I got this colorful, tropical maxi skirt for $5 at a consignment store in Asheville. I got a lot of other items, as well, for $5 at that store! I was pretty excited. I think this skirt was originally part of some outdated old-lady suit, but I definitely prefer it without the matching boxy top, haha. The colors are beautiful.
So I thought all the craziness was over after the first week of August, but it seems I have a crazy week ahead of me – traveling, interviews, babysitting, brother visiting, etc. It’s exciting though, so I can’t complain. I’ve had a good long week to relax…and work on some design projects, respond to client emails, start a quilt, read books, etc. Considering I only slept in my bed a total of eight times in the month of July, a week of not having to pack or unpack has been wonderful. The excitement starts back up again tomorrow morning.
Wow. I can’t believe it’s been over a month since I last blogged. Life is crazy sometimes, and this summer has certainly been crazy for me! But I’m back, and hopefully now that I’ve gotten back into a semi-regular schedule, I’ll stick to it. Perhaps I’ll elaborate more on what I was so busy doing for the past month in a future post.
The past two weeks here in Virginia have been unseasonably cool. Lower 70′s (˚F) is NOT typical August weather here, but I’m not complaining. I’ve loved it! I took these pictures around 8pm, and I was actually a little chilly. It’s making me anxious for fall! I adore cooler temperatures. Perfect weather for hiking. With my brother living in the mountains of western North Carolina, I’m looking forward to some beautiful autumn hikes.
I bought this romper in St Louis summer ’12, and this is only the second time I’ve worn it. I think I prefer it with the denim jacket. Last time, I was wearing it in the heat of summer, sans jacket, but I feel like the jacket subdues the youthful look of it a bit. Being that people already assume I’m somewhere between the ages of 15 and 19 (4-8 years younger than I actually am), I don’t think a colorful polka-dotted romper works in my favor. And it’s about time this denim jacket gets some love. I’m pretty sure I’ve had it since middle school.
(Side note: check out my hair – it’s getting so long! I’m excited!)
Romper: secondhand French Connection Jacket: secondhand Gap Shoes: secondhand Nine West Necklace: secondhand
It’s been a while since I’ve done any sort of round-up or favorites post, so it’s about time. I’ve gone through my outfits so far from this spring and summer and gathered up some of my favorites. Here they are. Keep reading to learn a bit more about why I like each. Click the image to go to the original post.
Row 1:
I love this top. It’s really artsy – reminds me of a painter’s smock with paint smudges all over it. I’ve never worn it with a dress before, but I love it.
This one might be the winner out of the bunch. I love stripes and florals together, and I think these two work great together. I like how summery and tropical the outfit is. I’m also wearing some fun, favorite accessories – my vintage hat, a leather flower bracelet, and sandals with embellishments that match the buttons on my shirt.
My first adventure with a high-low (a.k.a. mullet) skirt. There are lots of fun textures and patterns in this outfit that all somehow manage to work together without looking busy. Also, lime + black and white = amazing.
Row 2:
I’m completely obsessed with maxi dresses right now. I own three, but I want more (shame on me…I’m trying to make room in my closet, not pack it even fuller). I love the bright colors in this one.
This was a “costume” I wore for the Great Gatsby premiere. I worked with clothes I already had and was pretty pleased with the result. It certainly could have been more glitzy and more 20s-esque, but I love that this is an outfit I could still get away with not as a costume.
This was a risky pattern combo. The top is a geometric/aztec-y print and the skirt is abstract/paint strokes. I love the combination of structured prints with loose, artsy ones, and of course I wouldn’t have worn this if I didn’t like how the pieces look together.
Row 3:
I had seen this color combo on other blogs and on Pinterest, so I was super excited when I got this skirt so I could finally try out the combination myself. Orange, mint, and caramel are beautiful together (and an intriguing sounding flavor combination)!
This yet another color combination I like – eggplant, grey, and turquoise. This is one of my favorite skirts, despite the fact that I don’t wear it very often, so any outfit it’s a part of I’ll probably be fond of.
The only outfit in the group that isn’t a skirt or dress! I’m just more comfortable in a skirt/dress, and I have a hard time finding pants that fit me well. I also avoid tunic-length tops because I’m short and they normally just make me look shorter. But I like this pants-and-tunic outfit…miracle? The belt keeps it from shortening me, and the snug fit of the pants balances the loose fit of the top.
I love yellow and blue together. And after wearing this lovely outfit, I’m getting rid of both the skirt and the shirt. Neither of them fit very comfortably. I also desperately need some room in my closet, so I’m trying to get rid of some things I don’t wear very often. I have some ideas for this color combo with other items in my closet though, so no worries!
I hope you all had a fabulous, festive Independence Day! I’m at my grandparents house in D.C., but I watched the concert and fireworks at the Capitol on PBS. It’s too crowded and crazy to risk my life going. I was close enough to hear the fireworks though, so I got to watch the fireworks (on TV) with surround sound, haha! How did you celebrate?
Top: secondhand Gap
Skirt: secondhand American Eagle
Bracelet: secondhand
earrings: secondhand
sandals: secondhand Bandolino
This past weekend, I attended the annual NARTS conference in San Diego. Normally I just tag along with my mom as her employee, but this year I attended as a “affiliate,” so I was actually a vendor at SourceMart (a trade show). Here are some highlights from my trip.
We stayed at the Westin in the Gaslamp Quarter of San Diego. We didn’t have a ton of time to explore the area, but we did venture out with some other conference attendees to Rockin’ Baja Costal Cantina to eat fish tacos.
Friday was the bus tour. We went to resale and thrift stores around San Diego. It wasn’t the best bus tour I’ve been on at a NARTS conference, but it was still fun. We went to Buffalo Exchange, My Sister’s Closet, La Femme Chic Consignment Boutique, City Digz, and Consignment Classics. That night, we attended a fun “sweet treats” party NARTS hosts every year. There was a photo booth, a guy on stilts, a talent show, and of course tons of delicious sweets. The talent show was funny. Several groups went up and sang parodies of songs…switched up to be about resale shopping. The NARTS board did a silly cheer.
Saturday we attended workshops all day, but that night we had some free time. We ventured to La Jolla with another family there for the conference. I refused to leave San Diego without seeing a sunset over the Pacific!
On Sunday, I set up a table at SourceMart for my graphic design & web development. I got a great response. A lot of people showed interest, and hopefully I’ve gained some new clients from it. I’d love to just design logos and websites for consignment stores all the time!
Sunday night we went to Sea World. This was another event organized by NARTS. We had some time to explore the park, then we had a catered dinner and dance party. We ended the night watching the Shamu Rocks show. I wasn’t really impressed with Sea World, but I loved seeing the orcas – such beautiful animals!
We flew home on Monday. SAD! I would have loved more time to explore San Diego/California. Luckily, the flights home allowed for some interesting sight-seeing. We flew over Hover Dam (bummed I didn’t have my camera handy to snap a picture), and we had a layover in Salt Lake City so I got to see the Great Salt Lake and Bonneville Salt Flats. And of course lots of mountains! I took a picture…totally random picture…of the mountains in Utah while we were flying over them, and my brother was actually able to identify the specific peaks in the photo. Crazy! So it ended up being a not-so-random picture of mountains.
So I didn’t really wear shoes today. I intended to wear these shoes, but I only wore them long enough to walk to and from my car. I took them off while I worked. Going barefoot is my preference. That’s really one odd thing about me. I love shoes. I love getting new shoes. I just prefer not to wear them. If my post are scarce over the next few weeks, it’s because I’m traveling. I’m going to try to post at least a few times during my travels, but I don’t really know how much time I’ll have. I’m going to a conference in San Diego, then I’m going to stay with my grandpa for a few days while my grandma is out of town, then I’m going to a 48 hour film festival with some friends. SO MUCH TRAVEL…but that’s how I like it.
top: secondhand Old Navy skirt: secondhand Gap belt: secondhand shoes: secondhand Kenneth Cole Reaction hat: vintage via Etsy
I finally wore a black and white outfit…and I won’t be doing it again anytime soon. I’m not sure if it was the lighting or the fact that I wasn’t wearing any color (probably a combo of the two), but my pictures of this outfit turned out pretty bleh. I looked really washed out and the shadows were terrible. I managed to salvage a few with a bit of Photoshop work, though. I like black and white, but I think I prefer it with color, like in this outfit. And I still like the idea for home decor, in which case I wouldn’t actually be wearing it. Also take note: I straightened my hair! That’s probably another reason I didn’t like how these pictures turned out. I love my curls and I think they flatter me more than straight hair does. But it was fun to do something a little different for a day. I haven’t straightened my hair for a couple months, so I was curious to see how long it is. I’m excited for it to get about 6+ inches longer than this. I’m at the stage where I’m really temped to chop it all off again…but I must persevere. I’m so anxious to have crazy, long, thick curls!
No curls, no color…there’s just no fun in this outfit!
top: secondhand Old Navy skirt: secondhand New York & Company necklace watch: The Disney Store (a relic of my childhood) earrings: secondhand shoes: secondhand Nine West
Two items in this outfit I’ve been anxious to wear for some time and just have yet to incorporate them into an outfit: this top and the hat. I love the bold floral of the top and I knew I wanted to pair it with stripes. It’s just SO BOLD I was a little hesitant to finally go for it. I love how it turned out, though. It seems very appropriate for a summer party (I look like some sort of fruity beverage)…I just wore it to work, though. And this hat. I adore it. Enough said. It’s funny. This outfit (I wore yesterday) is the total opposite of what I’m wearing today. This outfit is a color explosion, and today I’m wearing black and white. No color. top: secondhand Living Doll dress: secondhand New Directions shoes: secondhand Nine West hat: vintage via Etsy (Village Vine) bracelet: Eastern Market, Washington D.C.
My posts have been so sporadic lately…I’ve been spending a lot of time at my sister’s house, and I don’t think about taking pictures while here (I’m at her house now). I think my mood/overall happiness improves when I spend a lot of time here because when I graduated from college, my friends and I all went back to our respective hometowns and aren’t close enough to spend a lot of time together (we do meet up sometimes…I love them too much to lose them!). My sister is one of few friends I have that is close enough to hang out with regularly, and I’ve really enjoyed getting to know her friends – they’re all fun, friendly folks (alliteration!). I’ve been spending way too much time cooped up working on freelance design projects lately, so it’s really nice to socialize. My sister is out of school for the summer, so she has a lot more free time. Of course, I do still have work to do so I have to be careful to prioritize, but I think my happiness is just as important as my work, so it’s worth the effort.
top: secondhand dress: secondhand Talbots belt: secondhand earrings: gift from a friend (from craft fair) shoes: secondhand Nine West
I think it’s about time for me to get a haircut…have it layered a bit more. I can sense triangle -head coming on. I haven’t straightened my hair for over a month. I used to always resort to straightening when I couldn’t get my curls to lay right, but I’m learning to work with my hair, and I finally have a routine that’s quick, easy, and no-fail (well, normally). I’m kinda curious how long my hair is straight now, though…maybe I’ll straighten it one day just to see. I normally avoid cheap flip-flops, but it was a very rainy day (torrential downpours), and flip-flops are pretty much summertime rain shoes as long as you don’t mind having wet feet. I saw a little girl in the Apple store the other day wearing a pleated skirt the same color as these sandals (which are a lot more of a neon coral than they appear in these pictures). It was adorable and I wanted it!
tee: secondhand Mossimo (Target) skirt: secondhand Free People necklace: handmade sandals: secondhand Old Navy
