is definitely too short for me, but I love how they work cuffed up. I will again profess my love for these pants - very comfy, very cute, so great for spring and so perfect for summer, too.

So notice that I actually tucked in my tank and - gasp - am wearing a belt. Ok, it was the belt the pants came with, but give me a little credit here, folks. I do like the look of these pants with a tucked in top...doesn't mean I'll be doing that all the time, though - you know me...

I added the twisted crystal since the cardi was open and I pulled out the old J Crew olive green Converse-type sneaks. I actually really liked the olive sneaks with the lavender.

Back to the Jackie - love love love. This color is fantastic - a perfect shade - love the misty lavender. I am planning to enjoy this cardi a lot.

Here's my Polyvore for today:

Wearing Today - 04/17/09 by HeidiGblog featuring J Crew sweaters

J Crew Silk-Linen Vneck Sweater and Linen-Cotton Seaside Pants

Presenting 2 of my "updated" DC JCA Private Shopping Purchases. The Silk-Linen Vneck Sweater (#12961, orig $59.50, curr $49.50) and the Linen-Cotton Seaside Pants (#13053, $69.50) And again, thank you, Mickey, for the 25% red card!

If you remember, I originally got the sweater in sweet cantaloupe, which just wasn't the color for me. Although if I ever get called in somewhere for a photo shoot, I'll remember it because the color was so much better in photos than I felt like it was IRL. I really loved this sweater with the gateau skirt, so I definitely wanted to exchange it and get another color. And I successfully resisted the urge to get it in the slate which I did like. So - sun yellow it is. And what a great sweater for a day like today - it was sunny, rainy, cloudy, thundering on and off all day long. Happy Spring Break!

If you are looking for a summer sweater, I highly recommend this one. The fit is great. I got a M and it fits close to the body without being skintight or bulgy. Definitely needs a cami or tank underneath as it does run a bit sheer. I like the length on this one - it's not as long as a lot of their sweaters and other tops. While I do love long, as you have no doubt noticed from past postings, it is nice to have a not-quite-as-long length, which is why it works so well with the skirt (probably my Easter Sunday outfit). It says Dry Clean, but I will plan to hand wash this one, as I do with just about everything else.

Let me tell you about the Linen-Cotton Seaside pants. I tried these on that Sunday but did not get because I was too into the cocktail capris. But when I tried the cocktail capris on again at home, I just didn't love them. The waist felt a bit big, and I was concerned about how they would work if I lost a little more weight. So I decided to return them. I may try them again another time, who knows...

But when I returned the capris, I tried on the Seaside pants again, in Stone. These are such a me-in-the-spring-summer pant. Bad news first, they have a 32" inseam - so I just rolled the cuffs up twice and I really like them like that. In fact, after I wash them the first time, I am going to tack the cuff into place. Makes it feel beachier, more casual - more like my daily lifestyle. They definitely require a fitted top, or a fitted underlayer tucked in. But they will be so fab for the rest of spring and through the summer. I am already envisioning them with my Bon Voyage tee and the short sleeve cardi in navy on the next warm day...

Nice, light linen/cotton blend, so they aren't too insane with the wrinkles. Machine washable - love that! Fit wise, I would suggest your normal size or sizing down. They loosened up a bit during the day. But a belt would take care of that - and I never felt like they were sliding down - they were just way comfy.




Spring Break, Day 1 - 04/06/09 by HeidiGblog featuring Forever21 necklaces
The accessories are all subs, I need to take an IRL pic of the green bag.

And as far as other activities on Saturday's "Adjustment" Day:

I returned the ON sweater jacket of Sadness.
At JC, I returned the

-Ruffled Tank (just wouldn't lay right under my personal stash of sweaters)
-Cocktail Capris (see reasons above, plus ice cream cone effect in original pics with metallic shirt)
-Sweet Cantaloupe Silk-Linen Vneck Sweater (exchanged for less vomitous-on-me color)
-Gray Bangle (hadn't worn it yet, which was a bad sign, so bye-bye)

And it (mostly) balanced out at JC with:

-Nicky skirt ($15 after red card!! plus it looked good as opposed to when I tried it on 10 lbs ago)
-Jackie cardi in Misty Lavender (need one of these, esp since returning the ON sweater jacket)
-Linen-Cotton Seaside Pants
-Silk-Linen Sweater in Sun Yellow

The other big news was that I finally saw the Cricket Cardigan that I have been coveting in person! There was one on hold behind that counter that had been a return. And you know what? I didn't totally love it. It was the navy, and I think I would actually like the natural/golden olive one more - but I already have a natural sweater jacket from BR last year, so that would be too similar. So I am actually happy that I never got it. (yay!)

So here's the final tally from the DC JCA Private Shopping Event (with next Saturday's adjustments)

-Cotton Atelier Jacket in Navy
-Molten Metallic Perfect Shirt in Metallic Khaki
-Silk-Linen Vneck Sweater in Sun Yellow
-Jackie Cardigan in Misty Lavender
-Cotton Scoopneck Ruffle Tee in Navy
-Cotton Sateen Gateau Skirt in Light Pewter
-Linen-Cotton Seaside Pants in Stone
-Nicky Skirt in Navy

Final Purchases Out of the DC JCA Private Shopping Event by HeidiGblog featuring J Crew jackets

Lots of great basics that I need, plus some fun pieces to spice it up. Thoughts?

Have you tried the silk-linen vneck sweater or the seaside pants?