Join the Cardi Party - Including J Crew Merino Ocelot Cardi

I loved GingerSnap's post yesterday about having a Cardi Party. I feel like I go for long stretches in a Cardi Party. And this is a fab way to catch up on some outfit posting, too... And I get to show off, once again, that I finally downloaded Picasa to my desktop so I can do collages. You'd think I'd get more creative, but I'm pretty pleased with myself thus far.

So yesterday, day before that, day before that, and 2 other random September outfits that I actually photographed.

Moving from left to right (thought I added text to the pic but apparently I'm not as good at Picasa as I thought I was...):

First up from waaaaay back on September 10, classic J Crew - misty lavender Jackie, white vneck tissue boyfriend tee, and khaki cafe capris. Twisted crystal necklace and Target sandals that are way comfy. Very basic J Crew. Next?

September 17 - finally wore IRL the merino Ocelot since it was cool enough. I had been waiting ever since our Tysons JCA event to wear it. Like Patina, I really just love this cardi with jeans...plus the usual bf tissue tee for me, natch. The cardigan (#19006, orig $88) is sold out - no surprise there - it's gorgeous. Maybe it will pop back one of these days. Gigi actually reviewed it in this post earlier in the month, and she & quite a few others preferred the Target version. Me? I really love the colors in this cardi - so pretty. I find the fit to be pretty much like the Jackies - which does make sense since it's pretty much the same cut as the Jackies (although we all know how wacky their fits can be...).

September 27 - outfit for church - cotton-cashmere bouquet cardi plus...once again, white bf tissue tee and jeans. Ooooh, think I need some new under-tops. Anyway, I heard mixed reviews on washing this cardi - but will vouch for the fact that it irons like a dream since, um, mine was at the bottom of a pile of cardis and was all wrinkly. Wore my new cutie cap toe ballet flats, too - loving these shoes!

September 28 - Kids off school for Yom Kippur, which we don't celebrate, so...fun chill day at home, some errands, lunch with dad. Actually the chilling out at home was huge - M & E have been fighting off colds just like me, so we needed an extra day of rest. And I actually didn't wear a bf tee that day. Love the linen cardigan - great layering piece and great on its own. It's still available online on sale for $29.99, if you are interested. Plus Minnie pants, confetti necklace and cap toe ballet flats again.

And that brings us to yesterday, September 29 - Hello my dear old friend. 1st wearing of the season for the Library Shawl Cardigan. I love this cardi today as much as I did the day I bought it. Like that lovely striped sweater I had in my last post, it was worth every penny of full price - and that's how you know you made the right purchase. (ps - if *everything* feels like it's worth full price, you may need to put down the Crew-lade...just sayin'....) This cardi just feels like a hug every time I wear it - and yesterday was so blustery, it was perfect. Jeans and a tee...again...I know.

When you look across the board at how many times I'm wearing a ponytail (even in not-hot weather), you will understand why I actually got 2 inches chopped off my hair yesterday. Oh, it felt so good! Pics later today or tomorrow.

So now we are pretty much caught up through yesterday. And here's the Polyvore-o-rama to go with the outfits above:

September 10:

9/10/09 by HeidiGblog featuring J Crew


September 17:

9/17/09 by HeidiGblog featuring J Crew


September 27:

9/27/09 by HeidiGblog featuring J Crew


September 28:

9/28/09 by HeidiGblog featuring J Crew


September 29:

9/29/09 by HeidiGblog featuring J Crew


And the Cardi Party rocks on...

Change of Seasons in 2 Days

Crazy weather again... Yesterday was full-on summertime. Hot, humid, muggy. I had to take M to the dentist for a filling - just like last time, the boy has a chip in one of his molars. 6 months ago, it was a cracked tooth that needed filling. I think he has been eating rocks, or at least that's what Dr. Bob suggested. He doesn't crunch ice, he doesn't gnaw on sticks. Lucy's the one who chews on rocks and gnaws on sticks. Of course, his filling was 40 minutes, after which we swung through McD's for lunch (since the appointment was over lunch/recess) which consisted of a caramel milkshake and french fries because, clearly, I am the best mom ever!

So...felt really good about the outfit - a BR tunic from last summer. I am thrilled this fits again because it was fantastic last summer, but then it accidentally went into the dryer - oops. But 15 pounds lighter and it's fine. Yay! It's such a great easy, breezy piece to wear in the summer, esp with just a cami underneath (i.e. no bra). The - what do you call them? they're shorter than capris, longer than bermudas - clam diggers? Anyway, they're from Old Navy, 3 years ago, and haven't fit me in over a year, so double yay! I have to say these...clamdiggers are one of the best made bottoms that I own. The quality in the fabric, the pocket lining, etc is really fantastic. Most impressive.
Polyvore for Wednesday, which really only resembles my outfit in the accessories, but whatever...

Wearing Today-6/3/09 by HeidiGblog featuring Nike

Weather switched out when an insane cold front rolled through last night with major storms, so this morning, we are back to spring/fall weather. Out comes the library shawl cardi - with a white BF tissue tee & my outlet matchsticks. Joley flats, twisted crystal necklace doubled up and a gold nugget necklace gave some sparkle at the neck. (And yeah, after the convo on Gigi's blog about the pigeon-toed JC models, had to try it out myself, hehehe. I think it works. No wonder E looks so long & lean.)

It was a fun and surprising day. I went in to the office to have lunch with hubby. Fab place in Mclean, J Gilberts - so yummy. I love the steak salad because it's actually a little steak, next to a wedge salad, with some polenta croutons on the other side. And they have these Maytag Bleu cheese potato chips (home made chips) which are just insane - no chips today as I didn't want to go home to a food coma.

After lunch, I swung by the Tysons J Crew to check out the Esplanade skirt. Summerilla tried this on Saturday night and I just loved it I have a black one arriving via UPS tomorrow. The B&M had it in the dark slate, but it just did not look great on me. I am hopeful that the black one will work better - you know how that goes, sometimes knits that aren't great in colors actually look good in black. We'll see.

I did pick up the Dressy Jersey Strapless Dress again in navy, which I had previously returned, since it was now marked down to $49.99. And I have worn the charcoal one at least 4 times already this season, so it's a good one. I washed it - just regular wash and then the dryer, and it came out just fine. Yay!! Love machine-washable, and dry-able is bonus.

My surprise was that while I was at Tysons, this lovely chic lady came up to me and introduced herself since she recognized me from my blog. So Kathy (or Cathy?) W, I just want you to know that you completely and totally made my day! I loved your outfit - the golden yellow blouse, layered necklaces, and white trousers. You looked fantastic! Hope you had successful shopping and the dressy jersey strapless dress worked for you, too. It will be perfect for your upcoming NC beach vaca - that dress just screams beach vacation to me, and all other associated summer fun. Definitely drop us a line when we are planning the next DC JCA event, we would love for you to join us! (that goes for any other DC JCAs lurking around, too... :) )

Polyvore for today:

Wearing Today-6/4/09 by HeidiGblog featuring J Crew

Wearing Today - and the last (for now) of the Tissue BF Tees

A rainy spring day here. But again, it's not 40 degrees and rainy, so I'm keeping my mouth shut. (But wasn't it supposed to be *April* showers? I know, I'm such a literalist.) But garden is looking so green. The buds on the peonies are just about to burst.

So it was definitely a great day for the Library Cardi. I have worn this so much that I think I will seriously consider the light pewter the next time JC offers us %-off sale, if it's still in my size. (And if it's not, *clearly* that's a sign that I should not have it.) And I am noticing, since I got the beechwood Michelle, that a lot of the outfits that I put together with one would look equally good with the other. Good to know...especially as clumsy as I am

Typical Monday in that I spent walked the puppy (albeit after we drove back from the bus stop), went to school to help in class, ran to the store, and then came home to work. Today I hit Target because virtually none of M's short sleeve tees from last summer fit him, so I had to do some quick replenishment. Didn't buy anything for me (yay me) unless you count the Tostitos summer sweet & spicy salsa - looked kinda cool, with berries in addition to the tomatoes & spice. If it's any good, I'll definitely post. I did eye this very cool coral bib necklace but I was in line and it just wasn't worth it. Am I on a shopping ban? Not exactly. I would really call it more of a shopping "break" as ban sounds too severe. Plus, as I am hearing echoed across JCA-world, after the orgy of spending induced by the Mickey crewpon, I'm just not feeling the need to consume right now.

So you all know what a crazy nut I am about the J Crew tissue boyfriend tees, specifically the vneck. In fact, on my last Mickey crewpon day, Jill, my fave SA, commented, "You can't come in here without buying one of those, can you?" Oops... Ok, I did get quite a few with the crewpon, but on sale for $24.50 plus the 25% off? This last one was in breeze. I had tried it on earlier and opted for other colors, but this one kept calling me. I figure that my collection is pretty much set except for (1) black and (2) a cool pink like Light Petunia (did you hear that, Jenna? Pretty please?) And quite frankly, considering that I was 10 lbs heavier last summer, those tees - the AT Loft ones which I got in L, are just too wide on me now. of course, the M's were too tight/bulgy last year. Not that I'm ungrateful. But the tees need to be replaced and that's a fact.

Much as I would have loved loved loved to wear white jeans today with this, I just didn't have the mental energy to do white jeans on a day where it is so wet, rainy, muddy. So dark jeans sufficed. And the Target Pearl Cluster necklace and cuff link earrings. (which I clipped to Polyvore, so now I can use them in my set!) And then this ring at right, that I got in Aruba last year. It's a fun piece - the band is actually elastic with more of those beads pictured on the top of the aqua shell. Very summery. And yes, now I can clip it to Polyvore! And yeah, still need to do my nails.

Polyvore set for today:

Wearing Today-5/4/09 by HeidiGblog featuring J Crew t-shirts

A final note - Go Caps! (that's for hubby & M)

Wearing Today - with J Crew Joley Flats!

Today is Take Your Child to Work Day. Excused absence if you send in a note ahead of time and complete a "packet." Since I mainly work at the kitchen table (not so interesting), kiddies and I went into the office so they could hang out with hubby. We work for the same company (how do you think I got the job, hehehe?). Seriously, though, it's a fantastic company and I particularly love the fact that I can do about 95% of my job from home and they understand that at 9:00 am and 3:40 pm, I have to be here for the bus. So I stayed through lunch and then bailed to hit Target and Lowe's on the way home. Yes, I was picking out plants (veggies, herbs, shrubs) in white jean and Joley flats. Which brings me to the wearing today...

I got my Library cardi back from the cleaners who were repairing a teeny hole in the cuff caused by (yes, today's she's 4 months old and isn't she cute?) Lucy. And it was breezy, so I though it would be good today. And thanks to inspiration from PoseyFord earlier in the month, I paired it with a blue oxford shirt. (Thanks, Posey!) And of course, the white jeans. Know how bored you all are with seeing me in dark jeans? Well, it switches to white jeans and khakis in the spring, so you'll be seeing a lot of them. We'll see how well that works with a puppy.

J Crew's Joley Flats (#11703, orig $128, curr $98 online, $79.99 in store, with 25% Mickey card - $60, love it!!). I got them in bronzed twig, which is a fabulous medium neutral. I think they literally go with everything. They were definitely the perfect shoe for this outfit. This is my first non-flip flop/sneaker J Crew shoe purchase. Most of the shoes are way too narrow in the toe box for me, but these are perfect. So if you have avoided JC shoes in the past for that reason, you may want to give these a try. I think they will be so perfect in summer when I want a sandal but my feet (esp heels) aren't looking so polished, because they basically cover your heel and the bottom part of your toes. (OPI's Light My Sapphire is on my toes right now.)

Finally, I had to wear my standard gold hoops since I just got in the mail the one I unwittingly yanked out of my ear in Dina's car at the last DC JCA outing - thanks, Dina!!

As I said in my Polyvore, I am just all happiness today. Got library cardi back, got missing gold hoop, new JC flats, it's all good.

Wearing Today - 04/23/09 by HeidiGblog featuring J Crew tops

And I thought you would enjoy this... Lucy was "helping" me when I was taking pics. Here's a larger view of what I usually crop out... (shaggy dog = trim tonight)

Today's Outfit and Some Bummerocity with the J Crew Ruffle Favorite Tank

I was Superwoman today. No really, it was pretty cool. Nice, chill morning working at home. Not much in the way of walks with Lucy since it was *pouring* outside - I mean buckets, people. But she was a good puppy while I did all that. We played, we snuggled, she went outside when nature called, and she slept while I worked. Then my last personal training session with Laura & Mary Beth, sniff! (Not to worry, 2-night boot camp starts after Spring Break!) And the skies were blue and it was brilliantly sunny by the time we were done.

Then I had 1 hour to: get home, let Lucy out of her crate, take her upstairs and shut her in the bathroom with me while I shower, do the makeup/hair thing, get partially dressed, realize that the ruffle tank was bad (see below), partially re-dress, let Lucy out again, finish getting dressed, get the chopped lettuce out of the fridge, put together my stuff, take Lucy for a quick walk, put her in the crate, and get to school for the Salad Party in M's class. Whew! Fortunately school is about a mile or two away - and I strolled into M's class at the stroke of 2:30. Yay, me!

Let me tell you about the Salad Party - they are studying liquids in Science, so they made dressing this morning (that was actually really yummy) and then they made salad in the afternoon. Hence, the Salad Party. Fun time!

So I picked the Library Shawl Cardi to wear today - since it's just a great Spring sweater - cozy but not too heavy. And I was so set to wear my new Ruffle Favorite Tank that I got Sunday. But guess what? That ruffly goodness did NOT lay flat under the sweater - I guess because it was not thick enough to disguise the lumpage. Before I head to JC tomorrow to do returns/exchanges, I think I need to do some more trying on. Even though it was a bargain at $13, if it doesn't work under most sweaters, I'm not actually going to wear it. Total bummer!! IRL pic at right. And yes, Target pearl cluster again - love!! Polyvore below.

Wearing Today-04/03/09 by HeidiGblog featuring Old Navy tank tops

And here's a new Lucy pic for you - her new hangout downstairs is under the drop leaf table behind the sofa. I like to think of it as her downstairs den.

J Crew Canvas Atelier Jacket...yes, again.

First, let me add a dash of spring to your day. Here's a pic of some gorgeous daffodils & forsythia that my hubby brought back with him from his trip Mon/Tues. The client got them out of her own garden. I was thrilled because I just love both of those flowers. I have some daffodils in the yard, but clearly need to plant more bulbs in the spring so I can harvest at will. I also need to yank out some transplanted "builder" bushes and find a space for forsythia. (No, I will not take pics of me in the gardening overalls.) They have brought sunshine and such a beautiful scent into my whole downstairs. The sunshine is especially nice today since it is *pouring* outside.

Personal training at 12:30 today, so no nice outfit yet. Will post later today. I'm thinking it's a library shawl cardi kind of day. (see note on pouring rain above)

But here is yesterday's and yes, pulled out my new Atelier Jacket (that I yes, posted on and wore 2 days earlier). It was the perfect thing to top my (yes, again, tissue boyfriend vneck) tee and dark (again, Chicos) jeans since I had to go into the office for a quick meeting before meeting hubby for dinner. So the J Crew returns/exchanges have to wait a little longer, since I couldn't leave the puppy in the crate too long. (Per the puppy trainer, we want the puppies to succeed - excellent advice!)

Back to the topic at hand... I added my pop of yellow with last summer's Anthro limon*** necklace (I never remember the end if it's limoncello or limonade), but looking at the picture, the necklace doesn't show up at all on me with the vneck. That part did look better IRL, I promise. But I'm thinking crewneck next time with the necklace. And I did cuff up the sleeves of the Atelier and I love the pop of green that shows (thanks, Gigi).

And of course, because I was freezing by the afternoon, I swapped out the jacket for a big, comfy fleece sweatshirt for the bus stop and puppy playdate.
So yes, the jacket is emerging as the early favorite from the Dc JCA Private Shopping Event on Sunday.

Wearing Today 04/02/09 by HeidiGblog featuring J Crew t-shirts

J Crew library shawl cardigan

This one was a purchase from several weeks ago. The J Crew Library Shawl Cardigan, (#13377, orig $98, currently on sale online for $59.99). By the way, I don't think I'll wear it like this because I just don't do belts. I haven't bought a belt in years. I like the look of them. They just don't work so well on me. Although I like the idea of it with shorts. I plan to wear it with jeans, trousers, a mini, and a dress. Lots and lots of ideas.

The cardi comes in light pewter and putty. I chose the putty although it was a toss-up; I really liked both colors. It's only available online in the light pewter, but my B&M had putty when I was there last Thursday.

I can't even begin to tell you how cozy this is - but not too heavy. I was wondering why it was so soft until I looked at the tag and realized that it was cotton AND cashmere. (cashmere, squee!) Per Gigi's post, the blend is about 70% cotton/30% cashmere. (I cut my tag out, so don't have it, sorry.)

I love the weight. It's soft enough to wear now in Feb/March. But I think I'll be wearing it through about June at the very least. It would be a great cuddly evening sweater at the beach. Because the colors are both so light, it makes the sweater last longer through the seasons that it might in a darker color. I think that is the very definition of a transition piece.

I just love the longer length of it. Long tops work best on my figure. I've worn it open and closed. Sleeves are long enough. I think it's just a classic piece that I'll wear a long time. I wear it with the top 3 buttons done, and lower 2 undone (don't like it hugging under the booty so much).

Here I had it on this week with a navy tissue boyfriend vneck tee, my trusty Chicos jeans, navy patent BR flats (Spring 08), and pearls. I'm still experimenting with the right necklaces to wear with it when the top buttons are closed. Any ideas?