The Style Stories that Broke the Blogger’s Back!

Oh, it’s so silly! But these flat lays seen here in this Style Stories post, well, I ended up in the hospital because of them! That sounds awfully dramatic, so I’ll back up. I brought back my Style Stories two weeks ago with this post. I had such fun making the flat lays that I decided to do it again last week. To make these (somewhat silly yet extremely, creative outlets for me) I lay my soft white blanket on the floor in my living room, smooth it out, and place items on top of the blanket. I often go up and down getting things just right–the lipstick might not be perfectly straight, there may be a ruffle in the clothing, or an earring isn’t laying upright. Basically, there’s a lot of bending, smoothing, and straightening out involved. Oh and then, I climb up onto a chair and take a shot from overhead. This is all basic stuff–it’s not high risk, or it least it shouldn’t be. But, for me it is.

By the last flat lay on this Wednesday night, something had happened. Something felt extremely off. I hobbled off to Vincent’s bedroom, laid on his bed, and asked for the usual massage he’ll give my back that resuscitates me back to normal. This time that didn’t happen. All of a sudden I was completely stuck–stuck on his bed. I couldn’t move. I couldn’t moves my arms let alone my legs. It was scary. Really scary! Finally Kevin lifted me up, Gigi got my crutches, and somehow I made it to my bed. Fast forward to some meds, rest in bed, a visit to the doctor, and a request for an MRI on Friday afternoon. Yet, it happened again: on Friday morning around 9 am, I froze up again and couldn’t move. And this time I got quite hysterical–both in emotions and in pain. I was losing my mind, yet Kevin, rational thank goodness, got me to the hospital. I ended up getting that MRI, and it showed two tears in my L4 and L5 lumbar discs. The doctor said this was good because I did not need surgery, but on the other hand it was bad because those tears were SCREAMING! Yes, they were!!

On Saturday, I had an epidural procedure where he injected my spine in those two spots plus gave me six other shots. I didn’t care; I was out thank goodness! By Sunday I was discharged and brought home with the request to lay low for the following week. This part was so frustrating, but necessary! I had just had a great two first days of school with the students. The year was starting well, really well. I was present, excited, and ready to go! Forget that last August and even the August before that I’d been out. I was starting off on the right foot. But then….not so fast: Kevin called it my threepeat! This August and this start to the year also has had its challenges.

But enough of all this! Let’s get to the flat lays!
(And back to work on Monday–I’m ready!)

Monday

I start every first day of school in an lbd–usually this one actually. I usually style it with gold as seen here. (I can’t believe I used to wear heels. Kinda breaks my heart! And, my hair was sooooo long!!) Rather than go with gold like I usually do, I went with silver and turquoise. Since I pretty much only wear tennis shoes, I opted for my Old Skools. Love them–they’re just as good as heels!

Old Skool Vans—Basically I copied my daughter with these. I can’t count how many pairs she’s been through. I thought it was about time I joined her in the Old Skool look!

Black Fringe Earrings—One day last spring I went earring shopping on Zaful. I bought about five pairs, and the total maybe came to $20. They have an insanely awesome selection of earrings. Hey, now that it’s almost fall, maybe it’s time for me to go shopping again. I think I can spare 20 bucks!

*A note on the belt–This belt was too small for me when I bought it, but I was determined to have it, so I figured out how to make it bigger. I went to a local craft store and bought some black canvas belting to match the width of the belt. I asked my local tailor to take of the belt buckle, add three inches, and then put the belt buckle back on. Presto! The extra inches are covered by the other side of the belt, and the belt now fits me. There’s always a way to make a belt bigger–usually right by the belt buckle!

Tuesday

For the second day of school, we get all the students. I wanted to look nice yet of course demonstrate my sporty style too, so I paired my dress with my ballerina tennis shoes.

Who What Wear Snake Dress—Who What Wear in my opinion is rockin’ it at Targé. I mean everything they create has been so cute. All summer long I wore this romper; now for fall I’ve got this cute dress (it comes in plain black and also a cute poppy floral print). I’m hoping it becomes a repeat for me too!

Mixing Two Lippies: Pink Me Up and White Gold—Again, I went with my metallic lippy, but I only wanted

Wednesday

I went super, super bright with my florescent shift on Wednesday. Again, I think I was just trying to set the tone that I am a zany dresser. Shock ’em now so to speak! This spring there were two cute ladies shopping in Zara when I spotted this shift. It was one of those moments where I went, grabbed a large, and purchased it. I just knew it was going to work for me, and it does–especially when I pair it with turquoise mascara and a hot pink lip!

Hot Pink Metallic Lippy—This is for sure the brightest lipstick I own, and I LOVE IT! Plus not only is it bright, but it is also metallic. Like the last Style Stories post, I’ve got a thing for metallic lippy right now and this one ROCKS!!

Black Fringe Earrings—This was the second day I wore these earrings. They match a ton, and at only $3.72 I’ve definitely outdone my cost per wear!!

So, I only made it through three outfits last week.

And this week there were no outfits to report except for Wednesday’s Typhoon Hato getup. (I love that sweatshirt by the way!) But when I return to work on Monday, I think I’ll be continuing my tendency to wear dresses with tennis shoes. I like this vibe. It feels good–dress up sporty style! And, if I try to make flat lays again, I promise to try to use the kitchen table instead. Less bending over!