OOTN: Drinks, Dinner, and Wedding!

I'm going through my ample backlog of OOTD photos and trying to pick the best to put up first.  These two outfits are not necessarily the "Best" so much they entail me being dressed up and for that reason, in my world, can go together in one post!

So first up.  This outfit is from a wedding we went to at the beginning of September.  We had 3 weddings back to back weekends earlier this month!  (Part of why I've been sooo busy and neglectful of my blog:)  Luckily, they were all local.

Dress:  White House Black Market 2008

Shoes:  Aerosole 2007

Necklace:  Forever 21 Fall 2009

I don't often shop at Black House White Market.  I'm not sure why, everything I've ever bought from there I have loved.  I have 4 dresses from there that I constantly rotate through for weddings.  This dress has attended 2 other weddings before this one.  I like the fit and I think the lace makes it edgy without being too provocative.  The shoes are old Aerosoles that I found at the back of my closet.  I've never even worn them! I also have them in brown and they are really comfortable!  The necklace is a great Forever 21 jewelry find...a double strand pearl necklace with a pearl and diamante brooch!  Love it!

Next up is an outfit from when my husband and I met some friends out for dinner and drinks.  I had spent the entire weekend in jeans and flipflops and I really wanted to dress up.  I threw this look together.

Dress:  Lauren Conrad for Kohls (picked up on sale for $20.)  I bought 2!

Cropped Jean Jacket:  Ann Taylor Loft spring 2010

Shoes:  Ann Taylor Strappy Sandals (no longer online)

Necklace:  Forever21 Box Chain Diamante twist (No longer but purchased in store last weekend)

Purse (not shown):  Gucci Joy Medium Shoulder Bag (click here)  (Mine has brown trim)

Watch:  Michael Kors Tortoise Chronograph Watch (click here)

This dress is a definite closet staple for me.  It is a heavy jersey material with an exposed silver back zip.  It has Pockets....LOVE!  and a sweet heart neckline....double LOVE!  It is just ultra flattering!  I've worn it with flipflops or strappy sandals as shown.  Wore the denim jacket because it was a little chilly at night!  Quick, easy, cute outfit!

What do you typically wear when you get dressed up?  Do you gravitate towards black like me?  Do you have a favorite dress?  Let me know!

xoxo,

J.

And the Winner is......

The winner of the CNSstores.com $35.00 gift certificate is:

And #3 is the lovely HEATHER!!!

Congrats Heather!  CSN will contact you directly to send you the gift certificate!

Thanks everybody!

xoxo,

J.

Fall / 75 subscriber Giveaway.......CSNstores.com

Happy Fall!!!

September has been crazy busy for me and I've been horribly neglecting my blog:(  I have a back log of OOTD and review photos on my camera so be on the look out for some new posts hopefully up soon!

I am super excited to offer my readers a giveaway with CSN.  CSN is a network of over 200 online stores, selling everything from designer shoes to dining room chairs.  CSN is offering one of my lovely readers a $35.00 gift certificate to use on any of their shopping sites.

Stop by and check out their website:  CSNstores.com

To enter, leave a comment in the comment section of this post telling me what you will use the gift card for.  

Be sure to include your email address so that I can contact you and let you know you've won.

This contest is open to residents of the USA and Canada.  (Please note:  extra International shipping fees MAY apply on Canadian orders.)

The contest ends on Monday, September 27th at 12 noon EST.  I will select the winner via random.org.  I will post the winner towards the end of next week.

Any questions....just email me!!

xoxo Lovelies!!!

J.

GOOP: Gwynnie loves JCrew.....

Hey Ladies:

Catching up on some emails and found this GOOP newsletter in my box this AM.  Gwynnie meets with the ladies who own New York's Soho shop Kirna Zabete to talk fall fashion.  The ladies give a shout out to JCrew in the video and many of the GOOP newsletter fashion sets have JCrew items shown and mentioned.  Check it out.....I especially love the black lace dress, although at $595 it is a bit out of my price range, clearly a collection piece.

Click here to check out the newsletter and youtube fashion video, Gwynnie is the model and host!!

PS....I've been crazy busy with work, but I haven't forgotten about my 75 subscriber giveaway, I'm still collecting prices so stay tuned.

xoxo,

J.

Tag and Coming Soon......

Time for a little housekeeping over here at 8 Hour Brunch.  Just a quick catch-up post...I'm back from my business trip and I had a wonderful and amazingly relaxing time.  

First, the lovely Appgal on her awesome blog Musings on the Mountain tagged me...Check out her blog, she does all kind of great clothing reviews and OOTD posts.  She is super cute!

......Here are the questions:

1) What is one of your guilty pleasures, whether it be a food, tv show, or musician? (go ahead...you can choose more than one!)

Celebrity Gossip websites (Perez Hilton, The D-Listed, The Skinny Website) -- pathetic I know;  HGTV ; Food Network and QVC....it helps me fall asleep.  I also like to {shrinks in embarrasment} read Regency Romance novels.....k...stop laughing NOW!

2) What is one outfit or piece of clothing that makes you feel confident and sassy?

A Body Conscious Strapless Dress and a Great pair of heels 

3) What is the most recent movie you saw in the theater? How was it?

Eat Pray Love with my Chick-Flick movie group....it was good...not as good as the book but i thought they did a great job.  It was a little long. 

4) Do you usually like to shop with friends or by yourself?

If I'm shopping for me, I prefer to shop alone.  However, I love to shop with other people if we are shopping for them.  I really missed my calling as a personal shopper. 

5) What animal best represents your personality and why? (i took this question directly from one of my students' journal entries :) )

Probably a cat.  I can be cute and fuzzy and loving.  But I am very independent and a little moody.  And I like my me time.  I also like to sleep:)

And in other news......I discovered this afternoon that I finally reached 75 Blogger Followers....THANK YOU EVERYBODY!!!

So, as promised, I'm going to have a 75 subscriber giveaway which also happens to be my blog's first giveaway.  I'm am still working on the prizes (I'm going to have 3) so check back here at the beginning of next week for the giveaway!

Have a great night!

xoxo,

J.

WOTD: Crazy Patterns, Classic Shapes....

I love a classic Jackie O shift dress.  They are a staple of my work wardrobe.  I have them in beige, gray, black, brown, and navy.  I usually shy away from crazy patterns.  A flamboyant blouse anchored by a neutral colored pencil skirt and cardigan, I can handle.  But, a Pucci print maxi dress, while beautiful, would have running in the other direction.  So I have a few rules for wearing wacky prints:  1.  neutral color palette 2. classic shape 3. minimal accessories

I picked this dress up at Lord and Taylor last summer.  (I don't know the designer and I just dropped it at the dry cleaners this AM so I can't check for you....sorry:)  This is very outside my normal comfort zone.  However, it meets my 3 wacky print rules so I thought I would give it a try.  I always get compliments when I wear it and it is now one of my favorite dresses to wear for work, because it makes me feel good!  It is a very heavy cotton pique and it is lined.  I love the structured shape!  I coupled it with minimal accessories, just my usual rings, my watch, and gold stud earrings.  I'm also wearing my new favorite shoes:  The JCrew Julienne Leather Heels in Bronzed Avocado.  I cannot give these shoes enough praise, they are so comfortable and a fabulous neutral that goes with so much of my wardrobe.  BUY THEM!

Dress:  Lord and Taylor

Shoes:  JCrew Julienne Leather Heels

On another note......

I'll be away for the next week......a bit of work and a bit of pleasure.

I'll be back with regular posts at the end of the week!

Have a great weekend everybody!!!

xoxo,

J.

It's all GREEK to me: Breakfast that is.....

I am a creature of habit and routine.  And part of my routine is to always have breakfast.  Some days it is a protein bar hastily grabbed on the way out the door, others it is an egg scramble with veggies.  But, lately, more often than not, my breakfast consists of Greek Yogurt + Piece of Fruit + Flax Seeds.

I love this combination, it goes great with berries, citrus, peaches, plums, basically any fruit you enjoy.  I usually use the plain 0% greek yogurt (whichever organic brand is on sale that week).  Sometimes I buy a large container and when they are on sale I buy the small individual cups (my local grocery has 10 for $10).  This is a nutritious, protein-packed, refreshing treat to have for breakfast, lunch, or a snack (just adjust the portion size accordingly).  

This is mind-numbingly easy, and anyone can do it!  Here are some pics, well because pics are fun:)

Chobani Honey Flavored Yogurt -- 130 calories, 15 g protein

1 Medium Organic Peach -- 31 calories

Flax Seed (1 Tbsp) -- 55 calories, 2 g protein

Add it all together and tada.....

This treat fills me up for the entire morning and I'm not even hungry until around 1 or 2.  (I have a mid-morning snack of 10-15 raw almonds).  This greek yogurt fruit combo does have a relatively high amount of carbs and sugar, but they are all naturally occurring from the dairy and fresh fruit.

What is your favorite breakfast item?  Please share!!

xoxo,

J.