Date Night

Date Night

Works Cited
gray skirt: american apparel
white tee: j crew
gray sweater: j crew
flats: uo
ring: shopkim
This weekend, Christopher and I went for a drive in the cornfields during sunset. It was gorgeous, although I am still in disbelief that this state is so flat! I wanted to wear something simple and flattering--I think an easy jersey skirt and white tee did the trick.

Hope you Americans are enjoying memorial day. See you tomorrow with a great giveaway!

Ah, happy, happy boughs!

Ah, happy, happy boughs!

Works Cited
white skirt: old navy (circa 2004)
belt: thrifted
beige top: j crew
sandals: old navy

Even if they are objectively no cooler, light colors always make me feel breezy and shaded. I love all the beiges, whites, and neutrals zipping around these days.

Ah, happy, happy boughs!

Recently someone commented that I should smile more in photos. I have to confess that I feel a bit awkward doing so, but I valiantly tried despite my anxiousness. Phew, that was exhausting! Back to the old head-down-standby.

Ah, happy, happy boughs!

Hope you all have a very merry weekend. I have a drool-worthy giveaway coming up next week. Stay tuned!

Feeling Dressy

Feeling Dressy

Works Cited
dress: secondhand from hillary
wedges: clarks (via zappos gift certificate)
belt: anthro (gift)

Feeling Dressy

It's so hot here I feel a little like I'm melting! Even though I'm from a warm state (California), it doesn't get so burninghotandhumid there as it does in the midwest. Though I've come to love the scorching heat, it always takes a few days of adjustment.

Feeling Dressy

I'm looking forward to the challenge of photographing my outfits this summer, because normally I spend the summer in cutoffs and tank tops trying to avoid heatstroke. In fact, I'm a little nervous about trying to look stylish this summer. So I want to ask: where do you go for summer sartorial inspiration? What are you looking forward to wearing?

Back and Better Than Ever

Back and Better Than Ever

Works Cited
shorts: DIY out of very old pants
belt: mommed
tank: old navy
button-up: j crew
sneakers: courtesy of keds

I arrived home late last night after an amazing week of vacation on the west coast, where I climbed trees, went wine tasting, swung on rope swings, and had several cartwheel competitions. I feel like a new person! Speaking of being new, these keds are my new favorite shoes. I used to have a pair when I was about ten, which I'd wear to walk on the mudflats in Maine.

Back and Better Than Ever

When I was cleaning out my basement recently, I found these giant, ancient khakis to which I promptly took a pair of scissors and made these shorts. I'm not much of a shorts person because I don't think they particularly flatter my frame, but these are so comfortable that I can't resist wearing them anyway. Plus I'm pretty pleased that I made them for a whopping $0.

Back and Better Than Ever

I'm so glad to be back! I missed the ol' blog last week and can't wait to be zooming around the internet again this week. xoxo.
P.S. It's broiling here today! Summer has arrived!

Leftovers

Leftovers

Works Cited
black pants: gap
chambray top: secondhand
wedges: clarks (via zappos gift certificate)

Leftovers

I'm luxuriating in vacation for one more day, so while this post is going up, I'll be eating pumpkin pancakes with friends. This outfit was pretty simple--I had a day of running errands and wanted to look put together but relaxed. By the time we took pictures, this top had accumulated quite a few wrinkles. I have to confess one of my bad blogging habits--I badly photoshop wrinkles out of clothes!

Leftovers

These pictures were taken shortly after I got my hair cut. I love getting my hair done--I sadly seem to lack the female gene that makes one skilled with a curling iron. Does anyone know a good tutorial or place for curling one's hair? And how on earth do you get the back of your head curly, too?

Alicia Keys hairstyle

A famous international singer Alicia Keys not just knows how to sing however impresses her audience with her marvelous and wonderful style of dressing as well as elaborate hairstyles.

Lesson Plan: World's Easiest Skirt

My sewing skills are pretty much limited to making my machine go forwards and backwards with a straight stitch. If you can do that (and also handle a pair of scissors), you can make this skirt.

This lesson plan comes largely thanks to Susan of freshly picked, whose incredible and much more lucid elastic-waist skirt pattern you can find here. The first several steps are hers, and are much easier to understand on her blog. Thanks also to Kendi, who told me that I could add text using Picasa and contributed to any clarity this lesson plan has.

P.S. You can click on any of the pictures to make them larger if you can't see the text.

Step 1

In between these steps, measure your waist and the length you'd like the skirt. The width of your two skirt pieces should be a few inches less than your waist; the length should be 3-4 inches longer than your desired length. For instance, my waist is 28 in and I want an 18-inch skirt, so I cut pieces that are 24 x 21.

And remember to wash, dry, and iron your fabric before you begin, since fabric often shrinks!

Step2

I like to fold my cloth and lay the pattern on top of it so I cut two pieces at once.

Step3

You can only find the pocket pattern on freshly picked--you can find it here (thank you, Susan!)

Step4

Step5

Step6

Step7

This is where this pattern deviates from Susan's. You could also sew both sides together, but you'd still want to leave the waistband open so that you can put the elastic in later.

Step8

Step9

Step10

Step11

Step12

Step13

Step14

Step16

Step17

Step18

Step19

Step20

Step21

Step22

Step23

Step24

Whew, this was long! If you do successfully make a skirt, I'd love to see a photo when you're done, so email me if you'd like.

And feel free to ask questions in the comment section--I'll try my best to answer them with my extremely limited knowledge. Happy sewing!

Travelin'


I'm off for a little grown-up vacation to the left coast to visit old friends. I'll be back next Wednesday. In the meantime, I have a few posts scheduled (including my tutorial for how to make these skirts!) if you care to stop by. Otherwise, see you next week!

xoxo

Pretty Patterns

Pretty Patterns

Works Cited
skirt: i made it
pink tee: gap
wedges: clarks
earrings: forever 21

This weekend, I went into some kind of sewing frenzy after finding some great patterns in the clearance section of the fabric store (including this one, which I'm crazy about). I also made up a tutorial, which I'll finally post later this week, on how to make a covered elastic waist skirt.

Pretty Patterns

Don't mind the bruises on my knees--I took a break from being a studious monk and went out dancing on Friday night. Let's just say I'm not the most graceful dancer...

Pretty Patterns

P.S. Thank you for all your wonderful sweet comments on Friday--they meant more to me than I can say. I wish I could give each of you a great big hug! And after all my hair-love, I went and cut it over the weekend--it feels so short and cool for summer!

P.P.S. Today's the last day to enter the giveaway to win an Etienne Aigner bag...

Some Sentimentality

Some Sentimentality

Works Cited

dress: anthro
cardigan: j crew
wedges: fitzwell

It's the final day of Dress Your Best week, and I'm celebrating my hair. I feel particularly glad to celebrate my hair because this month, I am also celebrating three years of being a cancer survivor.

Some Sentimentality

Aside from a stint of chemo-induced baldness and the subsequent pixie and bob haircuts, my hair has always been long and I love it that way. I can no longer tell whether it is neurosis or vanity that prevents me from chopping it to look as cute as Katy or Lexie. But my long hair is also a reminder of all that I've been through and how resilient I can be. And so it only seems fitting that the last day of Dress Your Best goes to celebrating the three parts of me that will always be metaphorically interconnected: hair, health, and happiness.

Hope you all have a wonderful weekend. xoxo.

P.S. I promise not to be this sentimental again! I think all this body-lovin' celebration has gotten to me...


Button Me Up

Button Me Up

Works Cited
button-up: courtesy of little ocean annie vintage
skirt: i made it
belt: uo
shoes: clarks

Button Me Up

For day 3 of Dress Your Best week, I'm celebrating my shoulders--they have carried heavy backpacks, given many piggy-back rides to younger cousins, and they look great in a button-up.

Button Me Up

Speaking of which, I'm just melting over this amazing vintage button-up from little ocean annie (thank you, thank you!). It fits just right, the colors are oh-so-sweet and it was packaged with the most beautiful liberty of london card. If you want to win your own enviable item from Annie's shop, you have till Monday to enter the giveaway. Or you could just hop on over to her shop and pick something up--she's donating 100% of her proceeds this week to Hands on Nashville. Hugs to you, Annie!

Baby Got Back

There's still time to enter to win an amazing vintage handbag from Little Ocean Annie Vintage!

Baby Got Back

Works Cited
jeans: j crew outlet
ceci n'est pas une bicyclette tee: uo
cardi: target
red flats: target (old)

For day 2 of Dress Your Best week, I'm celebrating something you don't often see on the blog: my backside. To be perfectly honest, it's a little scary to put pictures of my derriere on the interwebs, but here we go:

Baby Got Back

I have to give a little shout-out to Chelsea, whose easy-going confidence yesterday gave me the courage to give my own backside today's gold star. While it's sometimes a little awkward to squeeze this booty into pencil skirts, it looks mighty fine in jeans and anything with an a-line. Plus, I have to give it props for being super comfortable on long airplane trips and bicycle rides.

Baby Got Back

P.S. This tee has been serving me well on weekends, but surprisingly hasn't shown up on the blog yet. Yes, the shirt is gimmicky, but I couldn't resist Magritte+bicycle love, so it came home with me.
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