Our Girl Indigo

 Outfit Details: 

Jacket & Skirt: TJ Maxx

Eyelet top & Belt: Charlotte Russe

Purse: Forever21

Tights & Shoes: Target

Vintage ring, mood ring, and black ring from Belgium

Puppies: Indigo & Ollie

We recently lost our eleven year old dog, Indigo, who I've photographed several times. It was rough, but she had been having some health problems so it wasn't a terrible shock. She was such a beauty and a happy dog. She had bad hips for the last couple of years, but she didn't let it tear her down. More recently we had noticed that she wasn't feeling well, she moved less and less and tended to be in the way of the car more and more. A few days before she passed we found out she was diabetic, which explained her lose of weight and fatigue. She went peacefully in her sleep, there isn't much more to ask for than that. This will be the last post with her as a special guest. 

These were taken before we were aware of her sickness, and strangely, as the last pictures I was able to capture of her, they happen to be some of the cutest I have, especially the first one with both of the darlings. 

A Little Boho

Outfit Details: 

Dress: Kohl's

Shoes: Hottopic

Necklace: Vintage

Ring: France
Purse: gift

I'm not a nail polish kind of girl, I tend to kept it on forever or forget to ever paint them. But I decided I really needed TARDIS blue nail polish, this was the closest color I found which is made by Revlon. I actually really like the nail polish, it dries quickly which is perfect for those of us that can't keep our hands still for any amount of time. 

The dress was something that I had no intention of buying, but its crochet detailing and off-white color won me over. I played up the boho look, leaving my hair loose and messy, with minimum jewelry. Plus, my purse is awesome. How can you go wrong with an outfit with an accessory like that?

The Curve of Technology

It's funny how attached we can get to inanimate objects. For instance, I'm typing this out on my laptop. She has a name and stickers that I put on when she arrived at my house on July 2010. She has a few scratches and a funny mark on the screen where once I spilled tea on her. Her name is Octavia, in case you're curious. In the three years I've owned her I've learned to accept her quirks, like how, sometimes, the mouse won't work when I first sign in or how the task bar won't disappear on occasion, and the scary noise she makes when she's trying to read a disc. It's silly though, you know, to feel this attached to a piece of metal that sits on my lap from time to time. 

Sometimes, much of the time, I find it necessary to get far away from technology. Ask almost anyone, I have a bad habit of forgetting that I have a phone people try to contact me on. I prefer the quiet wind on a shady day to the hum of electronics. But far too often, I forget to step away and turn off all these battery sucking bugs. It might seem strange but taking outfit pictures, where I use a five year old camera (she feels older than that), takes me out of the modern day. Often enough, to take these pictures, I wander into scarcely habituated areas and sit for a moment, soaking in the lighting and the breath of the wind. 

As I get older and wiser, as we all know that at twenty a girl is as wise as can be, I have to wonder what these little gadgets really give us. They might simplify some things, but don't they make others more complicated? Isn't it that much harder to enjoy a night out when it seems that your company is sucked into the world evolving on these little things. Believe me, I get the irony that I'm writing about this on my blog. But sometimes the thoughts stuck inside one's head must be tossed to be heard by those that are willing to listen.

Outfit Details:

Shirt: my mom's

Tank: Kohl's

Shorts: Thrifted

Shoes: Macy's

Necklace: Hottopic

I think this (long) post matches this outfit. Its Indiana Jones theme-hopefully by now you've realized that I like to dress in themes-speaks of a character who tends to stick more to his wits and his hat, than technology-granted he is from the 30's so they didn't have cell phones back then., but still.

I think I need a hat like his, it would complete the outfit. I had wanted to take these pictures in a park close by, where there would have rocks to climb and a more Indiana Jones feel, however it rained that day and the lighting was awful. So, instead, I settled for the pack of trees by our pond and I think they worked nicely in the end.

My Lake Vacation in Pictures

Pictures from top:

1&2 - our hotel

3&4 - my sister and I reading in front of the lake

5&6 - nearby lighthouse

7 - view of the sail boats and kayaks by the pier

8 - me on my rock by the lake (outfit post)

9&10 - me and my sisters by the lighthouse

11&12 - by the hotel

13 - Kaitlin reading and eating my chips

14 - before the David Cassidy concert. What can I say? We're a family of readers. 

15 - in our old fashioned room at the hotel (outfit post here)

16 - breakfast at the hotel after our sister bonding run

It was so nice to get away for a weekend on the lake, while the getaway seemed short somehow, it also felt like a deep breath. I can't believe summer is almost gone, kids are going back to school and it's been surprisingly cold. Plus, the end of summer fairs are about here. But in good news, it's time to bring out tights, scarves, and my favorite-boots. Fall is my favorite season, I don't mind having favorites here. 

-

My Mainstreet + My 100th Post

I could go on and on about my hundredth post, but I really don't feel like I need to. It is kind of funny though, I feel like I've had this blog forever and yet still like I couldn't have composed one hundred outfits already (well almost, some posts were about books instead).

Outfit Details: 

Porcelain Style Dress & Best of Times heel: Modcloth

Skirt & Necklace: Made by me

Belt: Kohl's

Ring: Forever21

Purse: Marc's

The mainstreet of my little village is a pretty place, through the years the town has tweeked it and improved it. Funny, but I can't really remember what it looked like in the beginning. We always have a street fair on that main street once a year where it's standing room only; but otherwise it's a quiet and quaint location. The perfect place for a walk, I'm sure about that. I've always lived here so I might be biased. 

 Sometimes, for outfits, the merging of patterns can be overwhelming, but I think the subtle pattern of the green skirt matches well with the toile dress. Plus the heels just complete the outfit. It was outside my comfort zone taking pictures as many cars passed by. It was just me, with a dinky tripod. But it was a quiet Sunday, and most people were probably at home, so it worked out in the end.

One More Outfit of Green

 Outfit Details: 

Top: Rue21

Shorts: Forever21

Purse & Shoes: Target

Necklace: Vintage

Earrings: Bodycentral

Yes, I'm totally showing off my moves in that one picture. I've never done gymnastics or ballet and I never was a cheerleader. I was a soccer player and a swimmer, but I've always been pretty flexible. Stretching is something I do for fun. Okay, now I'm just bragging. Oh, and for the record, being flexible and clumsy do not mix well, at all.

Ah, shorts, blech! I bought these little guys on a whim. I had needed shorts for a while and found these for a great deal. I hate wearing short so I hummed over the deicision for a few minutes and finally caved before I made a beeline for the cash register. They worked out rather well for me. While, it can be a little strange-as they almost match my skin-they are comfy. This is another lazy day outfit, which tends to consist of over-sized shirts and some kind of comfy pants. And yes, I might have gone a little overboard with my shades of green, but color themes are always so fun. 

Stripes and Seaglass

Outfit Details: 

Striped Cross-Back Skater Dress & Belt & Shoes: Kohl's

Shawl & Earrings: Forever21

Bracelet: gift

Purse: Charlotte Russe

Necklace: Vintage

Lead the Aweigh Ring: Modcloth

The last day of our vacation I knew I wanted to wear something comfortable, for the drive home. While I hadn't worn this before, I knew this dress would be a good choice. I ended up having to safety pin the straps to shorten them, the downside of having a short torso. But other than that, it worked out really well. These pictures were taken right in front of the hotel we stayed at, which was lovely and the weather was perfect for pictures. You have to love the beach. 

Little Mermaid by the Sea

Outfit Details:

Dress: Gabriel Brothers

Shawl: Forever21

Colored Bracelet: Rue21

Necklace & chain bracelet: homemade

I mentioned my rock in the previous post, this is my rock. Since I started claiming this spot as my own, my family started calling me a mermaid. The red hair tends to reaffirm that. I should mention that I have no problem with this, there are much worse things than being called a mermaid, at least I'm not being called carrots. 

Common sense would dictate not to wear a long dress when you want to climb out into the sea and down many rocks, all while hoping not to fall. But I tend to forget what common sense is at times, what can you do? 

These pictures came out a little dark, as it started to rain just as everything was set up. These were also taken with help from my sister, which was awesome, because it meant I wouldn't have run(climb) in between setting the timer.  

By the Lakeside

As I write this I am sitting in an old hotel on the second floor staring out my window at the parking lot. This weekend my family and I went on a little mini vacation. It's a few hours from where we live and right by the lake. It's a gated town that managed to keep itself out of the rest of the world. It's almost like you've stepped into a different world when you come through the gate. We've been coming here for as long as I remember, before we used to camp just a couple of miles away and would come in this old fashioned town for a few hours for some shopping. More recently we've been staying in town.

Outfit Details:
Polka Dot Dress: Kohl's
Shawl & Purse: Charlotte Russe (shawl was a shirt, shortened and cut straight down)
Necklace: Vintage
Earrings: Body Central

This is the first time I've been here since I've started my outfit journal. I've been anticipating the prospect of taking pictures in this cutesy town since we knew we were coming. But when I got here it wasn't the pictures I was taking that caught my eye, and I should have known better. Despite the hustle and tussle of those that arrive for a vacation, this town has a way of stopping the hours that normally can just flow by us. My love for nature, especially the waterside where climbing can take place, blossoms here. Everything else seems a little less important. 

There is no TV in the hotel rooms, not in the hotel we stay at. We are right at the lakefront and all around us are others that have come to get away. The water is a silvery-blue and small waves crash against the rocks at the edge-my favorite spot in this town. While I'm not one for laying on the beach, soaking in the sun-I leave that to my sisters who manage it much better than I-I do love the cool breeze of the lakeside and mad hush of the water. I take plenty of books, more than I could actually read, and sit out on my rocks as I dip my feet in the water, and yes they are my rocks. 

I doubt this year will be any different, I'll set away my trusted laptop and pop outside for a breath. The world that lives outside these walls will just melt away for a few minutes and I will almost disappear. But I'm romanticizing. Perhaps that is the magic of this place, it's romanticized, but rightly so. My advice to you, escape, even if for a moment. It does wonders to your health.