funny story, a creepy old man and this outfit

Hi-Lo Skirt: Target, Sweater: Only, Leopard heels: Target (clearance), Leather jacket: Target, Purse: Vintage Louis Vuitton 

I wore this outfit when Jason and I went to see Les Miserable at the Benedum in Pittsburgh a few weeks ago. We had tickets and a table reserved at Meat&Potatoes right across the street before the show. 

So as you do when you have a momentous occasion like this happening, like once every 6 months due to parenthood, well you dress up a little bit.  Little insert here: [I always get a little sad when I find a cute dress and put it back on the rack because I simply don't have any place to wear it to. Just a little sad though because I have someone that gives me way better feelings down in the pits of my stomach than any cute dress ever could...]

Sooo anyway, I put on this cute hi-lo skirt from Target, where I also found that "best pleather jacket ever" and the leopard heels for $8. The ones that make you look like a fool because you have serious problems walking in 6" heels but they just make you legs look so darn amazing for once. Ha!
It's the truth folks! I bet I could master them if I wore them often. Let's picture me hauling Logan about town, you know from Target to the grocery store and then to the library in those puppies... or maybe let's not.

I swear I am getting to the funny part of the story.
So we get to the restaurant before the show and they have this reception and sitting area right outside the dining room. We sit down and wait for someone to seat us when all of a sudden this older guy in his late 60's comes out of the dining room. He stares at us for a few seconds and then starts telling me how absolutely amazing my outfit is. He does so quite loudly and in an exaggerated way, so of course people start looking at us. I'm taken off guard, flattered of course and embarrassed at the same time. I politely thank him and hope he will just go away. After a few more nods of approval he finally turns around and disappears back into the restaurant.
Jason and I just stare at each other like: Did he really just interrupt his dinner to tell me how great my outfit is?
Someone finally comes over to bring us to our table. As we walk into the restaurant he is of course sitting right at the first table. Again, all we hear is him loudly exclaiming to the wife he is having dinner with and all the rest of the restaurant (it's one of those smaller places where everyone sits really close together): "See, this is how it's done!", "She looks fantastic", "Well done young lady, well done" and a few more of that sort. Jason actually got quite the kick out of doing an impression of this guy ;)
Needless to say, by the time we get to our table I am bright red and everyone is still staring at us.

So, to this guy I say, thank you from the bottom of my heart for your kind words. I do appreciate them more now that the embarrassment of the moment is over. Maybe next time, the whole restaurant doesn't need to be involved?

Moments like this make me realize how self-conscious I actually am...

That's the story of this outfit and of course Les Miserable was fantastic!! Go see it if you can.
Now please share one of your own embarrassing stories where you really should have been flattered instead of turning beet red :)

$50 Forever 21 Gift Card Giveaway with A Stylish Little Lady

THIS GIVEAWAY IS NOW CLOSED!!!

Today I wanted to introduce you to one of my lovely sponsors, Chandra from A Stylish Little Lady.
Chandra's blog is such a fun and inspiring collection of personal style, art, yummy recipes and a super cute pup to top it all off!
She has a talent for finding the most amazing Etsy shop and sharing them on her blog. Thanks to her I have found out about a few really great Etsy shops and most of all, I really love the positive, cheerful vibe she's got going on. You should really hop on over there and check it out for yourself :)

1> mason jar lamp 2> crazy animal magnets 3> modern tribal print pillows 4> slate cheese board 5> tea towels

You can also find Chandra here:

Twitter

Pinterest

Bloglovin'

Today, Chandra is giving one of you a $50 gift card to Forever 21! Yeah, she's super nice like that :)

image source

To enter simply do the following:

Follow A Stylish Little Lady via GFC (Google Friend Connect)

Be a GFC follower of The Forge

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Please follow the rules and play fair! Giveaway runs for 7 days. Winner will be selected randomly and contacted through email. Winner has 48 hours to respond or another winner will be selected. Open to US and Canada residents only! 

Good Luck!! 

urban outfitters sale must-haves under $40

{1} Parka $39.99
{2} Oversized Sweater $19.99
{3} Leather Leggings $19.99
{4} Pendleton Gloves $29.99
 {5} Feather Ear Cuff $12.99
{6} Wilbury Ankle Boot $39.99

{1} BDG Destructed Boyfriend Jeans $29.99
{2} Chantilly Tee $19.99
{3} Bow Hat $9.99
{4} Suede Platform Wedge $9.99
{5} Kate Lady Satchel $24.99
{6} Love Spell Bracelets $9.99
{7} Faux Leather Moto Vest $19.99

When I'm in a shopping mood, which is surprisingly quite often, you better keep me away from the Urban Outfitters site... ;) I try to stick strictly to their sale which doesn't necessarily makes me spend less but at least I get more for my buck. There are quite a few pieces that are heavily discounted right now, so I put together a couple of outfits using only Urban Outfitters sale items. Everything is under $40!! These likely won't last so if you're looking for a deal you should head over there now. Or maybe you just have way better self control than me... 

no affiliate links were used here folks! 

giveaway link-up 3 and week in review

Oh man, I am so behind this week... It's just been really busy and J is out of town for work again this weekend, so I just couldn't find the time or energy to get anything up on the blog. You ladies know how that goes right?
I am so sleepy sitting here today trying to prepare this week's posts. Logan is spending the day with his grandparents so my to-do list is growing exponentially by the hour and what I really should be doing is take a nice long nap...
Instead I'll just write a a bunch of posts, set up giveaways, clean up my desktop and phone, respond to emails, finish a few diy projects, take a shower and dye my hair...

One thing I have to get off my chest though before all of that, is that I am so so grateful to all of the amazing bloggers and businesses out there that have made it possible for me to host so many amazing giveaways over the past month!! I am so happy to see a few sponsors return and blown away by how generous and genuinely nice you all are :)
I was in a bit of a weird blogging phase after coming home from Germany, where I felt a little lost and uninspired. Having you trust me with promoting your businesses and blogs really helped me get back on track.

Thank you also to you who have been linking up giveaways as I am trying to get this link-up out there.
Please continue to do so and I would be ever so grateful if you shared it with your readers as well :)

PS: Only 2 days left to enter the $50 Jeg Boutique Giveaway!!

PPS: How freakin' frustrating are bloggers random formatting glitches?? But really!

Giveaway Link-Up 3

- Please only link up giveaways, you may link up giveaways that are not yours because you think they are just so rad and need to be shared!

- Link up as many as you'd like from the current week.

- Come back next Friday to link up again.

- Please, please, please link back to me from your giveaway post or sidebar, or share in some other way.

Enter a few giveaways :)

Thank you!  

$50 jeg boutique giveaway

Remember the amazing tribal print leggings I wore in this post from Monday? 

They were from the lovely Jeg Boutique and I couldn't be happier with them. 

Jeg Boutique owner Tiffany, an entrepreneur and mom to 3 boys, is going to give one of you lucky ladies out there a $50 credit to her shop. 

Read on to learn more about Tiffany's passion for fashion and how she balances being a mom and running a business. 

JEG Boutique opened its virtual doors Nov. 16, 2012, at JEGBoutique.com.  JEG is a wonderland of ladies fashion at your finger tips!  JEG Boutique features everything gals need for individual style and provides the hottest trends without the busy, mall atmosphere.  Owner Tiffany Ebersole focuses on selecting fashion-forward items for real women.  Ebersole understands that the everyday woman wants to look great and feel comfortable, and JEG Boutique’s collection mirrors this fashion philosophy.

JEGBoutique.com was created by Tiffany Ebersole, a wife and stay-at-home mother of three sons, who has long-been inspired by fashion.  Ebersole has an extensive background in fashion retail management and jewelry design, with more than 13 years in the industry.  Ebersole’s focus on local, small business ownership is a passion for her, as she seeks to maintain the perfect balance of being a present mother for her kids while living out her dreams of having a successful career in the fashion industry.  JEGBoutique.com displays Ebersole’s enthusiasm for the industry and her knowledge of what’s fresh and new in the world of fashion. 

FACEBOOK:   www.facebook.com/JEGBoutique

WEBSITE:  www.JEGBoutique.com

TWITTER:  @JEGBoutique

Save 25% off your entire order with code FORGE25

Now to enter the giveaway, please do the following:

Be a follower of The Forge via GFC (Google Friend Connect)

Like Jeg Boutique on Facebook

Visit Jeg Boutique and leave a comment on this post with your favorite item.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Giveaway runs for 7 days. Winner will be announced on this post and contacted via email. Winner has 48 hours to claim their prize or another winner will be picked. Open to US residents only. 

put your lederhosen on

Just a warning: this may be the cutest thing you ever did see. At least when it comes to little boys in lederhosen, but there really aren't many cuter things than that anyway.

My younger brother and a friend.

My youngest brother and his friend Jessi from Missouri

The newlyweds (they got married in New York this past summer, she is American and he is German)

Logan and his proud Opa.

I am still trying to catch up on editing all the Germany pictures and I just had to share these from my cousin's wedding. I barely get dressed up for anything anymore so it was nice to put on a dress and what an amazing chance to put Logan in that traditional outfit, lederhosen and all. 

I think my son kind of stole the show that night ;) 

how to wear tribal print leggings

Sweater: Urban Outfitters, Leggings: c/o Jeg Boutique, Jacket: Target, Hat: Gap, Boots: Banana Republic

Tribal print leggings, patterned leggings. Yay or Nay? Well, after much consideration I decided to be brave and give them a try... I've been in love with the patterned pants trend for a while now, but mostly I thought it just looked cute on other people and I wasn't sure if I could really pull it off. 

I was worried that wearing a bold pattern may not be very flattering, especially since I wasn't blessed with long, skinny legs. I have pretty short legs actually. I'm an average 5'5"with plenty of thighs, calves and a little bit of extra padding to sit on ;) 

So, do I like the way these tribal leggings look, you ask? 

I really do :) They are the most comfortable, soft pair of leggings I own and they were actually not as hard to style as I had anticipated.

I think the key is to keep the rest of your outfit as simple as you can. Don't incorporate another busy pattern but do try to tie in the pattern colors with the other pieces you're wearing. 

I also can't wait to try them with some heels and a simple tee once the weather gets nicer.

Taking a break from the plain old denim can be so refreshing on a dreary winter day and I love how this turned out. 

My leggings came from the wonderful Jeg Boutique, a great online shop with a hand picked selection of trendy and affordable pieces you won't find at your local mall. 

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Jeg Boutique is offering you all an amazing 30% discount off your entire order with code: 

FORGE30

There is a ton of stuff on sale at the moment so you can really score a great deal with the additional 30% discount! The discount is only good today and Tuesday so don't wait to take advantage of this deal! :)

And now a few more ways to wear tribal print leggings. 

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