It’s only Wednesday, but it’s already been a long week. I started the day early and quickly put this look together.

I thrifted the floral print top earlier this year. I love the off-the-shoulder boho style. It’s more of a sophisticated bohemian style with the white lined skirt, but I like it. I added black t-strap espadrilles (Cato, summer 2011) and large hoops earrings, a floral ring and Swarkovski crystal bracelet.

Recently I took some quiz that defined my style. I am a cross between class and boho glam. I didn’t need a style test to tell me that.

I like strong classic pieces (like the dress I wore earlier this week) and I also enjoy fun looks too. I like many styles, but those are the ones I think work best for me.

What style do you like? What do you catch yourself wearing the most?

Most weekend chores aren’t that fun, that is unless your removing items from your wardrobe because they no longer fit. I was happy to clear my closet of clothes this past weekend. I spent time trying on so many outfits and although it was hard for me to place them in a yard sale pile I’m thrilled to be getting rid of them for the right reasons.

I’ve talked a bit about getting fit. Due to that fact I’ve lost weight and my clothes are becoming too big. Walking and most recently, running, has helped me do that and next month I will be taking part in my first 5k. My son and I are participating in one on June 16 at Forest Park and I’m looking forward to it.

After clearing everything out that didn’t fit I was left with only two pair of pants. I most likely will not have them much longer either. That’s OK because it’s a great feeling and I feel good about my transformation.

Going through my dresses I came across this royal blue one.

I’ve worn it once or twice and I felt with the bright color it would be nice on a bright spring day. The dress is from Lane Bryant. I accessorized with silver and blue — the royal blue shoes are from Cato.

I hope to place this dress in the pile by the end of summer. It’s my “Devil In A Blue Dress.”

I purchased it several years ago on clearance at Target. It’s reminds me of the classic 1960s style.( I think of it as my Mad Men look.) I accessorized with a black and white necklace, black bracelets and copper sandals. I also carried my copper snakeskin Miche bag.

I love color and print of this dress and I received several compliments on it as well. What do you think?

Here are several of my other weekend looks. Of course the handsome young man in the photo is my son. He picked a white tuxedo to wear for prom and I thought it set off his girlfriend Rachel’s dress beautifully, don’t you think?

We spent Mother’s Day at the St. Louis Zoo and of course we just had to get our picture taken in front of the zebras, especially since I was carrying a zebra print handbag.

The aqua blue dress I purchased at Cato last month. I recently picked up the yellow shorts from the same store too and I paired it with a top I had in my closet. I like the black, white and yellow together.

One of the fun things about getting fit is that I am changing up what I wear. I like all the bright colors this spring. It’s fun wearing all those primary colors of red, yellow and blue.

Shopping my closet has been fun and thrifting clothes and adding accessories to my wardrobe is a great way to make it all work until I reach my “get fit” goal. I don’t do numbers. I don’t even own a scale. I know how my clothes fit and for me that is what makes me feel great.

What’s your secret to looking good?

I’m so happy it’s spring weather. This week is perfect, especially since it allows me to wear a variety of looks.

I like this outfit because it’s bright and festive. I purchased the top last year on clearance at Walmart for $5. I found the Jessica Simpson shoes at a yard sale for $5. This year I bought the red skinny jeans at Cato.

My blue polish even goes with the outfit.  I think the jeans are “hot” and they go with so many looks too.

I wore the peach dress earlier this week. I thrifted it earlier this year for $4.50.  I’ve worn it a few times already, but what I like about it is that I can accessorize it different to give it a completely different look.

I wore Simply Vera Wang sandals (Kohls, clearance) and a Jewels by Park Lane necklace, bracelet and ring.

Although this look was last week I still wanted to show it to you.

My friend Sarah and I went to see Memphis at the Fox Theatre last week. It was a warm and humid day and I dress for the occasion.  I thrifted the white Chico’s skirt for $3. I paired it with a black faux wrap top and wide belt. I paired it with leather and bronze jewelry along with my Dana Buchman faxz snakeskin sandals (Kohl’s.)

I know it’s a lot of looks to show you in one day, but when I get busy I don’t always have time to blog. I still like to share my bargains. I’ve go a few more this week I plan to show you too.

Which one do you like?

I want to say that during the past week I’ve been enjoying my job as editor/senior writer of flaire FOR WOMEN. Why?

Well I’ve been working on a story about adventurous places to go on a date. As you all know I was at Six Flags last week and met David Freese and talked to him about roller coaster.  This week I was in Grafton.

As you can tell I’m not really dressed in my usual attire, but for what I did I really went for comfort although I didn’t abandon my entire “flair” for style. After putting on my paisley print shorts (Fashion Bug) and coral tank I realized this may be one of the last times I wear this outfit since I keep dropping weight. It’s a great feeling too.

My look was shot at Aeries Winery in Grafton. It’s near  Grafton Zipline Adventures, which opens to the public on Saturday. My co-worker Jill Moon covered it for The Telegraph, but I went because of the story I’m putting together for the June issue of flaire.  (The issue is actually a first – it’s being dedicated to men. )

I just want to say that the experience of ziplining was phenomenal. I can imagine if you’re afraid of heights it might not be something you want to do, but the shear thrill of zipping along a cable thousands of feet in the air is breathtaking.

I am a bit of a adrenaline junkie. I like an adventure and not much scares me. Plus, on this adventure there were some great guides.

As you can see I went zipping through the trees. There’s Jill and I and then there are the guides (left to right) Jason, Kyle and Jim. We were the first customers to ride  the zipline, which is owned by Jeff and Sandy Lorton. I can’t praise the professionalism of the guides enough.

I mean there are a few zips that you can build up quite a bit of speed and if you don’t watch it you com in a little fast. I did, but Kyle did a great job of making sure we stayed safe. Safety is the No. 1 priority when you’re on the course and then there’s fun. Jill, who was actually the first to zip, said she’s been zipping before, but Grafton was by far a much more exciting place to go.

I mean who wouldn’t have fun when they are doing something like this? After you can head down the hill to Aeries or any of the other wineries (there are five more) in Grafton.

I’ve got several other adventures I want to try and I know that in the near future I will be checking them off my list. Do you have a list? What’s something you want to do?

I had an enjoyable weekend. Did you?

I attended a friends birthday celebration in St. Louis and then was in Grafton for a fundraising event.

I found this turquoise dress at Cato on clearance. I just love the color as well as the print. It’s got that Boho style and I didn’t have to purchase a necklace because of the fringe around the collar. I wore my Coach sandals and some silver jewelry. Here’s a closer look at my earrings.

We went to Plush to eat and then headed to The Pepper Lounge to do a little dancing. Both places were on Washington Avenue and within blocks of one another. I had fun, but then I always do with my girls, Rhee (right) and Jill Moon.

My Grafton look was a little more casual, but still had Boho style.

Nearly every bit of this outfit is thrifted and was NWT. I picked up the strapless maxi dress for $5, the Dolce Vita espadrilles for $5 and the wood, turquoise and silver necklace for $4.

The photo was taken in the Ice House at Jeni J’s in Grafton. If you’ve never been there before it’s a great little shop that sells all kinds of things women like, plus it’s also sells Ice House wines along with some other great ones. I mean check out the label on this bottle and it’s the reason I bought it.

I wanted to show you I can be a  ”Wild Girl” and I will always have fun in what I wear wherever I go.

I love wearing the color red. I don’t know what it is about the rouge hue, but I like it, especially when it represents the team color.

I thrifted this red dress for $5 and it’s perfect for going to a St. Louis Cardinal’s game or better yet meeting the team’s 3rd baseman and 2011 World Series MVP David Freese. The baseball player was at Six Flags this week promoting the Mr. Freeze Reverse Blast.

Freese not only promoted the roller coaster he was also there to ride with children from area Boys and Girls Clubs. The man who grew up in Wildwood, Mo. said he enjoys being able to give back to the community, especially since he grew up in it.

My purpose in going was to get a cover shot for flaire FOR WOMEN. He is the first man to grace the magazine’s cover in its five years in existence. The June issue is focusing on men. I’m excited about it because it’s something different than all of you are used to and Freese and Mr. Freeze are a part of it.

Back to the dress. I plan on wearing it to a game or two.  Every time I do I will remember that I met David Freese in it. It will be a Freese frame of mind.

It’s been a bit brisk out, but that hasn’t stopped me from dressing in my spring style.

I thrifted this Lauren by Ralph Lauren skirt last year when I was visiting family near Kansas City. I liked the print and I purchased it, even though at the time it was a little tight. I vowed I would get in it. As you can see I have and  it’s a actually a little big (not so much that I won’t get a few wears out of it, but for $3 it was worth the price.) I guess you can say I can “fit to print.”

I paired the printed skirt with a navy faux wrap top that I thrifted NWT for $3 and a lace tank I picked up at Dollar General for $4. I purchased the navy kitten heel slides at the JCPenney outlet store last year for $5. I accessorized with some silver jewelry.

I recently thrifted the dress for $4.50. I paired it with some wedge slides I found last summer. I just love the tropical look of it and the day I wore it I was so wishing it had been warmer out too.

I purchased the floroal faux wrap top at Macy’s on clearance for $3.50. I paired it with a linen skirt (Cato) and red cardigan (Lane Bryant.) I accessorized with a skinny black belt and black Anne Klein peep-toe pumps.

I like wearing bright prints, especially in the spring and summer. What do you think of these looks? What’s your favorite print to wear?

I’m going viral. Actually there are hundreds, if not thousands of fashionistas out there, who will be taking part in Donate Life America’s Virtual Fashion Show on April 20. It’s National Blue and Green Day and everyone is asked to wear the dual color combo to promote becoming an organ and tissue donor.

 Here’s my look:

 I found the dress in a thrift store near Fort Campbell, Ky. in Clarksville, Tenn. when I recently went to visit a friend. I knew when I saw it, that it was going to be the perfect dress to wear for the DLA campaign.

I accessorized with green earrings, green and blue Lucite bracelets (Cato) and a green ring (Jewels by Park Lane) and silver ring (Silpada) and blue slides (JCPenney, clearance.)

The one thing about the dress is that it didn’t have a label or size in it. I thought it was appropriate because it’s kind of like those who need transplants. There is no one particular age, sex or race that is affected by organ and tissue donations.

When I tried it on and it fit — I felt lucky. It’s the same for those who are the recipients of organ and tissue donations. They’re lucky! They’re trying something on and they really don’t know if it’s going to fit, but when it does — look out world.

I was asked in early March if I would take part in the virtual fashion show. I wrote a two-party story for Valentine’s Day about a kidney transplant from a living donor that took place at Barnes Jewish Hospital. An Alton man, Paul Wallace, donated his kidney to his wife’s longtime friend, Vanessa Vassar.

Donate Life Missouri contacted me after seeing my blog post about the surgery to take part in the DLA campaign, “20 Million in 2012.” Celebrities, stylists, talk show hosts, politicians and others have been asked to wear blue and green to bring attention to the to organ, eye and tissue donation annually.

Local (St. Louis) bloggers who are taking in the event are:

CoMo Style –Inside Columbia Magazine
Crazy and Cool with a Side of Crafty
The Cubicle Chick
Economy of Style
Rung Boutique
sKIDmarks 

You can also follow the action on Twitter with #DLBlueGreen or on DLA America’s Facebook page. Also DLM will house all the looks on Pinterest and will heavily promote the effort through its social media outlets.

You can show off your Donate Life Blue and Green by putting together a look and posting your photo on the Donate Life America Facebook page. The top 10 looks will win a $100 gift card from Donate Life America.

 I am more than thrilled to pass along the message about being a donor. Not everyone can be a living donor, but most everyone can check donate organs and tissue to save the life of another. Simply check “yes” on your driver’s license to make sure if something happens and notify your family of what you want done.

Even though I was asked by Missouri to spread the word, I want people to be aware that my home state does the same thing. For more information visit the Illinois Secretary of State’s site Life Goes On.

Visit Donate Life America for more information about the campaign or information on being a donor.

It’s exciting to see so many gathered online for a such a great cause.  My license denoted that I’m a donor and if anything should happen to me my family knows that of my wishes, my license denotes that I’m one too, are you?

Remember it’s always in fashion to save a life.

Now that we are in full swing of spring I like to put away the pants and pull out the shorts.

I wouldn’t normally wear shorts to the office, but if I can dress them up a little why not?

The shorts are from Cato and I doubt I will get to wear them much longer. I paired them with a printed bow top (reminds me of 1940s style) that I thrifted last year and topped it off with red accessories. The belt is actually functional for these shorts too and the red slides are Charles David that I thrifted for $3 (they retail for $125.)

I like the short style, especially when I can dress it up by pairing it with some kitten heels. It’s a simple outfit, but every now and again I like simple.

Have you ever worn shorts to work? Would you if you could dress them up?

I’m back from my vacation-or rather staycation. It’s nice sometimes to take time off and not go anywhere. I spent time with family and friends. One thing I did enjoy was shopping, well actually thrifting.

I thought I would share the outfits I’ve worn this week and some that I wore during my time off.

No. 1 – Vintage red polka dot faux wrap dress (thrifted,) white kitten heels (thrifted, new,) and faux pearl headband and necklace
No. 2 – Blue striped dress (thrifted, NWT,) red kitten heels ( JCPenney) , red belt (clearance, Target,) red lucite bracelet (Cato,) red earrings (Kohl’s) and red ring (thrifted, NWT)

I love the colors in both these looks. As you all know I like red so if I can put it into an outfit I will. I especially like the 1960s vintage dress. I was luck to have found it, but more so the fact that it fit.

I’ve been thrifting a lot more lately due to the fact that I am having to replace the clothes in my closet since I’ve been losing weight.  I spent several days during my staycation thrifting and found some great things. I figured it’s better to thrift a few outfits instead of buying new because as I lose I will have to continue to replenish my wardrobe and it will cost much less this way.  Also since I didn’t go anywhere during my staycation I spend a little bit of money on me.

Here are some other outifts I wore during my break

No. 3 – Gray striped dress (thrifted, NWT,) faux leather biker boots (thrifted, NWT,) denim jacket (yard sale,) brown belt (Cato,) and necklace and ring (Macy’s)
No. 4 – Liz Claiborne cotton dress (thrifted)  belt (clearance, Target,) sandals (thrifted, new,) and silver accessories
No. 5 – Blue print faux wrap dress (thrifted, NWT,) blue espadrilles (thrifted, NWT) and blue earrings (owned)

No. 6 – Floral dress (thrifted,) white lace tank (clearance, Dollar General,) lime green cardigan (Walmart,) purple wedge flip-flops (Cato)
No. 7 – Sequiened tank (clearance, Macy’s,) denim skirt (clearance, Kohl’s) and black beaded flip-flops (Kohl’s)
No. 8 – Red striped cotton T-shirt (thrifted, NWT,) red skinny jeans (Cato,) black skinny belt, black ballet flats (thrifted,) red and black lucite bracelets (Cato) and red ring (thrifted, NWT)

I know it’s a lot of looks for one blog, but when a girl is off work and she’s thrifted some new stuff she’s happy to show off her staycation style, especially since I got a new hairdo to, well color actually. I went red with caramel highlights.

My favorite outfits for this blog are what I’ve worn back to work this week. I love the vintage dress.

 I’m also enjoying my new red skinny jeans ( I wore them to the St. Louis Cardinals opening day celebration.) Which look do you like best?