Happy St. Patrick’s Day!

Dear Readers,

YES, I am still working on my book! In fact, I think I may have finally cracked the code on Chapter 1, which has been giving me FITS. Fits I tell you! I’ve never been this blocked before. But, I don’t know, Thursday during a run my mind cleared up and I was able to combine some advice from my many beta readers and fellow authors (I LOVE conventions for this very reason – the creativity just energizes me), and I think I came up with a solution to my problems. The Half-Blood should get back on track shortly. YAY!

That said, while I did not intend to do another Thrifty Fashion post this soon, in honor of St. Patrick’s Day, I give you a fun green themed post!

You might be asking yourself (because I know I’m certainly asking myself), why the heck is this author/Marine/mother/wife writing a fashion blog? Aren’t there like a bajillion fashion blogs out there? Why do we need another?

We probably don’t, and I don’t think I’m a fashionista at all, but apparently some of my friends and family do, and they asked me to do one, soooo… I figured this would be kind of fun to do. So there.

You can see my first post HERE, where I go into the basics of my style & kind of what my shopping “motto” is (never pay full price for anything), and that patience is a virtue (wait 3 years to find a specific pair of $250 Fluevog shoes for $40? Why yes I did…)

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Green Vintage

Special Agenda?Yes! Given that it was the day before St. Patrick’s Day and the last day of the work week is typically more casual (because Congress is usually not in session) I wanted to wear one of my green vintage dresses. I actually had three to choose from, but went with this one since it had springy flowers on them that maybe, if you squinted, could look like shamrocks. Ok, not really, but there you go.


Tan Banana Republic trench coat, $14 (eBay!)
Vintage green and white floral shirt dress (Circa 1950s), $32 (eBay!)
Pink scarf, 5 Euros (about $8 at the time)
Vintage Yellow cotton gloves, $1 (eBay!)
Luckybrand Crossbody bag, $35 (in store clearance sale)
Tan Banana Republic ballet flats, $9 (in store clearance sale)
Celtic necklace & matching earrings, gift
Captain America Scrabble Tile Necklace, gift
Watch, Raymond Weil, gift
Total: $102. At full price would have been: approx $542. (bling not calculated in total)

Notes: This dress was one of the wonderful vintage finds that my friend Jen (you’ll see more of her below) pointed out to me. I knew I’d love it as soon as I saw it, and I was right! It’s so comfortable and is in perfect condition. Fun fact – Washington, D.C. has some GREAT places to take pictures, and I’ve been having fun exploring. The Capitol buildings particularly have many beautiful chandeliers and stairwells (that I am trying not to trip down… though one already got me!)

One of my favorite pics of me and my husband is one my mother snapped of us while we were walking on the beach last spring.

My co-worker and I had gone to get some herbal tea and found several pretty cherry blossom trees in bloom (its that time of year!), perfect for some photos. I bought my scarf in Santorini, Greece, on my 30th birthday. Happy memories whenever I wear it! My gloves were a great eBay find – I won a lot of 20 pairs of vintage gloves for $20. I love ’em!

Why yes, that is me in Greece on my 30th birthday – scarf is tied around my waist.

My jewelry was all gifts made specifically for me. The celtic earrings and necklace were made by my mother, and the Captain America scrabble tile necklace was made by my friend Jill.

I own exactly ONE nice watch. It was a “congrats on your new job” gift from my husband, and even though he got it on a 40% off sale, I know it still wasn’t cheap. But as the old saying goes “you get what you pay for.” It matches everything (casual and business attire), and looks a lot classier than my pink plastic timex watch did. So yes, I’d say if you’re going to get a nice watch, go for something clean and simple that will go with everything.

Most of these pictures were taken by my awesome coworker Ky, who you will see on a later Thrifty Fashion post. I LOVE her style!

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And now for my first guest blogger, my dear friend Jen, who I mentioned in my first post as one of my fashion inspirations. If I have any sense of style I can point my finger squarely at her!

Everyday Vintage, by Jen


Mon Feb 27
-2C (28F) to -22C (-8F)

Special Agenda? Yes! Out for supper on the town with my husband.

Green Sweater, 1950s, Jean Castle, $16.
Multi-colour Pencil Skirt, sometimes I think 1950s/early ’60s, other times this skirt gives me a 1980s-vibe, no maker given, ~$25.
Pineapple Brooch (worn upside down), 1950s/1960s, gift.
Heavy Mocha Stockings, contemporary, Sock Dreams (N40 stockings), $10.
Cat: contemporary, priceless.
($51 without Cat)

Notes: I’m realizing that I’m very fortunate that friends and family often give me jewelry! It helps when people know that you like vintage – they bring out these little treasures for you since they know that you will wear and cherish them.

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And let’s round out the St. Patrick’s Day fashion post with a not so classy, but definitely fun outfit!

Shamrockin’!
Special Agenda? Yes! Maybe you’ve picked up on the fact that I like to run, or maybe not. If not, well, I LIKE TO RUN. A lot. I lOVE races too. 1/2 Marathons (13.1 miles) are my very favorite, and when I had the opportunity to run one through our nations capitol on St. Patrick’s Day, I jumped on it! I also like to get dressed up for races (sometimes I’ll go as Princess Leia, or a giant pink flamingo) because it’s fun! The crowds go nuts & cheer, and I get energized by their enthusiasm.

So for this race I didn’t have my usual shamrock gear (my daughter was using it for her race, a 5 miler), so I had to get creative. I was short on time so I popped into Claire’s (yes, the tween jewelry store – I LOVE IT), and they had plenty of St. Patty’s day gear on sale for buy one get one free. I bought a sequined green headband that I wore as a bowtie, some green clip in feathers (that my daughter immediately appropriated after the race), green feather eyelashes, and shamrock socks that were WAY too small for me.

I cut the bottoms off the socks and wore them as calf sleeves, and then cut the toes off the bottoms and wore them as cuffs around my wrists. They worked GREAT as sweat bands, which was necessary given the heat.

I already owned the Shamrock Headband (by Sweaty Band, fantastic headbands – they don’t slip!), and the “Kiss me I’m a Marine” shirt came from my husband’s closet. After appropriating it, and realizing I’d roast in it (it was way too big and had sleeves), I cut the neck and sleeves off, then cut up the sides to provide ventilation, and used some green ribbon I had laying around to tye up the sides.

DUN! And let me tell you it was popular – I had people blowing kisses at me & cheering for me the entire race, and I didn’t overheat (very important).

I had a wonderful time, AND set a new personal record for both my 10 miler (1:19) AND my 1/2 marathon (1:46:46). So yes, I am very pleased, and intend to run this one again next year!

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Lastly, need a copy of my books? As it happens you can buy them here.