Faux fur and "winter" in the desert

Good morning, everyone! I celebrated what is forecasted to be our last bit of cool weather (before we hit the 80's next week) by throwing on my faux fur vest and favorite boots yesterday.  Before lovingly packing them up until, oh, next November or December or so.

Because I'm so short and feel this vest can be a little overwhelming (you can also see how I wore it here), I decided to belt it in the back so it gives the illusion of being a short vest.  I have no idea whether this really works visually or I look like a total moron, but it was nice not feeling all the bulk of the vest.

Vest: BB Dakota - old (similar here and here) 

Shirt dress: The Limited - old (similar here and here) 

Belt: The Limited Obi belt (exact here)
Leggings: Express (exact here)
Boots: Tory Burch (on sale and exact here! Also, similar here)

Recreate this outfit:

Distressed denim and lace

Cardigan: ModCloth (exact here) 

Lace top: thrifted (adorable, similar option here) 

Tank: old (similar here) 

Jeans: AE - thrifted  (similar here and here)
Shoes: Jessica Simpson Calie pump (exact here)

Outfit at a glance:

Linking up at The Pleated Poppy

Hope you all have a wonderful Wednesday! 

Welcome to new readers and a giveaway winner!

Hi all - I'm so happy to see new faces that have come along for the ride!

For those of you that have just started reading, I'm Bonnie and I started this little blog as a much-needed hobby and break from grad school about a year ago.

 ... and because I was regularly wearing things to teach/work that most of you would be embarrassed to be caught at the gym in. 

So it was also an intervention of sorts.

I try to put together fun, affordable outfits at least three times a week, although more often than I'd hope, this pretty draining PhD gets in the way. I hope to share more about that soon for those of you interested in the academic side of things.

You can also check out other blogger friends that I've featured as part of my "Academically Inclined" and "Petite Fashion Bloggers" series. I also occasionally share our updates around the house and my DIY/Pinterest projects, so feel free to check those out and learn from my mistakes.

I'm recently engaged to "Watson", my incredible if only slightly paranoid fiance ("Watson" is not his real name, as you probably guessed), and am doggy mom to Oscar, Riley and our sweet new addition, Charlie.

So please make yourselves at home, and thank you for reading!

Now on to the free stuff.

Thank you to everyone that entered the giveaway for my one year Blogiversary!

And the winner is ..... Alice from Happiness at Midlife!

Congrats Alice!  Shoot me and email so I can get shipping information from you. :)

Thank you again to all of you that have supported this little blog!  I appreciate every single one of you, and you have done more to keep me sane over this last year than you can even begin to imagine.

We'll be back tomorrow with our regularly scheduled programming.

Polka dots and mustard

Happy Friday, friends - hope it's a wonderful one and that you have a great weekend! I'm off to write an exam and then forget about the world for a while. Especially the "working" part of the world.

Blazer: Madewell (exact here, similar here) 

Top: H&M (similar here) 

Skinnies: Old Navy (sold out - similar here) 

Shoes: Cole Haan (exact here, similar here) 

Outfit at a glance:

Don't forget that the giveaway for my one year Blogiversary ends Monday night!

Blizzard in the desert

It is sunny and hot here 364.5 days out of the year, so the promise of any other weather is often met with ... exuberance? Exaggeration?

We were under a "blizzard warning" yesterday for about 8 hours.

And what does a blizzard warning buy you in the Sonoran Desert, you might ask?

Well, this:

I can hear you Northeast and Northwesterners yawning audibly and I know, I know - it's not a "real snowstorm" unless you have to stockpile food/water and exit your house through the second story window. (Sidenote - I lived in North Dakota for a few years and there were times when in fact we did exit via the second story.)

But how many times in your life do you get to see a dusting of snow on a Saguaro cactus? This was definitely my first, and I'd put money on it being my last.

In hindsight I'm kicking myself now for not taking any outfit pictures. (Was too busy trampling around in these:)

But I did make a steaming mug of vin chaud (hot, spiced wine) from these little teabags that they sell in France for that very purpose!  From what I can make out on the box, vin chaud is especially good after "a walk in the brisk air", or when you think you may be "getting the flu". Awesome.

Hope you all are having a wonderful week!

Comfy, casual neutrals

Happy Hump Day, all!  Here is a sweater-leggings-boots combo that I wore to watch videos of talking cats/screaming goats work at home/run errands one day this week. 

Sweater: Target (exact here, cute option here) 

Tank top: old (similar here) 

Leggings: Express (exact here) 

Boots: Tory Burch (exact here, similar here) 

Bag: Coach (exact here) 

Necklace: The Limited (old - somewhat unrelated but adorable option here!)

At a glance: 

Thank you for all your encouraging words on the new puppy addition to our family and for all your name suggestions!  We agonized over a name for so long that it was getting ridiculous (and he was starting to answer to "The Pug", and "Hey You"), so we finally settled on Charles/Charlie. He has such a grumpy little old man face that "Charles" seemed so fitting, although I'm sure he'll always be known by "Charlie". He has absolutely settled in and spends alternate amounts of time curled up on our laps or perched on our shoulders so he can watch the TV. ;)

I hope you are all having a wonderful week! And if you haven't, make sure to enter my one-year blogiversary giveaway here!

Linking up with The Pleated Poppy and Because Shanna Said So

One year Blogiversary and giveaway!

Good morning, friends!  Today this little blog turns one full year old. (Actually a year and a day b/c I'm a crappy parent and the birthday was actually yesterday.) So today I want to extend a sincere "Thank You" to all my loyal readers - it has been a busy year, and you stuck by me through my balancing-the-camera-on-a-dresser-drawer stage, a "one weekend" bathroom remodel project that took the better part of a year, a name change/identity crisis,  losing one of our angel pups and recently adopting another dog, and you celebrated with me when I got engaged over the holidays in France. I appreciate each and every one of you, the time you take to read and comment, and my favorite thing about the blogging process has been the amazing friends that I've made along the way.

So as a token of my appreciation, I want to give one of you a favorite and generally much-loved beauty product(s) of mine! You'll have a choice of the following 2:

1. The Urban Decay Naked 2 palette - this palette is much like the original, although the shimmer and sparkle is toned down quite a bit making it a little more wearable for everyone.

or:

2. MAC Nymphette tinted lipglass and a Beauty Blender.  I've heard the lipglass described as NARS Orgasm for your lips (it's a beautiful peachy shade with gold shimmer), and the Beauty Blender is the most incredible tool for applying liquid foundation flawlessly.

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How to enter: 
1. Be a follower of Delusions of Grandeur via Google Friend Connect
2. Leave one comment below with your GFC name, which option you'd like from above (1 or 2), and what you'd like to see more or less of on this blog.

This giveaway will be open a week until Monday, 2/25 at midnight CST, and a winner will be announced on Tuesday, the 26th.

Thank you again for all the support and virtual love!

Goats and a hangover

I woke up with a splitting champagne headache this morning. Because after one bottle you get all enthusiastic and think a second is a good idea.

Pro tip: It's not.

I hope everyone had a wonderful and slightly more responsible Valentine's Day!

So in lieu of clothing, because the truth is I'm still in a ratty bathrobe "working" from home - next to my Christmas tree which is still up and turned on - go ahead and judge - here are two minutes of nothing but goats yelling like humans. You're welcome.

I hope everyone has a fantastic and restful weekend!

Pink sequins, Valentine's day, and The Best Videographer In the World

Happy Valentine's Day, everyone!  May today be an extra special celebration of what is practiced all year round.

Top: Exact here (in alternate colors)

Skirt: thrifted - similar here 

Plaid shirt - similar here
Necklace - H&M (old)

At a glance: 

The SO and I have never been big Valentine's Day celebrators, and it's just as well as it turns out that this planning-a-wedding business gets expensive and we need to save where we can. So the plan is to curl up with a good movie and bottle o'vino tonight, which sounds pretty romantic to me. Especially if we splurge on a non twist-off top variety.

And speaking of weddings, we booked our videographer!!!!!!!!! That may not seem like an 9-exclamation point-worthy announcement, but if you watch the video below that he produced, you'll understand my excitement.  I discovered Geoff Boothby and Landshark Video last year when this video went viral on Facebook, and he was the second person I contacted when we got engaged. I seriously considered calling him before my own mother.  He shoots with a regular digital camera and an old Super 8, and the result is stunning.



James and Aubrey from Geoff Boothby / Landshark on Vimeo.

I hope you all have a beautiful, love-filled day in whatever form it may take. Thank you for reading, friends. 

Popped collars and pearls

The pearls were intentional, the popped collar wasn't.

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Dress: H&M (old - similar below) 

Shirt: Ross (similar below) 

Necklace: J.Crew (exact below - scored mine via ebay) 

Tights: To February (similar below) 

Bag: The Limited (old - similar below) 

Shoes: Cole Haan (exact and similar below)
Belt: WHBM (a couple of similar options below)

Shop this outfit: 

Thank you for all your kind words on Monday regarding our new, adopted pup!  He's had a nice hot bath, some good-quality dog food and a trip to the vet, and he's like a new little man.  His personality seems to develop by the minute and it has been so wonderful to see him come back to life.  We appreciate all the well wishes and internet love, and I'll keep you updated on his progress.  :) (And his new name - we're still agonizing over it!)

Linking up with The Pleated Poppy!