Mega Giveaway: $40 from inpink.com- 300 winners [closed]

I love jewelry. I love it so much that Chris had to hang a pegboard in my closet for it all. I recently got a bangle set and a necklace set from inpink.com, and I realized that I'm going to need a second pegboad wall because mine is only going to get fuller now that I've learned about them. Connie, the owner of inpink.com, contacted me to see if I would like to do a giveaway on Adored Austin. I looked through their site and loved everything; there is truly something for every woman at In Pink. They have colorful bangles, understated silver jewelry, and even an adorable owl necklace. With an average price point of around $20, a $40 gift certificate will get you a couple of really great things. If you can't decide what to get, they even offer a live chats with a stylist or email advice to help you style up your new baubles.

When she told me she wanted to give away 300 $40 gift certificates I thought that surely she had a typo. Three winners, perhaps? I double checked. Nope. THREE HUNDRED Adored Austin readers will win! This is the greatest giveaway ever done at Adored Austin!

To be eligible, please check out inpink.com, pick out your favorite item and then fill out the form below. As always, no need to retweet or follow social media links or reblog for additional entries. Please only one entry per person (share the wealth!). The 300 winners will be chosen at random, and you have a really good chance at winning, so go get browsing! Your gift certificate will arrive in the mail, beautifully packaged (proof). Feel free to use it yourself or give it as a gift.

EDIT: form removed. Entry period over. List of winners to be published soon.

Please check out INPINK: online shop | Facebook | Twitter

West coast lazy

Sorry for not posting Monday and Tuesday. I went to visit my family in California for a long weekend, and I thought for sure they'd have a computer with the internet on it by now. Wrong. My family's CTR computer still has Windows 98 on it and was not online.

So I did almost nothing. I visited with one college friend, Meg

and spent the rest of the time reading my new Kindle and laying around house (I bought it barely used on Craigslist from a teenager who got an iPad so didn't want his Kindle anymore). It is marvelous. In three days, I read Bossypants, The Help, and now I'm reading The Happiness Project. Next up is Becoming Odyssa, and I've pre-ordered Is Everyone Hanging Out Without Me, which isn't even out until November. I'm going to Boston in a week from Saturday and then Indiana at the end of September. I loved having my e-reader so much that I got Chris a Nook Color so he can get on it, too.

Since I'm obviously an addict, do you have any good book recommendations for me?

Review: Sewing in a Straight Line

Last summer, I did not even know how to turn on my sewing machine, so I took a class at Stitch Lab and fell in love with sewing, but here's the thing: I'm not very good at it. In fact, I've said that the only thing I can do is sew straight lines. That's why I was so excited when one of my readers told me about Brett Bara's book "Sewing in a Straight Line: Quick and Easy Projects You Can Make by Simply Sewing Straight". I pre-ordered this back in April and read it cover to cover when I got it in the mail on Tuesday.

This book is really fun. It covers basic sewing knowledge in the beginning and is written in what I imagine to be the voice of a very patient, kind, cool, and whip smart slightly older sister. There are 28 projects in the book, about half of which are clothes and accessories (the other half are home decor projects, like cool Urban Outfitters-like quilts and darling duvet covers). The clothes are really remarkable. I was most struck by the cover skirt and the "first time's a charm cardi" (below). I spent all day Friday trying to make the cardigan:

Here's a tip: follow the instructions when it comes to fabric recommendations. I really wanted to use the yellow chiffon I've had in my fabric stash for a while, so I started using that. Big mistake. Huge. I've never worked with chiffon before, and I had the darndest time cutting it and learning how to do a French seam so it wouldn't fray. It made the dimensions of my cardigan all off, but it's not completely unwearable:

But all that is my fault, not the book's or not Brett Bara's.

As you may be able to tell, the photographs in the book are gorgeous! The styling is spot on, and the instructions are really simple but fully explained. The only thing I didn't like were the illustrations in the beginning of the book that showed things like a measuring tape. Pretty sure if you're buying this book, you know what a measuring tape looks like. The pictures were so beautiful that I think they could have done away with the cheesy drawings and put their stylish photographs in the intro, too.

The book is great for a woman who is somewhat new to sewing. I recommend it for someone who already knows how to use their machine and has made simple things like curtains or cloth napkins or pillows before. If you can do a pillow, you can do everything in this book. There's even some great videos to go along with the book on Brett Bara's blog.

I'm taking on a this skirt and a summer shirred dress next!

Buy Sewing in a Straight Line here on Amazon and check out Brett Bara's blog: Manhattan Craft Room.

Giveaway: Maya Brenner sterling state necklace [closed]

I have an extraordinary amount of state pride, and each day I feel my Texas pride starting to swell more and more. That may be directly related to the fact that my name is a state, but nonetheless, I love Indiana and I now love Texas. When Maya Brenner asked if she could send me a Texas state necklace, I hesitated for a nanosecond. What would Indiana think? Would this dramatically shift my Hoosier state pride to Texas? They made sure I didn't have to agonize long over which state to wear by offering to send me both an Indiana necklace and a Texas necklace, which you may have been admiring from my previous outfit post:

Texas 14k gold with diamond | Indiana sterling silver

I love them! They're really dainty but super sturdy, and they instantly cause friendly folks to strike up a conversation with you. "Is that an Indiana necklace? My grandma lives in Indiana!" "Cool Texas necklace. Did you grow up in Texas?"

I'm so excited that Maya Brenner has offered one very lucky Adored Austin reader the chance to have her own sterling silver state necklace. Celebrities are huge fans of these neckalces, and now you, too, can wear one and attempt to rival me for the title "Most State Pride, Ever". I'd like to get a state necklace for each of the states I've called home.

All 50 states are available as are some countries (Japan, the UK, Australia, and France. Africa is also available). Check 'em out here, and fill out the form below to be entered to win.

[Form removed. Entry period over.]

As always, no need to Tweet or reblog this for additional entries. Please only one entry per person. When you have time, check out:

Maya Brenner: Shop | Twitter | Facebook
Adored Austin: Weekly Adoration Newsletter | Google Friend Connect | Bloglovin' | Facebook | Twitter

I look like a florist boxer

Auditions are a strange thing. I had a commercial audition yesterday where I had to dress as a florist in a boxing match. No, not a florist at a boxing match... a florist in a boxing match.

I wore this dress with some khaki pants, my PB&J floral wedges, and an apron. I wore my usual messed up pony tail. I planned to take this Mrs. Skrotch-like dress back to Target immediately after my audition (Bee pointed out that the print is feathers not flowers), but then I remembered that I have to hang on to it until after callbacks (you're supposed to dress exactly how you dressed for each subsequent round of auditions). I do rather like the print, so I've decided to just keep it forever:

date: 22 July 2011 | occasion: commercial audition
dress: Target | blouse: self made | belt: Target | sandals: c/o Wanted (Buy One Get One Free right now!) | Texas necklace: c/o Maya Brenner

I believe this is one of the strangest things I've auditioned for. Nope. Never mind. Scratch that. I once got called in to Barney to audition for the part of "Mother Nature". When I got there, I had to sing a Mary Poppins song and learn a dance to a song called "Rock like a Monkey". Nanny Monkey Mother Nature was by far stranger than Florist Boxer. I didn't book the Barney gig, but my fingers are crossed for this Florist Boxer job.

Thank you, Mrs. Skrotch

I always forget my loyalty card when I go to the grocery store, so they always ask me for my phone number, and I always give them the number I had way back in the day in college in California. Someone else has that number now, and her name is Mrs. Skrotch (say it out loud!). So whenever they hand me my receipt, it's always, "Thank you, Mrs. Skrotch!" and I laugh and laugh and laugh because I have the sense of humor of a 4th grade boy. It's become a running joke in our family, and now every time I wear a dress that is a tad too short, I refer to myself as Mrs. Skrotch.

This Delightful Dozen vintage feather dress has been making the rounds for eight months. Can you believe it? I believe that Jen and I are the tallest of the Delightful Dozen (5'8''/ 5'9''), so things that work on the other girls are often scandalously too short on me (thus, my moniker Mrs. Crotch Skrotch). This dress was like a hip length t-shirt on me, as are a lot of really great vintage dresses. Alas, I've become an expert at turning too short dresses into skirts or wearing them as tunics. Proof:

I am wearing this with what may be my new favorite shoes. I own a lot of shoes from Wanted, but these Babe Oxfords might be my absolute favorite. The detailing is awesome and I can picture them with everything! Beware. You are going to see these a lot from here on out. I'm certain of it!

Turtle power! A turtle necklace is better than a turtleneck.

The print is so detailed!

date: 21 July 2011 | occasion: Evie Evan consultation
vintage blouse: Savers | dress (as skirt): Sally Jane Vintage via Delightful Dozen | belt: came free with a skirt from Maurice's | turtle necklace: c/o Lulu*s (similar) | oxfords: c/o Wanted

I'll have to do a little video to show you how I rig dresses to be skirts. I don't just tuck my shirt in and belt it; I have a tried and true technique. You tall ladies need to know how to do this, too, so you can borrow your shorter friends' dresses and not be Mrs. Skrotch in them. Tutorial coming soon!

[UPDATE: Tutorial here on the Delightful Dozen blog]

See how the rest of the Delightful Dozen wore this dress:

Review: Stop Staring

When Stop Staring contacted me to ask me if I'd be interested in styling up one of their vintage inspired dresses, I almost passed. Then Chris walked by and saw me browsing their inventory online.
"What's that?"
"Oh, this company wants to know if they can send me a dress. They're not really my style..."
But then he did it. "It" being this: he has this way of cocking his eyebrow, and without saying a word, I can tell exactly what he's thinking.
"You should get one of those dresses!"
And his eyebrow was right! I'd been complaining about being stuck in a rut style-wise, so this would be a great opportunity to try a new brand and to branch out. The result:

date: 16 July 2011 | occasion: dinner at Musashino
dress: c/o Stop Staring | wedges: Shoe Carnival (similar- nicer) | opal ring: gift from Chris (similar)

When I first tried on this dress, my initial inclination was to hem it to someplace above my knee, but my best friend Bee told me to just leave it alone. Always listen to your best friend, right? I'm glad I did. In hindsight, I think if it were any shorter, I'd be in Snooki territory. Leopard print is tricky. On one hand it can be pretty and classic, but in the wrong cut or the wrong fabric, you can easy skew into Snooki or Peggy Bundy style. Thankfully the luxe fabric and vintage silhouettes of this Stop Staring dress kept me in the not-trashy category, and they have a ton more gorgeous styles to choose from. I can't wait to style this up again with some higher heels and better hair and make-up. Va-va-va-voom! Check them out at their site or see some of their frocks on ModCloth. I highly recommend them and so does Bee and Chris' eyebrow.

Wanna see what I did after our nice dinner?

Finalists: Sheer Embarrassment- Lulu*s $75 gift card prize

Whoa. Intern Rachel and I have had the hardest time narrowing down the entries in last month's "Sheer Embarrassment" contest. I invited readers to share their most embarrassing summer stories (I shared my "I peed my pants at Epcot" story) and the one that made us laugh the most would win.

There were a ton of entries. Y'all have some really humiliating stories! We got it down to two really great stories, and neither Intern Rachel nor I are able to choose the winner. We decided to have Stephanie over at Lulu*s choose. All of the stories were stomach clutching/ tears from laughing hilarious, but alas, we had to narrow it down, so we finally got it down to these two. Get ready to laugh...

Winner: High Gloss Fashion giveaway

Thank you to everyone who entered and congrats to the winner! Be sure to check out High Gloss Fashion to see all their new inventory. Keep your eyes peeled or subscribe to the Adored Austin newsletter for a very special 50% off High Gloss Fashion flash sale soon.

Summer blaze(r)

I picked up this mustard yellow blazer a couple weekends ago at "Gucci Goodwill" with Sydney and Linda.

"How is that crazy broad wearing a blazer? It's been over 100º in Austin for weeks!" Yes, that's true, but -seriously- someone needs to sit these Texans down and talk to them about using air conditioning in moderation. When you go inside anywhere, it feels like a walk-in freezer! I always have to keep a blazer or jacket with me.

date: 15 July 2011 | occasion: Trees of Lyres show at Thunderbird
dress: Francesca's | blazer: thrifted, Goodwill | loafers: thrifted, Thrift Town

But that's okay. I love blazers. How much, you ask? This much:

Blazers, blazers, I love you
'Though it's not office work that I do
Over dresses or with jeans
Autumn, winter, summer, spring
With a blazer, no arms I bare
Protects me from cold, over- conditioned air
Yes, I'll take a blazer any time
I love 'em so much that I wrote this rhyme.

Introducing the Adored Austin weekly email

I am going to start emailing you. Well, only if you want me to. There are so many things that I'd love to share with you: Austin events (like this one tomorrow), awesome sales I see online (like the Cynthia Rowley and Anna Sui dresses on Amazon's MyHabit.com), other bloggers that I dig (ahem, A Pair and A Spare), weird dreams I had, and other such things that don't quite make a full blog post. So, once a week I'm going to start sending out an Adored Austin email full of these goodies and maybe a horrible MSPaint doodle or two. You don't have to be an Austin resident for this email to be applicable to you, but if you are an Austin resident, there will be a calendar section that has some of my favorite events listed. Sign up below:

[if the form didn't work for you, you can sign up here]

Swing your partner round and round

Did you ever take square dancing as part of physical education in elementary school? I did and it was so awkward. Fourth grade: I was paired up with Matt Followell who was really cool and really popular whereas I was really uncool and really smelly (thus causing my unpopularity). On one hand I felt sorry for Matt, having to be paired up with me, but on the other hand, I knew we were going to rock it because I was a dynamite dancer. It was true. We were awesome (well, as awesome as fourth graders could be at something) and for me, the only bummer about square dancing in P.E. is the fact that we girls did not get to wear the fluffy skirts that square dancers are known for. I really wanted a fluffy skirt to go with my ace square dancing skills.

A billionty years later, I got my wish:

And I'm probably still awesome at square dancing.

Well, probably still awesome for a fourth grader.

And definitely better than Jude. I mean, he can't even stand up on his own, yet.

date: 12 July 2011 | occasion*: Chipotle dinner
skirt: Smashion | leotard: American Apparel outlet | belt: vintage, Thrift Town | wedges: c/o Wanted | diaper bag: Timi & Leslie (here) | elephant necklace: Buffalo Exchange (similar) | earrings: Francesca's

*Note: In my humble opinion, one does not need an occasion to don a square dancing skirt. If you got it, flaunt it.

By the way, I would really like hipsters to declare that square dancing is cool. I would really like there to be ample opportunities to wear this skirt and square dance in Austin. Can we collectively agree to make this happen, people?

Do not try this at home.

There are certain things that people should not buy at thrift stores. Chief among them? Lingerie.

But I really, really wanted a bedroom jacket to wear with jeans or over lace dresses, and I knew that Savers was the place to find such a thing on the cheap. They have a whole rack of pajamas and other unmentionables.

So I did it. I checked my gag reflexes at the door and I bought a piece of used lingerie from Savers. I shudder to think what went on inside this bedroom jacket before this bedroom jacket came to live with me. Eeeew! Let's never think about that again!

I checked for questionable stains and ran a thorough sniff test. It passed and honestly? It was exactly what I had in mind. Since it was quite long, I hacked off twelves inches and pretended that I got this from some nice, sweet, small town department store BRAND NEW (lies!).

date: 11 July 2011 | occasion: errands

cami: Tara Jarmon for Target (last seen here) | bedroom jacket: thrifted, Savers | Charlie Baby Boot cut jeans: c/o Lucky Brand | sandals: c/o Bucco Capensis (here) | gold aviators: SoLa (same)

If you'll notice, everything else in this outfit post is new or was new to me originally. This means I'm only wearing one piece of barf inducing clothing. This should be one's limit, wouldn't you say?

Anyone else buy anything gross at the thrift store? No? Just me. Okay. I'll pretend I'm not ashamed.

The danger of dresses

Shoes and a dress. Some people would say that that hardly counts as creating an ensemble, but alas, sometimes summer Sundays in sweaty Austin call for just that. I hadn't worn this dress in a while (it was first seen here and last seen here) and I had it in my "sell to Buffalo Exchange" pile but decided to give it one last go for Jude's baby dedication with our church last Sunday:

[Photo by Filky]

date: 10 July 2011 | occasion: baby dedication
dress: BB Dakota (prize) | shoes: Lulu*s (also a prize)

This dress, and others like it, is dangerous. For the past month of so I've been mulling over my "style" (which, between us, has been a little bit of a snooze for the last year and a half), and I pinpointed that I can get stuck in a rut of dresses. Beware: I'm about to navel gaze...

A glimpse into my future

Sometimes when you go to Savers for a photoshoot, you leave with an absurdly sparkly jacket.

Since I'm not planning on going back in time to a high school winter dance in 1983, I thought I'd just wear this over something incredibly casual for my friend Joanie's birthday party at a local Thai restaurant:

date: 9 July 2011 | occasion: casual birthday party
jacket: thrifted, Savers | shorts: Billabong (PacSun) | tee: American Apparel | oxfords: c/o ThreadSense | zebra bracelet: Fashionique (since closed)

This jacket is insane. I can see myself wearing it unironically as a grandma one day. I hope that Chris will take me on a cruise ship trip for octogenarians when we're in our 80's. I'll pair this with chiffon palazzo pants and white Grandma sandals and be the belle of the ball.

Grandma Indiana: "Remember when I wore this jacket fifty years ago, dear?"
Grandpa Chris: "It's just as ugly now as it was then, dear. Pass the Metamucil, please."

These were not a dream

Check out this awesome skirt I got from Feathers over the weekend:

Haha. Tricked you!

Not a skirt.

Those are actually white harem pants. And I think they're rad.

date: 8 July 2011 | occasion: Haddington's for dinner/ drinks
pants: Feathers | tank: F21 | blazer: Factory (Buy Definition) | wedges: Franco Sarto (Nordstrom Rack) | watch: thrifted Michael Kors

My friends tried to talk me out of these pants. Someone said they were Man Repellers (unintentional compliment!). Someone else may have even said that they resembled a diaper. But you know what I did? I stuck my fingers in my ears and said "La la la la la la! I can't hear you!" I had to have them. I laid eyes on them two weeks ago when another girl was clutching them to her chest to take into the fitting room. "Can I tackle her for those? She's pretty small; I think I can take her..." But then my strong sense of right and wrong guilt kicked in, and I let her be. So that's why I was so happy to see them on the rack a week later. I mean, that never happens at re-sale shops! Once you go back for something, it's like it never existed and it was all part of a faded dream.

For the record, I don't think they look like a diaper at all. And I definitely won't use use 'em for that purpose, ever. Whew.

Free People guest blog

I can only think of a few definitive moments in my life when I said, "Ah ha! This must mean I'm growing up!" The first happened a few years ago when I realized that I quite preferred NPR over any music based radio stations. The most recent of these moments happened a few weeks ago when I realized that I preferred Free People to their sibling store Urban Outfitters.

That's why I about fell out of my chair when Julia, one of the lovely ladies behind the Free People blog wrote me asking if I would like to do a guest post on Austin style. Would I? Honored to!

I even ran around with Intern Rachel last weekend, snapping photos on South Congress for the blog. Check it out here. While you're there, go ahead and bookmark their blog. Their company blog is amazing-- so interactive and inspirational! It was a great shock to be asked to contribute to something so cool.

Giveaway: $50 to High Gloss Fashion (closed)

This week's giveaway is from one of my newest partners (and the place where I got these rad shorts). High Gloss Fashion would like to give one lucky Adored Austin reader a $50 gift card to their shop.

Some of my favorites: Jenny Han cropped tee | blue lagoon clutch | striped body con midi skirt

High Gloss Fashion is less than a year old, so they're somewhat new to the scene. They carry some of my favorite brands such Plastic Island, Motel, and BB Dakota. Be sure to visit 'em on Facebook and Twitter for exclusive discounts. When you have a moment, pick out your favorite item from the shop and enter to win!

To enter, just fill out the form below by midnight this Sunday, July 18th:

update: form removed, winner announced.

Crave photoshoot

Yesterday was a full day for me. I did a photoshoot for Crave, which is a city guide that comes out every two years and features 100 women in business. I'll be in the next edition of Crave Austin, and since I'm the only blogger they're featuring, it was important to me that my two page spread reflects the fun attitude of Adored Austin (no serious photos of me at a desk, please). Susan Beth Sloan, the photographer, did two set-ups yesterday: the first photos were at my house where we got photos of me trying to blog in the chaos of my house (kids toys everywhere, Jude crying), shots of my animal jewelry collection, and shots of me taking my own style photos with my tripod. After that we headed to Savers for my portrait. I chose to shoot at Savers because so much of my wardrobe is thirfted, and y'all know is one my favorite places to shop in all of Austin. Here are some photos that Intern Rachel was able to grab between the shots Susan grabbed:

"Crazy style bloggers: now available at a Savers near you."

"I will conquer this thrift store!"
(and uh, sorry about that near crotch shot, everyone)

I'm wearing my nasty old cowboy boots (Steve Madden) and the vintage frock I picked up recently from Texas Thrift.

Crave Austin comes out in the fall and in addition to showcasing women owned businesses in Austin it will be full of city tips and coupons. I'll be selling a few copies (priced at $20) and the girls at Peacock Plume (who are also featured) and I are going to try to team up for a launch party. I may include a piece of animal jewelry with each copy I sell, so I'll keep you posted on all that as more info comes to me.

Huge thanks to Savers for letting us shoot inside. I can't wait to see how the rest of the shoot turned out!

Thrifting: Can you dig it?

The summer after my freshman year of college, a girl who lived in my hall called me up and invited me to go to a theme park with her. We weren't great friends, so I was a little concerned that we wouldn't have a good time. Being the roller coaster enthusiast that I am, I inquired if she was one, too. "Yes! I love roller coasters!" I happily agreed to go, certain that our mutual love for coasters would make for a pleasant afternoon.

That's why I was so surprised when we got to the park and she revealed that she didn't like roller coasters that went backwards. Or that you had to stand up on. Or that went upside down. Or the kind that had hills.

She did not like roller coasters. She liked trains.

All of this is why I don't usually agree to go thrift store shopping with people.

I've found that most people don't really like like down and dirty thrift store shopping. They like carefully curated vintage shops and upscale consignment stores. See the difference? Oh, I like those kind of stores, too, but what really gets my heart pumping is a disorganized, cheap thrift store, where treasures have to be dug out to be discovered.

Today Linda from Little Tin Solider (and incidentally one of my favorite bloggers) came up from San Antonio to hang out with me, Grechen, and Sydney. We had plans to make it a day of thrifting with four stops: Uncommon Objects (carefully curated vintage shop), Feathers (carefully curated vintage shop), Moss (carefully curated upscale consignment shop), and Lake Austin Goodwill (technically down and dirty, but slightly overpriced resale shop).

Of our agenda, I was most excited about Moss Designer Consignment since I hadn't yet made it in and it's one of Austin's newest and most buzzed about shops. Owned by the two wonderful ladies who own Feathers Boutique (Austin's undisputed best spot for funky, vintage 70's and 80's threads), this shop is full of barely worn high end goodies like Chanel jackets, Gucci shoes, and Betsy Johnson frocks.

No digging required. Everything in the shop is jaw droppingly gorgeous. This is great for the "we don't like to dig" shoppers like Grechen, who are willing to pay more to not have to deal with the dig.

However, Linda and I are firmly planted in the "we like to dig" camp. When I see awesome kimono jackets priced for $88 bucks at Feathers or Anthropologie dresses for $50 at Moss, the penny pincher/thrift store hunter in me thinks, "C'mon! I could find that for $5 at Savers!" (Side note: I did score some crazy white harem pants at Feathers today for $28).

So where do you fall? Before you answer, consider this:

Linda showed up to lunch wearing this adorable Theory dress that she scored from Texas Thrift in San Antonio for $5. We cracked up seeing an identical dress on the rack at Moss. Price tag?

I joked with her that she should've stripped down and sold the one off her body then and there for a small profit.

So what do you think?