Take a Bow in Bows

That's a little tricky for a title, huh? The bow details in this were kind of accidental, but I like it. Oh, and look! Hundy&Undy colors.

Dress: Forever21
Tights: ModCloth
Necklace: Fresh Metal Jewelry at Etsy
Shoes: Urban Original

If You Like It, Then You Better Put Your Drink On It

Oh coasters, how I love thee. I have a bunch that are not nearly as fun as these and we rarely use them. That's the only reason I haven't stocked up on all the fun ones I find on Etsy all day.

Doily Coasters: Uncommon at Etsy
Scrabble Coasters: Avril Loreti at Etsy
Yours & Mine Coasters: Inbound Thread at Etsy
Mosaic Coasters: Ring Mosaics at Etsy
Felt Coasters: Felt Planet at Etsy

In Her Natural Habitat

My real life wardrobe is really struggling lately to stay relevant. Due to my frugality, I don't replace old pieces and pick up new clothes as often as I should in order to have a fully current and versatile wardrobe. I'm working to fix this without over-spending and feeling guilty for not using my money on, say, groceries.

That being said, I went shopping at Macy's on Sunday with my husband. I had a few key pieces in my head that I was looking for, then just had the goal of keeping and open mind and trying a lot of stuff on. I did try a lot of stuff on, but only left with three items. I would have stayed longer, but the husband was growing restless. Anyway, this dress is one of the things I found!

It's the first of it's kind (the skirt/tank top in one) that I've found that flatters me. The silk tiers are flitty and fun without adding too much bulk to my hips like some tiered skirts can. I added the belt over the elastic waist to help "clean it up" a bit and create a more smooth transition between the top and the bottom.

I wore this out to lunch on Monday with my dear husband, then back to a different Macy's afterward to see if I could find the pieces I couldn't find. Those are my $8 Aldo shoes, and they proved really comfortable while buzzing around the racks for an hour or two.

Dress: INC at Macy's, $89 $17.80
Shoes: Aldo, $100, $29.99, $8
Bracelet: Forever21, $5.90
Belt: Forever21, $7.90
Necklace: Hollygems at Etsy, $20

Grand Total: $59.60

Stock Up On Earrings

Add to your earring collection for under $100!

I have a pair of earrings from Lisa's Lovelies, like the ones shown on the bottom left, except that mine have a dark red bead. I love them and wear them often. They're small enough that the bead part hangs just below the bottom of my ear.

I've had those bone earrings from Tribal Style (upper right) in my favorites for a while now. I love that they give the look of stretched lobes without actually having to stretch your lobes.

Black Organic Teardrop Earrings: Blonde Chick Studio at Etsy
Nava Wings Organic Bone Earrings: Tribal Style at Etsy
Pretty Please Pearls Earrings: Lisa's Lovelies at Etsy
Czech Green Earrings: Lunahoo at Etsy

Finally, an Oxford!

I've finally put something together that has left me feeling confident about menswear-inspired oxfords for women. It's been something I wanted to feature, but every time I tried, it just wasn't working. This time I wasn't focusing on the shoe, but the outfit when the shoe just seemed to fit. (That pun was NOT intended!)

Bracelet: ERM Originals at Etsy
Shoes: Target
Tank: Bluenotes
Vest: Aerie
Jeans: Gap

Why Can't My Home Have Facial Hair?

Who said it couldn't?

Stash Jar: The Secret 'Stache at Etsy
Mug Set: Uptown Avenue at Etsy
Clock: SquackDoodle at Etsy
Pillow: Louis by Amanda at Etsy

Circle Gets the Square

The focus of this post was going to be the maxi dress and natural accents... but then I noticed the circles! All of the circles... circle in the dress, circle earrings, circles bracelet... I should have looked for circle shoes, but maybe that would have been overkill. Probably not, but I really liked these wedges I found for this dress.

Dress: Pink Ice
Earrings: Teka & Zoe at Etsy
Bracelet: Element75 at Etsy
Shoes: Endless

Laundry Day

I used to hate doing laundry. I don't hate it quite as much anymore, since realizing that if I did it more often, it wouldn't be such a pain. Two loads at a time are much easier than five. I still don't prefer it, but these items might make laundry even more tolerable.

Pineapple Upside Down Cake Vegan Laundry Detergent: Shower Treat Soap at Etsy
Wall Decal: Janey Mac at Etsy
Missing Sock Bucket: Inklore at Etsy
Wool Felted Dryer Balls: Clean Sypria at Etsy

Drab With A Kick

This is super casual. I want this outfit so I can wear it every Sunday. I can't get over the tie-dye boat shoes! I love them. The yellow tie-dye is only one option of the 15 options available, so check the link. They're all pretty fun.

Shirt: American Eagle
Shorts: Old Navy
Shoes: Endless
Bracelets: Wet Seal
Bag: Bluenotes

Sunday Splurge

I came across these rings earlier this week on Etsy and just fell in love with them. It's a Sunday Splurge, but really, the price is great for a set of five made-to-order hammered sterling rings. I love the little birds on the wire detail.

This shop is really clever as well. It's called CameraSHY Photography and they offer different kinds of jewelry that feature photographs stating "If a photograph is worth a thousand words, why limit it wall decor?". I love it!

Stacking Rings: CameraSHY Photography at Etsy

The Winner Is...

It's time to announce the winner of the giveaway! This lucky person will receive the Vintage Love Paper Garland from MaraMay. It is 25 feet long and features papers in all different kinds of shapes, colors and patterns. It is definitely cheery. Are you ready? The winner is...

 Lynzy of From Skirts to Skillets!

I don't have any other giveaways lined up at this time. If you or anyone you know would like to sponsor a giveaway, send an email to info@hundyandundy.com! 

In Her Natural Habitat

So look! It's an outfit post! A real, look-at-me-in-my-outfit outfit post! This is my first one. It likely won't be a common occurrence, but I had to show you my shoes. My (essentially) $8 shoes finally came yesterday! I opened the package and saw the box; it had the original $100 price tag on it which made me smile. P.S. They're back down to $29.98!

I couldn't wait to test them out, so after my shower, I quickly put on pants and then my shoes. I wore them while I searched for the right top. Then I wore them while I did my hair. Then I wore them while I played with my necklace trying to get to to wrap just right. Then I wore them out to run errands! Do you want to know something? They're super comfortable and I love them. And as you can see by the picture, I also love Quaker Chewy bars. (I also forgot to turn down the ISO, so my picture is grainy. Oh well. I'm showing off my shoes, not my photography skillz.)

Shoes: Aldo, $8 out of pocket; technically $29.98 (see here)
Jeans: Kohl's, $34.99 (on sale)
White Tank: Old Navy, $3 (clearance)
Shimmery Gold Tank: Metropark, $15 (clearance)
Belt: Came with another pair of jeans, so freeee!
Necklace: Self made, materials cost $20
Bracelet: Forever21, $5.90
Chewy Bar: $0.25

Grand Total: $87.14

P.S. I'm getting my wisdom teeth out today! Wish me luck. I wish you all good luck in the MaraMay Paper Garland giveaway! It ends tonight at midnight. The winner will be announced tomorrow. I can't promise a time, but I'll get the announcement up as soon as I am capable of using a computer. 

Understatement Necklaces

We all know the importance of a good statement necklace, but what about the understatement necklaces? Simple necklaces don't have to be boring. Here are a few you can add to your collection that are interesting without over-powering your decolletage.

Love Bird and Leaf Necklace: Delicacy J at Etsy
Freshwater Pearls Necklace: PoleStar at Etsy
Blue Briolette Necklace: Janie Liu at Etsy
Bubble Necklace: My Cellar Door at Etsy

Mixing and Mismatching Prints

I'm not sure why they call it "mixing and matching" when it really seems to imply mismatching. I still haven't come up with the styling cojones to mix and match prints in my own wardrobe, but here's one I threw together virtually. I'm still feeling a little self-conscious about it though!

Shirt: Forever21
Skirt: ModCloth
Shoes: Old Navy
Bracelet: The Vamoose at Etsy
Nail Polish: Charlotte Russe

The Fair is In Town

The OC Fair started this past weekend. I'm looking forward to going one of these days this summer. I will break my diet and have a funnel cake with Bavarian custard on top... among other things. This is my 8th year in California, and only last year did I actually go to the fair. Can you believe that? Who skips out on the fair?

Balloon Painting: Red Damask at Etsy
Flower Garland: Pretty Swell at Etsy
Photo Blocks: The Camera's Eye at Etsy

MaraMay Paper Garland Giveaway!

Back in May, I featured one of MaraMay's fun garlands in a post titled Party Pizazz. Her garlands are so bright and fun, so I was stoked when she inquired about giving one away here on Hundy&Undy!

Her garlands are so cute. They can be used for party decorations, like how I showed it off previously, or for all the time decorations. The possibilities are really endless. Just string them about anywhere you need a pop of color! Heck, you can even use them in crafts.

Now here is the one we're giving away. The winner of this giveaway will win the Vintage Love Paper Garland. It is 25 feet long and features papers in all different kinds of shapes, colors and patterns. It is definitely cheery.

There are a few different ways to enter. Please remember to leave a separate comment for each entry or else it will only count for one entry! Oh, and throw in your email addy, too, so we can get a hold of you if you are the winner. :)

1. Follow MaraMay!
2. Visit her shop, Sweet Things by MaraMay, and pick your favorite item and post it here!
3. Become a fan of Hundy&Undy on Facebook!
4. Post about this giveaway on your own blog, then post the link here!

The contest closes at Midnight on Thursday, July 22nd. The winner will be drawn at random on Friday, July 23rd to be posted later that day!

The Winner Is...

It's time to announce the winner of the very first Hundy & Undy giveaway! This lucky person will receive these three freshwater pearl stretchy bracelets from my own Etsy shop, Onama. Are you ready? The winner is...

CreativityIsMessy!

Comeback later today for a new giveaway! It will be up at 12pm PST and you won't want to miss it!

Lovely Lorraine

So for whatever reason (must be the sea foam green?) this set makes me think of Lorraine, Marty's mom in Back to the Future. This dress might be too casual for the Enchantment Under The Sea dance, though.

Dress: Ruche
Shoes: Urban Original
Necklace: Musette at Etsy
Wallet: Forever21

Sunshiny Sunday Splurge

So I don't usually hop on those fun little blog award trains, just because I like to keep to my theme and aesthetic as closely as possible... BUT. But, I did receive one from who I would consider one of my most enthusiastic and loyal readers and it happened to be one I could build a theme off of.

 Kelli G. of Bug Miscellany passed onto me and a few other of her favorite blogs, the Sunshine Award! I immediately knew what I wanted to post, so here it is!

These bracelet sets are really cute and I just had to do a Sunshiny Sunday Splurge post with them!

Enamel Bracelets: Bullfinch & Barbury at Etsy

Super Neutrals!

You may have seen the whole monochrome look in the magazines. Well, I have, and although it looks great on those models, I'm a little weary of it (for) myself. I think I've found a slight way around that with this look. Being that everything in it is fairly neutral, it kind of gives a bit of a monochromatic feel without actually being monochromatic.

Side note: I think this faux wrap romper would look so much better on a curvy lady than it does this model!

Romper: Bloomingdales
Shoes: Aldo
Bag: Christy Studio at Etsy
Earrings: Forever21

Now don't forget to enter the giveaway if you already haven't! I'm giving away a set of three colorful freshwater pearl stretchy bracelets!

French-ish in Your Kitchen for WAY Under

I came across these cute li'l pears today and had to do a kitchen-y French-ish post. I could have added more, but I really liked the photos of all of these items and wanted to keep them big. So you get a super-budget bundle today!

French Press Cozy: Pink Lemonade Boutique at Etsy
Produce Bags: The Craft Pantry at Etsy
Li'l Pears: Dearjes at Etsy

More Popping and a Shopping Story

I try not to do two similar posts so close to each other, but I couldn't help myself. I was inspired by those shoes. Do you want to know why? Because they are currently on their way into my possession! I've been lacking a pair of black wedges for a long time, now. A couple months back, while my husband and I were out to dinner, he (yes HE, my husband!) spotted a girl wearing some super slick black wedges and commented on them. Sometimes, when he's feeling romantic, he wants to buy me shoes. Most other times, I have too many shoes and don't need any more. SO! This must have been a romantic moment as he suggested I find a pair of black wedges.

The next day, my husband sends me a link to the exact pair of shoes. I was so impressed at his ability to find those specific shoes. They ended up being these Charles David wedges, and WAY out of our budget. We kept looking and looking, to no avail, to find something comparable and within our shoe budget.

Then on Tuesday, I happened to do another search and found these gorgeous Aldo wedges marked down to $29.99 from $100! Unfortunately, today they are $34.98... so who knows how long they'll be discounted and for how much. But I snagged them at a good time.

Do you want to know how I got MORE of a bargain on them? Aldo sells on Amazon. My husband has an Amazon credit card with which he receives $25 gift certificates from as part of their rewards program. We happened to still have one of said certificates that had yet to be used. So after shipping and using the gift certificate code, we paid a whopping $8 for those beautiful black wedges.

I cannot wait to put them on!

Shirt: Old Navy
Bracelet: Sparkle Peach at Etsy
Nail Polish: Drugstore.com
Pants: Forever21
Shoes: Aldo

Space and Time

I absolutely love the retro-futuristic feel to these items. My favorite cartoons on Saturday morning were the ones that showcased things "of Tomorrow". So here are a few items kind of inspired by that time period.

Rocket: Cardboard Safari at Etsy
"You Are Here Now" Print: Farouche at Etsy
Clock: Target

Make It Pop

Patterned and brightly colored accessories are perfect for a mostly neutral outfit. They keep looking fun! And yes, this post has a whopping SIX items!

Cardigan: Buckle
Tank: Old Navy
Skirt: Forever21
Shoes: Endless
Belt: Luv Stone Vintage at Etsy
Clutch: Toon Design at Etsy

Love These Layers

Layered accessories can be a lot of fun, especially in the warmer months when it might be more difficult to add depth with layers of clothing.

Stack Rings: Mixed Metals at Etsy
Scarf/Cowl: Necklush at Etsy
Bracelet: Just Lena at Etsy

A Day at the Beach

Or the pool for those of us who prefer chlorine over sand. I put this together with prompt from Lillyella's Couture du Jour monthly challenge. The challenge has no budget, so I decided to make it applicable (and more difficult!) and keep it under $100. As you see, I just barely made it! My goal, though, was to create something that could be worn as an outfit, say, if you're going to a pool party or running to the store to stock your cooler before the beach.

Swimsuit: Spiegel
Skirt: Forever21
Necklace: gkrissica at Etsy
Sandals: Urban Original

It's Time for a Giveaway!

Aren't you excited? I know I am. It's my very first giveaway! I've chosen to giveaway one of my favorite bracelet sets from my own Etsy shop. Here, one lucky winner will receive my Confetti Party bracelet set which features three stretchy, freshwater pearl bracelets in bunches of fun colors.

There are a few different ways to enter. Please remember to leave a separate comment for each entry or else it will only count for one entry!

1. Follow Hundy & Undy!
2. Visit my shop, Onama, and pick your favorite item and post it here!
3. Become a fan of Hundy & Undy on Facebook!
4. Post about this giveaway on your own blog, then post the link here!

The contest closes at Midnight on Saturday, July 17th. The winner will be drawn at random on Sunday, July 18th to be posted on Monday, July 19th!

Now It's Nautical

I love just about anything nautical. These ones I've chosen are a bit shabby chic, but don't have that overwhelmingly "country cottage" feel to them. I love that I've been finding, recently, more and more shabby chic decor that doesn't seem dated.

Pillow Cover: Eva Katharina at Etsy
Rope Ball Ornament: The Shabby Chic Cottage at Etsy
Anchor Door Stop: Monkey & Squirrel at Etsy

June Gloom in July

Here in SoCal, we start our summer off with cool and gloomy weather. It's not really what you'd expect if you're not from around here. We call it June Gloom, and this year it's been hanging on into July. So here is an outfit that would be perfect for running errands in the morning. It's casual and comfortable. If you throw your favorite tank or tee under the denim shirt, you'll be ready for when the marine layer finally recedes back to the ocean and allows the sun to warm us up!

Shirt: Swell
Jeans: Lands' End Canvas
Headband: Garlands of Grace at Etsy
Bag: Target

Sunday Splurge

I saw this on a post over at Katrinshine in an interview with Lana of Fun Embroidery at Etsy. I sa-wooooned over it instantly and knew that I had to share it with you all.

Embroidered Necklace: Fun Embroidery at Etsy

For Your Mantle

I love finding new things to put on my mantle. The key word there being "finding". I still have the same old set of candles and candle holders that I've had ever since we first had a mantle to put things on! But finding is still fun. That's one of the reasons I like to keep this blog: all the finding I get to do on the internet!

Moss Covered Fleur de Lis: Restruct3 at Etsy
Paper Flower Collage: Pretty Random Objects at Etsy
House Blocks: Just Hatched at Etsy

Make It Fancy: Retro Style

Almost any casual outfit can be made a little bit fancy without making you feel over-dressed.  I love mixing retro-inspired items from different eras. The shirt is casual, and nods to the 70s and 80s. The scarf seems really mid-century with the color and texture and will add interest. Finally, the shoes help really kick it up and take it way back. Of course, though, they are all modernized, which is what I love about them.

Jeans: Candie's at Kohl's
Shirt: Forever21
Scarf: ModCloth
Shoes: Endless

Starting Your Day at the Coffee Shop

After a long weekend of moving and not having internet at home for nearly a week, I've become fairly adept at taking advantage of free wi-fi. This post was inspired by my time spent internetting in the public.

Laptop Sleeve: Bee Yourself Designs at Etsy
Cup Cozy: KnitStorm at Etsy
Pen: REC Turnings at Etsy
Day Planner: Nature's Cubbyhole at Etsy

A Little Bit Country, A Big Bit Polyvore

So I've recently been introduced to Polyvore and even more recently introduced to their set creator. If you haven't heard of Polyvore, it's a great fashion community where you can shop for items from different websites in one place. Their set creator lets you put together outfits like the ones you find in the magazines. If you've read my introduction, you know that those are what inspired me to create this blog. Once you've created your set, you can share it with the rest of the Polyvore community, as well as Facebook and Twitter, and of course your own blog!

So today I've found myself without internet at home, so I'm at Starbucks using their wi-fi. One problem with this is that I don't have Photoshop on my laptop! So, I've decided that today would be the perfect day to finally test out Polyvore's set creator for myself.

Overall, I think it's a great tool. Being a fairly seasoned Photoshopper, it was a little difficult adjusting to certain limitations, but I am happy with the outcome. It will definitely be something I can use when I find myself without Photoshop, like today, and possibly more. My relationship with my blog is still new and very dynamic, and so will be my relationship with Polyvore.

So, without further ado, my first collection created %100 with Polyvore:

Little Bit Country by hundyandundy featuring Qupid shoes

Skirt: Wet Seal
Tank: Arden B
Boots: Urban Original
Bracelet: Forever21
Bag: Forever21