Fit Flashback: The Circus Knows No Season

Props courtesy of Charlotte.

Tee: JCPenney

Skirt: ModCloth

Bag and charm: Madden Girl, Macy's

Skirt: Bubblegum, Macy's

A. C. Moore

Pop Heart Necklace

Bag: Dolls Kill

Sweater: Madden Girl, Macy's

Shoes: Madden Girl, Kohl's

Top: New York & Company; Skirt (a dress!): Zulily

Brooch: West End Garage

Vase: Aritimi

Bag: Amerileather, Zulily

Top: New York & Company; Skirt: Tinseltown, Macy's

Bag: Marshalls

Top: Candie's, Kohl's; Skort: So, Kohl's; Shoes: INC, Macy's

Bag: Betsey Johnson, Amazon

Sunglasses: Amazon

A. C. Moore

Rad Romance Necklace

Here at The Tote Trove, it's never not circus season.  That's why I'm flashing back to last summer's fits.  You know how it is; so many fits, so little time.  So why not post the unposted?  Because we all need color when it's cold and dreary.  

And clowns are less scary than Santa.

Elephants Can Remember Christmas Sweater Weather: The Gift of Peace and Mirth

Boots: Wild Fable, Target

Tee: Celebrate, Kohl's

Bag: Holiday Arcade, Macy's; Ring: PinkBopp, Etsy

Barrette: Claire's, CVS

Glasses and platter: Gifted

Sweater: Gem Holiday Sweater, Kohl's; Boots: Simply Vera, Kohl's

Bag: Dolls Kill; Bangle: ZAD, Zulily

Headband: Candie's, Kohl's

Ornaments: Hallmark, Lillian Vernon

Sweater: So, Kohl's; Boots: Olivia Miller, Kohl's

Santa and sign: Michaels

Bag: Holiday Arcade, Macy's

Barrette and necklace (you know which ones!): The Tote Trove

Garland: Michaels; Ornaments: Target, Michaels

Boots: Apt. 9, Kohl's

Santas: West End Garage, Cape May; Elf: Michaels

Shirt: Madden Girl, Kohl's

Island of Misfit Toys: Gifted

Bag: Holiday Arcade, Macy's

Ornaments: Lilian Vernon, Hallmark

Necklaces: Betsey Johnson, Macy's

Christmas sweaters are always a thing.  But you seldom hear about Christmas tee shirts.  Which is why I was a little befuddled by the candy cane-print tee in the first outfit.  Still, I loved the print, and at $4.99, I couldn't pass it up.  So I layered it over a turtleneck and headed out to LabCorp as if I were bound for a white elephant party.  Which, in some ways, I was.        

Surprise, you (by which I mean me) have slightly high cholesterol!  But this elephant (again, me) already suspected that.  So that's where the gallows humor and elephant references end (not me, but Agatha Christie).  

Yep, the Christmas countdown always sets me on edge, cramming my head full of querulous questions.  Will I ever finish wrapping these presents?  Did I buy my niece the same Barbie doll two years in a row?  Should I put something else outside besides my paltry palm tree?  Basically, it all amounts to, did I do enough?  And the answer is usually no.  

But it shouldn't be.  Because the holidays are hard, and anything anyone does should suffice.

So this year, which is our first with Char Bar, I'm going to try to give myself the gift of a break.  Strangely, it's a gift that everyone always tries to give me but that I have trouble accepting.  And if there's anything I should teach my daughter, then it's that she should give herself this gift too.        

That and Christmas comic relief that comes in the form of a tee shirt.

Thinking Pink and Growing Rainbows

Dress: Speechless, Kohl's

Shoes: Mix No. 6, DSW

Denim shirt: Marshalls; Bag: Ella & Elly, Zulily

As my baby bump burgeons, I'm phasing belts and jeans out of my daily wardrobe.  So I was psyched to unearth my old but trusty black A-line dress to wear to my belated b-day celebration, as well as a skirt and leggings for a doctor's appointment.  Rediscovering these long-forgotten garments has been fun, presenting me with a new kind of fashion challenge.  

Speaking of which, making this Kooky Candy Necklace was another everything-old-is-new-again experience.  Partly because I haven't been crafting much lately, partly because I used old rhinestones I found when decluttering my craft room. 

As its name suggests, Kooky Candy is big and weird and a little bit wonky -- but that's okay because it's mine.  

The other new accessory I'm sporting is this nifty '90s-style scrunchie, which I love but (obviously) didn't make:

Scrunchie: Classic Alpaca, West End Garage

I bought it after Christmas at the West End Garage in Cape May.  It's from a small business called Classic Alpaca, as evidenced by its critter-shaped packaging.  Which in and of itself is cute enough to tack up in my craft room.

There's always space for another civilian in the land of pink and rainbows.