Happily Ever After, The End

Hi. It's been a while. I feel a little silly to even be writing this post, but I have some exceptionally wonderful readers and friends who have asked about the blog recently (and some not so recently) and I feel like I owe them/you some sort of explanation as to where the heck I've been for the last 6 months.

When I first started blogging, I loved every second of it. I loved finding new outfits in my closet and putting things together that I never would have thought of, much less tried before blogging. I loved the creative aspect of it since I don't have much of a creative outlet at my 9-5. I had fun virtually meeting new people and visiting other blogs. I would spend countless hours reading other posts and then rush home after work and take photos to post myself. And then at some point a few months ago, I decided that it was becoming more and more like a third job. It started becoming this self-involved hobby that stopped being fun and started feeling like a chore. Plus, I was having a hard time thinking of cool/funny/interesting things to write and "here's what I wore. to work. again." didn't seem like it was going to cut it. I stopped blogging (I hope) before my readers realized this...

Rest assured that I still get dressed every day :) and I'm not some mopey and depressed ex-blogger. Ha! I spend my free time planning my wedding and at the end of the day, I rush home to change and walk the dogs. We have two now! 

 From left to right: Cooper (my dad's dog), Ace and Colby

3 Border Collies

I think it's taken me this long to write this post because I was in denial. I felt like acknowledging that I am done is somewhat of a failure on my part. I still feel that way a little bit. Not to mention the fact that I figured people would think, "Who the hell cares?! Sayonara! You really are self-involved!" The blog is like a long-term relationship that I couldn't quite shake, but right now I feel like I can say that I'm done.

Thank you all for reading and being so wonderful over the last couple years. I'm still on Twitter @melundie and still check email occasionally, so please feel free to drop me a line if you ever want to chat.

An Ode to Remixing

Can we just go ahead and credit Kendi with the term "remixing"? Just brilliant. My sister bought me this blouse when she was in Italy at the beginning of summer. I never realized just how versatile it was until I decided I wanted to do this post. This top was an easy choice. Here, I'm showcasing said versatility with outfits perfect for day, night and the weekend!





Weekend Scarf, Bracelet: Forever21; Jeans: Delias; Flats: Payless




Day Belt, Skirt: NY&Co; Heels: BCBG




Night Dress: Forever21; Heels: Steve Madden

My lovely and talented friend, Amber, of ADG Photography took my photos for this shoot while she was in town a while back and I absolutely love how they turned out. It was lots of fun having a photographer for a day and I'm so happy I was able to take advantage of her skills :) She's going to photograph Steve and I for our engagement photos and I can't wait!

Part One: The Gown

Is it too early to go dress shopping? The tentative date is October 2012... so a little over a year away.

I watch a lot of Say Yes to the Dress. Even before Steve and I got engaged, I watched it. There must be some kind of subliminal messaging going on because sometimes I didn't even mean to watch it, but somehow the TV gets turned to it and you watch one episode. And then another. And another. And before you know it, you've been watching a marathon of SYTTD for 5 hours...

It always blows my mind that women go into Kleinfelds and say, "Well, I definitely don't want to spend more than $5,000." FIVE THOUSAND?! Ha! If that's your style (and your budget) then more power to you, I just can't see myself spending thousands of dollars on a dress I'm only going to wear for a few hours.

 Instead, we went to David's Bridal. We got there and had to wait about 20 minutes (despite having an appointment! ugh...) and then the whole process seemed very slow. I'd try on one (or maybe two) dresses and then have to wait while the consultant looked for others on my list. It was kind of ironic because they asked me to pick out my favorite dresses on their website before my consultation so they could have a dresses ready for me to try on, but that was absolutely not the case. I'll be honest. Overall, the shop was kind of a dump. Maybe it because of all the SYTTD marathons I can't help but to watch, but everything from the carpets to the couches to the dressing rooms were very dated and dirty. Oh, and I'm pretty sure they hadn't vacuumed in at least a month. Despite the so-so decor, my consultant was very nice and helpful. I was her first bride so she was a little slow picking things out... or it could have been because all the dresses were organized by size instead of style number?! Seems kind of counter-intuitive if you ask me.

Since Steve reads this, I don't want to get into too much detail about the dresses I tried on, but I will say that there are a few contenders...:)

Pretty and witty and gay

I've been neglecting you. But I have a good reason. At least I think it's a good reason.

It was the Friday after the 5.8 magnitude earthquake rocked the entire east coast. I'd spent the entire week with a cold (which is why I didn't post any OOTDs last week). On the verge of Hurricane Irene, I had a pounding headache and came home to a note taped to a chair in the middle of the living room.

"Go look at the refrigerator, NOW!"

My initial thought was that the dog or cat had gotten into something. I hoped it was funny... I looked at the fridge and saw this:

"Note: Even after seven years i"m still not sick of you... :) I lve you more and more each day.... Love, Steve"

For years we have joked that we're not sick of one another.

I turned around and saw him coming down the stairs. He asked if I read the note to which I replied, "Yeah..." and he asks, "Well, with that said, will you marry me?"

I burst into tears and said yes!

As you can probably imagine, I've been on cloud nine for at least 4 days with no end in sight. I'm so excited. All I want to do is read about weddings. And research venues. And photographers. And caterers. And everything else that has to do with weddings. So, please forgive me if you don't hear from me for days at a time.

Work Sweats

Earrings: Forever21; Cardi+Tee: NY&Co; Belt: H&M; Pants: Forever21; Flats: GoJane

I hate sweatpants. I pretty much just wear them while I'm painting and early in the morning before I've gotten dressed for the day.  I just don't find them comfortable. And not in the sense that they are too constricting or physically uncomfortable, but they just make me feel weird.

As much as I hate sweats, I love these pants. They're a semi-sheer polyester and have huge leg holes and an elastic waistband. UH HUH, AN ELASTIC WAISTBAND. Sounds vaguely similar to sweatpants... but they're so much better than sweatpants because I can wear them without feeling like a slob or being uncomfortable. Please don't be offended if you're a sweats-lover. I went to college with a girl whose wardrobe consisted of nothing but VS Pink and I always thought she looked cute! Anyway, I bought these babies for less than $20 at Forever21 and they surprisingly fit in both the waist (thanks elastic!) and in the length. I initially grabbed them because they look like a maxi-skirt without actually being a maxi-skirt. For some reason I'm extremely paranoid of maxi-things making me look short, even though they say they actually make you look taller. Not sure who they actually are. Oh jeeze, I have a complex. Speaking of which, I'm not sure whether I should be happy or depressed because I've been able to buy 2 pairs of pants (these and a pair of jeans from Loft) with a "regular" inseam. Am I already shrinking?

Shopping!

Blouse+Belt: H&M; Skirt: NY&Co.

One of my closest friends,who also happens to be an amazingly talented photographer, came over this past weekend and it was so great. I met her fiance and we had a really relaxing time. We even did a photo-shoot--photos forthcoming :) I got this blouse when we went out shopping. The H&M nearby had an awesome selection and I actually bought a couple shirts and a pair of oxfords for her wedding. We headed out a day early, as the tax-free shopping week didn't start until Sunday (FYI--it runs through next weekend here in MD!) but it's okay because I went back out with my sisters the following day and bought more clothes (ahem, a dress and 2 pairs of trousers for work). I have a problem weakness for sheer fabrics.

Florals a pretty, but...

Blazer: H&M; Dress: Tulle; Belt: via clothing swap; Heels: Steve Madden

This is a great example of a dress you should never, under any circumstances wear to work. Technically, it does pass the fingertips test (when I'm standing perfectly straight, that is) but next time I better save this baby for weekend-only wear.

eShakti -- Comes in all Sizes

eShakti, one of my long-term sponsors and favorite online boutiques, is giving you all $20 off your next order!

Coupon Code: THREAD0811

Code is valid 'till September 15th. Only one gift certificate can be used per order. This discount code is not applicable to the Overstock category. This cannot be clubbed with any other offer / discount that may be active during this period.

 

Stripe Attack

Tank: Forever21; Blouse: TJMaxx; Belt: Filene's Basement; Skirt: NY&Co.

I've been wearing animal prints--the new neutral for fall according to Glamour--all weekend in hopes that fall will come sooner. Speaking of magazines, I've gotta give some love to Allure. This month is the crazy giveaway month where they give away the most-wanted beauty and hair products, accessories and clothing to thousands of lucky winners. They give away stuff every our on the hour (usually from 12-5pm EST) and you don't even have to be a subscriber. You can just visit Allure.com and sign up or go buy the August issue. Good luck!

Ebb and Flow

Blouse: TJMaxx; Belt, Skirt: NY&Co.; Oxfords: DSW

There. I have photographic evidence that I can, in fact, look tan. Thanks vacation! BTW--I miss you. The second I saw this blouse at TJMaxx, I knew I had to have it. It's flowy and comfortable and just my cup of tea. I can literally think of 5 different ways to wear it. And it was like $12. Can't beat it.