I Brake for Style, Post the First

In light of the bad news I mentioned below AND the fact that I've been sick, reading has been a wee tad slow at my house. I'm enjoying my reading, and I'm carving out a few minutes every day, but I'm not quite trucking along at the clip I'd like. However, this week is steadily improving, we're in the middle of the changeover from one academic term to the next, and and I'm feeling a good deal better the last couple of days.

I feel well and upbeat enough to post, but I also don't want to keep boring you with the same words about the same books, SO we're going somewhere different today. Style. S-T-Y-L-E. You heard it.

Outside of ye olde blog I'm really interested in style: fashion, home decor, trends. In general, I'm a very visual person, so it's not a shocker. I was even an art student once upon a time. I've always been interested in expressing my personality visually and playing with my look. I've had some very distinct "trends" in my own life and they weren't all good: the high school days when I wore nothing but Nike shirts, my college and grad school days when I expanded my wardrobe a little bit but generally just cut and dyed my hair a whole bunch of colors, and of course, the multiple facial piercings over the years (tongue, eyebrow, nose).

I should also mention, I've always been a plus size, so fashion CAN be a drag at times. After I had Greyson in April 2010, my body was different and like so many new moms I was hella busy, tired, worn out, and generally disinterested in looking good. I lost a bit of my spark for a minute. My hair grew out, the grey started showing, I wore it up in a knot or ponytail all the time, my clothes started showing a good deal of wear, and I tended to fall back on Too Much Black. My mom, being the saint that she is, treated me to a brand new wardrobe for my 30th birthday, and I was back on the scene. I perked up the color, went for better fit. I took my love of What Not to Wear and tried to inject it into my daily life and style. I've also become an avid InStyle reader (don't tell anyone!).

Before I got all of my hair lopped off, I had fallen back into a bit of a clothing and appearance funk. I was wearing the same outfits too often, falling back on baggy and unbecoming. I'm a slave to comfort -- what can I say? And since I get up at 5:00 many mornings, there was a bit of dontgivashit thrown in. Since the hair transformation, I've kind of been on a style crusade! And it reaches beyond clothing to making my home a little cozier and comfier.

Here are some items I've found lately that I just love:

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Y'all probably already know of my love affair with all things owl. This scented oil burner from Bath and Body Works is adorable! Confession: I didn't actually buy this. I bought slightly smaller version that holds a tea light. candle. Right now I'm burning a marshmallow scent in my bedroom.

These pyramid stud earrings from Nordstrom are ridiculously simple but SO FRACKIN CUTE! Especially when they're on. They catch a lot more light than typical small studs given the pyramid shape. I'm tempted to buy them in gold and jet, too! Also, I don't typically order from Nordstrom, but these were the most affordable I found in my searching!

I've also been kind of obsessed with cozifying my bedroom as of late. I bought a new comforter from Target. It's a reversible with a brown/green/turquoise floral silhouette pattern on one side. I've discovered that I really like mixing patterns, and I started eyeing these sheets from Anthropologie. Well, a po' teacher such as myself can't afford to drop $250 on sheets (only 250 thread count!!!) so I went with a little less exciting, but much cheaper version from Target:

My pattern is a little different, but you get the gist. Pretty! I love me some turquoise.

I suspect I'll do more style posts in the future and maybe next time I'll branch out to the clothing department. But for now, that's a sneaky peek at my life outside of Blogville.

Have you done any styling of your home or self lately?