Job Hunt: Interview Suit

I finally found it!!  The perfect interview suit (for me).  A few months ago I pictured a beautiful gray tweed suit, no shoulder pads, that made me look skinny and professional.  After months of searching through crappy petite suits, I found a winner, on sale!!  For a while, I thought I was going to have to go beyond my budget a purchase a beautiful (but expensive even on sale) suit from Ann Taylor Loft.  Then, while doing some after Christmas shopping with family I found it.

This is the exact suit, except it looks much better on person and, because it is petite, it fits my short arms and legs and I don't need to get it hemmed.

So now I feel a little bit less stressed as I apply for jobs (endlessly it feels like!).  Already in the week I have been home I have applied for 10 jobs!!!  It makes me feel better that there is more out there than I thought (I am mainly applying for public library reference jobs, academic reference/instruction jobs, and any e-librarian or technology related position because of my qualifications).  It is somewhat comforting (I have to remind myself) that I fit every single requirement and most of the desired qualifications for these jobs.  I've got a good start.  However, it's a bit scary to send out these pieces of yourself- each job application is like a bit of hope and every time you don't hear anything it feels like that bit of hope is shredded.    Luckily, it's still early yet- I graduate in May! I've got time on my side, for now.

With job apps turned in and an interview suit in my closet there is nothing left to do today but read and rewatch Downton Abbey (I am such a geek for Masterpiece Classic!!).

Winter Break!!!

melting chocolate, originally uploaded by You dress like a librarian.

Pictured above: melting chocolate to top homemade brownies so my crushed peppermint candies would stick (idea from the December Real Simple). Yum!!

So a week or so ago I was complaining about feeling bored because my end of the semester workload was super light. Karma!

On Wednesday I met with my supervisor and she mentioned that all of the links on our libguides should open up in a new tab (also, some of the links don't work because whoever created the libguide just copied and pasted the product link instead of our proxy link). Basically, I was done with the 3 libguides I had signed up to edit but some how was given the project to fix all of the links in the rest of the 55 topic guides. Yeah. Just an estimate, it took me about an hour to check and change all of the many links in just 5 libguides. So I spent ten hours between Wednesday and today (which sounds light but is inconvenient when you are rushing around to holiday parties and doing last minute Christmas shopping and packing) doing this. It has to be done by January so I could have worked on it over break but, heck, I was so close to having nothing to do over break, I pushed myself.

As a result I spent most of this week in sweatpants, copying and pasting links.  When I get carpel tunnel later in life, I will point to this as what pushed me over the edge. Whatever. The semester is officially done and I can retire for four weeks of fun reading. Time to take off my dressy day cardigan and zip up my Mr. Roger's style home cardigan. Let the relaxation begin!

Gingham and Gold

Gingham and Gold, originally uploaded by You dress like a librarian.

Via Flickr:
Mustard Yellow Jackie cardigan: JCrew
Blue gingham button up: Old Navy
Jeans: AE
Sweater boots: Old Navy
Sparrow pin: Etsy

This is what the librarian of a mountain lodge library would wear. I did feel a little "log cabin' today but that's okay- it's cold outside and all I feel like doing is snuggling inside by the tree. Plus, the students would not notice that I am super fancy- it is study time!!

On another note, I am basically done with this semester (class and homework wise) and just have to show up to all of my work and social obligations next week. And watch Elf about a hundred times. And bake peppermint brownies. Done!

Ruffles and Riding boots

Ruffles and Riding boots, originally uploaded by You dress like a librarian.

Via Flickr:
Cream ruffled cardigan: New York and Company
Gray v-neck tee: Mossimo
White tank: JCrew
Jeans: AE
Brown Boots: Famous Footwear


On a day where I only had my last class of the semester (bittersweet because it was my awesome Children's Lit. class) and drinks and Christmas movies, I knew that I needed comfy jeans and a cardigan- standard casual fare for me.

I only have one more assignment due Friday and it is almost done!! Then I just have to coast through all of the reference shifts and finish my last work related project (updating some of our libguides). Awesome.

Double trouble

Big red [belt], originally uploaded by You dress like a librarian.

Via Flickr:
Red dress: Merona
Gray Cardigan: Merona
Red Belt: Target
Black Tights: Target
Black shoes: Steve Madden

I had to be a bit fancier this morning because I had a meeting and a reference shift (btw, we just started roving reference with an iPad and it is kind of weird- I just try not to creep students out!).

But tonight I had a little dinner date before my night class and was dying to get out of itchy tights and into this:

Blue stripe tee: Old Navy
Gray tank underneath: Hollister
Skinny Jeans: AE
Gold Flats: Mossimo Supply Co.



Super comfy. I have been on the hunt for skinny jeans and would be stretchy but not stretch out. Old Navy's jeans stretch out so much!! I've tried a bunch of different brands and, in a state of desperation, went to American Eagle, which was my favorite jean brand in high school. I expected "juniors" fitting jeans with a too low rise and lots of fading but these jeans are wonderful- they are midrise (but not too high), have a great stretch, and, best of all, don't stretch out in the back with multiple wears!! Wonderful! It's nice not to have my jeans falling off my body after I wear them one time!

Fashion Inspiration: Snow White

No clothes post today; it's that time of the semester where I am just running around like a crazy person (so many work related things: meetings, meetings, meetings!) so I rocked out jeans and the yellow cardigan that I wore too many times last week.

In search of some fashion inspiration (to get away of the yellow color combos) got me thinking about my new favorite show: Once Upon a Time.  I have a secret penchant for fairy tales: I always am drawn to fantasy fairy tale movies (stuff like the wonderful Stardust that only comes out every so often), read fairy tale criticism and new adaptations for fun, and am just generally attracted to anything with a "fairy tale" tag.  So I knew I would have to at least watch the pilot of this show, which I expected to be cheesy and wonderful like my favorite miniseries The 10th Kingdom.

Once Upon a Time is definitely got its share of cheese (the evil queen can be a bit over dramatic- I role my eyes whenever she has a big scene) but it has some great flashback stuff going on, an interesting premise, and some fashion inspiration in Snow White (aka Mary Margaret).  As soon as I saw her pale blue cardigan and skirt combo in the pilot, I was interested.  When we get to see her adorable apartment (faded white wood, mismatched chairs, globes- basically the setting for an anthropologie catalog) I knew I was hooked on Snow White.

Check out her cheery cardigans (after all, how can a librarian not love cardigans!):

And she had a really cute look I wanted to try this week: a navy (or black) polka dot dress with a red cardigan and brown belt and skeleton key necklace. Love!

I can see a little Snow White in myself- I love to clean!  Anyways, Snow White is fabulous librarian fashion inspiration; I just need to be a little less lazy and try some new stuff!

Also, look at that cute apartment:

A green christmas

A green christmas, originally uploaded by You dress like a librarian.

Via Flickr:
Pea Green Jackie Cardigan: JCrew
Navy blue jersey dress: Forever 21
Brown Belt: Target
Grey tights: Target
Brown Boots: Famous Footwear
Sparrow Necklace: Etsy

Still no snow!! Oh well, I live in the midwest so it's bound to happen sooner or later. However, I still have things to be happy about: mainly this navy dress. I got this baby back in 2007 and it has been a favorite ever since. It is a beautiful color, a great length, and so soft. Every once in a while I find great (cheap!) gems from Forever 21 and this is one of them!

Besides favorite dresses, nothing much to report. Work is crazy and school is a bit crazy but I am almost done!