Look of the Day: Neon Times Two

As you'll see below, today's post actually features two looks! Last week, I finally got around to "modeling" two dresses for their Etsy listings. I liked the photos so much, especially of this coral mini dress, that I thought I'd share them on the blog!

It looks so cute with polka dots, I've almost decided to keep it. 

This 1970s floral mini is a little big on me, which is why I'm not keeping it. Such a shame, because I love the unexpected color combo and the Japanese construction is impeccable.

H&M cardigan - vintage Coach bag - thrifted neon coral mini - GAP denim jacket - 1970s Sears mini dress

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Look of the Day: Dots & Denim

Life has been so busy! I accepted a small promotion at work and, even though I'll still be part time, the training is pretty extensive. It also means my job will be moving to one of the other neighborhoods in Seattle. I nannied there for 4 years, so I'm pretty excited to be back in the old 'hood. It's a nice one; lots of great coffee shops (like the rest of Seattle), upscale gift shops, yet very family-oriented. And I'll be right next to Trader Joe's! I'll never run out of their coffee again!

In other news, I watched like seven hours of X-Files on Friday. It was my one day off.

Oasap let me pick out a few things from their Summer line and I was very excited when this dotted blouse arrived in the mail. I love how random the spots are. It's very fun to wear. I also ordered this sparkly, green and gold bracelet, but I' have had a chance to style it yet.

Oasap Flounce Dotted Blouse - Thrifted St. John's Bay jeans (similar) - vintage purse (similar) - Arizona Sneakers - Vintage Nordstrom sunglasses (similar)

Look of the Day: Polka Dot Party

 I want to host another tea party! A garden party would be the perfect thing. If the patio behind my apartment was a little bigger and a little more private, I would host it there. I've been working on tidying it up. I've planted more poppies, some succulents, nasturtiums, and a big, yellow daisy-type flower. As you can see, though, my weedwacker can't keep up with the warm weather. The grass is out of control!

Thanks to Oasap  for the blouse, the sunglasses, and the outfit inspiration. All of which led to the tea party inspiration, of course.

I just love the shape of these!

...And lets all wish Frida a very Happy 10th Birthday!

I can't believe she's 10! It happens to be her Golden Birthday, so I am going to try to do something special. Unfortunately, her back has been bothering her and we think she had a stroke (it's the best diagnoses for her droopy face), so it's going to be a quiet birthday. Maybe I will cook her a steak and we can watch a movie... Ok, I'll watch the movie.

Oasap Polka Dot Blouse - Oasap Chic Sunglasses  - American Apparel Skirt - Vintage Belt - MIA Audrey Flats - Thrifted Straw Hat

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Photo-A-Day: The End

Well, that's it. June is over. This year is speeding along! It's currently 90 degrees in Seattle and we are all melting. July is not looking any cooler, but I'm ok with that. Once you accept the heat, it doesn't feel so bad. I had a lot of fun with this Photo-a-Day challenge and might do another one in August.


Day 29: In my bag

Only my favorite things from inside my purse. The rest is a mess of receipts and expired coupons.

Day 30: handwriting

A letter from my friend Laurel.

Now back to our regular scheduled programming.
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LOVE: Emerald+Ella

emerald+ella by fleur-d-elise on Polyvore

Pinterest; both a blessing and a curse. I started my evening off with a slightly varied version of a "clean eating" cookie recipe I pinned earlier this week. What I ended up with were cookies that looked like cow pies and tasted like hippies. After the 3rd (maybe 4th) cookie, I realized that eating more of them wasn't going to make them taste any better, so I retired to my room to do some more pinning. That's when I stumbled upon these adorable floral paper straws. I clicked through and found the wonderful world of Emerald + Ella.

Emerald + Ella is based in Australia and was started by Jane, a recipe writer & food stylist. If you're a lifestyle blogger, or are infatuated with paper straws (like I am) you're gonna love this site! They carry gorgeous & trendy paper goods, party supplies, house wears, and vintage garden items.

Here's a quick list of my favorite items from the site:

They carry 28 lovely variations of the paper straw including grey chevron straws & pale green polka dot straws.

I can't decide which one I like more: the olive green polka dot paper cups or the striped paper cups.

I love everything neon, therefore I love this neon twine. It also comes in pink and orange.

And then there are these washable paper bags. I can't tell you exactly why, but I'm pretty sure I need them. Also, they're shiny.
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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!!

Look of the Day: little old lady

My hair has kind of gone over the platinum edge and is now is blue-gray country. I quite like it. I was feeling cheap, so decided to dye it myself, instead of going back to my stylist. She told me "I hope it doesn't turn orange!" She was WRONG. It's blue. Shows what she knows!

I am now, head to toe, the same color as my apartment building. Hurrah. I should use my property manager powers to have them paint the building a cool new color. I have grown weary of this one. It probably won't happen, though.

 Vintage Liz Claiborne bag - Cooperative canvas wedges - J.Crew jersey cardigan - Forever21 lace tank top - Vintage belt - H&M sunglasses (similar) - vintage polka dot skirt (similar) - vintage and handmade necklaces

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: slap-in-the-face pink!

Oh geez, I love this sweatshirt. It's way too big and probably unflattering, but I just cannot see past that pink! Actually, it might be ruining my eyesight, and not just simply distracting me.

I'm a little embarrassed to admit I've bought two short sleeved sweatshirts in the past month. I don't know why, but I feel like my best friend from high school, Sarah, would make fun of me for wearing them, like when I shaved my arms junior year.
The sweatshirts seem a little silly, but are actually making a lot more sense then I thought they would. This Spring has been pretty cold so far, but I want to at least pretend the weather is getting nice! Short sleeves with a soft, fuzzy interior are working out just perfectly.

J.Crew chambray shirt - Vintage sweatshirt - Polka dot skirt (similar) - Vintage purse - Forever21 glasses (similar) - Xhilaration flats

My favorite patterns

Oh, polka dots. Oh, stripes. I love you both equally. Don't make me choose! We can make this work!

Forever21 Dress - H&M Sweater - American Apparel beret - Coach Station Bag - Aldo flats - Vintage belt

Just a couple days left to enter the Mochi Beaucoup giveaway. Quick! Go enter!

Oh crap.

I accidentally deleted this post. All better now.






In these photos:
Thrifted hat
J.Crew Cardigan
H&M dress worn as a top
Forever21 trousers
Vintage Coach purse

snow day

Currently, I am writing from my bedroom. My window looks out on the "yard" and alleyway; greens and greys are the primary shades. It's hard to believe that just 4 days ago it was under 5+ inches of snow and ice. I've never seen that much snow melt so quickly.


We've avoided flooding and burst pipes so far, but our dumpster is completely full (just my luck, as it is NEVER full) and I am still cleaning up mud. Seattle seems to have escaped unscathed, but the rest of the Puget Sound is a different story. Many homes are still without power, a man was killed by a falling tree, and a factory roof collapsed under the weight of the snow and ice. I guess we should just stop being "wimps", huh Los Angeles?

I was lucky that I didn't have to go anywhere and could just enjoy the white wonderland. It was fun seeing my tenant snowboard down our alleyway. How many people can say they have cross-country skied thru their town? Ok, well I can't, but I know some people who can :) I went out walking a couple times, but the cold and the low barometric pressure made my feet hurt SO bad, I couldn't stand or walk for very long. Accordingly, I had to coordinate my outfits around flat, warm boots. This outfit had a lot of fun layers and pattern combinations; I enjoyed wearing it.


Curly Hazelnut in the yard at one of our rental properties.

Don't forget to enter the GIVEAWAY!

In these photos:
J.Crew hat
Forever21 jacket
Vintage sweater
Noble A dress
American Apparel socks
Payless boots
Coach bag

polka dot capacity

You know how sometimes you're like "I really like ______, I should buy more of it," and then eventually you realize you have rain boots, an ipad case, three skirts, two umbrellas,a sweatshirt, and a pair of pants in _______? Well, this is what has happened with me and polka dots. I was totally convinced I needed more polka dots in my life (I blame Marc Jacobs and Stella McCartney), until I realized I was at polka dot capacity. If it rains I will either have to go without an umbrella or without rain boots,for fear of looking crazy. I will be the polka dot version of Crazy Cat Lady or Crazy Purple Lady.

However, I would not give up my newest polka dot item for the World.

Ta-da!! Polka dot pants!

Out of all the great stuff I ordered from Felicee, these were what I was looking forward to the most! I was not disappointed. They fit great, despite my "generous" calves, and the fabric is oh-so-soft. And like everything else on Felicee, they're super affordable and cost me just under $22.


Something else I noticed, they actually do the opposite of what I thought they would do and provide a bit of camouflage for my rounder parts, haha.

They are the perfect addition to my wardrobe. Neutral color, classic pattern, and a ton of fun!

Buy them here

In these photos:

H&M coat

Thrifted oxford shirt

Felicee polka dot trousers

American Apparel leather pouch