In Her Natural Habitat

In my last OOTD post, I had failed to find a dress for an upcoming beach wedding in Mexico. I had spent nearly three hours shopping for one and came home with a totally different outfit instead. I decided this Saturday to try again. I didn't really have the energy to spend another three hours shopping, but I sucked it up and headed to the mall.

Lo and behold, I found my dress at my first stop, Macy's. I tried on two dresses, one I liked, and one I liked more, but it was a little off in the bra cups. I decided to size up and see how that worked... and whaddya know, it worked!

Here's the dress I found:

 

It is this XOXO dress, which was $79.00 on sale for 40% off, so I took it home for around $50 after tax. The necklace-thing was just hanging with it and I really wasn't sure what it was. I tied it around my waist, but that looked silly, so I tied it around my neck. I only now confirmed that I did the correct thing when I found the dress online. I'm not sure if I'll wear the necklace-thing for the wedding. I think I'd prefer a long layered gold necklace like this. 

I still have to figure out what shoes I'll wear. Any suggestions?

(I was going to add another outfit to this post, but I think I'll save it for another day!)

Last Chance!

The Bonita Bellita Flower Bobby Pins Giveaway ends tonight at midnight, so click here to enter now! (Comments on this post will not count for an entry.)

In case you've forgotten, this is what we're giving away:

 Choose red, or blue!
Or even any other color because more than likely, Stephanie's got it!

The winner will be announced tomorrow. In the mean time, look for another regular post from me later today.

Stock Up On: Cats Wearing Clothes

Is there anything else to say? I just love these! For only $88.99, you can have six cats wearing clothes!

Costume Ball Cat: Animal House Art at Etsy
School Portrait Cat: Beat Up Creations at Etsy
A Hard Day Cat: Amber Alexander at Etsy
Secretary Cat: Rosie Music at Etsy
Fuzzy Cat: Berkley Illustration at Etsy
Mr. Bennet Cat: Tara Fly Art at Etsy

Don't forget to check out my latest giveaway!

In Her Natural Habitat

Last weekend, I was on a mission to find a dress for my brother-in-law's upcoming beach wedding in Mexico. This proved really difficult. Everything I found was either too dressy or too casual... and being that it's January, there weren't too many options. Any any line that actually has a resort collection is typically out of my price range! So anyway, I failed this mission.

But I didn't come home empty handed!

I stopped in Old Navy to check out their sale and whaddyaknow, I accidentally bought an outfit. I say accidentally because when I tried these items on, I didn't put them on together. I was buying them as separate pieces. Today, however, I decided to try them all and look what I came up with.

 

 (I really need to take advantage of my tripod! And clean my mirror.)

You can't really see my pants all that well, but there isn't much to see. Just black stretchy jeans with ankle zips. The button down top is really light. I have a feeling I'll be wearing it well into the summer. 

Do you recognize these? After posting them last week, I just had to order them.

Can I tell you the best part about this outfit? It was ridiculously inexpensive.

Tank: Old Navy, $12.50, $7.49, $5.49, $2.74

Top: Old Navy, $24.50, $17.50 Sale

Pants: Old Navy, $34.50, $16.99, $8.50

Shoes: Target, $19.99, $6.98

Scarf: Forever21, $3.80

Are you ready for this?

Grand Total: $95.29, $39.52

  

Don't forget to check out and enter my latest giveaway!

Bonita Bellita Flower Bobby Pins Giveaway!

My new friend, Stephanie, over at Bonita Bellita makes some really cute accessories including bobby pins, hair clips, headbands and brooches. One of my favorites is this headband featuring mustard-y gold silk flowers. I'm in love with that color right now!

Stephanie is kindly offering up a pair of her flower bobby pins! You can choose from red:

 

Or blue:

 

Or just about any color you can think of: scarlet, coral, Hello Kitty pink, light rose pink, white, cream, black, silver, green, light blue, deep blue, purple... etc. etc!

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 Bonita Bellita!
2. Visit her shop, Bonita Bellita, pick your favorite item and post it here!
3. Become a fan of Bonita Bellita on Facebook!
4. Follow Bonita Bellita on Twitter!

The contest closes at Midnight on Monday, January 31st. The winner will be drawn at random on Tuesday, February 1st, to be posted later that day!

Fool's Gold Rush

My favorite Wheel of Fortune clue is 'Before and After'.
My favorite part of this outfit is the pyrite necklace. Fool's gold! I remember going to a place when I was a kid where you could pan for "gold" and other gems and you were allowed to keep what you found. It was a big deal for my 8 year old self.

Moving on, I didn't fit tights or leggings into this outfit because I'm already moving on to spring. I can't help it. Especially since it's been 75-80 degrees 'round these parts lately. (I don't mean to brag...) Our SoCal winter may return, and I may get to wear lots of layers again, but for now I'm moving on to lighter things. Though this outfit might be a good season transition with the sweater. If it's not quite warm enough yet, you can always add the tights and a scarf and jacket!

Oh, and just an FYI, I was inspired to put together a sweater with pleated skirt after this outfit post at The Fashionista Next Door. I loved her look with the scarf and over the knee socks, but once I found this floral skirt I was all Spring Ahoy!

 

Sweater: Delia's
Necklace: Specimental Design at Etsy

Boots: Target

Skirt: Forever21

Sunday Splurge

Before I get to this week's Sunday Splurge, I just wanted to inform you that the word "splurge" has finally presented itself to me in a new light. A light which reveals how weird a word it is. Spluuuurge. The spelling looks funny, too. Ah, well, moving on.

This week I have for you yet another Etsy item. If you hang around Etsy, you know the trends. One of the current trends is bunting. There are lots of shops selling super adorable fabric and felt and paper bunting. You can even find bunting in many of the graphic prints, like on birthday cards. It's just cute.

But look! Pamela Angus sells a different kind of bunting. Bunting that is more gorgeous than cute. It's stained glass! I am in love with her bunting and I believe it's my favorite in all the world. Just look at it!

Stained Glass Garland: Pamela Angus at Etsy

Tail Gate Chic?

Okay, so not chic, but I thought that sounded like a fun oxymoron.

My husband nabbed a pair of San Diego Chargers season tickets. I figure I'll have to get myself a Chargers shirt to fit in while tailgating. Luckily, these days, they make women's fan gear to help us keep our shape and prevent us from having to wear men's t-shirts which turn us into rectangles.

I'm also lucky that it's San Diego, where I likely won't need more than this faux leather hoodie to keep me warm on the cooler days.

The Converse were a given. I've been wearing them with my t-shirt and jeans ensembles (please say that in a French accent) for years, so I chose these ones because they look fun. :) The cross body bag is perfect for keeping the essentials handy at the game without lugging a bag around.

 

Hoodie: Tilly's

T-Shirt: Lids

Bag: Forever21

Shoes: Finish Line

Stock Up On: Vintage Stacking Mugs

It's not that I think you need 19 vintage ceramic stacking mugs, but if you do happen to need a lot of them, Etsy has it covered. I love the colors and patterns on these.

 

Green, 4pc Set: jacquekay83 at Etsy
6pc Set: Vintage Eye at Etsy
Brown, 3pc Set: By The Wayside at Etsy
6pc Set with Storage Tree: Tag Sale Finds at Etsy

Oh and guess what! Jaci from By The Wayside has kindly offered a 10% discount (not including shipping) to Hundy&Undy readers! Just enter 'Hundy' as the coupon code.

And We're Back... With More Military

I meant to get a post up yesterday, but I ended up spending the day recovering from my long weekend trip to cold Ohio. I am happy to be back in SoCal to find extra warm weather.

Anyway, I found this Jacket on Polyvore today. It was originally $125 but is now final sale at $49.97 with most sizes still available. I couldn't pass on posting it! I meant to make the military-ness of it just a side note, but then I found the other three pieces and ended up making it over-the-top military. Ah well. I'm still really hooked onto the military trend.

 

Jacket: Piperlime
Messenger Bag: Zara

Pants: Old Navy

Shoes: Target

In Her Natural Habitat

I don't do many outfit posts, mainly because I don't have enough items in my closet to a daily or semi-daily outfit post. I wear a lot of things over and over again. I am not much of a fashionista, that's why I just play one on the internet with my under $100 posts which are pretty much just wish lists for me.

Anyway, it must be your lucky day because I do have an OOTD post for you!

 

My husband says that leopard cardigan looks like a gramma sweater. I say, who cares? I found it at Macy's for 65% off. Yes, please. The yellow sweater I just nabbed at Target yesterday. My socks are black and gray striped with black lace at the tops. They are my favorite. The camera isn't part of my outfit, though some might disagree as it's become a go to accessory for me. (Also, I'm too lazy to set up the tripod.)

Leopard Cardigan: Macy's, $15.00 (clearance)
Yellow Sweater: Target, $12.60 (mark down)

Boots: Forever21, $34.80

Socks: Forever21, $4.80

Jeans: Macy's, $19.99 (sale)

Necklace: Gift from my mom!

Grand Total: $87.19!

Round on the Ends, Hi in the Middle

Today's collection is inspired and based on my traveling with my husband to Ohio today! It's where I grew up and I am so looking forward to seeing my family.

 

Cutting Board: AHeirloom on Ety
Covered Bridge Print: Laurie's Designs at Etsy
The Heart of it All Print: Lil Burritos at Etsy
I Heart Ohio Necklace: Truche at Etsy

FUN FACT: I grew up in Ashtabula County, which is "famous" for it's collection of covered bridges. It's currently home to the world's longest covered bridge, and the world's shortest is being constructed as we speak in my hometown of Geneva.

So anyway, why am I going to Ohio in mid-January to visit when the summer is generally more awesome? (Everyone loves a segue disguised as a rhetorical question!) It's because my family is having a winter cookout, which sounds crazy enough, but it's not just a winter cookout, it's The Winter Cookout. In it's 37th year, The Winter Cookout is an annual event that our friends and family look forward to. We've got a fire outside, a spit with lots of meat, a pond for skating (if it's frozen enough!), snow for playing (usually), a hundred and one CrockPots full of comfort food and... what am I forgetting? OH! My dad's bar in the garage where we keep warm.

Bar, you say? Like your dad keeps some beer and some stools at his work bench kind of bar?
Not really. Here, I'll show you:

(This was a Thursday night in June 2010. My husband and I had just flown in that afternoon... then people started coming over to visit and have drinks. That's my dad in the back, me in the green in my traveling outfit, and various friends and family all with us.)

So bar. BAR. We've always had the actual bar in the garage, but over the years it's kind of turned into a real looking bar. It's always been a lot of fun to have. What you don't see, is that the side of the room where the camera is is my dad's full work bench.

I'll conclude here. I don't do too many personal posts, but hopefully this one was worth it.

Budget Friendly Blogger Friend!

I love fashion blogs of all types. I gain inspiration from most that I come across and even enjoy swooning over high end labels that other bloggers manage to work into their wardrobe. (How? I wonder) But my favorites, and it's not a surprise, are those that are thrifty and pocketbook friendly. I love a good deal and I really love seeing other peoples' good deals.

With that said, I've recently found AllForStyle.com. It's got a little bit of everything fashion related which helps to appeal to a more broad audience. My favorite part, however, are the Budget Chic posts. More recently, this post about styling the dress below three different ways. What's best, is that each version tallies up to under $100! Click the photo to see how it was styled.

 Dress: Roxy

Spot On Spots

I guess these are spots AND dots. I think dots are perfect circles and spots are, well, not. I feel like Dr. Seuss could have written a book on the topic of spots and dots. Or maybe he has?

In any case, these spots and dots are a lot of fun.

 

Mini Canvas and Easel: Bululu Studio at Etsy

Blown Glass Sun Catcher: Totally Blown Glassworks at Etsy

Hand Painted Drawer Knobs: Sweet Mix Creations at Etsy

And what's this?  Totally Blown Glassworks is offering H&U readers 10% off your order! Just enter the coupon code TBGSALE in the Note to Seller box during check out!

Red Alert! Emergency Post!

Look what I found! Jeffrey Campbell platform clogs, retailing anywhere from $67.50 on sale to $148, at ROSS for $34.99!

 

Why didn't I BUY them!? *smacks forehead*

All About These Boots

I wasn't really looking for anything in particular to post about when I happened upon these boots. As soon as I saw them, I knew instantly what I wanted to do with them. These are my favorite posts; I just love when I can find what I envision fairly quickly, and within the budget. I want to wear this outfit tomorrow. It's just too bad I don't own it!

 

Scarf: Forever21

Sweater: Old Navy

Boots: Spring Shoes

Denim Leggings: Charlotte Russe

Socks: Sock Dreams

Sunday Splurge

What you all have been waiting for... (cue dramatic music) ...my recent splurge of my super favorite over the knee boots!

These are made by Material Girl, which, for those somehow out of the loop, is Madonna and her daughter Lourdes' line of clothing, accessories and shoes for Macy's. They were 69 bucks, which isn't outrageous for boots at all, but as you can see by the blog that I run, I'm pretty frugal. I loved them so much though that the price wasn't an issue for me.

So far I've only worn them with jeans, but I've got this super cute short sleeved, cream colored sweater dress that my mom gave me for Christmas that I think they'd look great with. I kind of like the juxtaposition of the soft sweater and the studs on the boots.

What I also love about these boots is the lower heel. They help save my feet and also assist me in not erring on the side of hoochie-mama, which I'm also still slightly afraid of doing.

But alas, I love them and here they are:

 

Over The Knee Boots: Material Girl at Macy's

Holy Knit!

I've been in a very "keep cozy" mindset since about, oh, December 23rd. I just couldn't resist putting a small collection together of cozy things, and what's cozier than hand-knit items?

 

Coffee Cup Cozy:  Natalya's Studio at Etsy

Circular Scarf:  Hand Knitted Things at Etsy

Chunky Slipper Socks: The Happy Feet at Etsy

Romantic and Kinda Sexy

I am in love with over-the-knee boots. I didn't think they'd work for me, personally, due to my own issues with my thighs... BUT! I loved them so much on everyone else that I just had to try a pair on. So while at Macy's I looked and looked and analyzed all of their many choices and after about ten minutes I finally found one that I wanted to try on. It turns out that they were out of my size, but luckily the display was my size! I tried them on. I looked in the mirror and loved them! I kept looking at them, though, to make sure I was really seeing them and really making a good choice and trying to make sure that I wouldn't take them home and then end up with a "what was I thinking" purchase. Well, I bought them! And I wear them as often as I can.

So my first fashion post of 2011 just had to have over the knee boots, but unfortunately the ones I purchased can only really fit into a Sunday Splurge post! Yes, I splurged on them and I do not regret it! I will keep you all in suspense (ha!) as to what boots I purchased for myself. You can see them this Sunday. :) What you can see now, though, is the kind of outfit I imagined wearing with my dream boots, yet I don't have an outfit like this to wear them with yet. So without further ado...

 

Cuff Bracelet:  Liz Hutnick at Etsy

Sweater Dress: Charlotte Russe

Boots: Forever21

Tights: Target

Et Voila!

Well, lookie here! Check out the new design? What do you think? I am so excited to be back and blogging again. I really missed it.

In my last post, I asked for ideas for my first real post of 2011. The first comment from Christina at Consider the Coffee was: "Things I love for home decor these days are things like animal silhouettes, birch tree related items, very cabin cozy, and quirky!"

This couldn't have been a more perfect suggestion as my husband and I had just spent Christmas in a rented cabin with our dog up in Big Bear Lake, CA so I had plenty of inspiration for this collection!

 

Paper Cut Silhouette: Cary Canary at Etsy

Draft Stopper: Deciduous Soul at Etsy

Plaid and Yarn Wreath: Serendipity Child at Etsy

Birch Tea Light Holder: Urban + Forest at Etsy

Are Things Looking Strange?

If things are looking a little different, or even out of whack, it's because I'm working on setting up the new layout! Here's to hoping everything transitions smoothly so I can get on with the REAL posting!

Happy New Year!

2011 is going to be a great year! I've ended 2010 with a few major decisions that should make for a great 2011. One of these decisions was to quit my job that pulled me away from Hundy&Undy so that could focus my time on other, more productive, things. One of these things is H&U!

So I'm back! I am so excited to get back to blogging. I've been spending a lot of time designing a new look for Hundy&Undy and I can't wait to unveil it. I'm not sure exactly when that will be, but hopefully it will be very soon.

Since I've been away, I feel a little "lost" on trends right now and really need to do some homework to catch up. Here's where you can help me out! What's your favorite trend for the new year? What would you like to see "frugalized"? Leave me some ideas in the comments for my first fashion post of 2011!

See you all soon!