30x30 ITEMS

Denim jacket: Divided brand by H&M (thrifted), $7

Wrap cardigan: Maurice's, $15

Dress: handmade (thrifted), $4

Loafers: Cole Haan brand (thrifted), $2

ACCESSORIES REPORT

Necklace: Forever 21, $5

Quick tip, related to nothing: If you ever visit the Malt Shoppe in Provo, Utah and are trying to choose a milkshake flavor, go with Oreo Cheesecake. Just trust me on this.

What's your favorite milkshake place and/or flavor?

Goodness: Ctrl+C, Ctrl+V

I am so grateful for this computer function. My whole life would take twice as long without it.

30x30: Just Check With Me Before You Eat The Bread

30x30 ITEMS

Yellow cardigan: Norma Kamali brand (secondhand), $11

Tee: secondhand, $4

Jeans: Guess brand via Buckle, $92

Boots: vintage Marc Alpert brand via Etsy, $38

ACCESSORIES REPORT

Scarf: Van Heusen, $7
Jacket: Edge brand (thrifted), $6

I have six more days of this 30x30 business, and dudes, I am itching for the end. Surprisingly enough, the off-limits items I miss most are my shoes. Maybe it's not too surprising to everyone else; I hear girls are supposed to be crazy about shoes. For me, though, shoes have never held that unbelievable appeal that they're rumored to have for a lot of women. It's only during the last few weeks that I've really appreciated how nice it is to wear the shoes that work best with an outfit, rather than ones that are just okay.

Maybe I'll do a personal challenge post-30x30 where I wear all of my shoes, a different pair each day, and really take stock of what I love and what I merely tolerate. It's a good time of year for it, weather-wise -- some days will be boot-appropriate, others will be good for sneakers or heels, and as spring ramps up, SANDALS (hurry, Spring, hurry!).

Any of you style blogging dudes wanna join me in this pursuit? Let me know; with enough interest, I'll make one of those fancy blog buttons (oo la la).

Today was somewhat busy. I had a lot to do for work, plus my husband and I did some serious house-cleaning in preparation for company. My friend Krisanne came over for lunch and we talked non-stop. Such a joy to find new friends that you really mesh with, isn't it? A little later in the afternoon, I volunteered at a blood drive and, with the help of cookies and juice, made sure that the donors didn't pass out. I probably need to donate blood at some point in my life, right? But I'm a little scared ... not of needles, just of seeing the blood drip out of my arm. Yeesh.

Last thing: I recently noticed something that makes me ridiculously upset, and I say "ridiculously" because the level of anger is really not equivalent with the matter at hand; it's deserving of mild annoyance at the most. Anyway, this thing that gets me so mad is when my husband uses the last _______ and doesn't tell me. For example, I wanted to make a sandwich last night, and I'd been thinking about it for nearly an hour while I worked on some stuff for my job. I was really looking forward to this imaginary sandwich. But when I walked into the kitchen to make it, NO BREAD! Way to ruin a meal. I kept the anger inside (which is rumored to be very healthy, by the way), but only just barely.

I'm kind of territorial about food.

30x30: Artsy Fartsy

30x30 ITEMS

Sequin cardigan: gift from mom

Hippie shirt: thrifted, $5

Jeans: Guess brand via Buckle, $92

Wedges: Ross, $7

ACCESSORIES REPORT

Headband: a grocery store, most likely

Earrings: Man in the Moon Antiques (Provo, UT), $4

Turquoise ring: Urban Renewal (St. George, UT), $11

Socks: TJ Maxx, $5 for 3-pack

I LEFT THE HOUSE TODAY! Is everyone impressed? I think I might be getting over this sickness (for reals, this time).

Today, I learned about a really cool new website (via another really cool website - these things just feed off each other). You know Netflix? You know how it's awesome? Well, this new service is called Turning Art, and it's essentially a Netflix-ish setup for artwork. You add prints to your queue, receive one and use it for a given period of time, and then send it back in exchange for a new print of your choice. You get to enjoy new pieces as often as you like. This is genius. Here are some of the pieces I would select.

Suspension by Rebecca Meredith

Orange Umbrella On St. Germain In The Paris Rain by Warren Keating

Rosrto de Mujer by Ruben Miranda

The Turning Art people have seriously thought of everything. 

"What about frames? Do I have to buy a new frame with each new print?" Nope. They're all the same size. And you get the frame as part of your subscription. 

"But my tastes in art are very specific. Will they have things I like?" Yes, they will. There's a huge variety of genres to meet everyone's desires, and the crew is intent on adding great new stuff all the time. 

"What if I receive something and love it so much that I never want to send it back, ever ever ever?" THIS IS THE BEST PART! If you want to keep one of the prints, you can buy it. The price of every piece is listed on the site. But here's the great thing: the amount you've paid to Turning Art up to that point is put toward the price of your print, meaning that if you've been paying $10 a month for 12 months, the price of your desired print will be $120 less than the price listed online. So cool.

Do I sound like I'm in sales here? I'm really not. This idea is just so great that I had to share. I'm adding this to the list of things that I'm doing when my husband and I move to our next place. Our current house has walls of solid brick and it's really tough to hang anything on them - annoying, but nothing to cry over.

What sort of artwork is hanging in your house? Do you like the idea of periodically changing it up in this area, or do you prefer to choose one thing and stick with it? I think I'd rather keep one piece if it had sentimental meaning for me, but otherwise, change would be really fun and invigorating.

Hey, It's the Academy Awards

This is how it's been for me the last few days:

"Hey, Sara, this is your body. I'm going to get sick. We'll start with a fever ... maybe a sore throat and a headache ... okay, that's enough. Now you can start feeling better. GOTCHA! I'll get rid of the fever, but you're going to be achy all over instead. Good joke, right? Okay, really, you can start feeling better now. GOTCHA! You're actually going to be coughing up a storm! Isn't it funny how I keep pretending that the illness is going away? I crack myself up."

Seeing as how I'm strapped to the couch anyway, I decided to dive in to the whole Academy Awards frenzy, which I've never done before. I watched all the red carpet arrivals and the whole program as well. My thoughts on the ceremony itself: Kirk Douglas is saucy, Colin Firth is so charming I can't even stand it, my love for Natalie Portman is ever-increasing, and I inexplicably still have no desire to see The King's Speech. Not sure why.

As for the fashion side o' things, here were my favorites.

#10 - Halle Berry in Marchesa

I'm not crazy for the floating tulle-ness at the bottom, but I'm also sure that the dress would have been too simple without it, so I defer to the wisdom of the designer here. The real appeal of any dress that Halle Berry wears is the fact that Halle Berry is wearing it. The woman is beauty personified, and if I'm not careful, I'll spend too much energy being crazy-envious of her.

#9 - Hailee Steinfeld in Marchesa

This is an age-appropriate pick, though I think the headband might be verging on "too young". I love how this dress combines the adorable with the refined.

#8 Annette Bening in Naeem Khan

Simply gorgeous -- she always gets it right, looking like the beautiful, serious actress she is. This is effortless and tasteful.

 

#7 - Michelle Williams in Chanel 

This dress (and the styling as well) feels kind of predictable and expected from her, but I've gotta give credit where it's due: she definitely got it right with this particular look. Excellent and true to her personal tastes.

#6 - Amy Adams in L'Wren Scott

I'm crazy for this color, especially with her complexion and hair color. Love the soft curls and the jewelry as well.

#5 - Melissa Leo in Marc Bouwer

I doubt she'll get a lot of love from the fashion critics, but this is perfection to me. It's like nothing else that was on the red carpet tonight, and she was clearly just revelling in the fact that she was experiencing such an event at this stage in her career. LOVE the standup collar here.

#4 - Mila Kunis in Elie Saab

Beautiful color, and it moved in such a lovely way as she walked on the red carpet. I really adore the lacy effects on the bottom and along the neckline.

#3 - Mandy Moore in Monique Lhuillier

I tried to find a still shot that would do this dress justice, but I don't think it exists. Sad day. She really looked so elegant in this during the pre-show footage that I saw, glamorous in an old Hollywood sort of way. Note: this dress actually features a nude illusion neckline, but it was incredibly subtle.

#2 - Gwyneth Paltrow in Calvin Klein

This was a great choice in terms of cut, color, and styling - not too over-the-top and attention-grabbing, which is appropriate considering that she wasn't nominated. I really like the belt brooch thing and the earrings, which gave some fun splashes of color.

#1 - Cate Blanchett in Givenchy Couture

I'll confess, when I saw her arrive, I proclaimed "Favorite!" and didn't give anyone else a chance. I love how funky yet lovely this dress is, the back is gorgeous, and the softness of her hair is a perfect complement. Ms. Blanchett can do no wrong.

Honorable mentions to the supportive wives and girlfriends out there (holla):

Rhea Durham (Mark Wahlberg's wife) in Naeem Khan
This dress can be yours for the low price of $6,000, yo.

Camila Alves (Matthew McConaughey's girlfriend) in Kaufman Franco