Wonderful New Spectacles!

As many of you have probably noticed, glasses are prominent part of my outfits and style. I only own 2 pair, because I'm awfully picky and glasses tend to be quite expensive. You can imagine how delighted I was when GlassesUSA.com contacted me to review a pair for their company. As someone who has been wearing prescription glasses since I was 7 years old, I'm constantly looking for new places where I can find stylish affordable eyewear.

Website:
One of the cool features of the Glasses USA website is their Virtual Mirror. It definitely helped me choose my frame. You can upload a photo of yourself and virtually try on different styles from around the website.

Here are some of the styles I tried...

Virtual Mirror

My Virtual Mirror Selections

 Another thing thing I liked about the website, was one of the categories was actually labeled as "Vintage/Nerdy Frames". I thought that was cute, plus it really helped me narrow down my search for eyeglasses, seeing as that's really the only kind I buy.

Ordering:
I decided on a pair of men's horned rimmed glasses. I've been wanting a more masculine pair to offset my super feminine ones and the DC 301 Black were just perfect.

After checking them out using the virtual mirror and the measurements against a pair I bought from a local optical, I placed my order. Ordering was very simple. At one point I had a question and was able to chat with someone online that was super helpful and answered my question right away.

Shipping:
I placed my order on Thursday May 17th and received my glasses early Wednesday May 30th through DHL. There was a slight hiccup with my shipment which the customer service department was quick to address, so with that and a holiday in the middle I received my order in 8 business days.

The Glasses:

I like them a lot. As with most online glasses orders, they needed a little adjustment, which I was lucky enough to have my in house optician do, (my husband used to work at as an optician). After a slight nose pad adjustment they fit like a charm. They are very light weight and made from a solid material. I'm very pleased with the overall construction and fit. I'm always really cautious when I buy glasses online as I have a pretty wide face, so I never know what is going to fit or look silly, these glasses fit my face perfectly and I think I have the virtual mirror to thank for that. Overall, I'm super pleased.

Oh and before and I forget, they also send you a plastic prescription card, which I personally LOVED!

Glasses USA was kind enough to offer a little deal for you lovely readers. 

You can take 10% off your order with

Discount Code:

Blog10

They also have a refer a friend program, where you can get $30 towards your next pair of specs for each first purchase a referred friend makes, so that's worth a look too! 

On a side note: This was a sponsored post, meaning I was gifted or paid to do a review for the above company. Please note however, the above review is my honest and unbiased opinion of their product. Pinkie swear!

Memorial Day Outing

Hello again! It's so nice to be blogging once again. I've been away these past couple of weeks due to the passing of an immediate family member. As you can imagine, I wasn't too concerned about blogging and had other more pressing issues to handle. I am back however, and it is nice to put my focus on something happier at the moment. Sorry to start out with something sad, I just wanted to explain my over 2 week absence.

Now let's get to it! Yesterday was Memorial Day and my husband and I both had the day off. He spent the first half of the day with his older brother, and during the afternoon he and I went out for bar-b-que and did some antique shopping at one of my favorite antique malls, one that he had never gone before. After such a terrible couple of weeks, it was nice to put our focus on something fun that we both enjoy. The place we went is a wonderland for antique lovers. It's in a huge warehouse with easily over 750 stalls, all filled with the most fantastic things, from old player piano music, to out dated medical instruments. Every time I go, I fall in love with something I can't afford.

While we were there, I took advantage of my surroundings and had my husband take an outfit photo for me. You'll have to bare with me because it's a phone photo under warehouse lighting, so it's not the best.

OOTD Details:

Top: Old Navy*
Skirt: Old Navy*
Cardigan: Target
Leggings: LB
Flip Flops: Walgreens

*On a side note...
If you've been reading my blog recently, you've probably noticed a whole lot of Old Navy. This is because I've recently cashed in my rewards points for my credit card and got a bunch of ON gift cards, so just a heads up, your going to be seeing a lot more. Plus, they have a bunch of straight sized items that work really well for plus sized ladies at the moment, so hit up your local shop and try stuff out.

Back to the Antique Mall...

I really like this particular booth, but everything is crazy expensive.

I wanted this, but again, too expensive, and it didn't work.

Remember Golden Books?

The above photo is of a large folk art carved wooden beaver head. I mean large, he stands out about 2 feet from the wall and is about the size of a taxidermied boar head. Needless to say, with my love of all things beaver, we brought this guy home. It took some persuasion on my part but after telling the husband I'd throw down for half of it he finally agreed. He's still not convinced, but I've named him Chuggles and I'm in LOVE. Now we just have to find a place to hang him.

All in all it was a perfect day. We did things that we loved and had a great time digging through old things and exploring, my favorite way to relax. What did you do this Memorial Day weekend?

Rusty

Happy Monday Folks! Not to much to say around these parts. I just spent a quiet afternoon with my grandparents. I really enjoy going over there and seeing that yesterday was mother's day and I had to work, I wanted to spend today with my grandmother, who is a super special lady in my life. So it was a happy, (slightly late) Mother's Day to my Mimi.

As for what I wore, nothing too special. I did wear the rusty colored version of a shirt I recently picked up at Old Navy. I did a post a few weeks back on dressing room items I left behind, and this was the other version of the shirt I did not get. I liked the color of this one better, plus it goes nicely with my favorite cardigan.

OOTD Details:

Top: Old Navy

Cardigan: Target:

Skirt: Torrid

Leggings: Old Navy

Shoes: Old Navy

I think it's kind of funny when I look back at all of my photos on this blog, as this cardigan is heavily featured. I actually have 3 of this same cardigan. It's my ALL TIME favorite cardigan and I wanted to make sure that if one wore out I had a back up. Sure enough, Penny chewed 3 buttons off one of them. I am one of those people who, if I really love something, I'll buy a lot of them!

One thing I have recently realized is that it's time to buy new skirts. I've had this one for ages and it's at the point where it just kind of hangs there and will not stay up unless it is securely held up with a belt. I'm so tired of pulling at it, plus one of the pockets in the back is falling off and it is just past its time. My other jean skirt is no better. Penny jumped up on it and tore a huge hole down the front that keeps re-opening, so there's no winning with me and jean skirts at the moment!

Happy Mother's Day!

Just wanted to wish all the Mom's out there a Happy Mother's Day and say Happy Mother's Day to my own very special Momma!

May Showers and Flowers

This whole week is supposed to be stormy and I can't wait. Today was kind of overcast, so I thought it would be nice to wear some florals. I like this particular dress. I got it not too long ago from Target and I like the painterly style of the flowers a lot. It's also quite comfortable. The only iffy part about it is it has these really long ruffly, flowy sleeves that go all the way to the waist. I'm not really big on them, so as per usual, I wear a cardigan, so easy fix. I also, like to wear the back tie in the front.

OOTD Details:

Dress: Target
Cardigan: Old Navy
Leggings: Old Navy
Flip Flops: Walgreens

My Favorite Room

I thought I'd do something a little different and share with you my favorite room in our little apartment. My husband and I both HATE living in an apartment and told ourselves that we'd never do it again, but as so many of you know, life has a wicked sense of humor sometimes and here we are, so I figured we'd make the best of it and just try to surround ourselves with things we love. Because my background is in museum conservation, I'm a bit of a scavenger and am constantly on the look out for things that are in horrible condition that I can restore and bring back to their once beautiful glory, so I had always hoped for a spare room that could be a well stocked studio. This is not viable in a 2nd floor apartment, so our tiny little spare room is a craft room/reading room instead of the studio that I had planned for after college. All of my scavenged pieces are either residing in my parent's garage or randomly placed in other rooms around the apartment. Our little spare room is very limited in space, which is made worse with one whole wall being taken up for a closet. My love of furniture and one big beaver has made the space issue a little worse, but I don't care, it's functional.

☆☆☆☆☆☆☆You can click on the photos to make them larger☆☆☆☆☆☆☆

 Barnaby Beaver is awkwardly sized at roughly 3.5ft long and takes up so much space, so working furniture around her can be quite difficult.

That couch was the 2nd piece of furniture I ever bought. I got it when I was 16 and I still love it. It has a very institutional quality and is deceptively comfortable. The only issues is that it's vinyl and everyone sticks to it.

 I want a rug for this room badly.

 I finally found my ideal sewing desk on Craigslist. It was EXACTLY what I was looking for.

Literally all of my sewing supplies have come from my Grandmother. I have hundreds of wooden spools and old thread, some of which live in this little nut.

 Hi Barnaby!

My WWII flight goggles, leather "helmet", and scarf.

One of my many death casts. This one is my 2nd favorite. It used to hang in our living room, but the aged twine in the back broke so it sits on under the beaver now until I can repair him.

This room is really peaceful and I really should spend more time in it. There are still a few things I'd like to do to, like get a rug, frame the 3 long Estrus posters on the wall, (that we've been talking about framing for 8 years!), and sell some of my books to make space for the ones I had to leave in London that I'm going to finally get shipped here. Right now, it's nice to have a place where I can go sit with Penny and Haskel and relax with a book.

3D Movies

Last night, a couple of my friends and I had ladies night, so of course we went to see Titanic in 3D. I remember seeing it when it first came out, I was 13 years old, in 8th grade and I went with a bunch of friends. Oh, a young Leonardo DiCaprio. This time around, almost 15 years later, things were quite different, especially since much of the movie has become social cliche. We ended up giggling and talking through quite a bit of it. I also found the museum conservator in me cringing throughout the entire movie. I could tell I had given my life to the museum world when at one point during the film I found myself thinking more about the loss of wood carving and decorative art than of human life. I know, I know that sounds terrible.
On a side note, I do have to say it was one of those movies that sucked in 3D, since it was clearly an obvious afterthought and the majority of things in 3D had no reason to be as they were hideously out of focus. At one point I took my glasses off only to realize that most of the movie wasn't technically in 3D. I will have to say the part where they knock through the stairway gate with the bench was great, but that was about it. So, from now on I've decided that I won't be seeing films that aren't shot in 3D to begin with.
Alright, off my tangent, the evening was fun and made me realize that I really should try to get out and be more social, as a tend to be a homebody.

Here's what I wore to my little ladies night.

OOTD Details:

Top: Old Navy (Ages Ago)
Cardigan: Target
Skirt: Old Navy
Belt: Torrid
Leggings: Old Navy
Shoes: Old Navy

I wanted to mention these shoes because I just bought them for $17.50 and I LOVE them. They are so so comfortable! I'm always looking for super comfy and cheap casual shoes and these are perfect. Plus, they come in a whole bunch of colors!

Oh, and here, I snapped a couple of photos inside the theater to illustrate my 3D point. I don't know why it bothered me so much, but damn did it ever. I guess because I'm a big fan of old B-movies in 3D, which are excellent, so my expectations for new 3D movies may have been a little too high.

Left Behind: The Dressing Room Edition

I was late on the smart phone wagon. I refused for a really long time and it wasn't until the mobile I had for 6 years crapped out on me that I begrudgingly got an iPhone. Luckily, my folk's plan had a deal where they were just 99¢ so that made it easier. Now, I find myself using the camera all the time and it's really helpful, especially while in the dressing room. Being able to take a quick little snap of an article of clothing that I'm trying on gives me a slightly different perspective, that more often than not, becomes the deciding factor of whether it will be coming home with me.

On a recent trip to Old Navy, I was having a difficult time negotiating the sales rack and my handy little phone camera made all the difference. Here are some photos I took from the dressing room of the pieces that got left behind.

Left Behind #1: Pink Tropical Style Dress
This one was just not my style. The color was nice, but I'm not really a fan of bright pink and this type of flower. I felt like it didn't fit my personality, so it stayed at the shop.

Left Behind #2:  Paisley Button-Up with Chambray Skirt
These two pieces together looked way too fundamentalist for me, if that makes sense. That being said, I bought this top in a different color. The skirt was from Old Navy Plus and had been returned to the store, so I was excited to see it, but the fit was off. It was also too big, which didn't help, but again, it just didn't work. I am considering ordering the skirt online in the correct size, because I think if it was paired with a simple tank, it would look great.

Left Behind #3: Painterly Stripe Dress
Ugh, this one was tough, as you can probably see by the look of frustration on my face. This is the 3rd time I've been in to try this dress on. This time the dress was marked down to $14, but I still could not commit to it. Sure it fit great, but it just left me feeling 'meh' every time. When I see the photo I like it, but when I'm actually wearing it I'm completely indifferent, which to me answers the question of whether or not I should get it. After quite a bit of thought it was left behind.

I also have to keep in mind that just because it fits doesn't mean I have to buy it. I'm a plus size gal, obviously, but Old Navy's straight sizing is such that I can sometimes wear their dresses depending on how they are cut, but not always. I'd actually say there are far more times that I can't wear them than I can. So, when I come across a dress that fits, I find myself often jumping on the chance to buy it just because it fits. Rebecca over at the Plus Side of Me, did a great post on this very topic that I highly recommend.

Do you ever take photos of yourself in the dressing room to help make decisions about what to purchase? If so does it make a difference in your opinion?

Smoothie Time

I wanted to take a slight departure from my normal post and share one of my favorite smoothie recipes. Technically it's not so much a recipe as it is me just throwing a bunch of things into the blender, but you get the point.

The Strawberry Peach Banana Smoothie

You will need...

Frozen or fresh

• Strawberries
• Bananas
• Peaches

• Orange Juice

• A small pot of Blueberry Yogurt

On a side note, I've left the quantity of fruit open. This is going to be personal to your taste, as you may want more of one fruit than the other.

As much as I love fresh fruit, when I make smoothies I always go for frozen. For me it's a textural thing. Since the fruit is already frozen it's nice and cold without having to add ice. Also, it's cheaper and I can get my most loved fruits all season.

Step 1:

Chop up all or your fresh fruit and put into the blender. If you are using frozen fruit, make sure that you've allowed your fruit time to thaw, (1-2hrs so it's still very cold but not rock hard) and add contents of the small bag to the blender.

Step 2:

Pour in orange juice and add the entire small pot of blueberry yogurt. The orange juice will add a nice citrus flavor and help move the fruit around the blades.

Step 3:

Blend until you reach your desired consistency.

Step 4:

Pour out and enjoy!

This is the first time I've ever used yogurt in my smoothies. I've always been just a fruit and juice gal, but this time I decided to experiment and I have to say I was very pleased with the results.

A Photo an Hour

I have been wanting to do the whole photo an hour thing for quite some time, so on Wednesday I decided to do it with Instagram photos. So this is what April 18th looked like for me...

 9:00am 

Wake up for work. 

That's my toy beaver Edith, in case you were wondering.

10:00am 

Penny goes out for her morning walk.

 11:00am 

At the museum for work on a lovely late morning.

12:00pm 

The view from my chair.

1:00pm 

Inside the museum

2:00pm 

Taking a reading break.

3:00pm 

Leaving work early to teach art.

4:00pm 

After school art dioramas in progress

5:00pm 

Wonderful colors at the grocery store

6:00pm 

Dinner

7:00pm
Lounging on the couch for a quiet night.

I really enjoyed doing the photo an hour post and think I will be doing it more, maybe once a month or so. I also like that I've been sharing my Instagram photos more often. I got the app back in December, but just recently started posting the photos to my blog a couple of months ago and I really like doing so. Hope y'all enjoyed it.