Happy Independence Day!

Somehow July 4 isn't as momentous when it falls in the middle of the week. Still, I can't complain about a day off work/ excuse to eat delicious food and drink outside all day.  Not that I need an excuse for a cocktail. (Seriously, my instagram feed is 90% food, cocktails and my cat)

I'll be going to not one, but two parties today! First a birthday backyard barbecue for my friend Kelly in Somerville, then fireworks and drinks on the beach in East Boston. I've go a killer outfit planned, a new swimsuit,  and two bottles of moscato chilling in the fridge, so I'm ready!

This is not the outfit I have planned, but it's the most patriotic outfit on my computer that you haven't seen, so here ya go!

How will you be celebrating today? 

Boho Dreams

Do you ever have problems with outfit execution? I often find that outfits just don't look the way I'd imagined them in my head. 

When I bought this flowy, hi/low hemmed, sleeveless blouse (which I loved so much I bought in two prints) I imagined I'd style it in the kind of bohemian street style you'd expect to see from Nicole Richie:

I've always loved the boho look. As a 13-15 year old I mimicked and idolized the style of Kate Hudson's Penny Lane character in Almost Famous. On my curvy frame those loose, flowy styles don't always have the same effect. I wind up looking more frumpy than free spirited.  In the hopes of balancing out the volume of the shirt, I paired it with some fitted skinny jeans and brown flat sandals. 

The result was sadly a little more frumpy than boho, but at least the shirt was comfy and breezy on a warm day. 

I'm not ready to give up on this shirt, or it's black feather print cousin. I think I'll play around with the styling a little bit more. 

Outfit: Shirt: H&M similar from Evans; Jeans: Old Navy Rockstar; Sandals- ? via Marshalls similar from DSW

Help me! How would you style this shirt? 

Cape Cod Getaway Weekend - Part 2

After checking out of the B&B on Sunday morning we went for a final walk on the beach (and snapped some outfit photos). 

As much as I love city life, it's really nice to get out of it for a little while. The salty air, the breeze in my hair, driving on country roads, it all feels like home to me. Mike really enjoyed it too. we joked all weekend about moving to one of the Boston area's many coastal towns. 

Outfit: Dress and Belt- H&M; Cardigan- Old Navy 

After our walk we went to play mini golf at Pirates Cove in South Yarmouth. I started out several strokes ahead, but ended up losing by one stroke. We were both so sad to leave the cape, but a fear of end of the weekend traffic encouraged us to head back earlyish. I'm hoping we can make a few more trips this summer. 

Cape Cod Getaway Weekend - Part 1

For my birthday last month, Mike bought us two nights at By the Sea Guests in Dennis Port, MA on Cape Cod. I have been looking forward to this trip for a month, and it did not disappoint! I had such a fantastic weekend that you're going to get two posts about it. I've gotta warn you, if you don't like pictures of seafood, the beach, min golf or maxi dresses, you might be bored.

The weekend got off to a rough start. It was chilly and pouring rain when we picked up our zipcar. Between the rain and the rush hour traffic it took us an hour just to get out of the city, and another two to get to the Cape. When we finally arrived we rewarded ourselves with a pile of fried seafood and some chowder from Kream n Kone and then settled down in front of the gas stove in our suite for an evening of HBO and wine.

In the morning the rain was gone, but the skies were still gray. Thankfully, by the time we went to the market and made lunch the sun started to peak out from behind the clouds. After a delicious lunch on the porch, I spent the afternoon drinking moscato, reading a book, and lounging in the sun on the B&B's private beach.

Outfit: Dress- Old Navy; Cardigan and Sunnies- Target; necklace- ? 

There's something so perfect about wearing a breezy maxi dress on the beach. It was perfect for both the chilly morning and the warm breezy afternoon. However, I probably shouldn't have taken my cardigan off and hiked up my maxi dress without applying sunscreen. I now look like the lobster that was in the bisque I had with dinner Saturday night!

Tune in tomorrow for mini golf pics, and another maxi dress :)

In My Backyard

I love where I live. Sure, my apartment is small, and my closet smaller, but you can't beat the location. The only way I could have a shorter commute would be to work from home. I can walk to just about anywhere in the Back Bay or South End in 20-30 minutes, and I live within two blocks of a great coffee shop, a Marshall's and a plethora of restaurants. What more could a girl want (besides a bigger closet)?

Well, since you asked, I do miss having outdoor space. A yard, a deck, or a porch would be amazing. Especially when temps over 90 degrees+ no AC = hotter temperatures in my apartment than outside. Thankfully my fantastic location also means I have a variety of parks and gardens at my disposal.

On Sunday Mike and I got some frozen yogurt and went for a walk in the Fenway Victory Gardens. It's really cool to see what people grow in their little plots. Some were filled with flowers, others with the starts of a vegetable garden.

It was a hot day, and super windy. I'll spare y'all the photo where I had to hold my dress down, Marilyn Monroe style.Thankfully, I always wear shorts of some sort under my dresses. Despite the wind, this Dorothy Perkins dress really is perfect for a hot day. It's light and airy, the perfect length, and it's striped!

After our little walk we retreated to the crisp air conditioning of the movie theater for a matinee showing of the new Star Trek movie. There is seriously nothing better than a frigid movie theatre when it's over 90 degrees outside and you don't have air conditioning. 

Outfit: Dress- Dorothy Perkins last summer; Sandals- Payless old; Braceet- vintage (either my mo;m's or thrifted, not sure); Sunnies- Target

What do you like to do/ wear on a hot day? 

The Unofficial Start to Summer

Today is the start of a 4 day long heatwave in Boston, and I for one am stoked! (especially after a less than warm holiday weekend)

I spent the long, cold weekend in New York. Friday we headed to the Neuberger Museum of Art in Prospect. Most of the exhibits were closed, but there was still some cool stuff!

On Saturday Mike and I braved the cold, rainy, NYC weather and headed to Brooklyn for pizza brunch with friends and a trip to the Brooklyn Brewery. 

Yum! Then we headed to Citi Field to catch Mike's birthday Mets Game.

Unfortunately it was cold and rainy, so we spent most of the game in the Caesar's Club. We did manage to sneak out for a bit to some seats that were not as good, but also not as windy as ours. 

Most of the weekend was spent hanging out with Mike's family. 

Including this cute kitty, punky. 

On Sunday the clouds finally cleared!

The sun finally came out on Saturday, so we had a little barbecue. Mike did the grilling. I lounged.  And took outfit pictures in the back yard. 

Dress: Calvin Klein via TJ Maxx; Sandals- ? via shopbop; Cardigan- Old Navy

Reluctant Bostonian

I don't think I can consider myself a blogger any more. I haven't posted on a regular schedule since last summer! Sometimes I'm just not into it. I get busy doing other things- my volunteer and organizing work, spending time with my man, diy manicures, watching marathons of The L Word on netflix... 

..and then I realize that it's been two weeks since I posted even though I have several outfit photos ready to go. These were actually taken about three weeks ago.

Outfit: Shirt and Jeans- Old Navy; Shoes- H&M

I want to thank everyone that has showed support for this amazing city I live in. It has been one hell of a few weeks. I know there are more horrific things going on all around the world all the time. I'm incredibly thankful to live somewhere where explosions and wild police chases are not the norm.

I didn't love this city when I moved here in December 2009. I figured I'd stay for 6 months, maybe a year, and then I'd move back to Austin, TX. Then I met Mike and made some awesome friends. I discovered the beauty of New England summers and autumns, and I fell in love. I stopped thinking about where I wanted to move next, and started thinking about which neighborhood I'd want to settle down in some day.

I'm proud to live here, and I'm not going anywhere anytime soon.

Urban CowGirl

There's something about chambray, fringe, and a wide brown leather belt that screams western wear. Yet somehow when I chose to wear all of those items at one time I didn't realize that would be the result.

Do I care that the outfit I wore for brunch/ errands looked like a costume from a bad western? Not really because these Minnetonka trampers are the most comfortable non-sandal shoes I've ever owned  I got them with the shopbop credit I won in a giveaway, so a big thanks to Lyddie at Chic on the Cheap for providing my toesies with warmth and comfort.

Outfit: Chambray Dress- Buffalo Exchange; Belt - ?; Leggings- Marshalls; Booties- Minnetonka via shopbop 

Have you ever looked back at pictures of an outfit and realized you looked totally ridiculous?

Ignite the Nite 2013

Thursday night I attended Boston GLOW's third annual Ignite the Nite Fundraising Gala. This was my first year attending as a guest instead of as a volunteer. For the first two years I checked coats. Thankfully GLOW had a wealth of volunteers this year, so I felt free to buy a ticket and go for fun.

Who doesn't want an excuse to curl her hair and wear lipstick on a Thursday night?

The evening did not disappoint. There was good company, lots of food, some drinks and of course some ridiculous dancing. It seemed like there was a great turnout and some high bids for the silent auction prizes, so I'm hoping we raised a lot of money for the Ignite Change scholarship contest.

Outfit: Blazer and tights- Marshalls; Skirt - Prabal Gurung for Target; 

Blouse and necklace- H&M, Boots- Madden Girl

I was really excited to find this Parabal Gurung skirt at my Target (and in my size!). I enjoy the designer collaborations, but I'm not one to line up in the cold waiting for Target to open. I love the bright colors, and I'm really looking forward to styling it in a bunch of different way as the weather warms up.

An outfit, but mostly just cat pics

I finally got a new camera! It's my new job/ tax return present to myself. I decided a DSLR just wasn't realistic for me right now, so I upgraded to a nice point and click instead. I settled on the Nikon CoolPix L610. It might not be a DSLR, but with 16mp and multiple shooting modes and ISO settings, it is definitely a huge step up from my bare bones 10pm camera. My only complaint thus far is that it uses AA batteries and doesn't have the best battery life. 

Blouse- Evans via Gwynnie Bee; Cardi-Target, Jeans- Old Navy, booties- Minnetonka

Would you believe this picture was taken outside at 8pm? Amazing! It turned out a little more grainy than I expected. If anyone has tips for taking less grainy photos, let me know! Of course to practice with my new camera I've been taking pictures of my cat.

...Lots and lots of pictures of my cat.

Winter Wonderland

It snowed almost every day while I was in Ohio. My mom and sister live in the basement apartment of my Aunt and Uncle's house. The house is in the middle of the woods on a back country road. The snow makes it difficult to get in and out of the driveway, so there were a few days where we were literally snowed in. The snow may be a bitch to drive in, but it's beautiful!

Shop the Outfit: Sweater- H&M similar; Leggings- Marshalls; Boots- Madden Girl similar; 

Hat and belt-H&M

These photos were taken after our first little snow storm. A few days later there were about 8 inches more snow on the ground. 

Autumn 2012 in Review

I can't believe it's December already! I know winter doesn't officially start until the winter solstice on December 21st, but I always think of December 1st as the unofficial start of winter. With that in mind, here is a look back at some of my favorite outfits from Autumn 2012.

There are definitely some trends in my fall favorites. I loved cobalt, mustard yellow, horizontal stripes, and my denim jacket! Which outfit is your favorite?

Playing Favorites

I love new clothes. There's something really satisfying about ripping the tags off a garment and wearing it for the first time. Some items go on to become favorites, worn over and over until they literally fall apart. Other items get worn a few times and then get thrown into the "donate/ sell" pile. This dress is one of those items that I will wear until it can't be worn any more. 

I bought this dress at Target  back in February or March and I have worn it once every two weeks ever since. It works for every season, and I love challenging myself to style it in different ways. (Like here, here, and here). When I bought this floral and leopard print scarf (on super clearance for $5!!!) at Urban Outfitters, I knew I would eventually pair it with this dress. Pardon the pattern explosion, but I think they're a perfect match.

Outfit: Dress, Cardigan, Belt & Tights- Target; Boots- Matisse via DSW; Scarf- Urban Outfitters 

Do you play favorites with your clothing?