The first time I saw a Plus Size Princess in a tutu, I knew I had to have one. I spent hours searching online and everyone seemed to have sold out of them the minute they became available. But I was obsessed and refused to give up… somehow I discovered Ouma on Etsy and she made my dreams come true! I sent her my measurements and told her the color and length I wanted and she custom made me a tulle skirt and included a satin sash (although I prefer to wear mine with a more structured belt).

I’ve worn my tutu mostly for singing performances, but when I’m feeling extra princess-like I’ll wear it to a special event.

Tulle Skirt: Ouma, Sweater: Old Navy, Shoes Avenue, Bag: Vintage

Bronzer: Covergirl Queen Collection, Eye Shadow: Sonia Kashuk matte pallete, Blush: Tarte

Twistout Fro-hawk done with shea butter and bobby-pins

Photos by: Zanography

Its been a while since I did an instagram roundup, so I thought I’d catch you guys up! I got back down 30 pounds right around thanksgiving. While was in Indiana with my family, I noticed that my skinny jeans were fitting a lot better, *whew*

I’ve been hitting the gym hard, and had an awkward moment when I had to yank my underwire out during my cardio class… I feel like my bras are always falling apart, augh!

I had brunch with my gays and someone decided to bring a brooch in the shape of a bird… I thought the brooch was hilarious!

That’s a general update…Friday is my office holiday party and the outfit that you guys helped me choose is really cute. I’ll have pictures from that soon too.

Have a good weekend!

Instagram: PlusSizePrincess

I used to be terrified that wrap dresses would accentuate my “lumps” instead of my curves… I’m realizing that’s not the case. This dress is slate blue with a pink sash, and… pockets!

p.s. I took my braids out and I’m rocking my natural hair for the winter, I’m new to the natural hair game and this was my first updo!

Dress: c/o Igigi, available here. Bag: Jessica Simpson, old. Shoes: Avenue, old. Fishnets: Spanx/Lane Bryant available here.

Photos by: Zanography

It’s that time of year again where you help me choose an outfit for my office holiday party.

Last year, I did the survey on twitter and the dress you suggested I wear was a huge hit, so let’s do it again! This year, I’m building my outfit around a vintage bag and sexy/comfy shoes. I’ve narrowed my choices down to these three dresses and these two coats from SimplyBe.com (the names and descriptions are below). Other than the faux fur coat, which would be a total splurge, everything I’m looking at is under $100.

So, chime in and tell me…. which pieces would you choose for an office holiday party?

There’s a quote I see all the time that says “The best accessory a girl can own is confidence”

*eye roll*

Confidence is not something I’ve ever owned… at best I rent it like high-end jewels for the Oscars.

I’ve had people mention my confidence as something they admire about me. Every time I hear that I feel like I’m making it look too easy. Maybe because I live with that little voice in my head that nags me about my back fat, my inner thighs rubbing together, my round stomach… the list goes on and on.

Maybe the difference is that although I beat myself up over things I make the best of what I have and I try really hard not let my insecurities hold me back. I’ve learned what looks good on me (and what doesn’t), I’ve learned what my current limits are but I’m not afraid to try and press past them. I’ve learned from experience that every time I tell that little voice in my head to “kick rocks” so that I can take a chance, I’m pleasantly surprised at the results. But that doesn’t mean its any easier the next time… when it comes to confidence, I feel like I’m starting from scratch each morning.

I’ve had people ask me how they can become confident… the short answer is, its complicated.

We talk about confidence like it’s this black and white thing that you do or don’t have, but it’s so much more than that in my opinion. For me, confidence is a journey not a destination. Confidence isn’t something that you acquire and never lose its something that you have to work to keep. And it’s not easy.

How are YOU doing on your confidence journey?

Just a quick heads up that I’ll be on Huffington Post Live today at 7:05pm eastern, 4:05pm pacific.

You can watch the episode from your computer by clicking live.huffingtonpost.com. I’m going to try and stay on twitter during the segment so that I can interact with you guys while I’m on the show.

I’m not 100% sure what we’ll be discussing but I know we will be talking about being a Plus Size Blogger. Hopefully I can add something interesting to that conversation!

Tune in if you can and follow me on twitter @thebiggirlblog

xoxo

Update: Here’s the segment!

Sometimes I forget that I’ve never dated anyone as long as I’ve dated Robert. Going on a few dates with lots of guys has given me a many experiences (both good and bad) but there’s a lot of new territory that comes with dating the same person for an extended period of time and that’s what I’m navigating these days.

One of Robert’s old coworkers got married recently and he invited me to go with him. Instead of buying a whole new outfit, I wore one of my favorite dresses from LucieLu (I reviewed it a while back here), I purchased some beige heels from Avenue on sale and beige hair accessories from Old Navy, I think I spent like $25 total:

Anyway, It wasn’t until halfway through the night that I realized I’d never been invited to a wedding as someone’s date before. It was kind of a big deal for me. It made me feel… like a “grown up” a little bit! It also became a little bit of a milestone, relationship-wise… it made me feel like Robert and I are in a good place.

As I’ve mentioned before, because Robert and I are in the “slow and steady” lane, its easy for me to look at other relationships zipping by and get ansy. But at the wedding I made sure to just enjoy where he and I are, there were a lot of older couples at our table who had the stresses of life/kids/babysitters/putting gas in the car on their shoulders. Robert and I spent the night laughing, dancing and enjoying each other. Going to the wedding with him was a reminder to just rock out with what we’ve got going and keep looking out for new “firsts”.

The past two CurvyConvo events have been lots of fun and I can’t wait to do more.

One of the things I realized I would need for these events are printed materials. Everything I do is online, but when I’m meeting people in person I can’t pass them weblinks! I wanted something a little more fun than business cards, so I did some research and found a few online printing companies that make awesome materials at great prices and can get them to you fast! I love finding companies like UPrinting business cards, because I was able to click around and create something that I was happy to pass out, I was able to come up with these:

Kinda fun and I’ve even spotted them in pictures on Instagram & twitter, so I guess people like them