Animals, Etc.

Skirt: Marshalls; Bag: Betsey Johnson, Macy's; Shoes: Chaps, Kohl's

Belts: Mom's closet; Orange bracelet: B Fabulous; Other bracelets: Mixit, JCPenney; Rhinestone fringe barrette: INC, Macy's; Jeweled bobby pins: Michaels

Flashy Fly Necklace

Top: Express

Bag: Violet Ray, Kohl's; Shoes: Wanted, Modcloth

Top: New York & Company

Top: Nine West, Kohl's; Skirt: Merona, Target

Bag: Zulily; Shoes: Anne Michelle, JCPenney

Sparkly Stripes Necklace

When the flashy fly bit the sparkly striped zebra, a beautiful rainbow appeared.  So what if I'm plugging my own jewelry and, in the process, also violent insects?  That's my story and I'm sticking to it.  Much like the fly on that zebra hide.   

What can I say that I haven't already said?  I've got a lot of old and new pieces going on here.  The most unexpected is probably the blue Express top.  I rarely shop there because it's expensive and has kind of a corporate cougar vibe.  But this fluttery shirred shirt made me glad I wandered in one weekend.  It's so well made and different from anything I own that I wish I would've snagged its magenta and yellow sisters.  At the clearance price, I could've.  Then again, it's hard to wriggle into, so maybe it's just as well I didn't!  

The rainbow New York & Company and coral Nine West tops are more wearer (and wallet!) friendly.  The rainbow one's so roomy that I was able to gather it at the side with a hair tie, which I love. 

So that's the etc.  Now we'll bring it back home with the animals.  Here are the Sparkly Striped Zebra and Flashy Fly again, duking it out on a (partly) fluorescent flat lay.             

It isn't often that I make neutral-colored jewelry, so when I do, I want it to be Vegas-glitzy.  The Flamingo would've wanted it that way.   

And now I'll have to try my luck at finding a flamingo to wrangle into a necklace.

Squash Mishmosh Nosh: Hold the Bacon

Shoes: Shoe Carnival

Bag: SHEIN

Dress: Macy's

September Sunset Necklace

Skirt: Tinseltown, Macy's

Bag: Olivia Miller TJ Maxx

Scarf: Zulily

Bangles and ring: Mixit, JCPenney

Sweater: Wild Fable, Target

Shoes: Chaps, Kohl's

Bag: Elly & Ella, Amazon

Shoes: First Love by Penny Loves Kenny, JCPenney

Top: Self Esteem, Macy's

Normally, when I see green, orange, and yellow, I think citrus.  And then, of course, summer.  To be sure, there's an orange (both the color and the fruit) bag and barrette in this ensemble sampling.  But there's an orange sweater too, which shouts pumpkin (it looks red, but it's more of a Crayola red-orange), even if it is cropped and paired with a mini and sandals.  So, it's a real cornucopia of produce-based colors.  

What's a carnivore to do?

Make like Sheryl Crow and soak up the sun, I guess.

And then hightail it to Red Robin.

Horse With No Shame: How the West Was Fun

Top: Chaps, Kohl's

Camisole: Macy's

Boots: 2 Lips Too, Zulily

Cardigan thingy: Kohl's

Bag: Betsey Johnson, Marshalls

Scarf: Mossimo, Target

Remember those Stetson cologne commercials from the '90s?  The ones with the glamorous cowboy and cowgirl setting off on a horse for a night of romance?  (By the way, get ready for romance -- the word, not the thing -- because I'm going to use it a lot.)  I always found them intriguing, even if I never smelled the dubious drugstore scent they were hawking and knew better than to romanticize people who smell, not like adventure, but horse hide.  Maybe it's because I'm so firmly East Coast and am attracted to anything different.  Kind of like when Maine-bred interim Dunder Mifflin branch manager Deangelo Vickers (Will Ferrell) declared his love for paintings of the Southwest.  

That said, I think my love of western wear, both its bold serape stripes (I see you, Chaps sweatshirt) and blushing prairie florals (right on, Willa Cather-esque cardi), is rooted in delusion, er, idealism, much like Deangelo Vickers's.  It's a way for me to experience the wild west's romance without having to endure its hardscrabble reality. 

Because if there's anything I hate, then it's stuff described as hardscrabble.  

See above thing about smelly horses.

Sun Ripe Stripes and Other Hype: Hey, How's it Hanging, New Earrings?

Red/white stripe tee: Hollister, Marshalls
Navy/yellow stripe tee: Merona, Target
Serape stripe cowl neck: Chaps, Kohl's

Flirty Fruit Earrings 

Fiona Fox Earrings

Ice Cream Dream Earrings 

Friends, Romans, countrymen, lend me your ears . . . so that I may bedazzle them good and proper. (Because it doesn't get much more proper than Shakespeare, despite what you might've heard.)  That's right; I've made a fresh batch of bo danglers, one to represent each Tote Trove kitsch kingdom: Carnival Candy, Rustic Romance, and Twee Party.  Each pair is tiny but mighty -- meaning that it was a challenge for this bigger-is-better-and-gaudy-is-good proponent to keep them dainty.  But far be it from me to contribute to the over-stretched earlobe epidemic.  

Speaking of challenges, it took forever to steam the three striped tops in these pictures.  It was worth it, though, because they turned out nice and smooth instead of more wrinkled than when they started -- which is what usually happens when I'm wielding an iron.  This was especially exciting because -- bonus of bonuses -- it means that I get to wear them.  Tomorrow's supposed to be windy, so I'm looking at you, weird serape-inspired, wannabe-athletic cowl neck.  

There's something trendy yet timeless about a horizon of hip horizonals (also, about the group Vertical Horizon, but that's only because I've been listening to my Now That's What I Call 1990s Pop Alternative Edition CD).  To prove it, here's a list of (some of) the old-school fools who have rocked them:

Jailbirds

Mimes

Sailors

Where's Waldo (one week later, I'm still searching for him)

The Cat in the Hat

Piglet

The Hamburglar (not to be confused with the aforementioned jailbird)

Freddy Krueger (whom I despise but feel honor-bound to include because the husband swears that I sometimes wear his sweater)

Whether nautical or southwestern or a crazy mashup somewhere in between, stripes put the all-American (and all-Parisienne; see mime above) in jeans and jean skirts.  Neither of which are pictured here, but I can spend only so much time steaming.  And screaming.  

Which is my way of saying see you later.  

Golden Corral Wow: A Buffet of Baubles

 Rad Rhombus Necklace

Top: Express, Marshalls

Skirt: Rampage, Macy's

Shoes: City Streets, JCPenney

Bag: Delia's

Belt: Marshalls

Leopard scarf: Nine West

Yellow scarf: Boscov's

Blue scarf: Boscov's

Sunglasses: Brigantine beach shop

Kelly green bracelet: Parade of Shoes

Lime green bracelet: Cloud Nine, Ocean City

Sunshine Scramble Necklace

Top: Decree, JCPenney

Skirt (a dress!): Modcloth

Shoes: Nine West, DSW

Bag: Nordstrom

Belt: Gifted

Bangles: Target

Sunglasses: Brigantine beach shop 

Fancy Fox Necklace

Tunic: Petticoat Alley, Marshalls

Dress: Candie's, Kohl's

Shoes: Chaps, Kohl's

Bag: Apt. 9, Kohl's

Bangle: B Fabulous

Sunglasses: Brigantine beach shop

I've said it before, and I'll say it again: no outfit is complete without yellow.  Just like food is sawdust without butter, which just happens to be this same sunny shade.  (Coincidence?  I think not.)  Even the word "golden" is a charmer, so nice I used it twice, starting with last week's: Golden Girl Swirl and Three Cheers for Cheesecake.

So, I've added a healthy helping of bright yellow beads to this week's necklaces.  They illuminate everything in their orbit, making the blacks and tans more dramatic, the jewel-toned rainbows more cheerful, and the coppers more brightly burnished, like small, smoldering southwestern suns -- or corn off the cob mixed with colorful veggies.

For the record, I've never eaten at a Golden Corral, and I never plan to.  Buffets aren't my bag unless they're of the brunch or dessert variety, as both offer decadent delights like Danish, brownies, and fruit with whipped cream.  

Speaking of temptations, what I've come to call "the experiment" is still going strong as I enter month four.  My laundry pile is approaching staggering heights as I continue my mission to wear everything in my closet before initiating the next spin cycle -- or shopping spree.  I'm not going to lie; I miss buying clothes the way some women miss eating chocolate -- and incidentally, have since upped my cocoa consumption.    

And now, before I ride off into the, er, sunset, some pictures in the palette of PacMan: