Challenge Week! Thursday: Yellow Boots and Purple and Red

Have you dropped me a suggestion, request or challenge for my birthday week yet? Get on it! There are prizes! One day left!

So many awesome suggestions! I have enjoyed reading all your great ideas - thank you! Today's winners (I like the extra challenge of mixing more than one idea) are...

Roberta! Who said, "The first time I saw your blog you were wearing the "Big Bird" boots. I was immediately a fan. I love yellow and own a lot of it and wish, wish, wish I had yellow boots.

Can you make an outfit based on those boots and anything new to you that supports their fabulosity? i particularly love yellow with red and/or purple, but your choice rules!"

And Tat! Who suggested, "How about a purple and turquoise outfit, or purple and red for a truly regal birthday treat?"

Well, those are both fabulous suggestions, and nicely overlap. Here's what I did:
This is my birthday skirt from a couple of years ago, my new-ish red cardigan, and a purple cami underneath. I love a pattern with a few wild colours in it - it's so fun to pull those colours out.

But of course, it's all about the boots:

Vizzini is watching from the hall. I see Inigo there too - he's set up residence on my flattened backpack.

The boots got a lot of comments at work today. I love them so much...but man, my poor feet are sore! I even had inserts in them! I won't be wearing heels tomorrow, that's for sure!

The stuff:

Ooh, I love all those colours together!

Ladies, drop me an email and we'll start the conversation about your prizes! Thank you again for the fun suggestions!

Cardigan (consignment, no label), cami (InWear), skirt (Le Chateau), boots (Aldo, consignment), belt (Plum), ring (Aldo Accessories), earrings (don't remember).

Challenge Week! Wednesday: The Periodic Table of Awesome and Not Hallowe'en-y

Have you dropped me a suggestion, request or challenge for my birthday week yet? Get on it! There are prizes! Two days left!

First of all, Vizzini is fine after his little operation - he is very stoned and lovey and is sitting on my lap whuffling away as I type this.

Back to the challenge! Today is a two-way tie, sort of: Patti requested, "I'd love to see your Periodic Table of Elements skirt again, with sweater, hose and shoes of your choosing."

Anonymous (that frequent commenter) also asked, "Could you show us how to wear orange and black without it looking too Halloween-y?"

Patti, I was actually thinking of wearing this skirt again soon - I've only worn it the one time so far - so your suggestion was right in my sweet spot.

Anonymous, great request! Orange and black are so good together, but how to not look Hallowe'en-y?

Here's what I did: I pulled in a neutral that is close to orange (you could also pull in grey instead of camel, and play off the black) to break up the contrast between orange and black. Namely, these fab boots that haven't been worn since last November (shocking, I know).

I also added the brown belt (it has a floral cut-out pattern on it) and the pumpkin-coloured flower at my waist. I figured the floral theme would also distract from the overt Hallowe'en colour combo, along with the brown accents.

The periodic table print also has gold flowers on it:

I wish I could have these exact boots made of leather. These are such awful quality, but I love the look of them so much. They made my bare legs sweat today.

The stuff:

All nice orange-y and brown vibes going on. That doesn't look like Hallowe'en at all!

I pulled out the bronze of the belt and did bronze accessories:

I guess I should have worn Cu (copper) or Zn (zinc) to really match the skirt, hee hee.

Patti, please email me and let's start the conversation about your prizes! Well done! Thank you for the awesome inspiration!

Anonymous, since you didn't sign your name to your comment, I can't verify if someone emails and claims to be you, so I'm afraid you can only claim the glory of a winning suggestion as your prize. Sorry!

Cardigan (Kersh), cami (Plum), skirt (Smoking Lily, consignment), boots (Outline, consignment), belt, earrings (Plum), bracelet (Jacob).

Challenge Week! Tuesday: Shiny Green Skirt and Fall Colour Blocking

Have you dropped me a suggestion, request or challenge for my birthday week yet? Get on it! There are prizes!

Today, it's a three-way tie: EvaNadine said, "(1) i would like to see an outfit comprised of your most favorite-of-favorite pieces. we know you love so many of your clothes (especially some of those amazing shoes!) so i would like to see the pieces that hit the very tip-top of YOUR list.

(2) hows about an outfit made up of some of the oldest pieces in your closet? since you rotate and consign clothes so often, we see lots of new-to-you items, but im interested in seeing what some of the oldest pieces are that you have hung on to."

And Victoria said, "I just love 2 of your skirts - the green vintage Alfred Sung skirt (from this post) and your Smoking Lily "chair" skirt. If you could take one of this skirts (on your choice), pair it with some bold colors and make it around "autumn butterfly" theme, i think it would be quite an interesting and inspiring outfit."

And Kristen said, "I want to see you do some kickbutt color blocking -- no patterns, just solid, unexpected colors."

EvaNadine: Yes, I do have a lot of favourite-of-favourites - half of which are now in storage for the winter! Many of those favourites also happen to be older in my wardrobe. If you've been reading Ephemera for a while, you know that I weed out my closet regularly. I don't keep things that I don't love. I also have very little in my closet that's older than 4 years, simply due to the fact that more than 4 years ago, I was 50 lbs heavier.

Victoria: The Smoking Lily chair skirt is now in storage, but I haven't worn the Alfred Sung one for ages. Your suggestions for bold colours and "autumn butterfly" were really inspiring!

Kristen: You suggested colour-blocking first. You win too!

Anyway, here's what I did: I've had this Mexx blouse for about 3 years. It's silky but washable, the shirring down the front is hugely flattering (and hides everything I want to hide!), it's a great colour and the style is classic. I've been through many button-downs, but this shirt always makes the cut. I've worn it under vests, layered with tons of things, mostly dressed-up, going back to August 2009. Love.

This is indeed my classic Alfred Sung skirt that I got in 2009: With pumpkin tights! I love the mint green shade, but it's tricky to wear with other colours. By adding the cinnamon-coloured cami, the neutral dark brown blouse and the dark shoes, I showcase the skirt. The tights were picked up on sale at Esprit a few months ago. I am loving that pumpkin colour.

I also wanted to use my new bag that I got at the Vintage Fair on the weekend: Such a classic shape!

But first, the stuff:Once I figured out these shoes (which I also LOVE, last wore in April, but first got in June 2008), they really tied everything together. Because really, the oldest things I have in my wardrobe are actually accessories, specifically, my Grandma J's pieces that she gave me. My copper set, above, are from the mid-50s, by Renoir.

I was lucky enough to find this other pair of Renoir earrings at the Vintage Fair as well as the purse:I love copper for jewelry, and considering that these are probably over 50 years old, I still think they look surprisingly modern. They were $8.

Okay, back to the purse: Isn't that cool? I love the green leather-look top with the olive green sueded bottom.

I didn't know the name, but looked it up when I got home: Wow, Tod's is a huge brand. Very chi-chi, very pricey - over $1,000! new. Of course, my purse is a total knock-off. Tod's doesn't make non-leather purses, especially ones that are tagged "Made in China" inside. I'm not upset or anything - I think I have a beautiful fake!

Check out the interior:That's a pear on the left.

This bag was $4. I think that's a score no matter what name is stamped on it.

So, ladies, please email me and let's start the conversation about your prizes! Well done! Thank you for the awesome inspiration!

Blouse (Esprit), cami (InWear), skirt (Alfred Sung, vintage 80s, consignment), shoes (Hale Bob), all jewelry (Renoir, vintage 50s, Grandma J's cuff and necklace).

Bonus picture of Vizzini: He's getting neutered tomorrow. Wish him luck!

Challenge Week! Monday: Sailor, Skulls and Yellow Shoes

Have you dropped me a suggestion, request or challenge for my birthday week yet? Get on it! There are prizes!

Today's winner is Lorena! She suggested, "I want to see you wear a vintage white sailor like shirt you have, it has a black bow. I am not sure if you can remove the bow, but if you can i would love to see you replace it with the skull scarf. This paired up with black trousers (for a change) and your tsubo yellow shoes."

Well, Lorena, I like that you know my wardrobe so well that you requested every piece. This really made my Monday easier - I didn't have to think! Drop me an email and we'll sort out what your prize will be!

Here's how the outfit turned out: Don't forget to check out Visible Monday over at Patti's! Of course, I'm visible. I'm in a skull scarf with yellow shoes!

This is a vintage top that I bought several years ago (pre-weight loss). It has an original, removeable bow (click here for a picture), that I replaced with my floofy skull scarf. These are my black suit pants (last worn in April 2010, yikes!), and of course, these are my Kraft Dinner yellow Tsubos. Lorena has these same ones...hmmm...I wonder if she's just test-driving this outfit!

I'm reminded again why I don't really like black dress pants. Ugh.

I guess they aren't too bad, but so BORING. Thank goodness the blouse was very groovy, especially with my piratical scarf!

It's been very chilly in the mornings, so I got to break out my new coat:

It's a very thin suede, and I am just in love lately with deconstructed collars like this. It's fun to play with. This was $79.99 on sale at Le Chateau about a month ago. They had them in brown, tan and camel as well, but I've been looking at more olive greens than almost any other colour right now.

The back:

I like all that fabric. Heh, and I guess my bum looks pretty good in the pants! Thanks for the great idea, Lorena!

The stuff:

I do like the yellow with the black and white pattern.

Jacket (Le Chateau), blouse (Mr. Mort, vintage), pants (Max Studio), scarf (Metrowear, San Francisco), shoes (Tsubos).

Now, who will it be tomorrow? I have a "business formal" work event to go to, followed by my WW meeting, so it's going to be dressy. So many ideas....will it be yours??

Weekend Stuff - Putting Summer Away

Check out my Reader Challenge (With Prizes!). Please leave a comment! I'll be picking a suggestion every day and workin' it as best as I can - and you could get something cool from my closet if I pick your request!

Anyway, here's Friday's outfit:My leather vest gets another wear, and my loud, flappy denim skirt gets its first outing in a couple of months.

I love this fitted and flared look. This is a new-to-me blouse that I picked up for $2.00 in the thrift store a week or so ago. I love the pattern and the nice fit, plus it's cotton. Score!

I'm also wearing my lovely Fluevog booties:

I thought they added a nice steampunk vibe to this.

The blouse is actually Tommy Hillfigger - it says so on the label (duh), but also on the buttons, and it had this one little flag on one cuff:

I don't like advertising my brands, but that's okay with me.

Blouse (Tommy Hillfigger, thrifted), vest (Cabi, thrifted), skirt (InWear, consignment), booties (Bellevues Libby Smith, Fluevog).

Yesterday, I went to WW and then met up with Elaine for the Vintage Fair - it was a blast! I found some amazing pieces: clothing, accessories, jewelry!

Although there were many people there dressed up in vintage, I went with a more practical outfit for lots of walking and shopping:

Going for a cowboy look - this dress always seems like that to me! I adore this dress - it's so comfortable! That's my Shi Studio cowboy belt buckle.

I was very good this year and took my three favourite pairs of walking boots to the cobbler for new heels. $65 (ouch, but worth it!) later, I'm all set for 6 more months of hard walking out of my best boots. These are my Miz Mooz walking boots.

Good job, Sheila! Take care of your boots!

Dress ("Love Dress O" Bodybag by Jude, consignment), belt/buckle (Shi Studios), boots (Miz Mooz).

I took a couple of pictures on the way to the Fair. There were some big cedar trees on the way:

Woo, that makes me dizzy just looking at it!

Many of the newer homes in my neighbourhood still have remnants of the old manor house gates:

Isn't that cool?

Today, I went out to get groceries:

My other awesome walking boots, my skinny cropped jeans, a new purple/red striped tee, and a new-to-me velvet jacket.

The tee was an extra 40% off at Dots, so it was $14.99. The jacket is a fingertip length chalkstripe - it was $6.50 in a thrift store several months ago (it was way too hot to wear this!). I thought it was black until I got out in brighter light and found out it's dark navy!

Vizzini helped me.

The purple bag is also new-to-me - it was $32 on consignment a few weeks back. It's vinyl, but I loved the colour, the size, and it seems to be good quality, although it has no label. Since I am closer to work now, I don't need to pack all my clothes into a backpack - I can carry a bag. This is a novelty to me, but it also means I'm going to start rotating in some of my cool bags on a more regular basis (and yeah, I'll probably buy more).

Jacket (Ann Taylor, thrifted), tee (Jackpot), jeans (Jackpot, swap from Caro), boots (Aldo, consignment), purse (no label, consignment).

I have to admit, I do love to shop (no! you would never have guessed) and I do have a LOT of pieces in my closet. I've been wanting to do a bit of a long-term challenge again lately, because while it's easy to make exciting new outfits out of new/new-to-me clothes, it's more fulfilling to me to create outfits out of things I already have. And the less I have to choose from, the more challenging that is!

I bought some under-bed Rubbermaid containers yesterday with the intent of actually removing my spring/summer wardrobe completely from my closet. I started with a jam-packed closet:

Ignore that plaid dress hanging on the door. I'll be wearing it soon (yes, it was a score).

Got my step-stool for the high shelves and my garbage can ready for all the little bits I find in there. I'm really bad about leaving labels and receipts in my closet. It gets messy.

I have this piece of art. Every closet needs art. This is a handmade tile mounted on the orange wood board.

There's a little origami flower that my work-friend Fiona made for me - it's stuck in the left side of the top of the mirror.

I started with the sweater shelves, removed everything, cleaned off the shelves.

I weeded through, removing my lighter and short-sleeved sweaters and cardigans. Some I'll be giving away, some I packed up for next spring.

Then I folded it all nice and put it back. My hats on the top shelf (and I have a wedding to go to soon, so I'll have somewhere to wear one!), my small purses on the next down.

My vests are also included there. I fold them rather than hanging them.

Pulling out shoes was hard! Limiting my shoe options made me sad, but I can imagine how fun it will be to take my sandals out again in 6 months. I'll probably have forgotten half of them!

Party shoes, some crazy stuff. Patterns and funky styles.

I pulled out over a dozen pairs of summer shoes. The added space meant I could elevate my three pairs of Fluevog booties to the middle shelf instead of the floor.

Those are 11 pairs of Fluvogs (plus my new Ralph Laurens at the end).

The shoes I've started delving into lately. Suedes, metallics, darker colours.

Again, the added space let me put my wooden mules, my combat boots and my two other pairs of short booties on the bottom shelves. A few pairs of flats are left on the floor.

My scarves got weeded - I have a lot to give away! Um, yes, I do keep them in a shoebox. But it's a pretty shoebox at least.

I keep my belts in velvet hatboxes. The front one has my soft belts, my wraps and obis and my chain belts. The other two are my more rigid belts, stored by width.

Here's my tub of clothes I chose to remove (the other one was already under the bed):

And that's the tub of shoes that are going into storage. Look at all the hangers I removed!

I have mostly wooden hangers and some velvet ones, and all kinds of pant/skirt hangers. I am like Joan Crawford, however, in that I hate wire hangers. I know when I have to use a wire hanger, it's time to clean out the closet.

Of course, the cats helped. Inigo keeps an eye on things from the safety of the first clothing box.

Ah, I love seeing all my boots! I have a nice collection now, although I'd like another coloured pair. Purple or blue would be cool.

*daydreams about boots*

Vizzini prepared to launch himself at Inigo:

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There was a bit of a ruckus in the boots following this.

I was pleased at figuring out a way to store my bits and pieces of things I usually have tucked around on the shelves (messy). I took a long piece of grossgrain ribbon and thumb-tacked it onto the front of the shoe shelves:

I pinned my floral brooches to it, stuck a few more push-pins in and hung my measuring tape from one. I also used bulldog clips for things like my extra Fluevog laces - Vizzini has a ravenous appetite for aglets, so they need to be out of his way.

I always need safety pins so I pinned some of those to it as well:

I needed a way to store my loose belt buckles; they were taking up too much shelf space before.

I clipped them with a bulldog clip, then hung that from another push-pin.

I do believe I am a genius. Ha!

My nicely-thinned out tops and long skirts:

Much less crammed.

My dresses:

I decided to separate day dresses from those that are strictly nighttime. See that playing card at the far end? That's attached to my party dress for my birthday party. Whatever could it be?

My skirts, all happy to have lots of room:

I see so many good skirts!

My lovely jackets:

I am excited to start wearing these again. There are two new ones there!

Walking boots on the left! Dressy boots on the far right!

Closet...ready! I have just over 200 pieces of clothes and boots/shoes. Let's see how it goes! I'll trade out my wardrobe again in 6 months, on April 1st.

Don't forget to leave a request for what you'd like to see this week!

Reader Challenge - With Prizes!

All right, this is a special week coming up - it's my birthday next Sunday! Woo! I will be an old bag of 44, in case you were wondering. Hee!

I have a special challenge to thank all of my readers, but first a shout-out to Rhonda (I think that was your name, so sorry if I misheard you!), a reader from my town who spotted me at the Vintage Fair yesterday! So nice to meet you! This is my third time being recognized - it's a thrill every time.

Okay, the challenge. From Monday to Friday this week, I want ideas from you for what you want to see me wear. It could be a repeat of a favourite outfit, some piece I haven't worn in ages, a "how to wear...?" question, or anything else that I can express through my wardrobe. The best five that I choose (based on my own opinion, which may lean towards whatever catches my fancy, and will not be based on the person submitting the idea) to carry out will each receive a gift from my closet (which I am cleaning out for fall/winter today), so be creative!

Prizes! I love prizes! You can have your choice of type of item from my personal collection. For example, if you're not my size, you can request an accessory. If you are in my size range (4-8 US/10 UK/ 38-40 Euro, shoe is a 9-9.5 US/40 Euro), you can choose top/bottom/dress/ shoes, etc. I also have some vintage in larger sizes, so if that rings your bell, I'll see what I can do. In the end, I'll choose the actual item that I want to give up. If you don't like it or it doesn't fit, them's the breaks. Just pass it along to someone else who will like it, or donate it.

This is a non-sponsored event. I will send things out of the goodness of my heart (I'll even pay the shipping), to thank you for your loyal readership, friendship and bloggy love. I don't expect anything in return (but if you see something that screams out "Sheila!" who am I to say no to a gesture of thanks?).

Anyway, time's a-wasting as tomorrow's Monday and I'll need an outfit! I'm excited to see what you come up with. Get crackin'!