Look of the Day: Stripes & Sun

Holy cow. It got HOT here. It's been in the nineties. Now, that is actually, really hot, and not just wimpy Seattle hot. By the way, I'm posting this in absentia. As you read this, I'm probably out in my mom's garden, taking pictures, or holding a bunny, or something. Wherever I am, I can guarantee you, I'm getting lots of sun!

GAP sunhat (similar) - Vintage sunglasses (similar) - Forever21 striped dress (similar) - Bianci for L.L.Bean belt - Vintage leather purse - Steve Madden wedges

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Look of the Day: rose geranium

I've come to realize that I don't always write the most engaging blog posts. There's just never a lot to comment on or reply to. Mostly it's just my personality. I'm not a very conversational person, which mostly comes from shyness and a busy brain; I just can't put the words together in a coherent way. Of course, there's also my complete disregard for the rules of writing. Another part of it, though, is that I don't want to write too much about myself or my problems, because I'm afraid of coming off as self-centered or over-dramatic. The problem with that is that personal issues and life events are usually the most relatable topics. The trick is to find a balance.

On the other hand, it could just be that many readers are like me and love just looking! To all of you who visit my blog, whether you leave comments or not, THANK YOU! Thank you for giving me the time of day. I hope I inspire you the way I am inspired by this amazing community :)

I finally found the perfect pair of flats. I'm just so excited to have found these, I thought I should write a review.

I had nearly forgotten about the pair of Mia flats I owned a while ago. They were my favorite shoes. So comfortable, so flattering, and they went with everything. I wore them till they fell apart (and way past the time my friend Ellen started telling me to throw them away). Well, I was browsing Zappos a couple weeks ago and happened to see this pair, the Limited Edition Audrey Flats, in the sea of black flats in the search results.

They are the perfect black flats. Soft, flexible, real leather, they fit my custom orthotics, and are affordable! Actually, right now they're on sale! Zappos has two colors (black and tan), but I've seen them in other colors on Endless.com.

Sheer Forever21 dress (similar) - Mia Limited Edition Audrey Flats - J.Crew jersey cardigan (similar) - Vintage Coach purse

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Look of the Day: Wedding Guest

What a weekend! It was fun, but it was quite the whirlwind! Saturday, my cousin got married, then yesterday we had two baby showers for my cousins from out-of-town. You'd think I'd be sick of my family by now, but they're all pretty great, so it wasn't too bad ;)

My sister Beth is totally coppin' my hair style.

My gorgeous little sisters

Fantastic weather and a beach reception... bliss.

On Friday, I asked people on my Facebook page to vote on which shoes to wear, since I couldn't decide. The winners were a pair of black wedges for the ceremony and a pair of green flats for the reception. As it turned out, though, my custom orthotics didn't fit in the green shoes and the wedges were a little too tall, so I ended up in the leopard print wedges and my brand new MIA Audrey flats. I'm so in love with the Audrey flats, I may write an entire blog post dedicated to them!

See, it was a real wedding! There's the bride and groom!

Sheer floral vintage cardigan (similar #1 and similar #2) - Forever21 Striped dress (similar color or similar style) - Thrifted cateye sunglasses - Vintage faux-croc bag - MIA Audrey flats - Thrifted Steve Madden wedges (similar)

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Look of the Day: City Slicker

I am happy to say that the only thing in this outfit that I bought brand new is the flower pin. I've gotten some good use out of it, too!

Everything else is vintage, or at least thrifted. The sunglasses were found at a rare English yard sale on the way back from Bournemouth. They usually have huge boot sales out in fields, where everyone parks their cars and sell things out of their trunks (i.e. car boot), but this one was in someone's actual yard. These sunglasses were my favorite for quite sometime, but the lenses started falling out, so I retired them from regular use. Aviators seemed like the perfect style for this outfit, though.

After I had put the outfit all together, I realized that I looked like some city girl trying to fit in on the ranch. I’ve got the right combination or leather, denim, and gingham, but the accessories say something different. Heels in the barnyard? Ridiculous!

 This is a charm bracelet I've been working on for a while. It has a lot of vintage charms and ones found at garage sales; charms I bought in Scotland and at Stonehenge; one from my friend Tiana and a multitude from my dad. I'm pretty sure the Texas charm is a garage sale find. It's one of my favorites.

Friday Fashion Fact
Like the word "calico", the name for gingham was brought over from East Asia by English and Dutch traders. Read more about it here.

Diesel denim vest (similar) - Vintage gingham blouse (similar) - H&M flower pin - Belt by Bianchi for L.L. Bean - Vintage pleated skirt (similar)- Vintage Nine West heels (similar) - Vintage Wrangler sunglasses (similar)- Vintage leather satchel - Sterling charm bracelet

illustrated: summer favorites

I can't begin to tell you the trouble I've had scanning this painting. I tried 4 different times, and there was always some weird event or computer malfunction that would prevent me from scanning it. The scanner is in my office and is connected to my bosses computer, which is entirely in Mandarin. That may have something to do with it...

A month later, and half way through the summer, I can finally publish my summer wish list! So far, I've acquired the denim vest, and even though I don't have the neon pink shorts yet, I probably have enough neon for one summer wardrobe. I would still like to add a pair of Salt Water Sandals, though. They're definitely a summer staple that will last for years! Lastly, stripes are always on my list. I just can't get enough of them! When I painted this, it was still cool and cloudy here (Seattle summer doesn't usually start till July 5th), so a long sleeved top made sense. Now it's way too warm and muggy, so the Breton-style top has been moved to my Fall wish list. Surprisingly, I don't own one yet!

What pieces have been your favorites so far this summer? Do you have anything on your Fall wish list yet?
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Leopard-print sandals + striped mini dress

 There's nothing like a new outfit. The denim vest is Diesel, but I bought it at Buffalo Exchange. The dress is Forever21 and was under $14, so I bought two. The other dress has green stripes. I think they'll be great for layering come Fall.

 I think I'm most excited about the sandals, though. I bought them on the Chictopia Chic Shop. I rarely buy anything by mail order, mostly because I prefer going to stores and actually handling clothes before I buy them. I just think that experience is more enjoyable than waiting for something to come in the mail. Also, you never know if the thing you ordered is gonna be the right fit. The worst though is when the item looks very different from the picture online!

 These sandals, however, look even better up-close than they do online! I absolutely love them. They're comfortable, the perfect size, and have a great pony hair-like texture on the toe straps (it looks like real hide, but the site says it's fake). I bought the only pair on Chictopia, but you might be able to find a pair on Chicwish.com

 I hope you all have a great weekend!

Forever21 striped mini dress (similar) - Diesel denim vest (similar) - Vintage tote bag - FGYZ leopard print sandals (similar) - Forever21 sunglasses (similar) - Revlon nail polish duo in Hot Hue - Forever21 bracelet & vintage hammered cuff (similar)

Look of the Day: rock & wool

You will rarely see me in shorts. Especially ones this tiny! It's important to balance them by covering up on top and keeping things relatively casual.

Good rule of thumb: if you're wearing micro shorts, don't show any cleavage, and stay away from high heels. A summer wedge would work, as long as it's under 4 inches. Anything higher looks tarty. Your inseam shouldn't be shorter than your heel.  Of course, if I was one of those lucky ladies with legs for days, I might say something different ;)

All the necklaces are vintage, except for the one with coral colored tube beads. I made that one :) Michael Kors has one that's really similar and made of real coral.

I don't know if you have the same problem as I do, but simple black flats can be so hard to find! Well, I finally found a good pair by Steve Madden that don't cost a ton. I'm hoping Nordstrom will carry them so I can go try them on. Hopefully they're comfortable, because my favorite pair are starting to get holes :(

Vintage wool jacket (similar) - H&M metallic clutch (similar) - DIY shorts (similar) - Forever21 cat eye sunglasses (similar) - Vintage coral necklace (similar) - Dorothy Perkins t-shirt (similar) - thrifted black flats

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: Happy Friday!

Finally! Yes, finally, sitting down to do some blogging.

A couple weeks ago, I walked into one of the local thrift stores and immediately spotted this denim gem. In my mind, a denim romper is like the ultimate romper. And what luck! It fits perfectly!

 What a great week it's been! Finally got some painting done (coming to the blog soon!), went swimming, my feet have been almost pain-free, and today I had Lunch with my friend, Ellen! Tomorrow, I get to go garage sale-ing with my dad and then will have dinner with the in-laws. Life is good. I hope you all are having as good a week as I am :)

If not, you should cheer yourself up by visiting Finch & Sparrow and buying yourself something nice :) Use the discount code "FLEUR12" to get 15% off your purchase!

Thrifted Limited Romper (similar) - J.Crew Cotton Cardigan (similar) - Vintage leather bag - Black Flats (similar) - H&M flower brooch - Forever21 bracelets (similar #1 and similar #2)

HiLo Dress by Night

As easily as this dress can be styled casually, it can also be dressed up for a date night or wedding reception. All I've done is added heels and a jacket and switched up the jewelry a little bit. By removing the strap on the bag, I now have an adorable little clutch!

Gosh, I love these wedges! 

Since I went for such bright nails and a matching neon bracelet, I thought it would be best to keep the rest of the jewelry simple. These handmade earrings were perfect! With short hair, I can't wear huge, flashy earrings anymore, and hoop styles are usually out, but these were just the right size.

Delicate, refined, and artfully made by the boutiques' owner, these added just the right amount of fancy :)

And look how easy it is to style an outfit featuring neons and neutrals! With the smallest touch of neon you can make any outfit right on trend!

Don't forget to take advantage of the discount code FLEUR12! You can get 15% off both online and in-store!

Bliss HiLo Dress - Grommet Clutch - H&M draped blazer (similar) - H&M necklace as bracelet (similar) - Thrifted leather belt - Canvas Wedges - Neil E. Silverman Gold Earrings

Photographs by Maria Gunawan & Praisely Jonatan