Look of the Day: Floral Jumpsuit

I kinda love this thing. It's super weird.

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Long Weekend: Virginia is for Lovers

One of my husband's oldest friends married his long-time girlfriend last weekend, and we had the pleasure of celebrating with them. 

Funny story, she's the 3rd Katherine (she spells it Kathryn) to marry one of Trevor's friends. And then there's me!

It was a morning wedding, which freed up the evening for sight-seeing. Trevor was exhausted, so I drove out to Menassas by myself. I've explored many places by myself (London, San Francisco, New York, Disney Land), and I enjoy having full control over what I see and how long I stay.

This is Henry Hill. It's one of many stops in the Manassas National Battefield Park and the sight of the first battle of the American Civil War. Appropriately, this was also the first Civil War battlefield I've ever visited. 

Growing up, this was my dad's "thing", so I was never too into it. Now, though, I think I would even go to a reenactment. It's a huge part of my family history. My great-great-grandfather, James Nesbit Beatty, was a private in the 81st Ohio and my great-great-great-grandfather, Alexander Nesbit Beatty, was an abolitionist and part of the Underground Railroad. I'm sure there are many other parts of my ancestral past that I would be less proud of, but fighting for human rights should always be celebrated, remembered, and continued.

 It was incredibly peaceful. Not much has changed since the war, but there have been some roads added and the Henry house was rebuilt. This is what it looked liked a few months after the battle.

 After the park, I went to downtown Manassas in search of postcards. I found a few at Propspero's. The whole downtown area looks like a movie set. It's just adorable.

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Look of the Day: Denim Dress & Miu Miu Sweater

I can't believe I passed on this sweater the first time I saw it. A first look, and it's just a giant, ridiculous sweater, right? Well, I went back to Value Village a few days later to return something, and it was still there. I looked a little closer and realized it was Miu Miu! It's funny (and a little embarrassing) how a designer name can change your mind about something. Honestly, though, Miu Miu makes beautiful pieces of amazing quality, so it's easy to look past the fact that I'm slightly drowning in this sweater. It smells like baby, Italian lambs. And this might be a little gauche to talk about, but the original price point is mad. Somewhere around $1,000!

This is not your run-of-the-mill cardigan. I'm in love with the shape.

The Dooney & Bourke purse is another recent thrift store find. It's in fabulous condition, so if you're looking for a new bag for Spring, visit my Etsy shop!

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Look of the Day: A taste of the tropics

As luck would have it, my day off was sunny, so I spent a good portion of it photographing things for Etsy, like this Hawaiian print dress. I can't wait till it's actually warm enough to wear things like this for longer than 15 minutes.

I almost didn't buy this dress when I found it at the thrift store. It requires me to do a lot of sucking in, but it photographs so beautifully!

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Review: Royal Rose Hydrating Serum by Valentia

This past month, I've been experimenting with a new skincare routine. First off, washing my face regularly! I get super lazy at night, but I've been trying to start the routine before I'm too tired to care. Second, I got La Roche-Posay's Eau Thermale on super-sale at the local drug store. It's basically French mineral water in an aerosol can. Très chic and perhaps très silly. It feels nice, though.

Lastly, I added Royal Rose Hydrating Serum, sent c/o Valentia. I've only been using it for about 7 days, but so far I'm really happy. It's definitely good for sensitive skin, as they claim. I haven't seen any increase in redness and no rash, which is always a risk for me when I try new products. They recommend using it at night, but since it's so lightweight, I like to wear it under my make up.

Benefits:

It smells lightly of roses

It's lightweight and absorbs quickly

Soothes & calms

Contains only natural ingredients

If you have sensitive skin, I really do recommend giving this one a try!

Sponsored by Brand Backer

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Fleur d'Elise at Home: Desk Refresh

My goal this year is to start carving out little areas of peace and quiet in my home. To, this means a lot of cleaning and organizing. Our apartment is small and I'm "the creative type" with a part-time Etsy business, which, you can imagine, has led to a very crowded and messy living space. I purchased The Magic of Tidying Up last year, and it still resides in a pile of books on my bedside table. I feel like some progress has been made and I just had an "a ha!" moment in regards to our clothing situation (Trevor and I both LOVE clothes). That'll take some time and money, but for now, I'm very happy with my brighter, tidier desk.

Before: Messy and blah. After: Brighter and cleaner.

I've had this piece of metal grating for a few years and was getting pretty tired of the dark brown. A couple coats of gold spray paint and it looks new and modern! I did the same for the black wire racks I keep my folders in.

The marble texture is just contact paper I found at a thrift store! I used it to customize my laptop and the magnet board is just a cookie sheet covered with contact paper and edged with copper tape. Pretty crafty, huh?

For info on where to get similar stuff to freshen up your desk, just click on the image below!

office refresh by fleur-d-elise featuring office accessories

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Look of the Day: Ikat Wrap Skirt & Fuzzy Sweater

I just listed this skirt in my Etsy store. I've had it for a while, and even though I love it, my closets are bursting at the seams! It fits a small to medium frame and the design is woven as opposed to printed. So nice!

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Look of the Day: Winter Favorites

If I'm not in work clothes, I'm in these jeans. 

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