lengthy inhibitions

maxi dress ny&co(old); cardigan LOFT; necklace oldnavy; clutch j.crew factory; sandals target

seeing as i rank in at a whopping five foot, zero inches, i never in a million years would have thought a maxi dress would be an article of clothing in my closet.  but two years ago i found this little number at new york and company and figured i'd give it a whirl. with a few alterations in the length department done, i packed it up and took it to the beach. i'm not sure if it was the sunkissed skin or the encouragement from my brutally honest sister - but the dress was a hit and i've been in love ever since. i figured, if i'm confident, who cares if i'm a little guy in a long dress, i love it and that is all that matters.

this number has been proven versatile: worn alone, with a light cardigan, and even a long sleeve shirt underneath. and it hasn't hurt that i've gotten a smile or two from that waiter at the restaurant either.

now, go and enjoy yourself on this very first day of august (say wha?!) and keep on screaming your lungs out for team usa. i'll be rambling more about the history making, voice losing, and tear shedding that occured last night, tomorrow...U S A!

perspectives and chocolate milk

tank h&m; skirt aerie by american eagle; sandals kohl's (all from earlier this season)

it is amazing what a good nights sleep can do to one's perspective. i went to bed in a terrible mood. and that mood was amplified by the fact that i didn't fall asleep until probably well after 12:30 a.m. but when i woke up (besides contemplating why i had a dream about chocolate milk) i felt a wave of unbelievable gratitude. a shift in perspective by about a million degrees. a sense of calm.  the sunshine that was streaming in my window certainly helped as well.

this little number in all of its poor photographic glory was worn one night on vacation. it was hard to narrow down which maxi skirt i wanted to take along with me but i definitely made the right decision. light-weight, breezy, i could just eat it up!

speaking of eating, err drinking. time for that glass of chocolate milk.
to catch a glimpse of a few more vacation pictures, head on over to my sissy's blog, one more time.

red, white, and j.crew

t shirt old navy (similar here, scoop neck here); skirt j.crew (sold out!); belt h&m (similar); shoes sperry

with the fourth on wednesday this week, i couldn't help but gravitate towards red, white, and blue in all of its many shades all week long. i honestly have had difficulty staying away from loading on the patriotic colors this summer. and don't even get me started on the flag-patterned-ness that i'm craving to diy on a shirt (of four). so now that the week finally arrived i felt it only appropriate to go big or go home and do my best to incorporate as much red-white-and-blue-goodness as possible.

i wore this on tuesday morning to go out to (a way too early) breakfast with my mom and couldn't have been happier with how put together yet comfortable i managed to be - even after licking my plate clean. (kidding about the actual licking). and apparently the employees at the nearby j.crew store found my outfit to be up to their standards since i was claimed to be "so j.crew". i may or may not have been sought out for a job.

so, are you loving the red, white, and blues this week?

A&A

dress LC lauren conrad for kohl's; purse j.crew; wedges (last seen here, here & here)

awkward:

-- the case of the missing arm. sometimes it just happens when you take pictures. and sometimes you gotta post um...ya win some, ya lose some. no pun intended.

--  to the awkward boy swimming laps in the community pool at my friends apartment complex. please stop. you are not michael phelps.

-- to doug on the bachelor: did em finally give you those "give me a kiss eyes" that you were looking for? something tells me that they may have been more like "i'm sending you home eyes" but i applaud your effort as i painfully watched it all unfold.

-- ever try to blow your nose while your nails are drying from a fresh coat of paint? i did. and thanks to mother dearest we have photographic proof of how awkward it is. even more akward, that i'm sharing the lovely proof with you:

awesome:

-- mamma mia! mom and i went to see the wonderful show tuesday night and were singing (or at least i was) along with every song (and still am!). i mean honestly i was practically dancing in my seat. and giddy as a school girl. check #5 off of my "summer bucket list" please and thanks. and go listen to the soundtrack on youtube. i know i will be the next week or so.

-- dresses. i think i have an addictive relationship with them. and this little kelly green number that i wore for the show tuesday night was by far one of my favorite purchases yet.
-- to the wind: thanks for giving me a sultry windblown look in the above pictures. good timeing since my wind machine broke down that day.

the little chambray post that couldn't

shirt ny&co.(similar); shorts h&m (old-from big sis)(similar); shoes lucky brand via tjmaxx (old)(similar); necklace american eagle; watch momma's; wallet vera bradley; sunnies h&m

i had this really great post planned. it was all floating around in my head. i would talk about how much i adore the chambray shirt and how i think it is such a vital piece year round. how this little guy has been paired with this, that, and everything - and was quite the perfect choice for a day of running errands and being comfy but pulled together. and how adorable the little broach was keeping it tucked together in the back. it was such a great little post idea. it made me smile all day. i even managed to snag my melon inspired nails, freshly painted last night, in the pics.

oh...those pics. that wonderful little post just danced out of my head when dad was riding around mowing the lawn as my photog (mom) was snapping those pictures of me for that blessed little post. she even got a picture of dad...

darn those blurry iphone pics. but i have photographic proof of what happened next. dad, being the sly guy he is, stopped that mower and said "are you taking those photos for your e-harmony account?"

and just like that the little idea for my chambray inspired post was gone. and it was much more important to state a very vital lesson learned:

do not take outfit photos while dad is home.

sorry little post, but this will have to be as important as you will get, an easy statement of how much you love chambray shirts and how everyone needs to go out and buy one right now. and for the record, i do not have an e-harmony account - although i do not think poorly of anyone who does. my dad is just a huge jokester like that, also because he asked if he was going to be put on my account as well. gosh dad, i sure do love you.

a hop, skip, and a jump

today you need to take a little hop, skip, and a jump on over to this little blog, Nugget on a Budget, to check out my post on all things essential to an impromptu trip to the beach! now if i had all of the pretty pennies in the world i would most definitely scoop up all of these items, but i pulled some inspiration from my closet to find some beauties out there on the world wide web for you to scoop up and add to your beach bag this summer. so go ahead, you know you wanna...

a la simple

there are plenty of trends that i am currently craving, which, seeing as i made wednesdays dedicated to all the things i'm craving out there in the fashion world, it makes each wednesday an exploration of what i cannot wait to get my hands on next.
seeing as complicated as life has been as of late, i'm craving simplicity. yes - even in my wardrobe. lately i have been craving some simple pieces that can stand alone or, on a much more enthusiastic day, paired with neon brights, pretty pastels, or an array of different accessories or other pieces. the simple piece of choice for today: a dress with just enough simplicity and just the right amount of statement that it can be thrown on and out the door i go.

i half way blame pinterest seeing as after i found these two little beauties i was hooked and have been searching ever since:

pinned on my fashionista board, source here

pinned on my fashionista board, found here

a few little beauties i want to call my own:

ruffles

mellow yellow

kimono

and my own take on it:

blazer LC lauren conrad for kohl's (similar); dress f21 (old); wedges simply vera vera wang for kohl's (seen here); sunnies h&m

stripe-o-rama

dress gap; necklace thrifted; belt ny&co (old); wedges ny&co; bag h&m (old)

remember when i told you about that amazing steal of a shopping trip to Gap last week? well here is one of those cozy little clearance babies i picked up during my excursion. i have always been in love with stripes, and a striped dress has always been on my "to-buy" list, so to speak, but for some reason i could never find the right one. i have found plenty that i adore. plenty that are in the right price range (and of course plenty that aren't). so when i tried this little beauty on i was more than ecstatic. it is a heavier fabric then most dresses i pick up and a boxier cut which isn't typically my choice, but with a belt or broach cinching it in, i'm more than head over heals. not only can i throw this on for a cool night at the beach but i'm already dreaming of it with thick tights and the perfect sweater for the cooler months. it's all about transitions in my book ladies and this little beaut just about knocks my socks off.

here are a few other little beauties that are making me see stripes. (that last little baby keeps trying to make her way home with me, in a "i'm practically jumping myself into your car" type of way. one of these days my wallet is going to just have to give in...)

scalloped stripes

high low

nautical

jules dress

kimono-sleeve

azalea

i solemnly swear that i am up to no good

blouse ny&company; jeans lc lauren conrad (similar here); flats f21(old) (similar here & here); watch francesca's; sunnies h&m (similar)

do not let these sunny afternoon pictures fool you, in three days time i may just as well be taking pictures in a parka and goulashes. this weather has been quite the roller coaster as of late. first its a nice spring temperature. then its a blistering 80-something degrees in which i had to dig through boxes and bags to find the only suitable thing next to a bathing suit to step outside in. and two days ago, as i drove to school to teach, it was snowing. snowing! i tell ya people it was absolutely absurd!
little miss spring is up to no good, no good at all.

fruit punch

scarf in deep peri, j.crew

there are some things that i simply can't get enough of all year round and a nice scarf is by far one of those things.  when people started wearing scarves in the summer i wasn't one to jump on the fashion bandwagon, so to speak. i loved the look, i adored the prints, but i didn't quite love the idea of adding an extra layer of cloth tied around my neck. of course, i happened upon a floral scarf and after slipping it on my neck, it was an instant hint and thus, my obsession for scarves spanned way past brisk autumn days and white-washed winter afternoons. this year i'm attempting to make myself accessorize more and began a hunt for some perfect sweet-summer add-ins to introduce to the bare neck and shoulders of summertime.  i picked up the scarf from the j.crew outlet (pictured here) and saw that little beauty above in CHERRY RED, but i walked away with only the previously mentioned. thinking my heart would forget about the punch of red, i went home happy with my finds. seeing as my heart did not go on (no titanic reference intended), i decided i NEED this scarf. wellp, it is not online (why i posted it in the pretty periwinkle color) and have yet to find it at other j.crew outlet stores i have bumped in to. will my heart ever find that red-spun beauty? i sure hope so. but in the mean time, here are a few other summer scarves i'm lusting after.

1.

2.

3.

4.

and on a side note of something else that is punched full of that cherry red deliciousness, these red rainboots, which i also, regretfully did not pick up
did i mention i am a terrible decision maker?

you're making me blush

I am a freak when it comes to routine.  If it isn't planned, schedules, on a to-do list, or part of my daily routine in some way or another, I tend to well...freak.  I wouldn't go as far to say that I have an emotional break down and sit in a corner hugging my knees and whispering quietly to myself, but I am someone who likes order.  Seeing as my life has none of that right now, I decided when I started this blog that it would be my little bit of routine to carry me through this "winging it" kind of lifestyle I have to conform struggle to deal with.

Seeing that this is the case, I decided that I am going to attempt to make my Wednesday posts be purely about what I am loving and lusting (and probably very rarely owning) in the fashion world.  Let this be a warning:  I am not an expert.  I simply like what I like and would love to share this on my little bit of blog in this huge blogging universe.  So here goes nothing!

Kohl's Simply Vera Vera Wang Platform Wedge

These little beauties have recently made their way in to my heart and closet.  As I have mentioned in previous posts, I can be quite the awful shopping companion.  Seeing as I try to avoid the shoe section at all cost I wondered in to Kohl's looking for everything but these.  These beautiful little girls that, at $74.99 are a stretch for a day to day sub like me, conviently were reduced to a sale price I contemplated.  When I took in to consideration my 20% coupon (seriously, how smart is Kohl's for always having such sweet deals?), these babies had me at hello.  I usually rock flats in every color, pattern, and shape but these were a must.  The color is a little darker then the picture depicts and is perfect with a pair of pastel pants for a cool morning brunch or a flowy floral dress for an afternoon out.  I also am dreaming of cooler fall days where I pair them with patterned tights and bulky sweaters.  These little beauties just about made my week.