HAT FREAK

HAT FREAK


hat by Nine West, glasses by Prada, scarf by Betsey Johnson, jacket by Cache

     I have a very bad head cold, and feel like I want to go to bed and curl up in a ball and die…but you can’t tell.  Thanks to my new Nine West animal print hat, which provided an easy out for dealing with hair styling, my Prada glasses and a bright red lip by MAC in “Relentlessly Red,”  so that I appear alive and well, you can’t tell. 

   I am a hat freak.  A lot of my friends are scared of hats. What will people think? Who cares? Hats are cool and easy.


     The scarf is also new and is from Betsey Johnson.  I found it when I was helping a friend shop for a scarf for her new vacation outfit, and the request was for a scarf that wouldn’t look “old lady.”  We both ended up grabbing one of these!

     I thought it would be great to go with some of my other AP collection items and the animal print combined with the bright roses at the base of the scarf is too cool!


bag by Michael Kors, watch by Movado, ring by David Yurman, bracelet by Tiffany & Co

      From my perspective, after years working in the retail world, I’ve seen trends come and go.  The goal is to have you chasing your tail year after year, buying up the latest and greatest, season after season. I prefer classic timelessness, with a hint of edge so you don’t appear dated, cheap or broke. It’s all about balance.

     I was going into the bank to make a deposit about 8 months back.  A cute girl, in skin tight True Religion jeans, with sparkles all over the pockets, drove in and parked next to me, and walked into the bank in front of me.

David Yurman, Tiffany & Co, Movado watch, Michael Kors bag, Prada glasses

     

     She was still inside the bank, probably fighting with them over her overdraft fees (LOL) so when I was walking out the door, I noticed her car.  It had dents all up and down the left side, and the hood was literally tied down with a rope, which was looped through the headlight area.  The dents were all old, because they were already rusted.  This made clear to me the state of her finances, and served as a lesson to me when I want to go crazy and over spend!  You should have more money in the bank than you do on your back, period. 

     Fashion should be fun.  It shouldn’t put you in financial ruins.  Find fashion that is within your bracket and helps you to also maintain your financial peace of mind.  Have fun checking for bargains! Mix high end with low end, whether it be with fashion, cosmetics or home decor.

-SDS

October 10, 2013

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SIX SHOTS: SEPTEMBER 2013

SIX SHOTS

September, two thousand and thirteen

Stephanie Sjoberg, Houston bloggers, fashion blog, makeup artist, Luxor Living and Style 

1. BA STAR

     The make up artist in me loves trying out new products, whether it’s one I purchase and test, or if a company sends me their products to try out and review.  This shot was taken for the BA STAR eye shadow review.  Again I say… I am just a random, imperfect person in the cold, cruel world. Flawed. Un-thin. Not terribly young.  So, to take a nice picture which highlights the product as opposed to the person, is an achievement!  (I love getting samples and doing reviews!)

     


 

2.  Jazzy Purse

     Showcasing my heart, my Jazzy.  It’s getting cool enough outside to start letting her tag along places, in her Jazzy purse, so she was with us for the Jazzy, MAC and Stripes blog post. The joy it brings her heart when you get the bag out of the closet and she first bum rushes you to try and hurry to jump in before she gets left behind…that’s what makes me happy.

     While it does freak her out a little bit to be showcased on the Internet, she is supportive of the blog, and willing to contribute her image, but of course, there will have to be arrangements on extra treats.


 

3.  Bird Sanctuary

     My husband shares my love for all of God’s little birds, so we make efforts to create a tiny sanctuary for whatever bird creatures show up.  There’s always water in the bird bath, bird houses ready for occupancy, and food.

    When I noticed a new bird’s next in our tree close to the bird bath, I climbed up on a ladder to inspect and see if there were eggs in it.  I felt terrible, like I was invading a personal space.  There were no eggs. I didn’t disturb it, I adored the construction and architecture briefly before climbing down.

    How one soul under the sun, is able to hear the birds sing, and not know immediately that there is a God and this is his world and his word is true…is beyond my comprehension.  I’ve noticed that when the birds start chirping early in the morning, it makes the morning and the thought of facing another day…more tolerable.


 

4. Vines

     As much as we go to Old Town Spring, I find it shocking that we keep finding new garden spots and various nooks and crannies to photograph at.  I was especially excited about this spot, since I am doing photography and make up for a girl next week, and this spot would be a perfect backdrop.


 

5. Viva La Juicy Noir Giveaway

     I wanted to include this cool shot of the Viva La Juicy Noir  giveaway!  Click the link if you want to enter to win the 3.4 bottle, or read this post to check out my review of the scent!

     For a blog, I feel it’s appropriate to use 95% all your original art, or else what are you really doing, but rehashing and regurgitating other people’s work?   The top blogs, are the ones that create their own sphere.


 

6. Pink & Black

     This website is partially fashion based, after many years in the business of retail marketing and sales. It’s who  am.  

     We were on our way to a special lunch together, and this is me, in my tiny world. For me, the blog posts are something we do together and plan. The funny thing, is that sometimes I can tell that he hates doing it on some days, but he does it anyway and pretends he likes it. This makes me a better person though, because when he wants me to do something for him or with him, I have days like this to refer to. We are here to help each other through life, be supportive and be friends or what purpose do you serve? Just my two cents.

-SDS

-September 30, 2013

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BASIC DAY CASUAL

Fall is coming in slowly. Mornings are cool and gooey lately so forget about a good hair day.  While I dressed to run a multitude of errands, the heat has forced me to become more casual than I’d prefer.

My bag is large, but I need my things! I also notice that while friends often ask why I use such large bags, they are usually the same people who ask to borrow things from my survival bag.  I have enough electronics in there at any given time, that I could run the Pentagon from any Hotspot if needed.

   

The blazer and cold shoulder, long tailed top are new from Forever 21. The shoes are Jessica Simpson, and they are suede, which tells me that they are fall appropriate. 

 

bag Michael Kors, watch Movado, bracelet Tiffany & Co, ring David Yurman jacket and top Forever 21 , shoes Jessica Simpson

     On this morning, we chose to meet for a Mexican breakfast at a local dive we go to often, and then we parted ways to run the rest of our day.

 

There are exciting things going on, fall will get here eventually, pumpkin spice lattes are back at Starbucks. Halloween, Thanksgiving and Christmas will come soon enough. Embrace the time you have, it’s your number one most valuable commodity. 

-SDS

-September 22, 2013

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A Good Day…and Yes, More Animal Print

A Good Day…

     Sunday was a good day.  I did the unthinkable, and was under the weather so I took a nap in the middle of the day.  By nap, I mean I was pretty much in bed until about 3:00

     I didn’t cook, or clean, or make it to church.  The 40 million milligrams of vitamins finally kicked in late in the day, so I did manage to get dressed, and make it to the movies to see “Man of Steel.”


shoes by Jessica Simpson, belt by Michael Kors, jeans by Democracy

     That movie wasn’t my personal pick, but it was my husband’s choice and I am bend-y like that on some issues.  It was actually wonderful and I loved it, though!

earrings by Chico’s

     Apparently there is a never ending supply of old animal print clothing in my closet, because when I was digging for a missing shoe, I noticed this top from two summer’s ago hanging in the closet, squished in between two sweaters.  

     It has a side tie, and actually a tiny chest area button which I obviously neglected to use. It’s all good though…I have on an animal print bra from Victoria’s Secret so who cares. Being a bit budget conscious, I got the top on-the-cheap from 

TJ Maxx!

movado watch, michael kors bag, davidf yurman ring, tiffany and co, Prada glasses

ring by David Yurman, bag by Michael Kors, watch by Movado, bracelet by Tiffany & Co

     The matching mani-pedi combo was the result of a spa day from earlier in the week.  I absolutely am not progressive enough to do the pointy nail thing, and never will. Never, like never. Well, unless it’s part of a Halloween costume or I get a part in a vampire movie.

 

 

I can also brag, and say that the boyfriend jeans are totally brand new and were a super good bargain! 

   Actually, by “boyfriend jeans” what I mean to say, is that I really couldn’t find any I liked under $200, so I just bought a pair of Democracy Jeans about three sizes too large from Ross for $23.00…but hey, once you throw on a Michael Kors belt, it’s all good.

I just wanted some baggy-ish stretchy summer jeans and it was really hard trying to find some that were NOT made with a crazy high waist line. A high waist looks great on very few people, and I won’t be doing that, either. 

   I remember that my mom always wore Calvin Klein jeans with high heels and I ran into quite a few pairs of those while jean shopping.  I wondered if Calvin cleared out a storage facility from 1985…or did they actually manufacture more for the current trend? 

    After the movie, we went home to enjoy our Sunday evening spiritual ritual of watching Hal Lindsey and then Irwin Baxter teach their bible prophecies and speak on current world affairs, on the Daystar Network. It’s always really heavy stuff! 

    …and that was Sunday!

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-SDS

July 1, 2013

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ARE DENIM MINI SKIRTS EVEN IN?

YES…BECAUSE I SAY SO


   Since it is now June, apartment locating is in full swing and I am busy!  People are finding themselves in a lurch because their houses are selling faster than they thought possible, so they are having to jump before having a finalized plan of where to jump to.

   Because of this, and other obligations…I guess I’ve lost touch with what’s in and all I know is it’s hot!   

Today, I was off, sort of, because I had traffic court (yes, again) so after court and early morning grocery shopping in a black suit, the temperature was in the 90’s so I couldn’t wait to throw on something cooler to live the rest of my day in.

 

     This denim mini is so old but I figure if you think it’s currently acceptable to bring back high waist pants then I can bring in a stretchy, comfy denim skirt.

     Since I am not tanning anymore, and am trying to embrace my paleness…I have no barrier from the sun at all and I can literally feel my skin turning pink and spots forming in the sun, so I will be using a hat quite often. (I need to do my research…but I am pretty sure this is not the same sun intensity we had even 20 years ago, due to the protective ozone breaking down.)

    I saw an absolutely beautiful blogger girl on Pinterest yesterday, who was tanned and thin and fabulous, however in 20 years, she will most likely look like a cast mate from an episode of Survivor. 

top by Forever 21, bracelet Tiffany & Co, watch by Movado, ring by David Yurman Couture

 

As for me, I will just deal with what I have to work with and what that means for this blog…is that everything is old with the exception of the new light weight, cut out shoulder, leopard print top from Forever21 for around $21.00  (Hey, I’m on a budget!)

 

June 13, 2013

-SDS

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BLACK SUMMER PART 2

BLACK SUMMER PART 2


     I loved the Black Summer Inspiration board that I posted so much, I decided to walk the walk and coordinate an outfit with things I already owned, and simulate the board.

   I recently saw the dress on a friend’s post on Instagram, which reminded me that I also had it tucked away somewhere.  When she stated that she also had owned it for years, and referred to it as a “staple” I couldn’t of agreed more!

Prada glasses, Old Town Spring, bloggers, fashion, blonde hair, style

The turquoise beads never get worn, but I thought they would be fun with the big earrings.

The lime green wallet and pink shoes add to the color pops.

I also opted to line the bottom of the eyes with the turquoise color in the Batik Sun palette from Estee Lauder.

 

-May 15, 2013

-SDS

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