Look of the Day: Floral blazer + handmade scarf

 My sister made me this gorgeous circle scarf a couple Christmases ago. She is such a knitting whiz. I think this scarf took her like 3 days "because she had to do homework, too."

 As much as I love the scarf, I'm ready for Spring. Layers are too much work.

Today, I'm off to get my first facial! I'm very excited and can't wait to see what kind of magic they can work at Skin Care Djaouida in West Seattle. I'll let you know how it goes :)

Go enter my giveaway!

Vivilli floral blazer - American Apparel leotard - thrifted maxi skirt - vintage leather satchel - Forever21 heart glasses (similar) - circle scarf handmade by my sister - thrifted leather belt - Cooperative wedges (similar) 
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Look of the Day: Casualize

I usually reserve my fur for fancy events, but it's time I put it to good use and start wearing it with more outfits. It's an easy way to add an extra layer of warmth without adding more winter bulk.

So! Good news! I found my wedding ring!! I had put it in with the rest of my jewelry I had packed on the trip. Genius, right? I don't remember doing it at all, though, because it was like 4am when we got up to catch our flight. I'm so happy it wasn't left on the plane. It's not huge, it didn't cost a year's sallary, but it's my ring and there isn't another one like it, so I'm glad to have it back. (There's a picture of it in this post)

I love this little tote bag. I found it at a pet/gift store that was switching to online-only. I think I paid $3 for it.

Don't forget to enter my giveaway!

Thrifted maxi skirt (similar) - American Apparel hoodie - American Apparel leotard - vintage fur - tote bag featuring pugs (locally made) - Classic Vans - Forever21 frames (similar) - GAP denim jacket (similar)

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Look of the Day: Double Coated

For the past few months my husband and I have been shaking our heads at J.Crew's styling in regards to denim jackets. Under a coat? That's just silly. Under a blazer? That's down-right ridiculous. Until, the other day, when I realized they might actually be onto something. I was lamenting the fact that it was too cold to wear my denim jacket, when I finally made the connection. Maybe J.Crew was just being J.Crew and layering things in weird ways, but a denim jacket under an outer coat actually makes sense to me now!

However, a denim jacket under a blazer will never make sense. It would be so lumpy and uncomfortable!

Sometimes I forget about my little Chloes; my babies. I hide them away like treasure, and then forget about them like a squirrel. Despite the cold, though, I've worn them two days in a row this week.

Forever 21 coat (similar) - GAP denim jacket (similar) - GAP t-shirt - BDG cropped pants - Top Shop skater rib beanie - American Apparel tote bag -Chloe flats (similar)
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What I Wore: Election Night

My first thought as I'm writing this post is "I hope I don't lose any readers over this." Party affiliation is the most divisive thing in America! It's just unreal. No matter who you were rooting for, remember that I am just like you. I'm a blogger, a daughter, a sister, a dreamer, an American (or at least a resident of Earth). We want what's best for our families; we want to better ourselves, and feel valued in our communities. We need to stop focusing on what makes us different and we need to work together.

For those who aren't in total agreement with me when it comes to "red or blue", the rest of the post is pretty liberal, so don't feel you have to read it all. I want to stay friends, haha

I'm very proud to say that I live in Washington state. If you haven't already heard, we're pretty damn liberal and we're changing the course of history. We legalized pot, which I never thought I would see in my lifetime! I don't partake of the stuff myself, but I do believe that legalizing it will actually give the government more control over it. If you think about it, when you make something illegal, you actually lose control. Take prohibition for example. Alcohol didn't go away. It just became harder to see and harder to control.

Speaking of Prohibition, my husband and I went to Capitol Hill in Seattle to celebrate and, my goodness, was it packed! It looked like the night before the 18th Amendment took effect. Everyone was trying to get into the bars with TVs so they could watch the election results, so the lines were incredibly long. Just at the right moment, we found a table at Big Mario's Pizza and camped out there with 5 or 6 happy strangers. For those of you who don't live in Seattle, Capitol Hill is, for the most part, Gay Pride Central, so you can imagine how jubilant the crowd was. The crowd dancing in the streets numbered over 2000 people! Personally, I can't decide what I'm happier about: Gay marriage passing or Obama being reelected. Victory is my word of the day!

H&M blazer - American Apparel t-shirt printed by MoveOn.org - Forever21 pants - MIA flats - Coach bag

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3 ways to wear it

This is my favorite romper. I couldn't decide how to wear it, so I styled it 3 different ways.

1. girls' night in

Don't need to go too fancy, since I'm probably just going to spend the night drinking wine, chatting, and solving the World's problems. I went for a light sweater, a cute pair of flats, and used a little clutch to carry just the necessities.

2. girls' night out

For going out, I paired the romper with a thrifted white top. If it wasn't so warm, I'd go for a blazer or my moto jacket. When I go out, I like to bring a shoulder bag, as I'm less likely to set it down and forget it. Black wedges make the outfit a little dressier and are much easier to walk in than pumps.

 3. lazy sunday

weekend wear by fleur-d-elise featuring a chambray romper

I tried 3 different times to take photos of this version of the outfit and ended up with one usable photo! So instead I took the opportunity to make a set featuring similar items that are available in stores. This version of the outfit is perfect for lounging around the house, but still looks put-together enough to be worn to the farmer's market.

Look #1: Vintage chambray romper (similar) - American Apparel headband - H&M striped sweater (similar) - Sam Edelman flats (similar) - H&M clutch

Look #2: Thrifted top - Cooperative canvas wedges (similar) - Vintage Coach bag - Thrifted cateye sunglasses

Look #3: Thrifted top -Forever21 glasses - Harrod's tote bag - Vans Classic Sneakers

In Photos: Fourth of July

Hope all of my American readers had a lovely holiday. Here's a recap of my day.

My dog was freaked out all day.

I can't even begin to tell you how much fruit I have consumed this summer.

 Pool toys

 Grilled fruit always sounds like a good idea, and it looks pretty, but really it just gets mushy.

 My mom's homemade hot dog buns and Sweet-Hot Relish from Martha Stewart.

Summer Fruit Pie. Recipe coming soon :)

 We're number one!!

In Photos: back home

 Just got back from a trip to my state's capitol and the surrounding towns. I didn't grow up in Olympia, but it's where my mom lives now, so I consider it home. Mom's house is always home :)

They have a baker's dozen of baby bunnies. All charming shades from the grey scale, save for one brown baby.

There's lots of beautiful poppies, full of lots of busy honey bees, which I took lots of beautiful pictures of. I will save you the hassle of having to look at all of them.

 Sweet Cicely

 Fred, of Fred & George

Arugula Flower

And then there's my niece. She's a tall two-year-old.

 She loves clothes and pretending she is me, which is quite flattering! She picked out this bag from Olympia's newest vintage boutique, Psychic Sisters. I bought a couple things as well: a sleeveless button up in powder blue gingham and a sherpa-lined Levi's jean jacket that is, unfortunately, sized for my niece. If you're in Olympia, make sure to stop by Psychic Sisters! They have a great collection and great prices.

I had a lovely time, as always, and didn't want to leave. My husband kinda missed me, though, so I'm back in Seattle.

My outfit: American Apparel dress - Thrifted flats - Vintage Liz Claiborne bag - H&M necklace as bracelet - Forever21 & vintage bracelets

My niece's outfit: H&M dress - vintage purse - Forever21 glasses - felt shoes by Kitzbuhel

Look of the Day: emerald city

I just read an article on CNN about why Seattle is better than Portland (it was part of this special city vs. city thing on their travel site). In all honesty, I was a little disappointed with it. It didn’t make a good argument for why we’re great. Instead, it was like reading a travel brochure.

 So I wanted to put my two cents in: we are so much more than Starbucks coffee. We are more than the “birthplace of grunge” (this saying makes me shudder). The views alone will take your breath away (one thing the author had right). We have amazing restaurants, music venues, art museums and are home to many, many coffee shops that are 100 times better than Starbucks. People here have real jobs (cough*Portland*cough) and a good local economy. As my husband says, the dream of being a productive member of society is alive in Seattle.

I never get tired of exploring all the neighborhoods here (Ballard, Capitol Hill, Greenwood, Columbia City, to name a few of my faves). I love the people here the most and am proud to call this city home, despite the flying fish at Pike Place.

Come for a visit. When the sun is out, nobody shines like Seattle shines. And when it rains, just the roads shine, haha 

American Apparel skirt (similar) - Vintage Bill Blass shirt (similar) - GAP sweater (similar)- GAP clutch - Vintage & F21 bracelets - Vintage watch (similar)

Look of the Day: Lemon Meringue & Polka Dots

This look was inspired by Trophy Cupcake's flavor of the month: Lemon Meringue. It's pretty amazing. I've already had two and we're not even half way through April! How can you resist a cupcake filled with lemon curd??

 My dear readers, you are looking at the last polka-dotted item I will ever acquire. I know I've said this before, but this time I really am at polka dot capacity. If it was acceptable, I would buy polka dot everything forever, but that would just be crazy. Instead I am satisfied with this one last skirt. Actually, I am more than satisfied. I am excited to own it and thrilled that I didn't have to pay a penny for it! It's from American Apparel, but I won it from the lovely Folake at Style Pantry. By chance, I was on Twitter when she announced a special "Tweet back" giveaway, and, by chance, it was my name drawn! It arrived in the mail just in time for lunch with my new blogging friends from Seattle Style Bloggers. 

H&M striped shirt - J.Crew belt - American Apparel skirt - H&M pouch & sunglasses - J.Crew planner - Vintage Nine West shoes - Vintage bracelets & watch

Look of the Day: feeling like myself again

Surprise!!

 I'm back to blonde! Blonder than ever actually. At the salon, I said platinum without realizing that kind meant "Make my hair translucent". Now I know how polar bears feel.

 Shopping tip of the week: If you can make it work, buy kid's clothes! They are so cheap! I got this shirt for $6 at Target. And I bought a matching one for my niece, hahaha

This isn't even the largest size they had, so you might as well take a look the next time you're at Target. You might be able to save some money!

 This lovely little bag came in the mail yesterday and I couldn't be happier. I'm thinking about buying all the colors Mochi Beaucoup has! It was hard to decide which color to get, but in the end orange bag won because I need some orange in my wardrobe. They have some really cute pastels, too, that are perfect for Spring. I love how they have them stacked on top of macarons. Too cute.
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Target t-shirt - Forever21 dress - American Apparel petticoat - H&M belt - Forever21 glasses

Look of the Day: expletives

There were many expletives in use today. It was that kind of angry where you just start crying instead of yelling. The whole reason: I've discovered that my new camera doesn't fit on my tripod. WTF, right? Oh, I'm sorry, was making it a standard size too troublesome for you, Fuji? Funny, it fits my other 4 cameras, even my SLR! Such a pain in my ass.

For now, I'm back to using my old camera for outfit photos. These turned out nicely, though, which helped calm me down.

The dress is new-ish and was one of those magical, meant-to-be finds. I had been thinking "I want a dress just like that one Alexa Chung wore in Elle magazine." I even painted a picture of it, but I messed up the face, so I haven't posted it (serves me right for not using watercolor paper). One day I was browsing Value Village with my mom, and there it was! Or at least, there was its short-sleeved cousin! And just my size, too!

Perfect mod coolness.

Anne Taylor Petites Dress - Forever21 moto jacket - Kate Spade ipad case - Xhiliration patent flats - American Apparel tights