Happy Friday!

In case you weren't aware - this weekend is the season opener for Boise State.  This means a big huge Blue & Orange party that we're throwing that includes a TON of food and yelling.  Oh yes, there will be yelling at the TV - that's a guarantee.  We'll apologize to the neighbors beforehand.

With that in mind - and since that's all anyone can talk about around my house - enjoy some Boise Stuff!!!

Normally I would link up and tell you where I got this stuff, but since I know not all of the people who stumble across this blog are Boise fans, I'll just tell you really fast: Bronco Shop, The Blue & Orange Store & Lady Fanatics.  The Whistle necklace is from Forever 21 and the orange nail polish was found at Urban Outfitters.

I'll have you know that the middle shirts - I have the blue one being shipped to me as we speak.  Because a new year means a new Boise shirt.  That's just the way it goes around here.

And because polyvore is awesome - they had some great game day selections too:

Bleed Blue by jessajill featuring light weight jeans


Yes, I did check on those shoes and they're no longer available for that color where they were advertised at Nordstroms.  Boo.  Regardless, I'd totally wear this on gameday.  To work too, if they'd let me.  As it is I couldn't find any work-related blue and orange choices.  So you have to show your pride in other ways, right?

I would include shoes within this category but the only ones that truly fit are the Nike's shown above.  And honestly I can't find a good example and link!! 

And honestly you don't wear heels to these kinds of events.  You'll break something if someone else doesn't already.  Fans are CRAZY!


Have a great weekend folks!  And know that I'll be biting my nails tomorrow night!  Go BSU!!!

Window Shoppin! 8/31

Can you believe its September tomorrow?!  I can't.  This Saturday is our big Blue & Orange Season Opener party and we're getting really excited! 

I have now been at my new job for a couple of days and while I like it, there's a lot to learn.  I'm not too worried though.  It's a great place! 

The office feel is "Business Casual" which means right in the middle.  Shoes have been my biggest hurdle.  The dressy shoes I have are all platforms!  And then I have one pair of flats that will do and flip flops.  There is no in-between!  And "business casual" heels...are boring.  So I need to search for footwear that will not only work, but also that doesn't make me sad inside to wear.

The rest has been relatively easy.  I'll be fine as long as I can find the footwear! 

So with that in mind I went window shopping for some ideas:

1. Here. 2. Here. 3. Here. 4. Here. 5. Here. 6. Here. 7. Here.

While this isn't nearly as fun as weekend wear, you have to just stick with me that in my mind, this comes together very well.  And yes, those flats are...well, boring.  But I just don't think big, wild and crazy platforms will fly!  Also - Maurices has been the one place I've been able to find work pants that aren't too expensive and don't fit strange.  I was at my wits end trying to find affordable, well fitting work pants.  I have relatively small hips so I decided to see if I could save money by shopping in the juniors section of department stores.  It was a mistake.  I remember the day when I actually wore a size 1 in high school.  (Don't hate me, I no longer wear that size.)  And I remember having to get work pants in a size 5.  So now that I am no longer a size 1, having to make the leap was both depressing and frustrating.  Also - the battle with department store sizes is that you could grab one size, and then grab the next size to be safe.  Try those on and notice that the next size is actually 3-4 sizes bigger than it said it was.  Then you try the same thing with a different brand and find the next size is not only smaller than the size you just tried, but shorter too.  

By far, I hate shopping for work pants the most.  Please don't make me do it again!

Work shirts are fine though - I don't have a problem with them:

 Found Here

I like the color of this shirt.  Its also on sale, which is great because I definitely need more light weight shirts because its pretty hot!

 Found Here

I like this shirt.  I would wear this with a short sleeve cardigan and in the winter, a long one.  I like the color too and the fact that the embellishments aren't too much.

Found Here

Express also has a lot of great work options.  The only downside is that they're on the higher end of my budget.  I do own a few Express shirts because I know as far as quality goes, they're great, but right now I'm looking for cheaper.  But I love the fit of this shirt!

I guess I'm just really holding out for the new H&M to open up this fall.  I know I'll be able to find a lot of great options in prices that rock.  I can't tell you how excited I am for that store to open!!

Alright - that's all the time for today!  What are some of your finds?

DONE!

Friday is here and I'm extra happy!  Today is actually my last day at my current job and Monday I start a new one!  I am VERY excited about this new one - it should be great!

As you can imagine, with the knowledge that I'm leaving and starting something new on Monday - that I'm excited for - this week has dragged on like you wouldn't believe!  But that's alright - Friday is here and I get to experience something new on Monday and I'm really happy about it!

At my current/ old job the dress code...well there wasn't one.  I got to go to work in jeans, t-shirts and flip flops.  I know there are a lot of you out there that envy me for that, but I was getting sick of it.  With this new job I will wear business attire so I have the excuse to shop.  And shop I have!  I've searched out deals and fought the mall in the middle of the back-to-school nightmare.  (Never again!)  I've found some great stuff to start me out with and I plan to pick up a few more things after I've been there a while and get the feel for how things are supposed to be done.

With that in mind I contemplated finding business casual but lets face it, that's not as fun as weekend stuff!  And its definitely the weekend!

This week I rounded up Royal Blue stuff.  I'm not entirely sure why, but I just did.  And I found TONS!  While some of these things look navy blue, like they do on my screen, the color swatch was clearly royal - so don't blame me - blame them.

1. Here. 2. Here. 3. Here. 4. Here. 5. Here. 6. Here. 7. Here. 8. Here.

My personal favorites on here are #4 and #6.  I love the off-the-shoulder lace top.  In fact, I might keep an eye on it so I can snag it when it goes on sale.  Because I'm cheap, folks.  I rarely buy things full price.  And of course I love the yoga pants because who doesn't love yoga pants?  And who would have thought that you could find a pair of royal blue jeggings?!  Well you can.  I personally don't have the thighs and butt to pull something like this off, but if you do - you wear them with pride!

And as always since I can't help myself, I pulled a set off of Polyvore.  (Polyvore is a lot of fun - if you like fashion I suggest you go play around there!)

Royal & Black by jessajill featuring carved pendants

Of course this outfit is far and beyond what I care to spend but it's still fun to play!


And because it wouldn't be Friday without shoes:

Source

Brand: Jessica Simpson

Style: Waleo

Price: $89.99

Sold out - boo!

Source

Charlotte Russe Velvet Ruffle Toe Bootie

Price: $40

*There's also a $25 discount as well

Source

Brand: Bebe

Style: Tristan

Price: $119.99

These would be my favorite.  And they're always the ones that are way out of my price range. They're so sassy though!

Well that would be all I have time for at the moment! I hope you all have a wonderful weekend!  Wish me luck on the new job!

Linking up over at Peace, Love & Applesauce!!

Window Shoppin 8/24

While it's still hot outside and summer is still in full swing, I of course, have my eye on Fall wear.  I do this every year.  The minute I see new cute fall stuff, I begin wishing that it was fall so I can wear all of it.  Truthfully I love wearing long sleeves. I love cute jackets.  I love boots.  Its not to say I don't like warm weather, I'm just one of those people who would love to live somewhere that never snowed, there was just Autumn weather all Winter long.  Spring could be 3 months, Summer could last as long as summer does but just straight Autumn until March.  That would be perfect.

Also Autumn in Utah is gorgeous.  I know back East gives that statement a run for the money with all the beautiful trees everywhere.  But Autumn is very distinct here.  Who knows what its going to be like this year.  Things have been crazy what with the extra long Winter and skipping Spring all together.  Lets not talk about it anymore.

And while I'd like to pretend that I know what I'm talking about and wear these things I pick out on a daily basis - this outfit right here - is exactly what I wear during Fall.  It may not be fashion forward but this screams me.

Everyday Autumn by jessajill featuring rope jewelry

I love cardigans because they're versatile.  I love comfortable jeans that do me the favor of sculpting my butt while they're at it.  And we all know I love Toms.  I would happily wear this or a variation of this every day in Fall.  Except this little number's overall cost totals $428.  Which I'm far too cheap to do.  I'll admit to purchasing jeans for over $100 because they went above and beyond the call of jeans.  My butt becomes a wonder to behold, alright?  I just plain wouldn't spend $95 on a plain white shirt.  You just can't make me.

So of course lets see if we can do any better...

 1. Here. 2. Here. 3. Here. 4. Here. 5. Here. 6. Here.

Darker?  Yes, but we still have the same concept.  And yes, while they're still Toms, the cheaper Charlotte Russe version doesn't give a pair to a child in need.  The plain white tee is $6.50 which is actually cheaper than the go-to plain white crew necks I buy at Downeast basics for $14.99.  But I am a fan of the material Downeast uses...

This outfit's total is $164.29.  Much more reasonable.  I'm also a big fan of the lace effect on that cardigan as well.  Which is something the J.Crew cardigan doesn't have.

And because I can't help myself, here are some other fun finds:

 Source

 Source

 Source

While I realize this headband is meant to be worn a certain way, meaning across the forehead, I just don't do that.  More power to the women that do, but I wear my headbands like a normal headband.

 Source

Source

Hopefully your computer screen isn't as dark as mine and lets you see the detailing on this skirt.  It's really cute!

Well that's all for today.  Hopefully you're sailing through the week without any dragging.  (Like mine.)  Have a lovely Hump Day!

You did it!

You made it to Friday.  Aren't you happy?  I know I am.  While I don't have anything planned that makes this weekend particularly exciting - it's still two days off of what you were doing, right?


Since it's one of those days I'm just going to jump right in and tell you that this week I'm taking a deeper look at plaid:

 1. Here. 2. Here. 3. Here. 4. Here. 5. Here. 6. Here. 7. Here.

In my mind, plaid is a very casual type of pattern. To be worn on days that you don't feel like dressing up too much and want to go with the flow.  And there aren't many options when it comes to plaid other than shirts and scarfs at the moment.  Well, that's not true.  For women there aren't.  For men - it's everywhere!  Most of these shirts are Abercrombie, American Eagle & Hollister.  Shops I still go to even though they're targeted at people younger than me.  If it counts I frequently am mistaken for that age - not due to my wardrobe, I just look younger than I am.

The search began while I was playing in Polyvore.  I came across a plaid shirt and after taking a second look at it I realized it's style name was "Jessa." My name isn't very common so I thought it was so kind of Abercrombie to name a shirt after me.

And as it happens, apparently my name is popular:

 Link: Here

This is also the "Jessa."  You'll be interested to know I also come in tan.

 Link: Here.

The Jessa Dress also comes in other colorful options.

And because it's Friday I need to bring your attention to plaid heels:

 Found Here.

Brand: Harajuku Lovers

Style: Airlie

Price: $52.79

But unfortunately sold out...and so were a lot of the plaid options on Heels.com

Found Here.

Brand: Ed Hardy

Style: Batu

Price: $69.00

Well that's all for today.  I hope everyone has a lovely, relaxing and fun weekend!  See ya Sunday!

Window Shoppin 8/17

It's the middle of the week.  Are you going to make it to Friday?  I sure hope I am.  Slow weeks are murder.  This week my first pair of Tom's came and I was so happy to see them.  I'm in love.  I found them at Zumiez for $5 less than any other place selling them in store so I swooped in!  Except they didn't have what I wanted so I made an online order in store - free shipping is a beautiful thing and they arrived 5 days later!  I'm a happy girl!  I think the coral ones are next!

I'm still in that mode where I see all the cute fall stuff and want to wear it...now.  Except it's far too hot outside right now for anything less than short sleeves and open toe shoes.  Actually its been a little stormy here, but that just makes things muggy - not cool.  

Either way I wish I could wear some of the cute fall things coming out!

So with that in mind I found these lovely finds and decided I would love to have this on today instead of the plain t-shirt and jeans ensemble.

1. Here. 2. Here. 3. Here. 4. Here. 5. Here. 6. Here.

While this looks a little more "Spring" than fall, I have to say I'm in love with the colors.  The pattern on the cami reminds me of patterns from the early nineties but this pattern doesn't give me flashbacks of leggings or anything else I wore back then - so we're good.  I usually avoid patterns or fashions I've worn once before.  I don't care if it was kindergarten - I've already done it. And not to brag or anything but when I wore those fashions in kindergarten - I rocked them.

And I'm still obsessed with Polyvore.  I can't help myself.  I could make fashion sets all day if I could.  Its just a good time if you're a fan of clothing and shoes.  If you don't already have a Polyvore account I suggest you try it.  Oodles of fun.

Coral & Beige by jessajill featuring beaded jewelry

This outfit...well this outfit's total comes to $3,883.  Which should easily take care of my mortgage for a few months.  The bag is Yves Saint Laurent.  The shoes are Christian Laboutin.  You get the picture.  While they're very pretty, they're something I'll never be able to afford.  I've come to terms with this fact and I'm ok with it.  All the same lets see if we can do better?

1. Here. 2. Here. 3. Here. 4. Here. 5. Here. 6. Here. 7. Here.

First of all - yes the sweater is gray, but the picture was throwing a tantrum so if you'd like to see it the link should take you there.  Also those earrings come in a set so you're actually getting more for your money.

This outfit totals $191.23.  When compared to the outfit above, that's a steal.  I'm still one of those people who takes a look at this outfit and thinks "I could do better."  And go out and search for the same outfit for even less.  Its a sickness.  Obviously you're not going to be able to find exact replicas unless you know exactly where to find really awesome knock offs, but keeping with the theme - you have the same outfit concept. 

Well that's all the playing around I have time for today.  What are some of your finds?

Cheerio!

Houndstooth is something that brings to mind certain images.  Maybe it's more of a refined and classy blazer.  And maybe it's something like this:

Or this:

And maybe that's just me.  In fact it may even invoke a bad British accent and I may throw haughty stereotypical British sayings into my everyday conversation.  "Jolly good!"  "I do say, Sir!"  And the like.  You know, the kind of sayings you're positive nobody says in England, or at least they haven't in about 100 years.  If anyone does, would you kindly let me know?  Because I would very much like to be their friend.  

But stereotypical English sayings aside, houndstooth is a pattern that has been around longer than Sherlock Holmes.  And just like Sherlock Holmes mysteries, it's roots are in Scotland.  (Sir Arthur Conan Doyle is Scottish, not English.  Go ahead and count that as your "thing you learned today."  Thanks Wikipedia!)  Houndstooth originated in woven cloth of the Scottish Lowlands.  Which is another random pearl of wisdom you get to take home with you today.

Even still I do say, tis jolly fun to dust off one's English sayings whilst smoking a pipe and wearing a houndstooth cap atop your head!  Ok, I'm stopping now.


And then I find out Toms has houndstooth shoes and I swoon:

Source

I've quickly developed a crush on them and have added them to my "One Day I Will Own These" list.  Because, honestly - how cute are these?!

Look how cute they can be:

Polyvore

This is yet another outfit I couldn't really afford.  The shoes I can, but the rest is out of my price price range.  Its still a lot of fun to play.

And houndstooth is all over everywhere else too:

1. Here. 2. Here. 3. Here. 4. Here. 5. Here. 6. Here. 7. Here.

A lot of these are handmade Etsy finds.  I LOVE the houndstooth pillow.  And the purse?  Are you kidding me?  That ruffle clutch is also catching my attention.

And then there are always houndstooth pumps:

Source

Brand: Oh Deer!

Style: Toffee: Houndstooth

Price: $96.69

Sold out too.  Too bad, they're perfect for work wear.

And there are these gems too:

Source

Brand: Pinup Coutoure

Style: Bella in Houndstooth

Price: $80.00

While I'm not a fan of bows, these are actually kinda cute.  I'm loving the heel too.  I'm a sucker for serious pumps.

Well I believe I've rambled on long enough about houndstooth.  And hopefully I haven't offended any British followers.  I'll have you know my blood is very English rich so really, I'm just poking fun at my own heritage.  Have a lovely weekend everyone!  New project goes up Sunday!

Sweat butt & Lace - the makings of a great Friday

The weekend never seems to get here fast enough.  While there isn't anything planned really, I just look forward to days where I don't have to do anything or have to be anywhere.  While I may end up going to the gym, I might not too.  Especially after what happened the other night.

I've found zero motivation for the gym lately.  I don't know what it is but it's been torture for me.  I can't get into any sort of workout, I watch the clock because I promise myself I'll be there for an hour and almost every single time I cave and leave after 40 minutes.  It's pathetic.  I know all it'll take is a great article about staying in shape or seeing an old skinnier picture of myself, but I can't focus.  But last night I ended up making some progress.  I pushed myself on the bike, I cycled harder and longer than I have before.  I pushed past the burning legs and I pushed past the jello legs.  I was shiny, disgusting, bright red but I felt accomplished!  I knew I looked like a hot mess as I walked to the drinking fountain, but it's the gym - we're all in this together, right?  We're all sweating piles of accomplishment.  I went over to the drinking fountain and as I walked over I noticed my husband jogging over to catch up with me with a look on his face that said that he was about to tell me something funny.

I thought maybe he'd caught somebody dancing to their iPod music, forgetting they weren't at home.  It happens a lot.  Not this time.  As I bent over to take a drink my husband informed me, "You have sweat butt."  He laughed as all the blood left my face.  It took me a minute to realize what he meant.  Did he mean Swass?  And if he did, how did he know?  There would be no way for him to tell!  Of course, when he mentioned my butt, immediately my hands covered it and I threw my backside against the wall.  There's a door to a conference room next to the drinking fountain and it has a small window next to it, so I relied on the reflection to give it to me straight.  Sure enough - there was a lovely drooping dark spot circling my booty.  I didn't want to believe it!  I'm one of those weird people who don't sweat very much.  My friends tell me they hate working out with me because I don't sweat!  At the very worst I shine!  But there it was, staring back at me, a lovely sweat butt for all the world to see.  I shouldn't have cared, but I asked for the keys so I could go home and change.  My husband, seeing this situation as entertaining, told me to just get over it - everyone's sweaty.  It's true, but I was horrified.  I ended up pulling my tank way down over my butt.  Thank heavens it was a material that allowed it.  I stuck to all the sitting machines for the rest of the night and kept pulling at my tank to make sure nobody could see my dreaded sweat butt.  Yes, I realize it could have been much worse.  I could have been wearing gray pants to really enhance the sweat butt.  The sweat spot could have been in a much more embarrassing location. And really, who cares at the gym to see a person sweating?  I don't, but since it was happening to me so of course it was 100 times worse and it was all I could think about for the rest of the night.

So in order to get my mind off of recent events I did a lace roundup.  Why?  Because I wanna. 
 

1. Here. 2. Here. 3. Here. 4. Here. 5. Here. 6. Here. 7. Here.

First of all - how awesome is that lace manicure?!  I will try this...I truly will one day.  The instructions are in the link - if anyone else tries this please let me know if its worth the effort.  I'm also loving the lace necklace.  Its so pretty and delicate looking!

And then of course there are lace shoes:

 Found: Express

Price: $118.00

If these were $30, we'd be talking.

 Found: Heels

Brand: Guess

Style: Handola

Price: $99.99

I LOVE a good peep toe, sling back.  And with lace?  Love.

Well that's all for today.  I hope you all have a great weekend, devoid of embarrassment and filled with fun.  See ya Sunday!

Linking up at Peace Love & Applesauce's Friday Shoegasm! 

Window Shoppin 8/3/11

I finally decided to hang out around Polyvore recently...and apparently that's all I'm able to do anymore.  In all reality, I feel like I'm 5 years old and playing dress up again.  Except not really - its online.  Also - I couldn't afford most of the stuff I pick out.  But it's still a lot of fun!

 Outfit Found Here: Out to Lunch

Now in total this outfit costs $3,778.00.  Mostly because everything is name brand.  The bag is around $2000 by its little bitty self.  The shoes are Hermes, the necklace is Tiffany's.  You get the idea.  So instead how about I try to do this in a way so I don't spend a few mortgage payments.

 1. Here. 2. Here. 3. Here. 4. Here. 5. Here. 6. Here.

The striped tee is on sale right now at Express for $10.00.  The sunglasses were found for a whopping %5.50.  The necklace is $8.50.  The purse is a little pricy on sale at $59.96, but its a large purse, keep in mind!  The jeans are on sale for $29.75 and the flats are $19.50.

Overall this outfit totals: $133.21.

While obviously you're not getting some of the same fit and flair as you get with the name brand items up top, you feel better knowing that its a savings of $3644.79.  Which is ridiculous.  That was fun.

You know what else is fun?  Stuff like this:

Found Here

I'm not much of a scarf person, but I love this one!

 Found Here

Cute, huh?  I know it's way too early to be thinking about outerwear but I'm freezing due to a set thermostat.  Stupid boys!  Don't they know I get cold in 75 degree weather?

 Found Here

I LOVE this.  I would wear this all the time.  Except not now.  It looks really hot outside right now.  I wouldn't know I'm inside with a sweater on because I work in an igloo.

Alright that's all for today!  What are some of your finds?

Window Shoppin! 7/27/11

 Wow, I am still struggling.  Mostly because the giant mountain of work and stress that sits atop my desk is a wonder to behold.  Maybe it's the fact that ever since I got back I can't get a good night's rest.  Not that I got great sleep on vacation.  There was a loud fan and when you pair that with the fact that I shared a queen size bed with a 6'4" man, you don't get a lot of sleep.  But you don't mind it because you're on vacation and if you feel like it, you can take a nap at 1:00 pm...on the beach...in the shade of course.

I truly am trying to find the will to find a cute, fun outfit and accessorize - I really am.  But in all reality I would much rather be wearing my swimsuit with some sweats over it - dawning no make up - looking like sasquatch because that's how you vacation on a lake!

I know when you see this outfit you might think, "Yeah, that's what I wear on days I didn't feel like showering, Jessa."  I know - you see while I did shower today, it's what I feel like wearing.  This is what I would LOVE to be wearing right now.  Seriously - I love everything this outfit is.  Quick.  Comfy.  Doesn't care.    Seriously I would wear this if I had the choice - right freaking now.

 1. Here. 2. Here. 3. Here. 4. Here. 5. Here.

So yeah, the t-shirt and jeans.  They're my bread and butter.  If you want to know what I actually wear most days - its t-shirts and jeans like these.  I have one pair of skinny jeans - the rest are boot cut.  And I would totally buy that orange shirt because it's on clearance right now and then you take another 50% off clearance, which is my kind of sale!
Also - that hat.  I have about 4 different military style hats like this - and I love each and every one of them dearly.  They're a Saturday-morning-milk-run staple!  While this hat screams "I did not want to do my hair today" I still think it's crazy cute.  And yes, I included Toms yet again because I'm still pining for them.  I need to just cave and purchase them already.  And by the way - the Cords Classics are calling to me a little too.  The bag is there because it's pretty.  It's far too big for me to be practical, but honestly that rarely matters when it comes to cute bags.


And here are some other things that caught my eye during my browsing today:

 Found here.

That's right - an adorable chevron chair.  Trendy?  Yes, but still so adorable that I want it really, really bad.

Found Here.

 I love this.  I just do.  I want to put it in my master bathroom for some punch-you-in-the-face color.  It's needed.

 Found Here.

Seriously, luggage is something you should just go ahead and spend the extra money on.  I need new luggage desperately.  For this last vacation I used a really old, falling apart carry on and my husband's gym bag.  Sad?  Yes, but it's all we have right now in the way of luggage.  The last large rolling duffel we bought is masculine and so my husband used it which left me with nothing.  Did I mention that my old red suitcase ripped somewhere between New York and Italy?  So its my turn for new luggage and I LOVE Roxy brand luggage.  Mostly because its colorful and you can always tell it apart from the 1200 other black suitcases at baggage claim.  And this is so cute too!!

 Found Here.

Yep - another white watch I want.  They're just so summery.  I want one something fierce.

 Found Here.

I love the ruffle embellishment.  Cute and simple - just the way I like my flats.

Found here.

And again we have a ruffle shirt because I can't get enough.  I also love this oatmeal color.  Is it just me or does it give off the impression that it's more comfortable than other colors?

Alright well that's all for today.  Hopefully next week will be more inspiring and less bum-like.  What are some of your finds?