cozy style

30 Days Hath November
Day 18: What I wore today

I think this should probably go under the category of one of those what I really wore today posts that people do. Not that I don't love it but it's far from glamorous or styled. The focus today was comfy and warm. And I am. So I win. ;)

hoodie // american apparel
cammie // american eagle
leggings // newport news
slipper boots // urban

Today I am hiding out at Charlie's place because there's a major siding and window overhaul going on back home and it is loud. Yesterday I decided to hide out in my room with a giant cup of coffee and some Christmas movies while I watched the photo frames shake off my walls. After taking the remaining ones down, I got back to work on sketching designs for Christmas cards. It was pretty productive and I had a lot of fun doing some hand lettering which I haven't done since college days.

It's amazing how quickly you can fall behind in the blog world though, amiright? I just wanted to stop by here and give this little update but now I'm off to try and catch up on all the reading and commenting I've fallen behind on!

Have a great weekend! :)

What's your cozy style?

an outfit for apple picking

 I noticed yesterday that I had a lot of photos from our apple picking trip, so I decided to split them into two posts and make my first outfit post with a few!

Super comfy but still nice for a day out..

dress.. forever 21

leggings.. newport news
cardigan.. urban outfitters
oversize bag.. urban outfitters

Don't mind my apple picking face. Lots of concentration there. And sunlight.

The dress is one of my favorites. I think it has a very 20's influence with the column of tiny buttons, the little tie at the top, and blousing from the belt. Also, these are the best leggings I've ever owned. Leggings are like a staple for me and after extensive internet research, I finally found a pair that were long and not see through. What more could you ask for in leggings? :)

The cardigan and bag were both gifts and I love them. The cardigan is great for in between weather and even layering under a long sleeve sweater when it's a bit colder. And I absolutely love oversize bags. This one is perfect because I can actually fit my school books in it so I don't have to bring two bags to class anymore!

I always like seeing other people's outfits so I hope to do more of these in the future. :)

Have a great week! 3 more days to enter my blogiversary giveaway!

spicing it up

Last night I ordered this dress. I was instantly head over heels when I saw it in Anthropologie's summer catalog that I got this week. After telling myself that I hadn't bought clothes in soo long and that I don't have many summer dresses, I was able to convince myself that it was okay to splurge. ;)

Besides the fact that this dress is so swishy and pretty and one of my favorite colors, I also love it because it fits my criteria for clothing splurges these days. I now like to collect clothes that can be worn for work as well as play. Especially if I'm going to spend a pretty penny on it! This dress isn't low cut and hits the model below the knee so I know it will be long enough for me to wear in a work situation. A lot of what people consider dresses can tend to be long shirts on me at best so I have to be careful. :( It's also clearly plenty of fun to take a stroll in the summertime or go out to dinner in!

I decided to make up two mood boards to give an idea of how I would wear the dress for each occasion. I styled one for work and one for vacation since I'm going to Miami at the end of May. I tried to use some things I already own but there's also some super cute things I wouldn't mind adding to my collection thrown in there just for fun.

The first look.. for work.

Spiced Dress with coral layering necklace, olive cardigan, slouchy brown handbag, brown oxford heels, or brown oxford flats.

I love the coral necklace with the olive and mustard colors. I already have an olive cardigan from H&M. Mine is shorter and would probably hit the dress right at the waist but this was the closest cardigan I could fine to the one I have. I also have this slouchy brown bag from Urban. I found a link to it but I don't think they sell it anymore because I bought it two Christmases ago. For the shoes, I picked out two pairs of oxfords, both of which I already have. There's heels for when I'm feeling a little extra spice and flats for when I'm not in the mood to be any taller. So basically I have the whole outfit minus the necklace. I bet it's something I could make though.. ;)

The second look.. for play.

Spiced Dress with the pet octopus necklace, 70's sunglasses, tooled handbag, linen skimmers, or crocheted oxfords.

I think my octopus necklace from Mod Cloth would be awesome with this dress. Especially at the beach! I got this for Christmas from Charlie. :) Sadly this is the only part of the outfit I currently own but I may get the the sunglasses since mine are busted from being crushed in my bag :( and also the crocheted flats because I don't have many summery shoes. Apparently I've been buying more clothes for the fall and winter months instead of the sunny and warm months. I don't really care for sandals so I think these nice airy flats would be a good trade off. I also love the linen flats with the bow for a slightly more dressed up look. And this tooled bag is gorgeous. Again it has that coral and olive in it and the detail is stunning. Apparently I like this color palette because once I saw this bag I knew it would be perfect with this outfit.

It's fun to try to make a piece you love work for totally opposite situations. It saves money and expands your options for when you're staring at your closet wondering what to wear. I think I need to revisit some pieces I already have and see what I can do with them!

Hope your week is going well!

a happy find

Last Friday I got an email from Gilt Groupe about an amazing sale they were having. If you've never shopped Gilt, they are basically an online store that has daily sales on designer jewelery, clothing, housewares, etc. for way marked down prices. Some of the stuff is still pretty pricey but you can score some great deals there. I bought Charlie a really nice watch from there for Christmas that was originally a couple thou but marked down to a couple hundred!

I've been avoiding all shopping related emails for a little while because I don't exactly have money to burn right now, but when I saw the little section about turquoise jewelry, I had to check it out.

I fell in love with nearly every piece and wanted so badly to buy a ring or a necklace. Then I spotted this guy..


One of the many things I was drooling over. After I was done teasing myself with things I couldn't buy, (why do I do that?) I went on with my day. I start gathering things for a shoot for a guest post and I made the happiest little discovery in my jewelry box!


I stumbled across this fairly similar ring that I had all along and totally for got about! It's one of the may costume pieces I inherited from my nanny a while back. My dad's mom was into big chunky, semi tacky jewelry just like I am and she had loads of costume jewelry because of it. I think I forgot about this little guy because I have a bunch of pieces I wear frequently laying out on my dresser and the rest are in a jewelry box. This is definitely making it into the rotation now that I've rediscovered it.


So it's a little different from the Gilt one and definitely not as "valuable" but I was so happy to find a new love for something I already own after drooling over pretty jewelry I couldn't buy. Plus, I think it's definitely more special than anything I could buy since it belonged to a family member and has been around for quite some time. :)


Just thought I'd share my find with you on this gloomy Monday morning. Maybe it'll inspire you to look around at what you already have that you might be missing!

Have a good week! :)


** p.s. Gilt Groupe is a member's only site so if you're interested in getting some sweet deals on designer stuff, either email me (it's on the contact page) or leave your email address in the comments and I can send you an invite link! :) **

pinstripes + wingtips

This little collection was inspired by an item I saw in an Etsy treasury. I thought it was the coolest thing ever. It was this little shave kit here from Dirty Deeds Soap. With that in mind, I put together a little curation for the dudes this time. Well, more for the ladies to enjoy and maybe get some gift ideas for their guys because I think the only guy that reads this is my own. ;) And that's probably for the best because it's pretty girly 'round these parts.

This is what I like when it comes to dude style. Can you tell my heart belongs to a decade long gone? :)

{clockwise from top left 1 2 3 4 5 6}

So ladies, what do you like to see on your gents? Does a particular style do you in?

Happy Friday everyone! I can't believe the weather right now! Two days in a row with the windows open? Crazy! :)

mustard flats

So I've been wanting to make crocheted boots for a while but never got around to it this winter. I figured I'd change my plans to suit the weather and try to crochet some flats. This is my first attempt..

This is what I like to call the slipper phase. I want to eventually line the inside with fabric to make it sturdier and then give it a suede sole. It wouldn't be for hiking through crazy terrain or anything, but I thought it would be comfy to wear around the house and then maybe take a trip out to a store or something. I'm thinking if it can work for moccasins, it could work for these. Now I have Minnatonka which have that wonderful rubber bottom that lasts a lot longer, but I've seen many people wearing soft-soled moccasins around town.


I think this was a pretty successful practice one. I'm pleased! I just need to whip up a second one now. I have some nice vintage fabric that's sort of like a burnt sienna with white flowers on it that I want to use for the inside lining. Oh and that little gray thing on there is supposed to be a feather. Not sure you can tell. I'm gonna work on that. :)


As for my beaded craft, that's going to have to wait until Monday because I realized after much frustration that I was going about it the wrong way and need to pick something up from the craft store in order to finish it. Hopefully I can get there this weekend and get all the stuff I need in.

Well, have a great weekend everyone, and stay crafty. ;)

springtime on kingston road

Thank you to everyone who answered my pressing Burt's Bees question on Friday. ;) I just had to know if anyone else had to banish it because of boys. It seems pretty split.. either guys avoid it or they love it. Maybe the guys I know are just sensitive to chapstick. Or ridiculous. Something like that.

But anyway, today is about a dress I can't stop thinking about. I think I first saw it via Twitter link from Anthropologie. The problem is, at the moment I definitely don't have $228 to spend on it. No sir. It really makes me want to learn how to sew dresses for myself. I just love everything about this dress, from the pastel springy colors, to the pleated skirt. I feel like most of my dresses are very fall/winter in their colors and I just want something bright. I don't know if I did this to make myself feel better or to convince myself to find a way to buy it but I decided to make a little outfit mood board for it for fun.

This is how I would wear the Kingston Road dress from Anthropologie. First off, I would pair it with these oxfords from Urban Outfitters that I already own. See? Saving money! ;) For a little more spring, I'd wear this beautiful braided leather hippie tie headband from Be Something New on Etsy. I love the vintage flowers on the end! Since I've been wanting to add some new springtime colors to my nail polish collection, turquoise and caicos from essie would not only be a nice addition, it'd go perfectly with the dress. And finally, every good outfit needs a cute necklace to finish it off, in my opinion. I picked this cute little elephant from modcloth to do the job.

Now that I've tried to talk myself into buying this, I need to go do something else to get my mind off it. I start observing a fourth grade class tomorrow which should be interesting. Maybe I should go plan an outfit for tomorrow that I already own.

What springtime colors and styles are you looking forward to?

Happy Monday everyone! Here's to the start of a good week. :)

seeing red

Today's Valentine post is brought to you by the color red. :)

Red is fairly popular this time of year, along with it's cousin pink. I thought I'd show you how I go about sporting some red. I don't have much red in the clothing area and I don't exactly know why. I love the color but I guess it appeals to me in smaller bursts rather than in an entire piece that covers half of your body. So this is how I bring the boldness in small bits!


1. Vintage watch from my grandmom. It doesn't work but I always use my phone as a clock so I pretty much just wear this as an accessory.

2. Bandanna! Add a little Rosie the Riveter to any outfit. Also good for hiding a bad hair day. :)

3. Anchor necklace from Forever 21 circa 2007ish. This is especially fun for the summer. Add a little sailor to a summer dress or tunic.

4. Heart necklace also from Forever 21, probably the same shopping trip. Double whammy here, being color and shape appropriate for Valentine's Day! Can you tell I love chunky, slightly tacky necklaces? ;)

5. Red heels that I bought for my Snowball dance in 2006 to go with my black dress. I felt pretty awesome in these kicks. This is also where I met my current boyfriend. These shoes have super powers. ;) Oh and I also love how they have a little vintage feel to them.

6. Maryjanes that I bought about a year ago. I love wearing these with cuffed black skinny jeans.

The bird necklace stand is from Urban and I love it. Most of my necklaces are super long so this is the perfect size for them.

Anywho, this is how I sport my red. Short but sweet pops of color. It can really spice up a dark colored or neutral outfit. So add a little red and let your wild side peek through! ;)

studio weekend

This weekend was a nice change of pace. Especially after a big fat failure friday. I didn't even get a post up friday because I was so frustrated. First I tried to re-crochet something that I had just frogged because the pattern I was using made it way too big. After getting back to where I originally was I realized it was still slightly too big. It kills me to pull things apart that I spend so much time on so instead of doing it again, I just put it to the side to handle later.

Then I moved on to my sewing machine. It hasn't been working right since I brought it home from my apartment. I think it got a little shaken up in the move and now the tension is all off. I tried everything I could find online to fix it but to know avail. It was such a craft-fail day that I didn't want to do anything else. I had a nice break from it all though and I think I'm ready to face it all again. I just seriously don't know what to do about my sewing machine. :(

Anyway.. This weekend I helped Charlie get some work done at the studio. After a long day of shooting on saturday, he did a little photo shoot with me because I feel like I have no recent and decent pictures of myself. I change my hair color so much that it's really noticeable when my photos are more than a few months old. I plan to do a post on that someday. I'll show you how I went from a California blonde to dark brown.. making a pit stop at pink and blue on the way there. :)


On sunday I got to play stylist and help set up some dresses on forms. Definitely a fun job!


We ended the day with margaritas and pizza. Perfection.

Hope everyone had a great weekend!

sailor loot

I mentioned this two days ago but apparently Sailor Jerry isn't going to be carrying their clothing line anymore. If you don't know the clothes, you may know the rum or the tattoos. They are a Philly based company where Norman "Sailor Jerry" Collins' tattoo designs are featured on clothing, drink-ware, and accessories. The tattoos are those iconic ships, pin-up girls, and sparrows you see everywhere.

The other day, Charlie and I ran down to the city real quick to snag some loot that was on sale (and sadly one thing that was not because I can't read price tags properly). I just wanted to share my finds because I love this style. I got this button down that I love that has a ship on the back and a little anchor on the front..



And this hoodie (the not on sale thing that I bought anyway because I love it) that also has a ship on the back and sparrows on the front. It says "good work ain't cheap.. cheap work ain't good". True.



I also got the last deck of cards they had in the store. The designs on the cards are pretty awesome.

If you're into this iconic tattoo style check out the website before all the clothes are gone! Or if you're near Philly you can stop in the store.

I can't believe this week is half over. I have my second class tomorrow! It's weird to be back in school even though it wasn't that long ago..

ode to boots

If I have one fashion weakness it would be boots. Boots and dresses. But today we're talking about boots. They are my preferred choice of footwear year round. I really believe that this stemmed from the fact that I have always felt limited in my choices.

Until college, I never really understood why women could be so obsessed with shoes. I mean sure, there were a lot of shoes I loved, but I begrudgingly felt like I could never join the shoe shopping club like everyone else. Why? Because I am 5'10. And everyone knows that the cutest shoes usually have a 2+ inch heel on them.





I have since come to terms with being a lady of height but it wasn't always easy. When I was younger, I was taller than everyone. Even the boys. And by eighth grade I was taller than most teachers too. No one ever made fun of me, they just made me feel super awkward without really knowing it..

Anyone: "OMG you're, like, soo tall."
Witty Classmate: "How's the weather up there?"
Strangers: "Excuse me, you're tall, can you reach this ridiculously high item for me?"
Random relatives: "Wow you've grown since the last time I saw you.. How tall are you now?"
Me: "Same height as I've been since I was 14, aunt/uncle so-and-so."

This lead to a lifetime of ballet flats at proms, squatting to everyone else's level in pictures, and hating that every rap song object of lust was dubbed "lil shorty".. or should I say "lil shawtay". Booooo.

I have since gotten over this (for the most part) and even own some really cute heels now (gasp!). I started wearing them to my internship last summer because they made me feel more like an adult and people cared more about their jobs than the general vertical range of people.




I also have an awesome boyfriend who is exactly my height and has told me he doesn't care if I wear heels. He knows all about my heightophobia :). Now, I know there are a lot of cute flats out there but I don't always like the way they look on me. I do have some awesome flat oxfords I love and a few others but they are not my favorite choice of shoes. I'm also not a huge fan of flip flops. Once again, they're something I don't care for on myself. I wear them to the beach, sure, but not really anywhere else. One big reason for this may be the fact that every male I know hates and ridicules them. They don't wear them and they hate when other people do. Conversations when wearing flip flops pretty much go like this..

Flop Wearer: "I'm cold."
Dad/Brother/Boyfriend: "You shouldn't be wearing flip flops."

F.W.: "You're walking too fast!"
D/B/B: "You shouldn't be wearing flip flops."

F.W.: "I'm laying on the ground with my shoe in the gutter because you just stepped on the back of it."
D/B/B: "You shouldn't be wearing flip flops."

F.W.: "I hear global warming is becoming a problem."
D/B/B: "You shouldn't be wearing flip flops."


That's where the boots come in. We're still talking flats here but with SO much more variety. The ones above are the ones currently on rotation at the moment. The reason I wanted to share these is because I just added four new pairs to the bunch. Remember that birthday I recently had? Well I took all of my birthday money and bought boots. There was a reason for that sort of madness. After last winter I had to throw out about that many pairs of boots because they got completely destroyed from walking many blocks to classes in the city, and sometimes through snow. The bottoms were all detaching from the soles and they had creepy salt stains from all the salt that remained on the sidewalks for months after the snowstorms which was reactivated every time it rained.





I wore those things to death and recently realized that I had almost none left for this winter so I went crazy and bought a bunch more. Hopefully they will last me longer since I don't do nearly as much walking as when I lived in the city.

I also had a couple pairs that had to go because they were literally melting.. allow me to explain before you think I'm crazy. Did you ever have a pair of boots that were about knee high and made of a fairly soft but stiff fabric? Well after wearing said boots for a while, the fabric gets softer and softer until it has finally fallen and bunched down around mid to low shin area. Not fun. No amount of pulling, tugging, cursing, or begging will make them stay up. This, my friends, is melting.

So here's to hoping I won't have to buy boots for a while, even though I'll probably want to! I also wanted to let you in on a gold mine for boots in case you haven't been able to find any good ones lately. Ready? Victoria's Secret. Not just for undies. They actually have an amazing section of shoes.. flats, heels, and the like. That's where I got all of my recent ones from. I originally started looking there because I had a birthday coupon from them and I was not disappointed. So I recommend checking this out at some point.

And that was my rant about boots, growing up tall, and the impracticalities of flip flops X).


Happy Friday!!