What Ana Does

We've got a wedding in Florida at the end of February and none of my formal dresses currently fit. So instead of the frustrating, lonely and depressing experience of spending a few hours in the dressing room at Nordstrom or Lord & Taylor, I've been experimenting with online dress shopping. I've been using mainly Amazon and Zappos, because of quick and free shipping. And I found quite a lot of dress options. In fact, I spent WAY TO MUCH time browsing through dresses and imaging how they'd translate from the model's size 1 body to my, er, larger one. In the end, I found there were some advantages and disadvantages to doing this kind of very-targeted shopping .... Pluses:  - Try on is at my house, in my bathroom, with my own shoes and undergarments, etc. I had ALL the space to move around and take each for a test drive. - My house has better, natural lighting and several mirror options. - I could take pictures of myself in the dress to send to my sisters w...

The owl wings are done! And I'm more than just a little proud of the work I did on this. Hooray! Leah is an Owl!! Hoot! Hoot!  Here's the breakdown: It took about two weeks (in the evenings, while watching TV) to cut out the "feathers." Most of the fabric is upholstery that I got at Loomcraft. Some was scrap I had left over from other projects -- like the red corduroy. The yellow-y fabric is from a set of napkins Mom found for me a few years ago.  Because I used upholstery fabric, the wings are heavy. So I tacked them to the orange shirt she is wearing.  I also used ribbons to tie the wings to her wrists -- so she can fly! And, more importantly, hold on to her trick-or-treat loot bag.  I could have used the brown base-fabric and fashioned a smock or vest to sew the wings to, but decided against it. Too much work and not much return.  The best time-saving advice from the instructions I used was to sew bias tape around the borders for a quick, clean l...

I knew I'd have no trouble finding the shoes -- and I didn't. Thirty minutes at Lord & Taylor with Leah, and we walked away with these patent leather cuties.  After seeing the dress on , my Mom was insistent that I wear heals. But my concern about being able to walk a lot (Versailles is huge, you guys!) was not to be ignored. And I understand, heals make my short legs look looooonger. So I compromised on a wedge heal, patent leather adding some flash. And by returning the jeweled flats and the weekend's sale, I came out ahead. Go me! Why did I choose black when the dress is vibrant prink? Because A) they didn't have fuchsia and B) they'll match the other dress I'm bringing for the other dinner party later in the week. (I can't remember the venues -- I'm sure it's beautiful, though a lot less royal.)  So with less than two weeks to go, I've made all the purchases needed and I'm ready to start packing. Ah Paris.  

Hello Gorgeous! The Versailles dress has been occupying too much space in my thoughts. It just HAS to be perfect! So, after trying on about 20 dresses, I'm happy to report I found a winner! Silly me, I forgot there was a Last Call Neiman Marcus near my house -- normally, it's really picked through, but you just never know what you'll find. And lo and behold there it was ... in all its fuchsia glory! Purple Flats - Pass Okay, not to get all Vogue-Magazine about it, and I hadn't noticed until I tried it on, but the dress is a Badgley Mischka Collection. (WHAT?!) Yeah, you might be familiar with the label if you're a CELEBRITY! And because I glory in a good sale (I am my mother's daughter) I'll tell you the dress was originally $500, and I got it for just under $100. Welcome to Crazytown. I was so excited that it's strapless, too. I have always just-a-little regretted not wearing strapless at my wedding. (I have a fear of flashing my tatas...

So, after shopping and trying on dresses , I had this idea ... what if I found a sensational skirt, paired it with a tank top (Gwyneth Paltrow style) and jazzed it up with a big, sparkly necklace and bejeweled flats. Well, I got all the pieces together this weekend and it didn't turn out quite the way I pictured it. The problem was the tank and skirt obviously didn't match together. Luckily, I had done some fancy-top shopping before our trip to Las Vegas , and one of them looked pretty great. The skirt has a little layering and the top is open and flattering! I also found a second dress for a dinner Dave is taking me to on April 10th. It's a business dinner, but I'm sure they're planning a BIG birthday celebration for me. Right? From Top Left: The Skirt; Versailles Outfit-Minus Jewels: Fancy Flats; Dinner Party Frock! EDITOR'S NOTE: I showed my Mom the outfit for Versailles (Top Right) and she vetoed it. The shirt is not sparkly or dazzling enough. I...

Seeing as how I have a fancy dinner ... at the PALACE OF VERSAILLES!! I better hit the mall and try on some dresses. This is the trouble with living so far from your sisters ... I was in the dressing room with about 15 dresses ... alone! With just my cell phone! So I snapped pictures of some of my favorites, which you'll see here. My objective was to find a dress ... 1. About knee-length. Tea-length is preferred, as this is a black-tie optional event and I don't want to show too much leg. Is IS for Dave's company, after all. 2. Something dazzling -- as I will be in the same building where fashionable Marie Antoinette once lived (granted with a much smaller dress budget). 3. Something I won't look nuts wearing flats with -- because I AM wearing flats. I refuse to be handicapped by uncomfortable heels if I get a chance to explore the royal rooms or the fabled grounds. Gravel in heels? Nothankyou. So my options were pretty good at the Lord & Taylor by m...

Thanks to a package that arrived in the mail today, I have two little girls who are ready for the 4th of July! Thank you (Great) Grandma! Red, White and Happy!