And now for a change of pace.

I love reading your blogs. And even more, I love looking at your photos. But due to an inexplicable and hopefully temporary lapse in my self image, all the lovely blogs have made me feel less than par. Wait just a darn minute I said to myself upon this realization. How ironic, how completely opposite of the inspiration and warm fuzzy feelings that I was getting not so long ago.

I am going to chalk up my change in feelings up to a bit of stress in preparing from my trip to Zimbabwe. Oh and also to my hair, as I posted last time.

So, with that said, I am going to shift my focus for a bit. Or maybe forever. I want to mix in some more day-to-day, around the house "fashion" photos. As well as other things that I feel fall into the category of "Arkie Style." Art, nature, food, warthogs, junkyards ... you get the idea.

BINGO

My sweetie Judge, my roomie Spero and my friend Adam Faucett went to Bingo in Pine Bluff on Friday night.

We arrived as the sky was beginning to turn that ominous shade of gray. As you can see, the Bingo hall is a really nice place. We are clearly pumped to get a-playin!

Spero has DABBIN FEVER. So does Adam.

There are so many amazing things going on in this photo. On the top left, on the wall, you will notice a picture of two cartoon dancing horses. Perhaps a standard fixture at all Bingo halls?

Move to the right a bit and we see the Arkansas flag.

Then there is me, with that look of either concern or disbelief. Or maybe I am so concerned how how unbelievable something is.

Judge is just in amazement of that Frito Chili Pie. And let's be honest, nothing beats a Bingo hall Frito Chili Pie.

And here we are at the end of Bingo. None of us won any money, but we had a hell of a time dabbing out numbers for 3 hours straight.

Oh and have you ever wondered if it's possible to drink a white wine spritzer from a Thermos? Well, it is.

Ups and downs

I am mad at my hair. Usually, it's one of my best features. It's really thick, stays pretty healthy and can look pretty good as long as I take the time to style it. Yet it has taken an unhealthy turn. And there is only myself to blame. My flip-flopping mind has changed it from blond, to red, to blond, to brown in a little over a year. All that has taken its toll on my poor locks. I tried last week to get it back to as close to my natural color as I could think. Well I don't know what happened, but it ended up a greenish/bluish brown. I feverishly washed it twice with dish detergent to get out excess color. Then I crushed up some vitamin C tablets, mixed those with some conditioner and left the mixture on for about a half hour. The blue and green are gone, but I am left with a reddish brown that is certainly NOT my natural color.

Le sigh. For now it will have to do until I can afford the real deal at the salon. Until then, I shall condition condition condition and work with what I got!

Oh and do some more outfit posts for ya'll!

Dress: TJ Maxx, Skirt under dress: Old Navy, Shrug: Stein Mart, Wedges: TJ Maxx, Necklace: Vintage from my Grandma, Earrings: Burlington Coat Factory

The skirt under dress trick is by far one of my faves that I have learned since starting this blog. I have a lot of dresses that are a tad too short for work, but layering a skirt underneath does the trick! Most of the time, people just think it's part of the dress!

Oh and at $7, this dress was an absolute STEAL! And it might be my most favorite dress. I'm not even sure if it's been on the blog or not. Just the flowy shape and bright colors make me feel happy!

Ok and let me just say, I feel quite vain writing an entire paragraph dedicated to the quality of my hair. I am making a trip to Zimbabwe in less than two weeks, where people hardly have enough food to eat and are lucky to have an inkpen to take to school. And here I am blabbing on about my dried out, over processed hair. On one hand, it was on my mind and I needed to unload! On the other hand ... well I should be thankful for what I have and not complain about hair. You know how it goes. Le sigh. Again.

Welcome to Shimmerton

Tunic: Urban Oufitters, Sweater: Jcrew, Belt: Burlington Coat Factory, Leggings: Target, Shoes: TJ Maxx, Earrings: Burlington Coat Factory (wow! BCF makes a rare double appearance.)

This photo does all my shimmerin' no justice! This amazing bargain from UO last summer ($5!) is a surprisingly shiny yet versatile piece! Not to be outdone in the shine department, the pewter belt makes its first appearance. Anyways, I was kind of not that excited about this outfit when I originally put it on, but I got a ton of compliments at work. And I suppose I trust my coworkers opinions in general ... so, viola! This getup gets to be on the blog!

And the shoe challenge winner is ...

TaDa!!!! These babies were not even a contender. For some reason, when I searched for pink shoes on endless.com, these didn't show up. Perhaps because they are called "peach" on the box. But whatever, they sure look pink to me.

And want to know the best part? They were on clearance for $23!!!!! Hooray!

Let's all just say a prayer that I don't fall and bust my as in these massive heels. The odds are not in my favor, however, because there is going to be an OPEN BAR at the rehearsal dinner. (Thanks Mom!)

just another heart in need of rescue

Ok...so I heard Whitesnake on the way home from work. Hence the lame-ass title of this entry.

Sunglasses: F21, Top: Izod-thrifted, Belt: Abercrombie from waaaay back, Skirt: Cable&Guage; Sandals: Born via eBay, Bracelets: gifts, Necklace: All that Jazz, Ruston, LA

I was pretty happy with this outfit. Nice and comfy for work. That skirt RULES, by the way, because it has a 3-inch elastic waistband that sucks my tummy in nice and tight.

Anyone know why I have so many bruises on my legs? Seriously, I think I might be running into all my furniture while sleepwalking or something.

On another note. Hair. Mine is a'failin' me over and over. In a moment of frustration on Sunday morning, I took the scissors to my bangs and am beginning to regret it. I don't really love the style I have going on right now. Rather, the LACK of style. When I wear my hair down, I feel like some conservative bobbed secretary from the '80s. I don't want to go way short because a)I tend to feel really unfeminine with short hair. Probably stems from my short-haired high school days when I got hit on by lesbians all the time. Which wouldn't have bothered me if an equal number of dudes where hitting on me as well. But they were most certainly not. And b) I like to be able to put my hair up/back. What's a girl to doooooo?

Stay tuned for the results of my scissor mania on Sunday morn. Photos to come!

Shoe challenge

As many know, I love a good fashion challenge. It gives me a valid excuse to peruse the Internet for hours, looking for the perfect whatever. This challenge happens to be ... shoes! My favorite!

This one has been especially difficult. Here is the low-down:

For my brother's rehearsal dinner in July, I plan to wear a bridesmaid dress from two summers ago. It's a gorgeous dress that fits me wonderfully.

The challenge is to punch this dress up with some color. Shoes and accessories are the key! I am searching for shoes first because I feel the kind of shoes I find will dictate what kind of accessories I need.

I would like to do a little something different, so I am thinking: pink. Not fuchsia and not ballet pink. More of a mauve or a coral. A few options I have found so far:

Nice and bright. Would be great for summer. Accent with a chunky gold necklace and bracelet. Or coral jewelry?

Too bland? It's hard to know until you see the pink in real life.

Too casual? Could definitely wear them again. Also, from eBay, so no returns.

I'd much rather have an open toe for summer. And this pink almost looks too bubblegum pink.

These could be perfect ... but again, they are an eBay find. What's that pin REALLY like? Hmm...

Or I could go in another direction entirely:

Decisions, decisions. What do you all think? Any good shoe resources that I need to know about? I need a funky, fun yet wedding-appropriate shoe that goes with that style of dress. And a reasonable price (like less than $70) since I am most likely wearing these one time only!

Pants...again!

Sunglasses: F21

Earrings: Burlington Coat Factory

Scarf: Clothes swap

Top: Gap

Pants: Loft

Sandals: Born via eBay

This time of the year is kind of strange when it comes to getting dressed. I feel like it's too warm for tights/boots. But I feel it's too early for bare legs. I could do boots without tights, and sometimes I will. But sometimes that just feels weird. Enter: pants.

I bought these on clearance at Loft. It was one of those things I would not normally pick up, but I was feeling adventurous and they were on clearance! Turns out, they fit like a glove, were a great weight, a color I did not have and were super comfortable. So, duh, I bought them.

That scarf is one my favorite clothes swap scores. It goes with everything. (I even have this neon yellow tube dress that it manages to class up. It's a miracle!)